How I Taught My Grandmother to Read | CBSE Class 9 English Notes

This note covers Sudha Murty's short story "How I Taught My Grandmother to Read": a part-by-part summary, the main characters, the literary devices, the themes, key quotations and answers to the textbook questions.

Who wrote this and what is it about?

The story is written by Sudha Murty, who narrates it in the first person about her own grandmother, Krishtakka. It is set in a village in north Karnataka where the narrator stayed with her grandparents as a girl of about twelve.

The story describes how the grandmother decided, at the age of sixty-two, to learn to read and write in Kannada, and how her twelve-year-old granddaughter became her teacher.

This reversal of the usual teacher-student roles, a child teaching an elder, gives the story much of its warmth and surprise.

The narrative grows out of a shared family habit: reading aloud the weekly instalments of a serialised novel called Kashi Yatre, written by the popular Kannada writer Triveni.

Because the transport system was poor, the weekly magazine Karmaveera always arrived a day late, and the whole household waited eagerly for the bus that brought the post and the papers.

The grandmother could not read this magazine herself, and her dependence on others to read it to her becomes the turning point of the story. Her decision to overcome that dependence, and her granddaughter's growth from a mocking child into a devoted teacher, form the emotional heart of the narrative.

What happens in the story, part by part?

Part I: The weekly wait for Kashi Yatre

The narrator explains that as a girl of twelve she lived with her grandparents in a north Karnataka village.

The transport system was poor, so the morning paper arrived only in the afternoon, and the weekly magazine came a day late. The whole family waited eagerly for the bus carrying the papers, magazines and post.

The novelist Triveni was very popular; her stories dealt with "complex psychological problems in the lives of ordinary people" and were always interesting. She died young, but her novels are still appreciated forty years later.

Her novel Kashi Yatre was running as a serial in Karmaveera. It tells of an old lady's "ardent desire" to visit Kashi (Varanasi), believing that worshipping Lord Vishweshwara there is the ultimate punya.

A parallel plot concerns a young orphan girl who falls in love but has no money for her wedding; in the end the old lady gives away all her savings to the girl instead of going to Kashi herself, saying the girl's happiness "is more important than worshipping Lord Vishweshwara at Kashi."

The narrator's grandmother, Krishtakka, never went to school and could not read. Every Wednesday the narrator read the new episode aloud to her, and Krishtakka listened with "the greatest concentration," later repeating the whole text by heart.

Because she herself had never been to Kashi, she identified strongly with the novel's old protagonist and was the most eager of anyone to hear what happened next.

Afterwards she would discuss each episode animatedly with her friends at the temple courtyard, while the children played hide and seek nearby.

Part I continued: the wedding and the discovery of tears

The narrator once went with her cousins to a wedding in a neighbouring village, planning to stay a couple of days but, savouring the freedom, stayed a whole week.

On returning, she found her grandmother in tears, which surprised her because she had never seen Avva cry even in the most difficult situations. Avva nodded but did not answer when asked if she was all right.

That night, on the open terrace under a full moon, the grandmother came and sat beside the narrator, touched her forehead affectionately, and prepared to speak. This quiet, tender scene sets up the grandmother's confession in Part II.

Part II: Avva's confession and her resolve

Avva tells the story of her own life: she lost her mother young, her father was too busy to guide her and later remarried, and in those days "people never considered education essential for girls," so she never went to school.

She married young, raised children and grandchildren, and found happiness in cooking and feeding the family, but she "used to regret not going to school," which is why she made sure her own children and grandchildren studied well.

She then explains her tears: while the narrator was away, the magazine had come as usual, but Avva could not read the accompanying picture-story of Kashi Yatre.

She "rubbed my hands over the pages wishing they could understand," felt too embarrassed to ask anyone else in the village, and felt "very dependent and helpless," adding that money is of little use when she is unable to be independent.

Avva then announces her decision: she will learn the Kannada alphabet from the very next day, work hard, and set Saraswati Puja during Dassara as her deadline to read a novel unaided, declaring "I want to be independent." The narrator, only twelve, laughs and lists Avva's age, grey hair, wrinkled hands and spectacles as reasons she should not try.

Avva only smiles and replies that determination can overcome any obstacle and that "for learning there is no age bar."

Part II continued: lessons and the Dassara gift

From the next day, tuition begins, with the narrator as teacher and Avva as "a wonderful student" who reads, repeats, writes and recites with amazing dedication. The narrator reflects that she did not then know she would one day become a teacher in Computer Science herself.

