7. Kathmandu | Vikram Seth

 Kathmandu | Vikram Seth  |Bihar Board 9th | 100 Marks English | by Sunil Sir

VIKRAM SETH, Born in Kolkata in 1952, was educated at Oxford, He has travelled widely and has captured his experiences of China, Tibet and Nepal in his famous book Heaven Lake, which won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award,. The present piece “Kathmandu, which is an extract from Heaven Lake, beautifully delineates the beauty of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

Word Meaning

Born: जन्म हुआ, Educated: शिक्षित, Travelled: यात्रा किया, Capture: पकड़ना, Experience: अनुभव, Famous: प्रसिद्ध, Heaven: स्वर्ग, Lake: झील, Award: ईनाम, पुरस्कार, Present: प्रस्तुत, Piece: अंश, Extract: लिया गया, Beautifully: सुंदर ढंग से, Delineated: लिखा है, वर्णन किया,

Question Answers:

1. Who is the writer of Kathmandu?

Ans: Kathmandu is written by Vikram Seth.

2. Where is the capital of Nepal?

Ans:- Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal.

3. Where and when Vikram Seth was born?

Ans: Vikram Seth was born in Kolkata in 1952.

4. For which book Vikram Seth won " Thomas Cook Travel Book Award"?

Ans: Heaven Lake.

 Kathmandu | Vikram Seth  |Bihar Board 9th | 100 Marks English | by Sunil Sir

1.      I get a cheap room in the Centre of town and sleep for hours. The next morning. With Mr. Shah’s son and nephew, I visit the two temples in Kathmandu that are most sacred to Hindus and Buddhists.

 

Word Meaning:

Cheap: सस्ता,  Centre: केन्द्र ,  Town:शहर ,  Sleep: नींद, Hour: घंटा , Next: अगला, Nephew: भतीजा, Visit: भ्रमण , Temple: मन्दिर , Most: अत्यधिक , Sacred:पवित्र .

2. At Pashupatinath (outside which a sign proclaims ‘Entrance for the Hindus only’) there is an atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’. Priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dog roam through the grounds. We offer a few flowers. There are so many worshipers that some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside by others pushing their way to the front. A princess of the Nepalese royal house appears; everyone bows  and makes way. Buy the main gate, a party of saffron - clad Westerners struggle for permission to enter. The policeman is not convinced that they are ‘ The Hindus’ ( only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple) . A fight breaks out between two monkeys. One chases the other, who jumps onto a shivalinga, them runs screaming around the temples and down to the river the holy Bagmati, which flows below. A corpse is being cremated on its banks; washerwomen are at their work and children bathe. From a balcony a basket of flowers and leaves, old offerings now wilted, is dropped into the river. A small shrine half protrudes from the stone platform on the river bank When it emerges fully , the goddess inside will escape, and the evil period of the Kaliyug will end on earth.

Word Meaning:

Sign:चिन्ह, Proclaims: उद्घोषणा करता है, Entrance: प्रवेश , Atmosphere: वातावरण, Febrile:सहमा हुआ , Confusion: भ्रम, दुबिधा , Priests (N): पुजारी,  Hawkers (N): फेरीवाला, Devotees (N): भक्त, Tourists (N): पर्यटक, Pigeons (N): कबूतर, Roam (N): घूमना, भटकना, Worshippers (N): भक्त,  Attention (N): सावधान, ध्यान,  Elbowed (V): केहुनी से धक्का देना , Pushing (V): धक्का देना, Front (N); सामने, Princess (N): राजकुमारी,  Royal: शाही,   Appears (V): प्रकट होना, Bows (V): झुकना, Main Gate: मुख्य द्वार,  Saffron-Clad: भगवा, Westerners (N): पश्चिमी लोग, Struggle (V): संघर्ष,   Permission (N): अनुमति, Enter (V): प्रवेश करना , Convinced (V): मानना, सहमत करना,  Allowed (V): अनुमति दिया, Fight (N): लड़ना,  Chases (V): पीछा करना, Jump (V):कूदना,   Screaming (V):चीखना,  Down (Prep): नीचे , Flows (V): बहता है,   Corpse (N): शव, Cremated (V):दाह संस्कार,  Washerwomanan (N): धोबिन, Bathe (V): स्नान करना, Balcony (N):छज्जा, Basket (N): टोकरी, Leaves (N): पत्तियां , Offerings (N): चढ़ावा, Wilted (V):मुरझाया हुआ, Dropped (V):गिराया  Shrine (N):मन्दिर, Protrude (V):बाहर निकलना,  Platform (N):चबूतरा, Bank (N) किनारा, Emerges (V): शामिल होना, Escape (V):बचना, Evil (Adj): बुराई , Period :अवधि

