Summary
This story is about an eight-year old girl who desired to go for a bus journey all alone. It is written by Vallikkannan.
Valli was an inquisitive girl but had no one of her age to play with her. She used to stand at the front door of her house and watch the happenings on the front door of her house and watch the happenings on the street. She was most fascinated by the bus journey. She realised that the bus travelled twice in an hour through her street.Everyday she used to watch the bus and developed a strong desire to ride the bus. She was jealous of her friends who already had travelled in bus. She was so curious that she started gathering information by hearing conversations between her neighbours. She got to know that the journey from village to town would be of 6 miles and it will take 45 minutes. The ticket fare was of 30 paise one way, which was difficult to collect for Valli but she cut on her other desires to buy, toys, peppermints, balloon etc. and managed to save some amount.
Her mother used to take a nap from 1pm to 4pm, which gave Valli an opportunity to secretly have a bus ride. One day she left her house with the money she saved. She stopped the bus and got in. She was small and conductor offered his help to get her on the bus, which she clearly refused and got on the bus by herself.
Conductor called Valli ‘madam’, the bus seemed new as the seats were soft & luxurious. There were only six to seven passengers in the bus. Her journey started, but the canvas obstructed her view. The road was narrow and one side of the road was a canal beyond which there were palm trees, grasslands, mountains and blue sky. There was a deep ditch & acres of green fields on the other side.
Valli got repulsive when an elderly passenger called her child and asked her not to stand. Even conductor suggested Valli to sit, as she could hurt herself when the bus takes turn but she did not listen. At the next stand, Valli sat down as she feared that she might fall or might lose her seat. An elderly lady came and sat beside Valli who had big holes in her ears & was wearing ugly earrings. She was also chewing betel and it seemed that its juice would spill over her lips. Valli avoided any further interaction with the lady and turned her face towards the window. Suddenly she saw a young cow running in the middle of the road. The bus driver horned and the cow would get frightened and run faster in front of the bus. Valli enjoyed every moment and laughed heartily. Later, bus reached to a rail road crossing and the train passed the crossing gate. The bus now entered the town, where Valli found colourful shops in the market. At a stand, all the passengers get down except Valli. The conductor of bus again suggested her to have a small trip to town and have some cold drink. She refused and asked to have a return ticket to home.
The return trip was as excited as the arrival trip and there was no sign of tiredness. But then she saw a young cow lying dead by the road. She confirmed from the conductor, if she was the same cow & the conductor nodded with a yes. The cow was struck with a fast moving vehicle which made her extremely sad. She got haunted by the thoughts of the dead cow for a while.
Soon she reached back to village and told the conductor that she would ride again. She saw her mother talking to her aunt. She heard them talking about many things that they did not know about, in the outside world. Valli agreed to this & remarked that there are many unfamiliar things without our knowledge. This response was surprising as Valli behaved like a grown up lady. The story ended where Valli smiled and was sure that her mother would never know about her secret ride to bus.
Points to be noted:-
1. Past time of Valli
➢ To stand at the front door & enjoy happenings on the street.
➢ Fascinated by the bus journey.
2. Valli travelled in the bus
➢ One day, stopped bus (spring season)
➢ Refused to take conductor’s help & sat on the front seat.
➢ Bus was new with soft and luxurious seats.
3. Discovering details about Bus ride
➢ Listened to conversations between neighbours
➢ Asked questions to regular bus travellers.
➢ Nearest town was 6 miles away.
➢ Time 45 minutes
➢ Fare (30 paise one sided).
4. Planning for the Bus ride
➢ Left home while her mother was asleep.
➢ Saved money by cutting on toys, peppermints, balloon etc.
➢ Did not take a ride on the merry-go-round
5. View outside the Bus
➢ Narrow road
➢ A view with Palm trees, grasslands, mountain and blue sky on one side.
➢ Deep glitch & acres of green fields on the other side.
6. Passengers in Bus
➢ Got repulsive, when one old woman called her ‘child’.
➢ Conductor suggested her to sit on a seat to avoid any injury. Valli did not listen.
➢ Met an ugly old woman eating betel, she had big holes in her ears & was wearing ugly earrings.
7. Bus journey
➢ Colourful shops in the market.
➢ All passengers got down, except Valli.
➢ Refused cold drink offered by the conductor.
➢ Smooth Bus ride
➢ Saw a young cow running in the middle of the
road.
