Glass Bangles: NCERT Class 5 English Story (Santoor Chapter 10)

etmantra3 Nov 20264 min read

Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh is famous for its glass bangles. In this warm story, a skilled artisan and his daughter work together to make bangles that mix old and new designs. Children learn about a real Indian craft and the pride of good work.

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From NCERT’s new English book Santoor for Class 5, unit “Work is Worship”. Chapter 10.

What your child learns

Words about crafts: artisan, furnace, design, pattern
Using capital letters for names of people, places and festivals
How glass bangles are made, step by step
Respect for traditional crafts and new ideas

What the story is about

Ravi is a skilled glass artisan in Firozabad, a town famous for glass bangles. His family has made bangles for a very long time. In his busy workshop, glass is heated in a furnace, shaped into bangles, coloured and decorated, and then cooled. At Diwali, people want many more bangles, so the artisans work day and night.

Ravi's daughter Ananya has finished school and wants to help. She has a good eye for design and adds flower patterns and geometric shapes to the old designs. Ravi is unsure at first, but soon likes them. Together they make a special Diwali collection, and it is a big success. Women and girls wear the bangles on Diwali night. The extra demand also gives more work to other artisans and to people in packing and transport.

New words, with Hindi meanings

artisan: a person who makes things with skilled hands (हिंदी: कारीगर)
glassware: things made of glass (हिंदी: काँच का सामान)
workshop: a place where things are made (हिंदी: कारख़ाना)
clinking: the light ringing sound of glass touching glass (हिंदी: खनक)
furnace: a very hot oven used to melt things (हिंदी: भट्ठी)
floral: with flower shapes (हिंदी: फूलों वाला)
demand: how much people want to buy something (हिंदी: माँग)
eager: very keen to do something (हिंदी: उत्सुक)

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 is Firozabad famous for?
How did Ananya help her father?
How did the new collection help other people in the town?
Have you ever made something you felt proud of? What was it?

Answers for parents

It is famous for its glass bangles and glassware.
She added new designs, like flower patterns and geometric shapes, to the traditional bangles.
There was more work for local artisans, and more jobs in packing and transport.
For example: Yes, I made a clay diya for Diwali and my family used it.

Grammar corner: Capital letters for names

Names of people, places and festivals always begin with a capital letter. So we write Ravi, Firozabad and Diwali with a capital first letter. A sentence also always begins with a capital letter.

Ananya wanted to visit Jaipur to see blue pottery.
Ravi sent a box of bangles to Lucknow.
The shop was full of people before Diwali.

Practice at home

Rewrite with capital letters: ravi and ananya live in firozabad.
Choose the right word: Glass is heated in a (furnace / fridge) to make bangles.
Make a sentence with 'artisan'.

Answers: 1. Ravi and Ananya live in Firozabad. · 2. furnace · 3. Sample answer: The artisan made a beautiful red bangle.

Try this

Make paper bangles at home. Cut strips from an old newspaper or card, join each into a ring, and decorate one with an old-style pattern and one with a new idea of your own. Then hold a small 'Diwali shop' where your child sells them, saying the colours and patterns in English.

Tip for parents

Look at bangles or any craft at home and ask in Hindi first: 'चूड़ियाँ कैसे बनती होंगी?' Then say the English steps together: 'heat the glass, shape it, colour it'. If your child mixes Hindi and English, that is fine; praise every attempt.

Questions parents ask

What is the story Glass Bangles about?

It is about Ravi, a glass artisan in Firozabad, and his daughter Ananya, who mix traditional and modern designs to make a successful Diwali bangle collection.

Who are the characters in Glass Bangles?

Ravi, a skilled glass artisan, and his daughter Ananya. The artisans in Ravi's workshop and the customers also appear.

Is Glass Bangles in the new NCERT book?

Yes. It is Chapter 10 of NCERT's new Santoor book for Class 5, in Unit 5, 'Work is Worship'.

Learn every Class 5 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 writing practice. ₹1,299 for the whole year.

See the free lessons and enrol →