After realizing her grandchild could no longer read their favorite novel, Grandmother decided that she would learn to read. To her great relief, her granddaughter agreed and began tutoring lessons immediately after that.
She was an ardent student. She quickly grasped new subjects and completed her homework without delay. Furthermore, she showed respect by touching her teacher’s feet when speaking in class.
Character sketch of the grandmother
Grandmother was a 62-year-old woman who never attended school and was thus illiterate. To break free of this situation and gain independence, she decided to learn reading so as not to be dependent on others for assistance; her strong willpower and firm determination helped her accomplish her goal; also, age was no barrier to learning new things.
The granddaughter played an essential part in educating her grandmother. She was an attentive teacher who patiently taught her. The granddaughter gave her grandmother many assignments to complete diligently; as part of this duty fulfillment effort towards family, this grandmother frequently fed stale chapatis to village dogs as well as crumbled bread to sparrows! She showed kindness by providing these treats directly into nature itself!
She was very attentive and understanding of her grandmother’s challenges. An intelligent and hardworking student, she quickly grasped the concept of reading and began learning quickly – becoming proficient with the Kannada alphabet and reading books by herself. Her grandmother was highly grateful to her granddaughter for teaching her and, as a token of her appreciation, touched both feet of her granddaughter.
The grandmother had an immense yearning to visit Kashi. As a highly pious individual who spent her time praying to God and reciting prayers, she often visited Kashi with her grandchildren on Wednesdays as part of her worship experience at the temple. She would try to memorize every episode of Kashi Yatra from her granddaughter, reading it out each week for her. Each new episode was exciting for her and would get her very excited! The central character in the serial was relatable because she was neo-literate with a strong desire to visit Kashi. Additionally, she showed great respect towards her granddaughter by teaching her to read and instilling in her the value of education.
What made her determined to learn to read?
The grandmother was eager to become literate. She lamented not having been educated as a child and understood that reading could help her become self-reliant and achieve self-sufficiency.
She began teaching herself to read with intense dedication and practice. She read and repeated words and phrases from the language she was learning with complete commitment. It took time and patience, but she persevered until she finally accomplished her mission at the Dassara festival.
Grandmother was an accomplished storyteller and loved telling tales from her memory to her granddaughters. One such tale she liked telling them about was Savitri and the God of Death – when her husband passed, Savitri refused to allow the God of Death near him while remaining glued to him until the last. Grandmother would tell them this tale while telling the granddaughter how Savitri remained attached to her husband for days following his demise.
Her passion for literature helped her realize the significance of education. She found inspiration in Triveni, a well-known Kannada writer whose stories dealt with everyday issues faced by ordinary people. Triveni became famous throughout India, and many copies of her works sold well.
She was an unwaveringly determined lady, possessing strong willpower that enabled her to meet her goals. She believed in herself and thought age was no barrier to learning how to read. With determination and single-minded dedication, she became an outstanding student.
Her granddaughters were taken aback at her sudden request to learn to read. They couldn’t understand why, at her age, she wanted to take such steps, considering she had grey hairs and spectacles and was far too old. Although their initial reactions may have been disbelief at her ability to learn such complex material so quickly, they didn’t oppose or stop her and supported her studies instead – ultimately, Grandmother demonstrated her abilities through willpower and firm determination that had propelled her studies forward successfully.
Why did she touch her granddaughter’s feet?
A grandmother needed help learning to read, so she asked her granddaughter for tuition. The granddaughter agreed and made the promise that they could finish by the next festival; additionally, she promised a gift – in secret buying a Kashi Yatra novel as a present and also saying she would touch her feet to show respect; although at first, this seemed strange to the grandmother she explained it as part of the tradition to offer proper care to one’s elders by touching their feet while explaining she should respect and pay respect to her teacher regardless of age or gender.
Each Wednesday, her grandmother watched the latest episode of Kashi Yatra and could relate to its protagonist, who yearned to travel to Kashi. Just like him, the grandmother also desired a trip there herself.
As she listened to the story, Grandmother would become completely transfixed in it, forgoing all other tasks and listening attentively with great concentration. Days after hearing it, she would think back on it and try memorizing parts. She desired to become literate, but she felt helpless without knowing how.
Grandmother and granddaughter shared an unbreakably close bond. Both looked up to each other for advice and guidance, with Grandma often declaring her granddaughter the incredible person she had ever known.
The granddaughter was an extraordinarily hardworking student. She completed an immense amount of homework each night – reading, repeating, writing, and reciting everything that she was taught, including memorizing the alphabet by heart! This dedication and hard work truly amazed her grandmother.
The granddaughter was an extremely determined young lady, and she knew she could accomplish her task with ease. She wanted to prove that if you want something badly enough, all obstacles will be overcome. Indeed, she succeeded in achieving her goal of learning to read successfully as she became an excellent student who always completed all tasks on time.
How did she learn to read?
The grandmother understood the importance of learning how to read, regretting that due to certain adverse circumstances, she did not attend school, but determined that at whatever age possible, she would start her education – her goal being that one day she’d be reading “Kashi Yatra” without anyone’s assistance.
At sixty-two, The Narrator’s grandmother had an extraordinary zest for life. Loving, caring, and passionate about all areas, she loved sharing tales about herself, her family, and her childhood with her granddaughters, who relished hearing them recounted by this amazing grandmother of theirs. Additionally, she taught them arithmetic during her free time, at which she excelled, achieving perfect scores in her exams for teaching these essential subjects.
She became frustrated because she could not read the magazine that her granddaughter bought for her; realizing her dependence and helplessness, she decided to ask her granddaughter to teach her how to read.
Initial shock turned to amused acceptance as she agreed to give her tuition starting the following day. She found her to be both intelligent and hard-working – often reading, repeating, writing, or reciting in the evening after meals! Her homework would amaze her.
Grandmother was inspired to put forth effort for a noble cause and managed to become proficient at reading quickly due to her strong willpower and intense dedication. By participating in the Dassara festival, she accomplished her mission of independence while proving she could learn at any age.
The narrator expresses her wish that all her illiterate friends would find grandchildren like herself to help them overcome their struggles and learn to read at an early age, leading a happy and peaceful life. We should all understand there are people out there willing to offer assistance; our responsibility lies in finding them.
