Winds of Change | CBSE Class 9 English Notes

This note covers the chapter "Winds of Change" from the Class 9 English book 'Kaveri': a part-by-part summary of the expository piece on pankhas and the accompanying story "The Last Leaf", the characters in the story, the themes of both pieces, key quotations, the vocabulary and language points taught in the chapter, and answers to the textbook questions.

What is this chapter about?

"Winds of Change" is an expository (fact-based, informative) piece about the pankha, the traditional Indian hand fan.

It traces the word's origin, describes how different Indian states and tribes craft their own styles of pankha, and reflects on how the craft has changed from a personal necessity into a commercial handicraft that now risks losing its place in Indian life.

The chapter also carries, as additional reading under "Learning Beyond the Text", an abridged version of O. Henry's short story "The Last Leaf", about two young artists, Sue and Johnsy, and their elderly neighbour Behrman.

Both pieces are linked by the idea of change: change in how a craft or an attitude to life can shift with time, circumstance and the quiet courage of others.

Together, the two texts let students compare an informative, non-fiction account of a craft tradition with a short narrative about illness, friendship and sacrifice, while practising reading skills such as inference, vocabulary in context and the present perfect tense.

What happens in the chapter, part by part?

How did the word "pankha" originate?

The word punkha or pankha comes from pankh, meaning the feather of a bird. Pankha refers to all fans generally, while pankhi denotes a small plumed fan used in ancient India.

Evidence of the pankhi is found in Buddhist wall paintings at Ajanta, dating back to the 2nd century CE, and in embroidery, sculptures and carvings.

How were pankhas used in ancient times?

In ancient India, pankhas were used in temples to fan deities and in royal courts to fan kings. They varied greatly in size, from a tiny two-inch fan to large ones that needed a person's full arm strength to move.

Over time pankhas became significant cultural goods carried along trade routes and were considered exotic and stylish, though each village or town developed its own distinct variety.

What are the pankhas of Rajasthan and Gujarat like?

Rajasthan's appliqué hand fan is made of pieces of fabric in different shapes sewn onto another cloth with ornamental needlework.

The zardozi hand fan uses glittering, encrusted gold threadwork, while temple hand fans are engraved brass fans with a long handle, and the cardboard painted hand fan is usually offered to gods.

In Gujarat, pure cotton fans are embellished with mirror work; the beads hand fan has a silver handle and is used for wall decoration; and Kutch is known for hand-stitched leather hand fans decorated with thread and wool at the seams.

What are the pankhas of other regions?

In Bengal, artisans make delicate fans from the milky-white spongy centre of the sola plant, and palm leaf fans called Tal Patar Pankha are kept as treasured possessions.

Uttar Pradesh's Phadh hand fans are adorned with pure gold, silver zari, silk and satin frills. Odisha is known for large palm leaf fans and Bihar for colourful, sturdy bamboo hand fans.

Many tribes also make their own versions, using grass, metal, bamboo sticks, cane and geometrical patterns in white ink on red backgrounds.

Why is the pankha craft at risk, and how can it be preserved?

With the advent (arrival) of technology, the chapter warns that the "beautiful culture of pankhas runs the risk of slowly losing its presence among Indians." What was once made for personal use has become a commercial business providing livelihood to artisans, with demand rising slightly as new versions are crafted.

The writer suggests celebrating pankhas: holding pankha-making workshops and handicraft exhibitions to spread awareness and give artisans a sustainable platform.

How does "The Last Leaf" begin?

Sue and Johnsy, two young artists sharing a flat, face crisis when Johnsy falls seriously ill with pneumonia. She lies still, gazing out of the window, and the doctor tells Sue that Johnsy has lost the will to live.

Johnsy becomes fixated on an old ivy creeper outside, counting its leaves as they fall in the wind and declaring, "When the last leaf falls, I will die."

What does Behrman do, and how does the story end?

Sue fetches their neighbour Behrman, an ageing painter who has always dreamed of painting a masterpiece. That stormy night, only one leaf remains on the creeper.

The next morning it is still there, green and healthy, and it remains through another storm. Seeing it survive gives Johnsy back her will to live.

Sue later reveals that Behrman has died of pneumonia, having gone out in the storm; the last leaf on the vine was in fact his painted masterpiece.

