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

PPT- WHO WILL DO THIS WORK - ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (CBSE-V)

WHO WILL DO THIS WORK - ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES CBSE-V from Research Scholar

THE WORLD IS IN MY HOME-(TEXT)

THE WORLD IS IN MY HOME

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

CBSE-IV

Once again, everybody in Marietta’s family is quarrelling over watching the TV – just like they do every day! Marietta’s brother wants to watch a cricket match while little

Susan is eager to watch her favourite programme of song’s. Mummy and Aunty are good friends but their favourite TV programmes are different.

Mummy likes to watch the news while Aunty enjoys a TV serial. Marietta wants to watch cartoons and Daddy enjoys the football match. 

He says that he can watch TV only in the evening. Finally, everyone had to watch the football match.

Why the Difference? Why the Difference?

It is 7 o’clock in the evening. Pratibha is hurrying home from her friend’s house. Her brothers Sandeep and Sanjay are busy playing round the corner with their friends.

They are in no hurry to go home. Even if they are late, nobody will scold them. Pratibha thinks that this is not fair. Why should there be one rule for her and another for her brothers? But what can she do?

Pilloo Aunty

One day, Pilloo Aunty took Phali and Nazu and their friends to the beach. What a good time they had! They played in sand and water, and then went for a ride on the Giant wheel.

After that they ate bhelpuri and bought balloons. Then everybody enjoyed some icy cold kulfi. When the kulfi-seller asked for money, he made a mistake. He charged for five kulfis instead of seven.

The children thought, “Hurrah! We have saved money.” But Pilloo Aunty paid the money for seven kulfis to the kulfiseller.

What Should I Do? What Should I Do?

Akshay loves his grandmother very much. She loves him dearly too. She talks to him about many interesting things. Anil is Akshay’s friend. His grandmother likes Anil too, but one thing that she tells Akshay again and again is that he should never eat or drink anything at Anil’s house – not even a glass of water! “They are very different from our family,” she says.

One day there was a volleyball match in the big ground near Anil’s house. It was a hot day and everybody was tired and thirsty after the match. Anil invited everybody home.

Anil’s mother gave water to all of them, and they drank it. When Anil handed Akshay a glass of water, he suddenly remembered his grandmother’s warning. Akshay stared at Anil, not knowing what to do.

Who will Decide? Who will Decide?

Dhondu comes from a very large family. His elder uncle looks after the family – their fields, money matters, etc. He decides about all the small and big things for the family.

Dhondu has always worked in the fields. But now, he wants to do something different. He would like to borrow some money from a bank and buy a chakki machine to grind grain.

There is no such machine in their village. Dhondu is confident that this new work will help him earn more money for his family. Father has agreed to let him try the new work. But his elder uncle is not agreeing to this.

These examples reflect some situations that we face in our daily life. These often affect us in different ways.

I Don’t Like It! I Don’t Like It! Meena and Ritu were going home after playing hopscotch. 

“Come on, come to my house,” pleaded Meena, pulling Ritu by the hand.

“Is your Uncle at home? If he is, I will not come,” Ritu answered. “But why do you say that? Uncle likes you. He was saying – bring your friend Ritu home and I will give both of you lots of chocolate.”

Ritu pulled her hand away from Meena saying, “I am scared of your Uncle. I do not like it when he even touches my hand.” Saying this, Ritu went home.

Some children may have similar experiences as Ritu did. It will help to build their confidence and feeling of support, if children can discuss this in class.

In case you feel the need, you could talk individually with some of the children. If there is a counsellor in the school, you could take their help.You may be very careful and sensitive to deal with children if they wish to share problems related to drug addiction of their family members. The harmful effects of drugs/ narcotics may be discussed in the class. Such issues should also be discussed in the inservice training programmes.

It may be possible that children from such families (Drug addicted members) may fall victim to such habits/practices. A timely action needs to be taken to prevent them. On this theme, charts and posters can be prepared by the children with the support of teachers and discuss in the class.

THANK YOU,

NANDITHA

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

SHARING OUR FEELINGS-TEXT

SHARING OUR FEELINGS

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

CBSE CLASS III

After returning home from school, there are two people with whom I like to share all my news. They enjoy listening to my tales.

