The Louse and the MosquitoBy – Vikram Seth Arpita Saggar About the book………….Beastly Tales Beastly Tales is a 1991 collection of ten fables in poetry written by Vikram Seth . Its full title is Beastly Tales from Here and There and Seth states "the first two come from India, the next two from China, the next two from Greece, the next two from the Ukraine. The final two come directly from the Land of Gup. Seth's sense of humor is exemplified by his retelling of The Hare and The Tortoise. In his version the loser, being a celebrity, is fêted and the winner ignored. Arpita Saggar The Poems :• The Crocodile and the Monkey •The Louse and the Mosquito •The Mouse and the Snake •The Rat and the Ox •The Eagle and the Beetle •The Hare and the Tortoise •The Cat and the Cock •The Goat and the Ram •The Frog and the Nightingale •The Elephant and the Tragopan The Frog and the Nightingale Arpita Saggar bold and culturally diverse nature of its material. Scottish composer Rory Boyle created an exciting and original score for Seth‟s poems in a delightful and accessible way Arpita Saggar . The show fully exploited the rich.A Stage Show A collaboration between The Scottish Chamber Orchestra & Licketyspit showcased a theatrical adventure of Beastly Tales in 2006. Vikram Seth Shrishti Karana .About the Author………. It won the WH Smith Literary Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. travel writer. novelist. biographer and memoirist. librettist."A Suitable Boy" is an acclaimed epic of Indian life. Seth's first novel. 1952) is an Indian poet. "The Golden Gate" describes the experiences of a group of friends living in California.A Brief Introduction Vikram Seth ( born June 20. Shrishti Karana . • His Shrishti Karana . Aradhana. maker. Leila was the first woman to become Chief Justice • Seth was born to Leila and of a state High Court. His father was an executive with Shantum. His younger sister.Early Life mother. is a filmcompany. at Shimla. • His younger brother. Prem Seth in Kolkata. leads Buddhist the Bata India Limited shoe meditational tours. a public school in England. Welham Boys' School and The Doon School. •He undertook doctoral studies at Stanford University. Politics and Economics at Corpus Christi College. and read Philosophy. Shrishti Karana . Oxford.Education • He attended St Michael's High School . • Seth completed his A-levels at Ton bridge School. Works by Seth Vikram Seth has also written a travelogue "From Heaven Lake: Travels Through Sinkiang and Tibet". The book is a memoir of the marriage of his great uncle and aunt. The book is an account of a journey through Tibet. A Suitable Boy and An Equal Music Vikram Seth's latest work is Two Lives (2005). Shrishti Karana . China and Nepal that won him the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award. His notable works include The Golden Gate. Mappings (1980) 2.Beastly Tales (1991) 5.The Humble Administrator's Garden (1985) 3.Poetry 1.All You Who Sleep Tonight (1990) 4.Three Chinese Poets (1992) 6.The Frog and the Nightingale (1994) Shrishti Karana . Awards and Achievements 1985 .Commonwealth Poetry Prize (Asia) The Humble Administrator's Garden 1993 .EMMA (BT Ethnic and Multicultural Media Award) for Best Book/Novel An Equal Music 2005 .Irish Times International Fiction Prize (shortlist) A Suitable Boy 2001 .Padma Shri in Literature & Education Shrishti Karana .Pravasi Bharatiya Samman 2007 . The Poem…….The Louse & The Mosquito Arpita Saggar . they Nipped and sipped and drank away. They had dwelt here as of right For three decades. Once the signal came from Creep That the King was fast asleep. great-grandmothers. Creep the louse Lived in her ancestral house.The Louse & The Mosquito In the King’s bed. Second cousins and their wives Arpita Saggar . and each night She and her enormous brood Drank the king’s blood for their food. Great-granddaughters. Sons and grandsons. discreetly. sisters and brothers. Quietly. ’ In a parabolic leap. Leave at once. jasmine. One day a mosquito flew Through the window. flap your wings. Ah. what perfume-let me seeRose-no. „Sir Mosquito. And the quiltSmooth as banks of Ganges silt! Let me test the bedsprings now.