When Dassara arrives, the narrator secretly buys the now-published novel Kashi Yatre. Avva calls her to the puja place, seats her on a stool, gives her a gift of frock material, and then astonishingly bends down to touch her granddaughter's feet, a gesture usually reserved for elders, gods and teachers.

Avva explains she is honouring "a teacher who taught me so well" and that respect for a teacher is due "irrespective of the gender and age." The narrator returns the gesture by touching Avva's feet before handing over her own gift.

Avva opens it and reads aloud, without help, the title Kashi Yatre by Triveni and the publisher's name, proving she has "passed with flying colours."

Who are the characters?

Krishtakka (Avva), the grandmother

Krishtakka is the narrator's sixty-two-year-old grandmother, affectionately called Avva (meaning "mother" in the north Karnataka dialect of Kannada). She is described as "a good-looking lady who was usually always smiling."

Never educated as a girl because "people never considered education essential for girls," she is deeply moved by the story of Kashi Yatre and feels keenly her own dependence on others to read for her.

Her defining trait is determination: once she decides to learn to read, she sets herself a firm deadline, does homework with remarkable diligence, and succeeds within months.

Her insistence that "for learning there is no age bar" and her humble gesture of touching her granddaughter's feet reveal both her humility and her deep respect for education and teachers.

The narrator (the granddaughter)

The narrator is a twelve-year-old girl at the time of the story, staying with her grandparents in the village. She reads the weekly episodes of Kashi Yatre to her grandmother and later becomes Avva's first student.

She is initially sceptical and even "childishly" makes fun of her grandmother's ambition to learn at sixty-two, listing her age and physical limitations as reasons it seemed impossible.

By the end, she matures into a patient and effective teacher, recognising her grandmother's extraordinary effort. The story also reveals, through her own reflection, that she would later become "a teacher in Computer Science," linking her own career to this first experience of teaching.

Triveni, the novelist (referred to within the story)

Triveni is described as "a very popular writer in the Kannada language" whose "style was easy to read and very convincing." Her stories "usually dealt with complex psychological problems in the lives of ordinary people."

She died young, but "even now, after forty years, people continue to appreciate her novels." Her novel Kashi Yatre is the story-within-the-story that sparks the grandmother's desire to read, making Triveni an important offstage presence in the narrative even though she never appears directly.

What themes does the text explore?

Education has no age limit

The central theme is captured in Avva's words: "for learning there is no age bar." Despite being sixty-two, with grey hair and wrinkled hands, she learns the Kannada alphabet within months, proving that determination can overcome the barrier of age.

Independence through literacy

Avva's motivation is not mere curiosity but a longing for self-reliance. She feels that being well-off is of little use when she cannot be independent, and being unable to read makes her feel "very dependent and helpless." Literacy becomes her path to independence.

Respect for teachers, regardless of age or gender

When Avva touches her young granddaughter's feet, she overturns the usual convention that elders are honoured by the young.

She justifies this by asking, "Is it not written in our scriptures that a teacher should be respected, irrespective of the gender and age?" The theme stresses that the role of a teacher commands respect above seniority.

The bond between grandmother and granddaughter

The story is framed by small, tender domestic moments: reading aloud each Wednesday, sitting together on the terrace under a full moon, and the final exchange of gifts and gestures of respect. These details show deep affection and mutual care between the two.

Determination and hard work

Avva's homework is described as "amazing," and she "would read, repeat, write, and recite." Her success within a fixed deadline, Saraswati Puja during Dassara, illustrates that sustained effort, not natural ability alone, achieves goals.

What literary devices does the writer use?

Although this is a prose story rather than a poem, Sudha Murty uses several literary devices to build its emotional effect, and these can be studied just as carefully as poetic devices in a poem.

The story is written in the first person, which lets readers experience the narrator's initial confusion, her guilt at laughing at Avva, and her eventual pride in her grandmother's achievement directly, as if we are inside the narrator's own mind.

The story also uses the story-within-a-story device: the plot of Kashi Yatre, about an old woman's unfulfilled desire to visit Kashi, mirrors and foreshadows Avva's own unfulfilled desire for literacy.

Just as the fictional old lady sacrifices her pilgrimage for a cause she values more, Avva's own story becomes one of sacrifice and determination.

Murty uses vivid dialogue, such as Avva's declaration "I want to be independent," to reveal character directly rather than through lengthy description. The dialogue carries the emotional weight of the plot at every key turning point.

