Part 1: Text & Translation

English: Jagadish Chandra Bose had invented several sensitive instruments. One of them is the Crescograph which is used to measure the growth rate of plants. Through his experiments Bose showed that plants behave in the same manner as human beings, although plants take longer to respond than animals. He proved that plants are sensitive to heat, cold, light, noise and other external stimuli, just like human beings. By injecting poison into a living plant Bose showed that they react in the same manner as we do.

Bengali: জগদীশচন্দ্র বসু বেশ কয়েকটি সংবেদনশীল যন্ত্র আবিষ্কার করেছিলেন। সেগুলোর মধ্যে একটি হলো ক্রেস্কোগ্রাফ (Crescograph), যা উদ্ভিদের বৃদ্ধির হার পরিমাপ করতে ব্যবহৃত হয়। তাঁর পরীক্ষার মাধ্যমে বসু দেখিয়েছিলেন যে উদ্ভিদ মানুষের মতোই আচরণ করে, যদিও উদ্ভিদ প্রাণীদের চেয়ে সাড়া দিতে বেশি সময় নেয়। তিনি প্রমাণ করেছিলেন যে উদ্ভিদ মানুষের মতোই তাপ, ঠান্ডা, আলো, শব্দ এবং অন্যান্য বাহ্যিক উদ্দীপকের প্রতি সংবেদনশীল। একটি জীবন্ত উদ্ভিদে বিষ প্রয়োগ করে বসু দেখিয়েছিলেন যে তারা আমাদের মতোই প্রতিক্রিয়া দেখায়।

Part 2: Text & Translation

English: Scientific research on electro-magnetic waves was initiated by J. C. Bose in the late 19th century. It was the Italian scientist Marconi who got the patent for the invention of wireless telegraphy. But we must remember that Bose’s public demonstration in Calcutta along the same lines happened much earlier. Instead of looking for commercial benefit for his inventions, Bose made his inventions public in order to allow others to advance further along the lines of his research. However, Bose’s place in history has now been re-evaluated.

Bengali: ১৯শ শতকের শেষের দিকে জে. সি. বসু তড়িৎ-চৌম্বকীয় তরঙ্গের ওপর বৈজ্ঞানিক গবেষণা শুরু করেছিলেন। ইতালীয় বিজ্ঞানী মার্কোনিই ওয়্যারলেস টেলিগ্রাফি (বেতার বার্তা) আবিষ্কারের পেটেন্ট পেয়েছিলেন। কিন্তু আমাদের অবশ্যই মনে রাখতে হবে যে একই বিষয়ে কলকাতায় বসুর প্রকাশ্য প্রদর্শন অনেক আগেই ঘটেছিল। তাঁর আবিষ্কারের জন্য বাণিজ্যিক সুবিধা খোঁজার পরিবর্তে, বসু তাঁর আবিষ্কারগুলো জনসমক্ষে প্রকাশ করেছিলেন যাতে অন্যরা তাঁর গবেষণার পথ ধরে আরও অগ্রসর হতে পারে। যাই হোক, ইতিহাসে বসুর স্থান এখন পুনর্মূল্যায়ন করা হয়েছে।

Part 3: Text & Translation

English: This great Indian scientist was eventually crowned with glory when he was awarded knighthood by the British Government in 1917. He was also conferred many other awards like ‘Fellow of the Royal Society’, ‘Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire’ etc. Needless to say, he is one of the greatest scientists ever born in our country. Some of his famous books are “Response in the Living and the Non-living” (1902), “The Nervous Mechanism of Plants” (1926), “Major Mechanism of Plants” (1928) etc. In 1896, Bose wrote “Niruddesher Khoje”, a science fiction. In fact, he was the first writer of science fictions in Bengali. In November 1917, Bose founded the “Bose Institute” at his own house in Calcutta. He donated “Bose Institute” to the nation for research on Science.

Bengali: এই মহান ভারতীয় বিজ্ঞানী শেষ পর্যন্ত গৌরবের মুকুট লাভ করেন যখন ১৯১৭ সালে ব্রিটিশ সরকার তাঁকে ‘নাইটহুড’ (Knighthood) উপাধিতে ভূষিত করে। তাঁকে ‘ফেলো অফ দ্য রয়্যাল সোসাইটি’, ‘কম্প্যানিয়ন অফ দ্য অর্ডার অফ দ্য ইন্ডিয়ান এম্পায়ার’ ইত্যাদির মতো আরও অনেক পুরস্কার প্রদান করা হয়েছিল। বলার অপেক্ষা রাখে না যে, তিনি আমাদের দেশে জন্মগ্রহণকারী সর্বকালের শ্রেষ্ঠ বিজ্ঞানীদের একজন। তাঁর কয়েকটি বিখ্যাত বই হলো “Response in the Living and the Non-living” (১৯০২), “The Nervous Mechanism of Plants” (১৯২৬), “Major Mechanism of Plants” (১৯২৮) ইত্যাদি। ১৮৯৬ সালে বসু “নিরুদ্দেশের খোঁজে” নামে একটি কল্পবিজ্ঞান লিখেছিলেন। বস্তুত, তিনিই ছিলেন বাংলায় কল্পবিজ্ঞানের প্রথম লেখক। ১৯১৭ সালের নভেম্বরে, বসু কলকাতায় তাঁর নিজের বাড়িতে ‘বসু বিজ্ঞান মন্দির’ (Bose Institute) প্রতিষ্ঠা করেন। তিনি বিজ্ঞান গবেষণার জন্য ‘বসু বিজ্ঞান মন্দির’ জাতির উদ্দেশে দান করেছিলেন।

Word Nest (শব্দার্থ)

