Silk Road By Nick Middleton| Ch8 Class 11th NCERT

Overview

• Rapport Building
• About the Lesson
• Pre-reading
• Reading Comprehension
• Activities and Project work

Rapport Building

1. Have you ever been on a difficult journey, whether to a mountain or somewhere else? Can you tell us about it?
2. What do you think are some of the biggest challenges people face when embarking on a tough journey?
3. In the text, the author mentions the importance of timing when it comes to undertaking the pilgrimage. What do you think are some other factors that can impact the success of a difficult journey?
4. What do you think are some key things to keep in mind when preparing for a tough journey, whether it’s to a mountain or some other destination?
5. Have you ever faced a situation where you had to rely on the help of strangers, as the author did when she met Norbu in the cafe? How did that experience go?

About the Lesson

“The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction” is a book by Nick Middleton that provides an overview of the Silk Road, the ancient trade route that connected Asia, Europe, and Africa. The book explores the history, geography, culture, and impact of the Silk Road on the societies and economies of the regions it traversed.

Middleton explains how the Silk Road emerged as a network of trade routes in the 2nd century BC, connecting China with the Mediterranean world, and how it shaped the exchange of goods, ideas, and technologies between East and West. He describes the role of the Silk Road in the spread of religions such as Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity, and the influence of Silk Road trade on the arts, sciences, and literature of the regions it passed through.

The book also discusses the decline of the Silk Road in the 15th century and its eventual rediscovery in the 19th century by European explorers and scholars. Middleton examines the legacy of the Silk Road on the modern world and the challenges of preserving its cultural and historical heritage.

“The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction” is a concise and informative introduction to the complex and fascinating history of the Silk Road and its enduring impact on the world.

Unit-1 Text

A FLAWLESS half-moon floated in a perfect blue sky on the morning we said our goodbyes. Extended banks of cloud-like long French loaves glowed pink as the sun emerged to splash the distant mountain tops with a rose-tinted blush. Now that we were leaving Ravu, Lhamo said she wanted to give me a farewell present.

One evening, I’d told her through Daniel that I was heading towards Mount Kailash to complete the kora, and she’d said that I ought to get some warmer clothes. After ducking back into her tent, she emerged carrying one of the long-sleeved sheepskin coats that all the men wore. Tsetan sized me up as we clambered into his car. “Ah, yes,” he declared, “Drogba, sir.”

We took a shortcut to get off the Changtang. Tsetan knew a route that would take us south-west, almost directly towards Mount Kailash. It involved crossing several fairly high mountain passes, he said. “But no problem, sir”, he assured us, “if there is no snow.” What was the likelihood of that I asked. “Not knowing, sir, until we get there.”
From the gently rolling hills of Ravu, the short cut took us across vast open plains with nothing in them except a few gazelles that would look up from nibbling the arid pastures and frown before bounding away into the void.

Further on, where the plains became more stony than grassy, a great herd of wild ass came into view. Tsetan told us we were approaching them long before they appeared. “Kyang,” he said, pointing towards a far-off pall of dust. When we drew near, I could see the herd galloping en masse, wheeling and turning in tight formation as if they were practising manoeuvres on some predetermined course. Plumes of dust billowed into the crisp, clean air.

Comprehension Questions

1. What was the weather like on the morning when the narrator said goodbye?
2. Why did Lhamo give the narrator a sheepskin coat?
3. What did Tsetan say about the route to Mount Kailash?
4. What animals did the group see on the vast open plains?
5. How did the wild ass behave when the group approached them?

Unit-2 Text

As hills started to push up once more from the rocky wilderness, we passed solitary drokbas tending their flocks. Sometimes men, sometimes women, these well-wrapped figures would pause and stare at our car, occasionally waving as we passed. When the track took us close to their animals, the sheep would take evasive action, veering away from the speeding vehicle.
We passed nomads’ dark tents pitched in splendid isolation, usually with a huge black dog, a Tibetan mastiff, standing guard. These beasts would cock their great big heads when they became aware of our approach and fix us in their sights. As we continued to draw closer, they would explode into action, speeding directly towards us, like a bullet from a gun, and nearly as fast.

