“We lived in our ancestral house,”- Who is the speaker? When was the house built? What kind of house was it? How did the inmates of the house lead their lives in the house?

“We lived in our ancestral house,”– Who is the speaker? When was the house built? What kind of house was it? How did the inmates of the house lead their lives in the house? Class 12 | English (Strong Roots) 6 Marks

Ans:

In Strong Roots’, an extracted piece from  Kalam’s autobiography—Wings of Fire’, Dr Kalam talks about his childhood. The house was built in the 19th century.  The house was a fairly large pucca one, made of limestone and brick, on the Mosque Street in  Rameswaram. The house was nearly a ten-minute walk from the renowned Shiva temple. Kalam was born into a middle-class Tamil family in Rameswaram and lived in their ancestral house with his parents and siblings. Kalam remembered that  his mother Ashiamma, used to feed many outsiders daily, along with the family members. The inmates of the house led a simple and peaceful life. They avoided all unnecessary comforts  and luxuries. However, Jainulabdeen and Ashiamma  never deprived Kalam and the other children of any  basic needs (food, medicine, clothing). The love, care and proper guidance of his worthy parents, made Kalam’s childhood, an emotionally and materially secured one. power to cure the invalids. He dipped his fingertips in bowls of water and said prayers, which cured many invalids. His lifestyle as well as his teachings inspired Kalam to overcome all impediments and attain immeasurable succes