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Monday, December 21, 2020
Sunday, March 6, 2016
ON THE MOVE AGAIN- TEXT
ON THE MOVE
AGAIN
ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES
CBSE-V
Dhanu’sDhanu’s
village
Today
all the relatives have come to Dhanu’s house to celebrate Dushera. They have come
with their luggage in their bullockcarts. Dhanu’s father is the eldest in the
family.
So
all the festivals are celebrated at their house. Dhanu’s mother (aai ),
mother’s brother’s wife (mami ) and father’s brother’s wife (kaki ) are busy
making puranpoli (sweet rotis made from jaggery and gram).
Alongwith
this a spicy kadi dish is also made. The day passes in laughing and chatting.
But by evening everyone’s mood changes. The women and children begin to pack
their luggage.
The
men sit down with the mukadam (agent who lends money) for the meeting. The
mukadam gives the details of the loan taken by each family.
Then
the talks for the next few months begin. The mukadam explains to the villagers
in which areas they would go for the next six months. He also gives them some
money as loan, for their expenses. Ever since Dhanu remembers, this has been the
routine.
Families
like Dhanu’s work on the lands of big farmers till Dushera, before the rainy
season. Many other families also work on such lands. They earn just enough
money to keep them going through these months.
But
how to manage the remaining six months, when there is no rain, and no work in
the fields? So, everyone borrows mone from the mukadam. To pay back this money,
they have to work for the mukadam. Mukadam is an agent for sugarcane factories.
He helps them to find work in sugarcane fields.
In
the next few months, Dhanu, his parents, his kaka (father’s brother) and his
two elder children, his mama, mami and their two daughters, and forty-fifty
other families from the village will stay away from home.
In
these six months, Dhanu and many children like him will not be able to go to school.
Dhanu’s old grandmother, aunt who cannot see, and two-month old cousin sister
would stay back in the village.
In
other homes too the old and the ill people stay behind. Dhanu misses his
grandmother a lot. Dhanu always keeps wondering
who will take care of his grandmother! But, what can Dhanu do?
After
Dushera:
The
caravan of these families would now settle near the sugarcane fields and sugar
factories. For six months they would stay in their huts made of dry sugarcane
and its leaves.
The
men will get up early in the morning and go to cut sugarcanes in the fields.
The women and children tie the bundles of sugarcane. Then the bundles are taken
to the sugar factory.
Dhanu
often goes with his father. Sometimes, they spend nights outside the factory on
bullock-carts. There, Dhanu plays with the bullocks and wanders around.
At
the factory, Dhanu’s father gets the sugarcane weighed and takes a receipt (a
note to say how much sugarcane they have given). They show this receipt to the
agent who then keeps an account of their loan.
The
agent also gives them some money for the next week’s expenses. Then Dhanu’s aai
and mami take thechildren to the nearby village market, to buy atta (flour) and
oil for the next week.
Sometimes
mami buys laddoos or some sweets for the children. She also buys pencils, an
eraser and a notebook for Dhanu. After all he is mami’s favorite! But Dhanu
won’t be using these for six months, because he won’t be going to school.
Mami
wants Dhanu to study and become somebody in life. She does not want Dhanu to
move around with his family like this. mama and mami tell Dhanu’s parents,
“Next time when we leave our village after Dushera we will leave Dhanu with his
dadi and chachi.
He
will go to school like the other children in the village. He should continue
his
studies. He should study further and become somebody.”
THANKYOU,
NANDITHA
AKUNURI
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER -TEXT
LIKE FATHER,
LIKE DAUGHTER
ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES
CBSE-V
Aaa
chhee!
Ashima
was sitting near the window and reading. It was windy and there was a lot of
dust in the air. Suddenly Ashima sneezed loudly—aaa chhee!
Ashima’s
parents were sorting out vegetables in the kitchen. Her mother said, “She
sneezes just like you do. If you were not here, I would have thought it was
your sneeze.”
Tell
Does
your face or anything else look similar to that of someone else in your family?
What is it? Did someone tell you this or did you find it out yourself? How do
you feel when people compare you with someone else in your family? Why do you
feel so? Who laughs the loudest in your family? Laugh like that person.
Who
is whose aunt?
Nilima
had gone to the house of her nani (mother’s mother) in the school holidays. She
saw someone coming and went to tell her mother, “Amma, a mausi (mother's
sister) has come to meet you.”
Her
mother came out to see who had come. She told Nilima, “No, this is not your
mausi ! She is your sister Kiran. You know your eldest nani ? Kiran is the
daughter of her elder son. Kiran is your cousin sister. In fact, you are her
cute son Samir’s mausi !”
