The story, Madam
Rides the Bus, illustrates the sensitive story of a young
eight-year-old Tamil girl Valliammai. Valli was always curious to explore the
outside world. She had no friends to play games with. So, her favourite pastime
was to stand in the doorway of her house and watch all that was happening on
the street outside. She would watch people get on and off the bus that
travelled between her village and the nearest town. The bus that was filled
with a new set of passengers filled her with a sense of unending joy. She had a
strong urge to take a bus ride to explore the adventurous bus journey. Hence,
she collected information about the bus timings by listening to the
conversations of the people taking the bus ride. Soon she learnt that the bus
journey from her village to the nearest town was approximately six miles. The
bus fare costs thirty paise for a one-way ride. So, Valli started saving enough
money to take a ride on the bus.
Valli planned to travel on the bus during the afternoon when her
mother would be asleep. She stood on the roadside waiting for the bus. As the
bus arrived, she told the conductor she wanted to go to town. The conductor
happened to be a jovial person and referred to her as ‘madam’ and told her to
hop into the bus and take her seat. She got into her bus quickly and noticed
that the bus was painted in green and white colour stripes and looked brand
new. The bus seats were luxurious, and the ride was comfortable. During her
journey, Valli enjoyed looking at the greenery outside and the scenic natural
beauty of the bus. She was thoroughly enjoying her bus ride and was amused when
she saw a young cow that ran wildly in front of the bus and crossed the road.
The driver blew the shrill horn as the cow crossed the road. This was a
fascinating experience for Valli as she realised her dream of travelling on a
bus had finally come true.
As Valli enjoyed watching the beautiful landscape outside, the
bus started getting empty as the passengers got down to their respective stops.
Soon, the conductor asked her if she would like to roam about the stalls in the
town, but she told him that she had limited money, which she needed to take the
return bus ride. The conductor casually smiled at her reply. Valli stayed on
the bus and took a ticket from the conductor to return to her village. As the
bus started again, she noticed a dead cow and realised that it was the same cow
that had run wildly in front of her bus during her onward journey to the town.
Looking at the sight of the bleeding cow made her very sad, and she understood
the meaning of life and death from this incident. Soon, the bus dropped her at
the bus stop near her home, and she returned home just on time. Thus, no one in
her family knew about her adventurous bus trip that she had taken all by
herself without their knowledge.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR—
The short story "Madam Rides the
Bus" was written by the Indian author Vallikkannan. The story
revolves around a young girl named Valli who embarks on a solo bus journey to
experience the world outside her village.
Vallikkannan, also
known as R.S. Kandaswami Pillai, was a Tamil writer, journalist, critic,
and translator. He often wrote under the pseudonym Vallikkannan. His
works often explore themes of childhood, innocence, and the desire for
freedom. In "Madam Rides the Bus," he uses Valli's adventurous
bus ride to delve into these themes, showcasing her curiosity and determination
to explore beyond her familiar surroundings. The story also touches upon
the themes of empathy and the understanding of different perspectives.
Oral Comprehension Check – 1
1. What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
Ans: Valli’s favourite pastime
was to stand on the front doorway of her house, and look at what was happening
in the street outside.
2. What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her
strongest desire?
Ans: The view of the bus
with new passengers was a source of unending joy for Valli. Her strongest
desire was to have a ride on the bus once in her life.
3. What did Valli find out about the bus journey? How did she
find out these details?
Ans: Valli discovered that
the town was six miles from her village and it took 45 minutes to reach town
from her village. She learned this information by listening to the passengers’
and the neighbours’ conversation and occasionally by questioning them.
4. What do you think Valli was planning to do?
Ans: Valli was planning to
go to the town and then return back by the same bus. The fare was 30 paise one
way and the ride took forty five minutes.
Oral Comprehension Check – ll
1. Why does the conductor call Valli ‘madam’?
Ans: The conductor calls
Valli ‘madam’ because she behaved like a woman. She declined his help and was
very quick in her answers to the conductor’s questions.
2. Why does Valli stand up on the seat? What does she see
now?
Ans: Valli looked outside
from the bus but a canvas blind cut off her view. So she had to stand up on the
seat. She saw that the road was very narrow and beyond it were palm trees,
grassland, distant mountains and the beautiful blue sky.
3. What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a
child?
Ans: When the elderly man
calls Valli a child she angrily replies that there is no child in the
bus. She also says that she has paid her fare of thirty paise like everyone
else.
4. Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly
woman?
Ans: Valli didn’t want to
make friends with the elderly woman because she was absolutely repulsive with
big ugly earrings which Valli didn’t like at all. She was chewing betel nut and
the beetlejuice was about to spill over her lips.
Oral Comprehension Check – lll
1. How could Valli save up money for her first journey? Was it
easy for her?
Ans: Valli saved up money
for her first journey. In order to save money she did not buy peppermints,
toys, balloons etc. She also prevented herself from riding on the merry – go –
round. It was not easy for her.
2. What did Valli see on her way that made her laugh?
Ans: On her way, Valli saw
a young cow, tail high in the air, which was running very fast. It went into
the middle of the road and then galloped in front of the bus. The driver honked
but the cow got scared and instead of leaving the road, she kept on galloping
in front of the bus. This made valli laugh heartily.
3. Why didn’t she get off the bus at the bus station?
Ans: Valli didn’t get off
at the bus station because she was going back on that same bus. She was taking
a bus ride.
4. Why didn’t Valli want to go to the stall and have a drink?
What does this tell you about her?
Ans: Valli didn’t want to
go to the stall and have a drink because she had no money to do so. She also
refused to accept cold-drink from the conductor and said that she only wanted
her ticket. This shows that Valli had a lot of self will and pride.
Thinking about the Text:
1. What was Valli’s deepest desire? Find words and phrases in
the story that te11 you this .
Ans: Valli’s deepest
desire was to ride on the bus she saw everyday.
The words and phrases are
: Overwhelming desire; wistfully; calculated and recalculated; planned and
replanted.
2. How did Valli plan her bus ride? What did she find out about
the bus, and how did she save up the fare?
Ans:- Valli was planning
to go to the town and then return back by the same bus. The fare was 30 paise
one way and the ride took forty five minutes. She learned this information by
listening to the passengers’ and the neighbours’ conversation and occasionally
by questioning them. In order to save money she did not buy peppermints, toys,
balloons etc. She also prevented herself from riding on the merry – go – round.
3. What kind of a 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.
i) ‘Stop the bus! Stop the bus!’ And a tiny hand was
raised……………
Ans: Commandingly.
ii) ‘Yes, I……… go to town’, said Valli, still standing
outside the bus.
Ans: Simply have to.
iii) ‘There’s nobody here…………. ‘, she said haughtily, ‘I’ve paid
my thirty paise like everyone else. ‘
Ans: Who’s a child?
iv) ‘Never mind ‘, she said. ‘I can………… you don’t have to
help me. I’m not a child, I tell you’, she said,………
Ans: Get on by myself.
v) ‘You needn’t bother about me. I……… ‘. Valli said, turning her
face toward the window and staring out.
Ans: Can take care of
myself
vi) Then she turned to the conductor and said, ‘Well, sir, I
hope………… ‘
Ans: To see you again.
Valli is a self-confident
girl. She is also self-dependent with a commanding nature.
4. Why does the conductor refer to Valli as ‘madam’?
Ans: The conductor refers
to Valli as ‘madam because she behaves like a grown up lady.
5. Find the lines in the text which tell you that Valli was
enjoying her ride on the bus.
Ans: The lines are:
1) Valli clapped her hands
with glee.
2) She laughed and
laughed……… eyes.
3) Struck dumb with
wonder, Valli gaped at everything.
6. Why does Valli refuse to look out of the window on her way
back?
Ans: During her return
journey Valli saw a young cow lying dead by the roadside. She asked the
conductor if it wasn’t the same one that had run before the bus earlier. The
conductor replied by nodding his head. The memory of the dead cow haunted
Valli. So, she didn’t want to look out of the window on her way back.
7. What does Valli mean when she says, ‘I was just agreeing with
what you said about things happening without our knowledge. ‘
Ans: Valli admits that
many things happen in our midst without our knowledge. Sometimes we can’t
understand these.
8. The author describes the things that Valli sees from an
eight-year-old’s point of view. Can you find evidence from the text for this
statement?
Ans: The following
evidence can be found in the text:
a) Valli devoured
everything with her eyes.
b) Valli clapped her
hands with glee.
c) She laughed and
laughed until there were tears in her eyes.
d) Struck dumb with
wonder, Valli gaped at everything.
MCQ---
1.
Who is the author of the lesson “Madam rides the Bus”?
