The Banyan Tree Summary In English

Part I

I. Grandfather’s House
The boy lived with his grandfather in Dehra Dun. There was a grand old banyan tree
in the garden of that house. He enjoyed sitting in that tree. From there he used to
spy on the world below. Since the grandfather could not climb the tree, It belonged
only to the boy.

II. The Friend Squirrel

There was a squirrel. It became his friend only when it became certain that the boy
had no catapult or airgun. Later when the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and
biscuit, the squirrel was soon taking morsels from his hand. In the spring, all kinds of
birds flocked into its branches and the tree became the noistest place in the garden.
The boy had built a crude platform on the tree where he spent the afternoons when it
was not too hot. Sitting there, he had read many books. Thus the banyan tree served
the boy as a reading room.

III. Mongoose and Cobra

When he did not feel like reading, he looked at the world below. On one such
afternoon, he saw the famous fight between a mongoose and a cobra.

Part II

IV. The Encounter

It was a very hot afternoon. The narrator saw a big black cobra coming out of a
cactus. At the same time, a mongoose emerged from th went straight for the cobra.
In a clearing beneath the banyan tree, they stood face to face. Clearly, there was to
be a battle of Champions.

V. Preparing for the Battle

The cobra was about six feet long and the mongoose about three feet. The cobra
spread his broad hood and the mongoose bushed his tail. Besides the boy narrator,
there was a myna and a crow looking at the battle.

VI. The Battle Begins

Mongoose made a pretended move to one side. The cobra struck. However, before
it could touch him, the mongoose had jumped to one side. While doing so, he also bit
the snake on the back. A few drops of blood glistened on the cobra’s back. There
were many such rounds and every time the mongoose was the victor. During one
such round, the crow came in between and became a victim of the snake bite.

VII. Cobra is killed

The Cobra was gradually weakening. Ultimately raising himself on his short legs, the
mongoose had the big snake by the snout. The snake made its last attempt to fight
but in vain. When it had ceased to struggle, the mongoose gripped it round the hood,
and dragged it into the bushes.

The Banyan Tree Summary In Hindi

Part I

I. दादा का घर
लड़का अपने दादा के साथ दे हरादू न में रहता था। उस मकान के बगीचे में एक पुराना शानदार बरगद
का पेड़ था। उसे उस पेड़ पर बैठने में आनंद आता था। वहााँ से वह नीचे की दु ननया को दे खा करता
था। क्ोंनक दादाजी पेड़ | पर नहीं चढ़ सकते थे। अतः इस पर केवल लड़के का ही अनिकार था।

II. दोस्त गिलहरी

वहााँ पर एक नगलहरी थी। जब उसे नवश्वास हो गया नक उसके (लड़के के) पास कोई गुलेल या बंदूक
नहीं है, तब वह उसका नमत्र बन गया। बाद में जब लड़का केक और नबस्कुट लाने लगा, वह शीघ्र ही
उसके हाथ से दाने चुगने लगी। बसंत में सब तरह के पक्षी पेड़ की शाखाओं पर आ जाते थे और वह
वृक्ष बगीचे में सबसे शोर भरा स्थान बन जाता था। वक्ता ने वहााँ पेड़ पर एक कामचलाऊ प्लेटफामम
बना नलया था जहााँ पर वह अनिक तेज गमी न होने पर नदन का तीसरा प्रहर नबताता था। वहााँ बैठकर
उसने बहुत सी नकताबें पढ़ी थीं। इस प्रकार बरगद का वह वृक्ष लड़के का वाचनालय बन गया था।

III. नेवला और कोबरा

जब उसका मन पढ़ने में नहीं लगता था, तब वह नीचे की दु ननया को दे खा करता था। ऐसे ही एक
तीसरे प्रहर उसने ने वले और कोबरा के बीच की प्रनसद्ध लड़ाई दे खी।

Part II
IV. मुकाबला
वह बड़ा गमम तीसरा प्रहर था। वक्ता ने कैक्टस से ननकलकर आते हुए एक बड़े काले कोबरा को दे खा।
उसी समय झानड़यों से ननकल कर एक नेवला आया और सीिा सााँप की तरफ लपका। बरगद के पेड़
के नीचे एक खुली जगह में वे एक-दू सरे के सामने खड़े थे। साफ था नक दो चैम्पियन के मध्य लड़ाई
होने वाली थी।

