CBSE Past Year Paper Session (Comp.Delhi 2018) Set- 1, English Class 12 | English Class 12 PDF Download

 Page 1


1/1 1 C/1 
 
 
 
 
 
Roll No.  
 
ENGLISH (Core) 
 
Time allowed : 3 hours   Maximum Marks : 100 
General Instructions :    
 (i) This paper is divided into three sections : A, B and C. All the sections are compulsory. 
 (ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. 
Read these instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
 (iii) Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. 
 
SECTION – A 
   Reading  30 
 
1. Read the passage given below : 12 
 1. If one early June morning you are suddenly stopped in your walk by a ringing 
“piu-piu-piu-pee-pee-piu-piu” call coming from the trees in your park or 
garden, you will feel your heart suddenly lifted. Look around and you may see 
two large, handsome, black-and-white birds with long coattails chase each other 
through the trees. They are pied cuckoos, that have come from Africa, and are 
said to announce the arrival of the greatest show on earth – the Indian monsoon. 
Be assured, the curtain will rise in a month or so. 
 Series : SGN/C 
Code No.  
 
1/1
? Please check that this question paper contains 11 printed pages.  
? Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should be written on the 
title page of the answer-book by the candidate. 
? Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions. 
? Please write down the Serial Number of the question before attempting it. 
? 15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question paper will be 
distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the students will read the 
question paper only and will not write any answer on the answer-book during this 
period. 
 
Candidates must write the Code on 
the title page of the answer-book. 
 
SET – 1 
Page 2


1/1 1 C/1 
 
 
 
 
 
Roll No.  
 
ENGLISH (Core) 
 
Time allowed : 3 hours   Maximum Marks : 100 
General Instructions :    
 (i) This paper is divided into three sections : A, B and C. All the sections are compulsory. 
 (ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. 
Read these instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
 (iii) Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. 
 
SECTION – A 
   Reading  30 
 
1. Read the passage given below : 12 
 1. If one early June morning you are suddenly stopped in your walk by a ringing 
“piu-piu-piu-pee-pee-piu-piu” call coming from the trees in your park or 
garden, you will feel your heart suddenly lifted. Look around and you may see 
two large, handsome, black-and-white birds with long coattails chase each other 
through the trees. They are pied cuckoos, that have come from Africa, and are 
said to announce the arrival of the greatest show on earth – the Indian monsoon. 
Be assured, the curtain will rise in a month or so. 
 Series : SGN/C 
Code No.  
 
1/1
? Please check that this question paper contains 11 printed pages.  
? Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should be written on the 
title page of the answer-book by the candidate. 
? Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions. 
? Please write down the Serial Number of the question before attempting it. 
? 15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question paper will be 
distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the students will read the 
question paper only and will not write any answer on the answer-book during this 
period. 
 
Candidates must write the Code on 
the title page of the answer-book. 
 
SET – 1 
1/1 2 C/1 
 2. To get a proper view of the onset of the monsoon, you really need to be 
stationed anywhere on the coastline of India or up in the hills. The grand show 
of grey clouds approaches like an airborne army, preceded by cool breezes, 
filling the air with electric charge so that you feel very happy. Spear of lighting 
flickers in the sky and the sound of thunder makes you feel excited. 
  And then, it pours. The cracked earth without any green cover sucks down the 
flood of water-and then Mother Nature goes mad. Seeds scattered or buried like 
grains of sand or pebbles in the ground suddenly come to life. Shoots of plants 
rocket skywards, roots plunge into the soft, spongy earth sucking up water and 
nutrients. It’s a hint the grasshoppers have been waiting for. And bugs, beetles, 
caterpillars, centipedes, etc. emerge in their billions, feasting on the fresh green 
plants in the fields (to the annoyance of many a farmer) as also on each other. 
 3. There are miracles and there is music too : singing golden frogs appearing in 
large numbers in a rain-filled ditch, taking part in a group song that Bollywood 
would have envied. They vanish the very next day. They’d been waiting 
patiently all through the blistering summer, deep underground, conserving 
whatever moisture they had soaked up. Fireflies wink through the trees in the 
hills, sending their greenish signals to one another in codes as precise as any we 
may use for our most secret messages. 
 4. All this is what the birds have been waiting for. Most birds have spent the 
spring and summer courting and now it’s time to settle down. Baby birds need a 
lot of high protein at frequent intervals, which the rich supply of insect life so 
happily provides : Caterpillars are eaten up in their millions, as are furry moths, 
earthworms slurped down like noodles, spiky dragonflies beaten to bits to 
soften them up into baby food. The long-legged storks and herons – get busy 
with fishing. 
  As for the big guys like lions and tigers in the jungles : they too had it relatively 
easy during the summer when their thirsty prey came to the waterholes. Now, 
with water easily available, in streams and ponds all over, they need to work 
harder for their meals. But yes, this is, perhaps, compensated by the arrival of 
baby deer – and fawns are sweet and soft, not very experienced in the merciless 
ways of the lions and tigers, even if they may seem more like a snack than a 
main meal. The animals get a rest from us, too, as parks and sanctuaries close 
down, not so much out of kindness as because the roads become impassable. 
Page 3


