Books and writers

In "Idgah", a poor boy spends his only money at a fair on a gift for his grandmother. What does he buy, and why?

Small test at the end: scroll down to the end of this page for five short questions that check what you have learnt. Tap an answer, then press Check answer. Go to the questions ↓

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5 facts. The questions below make you use them, not just remember them.

Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1913, for Gitanjali. He wrote India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana.
The Panchatantra is a collection of animal stories, about 2,000 years old, that teach wise living. It was translated into Persian and Arabic and travelled as far as Europe.
Munshi Premchand wrote in Hindi and Urdu about village life. In his story "Idgah", Hamid buys a pair of tongs so his grandmother will not burn her fingers making rotis.
R. K. Narayan created Malgudi, an imaginary south Indian town, in books such as Swami and Friends and Malgudi Days.
Ramdhari Singh "Dinkar", from Begusarai in Bihar, is known as the Rashtrakavi, the national poet, for his powerful Hindi poems.

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Try it away from the screen

Visit a library, at school or nearby, and borrow one book by an Indian writer. Read one chapter and tell someone at home what happened, without looking at the book.

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Check it yourself

Book summaries online are often wrong. Before you trust one, read at least the first and last chapter yourself, or check with the book's publisher.

For teachers and grown-upsWhere the facts come from, and how to use this round.

Sources and notes

Tagore also wrote Bangladesh's national anthem, Amar Shonar Bangla. "Idgah" is in many state Hindi textbooks.
Dinkar: born 1908 in Simaria, Begusarai; Jnanpith Award 1972 for Urvashi.

Books and writers

Read first

Try it away from the screen

Check it yourself

Check yourself

For teachers and grown-upsWhere the facts come from, and how to use this round.