How
we are all related!
Nilima
started playing with Samir. Her mother called Kiran and said, “See, my Nilima’s
hair is a lot like yours – thick, curly and black. It’s good she does not have
hair like mine – straight, limp and brown!”
Nilima’s
nani laughed and said, “Yes, isn’t it strange? We sisters had thick curly hair
and now our second generation has similar hair.” Nilima was listening to all
this. She thought, “We are called ‘distant’ relatives, but, how closely related
we are in many ways!”
Is
this a mirror?
Look
at the next page. Is Saroja standing in front of a mirror? No, this is her
twin! Did you get confused? Their mother's brother (mama) also gets confused
when he sees them together.
At
times Saroja gets scolded for mischief done by Suvasini. Sometimes Suvasini
tricks her mama and says, “Suvasini has gone out.” But now mama has learnt a
trick. He says – Sing a song in Marathi ! Why this funny trick?
Read
about them and you will understand. The sisters were just two weeks old when Saroja's
father's brother's wife (chachi) adopted her and took her to Pune.
Everyone in chachi's house is very fond of
music. Mornings begin with music in the house. Saroja knows many songs in both languages
– Tamil and Marathi.
At
home everyone speaks Tamil and at school most children speak in Marathi. Suvasini
stays with her father in Chennai. Her father is a karate coach.
Since
she was three, Suvasini started doing karate with the other children. On
holidays, both father and daughter start practicing in the morning. Saroja and
Suvasini look alike but are also quite different.
Do
you now know why mama has his way of finding out who is who? Saroja and
Suvasini look a lot like each other yet are different. For example, Saroja
knows two languages.
If
Suvasini's family also talked in two languages she could also learn both. We
learn many things like language, music, love for reading, or knitting, when we
get a chance and an environment to do so.
This
from the family
Do
this interesting survey in your class. Write how many children can do this :
1.
Without touching your teeth fold your tongue towards the back of your mouth.
2.
Roll your tongue by lifting it from the sides.
3.
Open all the toes of your feet. Now without moving the others, move the little
toe.
4.
Touch the thumb to your wrist.
5.
Make a ‘V’ by separating two fingers of your hand to each side.
6.
Move your ears, without holding them. Those children who could do any of these
should ask their family members also to do so. So, how many children have got
this trait from their family?
But
not this from parents...
Satti
was only a few months old when one of her legs was affected by polio. But she
never let this come in the way of her work and her life.
Walking
long distances and climbing many stairs has been a
part
of her work. Now Satti is married. Some people tell her not to have any
children. She is also worried that her children may also get polio. She spoke
to a doctor about this.
Experiments
with peas – rough or smooth?
Gregor
Mendel was born in a poor farmer’s family in Austria in 1822. He was very fond
of studies but the very thought of examinations made him nervous (Oh! you too
feel the same!). He did not have money to study at the University so he thought
of becoming a ‘monk’ in a monastery.
He
thought from there he would be sent to study further. Which he was. But to
become a science teacher he had to take an exam. Oh no! he got so nervous that
he kept running away from the exam, and kept failing!
But
he did not stop doing experiments. For seven years he did experiments on 28,000
plants in the garden of the monastery. He worked hard, collected many
observations, and made a new discovery! Something which scientists at that time
could not even understand!
They
understood it many years after his death, when other scientists did such
experiments and read what Mendel had already written. What did Mendel find in
those plants? He found that the pea plant has some traits which come in pairs.
Like the seed is either rough or smooth. It is
either yellow or green, and the height of the plant is either tall or short. Nothing
in between. The next generation (the children) of a plant which has either
rough or smooth seeds will also have seeds which are rough or smooth.
There
is no seed which is mixed a bit smooth
and a bit rough. He found the same with colour. Seeds which are either green or
yellow give rise to new seeds which are either green or yellow.
The
next generation does not have seeds with a mixed new colour made from both
green and
yellow.
Mendel showed that in the next generation of
pea plants there will be more plants having yellow seeds. He also showed that
the next generation will have more plants with smooth seeds. What a discovery!
Some
from the family, some from the environment From a distance Vibha knows that her
nana (grandfather) is coming – from his loud laughter. Nana also talks loudly
and hears with difficulty. Are there people in your house who talk loudly?
Is
it their habit, or they cannot also hear very well? Are there times when you do
not talk loudly in front of some people? When? With whom? Why? When can you
speak loudly?
