Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Summarizing is to briefly sum up the various points from the notes made from the below passage.
The Sherpas were nomadic people who first migrated from Tibet approximately 600 years ago, through the Nangpa La pass and settled in the Solukhumbu District, Nepal. These nomadic people then gradually moved westward along salt trade routes. During 14th century, Sherpa ancestors migrated from Kham. The group of people from the Kham region, east of Tibet, was called “Shyar Khamba”. The inhabitants of Shyar Khamba, were called Sherpa. Sherpa migrants travelled through Ü and Tsang, before crossing the Himalayas. According to Sherpa oral history, four groups migrated out of Solukhumbu at different times, giving rise to the four fundamental Sherpa clans: Minyagpa, Thimmi, Sertawa and Chawa. These four groups have since split into the more than 20 different clans that exist today.
Sherpas had little contact with the world beyond the mountains and they spoke their own language. AngDawa, a 76-year-old former mountaineer recalled “My first expedition was to Makalu [the world’s fifth highest mountain] with Sir Edmund Hillary’’. We were not allowed to go to the top. We wore leather boots that got really heavy when wet, and we only got a little salary, but we danced the Sherpa dance, and we were able to buy firewood and make campfires, and we spent a lot of the time dancing and singing and drinking. Today Sherpas get good pay and good equipment, but they don’t have good entertainment. My one regret is that I never got to the top of Everest. I got to the South Summit, but I never got a chance to go for the top.
The transformation began when the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay and the New Zealander Edmund Hillary scaled Everest in 1953. Edmund Hillary took efforts to build schools and health clinics to raise the living standards of the Sherpas. Thus life in Khumbu improved due to the efforts taken by Edmund Hillary and hence he was known as ‘Sherpa King’.
Sherpas working on the Everest generally tend to perish one by one, casualties of crevasse falls, avalanches, and altitude sickness. Some have simply disappeared on the mountain, never to be seen again. Apart from the bad seasons in 1922, 1970 and 2014 they do not die en masse. Sherpas carry the heaviest loads and pay the highest prices on the world’s tallest mountain. In some ways, Sherpas have benefited from the commercialization of the Everest more than any group, earning income from thousands of climbers and trekkers drawn to the mountain. While interest in climbing Everest grew gradually over the decades after the first ascent, it wasn’t until the 1990s that the economic motives of commercial guiding on Everest began. This leads to eclipse the amateur impetus of traditional mountaineering. Climbers looked after each other for the love of adventure and “the brotherhood of the rope” now are tending to mountain businesses. Sherpas have taken up jobs as guides to look after clients for a salary. Commercial guiding agencies promised any reasonably fit person a shot at Everest.
Advertisements
Solution
Origin and development of Sherpas
The roots:
The Sherpas are a nomadic race who migrated to Nepal 600 years ago. They got settled in the Solukhumbu District of Nepal. In the 14th Century, they migrated westward from Kham to ShyarKhamba. This is where the Sherpas inhabited in four groups viz., Minyagpa, Thimmi, Sertawa, and Chawa.
Life in isolation:
Sherpas had little contact with the world beyond the mountains. Ang Dawa, 76-year old former Sherpa recounts his bitter memories. He could touch the summit of Makalu along with Hillary. He was never allowed to go to Everest. Sherpas had meager salaries. They danced Sherpa dance, drank, and entertained guests. They could buy firewood with their earnings. Now the scenario has changed. They are well paid and given good equipment but left with no entertainment.
Transformation:
The attitude to Sherpas changed after Tenzing Norgay and Hillary reached Everest in 1953. Edmund Hillary is hailed as ‘Sherpa king’ for his initiative to build schools for their children and healthcare centers too.
The tough life of Sherpas:
Many Sherpas have died without a trace due to avalanches and altitude sickness. Enmasse death is now ended after the 1922-1970 and 2014 incidents. They carry heavy loads and pay with dearth for their survival.
Commercialisation-a boon:
After 1990, the commercialization of mountaineering has started. Many mountain guiding firms now employ Sherpas with good salaries. A steady flow of professional climbers and tourists ensures regular income. Now anyone with a sound physique can take a shot at Everest.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Why is the word ‘ cried’ used by the poet in the line, ‘It was the English, Kaspar cried’?
