Question 1.
Write about the following memories or experiences. Share your views with the class.
(i) A memorable holiday spent with your grandmother
(ii) A story told by your grandmother
(ii) The things you admire the most about your grandmother
(iv) The difference between your mother and your grandmother
(i) A memorable holiday spent with my grandmother
Grandmothers are more than mothers. I still remember how I spent a holiday with my grandmother. It was quite a long time since I met her. I found her standing at the village bus-stand to receive me. She was really excited. She had prepared some of my favourite dishes only for me. She took me to the fields. We stopped at the canal. What a sight! Children were diving into it from a wooden bridge. I enjoyed fresh sugarcanes. It was evening. A herd of cattle was returning home. My grandmother would not let me sleep early. She had many interesting stories to tell. She talked of her youth, her good old times and her hobbies. She kissed me affectionately before I went to bed.
(ii) A Story told by my grandmother
It is difficult to imagine a grandmother without her fanciful stories. My grandmother is a great story-teller. Her narrative skill is very real and convincing. She will make you believe even the incredible. She has stored many stories in her memory. Her favourite story is of Savitri and Yama. Savitri’s husband was cutting wood in the forest. He fell down from a tree and died. The God of death, Yama came to take him to the other world. Savitri would not let him come near the dead body of her husband. She remained glued to the dead body for many days. She didn’t eat and sleep. The God of death was moved. He had never seen such a devoted and determined wife. He was pleased and restored Savitri’s husband to life.
(iii) The things I admire the most about my grandmother
My grandmother is my role-model. I am very much impressed with her personality. But there are certain things which I admire the most in her character. The first thing is her sense of discipline. She is very regular and punctual. She gets up at 5 a.m. in the morning. She is ready for her prayers before 6 a.m. She has always a fixed time for everything. I like her deep faith in God. Her sense of cleanliness is extremely praiseworthy. She looks noble and dignified in her spotless white clothes. All these things make her a very pleasing and dignified personality.
(iv) The difference between my mother and my grandmother
Human relations generally defy comparisons. But still there are certain basic differences between my mother and my grandmother. I am also different from my mother. So is my grandmother from her daughter-in-law. Basically it is a generation gap. My grandmother is conservative. She is highly religious. She has deep faith in God and fate. But my mother is a working woman. She has a progressive outlook towards life and people. She is not so religious. She believes that everyone has a right to lead one’s own kind of life. My grandmother thinks that home and children are the most important things for any woman. My mother thinks of other things as well. She believes that a woman must have freedom to decide what is good or bad for her.
Question 2.
Have you ever been on a trip to any place in India, where you didn’t know the language spoken locally? How did you feel? How did you manage to communicate?
During my tour to Tamil Nadu, I happened to visit a small village. It is near the temple town of Kanchipuram. Actually, I went there to buy some sarees for my mother and my elder sister. I went to a handloom shop. The shopkeeper welcomed me with folded hands and wished ‘namaskaram’. I did the same. I said ‘sarees ’. He responded by saying “ilia’ or ‘Yella or something like that. He said something to the helpers. I could not understand even a word. Many new sarees of different colours were laid before me. I picked up one and asked the price. He raised three fingers—I couldn’t make out whether he was asking for three hundred or three thousand. A man who knew some Hindi saved me from the embarrassment. I paid six thousand and bought two sarees. Only then I realised that I was a stranger in my own country and I determined to learn at least one language that is spoken in South India.
Question 3.
Answer the following questions briefly
(a) What made Triveni a popular writer ?
(b) Why did the grandmother depend on her granddaughter to know the story?
(c) Pick out two sentences which state that the grandmother was desperate to know what happened in the story.
(d) Could the grandmother succeed in accomplishing her desire to read? How?
(e) Which of the following traits would be relevant to the character of the narrator’s grandmother?
- determined
- selfish
- emotional
- mean
Give reasons for your choice.
(a) Triveni was a very popular writer in the Kannada language. Her style was easy to read and very convincing. Her stories usually dealt with complex psychological problems of ordinary people. They were always very interesting.
(b) The grandmother never went to school. She was totally illiterate. So she could not read. Her granddaughter would read the next episode of Kashi Yatra when the weekly Karmaveera came. The grandmother depended on her granddaughter to know the story.
