Class 10 || English R || Ch. 08 The Madam rides in the Bus

Class 10

 || English ||

 Ch. 8 The Madam rides in the Bus

THERE was a girl named Valliammai who was called Valli for short. She was eight years old and very curious about things. Her favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house, watching what was happening in the street outside. There were no playmates of her own age on her street, and this was about all she had to do.

But for Valli, standing at the front door was every bit as enjoyable as any of the elaborate games other children played. Watching the street gave her many new unusual experiences.

The most fascinating thing of all was the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. It passed through her street each hour, once going to the town and once coming back. The sight of the bus, filled each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for Valli.

Day after day she watched the bus, and gradually a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there: she wanted to ride on that bus, even if just once. This wish became stronger and stronger, until it was an overwhelming desire. Valli would stare wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus when it stopped at the street corner. Their faces would kindle in her longings, dreams, and hopes. If one of her friends happened to ride the bus and tried to describe the sights of the town to her, Valli would be too jealous to listen and would shout, in English: “Proud! proud!” Neither she nor her friends really understood the meaning of the word, but they used it often as a slang expression of disapproval.

Over many days and months Valli listened carefully to conversations between her neighbours and people who regularly used the bus, and she also asked a few discreet questions here and there. This way she picked up various small details about the bus journey. The town was six miles from her village. The fare was thirty paise one way — “which is almost nothing at all,” she heard one well-dressed man say, but to Valli, who scarcely saw that much money from one month to the next, it seemed a fortune. The trip to the town took forty-five minutes. On reaching town, if she stayed in her seat and paid another thirty paise, she could return home on the same bus. This meant that she could take the one-o’clock afternoon bus, reach the town at one forty-five, and be back home by about two forty-five...

On and on went her thoughts as she calculated and recalculated, planned and replanned.

Oral Comprehension Check

1. What was Valli’s favourite pastime?

2. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?

3. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details?

4. What do you think Valli was planning to do?

II

Well, one fine spring day the afternoon bus was just on the point of leaving the village and turning into the main highway when a small voice was heard shouting: “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly.

The bus slowed down to a crawl, and the conductor, sticking his head out the door, said,

“Hurry then! Tell whoever it is to come quickly.”

“It’s me,” shouted Valli. “I’m the one who has to get on.” By now the bus had come to a stop, and the conductor said, “Oh, really! You don’t say so!”

“Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus, “and here’s my

money.” She showed him some coins.

“Okay, okay, but first you must get on the bus,” said the conductor, and he stretched out a hand to help her up.

“Never mind,” she said, “I can get on by myself. You don’t have to help me.”

The conductor was a jolly sort, fond of joking. “Oh, please don’t be angry with me, my fine madam,” he said. “Here, have a seat right up there in front. Everybody move aside please — make way for madam.”

It was the slack time of day, and there were only six or seven passengers on the bus. They were all looking at Valli and laughing with the conductor. Valli was overcome with shyness. Avoiding everyone’s eyes, she walked quickly to an empty seat and sat down.

 “May we start now, madam?” the conductor asked, smiling. Then he blew his whistle twice, and the bus moved forward with a roar.

It was a new bus, its outside painted a gleaming white with some green stripes along the sides. Inside, the overhead bars shone like silver. Directly in front of Valli, above the windshield, there was a beautiful clock. The seats were soft and luxurious.

Valli devoured everything with her eyes. But when she started to look outside, she found her view cut off by a canvas blind that covered the lower part of her window. So she stood up on the seat and peered over the blind.

The bus was now going along the bank of a canal. The road was very narrow. On one side there was the canal and, beyond it, palm trees, grassland, distant mountains, and the blue, blue sky. On the other side was a deep ditch and then acres and acres of green fields — green, green, green, as far as the eye could see.

Oh, it was all so wonderful!

Suddenly she was startled by a voice. “Listen, child,” said the voice, “you shouldn’t stand like that.

Sit down.”

Sitting down, she looked to see who had spoken. It was an elderly man who had honestly been concerned for her, but she was annoyed by his attention.

“There’s nobody here who’s a child,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”

The conductor chimed in. “Oh, sir, but this is a very grown-up madam. Do you think a mere girl could pay her own fare and travel to the city all alone?”

Valli shot an angry glance at the conductor and said, “I am not a madam. Please remember that. And you’ve not yet given me my ticket.”

“I’ll remember,” the conductor said, mimicking her tone. Everyone laughed, and gradually Valli too

joined in the laughter.

The conductor punched a ticket and handed it to her. “Just sit back and make yourself comfortable. Why should you stand when you’ve paid for a seat?”

“Because I want to,” she answered, standing up again.

“But if you stand on the seat, you may fall and hurt yourself when the bus makes a sharp turn or hits a bump. That’s why we want you to sit down, child.”

