1. “Don’t send him away. Let us keep him in our house.” – Who was the speaker and to whom was it spoken? About whom was it said? How did the person or persons spoken to react? [1+1+1+2 = 5]
Answer: Leela, Mr Sivasanker’s daughter was the speaker and it was spoken to her father Mr Sivasanker.
It was said about Sidda who had just come to ask for a job in their house.
Mr. Sivasanker was unable to decide whether or not to hire Sidda as a servant for their household. Seeking clarity, he called his wife, who appeared equally perplexed. [However, the moment Leela laid eyes on Sidda, she felt an instant fondness towards him and expressed a desire to have him join their household. Consequently, they reached a unanimous decision to employ Sidda as their servant.]
2. “Sidda, come and play!” – Who is the speaker? What would Sidda do when he heard this call? What kind of games did the speaker play? [1++1+3 =5]
Answer: Leela, the five years old daughter of Mr Sivasanker is the speaker.
When Sidda heard this call, he would run to Leela leaving any work he might be doing.
Leela flung her red ball at Sidda and he flung it back. When Sidda threw the ball into the sky, he told her that it had touched the moon and come back. Leela tried to find the traces of the moon but did not see it. Sidda managed to see Leela the traces of the moon peeping through his fingers.
3. How did Leela try to make Sidda write? What was the result? [3+2 = 5]
Or, Describe the teaching episode between Leela and Sidda.[5]
Answer: Leela got a great joy assuming the role of a teacher for Sidda. At dusk she held a class for him. She made him squat on the floor with a pencil and asked him to copy whatever she wrote in the pages of her catalogue. In this way, Leela tried to make Sidda write.
The result was horrible. As Sidda was incapable of plying the pencil, he could not even remotely copy the crow or the letter ‘B’. Leela scolded him and redoubled her efforts to teach him. Sidda sought relief by saying that her mother was calling her for dinner.
4. “He looked her mutely, like an animal.” – Who looked at and to whom? What was the situation when this occurred? [2+3 = 5]
Answer: Sidda looked at Leela, Mr Sivasanker’s five years old doctor.
One evening Leela’s mother noticed that Leela’s gold chain was missing. Sidda thought he would be accused of that and in fear of the police, he fled from the house. After four days, Sidda was brought back to Mr Sivasanker’s house by the police. When they did not find any answer about the chain from Sidda, the inspector ordered the constable to take him to the police station. Leela ran behind them clinging to his hand and Sidda looked at her mutely.
5. “The inspector was furious…………….” – Who was the speaker? Why was the inspector ‘furious’? What did the inspector inform? [1+2+2 =5]
Answer: Mr Sivasanker, Leela’s father was the speaker.
The inspector was furious because Mr Sivasanker did not consult him before he appointed Sidda in his house as a servant.
The inspector informed Mr Sivasanker that Sidda was an old criminal. He had been in jail half a dozen times for stealing jewellery from children.
6. “In any case, we couldn’t have kept a criminal like him in the house.” – Who is the speaker? Who is the criminal referred to here? What led the speaker to such a comment? [1+1+3 = 5]
Answer: Mr Sivasanker is the speaker.
The criminal referred to here is Sidda.
When Leela’s chain was lost and Mr Sivasanker went to complain to the police station against Sidda, he came to know from the police inspector that Sidda had a criminal background. He had been in jail several times for stealing jewellery from children. Though it was discovered later that the chain was not stolen, he did not show any sign of remorse and uttered the words.
7. What did Leela’s mother do when she found the gold chain in the tamarind pot? How did Leela’s father react? [1+4 = 5]
Answer: When Leela’s mother found the gold chain in the tamarind pot, she took it to the tap and washed off the tamarind coating on it.
When Leela’s father was informed about the recovery of the chain, he ordered his wife not to give Leela any chain in future. All the problems were created on account of her. Mr Sivasanker did not feel any remorse for innocent Sidda for sending him into jail. He would inform the inspector about the recovery but would not keep a criminal like him in their house.
8. Describe the character of Sidda.
Answer: Sidda, the central figure in R.K. Narayan’s “Leela’s Friend,” serves as a responsible and honest servant in the Sivasanker household. Despite being accused of theft, Sidda’s integrity prevails. His friendship with Leela, the Sivasankers’ young daughter, is the heart of the story. Despite his illiteracy, Sidda captivates Leela with imaginative tales, highlighting his talent. The title character embodies qualities of responsibility, honesty, and imagination, turning an ordinary servant into a central and captivating figure in the narrative.
9. “You must be quick about it.”- Mention the occasion of the remark.
Answer: The speaker of the above-mentioned quote is Sidda.
Sidda and Leela would play everyday in the front garden with a red ball. He could fabricate fantastic stories which filled Leela’s innocent mind with wonder. He told Leela that she can find the traces of the moon sticking to the ball once it comes down after being thrown up. When Leela denied to see it, Sidda told her that it must be seen very quickly, otherwise the traces of the moon would evaporate.
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