-Lives of undisturbed delightGrowing plump and smooth and white. This bed‟s the king‟s. as it drew Closer to the velvet bed Canopied with gold.‟ Arpita Saggar . Landed not too far from Creep. he said: ‘Lovely! Just the place for me. come in. „But tonight you‟ll have to fast. Loss of royal sleep. or stain. „There‟s no place for you. „Well. as we‟re trained to do. Sir Leap.‟ Thus the sad mosquito pleaded . ‟said Creep. ‟she said at last. And at last his prayers were heeded For the tender-hearted Creep Could not bear to watch him weep.‟ „House?‟ „This quilt.„Who may you be. Arpita Saggar . It‟s mine. For no account may you Bite him. We can drink and cause no pain. Lady Louse?‟ „I‟m the guardian of this house.‟ „Let me sleep here for one night And I‟ll catch the morning flight. I'm in broken health. honey. Save me. Cardamom and all the things nice. Aashi Sadh .Lady louse. Cold in hospitality? Just one bite-I ask no moreFor I've learned from learned lore That the royal blood contains Remedies for aches and painsGinger. sugar. Let me bite him-once-by stealth. how can you be. Cross my heart and hope to die. spice. He won't even shift or sigh. Then go: Lightly nip his little toe. yes. I know all that. Wait till wine. or deep Dream-enriched. That‟s all old hat.Finally the louse agreed.‟ Aashi Sadh . but pay close heed. unbroken sleep Has enveloped him.‟ Yes.‟ Said Sir Leap. Keep your stale advice. yes. fatigue. “Right!” she said.‟ He smiled: „Seriously‟-I'm not a child. and sighed. The mosquito almost died From excitement. Lay down on his bed. And with fierce and fiery sting Deeply dirked the dozing king. if only he‟d been humblerRushing to the rash attack Leapt upon the royal back. fairly soonWhen the king came for a snooze.It was only afternoon-Fairly early. „Not yet!‟ But too late! The self-willed bumbler -Oh. Aashi Sadh . Doffed his crown and shirt and shoes. shock and sweat. „No‟ the louse cried: „No‟. at once awake.Help! a scorpion! a snake!‟ Screamed the king. But the louse clan could not flee. Hidden in the canopy. All were killed without ado. the mosquito flew. Looking out for further prey. Meanwhile. „I‟ve been bitten! Search the bed! Find and strike the creature dead!‟ When they made a close inspection The mosquito foiled detection. Humming mildly on his way. Aashi Sadh . smooth and white. that had belonged to her family lice. Since then. The louse and her ancestors had dwelt in this house for three decades. They were enjoying their lives. in the king‟s bed. Their lives were never disturbed.. each night. Shrishti Karana . The mosquito said to himself how lovely and nice the place was. she and her family drank the king's blood as their food. growing fat. One day. a mosquito entered the king's bedroom through the window.The Summary Of The Poem The poem suggests that a louse lived. He gets noticed by the louse.The mosquito finds the palace very beautiful and charming. how can she be so rude? Arpita Saggar . Finally the tender hearted louse agrees but tells the mosquito that he shall have to fast that night and forbids him to bite the king. She tells him that she is the guardian of the house. But the clever mosquito says now that she has let him come inside. The mosquito begs to the louse to allow him to stay for just one night. who tells him to leave at once. Finally the louse agrees. Aashi Sadh . She said that yes go and bite him but be careful. Then go and lightly bite his toe. He says that he is in broken health and wants the permission of only one bite. He promises that the king won‟t even shift or move. The mosquito tells the louse to keep his advise with him and tells him that he is not a child.He pleads to bite the king. He also says that he had learnt from sources that the king‟s blood contains medicines for pain and aches. Wait till the wine takes him to a deep sleep. He rushed and attacked on the king‟s back and drank his blood. looking for a new prey and humming in his way. The louse cried no but she was too late. But the louse and her family couldn‟t escape and were killed. When he bit the king . When they starting looking. Aashi Sadh .the king shouted for help and ordered everyone to wake up.It was afternoon. the mosquito hid in a canopy. when the king came to rest. Meanwhile the mosquito flew away. The mosquito ran to bite him. He told his servants to search his bed. has been portrayed as a weak character who is shown to be unconfident.Character sketch of the Louse The Louse. The following words can be used to describe the louse: Gullible Innocent Ignorant “Thus the sad mosquito pleaded .” Arpita Saggar . And at last his prayers were heeded For the tender-hearted Creep Could not bear to watch him weep. Creep. She easily believes the untrue tales of the mosquito and ends up dead along with her family on the king‟s bed while the wily mosquito escapes. Hidden in the canopy. But the louse clan could not flee.Character sketch of the Mosquito The Mosquito has been shown as an evil character who tricks the louse and her family. Few words to describe him: Wily and Manipulative Unreliable and Sly “The mosquito foiled detection. All were killed without ado.” Arpita Saggar . he did no pay any heed. Even after being told repeatedly by the louse. He easily tricked the gullible louse into letting him stay on the royal bed for one night that inevitably became the last night for the louse. Such indeed are the ways of modern world. Arpita Saggar . takes off.Conclusion The poem is an exercise in warning against the dangers of being too kind hearted and in having a personality weak enough to be taken advantage of. unconcerned about the damage he caused. The poem has been written in an ironical vein. where a good action is repaid with thanklessness and grief. unharmed. describing the havoc that descends on the louse family from the mosquito’s actions and the cold blooded nonchalance with which the mosquito. Glossary ancestral house: house that had belonged to her family lice who lived a long time ago and which she had inherited. discreetly: carefully nipped: bit quickly canopied: covered quilt: a decorative cover of the bed heeded: accepted SHRUTI . brood: a large family of children. stale: (advice) that had been offered too many times. pleaded : begged hospitality: friendly and generous behavior towards guests. learned lore: knowledgeable sources stealth: (doing something) in a quiet. old hat: old fashioned advice. doffed: took off SHRUTI . something that is well known. fatigue: feeling of extreme tiredness. secret way.parabolic: curved like the path of an object thrown into the air falling back on earth. SHRUTI .• • • • glib: clever dirked: bit foiled: prevented. immediately. • stealth: (doing something) in a quiet secret way. stopped without ado: (old fashioned) without delay. • bumbler: one who makes careless mistakes. Questions Q What components does the royal blood contain and for which remedies they were used? A The royal blood contains ginger. They are used for aches and pains. Q For how many years the louse and her family had been living in the king‟s bed? A They had been living from 3 decades. sugar. spice and cardamom. honey. 30 years SHRUTI . Q What did the louse and her enormous brood do with the king when he was fast as sleep? A When the king was fast asleep she and her enormous brood quietly and carefully drank the king‟s blood for their food. SHRUTI . Q Why was the lady louse against the mosquito to let him bite the king? A She was against the mosquito because she was afraid that the king would wake up and kill her brood. Shrishti Karana. Given below are some websites whom we would like to acknowledge:• Wikipedia • Google Search & Images • Book buzz •YouTube • Google books Arpita Saggar . We thank our teacher for guiding us and allowing us to explore the magical world of Vikram Seth and his works.References and Acknowledgements • This PowerPoint presentation is the result if the collective efforts of Arpita Saggar. Aashi Sadh and Shruti Verma. Credits •Pictures by Arpita Saggar. Shruti Verma and Aashi Sadh •Stage Show Video by Arpita Saggar •Animations and Backgrounds by Arpita Saggar Arpita Saggar . Shrishti Karana. • Efforts by :• Arpita Saggar. • Aashi Sadh and Shruti Verma Arpita Saggar . Shrishti Karana.