L-1: 'How I Taught My grandmother to Read' by Sudha Murti: C.B.S.E. CLASS IX

L-1: 'How I Taught My Grandmother To Read': by Sudha Murti

Detailed Summary of the lesson:

1.The narrator used to stay in a village with her grandmother in north Karnatka when she was about twelve. They used to get their morning paper in the afternoon as the transport system was not good.  They had to wait for the bus anxiously It would fetch the news papers, weekly magazine and the post in the afternoon for the weekly magazine for a week.

2. In those days Triveni was a very popular writer in the language of Kannada. Her style was very easy to understand and very satisfying one. She usually took complex psychological problems of ordinary people as the subject-matter of her stories. Unfortunately she died very young at the age of forty years and it was a big loss to Kannada literature. Her novels are much appreciated now-a-days also.

3. One of her popular novels titled ‘Kashi Yatra’ was appearing as a serial in the Kannada weekly Karamaveera at that time. It was about an old lady who had an ardent (keen) desire to go to Kashi or Varanasi. It is a common belief among the Hindus that going to Kashi and worship Lord Vishweshwara is the ultimate ‘punya’. That old lady also had this belief, and her struggle was described in that novel. There is another thread of story in the main plot of the novel and that is about an orphan girl who falls in love with a boy and had no money for the wedding. It he end, the old lady who wanted to go to Kashiji gave all of her money for the girl’s wedding and did not go to Kashiji. She says, “The happiness of this girl is more important than worshipping Lord Vishweshwara at Kashi.’

4. The narrator says that her grandmother, Krishtakka was unable to read because she never went to school. The narrator would read the next episode of the story to her on every Wednesday when the magazine came after one week. She would suspend all of her activities to listen to the story with full attention. The narrator’s grandmother also never went to Kashi and she identified herself with the protagonist of the story i.e. the old women who could not go to Kashi and gave all of savings to the orphan girl for her wedding. She was always anxious like any one to know what happened next in the story.

5. After listening to what happened next in Kashi Yatra, she would do other activities like joining her friends at the temple courtyard. The narrator and her friends also would gather there for playing hide and seek. She would discuss the latest episode with her friends also. At that time the narrator did not understand as why there was a big debate on the story.

6. In those days, a wedding was thought to be a great event. Once, the narrator went with her cousins to attend a marriage in the neighbouring village. They enjoyed the marriage fully by eating and moving about freely there because all elders were so busy. The narrator went there for a couple of days, but stayed there for a week.

7. When she came back to her village, she saw that her grandmother was in tears. She asked her the reason. She was worried to see her grandmother in that condition because she had never seen her cry even in the most difficult situations.

8. “Avva, is everything alright? Are you ok?

9. The narrator used to call her Avva that means mother in Kannada language spoken in north Karnataka.

10.  The grandmother did not reply but nodded her head as if she did not want to tell her the reason. At night, the narrator along with her cousins was sleeping in the open terrace of the house. The moon was full in the summer night. ‘Avva’ came and sat beside her. Then she touched the narrator’s forehead with her affectionate hands. The girl understood that her grandmother wanted to say something. So she asked her, “What is the matter?

11. She told the narrator that when she was young, her mother passed away and there was nobody in the house to look after her. Her father was a busy man, so he got married again. Those were the days when education for girls was not considered of much importance. That was the reason as to why she did not go to school. She was married when she was very young and she had children. Married life made her very much busy and then with the passage of time, she had grandchildren also. She felt very much happy in cooking and feeding her children At times she had regret for not going to school, but she always thought of sending her children and grandchildren to school for studies.

12. The narrator could not understand as to why her sixty-two year old grandmother was telling the story of her life to a twelve year old grand-daughter. But she knew that she loved her grandmother greatly and there would be some solid reason for she was talking to her in that way. She saw her grandmother’s face and felt very sad to notice tears in her eyes. She could not forget the sad face of her even today. She leaned forward and caught her hand into hers.

13. ‘Avva, don’t cry. What is the matter? Can I help you in any way?’

14. ‘Yes, I need your help. You know when you were away, Karmaveera came as usual. I opened the magazine. I saw the pictures that accompany the story of Kashi Yatra and I could not understand anything that was written. Many times, I rubbed my hands over the pages wishing they could understand what was written. But I knew it was not possible…”

 She also wished she had been educated. She continued saying that she waited for her return eagerly so that she could listen from her the whole story of the episode. She further said that she had even thought of going to the village where her grand-daughter had gone. She had also thought of asking anybody about the episode, but she was embarrassed to do so. She was so dependent and helpless at that time. She felt regret for her being helpless and dependent even though her family was well off.

