HORNBILL ''The Ailing Planet : the Green Movement’s Role''
The Author: Nani Palkhivala
Theme: How different/various movements/pressure groups have helped in conserving our environment. How they have helped in increasing our understanding/awareness of the dire need to protect, preserve and promote our environment in a way that we use it in a sustainable way and leave it for the future generation at least (if not in a better condition) in the condition that we got it for ourselves.
Story: ‘’The Ailing Planet : the Green Movement’s Role’’ was published in the Indian Express on 24.11.1994. The issues that the writer has raised regarding the declining health of the earth continue to have relevance even today, may be they have more relevance today than at any other time in the past. It also talks about how different/various movements have helped in spreading awareness among masses and, thereby, conserving our environment.
It talks of the Green Movement, the environmental movement which is a diverse philosophical, social and political movement for addressing environmental issues.
There are various pressure groups/movements which continuously keep on impressing upon govts. to dedicate their time/focus/resources on the maintenance of the environment, thereby helping us make efforts towards a ‘sustainable environment’. The actions of these groups/movements help in spreading awareness among the masses/making us responsible about the importance and the dire need of sustaining our environment. The irony is: though it is for our own good, we need to be sensitised towards this.
The article fully succeeds in conveying the intended message in a very clear, loud and effective way.
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
A holistic and
ecological view : refers to the view that calls for the preservation of the planet. Refers to understanding the importance of earth’s resources
and environment for future generations
Sustainable : which can be maintained/prolonged, keep up the vitality or strength of, support
Languish : suffer neglect or hardship, lose or diminish in strength/vigour, pine (for)
Ignominious darkness : uncountable number of unknown/not-yet-found species exist in the parts of the world
Inter alia : among other things
Decimate : destroy or kill a large proportion of
Catastrophic depletion: reduction in numbers which is great and leads to sudden disaster
Transcending concern : make anxious/worried about the earth and the environment due to excess exploitation by human beings
Grip : firm hold or grasp, way in which something is grasped, mastery or understanding
Green Movement : the environmental movement is a diverse philosophical, social and political movement for addressing environmental issues
Irrevocable : not possible to change or undo
Perception : act of perceiving, intuitive judgement
Metabolic need : need of chemical processes of a living body
Ethical obligation : duty arising out of moral principles
Steward : person who looks after passengers on a ship/aircraft, person who administers another’s property
Trustee : person holding property on another’s behalf
Legacy : thing left in a will, thing handed down to a successor
Dawn : become apparent (to), daybreak, beginning (of something), begin to grow light, begin to develop/appear
Dominate : control/govern, be very significant in, tower above (surroundings)
Partnership : joint business venture between two or more people
Reckon : consider/think, make calculations, count, expect
Ecology : study of the relationships between living things and their environment
Unsustainable : not able to be maintained/prolonged at the current rate or level
Impair : weaken/damage
Tropical : of or in the tropics, (of climate) very hot
Extinct : having died out, (of a volcano) no longer liable to erupt
Patrimony : property inherited from ancestors
Erode : wear away
Cope : deal successfully (with)
Anguish : great mental pain
Distort : misrepresent (the truth or facts), twist out of shape
Contraceptive : device used or pill taken to prevent pregnancy, preventing pregnancy
Condemn : force into an unpleasant situation, sentence, express disapproval of, declare unfit for use
Sterilise : make sterile (unable to produce offspring or seeds)
Coerce : compel, force
Perpetuate : cause to continue or be remembered
Demise : death, eventual failure (of something successful)
Usher : conduct or escort, official who shows people to their seats, as in a church
Transform : change the shape/character of
Felicity : happiness, appropriate expression or style
Tenancy : system wherein a person rents land or a building
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UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1. The lines in the text that support the title ‘The Ailing Planet’: (i) The earth’s vital signs reveal a patient in declining health. (ii) The First Brandt Report raised the question- ‘Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing environment?’ (iii) In large areas of the world, human claims on these systems are reaching an unsustainable level, a point where their productivity is being impaired. (iv) In a protein-conscious and protein-hungry world, over-fishing is common every day. (v) In poor countries, local forests are being decimated in order to produce firewood for cooking. (vi) We were saying that we are losing the forests at an acre a second, but it is much closer to an acre-and-a-half to a second.
2. The notice ‘The world’s most dangerous animal’ at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia signifies: It is us/human beings who are the most dangerous so far as destruction to our lovely planet (which sustains us) is concerned. No other factor causes as much damage to our planet as is done by us/human beings. It shows how insensitive, how careless, how cruel we have been towards the planet.
3. The earth’s principal biological systems are being depleted through overuse which is certainly unsustainable. Trees are being cut at rapid pace, over-fishing is rampant, fisheries are collapsing, grasslands are being converted into barren wastelands, forests are depleting and croplands are deteriorating. All this is due to overuse.
4. The author avers that the growth of world population is one of the strongest factors distorting the future of human society. Because an unmanageably large population puts unsustainable pressure on the resources resulting in overuse and, finally, gradual depletion of resources and deterioration of the very environment without which we can’t survive. The rate of overuse/depletion is far more than the rate of replenishment which creates a disastrous position for the survival of all living species.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
1. It is mainly because a large population is illiterate, undisciplined, less/ill-informed. Implementing authorities are either fewer in numbers, or are indifferent, corrupt. Massive population also puts a huge challenge in enforcement of laws. Myopic political system also is responsible for this to some extent.
2. Our endeavour must be to protect, preserve and promote our environment in a way that we use it in a sustainable way and leave it to the future generation at least (if not in a better condition) in the condition that we got it for ourselves.
3. The resources that we have got, we must consider that we have borrowed them from our children and all our efforts must be to return it (when we leave this world) with interest.
4. The problems of overpopulation that directly affect our everyday life: unmanageable crowds, heavy traffic, scarcity of almost all resources, rampant illiteracy/ill-health/unemployment/poverty/crimes/lack of cleanliness & hygiene, etc.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
1. based on the first impression, accepted as correct until proved otherwise
2. when necessary or needed
3. in private, in particular taking place in the private chambers of a judge, with the press and public excluded
4. forever, again and again in the same way
5. making necessary alterations while not affecting the main point at issue
6. a warning/proviso of specific stipulations, conditions or limitations
7. an absence of preconceived ideas or predetermined goals, a clean slate
WORKING WITH WORDS
I.
1. to have strongly attracted the imagination of with its relevance. It refers to the Green Movement having gripped the imagination of the entire human race so completely and so rapidly.
2. to become apparent to. Thanks to the efforts of a number of agencies in different countries, a new awareness has now dawned upon the most dangerous animal in the world.
3. conduct or escort. The emerging new world vision has ushered in the Era of Responsibility.
4. have been brought into use. Of all the statements made by Margaret Thatcher during the years of her Prime Ministership, none has passed so decisively into the current coin of English usage as her felicitous words.
5. a thing that makes something possible or enables one to achieve it. The environmental problem doesn’t necessarily signal our demise, it is our passport for the future.
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HORNBILL ''The Portrait of a Lady''
The Author: Khushwant Singh (1915-2014), studied in Delhi and London, was an Indian author, lawyer, diplomat, journalist, politician, writer, historian, critic. He worked as a lawyer, in Indian Foreign Service (IFS), journalist in All India Radio (AIR), Dept. of Mass Communications of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) at Paris. He was best known for his secularism (not concerned with religion), humour, sarcasm (ironically scornful remarks), love of poetry. He was also a Rajya Sabha MP. He was awarded ‘Padma Vibhushan’. He was inclined towards atheism (belief that no God exists) and said ‘’One can be a saintly person without believing in God and a detestable (hated/loathed) villain believing in Him. In my personalised religion, THERE IS NO GOD’’. He was a critic of religion and esp. its practice in India, including the critic of the clergy (those ordained for religious duties) and priests.
Theme: The theme of ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ revolves around innocence, friendship, love, connection, kindness, selflessness, respect, acceptance and closeness of relationship.
Story: This is the story of a strong bond between a young child and his grandmother. This bond is based on innocence, friendship, love, connection, kindness, selflessness, respect, acceptance and closeness of relationship. This strong bond continues all through and never breaks down whether the child (who was completely dependent on his grandmother) grows into a man (who is totally independent now). Further, this strong bond continues all through whether they are together away from the child’s parents or whether they are with his parents in the city or whether he has gone abroad for studies.
About the narrator: He is giving depth and affection to his grandmother rather than just viewing her as an old relative who lives with him. She is an important part of his life and not someone who he takes for granted. He respects his grandmother. He never criticizes her for anything. He finds it hard to believe that she was once young but he still nonetheless never takes advantage of her kindness towards him nor does he cause any problems for her when his parents are away in the city.
About the grandmother: She is available at all times (when needed) for the narrator. She is patient as she always waits for the narrator in the temple while he is in school. She has dedicated her life to him. She is dedicated to God. She is connected with village dogs (she feeds them) as also the sparrows (she feeds them as well). She cares for all living creatures. She is selfless. She always thinks of others before thinking of herself. She always wears white which signifies purity.
About the end of story: The narrator appears to be explaining the theme of acceptance (of the reality of death/separation). There is a sense that the narrator is quick to accept that his grandmother is now dead. This appears to have been made easier (for the narrator) by the grandmother herself being fully conscious and accepting the fact that she was about to die. The narrator is left not with sadness but with memories of happiness of the times he had spent with his grandmother from his childhood to his youth. He has lived his life going from being dependent on his grandmother to eventually being independent. He is grateful to her for everything she has done for him and knows that she had made him into the man that he is today. His grandmother’s influence has been the greatest influence in his life which has shaped his life from early childhood.
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Revolting : extremely unpleasant, disgusting
Veritable bedlam : noise, confusion, chaos
Serenity : peaceful and calm, worried by nothing
Frivolous rebukes : criticised or checked on the sparrows, in vain
Wrinkled : small furrow, crease in the skin
Undignified : causing one to look foolish and to lose respect of other people
Fable : short story that teaches a lesson (a moral lesson) and that often has animals as main character
Prophet : person who is sent by God to teach people and give them messages from God
Pretty : attractive and pleasant to look at or hear. Generally, refers to outside appearance
Beautiful : very pretty or attractive, giving pleasure to the senses. Generally, refers to goodness/beauty of the heart
Hobbled : to walk with difficulty because your feet/legs are hurt
Stoop : to bend your head and shoulders forward
Telling the beads of rosary : a tool used to aid prayer and meditation. Count prayer recited in mind
Landscape : everything that you can see when you look across a large area of land
Monotonous : never changing and, therefore, boring
Sing-song : (of a person’s voice) having a repeated rising & falling rhythm
Chores : a piece of music written for a large group of people
Growling : by dogs/animals – to make a low noise to show anger or warning
Law of gravity : Isaac Newton – every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with a force which is directly proportional to
the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centres
Archimedes’ principle : upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, fully or partially submerged, is equal to the weight
of the fluid that the body displaces and acts in the upward direction at the centre of mass of the displaced fluid
Accepted her seclusion with resignation : The grandmother accepted her seclusion (separation/aloofness from her grandson) with a sense of resignation (as if she didn’t want to protest/as if she did not have any other option)
Lewd : referring to sex in a rude and offensive way
Harlots : prostitutes
Recite : to say aloud a piece of writing, poem from memory
Cherish : to keep a thought, feeling in mind and think about it often
Pallor : pale colouring of the face
Shroud : a cloth/sheet that is put around a dead body before it is buried
Courtyard : an area of ground, without a roof, that has wall, or buildings around it
Agnostic : a person who is not sure if God exists or not
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UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1. The three phases of the author’s relationship with his grandmother before he left the country to study abroad :- THE FIRST PHASE: There is an inter-dependency (dependence on each other) which satisfies the needs of a young boy and the yearnings (a feeling of intense longing for something/somebody) of an old lady. The grandmother is tasked with caring for her grandson because his parents have moved to the city and the boy and the grandmother will only move to the city later. The boy is happy for his grandmother to accompany him wherever he goes and she is happy to make a substantial/significant contribution to the boy’s upbringing. THE SECOND PHASE: The relationship changes when the boy and his grandmother move to the city to live with his parents. The boy is now less dependent on his grandmother as he takes the bus to the school and forms relationships with his peers. Although the boy and the grandmother share a room at home, they no longer have the same interests. The grandmother is fearful of modern teaching methods and a lack of teaching of scriptures at school. Now, she must rely on the fact that she has taught him well (although she herself is uneducated). THE THIRD PHASE: When the boy goes to university, he no longer shares a room with his grandmother. He is now a young, grown up man and the room of his own symbolises his independence. Even though his relationship with his grandmother has changed significantly and her role has changed as the boy has grown up, their love and respect for each other never changes. As far as the boy is concerned, his grandmother has ‘’been old and wrinkled for the twenty years I have known her’’. She has always been a steadfast (loyal, unfaltering) example in his life.