“I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said irritably. “I’m eight years old.”

“Of course, of course. How stupid of me! Eight years — my!”

The bus stopped, some new passengers got on, and the conductor got busy for a time. Afraid of losing her seat, Valli finally sat down.

An elderly woman came and sat beside her. “Are you all alone, dear?” she asked Valli as the bus started again.

Valli found the woman absolutely repulsive — such big holes she had in her ear lobes, and such ugly earrings in them! And she could smell the betel nut the woman was chewing and see the betel juice that was threatening to spill over her lips at any  moment. Ugh! — who could be sociable with such a person?

“Yes, I’m travelling alone,” she answered curtly. “And I’ve got a ticket too.”

“Yes, she’s on her way to town,” said the conductor. “With a thirty-paise ticket.”

“Oh, why don’t you mind your own business,” said Valli. But she laughed all the same, and the conductor laughed too.

But the old woman went on with her drivel. “Is it proper for such a young person to travel alone? Do you know exactly where you’re going in town? What’s the street? What’s the house number?”

“You needn’t bother about me. I can take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face towards the window and staring out.

Oral Comprehension Check

1. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?

2. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now?

3. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?

4. Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?

III

Her first journey — what careful, painstaking, elaborate plans she had had to make for it! She had thriftily saved whatever stray coins came her way, resisting every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, and the like, and finally she had saved a total of sixty paise. How difficult it had been, particularly that day at the village fair, but she had resolutely stifled a strong desire to ride the merrygo- round, even though she had the money.

After she had enough money saved, her next problem was how to slip out of the house without her mother’s knowledge. But she managed this without too much difficulty. Every day after lunch her mother would nap from about one to four or so. Valli always used these hours for her ‘excursions’ as she stood looking from the doorway of her house or sometimes even ventured out into the village; today, these same hours could be used for her first excursion outside the village.

The bus rolled on now cutting across a bare landscape, now rushing through a tiny hamlet or past an odd wayside shop. Sometimes the bus seemed on the point of gobbling up another vehicle that was coming towards them or a pedestrian crossing the road. But lo! somehow it passed on smoothly, leaving all obstacles safely behind. Trees came running towards them but then stopped as the bus reached them and simply stood there helpless for a moment by the side of the road before rushing away in the other direction.

Suddenly Valli clapped her hands with glee. A young cow, tail high in the air, was running very fast, right in the middle of the road, right in front of the bus.

The bus slowed to a crawl, and the driver sounded his horn loudly again and again. But the more he honked, the more frightened the animal became and the faster it galloped — always right in front of the bus.

 Somehow this was very funny to Valli. She laughed and laughed until there were tears in her eyes.

“Hey, lady, haven’t you laughed enough?” called, the conductor. “Better save some for tomorrow.”

At last the cow moved off the road. And soon the bus came to a railroad crossing. A speck of a train could be seen in the distance, growing bigger and bigger as it drew near. Then it rushed past the crossing gate with a tremendous roar and rattle, shaking the bus. Then the bus went on and passed the train station. From there it traversed a busy, well-laid-out shopping street and, turning, entered a wider thoroughfare. Such big, bright-looking

shops! What glittering displays of clothes and other merchandise! Such big crowds!

Struck dumb with wonder, Valli gaped at everything. Then the bus stopped and everyone got off except Valli.

“Hey, lady,” said the conductor, “aren’t you ready to get off? This is as far as your thirty paise takes you.”

“No,” Valli said, “I’m going back on this same bus.” She took another thirty paise from her pocket and handed the coins to the conductor.

“Why, is something the matter?”

“No, nothing’s the matter. I just felt like having a bus ride, that’s all.”

“Don’t you want to have a look at the sights, now that you’re here?”

“All by myself? Oh, I’d be much too afraid.”

Greatly amused by the girl’s way of speaking, the conductor said, “But you weren’t afraid to come in the bus.”

“Nothing to be afraid of about that,” she answered.

“Well, then, why not go to that stall over there and have something to drink? Nothing to be afraid of about that either."

“Oh, no, I couldn’t do that.”

“Well, then, let me bring you a cold drink.”

“No, I don’t have enough money. Just give me my ticket, that’s all.”

“It’ll be my treat and not cost you anything.”

“No, no,” she said firmly, “please, no.”

The conductor shrugged, and they waited until it was time for the bus to begin the return journey. Again there weren’t many passengers.

 

Oral Comprehension Check

1. How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her?

2. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?

3. Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?

4. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does

this tell you about her?

IV

“Won’t your mother be looking for you?” the conductor asked when he gave the girl her ticket.

“No, no one will be looking for me,” she said.

The bus started, and again there were the same wonderful sights.

