Salaam Namaste
by Sudha Murty
A. Complete these sentences.
1. The narrator was acquainted with Sheikh Mohammed because he had a tiny shop selling stationary near the office of the narrator and the narrator used to buy books for the Bangalore slum schools they supported.
2. The narrator uses the word 'taciturn' to describe Sheikh. It means that Sheikh was a reserved person who says little about himself and his family.
3. Sheikh Mohammed's niece stayed with him because her mother Zubeida was a widow and they both stay with them.
4. Tabassum's greeting for the narrator shows that her mother has sent her positive attitude to the narrator by her child.
5. In the story, we note that Sheikh and Tabassum have something in common. It is they both are reticent and quiet.
B. Answer these questions.
1. How did Sheikh Mohammed manage his household?
= Sheikh Mohammed managed his household with the little income from his little shop. His sister and wife do tailoring at home. He also used their income to manage his household.
2. What kind of People had the narrator met in the course of her work?
= The narrator had learnt lessons in life since they started helping people monetarily through the Infosys Foundation. The narrator had seen women hiding their diamond studs in their purses and asking for funds for the poor. She had seen well-off parents declaring their children orphans and applying for scholarships. She even knew some men who presented their parents as destitutes so they could get help from them.
3. Why did Sheikh and Tabassum go to the narrator's office one day?
= Sheikh and Tabassum went to the narrator's office one day to give the news that in spite of all the help from the narrator's side Zubeida died of cancer. Tabassum conveyed the 'salaam' of her mother to the narrator as her mother told her to do so before dying. They also came there to return the surplus three thousand rupees out of fifty thousand to the narrator as it can be handy for another sick person who is in need at that moment.
4. The narrator says, 'I was sure Tabassum would grow up to be a fine human being'. Why do you think she says this?
= The narrator says so as she saw that the little orphan girl had come to greet her a 'salaam' on behalf of her dead mother. Zubeida knew that she was dying and she did not want the rest three thousand rupees to be spend on her. She wanted to the money to be returned and to be used for another sick person. In spite of her own pain and poverty she had thought of someone who might be in greater need for help. She was a great human being and she has passed all these quality and values to her daughter. This made the narrator say the extracted line.
5. 'Sheikh Mohammed was a generous and honest man.' Which sentences from the story support this statement?
= The sentence from the story which support this statement is - "Madam, at least I can afford this much. You should be helping those who are poorer and cannot even afford this. They require your help more than I do."
Sheikh Mohammed knew that the narrator works for helping people who are poor and in need. In spite of this information he did not ask her for help. He tried his best to manage the expenditure for the cancer operation of his sister Zubeida.
6. How does the story upload the story of compassion?
= First of all the narrator herself if the incarnate of compassion as she works for helping people who are poor and in distress. She works being in the Infosys Foundation and they help people monetarily.
Secondly Sheikh Mohammed is compassionate to his widow sister Zubeida and her daughter Tabassum. He kept them with his family as they were helpless. he also did not ask for a help from the narrator though knew he would get it for sure. He was compassionate towards the poorer people who are more needy than him.
Finally Zubeida was the most bright instance of compassion in the story. Her story was a lesson in compassion. In spite of her own pain and poverty, she had thought about someone who might be in greater need of help. The largeness of her heart even on her deathbed left the narrator speechless as well as us.
C. Read these sentences from the story and answer the questions that follow.
1. "I asked for the cheque to be sent to him immediately."
a. What 'cheque' does the narrator refer to here?
= The narrator refers to the due cheque for the books she had bought from the stationary shop of Sheikh Mohammed.
b. Why was it to be sent immediately?
= It was to be sent immediately as Sheikh Mohammed's sister Zubeida had cancer and she had to be operated immediately to get well.
c. What else did the narrator realise?
= The narrator also realised that the cheque would probably not be enough as such cancer operations are expensive and she was sure that Sheikh Mohammed was struggling to raise the money.
d. What does it say about the person to whom the cheque was being sent?
= The person, Sheikh Mohammed, whom the cheque was being sent, was a generous and honest man. He did not ask the narrator for extra help and he did not even let her know that his sister was suffering from cancer. He knew it well that the narrator works for helping the needy people monetarily. Yet he did not pray for help. Instead he tried to raise money of her own.
2. "Our earth is enriched by people like Zubeida."
a. Who said these words and to whom?
= The narrator said these words to Sheikh Mohammed.
b. Who was Zubeida?
= Zubeida was the widow sister of Sheikh Mohammed and she used to live with her brother along with her daughter Tabassum.
c. Why did the speaker say this about her?
= Zubeida was in her deathbed. She was struggling with cancer. There was no hope to survive. At this stage she made her brother promise that he would return the remaining money to the narrator. The greatness of her heart even on her deathbed left the narrator speechless. In spite of her own pain and poverty, she had thought about someone who might be in greater need of help. Her story was a lesson in compassion. She wanted to thank the narrator, and when she knew she would not make it, she sent her daughter.
d. What does the speaker convey through the word 'enriched'?
= The world of today is full of selfish people. All are busy about thinking their own self. It is rare to found people like Zubeida who has a greater heart. A person who can deliberately think about others even being in her own deathbed. The world needs this kind of persons more to be a place of selfless compassion.
D. Think and answer.
1. Why did Zubeida's last wish stun the narrator?
= Zubeida came home from the hospital after her operation. She knew that she was dying. She made her brother, Sheikh Mohammed , promise that he would return the remaining three-thousand rupees money to the narrator. She did not want that money to be wasted on her anymore as she would no longer get well. She had thought that someone might be in greater need of help. The largeness of her heart even on her deathbed left the narrator speechless. She wanted to thank the narrator, and when she knew that she would not make it, she had sent her daughter. All these stunned the narrator.
2. What kind of 'courage' did the narrator hope for Tabassum to emulate?
= The narrator hoped Tabassum to emulate her mother's compassionate courage in her life. She did not take return of that three thousand rupees. She said Sheikh Mohammed to let her study and if he needs any more help for her, he would definitely let her know. She also suggested Sheikh Mohammed to always tell Tabassum about her mother who selflessly thought of other people who are in need in spite of being in her deathbed.