Kathmandu
By Vikram Seth

About the Author

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Vikram Seth is an Indian novelist and poet. He has written several novels and poetry books. He has received several awards including Padma Shri, Sahitya Akademi Award, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, WH Smith Literary Award and Crossword Book Award.

Vikram Seth was born on 20 June, 1952 in Kolkata, West Bengal. His father, Premnath Seth, was an executive of Bata Shoes and his mother, Leila Seth, a barrister by training, became the first female Chief Justice of Delhi High Court.

He studied at St. Michael’s High School, Patna and at the The Doon School in Dehradun. He also studied at St. Xavier’s High School, Patna. Later he moved to London and studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He then pursued a Ph.D. in Economics at Stanford University. After graduating from Doon, Seth went to Ton bridge School, England to complete his A-levels.

Having lived in London for many years, Seth now maintains residences near Salisbury, England, where he is a participant in local literary and cultural events, having bought and renovated the house of the Anglican poet George Herbert in 1996, and in Jaipur, India.

Vikram Seth has published six books of poetry and three novels. In 1986, Vikram Seth wrote The Golden Gate, his first major work. The publication of A Suitable Boy, a 1,349-page novel, propelled Seth into the public limelight and won the WH Smith Literary Award in 1993. An Equal Music, published in 1999, deals with the troubled love life of a violinist. He was awarded the commander of the order 3 of the British Empire CBE on February 2001.

In 2006, he became a leader of the campaign against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, a law against homosexuality. His mother has written about Seth’s sexuality and her coming to terms with it in her memoir.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Introduction

Vikram Seth recalls the memories of his visit to Kathmandu. It is the capital of Nepal. He visits the famous Pashupatinath temple of the Hindus and the Baudhnath Stupa of the Buddhists. He notices that there is noise and confusion around the temple but the Buddhist shrine is full of peace. He also describes the scene around many small shrines of Kathmandu. He also reveals how we thoughtlessly pollute our rivers washing clothes on its banks, cremating corpses, and dumping rubbish in them. He conveys that the purity and serenity of the holy places must be maintained.

Summary

On his way from China to India via Tibet, the narrator reached Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. He describes two famous temples of that city. The first is the Pashupatinath temple of the Hindus and the other is the Baudhnath Stupa of the Buddhists. At the Pashupatinath temple, there is an atmosphere of confusion. He finds priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs roaming there. There is a crowd of devotees and people push one another to make their way to the Lord.

Only Hindus are allowed to enter this temple. A group of Westerners struggle for permission to enter. But the policeman at the gate does not allow them to go in. The author finds monkeys fighting each other. The holy river Bagmati flows by the side of the temple. He sees washerwomen at its banks. A corpse is being cremated on its banks. From the balcony, devotees drop flowers and other offerings into the river. There is a small shrine also on the river bank. Half of the shrine is submerged into the river. It is believed that when the whole of the shrine comes out of the river, the goddess inside will come out. Then the evil period of Kaliyug will end on earth.

In contrast to the Pashupatinath temple, there is a sense of stillness at the Baudhnath stupa of the Buddhists. The author does not find crowds here. It has a big white dome. The shrine is surrounded by a road. There are small shops on its outer edge. Many of these shops are owned by Tibetan immigrants.

Kathmandu is a crowded place. Apart from the two famous shrines, there are a number of small shrines in the narrow and busy streets. The author finds fruit sellers, flute sellers, hawkers of postcards, shops selling western cosmetics, films, chocolates, etc. He roams about in the market aimlessly. Then the author makes up his mind to return home. He enters a Nepal Airlines office and buys a ticket for Delhi. He comes back to his hotel. In a corner of the square near the hotel, he finds a man selling flutes. These flutes are made of bamboo. From time to time, the flute seller plays on flute. The author likes his carefree style. He remarks that flute has a place in almost every culture, though with a variation in form and kind of music produced. The music of the flute leaves a deep imprint on his mind and he carries it with him when he returns home.

Textual Questions

Q. Name the two temples the author visited in Kathmandu.

Ans. He visited the Pashupatinath temple, sacred to the Hindus, and the Baudhnath stupa, the holy shrine of the Buddhists.

Q. The writer says, “All this I wash down with Coca-Cola”. What does all this’ refer to?

Ans. ‘All this’ refers to the eatables that the writer enjoys on the road surrounding the Boudhanath stupa. It includes a bar of marzipan and a roasted corn-cob that he enjoys along with the fizzy, carbonated drink, Coca-Cola.

