Question 3

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.
2. How does the author describe Kathmandu’s busiest streets?
3. “To hear any flute is to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind.” Why does the author say this?

Answer

1. Pashupatinath temple's atmosphere was very noisy, full of chaos and confusion. Worshippers were fighting to get the priest’s attention; some people were publishing and elbowing their way to the front; saffron-clad westerners were trying their best to enter the temple but were struggling and fighting with the guards; monkeys were fighting who were adding to the overall noise; a corpse was being cremated on the banks of the river bagmati; washerwomen were at their work while children were taking a bath. In contract, the baudhnath stupa on the other hand was a heaven with no noise in the busy streets around. There was no crowd and thus it was relaxing. The silence helped to build the stillness and serenity at the Buddhist shrine.

2. Along Kathmandu’s narrow and busy streets there have small shrines and deities embellished with flowers. Apart from these, the streets are full of fruit sellers, flute sellers, hawkers of postcards, shops selling western cosmetics film rolls, chocolate, selling copper utensils and Nepalese antiques etc. The author listens film songs that were screeching out from the radios, sounds of car horns and bicycle bells, vendors shouting out their wares there. He also says that stray cows were roaming around on the roads. The author draws a vibrant picture of a flute seller with many bansuris seeking out from his pole. He explains that how the serene music produced by the flute seller is heard clearly above all the other noise around.

3. The author believes the flute’s music to be the most universal and most particular of all music patterns. This is one musical instrument that is common in all the cultures. We have the reedneh the recorder, the Japanese shakuhachi , the deep bansuri of Hindustani classical music, the flutes of south America, the high pitched Chinese flute etc. even though each of these flutes has its own unique fingering and compass yet the author feels that to hear any flute is ‘’ to be drawn into the commonality of all mankind. This is because the sound produced by the flute is very similar to the same living breath of human beings that runs through all of them. Similarly, despite the differences in our caste, culture, religion, region; all the human beings are same.

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