For learning there is no age bar

What happened while the narrator was away. Karmaveera arrived. Avva opened it, saw the picture beside Kashi Yatre, and could not read a single word. She rubbed her hands over the page, wishing she could understand it. She was too embarrassed to ask anyone in the village to read it to her.

Money is not enough. Avva said the family was well-off, but what is the use of money if I cannot be independent? She decided to learn the Kannada alphabet from the very next day, and set Saraswati Puja during Dassara as her deadline to read a novel on her own.

The narrator laughs. The twelve-year-old laughed at her: at sixty-two, with grey hair, wrinkled hands, spectacles and all her kitchen work? Avva only smiled. With determination, she said, any obstacle can be overcome. There is no age bar for learning.

Teacher and student. Avva was a wonderful student: she read, repeated, wrote and recited. The narrator was her only teacher. She did not know then that she would one day teach Computer Science to hundreds of students.

Dassara. The narrator secretly bought Kashi Yatre, now published as a book. Avva gave her frock material, and then did something unusual: she touched her granddaughter's feet. Elders never touch the feet of children; we touch the feet of God, elders and teachers. Avva said she was touching the feet of a teacher, who must be respected whatever their age or gender.

The test. The narrator touched Avva's feet in return and gave her the book. Avva at once read the title, **Kashi Yatre by Triveni, and the publisher's name**. Her student had 'passed with flying colours'.