Summary

“My Childhood Days” is taken from the Memoir “My Childhood Days”.  Tagore wrote this memoir when he was eighty.  The sense of wonder and delight in the common place experiences of boyhood helped him to become a great poet.  The keen observation of rain and his experience with an old cashier named Kailash and the unforgettable advice of the home tutor are mentioned in a simple way.  Tagore tells us how these small deeds of childhood helped him to develop into a matured writer, pet and philosopher.  His childhood ideas of the duties of a police man were vague and he says “a person charged with crime once placed in a policeman's hands would, as sure as the wretch caught in a crocodile's serrated grip and be seen no more.”

1. Why does Tagore think that rhyme is essential for poetry?

Tagore thought that because of the rhyme, words come to an end and yet end not; the utterance is over, but not its ring, and the ear and the mind can go on and on with their game of tossing the rhyme to each other.  So rhyme is essential for poetry.

2. Who is Kailash? How does Tagore describe this character?

Kailash was an old cashier.  He was like one of the family members and a great wit.  He constantly cracked jokes with everybody, old and young.  His wit and humour touched every aspect of human life.

3. What was Kailash's 'doggerel ballad' about?

Kailash's doggerel ballad was about the writer – Tagore.

4. Why was Tagore so eager to go to school?

His elder brother and his sister's son Satya started off to school leaving him behind.  Moreover, he wished to travel in a carriage.  Satya's unduly and glowing accounts of the school events made him so eager to go to school.

5. 'Never in my life have I heard a truer prophecy.'  What was the prophecy?

Tagore's home tutor's advice was this prophecy. Tutor advised him “You're crying to go to school now, you will have to cry a lot more to be let off later on”.

6. What impressions of the Oriental Seminary exist in Tagore's mind?

In Oriental Seminary, the boy who was unable to repeat his lessons was made to stand on a bench with arms extended, and on his upturned palms were piled a number of slates.  Tagore had no idea what he had learnt from the Oriental Seminary.

7. What was his memory regarding the reading of the Ramayana?

He sat down on the still of his mother's door to read the Ramayana with a marbled paper cover which belonged to her old aunt.  While he was weeping over one of its sorrowful situations, his aunt took away the book form him.

8. Comprehension

I. Read the passage from 'My Childhood Days' and answer the questions.
What constantly recurs to me is 'The rain patters, the leaf quivers'.  Whenever the joy of that day comes back to me, even now, I realise why rhyme is so needful in poetry.  Because of if the words come to an end, and yet end not; the utterance is over, but not its ring; and the ear and the mind can go on and on with their game of tossing the rhyme to each other.  Thus did the rain patter and the leaves quiver again and again, the live long day in my consciousness.

1. What constantly recurs to Tagore?
2. What was his realisation about poetry?
3. Why did Tagore say the rhyme was so needful in poetry?
4. How are the rain patters and leaf quivers related to the rhyme in a poetry?
5. Pick out a word which means 'repeat' from the paragraph.

1. The rain patters and leaf quivers constantly recur to Tagore.
2. Tagore realised that rhyme was so needful in poetry.  Without rhyme poetry is incomplete.
3. If there is rhyme, the words come to an end, and yet and end not; the utterance is over, but not its ring and the ear and the mind can go on and on with their game of tossing the rhyme to each other.
4. Tagore's keen observation of rain patters and leaf quivers gave him a realisation of rhyme in poetry.  The patters of the rain and leaves quiver in a systematic way like the rhyme that live long in the consciousness of Tagore.  Thus he realises the fact that a poetry with rhyme will live long in the minds of the readers, if it has rhyme.
5. recur.

II. This Kailash used to rattle off for my special delectation a doggerel ballad of his own composition. The hero was myself and there was a glowing anticipation of the arrival of a heroine.And as I listened my interest would wax intense at the picture of this world-charming bride illuminating the lap of the future in which she sat enthroned.The list of the jewellery with which she was bedecked from head to foot, and the unheard of splendour of the preparations for the bridal, might have turned older and wiser heads; but what moved the boy, and set wonderful joy pictures flitting before his vision, was the rapid jingle of the frequent rhymes and the swing of the rhythm.

1. Why did Kailash do for the special delectation of Tagore?
2. What was the ballad about?
3. What was Tagore's experience when he listened to the ballad?
4. What was the most wonderful thing that moved the boy – Tagore?

1. For the special delectation of Tagore, he composed a doggerel ballad in which Tagore was the hero.
2. The ballad was about Tagore and his glowing anticipation of the arrival of a heroine.
3. When Tagore listened to the ballad, his interest became stronger at the picture of that world charming bride illuminating the lap of the future in which she sat enthroned.
4. The most wonderful thing that moved the boy was the rapid jingle rhythm and the frequent rhymes of the song.

9. Pick out the most suitable statement from the following.
i. Tagore liked the ballad composition more.
ii. Tagore liked Kailash more.
iii. Tagore like the world -charming bride more.
iv. Tagore like the rapid jingle of the frequent rhymes and swing of the rhythm

Tagore like the rapid jingle of the frequent rhymes and swing of the rhythm.

10. Diary

One day Tagore saw his elder brother and his sister's son Satya were starting off to school in a carriage leaving him behind, accounted unfit.  He wrote his feelings in the evening in his dairy.  Prepare a likely diary entry.

27.12.2016                                                                                                                                                         Tuesday

Really I feel very had.  How can they say that I am unfit for school.  My elder brother and Satya say that I am not fit for schooling.  I cannot simply stay at home.  I also want to go to school like my brother and Satya.  I had never before ridden in a carriage nor even been out of the house.  I don't want to sit with my home tutor any more.  He said I have to cry a lot more later on.  I am really jealous of Satya. When Satya came back from the school, he gave me unduly glowing accounts of his adventures on the way.  Anyway I want to go to school.  I will tell my father and mother to send me to school.

11. Profile

Read the points given below and prepare a profile of Rabindranath Tagore:

Born                              : 1861, Kolkata
Field                              : Bengali writer, musician and artist
Known as                      : Gurudev
Famous composition     : “Jana Gana Mana”
Famous works               : “Gitanjali”, “The Post Office”, “The Gardener”, “Shesher Kobia”, etc.
Awards                          : Nobel prize for Gitanjali
Died                               : 1941

Profile of Rabindranath Tagore

World famous writer Rabindranath Tagore, popularly known as Tagore/ Gurudev was born in 1861 in Kolkata.  He was a great writer, musician, artist and philosopher.  His famous composition 'Jana Gana Mana' is our National Anthem.  His famous works include “Gitanjali”, “The Post Office”, “The Gardener”, “Shesher Kobia”, etc. He got Nobel prize for literature for his book “Gitanjali” in 1913.  He reshaped Bengali literature and music as well as Indian art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  Tagore passed away in the year 1941.