1/1 1 C/1 
 
 
 
 
 
Roll No.  
 
ENGLISH (Core) 
 
Time allowed : 3 hours   Maximum Marks : 100 
General Instructions :    
 (i) This paper is divided into three sections : A, B and C. All the sections are compulsory. 
 (ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. 
Read these instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
 (iii) Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. 
 
SECTION – A 
   Reading  30 
 
1. Read the passage given below : 12 
 1. If one early June morning you are suddenly stopped in your walk by a ringing 
“piu-piu-piu-pee-pee-piu-piu” call coming from the trees in your park or 
garden, you will feel your heart suddenly lifted. Look around and you may see 
two large, handsome, black-and-white birds with long coattails chase each other 
through the trees. They are pied cuckoos, that have come from Africa, and are 
said to announce the arrival of the greatest show on earth – the Indian monsoon. 
Be assured, the curtain will rise in a month or so. 
 Series : SGN/C 
Code No.  
 
1/1
? Please check that this question paper contains 11 printed pages.  
? Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should be written on the 
title page of the answer-book by the candidate. 
? Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions. 
? Please write down the Serial Number of the question before attempting it. 
? 15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question paper will be 
distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the students will read the 
question paper only and will not write any answer on the answer-book during this 
period. 
 
Candidates must write the Code on 
the title page of the answer-book. 
 
SET – 1 
1/1 2 C/1 
 2. To get a proper view of the onset of the monsoon, you really need to be 
stationed anywhere on the coastline of India or up in the hills. The grand show 
of grey clouds approaches like an airborne army, preceded by cool breezes, 
filling the air with electric charge so that you feel very happy. Spear of lighting 
flickers in the sky and the sound of thunder makes you feel excited. 
  And then, it pours. The cracked earth without any green cover sucks down the 
flood of water-and then Mother Nature goes mad. Seeds scattered or buried like 
grains of sand or pebbles in the ground suddenly come to life. Shoots of plants 
rocket skywards, roots plunge into the soft, spongy earth sucking up water and 
nutrients. It’s a hint the grasshoppers have been waiting for. And bugs, beetles, 
caterpillars, centipedes, etc. emerge in their billions, feasting on the fresh green 
plants in the fields (to the annoyance of many a farmer) as also on each other. 
 3. There are miracles and there is music too : singing golden frogs appearing in 
large numbers in a rain-filled ditch, taking part in a group song that Bollywood 
would have envied. They vanish the very next day. They’d been waiting 
patiently all through the blistering summer, deep underground, conserving 
whatever moisture they had soaked up. Fireflies wink through the trees in the 
hills, sending their greenish signals to one another in codes as precise as any we 
may use for our most secret messages. 
 4. All this is what the birds have been waiting for. Most birds have spent the 
spring and summer courting and now it’s time to settle down. Baby birds need a 
lot of high protein at frequent intervals, which the rich supply of insect life so 
happily provides : Caterpillars are eaten up in their millions, as are furry moths, 
earthworms slurped down like noodles, spiky dragonflies beaten to bits to 
soften them up into baby food. The long-legged storks and herons – get busy 
with fishing. 
  As for the big guys like lions and tigers in the jungles : they too had it relatively 
easy during the summer when their thirsty prey came to the waterholes. Now, 
with water easily available, in streams and ponds all over, they need to work 
harder for their meals. But yes, this is, perhaps, compensated by the arrival of 
baby deer – and fawns are sweet and soft, not very experienced in the merciless 
ways of the lions and tigers, even if they may seem more like a snack than a 
main meal. The animals get a rest from us, too, as parks and sanctuaries close 
down, not so much out of kindness as because the roads become impassable. 
1/1 3 C/1 
 5. And then, just as you are beginning to tire of the green mould on your shoes, 
belts and bags, and of all the sniffles and snuffles that the rains also bring 
(bacteria and viruses also love this season), the clouds begin to disperse and 
float away in large armies. But before this happens, at least once, do go out in 
the midst of a downpour, raise your face to the heavens and dance and sing and 
celebrate this, the greatest show on earth. 
 1.1 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage answer each of the 
questions given below by choosing one of the options that follow : 1 ? 4 = 4 
  (a) The winged messengers from Africa : 
   (i) bring rain from Africa 
   (ii) bring the message that the rains are coming soon. 
   (iii) create a lot of horrible noise. 
   (iv) are not welcome. 
  (b) Baby birds benefit from the rains because : 
   (i) the mummy bird cannot fly in the rain. 
   (ii) they need a lot of noodles. 
   (iii) the rain brings a lot of insects which they eat. 
   (iv) they like wet nests. 
  (c) Humans don’t visit the animals in game sanctuaries during the rainy 
season because : 
   (i) humans don’t like to get wet. 
   (ii) the paths to the sanctuaries become waterlogged. 
   (iii) baby animals are born in the sanctuaries. 
   (iv) humans get bitten during the rainy season. 
  (d) The green mould that grows on leather comes : 
   (i) from the creepy insects that come with the rain. 
   (ii) because grass becomes very green during the rainy season. 
   (iii) because of the moisture in the air during the rainy season. 
   (iv) from fluffy clouds in the sky. 
Page 4


