LEELA'S FRIEND-​ R. K. NARAYAN SOME QUES--TO---ANS (XI)

LEELA'S FRIEND-​ R. K. NARAYAN 

Q1."she mentioned the police and shouted at him" 

 Who shouted at whom ? what made the woman to shout and mention the police?​

How did the person shouted at react?                                                           1+2+2=5

 In​ R. K. Narayan's short story, Leela's mother Mrs. Sivasamker shouted at their servant Sidda. 

 It happened that one evening Sidda went out to buy sugar and Leela accompanied him. when they returned Leela's mother noticed that the chain Leela was wearing was missing. She suspected Sidda immediately and assumed firmly that he is the culprit. Sidda also became scared and he answered that he did not know on her query. So she shouted at him and mentioned the police. 

 Sidda being so suspected, could utter nothing except that he did not know. His throat went dry. And when Leela's mother went back into the kitchen, he just vanished from there. It makes the situation more complicated for himself.  Alternative questions:​

●     "How many times have I told you to take it off and put in the box?" - Who said this to whom? What had been told to put off? why did the speaker say so? what happened after that? 

●     "Her mother gave her a slap" - Whose mother gave whom a slap? why did she slapped? What happened at last? 

●     "His throat went dry." - Whose throat went dry? what happened to make his throat dry? what did he does  at last? 

●     "Sidda had vanished into the night."-Who is Sidda? Why did he vanish into the night? 

●     "Mr Sivasanker grew excited all over this." - Why did Mr. Sivasanker grow excited? What did he do for this? 

Q2."Her mind was disturbed" -​ Whose mind was disturbed? what happened to make​              her mind disturbed? 1+4

 In R. K. Narayan's short story 'Leela's Friend', Leela's mother Mrs Sivasanker's mind was disturbed. 

 Her mind was disturbed for Leela's gold chain was missing and Sidda had vanished upon being asked about it. She also feared that Sidda might return and loot because he had all the knowledge of the household. Again she thanked God for the child had not been harmed by Sidda for the chain. So all these thoughts together made her mind disturbed and she was literally shivering thinking of the villain, she had given shelter to. 

Alternative questions :

●     "The thought of Sidda made her panicky" - Who was made panicky? why was she panicky? 

●     "She shuddered to think what a villain he had been harbouring all these days" - Who shuddered? why did she shudder? 

Q3. What was Leela's opinion about the departure of Sidda? 

           Little Leela blamed her mother for Sidda's departure. She said that her mother always  abused and worried Sidda. Sidda was also not allowed to sit in their chair. She even noticed that Sidda was made to sleep outside the house and so he was angry. This statement by Leela is eye opening,for it shows how a servant is treated in an upper-class household. 

Alternative questions :

●     "I think he is angry with us" - Who is the speaker? who is angry? why is the person angry according to the speaker? 

●     "I don't like you mother" - Who said this? Why is the speaker angry with her mother? 

Q4. "What a risk we took" -​ Who said this to whom? What is the risk spoken here? why is it a risk?  1+1+1+3

 In the short story 'Leela's Friend' Mr. Sivasanker, Leela's father said this to his wife Mrs Sivasanker. 

 The risk is that they engaged one stranger named Sidda as their servant without consulting the police. 

 After returning from the police station,Mr. Sivasanker said that they took a risk engaging Sidda who has fled away from their house when their daughter's gold chain was missing.The police had told him that Sidda was an old criminal and had been to jail six times for stealing jewellery from the children. So it was definitely a risk to employ such a criminal.

Q5."Sidda knows the moon" -​ Who said this to whom? How was the speaker convinced that Sidda knows the moon? 1+4

                 In the short story "Leela's Friend", Leela said this to her mother. 

 Sidda was the servant of the Sivasanker family. Little Leela liked him very much. Sidda told her about many things that stirred her imagination as a child. He said to her that he touches the moon on every full moon night,climbing a coconut tree. He pointed to the moon to her from different places and said that the moon had followed them. He also told her that the moon is wet. So all these accounts on moon made her to say so. 