How is the theme of self-awareness shown in the poem “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou?
Explain, ‘Just a palsied few at the windows set;’
What does the reader learn about the characters of the narrator and the old man, in Ernest Hemingway “Old Man and the Bridge?
Narayan has created a memorable character in Muni. Discuss.
One day a millionaire went to a hotel in New York and________(ask) for the cheapest room they________(have)."What________(be) the price of the room?" he________(ask). The manager________(tell) him."Is that that the cheapest room you________(have)? I________(stay) by myself and only________(need) a small room." The manager said, "Why do you choose a poor room like that? Your son always_______(stay) in our most expensive room.""Yes," said the millionaire, "but his father________(be) a wealthy man; mine is not."
Narrate an incident from your own experience when you helped a friend who was in trouble. Explain what happened. What did you do to make the situation better ?
Discuss the following in groups of two pairs, each pair in a group taking opposite points of view.
Traditions, rituals, and funerary practices must be respected.
Write a short story beginning with this sentence:
When the last of the guests left, I went back into the hall.
The extract deals with the atmosphere of two homes. Collect the words associated with - Garden.
You have just returned after your first experience of the kite - festival in Gujarat/Ahmedabad. You were thrilled with the festivities.
Write a short report about the kite - festival for your local newspaper. Give an attractive headline, a dateline, and an account of the kite - festive. Write the report in the third person with more use of Passive voice.
Comment on the following characters depicted in the poem, in a sentence or a phrase.
| On the Nose | On the Eyes |
Given below is a list of words used to develop a CV or a Resume. Prepare a CV/Resume of your own.
Personal Information
- Name
- Address
- Date of birth
- Telephone / E-mail
- Nationality
- Marital status
Work Experience
- Experience/ Occupation / Position
- Employer / Employment History
- Internships
- Activities and responsibilities
Education
- Education and Training
- Primary school
- Secondary school
- Other qualification
Personal Skills and Competencies
- Competencies / Personal Competencies / Personal Skills/ Computer skills Mother tongue/ Other languages / Foreign languages
Say ‘WHY’?
The writer grew less dogmatic and more open-minded.
Prepare a ‘tourism leaflet’ on the following.
Your Home Town
Your mom made your favourite dinner. ______
“I cannot come.” Mala said that ______
Work in groups.
- Discuss how your mother cooks rice in your house.
- Write down the ingredients you need like rice and water.
- List the steps in cooking. The words in the recipe above will help you.
- Each person in the group should tell others how rice is cooked in their house.
- Now write down the recipe.
Read the jumbled lines from the poem and rearrange them in correct order.
| 1. cinnamon, betel leaves |
| 2. and ginger and garlic” |
| 3. Go to Muthu’s |
| 4. My mother would say: |
| 5. and get some |
| 6. “Little boy Raj… |
| 7. And so I go to the shops |
| 8. singing all the way |
| 9. tomatoes and pickles” |
| 10. “Sesame seeds, onions |
| 11. I rattle off a list: |
| 12. what I’d want |
| 13. and when Muthu asks me |
| 14. my mother twists my ear |
| 15. and back home |
| 16. ouch! |
Use the option to fill in the blank.
Her frock______too long.
Some words have similar sound, but different meaning. Choose the correct word from the option and fill in the blank.
The bird sits on a______.
Find out stories about other great people’s lives and their childhood and write these in your notebook. Collect at least two such stories and share them with your friends.
You could think of famous
- scientists
- religious people
- freedom fighters
- brave children
- astronauts
- artists
State whether the following statement are true or false
The friends could not keep in touch because they lost each other’s phone numbers.
The narrator went to the photographer to ______.
Read the given sentence and underline the no word.
Was Gopal nowhere around?
Write an original short story that begins with the following words:
My mother stopped suddenly at the doorway and stared in amazement at ..........
What might success mean to the following people? Think about it and write.
A student
Show how Carol Ann Duffy presents a disturbing picture of confinement and exploitation in the poem, The Dolphins. Write your answer in about 200-250 words.
Write a composition (in approximately 400 – 450 words) on the following subject.
Write an original short story that ends with the words "..….That is when they realised that sometimes, the most extraordinary stories begin with the simplest of moments."
