CBSE Class 9 English Chapter 10 Kathmandu NCERT Solutions

Solution:

• Yes, travelling is an enriching experience that broadens one's horizons and provides insights into different cultures and landscapes. I enjoy travelling because it offers opportunities for learning and exploration.
• Yes, I have heard of these significant holy places. Other notable pilgrimage and historical sites in India include Amarnath, Vaishno Devi, Haridwar, Ujjain, Shirdi, Rishikesh, and the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

The surroundings of holy places in my city are typically bustling with activity. They are often crowded with devotees, vendors selling religious paraphernalia like flowers, idols, and sweets, and sometimes feature noisy street performers. The atmosphere is usually a mix of devotion, commerce, and a sense of community, with many shops and eateries catering to visitors.

(Note: This is a model answer. Students are encouraged to share their personal experiences and observations.)

Solution:

1. The author had considered a route that would have taken him from Kathmandu through Bihar (Patna), then across Uttar Pradesh (passing through cities like Benares, Allahabad, and Agra), before finally reaching Delhi. This route was not taken as he opted for a different path.
2. Students should consult a current map or travel resources to identify the specific routes. Generally:
   • Kathmandu to New Delhi: Available by air (direct flights are common), and also by road (often involving a bus journey to the border, then another bus or taxi to Delhi) or a combination of bus and train.
   • Kathmandu to Mumbai/Kolkata/Chennai: Primarily accessible by air, often with a layover in New Delhi or another major Indian city. Direct flights may be less frequent compared to New Delhi. Road and rail options are significantly longer and more complex, usually involving multiple changes and border crossings.
   (Students are recommended to mark these routes on their own maps for better visualization.)

Solution:

1. The author visited the Pashupatinath temple and the Baudhnath stupa in Kathmandu.
2. 'All this' refers to the various things the author consumed and experienced just before having a Coca Cola. This includes eating a bar of marzipan, enjoying a corn-on-the-cob roasted over a charcoal stove (seasoned with salt, chilli powder, and lemon), and reading a couple of love story comics along with a Reader's Digest magazine.
3. Vikram Seth compares the fifty or sixty bansuris (flutes) that were protruding in all directions from the pole of a flute seller to the sharp, numerous quills of a porcupine.
4. The five kinds of flutes mentioned are: the reed neh, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri used in Hindustani classical music, the clear or breathy flutes from South America, and the high-pitched Chinese flutes.

Solution:

Here are the correct matches between the phrasal verbs in Column A and their meanings in Column B:

• 1. break out - (d) to start suddenly, (usually a fight, a war or a disease)
• 2. break off - (a) to come apart due to force
• 3. break down - (f) stop working
• 4. break away - (e) to escape from
• 5. break up - (c) to separate or end a relationship
• 6. break into - (b) to enter a place unlawfully

Solution:

1. The author observes a significant difference between the flute seller and other hawkers in Kathmandu. While other hawkers are often loud, persistent, and try to attract customers aggressively, the flute seller is portrayed as a figure of calm and quietude. He plays his flute with a sense of detachment, and his music seems to create a peaceful atmosphere amidst the city's bustle. He doesn't actively hawk his wares but lets the music speak for itself, creating a stark contrast to the typical hawker's approach.
2. The text mentions a belief associated with the Pashupatinath temple regarding the end of the Kaliyug, the current age of darkness according to Hindu cosmology. It is believed that if the Pashupatinath temple becomes a national shrine, then the end of the Kaliyug will be near. This suggests a deep spiritual significance tied to the temple and its role in the world's timeline.