Madam Rides The Bus Summary Of The Chapter
Valli or valliammai was a girl of eight years. she was very much eager about things. She had no playmates. so standing on the door way of her house had become her favourite pastime. But she was very much fascinated for the bus ride. It was in an unending joy for her. (Madam Rides The Bus:-)
There travelled a bus between her village and a nearest town on an interval of an hour. she had collected some details about the bus-journey. the last destination of the bus was a town. It was about six miles from her village. the fare was thirty pais for one way. the trip to the town took forty-five minutes. so she planned to take the one o’ clock afternoon bus so that she could return by about two forty-five.
On one afternoon, it was a fine spring day. The afternoon bus was on the point of leaving the village. Valli called ‘Stop the bus ! Stop the bus !’ The bus slowed down and the conductor peeped outside. He called to hurry up. Standing outside the bus, Valli told thät she had to gö to the town. She showed some coins and göt into the bus. The conductor was a jolly fellow. He called her a fine madam and pointed towards a seat. It was the slack time of the day. So very few passengers were travelling in the bus. All passengers were looking at the conductor and Valli. On hearing the whistle, the bus started.
In the way, Valli was enjoying everything through her own eyes. The road was narrow. On one side there was a canal. Beyond it there were palm trees, grassland, mountains, sky and green fields. To have full view, she stood on the seat. All looked very wonderful for Valli. An elderly man shouted and called Valli as ‘child’.
He asked her to sit down. Valli was surprised for calling her a child. The conductor told that she was a very grown-up madam as a mere girl could not travel all alone. In an angry way, she looked towards the conductor and demanded the ticket. The conductor punched a ticket and gave her. He asked her not to stand when she had paid for a seat. The bus stopped. Some passengers got on. Valli sai down on her seat lest some passengers should sit Over it.
At that time, an elderly woman got into the bus. She sat beside Valli. The 5uestioneAher if she was all alone. Valli did not like her. There were big holes in her ears . The earrings were very ugly . She was chewing the betel nut. Valli was fearing lest its juice should fall at any moment . She again interrogated Valli . In turn Valli gave a curt reply and asked to mind her own business.
It was her first journey . She had planned it very well . She had saved all her stray coins that come her way. She even resisted the temptation of buying toys and balloons ets. At the village fair too she controlled herself not to enjoy the rider in the merry-go-round. Thus she had collected enough money for her journey. Her next problems was to slip out of the house . She knew that her monthr used to sleep daily after lunch . Valli decided to use these hours for her journey. Most Often she used these hours for her excursion.
The bus was rolling across a landscape. Valli was happy . She clapped her hands with glee. There came a young caw , running fast, in front of the bus. The driver sounded his horn loudly. But the animal became more and more frightened. It galloped in front of the bus . It was funny for Valli . At last the cow moved off the road. the bus came to the rail road crossing . The train passed with utmost roar and rattle. Then the bus passed thoroughfare. Valli was fascinated and happy to see the displays of clothes and the big crowed . It was the last destination of the bus .
Now all the passengers got off the bus. Valli remained there in the bus. the conductor asked if she was not ready to get off the bus. Valli replied that she would return on this same bus and give her thirty coins to the same conductor. He felt surpised and questioned what was the matter was. Valli replied she only felt to have a rider in the bus and nothing eles. She went on sitting till the bus resumed its jorney. She got her tricet the same wonderful sights were before her eyes.
Then she suddenly saw a young cow dead by the road side. She enquired the conductor if it was the same cow. The conductor nodded his head. NO\V she was overcome with sadness. Her memory haunted her. She thought that she had been a lovely animal a little while ago but all her charm was lost. It was Three-forty when the bus reached her village. She stood up and told the conductor to see him again. The conductor smiled and answered, “i¥Iadam, whenever you feel like a bus ride, come and join us. And don’t forget to bring your fare.” Valli laughed and went running straight for her home.
When Valli entered her house, she saw her mother talking svith one of her aunts. She was from South Street. She was a chatterbox. She asked Valli where she had been. Valli only smiled. Her mother remained busy with her. Both were discussing about the things outside the world. Valli told that so many thiIl§S were happening without their knowledge. Her aunt was surprised and Sald that Valli was talking like a grown-up lady.
SHORT QUESTIONS ANSWERS
Q-1 Who is ‘she’ in the first sentence ?
Ans- ‘She’ in the first sentence is Vslli .
Q-2 How did she develop a longing for the bus rider ?
Ans- As she looked at the bus daily. a tiny wish took birth in her mind, it grew into a desire and the into a longing to rider the bus.
Q-3 Why did she look sadly and longingly at the passengers of the bus ?
Ans- She looked at them so because she wanted to be one of them who enjoyed the bus rider.
Q-4 What was Valli’s first journey ?
Ans- It was Valli’s journey from her village to her town and back to village .
Q-5 What did she do to make it a reality ?
Ans- She made careful , painstaking, and detailed plan to make it a reality .
Q-6 How much money did she save ?
Ans- She saved sixty paise to buy the ticket.
