NCERT Solution for Class 9 English Beehive Chapter 6 My Childhood

Question:- I. Answer these questions in one or two sentences each.

1. Where was Abdul Kalam’s house?

Answer:- Abdul Kalam’s house was on Rameswaram’s Mosque Street.

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

Answer:- I think Dinamani is the name of a newspaper. As Abdul Kalam try to trace the Second World War’s news in its headlines.

3. Who were Abdul Kalam’s school friends? What did they later become?

Answer:- Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan and Sivaprakasan were his school time friends. Ramanadha Sastry became a Rameswaram temple priest. Aravindan started a business arranging transportation for visiting pilgrims. The Southern Railways hired Sivaprakasan as a catering contractor.

4. How did Abdul Kalam earn his first wages?

Answer:- Abdul Kalam earned his first wages by catching bundles of newspaper and distributing newspapers.

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

Answer:-  Yes, he had earned money before that also. He used to gather tamarind seeds and sell them to a convenience shop on Mosque Street. He earned one anna from a day’s collection.

Question:- II. Answer each of these questions in a short paragraph (about 30 words)

1. How does the author describe:- (i) his father, (ii) his mother, (iii) himself?

Answer:- (i) The author describes his father as a wise, honest, generous and self-disciplined person. He felt happy when he helped others. He lacked both formal education and wealth. He avoided unnecessary comforts and luxuries.

(ii) His mother was a noble woman with a good heart. She used to be able to feed a huge group of people. She possessed all of the characteristics of a traditional Indian mother.

(iii) The author describes himself as a short boy born into a Tamil family from the middle class with undistinguished looks born to tall and handsome parents, who became a scientist after studying physics and aerospace engineering.

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

Answer:- Abdul Kalam says that he inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father, while from his mother he got faith in goodness and deep kindness.

Question:- III. Discuss these questions in class with your teacher and then write down your answers in two or three paragraphs each.

1. “On the whole, the small society of Rameswaram was very rigid in terms of the segregation of different social groups,” says the author.

(i) Which social groups does he mention? Were these groups easily identifiable (for example, by the way they dressed)?

Answer:- (i) He refers to Hindus and Muslims as social groups. Yes, these groups might be identified by their clothing, traditions, culture, and so on. Kalam, for example, used to wear a cap on his head to identify himself as a Muslim. Whereas a sacred thread was worn by Ramanadha Sastry.

 (ii) Were they aware only of their differences or did they also naturally share friendships and experiences? (Think of the bedtime stories in Kalam’s house; of who his friends were; and of what used to take place in the pond near his house.)

Answer:-  (ii) They were not only aware of their differences, but also of their similarities. They naturally share their friendships and experiences as well. As bedtime stories, Kalam’s mother and grandmother would tell him stories from the Ramayana and the Prophet’s life. All of his friends came from traditional Hindu homes. During the annual Sita Rama Kalyanam Ceremony, his family would prepare boats with a special platform for transporting Lord’s idols from the temple to the marriage venue near his residence, which was located in the centre of a pond named Rama Tirtha

(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?

Answer:- His school teacher and Sivasubramania Iyer’s wife encouraged communal differences whereas Lakshmana Sastry and Sivasubramania Iyer discouraged this malpractice and tried to bridge these differences..

 (iv) Narrate two incidents that show how differences can be created, and also how they can be resolved. How can people change their attitudes?

Answer:- The following are two examples that demonstrate how differences can arise and how they can be resolved:

1. When Lakshamana Sastry heard about the new school teacher’s mistreatment of Kalam because he was a Muslim, he demanded that the teacher apologise or leave the school.
2. Sivasubramania Iyer’s  wife was shocked at the thought of a Muslim boy being invited to her pure kitchen, and refused to feed him. Then Sivasubramania Iyer sat beside Kalam to eat his dinner and served him with his own hands.

2. (i) Why did Abdul Kalam want to leave Rameswaram?

Answer:- Abdul Kalam wanted to leave Rameswaram as he wanted to study at the district headquarters in Ramanathapuram.

 (ii) What did his father say to this?

Answer:- “Abul!” his father said. I understand you need to get away to improve. Isn’t it true that the seagull, alone and without a nest, flies across the sun?”

 (iii) What do you think his words mean? Why do you think he spoke those

words?

Answer:- (iii) His words indicated that he understood Kalam’s need to leave his home and get a decent academic education in order to grow. He said these things because he understood the hard reality of life, which is that children must leave their homes and parents to pursue a career and earn money.