✦ Class 12 English Poetry · Bihar Board

My Grandmother's
House

Kamala Das

A poignant autobiographical poem about a lost childhood home, the death of a beloved grandmother, and the speaker's search for love in a world that has grown cold and indifferent.

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Kamala Das
Kamala Das Poet & Short Story Writer · 1934–2009
The Poet

Kamala Das (1934–2009)

The mother of modern Indian English poetry — a fearless, autobiographical voice.

Kamala Das portrait

Kamala Das (b. March 31, 1934) is a poet and short story writer who has earned a respectable place in both English and Malayalam literature. Her autobiography, published in 1976, created quite a stir. In 1984, she was shortlisted for the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Her important volumes of verse in English include Summer in Kolkata (1963), Sirens (1964), The Descendants (1967), The Old Playhouse and Other Poems (1973), The Anamalai Poems (1985), Only Saint Knows How to Sing (1996), and Yes Allah (2001).

Kamala Das's poetry is primarily autobiographical and her theme is love of a lonely heart — love with never-ending passion, lust, greed and hunger that never satiates. She is known for sexual adventures in her writings; for her, love hardly ever goes beyond sex and lust — which even reaches the point of nausea, and is reborn again and again with new vigour.

Kamala Das reveals a commendable mastery of phrase and control over rhythm. The words are often painted and the rhythm is marvellously, almost feverously, alive. My Grandmother's House is a deeply personal poem about the loss of a childhood home and the search for love in a world that has grown cold.

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Full NameKamala Das (Kamala Surayya)
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Born31 March 1934, Punnayurkulam, Kerala
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Died31 May 2009, Pune
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Famous WorksSummer in Kolkata · The Old Playhouse · My Story (autobiography)
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StyleAutobiographical · Confessional · Bold and fearless
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PoemMy Grandmother's House
Quick Overview

Summary

Concise overview of the chapter.

My Grandmother's House by Kamala Das is a tender poem about childhood, memory, and the pain of growing up. The speaker is a grown woman who longs for the house of her grandmother — a place that represents love, safety, and belonging.

The poem opens with a confession of longing: "There is a house now far away where once / I received love." The grandmother's house is not just a physical place — it is the emotional home of the speaker's heart.

The speaker remembers the warmth and security of that house. Her grandmother loved her unconditionally. The house was filled with the smell of cooking, the sound of laughter, the comfort of familiar things. It was a world where she felt safe and loved.

But then the grandmother died — and with her died the house's soul. The speaker was taken away to live with her parents, in a home where she was not truly wanted. She felt like an outsider — a "beggar" in her own house.

The poem ends with a striking image: the speaker says she now wanders from place to place, knocking on doors, looking for love. She has never found a home like her grandmother's. She says: "I am proud of my tears, of my grief." The pain is her only inheritance from that lost home.

The poem is a beautiful expression of the loss of childhood innocence and the search for belonging in an often unkind adult world. Kamala Das writes with raw honesty about loneliness, memory, and love.

There is a house now far away where once / I received love. — Kamala Das, "My Grandmother's House"
The Text

My Grandmother's House

Kamala Das's nostalgic poem of loss and longing.

Stanza 1 There Is a House Now Far Away

1There is a house now far away where once
2I received love. That woman died,
3The house withdrew into silence, snakes moved
4Among books I was then too young
5To read, and, my blood turned cold like the moon.

The poem opens with a nostalgic recollection of a house where the speaker once received love. That house is now far away — both physically and in time. The grandmother, the woman who gave her love, has died. The house withdrew into silence. Snakes moved among the books that the speaker was too young to read. Her blood turned cold like the moon — a powerful image of the death of warmth and love.

Stanza 2 How Often I Think of Going There

6How often I think of going
7There, to peer through blind eyes of windows or
8Just listen to the frozen air,
9Or in wild despair, pick an armful of
10Darkness to bring it here to lie
11Behind my bedroom's door like a brooding
12Dog ... you cannot believe, darling
13Can you, that I lived in such a house and
14Was proud, and loved ... I who have lost
15My way and beg now at strangers' doors to
16Receive love, at least in small change?

The speaker often thinks of returning to that house — to peer through the "blind eyes of windows," to listen to the "frozen air," or to pick an "armful of darkness" and bring it home to lie behind her bedroom door "like a brooding dog." She asks her listener — "darling" — whether they can believe that she once lived in such a house, was proud, and loved. Now, she has lost her way and begs at strangers' doors to receive love, "at least in small change."

