NCERT Textbook: No Place for Us | EVS Class 5 PDF Download

 Page 1


No Place for Us? 165 165 165 165 165
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
2024-25
Page 2


No Place for Us? 165 165 165 165 165
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
2024-25
166 Looking Around
Remembering 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
different. The day would pass running around for work, but the
evening brought back old memories.
Think and tell
w w w w w Jatrya felt alone, even in a crowd of people. Have you ever
felt like this?
w w w w w Imagine how it feels to leave one’s own place and go far
away to live in a new place?
w w w w w Why do you think families like that of Jatrya’s are coming
to big cities?
w w w w w Have you seen any children (in your school or
neighbourhood) who also go to work?
w w w w w What kind of work do they do? Why do they have to work?
2024-25
Page 3


No Place for Us? 165 165 165 165 165
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
2024-25
166 Looking Around
Remembering 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
different. The day would pass running around for work, but the
evening brought back old memories.
Think and tell
w w w w w Jatrya felt alone, even in a crowd of people. Have you ever
felt like this?
w w w w w Imagine how it feels to leave one’s own place and go far
away to live in a new place?
w w w w w Why do you think families like that of Jatrya’s are coming
to big cities?
w w w w w Have you seen any children (in your school or
neighbourhood) who also go to work?
w w w w w What kind of work do they do? Why do they have to work?
2024-25
No Place for Us? 167
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, rice 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.
Teacher’s Note : Children can be made sensitive to the experience of ‘calm’ or
‘peace’ as clearly different from ‘silence’. They can do this through the activity of
listening to sounds with their eyes closed. When they are calm and the class
becomes quiet, they can still hear many sounds. So there can be peace, but
there need not be silence.
Tell
w w w w w In Khedi village what all did children learn?
w w w w w What do you learn from your elders?
w w w w w Jatrya learnt so many things in Khedi. How many of those
would be useful for him in Mumbai?
w w w w w Do you hear the sounds of birds everyday? Which ones?
w w w w w Can you imitate the sound of any bird? Show how.
w w w w w What are some of the sounds that you hear everyday, but
the people of Khedi may not be hearing?
w w w w w Have you experienced silence? When and where?
2024-25
Page 4


No Place for Us? 165 165 165 165 165
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
2024-25
166 Looking Around
Remembering 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
different. The day would pass running around for work, but the
evening brought back old memories.
Think and tell
w w w w w Jatrya felt alone, even in a crowd of people. Have you ever
felt like this?
w w w w w Imagine how it feels to leave one’s own place and go far
away to live in a new place?
w w w w w Why do you think families like that of Jatrya’s are coming
to big cities?
w w w w w Have you seen any children (in your school or
neighbourhood) who also go to work?
w w w w w What kind of work do they do? Why do they have to work?
2024-25
No Place for Us? 167
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, rice 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.
Teacher’s Note : Children can be made sensitive to the experience of ‘calm’ or
‘peace’ as clearly different from ‘silence’. They can do this through the activity of
listening to sounds with their eyes closed. When they are calm and the class
becomes quiet, they can still hear many sounds. So there can be peace, but
there need not be silence.
Tell
w w w w w In Khedi village what all did children learn?
w w w w w What do you learn from your elders?
w w w w w Jatrya learnt so many things in Khedi. How many of those
would be useful for him in Mumbai?
w w w w w Do you hear the sounds of birds everyday? Which ones?
w w w w w Can you imitate the sound of any bird? Show how.
w w w w w What are some of the sounds that you hear everyday, but
the people of Khedi may not be hearing?
w w w w w Have you experienced silence? When and where?
2024-25
168 Looking Around
Across the river
One day the people of Khedi heard that a big dam was to be
built on the river. For this, a big wall would be built to stop the
flow of the river. Khedi and many nearby villages in that area
would be drowned under water. The people would have to leave
their villages and their lands, on which their forefathers had
lived for centuries.
After a few days, government officials along with the police
started visiting these villages. Small children of the village saw
the police for the first time. Some children would run after them,
and some would get scared and start crying. The officials
measured the width and length of the river, the fields, forests
and houses. They called meetings with the elders of the village.
They said, “Villages on the bank of the river would have to be
removed. People having land at Khedi will be given land far
away, on the other side of the river. They will have everything
there – a school, electricity, hospitals, buses,
trains, etc. They will have all that they could
not even dream of here in Khedi.”
Jatrya’s parents and most elders
were not happy about leaving
their village.
Listening to all this, Jatrya
would get a little scared, but also
feel excited. He would think that
after getting married, he would
take his bride to the new house
in the new village. A house where
he could just press a button for the light and turn on the tap for
water. He could go by bus to see the city. When he would  have
children, he could send them to school. They will not be like
him, who had never been to school.
2024-25
Page 5