A) Gavin Maxwell
B) Vallikkannan
C) Paulo Coehlo
D) Arup Kumar Dutta
Q2.
What was Valli’s full name?
A) Vallikkannan
B) Valliammai
C) Valliannai
D) Vallikannam
Q3.
What was Valli’s age?
A) 7
B) 8
C) 9
D) None of these
Q4.
What was her favourite pastime?
A) watching the street outside
B) playing outside
C) travelling the bus
D) reading books
Q5.
How many times did the bus cross her street in an hour?
A) 1
B) 2
C) 4
D) 6
Q6.
What was her overwhelming desire?
A) to have friends
B) to travel by bus
C) to top the class
D) None of these
Q7.
“Valli would stare wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus.” What is
the meaning of wistfully?
A) fearfully
B) carefully
C) willingly
D) longingly
Q8.
What would make Valli jealous?
A) strangers travelling by bus
B) hearing stories of her friend’s bus journey
C) her mother travelling the bus
D) all of the above
Q9.
How did she pick up small details about the bus journey?
A) listening to conversations of neighbours
B) asking a few discreet questions
C) All of the above
D) None of the above
Q10.
Why did Valli stand up?
A) She wanted to enjoy the ride
B) she wasn’t able to look outside properly
C) she liked standing
D) she was tired of sitting
Q11.
What did the old man say to Valli that annoyed her?
A) He shouted at her
B) he asked why she’s alone
C) he merely asked her to sit
D) None of the above
Q12.
“Valli found the woman absolutely repulsive”. What do you mean by “repulsive”?
A) causing strong dislike
B) showing displeasure
C) extremely attractive
D) admirable
Q13.
Why did Valli find the woman repulsive?
A) she had large piercings in her ears
B) she wore ugly earrings
C) she was chewing betel nut which could spill out any moment
D) all of the above
Q14.
Why did the old lady ask Valli so many questions?
A) she was bothered about Valli
B) she liked Valli
C) she was poking her nose
D) she was bored
Q15.
What did she have to resist on Village Fair Day to save for the ride?
A) balloons
B) merry go round
C) toys
D) peppermint
Q16.
What was the next challenge once she’d saved enough money?
A) tell her mom about it
B) know about the timings
C) buy a ticket
D) to sneak out of the house
Q17.
What made her laugh on her journey?
A) the sight of a running cow
B) the old woman’s earrings
C) the old man
D) None of the above
Q18.
Why did Valli not get off the bus for sight-seeing?
A) she was afraid
B) she didn’t want to
C) she didn’t have the time
D) she didn’t like the city
Q19.
What does it tell you about Valli when she refused to accept the conductor’s
treat?
A) responsible
B) stubborn
C) rude
D) disrespectful
Q20.
Who was a “real chatterbox”?
A) Valli
B) conductor
C) her aunt
D) all of the above
Q21.
What saddened Valli?
A) the dead cow
B) car accident
C) the handicapped passenger
D) all of the above
Q22.
What was the one-way fare from the village to the town?
A) one rupee
B) 50 paise
C) 40 paise
D) 30 paise
Q23.
What was the timing of the afternoon nap taken by Valli’s mother?
A) 1 to 3
B) 1 to 4
C) 2 to 4
D) 2 to 3
Q24.
How does the conductor address Valli?
A) as Valli
B) as Madam
C) as kiddo
D) None of the above
Q25.
What can you tell about the conductor from the text?
A) he was funny
B) he was grumpy
C)he was quiet
D) all of the above
Q26.
What was the most fascinating scene for Valli in the street?
A)
The bus with a new set of curtains every time.
B) The bus has a new set of passengers every time.
C) The bus has a new driver every time.
D) The bus has a new conductor every time.
Q27.
The conductor offered Valli a _____
A)
Burger
B) Cold Drink
C) Pizza
D) Cake
Q28.
Find a suitable synonym of the underlined word – ‘Valli devoured everything
with her eyes’
A) consumed
B) Ate hungrily
C) Tore into pieces
D) Liked
Q29.
What are ear lobes?
A) Jewelry
B) Hearing aid
C) Portion of the ear
D) None of these
Q30.
Why was the old woman asking so many questions to Valli?
A) She was a member of Child Protection Unit
B) She was concerned to see a small girl travelling by herself
C) She was a member of a child trafficking group
D) She was a member of a child lifter gang
