Summary
Chapter 7 of NCERT Class 8 English (Honeydew), "A Visit to Cambridge", is a travel memoir by Firdaus Kanga — a writer and journalist from Mumbai who uses a wheelchair due to brittle bones — recounting his meeting with physicist Stephen Hawking in Cambridge. Both men live with disability; their conversation covers courage, unhappiness, inspiration, and what disabled people should focus on. The chapter is excerpted from Kanga's book Heaven on Wheels.
Firdaus Kanga, a wheelchair-using writer from Mumbai born with brittle bones, visits Cambridge and learns that Stephen Hawking — paralysed astrophysicist and author of A Brief History of Time — lives there. He phones Hawking's house and is granted half an hour. During their meeting Hawking communicates slowly via a computer voice synthesiser, responding to questions about bravery ("I've had no choice"), happiness (he finds it amusing when people patronise him), inspiration (it does not help him), and advice for disabled people (concentrate on what you are good at). Kanga is moved by Hawking's vivid inner life despite his failing body. Hawking then invites Kanga to stay for tea and a tour of his large garden, and the visit ends with Kanga seeing Hawking as an embodiment of his own bravest self.
Key points & formulas
- 01The chapter is a travel memoir by Firdaus Kanga, excerpted from his book Heaven on Wheels; Kanga was born with brittle bones and travels by wheelchair.
- 02Stephen Hawking holds Isaac Newton's Chair at the University of Cambridge and is described as the author of A Brief History of Time, one of the biggest best-sellers ever.
- 03Hawking communicates through a computer voice synthesiser, tapping a small switch with his long, pale fingers — his only remaining movement.
- 04When asked about bravery, Hawking replies: "I haven't been brave. I've had no choice." When asked if he is often laughing inside, he says he finds it amusing when people patronise him.
- 05Hawking's advice to disabled people is to concentrate on what they are good at; he considers events like the Disabled Olympics a waste of time.
- 06Knowing that being inspired by him does not actually help Hawking, Kanga reflects that when your body feels like a claustrophobic room with narrowing walls, others' admiration offers little comfort.
- 07Hawking invites Kanga to stay beyond the half-hour for tea and a tour of the garden, covering every inch in his motorised wheelchair; Kanga leaves seeing Hawking as an embodiment of his bravest self.
Frequently asked questions
01Who wrote 'A Visit to Cambridge' and where is the chapter excerpted from?
The chapter was written by Firdaus Kanga and is excerpted from his book Heaven on Wheels.
02What disability does Firdaus Kanga have?
Kanga was born with brittle bones that tended to break easily when he was a child, and he moves around in a wheelchair.
03Why was Stephen Hawking described as a worthy successor to Isaac Newton?
A guide on a walking tour of Cambridge called Hawking 'a worthy successor to Isaac Newton, whose Chair he has at the university.'
04How did Firdaus Kanga arrange the meeting with Stephen Hawking?
After the walking tour, Kanga rushed to a phone booth, stretched the cord so he could use the phone outside, and called Hawking's house. The assistant granted him half an hour, from three-thirty to four.
05What did Stephen Hawking say when asked whether he had been brave?
Hawking said, "I haven't been brave. I've had no choice."
06Why did Kanga feel guilty every time he spoke to Hawking during the meeting?
He felt guilty because every question forced Hawking to respond — to tap the small switch in his hand and search for words on his computer using the only movement left to him, his long, pale fingers, with his eyes sometimes shutting in frustrated exhaustion.
07What did Hawking say about disabled people being unhappy?
When Kanga said many people think disabled people are chronically unhappy and asked if Hawking was often laughing inside, Hawking replied (about three minutes later): "I find it amusing when people patronise me."
08What is the meaning of the lantern metaphor in the chapter?
Kanga describes Hawking as 'a lantern whose walls are worn so thin you glimpse only the light inside' — the body is the thin walls, the incandescent mind and spirit is the light housed within, and the conclusion Kanga draws is that this inner light is what each person truly is; everything else (the body) is merely an accessory.
09What advice did Stephen Hawking give to disabled people?
Hawking said disabled people should concentrate on what they are good at, and that he thought events like the Disabled Olympics are a waste of time.
10Why does Kanga mention the Spanish guitar incident?
Kanga mentions spending years trying to play a Spanish guitar considerably larger than he was, and how gleefully he unstringed it one night. He uses this to say he understands Hawking's advice — that disabled people should focus on what they excel at, not force themselves into unsuitable activities.
11What happened after the scheduled half-hour was over?
When Kanga said he had annoyed Hawking enough and began to thank him, Hawking invited him to stay for tea and to see the garden. Hawking then took him around his large garden in his motorised wheelchair. They stayed for about another hour.
12How did Kanga feel at the end of the visit when he wheeled out into the summer evening?
Kanga touched Hawking's shoulder and wheeled out. He looked back and felt he knew Hawking was waving, though he was not. He saw Hawking as 'an embodiment of my bravest self' — the person he was moving towards — and felt his journey was over, for now.
13Is the NCERT Class 8 English Honeydew Chapter 7 PDF free to download?
Yes. You can download the full NCERT Honeydew Chapter 7 PDF free on CBSE PrepMaster — no sign-up or payment required.
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