15. The narrator was silent and did not know what to say. 16. The grandmother continued saying that she had decided to learn the Kannada alphabet for the next day onwards. She would work very hard. She also fixed  ‘Saraswati Pooja’ day during ‘Dassara’ as the dead line. She would be able to read a novel of her own by that day and become independent I that way.

17. There was a kind of determination on her face, yet the narrator laughed at her.

18. “Avva, at this age of sixty-two you want to learn the alphabet? All your hair is grey, your hands are wrinkled, you wear spectacles and you work so much in the kitchen…”

19. In a childish manner, the narrator made fun of her old grandmother, but she only smiled at her.

20. “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.”

21. The narrator became her grandmother’s tutor from the next day. Avva was a wonderful student because she did all of her work with full sincerity and devotion. She would read, repeat, write and recite. She was her granddaughter’s first student. The narrator did not know at that young age that one day she would become a teacher and would teach hundreds of students.

22. The narrator secretly bought one copy of the book ‘Kashi Yatra that had been published as a novel by the Dassara festival. The grandmother called the narrator to sit on a stool at the pooja place and gave her a frock material as a gift. After that she did something unusual. She touched her granddaughter’s feet. That surprised the little girl as elders did not touch the youngers’ feet. The younger touched the feet of God, elders and teachers only. It was a great tradition and all considered it as a mark of great respect.

23. She said, “I am touching the feet of a teacher, not my granddaughter; a teacher who taught me so well, with so much affection that I can read a novel confidently in such a short period. Now I am independent. It is my duty to respect a teacher. Is it not written in our scriptures that a teacher should be respected, irrespective of the gender and age?”

24. The narrator also returned ‘namaskara to her grandmother by touching her feet and gave her gift to her first student. She opened it and read immediately the title Kashi Yatra by Triveni and the publisher’s name.

25. She knew that her student had passed with flying colours.

Textual Questions

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 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?

(i) determined (ii) selfish  (iii) emotional  (iv) mean

Give reasons for your choice

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde: Chapter 7: CBSE: CLASS XI

The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde: Chapter 7

The funeral procession of the ghost started at about 11 p.m. from Canterville Chase. The hearse (the vehicle in which the coffin is carried) was driven by eight black horses, each of which had a tuft of ostrich plumes. The coffin was covered by a pall (shroud) of rich purple colour. The servants walked with lighted torches by the side of the hearse. The whole procession was wonderfully impressive. Lord Canterville, who had come up especially from Wales to attend the funeral, was the chief mourner. He sat in the first carriage along with little Virginia. Then the US Minister and his wife, Washington and the three boys followed. Mrs. Umney, who had been frightened by the ghost for the last fifty years, was in the last carriage. A deep grave had been dug in the corner of the churchyard just under the yew-tree and the service was read in the most impressive manner by the Rev. Augustus Dampier. The servants extinguished the torches when the ceremony was over. It was done according to an old custom in the Canterville family. As coffin was being lowered into the grave, Virginia stepped forward and laid on it a large cross which was made of white  and pink almond blossoms. As this was done by her, the moon appeared from behind a cloud and the little churchyard was flooded with its silent silver light. From a distant copse (grove), a nightingale began to sing. As Virginia thought of the ghost’s description of the garden of death, her eyes became dim with tears. She hardly spoke any word during the drive home.

The next morning, Mr. Otis had an interview with Lord Canterville on the subject of the precious jewels the ghost had given to Virginia. Mr. Otis requested him to take those jewels with him and regard them as the part of his property. He also added that his daughter was too young to have interest in those things. He also told Lord Canterville about his wife’s opinion about the value of those jewels that they would fetch a tall price if offered for sale in the market. He further said that his daughter Virginia was only interested in keeping the box with her as a memento his unfortunate but misguided ancestor. He also appreciated and even felt proud of his little daughter for showing sympathy with medievalism (connected with the Middle Ages: about AD1000 to Ad 1450) in any form.

Lord Canterville listened to Mr. Otis seriously, pulling his grey moustache now and then to hide a smile. When Mr. Otis finished, he cordially shook him by his hand and said, “My dear sir, your charming little daughter rendered my unlucky ancestor, Sir Simon, a very important service and I and my family are much indebted to her for her marvelous courage and pluck (spirit). The jewels are clearly hers, and, egad (expressing surprise), I believe that if I were heartless enough to take them from her, the wicked old fellow would be out of his grave in a fortnight, leading me the devil of a life….” He further said that there was no mention of those jewels in the will or any legal document. Moreover, he reminded Mr. Otis that the furniture and the ghost were taken at valuation and so, every that belonged to the ghost also belonged to him.

