Independence Day: History, importance and significance of the day -Speech and essay writing

 Independence Day

History and Importance 

Independence Day is both an occasion to celebrate and to remember the struggles of those who fought to give us this gift. It makes my heart beat with pride, to see the colors of Independence Day spreading happiness and great joys all around. May the glory of Independence Day be with your forever. Today we come together, Be the cause for the unity, Make it Beautiful day– Happy Independence Day!

 

Independence Day of India, which is celebrated religiously throughout the Country on the 15th of August every year, holds tremendous ground in the list of national days, since it reminds every Indian about the dawn of a new beginning, the beginning of an era of deliverance from the clutches of British colonialism of more than 200 years. It was on 15th August 1947 that India was declared independent from British colonialism, and the reins of control were handed over to the leaders of the Country.

On August 15, 1947 India had achieved independence after years of struggle. On this day, it ceased to be a colonial nation and secured full autonomy from the British that ruled over it for years. The day holds great significance in the heart of every Indian citizen living in India and abroad. We as Indians pay respect to all the leaders who fought bravely for our nation's freedom in the past.

On this day, the Prime Minister of India will hoist our tricolour flag at the Red Fort, Old Delhi. He will also deliver a speech to the nation as well. Independence day i.e. the 15th of August is declared as a national holiday which means every government office, post offices, banks and stores will remain shut.

 

While it is a celebratory annual occasion and a national holiday, wherein people hoist the national flag, wear colours signifying the tricolour, take part in many games and cultural programmes, it also coincides with the Partition of the country that brings back painful memories, given that India was severed on communal grounds, much to the dismay of many national leaders and ordinary citizens.

   

On 15 August 1947, when the first Prime Minister of independent India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, hoisted the national flag at the Lahori Gate of Red Fort in New Delhi, the Father of the Nation Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi fasted in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He is believed to have spent his time praying, fasting, spinning, and silently protesting the sectarian hatred that had taken over the country.

HISTORY OF INDIAN INDEPENDENCE DAY

History: India was ruled by the Britishers for many years. The East India Company ruled India for about 100 years. It was in 1757 when the East India Company won the battle of Plassey. It was after the win went the Company started exerting power over the India. Our nation had its rebellion against the foreign rule for the first time in 1957. The entire country united against British power. It was an unfortunate event as India was defeated back then but after that time. Indian rule was then passed to the British who ruled our country till India got its independence. Our nation faced a long campaign to gain independence.

   

Britain had weakened after the two world wars and began thinking of ending its rule in India. In 1947, the British government declared the transfer of all powers to India by June 1948, but continuing tensions and violence between Muslims and Hindus led to a consensus for the partition of India into two separate states. To deal with this, the British government proposed on June 3, 1947, that any constitution framed by the Constituent Assembly of India will not be applicable to parts of the country that refuse to accept it.

 

On the same day, a plan for partition was put into action by Lord Mountbatten- the then viceroy of India. Mountbatten’s plan was agreed to by both the Congress and the Muslim League. As new borders were drawn and the world map changed forever, between 300,000 and 500,000 people died on both sides.

  

On August 15, 1947, at midnight, India gained independence and was concluded by the iconic speech by Jawaharlal Nehru, “Tryst with destiny.” India's freedom struggle has always been an inspiration to the work as it was the most non-violent campaign in the world.

The great British rule over India came to an end with the powers transferred to the newly independent entities Pakistan and India. Lord Mountbatten became the first governor-general of the new Dominion of India and Jawaharlal Nehru became the first prime minister of Independent India. The Constituent Assembly that was set up in 1946 became the Parliament of Indian Dominion.

   

Significance: This day reminds us of all the sacrifices that were made by our freedom fighters in order to set India free from British rule. 15th August is a national holiday and the day is then celebrated with flag hoisting, parades and cultural events.

              

INDAIN NATIONL FLAG

The national flag is the depiction of a country’s social, economic and political values. A national flag of a country is a national honour. It carries the values on which the mere foundation of that nation depends. Indian National Flag is of utmost importance for the people of India and holds much spiritual value for them.

