Students - Seriousness Personified!

Contd from pg 1/-

       I.          Explain the line: Dogs bear the price of human cleanliness.  (Thakur Singh)

Ans:  The above line is taken from the concluding part of Chapter-5 entitled: Dawa Runs Away. Through this comment, Dawa seems to have a dig at human beings. Despite all our apparent lack of a sense of neatness and cleanliness, time and again we are found to be acting whimsically, on the spur of the moment in the name of protecting our environment. We do not even bother about the consequences our actions may have on the other living beings.

People in Wangduephodran are found to be burning all the wastes, in the name of beautifying and keeping the environment neat and clean, without realizing the dreadful impacts on the dog population there. The food being burnt everyday and ending up in smoke can feed a large number of dogs there. As a result, the dogs in the town are found to be famished and skeletal!

     II.          Why was Dawa smelly in front of the elderly couple?

Ans:  Dawa was smelly in front of the elderly couple as he had had a lot of daal, fried with a lot of onions earlier in the day. Daal fried in onions is bad for the stomach and digestion.

    III.          Why did Dampa ask Dawa not to leave Thimphu?

Ans:  Dampa asked Dawa not to leave Thimphu as they were good friends in the first place. Secondly, mange, in Dampa’s opinion was not a killer disease. Mange in dogs comes and goes just like that. But Dampa was mainly worried about the consequences if the dogs in Thimphu found out that Dawa was trying to run away. They would tear him into pieces then. Besides, the dogs in the other areas would not be any less lenient. They would also attack him and not let him go unharmed. For all these reasons, Dampa tried to stop Dawa from leaving Thimphu.

   IV.          Why was the Leader of Warnings and Signals made to resign?  (Dhan Brd.)

Ans:  The former Leader of Warnings and Signals was made to resign as he failed to warn the dog populace in Thimphu of the dog catchers. As a result, the Leader of howling was taken to the pound. In fact, he was said to be entertaining a band of his trusted followers at that time. For this great lapse on his part, he was made to resign and became an underdog.

     V.          Briefly tell us what happened when Dawa reached Dochula.

Ans:  Initially, he was frightened thinking what would happen if some humans caught him and took him to the dreaded pound. There were not too many people around. The only ones out were the commuters trying to catch their flight and those saying their early morning prayers. During his journey downhill, Dawa was careful not to intrude upon others’ territories.

   VI.          What is meant by ‘Victory to God’?  (Thakur Singh)

Ans:  (Before answering the question, I asked the class to explain the term in Dzongkha first.) We say ‘Victory to God’ to express our gratitude and affirm that there is no one more powerful than God. (I couldn’t help sharing the story of Nick Vijucic from the video clip shown to our students during the morning assembly, in this connection, to drive home His mercy and miraculous power).

  VII.          What is the difference between mange and leprosies?  (Sonam Zangmo A)

Ans: The difference is leprosy is a human disease. It was a deadly disease once. Now thanks to some world organizations, the disease is on the verge of extinction. Whereas, mange is a disease to be found among the dogs. When a dog gets mange, his/her fur will come off, the whole body will be itchy and so on.

VIII.          What was the difference between Dawa and the other leaders?  (Sonam Zangmo B)

Ans:  The difference between Dawa and the other dogs was while the other leaders enjoyed their posts and positions; Dawa dreaded thinking about what might happen if he became an underdog. He did not feel any sense of satisfaction and was doubtful if he had chosen the wrong profession. The fear of his own end loomed large and Dawa simply fretted over it.

That ended our session on Dawa. I was happy in the end. Pupils like Dhan Bdr. who rarely opened their mouths before this class, started asking me questions with genuine interest in the novel. That is a big plus, no doubt. Let’s see what the future has to unfold!

The Last Look At Dawa...Before the Mid-Year Exam.

Yesterday I had two periods with IXE. On the previous day, I had asked the students to go through the text very carefully before the examination and ask me their doubts regarding anything related to the text in the class yesterday.

At the start, I was quite disappointed. Despite my repeated requests, the class or most of them did not seem to have gone through the novel as I had requested them to. But once Abinash asked me the first question, the rest of the class acted as if on a clue and asked me questions till the end of the gong. Actually, I promised to give them another chance so that they could ask me the rest of the questions in the last period, but as classed were called off in the afternoon the promise remained unfulfilled. Anyway, it was a good experience for me as I realized for the first time in my life that I could deal with Dawa Koto, as Dawa is popularly known as in the students’ per lance.

I would love to reproduce the questions for the benefit of the students across the country:

       I.          Who was Dawa?

Ans:  Dawa was a yellow-brown dog, with a ragged coat. He is the protagonist of the novel entitled “Dawa, the Story of a Stray Dog” by Mrs. Kunzang Choden.

     II.          Who is an ‘underdog’?  (Sonam Zangmo A)

Ans:  A fallen, disgraced leader is an underdog. Once a leader failed to discharge his duties properly, he was made to resign from his post and became an underdog. The life of an underdog was unbearable.

    III.          Why was Dawa appointed as The Leader of Howling in Thimphu?

Ans:  There were various reasons why Dawa was appointed as The Leader of Howling in Thimphu. Firstly, the previous Leader of Howling was taken to the pound due to sheer negligence on the part of The Leader of Warnings and Signals. Secondly, in the absence of the Leader of Howling, there was none to lead the nocturnal howling. This task was assigned to Dawa as he was a stranger in the city. Thirdly, Dawa had a gifted voice and trained himself for leading the nightly howling sessions in Paro.

   IV.          Why did Dawa invent the story about his lineage?  (Abinash)

Ans: Dawa had to invent the story about his lineage mainly to impress the beautiful female dog, Singyemo, who left him for the more boisterous Katu. He realized that without a proper background, survival in a city like Thimphu was going to be a bit bothersome.

     V.          Why did Dawa have a vision of a human jumping out to catch him near Dochula?

Ans:  Dawa had a vision of a human jumping out and catching him near Dochula as like many other dogs in Thimphu, he dreaded the dog pound there.

   VI.          Can you please give a brief description of Moley?  (Dhan Bdr.)

Ans:  Moley was a very ancient dog in Paro and very beautiful as her name suggests – the beautiful female. She claimed that nearly half the dog population in Paro had descended from her. Surprisingly, not much is written in the text about her physical features.

Moley liked Dawa as he always asked intelligent questions. It was Moley who directed Dawa to Thimphu.

  VII.          How did the skinny dog greet Dawa when he arrived at Wangduephodrang?

Ans:  The skinny dog, on Dawa’s arrival in the town, greeted him by remarking if Dawa knew that Wangduephodran happens to be the cleanest town in the country.

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