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‘Tell me, what is your name?' she asked.
'Arun.’ I said.
'And how long do you have to wait for your train?'
'About an hour, I think. It comes at twelve o'clock.’
'Then come with me and have something to eat'.
I was going to refuse out of shyness and suspicion, but she took me by the hand, and then I felt it would be silly to pull my hand away. She told a coolie to look after my suitcase, and then she led me away down the platform. Her hand was gentle, and she held mine neither too firmly nor too lightly. I looked up at her again. She was not young. And she was not old. She must have been over thirty but, had she been fifty, I think she would have looked much the same.
Explanation:
After speaking with the boy, the woman asked him, 'Tell me, what is your name?' The boy introduced himself as Arun. Later, she wanted to know how long he would have to wait in the station for his train. He said the train would probably reach the station in about an hour. It was scheduled to arrive at twelve o'clock. After asking him the train's arrival timing, she told him there was plenty of time for the train to arrive. She asked him to come along with her. The woman knew that he had not eaten anything for a long time. So she decided to buy some food for him.
The boy thought of refusing her call because he felt shy and doubtful as the woman was a stranger. He was seeing her for the first time, and he had never known her before. Later on, the woman held his hand, and the boy felt silly to pull of his hands.
The boy thought of refusing her call because he felt shy and doubtful as the woman was a stranger. He was seeing her for the first time, and he had never known her before. Later on, the woman held his hand, and the boy felt silly to pull of his hands.
The woman called a coolie (a person who carries things from the train) standing nearby and asked him to take care of the boy's belongings (suitcase).
A coolie
The woman took him down the platform. The boy felt gentleness in her hands. She did not hold his hands roughly or lightly. The boy looked at her again and again. The woman was neither young nor old. She seemed to be likely thirty, but he expected her to be the same as she was in her thirties when she turned fifty.
Woman holding boy's hand
Meanings of the difficult words:
| S.No | Words | Meanings |
1 | Shyness | The quality or state of being shy |
2 | Suspicion | A feeling or thought that something is possible, likely, or true |
3 | Coolie | A person whose job is to carry things, especially travellers bags at stations, and airports |
Reference:
State Council of Educational Research and Training (2019). Term-3 English Standard-8. The Woman on Platform 8 - Ruskin Bond (pp. 107-114). Published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation.
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