मेरा बचपन

[Audio] HINDI CHAPTER 3 मेरा बचपन Mera Bachpan (My Childhood) By Rabindranath Tagore.

[Audio] Calcutta and the Open Sky Our house was in a neighborhood in the city of Calcutta. Our house was very large. The surrounding houses were also big. The roofs of all the houses in the neighborhood were joined together. I used to fly kites in the open sky from my terrace..

[Audio] Rivalry with the Birds All the boys in the neighborhood would fly kites from their respective roofs. I really liked the birds that seemed to compete (race) with the flying kites..

[Audio] The Trend of Cages In those days, there was a huge trend of keeping various kinds of birds as pets. Cages could be seen hanging on the porches and roofs of every house. My middle sister-in-law (Manjhli Bhabhi) also shared this hobby..

[Audio] Sorrow for the Imprisoned " घर के शोर -गुल के बीच जब भी पजरे में बंद पंछी की आवाज़ सुनाई दे ती तो मेरा मन दखी हो जाता। "Amidst the noise of the house, whenever I heard the sound of a bird trapped in a cage, my heart would grow heavy with sadness.".

[Audio] The Painful Contrast On one hand were the birds racing with kites in the sky, and on the other, the birds flapping their wings inside a cage. My mind would become sad thinking about these trapped birds..

[Audio] A New Presence One day, my middle sister-in-law brought a new cage. She was very happy and was showing the cage to her friends. All the women from the neighborhood were also looking at the new bird....

[Audio] The Squirrel's Plight I also went to see the new prisoner. When I got there, I saw that this time, my sister-in-law had brought a squirrel. All the women were praising her choice. Seeing the squirrel pacing in circles inside the cage, I became very troubled..

[Audio] Questioning the Elders I said to my sister-in-law, "You are being cruel to this voiceless creature. What harm has it done to you that you have snatched away its freedom and imprisoned it in a cage?" "Don't try to act so wise since you're just a child!" saying this, my sister-in-law scolded me and silenced me..

[Audio] The Act of Liberation I was very distressed. I could not bear to see it. One day, seeing an opportunity, I opened the cages and set the squirrel and the other trapped birds free. For this act, I had to face a lot of scolding from my middle sister-in-law and the elders of the family. But I endured it silently..

[Audio] Glossary (शब्द -अथर्थ और मुहावरे ) Hindi Word Meaning (Hindi) English Meaning मँझली बीच वाली Middle प्रशंसा तारीफ़ Praise सखयों सहेलयों Friends होड़ लगाना बराबरी करने का प्रयत्न Competition बेजुबान न बोल सकने वाला Voiceless / Mute अत्याचार ज़ुल्म Atrocities / Cruelty.