Some
people use a machine in their ear to help them hear better. Some use a stick or
spectcles to help them in other ways. Do you know someone who does so?
We
have seen that some traits or habits we get from our family. Some things and
skills we learn from our environment. At times our abilities change because of
some illness or old age. All these together make us what we are!
THANKYOU,
NANDITHA
AKUNURI.
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
ACROSS THE WALL - TEXT
ACROSS THE WALL
ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES
CBSE-V
Stars
in her eyes (Indian Express, 2007)
Just
13 years old, Afsana Mansuri has already jumped over the wall. The wall between
her jhuggi and the local basketball court. The wall made by society, for a girl
who washes utensils for a living.
The
gender wall her mother had put up for her. Today, Afsana herself has become a strong
wall of NBA, the Nagpada Basketball Association of Mumbai.
Today,
she is the source of strength for five other girls who have come to the
basketball court, leaving behind the problems of their everyday lives.
Today,
she is the star of a young team. This team has managed to surprise some of
Mumbai’s club teams. With a lot of guts and courage, the team has reached the
semi-finals of a district-level tournament.
Meeting
the team
We
read in the newspaper about Afsana and the Nagpada basketball team. We thought
of meeting these girls and introducing them to you. We took the train and got
off at Mumbai’s Victoria Terminus Station (railway station). From there we
walked towards Nagpada. It took us just twenty minutes to reach there.
There
we met Afsana and the other girls of the Nagpada Basketball Association. Read
the interview with the team members.
Meet
this special team!
Meet
Afsana, Zarin, Khushnoor and Afreen. At first the girls were
quiet,
but once they started, they just did not stop!
Zarin
began, “My house is just in front of this ground. My brother used to play here.
I would stand in my balcony and watch the boys play. I was in Class VII at that
time. Whenever the boys played a match, many people came to watch.
The
winning team got a lot of praise. Everyone cheered the players. On
seeing
all this, I wished I could also play. Would I too get a chance to show my
talent? I asked the coach, but was afraid. He is a good friend of my father.
The
coach said, “Why not? If you bring some more girls, you can
make
a team. Then I will teach you.”
We
asked – Was it easy to make a beginning?
Khushnoor:
At first my parents refused. But when I insisted they agreed.
Afsana:
My mother works in the flats and sends us to school. I also help her. When I
told her about my plans to play basketball, Ammi got angry.
She
said, “Girls do not play basketball. Do your work, go to school and study hard.
No need to go to the ground to play.” But when my friends and Coach Sir talked
to her, Ammi agreed.
Afreen
: We were not allowed, because we are girls. My grandmother gets very angry
with all of us. But still, we three sisters come here to play. Grandmother
scolds us and even scolds our Coach Sir!
She
tells us, “You need proper equipment to play. You need to have a lot of milk
for strength. Where will the money for all this come from?” But daddy
understands our feelings. He even teaches us some special moves used in the game.
My
daddy also used to play on this ground when he was young. He did not have
proper shoes or clothes. He used to practice with a plastic ball.
Daddy
tells us that Bacchu Khan was the coach when he used to play. He saw my daddy
playing once. He realised that the boy played very well and that he should be
trained properly.
He
gave proper shoes and clothes to my daddy. My daddy could have become a very
good player. But because of his responsibilities at home, he
left
the game and took up a job. So he wants us to play and become good players.
We
asked – Tell us about your team
One
girl: We felt a bit strange in the beginning. We were the first girls’ team
here. People used to come and watch us practicing.
They
were curious to see how girls would play basketball. Now people are no longer
surprised. They have begun to accept that we girls can also play well.
Afsana:
I was eleven years old when we first started playing. At that time we were not
allowed to go anywhere else to play a match.
It
has been two years since then. Now we go to other places also for matches. But
all this could happen only because of our hard work and Sir’s coaching.
Another
girl : Yes, we really work hard. Sir is also very strict. We first jog together
and then do our exercises. Sir teaches us how to play the game well. We
practice how to keep the ball with us, to dodge the players of the other team,
how to throw the ball in the basket, to score a goal, to pass the ball well,
and to run fast on court.
Afreen:
Sir says, “While playing, don’t think you are girls. Play like a player. Keep playing
even if you get a little injured.” We support each other and say – Come on, get
up, you will be fine!” Now our game has improved a lot. Everyone says that we
play as well as the boys’ team.
One
girl: We also play with boys’ teams. We want them to play with us as equals.
They should not be lenient because we are girls. Sometimes we get angry when
the boys imitate us. But we take it as a challenge and correct our mistakes. If
the boys try to cheat, we scold them!
We
said – Tell us more about your team.
One
girl : Our team is very special. Our team is united. Even if we quarrel, we
quickly make up and forget about it. Here we have learnt how to stay and play together.
Some of the girls from our team got a chance to play as part of the Mumbai
team. The match was at Sholapur.
Zarin
: When we went to Sholapur we found that the team had girls from different
parts of the state. They did not talk to us nicely and treated us like juniors.
They would not even give us a chance to play properly. We felt very bad. There
was no cooperation at all in that team.
During
the match I threw the ball to one of the team members. But she could not catch
it. In turn, she started scolding me, blaming me for the mistake. In all this
misunderstanding we lost the match.
But
this never happens in our own team. If we do miss a basket
because
of someone’s mistake, we do not get angry. We say, “Never
mind,
next time we will do better!” It is most important to support each other,
because we are all part of a team.
Afreen:
After playing in Sholapur we realized what was special about our team.
Cooperation between us is our strength. We understand and support each
otherwell.
Even if every player is excellent, the team
can lose a match if all do not play together as a team. To play as a team it is
important to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
We
said – You have done so much. What next?
Afsana:
We have been playing well. So we have got a chance to go to many places. We have
played for our city and our state. We hope to work hard and play for our
country some day.
Yes,
then we will also be popular like the cricketers! We all want to play well. We
should bring glory to our area and our country. We want to show that the Indian
girls team can win a gold medal! We will make this happen.
We
asked – Did you face some other difficulties?
Khushnoor:
To tell the truth, we have not got all this very easily. As girls, even to be
able to start playing was difficult.
We
had to convince our families. Sometimes we even had to fight. Even today not
many girls can play like this. Forget games, earlier some people did not even
allow girls to study.
My
mother wanted to do many things, but she never got a chance. So my mother
encourages me to take part in all activities – like games, swimming and drama.
Afsana:
Even now, we are supposed to go home as soon as we finish playing. The boys go
here and there, and can chitchat till late. No one says anything. After coming
from school, I help my mother with the cleaning work in two or three houses, do
my studies and then come here to play. I also help at home. If my brother wants
tea and he makes it for himself, then mother says, “He has three sisters. Yet,
he has to work.”
One
girl : Now, just look at Zarin’s younger brother. He is only five years old but
he says, “Mummy, why do you send didi to play? She does not look nice playing
like that on the ground.” Ask him if he will play and he says, “I am a boy, of course
I will play!”
Afsana:
But it is good for everyone to play. We have now realised, how much we benefit
from playing. I want to be such a good player that other girls and boys would
wish to be like me.
What
next?
Afreen:
I just want to say that if you have some dreams for yourself, give your best to
fulfil them.
Khushnoor:
If you have a wish or a dream, have courage to speak about it. If you don’t do
this now, you may regret later.
We
said – The newspaper wrote about all of you. Now students
will
read about you in this book. How do you feel?
Afreen:
We are so happy about it that we have no words to explain our happiness. We now
feel we must play even better, to make our area and our country famous.
All
Girls : Yes, this is our wish too.
Coach
Sir
The
coach who made this team, Noor Khan told us – “This part of Mumbai is very
crowded. This is the only playground in this area. This is our small ‘Bacchu Khan
playground.’ A person named Mustafa Khan used to live in our area.
Everyone
was afraid of him. But children were very fond of him, so everyone started
calling him Bacchu Khan. There was no ground then, it was just muddy land.
Bacchu Khan used to train children to play. We were among those children.
It
is because of Bacchu Khan’s devotion and training that players from this area
are able to compete with the teams of other countries. Like Bacchu Khan, I have
trained the children of this area.
Today
our team has some who play at the international level. Some have even won the
Arjuna
Award.” Noor Khan continued – “In the last few years we have also prepared a
girls team here.
Our
girls play for the Maharashtra State team. They practice well with good
discipline. Our girls and boys come from different types of families.
Some
are from poor homes, some from richer. Some study in Urdu medium and some in
English. But once they come here, they all make a team.”
THANKYOU,
NANDITHA
AKUNURI
WHO WILL DO THIS WORK -TEXT
WHO WILL DO THIS
WORK
ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES
CBSE-V
Have
you seen such scenes around you? Have you ever thought of people who do this
work? Can you imagine how they would feel?
Why
do you think people need to do this kind of work?
Our
friends spoke to some staff who do cleaning jobs. Here are some of the things
they told us.
Since
when have you been doing this work?
A.
About twenty years. Since I completed my studies.
Q.
Why did you not study further? You could have got some other job?