It is the roof under which the feeling of nationalism and patriotism flourishes. It represents the hopes and aspiration for the citizen of its country and a symbol of national pride. It is not just a piece of cloth, but a feeling of pride which helps the soldiers to sacrifice their lives just keep it flying high in the sky. "A flag is a necessity for all nations. Millions have died for it. It is no doubt a kind of idolatry which would be a sin to destroy. For, a flag represents an Ideal The unfurling of the Union Jack evokes in the English breast sentiments whose strength it is difficult to measure. The Stars and Stripes mean a world to the Americans. The Star and the Crescent will call forth the best bravery in Islam." "It will be necessary for us Indians Muslims, Christians Jews, Parsis, and all others to whom India is their home-to recognize a common flag to live and to die for." - Mahatma Gandhi

  

Who designed the flag of India? The design of the flag of India that was first presented in 1921 to Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the All-India Congress, was created by Pingali (or Pinglay) Venkayya. It consisted of the colours associated with the two principal religions, red for Hindus and green for Muslims. In India, the term "tricolour" refers to the Indian national flag. The National flag of India is a horizontal tricolor of Saffron colour shows courage, sacrifice, and renunciation. White colour shows truth and purity in thoughts and dark green is the symbol of life prosperity.

The Ashok Chakra can be seen on the Indian National flag, where it is rendered in a navy blue colour on a white background. The Ashoka Chakra has 24 spokes which inspire every Indian to work tirelessly for 24 hours.

       

The Ashoka Chakra is the depiction of the “Dharmachakra”; represented with 24 spokes. Ashok Chakra is also called the wheel of duty. Writing in his journal, Young India, Mahatma Gandhi first spoke about the need for an Indian flag in 1921. He proposed a flag with the charkha or spinning wheel at the centre. The idea of the spinning wheel was put forth by Lala Hansraj, and Gandhi commissioned Pingali Venkayya to design a flag on a red and green banner. The flag underwent some changes and became the official flag of the Congress at the 1931 meeting.

 

There are 24 spokes in the Ashoka Chakra which represents 24 qualities of a person. In other words, these spokes can be termed as the 24 religious paths made for humans. All the paths mentioned in the Ashok Chakra will lead any country on the path of progress. This is probably the reason that designers of our National Flag removed the Charkha from it and put the Ashok Chakra in the middle of the flag. The wheel is called the Ashoka Chakra because it appears on a number of edicts of Ashoka, the most prominent among which is the Lion Capital of Ashoka. 6. Each spoke on the chakra symbolises one principle of life and also the twenty-four hours in the day, which is why it is also called the 'Wheel of Time'.

  

Importance of Indian National Flag

National Flag is a symbol of freedom or self-rule. National Flag is a symbol of national pride. It is the symbol of the political development of India. It provides spiritual guidance to the people of India. It is a symbol of united India. It signifies the rule of self-governance of the Nation. The national flag reminds us of the courage and sacrifice of freedom fighters. It also teaches us to be grateful to Mother India for sustaining our needs. Our national flag is an inspiration to live in peace and harmony with all living beings. The flag displays as a symbol of National joy on National festivals.

  

Code of Conduct for National Flag:

Being a national symbol it is respected by every Indian. There are certain dos and don'ts laid down for common people regarding the Indian flag: When the National Flag is raised the saffron colour band should be at the top. No flag or emblem should be placed either above the National Flag or to its right. All other flags to be placed to the left of the National Flag if they are hung in a line. When the National Flag is carried out in a procession or parade, it shall be on the marching right or in front of the center of the line, if there is a line of other flags.

Normally the National Flag should be flown over important government buildings like the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the Parliament House, the Supreme Court of India, the High Courts, the Secretariats, the Commissioners' office, etc. The National Flag or any imitation of it must not be used for the purpose of trade, business, or profession. The National Flag should always be taken down in the evening at sunset.

 

Celebrations on Indian Independence Day: The national anthem is sung on this day, flag-rising ceremonies and drills are also conducted in every corner of the country. Indians make an effort to dress in a specific way to celebrate their nation and culture. Kite flying is another tradition that is followed on Independence Day with people of all age groups as participants.

