ICSE Class 10 Answered

The two questions that you have posted appear to be a self-study assignments that intend to improve your understanding about the author/poet and their works.

We actively refrain from providing tailor-made assignments as it hampers your academic progress.  But we are going to make some suggestions and fill in some information for you so that you complete the assignment confidently. Do feel free to send us the completed assignment if you need a language and content review.

For the first question, we have chosen the short story ‘The Postmaster’ for you.

Author Biography: Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, playwright, artist and novelist par excellence. He was also India’s first Nobel laureate. Most of his works mirror the misery of the poor and follies of human nature. His works have been extensively translated and widely printed. He is also known for composing the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh.

Sketch the characters of story: There are two main characters, the Postmaster and a girl named Ratan who works for him. Once you read the story, you should be able to write a few points about these two.

Theme of the story: Loneliness and search for meaning

Summary: ‘The Postmaster’ is a short story by Rabindranath Tagore about a young postmaster who has been transferred to a remote village in Ulapur. The story dwells on ‘longing and separation’ as the postmaster has to leave his family back in Calcutta. While the postmaster tries to adjust to this quiet village life, he finds a friend in an innocent little girl named Ratan. Ratan too has lived a lonely life and finds a companion in the postmaster. Their unique bond is what forms the base of the story.

A brief comparison of the two stories: The Kabuliwala and The Postmaster are stories that weave human emotions into a beautiful storyline. While the former describes a little girl’s joy in her new found Aghani friend, the latter deals with the intricacies of unspoken love from the point of view of two hearts aching for companionship. Both the stories have an emotionally overwhelming effect on readers.

For the second question, we will answer it partly. Despite all of us having moved into the new millennium a decade ago, we still are struggling for equal rights. Women are treated with discrimination and contempt in many countries. In fact in India, there is a crucial need to empower women to protect themselves and be aware of their rights because the guardians of justice have repeatedly failed her shamelessly. Female foetuses are killed, girls are victims of acid attacks from spurned lovers, women are raped and killed to keep community honour and education is still denied to a girl child. All these reasons make it evident that women empowerment is the need of the hour even in the modern world.