TLDR;
Alright, so this YouTube video by Educational Bhaiya is basically a one-shot summary of the entire Hornbill book, focusing on the story parts. The aim is to help you ace your exams without needing to look elsewhere. Plus, there's gonna be more videos on grammar, writing, and how to tackle those tricky unseen passages.
- One-shot summary of Hornbill book's stories.
- Covers grammar, writing, and unseen passages in separate videos.
- Aims to help students score well in exams.
A Portrait of a Lady by Khushwant Singh [0:34]
The author starts by joking about how his videos aren't as funny anymore, then dives into the chapter "A Portrait of a Lady." He says his grandmother is like everyone else's – old and wrinkled. People say she used to be young and pretty with a husband, but he finds it hard to believe. His grandfather's portrait shows him wearing a turban and loose clothes, looking ancient. The author can't imagine his grandma being young and pretty with such an old-looking man.
Despite her looks, she's kind. She tells stories of her childhood games, which the author finds hard to believe. She's short, slightly bent, and a bit chubby, with a face full of wrinkles. She always wears spotless white clothes and walks awkwardly, using a rosary. Her lips constantly move in silent prayer.
The author and his grandma are close friends. She wakes him up and gets him ready for school, singing prayers he ignores. She gives him a wooden slate, yellow chalk, a red pen, and an earthen ink pot. For breakfast, she gives him stale chapattis with butter and sugar. They walk to school together, and she feeds the stale chapattis to street dogs.
The school is attached to a temple, where the priest teaches them alphabets and morning prayers. While the kids study, his grandma reads scriptures. After school, they walk home, feeding the dogs. When his parents settle in the city, they call for him and his grandma. This marks a turning point in their relationship. He goes to school by bus, and there are no street dogs. His grandma feeds sparrows in the veranda.
As time passes, they grow apart. He learns English words, Western science, Archimedes' principle, and the world being round. This makes his grandma unhappy because she can't help him with his studies and doesn't believe in these things. She's also upset that the school doesn't teach about God or scriptures. When he tells her about music lessons, she's very disturbed, considering it a bad thing for respectable people. After this, she rarely talks to him.
When he goes to university, he gets his own room, breaking their last common link of friendship. She accepts her loneliness and spends her days spinning the wheel and praying, only taking a break in the afternoon to feed the sparrows. Hundreds of sparrows gather, chirping and sitting on her legs, shoulders, and head. This half-hour is the best part of her day.
He goes abroad for further studies for five years. She takes him to the railway station but shows no emotion, continuing to pray and count her rosary. She kisses his forehead, a precious moment that feels like their last physical contact.
After five years, he returns and finds his grandma unchanged. She still feeds the sparrows, though she now gently scolds them. One evening, she gathers women, finds an old drum, and starts singing songs of warriors. She does this for hours until they ask her to stop.
The next day, she falls ill. The doctor says it's a mild fever, but she believes her end is near. She refuses to talk or pray, continuing to count her rosary. Suddenly, she stops, her lips cease moving, and the rosary falls from her hand. Her face turns pale, and they know she's gone.
Following custom, they lay her body on the ground, cover it with a red shroud, and mourn. They leave her body alone for a few hours to arrange the funeral. In the evening, they return to carry her on a stretcher.
As they prepare to take her body away, they see thousands of sparrows gathered in her room and the veranda. The sparrows make no sound. His mother throws bread crumbs, but the sparrows don't eat a single bite. They just look at her dead body, showing their bond with her. He throws bread crumbs too, but the sparrows still don't eat. After her body is taken away, the sparrows fly off. The next morning, the sweeper cleans up the bread crumbs, which the sparrows never touched.
We're Not Afraid to Die... If We Can All Be Together by Gordon Cook and Alan East
The narrator, a 37-year-old businessman, his wife Mary, their daughter Suzanne (7), and son Jonathan (6) embark on a sea journey from Plymouth, England, in 1976. They aim to replicate Captain James Cook's voyage from 200 years prior. For 16 years, they honed their seafaring skills in British waters. Their boat, Wavewalker, is a 23-meter, 30-ton wooden vessel tested in rough weather.
The first part of their journey covers 105,000 kilometers over three years, sailing smoothly to Cape Town. For the second part, they hire two crewmen: Larry Vigil (American) and Herb Seigler (Swiss), to navigate the Indian Ocean, known as the world's roughest sea.
As they leave Cape Town, they encounter strong gales from the second day. The narrator is more concerned about the waves, some reaching 15 meters, taller than the boat's main mast. On December 25, about 3,500 kilometers from Cape Town, they celebrate Christmas with a tree on board, but the weather remains harsh.
