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Allsol.in, , 10. Kathmandu, BEFORE YOU READ, •, , Do you like travelling? The writer, Vikram Seth, enjoys it very, much. In his book, Heaven Lake, he describes a long journey, from China to India, via Tibet and Nepal., , •, , Have you heard of places like Ajmer Sharif, Madurai, Sanchi,, Varanasi, Sarnath, or Halebid? Can you name some other, places like these?, , •, , What do the surroundings of a holy place in your city look, like? Think about it as you read Vikram Seth’s description of, Kathmandu., , 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., 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 dogs roam through the grounds. We offer a few, flowers. There are so many worshippers 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. By the main gate, a, party of saf fron-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, then runs screaming around the, temples and down to the river, the holy Bagmati,, , 2020-21, , proclaim: make, known publicly or, officially, febrile confusion:, hurried activity;, complete chaos

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Allsol.in, , Pashupatinath Temple, Kathmandu, , that 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., 128 / Beehive, , 2020-21, , shrine: a place of, worship

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Allsol.in, , 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: many of, these are owned by Tibetan immigrants; felt bags,, Tibetan prints and silver jewellery can be bought, here. There are no crowds: this is a haven of, quietness in the busy streets around., 4. Kathmandu is vivid, mercenary, religious, with, small shrines to 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 sound, bicycle, bells ring, stray cows low questioningly at, motorcycles, vendors shout out their wares. I indulge, , haven: a safe place, , The Baudhnath Stupa, Kathmandu, Kathmandu / 129, , 2020-21

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Allsol.in, , myself mindlessly: buy a bar of marzipan, a cornon-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 feel much the, better for it., 5. I consider what route I should take back home. If I, were propelled by enthusiasm for travel per se,, I would go by bus and train to Patna, then sail up, the Ganges past Benaras to Allahabad, then up the, Yamuna, past Agra to Delhi. But I am too exhausted, and homesick; today is the last day of August. Go, home, I tell myself: move directly towards home. I, enter a Nepal Airlines office and buy a ticket for, tomorrow’s flight., 6. I look at the flute seller standing in a corner of the, square near the hotel. In his hand is a pole with, an attachment at the top from which fifty or sixty, bansuris protrude in all directions, like the quills, of a porcupine. They are of bamboo: there are crossflutes and recorders. From time to time he stands, the pole on the ground, selects a flute and plays, for a few minutes. The sound rises clearly above, the noise of the traffic and the hawkers’ cries. He, plays slowly, meditatively, without excessive, display. He does not shout out his wares., Occasionally he makes a sale, but in a curiously, offhanded way as if this were incidental to his, enterprise. Sometimes he breaks off playing to talk, to the fruit seller. I imagine that this has been the, pattern of his life for years., 7. I find it difficult to tear myself away from the square., Flute music always does this to me: it is at once, the most universal and most particular of sounds., There is no culture that does not have its flute—, the reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi,, the deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music,, the clear or breathy flutes of South America,, 130 / Beehive, , 2020-21, , marzipan: a sweet, made with grated, almond, brazier: open stove, , nauseating: sickening, , per-se: by itself, , meditatively:, thoughtfully, , offhanded: casual;, not showing much, interest in something

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Allsol.in, , the high-pitched Chinese flutes. Each has its, specific fingering and compass. It weaves its own, associations. Yet to hear any flute is, it seems to, me, to be drawn into the commonality of all, mankind, to be moved by music closest in its, phrases and sentences to the human voice. Its, motive force too is living breath: it too needs to, pause and breathe before it can go on., 8. That I can be so affected by a few familiar phrases, on the bansuri, surprises me at first, for on the, previous occasions that I have returned home after, a long absence abroad, I have hardly noticed such, details, and certainly have not invested them with, the significance I now do., , fingering: way of, placing the fingers to, play different notes, compass: here, range, , VIKRAM SETH, [ an extract from Heaven Lake ], , Thinking about the T, Teext, Activity, 1. On the following map mark out the route, which the author, thought of but did not take, to Delhi., , Jammu &, Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, , Uttaranchal, , Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, , China, , Nepal, UP, , Kathmandu, Bihar, , © Government of India Copyright, 2003, , 2. Find out the possible routes (by rail, road or air) from, Kathmandu to New Delhi/Mumbai/Kolkata/Chennai., Kathmandu / 131, , 2020-21

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Q1- Where has this lesson been taken from ?, A) from Panchtantra, B) an extract from Heaven Lake by Vikram Seth, C) old Melodies, D) none, , Q2- Which two temples did the writer visit?, A) Doleshwar Mahadev, B) Pashupati Nath and Boudhanath Stupa, C) Gokarna Mahadev Temple, D) Santaneshwor Mahadev Temple, , Q3- What did the writer buy?, A) a bar of marzipan, B) corn cooked on charcoal fire, C) comics and a Reader’s Digest., D) All, , Q4- What did the writer mean by saying ‘All this I wash down with, Coca Cola.”?, A) He used coca cola to wash the things, B) He drank coca cola to digest food, C) He bought coca cola, D) none

