Here we discuss Leela’s Friend long question answer for complete preparation for examination. Important questions from Leela’s Friend written by R. K. Narayan has been discussed with proper standard answer.
LEELA’S FRIEND LONG QUESTION ANSWER
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1.How did Sidda get the job of a servant at Mr. Sivasankar’s house?
Sidda was seen hanging about the gate of Mr. Sivasankar’s house in the beginning of the short story “Leela’s Friend “. Mr. Sivasankar was standing in the front verandah of his home thinking over the servant problem in his house. Sidda asked Mr. Sivasanker if he wanted a servant. Sidda opened the gate and came in. After looking at Sidda with much care, Mr. Sivasankar thought Sidda was not a bad sort. He thought that Sidda looked quite tidy and asked him where he worked before.
Sidda informed that he worked in a doctor’s house near the market and he left the house because they left the town. Inspite of all that, Mr.Sivasankar was unable to cofirm the employment of Sidda. He then called his wife. She too thought that Sidda Would be no worse than the other servants that they had before. Just then Leela, their five year old daughter came out. She looked at Sidda and gave a cry of joy. She told her father that she liked him and requested her parents to keep him in their house. In this way Sidda got employment in Mr. Sivasankar’s house as a servant.
2. “Sidda had to drop any work he might be doing and run to her”. – What kind of work did Sidda do? Whom did Sidda run to? How did he entertain the person referred to as ‘he’?
For two meals a day and four rupees a month Sidda had to wash clothes, tend the garden, run errands, chop wood and look after Leela.
Sidda ran to Leela, the five years old daughter of Mr. Sivasankar.
Sidda’s company made Leela supremely happy. Whenever Leela called him, Sidda had to run to her and obey her orders. Leela stood in the front garden with a red ball in her hand. She flung the ball at him and he flung it back. When Leela asked Sidda to throw the ball into the sky. Sidda clutched the ball, closed his eyes and threw the ball up. When the ball came down, he told her that the ball had touched the moon. He then tried to show her a little bit of the moon sticking to the ball. He also told her that if one stood on a coconut tree, one could touch the sky. He convinced Leela that the moon knew him.
Leela enjoyed playing teacher to Sidda and ordered him to copy whatever she wrote or drew. When Sidda failed in his attempts to copy her writing she redoubled her efforts to teach him. After dinner Sidda told Leela wonderful stories about animals, gods and magicians until she fell asleep.
3.Justify the title of the short story “Leela’s Friend”?
R.K.Narayan’s short story “Leela’s Friend” is a story of a friendship between Leela, a little girl of five years and their servant sidda. Leela’s strong recommendation forced her parents to appoint sidda as their servant. Then gradually an emotional bonding developed and Sidda became Leela’s close friend. She is supremely happy taking company of him all the time. Leela also enjoyed being his teacher and tried hard to literate him. When sidda was accused of stealing her gold chain, Leela’s innocent mind was true to the friendship. She revolted against her parents and tried to defend him but fails. Thus the whole story focuses on devoted friendship between sidda and Leela making the title of the short story justified.
4.“You must be very quick about it. “- Who said this? To whom did he say this? In what context was it said?
In the short story “Leela’s Friend “, Sidda, the servant of Mr. Sivasankar’ house said this.
He said this to Leela, the five year old daughter of Mr. Sivasankar.
Sidda was engaged to look after Leela and that made them close to each other. Sidda had to attend her whenever she called. Leela stood in the front garden with a red ball in her hand. She flung the ball at him and he flung it back to her. Sidda clutched the ball, closed his eyes and threw the ball high up. When the ball came down again, Sidda tried to show Leela that a little bit of the moon was sticking to the ball. Leela examined the ball for traces of the moon but could not see it. Then Sidda told her that she must be quick to see part of the moon because it would all evaporate and go back to the moon again.