2. Three reasons why the author’s grandmother was disturbed when he started going to the city school: First: That he was being taught English words and science at the school in which she didn’t believe. Second: That there was no teachings about God and the scriptures at the school. Third: That he was being taught music lessons at the school as music had lewd associations from her point of view.
3. Three ways in which the author’s grandmother spent her days after he grew up: FIRST: Most of her time, she worked on her spinning-wheel. SECOND: Most of the time she was praying. THIRD: In the afternoons she relaxed for a while to feed little bits of bread to the sparrows.
4. The odd way in which the author’s grandmother behaved just before she died: The author came back home after five years and found his grandmother not a day older. In the evening a change came over her. She didn’t pray (this was the first time that the narrator found her not praying). She collected the women of the neighbourhood, got an old drum and started singing. For several hours she thumped the sagging skins of the dilapidated drum and sang of the home-coming of warriors. The members of the family persuaded her to stop singing to avoid overstraining.
5. The way in which the sparrows expressed their sorrow when the author’s grandmother died: The author saw that all over the verandah and in the grandmother’s room right up to where she lay dead and stiff wrapped in the red shroud, thousands of sparrows sat scattered on the floor. There was no chirruping. The sparrows didn’t even take notice of bread fetched by the author’s mother for them. When the members of the family carried the grandmother’s corpse off, the sparrows flew away quietly.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
1. The author’s grandmother was a religious person and we come to know this from: Her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer. Everyday, she said her morning prayers. While the children sat in school, she sat reading scriptures. She believed in the teachings about God.
2. The changing relationships between the author and his grandmother explained in three phases: THE FIRST PHASE: There is an inter-dependency (dependence on each other) which satisfies the needs of a young boy and the yearnings (a feeling of intense longing for something/somebody) of an old lady. The grandmother is tasked with caring for her grandson because his parents have moved to the city and the boy and the grandmother will only move to the city later. The boy is happy for his grandmother to accompany him wherever he goes and she is happy to make a substantial/significant contribution to the boy’s upbringing. THE SECOND PHASE: The relationship changes when the boy and his grandmother move to the city to live with his parents. The boy is now less dependent on his grandmother as he takes the bus to the school and forms relationships with his peers. Although the boy and the grandmother share a room at home, they no longer have the same interests. The grandmother is fearful of modern teaching methods and a lack of teaching of scriptures at school. Now, she must rely on the fact that she has taught him well (although she herself is uneducated). THE THIRD PHASE: When the boy goes to university, he no longer shares a room with his grandmother. He is now a young, grown up man and the room of his own symbolises his independence. Even though his relationship with his grandmother has changed significantly and her role has changed as the boy has grown up, their love and respect for each other never changes. As far as the boy is concerned, his grandmother has ‘’been old and wrinkled for the twenty years I have known her’’. She has always been a steadfast (loyal, unfaltering) example in his life. Their feelings of love and respect for each other never changed.
3. Yes. I agree that the author’s grandmother was a person strong in character. Instances showing the same are: She never misses her morning prayers, getting the boy ready for school, reading scriptures, feeding dogs and sparrows.
4. DO IT YOURSELF.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
1. The author and his grandmother used their local language and the language of love, affection, mutual understanding and respect for each other while talking.
2. I use my local language and the language of love and respect while talking to elderly relatives in my family.
3. Broken drum (toota hua dhol).
4. DO IT YOURSELF.
WORKING WITH WORDS
I.
1. Her fingers were busy telling the beads of her rosary – count while reciting
2. I would tell her English words and little things of western science and learning – make something known to someone in spoken or written words
3. At her age one could never tell – be sure
4. She told us that her end was near – give information to somebody
II.
1. There were no dogs in the streets and she took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of our city house.
2. The next morning she was taken ill.
III.
Shuffle, stride, waddle, wriggle, paddle, swagger, trudge, slog
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HORNBILL ''A Photograph''
The Poet: Shirley Toulson (1924-2018), born in England, had huge passion on creative writing and was greatly influenced by her father who was also a writer. She served as editor for several magazines. She was greatly influenced by Celtic Christianity which is reflected in her works like ‘Celtic Alternative’ and ‘Celtic Year’ and these works made her famous. Celt meaning: member of an ethnic group including inhabitants of Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall and Brittany.
Theme: Recalling close relation and connected memories while looking at a childhood photograph. The poet’s mother has been dead twelve years ago and the poet can’t explain her grief on her mother’s loss.
Story: The poet narrates her mother’s childhood days from a photograph which was taken when the poet’s mother was twelve years old. The poet’s mother, her mother’s two cousins and the poet’s mother’s uncle are at a seashore paddling in shallow water and enjoying. The uncle takes the photo in which the poet’s mother is flanked by her cousins. Whenever the poet’s mother sees this photograph, she remembers good old days, feels happy and, then, the thought of such good old days not returning again makes her sad.
Twenty, thirty years later the poet’s mother would see the photograph, remember good old days and laugh. The poet says that the sea holiday (the memory of which made her mother happy) was her mother’s past whereas her mother’s laughter is the poet’s past.
In the present, the poet’s mother is dead twelve years ago (she/the poet’s mother was twelve years of age when the photograph was taken). The poet says that ‘of this circumstance, there is nothing to say at all. Its silence silences’. It means that the poet is so sad that she can’t explain her grief on her mother’s loss. ‘This circumstance’ refers to the present situation when the poet is full of sad memories of the loss of her mother who deceased twelve years ago. A look at the photograph makes the poet remember her good old days with her mother when the poet’s mother used to narrate her good old days to the poet. Seeing the photograph, she gets lost in thinking how happy her mother was at that time. All these thoughts make the poet sad and a silence (of sadness) prevails around her.
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Paddle walk barefoot in shallow water
Transient lasting only for a short time
Snapshot informal or casual photograph
Wry contorted, drily humorous
Laboured uttered or done with difficulty
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THINK IT OUT
1. ‘Cardboard’ in the poem means the frame made of cardboard in which the photograph was framed. It also denotes that though the cardboard is not very strong, it can help in holding/retaining memories for a long time.
2. The camera has captured the poet’s mother and her two cousins (Betty and Dolly) holding the poet’s mother’s hands who was in the middle. This photograph gave the poet’s mother beautiful memories of the past and she became happy whenever she saw this photograph.
3. As per the poet, the sea that washed their terribly ‘transient feet’ doesn’t appear to have changed much. Their feet have been termed as ‘transient’ because they (human lives) last only for a short time. Though the poet’s mother and her mother’s cousins grew old, the sea doesn’t seem to have grown much older. It symbolises the long-lasting existence of the sea and contrasts with the fleeting life of human beings.
4. The poet’s mother laughed at the photograph and said ‘See Betty and Dolly, and look how they dressed us for the beach’. This way, the poet’s mother remembered good old days and felt very happy. It also shows the pain at the thought that such good times wouldn’t return.
5. ‘Both wry with the laboured ease of loss’ means: (i) Whenever the poet’s mother sees the photograph, she remembers the good old days and feels the pain of those happy days which are not going to come back again. (ii) The poet has lost her mother twelve years ago, misses her a lot and recalls her mother’s happiness of the moment when this photograph was taken. So, both of them lost something very dear and found it very difficult to reconcile with the fact of loss.
6. ‘This circumstance’ refers to the present situation when the poet is full of sad memories of the loss of her mother who deceased twelve years ago. A look at the photograph makes the poet remember her good old days with her mother, she gets lost in thinking how happy her mother was at that time. All these thoughts make the poet sad. The poet says that ‘of this circumstance, there is nothing to say at all. Its silence silences’. It means that the poet is so sad that she can’t explain her grief on her mother’s loss.
7. Three stanzas depict three different phases: (i) First, when the poet’s mother is twelve years of age and is very happy with her cousins as is shown in the photograph and as her mother used to narrate her. Over the years, her mother grew old whereas the sea that washed their feet doesn’t seem to have changed much. It depicts fleeting life, happiness of human beings and contrasts with long life of the sea. (ii) Second, the poet talks about her own childhood days when her mother used to see the photograph, remember good old days, become happy and used to share happiness of those times with the poet. (iii) Third, the poet’s mother is dead twelve years ago as was her age in the photograph. In the photograph (when it was taken), she had lived her life for twelve years. Today, she has deceased twelve years ago. The poet is recalling her mother’s old memories looking at the photograph. The poet talks of ‘This circumstance’ which refers to the present situation when the poet is full of sad memories of the loss of her mother who deceased twelve years ago. A look at the photograph makes the poet remember her good old days with her mother, she gets lost in thinking how happy her mother was at that time. All these thoughts make the poet sad. The poet says that ‘of this circumstance, there is nothing to say at all. Its silence silences’. It means that the poet is so sad that she can’t explain her grief on her mother’s loss.
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HORNBILL ‘’We’re Not Afraid to Die…if We Can All Be Together’’
The Authors: Gordon Cook and Alan East.
Theme: People are not afraid of dying if they are with their loved ones. Courage, cool mind, an attitude of never giving up can save lives even in the face of death. Combined efforts could be better than individual efforts in handling a crisis situation. And in order to realise long-cherished dreams, one needs to take risks, make sacrifices.
Story: It is the story of a young businessman (37 years of age) who has embarked (with his wife Mary, son Jonathan 6, and daughter Suzanne 7) on a long-cherished dream/voyage of duplicating the round-the-world voyage undertaken by Captain James Cook 200 years ago. The family has spent all its leisure time over the last 16 years in sharpening their seafaring skills.
The beginning is good as all our in a happy mood, weather is favourable and they are even able to celebrate Christmas on the boat.
But things turn for the worse as they are faced with strong winds and very strong currents. Things become so bad that their boat is almost overturned in winds/currents. There is serious damage to various important parts of the ship. They join together, contribute to the best of their capacity/capability in ensuring putting up a brave fight against the odds. They don’t rest, they don’t lose hope, they keep on trying, improvising continuously. Even in the face of near-death, they don’t lose hope, they keep their calm & cool, they keep collaborating, trying each single thing they can do.
