“How I Taught My Grandmother to Read” by Sudha Murty is a story that touches us very deeply. After reading this story, anyone would feel like appreciating the grandmother’s longing for learning at such a very old age. It also tells us about the importance of education and determination.
When the narrator was a little girl, she lived with her grandmother in a village in Karnataka. Kaashi Yaatre (Journey to Kaashi) was a popular novel at that time and the grandmother loved the story that appeared in a magazine. The grandmother, being illiterate, got the novel read by Sudha and discussed each episode with her friends in the neighborhood. Once, when Sudha went for a wedding, the magazine arrived but there was no one to read the story for the grandmother. When Sudhua came back after a week, the grandmother told her how sad and helpless she had been for that one week. This experience made her decide to learn the Kannada alphabet at the age of sixty-two. With the help of her granddaughter, she studied hard and successfully learnt to read by the time of the Dassara festival.
The story shows that learning has no age limit and that education brings independence and self-respect.
We will study this chapter incident-wise:
Sudha’s Village
The narrator was about twelve years old when this incident happened.
- She lived with her mother’s parents (maternal grandparents) in a village in north Karnataka.
- In the absence of poor transport facilities in the village, newspapers arrived only in the afternoon.
- Weekly magazines also came one day late.
- Everyone waited eagerly for the bus bringing letters and magazines.
Kaashi Yatre – a novel by Triveni
A famous Kannada writer named Triveni was a sensation at this time because she wrote simple, emotional and interesting stories.
- One of Triveni’s novels, Kashi Yatre, was published as a weekly serial.
- The story was about an old woman who wanted to go to Kashi.
- Many Hindus believe visiting Kashi brings great religious merit.
- In the story, an orphan girl wanted to marry but had no money.
- The old woman in the novel gave her savings to help the girl.
- She sacrificed her own dream of going to Kashi.
Sudha’s Grandmother and Kaashi Yaatre
The narrator’s grandmother was named Krishtakka. She had never gone to school, so she could not read or write.
- The narrator used to read the weekly story to her grandmother.
- The grandmother listened with great concentration.
- She even memorised the story after hearing it.
- She strongly identified with the old woman in the novel.
- After hearing the episode, she discussed it with her friends.
Sudha goes away to attend a wedding
The narrator once went to a wedding in a nearby village.
- She stayed there for about a week.
- Meanwhile, the next episode of the story arrived.
- When the narrator returned home, she saw her grandmother crying.
- She was surprised because her grandmother was usually strong.
- At night, the grandmother explained the reason for her sadness.
- She had opened the magazine but could not read it.
- She felt helpless and dependent on others.
- She was too embarrassed to ask someone else to read it.
- She regretted not going to school in her childhood.
- In those days, girls’ education was not considered important.
- The grandmother decided to learn to read and write.
- She asked her granddaughter to teach her Kannada.
Learning Kannada
The grandmother fixed a goal to learn before the Dassara festival.
- The narrator first laughed at her grandmother’s decision.
- But the grandmother remained determined and confident.
- She said there is no age limit for learning.
- The narrator began teaching her every day.
- The grandmother worked very hard on her lessons.
- She practised reading, writing and repeating words.
- Slowly she learned the Kannada alphabet.
- The narrator became her first teacher.
The end of Learning
When Dassara arrived, the narrator bought the novel Kashi Yatre.
- The grandmother read the title and words herself.
- She had successfully learned to read.
- She touched the narrator’s feet to show respect to her teacher.
- The narrator felt surprised but proud.
- The story teaches that determination and education bring independence.
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