DAQ on Leela’s Friend

 👉👉At the very beginning of R. K. Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend”, the Sivasanker family faced the servant problem. So Mr. Sivasanker, the head of the family, was standing in the front veranda of his house brooding over the servant problem. 

The servant problem of the Sivasanker family was solved when Sidda, a middle-aged poor man, was seeking for a job in some house. Finding Sivasanker in the front veranda of his house brooding over the servant problem, Sidda asked if they wanted a servant. After calling Sidda in their house, Mr. Sivasanker subjected him to a scrutiny, and after enquiring Mr. and Mrs. Sivasanker agreed to employ Sidda as their servant and Leela was also happy to find Sidda, and she requested her father to keep Sidda in their house. After Leela’s recommendation, her parents finally decided to employ Sidda in their house. In this way, the servant problem of the Sivasanker family was solved.

What for  was Mr. Sivasanker standing in the front veranda of his house? What happened after that? [2+3]

👉👉The above line is taken from R. K. Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend”. 

Mr. Sivasanker uttered these words when he found the fellow, Sidda looking tidy. Then he himself thought that the man who wanted a job in his house is not of a bad sort. In this context the speaker said these words. 

Mr. Sivasanker asked some questions to Sidda to find out the real identity of him. But Sidda gave vague answers. According to Sidda, he worked in a doctor’s house, but he couldn’t remember his name. When Mr. Sivasanker asked why his master sent him away, Sidda gave a stock reply that his master had left the town. So, Mr. Sivasanker was unable to make up his mind in that disturbed situation and he wanted to know the opinion of his wife to employ Sidda as their servant or not.

Leela said it about Sidda who came to seek job in their house. 

When Sidda came to seek the job of a servant in Mr Sivasanker’s house, Mr Sivasanker asked him some questions to find out his real identity. Sidda gave vague answers to the questions. Mr Sivasanker was unable to make up his mind about Sidda’s appointment. He called his wife in this disturbed situation. But she was also unable to decide whether to appoint Sidda or not. At that time their only one daughter Leela came there and, seeing Sidda, gave a cry joy and told her father that she liked Sidda and requested to appoint him in their house. Thus, Leela’s recommendation of Sidda’s appointment was accepted both of her parents and in this way Sidda was engaged as a servant in Mr Sivasanker’s house.

👉👉At the very beginning of the story, “Leela’s Friend” Sidda, becoming jobless, was looking for a job in some house. In this mean time, Sidda got in touch with Mr. Sivasanker who was in urgent need of a servant in his house. Before employing Sidda as a servant, Mr.Sivasanker asked him some questions to find out the real identity of him. But Sidda gave vague answers. According to Sidda, he worked in a doctor’s house, but he couldn’t remember his name. When Mr. Sivasanker asked why his master sent him away, Sidda gave a stock reply that his master had left the town. So, Mr. Sivasanker was unable to make up his mind in that disturbed situation and he wanted to know the opinion of his wife to employ Sidda as their servant or not.

👉👉The above line is taken from R. K. Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend”. 

Leela, the five-year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sivasanker, says this to her father, Mr. Sivasanker. 

When Sidda was giving vague answers about Mr Sivasanker’s enquiries of his identity, Mr Sivasanker was unable to make up his mind about Sidda’s employment as their servant or not. He then called his wife to look at Sidda and she mentioned that Sidda was better than others they had. At that time, Leela, the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sivasanker came out from the house and looked at Sidda and she mentioned these words with a cry of joy. The bossy daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sivasanker wanted to keep Sidda in their house as a servant and that was decided by her parents. 

👉👉Here Leela, the five-year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sivasanker said this to Sidda, her intimate playmate. 

Leela encouraged her intimate playmate, Sidda to play with her when she stood in the front garden with a red ball in her hand. When she cried for playing with Sidda, Sidda had to drop any work he might be doing and ran to her. Sidda’s company made Leela supremely happy. Leela flung the ball at him and Sidda flung it back. According to Leela’s wish, Sidda threw the ball into the sky. When the ball came down, Sidda told her that the ball had touched the moon. After that Sidda told Leela an imaginary story about the moon that how the moon followed him and Leela easily believed it.

