Iswaran the Storyteller NCERT Solutions, Summary & Word Meanings Class 9 PDF
Subject: English (Moments) | Chapter: 3 | Author: R.K. Laxman
📥 Download Notes PDF 📢 Join Telegram📖 Chapter Summary: Iswaran the Storyteller
The story is narrated by Mahendra, a junior supervisor whose job requires him to keep moving from one construction site to another. He leads a simple life, but he has a great asset—his cook, Iswaran. Iswaran is deeply devoted to Mahendra. He cooks delicious meals, washes clothes, and most importantly, entertains Mahendra with endless stories and anecdotes at night.
Iswaran is an avid reader of popular Tamil thrillers, and this heavily influences his storytelling style. He loves to add suspense and dramatic gestures to even the simplest incidents. For instance, instead of saying a tree was lying on the road, he would describe it as a massive, bushy beast spread across the highway. One of his most exaggerated stories is about a mad elephant (tusker) that entered his school ground. Iswaran claims that, as a young boy, he paralyzed the huge, destructive beast simply by whacking its third toenail with a small cane!
One day, Iswaran tells Mahendra an eerie story about the factory site being an old burial ground. He claims to have seen human skulls and specifically mentions a horrific female ghost holding a foetus, who appears on full-moon nights. Mahendra, a rational man, scolds Iswaran, calling ghosts a "figment of the imagination" and tells him to get his digestive system checked.
However, the story subconsciously terrifies Mahendra. A few days later, on a full-moon night, Mahendra wakes up to a low moaning sound near his window. He looks out and is horrified to see a dark, cloudy form clutching a bundle. He falls back on his bed, sweating with fear. The next morning, Iswaran greets him and casually mentions that he heard Mahendra groaning the previous night and asks if he finally believes in the ghost. Terrified and deeply shaken, Mahendra immediately hands in his resignation and leaves the haunted place.
📚 Part 1: NCERT Solutions (Textbook Questions)
Q1: In what way is Iswaran an asset to Mahendra?
Ans: Iswaran is a great asset to Mahendra because he is highly devoted to him. He willingly follows Mahendra to all his varied postings without any complaints. He cooks delicious meals using fresh vegetables, washes his clothes, cleans the living space, and acts as a fantastic entertainer by narrating thrilling stories, eliminating the need for a television.
Q2: How does Iswaran describe the uprooted tree on the highway? What effect does he want to create in his listeners?
Ans: Iswaran doesn't simply say an uprooted tree was on the road. With dramatic eye and hand gestures, he describes a deserted highway where he suddenly saw something that looked like "an enormous bushy beast" lying sprawled across the road. He went closer to find it was just a fallen tree. He does this to build suspense, thrill, and a sense of surprise in his listeners, inspired by the Tamil thrillers he reads.
Q3: How does he narrate the story of the tusker? Does it appear to be plausible?
Ans: Iswaran narrates that a mad elephant entered his school ground, terrifying everyone. While teachers and students hid, Iswaran grabbed a cane, faced the wild beast, and whacked its third toenail, paralyzing it instantly.
No, the story does not appear plausible. It is highly unbelievable that a small boy could paralyze a huge, mad elephant just by hitting its toenail with a small stick.
Q4: Why does the author say that Iswaran seemed to more than make up for the absence of a TV in Mahendra’s living quarters?
Ans: Iswaran was a master storyteller. He could weave endless tales and anecdotes on various subjects, packed with suspense, drama, and horror. Every night, he would narrate these gripping stories to Mahendra, providing him with high-quality, continuous entertainment. Hence, Mahendra never felt the need to own a television.
Q5: Mahendra calls ghosts or spirits a figment of the imagination. What happens to him on a full-moon night?
Ans: Despite calling ghosts a figment of the imagination, Mahendra is terrified by Iswaran's story. On a full-moon night, he is awakened by a low wailing sound outside his window. Looking out, he sees a dark, cloudy form holding a bundle, exactly as Iswaran had described the female ghost. He breaks into a cold sweat and falls back on his bed in sheer terror.
⚡ Part 2: Extra Practice Questions
Q6: What kind of books did Iswaran read, and how did they affect his storytelling?
Ans: Iswaran loved reading popular Tamil thrillers. These books were full of vivid descriptions, suspense, and dramatic turns. This heavily influenced his storytelling, as he would adopt the same dramatic gestures, suspenseful pauses, and exaggerated descriptions while narrating everyday incidents to Mahendra.
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Q: What did Iswaran say the female ghost was carrying in her arms?
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🔤 Important Word Meanings
- 1. Anecdote (n): A short, amusing, or interesting story about a real incident or person.
- 2. Desolate (adj): A place that is deserted, empty, and depressing (Sunsaan).
- 3. Tusker (n): A male elephant with large, prominent tusks.
- 4. Figment (n): A thing that someone believes to be real but that exists only in their imagination (Kalpana).
- 5. Ghastly (adj): Frightful, terrifying, or highly unpleasant (Bhayanak).
- 6. Foetus (n): An unborn human baby (Bhroon).
- 7. Plausible (adj): Seeming reasonable or probable (Yakeen karne yogya).