Badal and Moti: NCERT Class 3 English Story (Santoor Chapter 2)

etmantra3 Nov 20264 min read

This is a warm story about a boy, a puppy and a friendship that grows strong. Children love the moment when Moti, the dog, finds Badal. It is a gentle way to talk about kindness to animals and helping each other.

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From NCERT’s new English book Santoor for Class 3, unit “Fun with Friends”. Chapter 2.

What your child learns

Words about pets and care: puppy, promise, scent
Past tense words that end in -ed: lived, played, thanked
Telling a story in the right order
Using a full stop (.) and a question mark (?)

What the story is about

Badal lives with his mother in a village. One evening, on his way back from school, he finds a puppy shivering in the cold and takes it home. His mother lets the puppy stay if Badal promises to look after it. They name the puppy Moti. Moti grows up, and he and Badal become best friends who eat, play and go everywhere together.

One rainy day, Badal slips on a muddy lane and falls into a deep pit. He cannot climb out. When he does not come home, his mother gets worried and asks the neighbours to help search. Moti goes too. He picks up Badal's smell, follows it to the pit and starts barking. The neighbours hear him and pull Badal out with a rope. Badal hugs Moti and thanks him.

New words, with Hindi meanings

shivering: shaking because you are very cold (हिंदी: काँपना, ठिठुरना)
puppy: a baby dog (हिंदी: पिल्ला)
promise: to say you will surely do something (हिंदी: वादा करना)
muddy: full of wet, soft soil (हिंदी: कीचड़ वाला)
pit: a deep hole in the ground (हिंदी: गड्ढा)
neighbours: people who live near your house (हिंदी: पड़ोसी)
scent: the smell that a person or thing leaves (हिंदी: गंध, महक)
relieved: feeling better after a worry goes away (हिंदी: राहत मिलना)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

Where did Badal find the puppy?
What happened to Badal on the rainy day?
How did Moti help to find Badal?
Do you have a pet, or which animal would you like as a pet?

Answers for parents

He found the puppy shivering in the cold by the road, on his way home from school.
He slipped on the muddy lane and fell into a deep pit.
Moti followed Badal's smell to the pit and barked, so the neighbours came and pulled Badal out.
For example: I would like a cat as a pet because it is soft and playful.

Grammar corner: Past tense with -ed

When something has already happened, we often add -ed to the action word. Walk becomes walked and play becomes played. This tells us the action is over.

Badal walked home from school.
Moti barked near the deep pit.
The neighbours pulled Badal out with a rope.

Practice at home

Add -ed: Yesterday Moti ___ (play) with a ball.
Put a . or a ? at the end: Where is Moti
Make a sentence with the word 'neighbours'.

Answers: 1. played · 2. Where is Moti? · 3. For example: Our neighbours gave us sweets on Diwali.

Try this

Play 'Find Moti'. One person hides a small toy or a spoon somewhere in the room while the child closes their eyes. The child then becomes Moti and searches, while you say 'warm' when they come near and 'cold' when they move away. When they find it, they bark 'Woof woof!' and say 'I found it!' Swap roles and play again.

Tip for parents

Tell the story first in Hindi, in your own words, as a bedtime story. Then read it in English and stop at words like puppy (पिल्ला) and pit (गड्ढा) to give the Hindi word. Ask your child to retell it in any mix of Hindi and English, and praise every English word they use.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of Badal and Moti?

Kindness comes back to us. Badal saved a cold puppy, and later the same dog, Moti, helped save him.

Who are the characters in Badal and Moti?

The main characters are Badal, his mother, his dog Moti and the neighbours who help search for him.

Is Badal and Moti in the new NCERT book?

It is in NCERT's new Santoor book for Class 3. It is Chapter 2, in Unit 1, Fun with Friends.

Learn every Class 3 chapter with CALP

Every chapter of Santoor, NCERT’s new book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, grammar, speaking and first writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →