ADVENTURES IN A BANYAN TREE

1. The boy was very much thrilled of his acquaintance with the squirrel. He wrote a
letter to his friend telling him about his new friend. Help him to complete the letter.

28 Apr 1997

Dehra.

Dear Arun;

Hope you are enjoying your vacation there. I am doing the same here, at grandpa’s

house. I got a new friend here. Do you know who the new friend is? A little, cute squirrel

grey in colour! In the beginning he was a little resentful towards me. But now, finding that I

am not harmful, he is very friendly and familiar with me even to take food from my hands.

You know in our garden there is a magnificent banyan tree, which is older than my grandpa,

it old as the town of Dehra. I often spend my free time on the tree, and the squirrel will also

be there with me. There I have built a small platform on the halfway up the tree. I could read

from there. I had witnessed for a fight between mongoose and cobra, in that mongoose was

vanquished. A few days ago, my grandpa brought a white rat to home, which he had bought

from the bazaar for four Annas. I often take it with me to the root or platform in the tree.

Soon it made a friendship with one of the squirrels in the banyan tree. There a strange thing

happened. The squirrel started building a nest in a hole in the tree. When we investigated it,

we found three little white squirrels! My grandpa said that he hadn’t seen white squirrels

before in his life. He also explained that the white rat should be the father of white baby

squirrels.

I wanted your presence with me in this vacation. We can spend the time in the garden

and on the banyan tree. You will be happy to see the beautiful land in Dehra, and live in it.

Convey my regards to all. I hope to see you soon.

                                                                                                           Yours lovingly,
                                                                                                                   Name
                                                                                                                      Sd/

2. The boy was thrilled with the fight between the cobra and the mongoose. You may
also have the same feeling. Narrate the fight scene in your own words.

Battle of Champions

The boy was sitting on the platform halfway up the tree. He used to read books and

enjoy sights down in the garden sitting there. One April afternoon, when everyone was

indoors due to the warm breezes of the approaching summer, he was sitting up on the tree as

Notes Prepared By: Sirajudheen P / 96633226345

usual. Suddenly he saw a huge, black cobra gliding into the garden beneath him out from a

cactus plant. At the same time, a mongoose also emerged from the bush nearby and went

straight for the cobra. Both of them came face to face in a clearing beneath the tree on which

the boy was sitting. The cobra defiantly darted his forked tongue in and out and raised three

of his six feet off the ground.

The mongoose bushed its tail, and the long hair on its spine stood up. They were

ready to fight each other. Two other spectators a myna and a jungle crow also came to the

scene. The cobra tried to mesmerize his opponent into making a false move. But the

mongoose knew the trick and did not fall into the trap. The mongoose moving forward, made

a feint to one side. The cobra struck but missed the aim. Immediately the mongoose darted on

the snake and bit on its back. At the same moment, the myna and the crow also dived at the

cobra but collided themselves. The cobra started getting weaker and weaker as the mongoose

attacked him vigorously and repeatedly. In that fight, the cobra whipped his head back and

his snout thudded forcefully against the crow’s body killing it. Then, the myna wisely

refrained from anymore interference.

Finally, the mongoose with a lightning snap had the cobra by his snout. He writhed

for a while and gradually stopped struggling. The winning mongoose, gripping its enemy’s

hood, dragged it into the bushes. The myna, with a shrill cry of congratulation, flew away!

3. And among est the wool were the three baby squirrels – all of them white!’ The boy
couldn’t stop wondering about the white squirrels. If he scribbled down this
unforgettable sight in his diary, how would be?

10:00 pm                                                                                                          10 April 2019

Tuesday

What a wonderful sight! Our white rat has become father of three little white squirrel

babies. I have never seen or heard of white squirrels before. Even grandpa doesn’t know

about white squirrels. Grandpa is really a nice person. He loves trees, birds, animals and

everything in nature. I know he loves me too very much. Actually he might have bought the

white rat for me. He said the rats and squirrels were related each other. It is right, as grandpa

said, the father of the white baby squirrels is my white rat. How many varieties of creatures

are there in nature! We should do everything to protect the nature and its creatures. I am

proud of my grey squirrel, white rat and the white baby squirrels. I will bring all my school

friends here to show them these wonderful sights.

4. A single banyan tree creates such beauty and harmony. How will it be if we have such
beauty everywhere? What should we do for the conservation of nature? Discuss.

Plant Trees and Preserve Nature

When we read the story, we understand how much a tree can contribute in preserving

nature, its beauty, harmony and life. The single banyan tree is a dwelling place for many

creatures, a resting place for the boy and a location of sustenance for birds, especially when

the fig season comes. As the Malayalam literary legend, Vaikom Mohammed Basheer said,

all the creatures in this world are the ‘rightful inheritors of the earth’. So, we the humans do

not have a particular right to overuse or exploit the resources of the earth. We should consider

our fellow creatures living in this world. When we cut and fell a tree, we are actually

violating others’ rights as well as damaging our own existence.

Nowadays, the large scale deforestation is a threat to nature. We cut trees in the name

of infrastructural development to construct roads and buildings. With the increasing demand

for wood fuels and building materials, the deforestation process has also increased. And, the

result is hazardous. The depletion of trees decreased the rain water catchment and increased

the global warming. In order to keep the natural eco-system intact and help life existence

possible on the planet earth, it is necessitous for us to promote afforestation. We students

should be motivated from stories of this kind, and take an oath to preserve and protect our

nature by planting plenty of trees.

5. Slogans on Nature Conservation

• Plant trees, Protect Nature.

• Root of our existence is on top of trees!

• Pollution everywhere, solution nowhere.

• Avoid plastic, save our planet.

• Say NO to pollutants to make life pleasant.

• Global warming is a warning:

  Carbon emission is a killing poison!

• Don’t harm nature; let every creature be calm in future.

• Let rivers flow pure; make lives grow sure.

Summary and Analysis of 'Lines Written in Early spring'

Lines written in early spring

Theme

The major theme of this poem is nature, in all senses of the word. The poem touches on visually stimulating descriptions of a natural environment and the nature of mankind. It also underlines the natural connection between everything on Earth, both the tangible and intangible. Nature, as she is named in the poem, is not an entity man can see or touch in and of itself. However, through the theme of connection, we do see and touch Nature in all we consume, destroy, make, and love.

SUMMARY OF LINES WRITTEN IN EARLY SPRING

The speaker tells that while sitting reclined on a woodland grove, his mind was filled with several thoughts. While he finds solace in the nature’s beauty, the same beauty also reminds him of bad thoughts. The speaker appreciates the nature for her god like abilities of linking a human soul to her but he also feels grief while thinking about how cruelly man has separated himself from Mother Nature. The speaker is highly appreciative of the nature’s beauty, he finds delight in the green bowers and has faith that the beautiful flowers enjoy every ounce of the air they breathe, they are thankful for living besides the nature. The speaker observes the birds which sing and hop around him; he is in awe of these creatures. Though the speaker does not understand their language and ways, he does recognize that the birds’ are creating all these movements out of sheer pleasure and joy. The breeze flowing is sweet and light, the twigs are spreading out as if to catch the sweet air and all the speaker can do is gather pleasure in their existence. The speaker questions that if this is heaven and this is the holy plan of nature then what has man made of man that is himself and his kind, by separating from such joy.

Short Summary “Written in Early Spring”

It was a day in early spring. The poet sardines in a grove. It was then that he heard some sweet music. It was a happy blending of a large many musical notes like the song of birds, the whispering of the breeze, the rustling of leaves and the murmur of the streams etc. the poet’s mind was at rest. He was in pleasant and meditative mood. When one is on such a state one experiences pleasant thoughts.

The pleasant thoughts brought about by the joys in nature induce sad thoughts as one thinks of man and his world. Nature linked the human soul in the poet to her fair works. The more joy he saw in Nature the more it grieved his heart to think what man had made of man.

Occupying himself with the drudgery of earning and spending only man has shut himself to the pleasures the universe offers to him and, as a result, has brought misery and sorrow for himself.

The poet looked around. He saw the primrose tufts. He watched the periwinkle trailing its wreaths in that sweet bower. The flowers were pleasant, joyful. The poet strongly believed that every flower enjoyed the air it breathed. The birds around him hopped and played. The poet could not measure their thoughts. He could not know what made them playful, joyous. He could only see that they were ecstatic.

Every motion they made seemed “a thrill of pleasure.” The joyful sight of the flowers, the birds and the twigs along with the “thousand blended notes” made the poet think there was pleasure there.

The poet’s mind is caught between; his mood fluctuates between nature and the human world. Nature is all joy, all pleasure. The human world is full of sorrows. Man is a part of Nature. He ought to have been a part of Nature’s holy plan. The poet laments how man, by severing himself from Nature’s holy plan, has brought about miseries and disaster upon himself.