Bed Number-29 Summary and Explanation
PSEB Class 10 English Chapter 1 Bed Number-29 Summary, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from English Literature (Supplementary Reader) Book
Bed Number-29 Summary – Are you looking for the summary, theme and Lesson explanation for Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) Class 10 English Chapter 1 – Bed Number-29 from English Literature (Supplementary Reader) Book. Get Lesson summary, theme, explanation along with difficult word meanings
PSEB Class 10 English Chapter 1 – Bed Number-29
by Tariq Rahman
This story is about a man who went blind due to a car accident. Due to the depressing turn in his life, he was about to lose his passion for painting. However, the patient on Bed Number Twenty Nine would not let him lose his passion so easily.
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Bed Number-29 Summary
The story starts with the author being in a disoriented state due to the car accident. He recalled his memories of seeing the scenery just before the sunrise and how the beauty inspired him to paint and enjoy life. However, he felt he could see only darkness and then he felt bandages over his eyes. He realized that his eyes had been critically damaged in the car accident. Unfortunately, he was right and had become blind. Since he could see, his days were full of sounds, smells, tastes and feelings, which made his life seem depressing. He could not see beautiful sceneries or paint, and so for him, life was dark like his eyesight. But then, his wardmate who was assigned Bed Number Twenty Nine, came into his life. Naeem was a soft-spoken and cheerful man. The author did not know much about him other than that he had a soothing dreamy voice and he would describe the scenery outside his window with vivid details. The author slowly began to be eager for more of his descriptions. One day, the wardmate asked the author to start painting again. The author got very angry and lashed out at him for disrespecting his art and asking a blind man to paint. After a few days, he asked Naeem if he saw something that moved him. Naeem then described a beautiful scene with a golden stack of hay, a river and white ducks, all bathed under the setting sunlight and red autumn leaves. This inspired the author to paint again. Naeem arranged all the necessary supplies and praised the blind narrator’s work, which motivated the author to keep painting. Every morning after breakfast, Naeem would describe a scene with minute details and the author would bring it to life on the blank canvas by spending the whole day painting. This brought back the author’s passion and he could enjoy life again. However, his second operation failed to get his eyesight back. He had spent all his money on it. So now the author would leave the hospital with both blindness and poverty. Naeem told the author to take his money but he refused. So, Naeem found a rich art-lover who would buy the author’s paintings. Soon, the author started painting again. He got enough money for the third operation after which his eyesight was back. However, Naeem was nowhere to be seen. The nurse revealed that the wardmate had to leave because he had given all his money to the author and he could not afford his third operation for blindness. Under Naeem’s pillow, he found the paintings Naeem had made before becoming blind. He then realized that Naeem was a blind man who used to paint just like him, but due to his blindness, he had lost his passion and so he made sure that the author wouldn’t lose his passion of painting.