  

It represents the freedom that we achieved on this day. The Prime Minister of our country hoists our flag at the Red Fort in Old Delhi. A parade with members of the army and police also takes place. A speech to the nation is delivered by the PM where he speaks on the country's accomplishments in all these years. The prime minister then delivers a televised address to the country, recounting the major accomplishments of India during the previous year and outlining future challenges and goals.

  

In 2007, APJ Abdul Kalam Inspiring Speech on India at European ParliamentAbdul Kalam India's Missile man and former president gave this inspiring speech on india. The speech would be one of the most memorable ones by Kalam. “i am reminded of the dream of the indian poet kaniyan poongundranar who articulated 3,000 years back in tamil classic Purananuru , he says “yaadhum oore yaavarum kelir” which means, which means, ‘I am a world citizen. Every citizen is my own kith and kin’. He said that 3000 years ago. Where there is righteousness in the heart. There is beauty in the character. When there is beauty in the character, There is harmony in the home. When there is harmony in the home, There is order in the nation. When there is order in the nation, There is peace in the world.’

        

All I desire for my country is happiness. Let me be the first person to wish you a special Happy Independence Day! Let's salute our great nation on its Independence Day! I hope you all feel grateful for the freedom you have and are proud of the nation you were born to. JAI HIND!

WHOSE FORESTS -TEXT

WHOSE FORESTS

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

CBSE-V

Daughter of the jungle

Look at the picture. Where do you think these children are off to, with little bundles on their sticks? When you find out you too would want to go with them!

The children are going to the forest. There they jump, run, climb trees and sing songs in their language called Kuduk. They pick the fallen flowers and leaves, to weave them into necklaces.

They enjoy the wild fruits. They look for birds, whose calls they imitate. Joining them in all this fun is their favourite didi – Suryamani. Every Sunday Suryamani takes the children to the forest.

As they move around, she shows them how to recognize the trees, the plants, and animals. Children enjoy this special class in a forest! Suryamani always says, “To learn to read the forest is as important as reading books.”

She says,”We are forest people (adivasis). Our lives are linked to the forests. If the forests are not there, we too will not remain.”

Suryamani’s story is a true story. Suryamani is a ‘Girl Star’. ‘Girl Stars’ is a project which tells extraordinary tales of ordinary girls, who have changed their lives by going to school.

Growing Up

Suryamani loves the forest since she was a child. She would not take the direct road to school, but would choose the path through the forest. Suryamani’s father had a small field.

Her family used to collect leaves and herbs from the forest and sell these in the bazaar. Her mother would weave baskets from bamboo or make leaf plates out of the fallen leaves.

But now no one can pick up a single leaf from the forest. That is since Shambhu the contractor came there. The people of Suryamani’s village were afraid of the contractor.

Everyone except Budhiyamai. She would say, “We the people of this forest have a right over it. We look after our forests, we don't cut trees like these contractors do. The forest is like our ‘collective bank’ – not yours or mine alone. We take from it only as much as we need. We don’t use up all our wealth.”

Suryanani’s father could no longer support the family on the small land. He moved to the town in search of work. But things did not improve. Sometimes there would be no food in the house.

At times Maniya Chacha (uncle) would send some grain from his small shop to Suryamani’s house. Chacha tried hard and got admission for Suryamani in the school in Bishanpur.

Here they would not have to pay for the fees, uniforms and books. Suryamani would have to stay there and study. Suryamani didn't want to leave her village and forest. But Maniya Chacha was firm.

“If you do not study, what will you do? Go hungry?” Suryamani would argue, “Why should I go hungry? The jungle is there to help!” Chacha tried

to explain, “But we are being moved away from our forests.

Even the forests are disappearing – in their place mines are being dug, dams are being built. Believe me, it is important for you to study, to understand about the laws. Maybe then you can help to save our forests”. Young Suryamani listened, and tried to understand some of what he said

Suryamani’s journey:

Suryamani was filled with joy on seeing the school at Bishanpur. The school was near a thick forest. Suryamani studied hard and passed her B.A. after getting a scholarship.

