Past, present and future
Your birthday cake was cut yesterday, today you are reading, and tomorrow you will go to school. Yesterday, today and tomorrow are three parts of time.
Past (भूतकाळ) is time already gone, present (वर्तमानकाळ) is the time we are in, and future (भविष्यकाळ) is time yet to come.
Rule 1: Words for the three times — "Yesterday" and "last year" show the past. "Today" and "this year" show the present. "Tomorrow" and "next year" show the future.
In the figure : In the figure time is divided into the past (gone), the present (now) and the future (yet to come).
- Easy : Easy: "Last week" is the past.
- Medium : Medium: "This month" is the present.
- Exam-type : Exam: "Next Diwali" is the future.
Rule 2: Counting years — If you are 10 today, you were born 10 years ago, and after 10 years you will be 20. A birth year is past, today is present, and the 20th birthday is future.
- Easy : Easy: Age 9 now means 9 years ago was the birth.
- Medium : Medium: Age 11 now: after 4 years you will be 15.
- Exam-type : Exam: A person aged 12 today was 7 years old 5 years ago.
Past is gone, present is now, future is coming.
Calling "today" the past. Today is the present.
Memory clue: "गेले ते भूत, आत्ता वर्तमान, येईल ते भविष्य".
Spot the difference
| Time | Meaning | Word |
|---|---|---|
| Past | Gone | Yesterday |
| Present | Now | Today |
| Future | Yet to come | Tomorrow |
Practice questions
- 1What is the past?
- 2What is the future?
- 3Is "this year" the past, present or future?
- 4Is "yesterday" the past?
- 5You are 10 today. How old will you be after 10 years?
- 6You are 12 today. How old were you 5 years ago?
- 7Write one past event, one present event and one future event from your life.
- 8Why is today called the present and not the past?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Time that has already gone by.
- 2Time yet to come.
- 3Present.
- 4Yes.
- 520.
- 67.
- 7Any suitable answer, such as: birth (past), studying now (present), starting college (future).
- 8Because we are living in it right now and it has not gone by.
History as a science
A detective looks at footprints, fingerprints and witness statements before saying who did it. He does not guess. A historian also collects proof before writing about the past.
The science that tries to understand past events is history (इतिहास). The scientific method (वैज्ञानिक पद्धत) uses tests to decide whether evidence is reliable.
Rule 1: History is evidence-based — Past events cannot be repeated in an experiment. But a historian uses the scientific method to collect, examine and put together evidence. History is not written from imagination alone.
In the figure : In the figure a historian collects and tests evidence before writing about the past.
- Easy : Easy: A historian needs evidence.
- Medium : Medium: A story from imagination alone is not history.
- Exam-type : Exam: History uses the scientific method although events cannot be repeated.
Rule 2: Three steps — Step 1: collect old things, letters and stories. Step 2: examine them to see which are true. Step 3: put them in order and write the account.
- Easy : Easy: Collecting is step 1.
- Medium : Medium: Checking whether a letter is real is examining.
- Exam-type : Exam: Writing events in order is the last step.
History = science of past events. Collect, examine, put together.
Thinking history is just stories. It rests on tested evidence.
Memory clue: "गोळा, तपासा, जुळवा".
Spot the difference
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Collect evidence |
| 2 | Examine evidence |
| 3 | Put together and write |
Practice questions
- 1What is history?
- 2What does a historian need before writing?
- 3What does the scientific method do?
- 4Name the three steps of a historian's work.
- 5Can we repeat past events in an experiment?
- 6Is history written from imagination alone?
- 7Why must a historian examine evidence?
- 8How is a historian like a detective?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1The science that tries to understand past events.
- 2Evidence.
- 3It uses tests to check whether evidence is reliable.
- 4Collect, examine, put together.
- 5No.
- 6No, it is based on evidence.
- 7To find out which evidence is true and reliable.
- 8Both collect clues, test them and then give a conclusion.
Sources of history
A grandmother's old coin, her letters and a folk song she sings all tell us about her time. Each is a different kind of source.
The three kinds of sources (साधने) are material (भौतिक), written (लिखित) and oral (मौखिक).
Rule 1: Material and written sources — Material sources are objects: coins, pots, forts, pillars and caves. Written sources are letters, copper plates, inscriptions, books and biographies.
In the figure : In the figure sources of history are of three kinds: material, written and oral.
- Easy : Easy: A coin is a material source.
- Medium : Medium: A copper plate with writing is a written source.
- Exam-type : Exam: A fort and a cave are material sources.
Rule 2: Oral sources and putting them together — Oral sources are folk tales and traditional songs passed on by word of mouth. A historian collects evidence from all three kinds, examines it, puts events in order and then writes the account.
- Easy : Easy: A folk song is an oral source.
- Medium : Medium: A book is written; a pillar is material.
- Exam-type : Exam: A historian uses all three kinds together to get a fuller picture.
Material = objects, written = writing, oral = spoken.
Putting a pillar with writing on it only under written. The pillar itself is material; the writing on it is written.
