1. How did Mr. Sivasanker engage a domestic servant ?

What were the chores that the domestic servant

perform ?

Mr. Sivasanker's was a small family consisting of the couple and a five-year-old daughter. As the story opens,
Mr. Sivasanker was seen standing on the front veranda, brooding over the servant problem. At the very moment a man
named Sidda appeared at the gate and expressed his desire to be appointed as a servant. Mr. Sivasanker asked the
man a few questions to which he gave stock replies. Being unable to make up his mind, Mr. Sivasanker sought his wife's
suggestions. Finally it was at the suggestion of his little daughter Leela that Mr. Sivasanker engaged him as a servant.
Sidda was paid four rupees a month, in return for which he was to wash clothes, tend the garden, run errands
and look after Leela.

2. Sketch the character of Sidda as you find him in R.K. Narayan's story "Leela's Friend."

R.K. Narayan has presented Sidda as a typical domestic servant. After much consideration, Mr. Sivasanker
appointed him in his house. Leela had liked the man at the very first sight. Leela found in him a true friend and
companion. His company made her supremely happy. He was a humble fellow who behaved with his employer very
politely. When Leela's mother suspected him of stealing Leela's gold chain, he felt disgraced and left the house without
telling anybody. When the police arrested him, he plainly said that he had not stolen the chain. But nobody believed him.
Even when the chain was found in the house, the family did not reinstate him in his former place. He was harassed for no
fault of his own. Yet he bore the insult mutely like an animal and did not speak ill of anybody.

3. What is your impression of Leela in the story "Leela's Friend" ?

In the story "Leela's Friend" R.K. Narayan has presented Leela as an innocent and lively child. It was at Leela's
suggestion that Mr. Sivasanker appointed Sidda as a domestic servant. For, at the very first sight she liked the man and
understood that he was a good fellow. But the problem arose when her gold chain was lost. Her parents suspected
Sidda of stealing it. But she believed that a man like Sidda could not steal it. When the police interrogated him, she felt
disgusted with the whole business and said, "Leave him alone, he hasn't taken the chain." To her, Sidda was the true
jewel, not the chain she had lost. The author suggests that Leela was the eye opener and she had the right sort of
attitude towards a domestic servant.

4. What light does the story "Leela's Friend" throw on the master-servant relationship ?

The story "Leela's Friend" gives the picture of a well-to-do family where there should be a servant to do all sorts
of domestic works. Sidda was appointed at a small pay of four rupees per month. While the elders were heartless and
rude to Sidda, Leela was sympathetic towards him. But problem arose when the gold chain Leela had been wearing was
somehow lost. The elders suspected Sidda of stealing it. But Leela stood by his side and declared emphatically that he
had not stolen it. The elders even lodged a complaint against him to the police. They did not bother about his reputation.
The author suggests that the masters should be more considerate towards the servants and treat them as their trusted
friends.

5. Discuss how far the title of the story "Leela's Friend" is appropriate.

The story "Leela's Friend" shows that social or economic status does not stand in the way of true friendship, nor
does difference of age hinder its proper growth. At the very first sight, Leela, the five-year-old daughter of Mr.
Sivasanker, could realize that Sidda, the stranger would be a very good servant. While her parents were harsh and
unsympathetic towards him, she stood by his side as a source of comfort. When Leela's gold chain was lost, her father
complained against Sidda to the police. When the police took Sidda to the police station, Leela broke into tears. Finally
when the chain was found in the house, Leela was proved right. In fact, what the author suggests through the title is that
a servant can be one's true friend if one shows the right kind of attitude. Thus Sidda might be Mr. Sivasanker's servant,
but to Leela, his daughter, he was a friend.

6. "Mr. Sivasanker was standing in the front veranda of his house, brooding over the servant problem.”
— How was Mr. Sivasanker's servant problem solved ?

One day Mr. Sivasanker was standing in the front veranda of his house and brooding over the servant problem.
At that very moment a man called Sidda appeared at the gate and enquired if they wanted a servant. He called the man
in and subjected him to a close scrutiny. He could not make up his mind. He called his wife and sought her suggestion.
She said that the man did not seem to be worse than their previous servants. At this moment Leela, their little daughter,
came out. She looked at Sidda and gave out a cry of joy. At the very first sight she liked the man. She suggested that the
man should be appointed in their house. And thus the matter was decided. Sidda was appointed as a servant in Mr.
Sivasanker's house.
7. "Sidda, come and play!"
— How does Narayan describe Leela's experiences of playing with Sidda ?

