Chapter How I Taught My Grandmother to Read by Sudha Murty is an inspiring story that is focused on the importance of education and lifelong learning. This chapter is given in latest Class 9 Kaveri 2026-27 textbook for CBSE NCERT Students.
Detailed Summary of How I Taught My Grandmother to Read
The narrator remembers her childhood when she lived in a small village in North Karnataka with her grandparents. In those days, transport facilities were not very good, so newspapers and weekly magazines arrived late. Everyone in the village waited eagerly for the bus that brought letters, newspapers, and magazines.
At that time, a famous Kannada writer named Triveni wrote interesting stories. One of her novels called “Kashi Yatre” was published as a serial in a weekly magazine called Karmaveera. The story was about an old woman who wished to visit Kashi (Varanasi), which many Hindus consider a sacred place. In the story, the old woman eventually gives all her savings to help an orphan girl get married instead of going to Kashi.
The narrator’s grandmother, Krishtakka, had never gone to school and could not read or write. Every week when the magazine arrived, the narrator would read the new episode of the story aloud to her grandmother. The grandmother loved the story very much and listened to it with great interest. She even discussed the story with her friends at the temple courtyard.
Once the narrator went to a nearby village to attend a wedding and stayed there for a week. During that time, a new episode of the story arrived, but her grandmother could not read it. When the narrator returned, she saw her grandmother crying. This surprised her because she had never seen her grandmother cry before. Later that night, her grandmother explained the reason for her sadness.
The grandmother told her that she had never been educated because in earlier times girls were not sent to school. When the magazine came while the narrator was away, she opened it but could not read the story. She felt helpless and dependent on others. She was too embarrassed to ask someone else to read it for her. This made her realize how important education is.
Therefore, the grandmother decided that she wanted to learn the Kannada alphabet so that she could read by herself. She set a goal to learn reading before Saraswati Puja during the festival of Dassara. At first, the narrator laughed because her grandmother was already sixty two years old. But the grandmother remained determined and said that there is no age bar for learning.
From the next day, the narrator began teaching her grandmother every day. The grandmother worked very hard and practiced reading and writing regularly. She became a very sincere and dedicated student.
When the festival of Dassara arrived, the narrator bought the novel Kashi Yatre as a gift for her grandmother. During the puja, the grandmother surprised everyone by touching the narrator’s feet as a mark of respect. She said she was not touching her granddaughter’s feet but the feet of a teacher, because a teacher deserves respect regardless of age.
Then the grandmother proudly read the title of the book by herself, proving that she had successfully learned to read. The narrator felt very happy and proud of her first student.
Word Meanings from the Chapter
| Word | English Meaning | Hindi Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ardent | Very eager, passionate | अत्यंत उत्सुक, लगन वाला |
| Concentration | Deep focus on something | एकाग्रता |
| Episode | A part of a story | कहानी का एक भाग |
| Protagonist | Main character of a story | मुख्य पात्र |
| Psychological | Related to the mind | मानसिक / मनोवैज्ञानिक |
| Ultimate | Final or most important | अंतिम / सर्वोच्च |
| Punya | Religious merit or blessing | पुण्य |
| Orphan | A child without parents | अनाथ |
| Convincing | Believable | विश्वास योग्य |
| Identified | Felt connected with | अपने आप को जोड़ना |
| Insist | To demand strongly | जोर देकर कहना |
| Savouring | Enjoying fully | पूरा आनंद लेना |
| Affectionate | Showing love and care | स्नेहपूर्ण |
| Regret | Feeling sorry for something | पछतावा |
| Dependent | Relying on someone | निर्भर |
Important Phrases from the Chapter
| Phrase | English Meaning | Hindi Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Pass with flying colours | To succeed very well | बहुत अच्छी तरह से सफल होना |
| No age bar | No age limit | उम्र की कोई सीमा नहीं |
| Mark of respect | Way of showing respect | सम्मान का प्रतीक |
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read Kaveri Class 9 Summary in Hindi
कहानी में लेखिका अपने बचपन की एक घटना बताती हैं। जब वे लगभग बारह वर्ष की थीं, तब वे उत्तर कर्नाटक के एक गाँव में अपने दादा-दादी के साथ रहती थीं। उस समय परिवहन व्यवस्था अच्छी नहीं थी, इसलिए समाचार पत्र और साप्ताहिक पत्रिकाएँ गाँव में देर से पहुँचती थीं। गाँव के लोग हर हफ्ते बस का इंतजार करते थे, जो पत्र, अखबार और पत्रिकाएँ लेकर आती थी।
उस समय कन्नड़ भाषा की प्रसिद्ध लेखिका त्रिवेणी की कहानियाँ बहुत लोकप्रिय थीं। उनकी एक कहानी “काशी यात्रे” साप्ताहिक पत्रिका कर्मवीर में धारावाहिक रूप में छपती थी। यह कहानी एक बुजुर्ग महिला की थी, जो काशी जाना चाहती थी। कहानी में दिखाया गया था कि अंत में वह महिला अपने काशी जाने के लिए जमा किए हुए पैसे एक अनाथ लड़की की शादी के लिए दे देती है।
लेखिका की दादी कृष्णक्का पढ़ना-लिखना नहीं जानती थीं क्योंकि उन्हें बचपन में स्कूल जाने का अवसर नहीं मिला था। इसलिए हर हफ्ते जब पत्रिका आती थी, तो लेखिका दादी को कहानी का अगला भाग पढ़कर सुनाती थीं। दादी को यह कहानी बहुत पसंद थी और वे इसे बड़े ध्यान से सुनती थीं।
एक बार लेखिका अपने रिश्तेदारों के यहाँ शादी में जाने के लिए दूसरे गाँव चली गईं और वहाँ एक हफ्ते तक रहीं। उसी दौरान पत्रिका का नया अंक आया, लेकिन दादी उसे पढ़ नहीं सकीं। जब लेखिका वापस लौटीं तो उन्होंने देखा कि उनकी दादी रो रही थीं। रात को दादी ने बताया कि जब पत्रिका आई तो वे उसे पढ़ नहीं सकीं और उन्हें बहुत दुख हुआ कि वे पढ़ना नहीं जानतीं। उन्हें लगा कि वे दूसरों पर निर्भर हैं।
तब दादी ने निश्चय किया कि वे कन्नड़ वर्णमाला सीखेंगी और खुद पढ़ना सीखेंगी। उन्होंने तय किया कि दशहरा के समय सरस्वती पूजा तक वे पढ़ना सीख लेंगी। शुरू में लेखिका ने उनकी उम्र देखकर मजाक किया, क्योंकि वे बासठ वर्ष की थीं। लेकिन दादी ने दृढ़ निश्चय के साथ कहा कि सीखने के लिए कोई उम्र की सीमा नहीं होती।
इसके बाद लेखिका ने अपनी दादी को पढ़ाना शुरू किया। दादी बहुत मेहनत से पढ़ाई करने लगीं और नियमित अभ्यास करती रहीं। कुछ ही महीनों में उन्होंने पढ़ना सीख लिया।
दशहरा के दिन लेखिका ने उन्हें “काशी यात्रे” उपन्यास उपहार में दिया। दादी ने लेखिका के पैर छूकर उनका सम्मान किया और कहा कि वे अपनी पोती के नहीं, बल्कि अपने शिक्षक के पैर छू रही हैं। फिर उन्होंने स्वयं पुस्तक का शीर्षक पढ़कर दिखाया। यह देखकर लेखिका बहुत खुश हुईं।