She was the first girl in the village to do this. While she was in college she met Vasavi didi, a journalist. Suryamani soon joined her to work for the Jharkhand Jungle Bachao Andolan (Movement to Save the Forests of Jharkhand).

This work took Suryamani to far off towns and cities. Her father did not like this. But Suryamani continued her work. Not only that, she also started to fight for the rights of the village people. Her childhood friend Bijoy helped her in this work.

Suryamani had another friend ‘Mirchi’, who stayed with her day and night. Suryamani would share all her thoughts and dreams with Mirchi. Mirchi would listen and say “Keee Keee.” Suryamani had a dream. for her Kuduk community. She wanted all her people to feel proud of being adivasis.

Suryamani’s Torang:

Suryamani was 21 when she opened a centre, with the help of Vasavi didi and others. She called it ‘Torang’, which means jungle in the Kuduk language.

Suryamani wanted that on festivals people should sing their own songs. They should not forget their music and should enjoy wearing their traditional clothes.

Children should also learn about herbs, medicines, and the art of making things from bamboo. Children should learn the language of school but must link it with their own language.

All this happens in the ‘Torang’ centre. Many special books about the Kuduk community and other adivasis have been collected. Flutes and different types of drums are also kept there.

Whenever something is unfair, or if someone is afraid that his land and livelihood would be taken away, they turn to Suryamani. Suryamani fights for everyone’s rights.

Suryamani and Bijoy have got married and work together. Today their work is praised by many people. She is invited, even to other countries, to share her experiences. People of her area are also raising their voice for a new forest law.

Right to Forest Act 2007

People who have been living in the forests for at least 25 years, have a right over the forest land and what is grown on it. They should not be removed from the forest.

The work of protecting the forest should be done by their Gram Sabha. A forest is everything for us adivasis. We can’t live away from the forests even for a day. Government has started many projects in the name of development – dams and factories are being built.

Forests, which are ours are being taken away from us. Because of these projects, we need to think where the forest people will go and what will happen to their livelihood?

Where will the lakhs of animals living in the forests go? If there are no forests, and we dig out our lands for minerals like aluminium, what will be left? Only polluted air, water, and miles and miles of barren land...

Lottery for farming in Mizoram:

You read about the forests of Jharkhand in Suryamani’s story. Now read about forests on the hills of Mizoram. See how people live there, and

how farming is done.

Ding, Ding, Ding.... As soon as the school bell rang Lawmte-aa, Dingi, Dingima picked their bags and hurried home. On the way they stopped to drink water from a stream in a cup made of bamboo which was kept there.

Today not only the children, even ‘Saima Sir’ was in a hurry to get back. Today there would be a special meeting of the Village Council (Panchayat). At the meeting there would be a lottery to decide which family will get how much land for farming.

The land belongs to the whole village, not to separate people. So they take turns to do farming on different parts of the land. A beautiful pot made of bamboo was shaken well. One chit was taken out. Saima Sir’s family got the first chance.

He said, “I am happy that my family gets to choose first. But, this year we cannot take more land. Last year I had taken more and was not able to farm it well. After my sister Jhiri got married and went away it is difficult to manage farming alone.”

Saima Sir asked for ‘three tin’ of land. Little Mathini asked, “ What is three tin of land? Chamui explained, “The land on which we grow one tin of seeds is called one tin of land.” One by one, the village families got their piece of land for farming.

Jhoom farming:

Jhoom farming is very interesting. After cutting one crop, the land is left as it is for some years. Nothing is grown there. The bamboo or weeds which grow on that land are not pulled out. They are cut and burnt.

The ash makes the land fertile. While burning, care is taken so that the fire does not spread to the other parts of the forest. When the land is ready for farming it is lightly dug up, not ploughed.

Seeds are dropped on it. In one farm different types of crops like maize, vegetables, chillies, rice can be grown. Weeds and other unwanted plants are also not pulled out, they are just cut. So that they get mixed with the soil.

This also helps in making the soil fertile. If some family is not able to do farming on time, others help them and are given food.

The main crop here is rice. After it is cut, it is difficult to take it home. There are no roads, only hilly paths. People have to carry the crop on their

backs. This takes many weeks. When the work is over the entire village celebrates.

