Indigo: Aniruddha's Solo Journey, Its Obstacles and the Dak Bungalow (ISC Class 12)
Updated 18 October 2026 · Fact-checked
Aniruddha ignores Bhola Babu's warning and drives alone from Calcutta to Dumka. A dreary road, a first flat tyre near the Panagarh camp, a Norwester before Ilambazar, a second puncture with no repair shop in sight and a wrong turn leave him hopeless and stranded, regretting that he did not listen. He takes shelter in an old, spooky dak bungalow where he asks Sukhanram whether there are ghosts.
Understand Indigo: Aniruddha's Solo Journey, Its Obstacles and the Dak Bungalow
Why this topic matters. Indigo was set in both 2025 papers. The 2025 board paper asked a 5-mark question on the consequences of Aniruddha's decision to undertake the solo journey despite Bhola Babu's warning, with the prompts obstacles faced and effect on him. The examiners reported that most candidates clearly described the obstacles but did not explain their effects adequately. The story is in copyright, so this page paraphrases the chapter page, which describes only what the CISCE 2025 specimen and marking scheme confirm; read the events at the bungalow in Prism.
1. The warning. Aniruddha plans to drive alone from Calcutta (Kolkata) to Dumka. Bhola Babu warns him against the long journey by car on his own, but he goes anyway.
2. The obstacles, in order
1. The first thirty-five miles through dingy towns are dreary.
2. As the military camp at Panagarh comes into view, he has a flat tyre.
3. Before he can cross Ilambazar he is caught in a Norwester, the violent summer storm of Bengal.
4. He has a second puncture, with no repair shop in sight.
5. He takes a wrong turn and finds himself on the wrong road.
3. The effect on him. Each setback drains him further. He becomes hopeless, realises he cannot possibly reach Dumka that night, and admits that he should have listened to Bhola Babu. To score full marks, pair every obstacle with its effect: delay, tiredness, loss of hope, regret.
4. The dak bungalow. Stranded, he must spend the night at an old dak bungalow, a government rest house of the kind once built along roads for travelling officials. He meets Sukhanram. The place is spooky, and old dak bungalows have a reputation for being haunted, so Aniruddha asks Sukhanram whether there are ghosts.
5. Themes. Ignoring advice and its consequences; the journey from the ordinary to the uncanny (realistic drive turning eerie at the bungalow); human helplessness before nature and chance; the past in old places.
6. Writing a 5-mark answer (100-150 words). Warning and decision (1), obstacles in order (2), effect on him (1.5), expression (0.5).
7. A distance sum (imaginary). Suppose the planned drive is 270 miles and he covers 35 miles before the first puncture, 60 more before the storm and 45 more before the second puncture. Covered = 35 + 60 + 45 = 140 miles; remaining = 270 - 140 = 130 miles, which is 130 / 270 x 100 = 48.1% of the journey, so even without the wrong turn he could not have reached Dumka that night in these conditions. (The figures are invented to illustrate how setbacks accumulate; the story's distances are not used.)
Indigo: Aniruddha's Solo Journey, Its Obstacles and the Dak Bungalow: key facts
- Obstacles in order
- Dreary towns
- Flat tyre near Panagarh
- Norwester before Ilambazar
- Second puncture
- Wrong turn
- Five.
- Effects
- Delay
- Tiredness
- Hopelessness
- Regret
- Pair with each obstacle.
- Bungalow
- Old rest house
- Spooky
- Reputation for being haunted
- Sukhanram
- Why he asks about ghosts.
How to answer Indigo: Aniruddha's Solo Journey, Its Obstacles and the Dak Bungalow questions
Use this plan for a consequences question on Indigo.
- 1Begin with the warning and his decision.
- 2List the obstacles in order, one line each.
- 3Add the effect on him after each, or a paragraph on the combined effect.
- 4Mention the bungalow as the end of the journey.
- 5Close with the theme of ignoring advice.
