Long Answer Type Questions:- Kathmandu

Q1. How does the author describe the flute seller? What does he say about the flute music?
Ans: The author finds the flute seller standing in a corner of the square near his hotel. The seller carries a tall pole from which about fifty or sixty bamboo flutes stick out in all directions, making the display look like the quills of a porcupine. He does not shout or push his goods; instead he occasionally plants the pole on the ground, picks a flute and plays a few slow, thoughtful airs. The flute sound is clear and distinct, cutting through the traffic noise and the cries of other hawkers. The seller seems unhurried and content, as if playing is as important to him as selling; this easy-going manner suggests that such music has been his way of life for many years. The author feels drawn to the music and finds it difficult to leave the spot once the flutes begin to play.

Q2. Compare and contrast the atmosphere in and around the Baudhnath shrine with that in the Pashupatinath Temple.

Ans: The Pashupatinath Temple is noisy, crowded and hectic. Devotees jostle to reach the priest and the shrine, priests and vendors push about their duties and wares, and animals such as cows, dogs and monkeys add to the commotion. The scene feels public and bustling, and even visitors from abroad can increase the disorder when they try to enter. By contrast, the area around the Baudhnath Stupa is calm and still. Although Tibetan shops and stalls line the road, the mood remains peaceful and reflective. Where Pashupatinath overwhelms with activity and ritual urgency, Baudhnath offers a quieter space for contemplation and a relief from the city's general bustle.

Q3. How does the author describe Kathmandu's busiest streets?
Ans: The author describes Kathmandu's busiest streets as vivid, mercenary and intensely religious. They are full of colour and life, with temples, shrines and images of deities placed alongside busy shops and stalls. The tourist trade gives the streets a mercantile character: hawkers sell postcards, antique goods and small souvenirs, and shops stock both Western items and local handicrafts. Sound and movement are constant - radios play film songs, car horns and bicycle bells ring, and vendors loudly call to passers-by. Even animals such as cows contribute to the noise, so the overall effect is a lively and sometimes chaotic urban scene where devotion, commerce and everyday life meet.

Q4. "To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind." Why does the author say this?
Ans: The author believes the flute is a universal instrument found in many cultures, and its music has qualities that resemble the human voice. Different flutes - for example the Japanese shakuhachi, the Indian bansuri and various South American and Chinese flutes - produce different tones and ranges, yet all require breath, pauses and phrasing similar to speech. The need to take breath and the pattern of short phrases gives flute music a natural, human quality. Because the sound and the manner of playing are shared across cultures, hearing a flute reminds the listener of shared human expression and so creates a feeling of commonality among people everywhere.

Q5. What ideas do you get about the author from the extract "Kathmandu"?
Ans: From this extract we learn that the author is an observant and reflective traveller with a strong aesthetic sense. He notices small details of people and place, from the behaviour of hawkers to the atmosphere of religious sites. He values peace and quiet, as shown by his appreciation of the Baudhnath stupa, yet he is also alert to social and environmental problems, such as pollution along the Bagmati river. He enjoys music and has a sensitive ear for it, which explains his reluctance to leave the square when the flute is played. He is curious and interested in local life and customs, and at the same time he reads for pleasure, preferring light, popular books when tired. Overall, he comes across as thoughtful, curious and appreciative of both beauty and detail.

Q6. The author has drawn powerful images and pictures. Pick out three examples each of 
(i) the atmosphere of febrile confusion outside the temple of Pashupatinath 
(ii) the things he sees 
(iii) the sounds he hears
Ans: (i) Some examples of the atmosphere of 'febrile confusion' outside the Pashupatinath Temple:

• A vast, mixed crowd that includes people, animals and birds.
• Western visitors dressed in saffron attempting to enter the temple and a policeman trying to prevent them.
• Two monkeys fighting, one leaping on a Shivalinga and then running off towards the Bagmati river.

(ii) Some examples of the things that the writer sees:

• Women washing clothes on the banks of the Bagmati river.
• Children bathing in the river.
• A corpse being cremated at the river bank.

(iii) Some examples of the sounds that the writer hears:

• The blaring horns of traffic.
• The sweet, hypnotic notes of the flute.
• The loud voices of hawkers calling out their wares.

Q7. Where does the author find the flute seller and what are his observations about him? What draws the author to the music of the flute?
Ans: The author finds the flute seller in a corner of the square near his hotel, among other hawkers. The seller carries a pole with many bamboo flutes attached, and he displays them without shouting or showmanship. He occasionally sets the pole down, selects a flute and plays a few slow, deliberate tunes; the playing seems as important to him as selling. The author is drawn to the music because of its clarity, its resemblance to the human voice and its universal quality. Flute playing involves breaths and pauses that give the music a natural, speech-like rhythm, and this familiar, gentle sound evokes a sense of shared humanity that holds the author in the square long after the playing has stopped.