Silk Road Class 11 Introduction, Summary, Q&A & Hindi Explanation

Silk Road Class 11 Summary

The author of Silk Road recounts all the incidents involved in the journey to Mount Kailash in Tibet with his guide, Tsetan, and a few more travelling companions. They face many challenges during the trip-snowy paths, high altitudes, and terrifying wild animals like Tibetan mastiffs. Beyond that, there is still so much more to see with the untouched beauty of the landscape-it has plains, mountains, and glaciers.

At this point in time, the author starts feeling sick because of the high altitude and has difficulty breathing. But after being treated with some traditional Tibetan medicines, he has recovered quite well. He also met a person called Norbu, who is Tibetan and a scholar too, who came for the pilgrimage to Mount Kailash and decided to make the journey together with Norbu.

The story is a reflection of the author's physical and emotional pilgrimage, the people and landscapes of Tibet. It shows the challenges and beauty of travelling through such a remote and sacred land.

Silk Road Class 11 Summary in Hindi

"Silk Road" कहानी में लेखक तिब्बत के माउंट कैलाश की यात्रा का वर्णन करते हैं। वह अपने गाइड त्सेतेन और कुछ अन्य लोगों के साथ यात्रा करते हैं। इस यात्रा के दौरान उन्हें कई चुनौतियों का सामना करना पड़ता है, जैसे बर्फीले रास्तों को पार करना, उच्च ऊंचाई पर सांस लेने में कठिनाई और तिब्बती मास्टिफ कुत्तों जैसे जंगली जानवरों से सामना करना। लेखक को यहाँ के परिदृश्य की सुंदरता भी बहुत प्रभावित करती है, जैसे विशाल मैदान, ऊँचे पहाड़ और ग्लेशियर।

एक बिंदु पर, लेखक उच्च ऊंचाई के कारण बीमार महसूस करते हैं और उन्हें सांस लेने में कठिनाई होती है। हालांकि, तिब्बती पारंपरिक दवाइयों के सेवन के बाद, वह बेहतर महसूस करते हैं। वह एक आदमी, नॉरबू से भी मिलते हैं, जो एक तिब्बती अकादमिक है और माउंट कैलाश की तीर्थयात्रा करने आया है, और वे मिलकर यात्रा करने का निर्णय लेते हैं।

कहानी लेखक की शारीरिक और मानसिक यात्रा को दर्शाती है, साथ ही तिब्बत के लोगों और दृश्यों से उनके अनुभवों को भी। यह यात्रा की कठिनाइयों और तिब्बत जैसे एक पवित्र और दूरस्थ स्थान की सुंदरता को उजागर करती है।

Silk Road Class 11 Questions And Answers

Question and answers of Silk Road class 11 are given below:

I Give reasons for the following statements

1. The article has been titled ‘Silk Road.

Answer: Because the author has been travelling along a section of the ancient Silk Road to Mount Kailash. The passes connected Tibet with other parts of Asia and transported various goods, cultures, and traditions for centuries.

2. Tibetan mastiffs were popular in China’s imperial courts.

Answer: All the strength and fearlessness are well-deserved for a watchdog gazing across a nomad's tent. Massive size, loud barks, and ferocity gave them a place as valuable hunting and guard dogs in the imperial courts of China.

3. The author’s experience at Hor was in stark contrast to earlier accounts of the place.

Answer: Travellers of old once spoke of Lake Manasarovar and its environment as sacred and inspirational, but Hor appeared to the author dirty, dusty, and littered with refuse. Greatly disappointed, he found this.

4. The author was disappointed with Darchen.

Answer: Darchen appears dusty and half ruined, and there are very few facilities. Most importantly, there were no pilgrims, so he had no one to do the kora with, which left him much discouraged.

5. The author thought that his positive thinking strategy worked well after all.

Answer: Since he was down and alone, Norbu, a Tibetan scholar, agreed to do the kora with him. This buoyed his spirits and charged him with new hope to get on pilgrimage.

II. Briefly comment on

1. The purpose of the author’s journey to Mount Kailash.

Answer: The general purpose of the author in performing the kora was a holy religious ritual of walking around Mount Kailash, which is believed to be a sacred pilgrimage for both Buddhists and Hindus.

2. The author’s physical condition in Darchen.

Answer: Overcoming the cold and blocked nose due to high altitude, with some difficulty breathing at Darchen; sleeplessness prevailed over him, and he felt weak and scared.

3. The author’s meeting with Norbu.

Answer: The author was cheered by meeting Norbu, a Tibetan scholar based in Beijing. Since he also wished to do the kora, they decided to go together. This helped raise the author's spirits.

4. Tsetan’s support to the author during the journey.

Answer: He was an expert, compassionate driver who led the author across snow, steep passes, and rough roads, took care of his health, and even brought him to a doctor when he became ill.

5. “As a Buddhist, he told me, he knew that it didn’t really matter if I passed away, but he thought it would be bad for business.”

Answer: On one hand, death was considered natural in the Buddhist philosophy of the cycle of life and death. On the other hand, Tsetan was practical in thought of his dignity and livelihood when a traveller died in his care.

Thinking about language

1. Notice the kind of English Tsetan uses while talking to the author. How Do you think he picked it up?

Answer: Tsetan probably learned to speak English during his trips and from exchanges with pilgrims he met.

2. What do the following utterances indicate?

(i) “I told her, through Daniel …”

(ii) “It’s a cold,” he said finally through Tsetan.

Answer: The poem speaks about a fairly common experience concerning the relationship between parents and children. The poem describes the communication gap in such a way that neither understands the thoughts of the other.

3. Guess the meaning of the following words.

In which language are these words found?

Answer: These are all Tibetan language.