 People get together to cook and eat, sing and dance. They do their special ‘cheraw’ dance. In this dance people sit in pairs in front of each other, holding bamboo sticks on the ground.

As the drum beats, the bamboos are beaten to the ground. Dancers step in and out of the bamboo sticks, and dance to the beat.

Find out more about the ‘cheraw’ dance. Do it in your class. But be careful and don’t hurt yourself. About three-fourth people in Mizoram are linked to the forests.

Life is difficult but almost all children go to school. You can see some of them here, playfully blowing their leaf whistles! You too have made many such whistles, haven’t you!

THANKYOU,

NANDITHA AKUNURI

A SEED TELLS A FARMER’S STORY - TEXT

A SEED TELLS A FARMER’S STORY

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

CBSE-V

I am a small seed!

I am a small bajra seed. I have stayed in this beautiful wooden box since 1940. I want to tell you my story. This is a long story but not mine alone. It is also the story of my farmer Damjibhai and his family. If I do not tell my story now, it might be too late!

I was born in Vangaam in Gujarat. That year there was a good bajra (millet) crop. There was a festive mood in the village. Our area was famous for its grain and vegetables.

Each year Damjibhai kept aside some seeds from a good crop. This way

our bajra family went on from one generation to another. Good seeds were stored in dried gourd (lauki ) which was coated with mud.

But that year Damjibhai himself made a strong wooden box to store us. He put in neem leaves to protect us from insects. He put different seeds in different compartments of the box. That was our beautiful home!

In those days Damjibhai and his cousins lived together. It was a large family. Everyone in the village helped each other, even in farming. When

the crop was ready and harvested, everyone celebrated together.

Oh! Those wonderful days! With big feasts and lots to eat! In the winter, it would be time to enjoy the undhiya (a kind of stew). All the vegetables were put into a clay pot, along with fresh spices. The pot was sealed and kept between hot coals. The vegetables cooked slowly in this special cooker, on the fields.

Oh, I forgot, the pot was placed upside down! That is why the dish was called undhiya or “upside down” in Gujarati. Undhiya would be eaten with bajra rotis, freshly cooked on the chulha. Oh, what an earthy delicious flavour!

Along with that, home-made butter, curd and buttermilk was served.

Farmers would grow many different kinds of crops – grains and vegetables according to the season. The farmers kept enough for their needs and sold the rest to shopkeepers from the city.

Some farmers also grew cotton. At home, family members spun cotton on a charkha (spinning wheel) to make cloth.

When times changed:

Over the years, many changes took place in the village. Some places could get water from the canal. They said the canal brought water from far away – where a dam had been built on a big river.

Then electricity came. Switch on the button and there was light! People found that only one or two crops, like wheat and cotton, got better prices in the market.

So most farmers began to grow only these. Soon we – old friends bajra and jowar, and also vegetables – were forgotten and dismissed, even from

Damjibhai’s fields! Farmers even began to buy seeds from the market.

People said they were new kinds of seeds. So farmers did not need to store seeds from the old crop.

Now people in the village cooked and ate together only on very special days. As they ate, they would remember how tasty the food used to be in the past – fresh from the fields.

When the seeds have changed, how could food ever taste the same! Damjibhai was getting old. His son Hasmukh looked after the fields and the family. Hasmukh was making a lot of money from farming. He rebuilt the old house.

He brought new machines for farming. He used an electric motor to pump water. He bought a motorcycle to go to the city easily and also a tractor to plough the field. The tractor could do in a day, what the bullocks would take many days to do.

Hasmukh would say, “Now we are farming wisely. We grow only what we can sell in the market at a good price. With profits from our fields we can improve our life.

We can make progress.” Lying forgotten in the wooden box, I and

the other seeds had our doubts. Is all this really progress? There is no longer any need for seeds like us, and animals like the bullocks. After the tractor has come, even people who worked on the fields, are no longer needed. How will they earn money? What will they live on?

More and more expenses:

The next twenty years saw even more changes. Without cows and buffaloes, there was no cow dung, to be used in the fields as fertilizer. Hasmukh had to buy expensive fertilizer.

