Bridges — Class 11

Introduction

Kumudini Lakhia’s development as a dancer is laid bare in Bridges. The author describes her lifelong pursuit of becoming a dancer in considerable detail, giving the work its “autobiographical” label.

The author opens with a discussion of the challenges inherent with dancing. She believes that dancing skill is learned and not innate.

Summary

The author has described her entire life in this essay. She describes the full story of how they had gone to the movies and how she enjoyed “Mumtaz Ali’s” dancing. When Kumudini’s mother observed her imitating the dance at home, she declared that the child was a great dancer and insisted she takes dance lessons

The author’s father was an engineer, and the family frequently moved about as a result of the British government’s support for India’s “independence battles and military activity.”

She also recalls a day when she and her brother burgled “Liaquat Ali’s” garden for fruit. Due to her father’s repeated relocations, she was enrolled in “Queen Mary’s College” in Lahore. Wher mother died just before her finals, she felt alone and abandoned.

She enrolled at “Allahabad’s agriculture college” later in life. Upon her graduation, she was accepted into London’s Ram Gopal Dancing School.

Her life shifted once she joined the dance troupe. Later she settled down, got married, and had children.

Kathak Dance

About the author

“Umrao Jaan” and “Sur Sangam”, two enduring films by “Kumudini Lakhia”, are well known.

Conclusion

The entire story demonstrates how, at her life’s most crucial turning points, bridges appeared, and it is because of these bridges her life entirely changed.

Textbook Question and Answers

1. How did the author feel about her mother’s passion to make her a dancer? 

Ans: The author struggled with her mother’s intense desire to turn her into a dancer. She claims that her mother realized she had an innate talent for dancing. This inspired the author’s mother to train her as a dancer. She claims that the film industry sparked her mother’s desire to train her as a dancer. The author explains her lack of interest in dancing as well as the difficulties she encountered getting to the dance teacher’s house. She had the impression that learning to dance had been forced upon her.

She first believed that she would not need to learn dance when she was sent to Queen Mary’s College in Lahore to pursue her studies. She finds it regrettable that her mother brought Radhelal Misra, a dance instructor, along with her. In this way, the author had a negative encounter with her mother’s desire to turn her into a dancer.

2. What were the lessons of life learned in her younger days that Kumudini carried into her adult life? 

Ans: When the author was younger, she encountered numerous lessons in life that she carried with her into adulthood. She recounts an incident that happened while she was living in a large mansion in Delhi that had been given to her father, They shared a border with Liaquat Ali, who eventually became Pakistan’s prime minister. She and her brother were once caught plucking guavas from his tree by his gardener. Liaquat Ali did not punish them; instead, he extended an open invitation for them to gather the fruits whenever they pleased. It was one of the first lessons in the games that politicians play, according to her.

Queen Mary’s College in Lahore provided her with the opportunity to understand the value of discipline. She believes that developing discipline in daily activities will result in discipline throughout her life. When her mother passed away, she learned about the hunger pangs, which are underlined in her work. The playwright was able to comprehend the type of tension she faced in David.

The author could develop the ability to tell the difference between sentimentality and sensitivity. In her adult years, she produced a work titled Panch Paras, five senses to investigate this area. She describes how Ram Gopal taught her that we should perfect the method before we start experimenting. Kumudini discovered more about herself while traveling with Ram Gopal.

3. How did Kumudini react to her mother’s death? 

Ans: The principal of the school where Kumudini was enrolled at the time did not directly inform her about her mother’s death. She was told to return home since her mother was ill. When she got home, she discovered her mother had died. She was just 14 years old at the time, her hands dangling loosely from her frame, and she felt powerless in the world. She was hungry but unable to communicate this to anyone. She was concerned that she’d come out as ungrateful.

4. What were the concepts that Kumudini Lakhia represented through Duvidha, Atah Kim, and Panch Paras? 

Ans: Kumudini examines the situation of a middle-class woman who is bound by Indian living norms in Duvidha or Conflict. The author of Atah Kim makes use of the idea of the need for power. In Panch Paras, the investigation of spiritual life is explained.

5. How does Kumudini Lakhia describe her guru Ramgopal’s influence on her? 

Ans: Kumudini Lakhia gave a detailed account of her guru Ramgopal’s impact on her. She claims that Ram Gopal was a harsh disciplinarian who had a passion for a precise line. This had an impact on the author, who attempted to teach her students the same lesson. She describes how going on a tour with Ram Gopal allowed her to learn more about herself.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why did the author start to dance?

Ans: The author didn’t start dancing until she was a little child. Her devoted mother and her silent, peace-loving father forced her to dance even though she didn’t want to.

2. Where did the author start taking dance classes?

Ans: The topic of the lesson is Bombay. His first dance training was given to the author by “Guru Sunder Prasad”. While the author was in “Khar”, he resided at “Chowpatty”. To get there, they had to take a train, a bus, and then a walk. It took 45 minutes each way for the full journey.

3. Why did the author’s mother sign her up for a dancing class?

Ans: Due to her admiration for the film industry, the author’s mother enrolled her in a dancing class. They took her to a movie when she was seven years old, and when they got home, she started dancing to the music and copying the performers.

4. My mother recognized this intrinsic talent in me. What kind of ability is the author referring to?

Ans: Her dancing ability is being discussed by the author. Although she insists she didn’t see it, her mother did. Her mother had such great faith in her that she enrolled her without hesitation in dancing classes four days a week.