In book Heaven Lake, Vikram Seth describes a long journey from China to India via Tibet and Nepal. mainly two sacred places in Kathmandu – the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath and the Buddhist shrine of Baudhnath – and his experiences in the city before returning home. Through vivid descriptions, the writer captures the sights, sounds, and atmosphere of this holy city.
Before You Read
Do you like travelling? The writer, Vikram Seth, enjoys it very much. In his book, Heaven Lake, he describes a long journey from China to India, via Tibet and Nepal. Have you heard of places like Ajmer Sharif, Madurai, Sanchi, Varanasi, Sarnath, or Halebid? Can you name some other places like these? What do the surroundings of a holy place in your city look like? Think about it as you read Vikram Seth’s description of Kathmandu.
The Story
Arrival in Kathmandu
The writer got a cheap room in the centre of town and slept for hours. The next morning, with Mr Shah’s son and nephew, he visited the two temples in Kathmandu that are most sacred to Hindus and Buddhists.
At Pashupatinath Temple
At Pashupatinath, outside which a sign proclaims Entrance for the Hindus only, there was an atmosphere of febrile confusion. Priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs roamed through the grounds. The writer and his companions offered a few flowers.
The Chaos Inside:
There were so many worshippers that some people trying to get the priest’s attention were elbowed aside by others pushing their way to the front. A princess of the Nepalese royal house appeared and everyone bowed and made way. By the main gate, a party of saffron-clad Westerners struggled for permission to enter. The policeman was not convinced that they were the Hindus, as only Hindus are allowed to enter the temple.
The Monkeys:
A fight broke out between two monkeys. One chased the other, who jumped onto a shivalinga, then ran screaming around the temples and down to the river, the holy Bagmati, that flows below.
Activities at the River:
A corpse was being cremated on the banks of the river. Washerwomen were at their work and children bathed. From a balcony a basket of flowers and leaves, old offerings now wilted, was dropped into the river.
The Shrine Belief:
A small shrine half protruded from the stone platform on the river bank. According to the belief, when it emerges fully, the goddess inside will escape, and the evil period of the Kaliyug will end on earth.
At Baudhnath Stupa
At the Baudhnath stupa, the Buddhist shrine of Kathmandu, there was, in contrast, a sense of stillness. Its immense white dome was ringed by a road.
The Shops:
Small shops stood on its outer edge. Many of these were owned by Tibetan immigrants. Felt bags, Tibetan prints and silver jewellery could be bought here.
The Atmosphere:
There were no crowds. This was a haven of quietness in the busy streets around.
The City of Kathmandu
Kathmandu is vivid, mercenary, religious, with small shrines to flower-adorned deities along the narrowest and busiest streets.
What the Writer Saw:
- Fruit sellers, flute sellers, hawkers of postcards
- Shops selling Western cosmetics, film rolls and chocolate
- Shops selling copper utensils and Nepalese antiques
Sounds of the City:
- Film songs blaring out from the radios
- Car horns sounding
- Bicycle bells ringing
- Stray cows lowing questioningly at motorcycles
- Vendors shouting out their wares
The Writer’s Indulgence:
The writer indulged himself mindlessly. He bought a bar of marzipan, a corn-on-the-cob roasted in a charcoal brazier on the pavement (rubbed with salt, chilli powder and lemon), a couple of love story comics, and even a Reader’s Digest. All this he washed down with Coca Cola and a nauseating orange drink, and felt much the better for it.
Planning the Journey Home
The writer considered what route he should take back home. If he were propelled by enthusiasm for travel per se, he would go by bus and train to Patna, then sail up the Ganges past Benaras to Allahabad, then up the Yamuna, past Agra to Delhi.
The Decision:
But he was too exhausted and homesick. It was the last day of August. He told himself to go home and move directly towards home. He entered a Nepal Airlines office and bought a ticket for tomorrow’s flight.
The Flute Seller
The writer looked at the flute seller standing in a corner of the square near the hotel.
Description of the Seller:
In his hand was a pole with an attachment at the top from which fifty or sixty bansuris protruded in all directions, like the quills of a porcupine. They were of bamboo – there were cross-flutes and recorders.