Symbolism is present in the final gesture of touching feet, which inverts a traditional mark of respect to honour the role of teacher over the role of elder, turning a simple domestic action into a statement about what the story values most.

The quiet, moonlit terrace scene uses simple, concrete imagery ("a summer night," "a full moon," "her affectionate hands touched my forehead") to create intimacy before the grandmother's emotional confession, slowing the pace of the narrative at its most important moment.

What are the key quotations?

The following short quotations mark the turning points of the story, from Avva's quiet unhappiness, through her resolve, to the final proof of her success. Each is given with its speaker and the moment at which it occurs in the narrative.

"For learning there is no age bar."
Avva, explaining her resolve to learn to read at sixty-two.

"I have decided I want to learn the Kannada alphabet from tomorrow onwards."
Avva, announcing her plan to her granddaughter.

"I am touching the feet of a teacher, not my granddaughter."
Avva, honouring the narrator for teaching her to read.

"The happiness of this orphan girl is more important than worshipping Lord Vishweshwara at Kashi."
the old lady in the novel Kashi Yatre, within the story.

"I knew then that my student had passed with flying colours."
the narrator, on seeing Avva read the book's title unaided.

Taken together, these lines trace Avva's journey from helplessness to independence, and the narrator's own journey from a mocking child to a proud teacher.

The quotations also show how closely the fictional novel Kashi Yatre is woven into the real events of the grandmother's life, since the old lady's sacrifice in the novel foreshadows Avva's own willingness to sacrifice comfort and pride for self-reliance.

Read in sequence, the five quotations retell the whole plot in miniature: a firm resolve, a quiet announcement, a joyful celebration of the teacher-student bond, the moral heart of the novel-within-the-story, and the final proof of success, without needing any further commentary to connect them.

What are the answers to the textbook questions?

Do you think the narrator expected to see her grandmother in tears when she returned to the village?

No, the narrator did not expect it. The text says she "was surprised, for I had never seen her cry even in the most difficult situations," showing that Avva was normally strong and composed, which is why her tears were unexpected.

How might the narrator help her grandmother to fulfil her desire to learn to read and write?

The narrator could teach her grandmother herself, since she already read to her weekly; the story shows this is exactly what happens, as the narrator becomes Avva's tutor from the next day onward.

Why did the grandmother feel embarrassed to ask someone else to read to her?

Avva says she "could have asked somebody in this village but I was too embarrassed to do so." Her illiteracy made her feel exposed and dependent, and she preferred to wait for her trusted granddaughter rather than reveal her inability to others.

Why does the narrator initially laugh at her grandmother's determination to learn at sixty-two?

The narrator lists Avva's grey hair, wrinkled hands, spectacles and heavy kitchen work as reasons learning seemed impossible at that age; she admits she "childishly made fun of the old lady" without realising her grandmother's resolve.

What significance does Kashi Yatre have in both the grandmother's life and the story?

The novel's old protagonist, who never reaches Kashi, mirrors Avva, who never went to Kashi either, and this shared longing makes Avva identify deeply with the story. It is also her inability to read this very novel's picture-story that triggers her decision to learn.

What does the grandmother's desire to learn the Kannada alphabet reflect about her?

It reflects her strong will, her refusal to accept dependence, and her belief that "for learning there is no age bar." It shows courage to begin something new late in life for the sake of self-respect and independence.

What lessons can we infer from the grandmother's action of touching the narrator's feet?

It teaches that a teacher deserves respect "irrespective of the gender and age," and that the role of teaching is honoured above the usual social hierarchy of elder and younger family members.

How effectively does the story highlight the value of education in supporting personal independence?

The story shows this very effectively: Avva directly links her illiteracy to feeling "dependent and helpless" despite being "well-off," and her hard-won ability to read the novel's title herself at the end demonstrates that literacy, not wealth, gave her true independence.

How does the writer use language and structure to build effect?

The story is structured in two clearly marked parts. Part I establishes the setting, the weekly ritual of reading, and the backstory of the novel Kashi Yatre, ending with the grandmother's unexplained tears.

Part II resolves this mystery through Avva's night-time confession and traces her transformation from a weeping, dependent woman to a confident reader. This two-part structure creates suspense in Part I and resolution in Part II, so that the reader shares the narrator's own puzzlement before the explanation arrives.

The writer uses everyday, conversational language appropriate to a personal memoir. Kannada terms such as Avva, punya and references to festivals like Dassara and Saraswati Puja root the story firmly in its north Karnataka cultural setting, giving it authenticity without needing lengthy explanation of the customs.

