HOW I TAUGHT MY GRANDMOTHER TO READ

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.

1. ‘Unfortunately for Kannada literature, she died very young. Even

now, after forty years, people continue to appreciate her novels.’

a. Whom does ‘she’ in the above lines refer to?

‘She’ refers to Triveni a popular writer in the Kannada language.

b. Mention one of ‘her novels’ One of her novels is Kashi Yatre. c. Why do people continue to appreciate her novels?

Her stories were interesting, easy to read and very convincing.

2. ‘After hearing what happened next in Kashi Yatre, she would join her

friends at the temple courtyard where we children would also gather

to play hide and seek. She would discuss the latest episode with her

friends. At that time, i never understood why there was so much of

debate about the story.’

a. What is ‘Kashi Yatre’?

Kashi Yatre is a novel written by the Kannada writer Triveni which

appeared as a serial in the Kannada weekly Karmaveera.

b. Why were the women at the temple so interested in discussing the

latest episode of ‘Kashi Yatre’?

The women at the temple could relate to the protagonist in the story

of the serial hence they were interested in discussing the latest

episode of ‘Kashi Yatre’.

c. Who was the protagonist of the novel?

The protagonist of the story was an old lady who had an ardent

desire to go to Kahsi or Varanasi.

 3. ‘Avva came and sat next to me. Her affectionate hands touched my

forehead. I realised she wanted to speak.’

a. What does the term Avva mean?

The term Avva means mother in Kannada.

b. What did Avva tell the narrator?

Avva told the narrator about her childhood, why she had never gone

to school and how helpless she felt when she couldn’t read the story

from magazine in the narrator’s absence.

c. Comment on the relationship of the narrator with Avva?

Avva and the narrator had a warm and loving relationship. The

narrator understood Avva’s needs and tried to meet them in every

way she could. On the other hand Avva loved the narrator and

respected her for her empathy and kindness.

B. Answer the following questions briefly.

a. Give evidence from the lesson to confirm the fact that the narrator’s

grandparents village was in a remote place.

The morning paper came on a bus that brought it in the afternoon

and the weekly magazine came a day late.

b. Why did the grandmother depend on her granddaughter to know

what unfolded every week in the serial?

The grandmother had never gone to school primarily because she

had lost her mother at a very early age and also because in those

times education was never considered essential for girls. Therefore

she depended on her granddaughter to read the story out to her.

c. What values does the story Kashi Yatre uphold?

The story Kashi Yatre upholds the values compassion and

magnanimity. Through the character of the protagonist the author,

Triveni emphasizes the quality of selfless love which is considered to

be a divine attribute.

d. How do we know that the grandmother was determined to read?

We know that the grandmother was determined to read as firstly with

all humility she requested her granddaughter to teach her. Secondly,

she set a deadline by which she would learn to read. Thirdly, she was

persevering enough to practise her reading regularly

e. Why could the grandmother succeed in her attempt to become

literate?

The grandmother was a determined lady who worked hard under

the guidance of her granddaughter. She would read, repeat, write

and recite what was taught.

Long Answers

a. A local reporter comes to learn of the grandmother’s story and writes

a report about it in the newspaper. Write the report. Awesome Avva

Avva as she is called by her granddaughter, Sudha is one

determined lady who has learnt to read and write at the age of 62.

Her teacher was none other than her 12-year-old granddaughter, a

bright young girl blessed with immense patience and empathy.

This graceful grandmother was determined and worked very hard to

accomplish this feat. When asked what inspired her to take this step

she said, ‘I always felt helpless and embarrassed at not being able to

read. By God’s grace our family is prosperous and happy. But I realise

that money and possessions are of no use if you’re illiterate.’

It happened this way: the old lady liked to listen to a story written by

the famous author, Tirveni. Every week, her granddaughter read out

the serial that appeared in the weekly magazine. Once when her

granddaughter was away, there was no one to read to her. It was

then that she decided that she would learn to read and write and

approached her granddaughter for help.

Taking up the onus of learning upon herself she gave herself a

deadline: she would learn to read before the Saraswati Puja day

during Dassera.

This student is an inspiration for many who have missed out on

becoming literate. As Guru Dakshina, the sprightly student touched

her teacher’s feet and gave her a gift. The ‘teacher’ presented the

Kannada novel ‘Kashi Yatre’ that was the spark for this grand

endeavour. What a ‘Yatra’ it has been!

b. Describe the character of the grandmother.

As has been mentioned in the lesson, the grandmother was a happy

and contented woman who was totally involved in meeting the

needs of her children and grandchildren. Though she had never

been to school, she knew the value of education and therefore

made sure that all her children were well-educated. When she

realised that a lack of literacy made her dependent and helpless she

was determined to do all she could to fill this blank in her life. She was

determined to be able to read and write and become independent.

She said, ‘For a good cause if you are determined you can

overcome any obstacle.’ She was not in the least embarrassed to

share her feelings with her granddaughter and ask for help. She was

very hard working as we see that she worked very hard often redoing

her work to learn within the deadline she had set for herself. We also

see that she was not self-conscious and did not feel embarrassed to

bow down and touch her granddaughter’s feet. She was humble

enough to respect her teacher who had taught her to read and

write at the age of 62. She was a wise and introspective woman who

understood the value of education. Her words: ‘We are well off, but

what use is money when I cannot be independent’ prove that she

knew that it was important to be self-reliant.