Mauritius

Welcome dear students! Today we are going to learn about Mauritius from Class 9 English_FL.

Let us begin with the warm-up activity. Imagine your school has arranged a three-day excursion. You are asked to suggest a destination and provide four specific details: first, the mode of transport and how to reach it; second, the accommodation and food arrangements; third, the weather forecast for your stay; and fourth, any historical significance of the location. Once you have prepared your details, you must exchange this information with your friends. During this exchange, remember to collect a route map and photographs of the chosen place from your classmates.

Now, we turn to the main text, a travelogue by R. K. Laxman. The author opens by describing his old World Atlas, which is covered in dots and specks caused by time, weather, and cockroaches. This makes locating Mauritius quite difficult. He eventually identifies it as a tiny island situated below the Equator on the Twentieth parallel, approximately four thousand five hundred kilometres south-west of Bombay. As his aircraft approaches, he observes the ocean resembling a bluish-grey steel sheet, while clouds below form abstract shapes reminiscent of figures from ancient Chinese, Roman, Greek, and Indian legends. He draws a parallel between these cloud formations and Mauritius itself, noting the island's astonishing variety, strange juxtapositions, and odd mixtures of race and language. Africans, Chinese, Biharis, Dutch, Persians, Tamils, Arabs, French, and English all live together harmoniously, emerging with a peculiar sense of oneness. [CHECKPOINT]

He illustrates this cultural blend through the example of Radha Krishna Govindan, a Mauritian of Tamil descent whose ancestors originated from Madras. When the author greets him in Tamil, Mr. Govindan surprisingly replies in heavily mangled English with a strong French accent, having completely lost the ability to speak Tamil centuries ago. Like many others, his ancestors were brought to the island as slaves or indentured labourers to work in sugarcane fields, factories, or to haul timber. Their original cultural roots faded as they shared the triumphs and defeats of their colonial masters. The Dutch, French, and English constantly battled for control of the island due to its valuable spices, sugar, strategic maritime location, and suitability for piracy. The battle of eighteen-ten ended in English favour. The French surrendered only after securing a promise that French cultural influence would remain intact, a promise the English honoured until their rule ended in nineteen-sixty-eight. This historical legacy explains the musical yet unpronounceable place names we still find today, such as Trouaux Biches, Beau Bassin, Quarter Bornes, Curepipe, Ross Belle, and so on. [CHECKPOINT]

The author observes that Mauritians are extremely relaxed and warm, greeting strangers with genuine smiles as if they were long-lost friends. Coming from Bombay with a typical city-dweller's grim expression, he initially feels awkward and ashamed for not being able to reciprocate such spontaneity. This atmosphere of friendliness extends to Port Louis, the seat of government. Cabinet ministers and high-ranking officials are remarkably unassuming, accessible, and communicative. They live without protective security shields or entourages. In fact, the Prime Minister resides in a modest flat on a busy commercial street. Port Louis reminds the author of the settings in novels by Joseph Conrad and Somerset Maugham. The harbour is filled with merchant ships, trawlers, and dinghies, while sailors lounge on oil drums and packing cases. Beyond the town, sugarcane fields stretch like a green carpet to distant blue volcanic mountains. These mountains lack traditional monotonous pyramidal shapes; instead, they feature freakish, whimsical outlines with unexpected sweeps, perpendicular drops, and pinpoint peaks precariously balancing boulder-sized rocks. [CHECKPOINT]

Mauritius has no railway system. Well-maintained trunk and arterial roads connect various towns, cutting through ubiquitous sugarcane fields. Although the island measures only sixty-four by fifty kilometres, driving around feels as expansive as India, though the excellent weather and breathtaking landscapes easily compensate for long car rides. It is common for locals to drive an average of seventy kilometres for social gatherings. The vegetation is notably different from the Andaman Islands; trees here are short and gnarled, resembling overgrown bonsai. The jungles completely lack tigers, lions, elephants, or poisonous snakes. The bat was the only native mammal before humans introduced monkeys and deer centuries ago. Bird populations are dwindling, and the flightless dodo is now extinct, as are the giant Aldabra tortoises, though a few specimens are preserved in the Pomplemousses botanical gardens. The people vividly recall the King cyclone of February sixth, nineteen-seventy-five. A three-hundred-and-twenty-kilometre-broad howling wind moving at two-hundred-and-fifty-five kilometres per hour, with a forty-eight-kilometre eye, churned the country for two days, relentlessly flattening structures and uprooting trees. [CHECKPOINT]