These shaggy monsters, blacker than the darkest night, usually wore bright red collars and barked furiously with massive jaws. They were completely fearless of our vehicle, shooting straight into our path, causing Tsetan to brake and swerve. The

dog would make chase for a hundred metres or so before easing off, having seen us off the property. It wasn’t difficult to understand why ferocious Tibetan mastiffs became popular in China’s imperial courts as hunting dogs, brought along the Silk Road in ancient times as tribute from Tibet.

By now we could see snow-capped mountains gathering on the horizon. We entered a valley where the river was wide and mostly clogged with ice, brilliant white and glinting in the sunshine. The trail hugged its bank, twisting with the meanders as we gradually gained height and the valley sides closed in.

The turns became sharper and the ride bumpier, Tsetan now in third gear as we continued to climb. The track moved away from the icy river, labouring through steeper slopes that sported big rocks daubed with patches of bright orange lichen. Beneath the rocks, hunks of snow clung on in the near-permanent shade. I felt the pressure building up in my ears, held my nose, snorted and cleared them. We struggled round another tight bend and Tsetan stopped. He had opened his door and jumped out of his seat before I realised what was going on. “Snow,” said Daniel as he too exited the vehicle, letting in a breath of cold air as he did so.

Comprehension Questions

1. What did the author see when the hills started to push up once more from the rocky wilderness?
2. Who were the drokbas that the author passed by?
3. How did the sheep react when the car approached them?
4. What did the author see near the nomads’ tents?
5. What was the Tibetan mastiff guarding near the nomads’ tents?
6. How did the Tibetan mastiff react when the car approached it?
7. Why did ferocious Tibetan mastiffs become popular in China’s imperial courts?
8. What did the author see on the horizon?
9. What was the color of the river, and what was it clogged with?
10. What did the trail do as the author and Tsetan continued to climb higher?

Unit-3 Text

A swathe of the white stuff lay across the track in front of us, stretching for maybe fifteen metres before it petered out and the dirt trail reappeared. The snow continued on either side of us, smoothing the abrupt bank on the upslope side. The bank was too steep for our vehicle to scale, so there was no way round the snow patch. I joined Daniel as Tsetan stepped on to the encrusted snow and began to slither and slide forward, stamping his foot from time to time to ascertain how sturdy it was. I looked at my wristwatch. We were at 5,210 metres above sea level.
The snow didn’t look too deep to me, but the danger wasn’t its depth, Daniel said, so much as its icy top layer. “If we slip off, the car could turn over,” he suggested, as we saw Tsetan grab handfuls of dirt and fling them across the frozen surface. We both pitched in and, when the snow was spread with soil, Daniel and I stayed out of the vehicle to lighten Tsetan’s load. He backed up and drove towards the dirty snow, eased the car on to its icy surface and slowly drove its length without apparent difficulty.
Ten minutes later, we stopped at another blockage. “Not good, sir,” Tsetan announced as he jumped out again to survey the scene. This time he decided to try and drive round the snow.

