Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about The Touch from Class 6 English_FL. Before we dive into our beautiful story, let us begin with a quick pre-reading task. Imagine two neighbours, Pavithra and Mamtha, who are watching the Ganesha festival. Pavithra tells her young daughter, Kusuma, to stay away from the festival sweets called Kadubus until they are offered to God. Mamtha, however, tells her daughter, Suma, not to touch the sweets but allows her to eat a banana nearby. Now, pause and think about the questions your textbook asks. What do you think the two little girls said to each other that evening? And if a kind old neighbour overheard them, what might she have said to each mother? Take a moment to imagine their conversation and discuss your ideas with your classmates or family. This little scene introduces our main theme: how different families handle touch, rules, and affection.
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Let us now explore the story paragraph by paragraph. In the first paragraph, the narrator arrives at her father's house. She carefully leaves her slippers outside so her footsteps do not announce her arrival. She finds her father lying on a string cot, facing the wall. When she asks if he is asleep, he turns and asks who it is. She replies, and he immediately invites her to sit close to him, even sitting up to make space. Notice how his words show a deep desire for closeness. In the second paragraph, she sits on the edge of the cot. Her father, who is blind, gently pats her back, feels the space beside him, and tells her to sit comfortably. He calls her amma, a term of endearment. He takes her hand in both of his and asks if everyone is well. He does not speak much after that, but simply strokes her hand. This silent touch carries so much unspoken love.
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The third paragraph takes us back to her teenage years. Once, they rode in a rickshaw together. Even though there was plenty of room, she sat far away from him. When he told her to sit properly so she would not fall, she only moved an inch closer. Why was she so distant? The text explains that from her earliest school days, her father kept her at arm's length in the name of discipline and madi, which refers to an orthodox practice of ritual purity. She grew up feeling he was untouchable, slipping into her own emotional shell. She simply could not imagine sitting close to him. The fourth paragraph reflects on how parents should greet children. The author beautifully contrasts two approaches. If you welcome children with a loving embrace and kind words, they open up happily. But if you immediately demand to know their exam scores, they shrink in fear. The narrator admits she experienced this fear many times over twenty years, and it left her with a lasting lack of self confidence.
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In the fifth paragraph, we learn that her father is now over eighty years old. His eyesight is gone forever, and though he is otherwise healthy, his blindness has made him weak. He has been bedridden for two years. The narrator and her husband came to town to care for her mother-in-law, and since her parents live nearby, she visits occasionally. The sixth paragraph reveals her deep emotional response to his touch. Sitting close to him revives childhood memories. When he strokes her hand with love, all the affection she longed for as a child floods back, bringing tears to her eyes. She chokes up, unable to speak. She wonders if he understands her childhood longing. She feels that all the love they shared through letters vanished whenever they met face to face because of his once sharp, piercing gaze. Even though his eyes are now extinguished, she still struggles to feel completely free around him.
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Let us pause and practice our skimming skills together. I will guide you to find the answers in the text. First, look at how the father speaks to his daughter throughout the visit. What affectionate word does he use? Yes, he addresses her as amma. Next, think about the narrator's life stage. She mentions twenty years of childhood fear and has a husband, so she is middle aged. Now, check paragraph five for her father's age. The text clearly states he is over eighty. How long has he been bedridden? Paragraph five tells us he has spent the last two years in bed. Finally, which paragraph describes two different parenting styles? Look at paragraph four, where the author contrasts loving embraces with harsh questioning about marks. You are doing wonderfully by scanning the text for these specific details!
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Now, let us continue with the story. In paragraph seven, the narrator recalls her first visit during his illness. She noticed bugs on his cot and quietly crushed them. Later, her husband found a bug on their own bed and was upset. She realized it must have hitched a ride on her clothes from her father's bed. In paragraph eight, her husband warns her not to sit on the bed this time, but to use a chair. Yet, when she pulls the chair away, her father insists she sit closer. She cannot refuse. He is only happy when she leans against him, holding his hands. Paragraph nine shares a painful truth. Her father always wanted sons but only had daughters. He recently lost his grown up son, the one who would carry on the family name. When her brother died, she felt a heavy, unspoken guilt and hesitated to face her father. She wanted to hug him and say she was there for him, but her upbringing made her hesitate to even touch him.
