Class 7 ‘The Day the River Spoke’ Notes | Summary, Meanings, Character Sketch

Find here the Notes based on the Class 7 English lesson ‘The Day the River Spoke’ by Kamala Nair. The notes include – summary in English & Hindi, vocabulary notes (word meanings), character sketches and message of the chapter ‘The day the river spoke’.

Summary of “The Day the River Spoke”

Summary in English:

Part 1 Summary

Jahnavi was a little girl who lived in a village.
One day, she was very sad and crying near the river.

Suddenly, she heard a soft, sleepy voice.
At first, she got scared because she thought she was alone.
She looked around but saw no one.
Then she understood — it was the River talking to her!

The River asked her why she was crying.
Jahnavi told the River that she wanted to go to school like her brother Ettan and her sister Meena.
But her mother always said, “You are too small, maybe next year.”

Even when Jahnavi became older, she had to take care of her little brothers instead of going to school.
Now, she was almost ten years old and still not studying.

Jahnavi shared her big dream with the River:
She wanted to learn how to read and write.
She wanted to know why spiders are yellow in yellow flowers, why the bamboo trees make rustling sounds, why the moon comes from behind the hills, and many other questions about nature.

The River listened to her carefully.
It said that it could tell her where the moon goes — it travels over the mountains and down to the sea, just like the River itself.

Part II Summary

In Part II, the River gives Jahnavi courage.
The River tells her to be brave and try to sit in the school.
At first, Jahnavi feels scared, but she gathers courage and goes to the school.
She quietly listens to the lesson and slowly joins the class.
The kind teacher notices her and says they will talk to her father.
Later, the teacher visits Jahnavi’s home and convinces her parents.
Her mother happily agrees and feels proud.
Jahnavi feels very happy.
She promises to become a teacher one day and teach all little girls.
She goes to the River and tells it proudly, “I did it!”
The River is happy too and promises to tell her more stories later

Summary in Hindi:

सारांश : भाग 1

जान्हवी एक छोटी-सी लड़की थी जो गाँव में रहती थी।
एक दिन वह नदी के किनारे बैठकर रो रही थी।

अचानक उसे एक धीमी, उनींदी आवाज़ सुनाई दी।
पहले तो वह डर गई क्योंकि उसे लगा वह अकेली थी।
उसने इधर-उधर देखा लेकिन कोई नहीं था।
फिर उसे समझ आया — यह नदी खुद उससे बात कर रही थी!

नदी ने उससे पूछा कि वह क्यों रो रही है।
जान्हवी ने बताया कि वह स्कूल जाना चाहती है, जैसे उसके भाई एट्टन और बहन मीना जाते हैं।
लेकिन उसकी माँ हमेशा कहती थी, “तुम बहुत छोटी हो, शायद अगले साल।”

जब जान्हवी बड़ी हो गई तब भी, उसे अपने छोटे भाइयों का ध्यान रखना पड़ता था और वह स्कूल नहीं जा पाई।
अब वह लगभग दस साल की हो चुकी थी, फिर भी वह पढ़ाई नहीं कर पा रही थी।

जान्हवी ने नदी से अपना सपना बताया — वह पढ़ना-लिखना सीखना चाहती थी।
वह जानना चाहती थी कि पीले फूलों में मकड़ियाँ पीली क्यों होती हैं, बाँस के पेड़ सरसराहट क्यों करते हैं, चाँद हमेशा पहाड़ियों के पीछे से क्यों निकलता है, और खेत के पानी की मछलियाँ मेंढ़क कैसे बन जाती हैं।

नदी ने उसे ध्यान से सुना।
नदी ने बताया कि चाँद भी उसी रास्ते से समुद्र की ओर जाता है जैसे नदी बहती है।

सारांश : भाग 2

पार्ट II में नदी जान्हवी को हिम्मत देती है।
नदी उसे कहती है कि वह बहादुर बने और स्कूल जाकर बैठने की कोशिश करे।
पहले जान्हवी को डर लगता है, लेकिन वह हिम्मत जुटाती है और स्कूल जाती है।
वह चुपचाप पाठ सुनती है और धीरे-धीरे बच्चों के साथ बैठ जाती है।
शिक्षक उसे देखकर प्यार से बात करते हैं और उसके पिता से मिलने का वादा करते हैं।
बाद में शिक्षक जान्हवी के घर जाते हैं और उसके माता-पिता को राज़ी करते हैं।
माँ खुशी से मान जाती हैं और गर्व महसूस करती हैं।
जान्हवी बहुत खुश होती है।
वह वादा करती है कि बड़ी होकर वह एक शिक्षिका बनेगी और सभी छोटी लड़कियों को पढ़ाएगी।
वह नदी के पास जाकर गर्व से कहती है, “मैंने कर दिखाया!”
नदी भी खुश होकर उससे फिर मिलने का वादा करती है।