Marginal glosses in the text explain words such as ardent (keen), savouring (enjoying to the fullest), immensely (extremely) and taken aback (surprised by something unexpected), helping readers follow Avva's emotional journey closely without losing the flow of the story.

Dialogue is used sparingly but at the key turning points, so that Avva's own words, rather than the narrator's description, carry the weight of her decision and her later celebration of her achievement.

The story's closing image, Avva reading the title Kashi Yatre by Triveni aloud without assistance, works as a quiet but powerful climax, confirming her success without any grand or dramatic statement, which suits the understated, affectionate tone of the whole narrative.

Why is the north Karnataka setting important?

The story is set in a village in north Karnataka, where the narrator stayed with her grandparents.

This setting explains several details: the poor transport system that delayed the papers and magazines, the dialect in which "Avva" means mother, and the communal culture of discussing serialised stories at the temple courtyard with friends.

The rural setting also explains why education for girls was historically neglected; Avva herself says "people never considered education essential for girls" in her youth, reflecting the social attitudes of that time and place rather than any personal failing on her part.

The village's close-knit social fabric, where neighbours could potentially have read for Avva, also explains her embarrassment at the thought of asking anyone outside her own family for such personal help with something she felt she should already know.

The weekly wait for the delayed bus carrying papers, magazines and post is itself a detail of rural life, and it is this very delay, and the narrator's week-long absence at a village wedding, that creates the gap in which Avva's isolation and distress can grow unnoticed.

This setting therefore roots the story in a believable, specific place while also allowing its central message, that literacy and determination can overcome social and personal limitations, to resonate as a universally relatable lesson beyond its particular village context.

Glossary

• Ardent — eager and passionate; the text uses this word to describe the old lady's intense, heartfelt longing to make the pilgrimage to Kashi.
• Savouring — enjoying something slowly and to the fullest extent, as the children did with their freedom during the village wedding.
• Immensely — to an extremely great extent or degree; the narrator says she loved her grandmother immensely despite being confused by her story.
• Taken aback — startled or surprised by something sudden and unexpected, as the narrator was when her grandmother bent down to touch her feet.
• Protagonist — the main character around whom a story's events revolve; here, the old lady in the novel Kashi Yatre.
• Debate — a discussion in which people express differing opinions or arguments about a subject, as Avva did with her friends at the temple.
• Episode — one instalment of a longer story that is published or told in separate parts over a period of time.
• Community — a group of people who live in the same area and often share customs, interests or concerns together.
• Concentration — close and sustained attention given to one particular task or activity, without becoming distracted by anything else.
• Convincing — believable and persuasive enough to make a reader or listener accept something as true or reasonable.
• Punya — a concept of religious merit or virtue gained through good deeds, pilgrimage or worship, mentioned regarding the trip to Kashi.
• Kashi Yatre — literally "the pilgrimage to Kashi"; also the title of Triveni's novel about an old lady's unfulfilled wish to visit Varanasi.
• Avva — the word for "mother" in the dialect of Kannada spoken in north Karnataka, used here for the grandmother.
• Namaskara — a traditional respectful greeting or gesture, such as touching someone's feet, used here to honour a teacher.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: The grandmother learned to read out of simple curiosity. Correct: Her primary motive was independence; she says that money is of little use when she cannot be independent.
• Misconception: The narrator readily agreed to teach her grandmother from the start. Correct: The narrator initially laughed and mocked Avva's plan before becoming her devoted teacher.
• Misconception: Avva touched the narrator's feet simply as a loving grandmotherly gesture. Correct: She explicitly says she is honouring her "teacher," not her granddaughter, regardless of age or gender.
• Misconception: The novel Kashi Yatre is about the narrator's own family. Correct: It is a separate, published Kannada novel by Triveni about an old lady and an orphan girl, which Avva identifies with emotionally.
• Misconception: Avva learned to read within a single day or week. Correct: She set a fixed deadline of several months, from the day after her confession until Saraswati Puja during Dassara.
• Misconception: The story is set in a city. Correct: It is explicitly set in "a village in north Karnataka."

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. What did "Avva" mean? [1 mark]

1. "Avva" means "mother" in the Kannada spoken in north Karnataka, and the narrator used it for her grandmother.

Q2. Why did the magazine Karmaveera matter so much to the household? [2 marks]

1. It carried the weekly serial of Triveni's novel Kashi Yatre.
2. The family waited eagerly each week, since transport delays meant it always arrived a day late.