The slope was steep and studded with major rocks, but somehow Tsetan negotiated them, his four-wheel drive vehicle lurching from one obstacle to the next. In so doing he cut off one of the hairpin bends, regaining the trail further up where the snow had not drifted.
I checked my watch again as we continued to climb in the bright sunshine. We crept past 5,400 metres and my head began to throb horribly. I took gulps from my water bottle, which is supposed to help a rapid ascent.
We finally reached the top of the pass at 5,515 metres. It was marked by a large cairn of rocks festooned with white silk scarves and ragged prayer flags. We all took a turn round the cairn, in a clockwise direction as is the tradition, and Tsetan checked the tyres on his vehicle. He stopped at the petrol tank and partially unscrewed the top, which emitted a loud hiss. The lower atmospheric pressure was allowing the fuel to expand. It sounded dangerous to me. “Maybe, sir,” Tsetan laughed “but no smoking.”
My headache soon cleared as we careered down the other side of the pass. It was two o’clock by the time we stopped for lunch. We ate hot noodles inside a long canvas tent, part of a workcamp erected beside a dry salt lake. The plateau is pockmarked with salt flats and brackish lakes, vestiges of the Tethys Ocean which bordered Tibet before the great continental collision that lifted it skyward. This one was a hive of activity, men with pickaxes and shovels trudging back and forth in their long sheepskin coats and salt-encrusted boots. All wore sunglasses against the glare as a steady stream of blue trucks emerged from the blindingly white lake laden with piles of salt.
By late afternoon we had reached the small town of Hor, back on the main east-west highway that followed the old trade route from Lhasa to Kashmir. Daniel, who was returning to Lhasa, found a ride in a truck so Tsetan and I bade him farewell outside a tyre repair shop. We had suffered two punctures in quick succession on the drive down from the salt lake and Tsetan was eager to have them fixed since they left him with no spares. Besides, the second tyre he’d changed had been replaced by one that was as smooth as my bald head.

Comprehension

1. What was the issue that Tsetan had to deal with while driving the vehicle?
2. What was Daniel’s concern regarding the snow patch and how did Tsetan manage to drive the vehicle through the snow?
3. What were the challenges faced by Tsetan while driving the vehicle over the slope?
4. How did the narrator feel as they climbed up the pass and what was the altitude when they finally reached the top?
5. What did Tsetan do to the petrol tank and why did the fuel expand?
6. What did the group do when they reached the top of the pass and how did the narrator’s headache subside?
7. What kind of place was Hor and what was its significance?
8. Why did the narrator have to wait in Hor and what was the condition of the town’s only cafe?

Unit-4 Text

Hor was a grim, miserable place. There was no vegetation whatsoever, just dust and rocks, liberally scattered with years of accumulated refuse, which was unfortunate given that the town sat on the shore of Lake Manasarovar, Tibet’s most venerated stretch of water. Ancient Hindu and Buddhist cosmology pinpoint Manasarovar as the source of four great Indian rivers: the Indus, the Ganges, the Sutlej and the Brahmaputra. Actually only the Sutlej flows from the lake, but the headwaters of the others all rise nearby on the flanks of Mount Kailash. We were within striking distance of the great mountain and I was eager to forge ahead.

But I had to wait. Tsetan told me to go and drink some tea in Hor’s only cafe which, like all the other buildings in town, was constructed from badly painted concrete and had three broken windows. The good view of the lake through one of them helped to compensate for the draught.
I was served by a Chinese youth in military uniform who spread the grease around on my table with a filthy rag before bringing me a glass and a thermos of tea.
Half an hour later, Tsetan relieved me from my solitary confinement and we drove past a lot more rocks and rubbish westwards out of town towards Mount Kailash.
My experience in Hor came as a stark contrast to accounts I’d read of earlier travellers’ first encounters with Lake Manasarovar. Ekai Kawaguchi, a Japanese monk who had arrived there in 1900, was so moved by the sanctity of the lake that he burst into tears. A couple of years later, the hallowed waters had a similar effect on Sven Hedin, a Swede who wasn’t prone to sentimental outbursts.
It was dark by the time we finally left again and after 10.30 p.m. we drew up outside a guest house in Darchen for what turned out to be another troubled night. Kicking around in the open-air rubbish dump that passed for the town of Hor had set off my cold once more, though if truth be told it had never quite disappeared with my herbal tea. One of my nostrils was blocked again and as I lay down to sleep, I wasn’t convinced that the other would provide me with sufficient oxygen. My watch told me I was at 4,760 metres. It wasn’t much higher than Ravu, and there I’d been gasping for oxygen several times every night. I’d grown accustomed to these nocturnal disturbances by now, but they still scared me.
Tired and hungry, I started breathing through my mouth. After a while, I switched to single-nostril power which seemed to be admitting enough oxygen but, just as I was drifting off, I woke up abruptly. Something was wrong. My chest felt