Summary of the Lesson Bed Number-29 in Hindi
कहानी की शुरुआत लेखक की कार दुर्घटना के कारण अस्त-व्यस्त स्थिति से होती है। उसे सूर्योदय से ठीक पहले के नज़ारों को देखने की यादें ताज़ा हो रही थीं और कैसे उस सुंदरता ने उसे चित्रकारी करने और जीवन का आनंद लेने के लिए प्रेरित किया। हालाँकि, उसे लगा कि वह सिर्फ़ अँधेरा ही देख पा रहा है और फिर उसने अपनी आँखों पर पट्टियाँ महसूस कीं। उसे एहसास हुआ कि कार दुर्घटना में उसकी आँखों को गंभीर नुकसान पहुँचा है। दुर्भाग्य से, वह सही था और अब, लेखक अंधा हो गया था। चूँकि वह देख सकता था, इसलिए उसके दिन ध्वनियों, गंधों, स्वादों और भावनाओं से भरे होते थे, जिससे उसका जीवन निराशाजनक लगता था। वह न तो सुंदर दृश्य देख सकता था और न ही चित्रकारी कर सकता था, और इसलिए उसके लिए, जीवन उसकी दृष्टि की तरह ही मर रहा था। लेकिन तभी, उसका वार्डमेट, जिसे बेड नंबर 29 पर रखा गया था, उसकी ज़िंदगी में आया। नईम एक मृदुभाषी और हंसमुख व्यक्ति था। लेखक उसके बारे में ज़्यादा कुछ नहीं जानता था, सिवाय इसके कि उसकी आवाज़ मधुर और स्वप्निल थी और वह अपनी खिड़की के बाहर के दृश्यों का विशद विवरण के साथ वर्णन करता था। लेखक धीरे-धीरे उसके और वर्णनों के लिए उत्सुक होने लगा। एक दिन, वार्डमेट ने लेखक से फिर से पेंटिंग शुरू करने को कहा। लेखक बहुत क्रोधित हुआ और अपनी कला का अनादर करने और एक अंधे व्यक्ति से पेंटिंग करने को कहने के लिए उस पर बरस पड़ा। कुछ दिनों बाद, उसने नईम से पूछा कि क्या उसने कुछ ऐसा देखा है जो उसे भावुक कर देता है। नईम ने फिर एक सुंदर दृश्य का वर्णन किया जिसमें घास का एक सुनहरा ढेर, एक नदी और सफ़ेद बत्तखें थीं, जो डूबते सूरज और लाल पतझड़ के पत्तों में नहा रही थीं। इसने लेखक को फिर से पेंटिंग करने के लिए प्रेरित किया। नईम ने सभी आवश्यक सामग्री का प्रबंध किया और अंधे लेखक के काम की प्रशंसा की, जिससे लेखक को पेंटिंग जारी रखने की प्रेरणा मिली। हर सुबह नाश्ते के बाद, नईम सूक्ष्म विवरणों के साथ एक दृश्य का वर्णन करता और लेखक पूरा दिन पेंटिंग करके उसे खाली कैनवास पर जीवंत कर देता। इससे लेखक का जुनून वापस आ गया और वह फिर से जीवन का आनंद ले सका। हालाँकि, उसका दूसरा ऑपरेशन उसकी आँखों की रोशनी वापस नहीं ला सका। उसने अपना सारा पैसा उस पर खर्च कर दिया था। इसलिए अब लेखक अंधेपन और गरीबी दोनों के साथ अस्पताल से बाहर निकलेगा। नईम ने लेखक से अपने पैसे लेने को कहा, लेकिन उसने मना कर दिया। इसलिए, नईम को एक अमीर कला-प्रेमी मिल गया जिसने लेखक की पेंटिंग्स खरीद लीं। जल्द ही, लेखक ने फिर से पेंटिंग शुरू कर दी। उसे तीसरे ऑपरेशन के लिए पर्याप्त पैसे मिल गए और अब उसकी आँखों की रोशनी वापस आ गई थी। हालाँकि, नईम कहीं दिखाई नहीं दे रहा था। नर्स ने बताया कि वार्डमेट को जाना पड़ा क्योंकि उसने अपना सारा पैसा लेखक को दे दिया था और वह अंधेपन के अपने तीसरे ऑपरेशन का खर्च नहीं उठा सकता था। नईम के तकिये के नीचे, उसे नईम द्वारा पहले बनाई गई पेंटिंग्स मिलीं। तब उसे एहसास हुआ कि नईम भी एक अंधा आदमी था जो उसकी तरह ही पेंटिंग करता था, लेकिन अंधेपन के कारण उसका जुनून खत्म हो गया था, इसलिए उसने यह सुनिश्चित किया कि लेखक का पेंटिंग का जुनून खत्म न हो।
Theme of the Lesson Bed Number-29
The story centers around hope and motivation. Hope in finding the light even when total darkness surrounds us, like how the author found hope in life even though he was blind and could only see darkness. It talks of motivation and how one keeps going even when everything is bleak and depressing. It also talks about passion, and how being passionate about something can inspire us to keep living. For example- the passion for painting is what inspired the author to keep hope in life. The story also depicts how inspiration, motivation and hope can come from another person, like how Naeem motivated the author to keep painting. It also shows us the importance of being selfless, kind and motivating, like how Naeem’s behavior and attitude towards the author helped him regain not just his sight but also the will to live.
