NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 6 WEATHERING THE STORM IN ERSAMA | English Moments
WEATHERING THE STORM IN ERSAMA
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 6 WEATHERING THE STORM IN ERSAMA | English Moments
Summary: This is a real experience while the cyclone hit Orissa in October 1999 that killed thousands of people and devastated hundreds of villages. On 27 October 1999, Prashant went to the headquarters of Ersama after seven years. It was 18 kilometers away from his village Kalikuda. In the evening, a dark storm quickly gathered. Winds were very strong and Prashant had never witnessed this before. Heavy and incessant rain filled the darkness. The ancient trees were uprooted and crashed to the earth. Screams went in the air as people and houses were swiftly washed away. Prashant kept himself in the house of his friend which was strong enough to survive the devastation of the wind's velocity of 350 Km per hour. The rain continued for 36 hours and when it stopped a brown sheet of water covered everything as far as the eye could see; only fractured cement houses still stood in a few places. Bloated animal carcasses and human corpses floated in every direction.
When the rain ceased, Prashant knew where he had to go, so he equipped himself with long sturdy stick and started on his 18 Km expedition back to his village through the swollen flood waters. On the way he met two friends of his uncle. Ultimately Prashant reached his village and found his family safe in a Red Cross shelter. After watching the painful condition of the people Prashant decided to lead a group of youth and elders to jointly get rice to fill the bellies of the starving people.
On the fifth day, the military helicopter dropped some food parcels but didn't come again. Then Prashant deputed the children to lie in the sand with the utensils on their stomachs to communicate their need of food to the military helicopter. Thus the helicopters got the message and made regular rounds of the shelter to drop food and other basic needs.
Then Prashant put up a polythene sheet shelter for a large number of orphaned children and some women were mobilized to look after them. But as weeks passed, Prashant felt that women and children were sinking deeper and deeper in their grief, so he took the help of an NGO and also organized some sports events. Thus, Prashant's courage and affection for needy people teach us to stand stiff in hard times.
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 6 WEATHERING THE STORM IN ERSAMA | English Moments
TEXTUAL QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
THINK
ABOUT IT
Q. 1. What havoc has the super cyclone wrecked in the life of the people of Orissa?
Ans. It was a devastating storm which washed the houses away and destroyed hundreds of villages. It killed thousands of people and uprooted a large number of trees. There were dead bodies all around. People became homeless and many children who had lost their parents became orphans. This crazed destruction continued for the next thirty-six hours. The condition seemed grim after the super cyclone.
Q. 2. How has Prashant, a teenager, been able to help the people of his village?
Ans. On reaching his village, Prashant found deplorable conditions all around him. He had leadership qualities so he took the initiative to rehabilitate people. He made a team of young volunteers and cleaned urine, filth, vomit and floating carcasses. His team was fully dedicated to serve others. He persuaded grief-stricken women to look after children. In this way he became a ray of hope for all.
Q. 3. How have the people of the community helped one another? What role do the women of Kalikuda play during these days?
Ans. Prashant took the initiative and mobilised everyone to help one another. In this time of distress the people of the community joined hands together and started relief work. Women started working in the food for work programme and looked after the orphans.
Q. 4. Why do Prashant and other volunteers resist the plan to set up institutions for orphans and widows ? What alternatives do they consider?
Ans. Prashant and other volunteers resisted the plan as they felt that it would not be proper to set up separate institutions for orphans and widows. The group of volunteers was of the opinion that in these institutions children would not be able to get love and widow would suffer from stigma and loneliness and isolation. The group decided to rehabilitate them in their own community. New families were, made and the childless widows took care of the orphan.
Q. 5. Do you think Prashant is a good leader ? Do you think young people can get together to help people during natural calamities ?
Ans. Undoubtedly, Prashant is a good leader. He has all the qualities of a leader. He has a special quality of taking initiatives. His vision is quite clear. He faces adverse circumstances courageously. He is a source of energy for others and has great motivational power. I think that youth is power. This power can be used to assist society during natural disasters. Whatever job is assigned to the youth in such circumstances they perform their duty with full spirit.
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 6 WEATHERING THE STORM IN ERSAMA | English Moments
ADDITIONAL
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. Describe the scene after storm and heavy rain. When did the rain cease? What was its result ?
