My Mother at Sixty-six NCERT Solutions Class 12 Flamingo | Summary & Important Q&A

NCERT Solutions For Class 12 Flamingo English My Mother at Sixty-six | Vidya Unnati Academy 

Introduction...

My Mother at Sixty-six by Kamala Das is one of the most touching and thought-provoking poems in the Class 12 NCERT Flamingo textbook. The poem beautifully captures the universal theme of ageing, the fear of separation, and the deep bond between a mother and daughter. With its simple yet powerful imagery, Kamala Das reflects on the painful reality of seeing her mother grow old and the emotional struggle of hiding her inner fear behind a brave smile.

In this blog post by Vidya Unnati Academy, we provide comprehensive NCERT Solutions, stanza-wise explanations, and important question-answers that will help Class 12 students understand the poem thoroughly. The answers are written in a professional and exam-oriented manner, making them highly useful for board preparation. From important stanzas for comprehension to textbook questions, short answers, and extra questions, this complete guide ensures that you can revise quickly and effectively while scoring full marks in your exams.

Whether you are looking for easy-to-understand summaries, important references, or detailed explanations of poetic devices, this resource will serve as your one-stop solution for mastering the poem.

---

Summary of My Mother at Sixty-six

Kamala Das’s poem My Mother at Sixty-six is a deeply emotional and sensitive portrayal of a daughter’s love, concern, and fear of losing her ageing mother. Written in a simple yet impactful style, the poem captures the universal theme of ageing and the inevitable separation that comes with the passage of time.

The poem begins with the poet driving to Cochin airport with her mother sitting beside her. As she looks at her mother, she notices that her face is pale, dull, and lifeless, resembling that of a corpse. This painful sight makes the poet realize her mother’s growing age and her fragility. A wave of fear grips her heart as she recalls her childhood fear—the fear of losing her mother.

In order to distract herself from these disturbing thoughts, the poet looks outside the car window. There she notices the vibrant world full of life and energy. The young trees seem to be sprinting past, symbolizing youth and vitality. She also sees merry children spilling out of their homes, representing joy, innocence, and the continuity of life. This contrast between the lifelessness inside the car and the liveliness outside highlights the natural cycle of life—old age and decay on one hand, and youth and energy on the other.

The poem ends on a touching note. After the security check at the airport, the poet looks at her mother once again. Her face appears pale and wan, like a late winter’s moon—dim, weak, and fading. The poet feels the same ache of fear and helplessness that she had always felt as a child. However, instead of expressing her pain, she chooses to put on a brave face. She smiles repeatedly and assures her mother with the parting words: “See you soon, Amma.” These words and smiles serve as a shield to hide her inner grief, while also giving hope and comfort to her mother.

Essence of the Poem

The poem beautifully blends love, fear, ageing, and separation into a single moment of emotional intensity. It shows the universal truth that life is transient and that ageing and death are inevitable. Yet, it also reminds us of the strength of human relationships and the courage we need to face such realities.

IMPORTANT STANZAS FOR COMPREHENSION

Read the stanzas given below and answer the questions that follow each:

1. Driving from my parents home to Cochin last Friday morning, 1 saw my mother, beside me,

doze, open mouthed, her face ashen like that of a corpse and realised with pain

that she was as old as she looked but soon

Questions

(a)Where was the poet driving to? Who was sitting beside her?

(b)What did the poet notice about her mother?

(c)Why was her mother’s face looked like that of a corpse?

(d)Find words from the passage which mean :

(i) sleep lightly (ii) dead body (iii) felt.

Answers:

(a)The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. Her mother was sitting beside her.

(b)She noticed that her mother was dozing with her mouth open.

(c)Her mother’s face looked pale, faded and lifeless like a dead body because she had grown old.

(d)(i) doze (ii) corpse (iii) realised.

2.…………..She

looked but soon

put that thought away, and

looked out at Young

Trees sprinting, the merry children spilling

out of their homes,

Questions

(a)What did the poet realise? How did she feel

(b) What did she do then?

(c)What did she notice in the world outside?

(d)Find words from the passage which mean: (ii) running fast (ii) happy (iii) moving out.

Answers:

(a)Her mother was lost somewhere else in thoughts. It pained her.

(b)The poet withdrew her thoughts from her mother and looked outside.

(c)The young trees growing outside went past as if they were sprinting. Happy children were coming out of their houses.

(d)(i) sprinting (ii) merry (iii) spilling.

3………………but after the airport’s

security check, standing a few yards away, I looked again at her, wan, pale

as a late winter’s mooft and felt that old

familiar ache, my childhood’s fear, but all I said was, see you soon,

Amma,

all I did was smile and smile and

smile

Questions

(a)What did the poet do after the security check?

(b)Why did the poet compare her mother’s face to a late winter’s moon?

(c)What is her childhood fear ?

(d)How do the parting words of the poet and her smile present a contrast to her real feelings?

Answers:

(a)After the security check, the poet stood a few yards away from her mother and looked at her face again.

(b)The late winter moon lacks brightness as well as strength. The pale and colourless face of the mother resembles the late winter moon.

(c)The fear of ageing and ultimate death/separation.

(d)The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smiles present a stark contrast to the old familiar ache or childhood fear. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide what is going on inside.

QUESTIONS FROM TEXTBOOK SOLVED

Q1. What is the kind of pain and ache that the poet feels?

Ans: When the poet sees the pale and corpse-like face of her mother, her old familiar pain or the ache returns. Perhaps she has entertained this fear since her childhood. Ageing is a natural process. Time and ageing spare none. Time and ageing have not spared the poet’s mother and may not spare her as well. With this ageing, separation and death become inevitable.

Q2. Why are the young trees described as ‘sprinting’?

Ans: The poet is driving to the Cochin airport. When she looks outside, the young trees seem to be walking past them. With the speed of the car they seem to be running fast or sprinting. The poet presents a contrast—her ‘dozing’ old mother and the ‘sprinting’ young trees.

Q3. Why has the poet brought in the image of the merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’ ?

Ans: The poet has brought in the image of merry children ‘spilling out of their homes’ to present a contrast. The merry children coming out of their homes in large numbers present an image of happiness and spontaneous overflow of life. This image is in stark contrast to the ‘dozing’ old mother, whose ‘ashen’ face looks lifeless and pale like a corpse. She is an image of ageing, decay and passivity. The contrast of the two images enhances the poetic effect.

Q4. Why has the mother been compared to the ‘late winter’s moon’ ?

Ans: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. Her shrunken ‘ashen’ face resembles a corpse. She has lost her shine and strength of youth. Similarly the late winter’s moon looks hazy and obscure. It too lacks shine and strength. The comparison is quite natural and appropriate. The simile used here is apt as well as effective.

Q5. What do the parting words of the poet and her smile signify?

Ans: The poet’s parting words of assurance and her smiles provide a stark contrast to the old familiar ache or fear of the childhood. Her words and smiles are a deliberate attempt to hide her real feelings. The parting words: “See you soon, Amma” give an assurance to the old lady whose ‘ashen face’ looks like a corpse. Similarly, her continuous smiles are an attempt to overcome the ache and fear inside her heart.

MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (Word Limit: 30-40 words)

Q1. Where was the poet going and who was with her?

Ans: The poet was driving from her parent’s home to the Cochin airport. The poet’s mother had comfe to see her off. She was sitting beside her. She was dozing with her mouth open. The words ‘driving’ and ‘doze’ provide a contrast between images of dynamic activity and static passivity respectively.

Q2. What was the poet’s childhood fear? [All India 2014]

Ans: The child is always in fear of being separated from his parents. In the same way, the poet’s fear as a child was that of losing her mother or her company.

Q3. What does the poet’s mother look like? What kind of images has the poet used to signify her ageing decay?

Ans: The poet’s mother is sixty-six years old. She is sitting beside the poet and dozing with her mouth open. This is a sign of old age. Usually old people keep their mouth open to overcome breathing problems. Her face looked pale and faded like ash. Actually, she is an image of death as her ‘ashen’ face looks like that of a corpse.

Q4. What does the poet realise with pain? Why does the poet ‘put that thought away’ and look outside?

Ans: The lifeless and faded face of the poet’s mother pains her heart. She looks lifeless like a corpse. She provides an image of passivity, decay and death. The old lady seems to be lost in her thoughts. The poet needs a distraction, a change. She puts that thought away and looks outside. There she gets a picture of life, happiness and activity.

Q5. Describe the world inside the car and compare it to the activities taking place outside?

