Give reasons for the following statements.
The article has been titled ‘Silk Road.’
The article has been titled Silk Road because the author was travelling through the area in the mountains where the Silk Road of ancient times used to pass connecting Tibet to China.
Give reasons for the following statements.
Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial courts.
Tibetan mastiffs were fierce and alert guard dogs. They chased the author’s vehicle without fear when it entered the property. Hence, they were given as tribute from Tibet to the Chinese imperial court.
Give reasons for the following statements.
The author’s experience at Hor was in stark contrast to earlier accounts of the place.
The author’s experience at Hor was in contrast to the accounts of travel like that of Kawaguchi and Hedin who were so overwhelmed by the beauty and serenity of the lake that they cried. The author saw a neglected Hor with sparse vegetation, a rocky and dusty landscape along with discarded waste around.
Give reasons for the following statements.
The author was disappointed with Darchen.
When they arrived at Darchen, the author couldn’t sleep because of his cold and he got medicine from a Tibetan doctor. Next day, when he looked around, he realized there were no pilgrims which a big disadvantage for his further trip was.
Give reasons for the following statements.
The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all.
The author doubted his positive thinking when he found no pilgrims in Darchen. But he met Norbu by chance who had also come to do kora. He was an academic at Beijing. When he suggested that they both could become a team, the author thought that his positive thinking worked after all.
Briefly comment on
The purpose of the author’s journey to Mount Kailash.
The author’s journey to Mount Kailash was part of a self-help program. The author wanted to boost his positive thinking and therefore was doing the kora, which was a pilgrimage.
Briefly comment on
The author’s physical condition in Darchen.
At Darchen, one of the nostrils of the author got blocked. When he tried to sleep, he got up because his chest got uneasy and the moment he sat up, it was alright. When he found he can’t lie down, he tried sleeping by leaning against the wall but he became afraid to sleep because of his breathing problem. He felt better after taking medicines.
Briefly comment on
The author’s meeting with Norbu.
The author and Norbu met by chance in Darchen’s café. When Norbu saw the author reading an English novel, he started a conversation and then they realized that they both were going for Korba. They decided to become a team.
Briefly comment on
Tsetan’s support to the author during the journey.
Tsetan took the author in his four-wheel drive vehicle from Ravu to Darchen. He maneuvered through the rough and snowy terrain. He also took the author to the Darchen medical college when he had become unwell. Tsetan was a reliable and approachable companion throughout.
Briefly comment on
“As a Buddhist, he told me, he knew that it didn’t really matter if I passed away, but he thought it would be bad for business.”
Tsetan told this to the author after the author recovered from the cold. The religious belief of Tsetan told him that life and death were part of a cycle and passing away wouldn’t have mattered. But it would have been economically disadvantageous.
Notice the kind of English Tsetan uses while talking to the author.
How do you think he picked it up?
Tsetan must have picked up his English through the travelling activities he undertook and through the interaction with the pilgrims he came across.
What do the following utterances indicate?
(i) “I told her, through Daniel ...”
(ii) “It’s a cold,” he said finally through Tsetan.
The above utterances indicate the lack of a common language. The author could not converse in the local language and only in English. Hence Daniel was the translator while Tsetan translated the doctor’s words for the author.
Guess the meaning of the following words.
Kora, drokba, kyang
In which language are these words found?
These are of Tibetan language.
The narrative has many phrases to describe the scenic beauty of the mountainside like:
A flawless half-moon floated in a perfect blue sky. Scan the text to locate other such picturesque phrases.
- gently rolling hills
- plumes of dust billowed into the crisp, thin air
- shaggy monsters, blacker than the darkest nights
- trail hugged its bank
- hunks of snow clung on in the near permanent shade
- a large cairn of rocks festooned with white silk scarves and ragged prayer flags
Explain the use of the adjectives in the following phrases.
(i) shaggy monsters
(ii) brackish lakes
(iii) rickety table
(iv) hairpin bend
(v) rudimentary general stores
(i) shaggy monsters – Tibetan mastiffs that were fierce and had black thick hair
(ii) brackish lakes – salty waters
(iii) rickety table – not properly finished or furnished table
(iv) hairpin bend – a U-turn bend
(v) rudimentary general stores – shops that had only basic things and daily necessities on sale
The account has only a few passive voice sentences. Locate them. In what way does the use of active voice contribute to the style of the narrative.
1. One evening I’d told her through Daniel that I was heading towards Mount Kailash to complete the kora, and she’d said that I ought to get some warmer clothes.
2. Tsetan told us we were approaching them long before they appeared.
3. The snow didn’t look too deep to me, but the danger wasn’t its depth, Daniel said, so much as its icy top layer.
4. Tsetan told me to go and drink some tea in Hor’s only café
5. As a Buddhist, he told me, he knew that it didn’t really matter if I passed away, but he thought it could be bad for business.
6. He kept telling me how fat he was and how hard it was going to be.
The use of active voice is important in bringing in the perspective of other characters as well as their way of speaking. For example, Tsetan speaks English but not complete sentences.
Notice this construction: Tsetan was eager to have them fixed. Write five sentences with a similar structure.
1. Rahul was in hurry to get it done.
2. She was shocked to see it expand.
3. Jacob was guilty after having them humiliated.
4. Mother was excited to have the mangos peeled.
5. The lady was surprised to see them spoiled.
Does the poem talk of an exclusively personal experience or is it fairly universal?
The poem talks about an experience that is fairly universal about the relationship between parents and children. The poem talks about the communication gap and how they don’t understand what either of them thinks.
How is the father’s helplessness brought out in the poem?
The father’s helplessness is brought through lines like “Yet have I killed the seed I spent” where he is questioning about what went wrong. His desperation to have his son back is clear in the last line “Longing for something to forgive” where their closeness of relationship is desired but not achieved.
Identify the phrases and lines that indicate distance between father and son.
Lines and phrases that show distance:
- “land is his and none of mine”
- “Him prodigal, returning to his father’s house”
- “see him make and move his world”
- “put out an empty hand”
Does the poem have a consistent rhyme scheme?
The poem does have a rhyme scheme but it isn’t consistent. The rhyme scheme changes slightly with the stanzas.