The World in My Home Class 4 Notes EVS Chapter 22

This chapter discusses the current issues in society that we deal with today. These include problems like men having more power, unfair treatment based on gender, taking advantage of others, the belief in caste differences, the control of money earners in families, and mistreatment of women. We'll explore each of these issues through stories.

Tug of War

• Marietta's family was watching TV together in the evening. 
• Marietta's brother wants to watch cricket, while little Susan wants to watch her favourite song program. 

• Mom and Auntie are good friends, but they have different favourite TV shows - Mom likes the news, while Auntie enjoys TV dramas. 
• Marietta wants to watch cartoons, and Dad wants to watch football, but he can only watch TV in the evening. 
• In the end, they all ended up watching the football match.
• This shows how the man or leader of the family often makes decisions for everyone else. 
• This happens in many families, where one person's preferences are more important than others'. 
• It's important for everyone in the family to be treated equally, and the person in charge should represent everyone's needs, not just their own.

Fairness and Equality in Families:
In a family, everyone should get a chance to share their thoughts and ideas when making decisions. No one person's choices should always be more important than everyone else's.

Why the Difference?

• Pratibha was hurrying home after playing because it was 7 o'clock. Her brothers, Sandeep and Sanjay, were still playing and didn't seem to be in a rush. 

• Pratibha had to be home by 7, or her parents would scold her for being late. But her brothers didn't have any such rules - they could come home whenever they wanted without getting in trouble. 
• This shows unfair treatment based on gender in a family. Girls like Pratibha have to follow strict rules, while boys like Sandeep and Sanjay have more freedom. 
• It's not fair to treat girls and boys differently. Just because a girl comes home late doesn't mean she did something wrong - she might have had things to do

Gender Equality:
Boys and girls should be treated equally and have the same rules and freedoms.
Just because someone is a girl doesn't mean they should have stricter rules than boys.

Pilloo Aunty

• One day, Aunt Pilloo took Phali, Nazu, and their friends to the beach. 
• They had a great time playing in the sand and water, riding the giant wheel, eating bhelpuri, and buying balloons. Afterwards, they decided to have kulfi from a vendor. 
• There were seven of them, so each person got one kulfi. But when it was time to pay, the vendor accidentally charged for only five kulfis. Everyone was happy to pay less, but Aunt Pilloo noticed the mistake and paid for all seven kulfis. 
• This shows that Aunt Pilloo has good values and cares about being fair and honest in life.

Kindness and Fairness in Actions:
Aunt Pilloo's actions demonstrate the importance of being fair and honest, even when it means correcting a mistake that benefits us.
It's important to treat others with kindness and fairness, even in small everyday situations.

What Should I Do?

• Akshay loves his grandmother very much, and she loves him too. She talks to him about many interesting things. Anil is Akshay's friend, and his grandmother likes Anil as well. 
• But she always tells Akshay not to eat or drink anything at Anil's house, not even water, because she believes they are different from their family. One day, after a volleyball match on a hot day, everyone was tired and thirsty. Anil invited them all to his house, where his mother gave water to everyone. 
• When Anil handed Akshay a glass of water, Akshay remembered his grandmother's warning and didn't know what to do. This shows caste discrimination, which has been around in society for a long time. 
• People from higher castes often think they are better than those from lower castes, causing divisions in society. But everyone should be treated equally and not judged based on their caste.

Standing up Against Discrimination:
Discriminating against someone based on their caste or background is wrong.
Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and fairness, regardless of their caste or social status.

Who will Decide?

• Dhondu is part of a big family, and his older uncle is in charge of everything, like their fields and money matters. He makes decisions for the family, big and small. 
• Dhondu has always worked in the fields, but now he wants to try something new. He wants to borrow money from a bank to buy a machine that grinds grain called a chakki. 

• There's no such machine in their village, and Dhondu believes this new job will help him earn more money for his family. His father supports him in trying this new work, but his older uncle doesn't agree with it.

Sharing Power and Considering Others' Perspectives:
In families, decisions should be made together, considering everyone's opinions and needs.
It's important to listen to others and not make decisions that only benefit ourselves.

I don’t like it

• Meena invited her friend Ritu to her house to play after school.
• Ritu hesitated, stating she wouldn't come if Meena's uncle was present.
• Meena reassured Ritu that her uncle liked her and always encouraged her to bring friends over.
• Ritu expressed discomfort with her uncle's actions, highlighting that she felt uneasy about his touches.
• This scenario illustrates harassment towards a young girl, a sadly common occurrence that many girls experience.
• Not every touch is bad unless someone has mean intentions behind it.

Speaking Up Against Harassment:
It's important to speak up if someone makes you feel uncomfortable, even if they are a family member or friend.
No one should ever touch you in a way that makes you feel uneasy, and it's okay to say no to such actions.