Class 8 English · Original EZT practice
Verghese Kurien - I Too Had a Dream (Class 8 English Chapter 6): a grandfather's letter
In 2005, writing from Anand, Verghese Kurien sat down to write a letter to his grandson Siddharth - not a phone call, but words on paper that could be treasured and re-read for decades. In it, he looks back on an unexpected life: he never planned to serve dairy farmers, yet a small cooperative in Anand, Gujarat became his life's work. This page gives a summary, word meanings and practice questions. (Note: this is original practice, not a textbook exercise key.)
6 original worked examples, 6 fresh self-check questions and 4 mixed questions, with explained answers. These are not copied textbook exercises, an official chapter index or a full answer key. No affiliation with NCERT is claimed.
Official sources for topic and edition context, checked 23 October 2026:
1. Summary - why a letter, and how it all began
Kurien writes that instant communication like the telephone gives only 'immediate but fleeting joy', while a letter becomes a possession to treasure and re-read over the years. He began working life soon after Independence, when the noblest task was building an India free from hunger and poverty. Fifty years before writing the letter, he agreed to work for a small cooperative of dairy farmers - and that choice transformed his life.
2. Summary - the road not taken, and the people who stood by him
Serving farmers was not the career Kurien had envisioned. He could have pursued metallurgy and become chief executive of a large company, taken a commission in the Indian Army and maybe retired as a general, or gone to the US as a successful NRI. He chose none of these because he knew he could make a more meaningful contribution in Anand. His wife ardently supported the choice, and he names Tribhuvandas Patel as his mentor and supporter in Anand.
3. Summary - values: integrity, responsibility and the common good
Kurien calls integrity the most important value - personal integrity means being honest to yourself; then being honest with others takes little effort. Life is a privilege: use your talents and contribute to the common good, which presents itself every day. Failure, for him, is not about not succeeding but about not putting in your best effort. He also observes there is little correlation between people's circumstances and how happy they are.
4. Summary - the Padma Vibhushan story and the dedication
Kurien recalls the ceremony in Delhi where the President awarded him the Padma Vibhushan in 1999: young Siddharth slipped the medal around his own neck and innocently asked if he could keep it. The grandparents answered that the medal was his as much as Kurien's - but the real challenge was to earn his own reward. Kurien dedicates these musings to Siddharth and millions of children of his generation, urging them to work tirelessly for the larger good of the country and humanity.
Choose, solve, check, then try a fresh question.
Before calculating, read the method prompt and name the condition that makes it useful. Write your own attempt. Open the steps only when you need them, and use the check to catch a wrong sign, unit or interpretation. Finish with the fresh question before reading its answer.
Why a letter, not a call
Choose the method: Fleeting joy vs treasure.
EZT practice question
Why does Kurien prefer writing a letter to speaking on the telephone?
Show the worked solution
- A telephone call gives only 'immediate but fleeting joy'.
- Writing conveys our present concerns and views for the future.
- A letter becomes a possession - treasured and re-read over the years with abiding pleasure.
Answer: A call gives only immediate but fleeting joy, while a letter becomes a possession that can be treasured and re-read over the years with abiding pleasure.
Check: The letter is addressed to his grandson Siddharth, from Anand, in 2005.
Watch for this: Do not say Kurien dislikes telephones - he is comparing what each leaves behind.
Now try it yourself
What realisation does Kurien share about choosing one kind of life?
Check your answer
Choosing to lead one kind of life means putting aside the desire to pursue other options.
Every choice closes other doors.
Recall the noblest task
Choose the method: A free India, free of hunger.
EZT practice question
What did Kurien see as 'the noblest task' soon after Independence?
Show the worked solution
- He began working life soon after Independence.
- The noblest task then was contributing towards building an India of their dreams.
- A nation free from hunger and poverty, where people live with equal respect and love for one another.
Answer: Contributing towards building an India of their dreams - a nation free from hunger and poverty, where people live with equal respect and love for one another.
Check: Fifty years before the letter, he agreed to work for a small cooperative of dairy farmers.
Watch for this: Do not say he planned a dairy career from the start - the cooperative was an unexpected turn.
Now try it yourself
Whose dreams does the phrase 'an India of their dreams' refer to?
Check your answer
The generation that began working life soon after Independence - Kurien's generation.
The letter passes that dream to Siddharth's generation.
List the roads not taken
Choose the method: Three other lives.
EZT practice question
What three alternative careers does Kurien mention, and why did he reject them?
Show the worked solution
- A career in metallurgy, becoming chief executive of a large company.
- A commission in the Indian Army, maybe retiring as a general.
- A highly successful NRI life in the US. He chose none - he could make a more meaningful contribution in Anand, Gujarat.
Answer: Chief executive after metallurgy, an Army commission possibly ending as a general, and a successful NRI life in the US - rejected because he believed he could make a more meaningful contribution in Anand.
Check: 'Yet, I chose none' - the letter lists all three before the reason.
