THINKING ABOUT THE TEXT PAGE 7
Activity
Find Dhanuskodi and Rameswaram on the map. What language(s) do you think are spoken there? What languages do you think the author, his family, his friends and his teachers spoke with one another?
Answer: NOTE: The marking of Dhauskodi
and Rameswaram
have to be done by the student.
It is Tamil that is spoken in these two places, and I think the author, his family, his friends and his teachers spoke with one another in Tamil.
I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each.
1. Where was Abdul
Kalam’s house?
Answer: Abdul Kalam’s house was located on the mosque street at Rameshwaram in the erstwhile Madras State.
2. What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.
Answer: Dinamani is the name of a Tamil newspaper. I strongly feel so because Abdul Kalam says he would attempt to trace the stories of the Second World War shared by his brother in the headlines in Dinamani.
3. Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?
Answer: Abdul Kalam had three close friends at school - Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan, and Sivaprakasan. While Ramanadha Sastry later took over the priesthood of the Rameshwaram Temple from his father, Aravindan went into the business of arranging transport for visiting pilgrims. Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.
4. How did Abdul Kalam
earn his first wages?
Answer: After the suspension of the train halt at the Rameshwaram station, the newspapers distributed by Abdul kalam’s brother Samsuddin had to be bundled and thrown out of the moving train on the Rameshwaram Road between Rameshwaram and Dhanushkodi. So, to lend a helping hand to his brother, Abdul Kalam decided to catch the bundles, eventually going on to earn his first wages.
5. Had he earned any money before that? In what way?
Answer: Yes, he had earned money before that. When the demand for tamarind seeds skyrocketed during the Second World War, Abdul Kalam would select the seeds and sell them to a provision shop on the Mosque Street, making one anna each day.
II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words)
1. How does the author describe: (i) his father, (ii) his mother, (iii) himself?
Answer: The author says his father, Jainulabdeen, had great inherent wisdom and true generosity of spirit despite having no much formal education or much wealth. His mother, Ashiamma, on the other hand, is described as an ideal helpmate to his father. The author also says his mother was generous enough to feed more outsiders than all the members of their family put together every day.
2. What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?
Answer: Pointing out that every child is born with some inherited characteristics into a specific socio-economic and emotional environment, the author says he inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father. And from his mother, he says he inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness.
III. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.
1. “On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups,” says the author.
(i) Which social groups
does he mention? Were these groups easily identifiable (for example, by the way
they dressed)?
(ii) Were they aware only of their differences or did they also naturally share friendships and experiences? (Think of the bedtime stories in Kalam’s house; of who his friends were; and of what used to take place in the pond near his house.)
(iii) The author speaks both of people who were very aware of the differences among them and those who tried to bridge these differences. Can you identify such people in the text?
(iv) Narrate two
incidents that show how differences can be created, and also how they can be
resolved. How can people change their attitudes?
Answer:
(i)
The phrase ‘different social groups’ that the author employs, in all
probability, refers to the social patterns that existed apropos caste and
religion. By saying so, the author intimates that a majority of people tended
to mingle only with those that belonged to their caste or religion. As far as
identification of the groups is concerned, it was easy, for Muslim men almost
always donned a skullcap and women a hijab while men from the upper-caste Hindu
families wore a sacred thread.
(ii)
While people were aware of the differences that existed, there were many who
did not take them seriously and believed in justness, thereby mingling freely
with one other. On the flip side, there were people who took the distinctions
quite seriously, and thus, they avoided interactions with people who belonged
to a different caste or religion.
(iii) The author makes a reference to a new teacher who came to his class when he was in his fifth standard. This teacher, the author says, was aware of the difference so much that he could not digest his sitting next to Ramanadha Sastry, a Hindu. The author being a Muslim wore a skullcap and was asked by this teacher to go and sit on the last bench. The author, however, also says that there were others like his teacher Sivasubramania Iyer, who despite being from an orthodox Brahmin family, invited the author for a meal to his house. However, his wife was horrified, and refused to serve the author in her ‘ritually pure kitchen’.
(iv)
Therefore, two incidents that talk of the differences being created involve a
teacher’s asking the author to sit on the last bench because a Muslim was not
supposed to be sitting next to a Brahmin and Sivasubramania Iyer’s wife’s
refusal to serve the author in his ritually pure kitchen. But it is Subramania
Iyer who tries to resolve these distinctions that run deep in the society by
inviting the author to his house for a meal once more. The next time, he was
served food by the teacher’s wife in the kitchen. Also, Lakshmana Sastry, the
high priest of the Rameshwaram temple and the father of the author’s friend
Ramanadha Sastry, summoned the teacher who had asked the author to sit on the
back bench, telling him that he should not spread the poison of social
inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children. He also
categorically asked the teacher to either apologise or quit the school and the
island. This significant incident transformed the teacher.