👉👉In the story, “Leela’s Friend”, there was an evening school period in which Leela played the role as a teacher and Sidda as a student. At dusk when Sidda carried Leela in their house, Leela, the five-year old girl, with her box filled with catalogues, illustrated books and stumps of pencils, held a class for Sidda and would try to teach him. Though She knew two or three letters of the alphabet and could draw a kind of cat and crow, it gave her great joy to play the teacher to Sidda. She made him squat on the floor with a pencil between his fingers and a catalogue in front of him. She had another pencil and a catalogue and commanded him to write and copy whatever she wrote in the pages of her catalogue. Though Sidda tried hard, none of these could he even remotely copy. Examining his effort, Leela showed him how she had drawn the crow and the letter ‘B’. She pitied him, and redoubled her efforts to teach him. Though an adept at controlling the moon, here Sidda was utterly incapable of plying the pencil. Consequently, as it seemed, Sidda was to stick to his seat till his stiff and inflexible wrist got almost cracked. When Leela did not want to release Sidda until he became capable of writing and copying, he sought relief by saying that probably Leela’s mother was calling her in to dinner. Hearing this, Leela would drop the pencil and run out of the room, and the school hour would end.

👉👉In the  story, “Leela’s Friend”, when after dinner Leela ran to her bed, Sidda, the faithful friend of Leela, had to be ready with a story. He sat down on the floor near the bed and told incomparable stories of animals in the jungle, of gods in heaven, of magicians who could conjure up golden castles and fill them with little princesses and their pets. 

When Sidda told his incomparable stories, Leela listened to these stories with rapt attention. Leela got so fond of those stories that when Sidda had left the house, Leela refused to go to bed until her mother told stories.

👉👉At the beginning of the story, “Leela’s Friend”, becoming jobless, Sidda, a middle-aged poor man, was seeking for a job. After getting job in Sivasanker’s household, he was doing his duties smoothly. In this mean time Sidda became the soulmate of Leela. Leela approved Sidda’s appointment as a servant in their house and she, soon, started liking Sidda’s company. The relationship between Sidda and Leela developed. Day by day she clung closer to Sidda and seemed to be depended on him. Sidda cared for Leela in every situation. For example, when Leela with a red ball in her hand would cry for playing with him, Sidda had to drop any work he might be doing and ran to her. They enjoyed the game with each other. Sidda not only threw the ball into the sky but also connected the game with an interesting imaginary story about the ball. 

In the evening school period, with her box filled with catalogues, illustrated books and stumps of pencils  Leela held a class for Sidda and would try to teach him. It gave her great joy to play the teacher to Sidda. After dinner Sidda had to be ready with his incomparable stories for Leela. Thus, day by day Leela clung closer to Sidda and Sidda became a true friend of Leela.

👉👉In this line, Sidda’s ‘throat’ is referred to here. 

When Sidda and Leela, after buying sugar, came back home, Leela’s mother, Mrs. Sivasanker noticed that a golden chain which Leela had been wearing was missing. When she asked Leela about the chain, Leela informed that she did not know nothing about it. After giving Leela a slap, she threw a glance at Sidda and thought that the boy already looked queer. Though Sidda had not stolen the chain, Leela’s mother asked him directly about the chain. So, Sidda’s throat went dry because of the fear of going to jail again by the police, and he blinked and answered that he didn’t know anything about the chain.

👉👉In R. K. Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend”, the mind of Leela’s mother is referred to here. 

During doing his duties in Mr. Sivasanker’s house, Sidda became the soulmate of the little girl, Leela. Though Sidda was not too well paid, he never complained and everything was running well. But one evening when Leela and Sidda went out to buy sugar and returned, Leela’s mother noticed that the golden chain which Leela had been wearing was missing. According to their belief, it was stolen by Sidda, their servant and had fled. So, Leela’s mother was not only thinking about the chain but also the would be consequences. The thought of Sidda made her panicky. She believed that as Sidda knew all the household very clearly, he might come in at night and loot everything in the house. She shuddered to think what kind of villain she had been harbouring all these days. She also thanked God for His mercy that he had not killed the child for the chain. So, her mind was disturbed with the thoughts of Sidda. 

