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How I Taught My Grandmother to

Read?
1. What were the circumstances which made the grandmother realize the importance of education?
Or
2. What incident made the grandmother realize the importance of education?
Or
3. When did the grandmother realize the worth and value of being literate?
The narrators grandmother, like many of other villagers, was fond of the serial Kashi Yatra which
appeared in the weekly magazine Karmaveera. As she was not educated, she was dependent on her
granddaughter (narrator) to read that magazine for her. Once when her granddaughter went to the
nearby village to attend a marriage, grandmother was embarrassed as she was unable to know the
latest episode of Kashi Yatra. After this incident she realized the importance of education and decided
to learn to read in order to become independent.
4. Why had the grandmother not gone to school?
The grandmother, Krishtakka, was born in an era when education for women was not given much
importance. Hence, she was not sent to school. Later on she could not get educated as she became
busy cooking and feeding her children and grandchildren.
5. How had the narrator planned to surprise her grandmother? How was she herself surprised?
The narrator had planned to gift her grandmother a copy of the novel Kashi Yatra on the Saraswati
Pooja day; on that day grandmother surprised her by touching her feet, as according to the traditions
elders never touched the feets of youngsters.
6. What message does the story How I Taught My Grandmother to Read convey?
The story How I taught my grandmother to read written by Sudha Murthy conveys the message that
there is no age bar for learning, if one has strong will power and determination. Learning is a continuous
process that begins in cradle and continues up to grave. The story of Kashi Yatra too conveys the value
of sacrificing ones desire to do something good for others. Also, the incident when the grandmother
displayed the respect to her teacher shows out the value that teachers should be respected regardless
of their background.
7. Why did the grandmother feel so helpless when her granddaughter went to attend a marriage?
Granddaughter used to read out the story of Kashi Yatra for her grandmother. When her
granddaughter went to a nearby village to attend a marriage, grandmother was unable to know the
latest episode of Kashi Yatra as she was illiterate and was unable to read the magazine. She felt
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embarrassed in asking the villagers to read it for her. And so she felt miserable and helpless without her
granddaughter
8. Which aspect of the serial Kashi Yatra appeal to the grandmother?
Grandmother ardently followed the episodes of Kashi Yatra. The protagonists desire to visit Kashi and
worship Lord Vishweshwara appealed to grandmother. She wished to make that same journey and
perform this ultimate act of Punya. She also admired the sacrificing nature of the protagonist. She,
perhaps, saw her own reflection in the old lady of the story.
9. The novel Kashi Yatra had a great impact on the narrators grandmother. Explain.
Narrators grandmother, Krishtakka had keen interest in the novel Kashi Yatra. She was pleased by
Trivenis style of writing about the life of ordinary people. She identified herself as the protagonist of the
story as both of them were old and illiterate having the desire to visit Kashi. This story influenced her to
realize the importance of education in life. Afterwards when she learned to read, this novel was the first
ever to be read by her.
10. What made Triveni a popular writer?
Or
11. What made Triveni, a very popular writer in the Kannada language?
Or
12. Even after 40 year, people continue to appreciate Trivenis novels. In the light of this remark
what makes Triveni a popular writer?
Triveni was a prolific writer in Kannada, because of all her beautiful creations. Her writing style was easy
and convincing for the readers. Her stories dealt with the lives of ordinary people, which touched the
hearts of her readers who used related themselves with the characters in the story.
13. Why did Krishtakka want her children to study well?
Krishtakka, narrators grandmother, was born in an era when education for women was not given much
importance. She got married in very young age and had to take care of her children and grandchildren.
At times, she regretted that she had not got a chance to get educated. This made her ensure that her
children as well as grandchildren got this chance of being educated.
14. Why was the grandmother so keen on doing the homework?
The grandmother was keen interest for doing the homework because she wanted to become literate.
She found her illiteracy to be a disability for her and wanted to overcome that in order to become
independent and self-reliant.
15. Avva or the narrators grandmother was a wonderful student. Justify with the help of the story.
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Avva, narrators grandmother at the age of 62 was determined to learn Kannada alphabets. She used to
read, repeat, write and recite untiringly and also did great amount of homework. Her will power and
determination is highly appreciable. This made her a wonderful student even at this old age.
