CBSE Class 10 English First Flight - Madam Rides the Bus Summary & Notes

According to the CBSE Syllabus 2023-24, this chapter has been renumbered as Chapter 7.

Summary of Madam Rides the Bus

Chapter 9 of the Class 10 English textbook, ‘First Flight’, consists of a prose text named Madam Rides the Bus written by Vallikkannan. This is a sensitive story of an eight-year-old girl whose first adventurous bus ride into the new world outside her village taught her about life and death. Here, we present you a summary of the prose in the form of CBSE English Notes Class 10. CBSE Class 10 students can refer to the prose summary of Madam Rides the Bus here. They can easily access the CBSE Class 10 English Prose Notes – Madam Rides the Bus while preparing for their Board exams.

Students can also go through CBSE Essays to improve their writing section of the English paper.

CBSE Class 10 English Madam Rides the Bus Summary

The story, Madam Rides the Bus, illustrates the sensitive story of a young eight-year-old Tamil girl Valliammai. Valli was always curious to explore the outside world. She had no friends to play games with. So, her favourite pastime was to stand in the doorway of her house and watch all that was happening on the street outside. She would watch people get on and off the bus that travelled between her village and the nearest town. The bus that was filled with a new set of passengers filled her with a sense of unending joy. She had a strong urge to take a bus ride to explore the adventurous bus journey. Hence, she collected information about the bus timings by listening to the conversations of the people taking the bus ride. Soon she learnt that the bus journey from her village to the nearest town was approximately six miles. The bus fare costs thirty paise for a one-way ride. So, Valli started saving enough money to take a ride on the bus.

Valli planned to travel on the bus during the afternoon when her mother would be asleep. She stood on the roadside waiting for the bus. As the bus arrived, she told the conductor she wanted to go to town. The conductor happened to be a jovial person and referred to her as ‘madam’ and told her to hop into the bus and take her seat. She got into her bus quickly and noticed that the bus was painted in green and white colour stripes and looked brand new. The bus seats were luxurious, and the ride was comfortable. During her journey, Valli enjoyed looking at the greenery outside and the scenic natural beauty of the bus. She was thoroughly enjoying her bus ride and was amused when she saw a young cow that ran wildly in front of the bus and crossed the road. The driver blew the shrill horn as the cow crossed the road. This was a fascinating experience for Valli as she realised her dream of travelling on a bus had finally come true.

As Valli enjoyed watching the beautiful landscape outside, the bus started getting empty as the passengers got down to their respective stops. Soon, the conductor asked her if she would like to roam about the stalls in the town, but she told him that she had limited money, which she needed to take the return bus ride. The conductor casually smiled at her reply. Valli stayed on the bus and took a ticket from the conductor to return to her village. As the bus started again, she noticed a dead cow and realised that it was the same cow that had run wildly in front of her bus during her onward journey to the town. Looking at the sight of the bleeding cow made her very sad, and she understood the meaning of life and death from this incident. Soon, the bus dropped her at the bus stop near her home, and she returned home just on time. Thus, no one in her family knew about her adventurous bus trip that she had taken all by herself without their knowledge.

Conclusion of Madam Rides the Bus

The chapter – Madam Rides the Bus explains the desire of a young girl to take a bus ride from her village to the nearest town. However, on her trip, an unfortunate incident taught her the meaning of life and death. We hope this CBSE Class 10 English First Flight Prose Summary of Madam Rides the Bus helped students to grasp a solid understanding of the chapter. You can also check the BYJU’S website for a plethora of resources on CBSE Notes and CBSE study material and access sample papers, question papers, etc., for your Board exams preparation. You can also download BYJU’S: The Learning App for more interactive and informational videos.