1/1 1 C/1 
 
 
 
 
 
Roll No.  
 
ENGLISH (Core) 
 
Time allowed : 3 hours   Maximum Marks : 100 
General Instructions :    
 (i) This paper is divided into three sections : A, B and C. All the sections are compulsory. 
 (ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. 
Read these instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
 (iii) Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. 
 
SECTION – A 
   Reading  30 
 
1. Read the passage given below : 12 
 1. If one early June morning you are suddenly stopped in your walk by a ringing 
“piu-piu-piu-pee-pee-piu-piu” call coming from the trees in your park or 
garden, you will feel your heart suddenly lifted. Look around and you may see 
two large, handsome, black-and-white birds with long coattails chase each other 
through the trees. They are pied cuckoos, that have come from Africa, and are 
said to announce the arrival of the greatest show on earth – the Indian monsoon. 
Be assured, the curtain will rise in a month or so. 
 Series : SGN/C 
Code No.  
 
1/1
? Please check that this question paper contains 11 printed pages.  
? Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should be written on the 
title page of the answer-book by the candidate. 
? Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions. 
? Please write down the Serial Number of the question before attempting it. 
? 15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question paper will be 
distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the students will read the 
question paper only and will not write any answer on the answer-book during this 
period. 
 
Candidates must write the Code on 
the title page of the answer-book. 
 
