Chapter- 6      My Childhood        


1. When did the Second World War break out?

Answer: The Second World War broke out in 1939.

2. How old was Kalam when the war started?

Answer: Kalam was eight years old when the war started.

3. What suddenly became in great demand during the war?

Answer: Tamarind seeds suddenly became in great demand in the market.

4. What did Kalam do with tamarind seeds?

Answer: Kalam collected tamarind seeds and sold them to a provision shop on Mosque Street.

5. How much money did Kalam earn in a day by selling seeds?

Answer: He earned one anna a day.

6. Who told Kalam stories about the war?

Answer: His brother-in-law Jallaluddin told him stories about the war.

7. In which newspaper did Kalam try to read about the war?

Answer: He tried to trace the stories in the newspaper Dinamani.

8. Was Kalam’s area affected by the war initially?

Answer: No, the area was completely unaffected by the war at first.

9. Which country was forced to join the Allied Forces?

Answer: India was forced to join the Allied Forces.

10. What situation was declared in India during the war?

Answer: A state of emergency was declared.

11. What was the first effect of the war on Rameswaram?

Answer: The train halt at Rameswaram station was suspended.

12. How were newspapers delivered after the train halt was suspended?

Answer: Newspapers were bundled and thrown from the moving train.

13. Between which two places were the newspaper bundles thrown?

Answer: They were thrown on the road between Rameswaram and Dhanuskodi.

14. Who distributed newspapers in Rameswaram?

Answer: Kalam’s cousin Samsuddin distributed newspapers.

15. Why did Samsuddin need help?

Answer: He needed help to catch the newspaper bundles thrown from the train.

16. Who helped Samsuddin collect the newspaper bundles?

Answer: Kalam helped him collect the bundles.

17. What did Samsuddin help Kalam earn?

Answer: Samsuddin helped Kalam earn his first wages.

18. How did Kalam feel about earning his first money?

Answer: He felt a great surge of pride.

19. What does Kalam say every child is born with?

Answer: Every child is born with inherited characteristics.

20. Into what kind of environment is a child born?

Answer: A child is born into a specific socio-economic and emotional environment.

21. What qualities did Kalam inherit from his father?

Answer: He inherited honesty and self-discipline.

22. What qualities did Kalam inherit from his mother?

Answer: He inherited faith in goodness and deep kindness.

23. How many brothers and sisters did Kalam have?

Answer: He had three brothers and one sister.

24. Who were Kalam’s three close childhood friends?

Answer: His friends were Ramanadha Sastry, Aravindan, and Sivaprakasan.

25. What was the religion of Kalam’s friends’ families?

Answer: They belonged to orthodox Hindu Brahmin families.

26. Did the children feel any religious differences among themselves?

Answer: No, they never felt any difference because of religion.

27. Who was Ramanadha Sastry’s father?

Answer: His father was Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry.

28. What was Pakshi Lakshmana Sastry’s role?

Answer: He was the high priest of the Rameswaram temple.

29. What did Ramanadha Sastry become later?

Answer: He took over the priesthood of the Rameswaram temple.

30. What does Kalam’s childhood show about religious harmony?

Answer: It shows that children lived together happily without any religious discrimination.

Answer by Dimpee Bora