Bed Number-29 Lesson Explanation
A man, whose hobby was painting, met with an accident and lost his eyesight. While he was in hospital, Naeem, his wardmate, encouraged him to paint again. Naeem described different scenes and he painted them. Naeem left the hospital before the author got his eyesight back. Who was Naeem and why did he leave the hospital?
Passage: Brakes shrieked, something struck, someone cried and there was darkness spreading all around me. Pain leapt in my whole body and a gentle voice said, “Please don’t move, sir. It might be dangerous.” I tried to understand what had happened – I recalled the pre dawn glow; trees and flowers, the dew bathed grass, – all waiting for the sunrise – I had imprisoned this all on the canvas, my masterpiece, the joy of life. So I named it ‘Life’ – then I remembered the busy street scene, the roar of traffic, the car and the crash. My hand touched the bandages on my eyes. “No God,” I moaned, “not this.”
My life was a nightmare of sounds, feelings, smells, tastes and dreadful depression. It was a cage of darkness which held me prisoner-darkness and me, that’s all. Time stood still, the sun rose no more for me, the bloom of flowers, the streams and the clear sky were just memory. Life seemed to be dying with me. Hour after hour I would lie on the bed as if staring at the ceiling. “How do you do?” He was my wardmate, Naeem, who was known as Number Twenty Nine, that being the number of his bed. A soft-spoken, cheerful man who comforted me with many a story, diverting my mind from the shocking realities of life. Except he limped and was on Bed No. 29, I hardly knew anything about him. He wonderfully described the birds hopping among smiling brightness of the morning that I imagined I could see the scene myself. “Go on,” I would urge, whenever his voice stopped. Thus he would minutely describe the scene outside his windows the whole day. This gave hope to me.
Word-meanings:
shrieked: made a loud noise
dreadful: something that involves suffering and sadness
depression: a state of feeling sad
divert: to take someone’s attention away from something
nightmare: unpleasant situation
Urge: request
minutely: in a detailed manner
Explanation of passage: The story started with the author being disoriented and in pain. The last thing he remembered was the sound of brakes of his vehicle making a loud noise, something striking him hard, a crying sound, and then the sense that darkness was surrounding him. He then felt pain in his body and a gentle voice asked him to not move. It was dangerous for him to move. He then remembered his life, and how he used to capture the pre-dawn glow of the sky, trees, flowers and grass covered in dew, the scene right before sunrise, on a blank canvas and called it his masterpiece and the joy of living. Therefore, his joy of living was to experience the masterpieces of nature through his eyes and to make them come on a blank canvas through his passion of painting. However, his memory was interrupted when he remembered what had just happened. He was driving his car in a busy street and there was a crash. His hand then moved to his face, and his fingers felt a bandage around his eyes. He realized how the crash had damaged him and why it was so dark. He cried out softly, saying that he did not want this to happen, to lose his joy of living by losing his eyesight. Unfortunately, his prayers went unanswered, as he had lost his eyesight and was in the hospital to get operated on, the only way to get his eyesight back. His life used to be bright and full of beautiful images, but now it was dark and depressing. He could only rely on his other senses. The lack of sight and the sensation of feeling, tasting, smelling and hearing without sight was overwhelming and depressing for the author. He felt as if he was a prisoner in a cage that was made of darkness. He could only feel himself and darkness. He could no longer see the masterpieces of life- the sun rising, the motion of the flowers blooming, the gentle streams of water and the clear sky were just memories. He could not see them anymore. He could feel as if life was dying with him, just like his eyesight, because he couldn’t see and appreciate life anymore. His eyesight was the way he had enjoyed life, and now that he was blind, he could not enjoy life anymore and so he believed that life was dying for him. He would spend his time simply lying on his bed and looking up. It looked as if he was staring at the ceiling, but of course, since he was blind, all he could see was darkness. Amidst all the darkness, there was a companion who was soft-spoken and cheerful. His name was Naeem, who also went by Number Twenty Nine. This nickname was used because the bed where Naeem used to sleep in the hospital was bed number 29. Naeem would limp towards the author’s bed and tell beautiful stories which distracted the author from his depressed state. The author did not know much about Naeem, but he appreciated his company because in his new depressing life, Naeem was a figure who filled the author’s mind with beautiful sceneries of the birds chirping and the beauty of early morning. Through Naeem’s words, the author could finally enjoy life, even if only a little bit. He enjoyed the stories and would tell the wardmate to continue if he stopped talking. Naeem would point out each and every detail of the entire day, and it gave the author hope that he could still enjoy life.