Q. Name five kinds of flutes.

Ans. As the author listens to the music of the flute being played by the flute seller, he is reminded of different kinds of flutes. He mentions certain kinds of them like the ‘cross-flutes’, the ‘reed new’, the recorder, the Japanese ‘shakuhachi’ and the Hindustani ‘bansuri’. Other flutes are distinguished by their tonal quality like ‘the clear or breathy flutes’ of South America and the ‘high-pitched’ flutes of China

Q. What does Vikram Seth compare to the quills of a porcupine?

Ans. Vikram Seth found a flute seller in Kathmandu standing in a corner of the square near his hotel. He held a pole in his hand which had an attachment at the top. In this attachment, around fifty to sixty flutes were stuck that bulged out in all directions. The author compares these protruding flutes to the sharp, stiff and standing quills of a porcupine.

Q. What difference does the author note between the flute seller and the other hawkers?

Ans. The author points out that while other hawkers shout loudly to attract the customers for their wares, the flute seller plays upon his flute slowly and meditatively. He does not indulge in excessive display nor does he show any desperation to sell his flutes. Although the flute player does not shout, the sound of the flute is distinctly heard above the noise of the traffic and of the hawkers.

Q. What is the belief at Pashupatinath about the end of Kaliyug?

Ans. There is a small shrine on the banks of the holy Bagmati in the Pashupatinath temple. Half part of this shrine protrudes from a stone platform. It is believed that when the shrine will emerge completely from the platform, the goddess in the shrine will escape and that will mark the end of the Kaliyug.

Q. The author has drawn powerful images and pictures. Pick out three examples each of:

(a) The atmosphere of febrile confusion outside the temple of Pashupatinath
(b) The things he sees
(c) The sounds he hears

Ans. (a) Some examples of the atmosphere of ‘febrile confusion’ outside the Pashupatinath Temple:

• A huge crowd outside the temple that includes human beings, animals and birds.
• Some Westerners in the saffron attire like Hindus trying to intrude into the temple and the policeman opposing them.
• Two monkeys fighting, one chasing the other and jumping on a Shivalinga and then running to the river Bagmati

(b) Some examples of the things that the writer sees:

• Women washing clothes on the banks of Bagmati River.
• Children bathing in the river.
• A corpse being cremated at the banks of the Bagmati.
• A basket with withered flowers, leaves and old offerings being dropped into the river.
• The Tibetan immigrants selling things on the road around the Baudhnath stupa.
• The hawkers selling the postcards and other wares in the streets.

(c) Some examples of the sounds that the writer hears:

The blaring horns of the traffic
The sweet and hypnotic sounds of the flute
The loud voices of the hawkers.
The mooing of stray cows
The film songs blaring out from the radios
The sound of car horns
The ringing of bicycle bells

Additional Short Answer Type Questions

Q1. What is written on the signboard outside the Pashupatinath temple? What does the proclamation signify?

Ans. Outside the Pashupatinath temple, the signboard announces: “Entrance for the Hindus only”. It signifies the rigid sanctity that this place of worship associates with and the dogmatic discrimination practised saving this place from being treated like a tourist destination.

Q2. What does the author imply by ‘febrile confusion’ in the Pashupatinath temple?

Ans. Around the temple, there is a huge crowd of priests, hawkers, tourists, and even cows, monkeys and pigeons. Inside the temple, there are a large number of worshippers who elbow others aside to move closer to the priest. Together, they create utter confusion.

Q3. Why did the policeman stop the Westerners wearing saffron-coloured clothes from entering the Pashupatinath temple?

Ans. The policeman stopped the saffron-clad Westerners from entering the Pashupatinath temple as the entry of non- Hindus is banned in this temple and he didn’t believe that they were Hindus, despite their saffron clothes.

Q4. What activities are observed by the writer on the banks of the Bagmati river?

Ans. The writer observes some polluting activities on the banks of river Bagmati. He notices some washerwomen washing clothes, some children taking a bath and a dead body being cremated on the banks of this sacred river. He also observes someone throwing a basketful of wilted flowers and leaves into the river.

Q5. What are the author’s observations about the streets in Kathmandu?

Ans. The author finds the streets in Kathmandu ‘vivid, mercenary and religious’. Extremely narrow and busy, these streets have many small shrines and some images clad in flowers. Stray cows roam about mooing at the sound of the motorcycles. Vendors sell their wares shouting loudly and radios are played at a loud pitch. In addition, the horns of the cars and the ringing of the bicycle bells increase this din.

Q6. What picture of the Baudhnath stupa does the author portray?

Ans. The author gives a brief but vivid picture of the Boudhanath stupa. He admires the serenity and calmness of this shrine. There are no crowds even on the road surrounding the stupa which has some shops run by the Tibetan immigrants. The stupa has an immense white dome with silence and stillness as its distinctive features.

Q7. Why does Vikram Seth decide to buy a ticket directly for the homeward journey?

Ans. Vikram Seth has been away from home since quite some time. He is feeling very exhausted and homesick. Though his enthusiasm for travelling tempts him to take a longer route to reach back home, his exhaustion and homesickness impel him to buy an air-ticket directly for the homeward journey to Delhi.

Q8. What is the impact of the music of the flute on Vikram Seth?

Ans. The music of the flute has a hypnotic effect on Vikram Seth. He finds it difficult to ‘tear’ himself away from the square where this music is being played by the flute seller. It has the power to draw him into the commonality of all mankind and he is moved by its closeness to the human voice.

Q9. Why does the author describe the music of the flute as “the most universal and most particular of sounds”?

Ans. The music of the flute, according to the author, is the most ‘universal’ because this musical instrument, made of hollow bamboo is found in every culture in the world. But at the same time, its sound is the most ‘particular’ because each flute, though played in almost a similar manner, emits a distinct, unique, and individual kind of music.

Q10. To hear any ‘flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.’ Explain.

Ans. The flute is found in each culture in one form or the other. Thus the sound of the flute draws a person into the commonality of mankind.

Long Answer Type Questions

Q1.How does the author describe the flute seller? What does he say about the flute music?

Ans. The author finds a flute seller in a corner of the square near his hotel. There is a pole in his hand. There is an attachment at the top of the pole. Fifty or sixty flutes are stuck on it. These flutes protrude in all directions. The author compares these flutes to the quills of a porcupine. These flutes are made-of bamboo: From time to time, he stands the pole on the ground. Then he selects a flute and plays on it for a few minutes. The sound rises clearly above the noise of the traffic and the hawkers’ cries. He plays the flute slowly and thoughtfully. He does not shout out his wares. Occasionally someone buys a flute from him. But the flute seller’s attitude is carefree. The author likes his attitude.

He says that the flute is a very common musical instrument. It is found in almost all cultures. It is the common link of all mankind.

Q2. Compare and contrast the atmosphere in and around the Baudhnath shrine with that in the Pashupatinath Temple.

Ans. The Pashupatinath Temple and the Baudhnath shrine stand in contrast with regard to their ambience. In the Pashupatinath temple, utter chaos is created by a large number of unorganized worshippers who try to push each other to reach closer to the priest and the deity. At Baudhnath stupa, there aren’t many people inside the structure.

The atmosphere at Pashupatinath Temple is made noisy by the heterogeneous crowd consisting of priests, hawkers, devotees and tourists. The animals like cows and dogs freely move around and the pigeons to contribute to the confusion. Even monkeys play about and fight in the premises of the temple. Confusion is also created by some Westerners who wish to enter the temple.

The Boudhanath stupa, on the contrary, gives a feeling of stillness and silence. Although there are small shops on the road around the temple, run by Tibetan immigrants, there is neither noise nor chaos. The author is so fascinated by the serenity in and around the temple that he calls it ‘a haven of stillness’ standing quietly amidst the busy streets.

Q3. How does the author describe Kathmandu’s busiest streets?

Ans. The author presents the busiest streets of Kathmandu as ‘vivid, mercenary and religious’. It is a place with beautiful, vivid, landscape, and a lot of religious activity goes on all the time. Besides the famous places like the Pashupatinath temple and the Baudhnath stupa, Kathmandu also has small shrines and deities. It is ‘mercenary’ as it is a tourist place and a lot of business flourishes in the narrow streets. One can find fruit sellers, flute sellers, and hawkers selling postcard photographs. As in any other tourist place, there are shops selling various things like cosmetics from western countries, rolls of film, chocolates, antique things of Nepal, and copper pots and pans.

There is a bedlam of noises created by radios playing film songs, sounds of car-horns, bells of bicycles and vendors shouting to invite the customers. There are also the cows bellowing as they hear the sounds of motorcycles. Thus, the streets of Kathmandu are full of noise.

Q4.” To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.” Why does the author say this?

Ans. The author hears the music of a flute played by a flute seller in a square near his hotel in Kathmandu and is reminded of the various kinds of music produced by various types of flutes found in various cultures. However, the flute is universal because almost every culture has flutes, though each has a different tone and pitch. The author further describes the variety of flutes named differently as the shakuhachi in Japan and the bansuri in India. They have different fingering methods and ranges of sound. The Indian bansuri has a deep sound, the South American flute emits clear, breathy sound and the Chinese flute gives out loud, high-pitched melodies.

Despite the variety of flutes and the variations in their music, the author emphasises that the music of all the flutes closely resembles the human voice. To produce music, every flute needs pauses and breaths in the same manner in which phrases and sentences are uttered in the human voice. These pauses and breaths are generated through fingering of the holes of a flute. This characteristic feature of the flutes gives the author a feeling of being “drawn into the commonality of mankind”, which gives him a sense of universality and harmony.

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