SILK ROAD PPT this is a chapter from class 11 CBSE .

PPT ON SILK ROAD CHAPTER

1. SILK ROAD by NICK MIDDLETON THIS CHAPTER IS A TRAVELOGUE ABOUT THE AUTHOR’S TRAVEL ALONG THE ANCIENT TRADE ROUTE CALLED ‘SILK ROAD’. THE CHAPTER DESCRIBES THE CHALLENGES AND HARDSHIPS THE AUTHOR FACED WHILE JOURNEYING TO MOUNT KAILASH ON A PILGRIMAGE .

2. CHARACTERS AUTHOR [NICK MIDDLETON] HE IS A PROFESSOR OF GEOGRAPHY AT OXFORD UNIVERSITY. TSETAN – HE IS THE OWNER OF THE CAR HIRED BY THE AUTHOR FOR THE JOURNEY, AS WELL AS BEING A GUIDE. DANIEL - HE IS AN INTERPRETER FROM LHASA WHO TRAVELLED PART OF THE TIME WITH THE AUTHOR. NORBU - HE IS A TIBETAN WORKING AT AN ACADEMY IN BEIJING WHO WANTS TO CARRY OUT THE PILGRIMAGE TO MOUNT KAILASH. TSETAN NORBU DANIEL NICK MIDDLETON

3. RELEVANCE OF THE TITLE THE ‘ SILK ROAD ’ REFERS TO A NETWORK OF OVERLAND ROUTES LINKING EUROPE WITH ASIA. THIS HAS BEEN THE TRADE ROUTE OF THE EUROPEANS SINCE ANCIENT TIMES. TRADERS TRAVELLED ALONG IT BUYING AND SELLING VARIOUS ITEMS INCLUDING SILK AND SPICES FROM CHINA AND WOOL, GOLD, SILVER AND PRECIOUS MATERIAL FROM ROME. THE AUTHOR RECORDS THE CHALLENGES HE FACED ON THE SILK ROAD REGION IN THIS TRAVELOGUE.

4. LEAVING RAVU THE AUTHOR WAS LEAVING RAVU AND HEADING TOWARDS MOUNT KAILASH TO COMPLETE THE KORA [TAKING A ROUND OF A PILGRIMAGE] THE AUTHOR LEFT RAVU ACCOMPANIED BY DANIEL AND TSETAN. LHAMO , THE LADY WHO HAD PROVIDED THEM ACCOMODATION GIFTED LONG-SLEEVED SHEEPSKIN COAT TO AUTHOR. IT WAS COLD SO SHE FELT THAT HE OUGHT TO GET SOME WARMER CLOTHES. TSETAN KNEW A SHORT CUT TO REACH THE MOUNTAIN. HE ASSURED FOR A SMOOTH JOURNEY IF THERE WAS NO SNOW.

5. SIGHT OF DROKAS FROM THE GENTLY RISING AND FALLING HILLS OF RAVU, THE SHORTCUT TOOK THEM ACROSS VAST OPEN PLAINS, DRY GRAZING LAND THAT HAD NOTHING IN IT EXCEPT FOR LONELY DROKAS [NOMAD SHEPHERDS] LOOKING AFTER THEIR FLOCKS. WELL WRAPPED MEN AND WOMEN WERE SEEN WEARING THICK WOOLEN CLOTHES. THEY WOULD PAUSE AND STARE AT THEIR CAR, AND SOMETIMES WAVE AT THEM AS THEY PASSED.

6. ENCOUNTER WITH TIBETAN MASTIFFS AS THEY PASSED THE DROKBA TENTS, THEIR GUARD DOGS , WHICH WERE TIBETAN MASTIFFS , CHASED THEIR CAR FOR SOME DISTANCE. THESE DOGS HAD A THICK FUR AND WERE AS BLACK AS THE DARKEST NIGHT. THEY BARKED DANGEROUSLY WITH THEIR HUGE JAWS . THEY WERE COMPLETELY FEARLESS OF THE ADVENTURER’S VEHICLE, AND RAN STRAIGHT INTO THEIR PATH, DUE TO WHICH TSETAN HAD TO APPLY BRAKES AND THAT MADE THE VEHICLE SWERVE. THE DOGS WOULD CHASE THEM FOR A HUNDRED METERS OR SO BEFORE STOPPING GRADUALLY AND MAKING SURE THAT THE OUTSIDERS WERE OFF THE PROPERTY. IT IS DUE TO THESE QUALITIES THE FEROCIOUS TIBETAN MASTIFFS BECAME POPULAR IN CHINA’S IMPERIAL[ROYAL] COURTS AS HUNTING DOGS. THEY WERE BROUGHT ALONG THE SILK ROAD AS A TAX PAYMENT FROM TIBET.

