The Woman on Platform 8 — Class 8 English (Samacheer Kalvi)
TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 8 English, Supplementary 1, by Ruskin Bond. A moving story about kindness and motherhood.
1. About the lesson
The Woman on Platform 8 is a touching short story by Ruskin Bond, the much-loved writer of Indian children. (His first novel, Room on the Roof, won the John Rhys Memorial Award in 1957.)
2. Summary
Arun, a twelve-year-old schoolboy, waits alone at Platform No. 8 of Ambala station for his midnight train (due at twelve o'clock). He feels lonely and bored. A kind woman in a white sari speaks to him affectionately and takes him to the station dining room for tea, samosas and jalebis.
Later, Arun's schoolmate Satish arrives with Satish's mother, who hands her son a big box of chocolates and warns Arun against strangers. When Satish's mother assumes the woman is Arun's mother, the woman quietly accepts the role. As his train leaves, Arun says, "Goodbye, Mother," showing how deeply her kindness has touched him.
3. Characters
- Arun — the lonely twelve-year-old boy.
- The woman in white — a stranger who shows him a mother's love.
- Satish — Arun's schoolmate.
- Satish's mother — protective but cold towards the stranger.
4. Theme
The story teaches that true motherhood and affection are shown through kindness, protection and love — not merely through a blood relationship.
5. Glossary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| platform | the area beside railway tracks where passengers wait |
| affectionately | lovingly |
| stranger | a person one does not know |
| dining room | a room where meals are served |
| midnight | twelve o'clock at night |
6. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)
A. Read and answer
- Who wrote The Woman on Platform 8? — Ruskin Bond.
- Where was Arun waiting? — On Platform No. 8 at Ambala station.
- At what time was the train to come? — At twelve o'clock (midnight).
- What did the strange lady give Arun to eat? — Samosas and jalebis (with tea).
- What did Satish's mother hand her son? — A big box of chocolates.
B. Think and answer 6. Why did the woman accept being called Arun's mother? — Out of love and kindness — she had become like a mother to him. 7. What does Arun's "Goodbye, Mother" show? — How deeply her kindness touched him.
7. Common mistakes
- Mistake: Naming the wrong author. Fix: The story is by Ruskin Bond.
- Mistake: Thinking the woman was Arun's real mother. Fix: She was a kind stranger who acted like a mother.
- Mistake: Missing the theme. Fix: True motherhood is shown through love and care, not blood.
8. Quick revision
- Supplementary 1 · The Woman on Platform 8 by Ruskin Bond.
- Arun, 12, waits alone at Platform 8, Ambala, for the midnight train; a kind woman in white feeds him samosas and jalebis.
- Satish and his protective mother arrive; the woman quietly accepts being called Arun's mother.
- Arun says "Goodbye, Mother." Theme: true motherhood is shown through kindness and love, not blood.
