| Name | Leela’s Friend |
| Type | Story |
| Class | 11th |
| Subject | English |
| Board | WBCHSE |
| Author | R. K. Narayan |
Leela’s Friend Summary
“Leela’s Friend” is a short story written by R.K. Narayan, an Indian author who is known for his fiction set in the fictional town of Malgudi. The story is about Leela, a young girl who is friends with a boy named Raju who is known for his mischief. The story explores their friendship and how Leela’s view of Raju changes as she grows older.
The story begins with Leela and Raju playing together as children. Raju is known for his mischief and Leela is often drawn into his schemes. Despite this, Leela is fond of Raju and they are close friends. As they grow older, Raju’s mischief turns into more serious trouble, and Leela starts to see him in a different light.
Leela begins to see Raju as a troublemaker and starts to distance herself from him. Raju, on the other hand, is still fond of Leela and tries to maintain their friendship. However, Leela’s opinion of Raju becomes further cemented when he gets involved in a robbery and is arrested.
Leela’s family is ashamed of Raju’s actions and they forbid her from seeing him. Despite this, Leela still cares for Raju and visits him in prison, where she sees the remorse he feels for his actions. She forgives him and they part on good terms.
Leela’s Friend Question Answer
Q1: How did Leela try to make Sidda write? What was the result?
Ans: In the evening Leela held a class for Sidda. She had a box filled with catalogues, illustrated books and stumps of pencils. She got great joy playing the teacher to Sidda. She made Sidda squat on the floor with a pencil and a catalogue. She had another pencil and catalogue. She commanded Sidda to write and copy what she had written in the catalogue. But Sidda could not copy them. She pitied him and redoubled her efforts to teach him. But Sidda was utterly incapable of using the pencil.
As a result, it seemed that Leela would keep Sidda there and pinned to his seat until his inflexible wrist cracked. Sidda sought relief by saying that her mother was calling her for dinner. Then she would run out of the room and school hours would end.
Q2: “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?
Ans: In R.K. Narayan’s story “Leela’s Friend”, five year old daughter of Mr. Sivasanker is the speaker.
Sidda d drop his work and run to Leela in the front garden when he heard the call.
Leela played with a red ball with Sidda. She flung the ball at Sidda and Sidda flung it back. Then she asked to throw the ball into the sky. Sidda clutched the ball and threw it up. When the ball came down Sidda would say that the ball had touched the moon. As Leela was doubtful, Sidda advised her to be quick and covering the ball with his finger allowed her to peep through a little gap. She would be convinced then. Sidda showed the moon both in the front garden and in the back near the well. Later Leela played the teacher to Sidda that gave her great joy.
Q3: “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 let the speaker to such a comment?
Ans: Sidda, their servant is referred to here as the criminal. At the end of the story it was clear that Sidda had not stolen the gold chain of Leela. Sidda was innocent. But he had some criminal records of the past. Mr. Sivasanker had come to know that Sidda was an old criminal. He had been in jail half a dozen times for stealing jewellery from children. These facts led Mr. Sivasanker made such a comment and he decided not to keep Sidda in their house.
Q4: “He looked at her mutely, like an animal.” Who looked at whom? What was the situation when this occurred?
Ans: Sidda was arrested on suspicion of stealing Leela’s gold chain and he was brought to Mr. Sivasanker’s house. Mr. Sivasanker and his wife reproached Sidda for stealing the ornament. The police inspector asked Sidda to return the gold chain and Leela’s parents also joined that appeal. Leela felt disgusted over the situation. She screamed that Sidda had not taken the chain. Then the inspector ordered the constable to take Sidda to the lock up. Leela ran behind them crying. She clung to Sidda’s hand. Sidda looked at her helplessly and mutely like an animal.
Q5: “Don’t send him away. Let 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?
Ans: In R.K. Narayan’s story “Leela’s Friend” Leela, five year old daughter of Mr. Sivasanker was the speaker.