Q-7 How did she save the money ?
Ans- She resisted every temptation to buy peppermints , toys, balloons and a ride on the merry-go-round at the fair .
Q-8 How did the driver try to warn the cow ?
Ans- He sounded his horn loudly.
Q-9 What was the effect of honking ?
Ans- The more he honked , the more frightened the cow got and ran faster still in front of the bus .
Q-10 What shows that valli was greatly amused ?
Ans- She laughed and laughed till tears come to her eyes .
MEDIUM QUESTIONS ANSWES
Q-1 What was Valli,s favourite pastime ?
Ans- Valli was a Tamil girl. She had no playmates. It was her favourite pastime to stand in the doorway of her house . Thus she was able to watch all that was going on there. In way she had attained too many unusual experiences .
Q-2 What was source of unending joy for Valli ? What was her strongest desire ?
Ans- The source of unending joy for Valli was the sight of the bus , every time having a new set of passengers . Her strongest desire was to ride to bus once .
Q-3 what did vlli find out about the bus journey ? How did she find out these details ?
Ans- valli found out the smallest of the details about the bus journey.She khew that one way fare of the bus was thirty paise. The distance from the village to the town was six miles and it took 45 minutes to reach the towe and another 45 minutes to get back home .She gathered these details by listening carefully the talks of her neighbour and the people who had taken the ride of the bus and also by asking a few questions from here and there.
Q-4 what do you think Valli was planing to do ?
Ans Valli was planning to take to ride of the bus. She planed to take the 1 o’clook afternoon bus and to be back by the same bus be around two forty five .
Q-5 Why does the conductor call Valli ‘Madam’?
Ans -The conductor was a jolly sort of fellow . He was much fond of joking .He had judged the temperament of this small child . It was only to please her, he called Valli ‘madam’
Q-6 why does Valli stand up on the seat ? What does she see now ?
Ans -Vali wanted to see the out side view but the canves blind atteched to the lower side of the window was obstructing her view. therefor she stood on the seat to see the outside beauty.
She could she the canal,palm trees , grassland , distant mounatains and the blue sky.
Q-7- What does valli tell the elderly men when he calls her a child ?
Ans- Valli told him that she was note a chid and she has paid the same amount of the bus ticket as everyone else had paid.
Q-8- Why did ‘t velly want to make friends with the elderly women ?
Ans- Valley did’t like the physical appearance of the eldearly women. She had big holes in her ear and was wearing ugly earring in them. She was chewing betel nut and betel juise was spiiling over her lips.
Q-9- What did valli see on her way that made her laugh ?
Ans- By chance their came a young cow right in front of the running bus. The driver slowed down the bus. He sound the born very loudly. But more he honked, the more it frightened and galloped faster. This incident made her laugh.
Q-10- Why did she not get off the bus at the bus station ?
Ans- She did’t get up of the bus at the bus station because she was afraid to get down. Morever , she only wanted to take the bus ride and did not have enough money to buy something from the market.
LONG QUESTION ANSWERE
Q-1 How did Valli plan her bus ride ? What did she find out about the bus and how did she save the fare ?
Ans- Valli was a Tamil girl of eight years. She had no playmates . It was her favourite pastime to stand on the front doorway of her house. She watched what was happening in the street outside. She had the keenest desire to have a bus ride . She listened the conversation between her neighbours and people who were regular bus passengers . She even questioned them . She had got ample knowledge about the bus , bus fare and duration of time .
There ran a bus between her village and the nearest town. The town was six miles from her village. The fare was thirty paise for one way . So She had to collect sixty pais. for the both side journey. This she had heard from a well dressed person. The trip to the town took forty-five minutes. She would board at one o’clock afternoon bus and reach the town at one forty five. She would be back by about two forty five. She resisted all her temptations of buying balloons, toys and soon saved money. At the village fair she avoided the swing in the merry-go-round. Thus she collected her requisite money.
Q-2 Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back ?
Ans- While on her way back, Valli saw a young cow lying bead by the roadside. This scene was horrible and frightening. There was a fixed stare in her lifeless eyes with blood all over. It memory haunted her very much . She lost all her enthusiasm and excitement. She no longer wanted to look out of the window.
Q-3 What does Valli means when she says ,”I was just agreeing with what you said about things happening without our knowledge ?
Ans- Valli when said so only meant to agrre with the thought of her mother. Her mother was saying that there are many things in this word which happen without our knowledg and even if we know few of them , it is not possible to understand them completey.
Q-4 What kind of person is Valli ? Illustrate your answer giving examples from the text ?
Ans- Valli is eight years old girl. She is enthusiastic. She has a wish of taking a bus ride once.
She has a curious and inquisitive nature . She asked a few discreet questions her and there about bus journey. She collected some details of bus journe.
Valli did not like the idea of being treated like child. She told the bus conductor that she was quite capable of taking care herself. She was a very sensitive girl who was so overcome by sadness by the sigh of the dead cow that her pleasnt bus journey lost its charm for her when she saw the blood-covered lifeless cow’s dead body .