Mr. Otis was distressed at Lord Canterville’s refusal, so he begged of him to reconsider his decision. The Lord was quite firm in his decision and finally induced the minister to allow his daughter to retain the present the ghost had given her.

When the young Duchess of Cheshire was presented at the Queen’s first drawing-room on the occasion of her marriage in the spring of 1890, her jewels were the main source of admiration. The Duke and Virginia were so charming that everyone was delighted at the match. Mr. Otis was extremely fond of the young Duke personally, but theoretically he was opposed to the titles because of his commitment to the true principles of Republican simplicity. However, at the marriage of his daughter, he was a proud man.

The Duke and the Duchess, after their honeymoon, went down to Canterville Chase and the next day they walked over to the lonely churchyard by the pine-woods. On Sir Simon’s, tombstone, the initials of the old gentleman’s name and the verse from the library window were engraved. The Duchess had brought with her some lovely roses, which she strewed (scattered) upon the grave. After sometime, they strolled into the ruined chancel (the part of the church that is near the place where the priest and the choir sit during services) of the old abbey. The Duchess sat down on a fallen pillar, while the husband lay at her feet smoking a cigarette and looking up at her beautiful eyes. Suddenly, he threw his cigarette away and said to her, “Virginia, a wife should have no secrets from her husband.”

“Dear Cecil! I have no secrets from you.”

“Yes, you have,” he answered, smiling, “you have never told me what happened to you when you were locked up with the ghost.”

“I have never told anyone, Cecil.” Said Virginia gravely.

“I know that, but you might tell me.”

“Please, don’t ask me, Cecil, I cannot tell you. Poor Sir Simon! I owe him a great deal. Yes, don’t laugh, Cecil, I really do. He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.”

The Duke rose and kissed his wife lovingly.

“You can have your secret as long as I have your heart,” he murmured.

“You have always had that, Cecil.”

“And you will tell our children some day, won’t you?”

Virginia blushed.

The Gentlemen of Verona by A. J. Cronin (For CBSE CLASS X)

The Gentlemen of Verona by A. J. Cronin

(For CBSE CLASS X)

About the Author

 A.J. Cronin was a doctor by occupation. He wrote his first novel Hatter’s Castle while he was recovering from ill-health. The novel was a grand success. After that he wrote a number of novels and short stories. Among his best known novels are: The citadel, The Key of the Kingdom and The Spanish Gardener.

About the Story:

This story is about two brothers who were made orphans in the days of war by the Germans. Their father, who was a famous singer was killed in the early days of the war and their house was destroyed by a bomb. They had a sister of twenty years and she suffered from tuberculosis of the spine. As she was in a hospital, the teen aged boys had to work very hard to save money to clear the bills of the hospitals. So the main theme of the story is devotion and sympathy for the sibling.

The secondary theme also runs in the story and that proves that the appearances are not always true. They may be deceptive. You cannot judge a person by the facial expression or the dress he or she wears. The narrator’s driver had not very good opinion about these two boys when they had stopped their car on their way to Verona.

The Detailed Summary of ‘The Gentlemen of Verona’ by A. J. Cronin

The narrator along with his companion drove through the foothills of the Alps and after sometime they were stopped by two boys who were selling strawberries on the outskirts of Verona. Luigi, the driver, advised the narrator not to buy fruit from them giving the reason that they could get better fruit in Verona. It also seemed that the driver did not like the shabby appearance and also the dress worn by the two boys. He expressed his disapproval by shrugging his shoulders.

One of the two boys had put on a worn jersey and cut-off khaki pants. The other had put on a shortened army tunic (an outer garment)

They had skinny frame (thin body), brown skins, tangled (uncombed) hair and dark earnest (full of sincerity) eyes. The narrator and his companion talked to the boys and discovered that they were brothers. The elder brother was Nicola of 13 and the younger, Jacopo, nearly 12. The narrator and his companion bought all the fruit from them and set off towards the town.

The next morning, thenarator saw those boys doing the job of shining shoes beside the fountain in the public square (open area/plaza). They also greeted the narrator, who came to know from the boys that they did different kinds of work to earn money. They also guide people to show the important places of the town like Julliet’s tomb and several other places of interest.

The narrator appointed the two boys their guide. Thus they started visiting the places and made rounds of the town.  The narrator’s interest was aroused again by their remarkable demeanour (appearance & behavior). They were childish and innocent in many ways. Jacob was lively and active as a squirrel while Nicola’s smile was attractive and prolonged. In spite of all, there was seriousness that was unusual on a teen ager’s face.

