Diversity of India: Coorg, Assam, and Maxwell’s Otter
Q2. How do Coorg’s location, people and natural features add to the diversity of India?
Ans: Coorg is beautifully located and described as a piece of heaven that must have drifted from the kingdom of God. It has rolling hillsides with a pollution-free river and forests teeming with wildlife. Here nature exists in its pristine glory, which adds to the diversity of India. Further, it has coffee and spice plantations, quite different from the rest of India. The local people, the Kodavus, are a martial race. Of course, they are well known for their hospitality, just like all Indians. All these features of Coorg add to the diversity of our country.
Q1. According to the text, Assam is said to be ‘tea country’. Do you believe that Assam has some of the best plantations in the world that makes it a unique country?
Ans: In India, some of the best plantations like tea and coffee are grown in huge quantities. India is also a home to many spices like haldi and while Assam is home to tea, Coorg is home to coffee. Others which are grown exclusively in India and exported to various countries. These plantations make India a unique country which has not just traditional spices and beverage plants growing within it but also follows traditional agricultural practices.
1. Mijbil did things which demonstrated its personality. Which qualities of the narrator are shown in his care for Mijbil?
Ans. Mijbil was an intelligent, fun-loving, and playful otter. It was fond of water. When Maxwell took it to the bathroom, for half an hour, it went wild with joy in the water, plunging and rolling in it. Maxwell treated Mijbil like his own son. He took care of him very well. He gave him lots of toys including marbles, rubber balls, rubber fruits, and a terrapin shell to play with. He also noticed Mijbil’s habits and traits. Maxwell encouraged Mijbil to do whatever he liked to do. He took him out for exercise every day. When Maxwell saw him in blood, he was horrified. He took him out of the box; he jumped all over and then sat on Maxwell’s lap quietly.
2. Why did Maxwell want to have an otter for a pet? How did he get one?
Ans. Gavin Maxwell, the author, wanted to own a pet. His pet dog had died recently and he was feeling too sad to think of keeping a dog as a pet again. So when he traveled to Southern Iraq, he decided to keep an otter instead of a dog. His friend suggested to Maxwell that he could get an otter in the Tigris marshes for they were very common there, like mosquitoes. Moreover, the friend also informed, that otters were often trained by the Arabs. venally Maxwell and his friend went to Basra to the Consulate-General to collect their mail. Later on, i.e., a few days later the author received his mail and took it to his bedroom to ‘iced. There, he found two Arabs squatting on the floor with the sack that contained the otter with a letter from his friend that said, “Here is your otter….”
3. What did Maxwell do to transport Mijbil to England?
Ans. After the British Airways refused to take a pet on its flight, the narrator booked a flight to Paris by another airline. This airline insisted that the pet should be packed into a box not more than eighteen inches square, to be carried on the floor near his feet. Maxwell had a box made, and an hour before they started, put Mij into the box so that he would become accustomed to it and then left for a hurried meal. But when he returned he was terrified. There was an appalling silence. Maxwell found blood had trickled and dried around the air holes of the box. He tore open the box to find Mij exhausted, and blood splattered, and whimpering and he caught hold of Maxwell’s leg. However, since he had very little time left to board the flight, Maxwell just put Mij back into the box, holding down the lid with his hand. On the flight, the stewardess, on hearing the author’s tale, permitted him to travel with Mij on his knee. After the initial chaos, Mijbil traveled to London on the author’s knee.
4. Describe the relationship between the otter and Maxwell in your own words.
Ans. Maxwell and the otter Mijbil shared a lovely relationship. Maxwell treated Mij like his own son. He took very good care of him. He gave him many toys including marbles, rubber bans, rubber fruits, and a terrapin shell to play with. He took him to the bathtub to play in the water knowing the fascination of otters with water. He noticed his habits and traits. Mijbil hesitated on the first day but then became very friendly. Maxwell encouraged Mijbil to do whatever he liked to do. He took him out for exercise every day. When Maxwell saw blood on the box in which Mij was packed, he was horrified. When Mij came out of the box he jumped all over but then came and sat on Maxwell’s knees quietly.
5. How did it come to the mind of the writer that an otter can be substituted for dogs or cats?
Ans. The author’s pet dog had died, he was too sad to think of keeping a dog again. Maxwell’s friend suggested him to get an otter from Tigris marshes for they were as common as mosquitoes over there. Moreover, they were often trained by the Arabs. He had to go to Basra to the Consulate-General to collect and answer his mail. His mail had not arrived yet so he had to wait. There he received an otter sent by his friend through two Arabs. The author felt a strong attachment and feelings for it. He liked it and kept it.