Bihar Board Class 10 · English · Matric exam 2027
Chapter 1: January Night — notes
The chapter’s 5 parts in the book’s order — the first idea of each and the points Medha Ma’am writes on the board — and the summary at the end. The full lesson and a check question for each part are in the app.
1. The Landlord's Demand and Munni's Three Rupees
Okay, so — let's begin this story.
- • Halku: tenant farmer
- • Munni: his wife
- • Three rupees saved for a blanket
- • Landlord demands payment
- • Munni gives in; money handed over
- • Halku: 'tearing his heart out'
2. Halku Alone in the Cold with Jabra
Okay, so look at the board.
- • Setting: dark January night, field shelter
- • Halku: wrapped in old burlap shawl
- • Jabra: dog, whimpering with cold
- • Halku smokes pipe to bear the cold
- • Halku hugs Jabra like a brother
- • Feels happiness despite poverty
3. Gathering Leaves and Making a Fire
Okay, so the night is getting colder.
- • Night: Dipper not yet half the sky
- • Mango grove: heaps of fallen leaves
- • Halku makes broom from stalks
- • Carries lighted cowdung cake
- • Gathers leaves, lights a fire
- • Feels victorious over the cold
4. The Field is Destroyed While Halku Sleeps
Okay, so the leaves have burnt up now.
- • Jabra barks: nilgai enter the field
- • Sound of munching and crunching
- • Halku too cold and drowsy to go
- • Wind 'stings like a scorpion'
- • Halku falls asleep near warm ashes
- • Morning: whole field trampled
5. Munni's Grief and Halku's Strange Contentment
Okay, so look at the board.
- • Munni: grief over ruined crop
- • Munni: 'hire yourself out to pay rent'
- • Halku: contented smile
- • Halku: 'I won't have to sleep nights out here in the cold'
- • Shows depth of Halku's suffering from cold
Summary
Okay, so let's recap the whole story. It begins with Halku and Munni, facing the landlord's demand for rent. Munni reluctantly gives up the three rupees she'd saved — for a blanket. So now Halku has no blanket. He spends a freezing January night in the fields, with his dog Jabra. The only comfort he finds is in hugging Jabra close. See, as the cold grows unbearable, Halku gathers mango leaves and lights a fire. For a while, he feels triumphant over the winter. But then, drowsiness overpowers him. While he sleeps, warmed by the ashes, wild nilgai destroy his entire crop — despite Jabra's barking. In the end, Munni grieves over the ruined field. But Halku, strangely, feels content. He's just glad he won't have to endure such bitter cold nights anymore. That tells us something, doesn't it — how deeply poverty and suffering had marked his life. Now tell me — why do you think Halku feels relieved, even after losing his whole crop?
Ask Medha · Medha Ma’am — Bihar Board Class 10 English, Chapter 1. Written from the textbook, checked twice.
Questions parents and students ask
- How do I get the "January Night" notes as a PDF?
- Press "Save as PDF" — the phone’s print sheet opens; choose "Save as PDF" there. The PDF holds the notes only.
- Where are these notes written from?
- From the chapter’s own textbook text, part by part, in the book’s own terms; a second, independent model then checked every part against the book. The full lesson, a check question for each part and the practice are in the Ask Medha app.
The same preparation, with Medha Ma’am — on your phone
Every question of every chapter with its model answer, practice questions in the board’s own shapes, 45 minutes of class a day, written answers marked, a test every Sunday and a WhatsApp report to parents.
Medha Ma’am is an AI teacher, not a live tutor. Every answer is checked twice; a person takes responsibility.