Ans. The scene after storm and heavy rain was quite tragic. There were dead bodies and uprooted trees all around. A brown sheet of water covered everything. There were screams and water everywhere. The rain ceased after two days. There was nothing but water all around. Because of heavy rain there was little hope for the betterment of the flood victims.
Q. 2. What did Prashant and his friend do to save their life? Where did they get their food from?
Ans. Prashant and his friend's family sat in the open on the roof of the house to save their life. There was freezing Cold and continuous rain. Prashant was anxious to meet his parents. They got their food from the two coconut trees. By eating tender coconuts they could keep themselves from staring.
Q. 3. Why was it difficult for Prashant to travel back to his village?
Ans. Prashant was fully determined to see his parents after devastation caused by the cyclone. In such a condition it was difficult for him to travel back to his village. He equipped himself with a long stick and started his journey. His village was 18 kilometres from this place. He kept moving ahead through the swollen flood waters. He used his stick to estimate the depth of water.
Q. 4. What were the two important things Prashant did after deciding to be the leader of the village?
Ans. First of all, he organised a group of people to get rice from the merchant to help the victims. He organised a team of young volunteers. The team did its best to clean the surrounding area and the shelter. Prashant proved to be a good leader that time.
Q. 5. How did Prashant help the women and children to get over their grief?
Ans. Prashant had deep sympathy for the flood victims. He could not tolerate the deplorable condition of the women and children. He decided to get them engaged, So, he persuaded the women to work in the food for work programme. He made special arrangement for the children to keep them busy.
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 6 WEATHERING THE STORM IN ERSAMA | English Moments
Q. 6. Why should orphans and widows not be sent to separate institutions?
Ans. The group of Prashant was of the opinion that widows and orphans should not be e separately. They stressed upon their inclusion. They argued that in that condition children would grow without love and widows would get a stigma and loneliness.
Q.7. How did Prashant pass his time of two days of the super cyclone?
Ans. Prashant sat with his friend's family in the open on the roof top, The scene was so dreadful that the two days seemed to Prashant like two years. They faced the freezing cold boldly. Prashant was anxious about the survival of the members of/his family.
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 6 WEATHERING THE STORM IN ERSAMA | English Moments
II. LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
Q. 1. Write the character-sketch of Prasanta.
Ans. Prashant was a young boy. He was a brave fellow. He had the qualities of a great leader. He saw the devastation very closely. He was soft at heart. He kept thinking about his family during his stay with his friend. He took the initiative and decided to help others. He organised various groups and assigned them their duties. He formed a youth task force to improve the condition. He thought about all categories of people. He was daring and opposed the decision of the government related to the setting up of separate institutions for widows and orphans. He was the real hero. He helped others selflessly. It was due to his support that the rehabilitation work could progress fast.
Q. 2. Describe the desperate situation in the shelter.
Ans. After the devastation the shelter was established. It was established at Kalikuda. Around 2500 people were there. The whole atmosphere was grimmy. The people survived on green coconuts. The men, the women and the children looked helpless. They were filled with fear and groaning for the dead. Prashant took the initiative and organised many groups. They could succeed in their efforts and got rice to eat. They got relief packages sent through helicopters. There were filth, vomit, urine and floating carcasses around and inside the shelter. Life seemed slow here. The people there passed their time in gossiping and performing several activities. The situation of the shelter showed the clear picture of suffering humanity.
Q. 3. Narrate the storm in Ersama.
Ans. The storm was quite furious. Winds beat against the houses with a very high speed. Darkness spread all around. It was a devastating storm which washed the houses away, destroyed hundreds of villages, killed thousands of people and uprooted many trees. There were dead bodies all around. People, became homeless and many children became orphans. This destruction continued for the next thirty-six hours. Everything looked grimrny. The conditions here chaotic all around. There was water inside the houses. Dead bodies could be seen easily. People tried to save their life and moved here, and there. The storm brought destruction and ruined thousands of lives.
NCERT Solutions for Class-9 English Chapter 6 WEATHERING THE STORM IN ERSAMA | English Moments
Q. 4. Describe Prashant's journey to his village.
Ans. After two days- when the rain ceased and the rain water began to recede slowly, Prashant decided to visit his village. He had to face many difficulties on his way to his village. He equipped himself with a long stick and started his journey. His village was 18 kilometres away from this place. He kept moving ahead though the swollen flood waters. He used his stick to estimate the depth of the water. When he reached his village his heart went cold on seeing all vilegers are starving and homeless and dead bodies are flothing on water.