Ans: The pale and faded face of the poet’s mother looks lifeless like a corpse. Her dozing with mouth wide open suggests passivity, decay and death. Outside the car, the poet watches young trees speeding past them. They seem to be running fast or sprinting. Happy children are moving out of their homes cheerfully. They present an image of life, dynamism and activity.

Q6. Why does the poet look outside? What does she see happening outside?

Ans: The thought of the ageing mother at sixty-six and her pale and ashen face looking like a corpse becomes too heavy for the poet to bear. She needs a distraction, a diversion and therefore she looks outside. She watches young trees. These trees speed past them and appear to be sprinting. Then she sees happy children moving out of their houses and making merry.

Q7. How has the poet contrasted the scene inside the car with the activities going on outside?

Ans: The poet has used beautiful images to highlight the stark contrast between the scene inside the car and the activities going on outside. The ‘ashen’ face of the poet’s mother is pale and lifeless. It looks like that of a corpse. She is dozing and lost to herself. The image of the ‘dozing’ mother is contrasted with the ‘spilling’ of children. The ‘ashen’ and ‘corpse¬like’ face is contrasted with the young trees sprinting outside.

Q8. What does the poet do after the security check-up? What does she notice?

Ans: They have to pass through a security check-up at the airport. After it, the poet stands a few yards away. Before saying parting words to her mother, she looks at her mother again. Her face looks pale and colourless like the late winter’s moon. She presents a picture of ageing and decay.

Q9. Why is the poet’s mother compared to the late winter’s moon?

Ans: The poet’s mother has been compared to the late winter’s moon to bring out the similarity of ageing and decay. The late winter moon looks hazy and obscure. It lacks shine and strength. The poet’s mother has an ‘ashen’ face resembling a corpse. She has lost her shine and strength of youth. The comparison reinforces the impact.

Q10. What is the poet’s familiar ache and why does it return?

Ans: The poet is pained at the ageing and decaying of her mother. The fear is that with ageing comes decay and death. The sight of her old mother’s ‘ashen’ and corpse-like face arouses “that old familiar ache” in her heart. Her childhood fear returns. She is also pained and frightened by the idea that she may have to face all these things herself.

Q11. How does Kamala Das try to put away the thoughts of her ageing mother?[All India 2014]

Ans: Kamala Das was in much trouble after seeing the lifeless and faded face of her mother. The old lady seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. The poetess turned away her attention from her mother and looked outside. The outside world was full of life and activity. The young trees seemed to be running fast. The children looked happy while moving out of their homes.

Q12. Why does the poet smile and what does she say while bidding good bye to her mother ?

OR

With fear and ache inside her heart and words of assurance on lips and smile on the face, the poet presents two opposite and contrasting experiences. Why does the poet put on a smile?

Ans: The ‘wan’, ‘pale’, face of the poet’s mother at sixty-six brings an image of decay and death. It brings that old familiar fear of separation back. She fears the ultimate fate of human beings. But she has to put on a brave face. She regains self-control. She composes herself and tries to look normal. She utters the words of assurance that they will meet again soon. She tries to hide her ache and fear by smiling continuously.

Q13. What poetic devices have been used by Kamala Das in ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’?

Ans: The poem ‘My Mother at Sixty-six’ is rich in imagery. Kamala Das uses the devices of comparison and contrast. The use of simile is very effective. The face of the poet’s old mother is described as ‘ashen’. This ashen face is ‘like that of a corpse’. The poet uses another simile. The “wan, pale’ face of the mother is compared to ‘a late winter’s moon’.

The poem excels in contrasts. The old ‘dozing’ lady inside is contrasted with the young trees “sprinting” and merry children “spilling” out of their homes.

Conclusion...

Kamala Das’s My Mother at Sixty-six is more than just a personal reflection; it is a universal poem that speaks to every child who fears losing a parent one day. Through simple language and vivid imagery, the poet presents the reality of ageing and the inevitable pain of separation, while also showing the courage needed to face such emotions with strength and hope.

For Class 12 students, this poem is not only important from the examination point of view but also helps in developing a deeper appreciation for human emotions expressed through literature. The NCERT Solutions, stanza explanations, and important questions with answers provided above by Vidya Unnati Academy are designed to give you a clear understanding of the text and boost your confidence for exams.

By revising these notes carefully and practicing the answers, you will be able to write precise, well-structured responses in the exam and secure excellent marks. More importantly, the poem will leave you with a lasting impression about the value of love, care, and the precious bond we share with our parents.

---