strangely heavy and I sat up, a movement that cleared my nasal passages almost instantly and relieved the feeling in my chest. Curious, I thought.
I lay back down and tried again. Same result. I was on the point of disappearing into the land of nod when something told me not to. It must have been those emergency electrical impulses again, but this was not the same as on previous occasions. This time, I wasn’t gasping for breath, I was simply not allowed to go to sleep.
Sitting up once more immediately made me feel better. I could breathe freely and my chest felt fine. But as soon as I lay down, my sinuses filled and my chest was odd. I tried propping myself upright against the wall, but now I couldn’t manage to relax enough to drop off. I couldn’t put my finger on the reason, but I was afraid to go to sleep. A little voice inside me was saying that if I did I might never wake up again. So I stayed awake all night.

Comprehension Questions

1. What is the setting of the text?
2. What is Lake Manasarovar?
3. Who was the protagonist’s guide and what did he advise him to do?
4. What was the protagonist’s experience in Hor?
5. Who were some of the earlier travelers mentioned in the text and how did they react to Lake Manasarovar?
6. What happened to the protagonist when he tried to sleep?
7. What did the protagonist do to try and relieve his breathing difficulties?

Unit-5 Text

Tsetan took me to the Darchen medical college the following morning. The medical college at Darchen was new and looked like a monastery from the outside with a very solid door that led into a large courtyard. We found the consulting room which was dark and cold and occupied by a Tibetan doctor who wore none of the paraphernalia that I’d been expecting. No white coat, he looked like any other Tibetan with a thick pullover and a woolly hat. When I explained my sleepless symptoms and my sudden aversion to lying down, he shot me a few questions while feeling the veins in my wrist.
“It’s a cold,” he said finally through Tsetan. “A cold and the effects of altitude. I’ll give you something for it.”
I asked him if he thought I’d recover enough to be able to do the kora. “Oh yes,” he said, “you’ll be fine.”
I walked out of the medical college clutching a brown envelope stuffed with fifteen screws of paper. I had a five-day course of Tibetan medicine which I started right away. I opened an after- breakfast package and found it contained a brown powder that I had to take with hot water. It tasted just like cinnamon. The contents of the lunchtime and bedtime packages were less obviously identifiable. Both contained small, spherical brown pellets. They looked suspiciously like sheep dung, but of course I took them. That night, after my first full day’s course, I slept very soundly. Like a log, not a dead man.

Once he saw that I was going to live Tsetan left me, to return to Lhasa. 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.
Darchen didn’t look so horrible after a good night’s sleep. It was still dusty, partially derelict and punctuated by heaps of rubble and refuse, but the sun shone brilliantly in a clear blue sky and the outlook across the plain to the south gave me a vision of the Himalayas, commanded by a huge, snow-capped mountain, Gurla Mandhata, with just a wisp of cloud suspended over its summit.
The town had a couple of rudimentary general stores selling Chinese cigarettes, soap and other basic provisions, as well as the usual strings of prayer flags. In front of one, men gathered in the afternoon for a game of pool, the battered table looking supremely incongruous in the open air, while nearby women washed their long hair in the icy water of a narrow brook that babbled down past my guest house. Darchen felt relaxed and unhurried but, for me, it came with a significant drawback. There were no pilgrims.

Comprehension

1. Where did Tsetan take the author the following morning?
2. What did the medical college at Darchen look like from the outside?
3. Who was occupying the consulting room at the medical college?
4. What symptoms did the author have that he explained to the doctor?
5. What did the doctor say the author was suffering from?
6. What did the author receive from the doctor in a brown envelope?
7. What was the taste of the brown powder that the author had to take with hot water?
8. What did the author notice about his sleep after his first full day’s course of Tibetan medicine?
9. Why did Tsetan leave the author?
10. What did the author see when he looked out across the plain to the south of Darchen?
11. What basic provisions were sold in the general stores in Darchen?
12. What did men do in front of one of the general stores in the afternoon?
13. What did women do in the icy water of a narrow brook that babbled down past the author’s guest house?
14. What was the significant drawback of Darchen for the author?

