Saiyad Lubna Z.
Scottish International School
KAVERI
Textbook of English — Grade 9
COMPREHENSIVE LESSON & POEM NOTES
Units 1 – 4 | Lessons & Poems with HOTS Questions
Subject Matter Expert: Saiyad Lubna Z.
NCERT | Class 9 | 2026 Edition
Saiyad Lubna Z.
UNIT 1 — LESSON 1
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read
— Sudha Murty | Genre: Autobiographical Narrative
◈ Mind Map / Story at a Glance
HOW I TAUGHT MY GRANDMOTHER TO READ
Author Sudha Murty — celebrated Indian writer & philanthropist
Setting Village in north Karnataka; 1960s rural India
Central Character Krishtakka (Avva) — 62-year-old grandmother who never went to school
Narrator 12-year-old granddaughter; Sudha Murty herself
Trigger / Conflict Grandmother weeps when she cannot read the magazine serial Kashi
Yatre alone
Resolution Grandmother sets Saraswati Puja as deadline; granddaughter teaches
her
Climax Grandmother reads Kashi Yatre independently; touches
granddaughter's feet in respect
Message Literacy = Independence; Learning has no age bar; Respect transcends
age
◈ Short Summary
Sudha Murty recounts how, as a twelve-year-old girl, she spent her summer holidays in her
grandmother Krishtakka's (Avva's) village in north Karnataka. The serial Kashi Yatre, appearing in the
Kannada magazine Karmaveera, fascinated both of them — Avva because she identified deeply with
the protagonist, an old lady who sacrificed her pilgrimage savings for an orphan girl's wedding.
When the narrator goes away for a week, the magazine arrives but Avva cannot read it. She is found
weeping — not from physical pain, but from the helplessness of illiteracy and dependence. That night
under the full moon, she reveals her resolve: she will learn the Kannada alphabet by Saraswati Puja
during Dassara. Despite the narrator's childish mockery, Avva declares: 'For learning there is no age
bar.'
The narrator becomes Avva's first teacher. On Saraswati Puja, Avva presents her granddaughter with a
gift, touches her feet as a mark of respect for her teacher, and reads the title of Kashi Yatre fluently —
confirming she has 'passed with flying colours.' The story celebrates inter-generational learning, dignity,
and the transformative power of literacy.
◈ Learning Objectives
• Understand the autobiographical narrative style and first-person perspective
• Appreciate the value of lifelong learning, literacy, and personal independence
• Analyse character traits of Krishtakka — determination, dignity, humility
• Explore how literacy empowers individuals, especially women
• Identify literary devices: flashback, symbolism, irony, and characterisation
◈ Key Themes & Values
Theme Explanation Text Evidence
Lifelong Learning Age is never a barrier to 'For learning there is no age
acquiring knowledge bar.'
Literacy & Independence Literacy gives one freedom from 'We are well-off, but what use is
dependence money when I cannot be
independent?'
Saiyad Lubna Z.
Dignity & Self-respect Avva refuses to ask neighbours She felt 'too embarrassed' to
— pride in self-sufficiency ask village people
Inter-generational Respect Traditional namaskara reverses Avva touches the narrator's feet
— elder honours the younger as teacher's reverence
teacher
Gender & Education Girls were denied schooling; She 'made sure that my children
Avva champions change and grandchildren studied well'
Empathy The narrator moves from Laughed at first; later
mockery to deep respect overwhelmed with admiration
◈ Character Sketches
▸ Krishtakka (Avva) — The Grandmother
Krishtakka is a remarkable portrait of quiet courage and fierce inner dignity. Having lost her mother
early, denied education by societal norms, married young, and buried in domestic responsibility, she
carries her illiteracy as a private wound. Yet she is no passive victim. When her granddaughter returns
from the wedding, Avva's tears are not of grief but of frustration at dependence. Her decision to learn
the alphabet at sixty-two — with grey hair, wrinkled hands, and spectacles — is an act of extraordinary
will. She is deeply principled: she refuses to ask neighbours for help rather than compromise her
dignity. Her act of touching her granddaughter's feet — reversing the traditional guru-shishya hierarchy
— shows her intellectual honesty. She is loving, determined, humble, and wise.
