Chapter 1 Notes: How I Taught My Grandmother to Read

The story 'How I Taught My Grandmother to Read' is written by Sudha Murty, a well-known Indian author, philanthropist, and social worker. She writes in both Kannada and English. This story is a personal narrative set in a village in north Karnataka, where she spent time with her grandparents as a child.

The story has two main characters who share a loving and respectful relationship. Understanding each character helps in appreciating the themes of the story.

[DIAGRAM NEEDED: Character web showing 'Narrator (young Sudha, age 12)' and 'Grandmother Krishtakka (age 62)' with traits listed for each and arrows showing their relationship]

The narrator lived in a village in north Karnataka with her grandparents. In those days, transport was poor, so newspapers arrived in the afternoon and weekly magazines came a day late. Everyone eagerly waited for the bus that brought newspapers, magazines, and post.

Triveni was a very popular Kannada writer at that time. She wrote about complex psychological problems of ordinary people in a simple and convincing style. Though she died young, her novels are still appreciated even forty years later.

One of Triveni's novels, Kashi Yatre (Journey to Kashi), was being serialised in the weekly magazine Karmaveera. It is the story of an old lady who desperately wants to go to Kashi (Varanasi) to worship Lord Vishweshwara, which Hindus consider the ultimate punya (religious merit). In the end, the old lady gives all her savings for an orphan girl's wedding instead of going to Kashi, saying the girl's happiness is more important.

The narrator's grandmother, Krishtakka, had never gone to school and could not read. Every Wednesday, when the magazine arrived, the narrator would read the latest episode to her. The grandmother would listen with full concentration, forget all her work, and could later repeat the entire text by heart. The grandmother identified herself deeply with the protagonist of Kashi Yatre, as she too had never gone to Kashi. She would then discuss the episode with friends at the temple courtyard.

Once, the narrator went to a neighbouring village for a wedding and stayed for a week instead of just a couple of days. When she returned, she was shocked to find her grandmother in tears — something she had never seen before even in difficult situations.

That night, on the open terrace under a full moon, the grandmother came and sat beside the narrator with affectionate hands. She told her story: she had lost her mother young, her father remarried, education was not considered important for girls, she married early, raised children and grandchildren, and found joy in cooking for the family. But she always regretted not going to school, so she ensured all her children and grandchildren studied well.

The grandmother explained that while the narrator was away, the Karmaveera magazine had arrived. She opened it, saw the pictures for Kashi Yatre, but could not read a word. She rubbed her hands over the pages wishing she could understand. She felt helpless and embarrassed to ask anyone in the village to read for her. She felt dependent despite being well-off, and said money was useless without independence.

Then she made a firm decision: she would learn the Kannada alphabet starting the next day. She set Saraswati Puja day during Dassara as her deadline — by that day she would be able to read a novel on her own.

The narrator, childishly, laughed at her 62-year-old grandmother for wanting to learn the alphabet at such an age. But the grandmother calmly replied: 'For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle. For learning there is no age bar.'

The narrator began teaching her grandmother. The grandmother was a wonderful student — she would read, repeat, write, and recite. She did amazing amounts of homework. The narrator later reflected that she did not know then that she would one day become a Computer Science teacher.

On Dassara day, the narrator secretly bought a copy of Kashi Yatre (now published as a novel) as a gift. The grandmother called her to the puja place, gave her frock material as a gift, and then did something surprising — she bent down and touched the narrator's feet. This shocked the narrator because elders never touch the feet of youngsters.

The grandmother explained: 'I am touching the feet of a teacher, not my granddaughter. Our scriptures say a teacher must be respected, irrespective of gender and age.' The narrator returned the gesture by touching her grandmother's feet and gave her the gift. The grandmother immediately read the title — Kashi Yatre by Triveni — proving she had 'passed with flying colours.'

The story carries several important themes that are deeply relevant even today.

[DIAGRAM NEEDED: Mind map with 'Themes' in the centre and branches showing: Importance of Education, Determination and Courage, Intergenerational Bond, Role Reversal, Independence and Self-reliance, Never Too Late to Learn]

Important words and their meanings from the story to help students understand the text better.

These quotes are important for examinations and help understand the deeper meaning of the story.

This table helps students understand the relationship between events in the story.

[DIAGRAM NEEDED: Two-column table with 'Cause' on the left and 'Effect' on the right showing all six pairs listed below]

Sudha Murty uses simple but effective literary techniques in this story.

The story uses both Simple Past and Past Perfect tenses. Understanding these helps in the grammar exercises.

[DIAGRAM NEEDED: Timeline showing two events — the earlier completed action (Past Perfect: had + past participle) placed further back, and the more recent completed action (Simple Past) closer to the present, with arrows showing sequence]

The story uses several words formed by adding prefixes to give opposite or negative meanings. Key prefixes used: un-, ir-, in-, im-, dis-, mis-, extra-

Students must know these idioms from the Vocabulary section of the chapter.

A binomial is an expression with two words usually joined by 'and' or 'or' in a fixed order. Example from the story: 'hide and seek'.

Students are required to write a formal Letter to the Editor about student participation in adult literacy camps. Remember the format carefully.

[DIAGRAM NEEDED: Sample letter format layout showing: Sender's details (top left), Date, Subject line, Salutation, Body (3 paragraphs), Complimentary close, and Signature]

The story is not just a narrative — it carries important life values that students should reflect on.