The new kinds of seeds were such that the crops were easily affected by harmful insects. Medicines had to be sprayed on the crops to keep away

the insects.

Oh, what a bad smell these had, and how expensive they were! The canal water was not enough for the new crops. All the farmers used pumps to lift

water from deep under the ground.

To meet all these expenses, loans had to be taken from the bank. Whatever little profit was made, was used to repay the loan. But there was little profit!

Everyone was growing cotton, so the cotton prices were not as high as before. The soil itself was no longer the same. Growing the same crop

over and over, and using so many chemicals, had affected the soil so much that now nothing could grow well there.

It was becoming difficult to earn a living by farming alone. Hasmukh too changed with the times. He is often tense and angry most of the time. His educated son Paresh did not want to do farming. He now started work as a truck driver.

After all, the bank loans still had to be repaid. Often Paresh doesn’t come home for days. At times he is away for a week. Two days back when he came home, Paresh started looking for something.

“Ba”, he asked his mother, “Where is Dadaji’s wooden seed box? It will be useful to keep the screws and tools for the truck.” Now do you understand why I told you my story?

Read the report from a newspaper and discuss it:

Tuesday, 18 December 2007, Andhra Pradesh Farmers in Andhra Pradesh have been sent to jail for not being able to pay back their loans.

They had suffered a big loss in farming. One of these farmers, Nallappa Reddy, had taken a bank loan of Rs. 24,000. To repay the loan, he had to take another loan from a private moneylender, at a very high rate of interest.

Even after repaying Rs. 34,000 Reddy could not repay the entire loan. Reddy says, “The bank sends farmers to jail for not paying back small loans. But what about the big businessmen? They take loans of crores of rupees.

Nothing happens to them when they do not return the money!” Nallappa Reddy’s story is shared by thousands of farmers in India who are suffering huge losses.

The situation is so bad that many farmers see no way out of this except to commit suicide. According to government figures 1,50,000 farmers have died like this between 1997 and 2005. This number may be much higher...

Bhaskarbhai’s Farm (Dehri village, Gujarat)

As we entered his farm, we were surprised. There were dead leaves, wild plants, and grass everywhere! Some of the tree branches seemed so dry, as if eaten by insects. At places we saw some plants with colourful leaves.

Why these? Bhaskarbhai said they were croton plants which gave him a signal when the soil became dry. We were surprised! How? He explained that the roots of the croton do not go deep in the ground.

So when the top layer of the soil becomes dry, the croton leaves bend and become limp. This signal tells Bhaskarbhai which part of his farm needs to be watered.

We found the soil soft and crumbly. We could see tall coconut trees, full of fresh coconuts. We thought he must be using some special fertilisers.

Bhaskarbhai said he does not buy fertilisers made in factories.

His soil is fertile because of all the dried leaves which slowly rot and mix with it. He dug the soil a little and told us to look. We saw thousands of earthworms! “These are my soil's best friends”, he said.

The earthworms soften the soil as they keep digging underneath to make tunnels. This way air and water can easily get into the soil. The earthworms also eat the dead leaves and plants, and their droppings fertilise the soil.

Pravin told us about his uncle in the city, who has dug a pit in his garden. He puts dried leaves in the pit, along with all the kitchen waste – peels of vegetables and fruits, and leftover food. He also has earthworms in the pit.

They turn the waste into compost (a natural fertiliser). So his uncle gets good fertiliser without spending extra money. We all had some fresh coconuts from the farm. They were really tasty! We also learnt so much about a new way of farming! Group members : Praful, Hansa, Krutika, Chakki, Praveen, Class–5C

Journey of a bajra seed–from a field to a plate

What can you see in each picture on the next page?

In picture 2 you can see the bajra cobs in the mortar (okhli, usedfor crushing). The cobs are crushed with a pestle (moosli ) andthe seeds are separated from the cob.

You can see the separatedseeds in picture 3. Now this work is also done by big machines,like threshers. We call both these as different ‘technologies’ –using our hands or big machines – to crush the seeds.