▸ The Narrator (Young Sudha Murty)
The twelve-year-old narrator embodies the tensions between childhood thoughtlessness and growing
empathy. She initially laughs at Avva's ambition — a perfectly natural, if unkind, response. But she is
essentially compassionate: she becomes Avva's dedicated teacher, secretly buys Kashi Yatre as a
Dassara gift, and is deeply moved by the gesture of namaskara. The story is retrospective — the adult
narrator reflects with awe on what her grandmother modelled.
◈ Literary / Poetic Devices with Examples
Device Definition Example from Text
Irony (Situational) Unexpected reversal of The elder student (grandmother)
expected roles touches the feet of the child
teacher
Symbolism Object/event represents a larger Kashi Yatre = journey toward
idea self-realisation;
Dassara/Saraswati Puja =
auspicious new beginning
Flashback Narrative technique going back Avva's midnight narration of her
in time childhood — losing her mother,
not going to school
Characterisation (Indirect) Character revealed through Avva's refusal to ask neighbours
actions & dialogue reveals her dignity
Allusion Reference to known text/event Kashi Yatre — pilgrimage to
Kashi, a Hindu sacred journey;
Lord Vishweshwara
Metaphor Implicit comparison 'passed with flying colours' —
excellence without literal flying
Imagery Sensory description 'It was a summer night and
there was a full moon' — visual
and atmospheric setting
Saiyad Lubna Z.
◈ Vocabulary List with Synonyms
Word Meaning Synonym(s)
ardent intensely passionate, keen fervent, zealous, eager
savouring enjoying fully, relishing relishing, appreciating,
delighting in
immensely to a great extent, extremely tremendously, enormously,
profoundly
taken aback surprised, startled astonished, startled, shocked
protagonist central character of a story hero, main character, lead
convincing believable, persuasive credible, plausible, persuasive
irrespective regardless of notwithstanding, heedless of,
regardless
obstacle hindrance, barrier impediment, hurdle, challenge
concentrate focus attention focus, attend, apply oneself
determination firmness of purpose resolve, tenacity, perseverance
◈ Short Answer Questions
Q1. Avva's tears on the narrator's return were not a sign of weakness but of a deeper struggle.
Elaborate on the emotional and social dimensions of her distress.
Ans. Avva's tears reveal the intersection of personal dependence and social disadvantage.
Growing up in a society that denied girls education, she accepted illiteracy as fate — until Kashi
Yatre made her feel its cost acutely. When the magazine arrived and she could not read it, she
faced the stark reality that wealth could not compensate for illiteracy. She was 'too embarrassed' to
ask a neighbour — not because she was proud in a negative sense, but because she valued her
dignity. Her tears represent years of suppressed longing for self-sufficiency, crystallised in one
helpless moment with a magazine.
Q2. The narrator's initial mockery of her grandmother's ambition and her later reverence represent a
significant transformation. Trace this evolution and evaluate what it reveals about the narrator's
growth.
Ans. Initially, the narrator laughs at Avva's plan — 'at this age of sixty-two' — reflecting a child's
inability to see beyond surface limitations. She makes observations about grey hair, wrinkled
hands, and spectacles as though these were disqualifications for learning. However, as Avva's
dedication unfolds — reading, writing, reciting daily — the narrator's attitude shifts from amusement
to admiration. When Avva touches her feet on Saraswati Puja day, the narrator is 'surprised and
taken aback' but also deeply honoured. This arc mirrors the reader's own journey from
underestimating the elderly to recognising their extraordinary capacity for growth.
Q3. How does the story of Kashi Yatre function as a structural and thematic parallel to the main
narrative?
