Fiction Chapter -1 How I Taught My Grandmother to Read Class IX English-A

Chapter 1
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read

Question- What made Triveni a popular writer?

Answer- Her style of writing and her convincing stories which dealt with the day to day life of ordinary people made Triveni a popular writer. People liked her and her stories because they could easily relate to her stories as they usually depicted the psychological problems people face in their day to day life.

Question- Why did grandmother depend on the granddaughter to know the story?

Answer- Grandmother depended on her granddaughter to know the story because she was an uneducated lady who never went to school and so she didn’t know how to read or write.

Question- Pick out two sentences which state that the grandmother was desperate to know what happened in the story.

Answer- Two sentences which state that the grandmother was desperate to know the story are-

1.    “I waited eagerly for you to return.”   

2.    During that time she would forget all her work and listen with the greatest concentration.

Question-Could the grandmother succeed in accomplishing her desire to read? How?

Answer- Yes, the grandmother succeeded in accomplishing her desire to read by working very hard, doing lots of homework, reading, writing, reciting, repeating and being determined to continue and accomplish her goal of learning the Kannada alphabets.

Question- Which of the following traits would be relevant to the character of the narrator’s grandmother?

Answer- The following traits are relevant to the character of the narrator’s grandmother-

         (i) Determined- grandmother was a determined lady as she set the goal and decided to keep Saraswati pooja day as the deadline and was able to accomplish her goal in spite of many obstacles.

         (ii) Emotional- grandmother was an emotional lady as when her granddaughter was not with her she felt sad and helpless. When her granddaughter returned and she related her story and helplessness she got emotional and cried.

Question- Write the character sketch of grandmother.

Answer- The main character in the story ‘how I taught my grandmother to read’ written by Sudha Murty is Krishtakka, the grandmother of the writer. Of sixty-two years with grey hairs and wrinkled hands. She worked a lot in the kitchen as she enjoyed feeding her children and grandchildren a lot. The writer states that she had not seen her grandmother cry even in the most difficult situation which shows that she had a strong-willed character.

She was a very determined lady as she didn’t give up in spite of all obstacles when she decided to learn the Kannada language. She was also very diligent and hardworking as the amount of homework she did was amazing. She decided to learn the Kannada language so that she could read independently. This shows that she possessed an independent spirit. She was also very religious and pious as she obeyed her holy scriptures and respected her teacher (granddaughter) irrespective of her age.

Character Sketch of Kothamangalam Subbu

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Kothamangalam Subbu

In his book ' My Years with Boss at Gemini Studios' the writer Asokamitran has described Subbu as number two. To reach this position he had worked hard. We find out that 

the Gemini Studios was set up with a team of 600 people in 1940. It had set up its identity in film production and it touched upon varied aspects. Subbu is a many-sided genius and an indispensable man for the studios. He serves his Boss and the organization from the core of his heart. He does not have much education but his loyalty has made him identify with his Principal or the Boss. He uses all his energy and creativity to the advantage of his Boss and his company. He understands all the complexities and technicalities of film-making. In case the director is not satisfied, Subbu comes up with fourteen more alternatives. In this context, he is a dynamic person. During its golden period, Subbu gives Gemini Studios a  new direction and definition. Subbu is a poet and writes his poetry for the masses. His sprawling novel ‘Thillana Mohanambal’ had dozens of lovely characters on the mood and manner of the Devadasis of the early 20th century. Whatever roles Subbu played, he acted better than the main actor. Subbu has a charitable and cheerful personality. He feeds and supports dozens of near and dear ones at his residence but has his own share of enemies. With the closure of the story department, Subbu also lost his job.