How I Taught My Grandmother to Read
Author: Sudha Murty
Characters
Narrator — A twelve-year-old girl living with her grandparents in north Karnataka. Later became a Computer Science teacher.
Krishtakka (Avva) — The narrator’s grandmother. Never went to school. Avva means “mother” in north Karnataka Kannada.
Setting
A village in north Karnataka. Transport was poor — morning newspapers arrived only in the afternoon and weekly magazines came one day late.
About Triveni
- Very popular Kannada writer
- Style was easy to read and convincing
- Stories dealt with complex psychological problems of ordinary people
- Died very young, but novels still appreciated after forty years
About Kashi Yatre
- A novel by Triveni, serialised in the Kannada weekly Karmaveera
- Story of an old lady with a strong desire to visit Kashi (Varanasi) to worship Lord Vishweshwara — considered the highest religious merit (punya)
- A young orphan girl in the story falls in love but has no money for the wedding
- The old lady gives away all her savings for the orphan girl’s wedding instead of going to Kashi
- Her words: “The happiness of this orphan girl is more important than worshipping Lord Vishweshwara at Kashi”
Part I — Main Events
- Every Wednesday, narrator read the next episode of Kashi Yatre aloud to her grandmother
- Grandmother listened with complete concentration and could repeat the entire text from memory
- Grandmother identified herself with the old lady in the novel as she too never went to Kashi
- After hearing each episode, grandmother discussed it with her friends at the temple courtyard
- Narrator went to a neighbouring village for a wedding — planned two days, stayed a whole week
- On returning, found grandmother in tears — which was very unusual as she never cried even in difficult situations
- That night on the open terrace, under the full moon, grandmother finally revealed the reason
Grandmother’s Life Story (told that night)
- Lost her mother when young, no one to guide her
- Father remarried and was busy
- In those days, girls’ education was not considered important
- Married very young, had children, then grandchildren
- Always regretted not going to school
- Made sure her children and grandchildren studied well
Part II — Main Events
Why grandmother cried:
- While narrator was away, Karmaveera arrived as usual
- Grandmother opened it, saw the pictures of Kashi Yatre but could not read anything
- Rubbed her hands over the pages wishing she could understand
- Felt too embarrassed to ask anyone in the village to read for her
- Felt dependent and helpless
- Said: “We are well-off, but what use is money when I cannot be independent?”
Grandmother’s decision:
- Decided to learn the Kannada alphabet from the very next day
- Set Saraswati Puja during Dassara as her deadline
- Goal: to read a novel on her own and become independent
Narrator’s reaction:
- Laughed at grandmother
- Pointed out her grey hair, wrinkled hands, spectacles, and kitchen work
- Thought it was impossible at age sixty-two
Grandmother’s reply:
“For a good cause if you are determined, you can overcome any obstacle. I will work harder than anybody but I will do it. For learning there is no age bar.”
Learning process:
- Narrator started teaching from the next day
- Grandmother read, repeated, wrote, and recited
- Did amazing amounts of homework
- Narrator was her only teacher; grandmother was narrator’s first student
On Dassara (Saraswati Puja day):
- Grandmother called narrator to the puja place, made her sit on a stool
- Gave her a gift of frock material
- Then touched the narrator’s feet — a complete role reversal (elders never touch feet of youngsters)
- Said she was touching the feet of a teacher, not her granddaughter
- Said the scriptures state a teacher must be respected regardless of age or gender
- Narrator returned the namaskara and gave her gift — the novel Kashi Yatre by Triveni
- Grandmother immediately read the title and publisher’s name aloud
- Narrator concluded: “my student had passed with flying colours”
Themes
- Value of education and literacy
- It is never too late to learn
- Respect for teachers
- Determination and self-reliance
- Intergenerational bonding
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