UNDERSTANDING
THE TEXT PAGE
6-7
Mention
1. The three phases of the author’s
relationship with his grandmother before he left else country to study abroad.
Answer:
The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he
left else country to study abroad are
(i) Childhood- When he attended the village school,
his grandmother assisted him in getting ready and accompanied him to class.
(ii) Boyhood- When he took the bus to school in the
city He shared a room with his grandma, but she couldn't help him with his
schoolwork any longer.
(iii) Youth- When he was accepted to university and
given his own room. The bond of friendship has been severed.
2. Three reasons why the author’s
grandmother was disturbed when m started going to the city school.
Answer:
The following are three reasons why the author's grandma was upset when he
began attending a city school:
(i) She despised western science and education.
(ii) She was distressed to see that there was no
teaching of God or the Bible there.
(iii) She couldn't listen to music since she was
allergic to it. She believed it was not intended for good people and gentlemen.
Prostitutes and beggars had the monopoly.
3. Three ways in which the author’s grandmother
spent her days after he grew up.
Answer:
The author's grandma spent her days after he grew up in three different ways:
(i) She was content to live alone in her room
because she had silently accepted her loneliness.
(ii) She was repeating prayers as she sat at her
spinning wheel.
(iii) She would feed the sparrows for half an hour
in the afternoon.
4. The odd ways in which the author’s
grandmother behaved just before she died.
Answer:
The author's grandmother refused to speak to them just before she died. She
wasn't going to spend any more time now that she hadn't prayed the night before
while singing homecoming songs and beating the drum. She seemed unconcerned
about their objections. She was happily praying and telling beads in her bed.
5. The way in which the sparrows
expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.
Answer:
Thousands of birds sat peacefully around the author's grandmother's lifeless
body. There was no chirruping to be heard. The author's mother tossed some
bread crumbs to them. They paid no attention to them. They flew away softly as
soon as the grandmother's body was brought away. As a result, the sparrows
voiced their grief.
TALKING ABOUT
THE TEXT PAGE
7
Talk to your partner about the following.
1. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the
different ways in which we come to know this?
Answer:
The author's grandma was a devout Catholic. We learn this from the various ways
in which she behaves. Every morning, she went to the temple and read the
scriptures. She always mumbled an inaudible prayer at home and kept telling the
rosary beads. While getting the writer ready for school, she would recite
prayers in a sing-song manner. She hoped that he would memorise it. She
disliked English school since it did not teach about God or the Bible.
She would repeat prayers even while spinning at her
spinning wheel. Maybe it was just one time when she neglected to say her
prayers. It was the night before she died when she was overjoyed while
celebrating the arrival of her grandchild with singing and drumming. Until her
last breath, she continued to pray and recount the beads of her rosary.
2. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his
grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?
Answer:
The author was fully reliant on his grandma when he was a child. He had her in
his life. When they moved to the city, their friendship took a turn for the
better. She was no longer able to accompany him to school because he took the
bus. They shared a room, but she was unable to assist him with his academics.
She'd inquire as to what the teachers had taught her. She was not a believer in
what she was taught in school. She was disappointed that there was no
instruction on God or the Bible. She was offended that music was being taught
as well. She kept her criticism to herself. She didn't speak to him much after
that. He was granted his own room when he started university. The bond of
friendship has been severed.
Their feelings for each other, however, remained
unchanged. They were still completely in love with one other. When the author
was leaving for further studies abroad, she went to see him off at the train
station. She was emotionless, yet she silently kissed his forehead. This was
likely the final sign of physical touch between them, according to the author.
She greeted the author at the station when he returned after five years. She
took him in her arms and cradled him in her arms. She sang songs and pounded an
old drum in honour of his return in the evening.
3. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person
strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.
Answer:
Yes, I believe the author's grandmother had a strong personality. She was a
strong woman who held firm to her convictions. Despite her lack of formal
schooling, she was committed to the author's education. She was unable to adapt
to the western way of life, including science and English education. She
despised music and objected to it being taught in schools. She was a devout
Christian woman. Her lips were twitching in silent prayer all the time. Her
rosary beads were continually telling her something. She read the scriptures
and went to the temple every day. She was disappointed to learn that Khushwant
Singh's new English school did not educate about God or religious books.
She was a lovely lady. She used to walk around the
village feeding dogs. She started feeding birds around the city. She had mental
strength despite her age and physical weakness. She refused to speak to family
members just before her death because she did not want to waste her time. She
attempted to make up for the time she hadn't prayed to God the night before.
She lay peacefully in bed, reciting prayers and counting her rosary beads till
she passed away.
4. Have you known someone like the author’s grandmother? Do you
feel the same sense of loss with regard to someone whom you have loved and
lost?
Answer:
Yes, I knew my grandfather, who was devoted to me and took care of me. Before
retiring as a colonel 20 years ago, he served in the army. He was still active
and intelligent when I was in school. He enjoyed walking, jogging, and
participating in outdoor activities. He motivated us to get up early every day.
A healthy mind, he believed, resides in a healthy body. He used to offer us
wonderful physical activities, milk, and nutritious meals, and then he would
ask us to study for a while before going to school. In the afternoons, he'd
inquire about what we'd learned at school.
He would assist us with our homework and supervise our reading, writing, and math calculations. He had a calm yet forceful demeanour. He emphasised the importance of good habits and character development. He died just as I was about to embark on my post-secondary education abroad. I miss him terribly. When I see his portrait on the wall, I feel a sense of grief. But his upbeat demeanour encourages me to persevere in the face of adversity.