5.“After her meal Leela refused to go to bed. T won’t sleep unless Sidda comes and tells me stories .. I don’t like you mother.”- Summarize the conversation between Leela and her mother./ Explain how did Leela protest for Sidda against her mother?
Sidda’s departure from Mr. Sivasanker’s house after Leela’s mother accused Sidda of stealing Leela’s gold chain, did make an impact on the innocent mind of Leela. That night Leela refused to go to bed. She insisted that Sidda should be brought back and She said that she would not sleep unless Sidda came back and told her stories. Leela made her mother responsible for all that. She even spoke of inhuman behaviours with Sidda. She accused her mother of being rude towards Sidda. It was due to her false allegation and rough behaviour that Sidda had left the house. In order to console Leela, her mother tried to make her lie down on her lap and asked her to sleep. It was utterly impossible for her to think of a story as her mind became agitated.
When she expressed her inability, Leela made a noise of deprecation. She remarked that it was due to her mother’s ill-treatment that Sidda had left their house. She asked why they did not allow him to sit on the chair, and why he was not allowed to sleep inside the house. In fact, the angry outbursts of Leela serve as an eye-opener. To a little child, there is no difference between a master and a servant. According to Leela, servants should be treated as friends and indispensable members of the house.
6.How did Leela’s parents react after the gold chain had been found?// or//How does the ending of the story of R.K.Narayan become shocking?
At the end of R.K.Narayan’s short story “Leela’s Friend” Leela’s mother found the gold chain in the tamarind pot. so Sidda was innocent. But there was no change in the attitude of Mr. Sivasanker and his wife who finally resolved not to reappoint Sidda in their house. Mr. Sivasanker held Leela responsible for the incident and rebuked her. But he did not think of atoning by reinstating Sidda with utmost affectation and love. They also were indifferent to the friendship of their little girl. It was really shocking to look at the cruel attitude of a master to his servant whose loyality bears no value to him. So the ending of the story is very shocking and effective.
7.What did Leela’s mother do when she found the gold chain in the tamarind pot? How did Leela’s father react?//// Comment on the ending of the short story?
R. K. Narayan’s “Leela’s Friend” does have a very striking ending which reveals the grim reality of servant master relationship. Sidda was accused of stealing the gold chain of Leela; Leela’s parents paid no heed to Leela’s protest and Sidda’s plea of innocence. A few days later, Leela’s mother found the chain in a tamarind pot by Leela’s mother in her kitchen.That proved that they had done a great wrong thing accusing Sidda’s innocence. But they took no prompt action to get the boy released from the lock up. The mother blamed Leela for the trouble. The father of little Leela asserted that they must not keep a criminal, like Sidda, in their house.
8.Bring out the master servant relationship in “Leela’s Friend”? // or// how did Mr. Sivasanker behave with Sidda?
Though servant is indispensable to an Indian wealthy family, they care very little for him. This becomes true in the relationship between Sidda and Mr. Sivasanker in R.K.Narayan’s story “Leela’s Friend”. Sidda did all the household works and looked after Leela carefully for a little monthly salary. But, when Leela’s mother didn’t find the gold chain, the whole blame fell on Sidda. The poor servant did not protest. Mr. Sivasanker was then quick enough to lodge a complaint against the servant and the police arrested him. At the end the chain was found and Sidda’s innocence was proved. But Mr. Sivasanker had no regret for his deed. His ego and supremacy became prior and he decided not to reappoint Sidda in his house.
9.“She asked him about the chain”-who asked whom? Why did she ask him in this way? What was his reaction?
In the short story “Leela’s Friend”,Leela’s mother asked this question to sidda, the servant in their house .
One evening sidda went outside to buy sugar and Leela accompanied him. When they returned Leela’s mother noticed that the gold chain she had been wearing was missing. Naturally she suspected that Sidda had stolen the chain. For this Leela’s mother asked him such a question.
Sidda was shocked and astonished at such question. He could give no reply to it. His throat went dry and he only blinked. Then he answerd that he did not know where the chain was.
