Neelima Kumari, Balwant Singh, Mr. Shantaram: Key Moments
Chapter 4
1) What Did Neelima Kumari Have in Her Flat?
Neelima Kumari had been a very famous film actress. She had a big TV, a DVD player, a video recorder, film magazines that had her picture on the front, video cassettes of all her films, and all her acting awards in her flat to remind her of that.
2) What Changed After Neelima’s Mother Died?
Neelima asked Ram to live in her flat. She also went out more often and sometimes stayed out all night.
3) How Did Ram Find Out That Neelima Had a Lover?
Sometimes Neelima told Ram to stay in the chawl. One morning, he went back to the flat very early and saw a man leaving the flat.
4) What Did Neelima’s Lover Look Like?
The man was tall and he was wearing blue jeans and a white shirt. He was a cruel man, because every time he visited Neelima, he hit her, cutting her face or giving her a black eye.
5) What Was Neelima’s ‘Greatest Role’?
Neelima’s ‘greatest role’ was when she killed herself. She had made herself look beautiful and watched the video of her greatest film, before dying alone with the ‘Best Actress’ award in her hand.
Chapter 5
1) Who Was Balwant Singh?
He was an old soldier. He was tall and thin and had only one leg.
2) He Talks About a War. When Was It?
The war was in 1971, and India and Pakistan were fighting each other.
3) How Did Everyone Find Out Balwant Singh’s Stories Were Not True?
A man who was collecting money for a soldiers’ charity told them the truth about Balwant Singh.
4) What Was the Truth About Balwant Singh?
Balwant Singh was not a war hero. He had run away from the fighting and lost his leg when his home was bombed.
5) How Did the Old Soldier’s Stories Help Ram?
The old soldier had told everyone the names of the highest awards given to the bravest soldiers in the Indian army.
Chapter 6
1) What Was Mr. Ramakrishna’s Job?
Mr. Ramakrishna was the manager of the chawl where the boys lived. He collected rent and looked after the building, but he did not do his job well. He did not repair things, for example, the part of the first-floor wooden railing which had become weak and dangerous.
2) Describe the Boys’ New Neighbors
Their new neighbors were called Shantaram. Mr. Shantaram was a short man who was about fifty years old. He was really an astronomer but was currently managing a shop. His wife had grey hair, and his daughter was older than Ram with long black hair. Mr. Shantaram said that they would all be moving to a very nice apartment in Nariman Point very soon.
3) Why Did Gudiya Call Her Cat Pluto?
Her father had told her that Pluto was the smallest planet. The cat was very small, so she called it Pluto too.
4) Why Did Gudiya Have to Go to Hospital?
Mr. Shantaram had thrown a cup of boiling tea at his wife. Gudiya had tried to save her mother and the girl’s face was badly burnt by the tea.
5) What Was Ram’s Promise to Gudiya?
Ram promised Gudiya that her father would never hurt her again. He kept his promise by pushing Mr. Shantaram into the weak wooden railing, causing him to fall to the ground below.
6) Why Did Ram Leave Mumbai and Go to Delhi?
Ram left Mumbai and went to Delhi because he thought that he had killed Mr. Shantaram. Ram was afraid that the police would arrest him and hang him.