Finally, their combined efforts, courage, improvisation, wisdom, strong emotional connect, their belief in themselves, and never say ‘No’ attitude makes them succeed against all the odds of the furious power of nature and they realise their long-cherished dream.
To sum up, the narrative shifts as under:-
First stage: In this, everybody is happy as they have started on their long-cherished dream (they had spent all their leisure time of last 16 years in sharpening their seafaring skills) to duplicate the round-the-world voyage made 200 years ago by Captain James Cook. They are looking forward to realising their dream. Though the weather was bad, they had a good Christmas celebration on the boat.
Second stage: In this, they are seen struggling continuously (without any significant respite in their struggle) against the strong winds/currents. Each one of them contributes and does his/her best in this struggle. This adverse circumstance brings out the best (the best qualities) in each one of them. Despite coming face-to-face with death, they never lose hope and together, they put up of a very strong fight against the odds.
Third stage: Combined together, they put a very strong physical, mental fight/resistance against the odds presented before them by the strong fury of nature and ultimately win. Once again, all them are happy after realising their long-cherished dream.
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Honing our seafaring skills : sharpening our seafaring skills
Ominous silence : silence which is worrying/seeming to foretell misfortune
Mayday calls : international radio distress signal
Pinpricks in the vast ocean : extremely tiny/small in the vast ocean
A tousled head : ruffled and untidy head
Voyage : long journey by sea or in space
Hull : main body of a boat
Crew : people who work on a ship or aircraft, group of people working together
Gale : strong wind
Mast : tall pole for supporting something, esp. a ship’s sails
Atrocious : extremely cruel or wicked, horrifying or shocking
Gigantic : enormous
Jib : a triangular sail set in front of a mast, projecting arm of a crane
Knot : unit of speed used by ships, equal to one nautical mile (1.85 km) per hour
Lash : beat forcefully against, fasten or bind tightly with cord/rope
Mooring : place for mooring (securing a ship with ropes) a ship
Stern : rear part of a ship
Life-raft : a floating platform of logs/planks for saving life
Donned : put on clothing
Impending : (esp. of something bad) about to happen
Aft : towards the rear of a ship, aircraft
Frightful : horrifying
Crest : top of a mountain, hill or wave
Popped up : came unexpectedly or suddenly
Capsizing : (of a boat) overturning accidentally
Taut : tight, tense
Boom : pole to which the foot of a sail is attached
Hatch : opening in the deck of a ship
Scramble : climb or crawl hastily or awkwardly, disorderly struggle
Crazy : ridiculous, insane
Bulge : swelling on a normally flat surface
Slosh : splash carelessly, hit hard, splashing sound
Bunk : narrow shelf like bed
Bump : knock or strike with a jolt, raised uneven part
Gaping : be or become wide open
Debris : fragments of something destroyed
Wrench : adjustable spanner, twist or pull violently
Dinghy : small boat, powered by sails/oars/motor
Anchor : heavy hooked device attached to a boat by a cable and dropped overboard to fasten the ship to the sea bottom, fasten
with an anchor
Keel : main lengthways timber or steel support along the base of a ship
Abate : make or become less strong
Auxiliary : secondary or supplementary, supporting
Rigging : ship’s spars and ropes, way a ship’s masts and sails are arranged
Respite : pause, interval of rest
Heave : lift with effort, throw something (heavy)
Improvise : make use of whatever materials are available
Sextant : navigator’s instrument for measuring angles as between the sun and the horizon
Drift : be carried along by currents of air or water, something piled up by the wind/current
Chorus : something expressed by many people at once
Gaze : look fixedly, fixed look
Stark : harsh, unpleasant, desolate, bare
Bleak : exposed and barren, offering little hope
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UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1.
(i) The captain has taken the following steps to protect the ship when rough weather began: (i) To slow the boat down, he dropped the storm jib and lashed a heavy mooring rope in a loop across the stern. (ii) Then, double-lashed everything. (iii) Went through their life-raft drill to ensure it worked in times of actual need. (iv) Attached lifelines, donned oilskins and life jackets and waited fully prepared to face any eventuality.
(ii) The captain has taken the following steps to check the flooding of the water in the ship: (i) He hands over command of the wheels/steering Mary so that he can take care of checking the flooding of water in the ship. (ii) Found a hammer, screws and canvas. (ii) Stretched canvas and secured waterproof hatch covers across the gaping/wide holes through which water was flowing in. (iii) He remembered they had another electric pump (other pumps were either blocked with debris or short circuited because of their having been in water) under the chartroom floor. He connected it to an out-pipe and it worked to pump-out water.
2. Described below is the mental condition of the voyagers on 4 and 5 January: On January 4, they had something to eat (some corned beef and cracker biscuits) after two days. Just when they were thinking that things seemed to be improving, black clouds began building up behind them at 4 p.m.. Within one hour, the wind was back to 40 knots and the sea-waves were getting higher and higher. The weather continued to worsen throughout the night, and by morning of January 5, their situation was again desperate (hopeless). The voyagers felt that their end was very near.
3. Described below are the shifts in the narration of the events as indicated in the three sections of the text (with a suitable title to each section): First: The Voyage: In this, everybody is happy as they have started on their long-cherished dream (they had spent all their leisure time of last 16 years in sharpening their seafaring skills) to duplicate the round-the-world voyage made 200 years ago by Captain James Cook. They are looking forward to realising their dream. Though the weather was bad, they had a good Christmas celebration on the boat. Second: Struggle against strong winds/currents: In this section, they are seen struggling continuously (without any significant respite in their struggle) against the strong winds/currents. Each one of them contributes and does his/her best in this struggle. This adverse circumstance brings out the best (the best qualities) in each one of them. Despite coming face-to-face with death, they never lose hope and together, they put a very strong fight against the odds. Third: Victory over the fury of nature: Combined together, they put a very strong physical, mental fight/resistance against the odds presented before them by the strong fury of nature and ultimately win. Once again, all them are happy after realising their long-cherished dream.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
1. There is a significant difference. In the face of danger/near-death experience, adults seem to be losing hope sometimes whereas children are hopeful themselves and also give hope to the adults as seen in Jon telling his Daddy ‘But, Daddy, we aren’t afraid of dying if we can all be together-you and Mummy, Sue and I.’ This statement gives lot of courage, confidence and hope to the adult ones.
2. The sense of optimism gives a person determination to do something, fight, put as much resistance as possible and think of winning against all odds. The story suggests that optimism helps to endure ‘the direst stress’. It was only a very profound sense of optimism which drove them to protect the ship when rough weather began, to check the flooding of the water in the ship, to survive on meagre food & drink, to do everything possible within their combined mental and physical power to put up as much resistance as they could put against such huge fury of nature. And, due to optimism only they survived. Optimistic people never up and the characters in the story also never gave up.
3. Lesson that we learn from such hazardous experiences when we are face-to-face with death: never lose hope, keep calm and cool, always think of improvisations, keep your focus all the time, explore everything that you think can help, even the most insignificant-looking thing could help as they are talking of ‘pinpricks in the vast ocean’, combined efforts could help more and never give up on trying.
4. People undertake such adventurous expeditions in spite of the risks involved as they: are adventurous/risk-taking by nature, like to accept higher and still higher challenges, satisfy their passion of doing adventurous things, don’t rest with what they have achieved and look for further goals. All this, despite being fully aware of the risks involved.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
1. Hindi: Aandhi, Toofan, Bawandar
2. Hindi: Naav, Jahaaz,
3. Tamil (Kattumaram)
4. Do it yourself
WORKING WITH WORDS
1.
Knot : tie with or into a knot
Stern : severe, strict
Boom : make a loud, deep echoing sound
Hatch : emerge from an egg, devise (a plot)
Anchor : broadcaster in a central studio
2.
Airship : lighter-than-air self-propelled aircraft
Flagship : admiral’s ship
Lightship : anchored ship with beacon light
3. ‘take on’ : to employ somebody, to engage somebody.
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HORNBILL''Childhood''
The Poet: Markus Natten
Theme: Focusses on the loss of innocence of childhood. The poet wonders when and where he lost his childhood. And, in this quest he grew up. The poet highlights the loss of innocence and faith as he gained rational individuality while he grew up as a young man.
Story: This poem focusses on the loss of childhood. The poet wonders when and where he lost his innocent childhood. During this quest, he grew up into an adult having his own individual rationality. The poet highlights the loss of innocence (attached to childhood) and faith as he gained rational individuality while he grew up as a young man.
The poet wonders when did his childhood go. He mulls whether he lost it when he completed eleven years of age. Or, did he lose it when he realised that Hell and Heaven couldn’t be found in Geography as they (Hell and Heaven) were nowhere to be found on the world map and, therefore, he thought that they didn’t exist. This stanza reflects that the poet has developed into a rational individual having his own rational thinking powers.
The poet wonders, again, as to when did his childhood go. He thinks whether he lost it when he realised that adults were not what they seemed to be (means, when the poet became matured enough to recognise hypocrisy in adults around him) as he found them talking of love, preaching love but didn’t find them act in a loving way. He found lot of difference between what the adults said and what they actually did. This stanza reflects hypocrisy and the fact that the poet is matured enough to identify hypocrisy in people around him.
The poet wonders, once again, as to when did his childhood go. He thinks whether it was when he found that he had full control over his mind and he could choose whichever way he wanted to use his mind. It means that by this time the poet had become matured enough to exercise his choice of using his mind the way he liked. This stanza reflects individuality of the poet who has grown up now. He has got full control over his mind and now his mind is his own.
The poet, now, wonders as to where did his childhood go. After all his quest, he is not able to find out. Finally, he settles down with the thought that it went to some forgotten place (some place which he has forgotten now) and that his childhood is hidden in the innocent face of an infant. It is easy for the poet to reconcile (the fact of loss of his innocent childhood) this way. Perhaps, the poet couldn’t have been as happy with any other scenario. The poet becomes nostalgic about his childhood and misses it badly.
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Ceased to be eleven : when he completed eleven years of his life/age
Hell and Heaven couldn’t
be found in Geography : the speaker grew into an adult and acquired reasoning capability. Now, he realised that Hell and Heaven couldn’t be found in Geography as they were nowhere to be found on the world map. He, therefore, concluded that Hell and Heaven didn’t exist at all. As a rational individual, he was ready to accept/believe in only those things which he could see and find.
Adults were not all they
seemed to be : it reflects hypocrisy of the adult people around him when he was growing from a child to an adult. People ‘seemed to be one thing’ but they ‘actually turned out to be something else’. In the process of growth (becoming a rational individual), he senses hypocrisy.
Talked of love & preached of
of love, but didn’t act so lovingly : it also reflects hypocrisy of the adult people around him. Though they ‘talk of love and preach love’, they ‘don’t act so lovingly’. It means, the words and deeds of adult people around the poet have no connection. Though they ‘talk love’, their ‘actions don’t display love’. The poet has grown into an adult and a rational individual and is now equipped to notice all these things.
My mind was really mine, to
use whichever way I choose : Now that he has grown into an adult and become a rational
individual, he finds that now his mind is really his own, he has
got full control over his mind, and he can now choose to use it as per his choice.
Some forgotten place : It reflects some sense of loss that he has lost his childhood, isn’t able to find it, and finally settles down to the idea that his childhood might have gone to some forgotten place.
