Nandita in Mumbai Class 4 Notes EVS Chapter 17

In the story, Nandita talks about life in both the village and the city. In the city, everything is crowded, and people argue over small things. Poor people face many difficulties, like finding water, a safe home, and a job.
Nandita came to Mumbai a month ago because her mother needed treatment at the hospital.

The Big City - Mumbai

• In the city, like Mumbai, everything is very crowded. 
• When Nandita and her mother arrived at the train station, it was so crowded that Nandita had to hold her mother's hand tightly. This shows that cities are usually very busy and crowded with lots of people.

• Nandita's uncle's (Mama) house in the city is also crowded. He, his wife, and their children (Mama, Mami, their two daughters and a son) all live in one room. This shows that space is limited in the city, and many families have to live together in small spaces.
• On the other hand, in Nandita's village home, things are different. Even though they also have only one room, they have separate spaces for cooking and bathing. This shows that in villages, people may have more space compared to the city, and they can have separate areas for different activities.
• Overall, in the city, life is crowded and space is limited, while in the village, life may be less crowded, and people may have more space for themselves. 

Water, Water

• Every morning at 4 o'clock, Nandita, her aunt (Mami), and her cousin Seema go to the public tap to get water. There are often fights over water, and if they're late, they might not get any water for the day. 
• In their village, they don't have a tap at home, so they have to walk for twenty minutes to the village pond. In the summer, when the pond dries up, they have to walk for almost an hour to the river to get water. In the village, there are no fights over water.
• In the street where Nandita's uncle (Mama) lives, there's a toilet at one end that everyone in the street uses. It's always dirty and smells bad, and sometimes there's no water. They have to take water with them when they go. Nandita started to get used to all of this. 
• In the village, people go to open places or fields for the toilet, and men and women go to different places.

Learning New Things

• In the city, Nandita takes the bus to the hospital to visit her mother every day. At first, she was very scared to get on the crowded buses because she wasn't used to it. But now, she's not afraid anymore. She knows how to wait in line, how much to pay for the ticket, and where to get off. 
• This shows that life in the city can be busy and crowded, especially with crowded buses, which may be different from the village where transportation might be simpler.
• Near their place, there's a tall building where Nandita's aunt (Mami) works in seven different houses. One day, Nandita went with her aunt to work. When she saw the building, she thought it was just one big house, but she realized there were many houses stacked on top of each other. 
• This shows that in the city, buildings can be tall and have many apartments stacked on top of each other, while in the village, buildings may be smaller and simpler.
• She was worried about climbing so many stairs, but there was an elevator to take people up and down. It was like a big iron cage with a fan, light, and even a bell. At first, Nandita was very scared of the elevator.

Another House 

• Nandita's aunt (Mami) took her to Babloo's house, which was on the twelfth floor of a big building. Babloo's house had many rooms - one to sit, one to eat, one to sleep, and one to cook. They even had a toilet inside the house, which Mami had to spend a lot of time cleaning. 

• Babloo had a tap in the kitchen, and water flowed from it. He wasted a lot of water by leaving the tap open while he watched TV. Nandita didn't like seeing the water being wasted, so she closed the tap.
• Babloo's house had large glass windows. Mami asked Nandita to look down from the window, but she was scared because it was so high up. From up there, everything below looked like small toys, and Nandita couldn't see her uncle's (Mama's) house from there.

A New Worry

• Nandita's uncle (Mama) had promised to take her to see Mumbai, including Chowpatty Beach, where she might even see a film star. 
• However, Mama is now worried because they received notices saying everyone had to leave the area to make space for a big hotel. This shows that in the city, there may be more changes happening, like buildings being demolished or new constructions being built, compared to the village where things may stay more the same over time.
• People in the city who have to move are given another place to live, but it's far away and lacks basic necessities like water and electricity. This shows that in the city, there may be more challenges with finding suitable housing and access to basic needs compared to the village where people may have simpler and more stable living conditions.
• Nandita is concerned about how Mama will manage to reach his work from there, and whether her aunt (Mami) will find other work. 
• She's also worried about how she'll visit her mother if they have to move, especially since her mother isn't completely well yet. 

Theme of the Chapter

• The chapter shows how life in the village is different from life in the city. It talks about Nandita's experiences and how her family faces challenges in the city, like finding water and dealing with crowded places. 
• Even though the city has exciting things to see, it also has problems like finding a good place to live. 
• The chapter teaches us that both village and city life have their own ups and downs, and it's important to adapt to changes and be strong.