Comprehension unit 3

UNIT 3: MOHAN AND HIS VEENA

"Dedication and hard work are the keys to mastery."

Extract 1

"Mohan was born into a family of musicians. Music was in his blood. He grew up with musicians. Like his father and other family members, he was initially trained in vocal music and then he tried his hand at the violin. When he was about ten, he started liking Sitar. He was also trained in it and played it for about three years."

1. What kind of family was Mohan born into? 2. What was Mohan initially trained in? 3. Which instrument did he try after vocal music? 4. At what age did Mohan start liking the Sitar? 5. For how many years did he play the Sitar?

Extract 2

"A German lady came to stay with Mohan's family to learn music from his father. It was the guitar which changed his life. He began his experiments with that beautiful instrument. 'No other instrument now in my life. I want to play the guitar only,' said Mohan to himself. Guitar took all his time."

6. Why did the German lady come to stay with Mohan's family? 7. Which instrument changed Mohan's life? 8. What did Mohan say to himself about the guitar? 9. "Guitar took all his time." What does this sentence indicate?

Extract 3

"One evening there was a gathering of close family friends. In this small gathering Mohan's brother, sister and nephews (who were also performing artists) played music on their classical instruments. There was a great appreciation. Mohan, too, expressed his wish to perform. He played on guitar."

10. What happened one evening? 11. Who were the performing artists in the gathering? 12. Which instrument did Mohan play in the gathering?

Extract 4

"After his performance, a relative said, 'You need to work very hard with the new instrument.' Another relative said, 'If it were the Sitar, you would have been in competition with your brother and sister. Your instrument does not have the depth the Sitar has.' Another said, 'The Sitar's sound is like a flowing stream. Your instrument doesn't have that depth.'"

13. What did the first relative say after the performance? 14. Why did a relative compare the guitar with the Sitar? 15. What is the Sitar's sound compared to? 16. What was the common criticism Mohan faced about the guitar?

ANSWER KEY

1. Mohan was born into a family of musicians.

2. He was initially trained in vocal music.

3. He tried his hand at the violin.

4. He started liking the Sitar when he was about ten years old.

5. He played the Sitar for about three years.

6. She came to learn music from Mohan's father.

7. The guitar changed Mohan's life.

8. He said, "No other instrument now in my life. I want to play the guitar only."

9. It indicates his complete dedication and obsession with the instrument.

10. There was a gathering of close family friends.

11. Mohan's brother, sister, and nephews were the performing artists.

12. Mohan played on the guitar.

13. The relative said he needed to work very hard with the new instrument.

14. Because the relative felt he would be in competition with his siblings if he played Sitar.

15. The Sitar's sound is compared to a flowing stream.

16. The criticism was that the guitar does not have the "depth" of Indian classical instruments like the Sitar.