Hidden in an infant’s face : It signifies the disappearance/loss of the poet’s childhood as he has now grown into an adult. In quest for its search, the poet comes to the conclusion that his childhood is hidden in an infant’s face (infant’s face symbolising innocence of an infant’s face). It seems that the poet finds it difficult to reconcile the loss of his childhood in any other way.
THINK IT OUT
1.
Individuality : Stanza 3
Rationalism : Stanza 1
Hypocrisy : Stanza 2
2. According to the poem, the following are involved in the process of growing up: attaining (i) maturity of mind, (ii) reasoning capability, (iii) logical reasoning, (iv) developing one’s own thought process.
3. The poet seems to be in deep love with his childhood and innocence attached to it. After having grown into an adult and a rational individual, he misses his childhood innocence a lot. He feels nostalgic and sad over having lost his childhood innocence.
4. In my view, the following are the most poetic lines of this poem: ‘Where did my childhood go? It went to some forgotten place. That’s hidden in an infant’s face. That’s all I know.’ These lines suggest: They signify the disappearance/loss of the poet’s childhood as he has now grown into an adult. In quest for its search, the poet comes to the conclusion that his childhood is hidden in an infant’s face (infant’s face symbolising innocence of an infant’s face). It seems that the poet finds it difficult to reconcile the loss of his childhood in any other way.
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HORNBILL''Discovering Tut : the Saga Continues''
The Author: A. R. Williams
Theme: Gives an insight into the mystery surrounding the life and death of Tutankhamun, the last teenage ruler of powerful Pharaoh dynasty of Egypt. We get to understand that scientific intervention is necessary to unearth mysteries which have been buried for centuries.
Story: This is the story of Egypt’s Pharaoh King, Tutankhamun, who became King at very young age, ruled for a short period and died quite young. His becoming King at very young age and more particularly his death at quite young age caused a sense of mystery among a very large number of people. This sense of mystery caused King Tut’s body to be subjected to repeated scrutiny. Out of a burning desire, helped by lot of speculation, to know more about what happened to him, his body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.
Ray Johnson described Akhenaten, predecessor of King Tut as ‘wacky’ as: After coming to power, he (earlier known as Amenhotep IV) initiated one of the strangest periods in the history of ancient Egypt. He promoted the worship of the Aten, the sun disk, changed his name to Akhenaten, or ‘servant of the Aten’, and moved the religious capital from the old city of Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten, known now as Amarna. He further shocked the country by attacking Amun, a major god, smashing his images and closing his temples.
King Tut, after coming to power subsequent to the death of Akhenaten, changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun because King Tut wanted to rectify the wrong committed by his predecessor (Amenhotep IV who initiated one of the strangest periods in the history of ancient Egypt. He promoted the worship of the Aten and shocked the country by attacking Amun, a major god). After Akhenaten’s (Amenhotep IV’s) death, King Tut came to power and soon changed his name to Tutankhamun, ‘living image of Amun’ and oversaw a restoration of the old ways.
Howard Carter’s investigation, among investigation by several others, in respect of King Tut was resented because he, in order to release the cemented (with ritual resins having got hardened) Tut from the bottom of Tut’s solid gold coffin, chiselled away the consolidated material from beneath the limbs and trunk before it was possible for Howard Carter to raise the King’s remains. Further, Carter’s men removed the mummy’s head and severed nearly every major joint.
Tut’s body was found buried along with gilded treasures because during those times the Royal people believed that they could carry their riches with themselves even after their death.
Scientific methods of investigation, like CT scan etc, have offered new clues about his life & death and provided precise data for an accurate forensic reconstruction of the boyish pharaoh. The CT scan machine scanned the mummy head to toe, creating 1,700 digital X-ray images in cross section. Tut’s head, scanned in 0.62 millimetre slices to register its intricate structures, takes on eerie detail in the resulting image. With Tut’s entire body similarly recorded, a team of specialists in radiology, forensics and anatomy began to probe the secrets that the winged goddesses of a gilded burial shrine protected for so long.
So, lot of mystery surrounding the sudden/young-age death of King Tut has been solved and great deal of people’s curiosities satisfied through the use of advanced technologies which have provided us with conclusive evidence of past events.
Finally, we get to understand that scientific intervention is necessary to unearth mysteries which have been buried for centuries.
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Forensic reconstruction : process of recreating body parts from their skeletal remains through an amalgamation of artistry, anthropology, osteology, anatomy
Scudded across : move along swiftly across something/somebody
Casket : small box for valuables, coffin
Resurrection : rising again (esp. from the dead), revival
Funerary : of or for a funeral
Circumvent : avoid or get round (a rule, etc)
Eerie : uncannily frightening or disturbing
Heir : person entitled to inherit property or rank
Speculate : guess, conjecture
Boyish : like a boy
Cemetery : place where dead people are buried
Dark-bellied : having very dark/black inner part
Pharaoh : title of the ancient Egyptian king
Veiling : putting a piece of thin cloth covering the head/face, something that masks the truth
Linger : delay or prolong departure, spend a long time doing something
Gaze : look fixedly, fixed look
Mural : painting on a wall
Peer : look closely and intently
Gilded : put a thin layer of gold on, make falsely attractive
Ponder : think thoroughly or deeply (about)
Ransack : search thoroughly, pillage, plunder
Artefact : something made by human beings
Willow : tree with thin flexible branches, its wood, used for making cricket bats
Celery : vegetable with long green crisp edible stalks
Resin : sticky substance from plants esp. pines, similar synthetic substance
Blaze : strong fire or flame, very bright light, burn or shine brightly
Budge : move slightly
Scientific detachment : lack of emotional involvement typical of a scientific approach/temperament
Chisel : carve with a chisel
Fabulous : excellent, astounding, told of in fables
Lavish : giving or spending generously, extravagant
Sheath : close-fitting cover, esp. for a knife/sword
Icon : sacred painting, mosaic, image, statue
Adornment : decoration, embellishment
Intrigue : make interested or curious, plot secretly
Demise : death, eventual failure (of something successful)
Rattle : shake briskly causing sharp sounds, short sharp sound
Wacky : eccentric or funny
Reign : period of a sovereign’s rule, rule (a country), be supreme
Regal : of or like a king or queen, ceremonial emblems of a royalty or high office
Pallbearer : person who helps to carry the coffin at a funeral
Swirl : turn with a whirling motion, twisting shape
Sprint : short race run at top speed, fast run
Valley of the departed : valley where the departed ones are cremated/buried
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UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1.
(i) King Tut’s body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny because he became ruler of Egypt at a very young age and died very early. This fact created lot of mystery among people. Out of a burning desire, helped by lot of speculation, to know more about what happened to him, his body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.
(ii) Howard Carter’s investigation was resented because he, in order to release the cemented (with ritual resins having got hardened) Tut from the bottom of Tut’s solid gold coffin, chiselled away the consolidated material from beneath the limbs and trunk before it was possible for Howard Carter to raise the King’s remains. Further, Carter’s men removed the mummy’s head and severed nearly every major joint.
(iii) Carter had to chisel away the solidified resins to raise the King’s remains because the King’s remains had got cemented to the solidified material (with ritual resins having got hardened over the period of time).
(iv) Tut’s body was buried along with gilded treasures because during those times the Royal people believed that they could carry their riches with themselves even after their death.
(v) The boy king changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun because King Tut wanted to rectify the wrong committed by his predecessor (Amenhotep IV who initiated one of the strangest periods in the history of ancient Egypt. He promoted the worship of the Aten and shocked the country by attacking Amun, a major god). After Akhenaten’s (Amenhotep IV’s) death, King Tut came to power and soon changed his name to Tutankhamun, ‘living image of Amun’ and oversaw a restoration of the old ways.
2.
(i) The following are the deeds that led Ray Johnson to describe Akhenaten as ‘wacky’: After coming to power, Amenhotep IV initiated one of the strangest periods in the history of ancient Egypt. He promoted the worship of the Aten, the sun disk, changed his name to Akhenaten, or ‘servant of the Aten’, and moved the religious capital from the old city of Thebes to the new city of Akhetaten, known now as Amarna. He further shocked the country by attacking Amun, a major god, smashing his images and closing his temples.
(ii) Results of the CT scan: CT scans have offered new clues about his life & death and provides precise data for an accurate forensic reconstruction of the boyish pharaoh. The CT scan machine scanned the mummy head to toe, creating 1,700 digital X-ray images in cross section. Tut’s head, scanned in 0.62 millimetre slices to register its intricate structures, takes on eerie detail in the resulting image. With Tut’s entire body similarly recorded, a team of specialists in radiology, forensics and anatomy began to probe the secrets that the winged goddesses of a gilded burial shrine protected for so long.
(iii) The advances in technology that have improved forensic analysis are: Now digital imaging can be done with CT scan machine which can take hundreds of X-ray images in cross section. These images can be put together and they provide us a three-dimensional view of the body.
(iv) The statement ‘King Tut is one of the first mummies to be scanned-in death, as in life…’ is explained as: King Tut became ruler of Egypt at a very young age and died very early. This fact created lot of mystery among people. Out of a burning desire, helped by lot of speculation, to know more about what happened to him, his body has been subjected to repeated scrutiny.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
DO IT YOURSELF.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
1.
2. Extinction of languages are mainly due to their being restricted to certain people/to certain geographies. The languages which don’t adapt to changing times, are not flexible/inclusive also decline over a period of time.
3. It is very important to preserve languages as they work as vehicles/medium to pass on to us what happened in the past long gone by. Languages also help us know what is happening around in the world. They are the means of communication and have got very intimate connection with the life, culture and civilisation of the people and also reflects their thinking.
4. We could help prevent the extinction of languages and dialects by: protecting, preserving and promoting their regular use among the masses, suitable legislations could be put in place by the govt., the users could be facilitated by being given suitable platforms to propagate their language/dialect. Govt. could provide incentives in case of languages/dialects which appear to be losing their ground so that their decline could be arrested in time. Users could be encouraged to be adaptive, flexible and inclusive in respect of their language/dialect.
WORKING WITH WORDS
1.
(i) to give us an image of devil in the form of ghostly dust.
(ii) to give us an idea of wide/vast expanse of the desert. Wherever you see you find desert, it seems the desert extends even up to the sky.
(iii) to convey exquisite beauty/uniqueness of artefacts. Their beauty/uniqueness stuns our mind.
(iv) to give us information about the belief of Royals who thought that they could carry their riches along with themselves when they died.
(v) to provide us a binding connection. Scientific (which has got no connection with sentiments/emotions/attachments) has been used with detachment (which is the sense of having no emotion/sentiment and is, like science, based on facts, evidences only).
(vi) to convey the severity of the dark clouds.
(vii) here, grey relates to decay. Hence, the casket (coffin) is used with grey. The grey sky hiding the shining stars in it as a once-shining king is buried in the coffin.
(viii) to convey the everlasting brilliance.
(ix) resins which were used as a part of ritual (prevailing at that point of time) at the time of cremation/burial.
(x) created from the remains with the help of radiology, forensics and anatomy.
2.
CT scan : medical test in which a machine gives us three-dimensional picture after taking X-rays
MRI : Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a medical technique, used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body
Tomography : a technique for displaying a representation of a cross section through a human body or other solid object using X-rays/ultrasound
Autopsy : examination of a corpse to determine the cause of death
Dialysis : filtering of blood through a membrane to remove waste products
ECG : Electrocardiogram
Post mortem : medical examination of a body to determine the cause of death
Angiography : an imaging test that uses X-rays to view our body’s blood vessels
Biopsy : examination of tissue from a living body
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HORNBILL ''Landscape of the Soul''
The Author: Nathalie Trouveroy is an art historian.