Passage: “Listen”, he said one morning. “Start painting, which, as you said, was your hobby before.” I lashed out at him. I shouted, getting hysterical, that he had no right to joke about my art. He limped away to his bed.
Days passed. Then one day I asked him if he had been moved by anything. “Yes,” he began slowly, “well, many things.” He suddenly brightened. “Ah yes! Once I walked by a farmhouse, on a golden October evening and I saw a haystack. It wasn’t straw, it was pure gold. All around the world was ablaze with colour – red leaves, white ducks, basking in the last golden rays of the sun setting on the blood-red west. There I stood and gasped, unable to move” – “What?” I cried, “didn’t you paint it?” There was an uneasy silence which embarrassed me for having asked such a question, after all, I thought, everyone is not an artist. “I mean, I would have painted it,” I said hurriedly. “Why don’t you paint? It is in my mind, and I know you can paint. Do, please, say yes.” He pleaded, and before I knew what I did, I said, “Yes”.
Word-meanings:
lashed out: criticized in anger, spoke angrily
hysterical: shouted in an uncontrolled way
ablaze: full of bright colours
gasped: took a deep breath
embarrassed: ashamed
pleaded: requested
Explanation of the passage: One morning, Naeem suggested to the author that he should start painting again because that had been his hobby. However, the author took the suggestion in a negative manner. He did not appreciate being asked to paint because he could no longer see what he was painting. The author could not control his anger and shouted at Naeem in anger, feeling like Naeem was disrespecting his art by suggesting that he paint despite the blindness. Naeem did not speak at all and he simply limped back to his bed, bed number twenty nine. After a few days, the author asked Naeem a question. He asked if Naeem had ever been moved by something. Naeem said that he had been moved by many things, and then he suddenly brightened and began to describe a particular memory in great detail. It was an October evening and the sun was setting down, the sun covering everything in a beautiful golden color. The author was walking by a farmhouse when he saw a stack of hay. However, under the golden sunlight, the hay looked like a stack of gold. Under the golden sunlight, the river beside the farmhouse was blood-red in colour, the white ducks in the water were enjoying the warmth of the last rays of sunlight. To complete the scene, there were red leaves of the autumn season falling around him, creating a scene of red and golden colours. The author was so moved by the description that he gasped and asked if he had painted the scene. He then became a bit ashamed of his involuntary questions, knowing that not everyone liked to paint or was an artist. He explained that if he would have been in Naeem’s place, he would have painted the scene. Naeem then said that the author could paint it if he felt like it. All the author had to do was follow Naeem’s words and description and paint according to it. Naeem then requested him to say yes, wanting the author to start painting again. Naeem agreed without much thought, because he too was eager to paint again. He was so moved by the detailed descriptions that Naeem provided that he gained the hope to paint again.
Passage: My life took a new turn. He had provided everything needed for painting, and when the hospital attendants cried out in surprise as they entered the room, he made them quiet. Then the miracle started, with eager but almost trembling finger, I started drawing a scene I had once admired. I laboured on and on sketching the scene from the canvas of my memory on the paper, too absorbed to think of my blindness. I finished the scene and in a shaky voice called for Naeem. He bounded to my bed, for a while I heard nothing. My heart sank. “I must have bungled it,” I thought. Then his voice broke the silence. “It’s marvellous. It’s unbelievable, you’re a genius, man, a genius, who would say you are blind,” I felt relaxed and I said, “Really! I could never believe, had it not happened with myself.”