R.K. Narayan has shown rare insight into child psychology while describing Leela's experiences of playing with
Sidda. Leela called Sidda by his name whenever she wanted to play- She flung the ball at him and he flung it back to her.
Then she asked him to throw the ball into the sky, and he did so. When the ball came down, he said that it had touched
the moon and a little bit of the moon was still sticking to it. Leela examined the ball curiously to find traces of the moon but
failed to find any. She then asked him what there was in the sky how one could touch the sky. Being an imaginative
person, Sidda could invent stories to satisfy her curiosity. He claimed that he knew the moon well. Standing near the
rose plant and the well he pointed to the sky and showed her the moon. Leela was extremely delighted and clapped her
hands in wonder. Thus the two intimate friends, Leela and Sidda, passed time in joy and wonder, weaving between them
a world of fantasy and dream.

8 . "At dusk he carried her in and she held a class for him."
— Describe Leela's class where Sidda was the lone student.

At dusk Sidda carried Leela in, and then it was time for her drawing class with Sidda as her only student. It gave
her great joy to play the teacher to Sidda. She had a box filled with catalogues, illustrated books and a few pieces of
pencils. She ordered Sidda to sit on the floor, with a pencil between his fingers and a catalogue in front of him. She had
another pencil and a catalogue with her. She ordered Sidda to copy whatever she wrote on the pages of her catalogue.
She herself had so far learnt two or three letters of the alphabet and could draw something like a cat or crow. But in spite
of his best efforts Sidda could not copy them even remotely. She examined his rough scratchings and reproved him
sternly for his failures.

9. "One evening he went out to buy sugar and Leela went with him."
Describe what happened after they returned.
Or,
"Leela's mother noticed that a gold chain Leela had been wearing was missing"
Describe what happened after this.
One evening Sidda went out to buy sugar and Leela went with him. When they came back, Leela's mother
noticed that a gold chain Leela had been wearing was missing. She asked Leela, "where is your chain ?" Leela said that
she did not know. Her mother slapped her on the face. As was usual in such cases, she suspected the servant of
stealing it. She called Sidda and asked him about the chain. With a little hesitation he replied that he knew nothing about
it. She threatened him with police action. Sidda felt much humiliated at the aspersion and left the house in the
evening without telling anybody. Mr. Sivasanker came home from office and heard everything. He grew very excited
over all this, went to the police station and lodged a complaint against Sidda.

10. "After her meal Leela refused to go to bed. 'I won't sleep unless Sidda comes and tells me stories ... I don't
like you mother.”
— What does the expression imply ?

Since the joining of Sidda as a domestic servant in the house, Leela insisted that Sidda would be at her side all
her waking hours. Even at bedtime Sidda had to sit on the floor and tell her stories of animals, gods and magic castles.
When Leela's mother accused Sidda of stealing Leela's gold chain, he felt extremely humiliated and left the house
without telling anybody. That night Leela refused to go to bed. She insisted that Sidda should be brought back. She said
that she would not sleep unless Sidda came back and told her stories. She even accused her mother of being rude
towards Sidda. It was due to her false allegation and rough behaviour that Sidda had left the house.

11. "Four days later, just as Father was coming home from the office, a police inspector and a constable
brou gh t in Sid da . "
— Narrate briefly what happened next.

Four days after Sidda had left Mr. Sivasanker's house, the police arrested him from his haunt. A police inspector
and a constable brought him to Mr. Sivasanker's house for interrogation. Sidda stood with bowed head. Leela was
extremely happy to get back Sidda. Mr. Sivasanker spoke to Sidda, and then his wife spoke a few words on his
treacherous behaviour. They both asked him where he had put the chain. Sidda replied feebly that he had not taken it.
Leela's mother asked him, why then he had run away without telling them. He gave no answer. Having failed to secure
any confession from Sidda, the inspector ordered the constable to take him back to the police station, for he would have
to be interrogated further. When the constable was about to take him back, Sidda looked at Leela mutely. They forcibly
took him away, and Leela broke into tears.