Theme: The writer contrasts Chinese art with European art. In Chinese art, it is the essence of inner life and spirit; whereas in European art, it is illusionistic likeness (refers to technique of using pictorial methods in order to deceive the eye). A classical Chinese landscape is not meant to reproduce an actual view, as would a Western figurative painting (artwork, particularly paintings and sculptures, that is derived from real object sources and is, therefore, representational). The Chinese landscape is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space (refers to relation with the abstract than the factual representation, incalculable dimension of the understanding of concepts).
Story: This piece of prose shows the difference/contrast between the Chinese art form and the European art form.
The Chinese art: It doesn’t create a real landscape. It is the artist’s own inner and spiritual voice, which creates an abstract piece of art, where we can travel from any point and it also allows the viewer to create his own imagination in interpreting the art. The artist wants the viewer to enter his (the artist’s) mind and create his (the viewer’s) own path in the landscape that the artist has drawn. This concept is known as shanshui which means ‘mountain water’. When used together, they represent the word ‘landscape’. It refers to a style of traditional Chinese painting that involves scenery or natural landscapes, using a brush and ink rather than more conventional paints. Mountains, rivers and waterfalls are prominent in this art form. In shanshui, mountain and water represent the landscape. The Chinese painter doesn’t want the viewer to borrow his eyes; he wants the viewer to enter his mind. A classical Chinese landscape isn’t meant to reproduce an actual view. That’s why the writer says that the landscape is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space. The Chinese painter doesn’t choose a single viewpoint.
The European art: It is about reproducing the actual view. It is an artist’s way to let viewers show exactly what the artist wants the viewer to see in the artwork. An artist wants the viewer to see a real viewpoint by borrowing his eyes. The art must be perfect and must be like an illusion (deceptive appearance or belief). It is based on delicate realism (alluring quality of the art which makes it seem real). It tries to achieve a perfect illusionistic likeness (refers to technique of using pictorial methods in order to deceive the eye). It is also based on figurative painting (artwork, particularly paintings and sculptures, that is derived from real object sources and is, therefore, representational). The European painter wants the viewer to borrow his eyes and look at a particular landscape exactly as he saw it, from a specific angle.
Nek Chand: An 80-year old creator-director, was considered as the ‘untutored genius who created a paradise’. By clearing a little patch of jungle, meant for making a garden for himself, sculpting it with stone and recycled material, he made what is known to the world today as Rock Garden at Chandigarh. This is the nature of his contribution to art.
All the above shows that art is an infinite form, has got a rich history of its own and it can’t fit inside any particular set of criteria. Art has life of its own and is reflected in innumerable forms.
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Sire : respectful term of address to a king
Anecdote : short amusing account of an incident
Delicate realism : alluring quality of the art which makes it seem real
Swat : hit sharply, sharp blow
Illusionistic likeness : refers to technique of using pictorial methods in order to deceive the eye
Figurative painting : artwork, particularly paintings and sculptures, that is derived from real object sources and is, therefore, representational
Leisurely : unhurried, slowly, deliberate
Conceptual space : refers to relation with the abstract than the factual representation, incalculable dimension of the understanding of concepts
Landscape : extensive piece of inland scenery seen from one place, picture of it, improve natural features of (a piece of land)
Conduit : channel or tube for fluid or cables
Moot : bring up for discussion, debatable, e.g., a moot point
Veiled : disguised
Contemporary : present-day, modern, living or occurring at the same time
Genre : style of literary, musical, or artistic work
Propound : put forward for consideration
Sculpt : represent in sculpture
Hail : acknowledge publicly, greet, call out to
Dizzy : having or causing a whirling sensation, mentally confused
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UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1.
(i) The Chinese view of art and the European view of art are contrasted as under:- The Chinese art is deeply revealing of the ‘spirit’ in which it (the Chinese art) was considered; whereas the European art relies on ‘delicate realism’ (alluring quality of the art which makes it seem real). The Chinese art tries to achieve the essence of inner life and spirit; whereas the European art tries to achieve a perfect illusionistic likeness. In respect of the Chinese art, only the artist knows the way within; whereas in the European art, you can enter it from any point. A classical Chinese landscape is not meant to reproduce an actual view, as would a Western figurative painting. Whereas the European painter wants you to borrow his eyes and look at a particular landscape exactly as he saw it, from a specific angle, the Chinese painter doesn’t choose a single viewpoint.
(ii) The concept of shanshui: literally means ‘mountain-water’ which used together represent the word ‘landscape’. Refers to a style of traditional Chinese painting that involves or depicts scenery or natural landscapes, using a brush and ink rather than more conventional paints. Mountains, rivers and waterfalls are prominent in this art form. In shanshui, mountain and water represent the landscape.
2.
(i) ‘Outsider art’: art produced by untrained or self-taught artists, e.g., art produced by children or mentally ill people.
‘Art brut’ or ‘raw art’: to describe art such as graffiti or naïve art made outside the academic tradition of fine art. It includes the art works in their raw state as regards cultural and artistic influences.
(ii) Nek Chand, 80-year old creator-director, was the ‘untutored genius who created a paradise’. By clearing a little patch of jungle, meant for making a garden for himself, sculpting it with stone and recycled material, he made what is known to the world today as Rock Garden at Chandigarh. This is the nature of his contribution to art.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
1. It means that the power of the Emperor is over a certain territory and its people; but it is the artist who knows the secrets, it is the artist who can reveal to him the true meaning of his work, it is the essence of inner life and spirit which he has put in his works. The artist has total command over the spiritual and conceptual space that he has created in his works.
2. It means that the Chinese painter doesn’t want you to borrow his eyes; he wants you to enter his mind. A classical Chinese landscape isn’t meant to reproduce an actual view. That’s why the writer says that the landscape is an inner one, a spiritual and conceptual space.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
1. Yin and Yang are female and male, dark and light, passive and active, stillness and motion.
2. Dutch language is spoken in Flanders (in Belgium).
WORKING WITH WORDS
I.
1.
(i) flat distinct section of a larger surface, for example in a door/window
(ii) list of jurors
(iii) group of people as a team
(iv) flat distinct section of a larger surface, for example in a door/window
(v) group of people as a team
(vi) panel hinge fixed to a door
2.
(i) most important feature of a thing which determines its identity
(ii) something fundamental
(iii) vital importance
(iv) concentrated liquid used to flavour food
II. Do it yourself.
NOTICING FORM
1. European art tries to achieve a perfect illusionistic likeness; whereas Asian art tries to capture the essence of inner life and spirit.
2. The Emperor commissions a painting and appreciates its outer appearance; whereas the artist reveals to him the true meaning of his work.
3. The Emperor may rule over the territory he has conquered; whereas the artist knows the way within.
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HORNBILL ''Father to Son''
The Poet: Elizabeth Zennings
Theme: Relationship between a father and son and the generation gap between them. Father doesn’t understand his child though they have lived together in the same house for years. He knows nothing of his son. The father wishes that his son settles down with him rather than settling down elsewhere/separately.
Story: The poem talks of relationship between a father and his son and the generation gap, which is more common than uncommon now, between them.
The father says that he doesn’t understand his child though they have lived together in the same house for years. He knows nothing of his son. The father tries to build up a loving relationship as they had when his son was a small child.
Though the father tried to sow the seeds of love and affection in his child, his son doesn’t appear to have nurtured them with his love and affection for the father. The father rues that the land is of his son now and not his own now. They talk like strangers, without any emotions, sentiments for each other as there is no sign of mutual understanding between the two. The poet expresses the gap which the father feels with his son. Though the son has grown under the father’s guidance and is a reflection of his father, there is a huge gap between them and they don’t share common concerns.
The father further says that in view of lack of communication, a silence prevails between them. The father is even willing to reconcile to the extent that his son goes away, wastefully spends his money and, then, comes back to his father. His father would be willing/happy to welcome him back. The father, like many other fathers, wishes that his son settles down with him rather than settling down elsewhere/separately. The father is willing to forgive all his mistakes and would love to make a new and happy beginning for the future out of the sorrowful past.
The father, once again, wishes that they stay together. He rues that he doesn’t understand what his son speaks. This way, the father’s grief grows into anger. The poet says that the father and the son both put out an empty hand waiting for the other to make a move and accept the other’s hand and put an end to the silence that surrounds them and restore their loving relationship.
Though the poem talks of an exclusive personal experience of a father with his son as expressed in the poem, such experiences are more common than uncommon arising out of ‘generation gap’ (a difference of attitudes between people of different generations, leading to a lack of understanding). Lack of communication (which is a major cause of lack of understanding) makes things worse.
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Built to my design : the poet expresses the gap which the father feels with his son. Though the son has grown under the father’s guidance
and is a reflection of his father, there is a huge gap between them.
I would have him prodigal : the father is even willing to reconcile to the extent that his son goes away, wastefully spends his money and, then, comes back to his father. His father would be willing/happy to welcome him back.
We each put out an empty
hand, longing for something
to forgive : the poet says that the father and the son both put out an empty hand waiting for the other to make a move and accept the other’s hand and put an end to the silence that surrounds them and restore their relationship.
THINK IT OUT
1. The poem talks of an exclusive personal experience of a father with his son as expressed in the poem. However, such experiences are more common than uncommon arising out of ‘generation gap’ (a difference of attitudes between people of different generations, leading to a lack of understanding).
2. The father’s helplessness is brought out in the poem as under : (i) The father doesn’t understand his child though they have lived together in the same house for years. (ii) The father knows nothing of him. (iii) They talk like strangers. (iv) There is no sign of mutual understanding between them. (v) Silence surrounds them as there is lack of communication between the two. (vi) The father wishes that his son settles down with him rather than settling down elsewhere/separately. (vii) The father can’t understand what his son speaks. And, due to all this, the father’s grief grows into anger.
3. The phrases and lines that indicate distance between father and son are as under: The father says, ‘Though we have lived together now in the same house for years, I know nothing of him.’ ‘The land is his and none of mine?’ ‘We speak like strangers, there is no sign of understanding in the air.’ ‘Silence surrounds us.’ ‘He speaks: I can’t understand.’
4. No. The poem doesn’t have a consistent rhyme scheme.
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HORNBILL ''The Browning Version''
The Author: Terence Rattigan
Theme: The ideas of success, failure have been used to define characters. Success is equated with popularity & sports. Frank, a teacher, is considered successful as he relates better to students and teaches a less demanding subject.
Story: It is a one-act play and relates to the life of Crocker-Harris, a teacher of classics, disliked by his unfaithful wife, colleagues and also students. To the students, it appears that Frank is far more friendly/approachable in nature as compared to Crocker-Harris. This way, Crocker-Harris finds himself at a disadvantage. As per Taplow, Crocker-Harris is a different kind of teacher and he thinks others also would be sharing similar views which is evident when he tells Frank, ‘Well, you know what he’s like, sir’. Taplow finds Crocker-Harris too strict, hardly human and finds it difficult to expect favour from him. Taplow is even afraid of punishment at the hands of Crocker-Harris. Taplow feels that Crocker-Harris has no feelings, is all shrivelled up inside like a nut and seems to hate even those who like him. This, Taplow finds funny.