Valli wasn’t bored in the slightest and greeted everything with the same excitement she’d felt the first time. But suddenly she saw a young cow lying dead by the roadside, just where it had been struck by some fast-moving vehicle.

“Isn’t that the same cow that ran in front of the bus on our trip to town?” she asked the conductor.

The conductor nodded, and she was overcome with sadness. What had been a lovable, beautiful creature just a little while ago had now suddenly lost its charm and its life and looked so horrible, so frightening as it lay there, legs spreadeagled, a fixed stare in its lifeless eyes, blood all over...

The bus moved on. The memory of the dead cow haunted her, dampening her enthusiasm. She no longer wanted to look out the window.

She sat thus, glued to her seat, until the bus reached her village at three forty. She stood up and stretched herself. Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, 1 hope to see you again.”

“Okay, madam,” he answered her, smiling. “Whenever you feel like a bus ride, come and join us. And don’t forget to bring your fare.”

She laughed and jumped down from the bus. Then away she went, running straight for home.

When she entered her house she found her mother awake and talking to one of Valli’s aunts, the one from . This aunt was a real chatterbox, never closing her mouth once she started talking.

“And where have you been?” said her aunt when Valli came in. She spoke very casually, not expecting a reply. So Valli just smiled, and her mother and aunt went on with their conversation.

“Yes, you’re right,” her mother said. “So many things in our midst and in the world outside. How can we possibly know about everything? And even when we do know about something, we often can’t understand it completely, can we?”

“Oh, yes!” breathed Valli.

“What?” asked her mother. “What’s that you say?”

“Oh,” said Valli, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge.”

“Just a chit of a girl, she is,” said her aunt, “and yet look how she pokes her nose into our conversation, just as though she were a grown lady.”

Valli smiled to herself. She didn’t want them to understand her smile. But, then, there wasn’t much chance of that, was there?

[Translated from the Tamil

by K. S. Sundaram Illustrated by R. K. Laxman]

Q. Who was Vallimmai why did she stand on the gate? Ans. Vallimmai was an eight years short girl who was called Valli for Short. She was curious to know about thing. She has no playmates so she spends his day time standing outside of the gate. It was enjoyable to her Watching the street gave her many new unusual experiences. Q. 2 What was unending joy to her? Ans. His most fascinating thing of all was the bus running between the village and the town.  It passed each hour once going the town and once coming back. It was unending joy to her. Q. What did Valli find out during her bus journey? How did it affect her?                                                 OR Vallie’s but journey was a joy ride full of pleasure and new experiences why?  Why not? Ans. Everyday a bus ran between Valli’s village street and the nearest town. It ran up and down it passed through Vallie’s streets and two forty-five minute to reach the town the one way bus fare was thirty paisa. Many people traveled regularly by this bus including some of Valli’s’ neighbors. Valli generally listened to their conversations carefully thus she use to collect details about there journey. One day when his mother was sleeping she aboard in the bus. During the bus journey Valli stood up on her seat so the she could have a clear out side view a canal. Beyond which there were palm trees, grass lands, mountains and the blue sky. There was a deep ditch on the other side and beyond there were green field as far as one could see. A young cow was running ahead the bus. It was an entraining scene for Valli.               On her journey back home Valli saw a young cow lying dead on the road side. It was the same cow Valli had seen on her journey to the town. It was then full of life. But now the same animal lay lifeless. It had lost all its charm and life. There was a fixed stare in its lifeless eyes. This sight shocked Valli so much that she sat down on her seat. She had no desire to look outside now she remained glued to her seat for the rest of the journey.

 

 

