Suvira
by Paro Anand
Making Connections
Quick answers
1. The plot is the sequence of events that make up a story. Complete the following sentence with close reference to the plot of 'Suvira'.
a. The narrator cursed herself for being stupid enough to volunteer to run the 800 metres race.
b. The narrator knew that, by putting her in this school, her parents were facing a lot of financial pressure on themselves.
c. The narrator compared Suvira to a well-oiled machinery.
d. When the narrator drew the lane next to Suvira, she briefly considered it as not as very auspicious start.
e. When the crowd's chant of 'Su-vira' rose to a crescendo, the narrator realized Suvira was close to her.
f. The climax or the most exciting part of the plot of this story is they both crossed the finish line at the same time.
2. This story is told in first person. This means that the narrator is a character in the story. The narrator of the story is :
a. Suvira. [ ]
b. a student who has changed school mid-term. [✓]
c. a student from the Blue House. [ ]
Reference to context
3. "And our lives were turned upside down and each one of us was trying to cope with the changed circumstances as best as we could."
a. What did the narrator mean by the phrase 'turned upside down'?
= The narrator meant that their life style had changed, by the phrase 'turned upside down'. They had to leave their hometown leaving her old friends, especially Anu.
b. Why had such a situation arisen?
= Such a situation had arisen due to the change of the career of her father. They had to pack up and leave their hometown. It was very awful to say goodbye to all her old friends, especially Anu.
c. What were the problems faced by the narrator due to her changed circumstances?
= Due to her changed circumstances, the narrator basically faced problems in the new school. She had been admitted to that new school in the mid-term. She was not acquainted with the students of the new school. She was not feeling comfortable in the school. She had been put into the Red House of the school. She agreed to volunteer to run the 800-metres race. But her housemates pretty much ignored her. Not only that, they were being unfriendly on purpose.
4. "I tried to shake off my feeling of certain disaster."
a. What does the expression 'shake off' mean?
= The expression 'shake off' means to stop thinking about something and get scared of it.
b. What 'disaster' was the narrator referring to?
= The narrator was referring to Ms Suvira Mathura from Blue House. She had never been beaten in the 800-metres race. She also held the Delhi inter-school record for 800 metres.
c. How did the narrator try to 'shake off' the feeling?
= The narrator started to think about her past achievements. She had won the 800 metres a couple of times in Calcutta. She also thought that there was no guarantee in the fact that Suvira was better and faster than her. She cheered herself up thinking that she could well turn out to be the new heroine of the race competition.
5. "The old favourite with new shoes, the newcomer with old ones."
a. When did this thought strike the narrator?
= At the time Suvira and the narrator was running together, step for step and stride for stride, this thought strike the narrator.
b. To what did the narrator compare her opponent's shoes?
= The narrator compared her opponent's shoes with a wild, untameable animal.
c. What was striking about the opponent's shoes?
= The opponent's shoes were the brand new ones. They had glistening, sharp spikes. The sharp spikes of the opponent's shoes sprang forward, bit into the track and then sprang forward again like a wild, untameable animal.
Read, reflect and write
6. ".... this cloud too would have its silver lining."
What was the 'cloud' that the narrator was referring to and what was she hoping for?
= The narrator's father had decided to change tracks in his career. He had resigned from his job. The family had to pack up and leave their hometown. It was awful for the narrator to say goodbye to all her old friends, especially Anu.
They had to dealt with the new circumstances they were in. It was difficult for the narrator to change schools mid-term. Nobody was recognising or accepting her in her new school. This has been described a the 'cloud'.
The narrator says that they had to do nothing but wait and time will solve their issues. The clouds will be cleared and they will see the silver lining of the sun light.
7. In your opinion, did Suvira's new shoes play any role in the outcome of the race?
= Yes, I think Suvira's new shoes played a very significant role in the outcome of the race. Those shoes were brand new and with glistening, sharp spikes. On the other hand, the narrator had her old shoes with blunted spikes.
As Suvira was not accustomed to the new shoe, the narrator took the lead at the starting of the beginning. Then the narrator played a trick and slowed herself down. Then Suvira took the lead. Then again the narrator took the lead.
Besides this, the narrator's shoes were old and blunted but those of Suvira's had sharp spikes. This was an advantage for her. Then she succeeded to forward her pace and ended with the narrator. It was a draw. They both were winners.
8. Do you think both the winners were happy with the outcome? What makes you think so?
= I think both the winners were happy with the outcome. Both of them were standing on the victory stand. They exchanged smiles. Suvira had a friendly, open smile as though she was genuinely happy. Both of them praised each other for their performances in the race.
Then they joined hands and raised them to acknowledgement of their school. And with this, the narrator had been accepted by the school and the school had been accepted by the narrator whole heartedly.
9. According to you, was it right of the crowd to support only Suvira? Give a reason for your answer.
= According to me, it was definitely not right of the crowd to support only Suvira. The narrator was representing the Red House. Yet the housemates were pretty much ignoring her. At least the members of the Red House should have cheered for the narrator.
10. Winning and losing are two sides of the same coin. Explain how playing a game is more important than winning or losing.
= Definitely, winning and losing are two sides of the same coin. Playing is more important than winning or losing. Game unites us. We interact with each other. Participation acknowledges us our pros and cons. We learn our strengths and weaknesses. We also learn to learn from our failures and be indifferent in out victory.
11. Extended writing : Describe how the narrator is able to win the acceptance of her schoolmates.
= In this story, the narrator recalls how difficult it was for her to change schools mid-term. She won her the acceptance and recognition from her new schoolmates with her courage and determination.
She was new to the school. She was representing the Red House in the 800 metres race. Even her housemates pretty much ignored her. None was friendly with the narrator.
She observed Suvira and learnt about her achievements. This made the narrator much scared at the beginning. Then the narrator recalled her past achievements in Calcutta. She encouraged herself.
The narrator would compete wearing her old, battered spikes, since she couldn't afford a new pair. On the other hand Suvira had her brand new shoes with glistening, sharp spikes.
Then at the race, everyone was cheering Suvira. But not a single student cheered the narrator. I think this is the most unfavourable situation. The narrator controlled her emotions and made her won the race. She won the recognition and acceptance of the whole school.
About the author :
Paro Anand (b. 1957) has written several books for children, including plays, short stories and novels. Some of her well-known works are Elephants Don't Die, Pets Please and Born to Lead. She is also a performance storyteller and has performed her stories in India and also in the UK, France and Switzerland.