The Wedding Invitation That Says Two Different Things
You are reading a Hindi wedding invitation card as part of a reading task. The printed text says: "आप सादर आमंत्रित हैं - शुक्रवार, 14 मार्च, सायं 7 बजे, गुप्ता निवास, पुणे।" A handwritten note in the margin, added by the bride's mother, reads: "बेटा, आप लोग 6:30 तक पहुँच जाइए, पंडित जी जल्दी शुरू करेंगे। और खाना शुद्ध शाकाहारी है, पर हाँ, पहले वाले कमरे में जूते उतारना मत भूलिए।" Your exam question asks you to summarise the practical arrangements for a friend who will attend. You have 150 words to write your answer in Hindi.
1. Explain how the printed text and the handwritten note differ in purpose, and state which details a guest must act on. Answer in English, referring to specific Hindi words.
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The printed text is formal, impersonal and public: it uses the honorific formula "सादर आमंत्रित हैं" ("are respectfully invited") and gives only the fixed facts - day, date, time, place. It addresses a general "आप" and is designed to be read by many guests at once.
The handwritten note is personal, informal and directive. The opening "बेटा" ("child/son") marks a close, affectionate relationship, and the tone shifts to imperatives: "पहुँच जाइए" ("do arrive"), "मत भूलिए" ("don't forget"). It gives operational advice the printed card omits: arrive by 6:30, because the priest ("पंडित जी") will start early; the food is strictly vegetarian ("शुद्ध शाकाहारी"); remove shoes in the first room.
A guest must act on 6:30 arrival, vegetarian food only, and removing shoes at the first room. The 7 p.m. printed time is the official ceremony time, but the note overrides it practically. Recognising that the note is the operative instruction - not the printed time - is the key judgement.
2. Write the 150-word Hindi summary you would give your friend, keeping the register appropriate for a peer.
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A strong answer keeps a friendly, second-person register ("तुम/आप") and separates fixed facts from instructions. Model:
"सुनो, शुक्रवार 14 मार्च को गुप्ता जी के घर शादी है, पुणे में। कार्ड पर सात बजे लिखा है, लेकिन घर की तरफ़ से नोट है कि हम लोग साढ़े छह बजे तक पहुँच जाएँ, क्योंकि पंडित जी जल्दी शुरू करेंगे। खाना पूरा शाकाहारी है, इसलिए किसी और चीज़ की उम्मीद मत रखना। एक ज़रूरी बात - पहले वाले कमरे में जूते उतारने हैं, तो ऐसे जूते पहनना जो आसानी से निकल जाएँ। कपड़े अच्छे पहनना, फ़ोटो भी खिंचवाएँगे। मैं छह बजे तुम्हारे घर के बाहर मिलता हूँ, ताकि साथ चलें।"
The judgement being tested: you must convert written instructions into spoken-style advice, keep all three actionable details, and add only reasonable bridging content (meeting time) without inventing facts about the venue.