Questions:

1.   Name the lesson and the author of the above passage.
Ans: The name of the lesson is ‘Kathmandu’. The author is Vikram Seth.

2.   What does ‘febrile confusion’ apply here?
‘Febrile confusion’ here implies excited, disorderly nervous movements and noises.

3.   What made the ‘febrile confusion’? The febrile confusion was created by a crowd of devotees, hawkers, priests tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs roaming through the ground.

4.   Why can some people not get the priest’s attention? because they are pushed by others who want to come to the front.

5.   Which actions show that the members of the royal of Nepal are respected by common people? When a Nepalese princess came for worshipping in the temple every one bowed and made way for her.

6.   Which word/words in the passage mean the following:
(a) “pushed to one side”-- elbowed

(b) “bends with respect” -- bows

Kathmandu | Vikram Seth  |Bihar Board 9th | 100 Marks English | by Sunil Sir

3. At the Baudhnath stupa, the Buddhist shrine of Kathmandu, there is , in contrast, a sense of stillness. Its immense white dome is ringed by a road. Small shops stand on its outer edge: may of these are owned by Tibetan immigrants; felt bags, Tibetan prints and silver jewelry can be bought here. There are no crowds; this is a haven of quietness in the busy streets around.

Word Meaning:

Stupa: स्तूप, , In contrast: इसके विपरीत ,Sense:ज्ञान,चेतना, Stillness:शांति, Immense:विशाल, Dome:गुम्बद, , Ringed by:चारों ओर , Edge: किनारा , Immigrants: प्रवाशी , Felt bags , Bought : ख़रीदा, Crowds: भीड़,  Heaven: स्वर्ग, Quietness:शांति,  Busy:व्यस्त, Streets:गलियां, Around: चारो ओर .

4. Kathmandu is vivid, mercenary, religious, with small shrines of flower- adorned deities along the narrowest and busiest streets; with fruit sellers, flute sellers, hawkers of postcards; shops selling Western cosmetics, film rolls and chocolate; or copper utensils and Nepalese antiques Film songs blare out from the radios, car horns shouted, bicycles bells ring, stray cows low questioningly at motorcycles, vendors shout out their wares. I indulge myself mindlessly: buy a bar of marzipan, a corn -on- the-cob roasted in a charcoal brazier on the pavement ( rubbed with salt, chilli powder and lemon); a couple of love story comics, and even a Reader’s Digest. All this I wash down with Coca Cola and a nauseating orange drink and fell much the better for it.

Word Meaning:

Vivid , Mercenary , Religious , Adorned , Deities

 

Questions:

1.   What does the author want to contrast the Buddhist shrine with? 
It is contrasted with the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu

2.   What does ring with a road imply?
 It implies that there is a road all around the dome.

3.   Whose shops are there outside the Buddhist Shrine? What do they sell? 
There are shops of Tibetan immigrants. They sell felt bags, Tibetan prints and silver jewellery is located in the busy streets of Kathmandu.

4.   What contrast is there between the inside of the Buddhist shrine and its surroundings? 
Inside the shrine, there is peace and quiet whereas the surroundings are noisy as the temple in located in the busy streets of Kathmandu.

5.   What type of city is Kathmandu? 
Kathmandu is a religious city with narrow streets. These have shrines dedicated to different gods. There is noise and disorder but Kathmandu is full of life.

6.   What does the writer do to pass his time? 
He buys some light reading and eating materials.

7.   What does ‘wash down’ imply here? 
It implies that he reads and eats while sipping a Coca Cola and orange drink.

8.   Which words in the passage mean the following.
(a) to satisfy one’s desire Indulge
(b) safe place. heaven