Changing Times Class 4 Notes EVS Chapter 12

Chetandas used to be a teacher, but now he writes about his own life. His story can teach us about the past and the people who lived during that time.

A Big Move

• Chetandas told us about his experience of partitioning India and Pakistan in 1947 when his family had to move from Pakistan to India.
• When Chetandas was nine years old, a long time ago, his family lived in a place called Dera Gazikhan, which is now in Pakistan. 
• They faced many problems there. One day, his dad said they had to leave their village and move to another place. 
• Chetandas felt sad because he would miss his friends and his house. They took a train to Delhi, India. 
• Lots of other people from their area also moved because India and Pakistan were being divided. 
• When they reached Delhi, they stayed in a big camp with tents where many other families like theirs were living.

A New Home

• One day, Chetandas's dad said they got some land in Sohna village to build a house. Chetandas was happy. 
• They all worked hard. His dad dug soil, they filled pans, and his mom mixed husk. 
• His dad built walls while they brought cow dung to mix with mud for the floor, which his mom said would keep insects away. 
• Then they made the roof using wood and branches of neem and keekar trees to prevent termites. 
• His mom covered it with old bags and mud. Most houses around were similar, but Chetandas liked his house best because it was like their old one.

A Changing House

• As time went by, Chetandas finished school and found a job. His parents wanted him to get married. 
• Before that, Chetandas decided to fix their house and add a new room. They used strong cement and iron for the roof. 
• They also used bricks for the walls, which meant they didn't have to paint them often. 
• They built a small kitchen in the courtyard with a mud stove and a place for pots. After Chetandas got married, his wife Suman came to live in their new house. 
• They happily ate together on mats in the kitchen. In those days, people went to the fields to use the bathroom, but they built a small one behind the house with bricks.

More Changes

• In their old house, Chetandas and his wife had two boys and a girl. Later, their kids grew up and finished school. About fifteen years ago, their daughter Simi got married and went to live in Palwal. 
• When it was time for their son Raju to get married, they decided to fix up the house for his new wife. They used strong baked bricks for the walls and put a sturdy roof on top. 
• They made the floor nice with marble chips and cement. In the bathroom, they added pipes to take away the dirty water. They also made the kitchen bigger, and now Raju's wife cooks on a gas stove instead of a clay one.

Seeing New Things

• Chetandas's younger son, Montu, moved to Delhi for work and lives there with his family. 
• Chetandas and his wife stay with Montu for some months and with their other son, Raju, in Sohna for the rest of the time. They pass through Gurugram on the way to Delhi and see many tall buildings there. 
• A few years ago, Raju renovated the bathroom with colored tiles, which cost a lot of money. Chetandas is now seventy years old and has seen many changes over the years, even in his own house. 
• He wonders where his grandchildren will live and how their houses will be. He also wonders about his friends and where they are now.

Theme of the Chapter 

• In the story of Chetandas, we see how his life changed over time, and he experienced different ways of living. Each change aimed to make things better than before, like using stronger baked bricks instead of unbaked ones. 
• These changes were made by people in various fields, each with their own skills and specialties. For example, an electrician wouldn't be able to fix a broken tap because it's not their area of expertise. 
• Overall, the theme of the chapter is about adaptation to change and the importance of specialization in different tasks.

Word Meanings

• Basti: A small village or settlement.
• Lintel: A horizontal support across the top of a door or window.
• Whitewash: A mixture of lime and water used for painting walls.
• High-rise buildings: Tall buildings with many floors or levels.
• Renovated: To improve or repair something, often by adding new features or making it look new again.
• Unbaked bricks: Bricks that are not fired in a kiln, typically made of clay or mud and dried in the sun.
• Marble chips: Small pieces of marble stone used for decoration or as a material for making floors.
• Chulha: A traditional Indian stove made of clay or mud, often used for cooking.
• Cement: A powder used to bind materials together, often mixed with water to make concrete for construction.
• Coloured tiles: Tiles with various hues or shades, used for flooring, walls, or other surfaces in buildings.