Question

What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?

Answer 1

Hint: Valli was an eight-year old child. She did not have any friends of her age to play with and hence spent most of her free time standing at the front doorway of her house. It is during this time that she sees something which causes her to feel very delighted. It was the very same thing that eventually became her strongest desire.

Complete answer:
Valliammai, also known as Valli, used to witness many unusual events as she stood at the front door of her house and watched the streets. One of these was the bus, which carried people to and from the town and village. Every hour or so, this bus used to pass in front of the street which Valli used to watch from her doorway.

The bus would be loaded with new passengers each time it crossed the street in front of Valli’s house. These passengers would get down after reaching their destination. All these events were a source of great wonder and curiosity for Valli and caused an unending source of joy for her.

Each day Valli would watch the bus pass in front of her house and wish to climb that bus to see how it feels being a passenger on one of them. Whenever a friend of hers, after visiting the town, would describe it to her, Valli would instantly get jealous and call out disapprovingly at her friend. As she watched the bus and the surrounding events every day with the same eagerness, it eventually developed into a stronger wish and then turned into her strongest desire.

Note: The usage of the word ‘Madam’ to refer to Valli by the Conductor in the title is a literary element called Humour. Humour is used to create a comic or funny effect in a story. Addressing a little girl with a respected title like ‘Madam’ is a humorous effect.