Rama to the Rescue: NCERT Class 6 English Story (Poorvi)

etmantra3 Nov 20266 min read

What would you do if a thief crept into your house at night? In this comic-strip folktale from Tamil Nadu, a husband and wife stay calm and think fast, and their clever trick brings the village policeman running. Students enjoy the suspense, the funny thief and the surprise at the end.

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From NCERT’s new English book Poorvi for Class 6, unit “Fables and Folk Tales”. Unit 1.

What your child learns

Short forms with an apostrophe: I'm, it's, they're, I'll, we're
Actions happening now with am, is, are and -ing
Adverbs that tell how: softly, loudly, closely
Exclamatory (!) and interrogative (?) sentences

What the story is about

One night, a tired man and his wife are about to sleep when they hear someone breaking in. A thief has dug a hole through the wall. The wife wants to know what to do, and the man has a plan. Lying in bed, the couple pretend to talk about what they will name their child. If it is a boy, they say, they will call him Rama. Rama is also the name of the village kotwal, the policeman.

The thief waits, hoping they will talk about where they keep their money. Instead, the wife shows how she will call the boy: softly if he is in the house, a little louder if he is in the yard, and very loudly if he is in the street. Her loud shouts of 'Rama! Rama!' reach the kotwal, who runs to the house, crawls in through the thief's hole and arrests him. By their cleverness, the man and his wife save themselves from being robbed. The comic is from Amar Chitra Katha, with the script by Luis M. Fernandes and pictures by Ram Waeerkar.

New words, with Hindi meanings

rescue: to save someone from danger (हिंदी: बचाना)
kotwal: the village policeman (हिंदी: कोतवाल)
thief: a person who steals (हिंदी: चोर)
wonder: a feeling of surprise; also, to ask yourself (हिंदी: हैरानी)
yard: an open area outside a building (हिंदी: आँगन)
chatter: long talk about unimportant things (हिंदी: बकबक)
instead: in place of someone or something (हिंदी: के बजाय)
closely: carefully, with full attention (हिंदी: ध्यान से)
perhaps: maybe (हिंदी: शायद)
arrest: when the police catch and hold someone (हिंदी: गिरफ़्तार करना)

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.

Why could the man and his wife not fall asleep?
What did the thief want to hear the couple talk about?
Why did the couple talk about naming their child Rama?
How did the kotwal get into the house and catch the thief?
Think of a time you had a problem at home. How did you solve it?

Answers for parents

They heard a noise. Somebody was trying to break into their house.
He wanted them to talk about where they kept their money, or to fall asleep.
Rama was also the name of the village kotwal. By calling out 'Rama' louder and louder, the wife could call the policeman without the thief knowing.
He heard his name, ran to the house, crawled in through the hole the thief had dug and arrested him.
For example: Once the power went off when I was alone. I stayed calm, found the torch and called my mother.

Grammar corner: Short forms (contractions) with an apostrophe

When we speak, we often join two words and leave out a letter or two: I am becomes I'm, and do not becomes don't. The apostrophe (') goes in the place of the missing letters, not where the space was. We use short forms in speaking and in friendly writing, and full forms in formal writing.

Don't open the door at night; it's not safe.
We're lucky the kotwal heard us.
I'll lock the windows before I sleep.

Practice at home

Write the full form: they're, we'll, must've
Fill in the blank with am, is or are and the -ing word: The thief ___ (wait) behind the door.
Put the right mark at the end and say what kind of sentence it is: Oh, what a clever plan

Answers: 1. they are, we will, must have · 2. is waiting · 3. Oh, what a clever plan! It is an exclamatory sentence.

Try this

Act out the story at home. One person is the thief hiding behind a door, two are the husband and wife in bed, and one is Rama the kotwal waiting in another room. The wife calls 'Rama!' softly, then a little louder, then very loudly. The kotwal may come only when the call is loud enough to hear. Swap roles and try different voices.

Tip for parents

Ask your child in Hindi first: 'पति-पत्नी ने चोर को कैसे पकड़वाया?' Let them answer in Hindi or a mix, then help them say it in English: 'They called the kotwal by shouting his name.' For short forms, say the Hindi and both English ways together, for example 'मैं थका हूँ: I am tired, I'm tired', and praise every try.

Questions parents ask

What is the moral of Rama to the Rescue?

Staying calm and thinking quickly can help us solve a problem. The man and his wife did not panic; their clever plan saved them from being robbed.

Who are the characters in Rama to the Rescue?

The main characters are a man and his wife, a thief who breaks into their house, and Rama, the village kotwal (policeman).

Is Rama to the Rescue in the new NCERT book?

Yes. It is Chapter 3 of NCERT's new Poorvi book for Class 6, in Unit 1, Fables and Folk Tales. It is a folktale from Tamil Nadu told as a comic strip.

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Every chapter of Poorvi, NCERT’s new Class 6 book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, listening, grammar, speaking and writing with feedback. ₹1,599 for the whole year.

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