Unit-6 Text

I’d been told that at the height of the pilgrimage season, the town was bustling with visitors. Many brought their own accommodation, enlarging the settlement round its edges as they set up their tents which spilled down on to the plain. I’d timed my arrival for the beginning of the season, but it seemed I was too early.

One afternoon I sat pondering my options over a glass of tea in Darchen’s only cafe. After a little consideration, I concluded they were severely limited. Clearly I hadn’t made much progress with my self-help programme on positive thinking.
In my defence, it hadn’t been easy with all my sleeping difficulties, but however I looked at it, I could only wait. The pilgrimage trail was well-trodden, but I didn’t fancy doing it alone. The kora was seasonal because parts of the route were liable to blockage by snow. I had no idea whether or not the snow had cleared, but I wasn’t encouraged by the chunks of dirty ice that still clung to the banks of Darchen’s brook. Since Tsetan had left, I hadn’t come across anyone in Darchen with enough English to answer even this most basic question.
Until, that is, I met Norbu. The cafe was small, dark and cavernous, with a long metal stove that ran down the middle. The walls and ceiling were wreathed in sheets of multi-coloured

plastic, of the striped variety— broad blue, red and white—that is made into stout, voluminous shopping bags sold all over China, and in many other countries of Asia as well as Europe. As such, plastic must rate as one of China’s most successful exports along the Silk Road today.
The cafe had a single window beside which I’d taken up position so that I could see the pages of my notebook. I’d also brought a novel with me to help pass the time.
Norbu saw my book when he came in and asked with a gesture if he could sit opposite me at my rickety table. “You English?” he enquired, after he’d ordered tea. I told him I was, and we struck up a conversation.
I didn’t think he was from those parts because he was wearing a windcheater and metal-rimmed spectacles of a Western style. He was Tibetan, he told me, but worked in Beijing at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in the Institute of Ethnic Literature. I assumed he was on some sort of fieldwork.
“Yes and no,” he said. “I have come to do the kora.” My heart jumped. Norbu had been writing academic papers about the Kailash kora and its importance in various works of Buddhist literature for many years, he told me, but he had never actually done it himself.
When the time came for me to tell him what brought me to Darchen, his eyes lit up. “We could be a team,” he said excitedly. “Two academics who have escaped from the library.” Perhaps my positive-thinking strategy was working after all.
My initial relief at meeting Norbu, who was also staying in the guest house, was tempered by the realisation that he was almost as ill-equipped as I was for the pilgrimage. He kept telling me how fat he was and how hard it was going to be. “Very high up,” he kept reminding me, “so tiresome to walk.” He wasn’t really a practising Buddhist, it transpired, but he had enthusiasm and he was, of course, Tibetan.
Although I’d originally envisaged making the trek in the company of devout believers, on reflection I decided that perhaps Norbu would turn out to be the ideal companion. He suggested we hire some yaks to carry our luggage, which I interpreted as a good sign, and he had no intention of prostrating himself all round the mountain. “Not possible,” he cried, collapsing across the table in hysterical laughter. It wasn’t his style, and anyway his tummy was too big.

Comprehension Questions

1. During what time of year is the town of Darchen busy with visitors?
2. Why is the protagonist having difficulty deciding what to do?
3. What is the protagonist’s attitude towards doing the pilgrimage alone?
4. What is the purpose of the pilgrimage trail around Kailash mountain?
5. Who is Norbu, and what is his background?
6. What is Norbu’s attitude towards the pilgrimage, and how does the protagonist feel about it?
7. Why does Norbu suggest hiring yaks to carry their luggage?
8. What does Norbu find funny, and why does he find it funny?

Summary of the Lesson: The Silk Road

In this passage, the author recounts his journey from Ravu to Darchen, a town in Tibet, as he prepares to embark on a significant spiritual pilgrimage known as the Kailash kora. The passage begins with a vivid description of the beautiful morning when the author bid farewell to Ravu, his starting point. The serene half-moon hangs in a clear blue sky, and distant mountains are bathed in a rosy hue as the sun rises. It’s a picturesque setting that contrasts with the challenges that lie ahead.