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In paragraph ten, after they chat, he asks her to clip his nails. The text uses a beautiful proverb here: asking her mother would be like the mortar weeping on the shoulder of the drum. Both are pounded, so neither can comfort the other. With no brothers or children around, he likely wanted his daughter to do this personal task for her. She feels elated and does it carefully. Paragraph eleven shows his vulnerability. He strokes her hand and wishes she would move to his town so they could stay together. She looks at him helplessly, a look he cannot see. She cannot promise him anything. He falls silent, still stroking her hand. In that quiet moment, her education, job, and worldly achievements feel completely empty. She sits for a while before leaving. Finally, paragraph twelve describes her journey back. In the rickshaw, his tender touch haunts her. Tears blur her vision, showing how deeply the moment moved her.
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Before we move to the exercises, let us quickly review the glossary. Grope means to feel or search blindly. Comfortable means at ease. Cocoon is a protective covering. Chirp means to speak merrily. Threshold is the doorway plank. Diffidence means lack of self confidence. Revive means to bring back to consciousness. Longing is a strong desire. Choked means speechless from strong emotion. Scorching means very hot. Extinguish means to put out. Mortar is a pounding vessel. Destiny means fate. Pierce means to go through like a spear. The textbook also explains the mortar and drum expression. Since both are pounded, neither can seek sympathy from the other. They are both victims of hardship, just like the elderly parents. The story was translated by Jayashree Mohanraj from Abburi Chayadevi's Telugu story Sparsha. Chayadevi was a pioneering feminist writer from an orthodox family who used writing for self-expression, and she won the Sahitya Akademi award in two thousand five.
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Now, let us work through the comprehension exercises together. I will guide you to think carefully before we check the answers. For question one a, think about paragraph four. Which greeting makes children feel safe? The text clearly praises loving embraces, so the correct choice is to embrace them lovingly and speak to them lovingly. For one b, recall her first visit during his illness. What did she notice on the cot? The text mentions she saw bugs and crushed them. So the answer is she had noticed bugs on his cot. For one c, why did she hesitate to touch him? Look back at paragraph nine. The narrator says that is how she had been raised. So the correct option is that is how she had been raised.
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Let us tackle question two by reading the extracts carefully. For extract a, who asked who is it? The father asked it when he turned on his side. What was the reply? The narrator simply said it is I. For extract b, who is amma here? It refers to the daughter. Who said sit properly? The father said it. Where were they? They were traveling in a rickshaw. For extract c, why did the father wish she would move to his town? He was lonely, blind, and longed for her daily company. How did she react? She looked at him helplessly, unable to speak or promise anything. What did he do then? He fell silent and continued stroking her hand. You are following along beautifully.
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Now, let us evaluate the true or false statements. For three a, the young woman is indeed the main character, so this is true. For three b, the father does show his affection through his touch and words, so this is true. For three c, does she think asking her mother is a good idea? No, the text says it would be useless. So this is false. The correct statement is the daughter knows asking her mother to clip his nails would be useless. For three d, does she become emotional about her sister-in-law? No, she feels emotional about her father's loneliness and her own childhood distance. So this is false. The correct statement is the young woman becomes emotional thinking of her father's loneliness and her own inability to comfort him fully. For three e, does she decide to take him to her house? No, she feels helpless and cannot reassure him. So this is false. The correct statement is the author does not decide to take her father to her house, as she feels unable to make that promise.
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Let us answer the short questions. For four a, why did she come to town? She came to spend time with her unwell mother-in-law. For four b, what was her husband's caution? He told her not to sit on the bed, but to use a chair and sit away. For four c, was her mother alive? Yes, the text mentions her mother was there, though unable to help with the nails. For four d, what did he say finally? He expressed his wish that she would move to his town so they could stay together. For four e, why did she hesitate to face him after her brother's death? She felt an unknown sense of guilt and was conditioned by her strict upbringing to avoid physical contact.
