About the Author:
R. K. Narayan was born in Madras (now known as Chennai) on October 10, 1906, in a literature and cultured family. His full name was Rasipuram Krishnaswami Narayan. His father was the Headmaster of a school and reminded him outside. So, Narayan’s maternal grandmother looked after him in his childhood. While living with his grandmother, he studied at a succession of schools like Lutheran Mission, C. R. C. High School and Christian College High School in Madras. His early days were endowed with a rich literary diet including Thomas Hardy, Charlie’s Dickens, Wodehouse and Arthur Conan Doyel. His first novel Swami and Friend, next he wrote avoid many novels like The Bachelor of Arts, The Dark Room, The English Teacher, The Guide, The Man-Eater of Malgudi Days, The Painter of Signs etc.
About the Text:
Leela’s Friend is one of the best known short stories of R. K. Narayan taken from his Malgudi Days. Leela and her friend Sidda are the two main characters of the story. He looks after her. They play together. He tells her wonderful stories. He puts her to sleep. Sidda enjoys the loving company of the little girl. A bond of friendship is established between them. But it does not last long. Leela lost her gold chain. Her mother suspects Siddanto. Her father lodges the complaint against him. The police arrest him. Sidda is thrown into jail. Leela loses a friend. The chain was ultimately discovered in the house. The entire story revolves around two main characters – Leela and her friend Sidda.
Important Questions and Answers:
1) Who was Leela’s friend?
Ans- Sidda was Leela’s Friend.
2) Who was Sivasanker?
Ans- Sivasanker was Leela’s father.
3) Who was Sidda?
Ans- Sidda was a servant of Mr. Sivasanker who became a loving friend of his daughter.
4) What was the problem Mr. Sivasanker brooding over?
Ans- Mr. Sivasanker was brooding over the servant problem.
5) What was Sidda doing when Mr. Sivasanker was standing in the varanda and thinking deeply?
Ans- Sidda was hanging about the gate of Mr. Sivasanker’s house when he was standing in the varanda and thinking deeply.
6) What did Sidda tell Mr. Sivasanker about his previous job?
Ans- Sidda told Mr. Sivasanker that he had worked in a doctor’s bunglow some- where near the market and he lost his job because the doctor had left the town.
7) What was the opinion of Mr. Sivasanker’s wife about Sidda?
Ans- Mr. Sivasanker’s wife said that Sidda did not look worse than others they had in their house.
8) Who persuaded Mr. Sivasanker and his wife to employ Sidda in the house?
Ans- Leela, the five years old daughter of Mr. Sivasanker, persuaded them to employ Sidda in the house.
9) How was Sidda paid for the work in Mr. Sivasanker’s house?
Ans- Sidda was given two meals a day and four rupees a month for his works in Mr. Sivasanker’s house.
10) Which works would Sidda do in Mr. Sivasanker’s house?
Ans- Sidda would wash clothes, tend the garden, ran errands, chop woods and above all look after little Leela in Mr. Sivasanker’s house.
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11) Which game did Leela and Sidda play together?
Ans- Sidda and Leela threw a red ball to each other and enjoyed the game.
12) Why did Leela long for Sidda’s company?
Ans- Leela longed for Sidda’s company as it made her supremely happy.
13) What did Sidda tell Leela when the ball thrown upward came down?
Ans- When the ball thrown upward came down, Sidda asked Leela to see the ball with traces of the moon sticking to it.
14) Why did Sidda tell Leela to look at the ball quickly?
Ans- Sidda told Leela to look at the ball quickly because the traces of the moon sticking to it would evaporate.
15) How, according to Sidda, can one touch the sky?
Ans- Sidda told Leela that one could touch the sky if one stood on a coconut tree.
16) who was Leela’s student?
Ans- Sidda was Leela’s student.
17) What did Leela ask Sidda to draw?
Ans- Leela asked Sidda to draw the Crow and the letter B.
18) What kind of story did Sidda tell Leela?
Ans- Sidda told Leela strange stories of animals, Gods and magicians of extraordinary skills.
19) Who first discovered the loss of Leela’s gold chain?
Ans- Leela’s mother first discovered the loss of Leela’s gold chain.
20) ‘Sidda vanished into the night.’ – Why did Sidda vanish into the night?
Ans- Sidda vanished into the night because he was suspected to be the stealer of Leela’s gold chain.
21) Why was Leela angry with her mother?
Ans- Leela was angry with her mother because she always abused and worried her dear friend Sidda.
22) Which thought made Leela’s mother panicky?
Ans- Leela’s mother was panicky because as she thought that Sidda might enter the house at night and loot all.
23) What did Mr. Sivasanker came to know about Sidda from the police?
Ans- Mr. Sivasanker learnt from the police that Sidda was a confirmed criminal. He had been in jail several times on the charge of stealing jewellery from children.
24) Who brought in Sidda to Mr. Sivasanker’s house?
Ans- The police inspector and a constable brought in Sidda to Mr. Sivasanker’s house.
25) What appeal was made to Sidda by Leela’s parents?
Ans- Leela’s parents appealed to Sidda to return Leela’s gold chain.
26) Who refused to believe that Sidda was a thief?
Ans- Leela refused to believe that Sidda was a thief.
27) Wherefrom was the gold chain discovered?
Ans- The gold chain was discovered from a tamarind pot.
28) Who found Leela’s gold chain?
Ans- Leela’s mother found the gold chain.
29) Who put the gold chain in the tamarind pot?
Ans- Once Leela put the gold chain in the tamarind pot.
30) What was the final assessment of Mr. Sivasanker about Sidda?
Ans- Even after the recovery of the missing gold chain Mr. Sivasanker did not change in his assessment of Sidda. He remained still a criminal in his eyes.
31) “And all this bother on account of her .” – Who, according to the speaker, was responsible for all kinds of botheration?
Ans- Leela’s father, the speaker here, regarded Leela responsible for all kinds of botheration.
32) Who, do you think, was the best judge of Sidda’s character?
Ans- The story makes it clear that Leela was the best judge of Sidda’s character.