MAK LABS — Class 8 English Ch 11 Harvest Hymn

IHarvest festivals and hymns.

1. When is the harvest festival celebrated in your region and how is it celebrated?
In Maharashtra, Makar Sankranti is celebrated in January. People fly kites, exchange til-gul and say, “Tilgul ghya, god god bola.” Pongal, Lohri, Bihu and Onam are other harvest festivals of India.

2. (i) To whom do we offer a hymn? (ii) When and where do we sing a hymn? (iii) Why do we offer it?
(i) We offer a hymn to God.

(ii) We sing it during prayers, festivals and special occasions, at home, in temples or at school assemblies.

(iii) We offer it to praise God and to thank Him for His blessings.

IIMatch the archaic words with their meanings.

Column 1	Column 2
1. thou	(iii) you (subject)
2. art	(iv) are
3. thee	(ii) you (object)
4. thy	(v) your
5. thine	(i) yours

IIISelect the correct meaning for each underlined word.

1. radiance — (i) glow
2. tribute — (i) respect
3. cherished — (ii) loved
4. counsel — (i) advice
5. munificent — (ii) generous

IWrite the stanza number for the main idea of each stanza.

The speakers recognise the lord’s kindness and praise him for nourishing the field. — Stanza 2
The speakers praise the generosity of the creator of the universe who ensures a rich harvest. — Stanza 1
The speakers devote their lives and work as a mark of respect to the lord and seek his support, wisdom, and care. — Stanza 4
The speakers pay homage to the Earth and appreciate her role in supporting life, by dedicating their harvest. — Stanza 3

IIFill in the blanks by choosing the appropriate words.

The setting of the poem is a rural landscape, possibly during a harvest festival.
The tone of the poem is respectful and celebratory because it praises nature and the Lord with deep respect and gratitude.
The letter ‘h’ is capitalised in ‘Hands’, ‘Heart’ and ‘Home’ because God resides in them.

IIIIdentify the poetic device used in the lines.

Bright and munificent lord of the morn! — Personification (the Sun is shown as a generous lord)
We bring thee our lives and our labours for tribute — Alliteration

IVMatch the lines with their expressions and write the poetic device.

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
1. sweet and omnipotent mother	(iii) the earth is being given human-like qualities	personification
2. The wealth of our valleys, new-garnered and ripe	(i) creates a clear description of the scene and appeals to the senses	imagery
3. Thou art the Seed and the Scythe	(ii) implied comparison of growth and reaping with beginning and end of all life	metaphor

VFind more repetitions from the poem. What is the poet’s purpose?

Lord of the lotus, lord of the harvest
Thine is the bounty… / Thine is the bounty…
Thine is the mercy… / Thine is the mercy…
Queen of the gourd-flower, queen of the harvest
Lord of the Universe, Lord of our being
Thou art our Hands and our Heart and our Home
we hail thee… We praise thee…

The repetition gives the poem a musical, chant-like rhythm, like a real hymn. It also stresses the people’s deep devotion and gratitude.

VIMatch the symbols with the meanings they convey.

Column 1	Column 2
1. Prithvi (the Earth)	(iii) fertile land, motherhood, nurturing—the source of all life
2. Surya (the Sun)	(i) light, energy, life—representing the giver of warmth and prosperity
3. Varuna (Rain)	(ii) mercy and nourishment—crucial for agriculture and sustenance

I.1Read the extract and answer the questions.

We bring thee our songs and our garlands for tribute,
The gold of our fields and the gold of our fruit;
O giver of mellowing radiance, we hail thee,
We praise thee, O Surya, with cymbal and flute.

(i) What does the act of bringing songs and garlands as tribute suggest?
B. They have a deep sense of reverence and gratitude towards the divine.

(ii) The word ‘gold’ in ‘the gold of our fields’ and ‘the gold of our fruit’ symbolises ______.
the golden, ripe crops and fruits. They are as precious as gold to the farmers.

(iii) How does ‘O giver of mellowing radiance’ help us understand Surya’s role in the harvest?
The Sun gives warm, gentle light. This light ripens (mellows) the crops and fruits. So, the Sun helps the harvest grow and become ready.

(iv) The use of cymbal and flute signifies ______.
joy and celebration

I.2Read the extract and answer the questions.

All Voices:
Lord of the Universe, Lord of our being,
Father eternal, ineffable Om!
Thou art the Seed and the Scythe of our harvests,
Thou art our Hands and our Heart and our Home.

