Gul Mohar English Class 7 Chapter 10 The Kabuliwala

Gul Mohar Edition 9 Orient Blackswan

Gul Mohar English Chapter 10 The Kabuliwala

Writer of the story - Rabindranath Tagore

Question and Answers

Question 1: Why did Mini rush to peep out of the window? How did she react to what she saw?
Answer: Mini rushed to the window on seeing an Afghan peddler dressed in loose, soiled clothing and a tall turban. He carried a large bag on his back. On hearing her call out to him, he looked back. Mini was terrorised by this as she believed that little children were taken away in the large bag.

Question 2: What was the joke that Mini and the Kabuliwala shared about ‘father-in-law’?
Answer: Mini did not know what going to father-in-law’s house meant, but for the Kabuliwala the words meant going to jail. She asked if he would go to his father-in-law’s house. To this, he would shake his fist at an invisible policeman and say that he would thrash his father-in-law. Both would laugh at the joke.

Question 3: What special bond did Mini and the Kabuliwala share?
Answer: Mini initially did not feel comfortable at the sight of the Kabuliwala. She believed that the Kabuliwala was a child kidnapper. But soon they became the best of friends. The Kabuliwala won the child over with nuts and fruit. He was the most patient listener to Mini’s non-stop chatting and that brought her closer to the Kabuliwala. Mini was like a daughter to him and he loved her dearly. The bond was so strong that after completing his long term in the jail, the first thing he did was to go to Mini’s house to meet her.

Question 4: Why did the speaker first hesitate to let the Kabuliwala meet his daughter?
Answer: The speaker initially was hesitant to let the Kabuliwala meet his daughter on her wedding day. This could be because he was concerned about the reputation of his family with Mini’s in-laws. Perhaps he was worried that they would misunderstand him and his daughter, thinking that they had an association with a criminal.

Question 5: How did the Kabuliwala land up in ‘father-in-law’s’ house? What did Mini think of his arrest?
Answer: Father-in-law’s house was the jail for Rahman, the Kabuliwala. One day the speaker was shocked to see Rahman being led by two policemen. A customer refused to pay the Kabuliwala for goods purchased. This started a fight and in the process the angry Kabuliwala struck the customer with a knife. He was sent to jail for several years. Mini could not understand why Rehman was hand-cuffed and was accompanied by two policemen. She innocently asked him whether he was going to his father-in-law’s house. She did not realise that Rahman was arrested for a crime and would not return for years.

Question 6: Do you think Mini would have felt the same way towards the Kabuliwala after so many years?
Answer: The Kabuliwala felt the same love and affection for Mini even after years of jail because to him she was like his own daughter. Mini would have responded to him as she did as a child. She was grown up and was going to get married and he was now almost a stranger to her.