Short Questions (2 Marks)
Question 1 : Why are the devotees involved in a kind of made race at Pashupatinath temple?
Answer : The devotees are involved in a king of mad race at Pashupatinath temple in order to get the priest’s attention. They want the priest to give their offerings to the God. Pushing, elbowing and shoving were the common practice there.
Question 2 : What happens when a Nepalese princess comes to the temple?
Answer : The family is worth respecting if it is royal. In the course of time, whenever someone from the royal family appears, respect is shown. When a Nepalese Princess comes to the temple, everyone bows and makes way for her in order to show respect.
Question 3 : What do the people do near the river Bagmati?
Answer : A river is the life line of a place. One can see many activities going on at the bank of the river. The same was there at the bank of the Bagmati. People are indulged in various activities like cremating a corpse, washing clothes, bathing and throwing old offerings of flowers.
Question 4 : What make Buddhist shrine Baudhnath stupa important?
Answer : The Buddhist shrine Budhnath stupa at Kathmandu has a sense of calmness. The shrine is important because it is a symbol of peace and serenity for the people of Kathmandu. There is no crowd, no jostling and no noise at all. It is totally in contrast to the Pashupatinath temple.
Question 5 : What did the Tibetan immigrants do near the Baudhnath stupa?
Answer : Whenever the immigrants settle at a place they start doing activities of trade and commerce so that their living can be earned. The Tibetan immigrants sold felt bags, Tibetan prints, silver jewellery etc. near the ‘Baudhnath stupa’.
Question 6 : In the chapter ‘Kathmandu’ what do you mean by “The flue seller occasionally makes a sale, but in a curiously offhanded way as if it were incidental to his enterprise”?
Answer : Music has been described as serene and sober by the author. He knows that music is much important than the sale of a flute for the flute seller. The flute seller keeps on playing his flute and he is so engrossed in it that when he makes a sale, it appears to be a minor thing to him.
Question 7 : What was the author’s reaction to the flute seller?
Answer : The author was enchanted by the melodious tune of the flute seller playing the flute and could not move from the square. The author believed that the flute seller had his own way of making sales and was not much affected by it. The author was very much attracted towards him.
Question 8 : How does the author pass his time in Kathmandu?
Answer : The author visits the famous temples and market places in Kathmandu. He observes the lives of people and also sleeps for hours. He was busy with the soothing music of the flute.
He ate the local street food in the market place. He also read a few magazines available there. This is how, he passed his time there.
Long Questions (8 Marks)
Question 1 : Is it good to pollute holy rivers in the name of faith and religion? Comment with reference to Bagmati river in Kathmandu?
Answer : We all know that rivers are the life line of any population. Every civilization has emerged from the blessings of the river. Every human activity is dependent on these rivers directly or indirectly . Holy rivers are directly attacked to humans and their emotions as they pay their respect to them. But, now-a-days holy rivers are more polluted than other rivers. People cremate the corpse on their banks and bath in them to attain ‘Moksha’. Devotees throw flowers and other things to show their respect towards them without thinking of effects. This is such a serious condition and we aren’t considering it worth. We must understand the drastic effect of polluting a river which is providing us all the necessary things.
In the lesson, the author describes the same condition of Bagmati river near Pashupatinath temple. The activities mentioned above have polluted Bagmati river in the name of faith and religion. But, people must be made aware to keep these rivers safe from pollution. The authorities and society must also take some hard steps to make them safer and unpolluted. Throwing flowers, cremation of corpse, bathing of animals should be totally banned. Following these steps we can make our holy rivers safe and pollution free.
Question 2 : The flute-seller impresses the author a lot. What do you think about a talent like him? Is it fruitful for a talent to sell his wares in the market or should he be given better opportunities? How would you help such a talent?
Answer : Heading towards his hotel, the author bears the melodious sound of flute and is surprised to see the amazing talent of flute-seller. But, it is painful to see a talent like him being wasted in the market. He has to sell flutes in the market to earn money. We have heard that talent never goes waste but without providing better opportunities. We cannot save and explore these talents in the world. Someone, who could have adorn the stage better in the world, is busy earning a meagre living. The society is unable to recognise the potential that is lying within him. He must be encouraged, given recognition and supported by the society so that his talent can be justified. With his talent, he can be contributor to the society as well.
The flute seller is not an expert seller but a talented musician so if I get a chance to meet such a talent, I would try my level best to show his talent to the outside world. With the help of media, I would try to give him a platform to explore his talent. So that the money, fame and praise, he deserves, could be showered on him.