This page offers The Treasure Within summary Class 8 pdf in easy language. We have presented short and long summaries from 50 words to 300 words. Go through to get a deep insight of the chapter The Treasure Within from the Book It So Happened. It is useful for exam point of view and quick learning of the chapter. Downloadable PDF is also available.
Table of Contents
Short Summary of the chapter: The Treasure Within
This chapter is an interview between Ms Bela Raja and Hafeez Contractor, a famous architect of India. In the beginning, Hafeez tells that he was not a good student in school. He loved playing games and doing pranks. He hated studying and was very weak in mathematics. He even had nightmares about maths exams.
When he was in eleventh standard, his Principal gave him advice. He told Hafeez that he must now study seriously because his mother had worked hard for him. This changed Hafeez’s thinking. He stopped playing and focused only on studies. He passed his SSC exam with 50% marks, which made his Principal very happy.
Hafeez wanted to join the Army, but his aunt tore his admission letter. Then he thought of joining the police, but his mother advised him to complete graduation. He joined Jaihind College in Bombay. There, he struggled with French and German languages. By chance, he went to an architect’s office to learn French and found his real interest in architecture.
He easily understood designs and sketches. His cousin’s husband encouraged him to take the entrance exam for architecture. Hafeez scored A+ and stood first class first throughout. He realised that his early interest in making forts, guns, and playing games helped him in understanding architecture.
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Hafeez also shared that in school he used to help students by making chalk buttons when they lost their real buttons. He said that real learning comes from doing things practically, not just by studying books.
Today, Hafeez Contractor is one of India’s top architects. He decides the designs of buildings by looking at the client’s style and talking to them. For him now, combining design, construction, psychology, and sociology is like doing mathematics.
Detailed Summary of the chapter: The Treasure Within
Hafeez Contractor’s School Life :This chapter is an interview between Ms Bela Raja and Mr Hafeez Contractor. Hafeez tells that he was not happy in school. In the beginning, during first and second year, he was good in studies. But after the third standard, he lost interest. He loved running, playing, and doing pranks. He did not like studying or memorising lessons. He used to copy in exams and sometimes tried to get the exam paper early to prepare.
He even had terrible nightmares about maths exams. He would dream that he did not know anything in the exam. These nightmares stopped only after four to five years ago when he became busy with his work.
The Principal’s Advice Changed Him :When Hafeez was in the eleventh standard, his Principal called him. The Principal told him that he had looked after him for many years but now Hafeez had to take responsibility. He reminded Hafeez that his mother had worked very hard to pay his fees. He advised Hafeez to rise to the occasion and start studying seriously.
This advice touched Hafeez deeply. He stopped playing all games, even though he was a senior champion and cricket captain. He only attended prayers, ate food, and studied. As a result, he passed his SSC exam with 50% marks. His Principal praised him and said it was like getting a distinction.
His Fun-loving Nature in School :In school, Hafeez was very playful. He often got caned for his behaviour but never took it seriously. He was the leader of a gang, and they would plan pranks and gang fights. Once, to avoid studying, he created a distraction and played ‘chor-police’ with other students for an hour.
Every Saturday, students were allowed to go to town to watch a movie. Hafeez would collect money from 40–50 students, skip lunch, buy tickets, and enjoy eating on the way. He hardly used his textbooks, so his books always looked new.
How He Became an Architect :Hafeez wanted to join the Army but his aunt tore up the admission letter. Then he wanted to join the police, but his mother told him to complete graduation first. He joined Jaihind College in Bombay. There he had to choose between French and German. Although he had studied French for seven years, he hardly knew any French. So he chose German. But the German teacher died, and he had to go back to French.
While learning French from his cousin, he visited an architect’s office. There, he pointed out a mistake in a window design. Everyone was surprised. His cousin’s husband asked him to design a few things, and he did it perfectly. He suggested Hafeez to join architecture. Hafeez gave the entrance exam, scored an A+, and got admission easily. After that, studies became easy for him because he could imagine things like forts and structures easily.
Special Talent and Early Hints :In his early school days, his teacher Mrs Gupta had once told him that he was useless in studies but good in sketches. She advised him to become an architect. At that time, Hafeez did not understand her words. But later, he realised that she was right. After becoming successful, he even visited her to thank her.
His Views on Learning :Hafeez shared that he was bad in languages and maths. He could manage science and geography. But he never found joy in studying because there was no real application of mind. He believed that real learning came from doing things, not just reading books.
He also said that many school toppers of his time are doing ordinary jobs today. Hafeez felt that his school life made him street-smart, and he learnt more through practical experiences.
Thinking Differently :Even while sitting in class, if it started raining, Hafeez would think about how to build a dam to stop water. He loved solving real-world problems. He was also very helpful. If any student lost a button, he would quickly make a new button from chalk using a blade. This saved students from being punished for wearing incomplete uniforms.
His Way of Designing Today :Today, Hafeez understands his clients’ needs by observing their face, clothes, the way they talk, and even how they eat. He sketches their dream designs instantly on paper. For him, designing is like doing mathematics, where he mixes design, construction, psychology, and sociology together.
About Hafeez Contractor :Hafeez Contractor was born in 1950. He completed his Graduate Diploma in Architecture from Mumbai in 1975. Later, he studied at Columbia University, New York, with the help of a Tata scholarship. He started working in 1977 and built his own firm in 1982 with only two staff members. Now, his firm has more than 350 employees. He has designed many buildings like bungalows, malls, hospitals, airports, and even railway stations.
Pointwise Summary of the chapter: The Treasure Within
1.Hafeez Contractor was a playful child who loved games and pranks but disliked studies, especially maths.
2.He had nightmares about maths exams for many years because he could not do well in the subject.
3.His Principal’s advice in class eleven made him realise the importance of studying and changed his attitude.
4.He passed his SSC exam with 50% marks, which was a big achievement for him at that time.
5.He wanted to join the Army and later the police, but his family stopped him and pushed him towards graduation.
6.By chance, he found his interest in architecture when he pointed out a mistake in an architect’s office.
7.He scored an A+ in the architecture entrance exam and stood first class first in college.
8.His early interest in making forts, guns, and pranks helped him in understanding design and structure easily.
9.He believes real learning happens by doing things, not just by studying books.
10.Today, Hafeez Contractor is a top architect who designs buildings by understanding people’s style and thinking.