(c) The following two sentences state that the grandmother was desperate to know what happened in the story:
- ‘During that time, she would forget all her work and listen with the greatest concentration.’
- ‘So more than anybody else she was the one most interested in knowing what happened next in the story.’
(d) Yes, the grandmother did succeed in accomplishing her desire to read. Being illiterate, she felt very dependent and helpless. She was determined to overcome that obstacle and learn the Kannada language. She made her granddaughter her teacher and did amazing amount of homework. She set Saraswati Pooja day as the deadline. She came out with flying colours. She could now read Kashi Yatra on her own.
(e) Two traits that were relevant to the character of the narrator’s grandmother were:
- her determination
- her emotional nature
She was determined to learn the Kannada language to read Kashi Yatre herself. She set the deadline and accomplished the task within the stipulated time.
When the narrator came, she found her grandmother in tears. Her affectionate hands touched her granddaughter’s feet. She touched her feet as a mark of respect to her teacher
Question 4.
Here are some direct quotations from the story. Identify the speaker and write what each quotation suggests about the speaker. You can use the adjectives given in the box and may also add your own.
| Speaker | Quotation | Quality Highlighted | |
| (a) | ‘Awa, is everything all right? Are you O.K.?’ | ||
| (b) | ‘At times, I used to regret not going to school, so I made sure that my children and grandchildren studied well.’ | ||
| (c) | ‘Awa, don’t cry. What is the matter? Can I help you in anyway?’ | ||
| (d) | ‘We are well-off, but what use is money when I cannot be independent.’ | ||
| (e) | ‘I will keep Saraswati Pooja day during Dassara as the deadline.’ | ||
| (f) | ‘For a good cause if you are determined you can overcome any obstacle.’ | ||
| (g) | I am touching the feet of a teacher not my granddaughter.’ |
| Speaker | Quotation | Quality Highlighted | |
| (a) | The narrator | ‘Awa, is everything all right? Are you O.K.?’ | concerned sympathetic, helpful |
| (b) | The grandmother | ‘ At times, I used to regret not going to school, so I made sure that my children and grandchildren studied well.’ | wise, understanding |
| (c) | The narrator | ‘Awa, don’t cry. What is the matter? Can I help you in anyway?’ | Sympathetic/helpful, amiable |
| (d) | The grandmother | ‘We are well-off, but what use is money when I cannot be independent.’ | prudent |
| (e) | The narrator | ‘I will keep Saraswati Pooja day during Dassara as the deadline.’ | determined, religious |
| (f) | The grandmother | ‘For a good cause if you are determined you can overcome any obstacle.’ | enthusiastic; diligent |
| (g) | The grandmother | I am touching the feet of a teacher not my granddaughter.’ | respectful, humble |
Question 5.
Now you are going to listen to the story of a young girl about a special day.
(a) Based on your listening of the story complete the boxes given below.
(b) List any three feelings of the old people in this story.
- _____________________________
- _____________________________
- _____________________________
Answer:
- They feel dependent.
- They feel helpless due to extreme old age.
- They feel proud of their children who are so caring to them.
(c) Complete the following :
- We can make our grandparents happy by ________________
- We can avoid constructing more and more Old Age Homes by___________
Answer:
- giving them proper care.
- giving them honourable place in our own house.
Question 6.
After having read the story, you realise the anguish of the illiterate adults. You want to make your friends aware of it and contribute something in bringing about a change in the lives of the illiterate adults. Deliver a speech in the morning assembly at your school about the Importance of Adult Education and ways to implement it.
Read the following to make your speech effective:
The introduction of a speech is like the nose of an airplane. The nose sets the course and leads the plane off in a specific direction. A good introduction sets the direction of your speech by
- getting the attention of your audience
- introducing your topic
- stating your central idea or purpose
- briefly identifying the main points
- making your audience eager to hear what you have to say
Importance of Adult Education and Ways to Implement it
Respected Principal, teachers and dear friends!