No Place for Us? 165 165 165 165 165
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
2024-25
166 Looking Around
Remembering 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
different. The day would pass running around for work, but the
evening brought back old memories.
Think and tell
w w w w w Jatrya felt alone, even in a crowd of people. Have you ever
felt like this?
w w w w w Imagine how it feels to leave one’s own place and go far
away to live in a new place?
w w w w w Why do you think families like that of Jatrya’s are coming
to big cities?
w w w w w Have you seen any children (in your school or
neighbourhood) who also go to work?
w w w w w What kind of work do they do? Why do they have to work?
2024-25
No Place for Us? 167
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, rice 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.
Teacher’s Note : Children can be made sensitive to the experience of ‘calm’ or
‘peace’ as clearly different from ‘silence’. They can do this through the activity of
listening to sounds with their eyes closed. When they are calm and the class
becomes quiet, they can still hear many sounds. So there can be peace, but
there need not be silence.
Tell
w w w w w In Khedi village what all did children learn?
w w w w w What do you learn from your elders?
w w w w w Jatrya learnt so many things in Khedi. How many of those
would be useful for him in Mumbai?
w w w w w Do you hear the sounds of birds everyday? Which ones?
w w w w w Can you imitate the sound of any bird? Show how.
w w w w w What are some of the sounds that you hear everyday, but
the people of Khedi may not be hearing?
w w w w w Have you experienced silence? When and where?
2024-25
168 Looking Around
Across the river
One day the people of Khedi heard that a big dam was to be
built on the river. For this, a big wall would be built to stop the
flow of the river. Khedi and many nearby villages in that area
would be drowned under water. The people would have to leave
their villages and their lands, on which their forefathers had
lived for centuries.
After a few days, government officials along with the police
started visiting these villages. Small children of the village saw
the police for the first time. Some children would run after them,
and some would get scared and start crying. The officials
measured the width and length of the river, the fields, forests
and houses. They called meetings with the elders of the village.
They said, “Villages on the bank of the river would have to be
removed. People having land at Khedi will be given land far
away, on the other side of the river. They will have everything
there – a school, electricity, hospitals, buses,
trains, etc. They will have all that they could
not even dream of here in Khedi.”
Jatrya’s parents and most elders
were not happy about leaving
their village.
Listening to all this, Jatrya
would get a little scared, but also
feel excited. He would think that
after getting married, he would
take his bride to the new house
in the new village. A house where
he could just press a button for the light and turn on the tap for
water. He could go by bus to see the city. When he would  have
children, he could send them to school. They will not be like
him, who had never been to school.
2024-25
No Place for Us? 169
Teacher’s Note : Discuss with children the different aspects of dams. You can
give examples of any dams in your area or nearby. Dam may benefit some, but
there are some people for whom dam may bring problems, all these can be
discussed in classroom.
Discuss and tell
w w w w w Many people in Jatrya’s village did not agree to move away
from their land and forest. Why? They had to leave even
though they didn’t want to. Why?
w w w w w In Khedi, how many people were there in Jatrya’s family?
When he thought about his family who all came to his
mind?
w w w w w Who all come to your mind when you think about your
family?
w w w w w Have you heard of people who don’t want to be moved from
their old place? Talk about them.
w w w w w Do you know some people who have never been to school?
Do you also know of any place where there is no school?
Imagine
w w w w w Think of the kinds of difficulties people have to face where
a dam is being built.
w w w w w Draw a picture of Khedi village and a picture of Jatrya's
dream village. Discuss the differences between them. Also
look at the pictures your friends have drawn.
A new place
It was a summer afternoon. Jatrya was feeling faint in the hot
sun and wind. His feet were burning on the coal tar of the pucca
road. There wasn’t a single tree to offer some shade. Just a few
houses and shops. Jatrya was on his way home after buying
medicines. He had an old tyre on his back. These days, he had
2024-25