Who are the characters in the chapter?

Who is Johnsy?

Johnsy is a young artist who falls gravely ill with pneumonia. Depressed, she convinces herself she will die when the last leaf falls from the ivy creeper outside her window, telling Sue, "I have to die, so let me go away peacefully like one of those poor, tired leaves." Seeing the leaf survive the storm restores her will to live, and she admits, "I have realised that it is a sin to want to die."

Who is Sue?

Sue is Johnsy's devoted friend and flatmate. She nurses Johnsy, tries to distract her with talk of "clothes and fashions", and continues painting to earn money for them both.

Her care and persistence drive her to fetch Behrman and to comfort Johnsy with the words, "You won't die... You have to live for your friends."

Who is Behrman?

Behrman is a sixty-year-old painter living on the ground floor, whose "lifelong dream was to paint a masterpiece but that had remained a dream." On hearing of Johnsy's belief, he goes out in a stormy, icy-cold night and paints a leaf on the wall, sacrificing his own life to pneumonia so that Johnsy might live. Sue calls the painted leaf "Behrman's masterpiece."

Who is the doctor?

The doctor attends Johnsy daily but notes there is "no change in Johnsy's condition" because she has lost her will to live.

He tells Sue plainly that "if she doesn't want to live, medicines will not help her." Later he confirms Johnsy "now has the will to live" and that he is confident she will recover, while sadly reporting that for Behrman "there is no hope."

What themes does the chapter explore?

How does the chapter present cultural heritage and identity?

The pankha article presents the hand fan as more than a utility object: it is a carrier of regional identity.

The writer states that "the structure of each fan reflects the cultural core of the region that crafts it," shown through Rajasthan's appliqué and zardozi work, Gujarat's mirror and bead craft, and Bengal's sola and palm leaf fans.

How is the theme of change and continuity developed?

The chapter's title, "Winds of Change", captures how a traditional craft shifts with time: from a necessity used by kings and deities to a decorative, commercial item. The writer balances this with hope, proposing workshops and exhibitions as ways to keep the tradition alive alongside modern change.

How does "The Last Leaf" explore selflessness and sacrifice?

Behrman's quiet decision to paint a leaf in a freezing storm, without telling anyone, is an act of pure self-sacrifice. He gives his own life, and finally achieves his long-held dream of a masterpiece, so that his young neighbour might find a reason to live.

How does the story present hope and the will to live?

Johnsy's recovery shows the power of hope over despair. Once she believes the last leaf will never fall, her "will to live" returns, and the doctor's confidence in her recovery follows directly from this change in attitude, not from any change in medicine.

What are the key quotations from the chapter?

These short extracts are given with their speaker and context, to support analysis of both texts in this chapter.

"The word punkha or pankha originates from the word 'pankh', which means feather of a bird." — from the opening of the expository piece on pankhas

"The structure of each fan reflects the cultural core of the region that crafts it." — the writer, introducing the regional varieties of pankha

"...the beautiful culture of pankhas runs the risk of slowly losing its presence among Indians." — the writer, on the effect of technology

"When the last leaf falls, I will die," said Johnsy with finality. — Johnsy, to Sue, convinced she will die

"I have realised that it is a sin to want to die." — Johnsy, to Sue, after the leaf survives two storms

"Johnsy now has the will to live. I am confident she'll recover soon." — the doctor, to Sue

"That's Behrman's masterpiece. He painted it the night the last leaf fell." — Sue, revealing the truth to Johnsy

Together these lines trace both texts' arc: from the pankha's origin and cultural meaning, through the warning about its decline, to Johnsy's despair, her recovery and the final revelation of Behrman's sacrifice.

How did the pankha spread and change across India?

The chapter describes the pankha's journey from a small plumed fan (pankhi) depicted in 2nd-century Ajanta wall paintings to a widely used, regionally varied handicraft.

Materials ranged from bamboo, cane, palm leaf and silk to brass, leather and silver, with decorative beads and stones chosen according to geography, culture and ritual.

As trade routes carried pankhas between regions, they gained status as exotic and stylish goods, yet "substantial commonality in their use across India" existed alongside strong local distinctiveness. Each place used different materials or intricate designs that set its fans apart.