THINKING ABOUT
LANGUAGE PAGE
7
Talk to your partner about the following.
1. Which language do you think the author
and his grandmother used while talking to each other?
Answer:
The grandma of the author was uneducated. As a result, I believe the author and
his grandmother conversed in their native tongue—in this case, Punjabi.
2. Which language do you use to talk to
elderly relatives in your family?
Answer:
My elderly family speak English and Hindi fluently. I feel at ease greeting
them in English, but I like to chat freely in Hindi with them.
3. What is the expression used in your
language for a ‘dilapidated drum’?
Answer:
The expression used in my language for a dilapidated drum is that of something
that is old, and worn out
4. Can you think of a song or poem in
your language that talks of homecoming?
Answer: Many folk songs and lyrics are dedicated to the deeds of courageous warriors. All of this is about their triumphant return home after a war.
WORKING WITH
WORDS PAGE
7-8
I. Notice
the following uses of the word ‘tell’ in the text.
1. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary.
2. I would tell her English words and little things of Western Science and
learning.
3. At her age, one could never tell.
4. She told us that her end was near.
Given below are four different senses of
the word ‘tell’. Match the meaning to the uses listed above.
(a) make
something known to someone in spoken or written words
(b) count
while reciting
(c) be
sure
(d) give
information to somebody
Answer:
II. Notice the different senses of the word ‘take’.
1. to take to something: to begin to do
something as a habit
2. to take ill: suddenly became ill
Locate these phrases in the text and
notice the way they are used.
Answer:
III. The word ‘hobble’ means to walk with great
difficulty because the legs and feet are in bad condition.
Tick the words in the box below that also
refer to a manner of walking.
Answer:
The words referring to a manner of walking
are:
shuffle, stride,
waddle, swagger, trudge, slog.
NOTICING FORM PAGE
8
Notice the form of the verbs italicised in these sentences.
1. My grandmother was an old woman. She had been old and wrinkled for the twenty
years that I had known her. People
said that she had once been young and pretty and had even had a husband, but that was hard to believe.
2. When we both had finished
we would walk back together.
3. When I came back
she would ask me what the teacher had
taught me.
4. It was the first
time since I had known her that she
did not pray.
5. Thus sun was setting and had lit her room and verandah with a
golden light.
These are examples of the past perfect forms of verbs. When we
recount things in the distant past we use this form.
Answer:
1. We understood the poem only when the teacher had
explained it twice.
2. When the rain came, they had already reached
their hotel.
3. We had worked together on that project for six
months before she left me.
4. It was the first time since I had lived there
that it began to snow.
5. The full moon was in the sky and had scattered its soft fight all around.
THINGS TO DO PAGE
9
Talk with your family members about
elderly people who you have been intimately connected with and are not there
with you now. Write a short description of someone you liked a lot.
Answer: My Grandfather
My grandfather died when I was twelve years old, yet I still remember him. He was genuinely fond of me, and I admired him greatly. He was pretty old at the time, but he was still mobile. During his visits to the temple, market, garden, or the homes of friends and relatives, I was his regular companion. Other family members would tease me about being Grandad's watchdog. He was my protector. When my father or mother was furious or thrashed me, I went to his arms. He used to tell me bedtime stories, and I miss them. Those fantastic tales were packed with bravery and adventure, and they all ended happily. He motivated me to accomplish good things in life. He was equally concerned about my health and academic performance. To stay in shape, he would force me to drink milk and eat fruit. He could draw well and assisted me in learning to write the alphabet. He also provided ready-to-use remedies to all of my issues. When I achieved success in whatever field—studies, athletics, song, poetic recitation, poster making, or fancy dress competition—he would bless me. I miss him a lot at times.
Poem:
A Photograph by Shirley Toulson
THINK IT OUT PAGE
12
1. What does the word ‘cardboard’ denote
in the poem? Why has this word been used?
Answer:
The term "cardboard" refers to a photograph that has been pasted on a
hard, thick piece of paper. This term was once used to describe a method of
preserving images by pasting them onto cardboard and framing them with a glass
front.
2. What has the camera captured?
Answer:
The three girls—the poet's mother and her two cousins, Betty and Dolly—are
photographed in their swimsuits, with the poet's mother in the centre and the
two cousins on either side holding her hands and walking bare feet in the
seawater.
3. What has not changed over the years?
Does this something to you?
Answer:
The sea has remained unchanged over time. Its waves are as vibrant, gleaming,
and unstoppable as they were a decade ago. The constancy of the water reminds
us of the variations in the human face as we get older.
4. The poet’s mother laughed at the
snapshot? What did this laugh indicate?
Answer:
This laugh conveyed her delight at recalling an occasion from her past life
when she was young and free of life's tensions and problems.
5. What is the meaning of the line “Both
wry with the laboured ease of loss.”?
Answer:
The sea vacation and the poet's mother's laughing are memories from the past.
They are related to a sense of loss. Both are humorous yet unsatisfying since
the feeling of being at ease or relaxed is unnatural or forced. This sensation
of betrayal is excruciating to bear.
6. What does ‘the circumstance’ refer to?
Answer:
This circumstance alludes to the poet's mother's death.
7. The three different stanzas depict
three different phases. What are they?
Answer:
The three different phases that the three stanzas depict are
(i) The poet's mother's childhood—the time leading
up to the poet's birth.
(ii) Her adolescence—the poet's childhood—was a
period of transition for her.
(iii) The period following the poet's mother's death.
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