7. Madam Rides the Bus

The words and phrases found in the text are:

a set of passengers get on the bus get off the bus a roar and a rattle slowing down to a crawl blowing a whistle

Valli’s favourite pastime was standing in the front doorway of her house and watching what was happening in the street outside.

The sight of the bus, filled each time with a new set of passengers, was a source of unending joy for her.

Her strongest desire was to ride on that bus, even if just once.

She found out that the town was six miles from her village. The fare was thirty paise one way. The trip took forty-five minutes. If she stayed in her seat and paid another thirty paise, she could return on the same bus.

She found out these details by listening carefully to her neighbours and to people who used the bus. She also asked a few careful questions.

Valli was planning to take the one o’clock afternoon bus to the town and come back on the same bus, without anyone at home knowing about it.

The conductor was a jolly man, fond of joking. Valli behaved like a grown-up lady. She refused his help and spoke very confidently. So he called her ‘madam’ in fun.

A canvas blind covered the lower part of her window and blocked her view. So she stood up on the seat to look outside.

She saw a canal, palm trees, grassland, distant mountains and the blue sky on one side. On the other side she saw a deep ditch and acres of green fields.

She tells him haughtily, “There’s nobody here who’s a child. I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”

Valli found the woman repulsive. She had big holes in her ear lobes and ugly earrings. She was chewing betel nut, and the juice was about to spill over her lips. So Valli did not want to be friendly with her.

Valli saved every stray coin that came her way. She did not spend money on peppermints, toys or balloons. In this way she saved sixty paise.

No, it was not easy. At the village fair she controlled a strong desire to ride the merry-go-round, even though she had the money.

She saw a young cow running very fast in the middle of the road, right in front of the bus. The more the driver honked, the faster it ran. This made her laugh till there were tears in her eyes.

Valli had planned only a bus ride, not a visit to the town. She was also afraid to look at the sights all by herself. So she paid another thirty paise and stayed on the same bus to return home.

Valli said she did not have enough money. When the conductor offered to pay, she firmly refused.

This tells us that she was self-respecting and independent. She did not want to accept favours from strangers.

Valli’s deepest desire was to ride on the bus, even if just once. These words tell us this:

• “a tiny wish crept into her head and grew there”
• “This wish became stronger and stronger, until it was an overwhelming desire.”
• “Valli would stare wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus.”
• “Their faces would kindle in her longings, dreams, and hopes.”

Valli listened carefully to her neighbours and to regular passengers. She found out that the town was six miles away and the fare was thirty paise one way. The trip took forty-five minutes. She planned to take the one o’clock bus while her mother slept in the afternoon.

She saved every stray coin. She did not buy peppermints, toys or balloons. She did not even ride the merry-go-round at the fair. She saved sixty paise in all.

1. “Stop the bus! Stop the bus!” And a tiny hand was raised commandingly.
2. “Yes, I simply have to go to town,” said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
3. “There’s nobody here who’s a child,” she said haughtily. “I’ve paid my thirty paise like everyone else.”
4. “Never mind,” she said, “I can get on by myself. You don’t have to help me.” “I’m not a child, I tell you,” she said, irritably.
5. “You needn’t bother about me. I can take care of myself,” Valli said, turning her face toward the window and staring out.
6. Then she turned to the conductor and said, “Well, sir, I hope to see you again.”

These clues show that Valli is confident, bold, independent and determined. She wants to be treated like a grown-up.

Valli behaved like a grown-up lady. She refused help, paid her own fare and spoke very boldly. The jolly conductor was amused by her ways, so he called her ‘madam’ in fun.

• “Valli devoured everything with her eyes.”
• “Oh, it was all so wonderful!”
• “Suddenly Valli clapped her hands with glee.”
• “She laughed and laughed until there were tears in her eyes.”
• “Struck dumb with wonder, Valli gaped at everything.”

On the way back, Valli saw the same young cow lying dead by the roadside. It had been hit by a fast-moving vehicle. The memory of the dead cow haunted her. It took away her joy, so she did not want to look out of the window.

Valli had gone to town and come back without her mother knowing it. So she agrees that many things happen without our knowledge. She also had her first sight of death that day. She felt that some things in life are hard to understand.

Yes. Valli sees things like a small child. For example:

• She finds the bus beautiful, with bars that shine like silver and a beautiful clock.
• “Trees came running towards them but then stopped as the bus reached them…”
• She feels the bus would gobble up other vehicles and people on the road.
• She laughs and laughs at the cow running in front of the bus.

• Belinda — a little girl
• Ink — a little black kitten
• Blink — a little grey mouse
• Mustard — a little yellow dog
• Custard — a little pet dragon
• A pirate

Custard was afraid of everything. He wanted to be safe, so he cried for a nice safe cage.

He is called a “cowardly dragon” because, though he looked fierce, he always behaved like a coward.

Belinda tickled Custard to tease him and make fun of his cowardice.

• Simile: “Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears”, “Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage”, “snorting like an engine”, “He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm”, “Mouth like a fireplace”.
• Metaphor: “chimney for a nose”.
• Alliteration: “brave as a barrel full of bears”, “little … little”, “clatter and a clank”.
• Repetition: “realio, trulio”, “Suddenly, suddenly”.
• Onomatopoeia: “Weeck!”, “Meowch!”, “clatter”, “clank”.
• Hyperbole: “Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs”.

Custard had big sharp teeth, spikes on top and scales underneath. His mouth was like a fireplace and his nose like a chimney. He had daggers on his toes.

The rhyme scheme is aabb. For example, house–mouse, wagon–dragon; Ink–Blink, Mustard–Custard.

• “Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose” — a fierce dragon.
• “Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right, / And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright” — a dangerous pirate.
• “snorting like an engine” — a powerful, angry dragon.
• “Belinda giggled till she shook the house” — a girl laughing loudly.

It is a light-hearted poem. It is full of humour. The so-called brave characters run away when the pirate comes, while the ‘cowardly’ dragon fights and eats him. Funny words like ‘realio, trulio’ and ‘winda’ also make it amusing.