In this guide: a clear summary, explanation of symbols and poetic devices, model answers to the textbook questions, additional comprehension questions, and a quick interactive quiz.
Read the poem in your prescribed edition of Woven Words. These are study notes and model answers, not a substitute for close reading of the poem.
1. About the Poem
Poet: Padma Sachdev
Language: The poem was translated from Dogri into English by Shivanath.
Textbook: Woven Words, Class XI English Elective
Central concern: The poet’s devotion to Dogri and her concern about the loss of its native Sharada script.
Padma Sachdev wrote in Dogri and Hindi. The note about the poet in Woven Words explains that Dogri’s native Sharada script was displaced by the Persian script and that Dogri is now written in both Persian and Devanagari scripts. The poem expresses grief over this loss through an imaginative conversation between the speaker and a reed.
Consult the NCERT Woven Words text (Mother Tongue, page 120) and the CBSE English Elective syllabus for 2026–27.
2. Summary of “Mother Tongue”
The speaker approaches a reed and asks it for a quill. The reed is surprised and asks why she needs another one so soon, wondering whether she is using it to write account books for a wealthy man, a “Shah”. The speaker explains that she does not work for a Shah but for a “Shahni”—a kind and prosperous woman who has many servants ready to carry out her wishes.
The speaker then reveals that the Shahni is her mother tongue, Dogri. She asks for the quill quickly because her mother tongue may be waiting for her. The reed responds by cutting off its own “hand” and giving it to her as a quill, declaring that it too is a servant of the Shahni.
On the surface, the poem describes a simple exchange between a writer and a reed. Symbolically, it expresses the poet’s dedication to Dogri and to writing in the language. The reed’s willing sacrifice suggests that preserving a language is a shared responsibility. The poem also gains significance from the textbook’s note about the displacement of Dogri’s native Sharada script.
3. Analysis and Central Idea
The mother tongue as a queen
The speaker describes Dogri as a “Shahni”, a respected and prosperous woman who has many servants. The image presents the language as worthy of loyalty and service. The speaker is not writing for personal profit; she sees her work as service to her language.
The reed’s response
The reed first questions the speaker’s need for another quill. Once it learns whom she serves, it offers its own “hand” to become the writing instrument. This imaginative act makes the reed a willing participant in the service of Dogri. It suggests that the work of sustaining a language can involve many people and resources.
Urgency and responsibility
The speaker asks for the quill “quickly” because the Shahni may be looking for her. This urgency conveys devotion and a sense of duty. In the context provided by the textbook, the poem also mourns the loss of Sharada as Dogri’s native script. The poem does not simply describe a writing tool; it asks readers to consider what is at stake when a language loses an important part of its written heritage.
Central idea
The poem celebrates love for one’s mother tongue and the responsibility of writing, using and sustaining it. It also draws attention to the relationship between a language and its script. The poet’s attachment is personal, cultural and literary.
4. Symbols and Poetic Devices
| Feature | Meaning and effect |
|---|---|
| The quill | A writing instrument that symbolises the means of writing and preserving Dogri. In the context note, it is also connected with the poem’s concern about the loss of Sharada script. |
| The reed | Personified as a speaking, thinking figure. Its willingness to give its “hand” makes it a helper in the service of the mother tongue. |
| “Shahni” | A queen-like or high-status figure used for Dogri. The image conveys dignity, affection and the speaker’s sense of duty. |
| “Servants” | Those who work for the Shahni symbolise people and resources devoted to the language, including the poet. |
| Personification | The reed speaks, questions the speaker and gives its hand. Dogri is represented as a Shahni. These human qualities make the abstract idea of language preservation vivid. |
| Dialogue | The exchange between the speaker and reed reveals the speaker’s purpose gradually and gives the poem a lively, conversational quality. |
| Symbolism | Ordinary objects—a reed and a quill—carry larger meanings about writing, language and cultural continuity. |
| Free verse | The poem uses lines of varying lengths and conversational phrasing rather than a regular rhyme scheme. |
5. Understanding the Poem: Textbook Answers
Q1. The quill is the central element in the poem—what does it symbolise?
Answer: The quill symbolises the means of writing in one’s mother tongue and preserving its literary tradition. In the context of Dogri, it is also associated with the loss of Sharada, the language’s native script. By asking the reed for a quill, the poet presents writing as a way of serving Dogri and keeping its written heritage alive.