Q3. Explain, with reference to the text, why Avva decided to learn to read at the age of sixty-two. [4 marks]

1. While the narrator was away at a wedding, Avva could not read the picture-story of Kashi Yatre in the new issue of the magazine.
2. She "rubbed my hands over the pages wishing they could understand," showing her frustration at her own illiteracy.
3. She felt too embarrassed to ask a neighbour to read for her, and felt "dependent and helpless" despite being well-off.
4. She therefore resolved to learn the Kannada alphabet and set Saraswati Puja during Dassara as her deadline, declaring "I want to be independent."

Q4. Describe the significance of the gesture of touching feet at the end of the story. [4 marks]

1. Normally, in the tradition described, the young touch the feet of elders, gods and teachers as a mark of respect.
2. Avva reverses this by bending down to touch her young granddaughter's feet.
3. She explains she is honouring "a teacher who taught me so well," not her granddaughter, because a teacher deserves respect "irrespective of the gender and age."
4. The narrator returns the gesture, showing mutual respect between teacher and former student, which also closes the story's theme of education transcending social hierarchy.

Q5. Trace the character of Avva (the grandmother) as revealed through the story, using details from the text. [6 marks]

1. Avva is introduced as "a good-looking lady who was usually always smiling," suggesting warmth and cheerfulness.
2. She never went to school because "people never considered education essential for girls" in her youth, revealing the social limitations placed on women of her generation.
3. Despite this, she listens to the serial Kashi Yatre with "the greatest concentration" and can repeat it by heart, showing a sharp memory and deep engagement with stories.
4. Her tears on discovering she cannot read the magazine alone reveal her hidden regret and sense of helplessness, as she feels money is of little use when she is unable to be independent.
5. Once she decides to learn, she shows remarkable determination, declaring "for learning there is no age bar" and completing amazing amounts of homework, reading, repeating, writing and reciting.
6. Her humility and respect for education are shown finally when she touches her granddaughter's feet, honouring her as a teacher regardless of her age or gender, before proving her success by reading the book's title aloud unaided.

Q6. What role does the novel Kashi Yatre play within the story? [3 marks]

1. It is the serialised novel that the narrator reads aloud to Avva every week, forming the basis of their shared ritual.
2. Its plot, about an old lady who never reaches Kashi but gives up her savings for an orphan girl's happiness, mirrors Avva's own unfulfilled desires and values.
3. Avva's inability to read its concluding instalment alone is what finally triggers her decision to learn to read.

Q7. Why does the narrator say, "Little did I know then that one day I would become a teacher in Computer Science"? [2 marks]

1. The remark shows that teaching Avva was the narrator's first experience of being a teacher.
2. It connects this early, unplanned teaching role to her later career, suggesting the experience had lasting significance for her.

Key takeaways

• The grandmother, Krishtakka (Avva), learns to read Kannada at sixty-two to gain independence.
• Her inability to read the serial Kashi Yatre alone while the narrator was away caused her tears.
• Avva sets Saraswati Puja during Dassara as her deadline and succeeds through hard work.
• The narrator, aged twelve, becomes her grandmother's first teacher after initially mocking her plan.
• Avva touches her granddaughter's feet to honour her as a teacher, regardless of age or gender.
• The novel Kashi Yatre's plot of an unfulfilled pilgrimage mirrors Avva's own regrets and longings.
• The story is written by Sudha Murty and set in a village in north Karnataka.
• "For learning there is no age bar" captures the story's central message.

Test yourself

What does "Avva" mean?

"Avva" means "mother" in the Kannada spoken in north Karnataka, and is used here for the grandmother.

Who wrote the novel Kashi Yatre mentioned in the story?

The Kannada writer Triveni wrote Kashi Yatre, a serialised novel about an old lady's desire to visit Kashi.

What deadline did Avva set for learning to read?

She set Saraswati Puja during the Dassara festival as her deadline to read a novel on her own.

Why did Avva feel embarrassed and helpless while the narrator was away?

She could not read the new episode of Kashi Yatre herself and felt too embarrassed to ask a neighbour to read it for her.

Why did Avva touch the narrator's feet at the end?

She was honouring her granddaughter as a teacher, saying respect is due to teachers "irrespective of the gender and age."

How did the narrator initially react to Avva's decision to learn at sixty-two?

The narrator laughed and childishly listed Avva's age, grey hair and wrinkled hands as reasons it seemed impossible.

What final action proved Avva had learned to read successfully?

She read aloud, unaided, the title Kashi Yatre by Triveni and the publisher's name on her granddaughter's gift.