The Seller’s Actions:
From time to time he stood the pole on the ground, selected a flute and played for a few minutes. The sound rose clearly above the noise of the traffic and the hawkers’ cries. He played slowly, meditatively, without excessive display. He did not shout out his wares.
His Sales Approach:
Occasionally he made a sale, but in a curiously offhanded way as if this were incidental to his enterprise. Sometimes he broke off playing to talk to the fruit seller. The writer imagined that this had been the pattern of his life for years.
Reflection on Flute Music
The writer found it difficult to tear himself away from the square. Flute music always does this to him. It is at once the most universal and most particular of sounds.
Universal Nature of Flutes:
There is no culture that does not have its flute. Different types include:
- The reed neh
- The recorder
- The Japanese shakuhachi
- The deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music
- The clear or breathy flutes of South America
- The high-pitched Chinese flutes
Unique Yet Universal:
Each has its specific fingering and compass. It weaves its own associations. Yet to hear any flute is, it seems to the writer, to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind, to be moved by music closest in its phrases and sentences to the human voice. Its motive force too is living breath. It too needs to pause and breathe before it can go on.
Surprising Reaction
That the writer could be so affected by a few familiar phrases on the bansuri surprised him at first. On the previous occasions that he had returned home after a long absence abroad, he had hardly noticed such details, and certainly had not invested them with the significance he now did.
Glossary
| Word/Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| proclaim | make known publicly or officially |
| febrile confusion | hurried activity; complete chaos |
| shrine | a place of worship |
| haven | a safe place |
| meditatively | thoughtfully |
| offhanded | casual; not showing much interest in something |
| marzipan | a sweet made with grated almond |
| brazier | open stove |
| nauseating | sickening |
| per se | by itself |
| fingering | way of placing the fingers to play different notes |
| compass | here, range |
Questions and Answers
I. Answer these questions in one or two words or in short phrases
1. Name the two temples the author visited in Kathmandu.
The two temples the author visited in Kathmandu were Pashupatinath (Hindu temple) and Baudhnath stupa (Buddhist shrine).
2. The writer says, All this I wash down with Coca Cola. What does all this refer to?
All this refers to the various items the writer bought and consumed – a bar of marzipan, a corn-on-the-cob roasted in a charcoal brazier on the pavement (rubbed with salt, chilli powder and lemon), a couple of love story comics, and a Reader’s Digest.
3. What does Vikram Seth compare to the quills of a porcupine?
Vikram Seth compares the fifty or sixty bansuris (bamboo flutes) protruding in all directions from the flute seller’s pole to the quills of a porcupine.
4. Name five kinds of flutes.
Five kinds of flutes are:
- The reed neh
- The recorder
- The Japanese shakuhachi
- The deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music
- The clear or breathy flutes of South America (also the high-pitched Chinese flutes)
II. Answer each question in a short paragraph
1. What difference does the author note between the flute seller and the other hawkers?
The author notes several differences between the flute seller and other hawkers. The flute seller played slowly and meditatively without excessive display, unlike other vendors who shouted out their wares. He did not shout or call attention to himself. The sound of his flute rose clearly above the noise of traffic and hawkers’ cries. He made sales in a curiously offhanded way, as if selling was incidental to his enterprise of playing music. Sometimes he broke off playing to talk to the fruit seller. His approach was calm and unhurried, unlike the aggressive selling tactics of other hawkers. The author imagined this had been the pattern of his life for years.
2. What is the belief at Pashupatinath about the end of Kaliyug?
The belief at Pashupatinath is related to a small shrine that half protrudes from the stone platform on the river bank. According to this belief, when this shrine emerges fully from the platform, the goddess inside will escape. Once the goddess escapes, the evil period of the Kaliyug will end on earth. This belief connects a physical phenomenon (the shrine’s gradual emergence) with a spiritual event (the end of the age of evil and the beginning of a better era).
3. The author has drawn powerful images and pictures. Pick out three examples each of:
(i) The atmosphere of febrile confusion outside the temple of Pashupatinath:
- Some people trying to get the priest’s attention are elbowed aside by others pushing their way to the front
- A fight breaks out between two monkeys. One chases the other, who jumps onto a shivalinga, then runs screaming around the temples
- Priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs roam through the grounds
- A party of saffron-clad Westerners struggle for permission to enter while the policeman is not convinced they are Hindus
- A corpse is being cremated on the river banks while washerwomen are at their work and children bathe
(ii) The things he sees:
- A small shrine half protruding from the stone platform on the river bank
- The immense white dome of Baudhnath stupa ringed by a road
- Small shops selling felt bags, Tibetan prints and silver jewellery owned by Tibetan immigrants
- Small shrines to flower-adorned deities along the narrowest and busiest streets
- A basket of flowers and leaves, old offerings now wilted, being dropped into the river from a balcony
- The flute seller with fifty or sixty bansuris protruding in all directions like quills of a porcupine
(iii) The sounds he hears:
- Film songs blaring out from the radios
- Car horns sounding and bicycle bells ringing
- Stray cows lowing questioningly at motorcycles
- Vendors shouting out their wares
- The sound of the flute rising clearly above the noise of traffic and hawkers’ cries
- The flute seller playing slowly, meditatively, without excessive display
III. Answer the following questions in not more than 100-150 words each
1. Compare and contrast the atmosphere in and around the Baudhnath shrine with the Pashupatinath temple.
The atmosphere at Pashupatinath temple and Baudhnath stupa presented a sharp contrast. At Pashupatinath, there was an atmosphere of febrile confusion with priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs roaming through the grounds. The place was crowded with so many worshippers that people were elbowing each other aside to get the priest’s attention. There was chaos with monkeys fighting, a princess arriving causing everyone to bow, Westerners struggling for permission to enter, and various activities happening simultaneously at the river – cremation, washing, children bathing.
In complete contrast, at the Baudhnath stupa, there was a sense of stillness. Its immense white dome was ringed by a road with small shops on the outer edge owned by Tibetan immigrants selling felt bags, Tibetan prints and silver jewellery. There were no crowds. It was a haven of quietness in the busy streets around. The Buddhist shrine offered peace and calm, unlike the chaotic, noisy atmosphere of the Hindu temple. The contrast reflects the different approaches to worship and the different energies of the two religions.
2. How does the author describe Kathmandu’s busiest streets?
The author describes Kathmandu’s busiest streets as vivid, mercenary and religious all at once. The streets had small shrines to flower-adorned deities along the narrowest and busiest paths. There were fruit sellers, flute sellers, and hawkers of postcards everywhere. Shops sold a strange mix of items – Western cosmetics, film rolls and chocolate alongside copper utensils and Nepalese antiques.
The streets were filled with sounds – film songs blaring out from radios, car horns sounding, bicycle bells ringing, stray cows lowing questioningly at motorcycles, and vendors shouting out their wares. This created a chaotic soundscape.
The author also describes his own indulgence in this atmosphere – buying marzipan, roasted corn-on-the-cob from a charcoal brazier rubbed with salt, chilli powder and lemon, love story comics, and Reader’s Digest. He washed all this down with Coca Cola and a nauseating orange drink. The description captures the sensory overload of a busy Eastern city where the sacred and commercial, traditional and modern, all exist together in noisy confusion.
3. To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind. Why does the author say this?
The author says this because he finds flute music to be both the most universal and most particular of sounds. Every culture in the world has its own type of flute – whether it is the reed neh, the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi, the deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music, the clear or breathy flutes of South America, or the high-pitched Chinese flutes. Each of these flutes has its specific fingering and compass, and weaves its own unique associations.
Yet despite these cultural differences, to hear any flute connects us to all of humanity because flute music is closest in its phrases and sentences to the human voice. Its motive force is living breath – just like human speech and song. The flute too needs to pause and breathe before it can go on, just as we do when we speak or sing.
This universal quality of the flute transcends cultural boundaries. When we hear a flute from any tradition, we recognize something fundamentally human in it. It speaks to something common in all of us, drawing us into the shared experience of being human, regardless of our cultural background. The author was surprised at how deeply he was affected by the familiar phrases on the bansuri, showing how music can touch the deepest parts of our identity and belonging.
Thinking about Language
I. Phrasal Verbs
Match the phrasal verbs in Column A with their meanings in Column B:
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| (i) break out | (d) start suddenly, usually a fight, a war or a disease |
| (ii) break off | (a) to come apart due to force |
| (iii) break down | (f) stop working |
| (iv) break away (from someone) | (e) to escape from someone’s grip |
| (v) break up | (b) end a relationship |
| (vi) break into | (c) break and enter illegally; unlawful trespassing |
II. Suffixes -ion and -tion
1. Use the suffixes -ion or -tion to form nouns from the following verbs:
| Verb | Noun |
|---|---|
| cremate | cremation |
| act | action |
| exhaust | exhaustion |
| invent | invention |
| tempt | temptation |
| immigrate | immigration |
| direct | direction |
| meditate | meditation |
| imagine | imagination |
| dislocate | dislocation |
| associate | association |
| dedicate | dedication |
2. Fill in the blanks with suitable words:
(i) Mass literacy was possible only after the invention of the printing machine.
(ii) Ramesh is unable to tackle the situation as he lacks direction.
(iii) I could not resist the temptation to open the letter.
(iv) Hardwork and dedication are the main keys to success.
(v) The children were almost fainting with exhaustion after being made to stand in the sun.
III. Punctuation
Corrected paragraph with proper punctuation:
An arrogant lion was wandering through the jungle one day. He asked the tiger, “Who is stronger than you?” “You, O lion,” replied the tiger. “Who is more fierce than a leopard?” asked the lion. “You, sir,” replied the leopard. He marched up to an elephant and asked the same question. The elephant picked him up in his trunk, swung him in the air and threw him down. “Look,” said the lion, “there is no need to get mad just because you don’t know the answer.”
IV. Simple Present Tense
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets:
(i) The heart is a pump that sends (send) the blood circulating through our body. The pumping action takes place (take place) when the left ventricle of the heart contracts (contract). This forces (force) the blood out into the arteries, which expand (expand) to receive the oncoming blood.
(ii) The African lungfish can live without water for up to four years. During a drought it digs (dig) a pit and encloses (enclose) itself in a capsule of slime and earth, leaving a tiny opening for air. The capsule dries (dry) and hardens (harden), but when rain comes (come), the mud dissolves (dissolve) and the lungfish swims (swim) away.
(iii)
MAHESH: We have to organise a class party for our teacher. Does (Do) anyone play an instrument?
VIPUL: Rohit plays (play) the flute.
MAHESH: Does (Do) he also act?
VIPUL: No, he composes (compose) music.
MAHESH: That’s wonderful!
Speaking
1. Discuss in class the shrines you have visited or know about. Speak about one of them.
Students should share their experiences of visiting religious places, describing the atmosphere, the people, the rituals, and their personal feelings about the place.
2. Imagine you are giving an eyewitness account or a running commentary of:
- A game of football, cricket or hockey, or some sports event
- A parade (e.g. Republic Day) or some other national event
Speak a few sentences narrating what you see and hear using simple present and present continuous tenses.
Writing
Diary Entry for a Travelogue
I. Record in point form:
What you see when you reach the Pashupatinath temple:
- Sign outside proclaiming Entrance for the Hindus only
- Atmosphere of febrile confusion
- Priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists roaming around
- Cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs in the grounds
What you see happening inside the temple:
- Many worshippers trying to get priest’s attention
- People elbowing each other aside
- Princess of Nepalese royal house appearing, everyone bowing
- Party of saffron-clad Westerners struggling for permission to enter
- Fight breaking out between two monkeys
What you do when inside the temple:
- Offer a few flowers
- Observe the chaos around
- Watch the activities
What you see outside the temple:
- Monkey chasing another to the holy Bagmati river
- Corpse being cremated on river banks
- Washerwomen at work
- Children bathing in river
- Basket of wilted flowers and leaves being dropped from balcony
- Small shrine half protruding from stone platform
Your impressions about the place:
- Chaotic yet spiritual
- Mix of sacred and everyday life
- Crowded and noisy
- Belief in the goddess and end of Kaliyug interesting
- Contrast between religious devotion and commercial activity
II. Travelogue about Agra Visit
Based on the diary entry for January 2003, students should write a detailed travelogue describing their visit to Agra and the Taj Mahal, including details about the journey on Shatabdi Express, meeting people, the city’s twisted alleys, dense traffic, vendors, and the magical quality of the Taj Mahal with its white marble construction and changing colors.
