Understanding the text

Q1. The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad.
Answer: The first phase was in the village, where you and your grandmother were the best of friends. She woke you up, got you ready for school, and walked you there and back. The second phase began when you both moved to the city; you still shared a room, but the common activities stopped. She couldn’t help you with your new school lessons, and you started going to school by bus. The third phase was when you went to the university and got your own room, which officially snapped the last link of your friendship.

Q2. Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school.
Answer: She was disturbed for a few reasons. First, the teaching was in English, which she didn’t understand. Second, she was upset that the school didn’t teach about God and the scriptures. And third, she was very disturbed when she found out you were being given music lessons, which she believed were only for “harlots and beggars.”

Q3. Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up.
Answer: Once you grew up, she spent her days mostly by herself. She would sit at her spinning-wheel from sunrise to sunset, spinning and reciting prayers. In the afternoon, she would take a break to feed the sparrows, which was her happiest time of the day.

Q4. The odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died.
Answer: It was very odd because she stopped praying for the first time! She collected the women of the neighborhood, got an old drum, and started singing about the homecoming of warriors. It was a complete change from her usual, quiet routine.

Q5. The way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died.
Answer: It was so sad! Thousands of sparrows came and sat scattered around her dead body. They didn’t chirp at all, and they didn’t take any notice of the bread crumbs your mother threw to them. They only flew away quietly after her body was carried away.

Talking about the text

Q1. The author’s grandmother was a religious person. What are the different ways in which we come to know this?
Answer: We know she was very religious because her lips were constantly moving in prayer, and her fingers were always busy telling the beads of her rosary. In the village, she would read scriptures inside the temple while you were at school. She was also distressed that the new school didn’t teach about God.

Q2. Describe the changing relationship between the author and his grandmother. Did their feelings for each other change?
Answer: Their relationship changed with each new phase of your life, from close friends in the village to a more distant, shared-room relationship in the city, and finally to complete seclusion when you went to university. However, their feelings for each other never changed. She was still happy to see you and showed you affection, even if she wasn’t as expressive.

Q3. Would you agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character? If yes, give instances that show this.
Answer: Absolutely! She was incredibly strong. She accepted her seclusion in the city with resignation, never complaining. She had a strong disapproval for music lessons, and even though she didn’t say anything, her silence made her feelings very clear. And finally, she was not sentimental at all when you left for five years, as she was just focused on her prayer.

Q4. 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: This is a beautiful question to think about. I’m sure many of us have known someone with that kind of quiet strength and love. Losing someone you love always leaves a big hole, and it’s a feeling that stays with you forever.

Thinking about language

Q1. Which language do you think the author and his grandmother used while talking to each other?
Answer: Since they lived in a village in Punjab, they most likely spoke Punjabi with each other.

Q2. Which language do you use to talk to elderly relatives in your family?
Answer: You probably use a mix of languages! A lot of people use their native language or a local dialect when talking to their grandparents, maybe adding in some English words.

Q3. How would you say ‘a dilapidated drum’ in your language?
Answer: This would depend on your language, but in Hindi, it could be something like “ek purana aur tuta hua dhol.”

Q4. Can you think of a song or a poem in your language that talks of homecoming?
Answer: In many languages, there are songs about homecoming, like a Punjabi folk song about a soldier’s return or a poem about returning to your village for a festival.

Working with words

I. Notice the following uses of the word ‘tell’ in the text. Given below are four different senses of the word ‘tell’. Match the meanings to the uses listed above.
Answer:
Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary. (Match: 2. count while reciting)
I would tell her English words and little things of Western science and learning. (Match: 4. give information to somebody)
At her age one could never tell. (Match: 3. be sure)
She told us that her end was near. (Match: 1. make something known to someone in spoken or written words)

II. Notice the different senses of the word ‘take’. Locate these phrases in the text and notice the way they are used.
Answer:
“…and she took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of our city house.” This means she started feeding the sparrows as a new habit.
“The next morning she was taken ill.” This means she suddenly became ill.

III. The word ‘hobble’ means to walk with 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:
shuffle
stride
waddle
swagger
trudge
slog