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THINK it OUT

Q1. The city folk who drove through the countryside hardly paid any heed to the roadside stand or to the people who ran it. If at all they did, it was to complain. Which lines bring this out? What was their complaint about?
Answer: The lines that bring this out are: “The polished traffic passed with a mind ahead, Or if ever aside a moment, then out of sorts At having the landscape marred with the artless paint Of signs that with N turned wrong and S turned wrong.” Their complaint was that the roadside stand, with its “artless paint,” was spoiling the beautiful landscape and was a nuisance.

Q2. What was the plea of the folk who had put up the roadside stand?
Answer: The plea of the folk was to get “some city money to feel in hand” and to “try if it will not make our being expand.” They wished to share a little of the life promised in the “moving-pictures” but denied to them by the “party in power.”

Q3. The government and other social service agencies appear to help the poor rural people, but actually do them no good. Pick out the words and phrases that the poet uses to show their double standards.
Answer: The poet uses the phrases: “greedy good-doers,” “beneficent beasts of prey,” “swarm over their lives enforcing benefits,” and “calculated to soothe them out of their wits.” These show the hypocrisy and exploitation hidden behind their so-called help.

Q4. What is the ‘childish longing’ that the poet refers to? Why is it ‘vain’?
Answer: The ‘childish longing’ refers to the villagers’ yearning for city money that could bring them the glamorous life shown in “moving-pictures.” It is ‘vain’ because city folk never stop at their stand, and their dreams remain unfulfilled.

Q5. Which lines tell us about the insufferable pain that the poet feels at the thought of the plight of the rural poor?
Answer: The lines are: “Sometimes I feel myself I can hardly bear The thought of so much childish longing in vain, The sadness that lurks near the open window there.” The poet even wishes he could “put these people at one stroke out of their pain.”

TALK about it

Discuss in small groups.
The economic well-being of a country depends on a balanced development of the villages and the cities.

TRY this out

You could stop at a dhaba or a roadside eatery on the outskirts of your town or city to see:

How many travellers stop there to eat?
Answer: Around 20–30 travellers stop here daily to have meals. Most of them are truck drivers and people traveling long distances.

How many travellers stop for other reasons?
Answer: About 5–10 travellers stop to rest, use the restroom, or buy snacks and drinks without having a full meal.

How are the shopkeepers treated?
Answer: The shopkeepers are treated politely by most travellers. Some travellers chat with them, while others simply buy food and leave quickly.

What kind of business do the shopkeepers do?
Answer: They sell cooked meals, snacks, tea, and packaged items like biscuits and soft drinks. Some also sell small essentials like water bottles, toiletries, or newspapers.

What kind of life do the shopkeepers lead?
Answer: The shopkeepers lead a simple and hardworking life. They start early in the morning, work long hours, and rely on travellers for their daily income. Their lives are often modest but self-sufficient.