➢ Saw a train crossing the gate.
8. Dead cow
➢ All excitement shattered for once.
➢ Same cow got hit by a moving vehicle and was lying dead by the road.
9. Return Home
➢ Bought return ticket.
➢ Saw her mother up & talking to her aunt.
➢ Mother & aunt talking about things they did not know about in the outside world.
➢ Valli agreed to their statement.
➢ Both ladies were surprised by the mature reaction of Valli as if she is grown up lady.
➢ Nobody got to know about her journey.
Theme
‘Madam Rides the Bus’ is the story of an eight-year-old girl Valli. She was a wonderful girl. She was mature, clever, practical and self-respecting beyond her age. Standing in the front doorway and watching what was happening in the street was her favourite pastime. She was a great planner. She thriftily saved every penny that came her way for her first bus journey. During her first bus journey, Valli was full of enthusiasm and excitement. She enjoyed the landscape, the canal, palm trees, distant mountains and green fields stretching out as far as her eyes could see. She reacted strongly when she was called ‘a child’ or ‘madam’. The self-respecting girl refused to accept a free cold drink offered by the bus conductor. She planned her bus journey during the nap hours of her mother. Interestingly, her mother could never know of the bus journey her daughter undertook during her nap in the afternoon.
Message
The message that the author conveys is that the world has both aspects that can make us sad or happy. One has to come to terms with death. During the bus ride Valli was overjoyed when she saw a cow running with her raised tail on the road ahead of the bus. While returning she noticed that the body of the same cow was crushed and bled. She was moved from within. The writer seems to suggest that the world does not promise us only happiness. Man has to learn and understand the nature of death too as it is an inseparable part of life.
Plot
The lesson ‘‘Madam Rides the Bus’’ is about a brave eight-year-old girl who had a strong desire as well as courage to fulfil it. She liked gazing at the hustle and bustle of the street. Her favourite part was the sight of a bus arriving and departing. Thus, she developed a deep desire to travel by bus. For that, she needed all sorts of information about the bus journey. Besides, she needed to collect the bus fare and then plan it so that she could be back home before her mother woke up from her afternoon nap. Thus, the story brings recounts of how innocently but responsibly she fulfilled her deepest desire and her experiences on the bus ride. How an incident makes her realise the reality of life.
Justification of the Title
The title draws attention to how the bus conductor refers to the eight year old Valli during the bus ride. He calls her ‘madam’ in mock respect. The girl Valli, at a very tender age, tries to understand the mystery of life and death. The outside world for Valli is charming and fascinating but mysterious. She longs to experience it by herself. The talks of the village people about the town added fuel to the fire. She decides to go to the town all by herself without anybody’s support. She asked the bus conductor to take her to the town. She herself paid her fare. She wanted to be recognized as an adult who could take her own decisions. That is why she disliked the patronizing and mocking tone in which the conductor and the passengers talked to her. Sensing this, she became assertive and told them all that she could manage herself alone. Thus the title suitably brings out the core of the character of Valli who decides to ride a bus.
Character sketch
Valliammai: She emerges as a very clever, sensitive, self-respecting and fun-loving girl. She was just eight years old. She was a determined girl with a commanding nature. She was very curious about things. He favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house. She was mature, clever and practical beyond her years. Saving sixty paise was not an easy job for a girl of her age. She was determined to resist any temptation that came in her way. Valli didn’t like being called a ‘madam’ or ‘a child’. She was a great planner and planned things after knowing all necessary details about them.
PYQ’s
Q.1 How did Valli save money to travel by bus? (CBSE 2013)
Ans. Valli saved money by cutting on her other deserve like buying toys, peppermints balloons, she avoided ride on the merry-go round at the village to save money for the bus journey.
Q.2 What was the most fascinating thing that Valli saw on the street? (CBSE 2011)
Ans. Valli saw the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. It passed through her street each hour.
Q.3 ‘Valli was a mature girl ahead of her age’. Justify the statement with instances from the tent.
Ans. Valli had her first bus ride when she was eight. She was confident, curious, sensitive and had self control. She set her priority of having a bus ride. To save money she avoided her other desires. She first gathered all the information required for the journey. She was clever enough to leave the house while her mother was asleep. She avoided any interaction with stranger which shows she was responsible and mature girl ahead of her age.