Every morning, after breakfast, Naeem would come to my bed, in a dreamy voice he would describe a scene, which I would work from dawn to dusk, as if the day would never end. One canvas finished and another started. It was wonderful. Naeem would make me draw all the magic dreamland scenery. Losing myself in his world of colours, forgetting my blindness, I created on paper all he said. He always praised me and I became more and more convinced of my genius. He would himself mix the colours, and suggest a faint shade here, a dark line there.
Word meanings:
miracle: a divine extraordinary and pleasant event
labored: to worked hard
absorbed: interested in something
bounded: ran with long steps
bungled: did something very badly
marvellous: wonderful
dreamy: when something is so wonderful and pleasant it seems unreal and extraordinary
Explanation of the passage: When the author agreed to paint the sceneries that Naeem described, his life took a new turn. He would now paint and engage in the hobby that gave him a reason to appreciate life, but in a new manner, because he was now blind. Naeem not only described the scenes but also arranged a blank canvas and everything else that the author needed to paint. The nurses and doctors were surprised at this, not used to seeing blind patients paint. Some tried to interfere because they did not want the author, who was a patient, to overwork and exhaust himself. However, Naeem would make them quiet, not letting them interfere or discourage the author. Then, the unbelievable and extraordinary event began and the author began to paint. The author’s fingers trembled at first because he was not used to painting without seeing. However, he kept on working hard, and he became so interested in going back to his old hobby that he eventually forgot about his blindness, simply thinking about the scenery that was in his mind and that he wished to bring onto the canvas. When he finally finished his first drawing, he called Naeem to look at it. His voice was shaky with nervousness and excitement, as he hoped that the painting he had made was good. Naeem came to him running in long steps, showing excitement. For some time, the author did not hear Naeem say a single word. The author’s heart sank, meaning that he felt a sense of worry and disappointment, feeling that the painting he made was not that good. But then Naeem spoke up and he told the author that the painting he made was wonderful. It was so unbelievably good that no one could tell that it was made by a blind man, and so, the author was a genius. The author relaxed and then expressed his surprise and delight at having accomplished such a big thing. Encouraged by Naeem’s words, the author then painted a new canvas every day, starting from every morning right after breakfast. Naeem would describe a new scene in his wonderful voice, which would make a beautiful scene in the author’s mind. The author would then start to make those paintings come to life on the blank canvas before him. The author would work from dawn to dusk but not get tired. He found it wonderful to paint, almost like he used to, before the accident. Every day, he would fill the canvases with the dreamy sceneries that Naeem would describe and he would be encouraged by Naeem. He then started to believe in himself after Naeem’s continuous encouragement, and he began to truly see himself as a genius, who could paint perfectly despite his blindness. Naeem not only described the scene and praised his work, but also mixed the colours for him and provided constructive feedback by asking him to add a line of colour here and there.
Passage: It was then that the doctors operated upon me again. Naeem had taken over the work of reading to me, or describing a scene from my window, as I was unable to move from the bed. As days passed, my anxiety increased – partly because I wanted to see the world of colours with my own eyes, but mostly because I had spent my last rupee on this very operation, and in case of failure, I would have to lead the wretched life of darkness and misery.
I went to the doctors’ room with the nurse, when Naeem came and said, “It’s a beautiful day, I hope you see it soon.” I tried to answer but there was a lump in my throat.
I smelt the smell of the operation theatre, I felt gloved hand touching me gently. My bandage was being unwound. The clock ticked and a voice said, “Open your eyes” and I opened my eyes. There was the same unending darkness.
I was back in my room, helped by the nurse. So there was my life – full of darkness. I buried my head in the pillow. Naeem was on my side – consoling me. “I will be going soon, Naeem,” I said sadly one day. “I have no money now, this operation cost me all I had.” He was shocked. “Oh No! I have some money, you can have it,” he said softly. I replied firmly, “Thanks, Naeem. I have never begged nor will I, thanks all the same.” He tried to persuade me, but I didn’t listen.
