ENGLISH Iswaran The Storyteller

 Iswaran The Storyteller

Date: 20/7/21

Topics taught

Reading of the chapter and explanation.

Date: 23/7/21

Topics covered- Discussion of textual exercise and Practice sheet.

New Words.

1.hauled

2.mahout

3.anecdote

4.depredation

5.whacked

Comprehension Questions (a) What impact did Iswaran’s story of a female ghost have on Mahendra? Mahendra rebuked Iswaran for believing in ghosts. But despite his brave talk, after hearing the story, he went to bed every night with certain unease. Every night he peered into the darkness outside through the window next to his bed, trying to make sure that there was no movement of dark shapes in the vicinity.   (b)  Why did Mahendra become fond of Iswaran ? Why was Iswaran called Mahendra’s asset? Or How did Iswaran show his usefulness to the narrator? Mahendra became fond of Iswaran because he was a very resourceful person and took very good care of him.He followed him uncomplainingly wherever he was posted. He was a trained cook and could also arrange for things at a desolate place. In addition to this he was a good story teller and kept him entertained.   (c)   Why did Mahendra decide to leave the haunted place? He was afraid of the haunted place after hearing and watching a ghastly experience at night. Therefore, he wanted to leave the place.   (d)  What sets Iswaran apart from other domestic helps? Iswaran was a class in himself. He was highly resourceful and a big help to Mahendra. He cooked and cleaned for him. He had an amazing capacity to produce vegetables and cookng ingredients seemingly out of nowhere, in the middle of a desolate landscape with no shops visible for miles around. He would miraculously conjure up the most delicious dishes made with fresh vegetables within an hour of arriving at the

new place.

 

(e)  How did Iswaran tackle the elephant?

The elephant had caused much terror when it entered the school complex. Children and teachers ran here and there to save their lives. Iswaran dared to confront the elephant it and hit it on the third toe with a rod. Thus, the mad elephant was controlled.

 

(f)  What did Mahendra decide after he had seen the ghost?

Mahendra was convinced that there were ghosts around his house. He was scared and did not want to live there any longer and so, he resigned his job.

 

(h)   Who was Iswaran? What all did he do for his master?

Iswaran was Mahendra’s cook; he was an asset to him. He cooked for him, washed his clothes and chatted away with his master at night. He often narrated stories which were very convincing.

 

(i)Does the elephant story seem plausible?

One day an elephant went mad, stamping on bushes, breaking fences, smashing fruit stalls, mud pots and clothes. He even entered a school ground breaking through the brick wall. Iswaran who was in the junior class, whacked its third toe nail with a rod and it collapsed. No, the story does not appear to be plausible.

 

(j)  What destruction did the elephant cause in the town?

The elephant caused a lot of destruction in the town. He broke branches, fences and smashed stalls. He entered a school playground and broke a brick wall, pulled out a football goal post, tore down volleyball net and flattened a water drum.

 

(l) Do you think the ghost Mahendra saw on the night of the full moon was a real ghost?

No, I think the ghost Mahendra saw was a creation of a weak mind. Iswaran had made Mahendra’s mind a little weak by telling him the ghost story. When Mahendra rebuked him for believing in ghosts, he felt offended. To prove that he was right he himself posed as a ghost. So, that is why Mahendra thought that he had seen a ghost at that full moon night.

 

(m)    Mahendra calls ghosts or spirits a figment of imagination. What happens to him on full

moon night?

Mahendra never believed in ghosts and spirits but one night he had woken up from his sleep by a low moan near the window. He could not resist his curiosity and tried to look out. To his horror, he saw a dark cloudy form clutching a bundle. Mahendra was in cold sweat from top to bottom and fell back on the pillow panting.

 

(l)   Why did Iswaran seek permission to cook a special dinner?

Iswaran sought Mahendra’s permission to cook a special dinner because it was an auspicious day and according to tradition, delicacies had to be prepared to feed the spirits of ancestors. Actually, he was laying the background for a ghost story.