During his time in Ravu, the author forms a connection with a local named Lhamo. One evening, he tells Lhamo of his plan to journey to Mount Kailash to complete the kora, a sacred circumambulation of the mountain. Lhamo, concerned about the harsh weather, offers the author a warm sheepskin coat. This act of kindness demonstrates the warmth and generosity of the people the author encounters on his journey.

The author, accompanied by his friend Norbu, begins his journey towards Mount Kailash. The route they choose takes them through the remote Changtang region, characterized by vast open plains inhabited by wildlife like gazelles and wild ass. The landscape gradually changes from grassy plains to stony terrain as they venture deeper into the wilderness.

Throughout their journey, they encounter nomadic herdsmen known as drokbas, who tend to their flocks in this desolate landscape. The author observes their way of life and the imposing Tibetan mastiffs that guard their camps. These massive dogs, with their ferocious nature and historical significance, provide insight into the region’s culture and history.

As they continue their journey, the landscape transforms, and snow-capped mountains appear on the horizon. They enter a valley with a wide, partially frozen river. The road becomes narrower and more challenging as it winds through steep slopes adorned with orange lichen-covered rocks. The altitude continues to rise, causing the author to feel the pressure in his ears, a sensation familiar to those who travel in high-altitude regions.

The journey leads them to a high mountain pass, marked by a cairn adorned with white silk scarves and prayer flags. Here, they engage in a traditional clockwise circumambulation of the cairn, paying their respects to the sacred surroundings. The author, now at an altitude of 5,515 meters, experiences the effects of high altitude but finds relief as they descend the pass.

Their descent takes them to the town of Hor, located on the historic trade route between Lhasa and Kashmir. Despite its proximity to Lake Manasarovar, a revered body of water in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, Hor appears desolate and grim, surrounded by arid terrain.

The passage provides insights into the author’s physical and emotional journey, highlighting the challenges of high altitude, the kindness of local people, and the stark beauty of the Tibetan landscape. As they approach Darchen, where their pilgrimage to Mount Kailash will officially begin, the author reflects on the anticipation and uncertainty of the spiritual journey that lies ahead.

Assignment and Project

Discussion on the following

1. Cultural Preservation vs. Modernization: Discuss the tension between preserving traditional Tibetan culture and the impact of modernization on remote regions like Changtang. How can these areas balance progress with cultural heritage?
2. Hospitality and Kindness in Unfamiliar Places: Analyze the importance of hospitality and kindness shown by the locals, like Lhamo, in unfamiliar and isolated regions. How does this relate to the broader concept of human connection and empathy?
3. Nomadic Lifestyles: Explore the nomadic lifestyles of the drokbas and their role in preserving traditions. How do they adapt to changing landscapes and modern challenges while maintaining their cultural practices?
4. The Role of Animals in Tibetan Culture: Investigate the significance of Tibetan mastiffs and other animals in Tibetan culture. How have these animals played historical and cultural roles in the region?
5. High-Altitude Challenges: Discuss the physical and emotional challenges the author faces at high altitudes. How does this experience shed light on the importance of preparation and resilience in challenging environments?
6. Pilgrimage and Spiritual Journeys: Explore the concept of pilgrimage and its significance in various religious traditions. How does the author’s journey towards Mount Kailash reflect broader themes of spirituality and self-discovery?
7. The Silk Road’s Legacy: Examine the historical importance of the Silk Road as a trade route. How does the town of Hor, once part of this ancient trade network, compare to its past significance in the modern era?
8. Local Perspectives on Tourism: Consider the impact of tourism on remote regions like Changtang and Hor. How do the locals view the influx of tourists, and what are the potential benefits and drawbacks?
9. Altitude Sickness and Adaptation: Discuss the effects of high altitude on the human body and strategies for adaptation. How do individuals prepare for and cope with altitude-related challenges in regions like Tibet?
10. Symbolism of Mountains in Different Cultures: Explore the symbolism of mountains in various cultures and religions. How does Mount Kailash hold significance in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other belief systems?