Unseen Passage: Kausani

Kausani is situated at a height of 6,075 feet in the central Himalayas. It is an unusually attractive little town. It covers just about 5.2 sq. km. It lies to the north of Almora in Uttarakhand’s picturesque Kumaon region.

Kausani provides a 300 km. wide breathtaking view of the Himalayas. It is the most striking aspect of this place. Snow-capped peaks are spread in a stately row. They stare at you in silvery-white majesty. The most famous peak on view is Nanda Devi, the second-highest mountain in India. It is situated at a height of 25,645 feet and is 36 miles away as the crow flies. The other famous peaks on view are Choukhamba (23,420 feet) and Trishul (23,360 feet). Then there are also Nilkanth, Nandaghunti, Nandaghat and Nandakot. On a clear day, the blue of the sky makes a splendid background to these peaks. At sunrise and at sunset, when the colour of the sky changes to a golden orange, the scene gets etched in your memory.

When Gandhiji visited this place in 1929, its scenic beauty held him spellbound. He named it the ‘Switzerland of India’. He prolonged his two days stay to fourteen days, making time to write a book, ‘Anashakti Yoga’. The place where he was staying was originally a guest house of a tea estate. It was renamed ‘Anashakti Ashram’ after the book.

Kausani is the birthplace of Sumitranandan Pant, India’s poet laureate. Its natural surroundings inspired many of his poems. Its tea gardens mingle with dense pine forests and fruit orchards. The area is also host to many fairs and religious ceremonies. If Uttarakhand is the abode of Gods, Kausani is God’s own backyard. There is no traffic, no one is in a hurry. If serenity could be put on a canvas, the picture would resemble Kausani.

Q. On the basis of your understanding of the above passage, answer the following questions:

1. Kausani is situated at a height of __________ feet in the Central Himalayas.
   1. 7125
   2. 6075
   3. 6175
   4. 4275
2. In which year did Gandhi ji visit Kausani?
   1. 1914
   2. 1925
   3. 1935
   4. 1929
3. At sunrise and at sunset the colour of the sky changes to
   1. silverish grey
   2. golden orange
   3. blue
   4. white
4. Gandhi ji prolonged his two day stay to
   1. One week
   2. 10 days
   3. 14 days
   4. 15 days
5. __________ is the abode of Gods.
   1. Uttarakhand
   2. Kausani
   3. Switzerland
   4. Almora
6. Kausani is situated in __________ Himalayas.
   1. Central
   2. Northern
   3. Southern
   4. Eastern
7. Which month received the lowest rainfall in Kausani?
8. January
   1. March
   2. April
   3. February
9. The month which received almost half the rainfall of June is ________ .
   1. February
   2. May
   3. March
   4. January
10. The average rainfall in the month of February in Kausani is approx ________ .
    1. 70 mm
    2. 90 mm
    3. 50 mm
    4. 60 mm
11. Gandhiji named Kausani as _________ .
    1. Switzerland
    2. India’s Switzerland
    3. Switzerland of India
    4. Switzerland in India
12. Sumitra Nandan Pant was born in Kausani.
    1. False
    2. True
    3. Not sure
    4. None of these
13. The word which has the same meaning as ‘mesmerized’ in para 3 is ____________ .
    1. spellbound
    2. prolonged
    3. originally
    4. scenic

Answers

1. 6075
2. 1929
3. Golden orange
4. 14 days
5. Uttarakhand
6. Central
7. April
8. May
9. 70 mm
10. Switzerland of India
11. True
12. Spellbound

Q. Answer the following questions:

1. Gandhiji named Kausani as ‘the ____________ of India’.
2. Kausani is a birth place of which Indian poet?
3. ____________ is the abode of Gods.
4. Kausani’s guest house of the tea estate is now known as ____________ .
5. Kausani is situated at a height of ____________ feet in the Central Himalayas.
6. In which year Gandhiji visited Kausani?
7. At sunrise and at sunset the color of the sky changes to ____________.
8. Gandhiji prolonged his two day stay to ____________ .

Answers

1. ‘Switzerland of India’
2. Kausani is the birth place of Sumitranandan Pant.
3. Uttarakhand
4. Anashakati Ashram
5. 6075
6. 1929
7. golden orange
8. 14 days