The story begins with Taplow (a student) having been invited by Crocker-Harris, the teacher of classics, at his home as Taplow has been entrusted extra work (as some sort of punishment for having missed a day last week when he was ill) and is shortly expecting remove (form or division in some schools, stage in gradation). Though Taplow has arrived in time, waits for some time, but Crocker-Harris isn’t there. After a few minutes, Frank (teacher of science) emerges and gets into discussion with Taplow. Initially, the discussion is about Taplow’s doing extra work on the last day of school and expecting remove. Then, the discussion shifts to how Crocker-Harris is as a teacher. Taplow is quite young and gets into the trap laid by Frank and even loses his self-control, becomes bitter while he is talking to Frank about Crocker-Harris. Taplow is not happy with studying classics and more so the way the classics are taught to them.
After the two have lot of discussions about Crocker-Harris, Crocker’s wife enters the room, settles herself, informs Taplow that Crocker may not come back soon and encourages Taplow to run away for a quarter of an hour and come back as she wants to be in the company of Frank. She even agrees to take the blame upon herself, if Crocker comes back before Taplow. Taplow, a young and gullible boy, takes the bait and goes out.
It narrates : a young, gullible boy (Taplow) who is not happy studying classics and more so the way classics is taught to them, Crocker’s unfaithful wife who meets Frank (another teacher) at her home in Crocker’s absence, Frank (a colleague of Crocker) is crafty by nature and meets Crocker’s wife in his absence, and Crocker-Harris seemingly a simple-minded man who doesn’t know the ways of the world, lives in his own world, oblivious of what is happening around and is disliked by his colleagues, his students and deceived by his wife as also his colleague (Frank).
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Remove : form or division in some schools, stage in gradation
Form : class in school
Slacker : shirker, good-for-nothing, idler, sluggard
Muck : dirt, filth, anything disgusting, manure
Aeschylus : an ancient Greek tragedian who is described as the ‘father of tragedy’
Agegamemnon : in Greek mythology, was a king of Mycenae and leader of the Greek army. He was a great warrior but selfish ruler
Kept in : held/detained
Throaty voice : hoarse, rough, thick voice
Got carried away : lost self-control
Looking severe : looking grave/stern/disapproving
Sadist : a person who enjoys cruelty to others
Shrivel : contract into wrinkled or dried-up state
Bursar : treasurer of college, etc, holder of bursary (grant, esp. scholarship)
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1. Taplow is not happy with studying classics and more so the way the classics are taught to them. Taplow finds Crocker-Harris too strict, hardly human and finds it difficult to expect favour from him. Taplow is even afraid of punishment at the hands of Crocker-Harris. Taplow feels that Crocker-Harris has no feelings, is all shrivelled up inside like a nut and seems to hate even those who like him. This, Taplow finds funny. As per Taplow, Crocker-Harris is a different kind of teacher and he thinks others also would be sharing similar views which is evident when he tells Frank, ‘Well, you know what he’s like, sir’. Taplow is quite young, gets into the trap laid by Frank and even loses his self-control, becomes bitter while he is talking to Frank about Crocker-Harris.
2. Yes. Frank seems to encourage Taplow’s comments on Crocker-Harris and the same is evident from his words: ‘Extra work-on the last day of school?’ ‘What was that Crocker-Harris said to you? Just-er-repeat it, would you?’ ‘I must admit I envy him the effect he seems to have on you boys in the form. You will seem scared to death of him. What does he do-beat you all, or something?’
3. Crocker-Harris seems to be a simple-minded man who doesn’t know the ways of the world, lives in his own world, oblivious of what is happening around and is disliked by his colleagues, his students and deceived by his wife and also his colleague (Frank).
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
1. Talking about teachers among friends, in an ordinary way, could be OK. But, demeaning your teacher, in his absence, before another teacher could be a strong ‘No, No’. We must not lose respect of our teachers. Each one of them, like that of us students, has got a different style of his/her own.
2. We must maintain the respect of a teacher while talking about him/her to other teachers. There can’t be any reason to be less-than-respectful about our teacher while talking about him/her to other teachers.
3. It depends upon the particular interest of particular students. Some find plays more interesting, while others find science more interesting, while still others may find accountancy to be more interesting. Each one of them is right in his/her own place having different kind of interest.
WORKING WITH WORDS
1. Perfectionist
2. Pacifist
3. Nihilist
4. Optimist
5. Conformist
6. Materialist
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HORNBILL ''The Voice of the Rain''
The Poet: Walt Whitman
Theme: Fulfilment is possible through the cycle of life/creation whether it is (i) cyclic creation of life & freshness brought to the parched land by the rain, or (ii) creation/writing of a poem/song by a poet/song-writer or (iii) cyclic creation of life & freshness brought by the human life. This is a nature poem celebrating the coming of the rain after long spell of intense heat.
Story: This is a nature poem celebrating the coming of the rain after long spell of intense heat. Theme that fulfilment is possible through the cycle of life/creation whether it is (i) cyclic creation of life & freshness brought to the parched land by the rain, or (ii) creation/writing of a poem/song by a poet/song-writer or (iii) cyclic creation of life & freshness brought by the human life runs through the poem.
The poet asks the soft-falling shower (lightly falling rain) who it is and gets a response that it is the Poem of Earth (meaning ‘rain’). The poet found it strange that rain had responded to the poet’s question. Then, the rain describes itself to the poet as/that: it rises eternally (as if its existence is everlasting) in a way which is difficult to define/understand. It rises in the form of vapour out of the land (from various water bodies on the land), out of the very deep-bottomed sea. It goes up in the air/sky towards the heaven and its form is vague/uncertain/unclear. Though its form has changed (from water to vapour), it remains the same (i.e., made of water/containing water). It descends on the land to bathe the parched land and each smallest part of the Earth, clears dust-layers which have accumulated on the surface of the land due to prolonged spell of intense heat of the sun. The rain tells the poet that without it (rain) seeds remain hidden and don’t come to life. It further says that it always, by day and night, gives back life to its own origin (means, it gives back water to its original source, be it sea, land or water bodies). And by this way, it purifies and beautifies the sources of its own origin.
Then, it draws a parallel between rain and music. The following words indicate this: ‘For song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfilment, wandering Reck’d or unreck’d, duly with love returns’. As water returns back to water (through the cycle: water>vapour>clouds>rain>water), so does a song return to its birth-place (singer’s heart>song>travels through the world/song-lovers>back to its birth-place with lots of love from the admirers).
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Soft-falling shower : light rain providing life to the parched Earth
Poem of Earth : rain is considered as Poem of Earth. As a poem is made up of beautiful-sounding words, thought and rhythm, similarly rain also
gives beauty, music, coolness, comfort, respite, new lease of life to the Earth
Impalpable : difficult to define or understand
Out of the land : water, humidity on the land gets into vapour by strong heat of the sun and this vapour moves out of the land to the sky
Bottomless sea : used to suggest very deep bottom of the sea
Lave : wash, bathe, wash against, flow along
Drought : prolonged shortage of rainfall caused by long spell of intense heat of the sun
Atom : smallest unit of matter which can take part in a chemical reaction, very small amount
Dust layers : prolonged period of intense heat fills the surface of the land with layers of dust
Latent : hidden and not yet developed
Unborn : not yet born
Give back to life my own origin : due to sun’s heat, water evaporates from the sea/water bodies and vapour goes up in the sky, then, due to cooling & condensing clouds are formed in the sky, and thereafter causing rainfall on the land.
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THINK IT OUT
I.
1. There are two voices in the poem: First, voice of the poet who asks: ‘And who art thou?’. Second, voice of the rain which responds to the poet’s question: ‘I am the Poem of Earth.’
2. The phrase ‘strange to tell’ means’: When the poet asked ‘Who are thou?’, he got the response ‘I am the Poem of Earth’ from the soft-falling shower. The poet finds it strange to hear/believe and he also understands that others may find it difficult/strange to believe.
3. A parallel is drawn between rain and music. The following words indicate this: ‘For song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfilment, wandering Reck’d or unreck’d, duly with love returns’. As water returns back to water (water>vapour>clouds>rain>water), so does a song return to its birth-place (singer’s heart>song>travels through the world/song-lovers>back to its birth-place with lots of love from the admirers).
4. The cyclic movement of rain is brought out in the poem as: the water rises from the land and the deep bottom of the sea in the form of vapour out of the intense heat of the sun. It then changes its form and transforms into clouds. It comes down to the Earth in the form of rain cooling the parched land, cleaning the layers of dust from the land. In science, we have learnt as: due to sun’s heat, water evaporates from the sea/water bodies and vapour goes up in the sky, then, due to cooling & condensing clouds are formed in the sky, and thereafter causing rainfall on the land.
5. The last two lines of the poem are put within brackets because they are the concluding thoughts of the poet where he has drawn a similarity between the song and the rain.
6. Pairs of opposites in the poem: rise-descend, day-night, reck’d-unreck’d.
II.
1. I asked the soft-falling shower ‘Who are you?’
2. The voice of the rain replied ‘I am the Poem of Earth.’
3. I rise in an eternal way.
4. For song returns back duly with love.
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HORNBILL ''The Laburnum Top''
The Poet: Ted Hughes
Theme: Mutual relation between a laburnum tree (which is large, colourful, beautiful but quite alone when on its own) and a goldfinch (which is very active, beautiful, amusing, sings beautifully, but without any shelter). Reflects importance of living with each other.
Story: The poet details here a laburnum tree which is described as: silent, quite still, a few leaves are yellowing during autumn, all its seeds have fallen, it is thick, the tree trembles and thrills with joy with the movement of the goldfinch, and the tree subsides to the position of silence/emptiness/loneliness when the goldfinch launches away from the tree.
The poet also details here a goldfinch which is described as: it comes with a twitching chirrup, startles a branch with its sudden arrival, moves in a sleek way as a lizard and is alert and abrupt in its movements, the moment she enters the thick tree something like a machine starts up out of her movements as she (like an engine for a family) feeds her family, with her tremor of wings and trillings, the whole tree trembles and thrills with joy. Engine-like movement has come from her family whom she has fed. She, then, flirts to a branch, her face barred from the falling flowers of the laburnum tree. Then, she makes delicate whistling chirping sound and launches away from the laburnum tree towards the infinite (nobody knows where she is headed).
And, the laburnum tree now falls silent in its own silence/emptiness/loneliness.
The poem shows the importance of mutual relation between a laburnum tree (which is large, colourful, beautiful but quite alone) and a goldfinch (which is very active, beautiful, amusing, sings beautifully, but is without any shelter). Both of them appear active, happy when together. But, not so when they are not together. The poem reflects importance of living with each other.
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Laburnum : ornamental tree with yellow hanging flowers
Yellow Sep. sunlight : During autumn, the laburnum tree appears in yellow coloured leaves. Dried up leaves look yellow.
Goldfinch : kind of finch (small song-bird with a short strong beak) the male of which has yellow-and-black wings
Twitching chirrup : a short high-pitched sound pulled sharply
Startlement : slight surprise or fright
Chitterings : a chirping noise, mysterious rustlings and chitterings in the underbrush
Trillings : shrill warbling sound made by some birds
Stoke : feed fuel and tend (a fire or furnace), fill oneself with food
Flirt : behave as if sexually attracted to someone, consider lightly, toy (with), a person who flirts
Barred face identity mask : Laburnum tree has flowers which fall and (while falling) look like bars before the face of the bird when the bird sits behind the flowers. The shadow of falling flowers appears like a mask on her face
Eerie : uncannily frightening or disturbing
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FIND OUT
1. Amaltaas
2. Sunahari Chidiya
THINK IT OUT
1. In the beginning as also in the end, the laburnum tree is standing silent, still, empty, lonely. It lacks togetherness of the goldfinch.