Watch for this: Do not say he failed at these paths - he never walked them; he chose Anand first.
Now try it yourself
Who supported his choice, and how?
Check your answer
His wife ardently supported the choice even though Anand offered no simple comforts - a choice that gave him everlasting strength; Tribhuvandas Patel was his mentor and supporter in Anand.
He saw the values he speaks of in Tribhuvandas Patel.
Define integrity and failure
Choose the method: Honest to yourself; best effort.
EZT practice question
How does Kurien define personal integrity, and what is real failure for him?
Show the worked solution
- Integrity is the most important value; personal integrity means being honest to yourself.
- If you are always honest to yourself, being honest with others takes little effort.
- Failure is not about not succeeding - it is about not putting in your best effort and not contributing to the common good.
Answer: Personal integrity is being honest to yourself - then honesty with others takes little effort. Real failure is not failing to succeed but failing to put in your best effort and contribute, however modestly, to the common good.
Check: The common good 'will present itself to you in many forms every day'.
Watch for this: Do not equate failure with losing - for Kurien, not trying your best is the only true failure.
Now try it yourself
What warning does Kurien give about comparing ourselves with others?
Check your answer
We compare ourselves with someone we think is happier, but looking closely reveals only images of perfection - there is little correlation between circumstances and happiness, so cherish what you have.
Gratitude over comparison.
Retell the medal incident
Choose the method: 1999, the President, a small boy.
EZT practice question
What happened at the Padma Vibhushan ceremony, and what lesson did it carry?
Show the worked solution
- In Delhi, the President awarded Kurien the Padma Vibhushan in 1999.
- Young Siddharth slipped the medal around his own neck and innocently asked if he could keep it.
- The grandparents said the medal was his as much as Kurien's - but the real challenge was to earn his own reward.
Answer: At the 1999 Padma Vibhushan ceremony, young Siddharth slipped the medal around his own neck and asked to keep it; the lesson was that he should not be satisfied keeping his grandfather's award - the challenge was to earn his own reward in his lifetime.
Check: The story turns affection into a charge: earn your own.
Watch for this: Do not say the grandparents refused him - they shared the medal's pride and set him the challenge.
Now try it yourself
What are 'the only true rewards' in Kurien's closing lines?
Check your answer
The rewards that come from working tirelessly in your chosen field for the larger good of the country and of humanity - the true rewards for a life well-spent.
The dedication goes to Siddharth and millions of children of his generation.
Match the margin words
Choose the method: One plain meaning each.
EZT practice question
Match: fleeting, jottings, ardently, poise - with their meanings.
Show the worked solution
- fleeting - momentary or short-lived.
- jottings - brief notes.
- ardently - in a way that shows strong feelings; poise - in a calm and confident manner.
Answer: fleeting - momentary or short-lived; jottings - brief notes; ardently - with strong feeling; poise - calm and confident manner.
Check: 'Immediate but fleeting joy' vs 'abiding pleasure' - the pair anchors the letter's opening.
Watch for this: Do not confuse fleeting (short-lived) with fleeing (running away).
Now try it yourself
Explain 'abiding pleasure' and 'musings'.
Check your answer
abiding pleasure - happiness that continues for a long time; musings - thoughts on something considered carefully over a long time.
The letter itself is his musings, dedicated to the next generation.
Try a mixed set
Choose a method or explanation before opening each answer.
1. Who writes to whom?
Show answer and reason
Verghese Kurien to his grandson Siddharth, from Anand, 2005.
A letter to treasure, not a fleeting call.
2. The three roads not taken?
Show answer and reason
Metallurgy chief executive, Army general, successful NRI in the US.
He chose a more meaningful contribution in Anand.
3. Real failure?
Show answer and reason
Not putting in your best effort and not contributing to the common good.
Not about not succeeding.
4. The medal lesson?
Show answer and reason
Do not just keep your grandfather's award - earn your own reward.
Padma Vibhushan, 1999; Siddharth wore it at the ceremony.
Try it yourself
Work these on paper before checking any notes. Answers are deliberately not shown here.
- Why does Kurien call a letter a 'possession'?
- Name Kurien's mentor in Anand.
- In one sentence, state Kurien's idea of a life well-spent.
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Questions about this practice page
- Who wrote I Too Had a Dream in Class 8 Poorvi?
- The chapter is a letter written by Verghese Kurien to his grandson Siddharth, from Anand in 2005.
- What is the main message of Kurien's letter?
- Choose a life of service and integrity, put in your best effort, contribute to the common good, and earn your own reward.
- Who was Tribhuvandas Patel?
- Kurien's mentor and supporter in Anand, whose values Kurien says he inherited and followed.
- Which award does Kurien describe in the letter?
- The Padma Vibhushan, awarded by the President of India in 1999.
- Are these the NCERT exercise questions for Class 8 English Chapter 6?
- No. EZT pages are original practice following the chapter's section order - use them to prepare for the textbook exercises, not as a substitute for your book.