No Place for Us? Class 5 Notes EVS Chapter 18

The story follows Jatryabhai, who faces displacement when a dam is constructed in his village. He encounters discrimination in new places like Sinduri and struggles to find acceptance in Mumbai. The narrative explores themes of displacement and the search for belonging, illustrating the challenges of adapting to new environments and the universal desire for acceptance.

Jatryabhai

• Jatryabhai and his daughter Jhimli were waiting for Sidya to come home, but it was getting late and he hadn't returned yet. They moved to Mumbai two years ago from their village Sinduri. Jatryabhai fixed fishing nets to earn money, but it wasn't enough to cover all their expenses like medicine, food, school fees, and rent. 
• Sidya, their son, also worked at a fish factory at night and went to school during the day. He did odd jobs like helping people carry bags at the vegetable market and collecting bottles and newspapers to sell. Despite their struggles, they managed to get by.
• One night, Sidya didn't come home on time. Jhimli watched TV next door, but Jatryabhai didn't like watching TV. He missed the peaceful sounds of their village Khedi, where they lived surrounded by nature. 
• In the village, life was simpler and people lived in harmony with nature. They farmed, gathered fruits and wood from the forest, and children learned various skills from their elders. Jatryabhai often remembered those days, especially in the quiet evenings.

Remembering Old Days

• Jatryabhai was born in a village called Khedi, which was in the middle of thick green hills and jungles.
• They have been living there since before their grandfather was born.
• His village was peaceful with many soothing sounds – the murmur of trees, the gurgle of the flowing river, and the chirping of birds.
• The people did farming and the children also learned many things while working with the elders.
• They learned to dance together, to play flute and dhol, to make pots of clay and bamboo, to recognize birds and imitate their sounds, etc.
• People used to live in the village like a big family.
• They used to collect things from the forest and sell them in the market.
• The elders of the village used to arrange weddings and settle quarrels.
• During festivals, Jatrya would play the drum, and dance with boys and girls of his age.

Across the River

• A dam was to be built on the river.
• As a result, the village would drown, so the people had to leave the village.
• The officials and police told them that Villages on the bank of the river would have to be removed.
• People who have plots 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.
• Jatrya was a little scared but at the same time excited too by hearing all the new things they would get in the new village.

A New Place

• The people of Khedi village moved to a new village called Sinduri.
• Here they had to pay for everything - medicines, vegetables, food, firewood, fodder, etc.
• He could not afford kerosene, so he collected old tyres to light the stove in his home.
• The new village was not like what Jatrya had dreamt of.
• There was electricity but not all day and they had to pay for it. They had taps with no water.
• Jatrya got just one room with a tin shed. There was no place to keep animals, and even his land was not very fertile and they could not do much farming.
• They did not have enough money to buy seeds and fertilizers.
• In the school, the teachers did not care about the children who came from the Khedi village.

Some Years Later

• Jatrya sold his land in Sinduri and moved to Mumbai to start a new life.
• Things were not very here as well, but he hoped they would get better.
• Jatrya wanted to save money to repair his old shack, but his relatives would tell him that there is no place for outsiders like them and they might need to move again.
• Jatrya was scared and worried for his family. He just kept working hard and hoped things would get better one day.

Summary of No Place For Us

• There was a village named Khedi where Jatrya was born.
• In this village, people lived like a big family and always helped each other.
• Life in a village is very simple.
• Jatrya had to leave his village.
• A big dam was to be built on the river that would make large areas of land go under the water, displacing many people.
• Jatrya shifted to a new village called Sinduri.
• He was not happy living in Sinduri village, here the Khedi people were considered ‘unwanted guests’.
• After staying with his wife and two children for years in Sinduri village, he decided to shift to Mumbai for betterment.
• However, Mumbai also treated them as ‘outsiders’ during the last two years of his stay there.