Annales gratuites Bac L : Reaching his hero - comprehension

1. a. There are four main characters in this passage : the narrator, Salim, Armaan Ali and     Urvashi Randhawa. Say whether they are present or only mentioned.
    b. What are Salim's, Armaan Ali's and Urvashi Randhawa's jobs?
    c. What is Armaan Ali to Salim?

2. a. "The most amazing thing has happened today." (line 4)
    What does Salim refer to?
    b. What happened on that day was more important than his life and his job. Find two     quotations justifying this statement.

3. What elements in Salim's and Armaan's lives show that they belong to two separate
    worlds? Use you own words. (30 / 40 words)

4. a. According to the narrator, Armaan "seems to have it all — face, fame and fortune."
    (line 25)
    What event in Armaan's life makes Salim think differently?
    b. Quote the line showing how that event affects Salim.

5. a. What two things does Salim first consider doing for Armaan Ali? (20 / 30 words)
    b. What does the narrator think of Salim's plans? What argument does he give to him? Use     your own words.

6. Salim eventually sends Armaan a frame. In your own words, tell the 'story' of this frame. What does that story reveal about Salim's vision of Armaan and Urvashi's relationship? (40 / 50 words)

7. a. Read the whole text again and describe Salim's personality.
    b. Focus on the narrator. Describe and analyse his attitude towards Salim and his
    passion. (3 elements — 40 / 50 words)

Salim comes running through the door and collapses face down on the bed.
          I am alarmed. "Salim! ... Salim!" I shout. "What's happened to you? How come you are
    back so early?" I turn him on his back. He is laughing.
          "The most amazing thing has happened today. This is the happiest day of my life," he
5   declares.
          "What is it? Have you won the lottery?"
          "No. Something even better than winning the lottery. I have seen Armaan Ali."
          Bit by breathless bit, the whole story comes out. How Salim caught a glimpse of Armaan Ali
    while doing his daily round in Ghatkopar. The star was alighting from his Mercedes-Benz to enter a
10  five-star hotel. Salim was travelling on a bus to deliver his last tiffin⁽¹⁾ box to a customer. The
    moment he spotted Armaan, he jumped down from the speeding vehicle, narrowly missing being
    run down by a car, and ran toward the actor, who was passing through the hotel's revolving door.
    He was stopped by the tall, strapping uniformed guard and prevented from entering the hotel.
    "Armaan!" Salim called, trying desperately to catch the star's attention. Armaan heard the cry,
15  stopped in his tracks, and turned around. His eyes made contact with Salim's. He gave a faint
    smile, a barely perceptible nod of acknowledgement, and continued walking into the lobby. Salim
    forgot all about the tiffin and came racing home to give me the news of his dream having come
    true. A customer of Gawii Tiffin Carriers went hungry that afternoon.
          "Does Armaan look different from the way he appears onscreen?" I ask.
20       "No, He is even better in real life," says Salim. "He is taller and more handsome. My
    ambition in life is to shake his hand, at least once. I probably won't wash it for a month after that."
           I reflect on how good it is to have simple, uncomplicated ambitions. Like shaking a film
     star's hand. [...]
           "Your ambition is to shake Armaan's hand," I say to Salim. "But what do you think is
25  Armaan's ambition in life? He seems to have it all - face, fame, and fortune."
          "You are wrong," Salim replies solemnly. "He does not have Urvashi."
          The papers are full of the Armaan-Urvashi breakup, after a whirlwind romance lasting nine
    months. There is speculation that Armaan is completely heartbroken. That he has stopped eating
    and drinking. That he might be suicidal. Urvashi Randhawa has returned to her modelling career.
30         I see Salim crying. His eyes are red and wet with tears. He has not eaten all day. The heart-
    shaped glass frame containing a picture of Armaan and Urvashi, on which he had spent almost
    half his meager salary, lies on the ground, shattered into a hundred pieces.
            "Look, Salim, you are being childish. There is nothing you can do about it," I tell him.
            "If only I could meet Armaan. I want to comfort him. To hold his hand and let him cry on my
35  shoulder. They say crying makes the heart lighter."
          "And what good will that do? Urvashi will not come back to Armaan."
          "Suddenly Salim looks up. "Do you think I could speak to her? Maybe I could persuade her
    to come back to Armaan. Tell her that it was all a mistake. Tell her how sad and contrite he is."
          I shake my head. I don't want Salim trampling all over Mumbai⁽²⁾ looking for Urvashi
40  Randhawa. "It's not a good idea to poke your nose into other people's affairs, or make other
    people's troubles your own, Salim. Armaan Ali is a mature man. He will deal with his
    troubles in his own way."
          "At least I will send him a gift," says Salim.
          He goes and buys a large bottle of Fevicol glue and sets about sticking the shattered pieces
45  of the heart-shaped frame back together again. It takes him a week, but finally the heart is whole, a
    grid of crisscrossing black streaks the only reminder of the fault lines on which it broke.
          "I will now send it to Armaan," he says. "It is a symbol that even a broken heart can be put
    together again."
          "With Fevicol?" I ask.
50       "No. With love and care."
          Salim wraps it up in cloth and sends it to Armaan Ali's home address.
          I don't know whether it reached Armaan or not. Whether it was broken by the postal
    department, smashed by the security guards, or trashed by Armaan's secretary. The important
    thing is that Salim believes it reached his hero and helped to heal his wound.