Word-meanings:
lump: feel pressure in the throat
unwound: removed
consoling: the act of comforting someone
persuade: convince
Explanation of the passage: After some days, it was time for the author’s operation. He now didn’t have the permission to move from the bed, so Naeem would simply describe a scene from the window or read a story to him. The author was getting more worried with each passing day because of two reasons. The first reason was that he wanted the operation to be successful in order to get his eyesight back. The second reason was that the author had spent his last rupee on this operation and if it failed, not only would he be blind but also poor. So, in case of failure, his life would be dull and dark, and also miserable with poverty. When the nurse was taking him to the doctors’ room or operation room, Naeem came to him and told the author that the day was quite beautiful. He hoped that the author’s operation would be a success and he could see the beauty for himself. The author tried to reply back in a confident tone, but he was so nervous that he felt a pressure in his throat which stopped him from speaking. The author could not see the inside of the operation theatre, but he could smell it. After some time, a gloved hand of one of the doctors touched the author gently and removed the bandage covering his eyes. The clock ticked as if announcing that it was time to see whether the operation was a success or not. The author opened his eyes, but he saw nothing but darkness. The operation failed. The author was heartbroken and depressed and as soon as he reached his bed with the help of his nurse, he buried his face into the pillow. Naeem comforted him but he shocked the man by revealing that he had spent all his money on the operation and he would have to leave now, both with blindness and poverty. Naeem then asked the author to take his money but the author firmly refused. He was grateful for Naeem’s offer, but he was too proud to beg or borrow money. Naeem tried to convince him to take his money but the author refused firmly.
Passage: One afternoon, Naeem came running to my bed, “Listen, old fellow, there is a friend of mine who is an art lover. He wants to buy your paintings.” “How can that be, they must be awful!” I thought. “He is rich, we can strike a bargain.” I consented and Naeem danced round the room with joy. Next day he handed me some crisp banknotes. My happiness knew no bounds. Hope soared once again. Once again I was living for something.
I took to painting again. Every morning Naeem would sit by my side, and begin his dreamy tale. I drew on and on. The unknown buyer appeared off and on and bought my paintings. Naeem described scenes of the four seasons with such feelings, especially the sunset ones – pink, purple, white, violet and all shades of gold were splashed before my ‘mind’s eye’.
All my paintings had been bought, and I found myself ready for the third operation. After the operation, when I regained consciousness, I was told not to move or speak with anyone. When my bandage was to be opened I asked for Naeem, but the nurse said he was ill, and could not come. The doctor removed the bandage and when I opened my eyes, a flash of light tore through my eyes – I could see.
Word-meanings:
crisp banknotes: banknotes that look newly printed, without creases and folds
bounds: boundaries
soared: rose upwards
consented: agreed
off and on: from time to time
splashed: printed across
regained : got back
Explanation of the passage: The author refused to take money from Naeem because he didn’t want to seem like a beggar or borrower. So, the wardmate tried to find a different way to help the author. This shows Naeem’s kind and helpful nature. One afternoon, Naeem went running to the author’s bed in excitement as he had found a way through which the author would accept money. He told the author that he had a friend who was rich and an art lover. Naeem’s friend wished to buy the author’s paintings. The author was surprised as he thought to himself that a blind man’s paintings could not be so good that a rich man would want to buy them. However, the author needed the money for his operation so he agreed to sell his paintings and to bargain for more money. Naeem was so happy that his friend had agreed to it that he danced around the room in joy. Again, this shows Naeem’s selfless and kind nature. The next day, Naeem gave him fresh new banknotes. The author was very happy because he felt like he was living again. This gave him motivation to paint again. It would be the same routine again. Naeem would sit by his side in the morning and describe beautiful sceneries in great detail and the author would draw them on the blank canvas. The buyer who was a stranger to the author would come and buy the paintings through Naeem. Naeem then described each of the four seasons in great detail and the author made paintings of each season with the alluring description. Naeem’s description and words held strong emotions, which meant that Naeem had a strong affinity for words, but later on, it would be revealed why he described the paintings so strongly and passionately. Naeem’s passionate descriptions were more powerful with sunset sceneries, which meant that Naeem found sunset to be the best kind of scenery. With his minute detailing, the author’s mind was filled with splashes of pink, white, violet, purple and gold. After all the paintings were made and sold to the unknown buyer, the author got enough money for the third operation. After the operation, doctors and nurses generally ask the patients not to move or speak with anyone. The author followed the orders but he was eager to speak to Naeem, the person who motivated him to paint and gave him a reason to live. After the bandages were removed, he still asked for Naeem. This shows that now Naeem and his friendship was more important to him than his eyesight. However, the nurse said that he was too ill to come. The author was then asked to open his eyes. When the author opened his eyes, there was a flash of light. So after months of being in the darkness, he could now sense light. This meant that the operation was successful and the author could finally see again.