Though the island has recovered, the valley of dead trees reveals the cyclone's enormous violence. Major cyclones strike roughly every fifteen years, but human memory fades, leading people to rebuild elegantly in vulnerable areas, only to be caught off guard when the next storm arrives. A protective coral reef runs parallel to the shoreline, keeping rough waves at bay and creating calm turquoise-blue lagoons famous for water sports like scuba-diving, swimming, and yachting. In shallow areas, horse-riding is even possible. The author and his wife watch tourists from the shore before boarding a glass-bottomed boat. Let us now examine the underwater descriptive passages in paragraphs fifteen to seventeen line by line, as they read almost like poetry. In paragraph fifteen, the author steps into the boat and observes sea-shells on yellow sands. Initially, little undefinable creatures and stray bits of seaweed float by, while alarmed crabs scurry for shelter. Then comes the skeleton-like formation of coral. As the sea deepens, he sees pale green bushes, slimy white blobs as big as pumpkins, lobsters, and slithering snaky forms. [CHECKPOINT]

Moving to paragraph sixteen, the scene turns eerie. Among jagged rocks, the coral jungle becomes dense and huge, draped in brownish moss. The author notices shapeless ugly creatures crawling in the dark depths. He feels unblinking eyes watching from below giant mushroom-like growths, and observes headless animals pretending to be plants, swaying from side to side in a ghostly manner. A cold shiver runs down his spine. In paragraph seventeen, the mood shifts suddenly. A school of bright lemon-yellow fish with black bars passes majestically, cheering up the overwhelming gloom. Further on, coral branches glow with a peculiar blue light like hundreds of dying candles. A burst of colours emerges: violet, yellow, pink, green, and post-box red. Fishes with hideous spikes, long tails, and battered faces, all bearing the damned look of condemned souls, criss-cross the path against a nightmarish landscape. [CHECKPOINT]

Fastening his seatbelt for the return flight, the author reflects on Mauritius's future. With eight lakh fifty thousand people evenly distributed, there is no population crisis or unemployment. The government, however, worries about an economy heavily reliant on sugar and actively seeks foreign industrial investment. The author anticipates that industrial growth will shrink living spaces, increase traffic, widen roads, raise land prices, and introduce flats, pollution, slums, and taxation. He hopes an enlightened populace will avoid these pitfalls and preserve the island's paradise-like charm. He looks out the window, but the sun has set, and darkness surrounds him as he prepares to return to India.

Let us review the glossary. Bearing means carrying. Albeit means although. Juxtaposition means placed side by side. Incongruities means out of place or absurd. Indentured means bound by contract. Strategic means important. Spontaneity means acting from natural impulse, not forced. Whimsical means capricious or fantastic. Precariously means uncertain or risky. Ubiquitous means seeming to be everywhere. Sprawling means loose or irregular in form. Gnarled means rough or ragged. Dwindling means diminishing gradually. Buccaneering means piratical. Relentlessly means without stopping. Trinity means a group of three. Avidity means eagerness. [CHECKPOINT]

Now, we address the comprehension questions. For C1, question one: Mauritius is a tiny island below the Equator on the Twentieth parallel, about four thousand five hundred kilometres south-west of Bombay. Question two: It is home to Africans, Chinese, Biharis, Dutch, Persians, Tamils, Arabs, French, and English. Question three: The Dutch, French, and English are the buccaneering trinity, called so because they constantly battled over the island's resources and strategic position. Question four: Musical but unpronounceable names include Trouaux Biches, Beau Bassin, Quarter Bornes, Curepipe, and Ross Belle. Question five: Flora includes sugarcane, short gnarled trees, and pale green bushes. Fauna includes monkeys, deer, bats, crabs, lobsters, and various fish, with the dodo and giant tortoises now extinct. Question six: Nature is cruel through devastating cyclones like the King cyclone, which strike periodically with violent winds. Question seven: Aquatic creatures sighted include crabs, lobsters, snaky forms, shapeless creatures, lemon-yellow fish, and spiked or long-tailed fish. [CHECKPOINT]

For C2 group discussions: One, the atlas was old and covered in specks from time and insects, making location difficult. Two, ancestors were brought as slaves or indentured labourers for sugarcane and timber work, eventually settling permanently. Three, the author explains the absence of protocol by noting that officials are unassuming, accessible, live modestly, and avoid security entourages. Four, mountains are volcanic, blue, and lack traditional monotonous pyramidal shapes, featuring freakish outlines, perpendicular drops, and peaks balancing massive boulders. Five, people recover and rebuild after cyclones but become complacent over fifteen years, forgetting past disasters and rebuilding elegantly in vulnerable zones. Six, the author fears industrialization will cause pollution, slums, and high costs, but hopes enlightened citizens will preserve the island's charm. For C3, to answer this effectively, trace the author's emotional journey. On arrival, he observes the clouds and ocean with wonder and curiosity. On departure, he fastens his seatbelt and worries about industrialization, pollution, and the loss of paradise. The sky is dark. This contrast suggests a shift from initial admiration to a sober, reflective concern about preserving the island's natural charm. [CHECKPOINT]

