Velu stood on the platform but he felt “as if he was still on a moving train.” Why?
It is mentioned in the story that Velu has walked a lot to reach the train station and also the train journey seemed to have been quite long. He was tired and exhausted and his legs were wobbly. So he felt he was on a moving train.
What made him feel miserable?
Velu was new to the city and had not seen that many people very often. Also, there was too much noise which made him feel miserable.
Velu travelled without a ticket. Why?
Velu travelled without a ticket because he did not have any money for buying the ticket.
How did he escape the ticket collector’s attention?
Velu travelled in the unreserved compartment. The ticket collector did not come to that compartment and thus Velu was saved from the ticket collector’s attention.
Why had Velu run away from home?
Velu’s father used to beat him and his sisters and also took all the money the would earn and waste it on drinking. Velu was fed up with this and decided to run away.
Why did he decide to follow the strange girl?
Velu was new and alone in the city and did not know where to go, so he took the only offer he had. Also, he was very hungry, and the strange girl told him that she could find some food for him.
Can Velu read Tamil and English? How do you know?
Velu can read Tamil but does not know how to read English. This is evident as he could read ‘Central Jail’ written in Tamil but could not understand what was written in English on the advertisement boards.
“If you are not careful, you will soon be counting bars there,” the girl said.
(i) What is she referring to?
(ii) What does she mean when she says “If you are not careful.”?
(She says something a little later which means the same. Find that sentence.)
(i) The girl is referring to being caught and put into ‘Central Jail’.
(ii) She is referring to being apprehended by the police and put into the jail even while not committing any crime. The statement which confirms this is “You don’t have to do anything. Just don’t get caught. That’s all.”
Where did the girl lead Velu to?
The girl leads Velu to a random wedding celebration. She further takes him to the area where the unused and leftover food was being dumped.
What did they get to eat?
The girl found a squashy banana and a vada for Velu and another banana for herself to eat.
What work did she do? (Think of a one-word answer.)
The girl used to pick plastic bottles, cups etc. One word for this task is ‘rag-picking’.
What material are the ‘strange’ huts made out of?
Velu realised that the huts were made up of all kind of things like plastic, metal sheets, tyres, wood etc.
Why does Velu find them stange?
Velu has come from a village where huts were made out of mud and palm leaves. Here the building material was very different; Velu found it very strange.
What sort of things did Jaya and children like her collect and what did they do with those things?
Jaya and children like her collected recyclable items like paper, plastic, glass etc. These items were sold to a trader named as Jam Nagar Jaggu in the story.
Is Velu happy or unhappy to find work? Give a reason for your answer.
Velu is certainly unhappy with the type of work he has found as he thinks he did not run away from his village to dig garbage pits. At the same time, he understands that he needs the job and thus takes it.
Is Velu a smart boy? Which instances in the text show that he is or isn’t?
Velu is certainly a smart boy. In the beginning, he was reluctant to talk to a strange girl, this is very smart as one should avoid talking too freely with strangers. He later realises that following the girl is his best chance of survival and takes it. Finally, at the end, even though he doesn’t like the type of work he was getting but he chose to stick to it till finding a better job.
Do you think Jaya is a brave and sensitive child with a sense of humour? Find instances of her courage, kind nature and humour in the text.
Jaya is brave as she was able to sustain herself without any elders to take care of herself; this takes a big deal of courage. Jaya is sensitive as she understood the condition of Velu and offered her help even without Velu asking for it. Her humour is visible when she takes jibes at Velu for walking to slow while crossing the road.
What one throws away as waste may be valuable to others. Do you find this sentence meaningful in the context of this story? How?
The idea of recycling has been established during the course of the story. The children in the story were picking up items from the trash thrown by people. These items are waste for the people who have thrown them but the ragpickers make a living out of these, making them valuable in their context.