Give a Character Sketch of Iswaran and Mahendra from Class 9 English Moments Book Chapter 3 Iswaran the Storyteller
Character Sketch of Iswaran
Iswaran was Mahendra’s cook. He was very attached to Mahendra and followed him uncomplainingly wherever he was posted. He cooked for Mahendra, washed his clothes, tidied up his place and chatted with him at night. Iswaran was very good at managing resources. He could get the vegetables out of nowhere and miraculously, he would create the most delicious dishes. He was fond of reading thrillers novels. He could tell stories and anecdotes about different subjects that too in a very dramatic manner. He had a habit of exaggerating whatever incident that happened, influenced by the Tamil thriller authors. He would include suspense in all his stories and end with a surprise.
Iswaran the Storyteller Overview – The title of this chapter- “Iswaran the storyteller” tells us that this story is about Iswaran. He is called the storyteller because as storytelling is an art, he is good at it. Iswaran uses special effects, does voice modulation, uses his body language to make the story realistic so that the listener, i.e. Mahendra gets attracted and captivated in his story. The writer wants to highlight this quality of Iswaran – that he was so good at telling stories that they appeared to be real. His stories were a source of entertainment for Mahendra.
Related: Iswaran the Storyteller Summary, Explanation
Some Questions on Character Sketch of Iswaran
Q1: What are some key personality traits of Iswaran that are highlighted in the story? How do these traits contribute to his character?
Q2: How does Iswaran’s storytelling ability impact the lives of those around him? Provide examples from the text to support your answer.
Related: Iswaran the Storyteller Question Answers
Character Sketch of Mahendra
Mahendra was a bachelor. His needs were simple and he could adjust himself to any living conditions- from a circuit house to a canvas tent. He was a junior supervisor at a firm and had to keep moving from place to place to keep an eye on the activities at the work sites. He was in the habit of listening to Iswaran’s stories on a daily basis. When Iswaran would narrate all the dramatic stories, he would stretch himself back on his canvas chair and listen to them uncritically. When Iswaran told him about a female ghost that he had seen at night, Mahendra shivered at the description and called him crazy. From that day onwards, he slept at night with unease. He could not look out of his window during night time. One day, he heard a sound of moaning outside his window, he tried to reason with himself but gave in to his fear. Iswaran scared him so much that he took the decision of resigning from his job and leaving the circuit house.
Some Questions on Character Sketch of Mahendra
Q1: Who is Mahendra in Iswaran the storyteller?
Q2: What is Mahendra’s role in the relationship between him and Iswaran? How does this relationship influence the events of the story?
Related: Iswaran the Storyteller MCQ Question with Answers