7. SNOW BLOCKED THEIR WAY THE TURNS BECAME SHARPER AND BUMPIER AS THEY CLIMBED. THE SUDDEN AND UNEXPEXTED FALL OF SNOW BLOCKED THEIR WAY A NUMBER OF TIMES. DANIEL AND AUTHOR GOT OUT OF THE CAR TO REDUCE THE LOAD ON SHARP BENDS THEY WERE AT A HEIGHT OF 5210 METERS ABOVE SEA LEVEL. WHEN THEY REACHED A HEIGHT OF 5515 METERS, WHICH WAS THE TOP OF THE PASS, THE ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE BECAME SO LOW THAT TSETAN HAD TO OPEN THE LID OF THE PETROL TANK TO RELEASE THE EVAPORATED FUEL.

8. REACHING HOR AFTER PASSING THROUGH THE TOP OF THE PASS, THEY WENT DOWN TO REACH THE SMALL TOWN OF HOR , ON THE SHORE OF LAKE MANSAROVAR , BY LATE AFTERNOON. IT WAS A GRIM [unattractive/gloomy], MISERABLE PLACE WITHOUT ANY VEGETATION ; IT ONLY HAD A LOT OF ACCUMULATED RUBBISH, DUST AND ROCKS. THE PLACE NO LONGER APPEARED HOLY DANIEL RETURNED TO LHASA FROM THERE. TSETAN GOT THE FLAT TYRE OF THE CAR REPAIRED THERE AND CARRIED ON.

9. THEY REACHED DARCHEN AT 10:30 PM AND FOUND A GUESTHOUSE TO STAY IN. IT WAS THE END OF THE ROAD . THE AUTHOR HAD A VERY TROUBLED NIGHT BECAUSE OF THE COLD. HIS NOSTRILS WERE BLOCKED AND HE WAS NOT ABLE TO GET ENOUGH AIR INTO HIS LUNGS. THE NEXT MORNING, TSETAN TOOK HIM TO CONSULT A DOCTOR AT THE DARCHEN MEDICAL COLLEGE. THE DOCTOR GAVE SOME MEDICINE AND THAT NIGHT HE WAS ABLE TO SLEEP WELL.

10. TSETAN LEFT THE AUTHOR IN DARCHEN AND WENT BACK WITH THE CAR TO LHASA . HE DID NOT MIND IF THE AUTHOR WOULD DIE IN DARCHEN. HE WAS A GOOD BUDDHIST AND BELIEVED IN LIFE AFTER DEATH . HOWEVER, HE WAS WORRIED THAT THE AUTHOR’S DEATH COULD AFFECT HIS BUSSINESS, AS HE MAY NOT GET MORE TOURISTS WHO REQUIRED TO BE ACCOMPANIED TILL WHERE THE ROAD ENDED.

11. AUTHOR MEETS NORBU AS THE PILGRIM SEASON HAD NOT STARTED , THE AUTHOR FELT LONELY . HE WAS LOOKING FOR SOMEONE WHO COULD SPEAK OR UNDERSTAND ENGLISH AS WELL AS ACCOMPANY HIM TO DO KORA . THEN HE MET NORBU , A PLUMP TIBETAN WORKING IN BEIJING AT THE CHINESE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AT A CAFÉ AT DARCHEN . NORBU COULD UNDERSTAND ENGLISH AND WAS THERE TO DO KORA AT MOUNT KAILASH . BOTH OF THEM DECIDED TO GO TOGETHER .

12. CONCLUSION We learn about the author’s journey through the silk road and the determination of pilgrims and the hardships they face.