In modern times, the chapter notes, pankha use "has been restricted to decorative purposes," turning what were once functional, everyday objects into traditional craft items displayed rather than used for cooling. This shift from function to display is central to the chapter's argument about how traditions change.

How do pankhas differ from state to state?

This table shows how each region favours different raw materials and decorative techniques, from Rajasthan's embroidery and gold thread to Gujarat's mirror work and Bengal's plant-based materials, supporting the writer's claim that fan design mirrors local culture.

Why does the chapter say the pankha's place is at risk?

The writer directly links the risk to "the advent of technology and innovative creations." As electric and mechanical cooling became common, the pankha lost its original, practical purpose and was pushed towards being a decorative or ceremonial object rather than something used daily.

At the same time, the chapter notes a positive side: the craft "has transformed into a commercial business and now provides some form of livelihood to India's artisans," and demand has risen "slightly" because of the variety of new versions being crafted.

The writer's suggested solution is to celebrate the craft: appreciating its culture, stories and artistry, holding pankha-making workshops, and organising handicraft exhibitions both within and outside India.

These initiatives would give contemporary makers a platform to showcase skill and earn a sustainable livelihood, while spreading awareness of the pankha's cultural importance.

What vocabulary and language points does the chapter teach?

The chapter builds vocabulary through words glossed in the margin: encrusted (covered or decorated), sola (a type of water grass), perpetually (constantly), antiquity (the distant past) and advent (arrival).

An earlier matching exercise defines indigenous as local, from where it originated, innovative as new and original in approach, industrious as hardworking, intricate as elaborate or detailed, invoked as brought out, and initiatives as actions to improve a situation.

A language activity looks at fixed word pairs joined by "and" taken from the text, such as "exotic and stylish", "villages and towns", "thread and wool", "silk and brass", "ornate and encrusted" and "within and outside", classifying them by whether they describe appearance, place or material.

Another activity teaches fixed expressions with a set word order, such as "high and dry", "cut and run", "fact and figures"-style pairs, and "all and sundry", each matched to a meaning like "everyone, not just a few special people." A further section introduces collocations (conventional word combinations) such as "sustainable livelihood" and "aesthetically pleasing".

Finally, verbs like "have become", "have worked", "have adopted" and "has transformed" are used to introduce the present perfect tense, used for past actions that remain relevant to the present, and for recently completed actions, practised through a fill-in-the-blanks paragraph about puppeteers.

Why is "The Last Leaf" included as additional reading in this chapter?

"The Last Leaf" is placed under "Learning Beyond the Text" as a story about "the impact of art, painting, etc." on life, connecting it to the chapter's central idea of how a crafted or created object, whether a pankha or a painted leaf, can carry meaning far beyond its material form.

Just as the pankha article shows an object (the fan) becoming a cultural symbol, Behrman's painted leaf becomes a symbol of hope and sacrifice, giving Johnsy's story thematic kinship with the main chapter.

Both texts ask readers to look past an object's surface to the human effort and meaning behind it.

The story is given in an abridged (shortened) form, focusing on the core events: Johnsy's illness, her fixation with the falling leaves, Behrman's secret act in the storm, and the final revelation of his sacrifice, allowing students to study a complete short narrative alongside an expository piece in the same unit.

What are the answers to the textbook questions?

How does the title "Winds of Change" capture the essence of the chapter?

The title captures how the pankha, once an essential object used in temples and royal courts, has been reshaped by the "winds" of technological change into a decorative, commercial craft item, while new initiatives like workshops try to keep its cultural essence alive.

How are the structure and design of pankhas a testimony to regional cultural identity?

Rajasthan's appliqué fan uses sewn fabric patterns and its zardozi fan uses gold threadwork reflecting a tradition of rich embroidery, while Gujarat's mirror-work and bead fans reflect its renown as "the centre for bead craft in India", showing how each region's materials and techniques mirror its own craft traditions.

How might balancing tradition and innovation help preserve the pankha craft?

Keeping traditional materials and designs, such as Bengal's sola fans or Rajasthan's zardozi work, preserves the "cultural core" of each region, while the chapter's own mention of "different versions of the pankha being crafted" shows that new, innovative designs are already helping to raise demand and keep the craft commercially viable.

How might pankha-making workshops help preserve the craft?