Ans. Kashi Yatre parallels the main story on multiple levels. The novel's protagonist — an old lady
who gives away her pilgrimage savings for an orphan girl's happiness rather than personal spiritual
merit — mirrors Avva's own sacrifice of ego: instead of resting in old age, she chooses the arduous
path of learning to fulfil an inner need. Like the novel's protagonist who prioritises the happiness of
an orphan over religious duty, Avva prioritises personal growth over social convention. The serial
also serves as the catalyst that reveals literacy's power: Avva realises that without reading, she is
excluded from meaning-making — a profound form of social isolation.
Q4. The grandmother's decision to set Saraswati Puja as her learning deadline is not incidental. What
does this choice reveal about her values and worldview?
Ans. Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, arts, and wisdom — worshipped especially by
students at the start of new academic endeavours. By choosing this date, Avva frames her learning
not merely as a personal project but as a sacred commitment. It reveals that she views education
as a form of worship — a deeply spiritual act aligned with Indian Knowledge Systems. The deadline
also shows her organised, goal-oriented approach: she does not learn vaguely but gives herself a
Saiyad Lubna Z.
definite target. This disciplined, purpose-driven approach — rooted in cultural tradition — makes
her achievement even more meaningful.
◈ Long Answer Questions
Q1. How does the story challenge conventional notions of who can teach and who can learn?
Support your analysis with specific evidence from the text and connect it to broader social realities in
India.
Ans. The story systematically dismantles age-based hierarchies of knowledge. Conventionally, the
young learn from the old, students from teachers, and the educated from the formally trained. The
story inverts each: a twelve-year-old child becomes the teacher; an illiterate sixty-two-year-old
grandmother becomes the student; a woman denied schooling becomes a symbol of intellectual
aspiration. The grandmother's declaration — 'For learning there is no age bar' — is not merely
personal; it challenges a society that equated female education with social disruption, particularly in
rural India of the 1960s. The village council's concern about pottery passing on skills ('skills did not
belong to any individual') echoes this communal understanding of knowledge — it must flow freely,
without discrimination by age, gender, or circumstance. The story implicitly critiques the historical
exclusion of women from formal education and celebrates grassroots literacy as a form of social
justice. Avva's success also anticipates India's National Literacy Mission, which recognises that real
development requires reaching precisely such excluded individuals.
Q2. Creative Dialogue Writing: Imagine a conversation between Avva and a neighbour woman who
also wishes she could read. Write a dialogue of about 10–12 exchanges where Avva encourages her
friend to begin learning, drawing on her own experience. Use the values and insights from the story.
Ans. Avva: "Kamakka, why do you look so sad today? Sit here beside me." Kamakka: "Avva, I just
received a letter from my son in the city. I don't know what it says. I had to wait for the postman to
read it aloud — it felt shameful." Avva: "Kamakka, do you know — six months ago, I too would have
wept in exactly your situation?" Kamakka: "You, Avva? But you always seemed so confident!" Avva:
"Confidence is a mask we wear over our helplessness. I used to rub my hands over the magazine
pages, wishing they could speak to me. Then I decided — no more wishing. I would learn."
Kamakka: "But we are old, Avva. Our hands shake, our eyes are weak..." Avva: "And my
granddaughter laughed at me too! She said — all your hair is grey, your hands are wrinkled. But
Kamakka, the mind doesn't grey. The desire doesn't wrinkle." Kamakka: "You truly learned to
read?" Avva: "I read the entire novel on Saraswati Puja day. I, Krishtakka, who never set foot in a
school." Kamakka: "How did you begin?" Avva: "With the alphabet. One letter at a time, like
threading a garland — one flower, then the next. My granddaughter taught me. But the real teacher
was my own stubbornness." Kamakka: "I have a granddaughter too... she is in Class 7..." Avva:
"Then you already have your teacher. Set yourself a deadline — perhaps Dassara, perhaps your
birthday. Give your learning a purpose. And remember — 'For learning there is no age bar.'"