Q.4 How did Valli feel on seeing the dead cow on the road? (CBSE 2014)
Ans. Valli’s excitement came to zero and her heart was filled with sadness. She suddenly lost her excitement because of the incident.
Q.5 What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find words and phrases in the story that tell you this.
Ans. The deepest desire of Valli was to enjoy a bus ride. The bus plied from her village to the nearest town. The following words and phrases tell us this:
‘... fascinating things’, ‘sight of the bus’, ‘unending joy’, ‘tiny wish’, ‘overwhelming desire, etc’.
Q.6 What was the favourite pastime of Valli?
Ans. Valliammai or Valli was eight years old. Her favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house. From there, she watched what was happening in the street outside. For her, standing at the front door was as enjoyable as any of the games other children played.
Q.7 What was the tiny wish that crept into Valli’s head?
Ans. The sight of the bus was the most fascinating thing for Valli. Day after day she watched the bus. A tiny wish crept into her head. She wanted to ride on that bus. At least, just once. This wish became so strong that it grew into an overwhelming desire.
Q.8 Why was Valli overcome with shyness and avoided everyone’s eyes?
Ans. It was the slack time of the day. 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. She tried to avoid everyone’s eyes. She walked quickly to an empty seat and sat down.
Q.9 What was the next problem after Valli had enough money?
Ans. After she had saved enough money, Valli had her next problem. It was how to slip out of the house without her mother’s knowledge. She solved this problem easily. Every day after lunch her mother would nap from about one to four or so. She could easily venture out on her mission.
Q.10 Why didn’t Valli accept a free drink from the bus conductor? What does this act show about her character?
Ans. The bus conductor asked Valli to let him bring her a cold drink. She replied that she didn’t have enough money for that. He should just give him her ticket. The conductor offered to give it totally free. She said firmly, ‘Please, no.’ This shows how proud and self-respecting Valli was.
Q.11 What was Valli’s obsession? How did she prepare and save money for her first bus journey?
Or
How did Valli plan for her first bus journey?
Ans. The most fascinating sight for Valli was seeing the bus that travelled from her village to the nearest town. A tiny wish crept into her head. She wanted to ride on that bus, at least for once. This wish became stronger until it was an overwhelming desire. She listened to the conversations of her neighbours and people. They regularly used the bus. She found out after questioning them that the both ways fare was sixty paise. It took forty-five minutes to reach the town. It was six miles from her village.
After gathering all necessary details, Valli started saving money thriftily. She saved every coin that came her way. It was not an easy job for a girl of eight years. She had to resist her temptation of buying peppermints, toys, balloons and having a ride on the merry-go-round. When the money problem was solved, another problem was solved quite easily. She planned her journey during one to four o’clock when her mother took a nap in the afternoon. All such elaborate planning led Valli to have an enjoyable first bus journey.
Q.12 What did standing at the front door mean to Valli?
Ans. Valliammai or Valli was just ‘a chit of a girl’. She was eight years old. She was very curious about things. She was always anxious to gather all details, why and how about things. She was not very social either. She had no playmates of her own age in her neighbourhood. Naturally, she could not play games with friends. But, she more than compensated this drawback. Her favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house. Standing there, she could watch what was happening in the street outside. But for Valli, standing at the front door was very enjoyable. Actually, it was as enjoyable as any of the games other children played. Watching the street gave her many new unusual experiences. The most fascinating of all these scenes was the scene of the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. Seeing a new set of passengers every time, she also wished to have the bus ride, at least for once.
Q.13 Describe Valli’s interaction with (i) the conductor (ii) with the old gentleman (iii) with the elderly repulsive woman.
Ans. The conductor was a jolly sort of person. He was fond of joking. He enjoyed teasing Valli with his gentle comic remarks. He called her ‘madam’. Valli reacted sharply replying that she was not a ‘madam’. The conductor showed his concern when he tried to help her up, she told him that she could help herself. Valli showed that she was a self-respecting girl. She politely refused to accept a free drink from the conductor.
The old gentleman was honestly concerned when he found Valli standing in the bus. ‘Listen child ... you shouldn’t stand like that’, he said. Valli was annoyed by his attention and replied promptly that she was not a child. She had paid her thirty paise like everyone else. The elderly woman who sat beside her, was quite repulsive to Valli. Valli didn’t like the big holes in her ears and the ugly earrings in them. Nor did Valli relish the unpleasant smell that came from the betel nut she was chewing. She couldn’t be social with such a person.
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