Question 1:
What are the things the wind god does in the first stanza ?
Answer:
The wind god throws down all the books. He tears the pages of the books. He brings the rain. He makes fun of weak people, weak houses, weak doors, weak rafters, weak wood, weak bodies, weak lives and weak hearts. He scatters and crushes them all.
Question 2:
Have you seen anybody winnow grain at home or in a paddy field ? What is the word in your language for winnowing ? What do people use for winnowing ? (Give the words in your language, if you know them.)
Answer:
I have often seen farmers winnowing grain at home and also in their fields. In our language, we call it pachhorna. A chhaj is used for winnowing. It helps to remove the chaff from the grain. Nowadays, it is done with machines also.
Question 3:
What does the poet say the wind god winnows ?
Answer:
He winnows everything that is weak, old and crumbling. He winnows weak people, weak houses, weak doors, weak rafters, weak wood, weak bodies, weak lives and weak hearts.
Question 4:
What should we do to make friends with the wind ?
Answer:
We should make our bodies and heart strong. Only then can we make friends with the wind.
Question 5:
What do the last four lines of the poem mean to you ?
Answer:
In the last four lines, the poet means to say that the weak always go to the wall. It is the way of the world to kick the weak and to bow to the strong. Therefore, we should make our bodies and hearts very strong.
Question 6:
How does the poet speak to the wind — in anger or with humour ? You must also have seen or heard of the wind ‘crumbling lives’. What is your response to this ? Is it like the poet’s ?
Answer:
The poet speaks very gravely. He wants to convey the idea that gods will be friends with you if you are strong. They will crush you if you are weak. Therefore, one must make oneself strong in heart and body. I fully agree with what the poet says.
Question 7:
Give in brief the central idea of the poem, ‘Wind’.
Or
The poem ‘Wind’ shows how wind tests the strong and weak. What qualities should the weak cultivate to be able to face challenges ?
Answer:
The central idea of the poem is that nobody cares for the weak. Even gods help the strong. Therefore, we should not pray for mercy or help. We should make ourselves strong. If we are strong, everybody will like to be friends with us and we will be in a better position to face the challenges.
Question 8:
What lesson can we learn from the action of the wind on fire ?
Answer:
If the fire is weak, the wind blows it out. If the fire is strong, the wind adds more power to it. It makes it roar and flourish. Therefore, we should make ourselves strong. If we are weak, everybody will harm us. If we are strong, everybody will like to be friends with us. Even gods help those who are strong. They pay no attention to the prayers of the weak.
Question 9:
How does the wind poke fun at weaklings ?
Answer:
Weaklings pray to the wind to blow softly. They pray to the wind god not to break the shutters of their windows. But the wind god does not listen to their prayers. Rather he pokes fun at them. He blows down their houses. He breaks their doors. He breaks their bodies, their lives and even their hearts. He crushes them badly.