Vocation : Lesson -9

When the gong sounds ten in the morning and
I walk to school by our lane,
Every day I meet the hawker crying, “Bangles,
crystal bangles!”

There is nothing to hurry him on, there is no
road he must take, no place he must go to, no
time when he must come home.
I wish I were a hawker, spending my day in
Mom the road, crying, “Bangles, crystal bangles!”

2

When at four in the afternoon I come
back from the school.
I can see through the gate of that
house the gardener digging the ground.
He does what he likes with his spade,
he soils his clothes with dust, nobody
takes him to task if he gets baked in the
sun or gets wet.
I wish I were a gardener digging away
at the garden with nobody to stop me
from digging.

3

Just as it gets dark in the evening and my
mother sends me to bed,
I can see through my open window the
watchman walking up and down.
The lane is dark and lonely, and the
street-lamp stands like a giant with one red eye
in its head.
The watchman swings his lantern and walks
with his shadow at his side, and never once goes
to bed in his life.
I wish I were a watchman walking the streets
all night, chasing the shadows with my lantern.

Also read this: The Decision of the Panchayat : Lesson -8

New Words

Vocation – पेशा
Gong – घंटा
Lane – पथ
Giant spade – विशाल कुदाल
Lantern – लालटेन

Let us Think

A. Answer the following questions.

1. Who is the speaker in the poem?
Ans. The speaker in the poem is a school-going child.

2. Why does the speaker want to be a hawker?
Ans. The speaker wants to be a hawker because the hawker has no hurry, no fixed road, no fixed time, and no one to control him.

3. What does he like about the gardener?
Ans. He likes that the gardener works freely, gets his clothes dirty, and no one scolds him if he works in the sun or rain.

4. What does the speaker compare the street lamp to?
Ans. The speaker compares the street lamp to a giant with one red eye.

5. On the basis of the poem that you have read, share the daily schedule of the speaker.
Ans.

• In the morning, the speaker goes to school.
• In the afternoon, he comes back home from school.
• In the evening, his mother sends him to bed.
• At night, he watches the watchman from his window.

B. Think and discuss.

1. Why does the speaker admire people with different vocations?
Ans. The speaker admires people with different vocations because they seem to enjoy freedom, independence, and work without strict rules, unlike his own life.

2. What are the things that you observe on your way to school and your way back home?
Ans. On my way to school, I see shopkeepers opening shops, hawkers selling things, children going to school, and vehicles on the road.
On my way back home, I see people returning from work, children playing, gardeners working, and street lights being lit.