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Q5- What was looking like the quills of a porcupine?, A) Flute seller’s stock of flutes, B) Flute seller’s hair, C) the group of hawkers, D) none, , Q6- Tell the other names of the Flute., A) Bansuri, B) Reed, C) Murli, Shakuhachi, and Neh, D) All, , Q7- According to the author what was incidental for the flute, seller?, A) flute selling, B) talking to fellow vendors, C) playing flute, D) none, , Q8- What is Kaliyug as per Hindu Mythology?, A) era of sins, B) yug of future

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C) modern era, D) advanced era, , Q9- What is the belief at Pashupatinath regarding the end of, Kaliyug?, A) if the water recedes at the banks of the river and Goddess is, exposed that will be end of Kaliyug, B) if floods are there kaliyug will be ended, C) too many sin will be end of kaliyug, D) if Dooms clock come to 0 Hour that will be end of Kalyug, , Q10- What was there at the banks of river Bagmati?, A) a church, B) a mosque, C) a submerged temple, D) none, , Q11- What does Febrile confusion mean?, A) a situation, B) an unknown situation, C) complete chaos, D) none, , Q12- What did the author find at Pashupatinath temple?

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A) Chappiness, B) peace, C) chaos and noise, D) All, , Q13- What kind of environment was there at Boudhanath Stupa?, A) chaotic, B) noisy, C) full of calm and quiet meditations, D) none, , Q14- What kind of streets are there in Kathmandu?, A) wide, B) well furnished, C) narrow and full of life, D) clean, , Q15- What was there along the street roads of Kathmandu?, A) temples with colorful deities, B) hawkers and vendors, C) cacophony, D) all

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Q16- What is a flute?, A) a log piece with holes in it, B) a toy, C) a basic musical instrument, D) all, , Q17- What does one need to play a flute soulfully?, A) need to learn music, B) need to learn the art of playing it, C) need to breathe life into it, D) None, , Q18- In what way was the flute seller different from the hawkers, in author’s opinion?, A) hawkers were shouting and the flute seller was engrossed, meditatively into the playing of flute, B) hawkers were not smart and flute seller was smart, C) hawkers were not good looking and the flute seller was good, looking, D) None

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Q19- Cite an example of Febrile confusion image drawn by the, author in the lesson., A) a group of saffron-clad Westerners struggling to enter the main, gate, B) a fight between two monkeys, C) royal Nepalese princess for whom everyone makes way., D) All, , Q20- What did the author see at the Boudhanath Stupa?, A) A white dome ringed by a road, B) small shops, C) Tibetan prints and silver jewellery and no crowd, D) All, , Q21- What were the most universal sounds that the author heard?, A) sound of flute playing, B) sound of different musics, C) vendors shouting, D) all, , Q22- What is the Japanese shakuhachi?, A) a Japanese toy, B) a Japanese player

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C) a kind of flute, D) none, , Q23- How were the hawkers selling their things?, A) by talking to the people, B) by giving pamphlets, C) by shouting, D) none, , Q24- Where did the author see an immense white dome?, A) at Pashupatinath temple, B) in the street, C) on the road, D) In the Boudhanath stupa, , Q25- In what way has the author shown febrile confusion in the, lesson?, A) by drawing powerful word imagery and pictures, B) by showing pictures, C) by showing stickers, D) none

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Q26- Who were fighting outside Pashupatinath temple?, A) two men, B) two women, C) hawkers, D) two monkeys, , Q27- Name the different sounds that the author heard?, A) film songs from the radios, B) car horns and bicycle bells, C) vendors shouting and flute music, D) All, , Q28- Who were trying to get the priest’s attention at, Pashupatinath’s temple?, A) hawkers, B) flute seller, C) worshippers, D) monkeys, , Q29- What did the writer Vikram Seth describe in his book Heaven, Lake?, A) a long journey, B) from China to India, via Tibet and Nepal.

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C) a journey to Pashupatinath temple, D) none, , Q30- What does the writer Vikram Seth like very much?, A) talking, B) scenic beauty, C) travelling, D) all, , ANSWER KEY, 1, , B, , 11, , C, , 21, , A, , 2, , B, , 12, , C, , 22, , C, , 3, , D, , 13, , C, , 23, , C, , 4, , A, , 14, , C, , 24, , D, , 5, , A, , 15, , D, , 25, , A, , 6, , D, , 16, , C, , 26, , D, , 7, , A, , 17, , C, , 27, , D, , 8, , A, , 18, , A, , 28, , C, , 9, , A, , 19, , D, , 29, , A, , 10, , C, , 20, , D, , 30, , C