 

Long answer type questions:

1.    Describe lswaran’s encounter with the elephant.

One day, lswaran told Mahendra the story of a mad elephant. One day a tusker escaped from the timber yard. It roamed here and there and destroyed the things in its path. Then the tusker reached the town. People ran here and there in terror. Later the elephant entered a school ground where the children were playing. All the boys ran into the classrooms and shut the doors. The elephant pulled out the football goalpost, tore the volleyball net, kicked and flattened the water drum. Everyone watched helplessly.

lswaran said that he was studying in the junior class at time. He grabbed the stick of a teacher and came to the elephant. He struck the elephant’s toenail. It shivered and fell down. A veterinary doctor was called. After two days, the elephant’s mahout came and took it away. Iswaran told Mahendra that he made the elephant unconscious using the Japanese art of karate or ju-jitsu.

 

2.    What human values form the essence of Iswaran’s character?

Iswaran was a multitalented person whose character teaches us the values of dedication, cheerfulness and creativity. He carried out his duties as a cook by preparing the most delicious dishes like a magician. He was dedicated to Mahendra and served him uncomplainingly regardless of the situation or the place. He enjoyed his job and would not sit idle when Mahendra was at work. In Mahendra’s absence, he would nish o cleaning and washing tasks. Iswaran was a curious learner. He developed the art of storytelling by reading Tamil thrillers. He could narrate a story everyday by mixing suspense, adventure and horror to the episodes. He was a good and loyal companion to Mahendra and entertained him more than a TV. He was large-hearted and did not sulk even after getting a scolding from Mahendra. His innumerable

positive values make him memorable.

 

Read the following extracts and answer the questions that follow in one or two lines.

1.   He was a bachelor. His needs were simple and he was able to adjust himself to all kinds of odd conditions, whether it was an ill-equipped circuit house or a makeshift canvas tent in the middle of a quarry.

(a)   Who is ‘he’ in the above extract?

‘He’ here is Mahendra, a junior supervisor in a firm that offered on hire supervisors at construction sites.

 

(b)       List two characteristics of this person.

He was a bachelor and had simple needs. He adjusted himself to all kinds of unusual situations at his different work sites.

 

(c)   Which type of places did he have to live in?

He had to live in ill-equipped circuit houses or makeshift canvas tents.

 

(d) Why did he have to live like this?

He had to live like this because his work involved supervision of different types of construction sites at remote places.

 

2.  He would miraculously conjure up the most delicious dishes made with fresh vegetables within an hour of arriving at the zinc-sheet shelter at the new workplace.

(a)  Who is ‘he’ in the above lines? Why is he being appreciated?

‘He’ in the above lines is Iswaran, Mahendra’s servant. He is being appreciated because he could quickly cook delicious dishes from fresh vegetables even in a remote workplace.

 

(b) What was the zinc-sheet shelter?

The zinc-sheet shelter was the temporary home at the new construction site where Iswaran stayed with his master, Mahendra.

 

(c)  Was the cook resourceful?

The cook, Iswaran, was resourceful since he could arrange fresh vegetables even in unfamiliar workplaces.

(a)   What is the meaning of ‘conjure up’ in these lines?

It means - to make something good, especially food, quickly and in a skilful way.

 

1. It is an ugly creature with matted hair and a shrivelled face, like a skeleton holding a foetus in its arms.

(a)  What is ‘it’ here and who is describing ‘it’?

‘It’ here is the female ghost who is being described by Iswaran, the cook.

 

(b)   Why was ‘it’ ugly?

‘It’ was ugly because it had matted hair and shrivelled face like a typical ghost.

 

(c)  Who had seen ‘it’, when and where?

It was claimed to have been seen by Iswaran at midnight during the full moon in the factory area supervised by Mahendra.

 

(d)   What effect does this description of the ugly creature have on Mahendra?