2. (i)
Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?
(ii) What did his
father say to this?
(iii) What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?
Answer:
(i) Abdul Kalam wanted to leave Rameshwaram so he may go to Ramanathapuram and study at the district headquarters there.
(ii)
To this decision of Abdul Kalam, his father said he knew Kalam had to go away
to grow. ‘Does the seagull not fly across the sun, alone and without a nest?’
he asked. He then told Kalam’s mother, quoting writer Khalil Gibran, ‘Your
children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s
longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. You may give them
your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts.’
(iii) His words simply mean that children at one stage have to leave their parents and take care of themselves. Also, it is evident that he spoke those words to pacify Ashiamma, his wife and the author’s mother, who would obviously feel bad upon getting separated from her son.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE PAGE 8
I. Find the sentences in the text where these words occur:
erupt,
surge, trace, undistinguished, casualty.
Look these words up in a dictionary which gives examples of how they are used. Now answer the following questions.
1. What are the things that can erupt? Use examples to explain the various meanings of erupt. Now do the same for the word surge. What things can surge?
Answer: Some things that can erupt include volcano, water, violence, commotion, or any gas.
Example sentences:
(i) Violence erupted soon after the passing of
the contentious bill.
(ii) Thousands of volcanoes have erupted over the past few centuries here.
Some things, both concrete and abstract, that can surge include liquids, interest, prices, love, and joy.
Example sentences:
(i)
Prices of essential
commodities surged following the riots.
(ii) His joy surged after seeing me.
2. What are the meanings of the word trace and which of the meanings is closest to the word in the text?
Answer: When used as a noun, the word trace can mean ‘a small amount’, ‘tincture’, ‘harness’, and ‘mark’. But when used as a verb, it could mean, ‘proceed’, ‘copy’, ‘decipher’, ‘pursue relentlessly’, ‘go back over again’, ‘detect’, and ‘notice’. The meaning ‘detect; is closest to the word given in the text.
3. Can you find the word undistinguished in your dictionary? (If not, look up the word distinguished and say what undistinguished must mean.)
Answer: Yes, I can find the word ‘undistinguished’ in my dictionary. It means ‘not distinguished’ or ‘ordinary’. It can also mean ‘unnoticed’.
II. 1. Match the phrases in Column A with their meanings in Column B.
|
A |
B |
|
(i)
broke out |
(a)
an attitude of kindness, a readiness to give freely |
|
(ii)
in accordance with |
(b)
was not able to tolerate |
|
(iii)
a helping hand |
(c)
began suddenly in a violent way |
|
(iv)
could not stomach |
(d)
assistance |
|
(v)
generosity of spirit |
(e)
persons with power to make decisions |
|
(vi)
figures of authority |
(f)
according to a particular rule, principle, or system |
|
A |
B |
|
(i) broke out |
(c) began suddenly in
a violent way |
|
(ii) in accordance
with |
(f) according to a
particular rule, principle, or system |
|
(iii) a helping hand |
(d) assistance |
|
(iv) could not stomach |
(b) was not able to
tolerate |
|
(v) generosity of
spirit |
(a) an attitude of
kindness, a readiness to give freely |
|
(vi) figures of
authority |
(e) persons with power
to make decisions |
2. Now form the opposites of the words below by prefixing un- or in-. The prefix in- can also have the forms il-, ir-, or im- (for example: illiterate –il + literate, impractical – im + practical, irrational – ir + rational). You may consult a dictionary if you wish.
|
adequate
acceptable
regular
tolerant demanding
active
true
permanent patriotic
disputed
accessible coherent logical
legal
responsible possible |
Answer: inadequate, unacceptable, irregular, intolerant, unpatriotic, undisputed, inaccessible, incoherent, illogical, illegal, irresponsible, impossible.
III. To be done by the student
IV. Rewrite the sentences below, changing the verbs in brackets into the passive form.
1. In yesterday’s competition the prizes (give away) by the Principal.
2. In spite of financial difficulties, the labourers (pay) on time.
3. On Republic Day, vehicles (not allow) beyond this point.
4. Second-hand books (buy and sell) on the pavement every Saturday.
5. Elections to the Lok Sabha (hold) every five years.
6. Our National Anthem (compose) Rabindranath Tagore.
Answer:
1. In yesterday’s
competition the prizes (give away) by the Principal.
In yesterday’s competition the prizes were given away by the Principal.
2. In spite of financial
difficulties, the labourers (pay) on time.