Indigo: Aniruddha's Solo Journey, Its Obstacles and the Dak Bungalow in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Ignoring advice
Suppose a student ignores a teacher's advice to start the project early, and falls ill the week before the deadline.
How does this resemble Aniruddha's decision, and what is the lesson?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Both ignore a warning and meet a string of setbacks.
- Both realise too late that the advice was right.
Answer: Like Aniruddha, the student pays for ignoring sound advice; the lesson is to weigh warnings.
Memory hook: Listen early, regret never.
Tricks to remember Indigo: Aniruddha's Solo Journey, Its Obstacles and the Dak Bungalow
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
D-F-N-P-W
Dreary, Flat tyre, Norwester, Puncture, Wrong turn.
Use it when: Obstacles in order.
Obstacle plus effect
Never list an obstacle without saying what it did to him.
Use it when: Avoiding the common fault.
Indigo: Aniruddha's Solo Journey, Its Obstacles and the Dak Bungalow: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: The Norwester · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
A Norwester is:
(a) a river crossing (b) a violent summer storm of Bengal (c) a type of road (d) a village
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- It catches Aniruddha before Ilambazar (0.5).
- The chapter page calls it the violent summer storm of Bengal (0.5).
Answer: (b)
Example 2: Why the question about ghosts · 1 mark · Assertion-reasonBoard level
Finish the sentence with the cause: Aniruddha asked Sukhanram whether there were ghosts in the bungalow because ____
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The place was spooky (0.5).
- Old dak bungalows had a reputation for being haunted (0.5).
Answer: the place was spooky and old dak bungalows had a reputation for being haunted.
Example 3: Obstacles and their effect (5 marks) · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Aniruddha ignored a warning about the journey. List four obstacles he met and explain how they affected him. (100-150 words)
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Flat tyre near Panagarh (1).
- Norwester before Ilambazar (1).
- Second puncture with no repair shop in sight, and a wrong turn (1).
- Effect: he becomes hopeless, realises he cannot reach Dumka that night, and regrets not listening to Bhola Babu (2).
Answer: Aniruddha, against Bhola Babu's advice, drove alone. After dreary towns, he had a flat tyre near the Panagarh camp, was caught in a Norwester before Ilambazar, had a second puncture with no repair shop in sight, and then took a wrong turn. Each setback drained him: he became hopeless, realised he could not reach Dumka that night, and admitted he should have listened to Bhola Babu.
Example 4: Distance sum · 4 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Suppose the planned journey is 270 miles and Aniruddha covers 35 miles before the first puncture, 60 miles more before the storm and 45 miles more before the second puncture. Calculate the distance covered, the distance remaining and the percentage of the journey still to go. (Figures are invented.)
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Covered = 35 + 60 + 45 = 140 miles.
- Remaining = 270 - 140 = 130 miles.
- Percentage remaining = 130 / 270 x 100 = 48.1%.
- Nearly half the road remained after the second puncture, which supports his hopelessness.
Answer: 140 miles covered; 130 remaining; 48.1%.
Example 5: Realistic to eerie (10 marks) · 10 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
'Indigo begins as a realistic account of a difficult journey and becomes an eerie story.' Discuss with reference to the journey and the bungalow, up to the point confirmed by the chapter page. (200-250 words)
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The realistic opening: the warning, the decision, the dreary road (2).
- The series of obstacles with their effects: flat tyre, Norwester, second puncture, wrong turn (3).
- His state: hopeless, tired, regretful, which makes him vulnerable (2).
- The bungalow: old, spooky, reputed to be haunted; the question to Sukhanram (2).
- Conclusion on how Ray prepares the uncanny (1).
