Madam Rides the Bus

 

Introduction:

The lesson ‘Madam Rides the Bus’ tells us about a brave eight-year-old village girl. She liked watching the hustle and bustle of the street. Her favorite sight was of a bus arriving and departing. She developed a deep desire to travel by bus. To fulfill her desire, she needed information about the bus journey.  She had planned her bus ride in such a way that she could be back at home before her mother woke up from her afternoon nap. The story describes to us how innocently but responsibly she fulfilled her deepest desire. The story also tells us about her experiences on the bus ride. An incident that happens during her trip makes her realize the reality of death.

Meanings of some words and phrases:

Curious: eager to know or learn something

Wistfully: longingly, desirably

Kindle: set alight (fire), here, feelings [to bring out feelings]

A slang expression: informal words, often used within a close group

Devoured: enjoyed thoroughly

Canvas: a coarse fabric

Blind: a partition

Haughtily: proudly

Repulsive: causing strong dislike

Curtly: rudely brief or abrupt

Drivel: silly nonsense, unnecessary talk

Thriftily: to spend money carefully

Resolutely stifled: suppressed/ controlled with determination

Ventured out: went cautiously, courageously

Hamlet: a small settlement with a few houses

Gobbling up: to swallow or eat hastily

Glee: happiness and joy

Thoroughfare: a busy public road

Merchandise: things for sale

Railroad crossing: an intersection where a railway line crosses a road or path

Spreadeagled: spread out

Haunted: returned repeatedly to her mind; was impossible to forget

Pokes her nose: takes an interest in something that doesn’t concern her

Summary:

‘Madam rides the bus’ is about an eight-year-old village girl named Valli. She did not have friends to play with so she would spend her time by looking at the outside affairs going on the street. Her favourite part was to look at the bus that passed by her village every hour. It gave her endless joy to look at the new set of passengers each time the bus crossed by. She developed a wish to travel by bus. Soon, the wish turned into a desire and she determined to fulfill it.

She started listening to the conversations between her neighbours who frequently traveled by bus and in the process, would ask a few careful questions here and there to collect more information. She came to know that the town is six miles away from her village and it took the bus forty-five minutes to travel one side. The fare was thirty paise. She started planning and re-planning so that she could sneak out during her mother’s afternoon nap and come back without her knowledge. She needed to save sixty paise, the fare money. She had to resist the temptation of candy, peppermint, and a ride on the merry-go-round to save the money.

Finally, she saved enough money, and one fine day, the brave eight-year-old took the bus. She refused to take any help from the conductor or fellow passengers. It was an amusing sight for everyone to see such a small girl all alone acting like an adult. The conductor was of the joking sort and thus, referred to Valli as a grown-up ‘madam’. Valli would stand on her seat to be able to see clearly from the window while everyone advised her to sit for her own safety. Each time someone would poke their nose in her business, Valli would get annoyed as she did not consider herself a child. She did not want to be friends with an elderly lady who was worried about her because she thought she was not socially capable enough.

She enjoyed seeing what was going on outside. The sight of a running cow in the middle of a road abruptly was a funny scenario for her. Upon reaching the town, she refused to get down the bus because she was too afraid to do so alone. While returning, she had the same enthusiasm until she saw a cow lying lifeless on the road. It was the same cow that was so joyous previously. She sat down silently for the rest of the journey.

Upon reaching home, she found her mother and aunt talking about the endless possibilities in the world outside. Valli affirmed what her mother was saying, leaving both of them astonished. She then justified her reaction by mentioning that she was casually agreeing to what her mother was saying.  Her aunt then referred to Valli as a nose-poking child who acts like a grown-up lady. Only Valli knew what she was referring to because, after all, no one knew about her bus journey.

Answers to the Textual Questions

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1. What was Valli’s favourite pastime?

Valli’s favourite pastime was to stand in the front doorway of her house and look at the street outside.

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

The sight of the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town was a source of unending joy for Valli. Her strongest desire was to ride the bus.

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

Valli found out that the bus journey to the town took 45 minutes and the one-way fare was 30 paisa. She listened carefully to the conversations between her neighbours and people who regularly used the bus and asked a few discreet questions here and there. This way she picked up various small details about the bus journey.

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

Valli was planning to go to the town and then return back by the same bus. She planned to make a trip to the town while her mother took the afternoon nap. She saved enough money for the journey.

