Iswaran the Storyteller

Given: Mahendra is a junior supervisor who travels to various sites and lives alone in makeshift camps far from any town or city.

Answer:

Iswaran is an asset to Mahendra in the following ways:

1. Cook and caretaker: Iswaran cooked for Mahendra, washed his clothes, and kept the small camp clean and tidy — all without being told or reminded.

2. Resourceful: He could conjure up a meal out of nowhere, even in the middle of a desolate place. He would disappear for a while and return with all the necessary ingredients.

3. Entertainer and storyteller: In the absence of any television or other entertainment, Iswaran kept Mahendra thoroughly entertained every evening with his fascinating stories and dramatic narrations.

4. Devoted companion: He was deeply attached to Mahendra and followed him wherever he was posted, providing companionship in lonely, isolated locations.

In short, Iswaran served as cook, housekeeper, and entertainer all at once, making Mahendra's difficult postings comfortable and enjoyable. He was, therefore, a great asset to his employer.

Given: While narrating an incident on the highway, Iswaran describes a fallen tree blocking the road.

Answer:

Iswaran does not describe the uprooted tree in a plain, straightforward manner. Instead, he builds up the description dramatically. He says that the road was blocked by a huge, fallen tree — he describes it as a massive beast lying across the road, with its roots in the air like some enormous creature's claws reaching out. He pauses at the right moments, uses vivid and exaggerated language, and adds suspense to even this ordinary sight.

Effect he wants to create:

Iswaran wants to create a sense of suspense, wonder, and awe in his listener (Mahendra). By comparing the uprooted tree to a monstrous creature, he transforms a mundane incident into a thrilling, almost supernatural event. He wants his audience to be completely gripped and on the edge of their seats, hanging on to every word. His goal is to entertain and to make even the most ordinary happening seem extraordinary and dramatic.

Given: Iswaran narrates an incident in which he claims to have stopped a rampaging elephant.

Answer:

Narration of the tusker story:

Iswaran narrates the story with great drama and flair. He describes how a wild tusker escaped from a timber yard and went on a rampage through the town — breaking fences, tearing up gardens, and terrorising the people. Everyone ran away in panic. Then, young Iswaran (as a schoolboy) calmly walked up to the elephant, and with a swift, precise blow on the third toenail of its front foot — a technique he had read about in an ancient Tamil book — he brought the huge beast down. The elephant collapsed, and Iswaran stood victorious. He adds that the elephant was later taken back to the timber yard.

Is it plausible?

The story does not appear to be entirely plausible. The idea that a young schoolboy could single-handedly stop a rampaging wild elephant by tapping its toenail is highly exaggerated and difficult to believe. It seems more like a tall tale than a factual account. However, Iswaran narrates it with such conviction, detail, and dramatic effect — pausing for suspense, using gestures, and building up the climax — that the listener (Mahendra) is temporarily swept along by the story. The story reveals Iswaran's gift for storytelling rather than any real event.

Given: Mahendra lived in a remote camp without a television or any other source of entertainment.

Answer:

The author says this because Iswaran was, in himself, a complete source of entertainment for Mahendra.

Every evening, after dinner, Iswaran would sit with Mahendra and narrate fascinating stories. He had an extraordinary gift for storytelling — he could take any incident, however trivial, and turn it into a gripping, dramatic tale. He used:
- Suspense — pausing at the right moments to keep the listener hooked.
- Vivid descriptions — painting pictures with words.
- Dramatic gestures and expressions — acting out parts of the story.
- Variety — his stories ranged from funny incidents to horror tales.

Just as a television provides entertainment, news, drama, and stories, Iswaran provided all of this through his narrations. In fact, he was even better than a TV because his stories were personal, interactive, and delivered with great passion.

Thus, the author rightly says that Iswaran more than made up for the absence of a television.

Given: Mahendra is a practical, rational man who dismisses belief in ghosts as mere imagination. However, Iswaran has been telling him horror stories, including one about a female ghost he claims to have seen.

Answer:

Mahendra is a sceptic — he does not believe in ghosts or spirits and calls them a figment of the imagination. He scolds Iswaran for telling such stories and asks him not to repeat them.

What happens on the full-moon night:

Despite his rational outlook, one full-moon night Mahendra is woken up by a low, moaning sound. Unable to resist, he looks out of his window. In the bright moonlight, he sees a dark, cloudy form — a hunched female figure with matted hair and a shrivelled face — which resembles exactly the ghost Iswaran had described.

Mahendra is filled with fear. He breaks into a cold sweat, lets out a scream, and collapses back onto his bed in a faint.

Significance: This incident is deeply ironic. The very man who dismissed ghosts as imaginary ends up being terrified by what he believes is one. It shows the power of suggestion — Iswaran's vivid storytelling had planted the image so firmly in Mahendra's mind that his own imagination (or perhaps something real) overcame his rationalism on that moonlit night.

Note: This is an open-ended, creative question. The following is a suggested answer that students may adapt in their own words.

Original ending: After the frightening experience on the full-moon night, Mahendra decides he can no longer stay in the camp and puts in a transfer request.

Alternative Ending 1 (Rational/Humorous):

The next morning, Mahendra decides to investigate rather than flee. He discovers that the "ghost" was actually Iswaran himself, wrapped in a white sheet, playing a prank to make his ghost story seem real. Mahendra is both angry and amused. He scolds Iswaran, but cannot help laughing at his own fear. The two continue their journey together, and Mahendra learns never to underestimate the power of a good story.

Alternative Ending 2 (Mysterious):

Mahendra musters his courage and goes out to investigate the figure. He finds nothing — no footprints, no sign of anyone. He asks Iswaran the next morning, and Iswaran solemnly says, "Sahib, I told you. She comes every full moon." Mahendra, shaken to the core, is no longer sure what to believe. He stays on, but is never quite the same rational man he used to be.

Students are encouraged to write their own creative ending based on their imagination.

Is Iswaran a fascinating storyteller?

Yes, Iswaran is undoubtedly a fascinating storyteller. He has a natural, instinctive gift for narration that makes even the most ordinary events come alive.

Qualities of a good storyteller (as seen in Iswaran and in general):

1. Imagination and creativity: A good storyteller can transform a simple, everyday incident into an exciting tale. Iswaran does this brilliantly — a fallen tree becomes a monstrous beast; a schoolboy becomes a heroic elephant-tamer.

2. Sense of timing and suspense: Iswaran knows exactly when to pause, when to lower his voice, and when to deliver the climax. This keeps the listener completely hooked.

3. Vivid description: He uses colourful, detailed language that helps the listener visualise the scene clearly.

4. Dramatic expression: He uses gestures, facial expressions, and changes in tone to bring characters and events to life.

5. Variety: A good storyteller has a wide range of stories — funny, scary, adventurous — to suit the mood and the audience.

6. Confidence and conviction: Iswaran narrates every story as if it is absolutely true, which makes it more convincing and engaging.

7. Knowledge of the audience: He understands what will interest or frighten his listener and tailors his story accordingly.

Conclusion: Iswaran possesses all these qualities. His storytelling fills the lonely evenings of Mahendra's camp life with excitement and wonder, making him not just a cook and servant, but a true artist of the spoken word.

*Students should now try to narrate a story of their own using the above qualities — building suspense, using vivid descriptions, and delivering a dramatic climax.*