by 7. Everyday Heroe
NARANBHAI
KARANGIA, a, 43-year old farmer from Jamnagar,Gujarat is a devoted guardian of our national bird. If he learns
that a peacock within 200 kilometres of his village is ill or injured, he rushes to the bird on his motorcycle with vitamin drops, medications and bandages. And if, after he has treated it, the bird can’t be left in the wild, Karangia brings it home. Every year, after the harvest, when food for wild peacocks is scarce, Karangia sets up centers in villages where the birds are looked after and fed. And during a flood, a few years ago, Karangia spent two days looking for peacocks marooned on treetops. He saved a dozen. I love peacocks, says Karangia, I want to help as many as I can
The Noteworthy Singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya a Hindi playback singer was returning
home in suburban Mumbai late one evening when he saw people gathered around a man lying in a pool of blood. