NCERT Solutions Class 9, English, Beehive, Prose, Chapter- 6, My Childhood.
Thinking about the Text
I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each.
1. Where was Abdul Kalam’s house?
Solution: Abdul Kalam’s house was on the Mosque Street in Rameswaram.
2. What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.
Solution:
Dinamani is the name of a local newspaper. It is so because Kalam traced the stories of the war in the head lines in Dinamani.
3. Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?
Solution:
Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Shivaprakasan were Abdul Kalam’s school friends. Ramanadha Shastry became the high priest of the Rameshwaram temple, Aravindan a transport businessman and Shivprakasan was the catering contractor for the southern railways.
4. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?
Solution:
During the Second World War, the newspapers were bundled and thrown out of a moving train. Abdul Kalam earned his first wages by helping his cousin, who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram, to catch these bundles.
5. Had he earned any money before that? In what way?
Solution:
Yes, Abdul Kalam had earned some money before he started helping his cousin. When the Second World War broke out, there was a sudden demand for tamarind seeds in the market. He collected the seeds and sold them at a provision shop on Mosque Street. Usually, a day's collection earned him one anna.
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?
Solution:
i) Kalam’s father, Jainulabdeen was not a wealthy or educated person. However, he was an honest and generous man, who possessed great innate wisdom. He was self-disciplined and avoided all inessential luxuries.
(ii) Kalam’s mother, Ashiamma was an ideal helpmate to her husband. She believed in goodness and profound kindness, and fed many people everyday.
(iii) The author describes himself as a short boy with undistinguished looks, who had a secure childhood. He is an honest and self-disciplined person, who believes in goodness and deep kindness.
2. What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?
Solution:
He says that he inherited honesty and self discipline from his father. He further says that he inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness from his mother.
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)?
Solution:
The author talks about the people who belong to various castes and follow various religious preachings. Yes, these groups were easily identifiable. Their dressing, traditions, culture and rituals were different.
(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.)
Solution:
They did share their personal experiences and friendships. Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher who separated the author and his friend in the class and told him that he should not spread the poison of social inequality and communal intolerance in the minds of innocent children.
(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?
Solution:
The school teacher encouraged communal differences and Lakshmana Sastry and Sivasubramania Iyer discouraged this malpractice.
(iv) Narrate two incidents that show how differences can be created, and also how they can be resolved. How can people change their attitudes?
Solution:
The influential people can do both the things. A teacher has the ability to bridge communal differences and can play with sentiments of the innocent and ignorant people. This is what the new teacher did. But the Science teacher Sivasubramania Iyer changed his wife’s attitude and showed her the right path.
2.
(i) Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?
Solution:
Abdul Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram to study at the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram.
(ii) What did his father say to this?
Solution:
His father said that he knew he had to go away to grow. He gave the example of a seagull and said that a seagull flies across the sun alone and without a nest.
(iii) What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those words?
Solution:
He spoke these words because he intended to hone his skills. He knew the harsh reality of life that children may have to live far from their parents to make their career and earn their livelihood. So he showed his wisdom and intelligence in uttering these words.