Workshops let "contemporary pankha makers demonstrate their craft and regain its popularity," directly teaching the skill to new audiences, spreading awareness of its beauty, and giving artisans a platform to turn their work into a sustainable livelihood.

How could "celebrating pankhas" benefit artisans and the craft?

By appreciating "the culture, stories, and artistry" of pankhas through exhibitions and workshops "both within and outside" India, awareness of the craft's importance spreads, which can increase demand, create a commercial platform for artisans, and help the tradition survive against the pull of modern technology.

How does restricting pankhas to decorative use reflect their changing cultural role?

Once pankhas were functional objects used to cool deities and kings; now, as the chapter states, their use "has been restricted to decorative purposes", showing that the pankha's role has shifted from a daily necessity to a symbolic, traditional craft item valued mainly for its cultural and artistic significance.

Glossary

• Pankha — the general word for a hand fan, from "pankh", meaning a bird's feather.
• Pankhi — a small plumed fan used in ancient India.
• Encrusted — covered or decorated, as with gold thread or jewels.
• Sola — a type of water grass with a spongy, milky-white centre, used to make delicate fans.
• Perpetually — constantly, without stopping.
• Antiquity — the distant past.
• Advent — the arrival of something, here referring to new technology.
• Indigenous — local, from where it originated, used of materials and craft traditions.
• Innovative — new and original in approach, used of newer pankha designs.
• Industrious — hardworking, used of Gujarat's home-based women workers.
• Intricate — elaborate or detailed, used of pankha designs and patterns.
• Invoked — brought out or called forth, used of the respect pankhas invoke.
• Initiatives — actions taken to improve a situation, such as workshops and exhibitions.
• Collocation — a conventional combination of words usually used together, such as "sustainable livelihood".
• Masterpiece — a work of outstanding skill, here Behrman's long-held artistic ambition.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: The pankha is only a cooling tool. Correct: The chapter shows it was also used ceremonially, in temples and royal courts, and is now mainly a decorative craft item.
• Misconception: All Indian pankhas look the same. Correct: Each state and even village developed its own materials and designs, from Rajasthan's zardozi to Bengal's sola fans.
• Misconception: Pankha-making is purely traditional with no modern element. Correct: The chapter notes rising demand driven by "different versions of the pankha being crafted," showing innovation alongside tradition.
• Misconception: Johnsy dies at the end of "The Last Leaf". Correct: It is Behrman who dies of pneumonia; Johnsy recovers after regaining her will to live.
• Misconception: The last leaf on the creeper was real. Correct: It was painted by Behrman on the wall, as Sue reveals at the end.
• Misconception: The doctor cures Johnsy with medicine. Correct: The doctor states that medicine cannot help unless Johnsy wants to live; her recovery follows her change in attitude.

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. What does the word "pankhi" mean, and where is early evidence of it found? [2 marks]

1. "Pankhi" denotes a small plumed fan used in ancient India.
2. Evidence of its use is found in Buddhist wall paintings at Ajanta, dating back to the 2nd century CE.

Q2. Name two materials used to make pankhas in Gujarat and describe one of these fans. [2 marks]

1. Gujarat uses pure cotton (embellished with mirror work) and beads.
2. The beads hand fan is covered with colourful beads and has a silver handle, and is commonly used as a wall decoration.

Q3. Describe the appliqué and zardozi hand fans of Rajasthan. [3 marks]

1. The appliqué hand fan is an antique pankha made of pieces of fabric in different shapes and patterns sewn onto another cloth using ornamental needlework.
2. The zardozi hand fan differs in using glittering, ornate, encrusted gold threadwork.
3. Both show how Rajasthan's fans reflect a rich tradition of embroidery and decorative craft specific to the region.

Q4. Why does the chapter say the pankha's presence among Indians is at risk, and how does it suggest the craft can be revived? [4 marks]

1. The advent of technology and newer, innovative creations means pankhas are less needed for their original, practical purpose.
2. The craft has shifted from personal use to a commercial business providing livelihood to artisans.
3. The writer suggests celebrating pankhas by appreciating their culture, stories and artistry.
4. Pankha-making workshops and handicraft exhibitions, held both within and outside the craft community, can spread awareness and give artisans a sustainable commercial platform.