THAKYOU,

NANDITHA AKUNURI

HOME AND ABOARD_(TEXT)

HOME AND ABOARD

AENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

CBSE-IV

Today, there was a lot of activity at Maalu’s house. Chittappan and his family were coming home after five years. Chittappan had got a job in a country called Abu Dhabi five years ago.

Since then he had lived there. Maalu and her Appa went to the airport to receive them. 

After the plane landed, the passengers had to wait for some time to collect their luggage.

At last Chittappan, Kunjamma and their two children could be seen coming out. “How big Shanta and Sashi have grown,” Appa said. 

Many  suitcases and bags were fitted into the taxi and everyone was on the way to Maalu’s house. “Shanta, you must be very tired after your long journey, Appa told me that Abu Dhabi is another country, far from India,” said Maalu.

Chittappan – Father’s younger brother in Malayalam. Kunjamma – Father’s younger brother’s wife in Malayalam. “We are not tired. Even though it is far, our flight took only two hours,” said Shanta. “The plane flies very fast.” Maalu was surprised.

She remembered that when she had gone on a school trip to Chennai, they had spent almost 12 hours in the train. And on the map, Kochi and Chennai seemed quite near.

Maalu, Shanta and Sashi chatted all the way home from the airport. Maalu remembered how much fun she had on her school trips. She wanted Shanta to tell them all about her trip from Abu Dhabi.

Dust All Around!

“Did you see many interesting things from the plane?” asked Maalu.

“Most of the time we saw only clouds because the plane was flying so high, even higher than the clouds,” said Shanta.

“But before it went so high, we could see that we were flying over sandy areas. It was sand but the colour of the sand kept changing – white, brown, yellow, red, black.

We saw mountains made only of sand.”  “They are called sand dunes,” added Sashi. “I have seen sand only at the seashore,” said Maalu. “Then you should come to visit us,” said Chittappan.

“The countries around Abu Dhabi are located in a desert area. Even if one drives a little away from the city, one can see miles and miles of sand – no trees, no greenery – just sand.”

“I used to dream of the thick greenery and cool water around our home in Kerala,” said Kunjamma. “I am so happy to see all this after such a long time.”

“The children have almost forgotten how it feels when it rains. You know it almost never rains in desert areas,” said Chittappan. “Water is really very precious over there. No rain, no rivers, no lakes, no ponds.

Even below the ground there is no water.” “But,” added Sashi, “there is a lot of oil under the sandy soil. So petrol is easily available in these countries.” “In fact petrol is cheaper than water,” said Chittappan.

By this time the taxi had reached Maalu’s house. Shanta and Sashi were surprised to see so many fruit trees– coconuts, bananas, jackfruit, papaya, betelnut … so many kind of trees!

Sashi said, “We used to see only one kind of tree there – the date palms – because it is the only one that can grow in the desert. The date is the

most common fruit.”

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After they had met everyone, Kunjamma unpacked their bags. They had brought gifts for everyone.

They gave dates for everyone to eat. The dates were very sweet and tasty.

Sashi showed Maalu some notes and coins. Shanta explained that the money they used in Abu Dhabi was different and was called Dirham.

It had some writings in their local language – Arabic. They also showed many photographs of the place where they lived. Chitappan gave Maalu a globe. He said, “Maalu, why don’t you locate Abu Dhabi on this? Locate Kerala also.”

The children enjoyed playing with the globe and looking for different places on the globe. Maalu found Chennai and Kochi also. 

In the evening everyone sat in the verandah, enjoying the breeze and looking at the photographs.

They saw that in Abu Dhabi the buildings were tall with many storeys and big glass windows. Maalu said, “You must be getting nice cool breeze

through the big windows.” Chittappan said, “We cannot open the windows because of the heat. It is air-conditioned inside where everyone stays.

As the weather is very hot, people wear loose cotton clothes and keep themselves fully covered – even the head is covered. This protects them from the strong

sun.”

Maalu enjoyed looking at the pictures and finding out about the other country from her cousins. She constantly kept comparing her city with the things that they described about Abu Dhabi. She decided that she would make a project report about Abu Dhabi for her class.

THANKYOU,

NANDITHA