◈ Verbatim Extract 1
"I have decided I want to learn the Kannada alphabet from tomorrow onwards. I will work
very hard.
I will keep Saraswati Puja day during Dassara as the deadline. That day I should be able to
read a
novel on my own. I want to be independent."
I saw the determination on her face. Yet I laughed at her.
"Avva, at this age of sixty-two you want to learn the alphabet? All your hair is grey, your
hands are
wrinkled, you wear spectacles and you work so much in the kitchen..."
Childishly I made fun of the old lady. But she just smiled.
"For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle. I will work harder
than
anybody but I will do it. For learning there is no age bar."
Assertion-Reason MCQ
MCQ 1. Assertion (A): Avva sets Saraswati Puja as her learning deadline. Reason (R): Saraswati is
the goddess of knowledge, making the date culturally significant.
A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) correctly explains (A).
B. Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) does not explain (A).
Saiyad Lubna Z.
C. (A) is true but (R) is false. D. (A) is false but (R) is true.
Answer: A — Both are true; the cultural connection to Saraswati (goddess of learning) is
exactly why the date is chosen.
Tone & Mood MCQ
MCQ 2. The narrator's tone when she laughs at Avva's decision is best described as —
A. compassionate and understanding. B. childish and dismissive. C. envious and competitive. D.
respectful and encouraging
Answer: B — She reacts with childish dismissal, making fun of Avva's age-related limitations.
Vocabulary / Synonym Substitution MCQ
MCQ 3. Which word can best replace 'obstacle' without changing the meaning: 'you can overcome
any obstacle' —
A. opportunity. B. milestone. C. impediment. D. destination
Answer: C — 'impediment' means a hindrance or barrier, synonymous with 'obstacle'.
Inferential Questions
Q4. The narrator laughs 'childishly' — what does the adverb reveal about the author's adult
perspective on her own younger self?
Ans. The word 'childishly' is a retrospective self-correction. The adult narrator — now herself a
teacher — judges her younger reaction as immature and lacking empathy. The adverb creates
moral distance: the author is not excusing her laughter but placing it in the context of a child's
limited understanding. This self-awareness adds authenticity and humility to the narrative.
Q5. Avva's statement, 'For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle,' is
often quoted as a universal principle. What distinguishes it from a mere motivational cliché in this
context?
Ans. What elevates it beyond cliché is the speaker: a sixty-two-year-old woman from a village, who
never attended school, speaking not theoretically but from lived urgency. She doesn't quote this as
a slogan — she announces it as her personal manifesto, backed immediately by action (beginning
lessons the very next day). The context — a woman reclaiming agency denied by her society —
gives the statement moral weight and emotional truth that a poster quote would lack.
Real-life Application / Situational Question
Q6. Your 70-year-old neighbour says she wants to learn to use a smartphone to video-call her
grandchildren abroad, but feels too old and embarrassed to ask anyone. Drawing on Avva's example,
write a brief motivational speech (5–7 sentences) you would give her.
Ans. 'Dear aunty, Avva — Krishtakka — learned to read at sixty-two, not because it was easy, but
because she refused to let age decide what she was allowed to become. You are not asking for
permission from time — you are claiming your right to connection. Every grandchild deserves to
see your face, and every grandmother deserves to see theirs. Learning something new is not about
youth; it is about the courage to begin. The first step feels awkward for everyone — Avva's hands
shook over her writing slate too. But one letter at a time, one tap at a time, the impossible becomes
familiar. I will be your teacher, if you'll have me.'
Q7. Comparative Thinking: Both Avva and the protagonist of Kashi Yatre make sacrifices for others
rather than for themselves. What does this parallel suggest about the author's values and the kind of
women she admires?
