In CBSE Class 8 English Kaveri Book, Chapter 1 “How I Taught My Grandmother to Read” is a touching autobiographical story by Sudha Murty. It beautifully highlights the strong bond between a granddaughter and her grandmother, and the importance of education at any age.
The story is narrated by a 12-year-old girl living with her grandparents in a village in North Karnataka. Every Wednesday, she reads the latest episode of the popular Kannada serial novel Kashi Yatre (by Triveni) from the magazine Karmaveera to her 62-year-old grandmother, Krishtakka (whom she lovingly calls Avva). The grandmother, who never went to school and could not read, listens with full attention, enjoys the story deeply, and discusses it with her friends.
One day, when the granddaughter goes away for a week to attend a wedding, the grandmother feels completely helpless because she cannot read the new episode on her own. This incident makes her realize the value of literacy and independence. Determined to overcome her limitation, the grandmother requests her granddaughter to teach her to read Kannada.
With patience and dedication, the young girl starts teaching her grandmother the Kannada alphabet, words, and sentences — just like a real teacher. The grandmother works very hard, does her homework regularly, and shows remarkable willpower. On the day of Saraswati Pooja (Dussehra), she proudly reads the entire novel Kashi Yatre by herself and even touches her granddaughter’s feet as a mark of respect, calling her “my teacher”.
This chapter teaches important lessons about lifelong learning, determination, respect for teachers, family bonding, and how education gives us independence and self-respect. It proves that there is no age limit for learning if one has strong will and dedication.
Watch the full explanation, summary and NCERT solutions of Class 8 Kaveri Chapter 1 How I Taught My Grandmother to Read here:
If you are a Class 8 student looking for easy summary, important questions and answers, word meanings, or complete NCERT explanation of “How I Taught My Grandmother to Read” chapter, this video will help you understand the lesson clearly and score better in exams.