block 2

BLOCK-2 A HYMN TO LIFE

1.Suppose you have visited Guptkashi described in the travelogue Beautiful Mandakini by Ruskin Bond. Give an account of your visit and experience of Guptkashi. Enthused by the travelogue ‘Beautiful Mandakini’ written by Ruskin Bond, I visited Guptkashi last month. It was a thrilling and divine experience moving around the old temple town. The greatest attraction of the place is the Guptkashi temple there. The town got its name from the temple. Guptkashi means ‘invisible Banares’. Shiva is worshipped there as Viswanath. The temple lies in the old part of the town. Guptkashi is a hilly terrain surrounded by several hills and mountains. In the morning sunshine one can see the snow-capped Chaukhamba mountain dazzling. The air in Guptkashi is clear, free from smoke and dust. The climate is mild throughout the year. Guptkashi is still untouched by modernization. The stone built houses with grey slate roofs blend well with the hillside. Stone paved roads meander through the old bazaar. Guptkashi gets busy in the evenings with pilgrims to Kedarnath. The people of Guptkashi go to bed early and wake up early. There are no cinema or public place of entertainment there. The people of Guptkashi is poor and tourism is the main source of their income. Guptkashi and its surrounding places have so many lingams which add to the holiness of the place. The visit to Guptkashi provided memorable experiences to me. 2.Imagine that Ruskin Bond visits your school. You are the student editor of the school magazine and you want to interview him. Write four questions you would ask him and the answers he is likely to give.

INTERVIEW I: Good morning sir, I am a plus one student of ABC School. I wish to interview you for our school magazine. Could you please explain briefly about your writing career? Ruskin: With pleasure. I started writing at a very young age. My first novel “The Room on the Roof’ was published when I was eighteen. I have written stories, poems and travelogues as well. I: Although you are known to be a story teller, your travelogues are also widely read, aren’t they?

Prepared by: Jose P.J. HSST A.J.John Memorial H.S.S. Chathangottunada 1

Ruskin: Yes, My travelogues are an account of the places I visited and the people I met. I: Which is the most memorable of your travels? Why? Ruskin: The most memorable of my travels is my visit to Rudraprayag. Because it was a special moment in my life to see the beautiful Mandakini river join the great Alakananda river there. It was a unique experience. I: Finally, I wish to know why you decided to write about your travel experiences? Ruskin: So that the readers may enjoy the scenic beauties and the pulsating lives of the places I visited. I: Thank you so much for allowing me to interview you. Ruskin: Its alright. 3. Trace the journey of Ruskin Bond in a paragraph of 60 words. At first Ruskin Bond visited Rudraprayag where the Mandakini river meets with the Alakananda. He fell in love with the Mandakini at first sight. Then he visited the memorial of Jim Corbett at Gulabrai village. He ascended the Mandakini valley to reach the Agastyamuni township. On his way upward to Guptkashi he saw a deserted temple dedicated to Shiva. On reaching Guptkashi he visited the famous temple there. From Guptkashi Ruskin Bond proceeded north to Kedarnath and visited the temple dedicated to Sadashiva. Finally he left the Mandakini valley to visit Tungnath on the Chandrashila range. 4.You visited Bangalore as per the following itinerary. Write a travelogue with the help of it recording your observations, feelings and experiences in about 150 words. Day one: 8.00 p.m. Departure from school Day two: 8.00 a.m. Reach Bangalore, bath and breakfast at hotel 9.30 a.m. Janabharathy campus 11.00 a.m. Vidhan Sabha 1.00 p.m. Lunch at Hotel Majestic. 1.30 p.m. Technologocal Museum 3.30 p.m. Lal Bagh Park 5.30 p.m. Shopping 7.30 p.m. Return to hotel for dinner 9.00 p.m. Departure. Day three: 6.00 a.m. Reach school

TRAVELOGUE It was a Sunday evening of November 2012. A team of 40 students including myself and 8 teachers had assembled in the school hall by 7 p.m. Everyone was in a jubilant mood as we were getting ready to board a