In spite of financial difficulties, the labourers were paid on time.
3. On Republic Day,
vehicles (not allow) beyond this point.
On Republic Day, vehicles are not allowed beyond this point.
4. Second-hand books
(buy and sell) on the pavement every Saturday.
Second-hand books are bought and sold on the pavement every Saturday.
5. Elections to the Lok Sabha (hold) every five years.
Elections to the Lok Sabha are held every five years.
6. Our National Anthem
(compose) Rabindranath Tagore.
Our National Anthem was composed by Rabindranath Tagore.
V. Rewrite the paragraphs below, using the correct form of the verb given in brackets.
1. How Helmets Came To Be Used in Cricket
Nari Contractor was the Captain and an opening batsman for India in the 1960s. The Indian cricket team went on a tour to the West Indies in 1962. In a match against Barbados in Bridgetown, Nari Contractor was seriously injured and collapsed. In those days helmets were not worn. Contractor was hit on the head by a bouncer from Charlie Griffith. Contractor’s skull was fractured. The entire team was deeply concerned. The West Indies players were worried. Contractor was rushed to hospital. He was accompanied by Frank Worrell, the Captain of the West Indies Team. Blood was donated by the West Indies players. Thanks to the timely help, Contractor was saved. Nowadays helmets are being routinely used against bowlers.
2. Oil from Seeds
Vegetable oils are made from seeds and fruits of many plants growing all over the world, from tiny sesame seeds to big, juicy coconuts. Oil is produced from cotton seeds, groundnuts, soya beans and sunflower seeds. Olive oil is used for cooking, salad dressing etc. Olives are shaken from the trees and gathered up, usually by hand. The olives are grounded to a thick paste which is spread onto special mats. Then the mats are layered up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil.
NOTE: ‘Dictation’ and ‘Speaking’ sections to be done by the student.
WRITING PAGE 12
Think and write a short account of what life in Rameswaram in the 1940s must have been like. (Were people rich or poor? Hard working or lazy? Hopeful of change, or resistant to it?).
Answer: Rameshwaram might have been a beautiful place. It’s a coastal region, after all, and I can say with certainty that a cool sea breeze would have hit the small town every morning and evening. Since India was still under the rule of the British, I suppose people were not as free as they are today. They would have had to abide by the rules laid down by the East India Company.
Nonetheless, I am sure they were congenial people, but they seemed to interact only with members who belonged to their caste/religion. It cannot be said with certainty that they respected one another’s viewpoints. From what the author says, it appears as if there were people who were strongly opposed to mistreating people based on their caste even though many followed the religious distinctions to a t. Thus, there were all kinds of people from different walks of life.
I also feel that most of them were hard-working and hopeful to change. People lived austere lives and believed in simple living. It seems to be that period when a transformation of sorts was taking place in Rameshwaram. People were more willing to share their opinions and also apologise for having wronged others.
Poem: No Men Are Foreign by James Kirkup
THINKING
ABOUT THE POEM PAGE 14
1. (i) “Beneath all uniforms ...” What
uniforms do you think the poet is speaking about?
Answer:
By
‘uniforms’ , the poet seems to be referring to the clothes worn by soldiers of
various countries. The point that the poet is trying to make is simple: Dresses worn by people may be
different, but at the end of the day, all of us are alike.
(ii) How does the poet suggest that all
people on earth are the same?
Answer:
The
poet drives home the point that all of us on planet Earth walk on the same
land, drink the same water, and breathe the same air. Even the bodily features
we possess are alike, and thus, we are the same.
2. In
stanza 1, find five ways in which we all are alike. Pick out the words.
Answer:
Five ways in which we
all are alike:
(i) No men are strange
(ii) No countries
foreign
(iii) Single body
breathes
(iv) The land our
brothers walk upon is like this
(v) We all shall lie
3. How many common features can you find in
stanza 2? Pick out the words.
Answer:
I can find six features
in stanza 2. They are:
(i) They are aware of
the sun and air and water
(ii) They are fed by
peaceful harvest
(iii) They are starved
by long winter
(iv) Their hands are
ours
(v) In their lines, we
read
(vi) A labour not
different from our own
4. “...whenever we are told to hate our
brothers ...” When do you think this happens? Why? Who ‘tells’ us? Should we do
as we are told at such times? What does the poet say?
Answer: We are told to hate our brothers during war by the leaders who rule our land. They may be monarchs, politicians, dictators, or people wielding power. We are told to do so because the governments either have misunderstandings or there is constant pressure on them to prove who is more powerful. Nationalism and jingoism too come into the picture. I don’t think we should hate our brothers. The poet says that by hating others, we are dispossessing and betraying ourselves.
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