The Kabuliwala
Extract I
Before I could begin to
enlighten her on the differences
…………without making any sense!’
(i) With reference to the extract, name the
father and the daughter. From the daughter’s questions, what can you conclude
about her character?
The father in the
extract is the narrator and the daughter is the narrator’s daughter, Mini. It
can be concluded from the daughter’s questions that she is a talkative girl,
always bursting with questions.
(ii) In the story,
there are two fathers. Compare them as far as their professions are concerned.
The two fathers in
the story are — the narrator and Rahamat, the Kabuliwala. The narrator is an
author by profession, whereas Rahamat is a pedlar, who brings seasonal goods
from his country, Afghanistan and sells them in India.
(iii) Which is one
of the most important traits of the
daughter’s character? How does her father react to it?
The most important
traits of the daughter’s character are that she is talkative and always
questioning. Her father says that her daughter has not wasted a single moment
of her life remaining silent.
(iv) What was the
father doing when the daughter entered his room? How does the father show that
he is patient with daughter?
The father had
started writing the seventeenth chapter of his novel, the moment his daughter,
Mini, entered the room. The father shows that he is patient with his daughter
by listening to her volley of questions without saying anything and later
joining her prattle and having a lively talk with her.
(v)
What is the main theme of the story, ‘The kabuliwala’?
The
main theme of the story, The Kabuliwala is human relationships that
exist on different levels — the relationship between a father and his daughter,
represented by the narrator and his daughter, Mini; the relationship between
the Kabuliwala and Mini, a representation of the Kabuliwala’s relationship with
his own daughter, who is far away from him; and Mini’s relationship with her
mother, who is quite protective of her daughter.
Extract
II
A
few days later, as I was leaving…….loose end of her small sari.
(i) Who is the speaker here? Why is he startled
to see Mini laughing and talking with the great Kabuliwala?
The narrator is
the speaker here. He was startled to see Mini laughing and talking with the Kabuliwala
because initially she was scared of the Kabuliwala. She had the unknown fear
that the Kabuliwala carried several living children like herself in his bag.
(ii) Who is the
Kabuliwala? Describe his appearance.
The Kabuliwala was a pedlar, who used to bring
dry fruits and other goods from his country, Afghanistan and sell them in
India. Kabuliwala was a tall, shabbily dressed Afghan, who used to wear a
turban on his head and carry a bag over his shoulder and a few boxes of dry
grapes in his hand.
(iii) Describe the first meeting between Mini and
the Kabuliwala.
The first meeting
between Mini and the Kabuliwala happened when she called him to her house. But
when the Kabuliwala came, she got frightened and ran inside. She came only when
her father called her out. She stood nervously, pressing her father’s body and
looking suspiciously at the Kabuliwala and his bag. When the Kabuliwala offered
her some raisins and apricots from his bag, she refused to take them and clung
closer to her father with a redoubled suspicion.
(iv) How does Mini
overcome her fear of the Kabuliwala?
Mini overcame her
fear of Kabuliwala when her father called her from inside the house to meet the
Kabuliwala. Mini’s fear of Kabuliwala carrying several children like her in his
bag subsided, when the Kabuliwala took out some dry fruits from his bag and
offered them to her.
(v) How much does
the narrator pay to the Kabuliwala for the almonds and raisins given to mini as
gifts? What does the Kabuliwala do with the money?
The narrator paid
half-a-rupee coin to the Kabuliwala for the almonds and raisins he gave to Mini
as gifts. The Kabuliwala gave the money to Mini.
(vi)
How does this money cause trouble for the girl? Who saves her from the emerging
situation?
When Kabuliwala gave the money paid by Mini’s
father to Mini, Mini’s mother got annoyed that her daughter had accepted the
money from a stranger. Mini’s father rescued Mini from her mother’s wrath by
taking her out for a walk.
Extract
III
After
living for so many years in this world………she asked me a few pointed questions.
(i) What fear is
referred to in the extract?
Mini’s mother’s fear
that the world was full of thieves, bandits, drunkards, malaria and
cockroaches, waiting for an opportunity to harm her family, is referred to in
the extract.
(ii) Why is the lady
not able to overcome the fear?
The lady is not able to
overcome the fear because she has been hearing about instances of child
abduction, theft and robbery and is too concerned about the welfare of her
family.
(iii) Why is
she full of suspicion about the Kabuliwala?
She is full
of suspicion about the Kabuliwala because she has heard tales of child
abduction and robbery prevalent in Afghanistan, the country to which the
Kabuliwala belonged. Since, the Kabuliwala was a huge and tall man, she feared
that he could kidnap her daughter, Mini.
(iv) What is her
reaction to her daughter’s accepting things from the Kabuliwala?
She was annoyed at her daughter’s act of
accepting things from a stranger, i.e., the Kabuliwala. She had the fear that
the Kabuliwala was trying to befriend her daughter by giving her gifts, with
the intention of kidnaping her.
(v) What are the ‘pointed
qeustions’ that the lady asks the narrator?
The ‘pointed questions’
that the lady asked the narrator included — were there no instances of child
abduction, was not slave trade in practice in Afghanistan and was it impossible
for a giant like Kabuliwala to kidnap a little child.
