GOKULDHAM HIGH SCHOOL AND JUNIOR COLLEGE

SECONDARY SECTION (2025–2026)

SUBJECT: LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
TERM: I WORKSHEET NO.: 2
GRADE: 6 DIV: _____ ROLL NO.: _____ NAME: ___________
TOPIC: The Cabuliwallah (Prose-I) DATE: March 2025

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali writer, poet, song
composer, philosopher, and artist. He has written many stories,
novels, poems, and dramas. He was born on 7th August, 1941. His
popular books and songs are ‘Gitanjali’, ‘Gor’, ‘Ghare-Baire’,
‘Amar Shonar Bangla’ etc. He has written our National anthem. He
wrote many popular short stories. ‘The Cabuliwallah’ is a popular
Bengali short story written by him.

SYNOPSIS OF THE STORY:

‘The Cabuliwallah’ is a heartwarming short story about an unexpected friendship
between a little Bengali girl named Mini and a street vendor named Rahmun from
Afghanistan, known as the Cabuliwallah.
Mini is a lively five-year-old girl who loves to talk and ask questions. One day, she
meets the Cabuliwallah, a sturdy man who sells dry fruits in Kolkata. Despite their
differences in age, language, and background, Mini and the Cabuliwallah form a special
bond. He reminds her of a friend, and she reminds him of his own young daughter, whom
he has left behind in his homeland.
However, the Cabuliwallah disappears for a long time after getting involved in a
violent incident and is sent to prison. Years pass, and Mini grows up. On the day of Mini’s
wedding, the Cabuliwallah returns, hoping to see her again. But she no longer remembers
him. The father, moved by the Cabuliwallah's story and love for his own daughter, gives
him money so he can return home and reunite with his child.

THEME OF THE STORY:

The themes depicted in the story are:

✓ friendship beyond boundaries
✓ love between a parent and child
✓ memories and the passage of time
✓ kindness
✓ compassion

1
CHARACTERS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS:
▪ Rahmun/ Cabuliwallah
- loving father
- patient
- pain of separation from his family
- great sense of humour
- short-tempered
- innocent
- lovable
▪ Mini
- five year old
- talkative
- innocent
- friendly

▪ Narrator
- author by profession
- busy man
- loving father
- patient with daughter
- good imagination
- broad-minded
- generous
- benevolent
Word meanings:
1. vexed - annoyed or irritated
2. prattle - meaningless chatter
3. pedlar - a person who travels from one place to another selling things
4. demur - protest or complaint
5. judicious - showing good judgement or sense
6. quaint - old-fashioned or unusual
7. behindhand - late or slow to do something
8. newfangled - objectionably new or modern
9. euphemism - a mild way of saying something without using the actual word
10. saluting - a way of greeting someone
11. bashfully - shyly
12. staggered - very surprised
13. despondent - in low spirits from loss of hope or courage
14. pervaded - be present and apparent throughout

2
I. Read the extract and answer the following questions:

The window of my room overlooks the road. The child had seated herself at
my feet near my table, and was playing softly, drumming on her knees. I
was hard at work on my seventeenth chapter, when all of sudden Mini left
her play, and ran to the window, crying: ‘A Cabuliwallah! A Cabuliwallah!’
Q1. Describe Mini.
Ans. Mini was a five-year-old girl who could not live without chattering. She had not
wasted even a minute in silence since she had started talking. Her mother tried
stopping her chatter as she would get annoyed. To see Mini quiet was unnatural.

Q2. Whom did Mini call out from the window?

Ans. Mini called out for the Cabuliwallah from the window.

Q3. What happened when the Cabuliwallah turned and looked at Mini?
Ans. When the Cabuliwallah turned and looked at Mini, she was overcome by terror. She
fled to her mother’s protection and disappeared.

Q4. Describe the appearance of Cabuliwallah.

Ans. The Cabuliwallah wore the loose, soiled clothing of his people, with a tall turban.
There was a bag on his back, and he carried boxes of grapes in his hand.

Q5. What was Mini’s father startled to see one morning?

Ans. Mini’s father was startled to find Mini, seated on a bench near the door, laughing and
talking, with the great Cabuliwallah at her feet. It appeared as if Mini had never
found such a patient listener.

II. Read the extract and answer the following questions:

‘Why did you give her those?’ I said, and taking out an eight-anna bit, I
handed it to him. The man accepted the money without demur, and slipped
it into his pocket.
Q1. What was the corner of Mini’s little sari stuffed with?
Ans. The corner of her little sari was stuffed with almonds and raisins, which were the
gifts from her visitor, the Cabuliwallah.

Q2. What did Mini’s father see after hearing an uproar in the street one chilly morning?
Ans. One chilly morning, Mini’s father heard an uproar in the street. When he looked out,
he saw Rahmun being led away bound between two policemen and behind them,
there was a crowd of curious boys. There were blood-stains on the Cabuliwallah’s
clothes and one of the policemen carried a knife.
3
Q3. Why did the policemen arrest the Cabuliwallah?
Ans. Someone had owed the Cabuliwallah something for a Rampuri shawl, but had falsely
denied having bought it, In the course of the quarrel, Rahmun had struck him. So, the
policemen arrested the Cabuliwallah.

Q4. What was Mini’s father doing in his study? Who entered his study room? Why did
Mini’s father not recognise the person?
Ans. Mini’s father was sitting in his study, looking through the accounts of Mini’s
wedding.
Rahmun, the Cabuliwallah, entered his study room.
Mini’s father did not recognise the person because he had no bags, nor the
long hair, nor the same vigour that he used to have earlier. But when he smiled,
Mini’s father knew him again,

Q5. What was there in the paper that the Cabuliwallah removed from his big loose robe?
Ans. The paper that the Cabuliwallah removed, bore the impression of an ink-smeared
hand of his own little daughter whose touch had been always on his heart, as he had
come year after year to Calcutta to sell his wares in the streets.

*********
ASSIGNMENT

Answer the following questions:

Q1. What blind belief did Mini have about the Cabuliwallah?
Ans. ____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Q2. How did the Cabuliwallah help Mini overcome her first terror?
Ans. ____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

4
Q3. Arrange the following occurrences in the order they have appeared in the story:
a. Cabuliwallah and Mini became close friends
b. Mini called out to the Cabuliwallah and ran and hid behind her mother.
c. Cabuliwallah was a very patient listener to Mini’s chatter.
d. The narrator wanted Mini to overcome her fear, so he insisted that she came and met
him.

Ans. __________________________________
Q4. What was Rahmun’s belief about Mini after he returned from jail?
Ans. __________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Q5. What did Rahmun say when Mini’s father offered him money for the gift he had
brought for Mini?
Ans. __________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

************
ACTIVITY
1. After the wedding is over, Mini decides to write a letter to the Cabuliwallah.
Imagine you are Mini and write a letter to the Cabuliwallah, describing in detail
your feelings.
2. Write a letter from the Cabuliwallah to his daughter in Afghanistan, explaining his
feelings after meeting Mini again. In their letters, students should include emotions
and memories, reflections on how time has passed, hopes for the future and
gratitude or regrets.
3. Discussion based on what can we learn about relationships and humanity from this
story.
4. Click on the YouTube link for ‘The Cabuliwallah’ – https://youtu.be/et9VfrUE-Sw

*********