(i) In the phrase ‘Lord of our being,’ what does ‘being’ most likely refer to?
B. Our entire existence

(ii) The imagery of ‘the Seed and the Scythe’ symbolises the divine’s role as both the beginning and the end of the agricultural cycle. (True/False)
True

(iii) Identify the phrases that mean the following.
A. The divine as a timeless, everlasting presence — Father eternal

B. Beyond human comprehension or description — ineffable

(iv) How do we know that these lines are spoken as a chorus?
The stanza begins with the heading ‘All Voices’. This shows that men and women sing it together.

IIAnswer the following questions.

1. Why do the farmers hail the God of rain?
Varuna sends rain and dew. His mercy waters the furrows and helps the grain grow. Without rain, there would be no harvest.

2. What is being referred to as ‘wealth of our valleys’? Why?
It refers to the newly harvested, ripe crops of the valleys. The crops are the farmers’ real wealth because their life depends on them.

3. State one reason why the women refer to the Earth as a ‘source of manifold gladness’.
The Earth feeds everyone and gives birth to crops and riches. She is the source of many joys in life.

4. Why does everyone in the poem offer their ‘labours for tribute’?
They believe that God is the source of everything, even their strength to work. So, they offer their hard work to Him and seek His help, advice and care.

5. Why has the poet presented the poem as voices of men, women, and all voices?
Men and women both take part in farming and in the harvest festival. The men praise Surya and Varuna, and the women praise Mother Earth. In the end, all sing together to the Supreme Lord. This shows unity and shared gratitude.

6. How does the poet create the joyous atmosphere of rural India at harvesting time?
The poet describes golden fields and fruits, garlands and songs. The people praise the gods with cymbals, flutes, pipes and drums. This creates a joyful and festive mood.

7. Why is the poem presented as a hymn?
A hymn is a song of praise. The poem praises and thanks Surya, Varuna, Prithvi and Brahma for a rich harvest. So, it is presented as a hymn.

IMatch the farming implements with their use and complete their names.

Picture	Use	Name
1. curved blade, short handle	(iii) hand-held tool with a curved blade and short handle; used for harvesting crops	SICKLE
2. long curved blade, long handle	(vi) hand-held tool with a long curved blade and long handle; used for cutting tall grass	SCYTHE
3. wooden tool with a pointed blade	(iv) tool pulled by oxen; used for turning over the soil	PLOUGH
4. small pointed blade	(ii) small hand tool for digging and making shallow furrows	TROWEL
5. long handle with metal teeth	(i) tool for collecting hay or leaves	RAKE
6. flat blade on a long handle	(v) farm tool with a flat blade; used for digging the soil	SPADE

IIChoose the correct synonyms for the underlined words.

He was munificent towards the needy and donated a lot for their health care. — generous
… all his friends gave him succour by supporting him with money. — help
When the sun’s rays came into the dark room, the whole room was full of radiance. — brightness
The little girl was speechless with ineffable joy… — indescribable

The words in italics are the clues that help us infer the meanings.

IIIFind commonly used words for the archaic words.

1. morrow — tomorrow
2. hither — here
3. quoth — said
4. betwixt — between
5. yonder — over there

INumber the events of paddy cultivation in the correct order.

1. Ploughing of soil

2. Puddling of land

3. Irrigating the field

4. Transplanting of seedlings

5. Harvesting of paddy

6. Threshing of grains

7. Milling of rice

Numbers against the given list: Transplanting 4, Ploughing 1, Threshing 6, Puddling 2, Harvesting 5, Irrigating 3, Milling 7.

IIChoose the correct option.

1. What is the main step in preparing the soil for cultivation of rice? — (iii) Puddling the soil
2. How long does it take for rice seeds to grow into seedlings? — (ii) 4–5 weeks
3. Why is drying rice grains important after threshing? — (iii) To store the rice grains for longer

I & IISilent letters and presentation on a harvest festival dish.

In hymn, column, autumn and solemn, the ‘n’ is silent. In womb, tomb, bomb, climb and comb, the ‘b’ is silent. The presentation is a group activity.

Draft a creative slogan to express gratitude to the farmers.

Sample Slogans

“No Farmer, No Food — Thank You, Annadata!”

“They Sow, We Grow — Salute Our Farmers!”

“Every Grain on Our Plate Is a Farmer’s Gift — Respect It!”

I & IIMillets and harvest songs.

These are group and research activities. Students should collect millet recipes and harvest songs with the help of the teacher.

Harvest Hymn

Let us do these activities before we read

Let us discuss

Let us think and reflect

Let us learn

Let us listen

Let us speak

Let us write

Let us explore