First Flight

Chapter 1 of NCERT Class 10 English (First Flight), "A Letter to God", tells the story of Lencho, a farmer whose corn crop is completely destroyed by a destructive hailstorm after he had anticipated rain; in his desperation and unwavering faith, Lencho writes a letter to God requesting a hundred pesos to replant his field.

• 1Lencho is a farmer who loses his entire corn crop to a hailstorm despite initially expecting beneficial rain.
• 2Main characters: Lencho (the farmer), his family (wife, older boys, smaller children), the postman, and the postmaster ("fat, amiable fellow").
• 3Lencho writes a letter to God asking for a hundred pesos, showing his complete faith that God's eyes "see everything, even what is deep in one's conscience".
• 4The postmaster answers Lencho's letter and signs it "God", collecting money from employees and friends to send seventy pesos as an act of charity.
• 5Central irony: Lencho receives the partial money but becomes angry about the shortage, accusing the post office employees of being "a bunch of crooks" rather than doubting God.

Chapter 2 of NCERT Class 10 English (First Flight), 'Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom', is an excerpt from Mandela's autobiography describing his inauguration as South Africa's first Black President on May 10, 1994. The chapter explores his reflections on freedom, courage, and the triumph over apartheid's oppression.

• 1Nelson Mandela becomes South Africa's first Black President (May 10, 1994)
• 2Union Buildings in Pretoria transformed from 'seat of white supremacy' to site of 'rainbow gathering of different colours and nations'
• 3Mandela's address: 'Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another'
• 4Apartheid: political system separating people according to race
• 5Key anti-apartheid leaders: Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli, Yusuf Dadoo, Bram Fischer, Robert Sobukwe

Chapter 3 of NCERT Class 10 English (First Flight), titled "Two Stories about Flying", contains two contrasting narratives exploring the theme of human (and animal) triumph over fear and adversity: "His First Flight", about a young seagull conquering his fear of flying, and "The Black Aeroplane", about a pilot saved by a mysterious aircraft during a life-threatening storm.

• 1Young seagull's fear of the "great expanse of sea" and his refusal to plunge despite his family flying away
• 2The seagull's mother uses food as motivation, halting mid-flight to force her son to dive and fly
• 3Dakota pilot loses all instruments—compass spins uselessly, radio goes dead—leaving him lost in black storm clouds
• 4A phantom black aeroplane with no wing lights guides the pilot through the storm, its pilot's face turned toward him: "Follow me"
• 5Literary parallel: both stories explore courage emerging from desperation—the seagull driven by hunger, the pilot by survival

Chapter 4 of NCERT Class 10 English (First Flight), "From the Diary of Anne Frank", is an excerpt from the private diary of Anneliese Marie Frank (1929–1945), a Jewish girl in hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.

• 1Anne Frank: German-Jewish girl hiding in Amsterdam during Nazi occupation
• 2Diary given for 13th birthday; chronicles June 12, 1942 to August 1, 1944
• 3Loneliness theme: lack of a true friend despite having many acquaintances
• 4Paper has more patience than people—motivation for diary writing
• 5Mr Keesing: maths teacher annoyed by Anne's talking; assigns punitive essays

Chapter 5 of NCERT Class 10 English (First Flight), titled 'Glimpses of India', presents three regional pieces: 'A Baker from Goa' capturing the tradition of Goan paders and Portuguese-influenced bread-making; 'Coorg', a travel essay on the coffee-growing district's martial culture and adventure landscape; and 'Tea from Assam', a narrative dialogue exploring India's tea plantations and ancient legends of tea.

• 1Goan paders (traditional bakers) carry on Portuguese-influenced bread-making traditions; called pader in Goa, integral to festivals like Christmas, weddings, and engagements
• 2Coorg (Kodagu), Karnataka's smallest district, famous for evergreen rainforests, coffee plantations, and spices between Mysore and Mangalore
• 3Kodavus, Coorg's people, are possibly of Greek or Arab descent (legend: Alexander's army settled after failed return); wear the kuppia (long black coat with embroidered waist-belt) resembling Arab kuffia
• 4Coorg Regiment is one of India's most decorated military units; first Chief of Indian Army General Cariappa was Coorgi; Kodavus uniquely permitted to carry firearms without licence
• 5Assam produces the largest concentration of tea plantations in the world; tea plants grow under shade-trees on neatly pruned bushes, with plucking by hand during second-flush (May-July, yields best tea)

Chapter 6 of NCERT Class 10 English (First Flight), "Mijbil the Otter", is a narrative by Gavin Maxwell about bringing home an otter from the marshes of Iraq as a pet. The chapter explores the unique bond between man and animal through humorous and touching anecdotes of the otter's intelligent and playful nature.

• 1Narrator Gavin Maxwell receives an otter from Iraqi marshes, names it Mijbil
• 2Mijbil is a previously unknown species, scientifically christened Maxwell's otter
• 3The otter's characteristic love of water: splashing, overturning bowls, turning taps
• 4Dramatic airplane journey where Mij escapes the box and creates chaos aboard the aircraft
• 5Mij's intelligent play: juggling marbles on his belly, inventing games with ping-pong balls and suitcases

Chapter 7 of NCERT Class 10 English First Flight, "Madam Rides the Bus", tells the story of eight-year-old Valliammai (Valli) and her carefully planned first bus journey from her village to town, which becomes her introduction to the mystery of life and death.

• 1Valliammai (Valli), a curious eight-year-old, watches the village bus daily
• 2She saves 60 paise over months by resisting temptations and planning carefully
• 3Her bus ride reveals beautiful landscapes: canal, green fields, palm trees, distant mountains
• 4A young cow runs in front of the bus during her journey, making her laugh
• 5On the return trip, Valli sees the same cow dead on the roadside

Chapter 8 of NCERT Class 10 English (First Flight), "The Sermon at Benares", recounts how the Buddha taught a grieving woman named Kisa Gotami that death is universal and unavoidable through the parable of the mustard seed.

• 1Gautama Buddha: prince turned enlightened teacher who attained wisdom under the Bodhi Tree
• 2Kisa Gotami: a grief-stricken mother seeking a cure for her dead son
• 3The mustard-seed parable: every house has experienced death
• 4Impermanence: all mortals are subject to death like ripe fruits and earthen vessels
• 5Theme of universal suffering and acceptance of mortality

Chapter 9 of NCERT Class 10 English (First Flight), "The Proposal", is a one-act comedic farce written by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. It satirizes the tendency of wealthy families to pursue marriages for economic gain while quarrelling over trivial matters.

• 1Ivan Lomov—a suspicious 35-year-old landowner and marriage proposal suitor
• 2Natalya Stepanovna—Chubukov's 25-year-old daughter, quarrelsome and property-conscious
• 3Stepan Chubukov—a wealthy landowner and Natalya's father, eager for the economic alliance
• 4The Oxen Meadows dispute—first major quarrel over a small strip of land worth 300 roubles
• 5The dog argument—Squeezer versus Guess; second major quarrel about hunting dogs' qualities