By January 2, the waves are enormous. The narrator drops the boat's large flag (jib) to reduce speed, but it's still too fast. He then drops the smaller jib. They tie heavy ropes to the stern and prepare a raft for emergencies. The family puts on life jackets.
At 6 PM, an eerie silence falls. The wind stops, and black clouds gather, creating a sense of impending doom. The "clouds" turn out to be a massive wave, the largest they've ever seen. It hits, throwing the narrator into the ocean. He accepts his death but is pulled back by his life jacket and a rope attached to the boat.
He sees the boat nearly capsized but righted by another wave. He struggles back to the wheel, his ribs almost broken and his mouth full of blood. He manages to straighten the stern. His wife Mary appears, shouting that the deck is broken and they're sinking.
Larry and Herb frantically bail water. The wave's force has shattered the boat's timber hull. Water floods in, and loose items float around. The narrator searches for his children, finding them in their cabin. Suzanne says they're okay, just with a "bump" on her head.
He finds a hammer, screws, and canvas to repair the starboard side, slowing the water flow. He turns on a water pump, but it gets blocked by debris. An extra electric pump in the chart room works well. They send Mayday calls but receive no response, as they are in a remote area.
He notices Suzanne's eyes are black and her arm has a deep cut. She says she didn't want to worry him. On January 3, the water is somewhat under control, but they take two-hour shifts bailing water. He notices a leak in the hull, threatening the main frame.
They have been battling the waves for 15 hours. He calculates the nearest islands, finding Ile Amsterdam 100 kilometers east. He doesn't tell his family that finding a small island in the vast ocean is nearly impossible, and the auxiliary engine is damaged.
On January 4, after 36 hours of continuous bailing, the water is reduced to a few centimeters. He decides not to raise the sail to avoid increasing speed and damage. They use a small jib and head towards the island. He finds cracker biscuits and corned beef, their first real food in days.
At 4 PM, black clouds return, and winds reach 40 knots. On January 5, the situation worsens. Jonathan asks if they are going to die. The narrator replies, "We aren't afraid to die if we can all be together." He goes to the starboard side with nylon rope and plastic barrels to repair it.
That evening, he and Mary hold hands, fearing the starboard will break. The next morning, he calculates their position, realizing they are searching for a tiny island in a vast ocean. Suzanne gives him a handmade card with a picture of him and Mary, calling them funny and expressing her love.
He rechecks his calculations. His compass is lost, and the spare is not accurate. They follow western currents. At 2 PM, he tells Larry to turn the boat 185 degrees, hoping to reach the island by 5 PM. He goes to his bunk, exhausted.
He wakes up at 6 PM and sees no island. He feels despondent. His children, Jonathan and Suzanne, hug him, saying he's the best dad and captain. He replies that he's afraid. Jonathan says, "You found the island! It's right there!"
He sees Ile Amsterdam, a volcanic rock with vegetation. They anchor offshore and spend the night on the boat. The next morning, they go ashore and are greeted by the island's 28 inhabitants.
He reflects on the help from Larry and Herb, Mary's steady hand at the wheel, Suzanne's support despite her injuries, and Jonathan's brave words.
Discovering Tut: The Saga Continues by A.R. Williams [40:45]
The story is about Tutankhamun, an Egyptian king who died mysteriously. In ancient Egypt, people were mummified and placed in tombs. Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered in 1922, and 80 years later, in 2005, his mummy underwent a CT scan for forensic reconstruction.
The reason for the delay in scanning was that in 1922, the technology for detailed CT scans wasn't available. Tutankhamun ruled in Egypt and was the last of his family line. He died as a teenager, leading to speculation about the cause of his death.
In 1922, Howard Carter, a British archaeologist, discovered King Tut's tomb. The tomb contained gold, jewelry, games, clothes, and food, as it was believed that the deceased needed these items in the afterlife. However, some items were missing, indicating that the tomb had been robbed.
King Tut's tomb was rock-cut, and there were three tombs in total. The first tomb contained lotus petals and cornflowers, suggesting that King Tut was buried between March and April. In the third tomb, King Tut's body was stuck to the mummy case with resin. Howard Carter tried to separate the body by placing it in the sun, but it didn't work. He then used a hammer and chisel to separate the limbs, causing damage to the mummy.
After removing the valuable items, Howard Carter put them back in the tomb to prevent theft. In 1968, King Tut's body was X-rayed, revealing that some parts were missing, such as the breastbone and ribs. On January 5, 2005, the body was placed in a CT scan machine, but the machine stopped working due to sand inside it. After cleaning the machine, it started working again.
