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I.

(i) The merchants are in the bazaars of Hyderabad. They are selling
their goods in the market. The words ‘Richly displayed’ mean
that the goods to be sold in the market have been beautifully
displayed by the merchants to attract the buyers.

(ii) The goods on sale in this market included crimson and silver
turbans, purple brocade tunics, mirrors framed in brownish
yellow colour and daggers with handles of jade.

(iii) The poet begins the stanza with a question to elicit an answer
from the vendors about the goods they are selling. This pattern
of question-answer is used to bring out the splendour of the
traditional bazaars of Hyderabad. The poet has used repetition
as well as lyrics full of vibrant and colourful images to describe
the scene.

(iv)
 (a) Mirrors with panels of amber mean the mirrors having frames
of brownish and yellow colour.
(b) Scabbards of gold for the king mean sheaths of gold for the
King to keep his swords in.

(v) The King and his nobles are the likely customers of tunics of
purple brocade and daggers with handles of jade.

(vi) The visual imagery is stimulated by mentioning the various hues
of colours in this stanza like silver, crimson, purple, amber and
jade.


II.
(i) Chessmen are the pieces deployed on a chessboard for playing
the game of chess. Ivory dice refers to small cubes made of ivory,
having six sides numbered by dots from one to six. These are
used to play games.

(ii) Saffron, lentil, rice, sandalwood, henna and spices are sold by
weight, whereas chessmen and ivory dice are sold by numbers.

(iii) The sellers of various goods in the bazaars of Hyderabad are referred
to as vendors and merchants. The sellers, who go about from
place to place with their goods for sale are called the pedlars.

(iv) Food items included saffron, lentil and rice. Cosmetic items
included sandalwood and henna and the recreational items
included chessmen and ivory dice.

(v) The senses of sight are stimulated in this extract by the various
colours of the items like saffron, lentil, rice, sandalwood, henna
and various spices. The sense of taste is produced by the mention
of staple Indian food like lentil and rice and spices.




III.
(i) The jeweller’s shop is referred to in the extract. ‘Girdles of gold’
mean ornamental belt made of gold worn round the waist by
the dancers. ‘Scabbards of gold’ refer to the sheaths of gold for
the king to keep his swords in.

(ii) The items of gold on sale included ornaments like wristlets,
anklets, rings, belts of gold worn by the dancers and sheaths for
swords used by the kings. The gold jewellery reveals that both
the owners and the buyers belonged to the wealthy sections of
the society.

(iii) Bells were tied to the feet of blue pigeons as ornaments as well
as identity marks. Sheaths of gold were used by the kings,
girdles (belts) were used by dancers and wristlets, anklets and
rings were used by other people.

(iv) “Frail as a dragon-fly’s wing” means as delicate as the wings
of a dragon-fly. Frail is an apt description for describing the
delicateness of the bells tied to the feet of blue pigeons.

(v) The poet has described the Indian goods at the Indian bazaars
for two reasons:
(a) to depict the splendour of Indian bazaars which beckon the
customers with their sounds, scents and goods.
(b) to extoll the Indians to buy Swadeshi goods and boycott
foreign goods.


IV.
 (i) The fruits included lemons, pomegranates and plums, whereas
the musical instruments included sitar, sarangi and drum.

(ii) The poet asks the musicians what musical instruments they are
playing and asks the magicians what they are chanting.

(iii) Spells for aeons to come mean the magical spells used by the
magicians to charm everyone till eternity with their chanting.

(iv) The whole poem is Indian in context and presentation as it
depicts the beauty and vibrance of a traditional Indian bazaar.
The landscape, the characters, the images and the background
is typically Indian — such as:
(a) the mention of dresses worn by Indians such as turbans
and tunics.
(b) the gold ornaments worn by Indians like wristlets, anklets,
rings and girdles.
(c) the musical instruments played by Indians like sitar, sarangi
and drums.
(d) the food items like lentil and rice and spices and fruits like
lemons, pomegranates and plums.
(e) the use of fresh flowers on both happy and sad occasions.

(v) The magicians are present in the bazaar for chanting magical
spells to charm the customers.

(vi) The panoramic view of the Indian bazaars presented in the poem
with its hues of colour, sounds, smells and sights has appealed
to me the most because it gives a glimpse of the Indian culture,
society and prosperity.


V.
(i) The poet has highlighted the occupation of simple folks in India
like the merchants, pedlars, vendors, fruit sellers, goldsmiths,
musicians, magicians and flower girls.

(ii) The flowers are used on happy occasions like wedding for making
garlands for the bridegroom and to decorate his nuptial bed.
The flowers are used on sad occasions such as death to pay
the last respects by placing flowers on the dead bodies or the
graves.

(iii) Crowns, chaplets and garlands were used for making garlands
for the bridegroom and for decorating his nuptial bed.

(iv) ‘Tassels of azure and red’ mean ornamental threads of sky-blue
and red colour tied at one end to make garlands and nuptial
beds for the bridegroom.

(v) “To perfume the sleep of the dead” mean to place sheets of
freshly gathered flowers on the dead bodies or on the graves,
which give pleasant smell.



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