Vikas Swarup, Q & A, 2006

⁽¹⁾ tiffin: lunch
⁽²⁾ Mumbai: the other name for Bombay

1. a. There are four main characters in this passage: the narrator, Salim, Armaan Ali and     Urvashi Randhawa. Say whether they are present or only mentioned.

Both the narrator and Salim are present whereas Armaan Ali and Urvashi Randhawa are only mentioned.

    b. What are Salim's, Armaan Ali's and Urvashi Randhawa's jobs?

Salim is a delivery boy and he works for Gawli Tiffin Carriers: a catering company.
Armaan Ali is a film star and Urvashi is a model.

    c. What is Armaan Ali to Salim?

Salim considers Armaan Ali as the best actor ever or as a god / a hero.

2. a. "The most amazing thing has happened today." (line 4)
    What does Salim refer to?

Salim refers to his meeting Armaan Ali in the flesh

    b. What happened on that day was more important than his life and his job. Find two     quotations justifying this statement.

Line 11 / 12: "he jumped down from the speeding vehicle, narrowly missing being run down by a car".
Line 16 / 17 /18: Salim forgot all about the tiffin and [...] went hungry that afternoon"

3. What elements in Salim's and Armaan's lives show that they belong to two separate
    worlds? Use you own words. (30 / 40 words)

Salim and Armaan belong to two very distinct worlds. Fair enough Salim takes the bus to work whereas Armaan travels in a Mercedes Benz. Moreover, Armaan stays at a five-star hotel. Salim isn't allowed to enter. To finish with, Armaan only nods at him and doesn't stop to go and shake his hand.

4. a. According to the narrator, Armaan "seems to have it all — face, fame and fortune."
    (line 25)
    What event in Armaan's life makes Salim think differently?

According to Salim, Armaan doesn't have it all because Urvashi, the girl he is madly in love with, left him.

    b. Quote the line showing how that event affects Salim.

Line 30: "I see Salim crying. His eyes are red and wet with tears."

5. a. What two things does Salim first consider doing for Armaan Ali? (20 / 30 words)

Salim would like to comfort his icon and he considers discussing with Urvashi to talk her into going back to Armaan.

    b. What does the narrator think of Salim's plans? What argument does he give to him? Use     your own words.

The narrator finds his plan senseless and stupid. He thinks Salim should mind his own business instead of trying to interfere in the others' lives because Armaan is capable enough to solve his personal problems on his own. Furthermore, he reckons Salim will never manage to patch things up.

6. Salim eventually sends Armaan a frame. In your own words, tell the 'story' of this frame. What does that story reveal about Salim's vision of Armaan and Urvashi's relationship? (40 / 50 words)

This frame represents everything to Salim. First he spent a lot of money to buy it. We learn it has been shattered into pieces, so we can guess he must have smashed it out of rage and despair on hearing his idol's love affair had ended. Yet when he decides to help him out, he glues back all the pieces together believing if he mends the heart-shaped frame, he will help Armaan win Urvashi's heart again. Finally he sends it by the post as a token of his hope. Salim worships this ideal couple and believes he can help and control them at the same time.

7. a. Read the whole text again and describe Salim's personality.

Actually, Salim lives through and for his star. He is devoid of any real personality. All his universe is centered on this god-like figure and his sole ambition is to shake his hand, which is quite childish.

    b. Focus on the narrator. Describe and analyse his attitude towards Salim and his
    passion. (3 elements — 40 / 50 words)

The narrator is, no doubt, much more mature than Salim. Actually, he acts like a lenient, caring and understanding father. He cares about his craze for this actor (line19: 'Does Armaan look different from the way he appears on screen?' I ask")
Although, he finds him childish, he sees the positive side of his attitude, understands him and doesn't underrate him (line 22: "I reflect on how good it is to have simple, uncomplicated ambitions").
Yet he tries to make him grow up and to become a responsible and more mature person with a lot of tenderness and humour (line 36: "And what good will that do? Urvashi will not come back to Armaan" ; line 40: "It's not a good idea to poke your nose into other people's affairs [...]"; line 49: "With Fevicol?")