SET – 1 
1/1 2 C/1 
 2. To get a proper view of the onset of the monsoon, you really need to be 
stationed anywhere on the coastline of India or up in the hills. The grand show 
of grey clouds approaches like an airborne army, preceded by cool breezes, 
filling the air with electric charge so that you feel very happy. Spear of lighting 
flickers in the sky and the sound of thunder makes you feel excited. 
  And then, it pours. The cracked earth without any green cover sucks down the 
flood of water-and then Mother Nature goes mad. Seeds scattered or buried like 
grains of sand or pebbles in the ground suddenly come to life. Shoots of plants 
rocket skywards, roots plunge into the soft, spongy earth sucking up water and 
nutrients. It’s a hint the grasshoppers have been waiting for. And bugs, beetles, 
caterpillars, centipedes, etc. emerge in their billions, feasting on the fresh green 
plants in the fields (to the annoyance of many a farmer) as also on each other. 
 3. There are miracles and there is music too : singing golden frogs appearing in 
large numbers in a rain-filled ditch, taking part in a group song that Bollywood 
would have envied. They vanish the very next day. They’d been waiting 
patiently all through the blistering summer, deep underground, conserving 
whatever moisture they had soaked up. Fireflies wink through the trees in the 
hills, sending their greenish signals to one another in codes as precise as any we 
may use for our most secret messages. 
 4. All this is what the birds have been waiting for. Most birds have spent the 
spring and summer courting and now it’s time to settle down. Baby birds need a 
lot of high protein at frequent intervals, which the rich supply of insect life so 
happily provides : Caterpillars are eaten up in their millions, as are furry moths, 
earthworms slurped down like noodles, spiky dragonflies beaten to bits to 
soften them up into baby food. The long-legged storks and herons – get busy 
with fishing. 
  As for the big guys like lions and tigers in the jungles : they too had it relatively 
easy during the summer when their thirsty prey came to the waterholes. Now, 
with water easily available, in streams and ponds all over, they need to work 
harder for their meals. But yes, this is, perhaps, compensated by the arrival of 
baby deer – and fawns are sweet and soft, not very experienced in the merciless 
ways of the lions and tigers, even if they may seem more like a snack than a 
main meal. The animals get a rest from us, too, as parks and sanctuaries close 
down, not so much out of kindness as because the roads become impassable. 
1/1 3 C/1 
 5. And then, just as you are beginning to tire of the green mould on your shoes, 
belts and bags, and of all the sniffles and snuffles that the rains also bring 
(bacteria and viruses also love this season), the clouds begin to disperse and 
float away in large armies. But before this happens, at least once, do go out in 
the midst of a downpour, raise your face to the heavens and dance and sing and 
celebrate this, the greatest show on earth. 
 1.1 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage answer each of the 
questions given below by choosing one of the options that follow : 1 ? 4 = 4 
  (a) The winged messengers from Africa : 
   (i) bring rain from Africa 
   (ii) bring the message that the rains are coming soon. 
   (iii) create a lot of horrible noise. 
   (iv) are not welcome. 
  (b) Baby birds benefit from the rains because : 
   (i) the mummy bird cannot fly in the rain. 
   (ii) they need a lot of noodles. 
   (iii) the rain brings a lot of insects which they eat. 
   (iv) they like wet nests. 
  (c) Humans don’t visit the animals in game sanctuaries during the rainy 
season because : 
   (i) humans don’t like to get wet. 
   (ii) the paths to the sanctuaries become waterlogged. 
   (iii) baby animals are born in the sanctuaries. 
   (iv) humans get bitten during the rainy season. 
  (d) The green mould that grows on leather comes : 
   (i) from the creepy insects that come with the rain. 
   (ii) because grass becomes very green during the rainy season. 
   (iii) because of the moisture in the air during the rainy season. 
   (iv) from fluffy clouds in the sky. 
1/1 4 C/1 
 1.2 Answer the following questions briefly : 1 ? 6 = 6 
  (a) What according to the author is the advantage of staying near the coast ? 
  (b) How does Mother Nature react to the monsoon rain ? 
  (c) What do bugs, beetles, caterpillars, etc. do after the rains ?  
  (d) Why do lions and tigers have to work harder to catch their prey during 
the rainy season ? 
  (e) Why are parks and sanctuaries closed during the rains ? 
  (f) Mention one bad thing that the rainy season brings. 
 1.3 Find words from the passage which mean the same as each of the following :1 ? 2 = 2 
  (i) declare (para 1) 
  (ii) disappear (para 3) 
 
2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : 10 
 1. South India is known mainly for its music, arts and rich literature. Madras or 
Chennai can be called the cultural capital and the soul of Mother India. The city 
is built low in pleasant contrast to the ugly tall structures of Mumbai and 
Kolkata. It has vast open spaces and ample greenery. The majestic spacious 
Mount Road looks like a river, wide and deep. A walk along the Marina Beach 
in the evening with the sea shining in your face is totally refreshing. The breeze 
soothes the body, it refreshes the mind and brightens the intellect. 
 2. One can never feel dull in Chennai. The intellectual and cultural life of the city 
is something of a marvel. Every street corner of Chennai has a literary forum, a 
debating society and music, dance or dramatic club. The intelligent arguments, 
the sparkling wit and dashing irony make every meeting very interesting. There 
is a young men’s association which attracts brilliant speakers and equally 
brilliant listeners to its meetings. It is a treat to watch them use their speaking 
skills. Chennai speakers are by and large sweet and civilised, though angry and 
noisy variety is also often witnessed during election time. The more urbane 
speakers weave their arguments slowly like the unfolding of a melody set to 
carnatic music. 
Page 5


1/1 1 C/1 
 
 
 
 
 
Roll No.  
 
ENGLISH (Core) 
 
Time allowed : 3 hours   Maximum Marks : 100 
General Instructions :    
 (i) This paper is divided into three sections : A, B and C. All the sections are compulsory. 
 (ii) Separate instructions are given with each section and question, wherever necessary. 
Read these instructions very carefully and follow them faithfully. 
 (iii) Do not exceed the prescribed word limit while answering the questions. 
 
