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Ch 9My Mother at Sixty-Six — Class 12 English (Core), concept-first.

Kamala Das was one of the most distinctive voices of modern Indian poetry written in English. She wrote in both English and, under a pen name, in her mother tongue Malayalam, and she became known for a candid, deeply personal style.

19

Q&A

1

Concept

40m

Section weightage

Section C · Literature Textbooks (Flamingo & Vistas) · across all 19 lessons

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Key concepts

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Nostalgia And Childhood Fear

Think about the last time you looked at an old photograph of yourself as a child — maybe at a family function, or playing in the rain.

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Chapter contents

The NCERT structure, section by section. Open a section to see its questions, then read the concept-first solution.

About the Poet and the Poem

Kamala Das was one of the most distinctive voices of modern Indian poetry written in English. She wrote in both English and, under a pen name, in her mother tongue Malayalam, and she became known for…

1.1

Central Idea and Summary

At its heart the poem is about the pain a daughter feels when she becomes fully aware of her mother's old age and of the certainty of eventually losing her.

1.2

Stanza-wise Explanation

The poem is composed as one long, unbroken sentence, without full stops until the very end. This continuous flow mirrors the poet's unbroken stream of thought and feeling during the drive.

1.2.1

The Drive and the Mother's Sleeping Face

The poem opens on the road. The poet is being driven from her parents' house to the Cochin airport, and her mother sits beside her.

1.2.2

Turning Away to the Trees and the Children

Unable to bear the painful thought, the poet consciously shifts her gaze away from her mother and looks outside the moving car. Here the mood changes.

1.2.3

The Airport and the Second Look

When they arrive at the airport and the poet has cleared the security check, she stands at a small distance from her mother and looks at her again.

1.2.4

The Farewell Hidden Behind a Smile

In the final movement comes the parting. Despite the fear and sorrow filling her, the poet refuses to let her mother see her distress.

1.3

Poetic Devices

Although the poem is short and written in plain language, it is carefully built on a small number of powerful devices.

1.4

Theme and Message

Though it is only a few lines long, the poem is rich in theme. Its emotional depth comes from the way a single, ordinary moment — glancing at a dozing parent during a car journey — is allowed to open…

Summary

- Situation: The poet, Kamala Das, is driving to the airport with her ageing mother. She glances at her mother, who is dozing beside her, and is struck by the mother's frail, pale face — “ashen like a…

Think it out

+Think it outi6 questions
  1. Q1What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?Free
  2. Q2Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?Free
  3. Q3Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’?Preview
  4. Q4Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’?Preview
  5. Q5What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?Preview
  6. Q6Notice that the whole poem is in a single sentence, punctuated by commas. It indicates a single thread of thought interspersed with observat…Preview

Additional Practice

Extra exam-style practice questions written by us on this lesson — beyond the NCERT textbook's own exercises — for more CBSE board-exam preparation.

+Additional Practicei13 questions
  1. Q1What were the poet's thoughts and feelings as she watched her mother dozing beside her in the car? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
  2. Q2Why does the poet compare her mother's face to that of a corpse, and what does the comparison suggest? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
  3. Q3Why did the poet turn to look at the young trees and the merry children outside? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Free
  4. Q4What did the poet notice about her mother at the airport, and why does she compare her to a late winter's moon? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  5. Q5What was the 'old familiar ache' and the childhood fear that returned to the poet at the airport? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  6. Q6Why does the poet keep 'smiling and smiling' as she bids her mother goodbye? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  7. Q7How does the single-sentence structure of the poem add to its effect? (Answer in 30–40 words.)Preview
  8. Q8How does the poet use images of contrast—youth against age, life against decay—to develop the central idea of the poem? (Answer in 120–150 w…Preview
  9. Q9Discuss the theme of ageing, mortality and filial love in 'My Mother at Sixty-six'. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  10. Q10Comment on the poetic devices used in the poem and explain how they convey the poet's emotions. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  11. Q11The poem hides deep pain behind a smile. Discuss how the poet conveys her fear of loss while concealing it. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  12. Q12What is the significance of the setting—the drive and the airport—in 'My Mother at Sixty-six'? (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview
  13. Q13Attempt a critical appreciation of the poem 'My Mother at Sixty-six'. (Answer in 120–150 words.)Preview