Chapter 18: No Place For Us?
जाएं तो जाएं कहाँ? (खेड़ी गाँव का विस्थापन, सिंदूरी गाँव एवं बड़े बाँध)
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- Khedi Village Life: Peaceful village nestled among green hills and dense forests beside a river; villagers lived like a joint family, collecting forest produce and farming.
- Dam Construction & Displacement: Government decided to build a massive dam across the river; the village and farmland were submerged under the reservoir lake.
- False Promises of Rehabilitation: Displaced families were shifted to 'Sinduri village'. Promised schools with good teachers, tap water, and electricity turned out to be tin sheds with roasting heat, unpaved rocky lands, expensive medical bills, and hostile locals who called them 'unwanted guests'.
- Urban Slum Migration: Unable to survive farming barren rocks in Sinduri, Jatrya sold his cattle and moved to Mumbai, living in a congested slum, repairing torn fishing nets, and enduring harsh poverty.
- Development vs Human Displacement: Dams provide electricity and irrigation for distant cities, but displace indigenous forest communities who lose their ancestral culture and sustainable livelihoods.
- Trap: CBSE states Jatrya moved from Sinduri to Khedi. Correct: He moved from KHEDI to SINDURI (dam displacement), and later to MUMBAI.
- Trap: CBSE presents dams as having only positive impacts. Correct: NCERT balances engineering utility with the grave human and ecological costs of displacement.
NCERT Core Facts: River Dams, Tribal Uprooting & The Reality of Rehabilitation
Class 5 Chapter 18 examines the complex human cost behind large infrastructural river valley projects.
1. Life in Peaceful Khedi Village
- Villagers lived sustainably in harmony with nature:
- Children learned to whistle, dance to drumbeats, identify birds, and gather medicinal forest herbs from village elders.
- Work in the fields was communal: everyone helped each other during sowing and harvesting seasons.
2. Big Dams and Forced Relocation
- Government and contractor engineers arrived, announcing a massive dam would be built on the river.
- Villagers were forced to abandon the land where their ancestors had lived for generations.
- The Reality in Sinduri Village:
- Instead of promised amenities, families received a single-room tin shed that turned into an oven in summer.
- Electricity was supplied for only a couple of hours, while water taps ran dry.
- Local villagers mocked them as "unwanted guests" (बिन बुलाए मेहमान).
- Teachers in the school neglected the Khedi children because of their distinct dialect.
3. The Urban Mirage (Mumbai)
- Hoping for a better education for his children, Jatrya relocated to a shantytown in Mumbai.
- Life in the metropolis proved even harsher: medicine, food, water, and school fees required cash for every breath, forcing children to work sorting plastic scrap and hauling fish nets.
Test Your Mastery: No Place For Us?
Authentic CBSE exam questions tested directly from this NCERT chapter.
In NCERT Class 5 EVS, Jatrya and his fellow villagers were displaced from their ancestral village 'Khedi' primarily due to:
NCERT कक्षा 5 EVS में, जत्र्या और उसके साथी ग्रामीणों को उनके पैतृक गाँव 'खेड़ी' से मुख्य रूप से किस कारण विस्थापित किया गया था?
What critical environmental and social issue is highlighted through Jatrya's life journey from Khedi to Sinduri and finally to Mumbai?
खेड़ी से सिंदूरी और अंततः मुंबई तक की जत्र्या की जीवन यात्रा के माध्यम से किस महत्वपूर्ण पर्यावरणीय और सामाजिक मुद्दे पर प्रकाश डाला गया है?
Why was Khedi village evacuated and submerged?
To construct a large river valley dam to supply electricity and irrigation to distant regions.
What was the name of the resettlement village where Jatrya's family was shifted?
Sinduri village.
Why were displaced people called 'unwanted guests' in Sinduri village?
Because local residents resented sharing their limited resources and land with the newly arrived dam refugees.