A.
You need money for studies. And even after that most of our people continue to
do this kind of work.
Q.
What do you mean?
A.
Since our great grandfathers’ times... or even before that, most people of our
community have been doing this work. Even after getting a college degree, our
people do not get any other kind of job. So they have to do this work.
Q.
Why is that so?
A.
That is the way it is. In the entire city, all the people who do this kind of work
are from our community. It has always been so.
Interview
(adapted) from the documentary film ‘India Untouched’ by Stalin. K.
Imagine
What
would happen if nobody did this work? If nobody cleared the garbage lying
outside your school or your house for one week, then what would happen?
Think
of some ways (machines, or other things) so that people would not have to do
the work they don't like to do. Draw a picture of what you thought. (These
pictures are also made by children)
Do
you think that anyone has ever tried to change this situation? Yes, many people
have tried. People are trying even today. But it is not easy to change this.
One
such person was Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji had a friend Mahadevbhai Desai. Mahadevbhai’s
son Narayan also stayed with Gandhiji when he was young. This incident is from
Narayan's book.
Teacher’s
Note
Remembering
those days
When
Narayan (Babla) was about 11 years old, he was staying in Gandhiji’s Sabarmati
Ashram. Like everyone else in the Ashram, he had to do various kinds of work.
One of his jobs was to teach the guests how to clean the toilets.
In
those days, the toilets were not what we know today. There used to be holes
under which baskets were kept. People sat on the holes. Later the baskets had
to be lifted by hand, to be emptied.
It
was the usual practice that people from a particular community would do this
work. But in Gandhiji’s Ashram, every person had to carry the basket to the
compost pit and empty it there. No one was excused from this task - not even
the guests. Narayanbhai remembers how some people used to try and avoid this
work. Some even left the Ashram because of this.
Some
years later Gandhiji went to stay at a village, near Wardha in Maharashtra.
Gandhiji, Mahadevbhai and others started to clean the toilets in the village.
They did this for some months. One morning a man coming from the toilet, saw
Mahadevbhai.
He
pointed to him and said “There is a lot of dirt over there. Go and clean that!”
When Babla saw this, he was very angry. He thought, the villagers felt that
this was not their work. This was for Gandhiji and his team to do. He asked
Gandhiji why this was so. Gandhiji replied, “Untouchability is a serious
matter.
Lot
of hardwork will be required to change this.” Narayan knew that the people who
usually did this work were thought to be untouchable. He asked “What is the use
if the village people do not
change
their thinking? They have become used to someone else doing this work for
them.”
Gandhiji
replied, “Why”? Don’t you think the people who clean also benefit from it. They
also learn a lesson. To learn something is like learning a new skill. Even if
it is a cleaning job.”
Little
Narayan was not convinced. He again argued, “Those who make a place dirty but
do not clean it should also learn lessons.” Gandhiji and Narayan continued to
argue about this. But when he grew up Narayan always followed the path shown by
Gandhiji. From the book in Gujarati by Narayanbhai Desai – Sant-Charan-Raj,
Sevita, Sahaj
A
childhood story
This
story is almost a hundred years old. Seven-year old Bhim went to Goregaon
in
Maharashtra with his father to spend his holidays. He saw a barber cutting the
long hair of a rich farmer’s buffallo.
He
thought of his own long hair. He went to the barber and asked for a hair cut.
The barber replied, “If I cut your hair both my razor and I will get dirty.”
Oh, so to cut human hair can be dirtier than cutting an animal’s hair, wondered
little Bhim.
Later
this little Bhim was known as Bhim Rao Baba Saheb Ambedkar.
He
became very famous across the world. Baba Saheb fought for justice for people
like him. After India’s freedom the Constitution was prepared under the
leadership of Baba Saheb.
Narayan
and Gandhiji discussed all this many years ago. Have
things
changed now? A conversation in school - the reality today
Hetal
: I am Hetal, and this is Meena. We both study in Class III.
Q:
What all do you do in school.
Meena:
We clean the ground
Q:
Do all children clean
Hetal
: No, not all.
Meena
: We also have to clean the toilets. We do it on different days. I
clean
on Monday, she does on Tuesday, and she on Wednesday … All
the
children from our community do this.
Hetal
: We have to carry twenty buckets of water for this. We have to
sweep
and wash.
Q
: Why only you? Why not all the children?
Hetal
: Only we have to. If we don’t we get beaten.
Interview
(adapted) from the documentary film ‘India Untouched’ by Stalin. K.
THANKYOU,
NANDITHA
AKUNURI
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