First Flight - Class X
Reprint 2025-26
This sensitive story follows an eight-year old girl's first bus journey into the world outside her village. It's also her induction into the mystery of life and death as she sees the gap between our knowing that there is death, and our understanding of it.
In this interactive lesson, we'll explore this touching narrative about curiosity, independence, and growing up through the eyes of Valli, an eight-year-old girl who plans and executes her first solo bus journey.
In this story, we will read about a young girl's first bus journey and her experiences along the way. Before we start, let's think about our own experiences with travel and discovery.
The story also raises questions about curiosity, independence, and how children learn about the world around them.
Look at the words and phrases given below. Which ones do you think you will find in the text?
a set of passengers, get on the bus, get off the bus, platform, Tickets please, a roar and a rattle, a row of seats, slowing down to a crawl, blowing a whistle
What can you see from a fast-moving bus? Think about rivers, green fields, hills, roadside shops, market places, railway tracks, moving trains, vehicles on the road, trees, crowds, clothes in shops, animals.
Read these sentences from the story:
"She stared wistfully at the people who got on or off the bus."
"And a tiny hand was raised commandingly."
The words wistful and commanding are adjectives. When you add –ly to them, they become adverbs that describe how an action is performed.
1. Valli stared at the people who got on or off the bus.
2. A tiny hand was raised when Valli wanted the bus to stop.
3. "There's nobody here who's a child," she said .
4. "I'm not a child, I tell you," she said .
5. She had saved whatever stray coins came her way.
Valli has a strong and determined character. Look at these sentences from the text:
"Stop the bus! Stop the bus!" And a tiny hand was raised _______.
"Yes, I _____ go to town," said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
Fill in the blanks to complete these sentences about Valli from the story.
1. "Stop the bus! Stop the bus!" And a tiny hand was raised
2. "Yes, I go to town," said Valli, still standing outside the bus.
3. "There's nobody here ," she said haughtily. "I've paid my thirty paise like everyone else."
4. "Never mind," she said, "I can . You don't have to help me."
5. "You needn't bother about me. I ," Valli said, turning her face toward the window.
6. Then she turned to the conductor and said, "Well, sir, I hope ."