India’s economic achievements may be spectacular. So may be its rapid strides in space and arms. But let me ask you a question. Don’t we feel ashamed at having the maximum number of illiterates in the world? Doesn’t it make a mockery of all our achievements? I want to make, particularly my friends aware of it. I want that all of us must contribute something in bringing about a change in the lives of the illiterate adults.
I feel that every unit of N.S.S. in schools must call for volunteers. The volunteers of each unit must adopt at least five villages. They must set their targets. I think two years are enough. Scatter out in the villages. Find out the illiterate adults. Be respectful and cooperative. Give them at least 20 hours a week.
I want to draw the attention of all of you to the grandmother of the story ‘How I Taught My Grandmother to Read’. When an old and illiterate lady like Krishtakka can read a novel within a year, why can’t others? Let’s be like the granddaughter. Let’s be totally devoted to the cause of the illiterates. We can do wonders. A day will come when we will have not a single illiterate in India. It may take time. But that day will come.
Question 7.
You are the grandmother. How did you feel when your granddaughter gave you the novel ‘Kashi Yatre’ ? Write your feelings in your diary.
To make your diary entry interesting, read the following information about what is a diary entry.
A diary entry is a purely personal piece of writing. The writer expresses his/her thoughts and feelings. Reactions to incidents are generally poured out in a diary. Hence expressions that are emotionally charged are used.
For example – When you are happy about something, you could start like this
8th July 20xx, Wednesday 8 pm
Today I am very happy as ………………………..
8th July 20XX, Wednesday 8pm
Today I am very happy as my mission is almost over. About a year ago I set a deadline. I didn’t want to remain dependent and helpless anymore. So I decided to cast off the curse of illiteracy. I decided to leam the Kannada alphabet. No doubt, this task would not have seen the day without the active help of my granddaughter. She acted as my teacher and I worked hard and did an amazing homework under her guidance.
Today, my granddaughter has given me a copy of Triveni’s famous novel Kashi Yatre. Lord, how merciful you are ! Now I can read any novel with confidence on my own. don’t need my granddaughter to read Kashi Yatre anymore for me. I have attained selfrespect and independence. It is true that if you are determined you can overcome all obstacles. And I have learnt another lesson. For learning, there is no age bar.
Question 8.
One of her novels, called Kashi Yatra, was appearing as a serial in the Kannada weekly Karmaveera It is the story of an old lady and her ardent desire to go to Kashi or Varanasi. (Page 3)
(a) Who is the author of Kashi Yatra?
(b) Like the old lady in Kashi Yatra, who was the other character who had ardent desire to go to Kashi?
(c) Find the word from the extract similar in meaning to ‘keen’.
(a) Triveni is the author of Kashi Yatra.
(b) Narrator’s grandmother had ardent desire to go to Kashi.
(c) Ascent
Question 9.
In the end, the old lady gives away all her savings without going to Kashi. She says, ‘The happiness of this orphan girl is more important than worshipping Lord Vishweshwara at Kashi.’ (Page 4)
(a) Who was the old lady?
(b) Why did she give away all her savings to the orphan girl?
(c) Find the word from the extract opposite in meaning to ‘trivial’.
(a) The old lady was the main character of the novel Kashi Yatra.
(b) She gave away all her savings to the orphan girl to make her able to marry the man whom she loved.
(c) Important
Question 10.
So more than anybody else she was the one most interested in knowing what happened next in the story and used to insist that I read the serial out to her. (Page 4)
(a) Who is ‘she’ in the above lines?
(b) Name the Kannada weekly in which the story appeared.
(c) Give a word from the passage similar in meaning to ‘urge’.
(a) She is the narrator’s grandmother, Krishtakka.
(b) The story appeared in the Karmaveera
(c) Insist
Question 11.
‘When I was a young girl I lost my mother. There was nobody to look after and guide me. My father was a busy man and got married again. In those days people never considered education essential for girls, so I never went to school. (Page 4)
(a) Who is the speaker of the above lines?
(b) What is the speaker’s agony?
(c) Wite the verb form of ‘education’.
(a) Narrator’s grandmother, Krishtakka is the speaker.
(b)Her agony was that she couldn’t go to school.
(c) Educate
Question 12.
1 felt so very dependent and helpless. We are well-off, but what use is money when I cannot be independent? (Page 5)
(a) Who is ‘I’ in these lines?