A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal – Complete Notes
This short work by William Wordsworth is about the death of a loved one. The writing explores the poet’s feelings when thinking about her death and how he imagines her to be after death. It presents a transformation from the speaker’s earlier state of mind to his current understanding of mortality.
Understanding the Message
The Earlier State
A slumber sealed the speaker’s spirit. He had no human fears. She seemed a thing that could not feel the touch of earthly years.
This means that the speaker was in a kind of deep sleep or unconscious state regarding mortality. He did not have the normal human fears about death and aging. The person he loved seemed immortal to him, as if she could not be affected by the passage of time or earthly aging. He thought she would live forever.
The Present Reality
Now she has no motion and no force. She neither hears nor sees. She is rolled round in earth’s diurnal course with rocks and stones and trees.
This describes the reality after death. The loved one no longer has any movement or strength. She cannot hear or see anymore. She has become part of nature itself, moving with the earth’s daily rotation along with rocks, stones and trees. She has returned to the earth and become one with nature.
The Transformation
The writing shows a movement from illusion to reality, from denial of mortality to acceptance of death. The first part shows how the speaker earlier refused to acknowledge that his loved one could die. The second part shows the stark reality – she is now part of the lifeless earth, moving mechanically with the planet’s rotation.
Glossary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| slumber | deep sleep |
| diurnal | daily (Earth’s diurnal course is earth’s daily rotation on its axis) |
Questions and Answers
1. A slumber did my spirit seal, says the poet. That is, a deep sleep closed off his soul (or mind). How does the poet react to his loved one’s death? Does he feel bitter grief? Or does he feel a great peace?
The writer’s reaction to his loved one’s death appears to be one of acceptance and peace rather than bitter grief. In the first part, he describes how he was earlier in a kind of unconscious state where he did not fear death and thought his loved one was immortal. Now, after her death, he describes her state calmly and without expressing intense emotional pain. He sees her as being rolled round in earth’s diurnal course with rocks and stones and trees. This suggests he has accepted that she has become part of nature’s cycle. There is a sense of peace and resignation rather than active grief. The tone is reflective and calm, suggesting he has found peace in understanding that she is now part of the eternal natural world.
2. The passing of time will no longer affect her, says the poet. Which lines of the poem say this?
The lines that say the passing of time will no longer affect her are from the first part: She seemed a thing that could not feel the touch of earthly years.
Also, in the second part: No motion has she now, no force – She neither hears nor sees.
These lines indicate that she is beyond the effects of time. In the first part, she seemed immune to aging and time. In the second part, now that she is dead, she literally cannot be affected by time because she has no consciousness, no motion, and no ability to perceive. Time continues to pass but she is untouched by it.
3. How does the poet imagine her to be, after death? Does he think of her as a person living in a very happy state (a heaven)? Or does he see her now as a part of nature? In which lines of the poem do you find your answer?
The writer sees her now as a part of nature rather than as a person living in heaven. He does not describe any spiritual afterlife or heavenly happiness. Instead, he presents a naturalistic view of death.
The lines that show this are: Rolled round in earth’s diurnal course with rocks and stones and trees.
This line clearly states that she is now part of the physical earth, moving with the planet’s daily rotation along with inanimate objects like rocks and stones, and natural elements like trees. She has become absorbed into nature itself. There is no mention of consciousness, soul, or spiritual existence. The vision is entirely physical and naturalistic – she has returned to the earth and become one with the natural world. This reflects a pantheistic view where death means becoming one with nature rather than moving to a separate spiritual realm.
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