About the Author
The story "A Pact with the Sun" is a retelling of a traditional tale, adapted for the A Pact with the Sun textbook by the NCERT team. No single author is credited, as it draws from old Indian stories passed down through generations. These tales are chosen to teach young readers like you about hope, cleverness, and the wonders of nature in a simple and engaging way.
What’s the Story About?
This story is about a little girl named Saeeda, who lives with her sick mother in a small village. Saeeda’s mother is very weak because she has been ill for a long time. She coughs a lot and cannot go outside to enjoy the sunshine, which the doctor says is important for her health. The doctor tells Saeeda that her mother needs fresh air and sunlight to get better, but their small house has no open space, and the weather is often cloudy.
One day, the doctor visits again and says Saeeda’s mother must sit in the sun to feel stronger. Saeeda is worried because the sky is full of dark clouds, and it doesn’t look like the sun will come out soon. She loves her mother so much and wants her to get well, so she decides to do something special. That night, Saeeda looks up at the sky and makes a secret wish, almost like a promise with the sun. She asks the sun to come out the next day so her mother can sit in its warm rays and feel better.
The next morning, something amazing happens! The clouds start to move away, and the sun begins to shine brightly. It’s as if the sun heard Saeeda’s wish and kept its promise. Saeeda is overjoyed and quickly helps her mother sit outside in a chair under the warm sunlight. Her mother breathes the fresh air and feels the sun’s warmth on her face. She smiles for the first time in days, and her cough seems to get a little better.
Saeeda’s neighbors see this and are amazed. They talk about how the sun came out just when Saeeda needed it most. The story ends with Saeeda feeling happy and thankful, believing that her love for her mother and her wish to the sun made a difference. It’s a sweet story about hope, love, and how nature can sometimes work in magical ways to help us when we need it most.
Who’s Who in the Story
- Saeeda: A kind and caring little girl who loves her mother and makes a wish to the sun to help her get better.
- Saeeda’s Mother: A sick woman who is weak and needs sunlight and fresh air to feel stronger.
- The Doctor: A helpful person who visits Saeeda’s mother and tells her to sit in the sun to improve her health.
- The Sun: Not a person, but like a kind friend in the story that listens to Saeeda’s wish and shines brightly to help her mother.
Themes and Moral
Themes
- Love and Care: Saeeda’s deep love for her mother pushes her to make a special wish to help her get better.
- Hope and Faith: The story shows how believing in something good, like the sun coming out, can give us strength to face problems.
- Nature’s Kindness: The sun seems to answer Saeeda’s wish, showing how nature can help us in times of need.
Moral
The main lesson is: “Love and hope can work wonders, and sometimes even nature listens when we care deeply.” The story teaches us to stay hopeful, love our family, and believe that good things can happen if we try our best.
Important Vocabulary and Phrases
Here are some key words and phrases from the story, explained in simple words you hear at home or school.
- Pact: A promise or agreement between two people or things, like making a deal with a friend to share toys.
- Sunlight: The warm, bright light that comes from the sun, like what you feel on your face during a sunny day.
- Fresh air: Clean air you breathe outside, not stuffy like inside a closed room.
- Cloudy: When the sky is covered with clouds, so the sun cannot shine clearly, like before it rains.
- Rays: The lines of light that come from the sun, like beams that make you feel warm.
- Weak: Not strong, like when you feel tired and cannot run or play easily.
- Cough: The sound you make when your throat is itchy or you’re sick, like when you have a cold.
- Wish: To hope for something you really want, like wishing for a new book on your birthday.
- Overjoyed: Feeling very, very happy, like when you get a big surprise gift.