(vi) What is
the narrator’s response to her doubts? Does he succeed in allaying her fear?
The narrator had to agree to the doubts of his
wife because her doubts were not impossible. No, he did not succeed in allaying
her wife’s fear.
Extract IV
Rahmat was in
the midst of hurling abuse………be going to your in-laws’ house?
(i) Who is the
dishonest man? Why is Rahamat hurling abuses at him?
The dishonest man was
the narrator’s neighbour, who had bought a Rampuri shawl from the Kabuliwala on
credit. Rahamat was hurling abuses at him because when he asked for his payment
for the shawl, the man denied having bought the shawl.
(ii) What is the usual
exchange referred to in the extract?
The ‘usual exchange’
refers to Mini’s questioning Kabuliwala about the contents in his bag.
(iii)What does the
Kabuliwala reply to Mini’s question?
When Mini asked Kabuliwala if he was going to
his in-laws’ house, he replied that he was going there only.
(iv) What crime is the
Kabuliwala charged with? How is he punished for the wrong done?
The Kabuliwala was
charged with murderous assault. He was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment
for his crime.
(v) What time
of the year is it? Describe the weather.
It was the
end of the winter season. The weather was freezing cold and almost unbearable,
especially in the morning hours, with little warmth after sunrise.
Extract V
There was a
lot of hubbub in the house……..stood before me with a salaam.
(i) Whose house is being referred to here? What is
the reason for the noise and bustle pervading it?
The narrator’s house is
being referred to in the extract. The noise and bustle pervading the house is
because of the narrator’s daughter’s wedding.
(ii) Describe the scene
at the house.
There was lot of hustle
and bustle in the house because of the narrator’s daughter’s wedding. The
visitors were continuously walking in and out. A tent was being put up in the
courtyard of the house and the ringing of the chandeliers being put in the
verandah filled the air. The wedding music was beig played in the house since
dawn and there was festivity in the house and no end to the noise.
(iii) Describe Rahamat’s
physical features at this point of time.
Rahamat’s physical features had changed in the
eight years he had been in prison. He no longer had his long hair or his old
vigour. The usual bag he carried on his shoulder was also missing.
(iv) Why
coundn’t the narrator recognize him
first? How did he recognize him a little later?
The
narrator could not recognise him first because his looks had changed from what
it used to be eight years ago. He did nothave his long hair, his old vigour and
the bag on his shoulder. The narrator recognised him from his smile.
(v) Where has Rahamat
come from? How did the narrator treat him? State why the narrator does not like
his visit to the house.
Rahamat had come from
jail after being released from there. The narrator was little annoyed with the
Kabuliwala and asked him to come some other day. He did not like his visit to
the house because it was the auspicious day of his daughter’s wedding.
(vi) What was Rahamat’s
reaction to the treatment given to him
in the narrator’s house?
Rahamat was little hurt
by the indifferent attitude of the narrator and was stunned on hearing that he
would not be able to meet Mini, as she was getting married that day.
Extract
VI
Every year Rahamat came peddle……..he was a father and so was I.
(i) What is referred to
as the ‘memorabilia of his daughter’? Why does the Kabuliwala carry it with
himself?
The impresson of the
hand of Kabuliwala’s daughter on a piece of paper, created with burnt charcoal
was the ‘memorabilia of his daughter’. Kabuliwala carried it with himself as a
mark of love and remembrance from his daughter, which provided comfort and
happiness to his lonely heart.
(ii) What are some of the ‘merchandise’ that the
Kabuliwala sells in the streets of Culcutta?
The ‘merchandise’ that
the Kabuliwala sold on the streets of Kolkata included dry fruits like almonds,
raisins and apricots and woollen clothes like shawls.
(iii) What has the
Kabuliwala requested of the speaker? Does the speaker accept his request? Give a
reason for your opinion.
The Kabuliwala
requested the speaker to hand over the grapes and raisins, which he has brought
for Mini, to her. The speaker accepted the Kabuliwala’s request because he
realised a father’s longing for his daughter and that the Kabuliwala saw a
reflection of his own daughter in Mini.
(iv) Why is the
Kabuliwala shocked when Mini finally appears before him?
The Kabuliwala was shocked when Mini finally
appeared before him because his little chirping, five-year-old Mini has grown
up into young, beautiful girl and was dressed up like a bride.
(v)What realization
dawns upon the Kabuliwala when he sees Mini?
On seeing Mini, it dawned on the Kabuliwala
that his own little daughter at home, away in Afghanistan, must have grown up
like Mini. She would not be the same girl, whom he had left behind, eight years
ago and would have to know her all over again.
(vi) Explain how the narrator helps the Kabuliwala.
The narrator helped the
Kabuliwala by cutting down on the wedding expenses of his daughter and giving
him the money so that he could go back to his own country and meet his
daughter.
(vii) What
was common to the Kabuliwala and the narrator?
Both the
narrator and the Kabuliwala are doting fathers to their daughters. Both of
them, also suffer the pangs of separation from their daughters : the Kabuliwala
got separated from his daughter when he was imprisoned eight years ago, whereas
the narrator was about to be separated from his daughter because of her getting
married.
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