People were curious about how King Tut died, whether it was murder, suicide, or disease. They also wondered about his age at death and what happened to his family. King Tut's grandfather, Amenhotep III, ruled Egypt for 40 years. After him, Amenhotep IV came to power, whose reign was considered strange.
Amenhotep IV worshipped the sun god Aten and changed the capital from Thebes to Akhenaten. He also changed his name to Akhenaten. He destroyed temples of the god Amun and banned the worship of Amun. After him, another ruler came to power for a few years, but there is no information about him.
Then came King Tut, who restored the old rules, revived the worship of Amun, and rebuilt the temples. He changed his name to Tutankhamun. In the present, the CT scan revealed that King Tut's body was complete, and the rib cage was in good condition.
After the scan, King Tut's body was returned to the Valley of the Kings. As the body was lowered, everything became normal, the wind stopped, and the stars appeared in the sky. People believed that Osiris, the god of the afterlife, was watching over King Tut's body.
The Adventure by Jayant Narlikar [56:10]
Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde is traveling by the Jijamata Express from Pune to Bombay. The train is faster than the Deccan Queen. He observes that there aren't many industries around Pune. The train stops at Lonavala in 40 minutes, then passes through the ghat section.
Gaitonde plans to go to Bombay's biggest library to read history books and understand the differences between this world and his. He hopes to find Rajendra Deshpande, who can help him understand this world.
The train passes through a long tunnel and stops at Sarhad, where an Anglo-Indian checks permits. A man named Khan Sahib tells Gaitonde that this is where British rule begins. Gaitonde's full name is Gangadharpant. Khan Sahib explains his journey to Peshawar.
Gaitonde wants to experience life in this India and feels that it's different. The train crosses rail traffic and approaches the city. The blue carriages are marked GBMR, which stands for Greater Bombay Metropolitan Railway. Khan Sahib points out the Union Jack painted on every carriage, indicating British territory.
After crossing Dadar, the train slows down and arrives at Victoria Terminus. Gaitonde notes that the station is clean, and the staff are mostly Anglo-Indians or Parsis, with a few British officers. Exiting the station, he sees a building labeled "East India House, Headquarters of the East India Company."
Gaitonde is shocked because the East India Company was shut down after the 1857 war in his world. He realizes that there was a major turn in history before 1857. He walks on Hornby Road, seeing shops and offices of British banks. The street resembles a typical high street in England.
He turns right onto Home Street and enters Forbes building, asking an English receptionist for Mr. Vinay Gaitonde. The receptionist searches the firm's lists but finds no such person. Gaitonde is shocked but realizes that he might not exist in this world.
Gaitonde doesn't worry much and decides to go to the Asiatic Society Library to solve the riddle of history. He has a quick lunch and walks towards Town Hall, finding the library. He asks for history books and his own history books.
He receives several history books, including five volumes written by him. He starts reading from Volume One, "The Period of Ashoka." Volumes 1-4 are the same as in his world, but Volume Five is different. It reveals that the Marathas won the battle and Abdali was driven out of India.
The Maratha army was led by Sadashivrao Bhau and his nephew Vishwasrao. The book doesn't provide much detail about the war but describes the power struggles in India. The writing style is similar to his own.
The book states that after the Maratha victory, their morale was boosted, and they established supremacy in Northern India. The East India Company temporarily halted its program to capture India. The British never captured India in this world.
Bhausaheb and Vishwasrao succeeded their father's empire. Dadsaheb, who caused trouble, was demoted and later retired from state politics. Vishwasrao and his brother Madhavrao expanded their territory. The East India Company only held Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras.
The Marathas kept the Mughal government alive. In the 19th century, the de facto rulers were the Peshwas. They understood the importance of science and technology and launched science and technology institutes in their cities. The East India Company offered aid and experts to the Maratha rulers to make their centers self-sufficient.
In the 20th century, India underwent changes inspired by the West and moved towards democracy. The power of the Peshwas decreased and was replaced by democratically elected bodies. Delhi was still alive under Mughal rule, but they had no real power.
As Gangadharpant reads, he appreciates this new India, where no one faced slavery under white people. It was self-sufficient, with advanced science and technology. The British were only kept for commercial reasons. Bombay was the only outpost in the subcontinent and was leased to the British until 2001 under the Treaty of 1908.
Gangadharpant compares his country to this new world. He realizes that his investigation is incomplete. He needs to know how the Marathas won the battle. He picks up different books, eventually finding "Bhausahebanchi Bakhar."
