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Extract from the Letter
Do you remember when you accompanied me at the magnificent ceremony in Delhi where our President awarded me the Padma Vibhushan in 1999? With great pride, you slipped the medal around your neck, looked at it in awe and asked me very innocently if you could keep it. Do you remember the answer your grandmother and I gave you? We told you that of course, this medal was yours as much as it was mine but that you should not be satisfied in merely keeping my award—the challenge before you was to earn your own reward for the work that you did in your lifetime.
Summary in Bullet Points
- Kurien reminds Siddharth of the 1999 Padma Vibhushan ceremony in Delhi.
- As a child, Siddharth proudly wore the medal and asked if he could keep it.
- Kurien and his wife told him that the medal belonged to the family in one sense, but Siddharth should not live through his grandfather’s achievement.
- His real challenge was to do worthwhile work in his own life and earn his own reward. in awe = with great respect and wonder
NCERT Poorvi page 88
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Answer: He refers to the 1999 ceremony in Delhi where the President awarded him the Padma Vibhushan. Siddharth accompanied him, wore the medal around his neck and innocently asked if he could keep it.
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Answer: They told him that the medal was his as much as Kurien’s, but he should not be satisfied merely with keeping his grandfather’s award. He should do work in his own lifetime and earn his own reward.
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Answer: Siddharth can physically possess his grandfather’s medal, but the work behind that honour belongs to Kurien’s life. Kurien challenges him to create value through his own actions instead of relying on inherited prestige.
