NCERT Book Class 5 EVS No Place for Us

18. No Place for Us?

Jatryabhai

Jatryabhai was sitting at the door with his daughter Jhimli. They were waiting for Sidya. It was almost night but Sidya had not come home. Two years back Jatrya’s family came to Mumbai from Sinduri village. Here, they only knew the family of a distant relative. With their help, Jatryabhai began to repair torn fishing nets. But the money he got was not enough. They had to pay for the medicines, food, school fees and rent for the house. Here, they even had to buy water.

Young Sidya also had to work in the nearby fish factory to earn some money. From four o’clock till seven o’clock in the morning, he cleaned and sorted the big and small fish. Then he would come home, take a nap, and go to school in the afternoon. In the evening he would wander around the vegetable market. He would help some memsahib (lady) to carry her bags, or go to the railway station to pick up empty bottles and newspapers to sell to the kabadiwalla (junk seller). Somehow they were managing their life in the city.

It was night, but Sidya had not come home. Jhimli was watching a dance on TV, through the neighbour’s window. But Jatrya did not like watching TV. Here, everything was so different. The day would pass running around for work, but the evening brought back old memories.

Think and tell

• Jatrya felt alone, even in a crowd of people. Have you ever felt like this?
• Imagine how it feels to leave one’s own place and go far away to live in a new place?
• Why do you think families like that of Jatrya’s are coming to big cities?
• Have you seen any children (in your school or neighbourhood) who also go to work?
• What kind of work do they do? Why do they have to work?

Thinking of old days

Jatrya was born in Khedi village, in the middle of thick green jungles and hills. His people had been living here for many years – even before his grandfather was born. There was peace in Jatrya’s village, but not silence. There were so many soothing sounds – the gurgle of the flowing river, the murmur of trees and the chirping of birds. People did farming.

They would go to the nearby forest, chatting and singing together, to collect wild fruits, roots and dried wood. While working with elders, children also learnt many things – to dance together, to play flute and dhol, to make pots of clay and bamboo, to recognise birds and imitate their sounds, etc. People collected things from the forest for their use. Some of those they would sell in the town across the river. With that money they would buy salt, oil and some clothes.

It was a village, but people here lived together like a big  family. Jatrya’s sister was married in the same village. People helped each other, in good and bad times. The elders would arrange weddings, and settle quarrels. Jatrya was now a strong young man.

He worked hard in the fields and caught fish from the big river. He and his friends would go to the forest to collect fruits, roots and plants for medicines, and fish from the river, to sell these in the town. During festival time, Jatrya would dance and play the drum, with boys and girls of his age.

Please refer to attached file for NCERT Class 5 EVS No Place for Us