ISWARAN THE STORYTELLER

R.K. LAXMAN

Question and Answers

1. In what way is Iswaran an asset to Mahendra?

A. Iswaran is an asset to Mahendra as he accompanies him everywhere. He cooks food for him, washes his clothes, cleans the living place and entertains him with his unique stories.

 2. How does Iswaran describe the uprooted tree on the highway? What effect does he want to create in his listeners?

A. Iswaran would raise his eyebrows in a curve and raise his arms in a dramatic gesture. He would say that once he was walking down the empty highway all alone. He saw a huge beast lying on the road. He thought of going back but as he got closer, he saw that it was a tree that had broken and had fallen on the road. Its branches appeared to be the beast’s limbs that had spread out on to the road.

He wanted to create a scene in the listener’s mind so that he would get captivated in the story. Iswaran wanted to create curiosity in the mind of the listener as to what happened next in the story.

3. How does he narrate the story of the tusker? Does it appear to be plausible?

A. Firstly, he gave an introduction that his village was surrounded by a dense forest. The wood was processed at the timber yards and the logs of timber were transported onto the lorries by elephants. He added that the beasts were huge and in case one of them went mad, it could not be controlled even by an experienced mahout. He would get so caught up in the excitement of his own story that he would get up from the floor and jump about, stamping his feet in emulation of the mad elephant. Iswaran’s talent of narrating a story was praise-worthy. He put in a lot of effort to make it engrossing for the listener.

The story does not appear to be plausible.

 4. Why does the author say that Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of a TV in Mahendra’s living quarters?

A. Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of a TV in Mahendra’s living quarters because his stories were so entertaining that every night they made up for the absence of a TV in Mahendra’s living place. He would enjoy the unique way in which Iswaran narrated a story which was full of adventure, suspense and horror.

5. Mahendra calls ghosts or spirits a figment of the imagination. What happens to him on a fullmoon night?

A. Mahendra scolds Iswaran and says that ghosts do not exist. On a full moon night, he woke up from his sleep as he heard someone crying. At first, he thought that it was a cat which was hunting mice but as the sound grew louder and harsher, he was tempted to peep out of the window. In the white moonlight, he saw a dark, shady figure holding a bundle in its arms. Initially, he got scared but overcame it as he felt that his subconscious mind had played a trick on him. The next day, the presence of the ghost was confirmed by Iswaran and Mahendra realized that he actually saw a ghost the previous night. He did not want to live at a haunted place and so, resigned from the job.