✨ Kathmandu – Summary in Points

🔹 The narrator, Vikram Seth, visits Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.
🔹 He describes two famous temples: Pashupatinath (Hindu) and Bodhnath Stupa (Buddhist).
🔹 At Pashupatinath, he observes a chaotic atmosphere: monkeys, priests, hawkers, worshippers, and a river with half-burnt bodies floating.
🔹 The temple is crowded with pilgrims pushing and fighting for entry.
🔹 At Bodhnath Stupa, however, the environment is calm, silent, and peaceful, with many Tibetans seen circling around.
🔹 The narrator compares the two experiences: noisy disorder at Pashupatinath and peaceful order at Bodhnath.
🔹 Kathmandu streets are full of vendors selling flutes, postcards, chocolates, and copper utensils.
🔹 A flute seller fascinates the narrator. He thinks of how flute music, across cultures, connects deeply with human emotions.
🔹 The narrator finally decides to return to Delhi by flight, with memories of the contrasting temples and the universal music of flutes.

📘 NCERT Questions & Answers (Kathmandu)

🌿 Thinking about the Text

🔵 Q1. On the basis of your reading of the chapter, compare and contrast the atmosphere at Pashupatinath temple and Bodhnath stupa.
🟢 Answer:
At Pashupatinath, there is noise, crowding, and chaos with pilgrims, hawkers, monkeys, and funeral pyres by the river. At Bodhnath Stupa, the atmosphere is calm, peaceful, and meditative, with devotees walking silently around the stupa.

🔵 Q2. How does the author describe Kathmandu’s bazaar?
🟢 Answer:
Kathmandu’s bazaar is lively and colourful, filled with hawkers selling postcards, fruit, copper utensils, chocolates, and flutes. The variety of shops and street vendors create a bustling yet fascinating marketplace scene.

🔵 Q3. What differences does the author note between the two shrines?
🟢 Answer:
Pashupatinath is marked by disorder and noise, with pushing pilgrims and quarrels at entry. In contrast, Bodhnath Stupa radiates serenity, where devotees circle around in quiet concentration, creating harmony and stillness.

🔵 Q4. What is the belief at Pashupatinath about the river Bagmati?
🟢 Answer:
It is believed that the Bagmati River is sacred and holy. People perform last rites there, immersing half-burnt bodies, believing that it purifies souls and ensures their entry to heaven after death.

🔵 Q5. What is the author’s most vivid memory of Kathmandu?
🟢 Answer:
The author’s most vivid memory is of the flute seller in Kathmandu’s bazaar. Surrounded by flutes, he plays them carelessly yet beautifully, reminding the narrator of the universal and emotional connection of flute music across cultures.

🔵 Q6. How does the author describe the flute seller? What attracts him the most?
🟢 Answer:
The flute seller is a quiet man sitting by a pole with dozens of flutes. He does not shout like other hawkers but plays the flute occasionally. His calm presence and the soulful, universal sound of the flute fascinate the author deeply.

🔵 Q7. The author has drawn powerful images and contrasts. Pick out at least two contrasting images and elaborate on them.
🟢 Answer:
One contrast is between the chaos at Pashupatinath Temple and the peace at Bodhnath Stupa. Another is between the noisy, crowded Kathmandu bazaar and the quiet dignity of the flute seller, highlighting differences between disorder and harmony.

🌟 Thinking about Language

🔵 Q1. Name six different kinds of flutes.
🟢 Answer:

1. The reed neh (Middle East)
2. The bansuri (India)
3. The shakuhachi (Japan)
4. The recorder (Europe)
5. The transverse flute (universal)
6. The pan pipes (South America)