Here in this line, Leela’s mother, Mrs. Sivasanker proved herself not only soulless but also hopeless and prejudiced. Without any vital proof she concluded that Sidda had stolen the chain. Sidda became the victim, only because he was the person who lived of the poor and below caste. Here in this line, so Leela’s mother, Mrs. Sivasanker proved herself as the symbol of the rich oppression towards the poor. 

1️⃣2️⃣ Describe the chain missing episode and it’s consequences? [5]

👉👉In R. K. Narayan’s story, “Leela’s Friend” Sidda got his job in Sivasanker’s household. During doing his duties, Sidda became the soulmate of the little girl, Leela. Though Sidda was not too well paid, he never complained and everything was running well. But one evening when Leela and Sidda went out to buy sugar and returned, Leela’s mother noticed that the golden chain which Leela had been wearing was missing. According to their belief, it was stolen by Sidda, their servant and had fled. So, Leela’s mother was not only thinking about the chain, but also the would be consequences. The thought of Sidda made her panicky. She believed that as Sidda knew all the household very clearly, he might come in at night and loot everything in the house. She shuddered to think what kind of villain she had been harbouring all these days. She also thanked God for His mercy that he had not killed the child for the chain. So, her mind was disturbed with the thoughts of Sidda. 

👉👉In R. K. Narayan’s story, “Leela’s Friend” Sidda got his job in Sivasanker’s household. During doing his duties, Sidda became the soulmate of the little girl, Leela. Though Sidda was not too well paid, he never complained and everything was running well. But one evening when Leela and Sidda went out to buy sugar and returned, Leela’s mother noticed that the golden chain which Leela had been wearing was missing. When she asked Leela about the chain, Leela informed that she did not know nothing about it. After giving Leela a slap, she threw a glance at Sidda and thought that the boy already looked queer. Though Sidda had not stolen the chain, Leela’s mother asked him directly about the chain. Sidda’s throat went dry and he blinked and answered that he didn’t know anything about the chain. She mentioned the police and shouted at him. When she went back to the kitchen Sidda had vanished into the night, because he feared of going to jail again by the police.

When Leela’s father, Mr.Sivasanker came back home he grew very excited over all these, went to the police station and lodged a complaint. Four days later, a police inspector and a constable brought in Sidda. While he was asked about the chain again, Sidda denied the charge made against him – “I haven’t taken it.”  Leela stood behind Sidda and supported him. She could not tolerate this separation from Sidda. A lot of injustice was done to him.Leela was in tears. But the Police and her family didn’t pay any heed to Leela. After a few days the mother recovered the chain from the tamarind pot in the kitchen. So it must be placed there by Leela playfully. All came to know their faults but they did neither apologise to Sidda nor consider to reinstate him in the house.

👉👉After Sidda’s vanishing into the night from Mr. Sivasanker’s house, Leela’s parents became very panicky about the thought of Sidda. Leela’s mother’s mind was disturbed with the thinking of the golden chain. She also thought that with his knowledge of the household, Sidda might come in their house at night and loot. She also shuddered to think what a villain she had been harbouring all these days. It was God’s mercy that he had not killed the child for the chain. On the other hand, after coming back from the police station, Mr. Sivasanker said that they took a great risk in engaging Sidda in the house. He also thought that he was an old criminal who had been in jail six times for stealing jewellery from children. He also hoped that the police would arrest Sidda very soon. 

Leela was not happy at all when Sidda had vanished into the night from their house. Leela believed that Sidda had gone because her mother was always abusing and worrying him. He was not allowed to sit in their chair and Sidda was not also allowed to sleep inside the house just as they did. Leela also began to believe that Sidda was probably angry with them and that’s why he had left the house. 

