THE GARLAND FROM HEAVEN

Learning Objectives:

After completion of the lesdson, I will be able to:

Reading comprehension
Exercise A.
1.​ A small town named Aamod that was situated next to River Vetravati had a legend that once
a year, a garland from heaven came and fell around the neck of the person who had been the
most generous. For twelve years, this garland had not descended from heaven. This year,
every resident of the town started sending things, expecting to receive the garland. The
zamindar had three young girls and a domestic help named Sakhu to wait on them. On
Deepavali, the three sisters and Sakhu were left on their own as the zamindar and his wife
had to go to a relative’s house. In the evening, suddenly dark clouds gathered in the sky, and
thunder and lightning struck every few minutes. The three sisters were having dinner when
suddenly someone knocked on the door. Sakhu opened the door to find an orphan boy
standing outside. She took him inside despite the protests from the zamindar’s daughters.
Sakhu shared her dinner with the orphan boy and let him sleep in her room. In the morning,
everyone discovered the garland around Sakhu’s neck. The orphan boy told everyone that
Sakhu had earned the garland due to her selfless love.
Exercise B.

1. The people of Aamod believed in the legend that a garland would descend from heaven and fall around
the neck of the most generous person of the year in the town.

2. All the residents of the town were sending gifts at Deepavali so that they could be the most generous
person and receive the garland that would fall from heaven.

3. That year, in Aamod, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and lightning and thunder struck every few
minutes. There were no lights anywhere and the entire town plunged into darkness.
4. Sakhu thought that there had been a mistake when she received the garland because she had not given
any grand gifts. She did not deserve it and she said that the garland must have been meant for the three
sisters.

Exercise C.

1. Sakhu’s behaviour was completely different. She knew she had nothing worth gifting and she hoped
that the zamindar’s daughters would receive the garland for giving away expensive gifts. She tried to
dispel the darkness on the night of Deepavali by hanging lanterns outside and lighting diyas inside the
house. When the young orphan boy knocked on the door, she took him in despite the sisters’ objections
and gave him hot water to bathe and even gave him her share of the festive dinner. She let him sleep in
her room and did not mind the discomfort she had to put up with to take care of the boy’s needs. She
braved the anger and displeasure of the zamindar’s daughters because she was compassionate and
wanted to help the orphan.

2. The orphan boy had an impact on the townspeople and the zamindar’s daughters. On hearing that the
people sent out grand gifts for themselves and it was not a selfless deed, they dispersed with heads hung
low in shame. They were ashamed of their inhuman behaviour towards the orphan. The zamindar’s
daughters wished the fragrance of the divine garland would be spread in their lives, too, and they would
be as loving and gentle as Sakhu.

Exercise D.

1. a. Sakhu said these words to Heeri, one of the zamindar’s daughters.

b. She said these words because Heeri had told her that everybody in the town was sending gifts in the
hope of receiving the garland from heaven and she asked Sakhu what she would gift.

c. Sakhu did not have any material thing to gift but she had abundance of selfless love and compassion
which could make a lot of difference to anybody who received it.
2. a. The orphan boy said these words.

b. By the greatest gift, the speaker meant the selfless love and kindness shown by Sakhu towards him. She
had let him in, given him hot water to bathe, shared her dinner with him and asked him to sleep in her
room.

c. Sakhu received the garland of fragrant flowers from heaven which fell around her neck.
Writing

Self love or Selflessness

First speaker: Self love

Dear Friends

People who love themselves are less likely to suffer from anxiety or depression; self love also paves the
way to a positive mindset which is an essential ingredient for success in life and for mental well-being.
Learning to love yourself also reduces stress and makes you more focused at work. Self love means that
you accept yourself fully, treat yourself with kindness and respect, and nurture your growth and
well-being. Self love encompasses not only how you treat yourself but also your thoughts and feelings
about yourself. So, when you conceptualize self love, you can try to imagine what you would do for
yourself, how you would talk to yourself, and how you would feel about yourself that reflects love and
concern. When you love yourself, you have an overall positive view of yourself.

Second speaker: Selflessness

Dear Friends

Selflessness is being less self-centred and selfish by focusing on the well-being of others, and without
asking for anything in return. By turning around the two words in selfless, we get less self – which says it
all. Minimalism, at its core, is about finding out what we need and want to become happy people.
Selflessness means love without condition, talk without bad intentions, give without any reason, and care
for people without any expectations. I think selflessness is one of the most beautiful virtues. A lifestyle of
genuine care for others creates a network of people around us who in turn want to help us succeed. Good
character takes intentional effort to develop. But if you really want to build a positive legacy and impact
the world for good, build on the foundations of selflessness, integrity and responsibility.