Chapter 8: Kathmandu Poem: A Slumber Did My Spirit Seal

Answer: Do it yourself.

Answer: Do it yourself.

Writing

Diary entry for a travelogue

I. The text you read is a travelogue where the author, Vikram Seth, talks about his visit to two sacred places in Kathmandu.

Imagine that you were with Vikram Seth on his visit to Pashupatinath temple, and you were noting down all that you saw and did there, so that you could write a travelogue later.

Record in point form

• what you see when you reach the Pashupatinath temple

• what you see happening inside the temple

• what you do when inside the temple

• what you see outside the temple

• what your impressions are about the place.

21-August-20xx

Dear Diary,

Today was a fabulous day. I went to the holy Pashupatinath temple with Vikram Seth. There was a huge crowd at the temple. I saw priests, hawkers, devotees, tourists, cows, monkeys, pigeons and dogs roaming in the ground. We both offered flowers and coconuts to God. We saw people getting elbowed by others pushing their way to the front.

At the gate of the temple, we saw saffron-clad westerners who were struggling for permission to enter the temple as only Hindus were allowed.

I felt peace and satisfaction by visiting the Pashupatinath temple.

Reyansh

II. Here is your diary entry when you visited Agra. Read the points and try to write a travelogue describing your visit to Agra and the Taj Mahal. You may add more details.

January 2003 — rise before dawn — take the Shatabdi Express at 6.15 a.m. from Delhi — meet a newly-married couple on train — talk about Himachal Pradesh — get off the train — enter the once-grand city, Agra — twisted alleys — traffic dense — rickshaws, cars, people — vendors selling religious artifacts, plastic toys, spices and sweets — go to the Taj Mahal — constructed entirely of white marble — magical quality — colour changes with varying of light and shadow — marble with gemstones inside — reflection of the Taj Mahal in the pond — school-children, tourists — tourist guides following people.

Answer: On January 2003, I woke up before dawn. I took the Shatabdi Express at 6.15 a.m. from Delhi. I met a newly-married couple on the train. We spoke about Himachal Pradesh. I got off the train and entered the once-grand city of Agra. I saw twisted alleys with dense traffic, rickshaws, cars, and people. There were vendors selling religious artefacts, plastic toys, spices and sweets. I went to the Taj Mahal. It is constructed entirely of white marble, which has a magical quality. The colour of the marble changes with varying light and shadow. The Taj Mahal has marble with gemstones engraved inside it. I saw the reflection of the Taj Mahal in the pond. There were many school-children, tourists and tourist guides.