It was spoken to Mr. Sivasanker and his wife. It was about Sidda who was looking for a servant’s job. Mr. Sivasanker was doubtful about employing Sidda as a servant to their house. He called his wife. Leela’s mother thought Sidda was better than the previous servants. In such a condition Leela expressed her wish to keep Sidda in their house. Her parents reacted positively to their daughter. They employed Sidda to their house as a servant.
Q6: “The inspector was furious..” Who was the speaker? Why was the inspector furious? What did the inspector inform?
Ans: In R.K. Narayan’s short story “Leela’s Friend”, Mr. Sivasanker is the speaker of the coated line. The inspector was furious because Mr. Sivasanker did not consult the inspector before employing Sidda in his house as a servant. The inspector informed that Sidda was an old criminal. Sidda had been in jail for half a dozen times for stealing jewellery from children.
Leela’s Friend Short Question Answer
Q1: What was Mr. Sivasanker brooding over, standing in the front of his house? [HS-2018]
Ans: Mr. Sivasanker was brooding over the servant problem, standing in the front veranda of his house.
Q2: Who according to Sidda was hi previous mastre? [HS-2020]
Ans: According to Sidda, his previous master was a doctor.
Q3: Why did Sidda leave the old master’s house? [HS-2015]
Ans: Sidda left the old master’s house because they left the town.
Q4: What did Sidda do at Mr. Sivasanker’s house? [HS-2014, 2017]
Ans: Sidda washed clothes, tended the garden, ran errands, chopped wood and looked after Leela at Mr. Sivasanker’s house.
Q5: What was Sidda given in return for his service at Mr. Sivasanker’s house?
Ans: Sidda was given two meals a day four rupees a month in return for his service at Mr. Sivasanker’s house.
Q6: Who asked Sidda to throw the ball into the sky? [HS-2015, 2018]
Ans: Leela asked Sidda to throw the ball into the sky.
Q7: How, according to Sidda, could Leela touch the sky?
Ans: According to Sidda, if Leela stood on a coconut tree, she could touch the sky.
Q8: What was Leela’s box filled with? [HS-2017,2020]
Ans: Leela’s box was filled with catalogues, illustrated books and stumps of pencils.
Q9: What did Leela ask to draw? [HS-2018]
Ans: Leela asked sidda to draw a kind of cat and crow.
Q10: Hows did Sidda seek relief from Leela’s class?
Ans: Sidda sought relief from Leela’s class by saying that her mother was calling her for dinner.
Q11: “I told you to take it off and put it in the box.” What was “it” referred to here? [HS-2019]
Ans: “It” referred to here was Leela’s gold chain.
Q12: Who went to the police station and lodged a complaint?
Ans: Mr. Sivasanker went to the police station and lodged a complaint.
Q13 Where did Leela’s mother find the chain? [HS-2014]
Ans: Leela’s mother found the chain inside the tamarind pot in the kitchen.
Q14: How many time had Sidda been in jail?
Ans: Sidda had been in jail half a dozen times for stealing jewellery from children.
Q15: Why was the inspector furious wiht Mr. Sivasanker?
Ans: The inspector was furious with Mr. Sivasanker because he did not consult him before employing Sidda in his house.
Q16: “Nothing can make them confess.” Who are referred to as “them”? [HS-2022]
Ans: The fellow like Sidda who have been in jail once or twice are referred to here as “them”.
Q17: How many letters of the alphabet did Leela know?
Ans: Leela knew two or three letters of the alphabet.
Q18: When did Leela hold a class for Sidda?
Ans: Leela held a class for Sidda at dusk.
Q19: What kind of stories did Sidda tell Leela?
Ans: Sidda told Leela incomparable stories: of animals in the jungle, of gods in heaven and of magicians.
Q20: When does Sidda touch the sky?
Ans: According to Sidda, whenever there is a big moon he climbs a coconut tree and touches the sky.