He doesn't trust the Bakhar book because it's often altered for entertainment. However, it's the only book that might provide some clues. He finds three lines stating that Vishwasrao was close to death. He was on his horse, attacking the elite troops, and a bullet passed close to his ear. God showed mercy that day.
The librarian reminds him that it's 8 PM and the library is closing. Gangadharpant asks the librarian to leave the books on the table. He accidentally puts some notes and the Bakhar book in his right pocket.
The Adventure Part 2 by Jayant Narlikar [1:15:22]
Professor Gaitonde leaves the library at 8 PM, finds a guesthouse, has a light dinner, and heads towards Azad Maidan. He sees people going towards a pandal where a lecture is taking place. He goes there because he enjoys giving lectures.
He notices an unoccupied chair and table, which attracts him like a magnet. He sits in the chair. The speaker stops, and the audience shouts for him to vacate the chair, as no chair person sits there. Gaitonde thinks it's nonsense.
He goes to the microphone and says that an unchaired lecture is like Shakespeare's Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. The audience is annoyed and says they are tired of chairpersons giving long introductions and asking for votes. They want to hear the speaker and have abolished the old custom. They ask him to leave.
Gaitonde continues his lecture, but the audience becomes angry. They throw tomatoes and eggs, and some climb onto the stage and drag him off. As he falls, he disappears and finds himself in the real world, talking to Rajendra Prasad.
He tells Rajendra Prasad everything and asks where he was for the two days he was missing. Rajendra Prasad says that he was thinking about the Catastrophe Theory before the truck hit him.
Rajendra Prasad smiles, which Gaitonde dislikes. Gaitonde shows him a page from the Bakhar book as evidence. Rajendra Prasad becomes serious. The page states that the bullet missed Vishwasrao, leading to the Maratha victory. Gaitonde shows him the same page from the Bakhar book in this world, which states that Vishwasrao died, and God didn't want the Marathas to win.
Rajendra Prasad says that Gaitonde has given him food for thought and now believes him. He explains everything using two theories. The first is the Catastrophe Theory, which states that a small change at one point can affect the entire future. The Battle of Panipat is a good example.
In the real world, Vishwasrao's death was a major turning point. In the other world, he survived, leading to a Maratha victory. The East India Company never gained control, and India developed rapidly.
The second theory is the Lack of Determinism in Quantum Theory, which states that we can only see and feel reality through our senses. We can't see an atom, but it exists. We can't predict an electron's behavior. An electron can be anywhere at a point of time.
Rajendra Prasad says that Gaitonde was a human electron who traveled to another world based on this theory. When an observer finds the electron, they think that's the only reality. The electron can travel to different worlds.
Gaitonde asks if there is contact between these worlds. Rajendra Prasad says maybe or maybe not. He explains that electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom. If an electron loses energy, it can go to a second stage. If it gains energy, it can go to the first stage.
Gaitonde says that he is a human electron who traveled to another world based on this theory and returned to his world. Rajendra Prasad says that it sounds fantastic but has no other explanation. Since an observer can only be in one world at a time, that world becomes their reality.
Gaitonde made a transition to another world, so he experienced two realities. Because you can only be in one reality at a time, when your conscious mind was in the other world, you were in a coma in this world. The separation was due to the Battle of Panipat.
Rajendra Prasad says that there may be other worlds with slight changes in history. Gaitonde asks why he transitioned to another world. Rajendra Prasad says he doesn't know. He guesses that when the truck hit him, he was thinking about the Catastrophe Theory and what would happen if it was applied to the Battle of Panipat. His conscious mind reached another world. When the crowd threw him down, he transitioned back to the real world.
Gaitonde says that he was thinking about that because his thousandth speech was on that topic. Rajendra Prasad says that he can use his real-life experience in his speech. Gaitonde says that he already gave his thousandth speech in Azad Maidan, and it was a bad experience. The Professor Gaitonde who defended the chair is gone and will never give a speech again. He has already apologized and won't be able to give the speech.
Silk Road by Nick Middleton [1:34:31]
Nick Middleton, a geography teacher, wants to visit Mount Kailash and perform the kora, a Buddhist ritual. He, his guide Seton, and his friend Daniel start their journey from the slopes of Rawu. Daniel only goes as far as Darchen.
The route they take, a shortcut, is the Silk Road, which historically connected Europe and Asia, mainly for transporting silk. The author starts by describing the morning scene as they leave Rawu. Lhamo gives him a farewell gift of a long-sleeved sheepskin coat. Seton remarks that he looks like a "Drogba," or shepherd.