Passage: They wheeled me back to my room. I cried, “Naeem, Naeem. Sister, where is Naeem?” The nurse’s face turned pale as she handed me Naeem’s letter – The goddess of art smiled on me, and then as quickly as she had come she vanished. Mad with grief, I rushed to the cupboard, and there lay all my paintings. Mere masses of haphazard lines, without any colour. The nurse spoke, “He was a very great man. With all his money he bought these paintings, and moved out of the hospital when he couldn’t afford it. He couldn’t have his third operation.”
“What,” I cried, “operation? Which operation?”
“Why? His eyes, of course, he was blind,” she said. I was unable to move for sometime. Tears blinded my eyes.
Under his pillow were four paintings he had painted of the four seasons before he was blind. He described those paintings to me – and tried to paint them on my canvas. Tears blinded my eyes as I held his paintings in my hand.
Word-meanings:
masses: a large number
haphazard: irregular, not in order
Explanation of the passage: The nurse took the narrator back to his room in a wheelchair. The author was so happy that he was crying in joy for Naeem to come and celebrate the success of the operation. When Naeem didn’t come, the author asked the nurse where he was. The nurse’s face became pale because she knew that the news would hurt the author a lot. She handed the author a letter that Naeem left. The letter spoke about how Naeem was once blessed by the goddess of art but as soon as she had come into his life, she had disappeared. This meant that before Naeem came to the hospital, he too used to paint but because of his illness, he could not paint anymore. The author then understood why the wardmate insisted him to paint, because he did not want the author to lose his passion like he had lost. The author felt like he was going mad with sadness and he rushed to Naeem’s old cupboard, where he found all his paintings that the unknown buyer had bought. The unknown buyer was none other than Naeem himself. Moreover, the paintings were not what Naeem said they were at all. The paintings, which were supposed to show dreamy sceneries, were just irregular messy and colourless lines made here and there on the canvas. The nurse then explained that Naeem was so kind that when the author refused to take his money, he bought the paintings and gave his money to the author that way. However, Naeem ran out of money for his third operation and so he had to leave. The author asked the nurse which operation he wanted to get. The nurse was a bit surprised that the author didn’t know that his wardmate had the same issue as him- blindness. Naeem, like the author, was blind. The author was so shocked by the truth that he could not move for some time. Then, tears filled his eyes and he was blinded, not by a serious injury, but by the tears. The author then looked under Naeem’s pillow and saw four paintings, each one representing the four seasons. These paintings were made by Naeem before he came to the hospital. That is why Naeem could describe the sceneries so passionately, because he had painted them before. Naeem used the description to inspire the author to paint. Therefore, Naeem was like the author, except he had lost his passion to paint and so he urged the author to not lose his passion. With this realization, the author held the paintings close to him, because the paintings represented Naeem. Now tears blinded him, representing the author’s sorrowful state after knowing the truth.
Conclusion
This post provides the students with a comprehensive understanding of the lesson Bed Number 29 from the PSEB Class 10 English Book. It provides the students with the introduction, theme, summary, lesson explanation with word meanings, ensuring that the students comprehend the chapter effectively.