📖 Chapter 6: My Childhood

Answer: Dhanuskodi and Rameswaram are located on the Pamban Island off the Tamil Nadu coast. The main language spoken there is Tamil. The author, his family, his friends and his teachers most likely spoke Tamil with one another. Since Abdul Kalam's family was Tamil Muslim, they would have spoken Tamil at home. His friends were from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families, and they would also have spoken Tamil. At school and in the neighbourhood, Tamil was the common language of communication.

Answer: Abdul Kalam's house was an ancestral pucca house made of limestone and brick, located on Mosque Street in Rameswaram.

Answer: Dinamani is the name of a newspaper. We know this because the author says he tried to trace the headlines about the War in Dinamani. Also, his cousin Samsuddin distributed newspapers in Rameswaram.

Answer: Abdul Kalam's school friends were Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan. Ramanadha Sastry later took over the priesthood of the Rameswaram temple from his father. Aravindan became the proprietor of a touring company, and Sivaprakasan became the manager of a transport company.

Answer: Abdul Kalam earned his first wages by catching newspaper bundles thrown from the moving train at Rameswaram Road between Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi. His cousin Samsuddin, who distributed newspapers, needed a helping hand, and Kalam filled that slot.

Answer: Yes, he had earned money before that by collecting tamarind seeds and selling them to a provision shop on Mosque Street. A day's collection would fetch him one anna.

Answer:
(i) His father: His father Jainulabdeen had neither much formal education nor much wealth, but possessed great innate wisdom and true generosity of spirit. He was austere and avoided all inessential comforts and luxuries.

(ii) His mother: His mother Ashiamma was an ideal helpmate to his father. She fed many people every day, and far more outsiders ate with them than all the family members put together.

(iii) Himself: He describes himself as a short boy with rather undistinguished looks, born to tall and handsome parents.

Answer: He inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father. From his mother, he inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness. His three brothers and sister also inherited these qualities.

(i) Which social groups does he mention? Were these groups easily identifiable (for example, by the way they dressed)?
The author mentions Hindu Brahmin families and Muslim families. These groups were identifiable by their religious practices, rituals, and in some ways by their dress. The author's friend Ramanadha Sastry was the son of a Hindu priest, and Kalam was a Muslim boy.

(ii) Were they aware only of their differences or did they also naturally share friendships and experiences?
They shared friendships and experiences naturally. Kalam had close friends from orthodox Hindu Brahmin families. As children, none of them felt any difference because of religious differences. They shared bedtime stories in Kalam's house, played together, and were unaware of social barriers.

(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?
The new teacher who asked Kalam to sit on the back bench was very aware of differences. Lakshmana Sastry, the high priest, was a person who tried to bridge differences by scolding the teacher for spreading social inequality. Sivasubramania Iyer, the science teacher, also tried to bridge differences by inviting Kalam to his home for a meal despite his wife's objections.

(iv) Narrate two incidents that show how differences can be created, and also how they can be resolved. How can people change their attitudes?
First, the new teacher in the fifth standard asked Kalam, a Muslim boy, to sit on the back bench, away from his Hindu friend Ramanadha Sastry. This created a difference based on religion. This was resolved when Lakshmana Sastry summoned the teacher and told him not to spread the poison of social inequality. The teacher regretted his behaviour and reformed.

Second, Sivasubramania Iyer invited Kalam to his home for a meal, but his wife refused to serve a Muslim boy in her ritually pure kitchen. The teacher was not perturbed and served Kalam himself. Later, his wife's attitude changed, and she took Kalam inside the kitchen and served him food. This shows how differences can be resolved through patience, kindness, and education. People can change their attitudes by being open-minded and by having positive experiences with those from different backgrounds.

(i) Abdul Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram to study at the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram, as he wanted to grow and get a better education.

(ii) His father said, "Abul! I know you have to go away to grow. Does the seagull not fly across the sun, alone and without a nest?" He also quoted Khalil Gibran to his hesitant mother: "Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts."

(iii) His father's words mean that children must leave home to grow and find their own path in life. Just as a seagull must fly alone across the sky without a nest, children must go out into the world to fulfill their destiny. Parents can give them love and support, but not control their thoughts or choices. He spoke these words because he was wise and understood that his son needed to go out into the world to achieve his potential. He wanted to encourage Kalam and comfort his hesitant mother.