👉👉R. K. Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend” raises questions about the treatment of servants, how they were treated as less than the master’s, and automatically suspected of wrong doing. When something is missing, a servant is inevitably suspected for the wrong doing. In the story, though Sidda was a faithful and obedient servant of the Sivasanker family, he is wrongly treated by Leela’s parents. As soon as the golden chain is missing, Sidda is questioned harshly by Leela’s mother. When they find the chain, they still calls Sidda a criminal and finally dismissed from the job. This is an old case of giving a dog a bad name and hanging it. It is the society where Servants like Sidda are more sinned against than sinning and they do not allow Sidda to return to the main stream of life.

👉👉In R. K. Narayan’s short-story,”Leela’s Friend” Mr Sivasanker, the father of Leela, said this to Mrs Sivasanker, the mother of Leela. 

After lodging a complaint against Sidda in the Police Station, Mr Sivasanker returned home and told his wife that they took a great risk in engaging Sidda in the house. He also thought that he was an old criminal who had been in jail six times for stealing jewellery from children. The inspector could easily identify Sidda from his description. He also said that the inspector had become furious with him for not consulting him before employing Sidda as their servant. He also forbade his wife to worry because the inspector assured him that they would arrest Sidda very soon. Sidda’s haunts were known to them.

👉👉Having returned from his office, after one hour of Sidda’s escape, Mr Sivasanker, hearing about all this about Sidda’s escape, went to the police at once and lodged a complaint. After lodging a complaint against Sidda in the Police Station, Mr Sivasanker returned home and told his wife that they took a great risk in engaging Sidda in the house. He also thought that he was an old criminal who had been in jail six times for stealing jewellery from children. The inspector could easily identify Sidda from his description. He also said that the inspector had become furious with him for not consulting him before employing Sidda as their servant. He also forbade his wife to worry because the inspector assured him that they would arrest Sidda very soon. Sidda’s haunts were known to them.

👉👉In R. K. Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend”, Mr. Sivasanker was informed by the police inspector that Sidda, the servant of Mr. Sivasanker was an old criminal who had been in jail six times for stealing jewellery from children. From the description of Mr. Sivasanker given to the inspector, he [the inspector] was able to identify Sidda in a moment. The police inspector also informed that the police knew well about Sidda’s haunts and so the police would pick him up very soon. 

When a police inspector and a constable brought back Sidda to the house, Leela was overjoyed. When she saw Sidda, her faithful playmate, Leela cried and ran down the steps to meet him. The police inspector forbade her to go near Sidda, but Leela didn’t care of his words. She was so happy that she asked them to release Sidda, so that she could play with him. But when the police inspector reminded her that Sidda was a thief who had taken away her chain, she became very angry and later haughtily replied to release Sidda, and informed the police inspector that he had not taken her chain.

👉👉In R. K. Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend”, there was a police inspector who was always rude to Sidda. He considered him a devil for stealing an ornament from an innocent child like Leela. On the other side, Mr Sivasanker said that they took a great risk in engaging Sidda in their house. He considered him as an ‘old criminal’ who had been in jail six times for stealing jewellery from children. The police inspector promised that he would let him off if Sidda provided promise not to do such a thing again. Again when Sidda did not admit his theft, the inspector said that he would have to sit with him that night. Sidda was called a jail bird as he had been imprisoned several times. But the police as well as the society did not try to rectify him. So, there was an obvious fear that Sidda might become a hardcore criminal as he was given little justice. 

Though the police inspector considered Sidda a ‘devil’ and Mr Sivasanker an ‘old criminal’ for stealing jewellery from children, there was no proof against him. It is difficult to say if Sidda had taken the ornaments from children previously. But we can be very sure that he is not a born criminal. There is every chance that his crime  was also not proved in the previous cases and he was arrested out of suspicion. 

👉👉The above line is taken from R. K. Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend”. 

Leela, the five-year old girl of Mr. and Mrs. Sivasanker, said this to her mother. 

After discovering Leela’s lost golden chain from the tamarind pot in the kitchen, Leela’s mother showed it to her and asked her when she had put it in the tamarind pot, then Leela casually said this above line to her mother. 