2. The bird’s movement (sleek, alert, abrupt) is compared to that of the lizard. Their movements are almost alike and that’s why the comparison.
3. The image of the engine is evoked by the poet because the bird is like an engine for the family whom she feeds. Further, as the starting of an engine creates vibrations, tremors, the bird’s movements in the thickness of the tree create vibrations, tremors in the tree.
4. I like the comparison of the two states of the laburnum tree: one at the beginning when the tree is standing silent, still, empty, lonely and again at the end (after the bird has flown away) it is silent, empty, quiet, lonely.
5. Laburnum tree has flowers which fall and (while falling) look like bars before the face of the bird when the bird sits behind the flowers. The shadow of falling flowers appears like a mask on her face. The bird’s face symbolises her identity and recognition.
NOTE DOWN
1. twitching chirrup, chitterings, trillings, whistle-chirrup whisperings
2. startlement, tremor of wings, launches away, tree trembles
3. Yellow
LIST THE FOLLOWING
1. Sleek: glossy, smooth, shiny – sleek as a lizard
2. Alert: watchful, attentive – sleek as a lizard, and alert
3. Abrupt: sudden, unexpected, blunt and rude - sleek as a lizard, and alert, and abrupt
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HORNBILL ‘’The Adventure’’
The Author: Jayant Narlikar (1938), an Indian astrophysicist, developed with Sir Fred Hoyle Hoyle-Narlikar theory which synthesises Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity and Mach’s principle. This theory proposes- inertial mass of a particle is a function of the masses of all other particles, multiplied by a coupling constant, which is a function of cosmic epoch (period of notable events).
Theme: The theme of ‘catastrophe theory’ (a branch of Mathematics concerned with systems displaying abrupt discontinuous change) runs through this piece of writing.
Story: The story goes like this:
Professor Gangadharpant Gaitonde (the narrator) leaves Pune for Bombay, by train, in order to find out how the present state of affairs was reached in respect of the East India Company (EEC) still present and flourishing in India whereas his study of history had taught him that the EEC had left India after the events of 1857.
During the journey, he has a brief interaction with Khan Sahib, a co passenger, who is travelling to Peshawar.
When the Prof. alights at Bombay, he finds the rail staff mostly made up of Anglo-Indians, Parsis and a good number of British officers.
Outside the station, he even finds the Headquarters of the EEC.
Now, the Prof. becomes prepared for many surprises and finds before his eyes, but against his expectations, the EEC flourishing and several British banks, shops, etc, as they are found in a typical high street in a town in England.
In order to make investigation with history, he heads to the library of the Asiatic Society and orders five volumes of history books for his purpose. He converges on the precise moment where history had taken a different turn, when he goes through the fifth volume. The page in the fifth volume describes the Battle of Panipat having been handsomely won by the Maratha army led by Sadashivrao Bhau and his nephew, the young Vishwasrao. The victory, a morale booster, established the Maratha supremacy in northern India. As a result, the EEC temporarily postponed its expansionist programme.
Subsequently, Vishwasrao (the Maratha ruler) and Madhavrao (his brother) expanded their influence all over India. The EEC was left confined to a small pockets of influence near Bombay, Calcutta and Madras.
Going forward, the Peshwas kept the puppet Mughal regime alive in Delhi and recognised the importance of the technological age dawning in Europe. This provided a fresh opportunity to the EEC to extend their influence.
In the 20th century, India moved towards a democratic system.
As the Prof. was reading all this in the library, he began appreciating the India that he had seen which hadn’t been subjected to the British slavery, had learnt to be self-reliant and knew what self-respect was. He understood that from a position of strength and for purely commercial reasons, India had allowed the British to retain Bombay as their only outpost on the subcontinent.
But, the Prof.’s curiosity was aroused to know how the Marathas won the battle. He started searching and came across a clue in Bhausahebanchi Bakhar’s account which stated that Vishwasrao had missed being hit by a gunshot which had brushed past his ear.
Before the library closed for the day, the Prof. left after inadvertently shoving the Bakhar’s book into his pocket.
On the way, he got into a scuffle with a crowd at a Pandal at Azad Maidan, was thrown out and lost consciousness.
After two days, he regained consciousness, found himself in a hospital with Rajendra Deshpande standing by his hospital bedside.
Rajendra informed him that he had a collision with a truck two days ago at Azad Maidan.
The Prof. narrated everything to Rajendra who listened with full attention and amusement. The Prof. advised him that he was thinking of the Catastrophe theory (a branch of Mathematics concerned with systems displaying abrupt discontinuous change) and its implications for history when he would have met with the accident with the truck.
The Prof. produced to Rajendra the torn piece of Bakhar’s account from his pocket in order to convince him with his arguments. Rajendra read that piece of paper attentively on which it was written that Vishwasrao had missed the bullet and survived.
Rajendra told the Prof. that first he had thought all this narrative (from the Prof.) to be the Prof.’s fantasy but now he began to realise that facts can be stranger than fantasies.
Rajendra rationalized the Prof.’s experience on the basis of two scientific theories. He said that the Prof. has passed through a catastrophic experience. He applies Catastrophe theory to the Battle of Panipat: (i) Rajendra says that as per the history that the Prof. had studied and known, the Marathas had lost their leaders and the Battle of Panipat at the hands of Abdali’s troops. The loss of their leaders was crucial for the Marathas, who lost their morale, fighting spirit and faced a rout/crushing defeat. (ii) Whereas the Prof.’s torn page from Bakhar’s account shows another course (Vishwasrao missing the gunshot and surviving) of the battle. A crucial event gone the other way and its effects on the troops was the opposite. It boosted the morale of the Maratha troops, provided just that extra impetus that made all the difference to the Marathas, thereafter, the Marathas having won the Battle of Panipat.
Rajendra further explains that reality may not be unique and the same has been found from experiments of atoms and their constituent particles. The behaviour of these systems can’t be predicted definitively/precisely (known as lack of determinism), even if all the physical laws governing those systems are known. He goes on explaining: If a bullet is fired from a gun in a given direction at a given speed, we know where the bullet will be at a later time. But we can’t make such an assertion for the electrons. The electron may be here, there or anywhere else. Once the observer finds where it is, we can know which world we are talking about. But all those alternative worlds could just exist the same.
Rajendra further says that we know the precise trajectory of the planet but an electron could be orbiting in any of a very large number of specified states. And, these numerous specified states may be used to identify the world. An electron can make a jump from high energy to low energy and send a pulse of radiation. Or a pulse of radiation can knock it out of this state to the previous/other state. Such transitions are common in microscopic (too small to be seen except with a microscope, very small) systems. What if it happened on a macroscopic (visible to the naked eye, not microscopic) level.
With all these arguments from Rajendra, the Prof. gets convinced that he had made a transition from one world to another, then, had come back again.
Rajendra says that catastrophic situations offer radically different alternatives for the world to proceed. It appears that so far as reality is concerned, all alternatives are viable (able to be put into practice); but the observer can experience only one of the alternatives at a single point of time.
Rajendra further says that by making a transition, the Prof. was able to experience two worlds although one at a time: one world in which the Prof. is living now; and the other in which he had spent the last two days before regaining consciousness in the hospital. One world has a history which we have studied and know; the other world is a different story. The separation/bifurcation of these two different worlds took place in the case of the Battle of Panipat. Rajendra says that the Prof. neither travelled to the past nor to the future. He was in the present but experiencing a different world. By the same token/logic, there may be many more different worlds arising out of separations/bifurcations at different points of time.
The Prof. asks Rajendra why he made the transition to which Rajendra replied that perhaps at the time of collision with the truck, the Prof. was thinking about the Catastrophe theory (which acted as some sort of interaction to cause this transition) and its role in wars. Rajendra also said that may be that the Prof. was wondering about the Battle of Panipat and perhaps the neurons in his brain acted as a trigger for this transition to take place.
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Blow by blow account : in minute details, without missing out on any part
Morale booster : which encourages or helps increase morale
Relegate : put in a less important position, demote
Acumen : ability to make good judgements
De facto : in fact, existing in fact, whether legally recognized or not
Astute : perceptive or shrewd
Doctored : altered in order to deceive
Give vent to : release (an emotion) in an outburst
Browse : look through (a book or articles for sale) in a casual manner
Venture : risky undertaking esp. in business, do something risky, dare to express (an opinion), go to an unknown place
Blow : sudden setback, hard hit, attacking action
Riddle : question made puzzling to test one’s ingenuity, puzzling person/thing
Avid : keen or enthusiastic, greedy (for)
Unmistakable : not ambiguous
Shelve : put aside or postpone
Expansionist : one who expands, makes or becomes larger, who spreads out
Dismay : with alarm or depression, alarm mixed with sadness
Valour : bravery
Puppet : person or country controlled by another
Dawn : become apparent (to)
Wield : have and use (power), hold and use (a weapon)
Figurehead : nominal leader
Outpost : outlying settlement
Lease : contract by which land/property is rented for a stated time by the owner to a tenant, let or rent by lease
Clue : something that helps to solve a mystery or puzzle
Germ : beginning from which something may develop, microbe esp. one causing disease
Melee : noisy confused fight or crowd
Elite : most powerful, rich or gifted members of a group
Shove : push roughly, rough push
Frugal : thriftly, sparing, meagre and inexpensive
Stroll : walk in a leisurely manner, leisurely walk
Throng : crowd
Mesmerize : hold spellbound, hypnotize
Stir : excite or stimulate, move, strong reaction
Valiant : brave or courageous
Sacrilege : misuse or desecration of something sacred
Swarm : large crowd, move in a swarm, be crowded or overrun
Eject : force out, expel
Dumbfounded : speechless with astonishment
Narrative : account, story
Catastrophe theory : a branch of Mathematics concerned with systems displaying abrupt discontinuous change
Smug : self-satisfied
Run amok : run about in a violent frenzy
Inadvertent : unintentional
Omen : happening or object thought to foretell success or misfortune
Fantasy : far-fetched notion, imagination unrestricted by reality, daydream, fiction with a large fantasy content
Pace : walk up and down, esp. in anxiety
All ears : fully attentive
Disparate : completely different
Rout : overwhelming defeat, disorderly retreat, defeat and put to flight
Impetus : incentive, impulse, force that starts a body moving
Startle : slightly surprise or frighten
Odds : (ratio showing) the probability of something happening at odds in conflict
Determinism : theory that human choice is not free, but decided by past events
Quantum theory : physics theory based on the idea that energy of electrons is discharged in discrete quanta
Ignoramus : ignorant person
Marshall : arrange in order, assemble
Microscopic : too small to be seen except with a microscope, very small, of a microscope
Macroscopic : visible to the naked eye, not microscopic
Viable : able to be put into practice, able to live and grow independently
Token : sign or symbol, nominal or slight
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UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
I.
1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True
II.
1. This sentence is told by Rajendra Deshpande to the Prof. Rajendra, with his solid arguments, convinces the Prof. that he (the Prof.) neither travelled to the past nor to the future. He tells that the Prof. was in the present but experiencing a different world.
