READING COMPRHENSION PASSAGE (CLASS 9 AND 10)IN THE BAAZARS OF HYDERABAD

Solved Worksheet 27

CLASS 10 ICSE TREASURE TROVE

IN THE BAAZARS OF HYDERABAD

About The Poet :

Sarojini Naidu, The Nightingale of India, was a patriot and freedom fighter, but her first love was poetry. When she started writing poetry, she imitated English poets. Soon, however, she began to write about Indian themes. She played an important part in the social and cultural life of Hyderabad for many years. This poem describes the various stalls in the bazaars of Hyderabad. The poem consists of questions and answers.

Stanza 1
What do you sell O ye merchants?
Richly your wares are displayed.
Turbans of crimson and silver,
Tunics of Purple brocade,
Mirrors with panels of Amber,
Daggers with handles of jade. 

Stanza 2
What do you weigh, O ye vendors?
Saffron and lentil and rice.
What do you grind, O ye maidens?
Sandalwood, henna, and spice.
What do you call, O ye pedlars?
Chessmen and ivory dice.
Stanza 3
What do you make, O ye goldsmiths?
Wristlet and anklet and ring,
Bells for the feet of blue pigeons,
Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing,
Girdles of gold for dancers,
Scabbards of gold for the king.

Stanza 4
What do you cry, O ye, fruitmen?
Citron, pomegranate, and plum.
What do you play, O musicians?
Sitar, sarangi and drum. 
What do you chant, O magicians?
Spells for aeons to come.

Stanza 5

What do you weave, O ye flower-girls?
With tassels of azure and red?

Crowns for the brow of a bridegroom,
Chaplets to garland his bed.
Sheets of white blossoms, new-garnered
To perfume the sleep of the dead. 

STANZA 1
1. Where are the merchants? What are they doing ?
The merchants were in the Bazaars of Hyderabad. They were selling costly goods.
2. Name the goods on sale in this particular shop. Describe their colourful appearance.
The goods on sale were turban, tunics, mirrors and daggers. The turbans were red and silver colour, tunics were made of shining purple brocade, mirrors were framed with yellow amber and the daggers had handles of jade.
3. Give the meaning of mirrors with panels of amber.
The mirrors sold by the merchants in the bazaar were framed with a yellow colour stone.
4. Who are likely to buy the tunics of purple brocade and daggers with handles of jade?
Rich men of Hyderabad like the Nizams and the noble were to buy these costly items.
STANZA 2
1. What items mentioned in the extract are sold by weight and what items are sold by numbers?
Saffron , lentil ,rice , sandalwood, henna and spices are sold by weight. Chessmen and ivory dice are sold by number.
2. Name two items of entertainment sold there?
Chessmen and ivory dice are the two items of entertainment sold in the bazaar
3. What do vendors and pedlars do?
Vendors and pedlars go about with their goods for sale.

STANZA 3

1. What type of shop is referred to in the extract?

The poet refers to the jeweller and the gold smith who makes the ornaments.

2. What do you understand by girdles and scabbards?

Girdles are the ornaments worn around the waist by the dancers and scabbards are the sword cases used to keep the sword by the kings

3. What items made of gold were on sell ?

The Goldsmiths are selling wristlet, anklet, rings , girdles for dancers, scabbard for the king and bells for the feet of blue pigeons.

4. What is meant by , ‘Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing.’?

The above phrase means that the goldsmith makes small golden bells as delicate as the wing of dragon fly .These bells are used for the feet of blue pigeons.

5. What items on sale were used by the king, dancers and other people?

King used the scabbard made of gold, dancers used girdles and wristlet, anklet, ring are purchased by all the rich people.

6. What items are made of gold were on sale? What does the gold jewellery reveal about the status of the owners and of those who wear this jewellery?

The items of gold that were on sale were anklets, ring, wristlets, girdles for dancers and scabbards for king’s sword. The golden jewellery which is wore by the rich and the kings are also displayed in the market.

7. Why do you think bells are tied to the feet of blue pigeons? What items on sale were used by king, dancers and other people?

The bells are tied to the feet of the blue pigeons because they are as delicate as the dragonfly’s wings. Therefore they are light in weight and can be easily tied to their feet. The kings used the golden scabbard for their sword, the dancers use the golden girdles and other people wearing the anklets, wristlets and the rings.

8. What is meant by ”Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing”? State how apt is the expression frail in the context of the poem?

The meaning of the given line is that the bells were as delicate as the wings of dragon fly. The poet wanted to express the delicacy of the bells, therefore, the use of expression frail is perfect in the poem.

9. What do you think that the poet describes the Indian goods at the Indian bazaars?

The poet has described the Indian goods at the Indian bazaar because during the British rule British goods were sold in the Indian bazaar instead of Indian manufactured goods. Therefore the poet is trying to glorify the Indian goods so that people boycott the foreign good. This poem is a glorification of products made in India.

STANZA 4
1. Who are the people mentioned in the fourth stanza?

Fruits seller, musicians and magicians is a curious mix of person but shows the diversity of those at the bazaar. The magicians have spells which will last 'for aeons to come', in complete contrast to the fruit on sale, which presumably would soon perish in the heat.

STANZA 5
2. What are the flower girls weaving?

The final stanza is about the flower girls who are asked what they are weaving with strands of red and blue flowers. The girls reply that they are making garlands for bride and groom to decorate their bed for their wedding night. They are also weaving sheets of white flowers which are placed on graves for fragrance.