Footloose In Agra
by Ruskin Bond
Read and answer:
1. Fill in the blanks with suitable words:
a. The writer was travelling through Agra in a Cycle Rickshaw.
b. He observed a large number of kites in the cloudless sky.
c. The rickshaw-man informed the writer that kite flying competitions happened every Sunday in Agra.
d. When he reached the Taj, the narrator was struck by the perfectly preserved jade , jasper , and lapis lazuli in the monument.
e. He reached the Taj at noon, so there was a great dazzle of reflected light over the white marble of the monument.
f. He went into a shady grove where he happened to meet a cheeky young boy who gave him a Ashoka fruit to eat.
g. The small boy was the son of the head gardener and he enjoyed looking at the people who came there rather than the world-famous Taj.
h. The writer aptly describes the Taj as a monument.
2. Which of the following options would the author most likely agree with?
a. The best way to move about in a small, congested Indian city is in
i) a car. [ ]
ii) a bus. [ ]
iii) a cycle rickshaw. [✓]
b. Leisure activities such as kite flying are disappearing from cities because
i) it is banned. [ ]
ii) the pace of life has increased. [✓]
iii) parents find it too dangerous for children. [ ]
3. Which of the following statements about the small boy is supported by information in the passage?
a. He loved to stand and stare at the exquisitely crafted marble monument. [ ]
b. He loved to work in the formal, manicured gardens surrounding the Taj. [ ]
c. He loved to observed the people from different walks of life who came to immense themselves in the beauty of the Taj. [✓]
Reference to context:
4. "Ah, but Delhi is a busy place. In Agra, people still fly kites."
a. Who made this observation?
= The rickshaw-man made this observation.
b. What does this statement tell us about the life in Agra as compared to Delhi?
= Delhi is a busy city and its daily life is always merged in work. On the other hand, Agra is a city of traditions. It does not forget to find leisure of its own.
c. Why is there a difference between the narrator and the rickshaw man's reactions to the kites?
= The narrator was new there, he has come to visit Delhi and Agra. On the opposite, the rickshaw-man was an inhabitant of that place. He was very much familiar with all those scene and sights of Delhi and Agra. That is why there is a difference between the narrator and the rickshaw-man's reactions to the kites.
5. "You had better see the Taj today, Sahib."
a. Why is the speaker qualified to make such a judgement?
= While going through the streets and lanes of Agra, the author saw many kites being flown in the sky of Agra. He became curious and asked questions about it to the rickshaw-man. he also wanted to know more about the kite-fliers and the kite makers. All these, bored the rickshaw-man and he made this judgement.
b. What factors about that particular day could prompt this suggestion?
= The day was sunny and the weather was fine, so , it was a fine day to visit Taj Mahal. It was getting late and it is difficult to view Taj at noon.
c. Does the listener accept this advice?
= The listener accepts this advice without further delay.
Reflect and answer:
6. What do you think interested the writer in Agra: the Taj, kite flying, the winding river Yamuna or the small boy in the garden? Give reasons for your choice(s).
= It was noon when the author reached Taj Mahal. It is difficult to visit the Taj at noon. The sun stroke the white marble and there was a great dazzle of reflected light. The writer could not see the Taj Mahal properly. The writer thoroughly enjoyed the formal gardens, the surrounding walls of red sandstone, the winding river Yamuna.
Then at last met the boy who was the son of the head gardener. He had a good chat with him and came to know about his perception of viewing the Taj Mahal daily. Then he grasped the marvellous beauty of the Taj Mahal when a very small cloud passes across the face of the sun. He realises that it does not change as the boy said. Therein lies the beauty of the Taj. The writer somehow refers to the boy many times. At the end of the text, we can see that the writer mentions about the passage of the river and the sharp flavour of the Ashoka fruit given by the boy. The writer was interested about all those things mentioned in the question but the small boy added much impression on his visit and on his writing as well.
7. The gardener's son is quite unconcerned about the Taj; the people who come to see it evoke the reasons for this?
= The boy somehow found it boring to look at the same Taj Mahal every single day. He informed the writer that he rather look at the people who come there. They are all different every day. He used to see - the kings and queens and presidents and prime ministers and film stars and poor people too. He looks at them and do not get bored. Then the writer reminds him that it is the mere Taj which gives him this opportunity to see all those people. This invoked him a different emotion about Taj. He then started looking at it, thinking about it and wondering what magic it must possess to attract people from all corners of the earth. He is a little boy who does not have the sense to see the beauty of the very monument. He was growing up being in the garden of Taj every day. He was accustomed to see the Taj from his childhood. So, he found it of no interest to see it differently.
8. When you visit a tourist destination, be it a wildlife park, a historical place or a mountain resort, do you read about it before your visit? Why? Does this increase your enjoyment of the place?
= Before visiting a tourist destination, I do read about it before my visit. This definitely increases my interest about visiting the place. This also helps to make the fooding and lodging previously ready and arranged. The reading creates an imaginary feeling about the place, then when we go to the place in real, that experiences us to feel an amazing thrill in our mind which lasts for long time.