3.4 How the First Letter was Written
Complete textbook exercise solutions — Maharashtra State Board (Balbharati), Grade Nine.
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Warming Up!
| Objects | Neolithic Age (Later Stone Age) | 1st Century CE | Modern Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weapons | stone / bones / animal teeth | iron / steel / bronze / wood | guns / missiles / advanced alloys |
| Fuel | dry wood / dried leaves / animal fat | wood / coal / oil lamps | petrol / electricity / solar energy |
| Utensils | stone / hollow wood / clay pots | copper / brass / iron | stainless steel / glass / plastic |
| Food | raw meat / roots / wild fruits | cooked grains / roasted meat / vegetables | processed food / fast food / baked goods |
| Clothes | animal skins / tree bark / large leaves | woven cotton / silk / wool | synthetic fabrics / jeans / machine-made textiles |
Example Name: MAHENDRA
Words formed: Man, Hand, Head, Name, Dear, Hear, Hard, Near.
Words from Indian languages without exact English equivalents:
- Jugaad (Hindi) – A flexible, innovative, and low-cost hack or workaround to solve a problem.
- Kanyadaan (Sanskrit/Hindi) – The deeply emotional and cultural ritual of a father giving his daughter away in marriage.
- Jhutha / Uushta (Hindi/Marathi) – Food or drink that has already been tasted or touched by someone's mouth.
English words commonly used without exact/short mother tongue equivalents:
Internet, Software, Browser, Train, Station, Cricket, Bus, Mobile, Laptop, Sandwich, Ticket, Post, Radio, TV, Current, X-ray, Taxi, Platform, Wi-Fi, Password.
Note: This is a practical activity. You can find correct pronunciations using online tools like Google Translate's audio feature or dedicated pronunciation dictionaries like Forvo.
Margin Questions
◆ Give one word for the meanings of each of the names:
Tegumai Bopsulai (Man-who-does-not-put-his-foot-forward-in-a-hurry): cautious
Teshumai Tewindrow (Lady-who-asks-a-very-many-questions): inquisitive
Taffimai Metallumai (Small-person-without-any-manners-who-ought-to-be-spanked): ill-mannered
◆ Who is the author telling this story to?
The author is telling this story to his daughter or the young readers, whom he lovingly addresses as 'O Best Beloved'.
◆ Why had Taffy stamped her foot? What did the stranger make of it?
Taffy stamped her foot in frustration because she saw a shoal of very big carp going up the river right when her Daddy couldn't use his broken spear. The Stranger-man, not understanding her language, thought she was a very wonderful child—the daughter of a noble Chief—who was stamping her foot to give him an important command.
◆ Why did the stranger offer Taffy a big piece of birch-bark?
He offered her a big flat piece of birch-bark to show that his heart was as white as the birch-bark and that he meant no harm.
◆ Why did the stranger's admiration for Taffy grow?
His admiration grew because Taffy boldly touched and pulled the magic shark's tooth on his necklace. He had always been told that anyone touching it without permission would swell up or burst, but she did not, which made him think she was an extraordinarily powerful and wonderful child.
◆ Who does the author refer to when he says 'some people'?
When the author mentions 'some people on the drawing-room floor', he playfully refers to modern children or artists who lie flat on their tummies with their legs in the air while drawing.
◆ Is Taffy's drawing realistic? In how many ways does it fail to show the real picture?
No, Taffy's drawing is not realistic. It fails in several ways: the black-handled spear looks as if it is sticking into her Daddy's back; her own hair is drawn standing straight up; the beavers look like a pack of people/enemies; and the Cave is drawn much shorter than the hills because she couldn't draw things small.
◆ Write 'fended' and 'splain' with their proper spellings.
'fended' = offended
'splain' = explain
◆ How did the stranger interpret Taffy's drawing?
The Stranger-man thought the drawing meant that the great Chief was in terrible danger, surrounded by enemies with spears coming from all sides (Taffy's badly drawn beavers), and that the child was asking him to fetch the Chief's tribe for help.
◆ What mistaken notions made the stranger race off like the wind?
He mistakenly believed that Tegumai was pretending to ignore him because he feared the enemies hiding in the bushes. He thought the Chief purposefully let the child draw a terrible picture to show the danger, prompting the stranger to race off immediately to get help from the tribe.
◆ What was the stranger's impression of Teshumai Tewindrow?
When he saw Teshumai Tewindrow, he noticed she looked very much like Taffy, especially around the eyes and the upper part of the face, so he smiled politely, thinking she was a noble lady of the tribe.
◆ Is it possible to promise that one will be surprised?
No, it is not logically possible to promise that one will be surprised, because surprise is a spontaneous and natural reaction to something unexpected.
◆ What terrible message had Taffy's drawing conveyed to her mummy?
Teshumai interpreted the terrible drawing to mean that the Stranger-man had attacked her husband, sticking him full of spears, broken his arm, frightened poor Taffy so much that her hair stood on end, and brought a whole pack of enemies (the beavers) up behind them.
◆ Point out two humorous expressions from 'all the Neolithic ladies sitting patiently on the Stranger-man'.
