Back to: Maharashtra Board Class 8th English Guide & Notes
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Introduction
“Revathi’s musical Plants” is an amusing story about a music student, Revathi and her favourite plants. Revathi used to sit on a cement bench in a small open courtyard in front of her house and play her violin in her free time. There were a few potted plants in the courtyard among which Revathi noticed a pot of balsam (a plant usually with pink or white flowers).
On observing that the Balsam plants had pale green leaves and stunted growth, Revathi realised that the plant needed proper care, nourishment and especially sunlight as she had learnt in her lower classes. Revathi thus shifted the plants to the centre of the courtyard where there was ample of sunlight.
Best Plant Contest
Revathi was strucked by an idea of participating in the “Best Plant” contest which was to be held in her own colony a few weeks later. Thus, she started watering the plants everyday. Revathi used to play her favourite raga” Mohanam” sitting in front of the plants and then went back in for her studies. The plants were growing well and looked healthier than the other plants in the far end of the courtyard.
The Musical Plants
One day, Revathi discovered that when she played the violin, the plants moved their stems and bend slightly towards her as if they were dancing and enjoying her favourite raga “Mohanam”. On the other hand, when she played a tune with a quick rhythm, the same plants would stop dancing and turned away from her as if they did not like what she was playing. Then she started playing her favourite tune again and the plants slowly straightened themselves and bent towards her.
Revathi was astonished on realising that the plants really loved her music so they showed their happiness by moving slowly. Revathi kept this fact as a secret and she did not even inform her mother about her musical plants. The plants grew not only taller and healthier than other balsam plants, but they had started flowering a few days earlier than the other plants. The flowers were big and brightly coloured and one of the plants had an unusual kind of flower.
Because of the plants’ uniqueness, Revathi was sure that no one could defeat her in the competition and she would definitely win the first prize.
Plant Theft
The next morning, Revathi blinked for a few minutes because she found that her plants were not there in the courtyard. She asked her mother to which she said that she had no idea about the pot or the plants. Revathi recalled that some of her neighbours had been to their house the previous afternoon and had even remarked at the beautiful flowers.
Revathi was very sad and hurt because she could not lodge a complaint about a pot of plants. She did not mind her lost opportunity of participating in the competition but she was disheartened for she had lost her friends, who enjoyed every bit of her music. Revathi was convinced to attend the prize distribution ceremony by her friends.
The Hour of Truth
After reaching the place, she went to the benches where the potted plants were displayed. Revathi was extremely shocked to see her plants placed on the table with the name of one of her neighbour on a small piece of cardboard. It was the hour of truth, when Revathi came to know that it was none other than her neighbor who stole her plants out of jealousy. Revathi worked hard to come up with the beautiful plant that made her neighbour feel jealous.
Revathi went to the organisers of the show and informed about the cheating done in the game. However, the organisers were not convinced and asked her for a proof that the plants actually belonged to her. Though she was very much dejected but she was determined to win her plants back.
Revathi sat near her plants with her violin and slowly started playing her favourite raga, Mohanam. As she played on and on, the stems of the plants bent towards her as though they wanted to touch her out of happiness. In this way, Revathi was able to claim that it was actually her plants. Because of her belief in her conviction, she knew that her plants would definitely respond to her music.
After the revelation of the truth, the organizers pulled her neighbor up for cheating them and the neighbor even accepted that she had stolen Revathi’s plants while walking past her house.
The authorities thus decided to declare Revathi as the real winner and handed her the first prize as her plants were the most beautiful and healthy. Revathi carried the prize home proudly with her pot of plants.