Click to see the summary in Tamil. Telugu and Malayalam

Vocabulary (Meanings) of “The Day the River Spoke”

The vocabulary notes provided for the chapter “The Day the River Spoke” include meanings in English, along with translations in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Part I:

Part II:

Character Sketches | Chapter ‘The Day the River Spoke’

Find here character sketches characters in the chapter “The Day the River Spoke”. The main characters are Jahnavi and the river, and the other characters are Jahanavi’s mother and father, the teacher.

Jahnavi:

A brave and curious girl who dreams of going to school and learning new things.
एक बहादुर और जिज्ञासु लड़की जो स्कूल जाकर पढ़ना चाहती है।

• Jahnavi is a bright, curious, and brave little girl.
• She has a big dream of going to school and learning new things.
• She loves nature and wants to know everything about the world around her.
• Even though she feels scared at first, she gathers courage and goes to school on her own.
• Jahnavi is also kind-hearted and dreams of becoming a teacher one day, so that she can teach all the little girls in her village

River:

A kind and friendly river who encourages Jahnavi to follow her dreams.
एक दयालु और मित्रवत नदी जो जान्हवी को उसके सपने पूरे करने के लिए प्रेरित करती है।

• The River is shown as a kind, wise, and friendly character.
• It talks to Jahnavi in a sleepy, soft voice and encourages her.
• The River understands Jahnavi’s feelings and motivates her to follow her dream.
• It acts like a true friend to Jahnavi, giving her confidence and hope.

Mother:

A loving and hardworking woman who finally supports her daughter’s education.
एक प्यार करने वाली और मेहनती माँ जो आखिरकार जान्हवी की पढ़ाई का समर्थन करती है।

• Jahnavi’s mother is caring and hardworking.
• She loves her children and works in the fields to support the family.
• At first, she stops Jahnavi from going to school because she needs help with younger children.
• But later, she understands Jahnavi’s wish to study and feels happy and proud.
• She says that girls should learn as much as they want.

Father:

A responsible and caring man who agrees to send Jahnavi to school after understanding her wish.
एक जिम्मेदार और स्नेही पिता जो जान्हवी की इच्छा समझकर उसे स्कूल भेजने के लिए तैयार होते हैं।

• Jahnavi’s father is a responsible man.
• He worries about the family and listens carefully when the teacher talks about Jahnavi’s schooling.
• Though he is silent at first, he agrees to send Jahnavi to school.
• He wants the best future for his daughter but is a little traditional at the start.

Teacher:

A kind and helpful teacher who motivates and helps Jahnavi to join the school.
एक दयालु और सहायक शिक्षक जो जान्हवी को पढ़ाई के लिए प्रोत्साहित करते हैं।

• The teacher is a kind, understanding, and helpful person.
• He notices Jahnavi sitting in the classroom and does not scold her.
• Instead, he speaks gently to her and offers support.
• He talks to Jahnavi’s father and persuades him to let her join the school.
• The teacher believes that every child should get a chance to learn.

Message of the Chapter “The Day the River Spoke”

The story teaches us that courage, determination, and dreams can change our lives.
Even if we are scared at first, if we try with faith and hard work, we can achieve anything.
Girls have the right to education and equal opportunities, just like boys.
Also, kind people like the teacher and encouraging voices like the River can inspire us to chase our dreams.

यह कहानी हमें सिखाती है कि साहस (हिम्मत), दृढ़ निश्चय और सपने हमारी जिंदगी को बदल सकते हैं।
अगर हम थोड़ा डरें भी, लेकिन विश्वास और मेहनत से कोशिश करें, तो हम सब कुछ हासिल कर सकते हैं।
लड़कियों को भी शिक्षा और समान अवसर पाने का पूरा अधिकार है, जैसे लड़कों को मिलता है।
इसके अलावा, अच्छे लोग (जैसे शिक्षक) और प्रेरणादायक बातें (जैसे नदी की आवाज) हमारे सपनों को पूरा करने की प्रेरणा दे सकते हैं।