Gilli Danda: NCERT Class 5 English Poem (Santoor Chapter 7)

etmantra3 Nov 20264 min read

Many parents played Gilli Danda as children, so this poem is a lovely way to share memories. Children read about friends gathering in the playground, hitting the gilli and watching it fly. It is full of joy and easy rhymes.

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From NCERT’s new English book Santoor for Class 5, unit “Ups and Downs”. Chapter 7.

What your child learns

Rhyming words: hit and quit, flies and skies, fun and sun
Feeling words that are nouns: joy, fun
Describing a game and its rules
Reciting a poem with actions like 'swing and hit'

What the poem is about

Friends gather in the playground with a long stick and a small gilli. They count one, two, three, swing and hit, and watch the gilli go. They play together and never give up.

As they swing, they feel free. The little gilli flies high under the blue sky, and the children laugh and play in the golden sunshine. The poem shows the fun of playing outdoors with friends. In English, Gilli Danda is also called tip-cat.

New words, with Hindi meanings

gather: to come together in one place (हिंदी: इकट्ठा होना)
gilli: the small stick that is hit in Gilli Danda (हिंदी: गिल्ली)
stick: a long, thin piece of wood (हिंदी: डंडा)
swing: to move your arm or a bat in a curve (हिंदी: घुमाना)
quit: to give up or stop (हिंदी: हार मान लेना)
joy: a feeling of great happiness (हिंदी: ख़ुशी)
underneath: below something (हिंदी: नीचे)
rays: thin lines of light from the sun (हिंदी: किरणें)

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.

What do the children need to play Gilli Danda?
What happens to the gilli when it is hit?
How do the children feel while playing?
Which outdoor game do you like best, and who do you play it with?

Answers for parents

A long stick (danda) and a small gilli.
It flies high up under the blue sky.
They feel happy and free. They laugh and have fun.
For example: I like playing kho-kho with my cousins in the evening.

Grammar corner: Feeling words as nouns (abstract nouns)

Some nouns name things we cannot see or touch, like feelings. 'Joy', 'fun' and 'fear' are such words. You can touch a gilli, but you cannot touch joy; you can only feel it.

The children shouted with joy when the gilli flew high.
Playing outdoors gives us fun and freedom.
There was no fear on her face as she swung the danda.

Practice at home

Spot the rhyme: which word rhymes with 'sun' — fun, sky, hit?
Choose the feeling word (abstract noun): gilli, joy, stick
Fill in the blank: We never ___ when we play with friends.

Answers: 1. fun · 2. joy · 3. quit

Try this

Play an actions game with the poem's words. Call out 'Swing and hit!' and everyone pretends to swing a danda. Call 'Watch it go!' and everyone looks up and points at the sky. Call 'Laughing, playing!' and everyone claps and giggles. Then ask a grandparent to tell how they played Gilli Danda as a child.

Tip for parents

Share your own memory in Hindi first: 'मैं बचपन में गिल्ली-डंडा ऐसे खेलता था...'. Then help your child say a simple English line, like 'I hit the gilli with the danda.' Mixing Hindi and English is fine; praise them for trying.

Questions parents ask

What is the poem Gilli Danda about?

It is about friends playing Gilli Danda in the playground, hitting the small gilli high into the sky and enjoying the game in the sunshine.

Which words rhyme in Gilli Danda?

Some rhyming pairs are around and sound, hit and quit, free and see, flies and skies, and fun and sun.

What is Gilli Danda called in English?

The chapter says Gilli Danda is known as tip-cat in English.

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