The first person is my nani. She is always anxious to listen to me. She waits for me to return from school. She is quite old and often has back pains. She cannot see or hear well.

Everyday in the morning, papa reads the newspaper aloud to her. She

does the rest of her work herself. If someone tries to help her she gets very upset. Though she cannot see properly she is very fond of cutting vegetables. She says – these days children do not know how to cut vegetables properly.

The second person is my Ravi bhaiya. He lives with us. I call him Ravi bhaiya and he calls my parents –bhaiya-bhabhi. I do not our relationship is but he is a very loving brother. He is always ready to answer my questions. He never says – I will tell you later.

Ravi bhaiya teaches in a college. The students of the college respect him a lot. A few of them come home to study from him. Ravi bhaiya is very fond of listening to music and taking part in plays. He enjoys chatting with his friends and going out with them. He has a good sense of humour and makes all of us laugh.

Bhaiya carries a white stick when he goes out. Looking at him, moving around in the house, no one can say that he cannot see. He likes to do all his work himself. If someone tries to help him against his wish he gets angry. Whenever he needs any help, he asks for it.

Some of Bhaiya’s students take books from him and return them after recording them on tapes. Ravi bhaiya listens to these tapes. Bhaiya has many other books too. The pages of these books are thick and have rows of raised points (dots). He reads by running his fingers on the raised dots. To have fun with bhaiya, I sometimes change the place of his stick. He does get upset but never gets angry.

After all, I am his favourite sister – Seema. I had hardly reached the door that bhaiya spoke up – Seema, you seem to be very happy today. Bhaiya  recognises not only me but all the other family members from the sound we make as we move.

He can even tell whether I am happy or sad. Bhaiya ! Finally I am in the football team – I shared my news with him. He patted me and said lovingly – From today, you are my football coach!

Is there any member in your family who cannot see, speak or hear ? How do people help them with their work? Blind children who are blind could recognize the others by touching? Close your eyes and listen. By just smelling can you guess if it is some close to you.

You read in the story that Ravi bhaiya cannot see. But he does all his work on his own. He studies from a different kind of books. To understand how he is able to do his work, close your eyes and play this game.

There is a special way of reading and writing for people who cannot see. It is called Braille. It is written on a thick paper by making a row of raised points (dots) with a pointed tool. Braille is read by running the fingers on the raised dots.

LouisBraille belonged to France. One day, when he was three years old, he was playing with his father’s tools. Suddenly, a pointed tool hurt his eyes. He lost his eyesight.

He had keen interest in studies. He did not give up. He kept thinking of

different ways to read and write. Finally he found a way – reading

by touching and feeling. This way of reading later came to be known as the Braille script.

In this type of a script, a row of raised dots are made on a thick paper. Because these dots are raised they can be read by running the fingers on them. This script is based on six points.

The Braille script has undergone many changes these days. This has made reading and writing simpler. Braille can now also be written using the computer.

THANK YOU,

N.NANDITHA

Ganesh Chaturthi | History | Importance

Ganesh Chaturthi | History | Importance 

Ganesh Chaturthi is also known as Vinayaka Chavithi. It is an auspicious Hindu festival that is celebrated for 10-11 days every year. This is usually celebrated in the Bhadra month as per the Hindu Calendar.

The elephant-headed Lord Ganesh is known for wealth, sciences, knowledge, wisdom and prosperity. During this time, the people remember his wisdom and seek his blessings before starting any important work. Lord Ganesh has approximately 108 different names. He is also known as Gajanana, Vinayaka, Vighnaharta among many others.

This festival is celebrated widely among different states all across India. States like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana celebrate this with great grandeur and glam.

Ganesh Chaturthi history:

Ganesha is the younger son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. There are various stories behind his birth but two of them are the most common ones.