(b)Why did she feel very dependent and helpless?
(c) We are ‘well-off ’. What does the phrase ‘well-off ’ mean here?
(a) ‘I’ stands for the narrator’s grandmother.
(b) She was illiterate so she felt herself dependent and helpless.
(c) Prosperous
Question 13.
Childishly, I made fun of the old lady. But she just smiled. (Page 5)
(a) Who made fun of the old lady?
(b) The old lady was ridiculed and laughed at. Why?
(c) Why did the old lady smile?
(а) The narrator made fun of the old lady.
(b) She was ridiculed as she decided to learn Kannada alphabet at the age of 62.
(c) The old lady smiled because she was confident of herself.
Question 14.
‘For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle. I will work harder than anybody but I will do it. For learning there is no age bar.’(Page 5)
(a) What is the ‘good cause’ here?
(b)Who is ‘I’ in the above lines?
(c) What does the phrase ‘age bar’ mean here?
(a) Learning Kannada alphabet is the ‘good cause’ here.
(b)Narrator’s grandmother.
(c) There is no age limit for learning.
Question 15:
Read the extract given below and answer the questions/complete the sentences that follow: “It is the story of an old lady and her ardent desire to go to Kashi or Varanasi.”
(a) Whom does ‘it’ refer to?
(b) Describe the character of the old lady on the basis of above mentioned lines.
(c) What do you mean by the word ‘ardent’?
(a) It’s meter to the novel ‘Kashi Yatra’
(b) The old lady was kind and helpful.
(c) Ardent’ means very passionate.
Question 16
“At times, I used to regret not going: to school, so I made sure that my children and grand children studied well”.
(a) Who is the speaker of these lines?
(b) What did the speaker regret?
(c) What did the speaker decide to do?
(a) Avva, the grandmother.
(b) The speaker regretted not being educated in childhood.
(c) Avva decided to educate her children and grand children well.
Question 17
“I felt so very dependent and helpless.We ate well—off:
but what use of money when I cannot be independent
(a) Who is the speaker of these lines?
(b) When did the speaker feel so very’ dependent and helpless’?
(c) By ‘independent’ the speaker here means.
(a) The grandmother.
(b) When the speaker had gone for a wedding in the neighbouring village her grandmother opened the magazine, looked at the pictures but was unable to read anything. It was at this moment that she felt dependent and helpless and understood the value of literacy.
(c) To be able to read and write and to be literate represents actual independence.
Question 18:
“But I knew I loved her immensely and there had to be some reason why she was talking to me. I looked at her face. It was unhappy and her eyes were filled with tears.”
(a) Who is ‘V and ‘she’ in the above extract?
(b) Why did the grandmother want to talk with the narrator?
(c) Why was file grandmother unhappy?
(a) ‘I’ is the narrator, Sudha Murthy and ‘she’ is the grandmother.
(b) The grandmother was feeling distressed, so she wanted to tell her granddaughter about her inability to read.
(c) The grandmother was unhappy because she felt helpless and dependent due to her inability to read.She regretted that she didn’t go to school.
Question 19
“The amount of homework she did was amazing. She would read, repeat, write and recite.
(a) Who is ‘she’ in the above lines?What ‘homework’ is being talked about here?
(b) Why was she so keen on doing the homework?
(c) What does this extract reveal about the character of ‘she’?
(a) ‘She’ is Avva, the grandmother The homework is the practice of reading repeatedly, writing and reciting
(b) She was keen because she wanted to learn how to read and write so that she could be independent.She had fixed
(c) The extract shows her willpower and strong determination.
Question 20
“When I came back to my village, I saw my grandmother in tears. I was surprised, for I had never seen her cry even in the most difficult situations.”
(a) Who is T in the above extract ? Where did she/he return from?
(b) Why was the grandmother in tears?
(c) What does the last line of the extract tell you about the grandmother’s character?
(a) Sudha Murthy is T in the extract. She returned from a neighbouring village after attending the marriage.
(b) Grandmother was in tears as she realized how helpless and dependent she was due to her inability to read.
(c) The last line of the extract indicates that she was determined and strong and had taken life as it came.