2. This sentence is told by Rajendra Deshpande to the Prof. Rajendra rationalized the Prof.’s experience on the basis of two scientific theories. He said that the Prof. has passed through a catastrophic experience. He applies Catastrophe theory to the Battle of Panipat: (i) Rajendra says that as per the history that the Prof. had studied and known, the Marathas had lost their leaders and the Battle of Panipat at the hands of Abdali’s troops. The loss of their leaders was crucial for the Marathas, who lost their morale, fighting spirit and faced a rout/crushing defeat. (ii) Whereas the Prof.’s torn page from Bakhar’s account shows another course (Vishwasrao missing the gunshot and surviving) of the battle. A crucial event gone the other way and its effects on the troops was the opposite. It boosted the morale of the Maratha troops, provided just that extra impetus that made all the difference of the Marathas, thereafter, having won the Battle of Panipat.
3. Gangadharpant, the Prof., was feeling very happy while reading and understanding therefrom that his country had not been subjected to slavery from the white man; it had leant to be self-reliant and his country knew what self-respect was. He also got to understand that it was from a position of strength and for purely commercial considerations that his country had allowed the British to retain Bombay as the sole outpost on the subcontinent. All this understanding from the reading of history, which gave him good feeling for his country, made him compare the country that he knew with what he was witnessing around him. He found huge difference between the two. Before his eyes, he found that the British still maintained their influence, the EEC was still there and flourishing, markets were full of British banks and shops as ere found in a high street in a city of England.
4. Here, determinism refers to theory that human choice is not free, but decided by past events. Lack of determinism has been used when Rajendra explains to the Prof. that reality may not be unique and the same has been found from experiments of atoms and their constituent particles. The behaviour of these systems can’t be predicted definitively/precisely (known as lack of determinism), even if all the physical laws governing those systems are known.
5. This is said by Rajendra Deshpande in response to the Prof.’s question as to why he made the transition. Rajendra explains that perhaps at the time of collision with the truck, the Prof. was thinking about the Catastrophe theory (which acted as some sort of interaction to cause this transition) and its role in wars. Rajendra also said that may be that the Prof. was wondering about the Battle of Panipat and perhaps the neurons in his brain acted as a trigger for this transition to take place.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Do it yourself.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
1. I understand that they talked in their local Maratha language, presumably using some Hindi also in between. I understand that Prof. Gangadharpant talked to the receptionist in English or in Marathi which was translated by someone in English to the receptionist.
2. I think that it was written in Marathi language.
3. The Marathas used to speak Marathi, the Mughals in Urdu and the Anglo-Indians in English within their communities
.4. No. But, sometimes they may be forced to in the case of linguistic chauvinism by the rulers.
WORKING WITH WORDS
I.
1. (ii)
2. (i)
3. (ii)
4. (ii)
5. (iii)
II.
1.
(i) so far as we can see/notice
(ii) from the eyesight
2.
(i) occurring by turns, not continuous, with gaps/intervals in between
(ii) in lieu of/instead of/in place of, as a substitute to
3.
(i) with success, winning the matches
(ii) consecutively, one after the other
4.
(i) with respect
(ii) historian in the archaeology section and scientist in the natural sciences section.
HORNBILL ‘’Silk Road’’
The Author: Nick Middleton (1960), a British physical geographer, specialises in desertification (land degradation in drylands).
Theme: The theme of exquisite natural beauty of Lake Mansarovar and Darchen, sensitivity of people in the hilly areas runs through this piece of writing.
Story: It is about the narrator’s journey from the slopes of Ravu to Mount Kailash to complete the Kora (pilgrimage). For this, he engages the services of Tsetan to drive him up. The narrator takes Daniel as his companion. Tsetan, with his great manoeuvring skills takes him up. On the way up, they come across exquisitely beautiful scenery. When they reach the hills, they pass through dark tents which are homes for nomads. Local people there, employ Tibetan mastiffs for their safety and security. On entering the valley, they witness snow-capped mountains and rivers, full of ice, flowing. Due to ascent, the narrator feels blockage in his nostrils.
They keep on overcoming one hurdle after another. At Darchen, the narrator falls sick. Next morning, Tseatan takes him to a Tibetan Doctor at Darchen Medical College who diagnoses the narrator having caught cold, gives him some medicines. The narrator feels better after taking the medicines which he thinks are mainly herbal. In so much of cold also, the narrator finds women washing their hair in ice cold water.
At Darchen, the narrator does not find any pilgrims at this time of the year and eventually meets Norbu, a Tibetan, working in Beijing at the Institute of Ethnic Literature of Chinese Academy of Social Science and had come there to complete Kora just like the narrator. The narrator had earlier thought that the hilly trek would be enjoyable in a company of faithful pilgrims, but now he finds Norbu to be a good partner for the trek. Norbu was fat and found it difficult to walk/climb the hills. Finally, they hired yaks to carry their luggage. But, Norbu said it was not possible for him to complete the mountain journey, he collapsed on the table and laughed heartily.
The story shows exquisite natural beauty of Lake Mansarovar and Darchen which has been preserved over the centuries, sensitivity of people in the hilly areas, extremely tough living conditions of the local people, their very simple life which they live on bare minimum requirements, their amiable nature and their co-existence with animals (like mastiffs, yaks), etc.
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WORD/PHRASE MEANING
Duck move (the head or body) quickly downwards, to avoid being seen or to dodge a blow
Manoeuvre skilful movement, perform
Billow rise up or swell out
Swathe bind or wrap in bandages, garments, etc
Cairn of rocks mound of rocks
Careered down move down/swerve down wildly
Salt flats are formed when lake is frozen in winter
French loaf French baked bread, usually of standard size or shape
Kora is a holy place, pilgrimage called kora
Size up appraise, estimate, evaluate, gauge, judge
Clamber climb awkwardly
Drokba people who wander as nomads in the region of Tibet
Gazelle small graceful antelope
Arid parched, dry, uninteresting
Frown wrinkle one’s brows in worry, anger or thought, look disapprovingly
Bound jump upwards or forwards, move forward by jumps
Void empty, empty space, make invalid/empty, not legally binding
Plume feather-like formation, esp. of smoke
Crisp fresh and firm, clean and neat, lively/brisk
Evade get away from or avoid
Veer change direction suddenly
Nomad member of a tribe with no fixed dwelling place, wanderer
Mastiff large dog
Shaggy covered with rough hair or wool, unkempt
Swerve turn aside from a course sharply or suddenly
Tribute sign of respect or admiration
Glint gleam brightly, bright gleam
Meander follow a winding course
Daub smear or spread quickly or clumsily
Lichen small flowerless plant forming a crust on rocks, trees, etc
Hunk large piece
Peter out gradually come to an end
Encrust cover with a layer of something
Slither slide unsteadily
Lurch tilt or lean suddenly to one side, stagger, lurching movement
Drift be carried along by currents of air/water, move aimlessly
Throb pulsate repeatedly, vibrate rhythmically
Festoon hang decorations in loops
Cairn mound of stones erected as a memorial or marker
Pockmarked (of the skin) marked with hollow scars where diseased spots have been
Brackish (of water) slightly salty
Vestige small amount or trace
Hive place where people are very busy
Refuse rubbish or useless matter
Venerate hold (a person) in deep respect
Cosmology study of the origin and nature of the universe
Forge advance steadily, increase speed or take the lead
Draught current of cold air, esp. in an enclosed space
Sanctity sacredness, inviolability
Hallowed regarded as holy
Prone likely to do or be affected by (something), lying face downwards
Sinus hollow space in a bone, esp. an air passage opening into the nose
Monastery residence of a community of monks
Paraphernalia personal belongings or bits of equipment
Derelict unused and falling into ruins
Wisp light delicate streak, twisted bundle or tuft
Incongruous inappropriate or out of place
Brook small stream
Babble (of streams) make a low murmuring sound
Ponder think thoroughly or deeply (about)
Cavern large cave
Temper calm mental condition, make less extreme
Transpire become known
Yak Tibetan ox with long shaggy hair
Prostrate lying face downwards, physically or emotionally exhausted
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UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
I.
1. The article has been titled ‘Silk Road’ because the narrator explored the region of old ‘silk route’, one of the historical routes for trade. This ancient route enabled the trade of Indian spices, precious stones, textiles; Roman Empire’s wine, carpets, glassware; Chinese tea, porcelain, silk, etc.
2. Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial courts as large hunting dogs. They were also used for safety and protection.
3. The author found Hor to be a miserable place with no greenery. It was full of dust and rocks. All around, waste matter was scattered. The earlier accounts of Hor from monks/visitors were very encouraging but the narrator found a sharp contrast between what he had known and what he actually saw/observed at Hor.
4. The author was disappointed with Darchen because he fell sick (nasal congestion not allowing him any sleep at night), had to be taken to a Tibetan Doctor at Darchen Medical College the next morning. Further, he didn’t find pilgrims there which he had thought of finding in good numbers. He was sick and was feeling lonely.
5. The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all because he had come in contact with Norbu who could understand the narrator’s language and like the narrator he was also there for completing Kora. He thought he will have good company now in completing Kora.
II.
1. The purpose of the author’s journey to Mount Kailash was to complete Kora (the pilgrimage), Buddhist believers perform meditation in this process.
2. The author fell sick at Darchen (nasal congestion not allowing him any sleep at night), had to be taken to a Tibetan Doctor at Darchen Medical College the next morning. He had caught cold.
3. The author didn’t find pilgrims at Darchen, was feeling lonely, had nobody to talk to in English. Then he met Norbu, a Tibetan working in Beijing at the Institute of Ethnic Literature of Chinese Academy of Social Science who had come there to complete Kora just like the narrator. The narrator had earlier thought that the hilly trek would be enjoyable in a company of faithful pilgrims but now he finds Norbu to be a good partner for the trek.
4. Tsetan, with his great manoeuvring skills, takes the narrator up in the mountains. Without the support of Tsetan, it is very difficult to think that the narrator would have been able to reach Darchen.
5. Tsetan was a Buddhist and had faith in the belief that death is not the end. Further, dying at Kailash could be considered as going directly to the heaven. So, he told the narrator that it didn’t really matter if he (the narrator) passed away, but it would be bad for his (Tsetan’s) business.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Do it yourself.
THINKING ABOUT LANGUAGE
1. Tsetan had, over a period of time, picked up/learnt bits and pieces of English language by meeting several English speaking pilgrims who used to come there for pilgrimage.
2.
(i) I had conveyed to Lhamo (through Daniel) that I was heading towards Mount Kailash to complete the kora (the pilgrimage). It was not told directly by the narrator to Lhamo. It signifies that Lhamo didn’t understand English spoken by the narrator. It also signifies that outsiders don’t talk directly to local women.
(ii) The Tibetan Doctor at Darchen Medical College, after diagnosing the narrator, said through Tsetan, ‘It’s a cold’. It signifies that the Tibetan Doctor conversed with Tsetan in the local language for Tsetan to translate it to the narrator in his (the narrator’s) language.
3.
Kora: is a holy place, pilgrimage called kora
Drokba: people who wander as nomads in the region of Tibet
Kyang: the wild ass of Tibet
WORKING WITH WORDS
1.
Extended banks of cloud like long French loaves glowed pink.
From the gently rolling hills of Ravu, the short cut took us across vast open plains with nothing in them except a few gazelles.
By now we could see snow-capped mountains gathering on the horizon.
A swathe of the white stuff lay across the track in front of us.
It was marked by a large cairn of rocks.
But the sun shone brilliantly in a clear blue sky.
2.
(i) hairy, unkempt monster-like dogs
(ii) lakes with salty water
(iii) shaky, weak table
(iv) very sharp/dangerous bend
(v) general store selling elementary, basic items
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