Class 9th Eng Beehive Ch-6 My Childhood, Message Characters explanation Summary Questions and answers Theme

Ch-6

My Childhood by APJ Abdul Kalam 

     

Kalam's Childhood

Kalam was born in a middle-class Tamil family in Rameswaram to Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma, two very generous people. Kalam inherited the values of honesty, self-discipline, and goodness from his parents. Though Kalam's family was rather big, Kalam's father made sure that all basic necessities like food, medicine and clothes were available to the family. They lived in a large, puccha, ancestral house.

His First Wages

When the Second World War started, there was a sudden demand for tamarind seeds in the market. Kalam collected these seeds and sold them to earn an anna, an amount considered huge for that time. His brother-in-law, Jallaluddin, used to tell him stories about war which Kalam would try to find in the headlines of a local newspaper.

The first impact of war on Rameswaram was that the train's halt at the station was suspended. As a result, the bundles of newspapers were now thrown from running trains. Kalam's cousin Samsuddin, who used to distribute these newspapers in Rameswaram, sought his help to catch the bundles. Thus, Kalam earned his first wages which gave him immense motivation.

Kalam's Friends

Kalam had three very close friends-Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan. Though all three of them belonged to orthodox Hindu Brahmin families, religion never came in the way of their friendship.

All of them got respectable jobs later in life. Ramanadha Sastry became the priest of Rameswaram temple, Aravindan started the business of transport for pilgrims, and Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways. 

Kalam's family used to arrange boats during the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony. The boat carried idols of Lord Rama from the temple to the wedding site 'Ram Tirtha' which was a pond near Kalam's house. Kalam grew up listening to stories both from the Ramayana as well as the life of the Prophet from his mother and grandmother at bedtime.

Communal Discrimination

A new teacher came to their class when Kalam was in fifth standard. He had a problem with Kalam, a Muslim boy, sitting next to Ramanadha Sastry, a Brahmin. He sent Kalam to the back seat simply because Muslims used to sit in the back seat as per the social ranking. His friend wept bitterly at Kalam's mistreatment. Both the children told their respective parents about it. Sastry's father summoned the teacher and warned him not to spread communal disharmony among young people. Not only the teacher had to apologise but also got reformed.

Lunch at a Teacher's Home

Another incident which left lasting impression on Kalam was when his science teacher, Sivasubramania lyer, invited him to his house for a meal. Sivasubramania lyer's wife was a very conservative Brahmin. She was shocked that her husband had invited a Muslim to dine in her pure kitchen and refused to serve food to Kalam. Iyer, however, served Kalam with his own hands and ate with him. Sivasubramania lyer again invited Kalam for a meal. Seeing that Kalam was hesitant, Sivasubramania told him that he should be prepared to face such situations if he wanted to change a system. Surprisingly, when Kalam visited his house again lyer's wife not only took him to her kitchen but also served him food with her own hands.

Further Study

When the freedom of India was imminent, Kalam too got his father's permission to go and study further in Ramanathapuram. His father permitted him willingly but his mother was hesitant. His father said that parents should not restrict their children and allow them to flourish by giving them freedom

Message -

The book "My Childhood" conveys the idea that tolerance, acceptance, open-mindedness, and brotherhood are necessary for overall development.

Textual Questions

Q1. Where was Abdul Kalam's house?

Ans. Abdul Kalam's house was situated in Rameswaram.

Q2. What do you think Dinamani is the name of? Give a reason for your answer.

Ans. Dinamani is the name of a newspaper. Abdul Kalam used to trace the headlines of this newspaper for news about the World War-II.

Q3. Who were Abdul Kalam's school friends? What did they later become?

Ans. Abdul Kalam's school friends were Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan. Ramanadha Sastry became the priest of the Rameswaram temple. Aravindan started a transport business and Sivaprakasan became a catering contractor for the Southern Railways.

Q4. How did earn his first wages?

Ans. Abdul Kalam earned his first wages by becoming an assistant to his cousin who used to distribute newspapers in the area after picking them from the moving train.

Q5. Had he earned any money before that? In what way?

Ans. Yes, he had earned money before that by collecting tamarind seeds and selling them to a provision shop.

Q6. How does the author describe: (a) his father,(b) his mother,

(c) himself?

(a) The author describes his father as a simple man who did not have much formal education and wealth but he was very wise and kind-hearted. He was an austere man who didn't believe in amassing wealth but he provided everything that his children needed.

(b) The author describes his mother because kind as she used to feed many people every day. Kalam inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness from his mother.

(c) About himself, the author says that he was one of the many children. He was a short boy with rather undistinguished looks.

Q7. What characteristics does he say he inherited from his parents?

Ans. Kalam inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father and from his mother, he inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness.

Short Answer Type Questions

1. What kind of a person was Kalam's father?

Q1What kind of a person was Kalam's father?

Ans. Kalam's father, Jainulabdeen, was tall and handsome. Although he did not have any formal education or much wealth, he possessed great innate wisdom and a true generosity of spirit. He was progressive so he sent Kalam to Ramanathapuram for further study.

Q2. What kind of poison was the young teacher spreading in the class?

Answer.He did not like that a Muslim boy was sitting with a Hindu Brahmin boy. Thus the young teacher was spreading the poison of social inequality and communalism. He was poisoning the minds of children.

Q3. How did the Indians feel when the nation's Independence was in full sight?

Answer.Indians were filled with unprecedented optimism when the Second World War ended. India's independence seemed imminent. Gandhiji declared that Indians would build their own India.

Q4 How did Kalam look like when he was very young?

Ans. Kalam did not look anything like his tall and handsome parents. He was a rather short boy with undistinguished looks.

Q5. Why does Kalam say he had a secure childhood, both materially and emotionally?

Ans. Though his father was austere, Kalam's father made sure that his family had all the basic necessities in terms of food, medicine and clothes. Kalam got all the love and guidance from his parents during his childhood. So, he had a very secure childhood, both materially and emotionally.

Q6. From his childhood, Kalam was very industrious. Discuss.

Ans. From his childhood, Kalam was an industrious child who made full use of every opportunity he got. During the war, there erupted a great demand for tamarind seeds in the market. So, he collected the seeds and sold them to a provision shop. Later, he helped his cousin in catching newspaper bundles thrown from the trains. These incidents show that he was very industrious.

Q7. What did Kalam's family do during the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony?

Ans. Kalam family used to arrange boats for carrying idols of the Lord from the temple to the marriage site, Rama Tirtha, during the annual Shri Sita Rama Kalyanam ceremony.

Q8. How did Kalam and his friend react when the new teacher at the Rameswaram Elementary School ordered Kalam to sit at the back bench of the class?

Ans. Kalam and his friend, Ramanadha Sastry, became very upset and sad when the new teacher ordered Kalam to go and sit on the back bench of the class as per the social ranking. Ramanadha was absolutely shocked. When Kalam was shifted to the back bench, there were tears in Ramanadha's eyes. It was one of the things Kalam vividly remembered the rest of his life 

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