5.2 The Text

The full poem Somebody’s Mother is in your NCERT Poorvi textbook. This page gives an original summary and explanation — read the poem itself first, then use these notes.

Summary

On a cold winter day, the street is wet and slippery with melting snow. An old woman, grey-haired and frail, stands at the edge of the road, afraid to cross because of the rushing traffic and the crowd. People pass her by, busy with their own lives; none stops to help. A group of happy schoolboys comes along, laughing and playing in the snow — and they too go past without offering a hand.

Then one boy turns back. He stops, speaks kindly to her, takes her hand, and carefully helps her cross the busy street, supporting her trembling steps until she is safe. The grateful old woman blesses him, praying that God will be kind to such a noble boy, who is surely “somebody’s son” and his mother’s “pride and joy.”

The boy helped her, the poet tells us, because he thought of his own mother, “old and gray,” who lives far away. He hopes that if she ever needs help, some kind stranger will help her too — just as he helped this old woman who is somebody’s mother.

Stanza-by-stanza explanation

The waiting woman. The poem opens with the old woman standing on a winter’s day, the street slippery with snow, anxious about crossing. The picture is one of loneliness and helplessness.

The careless crowd. Crowds of people hurry past her, each busy and indifferent. She is “alone, uncared for, amid the throng” — surrounded by people, yet completely overlooked. This line captures the sadness of being ignored in a crowd.

The merry schoolboys. A group of cheerful schoolboys arrives, glad and full of life as they enjoy the snow. They are happy and carefree — but they too pass her by without helping. Their joy is innocent, but their inattention quietly shames us.

The kind boy. At last one boy — the happiest of them all — stops. He speaks gently, takes her hand, and guides her safely across, steadying her weak and trembling steps. His small act stands out brightly against everyone else’s neglect.

The blessing. Safe on the other side, the old woman thanks and blesses him, praying that God will be kind to this noble boy, who must be some mother’s “pride and joy.”

The reason and the message. Finally we learn why the boy helped: he thought of his own mother, old and grey and far away, and hoped a stranger would be kind to her. The poem ends with its central idea — that the old woman was somebody’s mother, and that kindness shown to one will, in time, return to another.

Explanation: the chain of kindness

The poem works through contrast. First we see the crowd’s indifference and even the happy boys’ thoughtlessness; against this, the one kind boy shines. But the deepest idea is the chain of kindness: the boy helps a stranger because he loves his own mother, trusting that kindness given will be kindness received. If everyone thought “this is somebody’s mother,” no elderly person would ever be left “uncared for, amid the throng.”

The Key Idea Kindness is not a single act but a circle. When we help a stranger as we would want our own loved ones helped, we keep that circle turning — and a kinder world comes back to us.