16. The grandmother touched the feet of her granddaughter. How did she justify the gesture of hers?
Grandmother on the occasion of Saraswati Pooja day touched the feet of her granddaughter. According
to Indian tradition, people touch the feet of God, Elders and Teachers as a mark of respect but never did
elders touch the feet of youngsters. Grandmother justified her gesture by saying that she had not
touched the feet of her little granddaughter but had touched the feet of her teacher who taught her so
well that she became literate.
17. Krishtakka was illiterate but very intelligent learner. Explain.
Even though Krishtakka, narrators grandmother was illiterate she was a very intelligent learner. She
could reproduce the entire story of Kashi Yatra after being dictated by her granddaughter. At the age of
62, with her strong will-power she successfully learned to read and write Kannada.
18. How did Triveni, the writer capture the imagination of the readers?
Triveni was a prolific Kannada writer and dealt with complex psychological problems in the lives of the
ordinary people. She wrote in easy and convincing manner. The readers could associate themselves with
the characters in her story and hence she captured the imagination of the readers.
19. What major Hindu belief did Triveni revolve her story around?
Most Hindus believe that going to Kashi and worshipping Lord Vishweshwara their as the ultimate punya
one could get. Trivenis story Kashi Yatra revolved around old lady who had this desire, which was in
fact in the heart of every Hindu.
20. What circumstances forced Sudha Murthy to become a teacher at the young age of twelve?
The grandmothers realization of importance of education, her strong determination to learn and her
faith in Sudhas ability to teach made Sudha Moorthy a teacher at a young age of twelve.
21. How did Trivenis death leave a void in Kannada literature?
Triveni was a prolific Kannada writer who used to write in an easy and convincing style. She touched the
lives of ordinary people by dealing with issues close to their lives in her stories. Thus, her early demise
left a void in Kannada literature.
22. What was the theme of the novel Kashi Yatra?
Kashi Yatra was a novel written by prolific Kannada writer Triveni. It tells about an old lady who had a
strong desire to go to Kashi and worship Lord Vishweshwara to attain the ultimate Punya. But inspite of
her dream, she gave all the money she had collected in the marriage of an orphan girl. She feels that the
happiness of an orphan girl was more important than worshiping lord Vishweshwara at Kashi as lord
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always tells to help others. The theme of the story displays values like selflessness, sacrifice of ones
dream to help another etc.
23. Could the grandmother succeed in accomplishing her desire to read? How?
Grandmother succeeded in accomplishing her desire to read on the Saraswati Pooja Day with her strong
determination and hard work. She did a large amount of homework and practiced the lessons untiringly.
She showed that there is no age-bar for learning.
24. Give a character Sketch of grandmother.
Narrators Grandmother, Krishtakka or Avva was an old lady aged sixty-two. She was uneducated as she
was born in an era when women had no chance for going to school. She regrets that she was not
educated and finds her illiteracy as her disability. She had desire to visit Kashi in order to worship Lord
Vishweshwara. She had keen interest in the novel Kashi Yatra and was greatly influenced by it. She
was an intelligent person and had the capability to reproduce the entire sequence of the novel by
herself. Her success in learning to read at the age of 62, exhibits her hard work and strong
determination. She believed that for learning, age is never an obstacle. She was a traditional person
and believed in the practice of touching the feet of teachers as mark of respect.
25. How does Trivenis Kashi Yatre reveal the social, cultural & religious side of our country?
Kashi Yatre is about an old lady who wants to visit Kashi. Hindus believe that going to Kashi and
worshiping Lord Vishweshwara their as the ultimate Punya. She gives away her savings, which she had
struggled to earn in order to go to Kashi, to an orphan girl who being poor happened incapable to marry
her lover. She finds the happiness of the poor orphan more important than visiting Kashi to worship
Lord Vishweshwara. All these instances bring to light the social, cultural and religious side of our
society/country.
26. The grandmother in the story How I Taught My Grandmother to Read was a very determined
woman, yet at the same time very emotional. Justify.
The grandmother was strongly determined to learn to read. She worked hard with strong determination
in order to achieve her target before the deadline she had set for herself. This shows that grandmother
was very determined and hard working woman. She at her young age did not got the chance to learn as
she was born in an era where education for women was not much in existence. She could not learn later
on due to her family responsibilities after her marriage at young age. She regrets that she did not got
the chance to learn. The grandmother seemed to be very emotional when she told this story of her life
to her granddaughter.