luxury bus that would take us to Bangalore as part of our annual tour. At 8 p.m. the bus started from school. The route to our destination was via Mananthavady- Mysore-Bangalore. I occupied one of the front seats hoping to see some wild animals when the bus passes through Mysore forest. As the bus moved slowly along the meandering Ghat road all of us fell into sleep. Soon after midnight the bus stopped with a sudden jerk. Everyone woke up and wondered what had happened. The driver called our attention to a herd of wild elephants standing a few metres ahead of the bus. When the horn was sounded they slowly moved away into the darkness. Thereafter I kept myself awake and could see many more wild animals like giant squirrels, wild boars, deers and wild buffaloes on our way. By early morning we reached the outskirts of Mysore city. Mist covered the whole villages and dew was still falling. It was very cold outside. Shortly we entered Mysore city which was decorated with festoons for the Dasara celebrations. On both sides of Mysore-Bangalore road we could see vast stretches of vineyard, fruit trees and vegetable gardens. The farmers had started moving into their fields. By 8 a.m. we reached Bangalore, freshened ourselves up and had breakfast at a hotel. The days programme started with visit to Janabharathi Campus at 9.30 and towards 11 a.m. we reached Vidhan Sabha. The magnificent edifice of Vidhan Sabha and its architecture attracted everyone. Several snaps were taken standing before it. We had lunch at Hotel Majestic. Then we went to Technological museum towards 1p.m. Everyone tried their hands at the working models displayed there. The most interesting experience of the tour was the visit to Lal Bagh, the botanical garden. A flower show was going on there. Words are not enough to describe the floral beauties displayed there. Towards evening we went for shopping. I bought several curios and souvenirs. By 7.30 p.m. we returned to hotel for dinner. A camp fire was held after dinner. Our return journey began at 9.p.m. On our way back we spent some time in Mysore city. The whole city was decorated with colourful lights as part of the Dasara festivities. It was a thrilling experience watching them. Tuesday morning by 6 o’clock we reached school. The tour is one of the most memorable experiences in my life. 5.You visited Kodaikkanal with your friends last month. Write a travelogue about your visit and compare it with Ruskin Bond’s ‘Beautiful Mandakini’ My friends and I visited Kodaikkanal last month to escape from the scorching summer heat. Kodaikkanal with its scenic beauties and cool


climate is an ideal place to retire to during summer. It is a hill station with a lake and several streams around. The misty mountains and the green meadows are eye catching. Kodaikkanal is situated in Western Ghats near Madurai in Tamilnadu. It is one of the most famous tourist attractions in south India. It is a paradise of natural beauty. The exciting experiences of Kodaikkanal are the boat ride in the lake, a walk through the forest and a refreshing bath in the splashing waterfalls. Kodaikkanal provides a unique experience to the visitors. The Mandakini valley too is a hill station in the Himalayan foothills. It is a higher station than Kodaikkanal. Its mountain tops are snow cladded while Kodaikkanal hills are mist covered. Mandakini valley too is noted for its scenic beauties and mild climate. The holy rivers Mandakini and Alakananda and the temples there add a divinity to the place. The rivers of Kodaikkanal are rain fed while that of Mandakini are snow fed. Tourism is the main source of income for the people of both these places. Most of the visitors to Mandakini are pilgrims. Both Mandakini and Kodaikkanal are enchanting and must visit places. However, I prefer Kodaikkanal to Mandakini. 6.Your school has decided to conduct a tour to Mysore. Draft the notice to be put up on the notice board.

NOTICE ABC SCHOOL

TOUR TO MYSORE It has been decided to conduct a tour to Mysore on 22 and 23 November 2013. Forty students can join the tour. The expense of the tour is estimated to be Rs 1000 per head. Those who wish to join the tour may register their names with the convener of the tour committee on or before 10 November. An advance amount of Rs 500 is to be paid during registration. The tour gives an opportunity to enjoy the Dasara festivities of Mysore. Seats are limited. Register your names at the earliest. Place… Convener Date…. Tour Committee ABC Shool 7. Write a review of the poem ‘The Road not Taken’ by Robert Frost. ‘The Road not Taken’ by Robert Frost is a widely read and interpreted poem. It is an autobiographical poem. It has literal and figurative meanings. It has lot of symbolism.


The speaker or the poet reaches a cross road. He is forced to take a choice between the two roads that lay before him. He wishes if he could travel both of them. Both roads are inspected. He chooses the road less travelled by. It shows his courageous and adventurous nature. He wishes he could walk the other road another time. But soon he realizes that it is impossible. Because once a choice is made way leads to way in our life. The narrator reaches the fall of his life. He says it was his choice that made all the difference in his life. The difference that he speaks about can be positive or negative. If his life was successful he would be happy about his choice. If it was a failure he would be regretting his choice. Now he thinks about the road he has not taken. The poem is about making choices and decisions in life. The two roads is a metaphor representing two choices in life. Some are ready to take risk in life and choose the unbeaten road like the poet. It is our choices that make our life a success or a failure. The language used is simple yet dense with meaning and wider significance. The poem is written in iambic tetrameter. Visual images are abound in the poem. The four stanzas rhyme ABAAB. 8. Imagine that you meet Robert Frost. You interview him about the two roads and his decision to travel through the less travelled. Writ four questions and likely answer he might give.

INTERVIEW I: Good morning sir, Your poem ‘The Road not Taken’ is a well known poem. What is it about? Robert: It is about making choices and decisions in life. I: What do the two roads stand for? Robert: The two roads represent two choices in life. I: Why did you choose the less travelled road? Robert: Because I was courageous and ambitious. I did not wish to follow the crowd. I: Did you ever regret the choice that you have made? Robert: No, never. I made the right choice and so my life was successful. I: Thank you sir for allowing me to interview you. Robert: Welcome. 9. The speaker in ‘The Road not Taken’ describes a confusing situation where he had to make a hard choice. Have you ever faced such a situation in your life? Narrate it in about 100 words The occasion when I had to make a hard choice in life was after the S.S.L.C. Examination. I passed the examination with A+ grade in all subjects. I was quite uncertain as to which course I should choose for my


plus one study. I was interested in both science and commerce courses. I thought about the possibilities of both and the careers they might lead me to. The more I thought the more confused I became. I was like the traveler in Robert Frost’s poem ‘The Road not Taken’. I then asked for opinion from my parents, teachers and friends. Finally I selected science course. But even now the possibilities of the commerce course often come to my mind. I know that I can’t go back. I have learned to like the course I chose. 10. ‘A person who writes his autobiography should deal with all the privacies of his life.’ Do you agree with this statement? Write a short essay in about 100 words. I do not fully agree with this statement. A person writing an autobiography need not reveal all the privacies of his life. There are certain things that are too personal in everyone’s life. If such things are revealed that may be offending or scandalous to many people. So one should cautiously deal with the privacies of life while writing the autobiography. One need not have to make public the mistakes committed and the wrongs done by him. If great men write about their wrongs, the ordinary people who read it may be mislead to commit such mistakes. So an autobiography should include only those aspects of life which are beneficial to the readers. 11.Imagine that you got a chance to interview Mark Twain. Prepare a set of questions that you would ask him and the answers he might give.

INTERVIEW I: Good morning sir, I am a plus one student of ABC School. I would like to ask you a few questions based on your autobiography. Could you please oblige? Mark Twain: Certainly. It is a great pleasure. I: Why do you begin your autobiography saying that you are speaking from the grave? Mark Twain: Because I thought that I shall be dead by the time my autobiography is published. I: Have you openly dealt with the privacies of your life in the autobiography? Mark Twain: No, I have been very much reserved in writing about the privacies of my life. I: Bernard Shaw says ‘All biographies are lies’ Do you agree? Mark Twain: Certainly not. But it is true that biographies do not reveal all the privacies of one’s life. I: Sir, what according to you is the limit of freedom of statement in biographies?


Mark Twain: I think there should not be any offending or scandalous material in biographies. I: Thank you sir for allowing me to interview you. Mark Twain: Welcome. 12. Which of the following words can be used to describe Albert Schweitzer’s personality? Choose the traits that suit his character and write a character sketch of Albert Schweitzer? (selfish,practical,sentimental,service minded,artistic, religious,luxurious,compassionate, hard working,adventurous,jealous,sacrificing)

Character Sktech of Albert Schweitzer Albert Schweitzer was a philosopher, theologian, musician and a physician. But he is known to the world as a social worker and a lover of humanity. He had a very comfortable life. As he was service minded, he sacrificed all his comforts and dedicated himself to the service of the suffering people. He was hard working and adventurous. He gave up his distinguished career as a lecturer. He then studied medicine and left for the Equatorial Africa to serve the poor there. He was compassionate towards the poor and the suffering. He cured the natives of their diseases, educated them and loved them. He was practical minded and it helped him to overcome all the difficulties that he faced in his mission. He was religious too. It was his faith that made him a social worker. 13.Albert Schweitzer provided medical care to the poor natives of French Equatorial Africa. You are impressed by the great sacrifice of Schweitzer. Write a letter to him congratulating him on his efforts.

Jyothi Nivas XYZ Street Ernakulam 20/12/2010

Dear Respected Sir, I am a plus one student of ABC School in Kerala. I am greatly impressed by your humanitarian works among the poor natives of Equatorial Africa. Please accept my hearty congratulations on your successful mission there. It was a heroic and noble decision to dedicate yourself to the service of the suffering humanity. You could enjoy all the comforts of life if you wanted. But you sacrificed everything for a very noble cause. You took great pains to fulfill your mission. Your efforts to learn medicine and to set up a


hospital in Lambourne are all remarkable. You faced a lot of problems there in Africa. But you overcame everything with hard work and patience. You educated the natives, cured their illness, cared for them and loved them. The world will ever remember your sacrifices and services to humanity. Sir, you are a role model in social work. Your biography has inspired me to serve humanity and to make this world a better place. You are indeed great and noble. Yours Sincerely, Sd/ Name .


block 2

Documents