Ans. The parallel is deliberate: Avva identifies with Kashi Yatre's protagonist precisely because
both place another's wellbeing above personal spiritual or social convention. The novel's old lady
gives away her pilgrimage savings for an orphan's wedding; Avva gives up the comfort of
helplessness to become a student so she can engage independently with the world. Sudha Murty,
herself a writer and philanthropist known for social work, clearly admires women who redefine their
purpose outward. Her ideal woman is not passive in suffering but active in giving — whether it is
money, effort, or dignity extended to others.
◈ Verbatim Extract 2
She said, 'I am touching the feet of a teacher, not my granddaughter; a teacher who taught
me so well,
with so much of affection that I can read any novel confidently in such a short period. Now I
am
independent. It is 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?'
I did return her namaskara to her by touching her feet and gave my gift to my first
student. She
Saiyad Lubna Z.
opened it and read immediately the title Kashi Yatre by Triveni and the publisher's name. I
knew then
that my student had passed with flying colours.
Assertion-Reason MCQ
MCQ 1. Assertion (A): Avva touches her granddaughter's feet. Reason (R): In Indian tradition,
touching feet is a mark of deep respect for a teacher, regardless of age.
A. Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation.
B. Both are true but (R) is not the explanation.
C. (A) is true but (R) is false.
D. (A) is false but (R) is true.
Answer: A — The story explicitly states this reason through Avva's own words.
Tone MCQ
MCQ 2. The tone of Avva's speech ('I am touching the feet of a teacher, not my granddaughter') is —
A. apologetic and uncertain. B. dignified and reverential
C. emotional and pleading D. casual and informal
Answer: B — She speaks with the dignity of someone who has thought this through; her tone
is formal, even solemn.
Literary Device MCQ
MCQ 3. The phrase 'passed with flying colours' is an example of —
A. Simile. B. Personification. C. Idiom / Metaphor . D. Alliteration
Answer: C — It is an idiom meaning outstanding success; it functions metaphorically.
Q4. Avva appeals to scriptural authority — 'Is it not written in our scriptures that a teacher should be
respected, irrespective of the gender and age?' — to justify her action. What does this reveal about
her character and the culture she inhabits?
Ans. The appeal to scripture is significant on two levels. First, it shows Avva's intellectual
resourcefulness: she uses the same traditional framework that denied her education to justify
breaking another taboo — elders touching younger people's feet. She turns tradition against its own
limitations, arguing from within the culture rather than against it. Second, it shows her desire for
dignity: she does not want the gesture misunderstood as emotional excess. She grounds it in moral
principle. Her culture matters to her, and she navigates it with skill and intelligence.
Q5. The narrator 'returned her namaskara' by also touching Avva's feet. What does this mutual
gesture symbolise about the nature of their relationship at this point?
Ans. The mutual exchange of namaskara dissolves the usual hierarchy between teacher and
student, elder and young, giver and receiver. It symbolises a relationship of equals — both have
learned from each other. Avva learned literacy; the narrator learned humility, respect, and the
falseness of her own assumptions about age and capability. The circle of touching feet — each
honouring the other — is a powerful visual metaphor for reciprocal learning. It also suggests that
the most meaningful education is never unidirectional; it transforms both the teacher and the taught.
Real-life Application
Q6. Diary Entry: Imagine you are the narrator, writing in your diary on the night of Saraswati Puja.
Describe your emotions, what you witnessed, and what you intend to carry forward from this
experience.
Ans. "Dassara, Saraswati Puja Night I cannot stop thinking about Avva. This morning, she called
me to the puja room, made me sit on the stool, gave me frock material as a gift — and then, before
I could comprehend what was happening, she bent down and touched my feet. My feet! I am twelve
years old. I was so embarrassed I could have melted into the floor. But then she spoke, and her
words entered me like sunlight through a closed window: 'I am touching the feet of a teacher, not
my granddaughter.' I realised then that she was not confused. She was honouring something she
believed in — the idea that knowledge, not age, not title, earns our deepest respect. When she
read the title Kashi Yatre aloud, slowly, clearly, without hesitation, I felt something shift inside me. I
had laughed at her. I had thought this impossible. And she — grey-haired, wrinkle-handed,
spectacled — had made it as natural as breathing. I gave her the book I had secretly bought for
this day. She opened it immediately and read. She read. My Avva read. I think I will never mock
anyone's dream again. Not because I am now wise — I'm not, I'm still twelve. But because today I
saw what determination looks like when it is sixty-two years old and wearing spectacles. I touched
her feet too. She deserved that, and more."
