Class 9 INTER UNIVERSITY PRESS Solutions English Chapter 1 - India's Heroes

Mrs Baruah's class was eager about speaking in front of their classmates about what they would like to be when they grow up.  

Each student in Mrs Baruah's class had prepared a speech on what they would like to become when they grew up. The children had put in all their feelings and efforts in their speeches and were excited about presenting their views before their class.  

The figure of speech used in the line is onomatopoeia. 

Mrs Baruah told her students that the speeches didn't necessarily have to be about which profession they wanted to choose. It could be about a person who may have influenced them or even a quality or trait that they admired in a person and would wish to emulate.  

Mrs Baruah wanted the students to express their perception of their future selves through the speeches. Therefore it could also be about a person or even a quality that the students wished to emulate. She thus tried to emphasise that a person can become successful not merely by choosing a profession, but also by having a role model and strong values to follow and emulate. 

Kabeer's assignment did not talk about what profession he wanted to choose when he grew up or about any one person or quality he admired. It has a mention of people who had made a difference to hundreds who were affected during the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008. 

Through Kabeer's speech it is visible that he was deeply affected by the terrorist attack. He was also profoundly inspired by the people he spoke about. Therefore, though he was not good at making public speeches he prepared well for this speech by gathering detailed information on all the martyrs of 26/11. 

In November 2008, ten terrorists carried out a series of coordinated shooting and bombing acts in Mumbai. The attack lasted for four days.  

Major Sandeep Unnikrishanan was deployed to clear Hotel Taj of terrorists. He arranged for the evacuation of one of his commandos who was injured in the exchange of fire. Despite knowing that his life was in danger, he told his team to stay down and went upstairs to handle them. He bravely fought till the end despite being hit with bullets. 

Major Sandeep Unnikrishanan didn't think twice about risking his life when he was deployed to clear Hotel Taj. He not only chased the terrorists, but also helped with the evacuation of the soldiers injured during the firing. Instead of escaping from the scene, he faced death bravely and selflessly. Kabeer wanted to become like Major Sandeep and put others' lives and wellbeing before his own.  

The atmosphere outside the classroom was relaxed and carefree. The birds chirped, the cars honked and Younger children were enjoying their break time as usual.. In contrast to this, inside the classroom, the air was rather tensed as Kabeer narrated one of the most horrible terror attacks on Mumbai that killed hundreds of innocent people.  

Vishnu Zende sensed that something was wrong when he saw people running around with bloodstained clothes and immediately used the public announcement system to direct people to the other exit of the station.  

As Vishnu Zende tried to rescue the people stranded at CST, the terrorists fired a bullet in the direction of the cabin where he was making the announcements. However, he survived the attack as the bullet narrowly missed him.  

Both Major Sandeep Unnikrishanan and Mr Zende prioritised the lives of fellow citizens over their own during the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008. In doing this, Major Sandeep lost his life while Mr Zende missed death narrowly. However, the risk did not stop them from saving the lives of people threatened during the night of the attacks.  

When Vishnu Zende heard an explosion and saw some people running here and there with bloodstains on their clothes, he sensed danger and without wasting time, used the public announcement system to save the lives of many others. He asked the passengers to not go in the direction where the blast was heard but instead exit from the station from a safer point. His presence of mind helped many innocent people save their lives.  

Karambir Singh's wife and children were trapped in a room engulfed by fire. They died of suffocation. However, despite hearing this news, he continued to fight for the safety of his guests.  

Karambir Singh Kang bravely continued to rescue the guests despite knowing that his family was in danger. Even after coming to know that his wife and children had died of suffocation, he continued to save the guests of his hotel. Only an extraordinary human being could have done this. Karambir Singh's act is indeed exceptional and commendable. 

Karambir Singh did not abandon his responsibilities after the attack. Despite his own irreparable loss, he still remains at the Taj helping to restore the heritage structure.  

The situation in which Karambir Singh Kang was caught was a very difficult one. If he had saved his family at the cost of the life of the guests, he would have never been able to forgive himself for failing his duties. Whether or not he should have saved his family was not at all in his control. He rescued those whom he came across first and unfortunately by the time he reached his family, they had lost the battle with life.  

When Kabeer grows up, he wants to be like Karambir Singh Kang so that he may have the courage to answer duty calls first and then prioritise his personal life.  

Kabeer was overwhelmed by the emotions as he read a strong emotional account of what happened during the November 2008 attacks. However, like a brave soldier, he contained his emotions and continued to read his speech.  

Hemant Karkare was the chief of the Anti-Terrorism Squad. He served as an Intelligence Officer in Austria for seven years in the Research and Analysis Wing of India.  

Hemant Karkare was gunned down by terrorists near Cama Hospital as he was bravely pursuing them in a jeep.  

Chotu Chaiwala was among the first to help transport the injured to St George Hospital. He was a young boy who ran a tea stall outside CST station and whose original name was Mohammed Taufeeq Sheikh.  

The trio, Hemant Karkare, DIG Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar were highly qualified police officers who faced the terrorists in Mumbai on 26 November 2008fearlessly. The three were killed in action by the terrorists during attack. On the other hand, Mohammed Taufeeq Sheikh, popularly known as Chotu Chaiwala, was a young boy who ran a tea stall outside CST station. He was no officer or had no arms, but he was among the first to help transport the injured to St George Hospital. Had it not been for the efforts of people like him, many of the wounded might not have made it to the hospital on time.