Alternative questions :

●    "she clapped her hands in delight" - Who clapped her hands? why was she delighted? 

Q6. How does Leela play teacher to Sidda? How does Sidda find relief?  3+2​

 At evening Leela had a class for Sidda in her own childish manner. She made her squat on the floor with a pencil and a catalogue. With another pencil and catalogue she ordered Sidda to write and copy whatever she wrote. She only knew two or three letters of the alphabet and could draw a kind of cat and crow. With this knowledge she tried to teach. But the more Sidda failed to copy the more she tried. She made him to sit there until he managed to find relief. 

            Sidda​    was clever. He always lied a little that her mother was calling her to dinner. 

This always ended her class as  she ran to her mother.

Alternative questions : 

● "I think your mother is calling you to dinner". - Who said this to whom? Why did the speaker say so? 

Q7. "Don't take him! Leave him here, leave him here." - Who​ said this for whom? why is the person taken away? 2+3

 In R. K. Narayan's short story 'Leela's Friend', Leela said this to the police constable not to take away Sidda to the jail. 

            Four days after Sidda had departed, police brought  in Sidda to Mr. Sivasanker's house. The police as well as Leela's parents accused Sidda as the main culprit for stealing Leela's gold chain. The interrogation went on for half an hour. But Sidda knew nothing. Leela repeatedly tried to say that he had not done anything. But the elders ignored her. At last the inspector said the constable to take Sidda to the police station for further interrogation. So when he was taken, Leela ran behind her and pleaded to leave him. 

Alternative questions.:

●     "Leela's face becomes red" - Why did Leela's face becomes red? 

●     "Leela felt disgusted at all these." - Why did Leela felt disgusted? 

●     "He looked at her mutely" - Who looked at whom? what was the situation? 

Q8. "Yor not at all reliable prosecution witness my child" -​ Who​ said this to whom? Why did the speaker say so? 

 In R. K. Narayan's short story 'Leela's Friend' the police inspector said this to little Leela when she said that Sidda had not taken the chain. 

 The police inspector charged Sidda as a devil for stealing Leela's chain. He also gave him an option that if he returned it he would let him go with a promise of not doing such a thing again. Leela's parents also joined the inspector. But little could not endure all these. She tried to save Sidda. She urged the inspector that he had not taken the chain. Then the inspector said the words humorously. He In fact, could not understand that a child always speaks the truth. 

Q9. And all this bother on account of her"-​ What​ is the bother spoken to here? Who is alleged for this? where is he now?How did  the bother come to an end? 1+1+1+3            In R. K. Narayan's short story 'Leela's Friend', 'all the bother' happened for Leela's missing gold chain. 

                 Servant Sidda was accused of stealing Leela's gold chain. 

                 He is in jail now as he has been accused of stealing. 

 In spite of repeated interrogation to Sidda, no trace of the chain was found. But one day Leela's mother found the chain in the tamarind pot. Leela said that she left the chain there some other day. Her father also saw her carrying it in her hand once or twice. Thus the chain was restored in the house. But Sidda was made the victim. 

Q10. "we could not have kept a criminal like him in the house". -​ Who said this? about whom is it spoken? What finalessage is spoken to here?  

            In R. K. Narayan's short story Mr. Sivasanker said this about Sidda who was falsely accused as the culprit for stealing jewellery from the children. 

 Towards the end of the story Sidda is proved not to be guilty. Even then, Mr. Sivasanker utters these words.These shows the prejudiced attitude of the upper class people towards the lower class poor people. Upper class people like Sivasanker judges the lower class people only from appearance and false assumptions. They can easily fix the stamp of criminality to any poor people.The line thus itself is a criticism of the upper class personality like Sivasanker. It seems the poor are prone to do bad things and all sorts of good things suits only the upper class.The line thus shows one of the major themes of the story.