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Bonku Babu's Friend: Meekness and Ang | ICSE Class 9

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English LiteratureICSE Class 9 · Bonku Babu's Friend – Satyajit Ray

Bonku Babu's Friend (Satyajit Ray): Meekness, Ang and the Lesson of Self-Respect

Updated 18 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In Satyajit Ray's Bonku Babu's Friend, a gentle village teacher is mocked by pupils and by the men at lawyer Sripati Babu's evening adda. One night he meets Ang, a friendly alien from the planet Craneus, who tells him he is a good man but far too meek. The next evening Bonku Babu answers back and the mockers are left silent.

Understand Bonku Babu's Meekness, Ang and the Lesson of Self-Respect

Author and genre. Bonku Babu's Friend is a science-fiction short story by Satyajit Ray, first published in Bengali in the children's magazine Sandesh in 1962 and read in translation. It is one of the Treasure Chest stories for Class IX.

The man and his treatment. Bonku Babu (Bonkubihari Dutta) teaches geography and Bengali at the primary school in Kankurgachhi. He is gentle and a good storyteller, but his pupils laugh at him. In the evenings he goes to Sripati Babu's adda where the regulars, among them Nidhu Babu, tease him about his looks and opinions. After he said he was not afraid of ghosts, someone disguised as a ghost jumped on him and ruined his new kurta. He bears it all in silence.

The meeting with Ang. After an evening of talk about space, he sees a pink light in a bamboo grove. A spaceship shaped like an upturned glass bowl has landed by a pond. Ang, about four feet tall with thin limbs and a large head, speaks many languages and is friendly. He shows Bonku Babu views of distant lands such as snow and ice that the teacher has taught but never seen.

Ang's advice. Ang says Bonku Babu is a good man with one great fault: he is far too meek and mild. He should protest when people insult him without reason.

The change. The next evening Bonku Babu goes to the adda a changed man. He answers back and confronts the regulars, beginning with Nidhu Babu, and leaves with dignity.

Themes. Self-respect and standing up for oneself; the cruelty of the crowd; wonder and imagination; appearance and worth.

Devices. Science fiction, irony (an alien treats him with more respect than his neighbours), humour and character transformation.

Bonku Babu's Meekness, Ang and the Lesson of Self-Respect: key facts

Arc
  • Mocked
  • Silent
  • Meets Ang
  • Told to protest
  • Answers back
Use for a sequence question.
Themes
  • Self-respect
  • Bullying
  • Wonder
  • Appearance and worth
Choose by the question.
Devices
  • Science fiction
  • Irony
  • Humour
  • Transformation
Give an effect.
Characters
  • Bonku Babu meek and kind
  • Ang wise and friendly
  • Adda regulars idle and mocking
One trait with evidence.

How to answer Bonku Babu's Meekness, Ang and the Lesson of Self-Respect questions

Use this for a character or theme question.

  1. 1Name the character or theme in the first sentence.
  2. 2Give two events from the story as evidence.
  3. 3Explain what each event shows.
  4. 4Link to Ang's advice or the final change.
  5. 5End with the moral in one line.

Bonku Babu's Meekness, Ang and the Lesson of Self-Respect in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

A quiet classmate

Suppose a quiet student is teased every day over her accent and never complains, until a visiting speaker tells her kindly that being polite does not mean accepting unfairness.

Which part of the story does this resemble?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. The student is silent like Bonku Babu.
  2. The speaker plays Ang's role.
  3. The lesson is to protest calmly.

Answer: It resembles Bonku Babu being advised by Ang that goodness must be joined by courage to protest injustice.

Memory hook: Be kind, not a doormat.

Tricks to remember Bonku Babu's Meekness, Ang and the Lesson of Self-Respect

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

  • M-A-C

    Mocked, Ang, Change.

    Use it when: Story order.

  • Pink light, glass bowl

    The sign of the arrival of Ang.

    Use it when: Setting.

  • Good but too meek

    Ang's verdict on Bonku Babu.

    Use it when: Key idea.

Bonku Babu's Meekness, Ang and the Lesson of Self-Respect: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Who is Ang? · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

Ang is:
(a) a villager (b) a lawyer (c) an alien from Craneus (d) a pupil

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Ang is from the planet Craneus (1).

Answer: (c) an alien from the planet Craneus.

Example 2: Bonku Babu's treatment (3 marks) · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

How is Bonku Babu treated by the pupils and the adda regulars?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Pupils laugh (1)
  2. Adda mocks (1)
  3. Ghost prank (1).

Answer: His pupils make fun of him, and at the adda the regulars tease him about his looks and opinions. Once someone disguised as a ghost jumped on him and ruined his new kurta, and he bore it silently.