In the following week, the narrator and his friends remained in touch with them.

They also did little jobs for the narrator and his companion. For example, if they wanted a pack of American cigarettes or tickets for the opera or the name of good restaurant, they helped them.

The most remarkable quality of them was their ‘willingness to do work’. They shined shoes, sold fruit, newspapers, guided the tourists round the town and ran errands (odd jobs) without caring for the hot sun or any other adverse condition.

Once it was a windy (blowy) night and the narrator along with his friends found the two boys resting on the stone pavement beneath the lights in the deserted (without people) square.

Nicola sat upright feeling tired and bundle of newspapers lay at his feet.

Jacopa was asleep and his head rested upon his brother’s shoulder. It was nearly midnight time.

The next morning, the narrator went over to the fountain to have his shoes shined. He asked Nicola rather indirectly as to what they did with the money they earned. The narrator also added that they work so hard; they did not spend money on clothes and usually ate black bread and figs.

After listening that, Nicola looked sad and his colour on the face grew pale. The narrator told him that they must be saving to emigrate to the U.S.A. He spoke with an effort saying that they would like to go to the States, but they had game-plans. The narrator grew curious to know about the game plan. So he asked him to explain his game plan.

Smiling uncomfortably, he answered in a low voice, Just plans, sir.”

The narrator did not ask anything more and informed them that they were leaving the town on Monday. He also asked if they needed any help from them.

Nicola shook his head in refusal and Jacopa spoke at once, “Sir, every Sunday, we make a visit to the country to Poleta, 30 kilometers. Usually we hire bicycles. But tomorrow, since you are so kind, you might send us in your car.”

The narrator told Nicola that he would drive them out himself.

Nicola glaring at his younger brother told the narrator that he did not want to trouble him. The narrator assured him that it would not be any trouble to him.

Nicola said, “Very well” rather unwillingly.

The next afternoon, the narrator along with the two brothers drove to the tiny village that was set high upon the hillside. The narrator had imagined that Nicola would take him at some humble building, but after sometime the narrator was directed to stop at a large red roofed villa, surrounded by high stone walls. The narrator could hardly believe his eyes.

Before he could recover from surprise, the two brothers leaped from the car. They told the narrator that they would not take long time to return and suggested to him to go to the village café in the village for a drink.

After that, they disappeared beyond the corner of the wall.

After a few minutes, the narrator followed the way they went to and reached a grilled entrance and rang the bell. A nurse with steel-rimmed spectacles appeared.

He enquired about the two boys and then the nurse opened the door to allow the narrator come in.

After that, she took him in and with a smile told the narrator to look through the glass partition.

The two boys were seated at the bedside of a girl of about twenty. She was sitting upright, supported by pillows, wearing pretty lace jacket. She was listening to what her brothers were talking about. Her eyes were soft and tender. She had some resemblance with her brothers. There was a vase of wild flowers on the table, near a dish of …..and several books.

“Won’t you go in?” the nurse murmured, “Lucia will be pleased to see you.”

The narrator did not want to disturb their happy family, but he requested the nurse to tell him all she knew about the two brothers.

She eagerly explained to the narrator that the two brothers were quite alone except their sister Lucia, who was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine and was admitted for her treatment in the hospital there. She also told him that their father, a widower, was a famous singer who had been killed in the early part of the war. After that, a bomb destroyed their house and pushed them on road. They had been habitual of living a comfortable and cultured life. Lucia had herself been trained as a singer. But poverty made their life miserable. They faced starvation and scarcity of all the things. They had to remain exposed to the cold weather.

They did not give in and continued their struggle to survive and built a sort of shelter with their hands amidst the rubble.

After that the Germans ruled the city for three years and they developed hatred for the Germans. They also joined the resistance group. They came back when the war was over and the peace ruled the city. At that time, they came to know that their sister was suffering from tuberculosis of the spine.

After the nurse paused for a little time.

Their sister Lucia had been there in the hospital for the last twelve months for her treatment. She had made a good progress. The nurse hoped that one day she would walk on her feet and sing again.

The nurse further told the narrator that every week Lucia’s brothers had made the payment of hospital’s dues, but she did not know how the boys managed that.

After that, the narrator waited outside till the boys came back.

The narrator drove the boys to the city and during the journey no one uttered a word. The narrator wanted to respect their secret. Their devotion towards their sister had touched the narrator’s heart greatly. War had not broken their spirit. Their selfless action of helping Lucia and working beyond their capacity to pay the bills of the hospital had impressed the narrator beyond expectation. It was a great message and promise of a greater hope for the mankind.