my duty to respect a teacher. Is it not written in our scriptures that a teacher should be respected, irrespective of the gender and age?'

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. It was time to welcome them. Robert, who was a good speaker, greeted them and told them that we had come along to make their day a little special. We gathered in front and started singing songs for them. Most of the people were single grandparents whose spouses had expired. The other few were couples; many of them were smiling and singing along too. But there were a few who sat without any expression. While some of us sang the others sat beside them and spoke to them. Education and Independence : The story underscores the value of education in promoting independence and self-empowerment, irrespective of one's age or circumstances. It showcases how education equips individuals with the tools to become self-reliant, make informed decisions, and pursue their aspirations autonomously. The grandmother's pursuit of literacy symbolizes her quest for independence and her belief in the transformative power of education. The grandmother in the story wanted to go to Kashi because she believed it was the ultimate act of virtue (punya) for a Hindu to visit Kashi and worship Lord Vishweshwara. Class-9, English Literature Reader (Communicative) Chapter 1 – How I Taught My Grandmother to Read by Sudha Murthy

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amiable, tender, gentle, sympathetic, understanding, determined, diligent, kind, concerned, systematic, wise, helpful, enthusiastic, selfish, cruel, humble, religious, prudent

Fulfilment in Learning : The story conveys the idea that learning is a lifelong journey and a source of fulfilment. Whether one is young or old, the pursuit of knowledge can bring joy and satisfaction. In ‘How I Taught My Grandmother To Read’, Sudha Murty describes the determined efforts of an illiterate old lady Krishtakka to make herself literate. She decided to read a novel on her own. The grandmother set the deadline and achieved the target next to impossible within the time set for it. She was able to read the novel Kashi Yatre in the Kannada language on her own at sixty-two. She was helped by her young granddaughter who acted as her only teacher. The grandmother proved that there is no age bar for learning. Her style was easy to, read and very convincing. Her stories usually dealt with complex psychological problems in the lives of ordinary people and were always interesting. ”Swami : This is o.k. Granny. Enough of your stories. Now listen. I want to tell you something about Rajam. Do you know how many marks Rajam gets in arithmetic ? The story is plotted and narrated on different issues which are mostly overlooked in today’s world. For instance, how do you react for scoring more marks in the exam than you actually deserve; what would you do if you are discriminated? She was crying at her failed attempts to read the story. The author consoled her and promised to teach her from the next day. They fixed a deadline till the next Saraswati Puja to work according to a plan. Ans. The two sentences showing that the grandmother was desperate to know what happened next in the story are as follows –

Ans. Yes, the grandmother succeeded in accomplishing her desire to read. She was a wonderful student, who worked hard to learn the Kannada alphabet. She would do an enormous amount of homework. She would read, repeat, write and recite, which was why she could learn the alphabets by heart.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?

At times, I used to regret not going to school, so I made sure that my children and grandchildren studied well.’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. This was her way of paying respect and honouring her teacher who was his granddaughter as well. The author was embarrassed but accepted the offering as she knew that learning did not have an age, gender or race. In return, she handed her grandmother a book. Today I have been able to read “Kashi Yatre” myself. I just can’t believe it. I, an old lady of 62, am finally independent! I can read whatever I wapt, and never feel embarrassed about being uneducated. Now that you have enjoyed reading the story, answer the following questions by choosing the correct option