Q2. You notice a sense of urgency in the poet’s request—what is the reason for this?
Answer: The speaker’s urgency comes from her strong sense of duty towards Dogri. She says that the Shahni may be looking for her, so she must return to her service quickly. The urgency also reflects the poem’s concern with preserving the language and remembering its written heritage. It conveys commitment rather than merely impatience.
Q3. How has the poet brought out her emotional attachment to her mother tongue?
Answer: The poet describes Dogri as a “Shahni”, a respected and prosperous woman whom many servants serve. The speaker includes herself among these servants and feels she must respond to the Shahni’s needs. Her hurried request for a quill and the reed’s willing sacrifice make her devotion vivid. The poem presents writing as an act of love and service to Dogri.
Q4. Personification attributes human qualities to inanimate things and abstract ideas. How has it been used in this poem?
Answer: The reed is personified because it speaks, questions the speaker and finally gives its “hand” to make a quill. Dogri is personified as a “Shahni”, a figure who has servants ready to carry out her wishes. These human actions turn the preservation of a language into a vivid scene of service and devotion.
6. Additional Comprehension Questions
Q1. Why does the reed initially question the speaker’s request?
Answer: The reed says that it gave the speaker a quill only recently and asks what she has done with it. It imagines that she might be writing account books for a Shah, where a new pen is needed frequently. The question sets up the contrast between commercial writing and the speaker’s service to Dogri.
Q2. What is the difference between working for a Shah and working for a Shahni in the poem?
Answer: The reed assumes the speaker writes for a wealthy man who needs account books. The speaker corrects it: she serves a Shahni, her mother tongue Dogri. The distinction shifts the focus from commercial work to a personal and cultural commitment to language.
Q3. Why is the reed’s final action significant?
Answer: The reed cuts off its own “hand” and offers it as a quill. This personified act suggests complete willingness to help the speaker serve Dogri. It also reinforces the idea that writing and preserving a language require active participation and dedication.
Q4. How does the poem connect language with cultural identity?
Answer: Dogri is presented as more than a tool for communication: it is the speaker’s “Shahni”, deserving loyalty and service. The textbook’s note about the loss of Sharada script adds a historical dimension. Together, these ideas connect a language’s written form with memory, literary expression and cultural identity.
Q5. What is the effect of the conversational style?
Answer: The dialogue makes the poem accessible and dramatic. The reed’s questions create curiosity, while the speaker’s explanation reveals the deeper purpose of her request. The final exchange gives the poem an emotional conclusion without a long explanation of the poet’s beliefs.
Q6. What does the poem suggest about the responsibility of writers?
Answer: It suggests that writers can serve their mother tongue by using it, creating literature in it and helping preserve its written tradition. The speaker sees her work as a duty to Dogri. The reed’s offer reinforces the idea that language survives through the efforts of those willing to support it.
7. Try This Out: Language Attitudes Activity
The textbook invites students to talk to five people from different walks of life about the languages they know and use. You can record your findings in the table below.
| Person / background | Languages known | Language used at home | Language used for study or work | Attitude or preference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Person 1 | ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| Person 2 | ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| Person 3 | ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| Person 4 | ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
| Person 5 | ________ | ________ | ________ | ________ |
Reflection: What influences people’s language choices—family, education, work, community, literature or convenience? Do people value a language differently from the script in which they write it? Use your findings to write a short paragraph.
8. Interactive MCQ Quiz
Choose one answer for each question and click Check answers. This quiz checks the main ideas and literary features discussed in the guide.
9. Quick Revision and Exam Tips
- Poet: Padma Sachdev; the poem is translated from Dogri into English by Shivanath.
- Mother tongue: Dogri.
- Quill: The means of writing and preserving the language; linked to the script theme.
- Shahni: A personified image for Dogri, showing the speaker’s respect and devotion.
- Reed: Personified as a helper willing to serve the language.
- Main devices: Personification, symbolism and dialogue.
- Context: The textbook note discusses the loss of Sharada as Dogri’s native script and the use of Persian and Devanagari scripts.
How to write a strong answer
- Answer the question directly in the first sentence.
- Explain the relevant image or technique rather than simply naming it.
- Connect your explanation to Dogri, the speaker’s devotion or the script context where relevant.
- Use only short quotations checked against your textbook.
