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Q1 I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each.
1. Where was Abdul Kalam’s house?
2. What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.
3. Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?
4. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?
5. Had he earned any money before that? In what way?
Ans: 1. Abdul kalam’s house was located in mosque street in Rameswaram in the state of Madras.
2. Dinamani was likely to be the name of a newspaper because Abdul kalam made an effort so that he could find the stories of the second would war which was told by his brother-in- law, made headlines in Dinamani.
3. Abdul kalam had three close friends in school and their names are: Ramanandha shastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan. Ramanandha shastry inherited priesthood from his father in the rameswaram temple; Aravindan had setup a business for visiting pilgrims of transport arrangements and Sivaprakasan was a catering contractor for the southern railways.
4. The second world war led the way to the suspension of the train-halt at rameshwaram station. As a conclusion, the newspaper had to be tied up in bundles and thrown out from the moving train. This forced kalam’s cousin, shamsuddin, a newspaper distributor in rameswaram to search for a helping hand to catch the newspaper bundles. Abdul kalam decided to act as helping hand and earned his first wages by this.
5. Yes, he had earned some money in this process of helping his cousin who was a newspaper distributor. A sudden increase in demand for tamarind seeds that could be seen in the market after the second world war broke out. He collected some of the seeds and sold them at a provision shop on mosque street. He earned up to one anna from daily basis.
Q2
II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words)1. How does the author describe: (i) his father, (ii) his mother, (iii) himself?
2. What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?
Ans: 1. (i) Kalam‘s father whose name was Jainulabdeen didn’t have much formal education or much financial well. Despite these hurdle, he had all the qualities of great wisdom and a true generosity of spirit. He tired to avoid all non- essential comforts and luxurious things. However, all necessities were provided for him in the terms of food, medicine or clothes.
(ii) Kalam’s mother namely, Ashiamma was a perfect supporter of her husband. She fed many people in everyday of her life. The author was simply sure that many more outsiders ate with them than all the members of their own family put together.
(iii) The author thinks about himself as one amongst various children. He was a short boy with rather undisguised looks, born from the tall and handsome parents. His childhood was very secure, both materially and emotionally.
2. The author was inherited some qualities like honesty and self discipline from his father and faith in goodness and deep kindness from his mother.
Q3
III. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.
1. “On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups,” says the author.
(i) Which social groups does he mention? Were these groups easily identifiable (for example, by the way they dressed)?
(ii) Were they aware only of their differences or did they also naturally share friendships and experiences? (Think of the bedtime stories in Kalam’s house; of who his friends were; and of what used to take place in the pond near his house.)
(iii) The author speaks both of people who were very aware of the differences among them and those who tried to bridge these differences. Can you identify such people in the text?
(iv) Narrate two incidents that show how differences can be created, and also how they can be resolved. How can people change their attitudes?
2. (i) Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?
(ii) What did his father say to this?
(iii) What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?Ans: 1. (i) The social groups that are mentioned by author were, hindus and the muslims. Yes, these groups were distinguishable easily. About kalam similarly wore a cap, which pointed him as a muslim. His friend whose name was Ramanadha sastry, wore the scared thread as he was a hindu.
(ii) As a child, nobody felt the difference amongst themselves because of their religious differences and their upbringing. They shared special friendship and their experiences. Abdul kalam was a muslim and lived on the mosque street and his friends belonged to orthodox hind Brahmin families. However, they had very closed friendship. During the annual shri sita rama kalyanam ceremony, kalam’s family arranged boats with a special arrangement of platform to carry idols of the lord from the temples to the marriage hall sites.
(iii) Two people were very much aware of the differences between them. The new teacher who came to the class when kalam was in the fifth standard and did not allow him to sit with Ramanadha sastry later became his friend, was a Brahmin and the son of hindu priest. Also the wife of Sivasubramania iyer was very orthodox who belongs to a conservative family and did not allow kalam to eat in her pure hindu kitchen. The people who tried to resolve these differences were Lakshmana sastry and Sivasubramania iyer.
(iv) When kalam was in the 5th standard then a new teacher came to his class. Kalam used to sit in the front row with Ramanandha sastry who belongs to a muslim community. The teacher was not be able to accept the fact that a hindu priest’s son was sitting next to a muslim boy. The teacher immediately asked kalam to sit on the back bench which made both kalam and ramanandha very sad and disappointed. When they told this story to their parents, lakshman sastry called for the teacher and told him that he should not spread social non- equality amongst the children. He also said that the thought of communal intolerance shouldn't be instigated in the minds of innocent children. The teacher ask for forgiveness and felt sorry his behavior. In another incident, kalam ‘s science teacher sivasubramania Iyer invited him for the food to his house. His wife was very conservative, so didn't like his idea of a muslim boy eating in her ritually pure hindu kitchen. She denied to serve kalam in her kitchen. However, iyer decided to serve kalam with his own hands and sat down besides him to eat the food. When kalam was going from his house then he again gave a invitation him for a dinner on the next weekend. But kalam was hesitant. Still kalam told him not to get upset and said that once has decided to change the system, these types of problems will be solved. When kalam visited his teacher’s house the next week, his teacher’s wife took him inside her kitchen and served him food with her own hands. So, differences could be resolved and many people’s attitudes could be changed slowly.
2. (i) kalam wanted to left rameswaram for future studies. He wanted to study at the ramanathapuram's district headquarters.
(ii) kalam’s father said that he knew that for the further growth he had to go away one day. He gave him the example of seagull which flies across the sun alone and lives without a nest. He also gave an example of khalil Gibran to kalam’s mother by saying that her children are not their her own. They were the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself. The children thought that their parents, but not like them. He was very determined that children have their own thoughts. But cannot force their thoughts on them.
(iii) His words defines that children have to become independent and be separated from their parents at some further stages of life. They need to be independent to be set free at some point of their life. Only they can got to understand the world realize their thoughts, goals and dreams. He gave him the example of a seagull which flies alone and finds its food by their own and nest. Parents give unconditional love to their children but they can't put their thoughts on them. The children have their own dreams and thoughts. Kalam’s father spoke these words because his mother was reluctant about him leaving rameswaram.