Description of Grandmother and Grandfather

10 Questions

What did the narrator think about their grandmother's stories of her childhood?

They were absurd and undignified

What was the narrator's grandparents' physical appearance like?

Grandfather was old and wrinkled, grandmother was short and fat

What did the narrator think about their grandmother's beauty?

She was always beautiful, despite her age

What was the narrator's relationship with their grandmother like?

They were good friends and spent a lot of time together

Why did the narrator's parents leave them with their grandmother?

Because they were moving to a different city

What was the author's grandmother's routine during the school sessions at the temple?

She would read the scriptures inside the temple

Why did the author's grandmother stop accompanying him to school?

The author's parents had moved to the city

What did the author's grandmother feed in the city?

Sparrows

Why was the author's grandmother unhappy with his English school education?

The school did not teach about God and the scriptures

What did the author learn in his English school that he shared with his grandmother?

The law of gravity and Archimedes' Principle

Study Notes

The Grandmother's Character

The narrator's grandmother was an old woman who had been old and wrinkled for 20 years.
She was short, fat, and slightly bent, with a face covered in wrinkles.
Despite her physical appearance, she was beautiful and had a serene presence.

The Grandmother's Relationship with the Narrator

The narrator and the grandmother were good friends.
The grandmother took care of the narrator when their parents left for the city.
She would wake the narrator up, get them ready for school, and accompany them to school.
She would also ask the narrator about their school lessons and was interested in their education.

The Grandmother's Daily Life

The grandmother would wake up early, say her morning prayers, and bathe and dress the narrator.
She would prepare the narrator's school materials, including a wooden slate and ink-pot.
She would bring stale chapattis to school to feed the village dogs.
In the city, she would feed sparrows in the courtyard of their home.

The Grandmother's Beliefs

The grandmother was deeply religious and believed in the scriptures.
She read the scriptures daily and would often tell the narrator stories from the scriptures.
She did not believe in the teachings of the English school, particularly the focus on science and Western learning.

The Change in the Grandmother's Life

When the narrator's parents sent for them to join them in the city, the grandmother's routine changed.
She no longer accompanied the narrator to school and instead stayed at home.
The narrator's increased exposure to Western education and values led to a decline in their close relationship with the grandmother.