... you cannot believe, darling
Can you, that I lived in such a house and
Was proud, and loved ... I who have lost
My way and beg now at strangers' doors to
Receive love, at least in small change? — Kamala Das
Quick Revision

Key Themes — My Grandmother's House

Six ideas that shape Kamala Das's nostalgic poem.

🏠 The Lost Home

The poem is about a house that is "now far away" — a childhood home that no longer exists in the same form. The house symbolizes a lost world of love, warmth and belonging.

💔 The Death of Love

The grandmother's death marks the end of love in the speaker's life. "That woman died, / The house withdrew into silence." The death of the grandmother is the death of the speaker's source of love.

🐍 Decay and Neglect

Snakes move among books, windows are "blind eyes," the air is "frozen," and darkness broods "like a dog." The imagery of decay and neglect shows the physical and emotional abandonment of the house.

🔍 The Search for Love

The speaker, who once "was proud, and loved," now "begs at strangers' doors to receive love, at least in small change." The poem is a lament for lost love and a search for its traces.

⏳ Childhood and Memory

The speaker was "too young to read" the books among which snakes moved. The poem is a nostalgic recollection of childhood, filtered through the pain of loss and the passage of time.

🌙 Coldness and Isolation

Images of coldness dominate the poem — "my blood turned cold like the moon," "the frozen air," the "armful of darkness." The speaker is isolated, lost, and yearning for warmth.

Assessment

Test Your Understanding

Multiple choice · Fill in the blanks · Short answer. Everything is drawn from the poem above.

🧠 Part A — Multiple Choice

Choose the best answer for each question. Click Check Answers at the end to see your score.

Score: — / 0

✏️ Part B — Fill in the Blanks

Complete each sentence on the basis of the poem. Type your answer, then click Check Answers.

Score: — / 0

📝 Part C — Short Answer Questions

Think through your answer first, then click Show Model Answer to compare.

Textbook Exercises

Complete Exercise Bank

All questions from the Bihar Board Class 12 English Poetry textbook — with answers and model responses.

B.1 Write T for True and F for False

Read the following sentences and write T for true and F for false. Click to reveal the answer with explanation.

aThe woman of the house is alive.
False (F). The woman of the house — the grandmother — has died. "That woman died."
bThe snakes were seen in the house.
True (T). "Snakes moved / Among books I was then too young / To read."
cThe speaker read the books with great interest.
False (F). The speaker was "too young to read" the books.
dThe speaker wished to peep through the window.
True (T). "How often I think of going / There, to peer through blind eyes of windows."

B.2 Answer the Following Questions Briefly

1Who is 'I' in the second line of the poem?
'I' is the speaker — Kamala Das herself, or a persona representing her. The poem is autobiographical, and the speaker is a woman recalling her childhood home and her grandmother.
2Where did the speaker once receive love?
The speaker once received love in her grandmother's house — "a house now far away." The grandmother was the source of that love.
3Why did the house go into silence?
The house went into silence because the grandmother died. "That woman died, / The house withdrew into silence." The death of the grandmother removed the warmth and life from the house.
4Why was the speaker unable to read the books?
The speaker was unable to read the books because she was "too young" at the time. She was a child then, and the books remained beyond her understanding.
5Why did the speaker often wish to go to that house?
The speaker often wished to go to that house to peer through the "blind eyes of windows," to listen to the "frozen air," or to pick an "armful of darkness" and bring it home. She wanted to reconnect with the lost world of love and warmth that the house represented.
6Why was the speaker proud of living in that house?
The speaker was proud of living in that house because it was a place where she received love. It was her grandmother's house, a home filled with warmth, affection, and a sense of belonging. She was proud to be part of that world.
7Why does the speaker say that she has lost her way?
The speaker says she has lost her way because she no longer has the love and security she once had. She has been cut off from her childhood home and the love of her grandmother. Now she wanders, "begging at strangers' doors" for love — she has lost the path that once led to warmth and belonging.
8Is the speaker satisfied with her present life? If not, why?
No, the speaker is not satisfied with her present life. She has "lost her way" and now "begs at strangers' doors to receive love, at least in small change." Her present life is characterized by a lack of genuine love and belonging. She yearns for the love she once knew in her grandmother's house.

C.1 Long Answer Questions

Prepare detailed answers. Click to reveal model responses.