Seton takes a shortcut to the southwest, closer to Mount Kailash. He mentions the possibility of snow. As they leave Rawu's rolling hills, they enter a large plain with grazing animals. The animals stare at them strangely.
They encounter a herd of wild asses. Seton spots them early. The animals run in different formations, like an army parade. They also see Drogbas, or shepherds, near the hills. The shepherds wave. The sheep quickly move out of the way of the car.
They pass nomad tents guarded by large, black Tibetan mastiff dogs. The dogs stare intently and chase the car, resembling "Savage monsters." They wear red collars for visibility at night. The dogs have massive jaws and aren't afraid of the car, chasing it for 100 meters. These dogs were historically used as hunting dogs in China's imperial courts and were given as tributes via the Silk Road.
They see snow-capped mountains on the horizon and enter a valley with a wide, partially frozen river. The road hugs the river. They drive on a winding road, climbing higher. The author's ears pop.
The road becomes bumpier. Seton shifts to third gear. The mountain is steep, and the rocks have orange lichens, making them slippery. Ice hangs under some rocks. They are now 5210 meters above sea level.
They stop at a snow blockage. Daniel gets excited. The snow is 15 meters wide. Seton checks the snow. They can't go around it. Seton puts dirt on the tires for traction. Daniel and the author get out of the car. Seton drives the car slowly through the snow and stops in a muddy area.
The author's headache lessens as they descend. At 2 PM, they stop for lunch at a tent that is part of a work camp. People are working with picks and shovels at salty lakes, wearing sheepskin coats, salt-encrusted boots, and sunglasses.
They reach Hor after 10 minutes. Another snow blockage appears. Seton surveys the area. He drives around the snow. The road is rocky. They pass the snow with "Lurching swaying." They reach 5400 meters. The author's head hurts. He drinks water.
They reach a peak at 5515 meters. There are cairns of rocks decorated with white silk scarves and prayer flags. Seton checks the tires. They stop at a petrol pump. Seton opens the fuel tank, and there is a hissing sound. The author is startled. Seton explains that it's due to the altitude pressure.
Daniel leaves to return to Lhasa. The author is left with Seton.
Silk Road Part 2 by Nick Middleton [1:44:03]
The car has two flat tires between the salt lake and Hor. They use the spare tire, but the second flat forces them to use the flat tire again. Hor is a "grim, miserable place" with rocks, dust, and refugees. However, it is near Mansarovar Lake, considered sacred by Hindus and Buddhists.
The author is not as moved by Mansarovar Lake as previous travelers. He finds Hor "miserable." They continue towards Mount Kailash. It is dark when they arrive in Darchen at 10:30 PM. The author finds a guesthouse.
The author's cold returns. He struggles to breathe at night. He is at 4760 meters. He has trouble sleeping. He feels a heaviness in his chest. He sits up, which helps. He is afraid to sleep. He stays awake all night.
Seton takes him to the Darchen Medical College, which looks like a monastery. The consulting room is dark and cold. A Tibetan doctor, wearing a thick pullover and woolly hat, examines him. The doctor says he just has a cold due to the altitude. He gives him medicine and says he will be fine to do the kora.
The author receives a brown envelope with a 15-page report, prescription, and medicine. He takes the Tibetan medicine for five days. The breakfast medicine is a brown powder that tastes like cinnamon. The lunch and bedtime medicines are small, brown pills that look like sheep dung.
After taking the medicine, the author sleeps well. Seton returns to Lhasa. After a good night's sleep, the author finds Darchen less unpleasant. The sun is shining. He can see the Himalayas.
Darchen has rudimentary general stores selling Chinese cigarettes, soaps, and basic necessities. People gather to play pool. Women wash their long hair. The author feels relaxed but notes that it is not the peak season for pilgrims.
One afternoon, the author is drinking coffee in a small, dark cafe with a metal stove. The walls and ceiling are covered in colorful plastic sheeting. The material is strong and used for shopping bags. The material is exported from China via the Silk Road.
The author sits by the only window, looking at his notebook. A man named Norbu enters the cafe and asks to sit at his table. He asks if the author is English. He is Tibetan but works at the Institute of Ethnic Literature in Beijing. He is there to do the kora and is writing academic papers about it.
The author is excited. Norbu says they could be a team. However, Norbu is not a practicing Buddhist and is worried about the difficulty of the kora due to his weight. The author had planned to travel with devout believers but thinks Norbu could be a good companion. Norbu suggests renting yaks for their luggage.