Answer: Satyajit Ray opens Indigo with ordinary details: Aniruddha ignores Bhola Babu's warning and sets out alone by car from Calcutta to Dumka. The road is dreary; near the Panagarh camp he has a flat tyre, a Norwester catches him before Ilambazar, a second puncture leaves him with no repair shop in sight, and a wrong turn puts him on the wrong road. These setbacks are realistic and drain him: he becomes hopeless, accepts that he cannot reach Dumka that night and regrets not listening to Bhola Babu. The tired, nervous traveller is ready to be unsettled. He must spend the night at an old dak bungalow, where he meets Sukhanram. The place is spooky and such bungalows have a reputation for being haunted, so he asks whether there are ghosts. The realistic account has thus been moved, step by step, towards the strange, and the events that follow at the bungalow, which should be read in Prism, complete the transition.
Where students lose marks in Indigo: Aniruddha's Solo Journey, Its Obstacles and the Dak Bungalow
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Listing obstacles without effects
The examiners reported effects were not explained adequately.
Wrong working
Flat tyre, storm, puncture, wrong turn.
Right working
Each obstacle followed by its effect: delay, hopelessness, regret.
Do this: Obstacle plus effect.
Usually costs: 2 marks of 5.
Mistake: Inventing events at the bungalow
The chapter page does not narrate them.
Wrong working
Describing a ghost seen at midnight from memory.
Right working
Describe only what you have read in Prism, or stop at his arrival and question.
Do this: Stay with the text.
Usually costs: 2-3 marks.
Mistake: Wrong order of obstacles
The sequence is part of the answer.
Wrong working
Storm, wrong turn, flat tyre.
Right working
Flat tyre near Panagarh, Norwester, second puncture, wrong turn.
Do this: Use the mnemonic.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Exam tips
- Pair each obstacle with its effect on Aniruddha.
- Keep the order of events.
- Read the later events at the bungalow in Prism before the exam.
- Link the story to the theme of ignoring advice.
Practice questions on Indigo: Aniruddha's Solo Journey, Its Obstacles and the Dak Bungalow
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Who warns Aniruddha against making the journey alone?
Hint
A name in the story.
Answer
Bhola Babu.
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
What is a dak bungalow, according to the chapter page?
Hint
Government rest house.
Answer
A government rest house of the kind once built along roads for travelling officials.
Q3 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Explain how Aniruddha's state of mind changes during the journey. (100-150 words)
Hint
Confidence to regret.
Answer
Aniruddha starts confidently, ignoring Bhola Babu's warning. The dreary road, the flat tyre, the Norwester, the second puncture with no repair shop in sight and the wrong turn drain him. He becomes hopeless, realises he cannot possibly reach Dumka that night and admits that he should have listened to Bhola Babu. His confidence has turned to regret and weariness, which leaves him ready for the spooky bungalow.
Q4 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
How does Ray use the setting to build atmosphere in the story, up to the bungalow? (100-150 words)
Hint
Roads, storm, bungalow.
Answer
Ray uses dingy towns and a dreary road to set a flat, tiring mood, then a violent Norwester and empty roads to show human helplessness before nature. A wrong turn and nightfall isolate Aniruddha. The old dak bungalow is spooky, and its reputation for being haunted makes him ask Sukhanram about ghosts. Small details of tiredness and isolation therefore prepare the reader for the uncanny.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Where is Aniruddha travelling to?Show answer
Dumka, from Calcutta.
2.Who does he meet at the bungalow?Show answer
Sukhanram.
3.What is a Norwester?Show answer
The violent summer storm of Bengal.
4.What does he realise at the end of the journey?Show answer
That he should have listened to Bhola Babu.
Indigo: Aniruddha's Solo Journey, Its Obstacles and the Dak Bungalow: frequently asked questions
Why is the story called Indigo?
The chapter page says the meaning of the title becomes clear in the second half, at the bungalow, which should be read in Prism.
Is the story a ghost story?
It moves from realism to an eerie experience; read the bungalow section for details.
Which question was set in 2025?
A 5-mark question on the consequences of the decision, and a reason completion in the specimen.