1How does the speaker describe the condition of her grandmother's house? Does it resemble to the house of any of your acquaintance?
The speaker describes her grandmother's house as a place that has fallen into decay and neglect. The house has "withdrawn into silence," snakes move among the books, the windows are "blind eyes," the air is "frozen," and darkness broods "like a dog." The house is no longer a place of love and warmth; it has become cold, empty, and abandoned. It resembles the houses of many elderly people who live alone and whose homes fall into disrepair — houses that were once full of life and love but are now silent and neglected.
2What type of love or relation do you find between the grandmother and the speaker?
The relationship between the grandmother and the speaker is one of deep, unconditional love and affection. The grandmother was the source of love in the speaker's childhood — she "received love" in that house. The grandmother's death leaves the speaker bereft and yearning. The relationship is characterized by warmth, security, and a sense of belonging. It is the kind of love that only a grandparent can give — patient, accepting, and enduring.
3What changes have taken place since the speaker's grandmother died?
Since the grandmother's death, several changes have taken place. The house has "withdrawn into silence" — it is no longer a place of warmth and love. Snakes now move among the books, showing neglect and decay. The speaker's blood "turned cold like the moon" — she has lost her emotional warmth. The windows have become "blind eyes," the air is "frozen," and darkness broods. The speaker herself has changed — she has "lost her way" and now begs at strangers' doors for love. The world that once gave her love has become cold and indifferent.
4Point out the similes in the poem.
The poem contains several similes: (1) "my blood turned cold like the moon" — the speaker's blood is compared to the cold moon. (2) "like a brooding Dog" — the darkness the speaker imagines bringing home is compared to a brooding dog. These similes create vivid images of coldness, isolation, and impending threat.

C.2 Group Discussion

Discuss the following in groups or pairs.

  • Modern metropolis is a jungle of concrete.
  • Love thy neighbour as thyself.

C.3 Composition

Write on the following.

  • Write a letter describing your neighbours to your friend in Delhi. Do not exceed 150 words.
  • Write the summary of the poem in about 150 words.

D.1 Dictionary Use

Correct the spelling of the following words: [Exercise omitted in PDF]

QCorrect the spelling of the words from the poem.
This exercise is not fully specified in the provided PDF. Students should refer to the original textbook for the specific word list.

D.2 Word-formation

Read the lines from the poem carefully: [Exercise omitted in PDF]

QForm new words as directed in the textbook.
This exercise is not fully specified in the provided PDF. Students should refer to the original textbook for the specific word formation exercise.

D.3 Word-meaning

Read the poem carefully to find out where the following phrases have been used.

QFind the phrases in the poem.
This exercise is not fully specified in the provided PDF. Students should refer to the original textbook for the specific phrases.

E. Grammar — Prepositions

Fill in the blanks using the appropriate prepositions: into, to, of, in, at, through, among.

iGrandmother threw the letter ____________ fire.
into
iiMy grandmother's house is ____________ the hills.
in
iiiRamesh died ____________ an accident.
in
ivCome ____________ nine in the evening.
at
vThe mathematics book is kept ____________ the piles of computer books.
among
viThe grandmother pushed her way ____________ the crowd.
through
viiThe grandmother is going ____________ meet the grandfather.
to
viiiThe Ganga flows ____________ Patna.
through (or past/by)
ixPrabhu is cleared ____________ all blames.
of

F. Activities

Ex 1You expect your grandparents to do a lot of things for you. Do you think they also expect something from you? Talk to your grandparents/grandparents of your friends to know what they expect of you.
(Suggested approach) Talk to your grandparents or the grandparents of your friends. Ask them what they expect from their grandchildren. Common expectations include: spending time with them, listening to their stories, showing respect, visiting them regularly, and including them in family decisions. Present your findings in class.
Ex 2Read Premchand's short story 'Eidgah' and write a short play in English having three scenes: (a) Hamid and his grandmother at home in the beginning (b) Hamid's experience at the fair with his friends (c) Hamid's present of a pair of tongs to his grandmother.
Suggested Play Structure:

Scene 1: Hamid and his grandmother Amina at home. Amina gives Hamid three paise to spend at the Eid fair. She has no tongs to bake chapatis and burns her fingers. Hamid notices this.

Scene 2: At the fair, Hamid's friends buy toys, sweets, and colourful items. Hamid resists temptation and saves his money. He sees a pair of iron tongs and decides to buy them for his grandmother.

Scene 3: Hamid returns home and gives the tongs to Amina. She is moved to tears. She blesses him, saying that his gift is better than any toy. The story ends with a note of love and sacrifice.

📚 Glossary & Notes

Key words from the poem with their meanings.

  • peer (v): observe closely, carefully or with attention
  • wild (adj): strong feelings, untamed
  • brooding (adj): contemplative, threatening
  • despair (n): anguish, hopelessness