Memory clue: "हाताला लागते = भौतिक, डोळ्याने वाचतो = लिखित, कानाने ऐकतो = मौखिक".
Spot the difference
| Kind | Examples |
|---|---|
| Material | Coins, pots, forts, pillars, caves |
| Written | Letters, copper plates, inscriptions, books |
| Oral | Folk tales, traditional songs |
Practice questions
- 1Name the three kinds of sources of history.
- 2Is a coin a material or a written source?
- 3Give one example of a written source.
- 4Give one example of an oral source.
- 5Is a fort a material source?
- 6Sort: pot, inscription, lavani.
- 7Why do historians use all three kinds of sources?
- 8A stone pillar has a message carved on it. Which parts are material and written?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Material, written and oral.
- 2Material.
- 3A letter, a copper plate or a book.
- 4A folk tale or a traditional song.
- 5Yes.
- 6Pot is material; inscription is written; lavani is oral.
- 7Each tells something different, and together they give a fuller picture.
- 8The pillar is material; the carved message is written.
History and us
Stories of great people, like a freedom fighter who stood against odds, make us brave. Reading about the past helps us choose better in our own life.
History studies past events and their consequences (परिणाम). It shows what helps or hinders the progress of society.
Rule 1: Why we study history — Life stories of great people inspire us. History shows the give and take between civilizations, such as how people learnt crafts and ideas from each other. It also helps us avoid old mistakes.
- Easy : Easy: History inspires us.
- Medium : Medium: Civilizations learnt from each other.
- Exam-type : Exam: History shows what helps and what hinders progress.
Rule 2: Everything has a history — Every village, city and country has its own history. Every science also has a history. For example, the history of your school is the story of how it began and grew.
- Easy : Easy: Your village has a history.
- Medium : Medium: Science also has a history.
- Exam-type : Exam: Ask elders how your school began; that is its history.
History inspires, guides and shows give and take between civilizations.
Thinking only kings and wars are history. Ordinary life and every place have a history.
Memory clue: "प्रेरणा, धडा, देवाणघेवाण".
Spot the difference
| Why study history | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Life stories | Inspire us |
| Past events and results | Guide progress |
| Civilizations | Show give and take |
Practice questions
- 1Why do life stories of great people matter?
- 2What does history study besides events?
- 3Does your village have a history?
- 4Does science have a history?
- 5What does history show about civilizations?
- 6How can history help us avoid mistakes?
- 7How would you find the history of your school?
- 8Is history only about kings and wars? Explain.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1They inspire us.
- 2Their consequences.
- 3Yes, every village has one.
- 4Yes, every science has its own history.
- 5The give and take between them.
- 6By showing what went wrong in the past and its results.
- 7Ask elders, read old registers and look at old photos.
- 8No, it covers ordinary people, villages, inventions and sciences too.
The past and the future; archaeology
Today you switch on a light without thinking. It became possible because people before you discovered fire, made the wheel and learnt about electricity, one step after another.
Archaeology (पुरातत्त्वशास्त्र) studies past cultures through ancient remains. Archaeological excavation (उत्खनन) is careful digging to bring buried remains to light.
Rule 1: Chain of events — Past, present and future are joined by a chain of events. Independence on 15 August 1947 was the result of the people's long struggle. Before it, in 1942, the Quit India movement had stirred the whole country. After it, India adopted its Constitution, which came into force on 26 January 1950.
- Easy : Easy: Independence came on 15 August 1947.
- Medium : Medium: Quit India (1942) came before independence.
- Exam-type : Exam: The Constitution came into force on 26 January 1950, after independence.
Rule 2: Inventions and excavation — Man made tools, used fire and invented the wheel, and each generation built on earlier inventions. Archaeologists dig carefully, in layers, and record what they find so that buried remains tell how people lived long ago.
In the figure : In the figure archaeology digs out ancient remains and studies how people lived long ago.
- Easy : Easy: The wheel is an old invention.
- Medium : Medium: Excavation means careful digging.
- Exam-type : Exam: Archaeology studies ancient remains to learn about past cultures.
Events are linked in a chain. Archaeology digs out remains.
Thinking digging is done roughly. Archaeologists dig slowly and record everything.
Memory clue: "आधीचे घडले म्हणून पुढचे घडले".
Spot the difference
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Archaeology | Study of past cultures through remains |
| Excavation | Careful digging of buried remains |
Practice questions
- 1What links the past, present and future?
- 2When did India become independent?
- 3Name two early inventions of man.
- 4What is archaeology?
- 5What is an excavation?
- 6Which movement of 1942 came before independence?
- 7When did the Constitution of India come into force?
- 8Why do archaeologists dig slowly and keep records?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A chain of events.
- 215 August 1947.
- 3Tools, fire or the wheel.
- 4The study of past cultures through ancient remains.
- 5Careful digging to bring buried remains to light.
- 6The Quit India movement.
- 726 January 1950.
- 8Remains are fragile, and their exact position gives clues about the past.
Quick revision
- History = science of past events; uses the scientific method.
- Sources: material, written, oral.
- History inspires, guides and shows linked events; archaeology digs out ancient remains.