SECTION – A 
   Reading  30 
 
1. Read the passage given below : 12 
 1. If one early June morning you are suddenly stopped in your walk by a ringing 
“piu-piu-piu-pee-pee-piu-piu” call coming from the trees in your park or 
garden, you will feel your heart suddenly lifted. Look around and you may see 
two large, handsome, black-and-white birds with long coattails chase each other 
through the trees. They are pied cuckoos, that have come from Africa, and are 
said to announce the arrival of the greatest show on earth – the Indian monsoon. 
Be assured, the curtain will rise in a month or so. 
 Series : SGN/C 
Code No.  
 
1/1
? Please check that this question paper contains 11 printed pages.  
? Code number given on the right hand side of the question paper should be written on the 
title page of the answer-book by the candidate. 
? Please check that this question paper contains 13 questions. 
? Please write down the Serial Number of the question before attempting it. 
? 15 minute time has been allotted to read this question paper. The question paper will be 
distributed at 10.15 a.m. From 10.15 a.m. to 10.30 a.m., the students will read the 
question paper only and will not write any answer on the answer-book during this 
period. 
 
Candidates must write the Code on 
the title page of the answer-book. 
 
SET – 1 
1/1 2 C/1 
 2. To get a proper view of the onset of the monsoon, you really need to be 
stationed anywhere on the coastline of India or up in the hills. The grand show 
of grey clouds approaches like an airborne army, preceded by cool breezes, 
filling the air with electric charge so that you feel very happy. Spear of lighting 
flickers in the sky and the sound of thunder makes you feel excited. 
  And then, it pours. The cracked earth without any green cover sucks down the 
flood of water-and then Mother Nature goes mad. Seeds scattered or buried like 
grains of sand or pebbles in the ground suddenly come to life. Shoots of plants 
rocket skywards, roots plunge into the soft, spongy earth sucking up water and 
nutrients. It’s a hint the grasshoppers have been waiting for. And bugs, beetles, 
caterpillars, centipedes, etc. emerge in their billions, feasting on the fresh green 
plants in the fields (to the annoyance of many a farmer) as also on each other. 
 3. There are miracles and there is music too : singing golden frogs appearing in 
large numbers in a rain-filled ditch, taking part in a group song that Bollywood 
would have envied. They vanish the very next day. They’d been waiting 
patiently all through the blistering summer, deep underground, conserving 
whatever moisture they had soaked up. Fireflies wink through the trees in the 
hills, sending their greenish signals to one another in codes as precise as any we 
may use for our most secret messages. 
 4. All this is what the birds have been waiting for. Most birds have spent the 
spring and summer courting and now it’s time to settle down. Baby birds need a 
lot of high protein at frequent intervals, which the rich supply of insect life so 
happily provides : Caterpillars are eaten up in their millions, as are furry moths, 
earthworms slurped down like noodles, spiky dragonflies beaten to bits to 
soften them up into baby food. The long-legged storks and herons – get busy 
with fishing. 
  As for the big guys like lions and tigers in the jungles : they too had it relatively 
easy during the summer when their thirsty prey came to the waterholes. Now, 
with water easily available, in streams and ponds all over, they need to work 
harder for their meals. But yes, this is, perhaps, compensated by the arrival of 
baby deer – and fawns are sweet and soft, not very experienced in the merciless 
ways of the lions and tigers, even if they may seem more like a snack than a 
main meal. The animals get a rest from us, too, as parks and sanctuaries close 
down, not so much out of kindness as because the roads become impassable. 
1/1 3 C/1 
 5. And then, just as you are beginning to tire of the green mould on your shoes, 
belts and bags, and of all the sniffles and snuffles that the rains also bring 
(bacteria and viruses also love this season), the clouds begin to disperse and 
float away in large armies. But before this happens, at least once, do go out in 
the midst of a downpour, raise your face to the heavens and dance and sing and 
celebrate this, the greatest show on earth. 
 1.1 On the basis of your understanding of the above passage answer each of the 
questions given below by choosing one of the options that follow : 1 ? 4 = 4 
  (a) The winged messengers from Africa : 
   (i) bring rain from Africa 
   (ii) bring the message that the rains are coming soon. 
   (iii) create a lot of horrible noise. 
   (iv) are not welcome. 
  (b) Baby birds benefit from the rains because : 
   (i) the mummy bird cannot fly in the rain. 
   (ii) they need a lot of noodles. 
   (iii) the rain brings a lot of insects which they eat. 
   (iv) they like wet nests. 
  (c) Humans don’t visit the animals in game sanctuaries during the rainy 
season because : 
   (i) humans don’t like to get wet. 
   (ii) the paths to the sanctuaries become waterlogged. 
   (iii) baby animals are born in the sanctuaries. 
   (iv) humans get bitten during the rainy season. 
  (d) The green mould that grows on leather comes : 
   (i) from the creepy insects that come with the rain. 
   (ii) because grass becomes very green during the rainy season. 
   (iii) because of the moisture in the air during the rainy season. 
   (iv) from fluffy clouds in the sky. 
1/1 4 C/1 
 1.2 Answer the following questions briefly : 1 ? 6 = 6 
  (a) What according to the author is the advantage of staying near the coast ? 
  (b) How does Mother Nature react to the monsoon rain ? 
  (c) What do bugs, beetles, caterpillars, etc. do after the rains ?  
  (d) Why do lions and tigers have to work harder to catch their prey during 
the rainy season ? 
  (e) Why are parks and sanctuaries closed during the rains ? 
  (f) Mention one bad thing that the rainy season brings. 
 1.3 Find words from the passage which mean the same as each of the following :1 ? 2 = 2 
  (i) declare (para 1) 
  (ii) disappear (para 3) 
 
