NCERT Solutions for English Chapter 12 – Iswaran The Storyteller

Mahendra had a good domestic assistant in Iswaran. He was a fantastic performer for his master, in addition to cooking and completing home chores. He was good at resource management because he could seemingly gather vegetables out of nowhere and never complained while accompanying his master.

With raised eyebrows and outstretched palms, Iswaran recounts the uprooted tree on the highway in a dramatic manner. He'd start by claiming that the road was desolate and that he was alone. Suddenly, he noticed what appeared to be a large bushy beast sprawled over the road. He was on the verge of turning around and returning. But when he got closer, he realized it was a fallen tree with dried limbs strewn across the ground. Suspense and a surprise finish to every minor incident he tells his readers is the impression he aims to achieve.

He began the elephant story with a prologue in which he described elephants as "large well-fed creatures." After escaping from the wood yard, the elephant began exploring the area, stamping on bushes and tearing up wild creepers, according to him. It then proceeded to the town's main route, destroying all of the fruit, mud pot, and clothing stalls. It then proceeded to a schoolyard where youngsters were having fun. It uprooted the plants, took out the football goalpost, tore down the volleyball net, flattened the water drum, and tore down the volleyball net. 

Teachers and children were so terrified that they ascended to the school's rooftop patio. He was in the junior class at the time, according to Iswaran. He snatched a cane from one of the teachers' hands and dashed into the open. The elephant grunted and stamped its feet again. It appeared to be terrifying. He did, however, approach it slowly. He stepped forward and struck the elephant's third toenail just as it was about to surge towards him. It appeared stunned before collapsing. This story appears to be implausible.

Iswaran was a fantastic companion for Mahendra, according to the author. When he got home from work at night, he would talk to Mahendra. Iswaran would often tell Mahendra stories to keep him entertained. As a result, Mahendra was never bored when Iswaran was around, and he never felt the need to watch TV for enjoyment.

As Iswaran had been informed by Mahendra that they were living in a burial place and constantly narrating his stories of numerous ghosts he had encountered, Mahendra dismisses ghosts or spirits as a fiction of his imagination.

Mahendra was awoken from his slumber by a quiet moan near his window on a full moon night. He initially assumed it was a cat on the lookout for mice. However, the sound was far too loud and guttural for a cat to handle. He resisted looking outside because he didn't want to see something that would make his heart stop. The crying, on the other hand, became louder and less covert. He was no longer able to resist the urge. He sank to the level of the ledge and gazed out at the moonlit white sheet outside. There was a dark hazy figure clutching a bundle not far away. He burst out in a cold sweat and knelt on his pillow, panting.

I think the story could have finished on a happier note. Instead of retiring from his job, Mahendra could have been shown as a true hero, demonstrating the ghost notion to be false. Another option for a conclusion is for both Mahendra and Iswaran to leave the location together, thereby continuing their friendship established earlier in the novel. Mahendra has been told that Iswaran is a man for all seasons.