V. युद्ध की तैयारी
कोबरा कोई छ; फुट लंबा था और नेवला करीब तीन फुट। कोबरा ने अपना चौड़ा फन लहराया और
नेवले ने अपनी पूंछ लहरायी। बालक वक्ता के अनतररक्त एक कौवा और एक मैना भी इस लड़ाई को
दे ख रहे थे।

VI. लडाई प्रारं भ

नेवले ने ऐसा नदखाया जैसे वह एक नदशा में बढ़ रहा हो। कोबरे ने फन मारा। परं तु इससे पहले नक वह
(फन) उसे छू सकता, नेवला कूद कर एक तरफ जा चुका था। ऐसा करते हुए उसने सााँप की पीठ पर
काटा भी। खून की कुछ बूंदें कोबरा की पीठ पर चमक रही थीं। ऐसे कई दौर हुए और हर बार जीत
नेवले की हुई। ऐसे ही एक दौर में कौवा बीच में आ गया और सााँप-काटे का नशकार हो गया।
VII. कोबरा मारा जाता है।
िीरे -िीरे कोबरा कमजोर पड़ता जा रहा था। अंततः अपनी छोटी टांगों पर खड़ा होकर, नेवले ने उस
बड़े सााँप की थूथन पकड़ ली। सााँप ने लड़ने का अंनतम प्रयास नकया नकंतु वह व्यथम गया। जब उसने
संघर्म करना बंद कर नदया, ने वले ने उसका फण जकड़ नलया और उसे घसीट कर झानड़यों में ले गया।

Important Question and Answers

Working with the Text

A .Complete the following sentences.

1.The old banyan tree “did not belong” to the grandfather, but only to the boy,
because _________.

2.The small gray squirrel became friendly when __________.

3.When the boy started to bring him pieces of cake and biscuit, the squirrel
___________.

4.In the spring, the banyan tree ____________ and______________ would

come there.

5.The banyan tree served the boy as a _____________.

6.The young boy spent his afternoons in the tree ______________.

Ans.
1. the old man was not strong enough to climb it
2.it found that the boy carried no catapult or air/gun in his hand
3.became bold enough to take pieces of food from his hand
4.was full of small red figs, birds of all kinds
5reading room where he had made a rough platform to sit and read books
6.leaning against the tree, reading story books,

B. Answer the following questions.

1.“It was to be a battle of champions.” (8)
(i)What qualities did the two champions have? Pick out words and phrases
from the paragraph above this line in the text and write them down.
Mongoose Cobra

(a)_______(a) ______
(b)_______ (b) _______

(c)_______(c) _______

Ans. (a) a great fighter (a) skilled and experienced champion fighter

(b) very clever and swift (b) had a broad hood and poisonous teeth

(c) made calculated move (c) swift in speed and attack

(ii)What did the cobra and the mongoose do, to show their readiness for the
fight?

Ans.The cobra produced a hissing sound to challenge the mongoose to a fight. It

raised three feet of its body off the ground. It spread its broad hood. The mongoose
bushed its tail. The long hair on its back also stood up.

2. Who were the other two spectators? What did they do? (Did they watch, or
did they join in the fight?) (10)

Ans.In addition to the narrator, the two other onlookers of the fight were a myna and
a wild crow. First of all they sat on the cactus plant to watch the outcome of the fight.
In the end, they took part in the game. Both tried to pick up the cobra for their meal.

The crow got bitten and died. The mongoose dragged the snake away into the
bushes. The myna also flew away.

3. Read the descriptions below of what the snake did and what the mongoose
did. Arrange their actions in the proper order. (11, 16)

(i)ceased to struggle •grabbed the snake by the

snout

(ii)tried to mesmerise the mongoose •dragged the snake into the

bushes
(iii)coiled itself around the mongoose •darted away and bit the cobra on
the back

(iv)stnick the crow struck again and missed •pretended to attack the cobra on
one side refused to
look
into the snake’s eyes

(v)struck on ihe side that the mongoose pretended to attack •sprang aside,
jumped in and bit

4.(i) What happened to the crow in the end? (16)

(ii) What did the myna do finally? (17)

Ans.(i) In the end, the crow got bitten by the cobra and it fell dead.
(ii) The myna flew to the ground, looked into the bushes, gave a shrill cry and flew
away.

Working With Language

1.The word ‘round’ usually means a kind of shape. What is its meaning in the story?

