📘 Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory
- Title: Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory
- Author: Satyajit Ray
- Genre: Humorous short story with a surprise ending
- Main Character:
- Bepin Babu – serious, lonely, hard-working, loves reading
Plot Summary
- Parimal Ghose claims he met Bepin Babu in Ranchi (1958).
- Bepin insists he never went to Ranchi.
- Parimal knows his personal details (wife’s death, brother’s madness, book-carrying habit).
- Bepin checks with his friend Dinesh Mukerji → he too confirms Ranchi trip.
- Bepin fears memory loss and consults a doctor.
- Doctor suggests visiting Ranchi again.
- In Ranchi, nothing looks familiar → Bepin faints.
- Back home, hopeless, he receives a letter from Chunilal.
The Twist (Ending)
- Chunilal’s letter reveals truth:
- Angry because Bepin never helped him find a job.
- As revenge, he played a trick with Parimal Ghose’s help.
- Bepin’s memory was never lost.
Theme
- Fear + guilt can confuse the mind.
- Moral: Always help friends in need.
2. हिंदी अनुवाद (Hindi Translation)
- शीर्षक: बिपिन चौधरी की स्मृति-लोप
- लेखक: सत्यजीत रे
- विषय: हास्य कहानी जिसमें चौंकाने वाला अंत है।
- मुख्य पात्र: बिपिन बाबू – गंभीर, अकेला, मेहनती, किताबों का शौकीन।
कहानी सारांश
- परिमल घोष दावा करता है कि 1958 में उसने राँची में बिपिन बाबू से मुलाकात की।
- बिपिन को पूरा विश्वास है कि वह कभी राँची नहीं गया।
- परिमल उसकी निजी बातें जानता है (पत्नी की मौत, भाई का पागलपन, किताबें रखने की आदत)।
- दोस्त दिनेश मुखर्जी भी राँची जाने की पुष्टि करता है।
- बिपिन चिंतित हो जाता है, डॉक्टर के पास जाता है।
- डॉक्टर राँची जाकर याददाश्त ताज़ा करने की सलाह देता है।
- राँची में उसे कुछ भी परिचित नहीं लगता → बेहोश हो जाता है।
- घर लौटकर निराश होता है → तभी चुन्नीलाल का पत्र आता है।
मोड़ (अंत)
- पत्र से पता चलता है:
- चुन्नीलाल नाराज़ था क्योंकि बिपिन ने नौकरी दिलाने में मदद नहीं की।
- बदला लेने के लिए यह शरारती योजना बनाई।
- परिमल घोष भी इसमें शामिल था।
- बिपिन की याददाश्त कभी नहीं गई थी।
सीख
- डर और अपराधबोध हमें ग़लत चीज़ों पर विश्वास करा सकते हैं।
- ज़रूरतमंद दोस्तों की मदद करनी चाहिए।
📘 Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory – Full Study Notes
1. Summary (Easy English)
- Author: Satyajit Ray
- Genre: Humorous short story with a twist ending
- Main Character: Bepin Babu – serious, hardworking, lonely man who loves reading.
Story in Brief
Bepin Babu meets a stranger, Parimal Ghose, who insists they met in Ranchi in 1958. Bepin denies it, but Parimal knows many personal details about him (wife’s death, brother’s insanity, book-carrying habit).
To check, Bepin asks his friend Dinesh Mukerji, who confirms Ranchi trip. Worried, Bepin thinks he is losing his memory. He consults a doctor, who advises visiting Ranchi. But in Ranchi, Bepin remembers nothing, faints, and returns hopeless.
Later, he receives a letter from his old friend Chunilal. The truth is revealed: Chunilal, angry because Bepin did not help him in need, played a prank using imagination. Bepin never lost his memory. He had never gone to Ranchi.
Theme
- Fear and guilt can mislead us.
- We should always help friends in need.
2. हिंदी सारांश (Hindi Translation)
- लेखक: सत्यजीत रे
- शैली: हास्य कहानी, चौंकाने वाले अंत के साथ
- मुख्य पात्र: बिपिन बाबू – गंभीर, मेहनती, अकेला और किताबों का शौकीन।
कहानी सारांश
बिपिन बाबू से एक अजनबी परिमल घोष मिलता है और कहता है कि वह 1958 में राँची में उससे मिला था। बिपिन बाबू को विश्वास है कि वह कभी राँची नहीं गया, लेकिन परिमल उसकी कई निजी बातें जानता है।
सच्चाई जानने के लिए वह अपने मित्र दिनेश मुखर्जी से पूछता है, जो भी राँची यात्रा की पुष्टि करता है। बिपिन घबरा जाता है और सोचता है कि उसकी याददाश्त चली गई है। डॉक्टर उसे राँची जाकर स्मृति ताज़ा करने की सलाह देता है।
राँची जाकर भी उसे कुछ याद नहीं आता और वह बेहोश हो जाता है। घर लौटने पर उसे अपने पुराने मित्र चुन्नीलाल का पत्र मिलता है। पत्र से पता चलता है कि चुन्नीलाल ने मज़ाक में यह सब रचा था क्योंकि बिपिन ने उसकी मदद नहीं की थी।
सीख
- डर और अपराधबोध हमें ग़लत बातें सच मानने पर मजबूर कर सकते हैं।
- ज़रूरतमंद मित्रों की सहायता करनी चाहिए।
Bepin Choudhury’s Lapse of Memory – Answers
Comprehension Check (Page 58)