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Now, let us answer the longer questions in two or three sentences. For five a, what was her childhood like? It was marked by emotional distance and strict discipline. Her father kept her away due to orthodox beliefs about ritual purity, leaving her longing for affection but afraid to seek it. For five b, why did she feel he kept her at a distance? She believed it was because of his strict discipline and his orthodox practice of madi, which made him seem untouchable and in a state of ritual purity. For five c, who do the mortar and drum refer to? They represent the elderly father and mother. Both have suffered life's hardships, so neither can offer comfort or sympathy to the other. For five d, why did he ask her to clip his nails? Being blind and weak, with no sons or children around, he wanted his daughter to perform a personal, caring task for him, showing his trust and need for closeness. For five e, how did she feel returning home? She was deeply moved and haunted by his tender touch. Tears blurred her vision as she realized how empty her worldly achievements felt compared to the simple love she had missed.
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Let us practice with the words in use. For exercise six, we will fill in the blanks using the given words. Think about the context. A soldier at the border misses his family, so he longed to meet them. An old woman trying to find a door in the dark groped in the air. A powerful play climax moved our heart. A watchman who saw thieves noticed them and blew his whistle. Someone unsure about asking permission hesitated. So the answers are longed, groped, moved, noticed, and hesitated. For exercise seven, we add prefixes to make opposites. Known becomes unknown. Discipline becomes indiscipline. Responsible becomes irresponsible. Continue becomes discontinue. Proper becomes improper. Understand becomes misunderstand. Excellent work!
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For exercise eight, let us complete the sentences using the bracketed words. My grandmother is very orthodox and follows traditional customs strictly. The firefighters quickly extinguished the fire before it could spread. A bulldozer can easily crush heavy debris to clear the road. The doctor looked helpless when the treatment failed. Suguna was chatting happily with her friends when the bell rang. Remember, you can create your own sentences too, as long as you use the words correctly. Now, let us move to grammar. We will learn about active and passive voice. When changing active to passive, the object becomes the new subject. We place the word by before the new object. We always use the past participle form of the verb. Let us practice with your exercises. People do not respect corrupt politicians becomes corrupt politicians are not respected by people. The students are planting the trees becomes the trees are being planted by the students. They help the orphans becomes the orphans are helped by them.
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Continuing with the grammar exercises. Anitha presented a golden watch to me becomes a golden watch was presented to me by Anitha. He had broken the chair becomes the chair had been broken by him. A man called Lippershey had invented the telescope in sixteen hundred eight becomes the telescope had been invented by a man called Lippershey in sixteen hundred eight. Finally, a telescope makes distant objects appear to be nearer becomes distant objects are made to appear nearer by a telescope. Notice how the focus shifts from the doer to the receiver of the action. You are mastering this beautifully!
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Now, let us work on the writing section. For question one a, do you sympathise with the father? Think about his loneliness, his blindness, and his lifelong strictness that kept his daughter away. A good answer would express sympathy for his regret and his simple desire for closeness in his final years. For one b, do you sympathise with the daughter? Yes, she was raised in a rigid environment that taught her to fear physical affection. Her tears and helplessness show her genuine love and her struggle to overcome years of emotional conditioning. For question two, let us fill in the Shravana Kumara story together. Long long ago a young man called Shravana Kumara lived with his old parents. One morning his father said to him, Kumara, your mother and I have grown old and blind. We are sorry to trouble you, but we want to visit God in places of pilgrimage. Kumara said, it is no trouble at all, father. He cut a bamboo pole, hung two baskets, seated his parents in them, and carried them on his shoulders to many holy places.
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Finally, let us complete the partner activity passage. Read it carefully and fill in the missing letters. In this story a young woman tells us about a visit that she made to her father one day. He receives her affectionately. But his affection only brings back to her mind unpleasant memories. She remembers the strict upbringing he had given her. As a child she had longed for his loving words and loving touch. She had never received them. Now, grown old and blind, he longs for her loving company and gentle touch. She treats him kindly. She feels sorry for him. Dear students, this story beautifully teaches us that discipline should never replace affection. Always remember to express your love to your parents and elders while they are with you. Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]