 

According to the first story, Lord Ganesha was created by Parvati out of dirt from her body to guard her in the absence of Shiva. She gave him the task of guarding her bathroom door while she took a bath. In the meantime, Shiva returned home and Ganesha, who didn't know who Shiva was, stopped him. This angered Shiva and he severed Ganesha's head after a tiff between the two. Parvati was enraged when she came to know about this; Lord Shiva, in turn, promised to get Ganesha back to life. The devas were sent to search for a child's head facing north but they could only find an elephant's head. Shiva fixed the elephant's head on the child's body, and that how Ganesha was born.

The other popular story is that the Devas requested Shiva and Parvati to create Ganesha so that he can be a Vighnakarta (creator of obstacles) for rakshasas (demons), thus being a Vighnaharta (averter of obstacles) and helping Devas. Devotees who pray to Ganesha are said to be able to get their wishes and desires granted. So, the fundamental point of Ganesh Chaturthi is that devotees who pray to him are cleansed of their sins and guided down the road of enlightenment and understanding.

Ganesh Chaturthi importance

It is believed that devotees who pray to Ganesha are able to fulfil their wishes and desires. So, the main essence of Ganesh Chaturthi is that devotees who pray to him are set free of sins and it leads them on the path of knowledge and wisdom. Historically, the festival has been celebrated since the time of King Shivaji. It was during India's freedom struggle that Lokmanya Tilak changed Ganesh Chaturthi from a private celebration to a grand public festival where people from all castes of the society can come together, pray and be united.

Over the years with growing environmental awareness, people have started celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in an environmentally friendly way. This includes-- getting Ganesha idols made of natural clay/ mitti and using only flowers and natural items for decorating the pandals. There are four main rituals which are performed during the 10-day long festival. They are namely-- Pranapratishhtha, Shhodashopachara, Uttarpuja, and Ganpati Visarjan.

The excitement of Ganesh Chaturthi settles in weeks before the festival actually begins. Artisans start preparing clay idols of Ganesha in different poses and sizes. The Ganesha idols are installed in beautifully decorated 'pandal' at homes, temples or localities. The statue is also decorated with flowers, garlands and lights. A ritual called Pranapratishhtha is observed where a priest chants mantra to invoke life in the diety.

Prayers are then offered to Ganesha's idol in 16 different ways. This ritual is called Shhodashopachara. People celebrate by singing or playing religious songs, dancing to drum beats and by lighting up fireworks-- all of which add to the festive mood. The Uttarpuja ritual is then performed which is about bidding farewell to Ganesha with deep respect. This is followed by Ganpati Visarjan, a ceremony wherein the statue is now immersed in water. While carrying the statue to the sea and while immersing it, people generally chant in the Marathi language 'Ganapati Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya' which means 'Goodbye Lord, please come back next year'.

   

While some devotees celebrate this festival at home, others pay their visit to Lord Ganesha at public pandals. People offer their due respect, prayers and offerings to Ganesha. Dishes like Lord Ganesha's favourite Modak, Pooran Poli, and Karanji are prepared for friends, family and visitors.

 

How many days can we keep Ganpati at home?

In order to install Lord Ganesha's clay idol at home, devotees first clean their house and take a bath themselves. They then fill a Kalash with water, place a coconut on top of it and decorate it with betel leaves. The Ganesha idol is then placed on a platform which is at some height. The idol is then adorned with a sacred thread (Janve) on the left shoulder and adorned with a sandalwood paste tilak on the forehead and garlands; Durva grass and red flowers are offered to Ganesha. Mantras from Rigveda are recited to do pranpratishtha, a ghee lamp is lighted and the Lord is offered Modak while aartis are performed.

Devotees can bring Ganesha home for 1.5 days, 3 days, 7 days or 10 days. Once the Ganpati Sthapna is done the following rules should be followed by the devotees:

1. Devotees and their family member should avoid having garlic and onion after Ganpati Sthapna, during the festival period. Lord Ganesha is a guest at your home during the festival. And so, everything-- be it food, water or prasad-- should first be offered to Ganapati first. 3. It should be noted that Ganesha should never be left home alone or unattended. There should be atleast one family member with him.Avoid negative thoughts. One must also not fight or use foul language in the presence of the Lord. Try to be calm in difficult situations, as Ganesha will take care of you and your troubles. After installing a Ganesha idol in your home, one should observe celibacy during the festival period.

  

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