• sensitive: quick to detect or respond to slight changes (সংবেদনশীল)
• stimuli: things that cause a reaction in a living thing (উদ্দীপক)
• initiated: started (শুরু করেছিলেন)
• commercial: making or intended to make a profit (বাণিজ্যিক)
• conferred: granted a title or degree (প্রদান করা হয়েছিল)
• fiction: literature describing imaginary events and people (কল্পকাহিনি)

Let’s do: Textbook Activities

Identify True and False statements:

• (a) The Crescograph is used to measure the growth rate of plants. (True)
• (b) Plants take less time to respond than animals. (False) [They take longer to respond]
• (c) Marconi got the patent for wireless telegraphy. (True)
• (d) Bose was looking for commercial benefits from his inventions. (False)

Complete the following statements:

• (a) Crescograph is used to measure the growth rate of plants.
• (b) Bose proved that plants are sensitive to heat, cold, light, noise and other external stimuli just like human beings.
• (c) In 1917, Bose founded the ‘Bose Institute’.
• (d) Bose Institute was founded in Calcutta at his own house.

Answer the following questions:

• (a) Name a ‘sensitive instrument’ invented by J.C. Bose. What is its use?
  Ans: A sensitive instrument invented by J.C. Bose is the Crescograph. It is used to measure the growth rate of plants.
• (b) What did Bose prove by his experiments on plants?
  Ans: By his experiments, Bose proved that plants behave in the same manner as human beings and are sensitive to external stimuli like heat, cold, light, and noise.
• (c) Do you think Bose was uninterested about securing patency right?
  Ans: Yes, Bose was uninterested in securing patency right because, instead of looking for commercial benefit, he made his inventions public to allow others to advance further in research.
• (d) What were the various awards and honours conferred on Bose?
  Ans: Bose was awarded Knighthood by the British Government in 1917. He was also conferred awards like ‘Fellow of the Royal Society’ and ‘Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire’.
• (e) Name some of his books and publications.
  Ans: Some of his famous books are “Response in the Living and the Non-living” (1902), “The Nervous Mechanism of Plants” (1926), “Major Mechanism of Plants” (1928), and the science fiction “Niruddesher Khoje”.

Find words from the text having meanings similar to these:

• (i) a device for measuring growth in plants: Crescograph
• (ii) outside: external
• (iii) started or began: initiated
• (iv) a long story of imagination: fiction

Make sentences with the following words:

• sensitive: Plants are very sensitive to light.
• commercial: They started a new commercial project.
• invention: The telephone is a great invention of science.
• demonstration: The teacher gave a beautiful demonstration of the science experiment.

Let’s learn: Transformation of Sentences (Degrees of Adjectives)

বাক্যের অর্থ অপরিবর্তিত রেখে Adjective-এর Degree পরিবর্তন করার কয়েকটি সাধারণ নিয়ম:

১. Positive থেকে Comparative: Affirmative (হ্যাঁ-বাচক) বাক্যটি Negative (না-বাচক) হয়ে যায় এবং শেষের Subject-টি প্রথমে আসে।

২. Superlative থেকে Positive: বাক্যটি No other দিয়ে শুরু করতে হয়।

৩. Superlative থেকে Comparative: Adjective-এর Comparative রূপ বসিয়ে তারপর than any other ব্যবহার করতে হয়।

Transform the degree of adjectives of the following sentences as directed:

• (a) Plants are as sensitive as animals. (Change into comparative degree)
  Ans: Animals are not more sensitive than plants.
• (b) Simla is cooler than Kolkata. (Change into positive degree)
  Ans: Kolkata is not as cool as Simla.
• (c) Umesh Yadav is the fastest bowler in the Indian cricket team. (Change into comparative degree)
  Ans: Umesh Yadav is faster than any other bowler in the Indian cricket team.
• (d) Ishant Sharma is taller than any other Indian cricketer. (Change into superlative degree)
  Ans: Ishant Sharma is the tallest Indian cricketer.
• (e) Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world. (Change into positive degree)
  Ans: No other mountain in the world is as high as Mt. Everest.

Let’s do: Writing Skill

Write a biography of Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy using the given hints:

Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy
Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy was a great Indian scientist and an eminent teacher. He was born on August 2, 1861, in the Khulna district of undivided Bengal (now in Bangladesh). He started his early education at a village pathshala and later studied at Hare School and Albert School. He passed the Entrance Examination in 1879 and the F.A. Examination from Metropolitan College in 1882. After winning the prestigious Gilchrist Scholarship in 1882, he went to London. He completed his B.Sc. degree in 1884 and later earned his D.Sc. degree from Edinburgh University.

Upon returning to India, he joined Presidency College as a Professor in 1889. He had a deep interest in research. His first major achievement was the preparation of Mercurous Nitrite in 1896. In 1901, he established the famous ‘Bengal Chemicals’. Later, he was honoured by joining as the Palit Professor at the University College of Science. This legendary scientist breathed his last on June 16, 1944. His immense contribution to the field of science will always be remembered.

You have come to know that the local postman has delivered your letter to your neighbour’s house by mistake. Write a letter to the post office with a request to return the letter to you:

To
The Postmaster,
Sreepally Post Office,
Purba Bardhaman – 713103

Sub: Request to recover a misdelivered letter.

Respected Sir,
With due respect, I would like to draw your kind attention to the fact that an important letter addressed to me was mistakenly delivered by the local postman to my neighbour’s house (House No. 12/B, Sreepally) yesterday. Unfortunately, my neighbours are currently out of station, and the house is locked. The letter contains some urgent official documents which I need immediately.

Therefore, I earnestly request you to kindly instruct the concerned postman to recover the letter from the neighbour’s letterbox and deliver it to my correct address as soon as possible. I shall be highly obliged for your prompt action.

Thanking you.

Yours faithfully,
Rahul Sen
House No. 14/A, Sreepally
Date: 20th May, 2024