CBSE Class 9 Answered

How I Taught My Grandmother to Read is a short story written by Sudha Murthy who remembers one of her childhood experiences when her grandmother wanted to learn alphabets.The author was still young and the story is about a time when there was no television serials or movies in India.  Elders took  interest in stories and novels published in a popular Kannada magazine. One of the novels was Kaashi Yatre, written by Triveni. It was a favorite novel for Sudha Murthy’s grandmother too, as the grandmother identified her with this old woman in the novel. Like the old woman in the novel, the grandmother also had dreams in life – dream to get educated. However, after being married at a young age and bearing children, the grandmother had to abandon studies. Grandmother would ask Sudha to read the novel to her. Once, when Sudha  had gone for a wedding, the grandmother could not find anyone who could read her the novel. When Sudha returned from the wedding, grandmother was in tears. She woke Sudha up in  the middle of a night and requested her to start her classes. Grandmother explained her little granddaughter about her long forgotten love to learn reading and writing. Sudha agreed to teach her grandmother. In a few days grandmother learnt alphabets. On the day of Durga Puja, she read the title of the book, Kaashi Yatre. Sudha gave her a copy of the book Kaashi Yatre and grandmother touched her feet in respect; as a student touching the feet of a teacher.