1. Why did the man stare at Bepin Babu in disbelief?
Answer: The man, Parimal Ghose, stared in disbelief because Bepin Babu was denying that he had ever been to Ranchi. Parimal knew many details about their time together there and was shocked that Bepin Babu seemed to have completely forgotten it.
2. Where did Bepin Babu say he went in October ‘58?
Answer: Bepin Babu said that in October 1958, he spent the Puja holidays with a friend in Kanpur.
3. Mention any three things that Parimal Ghose knew about Bepin Babu.
Answer:
- He knew Bepin Babu had a bag for his books on sightseeing trips.
- He knew Bepin Babu had no children and that his wife had died ten years ago.
- He knew Bepin Babu’s only brother had died insane.
Comprehension Check (Page 61)
1. Why did Bepin Babu worry about what Parimal Ghose had said?
Answer: Bepin Babu worried because Parimal Ghose knew very private and personal details about his life. This made him doubt himself and wonder if he was actually losing his memory.
2. How did he try to decide who was right—his memory or Parimal Ghose?
Answer: First, he tried to find an old scar on his knee that Parimal mentioned. Then, he decided to call his friend Dinesh Mukerji, whom Parimal said was also in Ranchi, to confirm the story.
3. Why did Bepin Babu hesitate to visit Mr Mukerji?
Answer: He hesitated because he thought it would be ridiculous to ask for proof of something he was so sure never happened. He was also afraid that Dinesh would make fun of him and think he was going crazy.
4. What did Mr Mukerji say? Did it comfort Bepin Babu, or add to his worries?
Answer: Mr. Mukerji confirmed that he and Bepin Babu were indeed in Ranchi in 1958. This did not comfort Bepin Babu at all. It added greatly to his worries and made him believe he was truly losing his mind.
Comprehension Check (Page 64)
1. Who was Chunilal? What did he want from Bepin Babu?
Answer: Chunilal was an old school friend of Bepin Babu who was going through a rough financial time. He wanted Bepin Babu to help him find a job.
2. Why was Dr Chanda puzzled? What was unusual about Bepin Babu’s loss of memory?
Answer: Dr. Chanda was puzzled because it is very unusual to forget one single, important event (like a whole trip) while remembering everything else perfectly. Normally, memory loss affects many things, not just one specific incident.
Comprehension Check (Page 66)
1. Had Bepin Babu really lost his memory and forgotten all about a trip to Ranchi?
Answer: No, he had not. He never lost his memory. He had never been to Ranchi in the first place. It was all a trick played on him by Chunilal.
2. Why do you think Chunilal did what he did? What is it that he does have?
Answer: Chunilal did it to get revenge because Bepin Babu, who was rich, refused to help him when he was poor and needed a job. Chunilal says he has no money, but he has a lot of imagination, which he used to plan this trick.
Working with the Text
1. What evidence can you find in the story to support that Bepin Babu was serious and hardworking?
Answer: He worked for 25 years in a big firm and had a reputation as a tireless worker. He was not a good mixer, had few friends, and didn’t like idle chat, preferring to read books. He had never missed a day of work until this problem started.
2. Why did Bepin Babu change his mind about meeting Chunilal? What was the result?
Answer: He changed his mind because he thought Chunilal, who fixed his travel plans in the past, might remember if he went to Ranchi. The result was that Chunilal also confirmed the Ranchi trip, deepening Bepin Babu’s fear.
3. What was the reason for Bepin Babu losing consciousness at Hudroo Falls?
Answer: The reason was extreme mental stress and shock. When he saw that nothing in Ranchi looked familiar, he realized his “memory loss” was real and he was truly losing his mind. This terrifying thought made him faint.
4. How do you think Bepin Babu reacted when he found out that Chunilal had tricked him?
Answer: He probably felt a huge sense of relief first, knowing he wasn’t crazy. Then, he likely felt very ashamed and guilty for not helping his old friend. He might have also been angry for a short while, but the lesson about helping others was more important.
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