How I Taught My Grandmother to Read: And Other Stories

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The central theme of "Kashi Yatre" is an old lady's ardent desire to go to Kashi (Varanasi) and her sacrifice for the happiness of a young orphan girl.

The grandmother wanted to show her respect for her granddaughter who had acted as her teacher and taught ‘ her to read and write. While returning home we realized that our grandparents are lonely and insecure. They spend their second childhood in their old age homes. Most of those living in old age homes do not complain. It is left to us to decide how happy their old age can be. We do not need any special day to make them feel their worth. If you have never told them how much you love them, say it before it's too late. This will clear students' doubts about questions and improve their application skills while preparing for board exams. Inter-generational Learning : The act of the granddaughter teaching her grandmother to read symbolizes the exchange of knowledge and wisdom between generations. It emphasizes the value of learning from one another within a family. She nodded but did not reply. I did not understand and forgot about it. In the night, after dinner, we were sleeping in the open terrace of the house. It was a summer night and there was a full moon. Avva came and sat next to me. Her affectionate hands touched my forehead. I realized she wanted to speak. I asked her, 'What is the matter?'How I Taught My Grandmother to Read? ( Kannada: ನನ್ನ ಅಜ್ಜಿಗೆ ನಾನು ಹೇಗೆ ಓದಲು ಕಲಿಸಿದೆ?) is a fictional short story written by prolific Indian author Sudha Murthy. This story was published in the book How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories in the year 2004 by Penguin Books, India. Later it was included in the Class 9 English Communicative CBSE Syllabus. In the story, the author recalls how she taught her illiterate grandmother to read. my granddaughter; a teacher who taught me so well, with so much of affection that I can read any novel confidently in such a short period. Now I am independent. It is Education and Independence : How does the story emphasize the value of education in promoting independence and self-empowerment, regardless of one's age or circumstances?

Yes, the grandmother could succeed. She made her granddaughter teach her by her humble pleadings and the necessity of the situation. Her determination and humility made her learn the alphabet. She was able to accomplish her desire to read the novel due to her determination and will power.i) determined: We know that the grandmother was determined because once she made up her mind to study . she set a date by which she wanted to become literate and accomplished it through perseverance and sincere hard work. After having read the story, you realise the anguish of the illiterate adults. You want to make your friends aware of it and contribute something in bringing about a change in the lives of the illiterate adults. Deliver a speech in the morning assembly at your school about the Importance of Adult Education and ways to implement it. In the story, we find that each person has a role and a duty to accomplish. A teacher’s goal is to educate his students and impart his knowledge whereas the duty the students hold is to acquire the skills and knowledge imparted. We learn from the story that the narrator has taken up the responsibility of teaching her grandmother. Although she finds it amusing in the beginning, she begins to see her grandmother’s determination. f). “Those days, the transport system was not very good, so we used to get the morning papers only in the afternoon.” What can you infer from this? Passage: Once I went for a wedding with my cousins to the neighbouring village. In those days, a wedding was a great event. We children enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. We would eat and play endlessly, savouring the freedom because all the elders were busy. I went for a couple of days but ended up staying there for a week.

The grandmother proved her determination by working hard, doing her homework diligently, and successfully learning to read despite her age. Ans. The grandmother had not gone to school and had not received her education. Therefore, she was illiterate and did not know how to read the Kannada alphabets. The granddaughter on the other hand, was a school-going girl who knew how to read the Kannada alphabets very well. So, the grandmother would ask her granddaughter to read out the story to her and therefore, she was dependent on her. The story was called Kashi Yatre and was about an old woman who wanted to go on a pilgrimage to Kashi and offer her devotion to the divine. However, when she came across an orphan and helpless girl, she decided to cancel her plans and fund for the girl’s care instead. When the Dussehra festival came as usual, the writer secretly bought Kashi Yatre which had been published as a novel by that time. Then suddenly her grandmother bent down and touched her feet. The author found this as extremely bizarre since elders never touch the feet of youngsters and thought that her grandmother had broken the rules of the tradition. But in response to that, her grandmother replied that she was touching the feet of a Guru (teacher), not her 12-year-old granddaughter as it was the custom that a teacher should be respected, irrespective of gender and age. She explained that her granddaughter was a very caring and loving teacher who taught her so well that she could easily read any novel confidently. This way, the author had helped her grandmother to become independent. Passage: I could not understand why my sixty-two-year-old grandmother was telling me, a twelve-year-old, the story of her life in the middle of the night. One thing I knew, I loved her immensely and there had to be some reason why she was talking to me. I looked at her face. It was unhappy and her eyes were filled with tears. She was a good-looking lady who was almost always smiling. Even today, I cannot forget the worried expression on her face. I leaned forward and held her hand.Respect for Elders : In what ways does the story highlight the importance of respecting and supporting elders in their pursuits, such as the grandmother's desire to learn to read? Here are some direct quotations from the story. Identify the speaker and write what each quotation suggests about the speaker. You can use the adjectives given in the box and may also add your own. I have decided I want to learn the Kannada alphabet from tomorrow onwards. I will work very hard. I will keep Saraswati Pooja day during Dassara as the deadline.

Get the free view of Chapter 1.1, How I Taught My Grandmother to Read Class 9 English Course Communicative: Literature Reader additional questions for Mathematics Class 9 English Course Communicative: Literature Reader CBSE,Class-9, English Literature Reader (Communicative) Chapter 1 – How I Taught My Grandmother to Read by Sudha Murthy