Study Material and Summary of How I taught my Grandmother to read NCERT Class 9th

Study Material of How I taught my Grandmother to read (Summary, Character Sketch and Word Meanings)

Character Sketch

• Sudha Murty: The authoress, was a twelve year old child. She had been living with her grandmother. As her grandmother was illiterate, she used to read a novel serial published weekly to her grandmother. Later, she taught her grandmother to read Kannada alphabet.

• Krishtakka: The authoress’s grandmother, was an illiterate person. He could not read own so she used to listen the novel serial and after she discussed the story with her friends. She was pure religious person and solely dedicated herself to god. Later, she learnt to read Kannada alphabet.

Summary of the Chapter


The authoress was twelve years old and she used to stay with her grandparents in north Karnataka. Since there were very few diversions, the entire family would eagerly wait for a weekly magazine called Karamveera. This magazine was publishing famous writer Triveni’s novel, ‘Kashi Yatre’ as a serial. The novel dealt with the protagonist’s struggle to visit Kashi. Since grandmother believed in Kashi-Yatra as a pilgrimage, she could identify with the trials and tribulations of the main characters. Every Wednesday, the authoress would read the next episode of the story to her. The grandmother would not only listen with great attention but also memorize it by heart. Later she would discuss it with friends in the temple courtyard.
One day the authoress had to go to the neighbouring village for a cousin’s wedding and stayed back there for a week. When she returned, she was surprised to see her grandmother in tears. At night, the grandmother narrated how her past life, feeding and bringing up children, kept her busy, sparing no time for education of any kind. Moreover, education for girls was not considered as important in those days. Without the granddaughter, she had a tough time trying to decipher and guess the next episode of ‘Kashi Yatre’. She had felt very desperate and helpless, mutely gazing at the pictures, unable to read a single word.
This incident fanned the grandmother’s desire to learn the Kannada alphabet and she vowed to learn it by Dassera. The granddaughter’s pleas, her mockery of the grandmother’s age, all fell on deaf ears. No wonder, the grandmother proved to be an ideal student. In no time, she could read, repeat and write Kannada. The authoress presented her with a copy of the novel ‘Kashi Yatre’ as a token of appreciation and grandmother touched the feet of her granddaughter, her teacher, as a befitting tribute.

Terms and Meanings from the Chapter

• Psychological – relating to mental and emotional state of a person
• Ardent – showing strong feelings
• Savouring – enjoying an experience slowl in order to appreciate it as much as possible.
• Scriptures – holy writings

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