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

The conductor called Valli ‘madam’ because she behaved like a woman. She declined his help and was very quick in her answers to the conductor’s questions. This made the conductor call her madam.

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

Valli wanted to look outside the bus. She found her view blocked by the canvas blind that covered the lower part of the window. In order to have a better view, she stood up on the seat and peered over the blind. She saw a canal, palm trees, grassland, mountains, green fields, and the sky.

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

Valli replied that there was nobody in the bus who was a child. She told her that she had paid her fare of 30 paise like every other passenger in the bus.

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

Valli did not want to make friends with the elderly woman because she looked quite repulsive. She had big earholes and was wearing ugly earrings. Apart from this, she was chewing betel and her mouth was filled with betel juice.

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

Valli had very painstakingly saved every stray coin that came her way. She resisted every temptation to buy peppermints, toys, balloons, etc. It had been very difficult for her. Even at the village fair, she resisted the temptation to be on the merry-go-round. Thus, she had been able to save sixty paise for her first bus journey.

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

Valli saw a young cow, tail high in the air running very fast right in the middle of the road in front of the bus. The driver sounded his horn again and again to make the cow move away. But the more he honked, the more frightened the animal became and faster it galloped. This all seemed very funny to Valli and she laughed so much that there were tears in her eyes.

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

Valli had planned that she only wanted to ride on the bus. She would spend thirty paise on her fare, go to the town and then come back by the same bus before her mother woke up. She didn’t want to see the town. She had neither money nor the inclination. 

4. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall have a drink? What does this tell you about her?

Valli had saved only sixty paise for the trip. She didn’t want to waste any money on the drink as she had to come back by the same bus at any cost. So, when the conductor suggested her to get down and have a drink she refused. He offed to bring one for her but she still refused. This shows that she was a strong-willed and well-mannered girl.

Thinking About the Text

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1. What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find the words and phrases in the story that tell you this.

Valli’s deepest desire was to go on a bus ride. The words and phrases in the story that tell this are ‘source of unending joy’, ‘stare wistfully’, and ‘kindle in her longings, dreams, and hopes’.

2. How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about the bus, and how did she save up the fare?

For days together Valli listened carefully to conversations between her neighbors and people who regularly used the bus and asked a few discreet questions here and there. She came to know that the town was six miles from her village, the bus fare was thirty paise and the bus trip took forty-five minutes. She also thought that if she stayed on the bus and came back by the same bus it would only cost her sixty paise. She painstaking saved each and every penny she got, resisting all temptation to buy peppermints, toys, etc, and even a ride on the merry-go-round at the village annual fair so as to save sixty paise. It was a secret trip that she had planned without the knowledge of her parents.

3. What kind of person is Valli? To answer this question, pick out the following sentences from the text and fill in the blanks. The words you fill in are the clues to your answer.

Valli was a confident girl who did not think that her age was a limitation to her traveling alone to the town. She considered herself a grown-up and acted like one.

4. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘Madam’?

The conductor called Valli ‘Madam’ as she behaved like a grown-up and did not think that she was a child. She also refused his help and told him that she can manage on her own.

5. Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was enjoying her ride on the bus.

Valli thoroughly enjoyed her ride on the bus. The following lines from the text tell us about it. She saw so many things on her way. A canal, palm trees, grasslands, distant mountains. “Oh! it was all so wonderful,” that’s what she felt. “Sometimes the bus seemed on the point of gobbling up another vehicle that was coming towards them or a pedestrian crossing the road. Somehow it passed smoothly, leaving all obstacles behind and then she saw a cow running very fast, in front of the bus. This all seemed very funny to Valli and she laughed and laughed till tears flowed from her eyes.”

6. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way back?

Valli refused to look out of the window on her way back as she saw the dead body of the cow who was running towards the bus when she was going to town. This made her sad and frightened.

7. What does Valli means when she says… “I was just agreeing with you what you said about things happening without our knowledge”.

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.

8. The author describes the things that Valli sees from an 8 year old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for his statement?

Yes, for example when the author says, ‘she was fascinated by the bus’ and ‘watching the bus fill with a new set of people each time was a source of unending joy for her’. ‘The seats were soft and luxurious’. The description that the author gives when Valli looked outside is also typical of an 8-year-old. A cow running in front of the bus fascinated the child whereas the sight of a dead cow brought tears to her eyes and she refused to look outside the window on her return journey. This also describes the behavior of an 8-year-old child aptly.