Example 3: Ang's advice (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

What advice does Ang give Bonku Babu and why is it important to him?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Good man (1)
  2. Too meek (1)
  3. Protest against insult (1)
  4. Importance (1).

Answer: Ang tells him he is a good man but far too meek and mild, and that he should speak up against injustice and protest when people insult him without reason. It matters because his silence has encouraged the mockery, and the advice makes him claim self-respect.

Example 4: Irony (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level

Explain the irony in the way Ang treats Bonku Babu compared with the villagers.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Alien respectful (1)
  2. Villagers cruel (1)
  3. Contrast (1)
  4. Effect (1).

Answer: A creature from another planet shows respect and friendliness to Bonku Babu while his own neighbours tease him. The irony exposes the villagers' cruelty and shows that kindness can come from unexpected places.

Example 5: Theme question (4 marks) · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

"Goodness alone is not enough." How does the story support this view?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
  1. Statement (1)
  2. Bonku Babu's silence (1)
  3. Ang's advice (1)
  4. Result (1).

Answer: Bonku Babu is good and kind but his silence invites mockery. Ang tells him that he must also speak up against injustice. When he does at the adda, the regulars fall silent, which shows goodness needs courage.

Where students lose marks in Bonku Babu's Meekness, Ang and the Lesson of Self-Respect

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

  • Mistake: Retelling the whole story

    The question asks for one idea.

    Wrong working

    A long summary.

    Right working

    Two events and their meaning.

    Do this: Select evidence.

    Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks

  • Mistake: Confusing Ang with a human

    Ang is an alien.

    Wrong working

    Ang is a teacher.

    Right working

    Ang is from Craneus.

    Do this: Learn characters.

    Usually costs: 1 mark

  • Mistake: Adding details not in the text

    Invented details.

    Wrong working

    Ang gave him a gift.

    Right working

    Ang gave him advice.

    Do this: Use text only.

    Usually costs: 1 mark

Exam tips

  • Give two events as evidence for a trait.
  • Mention Ang's advice in theme answers.
  • Use the names Craneus and Kankurgachhi correctly.
  • Name the device and its effect.
  • Avoid details not in the story.

Practice questions on Bonku Babu's Meekness, Ang and the Lesson of Self-Respect

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

  1. Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

    Where does Bonku Babu meet Ang?
    (a) in school (b) in a bamboo grove (c) at the adda (d) in a temple

    Hint

    Recall where he walks home.

    Answer

    (b) in a bamboo grove.

  2. Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerBoard level

    Describe the spaceship in which Ang arrives. (3 marks)

    Hint

    Shape and place.

    Answer

    It looks like a huge upturned glass bowl and has landed by a pond near a bamboo grove, with a strange pink light.

  3. Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    What does Ang show Bonku Babu, and why does it thrill him? (3 marks)

    Hint

    Think of his job.

    Answer

    Ang shows views of distant parts of the earth, such as vast snow and ice. Bonku Babu has taught about them in geography but never seen them.

  4. Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    How does Bonku Babu behave at the adda after meeting Ang? (3 marks)

    Hint

    Contrast with before.

    Answer

    He answers back and confronts the regulars, beginning with Nidhu Babu, and leaves with dignity, shocking those who mocked him.

  5. Q5 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

    Why is the ghost prank an important incident? (3 marks)

    Hint

    Think of bullying.

    Answer

    It shows the cruelty of the adda and how Bonku Babu's silent endurance allows the bullying to continue.

  6. Q6 · 4 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

    Imagine you are Bonku Babu the next morning. Write a short diary entry (about 80 words) on what changed. (4 marks)

    Hint

    Use only events from the story.

    Answer

    Last night I answered back for the first time. My pupils laugh at me, and the men at Sripati Babu's adda mock me; once someone disguised as a ghost jumped on me and ruined my new kurta. Then I met Ang, who told me I am good but far too meek. So I faced Nidhu Babu, told Sripati Babu I would not return, and walked out with my head high. Ang's advice was right. I will be kind, but never again silent.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

  1. 1.Who wrote it?Show answer

    Satyajit Ray.

  2. 2.Where did it first appear?Show answer

    In Sandesh, in 1962.

  3. 3.Which planet is Ang from?Show answer

    Craneus.

  4. 4.What does Bonku Babu teach?Show answer

    Geography and Bengali.

  5. 5.Whose house is the adda?Show answer

    Sripati Babu's.

  6. 6.What is Ang's verdict?Show answer

    Good but too meek.

Bonku Babu's Meekness, Ang and the Lesson of Self-Respect: frequently asked questions

Which genre?

Science fiction.

Which Class?

ICSE Class IX Treasure Chest.

Is the full text quoted here?

No; answers here follow the story's events, so check details against your textbook.