Leela’s mother was annoyed when Leela said these words. Leela’s father blamed his daughter for being so careless about her things. He also blamed Leela for all this bother. But we surprisingly found that Mr. Sivasanker still considered Sidda a criminal. 

👉👉At end of the story, “Leela’s Friend”, a few days later of Sidda’s taking to the police station Leela’s gold chain was recovered. 

At last the chain was found in the tamarind pot of the kitchen.

Leela’s mother, Mrs Sivasanker ultimately recovered the lost chain of Leela. 

After picking up the chain from the tamarind pot in the kitchen, Leela’s mother showed it to Leela and asked her how and when she had put it in the tamarind pot, then Leela replied casually that somehow long long ago and wanted to wear the chain again. On finding the Sivasanker’s family did not show any notable regrets for their misbehaviour towards Sidda. Mr. Sivasanker decided to go the police station to inform the police inspector, the next day. But sorrowfully, without uttering a single word of sympathy, he declined to employ Sidda again in their house as he was a criminal, according to him. So, from the story Sidda becomes the symbol of oppressed class, the poor and downtrodden, who are always ill-treated and ill-judged by the rich and affluent like Mr and Mrs Sivasanker.

👉👉The above quoted line is taken from R. K. Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend”.

Mr. Sivasanker, father of Leela, said this to his wife, Mrs. Sivasanker, mother of Leela. 

According to the speaker, Mr. Sivasanker, Leela, their five-year old daughter was responsible for all kinds of bothering who was always careless about her things. 

Here in this line, the word ‘bother’ means ‘fuss’.

👉👉At the beginning of R. K. Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend”, Sidda, a middle-aged poor servant,  becoming jobless, was seeking for a job. In the meantime, during doing his duties in Mr. Sivasanker’s house, he became the soulmate of the little girl, Leela. Though Sidda was not too well paid, he never complained, and he had not any bad intention towards Leela. In the evening school period Sidda played patiently with the pencil, though he couldn’t copy letters and draw the pictures. Sidda also stimulated her imagination at the bedtime when Sidda told stories to Leela and answered her questions. Thus, Sidda became Leela’s most trusted playmate, her role model and above all her faithful friend. 

Though Sidda was very kind and sympathetic to Leela, he didn’t receive the same treatment from Leela’s parents. They considered him a criminal whom they did not want back as their servant. So, from the story Sidda becomes the symbol of oppressed class who are always ill-treated and ill-judged by the rich like Mr. and Mrs. Sivasanker. 

👉👉At the end of the story, “Leela’s Friend” Mr. Sivasanker, the head of the Sivasanker family, is the speaker of the above line. 

Here Mr. Sivasanker refers Sidda as a ‘criminal’.

👉👉At beginning of the short-story, “Leela’s Friend”, we find the master-servant relationship between Mr. Sivasanker and Sidda. Mr. Sivasanker is a rich man who is at the top of the caste system. He was searching for a suitable servant for his house. In the meantime, Sidda,  a poor, an uneducated middle-aged servant from almost at the bottom of the caste system, becoming jobless, was seeking for a job. Finding Sidda tidy,  Mr. Sivasanker employed Sidda as a servant of his house. Though Sidda was not too well paid, he never complained and everything was running well. But as soon as his wife reported him about the missing of the gold chain, he took an evasive action against Sidda. He reported the police. Even when the chain was recovered, Mr. Sivasanker didn’t utter a single word of sympathy for Sidda. 

At the beginning of the story, Mr. Sivasanker appeared to be a thoughtful man, but at the end of the story, Sidda was not only a thief for him, but also he considered him a branded criminal whom he did not want back as a servant in his house.

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Previous Years’ Questions

👉👉In R K Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend” Leela, the five years old daughter of Mr and Mrs Sivasanker is the speaker of the above mentioned line. 

Leela speaks this to Sidda, her intimate playmate. 

👉👉In R K Narayan’s short-story, “Leela’s Friend” Leela’s father Mr Sivasanker was the speaker of the above mentioned line.