Question 21
“Childishly I made fun of the old lady. But she just smiled.”
(a) Who made fun of the old lady?
(b) Why did the speaker make fun of the old lady?
(c) Why did the old lady smile?
(a) The granddaughter made fun of the old lady.
(b) The narrator made fun of the old lady because she wanted to learn the alphabet at the age of 62.
(c) The old lady smiled because she had confidence.She believed that for learning, age was no bar.
Question 22
What were the gifts exchanged between the granddaughter and grandmother?
Value Points:
Grandmother gifted her a frock material-granddaughter gifted her the Kashi Yatre – novel.
Detailed Answer:
The Grandmother gifted her granddaughter a frock material and touched ha- feet as a sign of respect. The narrator gave her the novel-Kashi Yatre as a gift.
Question 23
How did the granddaughter react to her grandmother’s request to teach her to read?
Value Points:
At first made fun of her – age bar – seeing her grandmother’s determination to overcome all obstacles – started teaching her in earnest’
Detailed Answer:
When the grandmother requested the granddaughter to teach her to read at first, she made fun of her. She wouldn’t understand why at the age of sixty-two her grandmother had resolved to read and write. Then seeing her determination to overcome all obstacles she (granddaughter) started teaching her in earnest.
Question 24:
Why did the grandmother depend on her granddaughter to know the story of ‘Kashi Yatre’?
Or
Why did the grandmother feel so helpless when her granddaughter went to attend a marriage?
Why was the grandmother upset when her granddaughter went to attend the wedding?
As the grandmother was illiterate, she was unable to read the next episode of ‘Kashi Yatra’. She felt embarrassed at asking the villagers to read it for her. So she felt miserable and dependent without her granddaughter.
Question 25:
Who was Triveni? What made her popular?
Or
What made Triveni a popular writer?
Or
“Even after 40 years, people continue to appreciate Triveni’s novels.” In the light of this remark what makes Triveni a popular writer?
Triveni wrote in the Kannada language. Her writing style was easy and had the power to convince the readers. Her stories were inspired from real life and were interesting. The readers can relate themselves with the characters in the stories as her stories were related to the lives of the ordinary people.
Question 26:
What were the circumstances which made the grandmother realize the importance of education? Why had the grandmother not gone to school?
Or
What incident made the grandmother realize the importance of education?
Like other villagers, the grandmother was also fond of the weekly magazine, ‘Karmaveera’. As she was not educated, she was dependent cm her granddaughter to read that magazine for her. In her granddaughter’s absence, she could not read the next episode of ‘Kashi Yatra’. She felt embarrassed at asking the villagers to read it for her. This incident made her realize (he importance of education. The grandmother had never gone to school because she was born in an era when education of the women folk was not given much importance.
Question 27:
How had the narrator planned to surprise her grandmother? How was she herself surprised?
The narrator had planned to surprise her grandmother by gifting her a copy of the novel, ‘Kashi Yatre’. The narrator was herself surprised when her grandmother touched her feet to show a mark of respect to the Guru.
Question 28:
What message does the story ‘How I Taught My Grandmother to Read’ convey?
The story ‘How 1 Taught My Grandmother to Read’ conveys that there is no age bar for learning. One can learn at any age, provided she/he has a strong will power and determination.
Question 29
Why did Krishtakka want her children to study well ?
Krishtakka was not only the narrator’s grandmother but also her student. She had a great zeal to learn to read Kannada and to become independent. She wanted to overcome her inability to read. She had been born in an era when education for women was not given much importance. Later, she understood the importance of education in life and thus, wanted her children to study well.
Question 30
The novel ‘Kashi Yatra’ had a great impact on the narrator. Explain.
Or
Which aspect of the serial ‘Kashi Yatra’ appealed to the grandmother?
Grandmother had a keen interest in the novel ‘Kashi Yatra’. She identified herself with the protagonist whose ardent desire to visit Kashi and sacrifice for others had a great impact on the narrator.
Question 31
Why was the grandmother so keen on doing the homework?
The grandmother was keen on doing the homework because she wanted to become literate. She found her illiteracy to be a one, handicap for her. She wanted to be independent and self-reliant.