2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : 10 
 1. South India is known mainly for its music, arts and rich literature. Madras or 
Chennai can be called the cultural capital and the soul of Mother India. The city 
is built low in pleasant contrast to the ugly tall structures of Mumbai and 
Kolkata. It has vast open spaces and ample greenery. The majestic spacious 
Mount Road looks like a river, wide and deep. A walk along the Marina Beach 
in the evening with the sea shining in your face is totally refreshing. The breeze 
soothes the body, it refreshes the mind and brightens the intellect. 
 2. One can never feel dull in Chennai. The intellectual and cultural life of the city 
is something of a marvel. Every street corner of Chennai has a literary forum, a 
debating society and music, dance or dramatic club. The intelligent arguments, 
the sparkling wit and dashing irony make every meeting very interesting. There 
is a young men’s association which attracts brilliant speakers and equally 
brilliant listeners to its meetings. It is a treat to watch them use their speaking 
skills. Chennai speakers are by and large sweet and civilised, though angry and 
noisy variety is also often witnessed during election time. The more urbane 
speakers weave their arguments slowly like the unfolding of a melody set to 
carnatic music. 
1/1 5 C/1 
 3. Music concerts and dance performances draw packed houses. There is hardly 
any cultured family in Chennai that does not learn and patronize music and 
dance in its original form. Rukmani Devi Arundale’s ‘Kala Kshetra’ is a 
renowned international centre. It has turned out hundreds of celebrated 
maestros and dancers who have brought fame and glory to our country. 
Carnatic music has a beautiful charm of its own. It has the moon’s soft beauty 
and soft pace. Thousands of people flock to the temple ‘maidans’ to enjoy the 
sweet melodies of their favourite singers. They sit out all night even in the 
unbearable heat, swaying to the rhythm of ‘nadaswaram’ and the measured 
beats of ‘mridangam’. 
 4. The gods might descend from heaven to see a South Indian damsel dancing. 
There are several varieties of South Indian dance – Bharat Natyam, Mohini 
Attam, Kathakali etc. Age cannot wither nor custom stale its beautiful variety. 
Bharat Natyam is the most graceful and enchanting dance form whereas 
Kathakali is most masculine and virile. South Indian dances combine pleasure 
with purity. Here, every muscle and fibre of the body vibrates into life, and as 
the movement increases, a divine flame-like passion comes out as if making an 
effort to reach heaven. 
 5. South Indian dress, particularly of the males, is puritanically simple. There you 
cannot distinguish a judge from a ‘peon’ by his dress. South Indian ladies too 
look charming and graceful in their colourful Kanjeevaram and Mysore Silk 
Saris. 
 6. South Indian cuisine, especially ‘dosa’, ‘idli’ and ‘vada’ are so delicious that 
now we enjoy them almost everywhere in India and even in some foreign 
countries. The Madrasi ‘idli’ which was a favourite of Gandhiji is served with 
‘sambhar’ and ‘chutney’.