Q1.
A condolence message communicates your feelings to someone whose relative or a person close to them has just passed away. It mentions how sorry you feel for the loss and your prayers for strength to the family members.
I. Khetaram saw a letter with a torn corner. It had news about Bhawar Singh’s uncle passing away. Read the condolence message that Sawant Singh sent to his cousin as a reply to the letter.
16 July 20XX
Dear Bhawar Bhai,
I am deeply saddened to hear about the loss of Kunwar uncle. Please accept my condolences. I extend my deepest sympathy to you and your family in this hour of grief. May God give eternal peace to the departed soul and courage to the family to bear the loss.
Yours sincerely,
Sawant Singh
[Addressed to: Bhawar Singh, Village: Veer Nagar, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, 342001]
Now, on behalf of your parents draft an imaginary condolence message for your aunt on the recent passing away of her father.
Answer
First, read the model closely — every sentence in it is doing one job, and yours must do the same jobs in the same order.
| Sawant Singh’s sentence | Its job |
|---|---|
| 16 July 20XX / Dear Bhawar Bhai, | Date, then a warm but respectful salutation using the relationship word |
| “I am deeply saddened to hear about the loss of Kunwar uncle.” | Name the loss and the person. Never write around it. |
| “Please accept my condolences.” | The formal expression of sympathy |
| “I extend my deepest sympathy to you and your family in this hour of grief.” | Widen it to the whole family |
| “May God give eternal peace to the departed soul and courage to the family to bear the loss.” | The prayer — for the departed and for the living |
| Yours sincerely, / Sawant Singh | Subscription and signature |
What your message must contain (you are writing on behalf of your parents — so use we, not I):
- Date, and a salutation to your aunt (Dear Bua ji / Dear Mausi ji / Dear Aunty).
- Direct mention of the loss — her father, your grandfather-in-relation, named if you like.
- An expression of sympathy, and one specific, honest memory of him. One remembered detail is worth ten grand sentences.
- A prayer for peace for the departed and strength for the family.
- A concrete offer of help — this is what turns a formality into support.
- Subscription and signature: Yours affectionately, then the names.
- Tone: short sentences, plain words, no exclamation marks, no ‘hope you are well’, no news of your own.
Sample answer:
12 August 20XX
Dear Bua ji,
We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing away of Nana ji. Please accept our heartfelt condolences.
We still remember how he would sit on the veranda at Deoli every winter afternoon and read out the whole newspaper to whoever would listen, and how he never once let us leave without a handful of jaggery. His patience and his good humour are what we shall remember longest.
We extend our deepest sympathy to you, to Phupha ji and to the children in this hour of grief. May God grant eternal peace to the departed soul and give the family the courage to bear this loss.
Papa will reach Jodhpur on Friday morning and will stay as long as you need him. Please do not hesitate to ask us for anything at all.
Yours affectionately,
Ramesh and Sunita Meena
(written on their behalf by Anjali)
Dear Bua ji,
We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing away of Nana ji. Please accept our heartfelt condolences.
We still remember how he would sit on the veranda at Deoli every winter afternoon and read out the whole newspaper to whoever would listen, and how he never once let us leave without a handful of jaggery. His patience and his good humour are what we shall remember longest.
We extend our deepest sympathy to you, to Phupha ji and to the children in this hour of grief. May God grant eternal peace to the departed soul and give the family the courage to bear this loss.
Papa will reach Jodhpur on Friday morning and will stay as long as you need him. Please do not hesitate to ask us for anything at all.
Yours affectionately,
Ramesh and Sunita Meena
(written on their behalf by Anjali)
Why the memory paragraph matters. The model message is correct but general — it could be sent to anyone about anyone. A condolence message becomes real when it shows that the person who died was known to the writer: the veranda, the newspaper, the jaggery. Notice too that the offer of help is specific — a day, a name, a length of stay. “Let us know if you need anything” asks the grieving person to do the work; “Papa will reach on Friday” does not.