10. The Banyan Tree

Introduction: This story, written by Ruskin Bond, is about a classic fight between a mongoose and a cobra. The narrator (a young boy) watches this fight from the safety of an old banyan tree.

Summary

The author lived with his grandparents in Dehradun. There was a huge banyan tree in the garden which was his favourite place. He befriended a small grey squirrel.

One afternoon, he saw a huge black cobra and a mongoose come face to face under the tree. A classic battle of champions began. Hissing defiance, the cobra struck with lightning speed. The mongoose, however, was faster and dodged the attacks.

Two other spectators, a myna and a jungle crow, also joined in. They dived at the cobra but often collided with each other. The crow was eventually bitten by the cobra and died. The myna wisely remained on its perch.

After a fierce fight, the mongoose caught the cobra by the snout and dragged it into the bushes. The myna dropped down, looked into the bushes, and flew away with a shrill cry of congratulation.

Conclusion: The mongoose won the battle due to its agility and speed.

Character Sketch

The Boy (Author): Loved nature, spent time in the banyan tree reading books.
Mongoose: A friendly animal, fast and agile fighter.
Cobra: A dangerous and skillful fighter, but not as fast as the mongoose.

Word Meanings

Magnificent: Grand / Impressive.
Spy: Watch secretly.
Resent: Dislike / Feel angry about.
Defiance: Resistance.
Dart: Move quickly.
Combatants: Fighters.
Spectators: Onlookers.
Glistened: Shone.

Question 1:

Who were the other two spectators? What did they do?

Ans: The other two spectators were a myna and a jungle crow. They settled on the cactus to watch the fight. They didn't just watch; they joined the fight by diving at the cobra.

Question 2:

What happened to the crow?

Ans: The crow was bitten by the cobra. The cobra whipped his head back and struck with great force against the crow’s body. The crow was flung nearly twenty feet across the garden and died.

Question 3:

What did the myna do finally?

Ans: The myna dropped cautiously to the ground, hopped about, peered into the bushes from a safe distance, and then flew away with a shrill cry of congratulation.

Question 4:

Complete the following sentences.

The old banyan tree "did not belong" to grandfather, but only to the boy, because his grandfather was sixty-five years old, who could no longer climb it.
The small gray squirrel became friendly when it found that the boy did not arm himself with catapult or air gun.
When the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and biscuit, the squirrel grew quite bold and was soon taking morsels from hand.
In the spring, the banyan tree was the noisiest place in the garden.

Grammar Rules: Verbs: Active and Passive Voice (Basic)

1. Active Voice

Subject does the action. (e.g., Cat eats mouse).

2. Passive Voice

Subject receives the action. (e.g., Mouse is eaten by cat).
Rule: Object + be-verb + V3 + by + Subject.

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