1. "knocked him down and sat on him in a long line of six"
2. "sitting patiently on the Stranger-man"
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English Workshop
| Five-letter words | Six-letter words | Seven-letter words | Eight-letter words |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMART | WONDER | WITHOUT | SHOWTIME |
| SWEAT | MOTHER | WINDOWS | OUTSHINE |
| MOUSE | WINTER | HIDEOUT | DOMINATE |
| WATER | SHADOW | TANDEMS | MOISTURE |
- (a) Tegumai Bopsulai: His name means "Man-who-does-not-put-his-foot-forward-in-a-hurry". He lives up to this by remaining perfectly calm and focused on mending his spear, completely ignoring the stranger and not getting bothered by Taffy's impatience.
- (b) Taffimai Metallumai: Her name means "Small-person-without-any-manners-who-ought-to-be-spanked". She lives up to it by acting bossy, stamping her foot at the stranger, calling him "Silly!", pulling his magic necklace without permission, and ordering him around.
- (c) Teshumai Tewindrow: Her name means "Lady-who-asks-a-very-many-questions". She lives up to the noisy and interrogative nature of her name by immediately screaming, jumping to wild conclusions about the drawing, and loudly complaining to her friends instead of calmly analyzing the situation.
- "but we, O Best Beloved, will call him Tegumai, for short."
- "but we, O Best Beloved, will call her Teshumai, for short."
- "Now attend and listen!"
- "He did this, Best Beloved, to show that his heart was as white as the birch-bark..."
The Stranger-man from the Tewara tribe is a very interesting character.
(a) Ignorant, innocent and polite: He does not understand a single word of Tegumai's language, making him completely ignorant of the actual situation. However, he is deeply innocent and highly polite; he constantly smiles at Taffy and willingly offers her a piece of birch-bark to show he means no harm.
(b) Calm and cool: Even when Taffy calls him silly, stamps her foot, and boldly yanks at his magic shark's tooth necklace, he does not get angry. He remains calm, deciding it is better to be polite to such a powerful child.
(c) Jumps to wrong conclusions: He mistakenly assumes that Tegumai is a haughty Chief ignoring him because of lurking enemies. He also completely misinterprets Taffy's innocent drawing as a desperate cry for help in a bloody battle.
(d) Hasty and unwise at times: Driven by his wrong conclusions, he acts very hastily. He grabs the bark and races off like the wind into the bushes without asking for clear directions or trying to verify the facts, which ultimately leads him into a lot of trouble with the Neolithic ladies.
- (a) "Here's a pretty kettle of fish!" said Tegumai.
- (b) "It will take me half the day to mend this."
- (a) And she was Tegumai Bopsulai's Best Beloved and her own Mummy's Best Beloved, and she was not spanked half as much as was good for her; and they were all three very happy.
- (b) One day Tegumai Bopsulai went down through the beaver-swamp to the Wagai river to spear carp-fish for dinner, and Taffy went too.
- (c) They were miles and miles from home and Tegumai had forgotten to bring any extra spears.
- (d) Just then a Stranger-man came along the river, but he belonged to a far tribe, the Tewaras, and he did not understand one word of Tegumai's language.
The Cave by the River,
Wagai River Bank.
20th October.
Dear Stranger-man,
I am writing this letter to say how incredibly sorry I am for the terrible mix-up yesterday. I just wanted you to fetch my Daddy's extra black-handled spear from our cave, but because neither of us understood each other's language, everything went horribly wrong!
I know my drawing wasn't very good. I didn't mean to make the spear look like it was stuck in my Daddy's back, and the beavers weren't supposed to look like an attacking army. I am so sorry that my Mummy and her friends misunderstood the picture, knocked you down, and pulled your hair.
Thank you for being so kind and polite to me, and for letting me use your magic shark's tooth. I promise to learn how to write properly so that my pictures never cause a riot again!
Your little friend,
Taffy
The Attack of the Cave Ladies
I was only trying to be a hero! I ran through the brambles, my legs scratched and bleeding, carrying what I thought was an urgent call for help from a great Chief. Finally, I found his cave and saw a lady standing outside. She had the exact same eyes as the wonderful little girl, so I knew she must be the Chief's wife. I smiled as politely as I could, despite being completely out of breath, and handed her the birch-bark picture.
I expected her to quickly gather her warriors. Instead, she took one look at the bark and let out an ear-piercing scream! Before I could even blink, she lunged at me. Suddenly, five other ladies rushed out of the cave. They knocked me flat on my back into the dirt and actually sat on me in a long line of six! While I was pinned to the ground, the Chief's wife started pulling my hair out and shouting angrily, pointing at the picture. I was completely helpless and deeply confused. I risked my life to save their Chief, and this was the thanks I got!
Women Power Across the Ages
The concept of "Women Power" has evolved dramatically from the Neolithic age to modern times, yet the core strength of women has always been a constant force in human society. In the Neolithic age, as seen humorously in our story, women were physically strong and highly protective of their families. They were the primary gatherers, caretakers, and managers of the tribe's domestic life, ensuring survival in a harsh, wild environment.
During the Medieval period, societal structures became highly patriarchal, and women's roles were largely confined to the household or the royal court. However, their power did not vanish; it shifted. Women exerted immense influence behind the scenes as advisors, educators, and protectors of culture. Some legendary figures like Joan of Arc or Rani Lakshmibai proved that when necessary, women could lead armies and shape history just as fiercely as any man.
In the Present Times, Women Power has broken through historical boundaries. Women are no longer confined to specific roles. Today, they lead nations, explore space, run global corporations, and drive technological innovations. Modern women balance professional excellence with personal grace, proving that their power is not just physical or emotional, but intellectual and limitless. From the caves to the cosmos, the journey of women is a testament to resilience and unstoppable progress.