Answer:
Erupt: A volcano can erupt. A war can erupt. A sudden demand for something can erupt in the market. A skin rash can erupt. Examples: "The volcano erupted after years of inactivity." "A sudden demand for tamarind seeds erupted in the market."

Surge: Water levels can surge. Crowds can surge forward. A feeling of pride can surge within someone. Electricity can surge through wires. Examples: "The sea surged dangerously during the storm." "I can still feel the surge of pride in earning my own money."

Answer: Trace means to find or discover something by searching, to copy a drawing, or a small sign that something existed. In the text, "trace the headlines" means to look for or find the headlines in the newspaper. So, the meaning closest to the text is "to find or discover by searching."

Answer: The word undistinguished may not be found in many dictionaries. Distinguished means successful, important, and respected. So, undistinguished means not successful, not important, not special, or ordinary. In the text, "rather undistinguished looks" means ordinary or not very remarkable looks.

Column A	Column B
(i) broke out	(c) began suddenly in a violent way
(ii) in accordance with	(f) according to a particular rule, principle, or system
(iii) a helping hand	(d) assistance
(iv) could not stomach	(b) was not able to tolerate
(v) generosity of spirit	(a) an attitude of kindness, a readiness to give freely
(vi) figures of authority	(e) persons with power to make decisions

Word	Opposite
adequate	inadequate
acceptable	unacceptable
regular	irregular
tolerant	intolerant
demanding	undemanding
active	inactive
true	untrue
permanent	impermanent
patriotic	unpatriotic
disputed	undisputed
accessible	inaccessible
coherent	incoherent
logical	illogical
legal	illegal
responsible	irresponsible
possible	impossible

1. In yesterday's competition the prizes were given away by the Principal.

2. In spite of financial difficulties, the labourers were paid on time.

3. On Republic Day, vehicles are not allowed beyond this point.

4. Second-hand books are bought and sold on the pavement every Saturday.

5. Elections to the Lok Sabha are held every five years.

6. Our National Anthem was composed by Rabindranath Tagore.

Answer:
Nari Contractor was the Captain and an opening batsman for India in the 1960s. The Indian cricket team went on a tour to the West Indies in 1962. In a match against Barbados in Bridgetown, Nari Contractor was seriously injured and collapsed. In those days helmets were not worn. Contractor was hit on the head by a bouncer from Charlie Griffith. Contractor's skull was fractured. The entire team was deeply concerned. The West Indies players were worried. Contractor was rushed to hospital. He was accompanied by Frank Worrell, the Captain of the West Indies Team. Blood was donated by the West Indies players. Thanks to the timely help, Contractor was saved. Nowadays helmets are routinely used against bowlers.

Answer:
Vegetable oils are made from seeds and fruits of many plants growing all over the world, from tiny sesame seeds to big, juicy coconuts. Oil is produced from cotton seeds, groundnuts, soya beans and sunflower seeds. Olive oil is used for cooking, salad dressing etc. Olives are shaken from the trees and gathered up, usually by hand. The olives are ground to a thick paste which is spread onto special mats. Then the mats are layered up on the pressing machine which will gently squeeze them to produce olive oil.

This is a discussion activity. Use phrases like:

Giving opinion: I think that... / In my opinion... / It seems to me that... / I am of the view that... / As far as I know... / If you ask me...

Saying what others think: According to some... / Quite a few think... / Some others favour... / Thirty per cent of the people disagree... / Fifty per cent of them strongly feel...

Asking for opinions: What do you think about... / What do you think of... / What is your opinion about... / Do you agree... / Does this make you believe...

Answer: Life in Rameswaram in the 1940s was simple and community-based. People were mostly poor but hard-working. The society was rigid in terms of social groups, but children were unaware of these differences and played together freely. The Second World War affected daily life indirectly, such as the suspension of the train halt at Rameswaram station. The sudden demand for tamarind seeds showed how even small economic changes affected people's lives. People were hopeful of change with India's freedom imminent. Gandhiji's declaration "Indians will build their own India" filled the country with unprecedented optimism. Education was valued, and teachers like Sivasubramania Iyer tried to break social barriers. The society was a mix of orthodox beliefs and progressive ideas. People like Lakshmana Sastry and Sivasubramania Iyer worked to bridge differences between communities. Overall, life was simple, hard-working, and hopeful for a better future.