Q5. In "The Last Leaf", why does Johnsy believe she will die, and what event changes her mind? [4 marks]

1. Johnsy is seriously ill with pneumonia and has lost the will to live.
2. She watches an ivy creeper outside her window shedding leaves in the wind and decides she will die when the last leaf falls.
3. Despite stormy nights, the last leaf does not fall, surviving two storms.
4. Seeing the leaf survive makes Johnsy realise it is "a sin to want to die," and her will to live returns.

Q6. Describe Behrman's character and explain how his actions reveal his true nature. [5 marks]

1. Behrman is a sixty-year-old painter who has long dreamed of painting a masterpiece but has never achieved it.
2. When Sue tells him about Johnsy's belief that she will die when the last leaf falls, he at first reacts with disbelief, calling the idea foolish.
3. Without telling anyone, he goes out into a stormy, icy-cold night to paint a leaf on the wall opposite Johnsy's window.
4. This selfless act costs him his own life, as he contracts pneumonia and dies.
5. His painted leaf finally becomes his long-dreamed masterpiece, revealing him as a quietly devoted, self-sacrificing man beneath his gruff exterior.

Q7. Explain, with examples from at least two states, how pankha design reflects regional cultural identity. [5 marks]

1. The chapter states that "the structure of each fan reflects the cultural core of the region that crafts it."
2. Rajasthan's temple hand fans are made by engraving brass and have a long handle, linking the fan to religious use.
3. Rajasthan's zardozi fans use glittering gold threadwork, reflecting a regional tradition of rich embroidery.
4. Gujarat, known as the centre for bead craft in India, produces beads hand fans with silver handles and mirror-work cotton fans.
5. These distinct materials and techniques, found nowhere else in exactly the same combination, show how local resources and skills shape each region's fans.

Q8. What is the present perfect tense, and how is it used in sentences from the chapter? [3 marks]

1. The present perfect tense describes past actions that still have relevance to the present, or recently completed actions.
2. It is formed with "has/have" plus the past participle, as in "pankhas have become traditional craft items" and "this handicraft has transformed into a commercial business."
3. These sentences show actions begun or completed in the past that continue to affect the present state of the pankha craft.

Key takeaways

• The word "pankha" comes from "pankh", meaning a bird's feather, and early pankhis appear in 2nd-century Ajanta wall paintings.
• Pankhas were once used to fan deities in temples and kings in royal courts, varying from two inches to arm-length fans.
• Each Indian state developed its own pankha style: Rajasthan's appliqué and zardozi fans, Gujarat's mirror and bead fans, Bengal's sola fans, Uttar Pradesh's Phadh fans and Bihar's bamboo fans.
• Technology has restricted pankhas mostly to decorative use, risking the loss of the craft, though commercialisation now gives artisans a livelihood.
• The writer recommends workshops and exhibitions to celebrate and preserve pankha-making.
• In "The Last Leaf", Johnsy believes she will die when the last ivy leaf falls, but the leaf's survival restores her will to live.
• Behrman, an ageing painter, secretly paints the last leaf on the wall during a storm, sacrificing his life so Johnsy can recover.
• Both texts in the chapter explore how an object, whether a fan or a painted leaf, can carry deep cultural or emotional meaning.

Test yourself

What does "pankhi" mean in the chapter?

A small plumed fan used in ancient India, as distinct from "pankha", the general word for fan.

Name one material used for pankhas in Bihar and one in Odisha.

Bihar uses colourful, sturdy bamboo for its hand fans; Odisha is known for large palm leaf fans.

What does the chapter say is the main cause of the pankha losing its place among Indians?

The advent of technology and innovative creations, which has reduced the need for pankhas' original practical use.

Why does Johnsy count the leaves on the ivy creeper?

She has decided that she will die when the last leaf falls, so she watches and counts the remaining leaves.

What does Behrman do on the stormy night?

He secretly goes out in the icy storm and paints a leaf on the wall opposite Johnsy's window, which becomes "the last leaf".

How does the doctor explain Johnsy's recovery?

He says Johnsy "now has the will to live" and is confident she will recover, unlike Behrman, for whom there is no hope.

What two suggestions does the writer give to preserve the pankha craft?

Celebrating pankhas by appreciating their culture and artistry, and holding pankha-making workshops and handicraft exhibitions.