Kathmandu
Thinking about the Text, Language & WritingActivity
1. Route to Delhi:
2. Possible Routes from Kathmandu:
The author thought of taking a bus or train from Patna to Benares (Varanasi), then sailing up the Ganges past Allahabad (Prayagraj) and Agra to Delhi.
To Delhi:
• Air: Direct flight (Kathmandu – Delhi)
• Road: Kathmandu – Sunauli – Gorakhpur – Delhi
To Kolkata:
• Road/Rail: Kathmandu – Raxaul – Patna – Kolkata
To Mumbai/Chennai:
• Mostly via Delhi or Kolkata by connecting flights or long-distance trains.
• Air: Direct flight (Kathmandu – Delhi)
• Road: Kathmandu – Sunauli – Gorakhpur – Delhi
To Kolkata:
• Road/Rail: Kathmandu – Raxaul – Patna – Kolkata
To Mumbai/Chennai:
• Mostly via Delhi or Kolkata by connecting flights or long-distance trains.
Thinking about the Text
I. Short Answer Questions
1. The two temples: Pashupatinath and Baudhnath stupa.
2. ‘All this’ refers to: a bar of marzipan, a corn-on-the-cob, and reading a love story/comics.
3. Comparison: He compares the flutes sticking out of the seller’s pole to the quills of a porcupine.
4. Five kinds of flutes: the reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri, the clear or breathy flutes of South America.
2. ‘All this’ refers to: a bar of marzipan, a corn-on-the-cob, and reading a love story/comics.
3. Comparison: He compares the flutes sticking out of the seller’s pole to the quills of a porcupine.
4. Five kinds of flutes: the reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri, the clear or breathy flutes of South America.
II. Paragraph Answers
1. Difference between flute seller and hawkers:While other hawkers shout out their wares to attract customers, the flute seller plays slowly and meditatively without shouting. He occasionally makes a sale but in a curiously offhanded way, as if it were incidental to his enterprise.
There is a belief that a small shrine half-protruding from the stone platform on the riverbank will emerge completely one day. When it does, the goddess inside will escape, and the evil period of Kaliyug will end on earth.
(i) Febrile confusion: A fight breaking out between two monkeys; a party of saffron-clad Westerners struggling to enter; devotees elbowing others to get to the priest.
(ii) Things seen: A corpse being cremated; washerwomen at their work; children bathing; wilted flowers and garbage in the river.
(iii) Sounds heard: Film songs blaring from radios; car horns; bicycle bells; vendors shouting.
(ii) Things seen: A corpse being cremated; washerwomen at their work; children bathing; wilted flowers and garbage in the river.
(iii) Sounds heard: Film songs blaring from radios; car horns; bicycle bells; vendors shouting.
III. Long Answers
1. Compare Pashupatinath and Baudhnath:The atmosphere at Pashupatinath is one of “febrile confusion.” It is noisy, crowded, and chaotic with animals, people, and priests jostling for space. In contrast, the Baudhnath stupa is a haven of quietness. There are no crowds, and a sense of stillness and serenity prevails. It stands as a peaceful sanctuary amidst the busy streets.
The author describes them as vivid, mercenary, and religious. They are narrow and crowded with fruit sellers, flute sellers, hawkers of postcards, and shops selling western cosmetics, film rolls, and chocolate. Noise is constant—from radios, car horns, and shouting vendors. Stray cows roam about, adding to the chaotic vibrancy.
The author says this because the flute is a universal instrument found in every culture (the reed neh, the recorder, the bansuri). It appeals to the common human experience because its music is produced by breath—the very essence of life. Unlike other instruments, it requires a pause for breath, creating a connection to the rhythm of living itself.
Thinking about Language
I. Matching Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (i) break out | (d) start suddenly (usually a fight, war or disease) |
| (ii) break off | (a) to come apart due to force |
| (iii) break down | (f) stop working (machinery/vehicles) |
| (iv) break away | (e) to escape from someone’s grip |
| (v) break up | (b) end a relationship |
| (vi) break into | (c) break and enter illegally |
II. Suffixes (-ion/-tion)
Word Formation:
cremate → cremation act → action exhaust → exhaustion
invent → invention tempt → temptation immigrate → immigration
direct → direction meditate → meditation imagine → imagination
dislocate → dislocation associate → association dedicate → dedication
Fill in the blanks:
(i) invention (ii) imagination (iii) temptation (iv) dedication (v) exhaustion
cremate → cremation act → action exhaust → exhaustion
invent → invention tempt → temptation immigrate → immigration
direct → direction meditate → meditation imagine → imagination
dislocate → dislocation associate → association dedicate → dedication
Fill in the blanks:
(i) invention (ii) imagination (iii) temptation (iv) dedication (v) exhaustion
III. Punctuation
An arrogant lion was wandering through the jungle. One day, he asked the tiger, “Who is stronger than you?” “You, O lion,” replied the tiger. “Who is more fierce than a leopard?” asked the lion. “You, sir,” replied the leopard. He marched up to an elephant and asked the same question. The elephant picked him up in his trunk, swung him in the air, and threw him down. “Look,” said the lion, “there is no need to get mad just because you don’t know the answer.”