2. Find five words in the following paragraph, which are generally associated
with trees. But here, they have been used differently. Underline the words. Hari
leavesfor work at nine every morning. He works in the local branchof the firm
of which his uncle is the owner. Hari’s success is really the fruit of his own
labour. He is happy, but he has a small problem. The rootcause of his problem
is a stray dog near his office. The dog welcomes Hari with a loud barkevery
day.

Ans.1. The word ‘round’ in the story means ‘the second course of a fight’.
2.leaves, branch, fruit, root, bark.

B. The words in the box are all words that describe

movement. Use them to fill in the blanks in the
sentences below.
dived, gliding, sprang, darting,

whipped…back, delving

1.When he began to trust me, the squirrel began __________into my pockets

for morsels of cake.
2. saw a cobra ___________ out of a clump of cactus.

3.The snake hissed, his forked tongue ____________ in and out.

4.When the cobra tried to bite it, the mongoose________________________

aside.

5.The snake ___________his head _____________ to strike at the crow.

6.The birds ____________ at the snake.

Ans.1.delving / to delve
2.gliding
3.darting / darted /
4.sprang
5.whipped, back
6.dived

C. Find words in the story, which show things

striking violently against each other.
1. The cobra struck the crow, his snout th _ _ _ ing against its body. (15)
2.The crow and the myna c _ ll _ _ _ _ in mid-air. (13) ‘
3.The birds dived at the snake, but b _ _ _ _ d into each other instead (14)

Ans.
1. thudding
2.collided
3.bumped

D. Look at these sentences.

Would’ tells us what the author used to do. Could’ tells us what the author was
usually able to do. or what used to happen. grandfather is now not able to do.
Choose would and could to replace the italicised words in the following sentences.

Grandfather says, in the old days,

1.elephants were able to fly in the sky, like clouds. They were also able to
change their shapes. They used to fly behind clouds and frighten them. People
used to look up at the sky in wonder.

2.because there was no electricity, he used to get up with the sun, and he used
to go to bed with the sun, like the birds.

3.like the owl, he was able to see quite well in the dark. He was able to tell who
was coming by listening to their footsteps.

Ans.
1. elephants could fly in the sky, like clouds. They could also change their shapes.
They would fly behind clouds and frighten them. People would look up at the sky in
wonder.

2.because there was no electricity, he would get up with sun and he would go to bed
with the sun, like the birds.

3.like the owl, he could see quite well in the dark. He could tell who was coming by
listening to their footsteps.

I.SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. Why did the speaker find the old banyan tree exclusively his own?

Ans.The old banyan tree became the narrator’s own property because his
grandfather was too old to climb it. ‘

2. What did the speaker do while hiding himself in the banyan tree branches?

Ans.The author used to read storybooks and watch the world below.

3. When did the banyan tree become a noisy place?

Ans.The banyan tree became the noisiest place in the garden during the fig season.

4. Where did the author usually spend his afternoons?

Ans.The author usually spent his afternoons on the platform he had built halfway up
the tree.

5. What exciting scene did the author enjoy from his platform in the banyan
tree?

Ans.The author enjoyed the fight between a mongoose and a cobra, a battle of two
champions.

6. What trick did the mongoose apply to overpower and kill the cobra?

Ans.He first bit the snake twice on the back. When the cobra was tired, the
mongoose caught it by the snout. He finally dragged the dead snake into the bushes.

7.creatures lost their lives in the classic struggle between the cobra and the
mongoose. Who were those victims?

Ans.The Cobra and the crow.

II.LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. What is the story The Banyan Tree about? Narrate the incident in brief.

Ans.The Banyan Tree is about a deadly fight between a mongoose and a snake.
The outcome of such a fight is the death of the cobra. The mongoose is faster in
movement than his opponent. The writer witnessed such a fight, sitting on a branch
of a banyan tree. He enjoyed the fight. Both the mongoose and the cobra were
experienced fighters. They could strike with speed. A myna and a crow also arrived
to feed on the dead crew. The crow had hard luck. He was bitten and he fell dead.
The cobra got tired in the fight and the mongoose dragged it into the bushes.

2. Bring out the relevance/significance of the banyan tree in the title of Ruskin
Bond’s story.

Ans.The banyan tree served as a platform for the writer to sit and watch the thrilling
fight between a cobra and a wild mongoose. The tree was almost the speaker’s
property because his grandfather could not climb it. The fight started under that tree
in the sunshine. Two other spectators, a myna and a crow, also arrived to feed on
the dead cobra. But they sat on a cactus plant, not the tree.