Moving to grammar. Exercise G1 covers the order of adjectives. When multiple adjectives describe a noun, they follow this sequence: Opinion, Size, Other qualities, Age, Colour, Origin, Material, Type, Purpose. For Exercise one, the correct arrangements are: an antique silver sugar basin; an exciting new family game; a powerful Japanese business computer; an excellent small electric fire; a big new chocolate bar; a terrific American television comedy; a stylish aluminium garage door; wonderful modern sports shoes; a good German mobile phone. Now, for Exercise two, let us learn exactly how to locate these phrases directly in the text. Do not guess. Scan the paragraphs for the specific nouns. For clouds, look at paragraph two. The exact phrase is funny shapes in an odd abstract way. For trees, check paragraph ten. The text says they are short and gnarled. For cabinet ministers, read paragraph eight. The author lists them as unassuming, accessible, communicative. For mountains, still in paragraph eight, the text says they do not have the traditional monotonous pyramidal shapes. Finally, for lagoons in paragraph thirteen, the exact words are calm turquoise-blue. Notice how we extract the precise wording directly from the source. [CHECKPOINT]

Exercise G2 covers Modals, which are thirteen auxiliary verbs used to indicate mood. They are will, would, shall, should, can, could, may, might, must, used to, ought to, need, and dare. In the dialogues: can shows ability; may requests permission; would makes a polite request; must not shows prohibition; must indicates necessity; shall offers help. The table explains: can or could for permission, request, offer, or ability; may for request, offer, permission, possibility, or wish; might for future possibility; will for intention, prediction, offer, or promise; would for polite preference or request; shall for offering; should for advice; ought to for obligation or probability; must for strong obligation; need for necessity. Negative modals add not immediately after the modal. For matching exercise B, the correct pairs are: he can write matches ability; would you please pass matches requesting; you must not matches prohibition; shall I do matches offering help; she may come matches possibility; it will be the maid matches logical deduction; you must consult matches advising; may I leave matches asking for permission. For exercise C, the letter choices are: should, should, cannot, must, can, need not, will, will, should, will not be able to, should have, would have. For exercise D, the dialogue uses: could, must, could not, might, should, will. Remember, pure modals use the bare infinitive and do not change for third person. Need and dare function as both main and modal verbs. [CHECKPOINT]

Now, language skills. For L1, complete the responses: Can you please lower the music volume? I am sorry I could not visit you at the hospital. I am extremely sorry I lost your book. Excuse me Madam, I am late due to unavoidable traffic. I am afraid I cannot assist you financially right now. For L2, the /i:/ sound includes wheel, breed, read, seal, bleak, feed, lead, these, east, beat. The /e/ sound includes bend, check, men, mend, sweat, red, present, them. Changing /e/ to /i:/: check becomes cheek, red becomes reed, bet becomes beat, men becomes mean, sell becomes seal, sweat becomes sweet, bed becomes bead, set becomes seat, fed becomes feed, led becomes lead. The maze path using /i:/ words is: leave, reach, teach, meat, dream, cream, jeans, cheat, east, tea, heat, peak, beach, peace, leaf, seat, please, team, beat, bean, clean. [CHECKPOINT]

For L3 role-play, you will work with a partner. One of you will play the author, and the other will play a Mauritian with foreign roots. You must begin exactly with the starting lines provided in your textbook. The author says: Hello, I am from India. Pleased to meet you. Mauritius is a great place. I just love it. Radha Krishna Govindan replies: Hello! Actually I am from Madras, but... From there, continue the conversation naturally by discussing cultural blending, language loss, and daily life on the island, using ideas directly from the lesson. For L4 writing skill, the prompt asks you to imagine the year is twenty-twenty, and a distant planet wants to know about Earth's animals. Choose an animal you have observed, list its important qualities, and write a clear description for these extra-terrestrial creatures. Focus on giving a vivid picture. Use the adjective order rule we just learned to make your description precise. Draft your response in your notebooks, ensuring your writing satisfies the curiosity of the observers. [CHECKPOINT]

Finally, about the author. R. K. Laxman was born on October twenty-fourth, nineteen twenty-one in Mysuru. His father was a headmaster, and he was the youngest of six sons. His brother is novelist R. K. Narayan. Laxman began cartooning in college for The Hindu, The Koravanji, and later The Times of India. He is famous for illustrating Malgudi Days and has received the Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and Ramon Magsaysay awards. Mauritius is adapted from his book Idle Hours. The textbook suggests reading his Impressions of Kathmandu.

Thank you for listening! Keep revising and practicing. Goodbye! [CHAPTER_COMPLETE]