IV. Simple Present Tense
(i) sends, takes place, contracts, forces, expand.
(ii) digs, encloses, dries, hardens, comes, dissolves, swims.
(iii) Does, plays, Does, composes.
(ii) digs, encloses, dries, hardens, comes, dissolves, swims.
(iii) Does, plays, Does, composes.
Speaking
1. Describing a Shrine (Sample – Golden Temple):
“I visited the Golden Temple in Amritsar. It is a stunning sight, especially at night when the gold-plated structure reflects in the Amrit Sarovar (pool of nectar). The atmosphere is incredibly peaceful. People from all walks of life volunteer in the ‘Langar’ (community kitchen), serving thousands of free meals daily. The continuous chanting of Gurbani adds to the spiritual serenity.”
Writing
I. Diary Entry: Visit to Pashupatinath
Date: [Insert Date]
Location: Kathmandu, Nepal
Today was an intense experience at the Pashupatinath temple. As soon as we reached, I was overwhelmed by the chaos. “Febrile confusion” is the perfect phrase.
Inside the Temple:
– Priests, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, and pigeons all roaming through the grounds.
– A crowd of devotees pushing and shoving to get the priest’s attention.
– A princess of the Nepalese royal house appeared; everyone bowed and made way.
Outside the Temple:
– By the holy Bagmati river, I saw a corpse being cremated on the ghats.
– Washerwomen were slapping clothes against stones.
– Children were bathing in the river.
– Boys were dropping flowers and food from a bridge to the fish below.
Impression:
It is a place of raw life and death co-existing side by side. It felt sacred yet incredibly chaotic, a stark contrast to the silence I might find elsewhere. The belief about the end of Kaliyug adds a mystical layer to the whole scene.
Location: Kathmandu, Nepal
Today was an intense experience at the Pashupatinath temple. As soon as we reached, I was overwhelmed by the chaos. “Febrile confusion” is the perfect phrase.
Inside the Temple:
– Priests, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, and pigeons all roaming through the grounds.
– A crowd of devotees pushing and shoving to get the priest’s attention.
– A princess of the Nepalese royal house appeared; everyone bowed and made way.
Outside the Temple:
– By the holy Bagmati river, I saw a corpse being cremated on the ghats.
– Washerwomen were slapping clothes against stones.
– Children were bathing in the river.
– Boys were dropping flowers and food from a bridge to the fish below.
Impression:
It is a place of raw life and death co-existing side by side. It felt sacred yet incredibly chaotic, a stark contrast to the silence I might find elsewhere. The belief about the end of Kaliyug adds a mystical layer to the whole scene.
II. Travelogue: Visit to Agra
A Day in the City of Taj
We rose before dawn on a chilly January morning in 2003 to catch the Shatabdi Express from Delhi at 6:15 a.m. The journey was pleasant; we met a newly-married couple and chatted about the snowy peaks of Himachal Pradesh.
Upon entering Agra, the atmosphere shifted. The once-grand city felt crowded with twisted alleys and dense traffic. Rickshaws, cars, and pedestrians jostled for space. Vendors everywhere were selling religious artifacts, plastic toys, and spicy sweets.
But all the noise faded when we reached the Taj Mahal. Constructed entirely of white marble, it had a magical quality. The colour of the monument seemed to change with the light and shadow of the sun. The intricate marble inlay work with gemstones was mesmerizing. Seeing the reflection of the Taj in the pond was a breathtaking moment, shared with excited school children and tourists from around the world. It truly lives up to its name as a wonder of the world.
We rose before dawn on a chilly January morning in 2003 to catch the Shatabdi Express from Delhi at 6:15 a.m. The journey was pleasant; we met a newly-married couple and chatted about the snowy peaks of Himachal Pradesh.
Upon entering Agra, the atmosphere shifted. The once-grand city felt crowded with twisted alleys and dense traffic. Rickshaws, cars, and pedestrians jostled for space. Vendors everywhere were selling religious artifacts, plastic toys, and spicy sweets.
But all the noise faded when we reached the Taj Mahal. Constructed entirely of white marble, it had a magical quality. The colour of the monument seemed to change with the light and shadow of the sun. The intricate marble inlay work with gemstones was mesmerizing. Seeing the reflection of the Taj in the pond was a breathtaking moment, shared with excited school children and tourists from around the world. It truly lives up to its name as a wonder of the world.