Madam Rides the Bus Summary: In this story, the author tries to present a world as seen from a child’s perspective. The main character of this story is an eight year old girl who lives near a bus stop in a village. For major part of the day, she enjoys standing in her doorway; watching frenetic activities at the bus stop. Valli develops a desire to enjoy a ride on the bus but she needs to plan meticulously to realize her dream. She has to curtail her expenses so that she can save enough money for two-way fair. She also has to make the journey during the time when her mother takes afternoon nap. While on her journey, Valli does not want anybody’s help and wants to feel independent. She enjoys every bit of her journey to the town. But she is careful enough not to get off the bus in the unknown environs of the town. On her return journey, a sad accident spoils her mood and she just keeps to herself throughout the journey. She does not seem to be satisfied with one ride and wishes to make another attempt in future. She is also quite mischievous when she is sure that her mother did not know about her journey. Q.  1: What was Valli’s favourite pastime? Ans. : As Valli had no playmate of her age, so her favourite pastime was to stand in her doorway and watch the street. The street outside used to be full of activities which were enough to keep her amused and engaged. Q.  2: What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire? Ans. : The bus was a source of unending joy for her. The bus used to bring a new set of passengers every-time it came from the town. The diversity of people, their activities were a treat to watch for Valli. Her strongest desire was to take a ride in the bus at least once. Q.  3: What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she find out these details? Ans. : Valli tried to listen to her neighbours to get the desired information about the bus journey. She would ask some discrete Q. s to get more information. She got information about distance of the town from her village and the total journey time it usually took. Q.  4: What do you think Valli was planning to do? Ans. : Till now information provided in the story indicate towards her plan to fulfill her strongest desire which was to go on a bus ride. Q.  5: Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’? Ans. : Valli is trying to behave more mature than her age. She is trying to look overconfident and smart. The conductor is amused at her behaviour and in an effort to tease her calls her ‘madam’. Q.  6: Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see now? Ans. : Valli’s view was obstructed because of a canvas blind on the window and because of her small height as well she was unable to have a good view outside. She stood up on her seat to have a better view of the scenery outside. She could see a canal with palm trees, grasslands, distant mountains and blue sky as backdrop. On the other side there was a ditch followed by vast tract of greenery. Q.  7: What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child? Ans. : Valli doesn’t like to be called a   child. She thinks that she is grown up. She says that she had paid her full fair the way adults do. This is typical behaviour shown by many kids of Valli’s age. Q.  8: Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman? Ans. : The elderly woman was having big earlobes with bigger holes. She chewing betel nut and the betel juice was about to seep out of her mouth. She was giving a sight of unrefined elderly lady. That is why Vaali did not want to make friends with her. Q.  9: How did Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it easy for her? Ans. : Valli saved every coin that came her way. She made great sacrifices by controlling her normal childish urges of having candies, toys and joyrides. This must have been difficult for her. Kids find it very difficult to savour a candy or to enjoy a toy. Q.  10: What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh? Ans. : A scared cow was running for her life in the middle of the road. It was jumping with tails up. The more incessantly bus driver honked the more furious its scamper became. Valli could not control her laughter after seeing this. Q.  11: Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station? Ans. : She did not know anything about the town so was afraid of getting lost. Moreover, her meticulous savings plan allowed her enough money to buy only tickets for her journey. Additionally, she had to return before her mother could find her missing.   Q.  12: Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink? What does this tell you about her? Ans. : She did not want to take obligation from the conductor. This indicates that she is taught of not taking anything from strangers. She may be a small child but she knows how to behave properly in the outside world. Q.  13: What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this. Ans. : Valli’s deepest desire was to enjoy a ride on the bus. Terms; like overwhelming desire’, ‘wistfully’, etc. show that Valli was desperate to ride the bus. Q.  14: How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare? Ans. : Valli had to plan on two aspects. The first aspect was saving enough money to arrange for two-way fair. The second aspect was to give a slip to her mother because a child of her age would not be allowed to go all alone. She came to know about the distance of the town   and total time of journey. She also gathered information about the fair. Q.  15: What kind of a person is Valli? To Ans.  this Q. , pick out the following sentences from the text and fill in the blanks. The words you fill in are the clues to your Ans. . a.                   (a) “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly. b.                   (b) “Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus. c.                    (c) “There’s nobody here who is a child,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else. d.                   (d) “Never mind,” she said, “I can get on by myself. You don’t have to help me. ”I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said haughtily. e.                    (e) “You needn’t bother about me. I can take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out. f.                    (f) Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope to see you again.” Ans. : Valli appears to be a confident   child. She does not like people making a fun at her or feeling pity at her because she is a child. She is very careful not to talk to strangers during her journey. She must have enjoyed her bus ride and may be planning for her next sojourn when her budget and time permit. Q.  16: Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’? Ans. : The conductor is just trying to make fun at Valli because she is trying to behave like an adult. Many a time, we see small children trying to behave like adult and many of us enjoy this sight. Q.  17: Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus. Ans. : Valli thoroughly enjoyed her ride. The way she was engrossed in the scenery outside the window shows that she was enjoying every moment of her ride. The most funny incident was of the cow running ahead of the bus. She also enjoyed the luxurious interiors of the bus. Q.  18: Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back? Ans. : On her way back, Valli witnessed a horrific incidence. The cow which was playful during the onward journey had died in an accident. Valli felt very sad at the plight of the cow. Due to this, she did not like looking out of the window on her way back. Q.  19: What does Valli mean when she says, “I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge.” Ans. : While making this statement, Valli was trying to hide the fact about her bus ride. She was also feeling elated at making a successful attempt at her plan. Q.  20: The author describes the things that Valli sees from an eight-year-old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for this statement? Ans. : There are many incidents which show the world from an eight-year-old’s perspective. For example; for an adult the fair of the bus may be peanuts, but for a small child it can be a fortune. Similarly, the way a child can enjoy as simple a thing as a six mile bus ride; can never be understood by most of the adults.