◈ Grammar Topic Linked to This Lesson
Saiyad Lubna Z.
▸ Simple Past and Past Perfect Tense
We use the Simple Past for a completed action and the Past Perfect for an action completed
BEFORE another past action. The earlier action takes Past Perfect; the more recent takes Simple
Past.
Pattern: [More recent action — Simple Past] + [Earlier action — Past Perfect]
Examples from the text:
• 'I bought Kashi Yatre which had been published as a novel by that time.' — [bought = Simple
Past], [had been published = Past Perfect — earlier action]
• 'I knew then that my student had passed with flying colours.' — [knew = Simple Past], [had
passed = Past Perfect]
Practice Sentences (Fill in the blanks):
1. By the time Avva _________ (reach) the puja room, she _________ (practise) for three months.
2. When the narrator _________ (return) to the village, her grandmother _________ (spend) a
week waiting for her.
3. She _________ (read) the title aloud before her granddaughter _________ (realise) the full
significance.
Answers: 1. reached / had been practising 2. returned / had spent 3. had read / realised
◈ Writing Tasks Linked to This Lesson
▸ Writing Task 1 — Letter to the Editor
Imagine you are a 9th-grade student who witnessed an adult literacy camp in your village. Write a
Letter to the Editor of a local newspaper (130–150 words) highlighting the transformative impact
of adult literacy and urging more students to volunteer.
To,
The Editor,
The Deccan Herald
Date: 15 October 2025
Subject: Students as Catalysts for Adult Literacy — A Call to Action
Sir/Madam,
I write with a sense of urgency and inspiration. Last weekend, I volunteered at an adult literacy camp in
my village and witnessed something extraordinary: a sixty-year-old woman reading her first sentence
aloud. The pride in her eyes was indescribable.
Adult illiteracy is not merely an educational deficit — it is a denial of dignity, independence, and voice.
As students who benefit daily from education, we are uniquely positioned to return this gift to our
communities. Student volunteers bring not only instruction but motivation: proof that learning is for
everyone.
I urge schools and local NGOs to formalise student-led literacy drives. Even two hours a week from
each volunteer could transform hundreds of lives. The investment is minimal; the impact,
immeasurable.
Yours truly,
Priya Nair, Class IX
Green Valley High School
▸ Writing Task 2 — Descriptive / Narrative Essay
Write a narrative essay (180–200 words) titled 'The Night I Became a Teacher' describing a real
or imagined experience of teaching someone something important. Include sensory details and
reflect on what you learned from the experience.
Model Answer: 'The Night I Became a Teacher'
The power went out at eight that evening, and Dadi called me from across the candlelit room. 'Beta, can
you show me this video call again?' She held her smartphone like a fragile bird.
I sat beside her and we began. 'Press this green button when you see Ramesh's name.' Her finger,
thick-jointed and careful, trembled toward the screen. 'Too hard, Dadi — softer.' She tried again. A ring.
And then, on the screen, her youngest son appeared, three thousand kilometres away.
She covered her mouth. She did not speak. Neither did he, for a moment. Then both laughed — that
particular laugh of people who have missed each other for too long. I had taught mathematics and
grammar in school, performed in debates, but nothing had felt as real as watching Dadi's eyes fill with
light at a four-inch screen. I learned that teaching is not the transfer of information. It is the handing over
of a door, and standing back while someone walks through it.