This description made Mahendra shiver with horror although he put up a brave show by dismissing Iswaran’s belief in ghosts or spirits as a figment of his imagination.

 

2.   At first he put it down to a cat prowling around for mice. But the sound was too guttural for a cat. He resisted the curiosity to look out lest he should behold a sight which would stop his heart.

(a)  Who is ‘he’ in these lines? What is ‘it’ that he put down?

‘He’ in these lines is Mahendra, the junior supervisor. ‘It’ is the strange low moan sound he heard at night near his bedroom window.

 

(b)   How did he conclude that the sound was not of a cat?

The sound was too guttural and this made Mahendra conclude that it was not of a cat.

 

(c)  What desire did he resist?

He resisted the desire to look out through the window at the moonlit night.

 

(d) Why did he resist his desire?

He resisted his desire because he was afraid that he might see a horrifying sight of some ghost.

Answers to Text book questions

1.     In what way is Ishwaran an asset to Mahendra?

Iswaran was a skilled cook .He worked for Mahendra; he cooked for him, washed his clothes and chatted away with his master at night. Mahendra always kept him wherever he was posted. The cook was also quite attached to Mahendra and followed him uncomplainingly anywhere that Mahendra was posted.That is why he was an asset to Mahendra.

 

2.     How does Iswaran describe the uprooted tree on the highway? What effect does he want to create in his listeners?

Iswaran describes the uprooted tree by first adding suspense and then a surprise ending to the account. He arched his eye brows suitably and hands were held out in dramatic gesture while recounting that he was alone on a deserted road when he saw something that looked like an enormous bushy beast. Later, on a closer look, he saw that it was a fallen tree with dry branches spread out. He adopts this style of description because he wants to catch the attention of the listener. He employs suspense and adds details so that the story captivates his audience. His style of narrating stories was influenced by Tamil thrillers that were quite long. He knew from his experience of reading that elaborate descriptions made the story enjoyable and interesting. He wanted to give the same experience to his listener.

 

3.     How does he narrate the story of the tusker? Does it appear to be plausible? Iswaran had a great narrative skill .Once he narrated the story of a tusker who had escaped from the jungle .The tusker destroyed everything that came in his way. At last it reached Iswaran's school and broke the brick wall, pulled out the football goal post, tore down the volley ball net. Everyone was helplessly watching the whole drama. Sudden Iswaran grabbed a cane from the hands of a teacher and faced the dangerous tusker. He whacked the third toe nail of tusker with the cane. The elephant was stunned; it shivered from head to foot and collapsed.

No, the tale does not appear to be plausible since it is not possible that a whack by a boy with a cane would cause a dangerous elephant to collapse.

 

4.  Why does the author say that Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of

T.V. in Mahendra's living quarters?

The author says so because Iswaran was a fascinating storyteller. Every day he recounted some story packed with adventure, horror and suspense whether the story

was credible or not Mahendra enjoyed listening to it because of the inimitable way in which it was told. Iswaran’s descriptions were greatly influenced by the books of Tamil authors that he read.

 

1.  Mahendra calls ghost or sprits a figment of the imagination. What happen to him on a full moon night?

Mahendra was a man with scientific approach. One day when Iswaran told him that the entire factory area that they were occupying was once a burial ground. Mahendra chided Iswaran and told him not to believe in ghost or spirits because these are nothing but a figment of the imagination. On one full moon night he heard a low moan close to his window. At first he thought it was a cat prowling around for mice but the sound became loud and harsh. He looked through the window and found a dark cloudy form clutching a bundle. That sight sent a chill down Mahendra’s spine. He resolved to leave the haunted place the next day.

 

2.  Can you think the other end of the story? Personal response

Suggested answer

The other ending of the story could be that Mahendra could have found the right reason of his ghastly experience. He would not have left the place instead faced the bull by its horns. Mahendra could have caught Iswaran red handed while playing a trick on him.