Background information

  The TV show

-What’ s the name of the TV show in which the story is based on? Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

-What do you know about it? It is one of the most popular TV shows on air. It has been seen in more than 100 countries. The first programme was in the United Kingdom in 1998 In March 1999, a record 19.2 million people watched the programme. There have been special editions of this show where famous singers, actors and actrees had participated in order to won money for charity.

-Post a short video of one of the programmes.

The main character

-His name combines the names of three religions. Which are they? The name of Ram Mohammad Thomas brings together three important religions: Ram is from the Hindu religion, Mohammad from the Muslim religion and Thomas from Christianity.

-Where does he grow up? Include pictures. Ram is a young, poor boy who was born in Delhi, the capital of India. He grows up in the slums of Mumbai, one of the biggest cities in the world.

                                                                        Mumbai

People, places and events in the story   

-Who was Surdas? He was a saint, poet and musician who lived in the fifteenth century. He was born in India and he couldn´t see. He was very religious and he left his family when he was six with a music group. He wrote over one hundred thousand poems.

  

-What is the connection between Surdas and the main character? Surda´s songs are singed by the deseabled kids who work for Maman. When Ram Mohammad Thomas and Salim go with Maman´s group, a teacher shows the kids how to sing the Surda´s song.

-What is the historical background? What war appears in the story? The historical background is between the war of India and Pakistan, which in the past, they had been together.The war that appears in the story is the last, in the year 1971.

-What is the story behind Taj Mahal? Include pictures. It was built by Emperor Shahjahan, who was in love with Mumtaz Mahal. They got married and had fourteen childrenm, but the woman died while she was having a baby. Before she died, her husband promised to build the most beautiful palace in the world for her. What a lovely story...

-Include a picture of the Indian words and say in what context do they appear in the story.

A rupee. It appears along the book. When Prem Kumar told Ram how much money is he winning for answering the questions.

 Chapatti, a type of bread. Ram saw this food in Agra.

 A sari, a very long wide piece of cloth that women in India wrap around their bodies. When Ram has a dream of his mother.

 Chawl. A large building with small rooms,where a lot of people live together.Ram and Salim stay in a chawl when they escape.

 Tiffin. A small meal that you eat in the middle of the day. When Ram is in Taj Mahal working, he earns enough money to buy a tiffin.