Class IX [Beehive] Unit - 10: Kathmandu by Vikram Seth (An extract from ‘Heaven Lake’)

Kathmandu by Vikram Seth (An extract from ‘Heaven Lake’)

Word Meanings

1. Proclaims: make known publicly or officially
2. Febrile confusion: hurried activity; complete chaos
3. Saffron – clad westerners: foreigners dressed as sadhus
4. Corpse: dead body
5. Wilted: dry and withered
6. Shrine: a place of worship
7. Protrudes: comes out
8. Kalyug: it is the fourth and last stages or time period of a Mahayuga. It started with the end of Mahabharata when Lord Krishna left the Earth.
9. Immigrants: a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.
10. Haven: a safe place
11. Deities: gods and goddesses
12. Cows low: the ‘moo’ sound made by cows
13. Marzipan: a sweet made with grated almonds
14. Brazier: open stove
15. Wash down: to drink something after a meal to digest it
16. Nauseating: sickening
17. Propelled: drive or push something forward
18. Per se: by itself
19. Meditatively: thoughtfully
20. Offhanded: casual; not showing much interest in something
21. Fingering: way of placing the fingers to play different notes
22. Compass: here, range

Key elements of Vikram Seth's Travelogue Kathmandu:
Setting: 
1. Kathmandu, Nepal, the capital city, is the central setting, with its temples, shrines, streets, and natural beauty.
2. The travelogue captures the essence of the city’s culture, architecture, and spiritual atmosphere, both historical and contemporary.

Characters:
1. The Speaker (Vikram Seth): The poet, who is the observer and narrator of his experiences in Kathmandu.
2. Local People: Residents of Kathmandu, including pilgrims, monks, shopkeepers, and tourists, who represent the diversity of life in the city.

Central Idea: The travelogue captures the speaker’s observations of Kathmandu, emphasizing its spirituality, cultural diversity, and contrasts between the sacred and the mundane. Seth’s experiences in the city serve as a reflection on the city's atmosphere and life.

Themes:
1. Spirituality and Religion: The travelogue explores the religious rituals, symbols, and sacred places in Kathmandu, blending Hindu and Buddhist practices.
2. Cultural Heritage: The travelogue presents Kathmandu as a city rich in traditions, art, and architecture, representing both ancient and modern cultural dynamics.
3. The Sacred and the Profane: A recurring theme is the contrast between sacred spaces and everyday human activities (tourism, commerce, etc.).
4. Mortality and Transience: The theme of life’s impermanence is highlighted through the portrayal of temples, rituals, and the fleeting nature of human existence.

Message: Seth reflects on the connection between life and spirituality, and how the sacred and secular coexist in Kathmandu. Through his experiences, he presents the city as a place where religious life, culture, and human experiences intersect.

Underlying Message: The travelogue subtly suggests that travel is not just about observing new places, but also about self-discovery and reflecting on the complexity of life, where ordinary and extraordinary moments are intertwined. It encourages readers to contemplate the balance between the sacred and everyday and appreciate the spiritual richness in daily life.

Literary Elements

1. Imagery: The travelogue uses detailed descriptions of the city’s sights, sounds, and smells to create a vivid mental picture of Kathmandu.
2. Tone: The tone is reflective and contemplative, as the poet thoughtfully observes the city’s culture and spirituality.
3. Metaphor: Kathmandu and its spiritual spaces metaphorically represent the cycles of life, death, and eternal time.
4. Personification: Objects like prayer flags and incense are given human-like qualities to highlight their spiritual significance.
5. Symbolism: Kathmandu symbolizes the fusion of spirituality and everyday life, blending the sacred and the mundane.
6. Allusion: The travelogue references Hindu and Buddhist religious symbols and practices to deepen its spiritual meaning.
7. Theme: Themes of spirituality, the impermanence of life, and the intersection of the sacred and secular are explored.
8. Contrast: The travelogue contrasts the spiritual life of Kathmandu with the bustling, everyday life of the city, highlighting their coexistence.

NCERT Questions

I. Answer these questions in one or two words or in short phrases.

Question 1: Name the two temples the author visited in Kathmandu.
Answer: Pashupatinath and Baudhnath Stupa.

Question 2: The writer says, “All this I wash down with Coca Cola.” What does ‘all this’ refer to?
Answer: Com-on-the-cob and marzipan.

Question 3: What does Vikram Seth compare to the quills of a porcupine?
Answer: The flutes tied on the top of the flute seller’s pole.

Question 4: Name five kinds of flutes.
Answer: The reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri, the breathy flutes of South America, the high-pitched Chinese flutes.

II. Answer each question in a short paragraph.
Question 1: What difference does the author note between the flute seller and the other hawkers?
Answer: The author finds a difference in selling the articles. The flute seller does not shout out his wares. He makes a sale in a curiously offhanded way as if this was incidental to his enterprise.

Question 2: What is the belief at Pashupatinath about the end of Kaliyug?
Answer: People believe that when a small shrine emerges fully on Bagwati river, the goddess inside will escape, and the evil period of the Kalyug will end on earth.

Question 3
1. The author has drawn powerful images and pictures. Pick out three examples each of the atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’ outside the temple of Pashupatinath (for example: some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside…)
2. the things he sees
3. the sounds he hears

Answers:

1.     The author describes the monkey’s fight vividly and graphically. A fight breaks out between two monkeys. One chases the other, who jumps onto a shiva linga, then runs screaming around the temples and down to the river.
2.   The author observes a princess of the Nepalese royal house. Everyone bows to her. He sees monkeys. He sees felt bags, Tibetan prints and silver jewellery. He looks at flute sellers, hawkers of postcards, shops selling Western cosmetics, etc.
3.    He hears film songs from the radios, car horns, bicycle bells, stray cows low and vendors shouting out their wares. He also listens to the various flutes played by the flute seller.

Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS)   
Question 1: Compare and contrast the atmosphere in and around the Baudhnath shrine with the Pashupatinath temple.

Answer 1: At Pashupatinath, there is an atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’. Priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs roam through the grounds. There are so many worshippers that some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside by others pushing their way to the front. At the Baudhnath stupa, the Buddhist shrine of Kathmandu, there is a sense of stillness. Its immense white dome is ringed by a road. Small shops stand on its outer edge. Most of the shops are owned by Tibetan immigrants. There are no crowds and this is a haven of quietness in the busy streets around.

Question 2: How does the author describe Kathmandu’s busiest streets?
Answer 2: The author says that Kathmandu is vivid, mercenary, and religious, with small shrines to flower-adorned deities along the narrowest and busiest streets. There are fruit sellers, flute sellers, hawkers of postcards, shops selling Western cosmetics, film rolls chocolate or copper utensils and Nepalese antiques. Film songs blare out from the radios, car horns sound, bicycle bells ring, stray cows low, vendors shout out their wares. The author buys a com-on- the cob roasted in a charcoal brazier on the pavement. He also buys Coca-Cola and orange drinks.

Value-Based Question (VBQ)

Question 3: “To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.” Why does the author say this?

Answer 3: The author says this because he is aware of the fact that music appeals to the senses. It gives pleasure to every listener. The flute seller does not sell only one kind of flute. He has various types of flutes that represent different customs and cultures. The flute seller is a wise salesperson. He does not shout out his wares. He plays melodious tunes which fascinate others. Mankind does not have multiple appearances and shapes. It is universal and cosmopolitan. Music soothes everyone’s heart irrespective of their caste, colour and creed. So the author says that to hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.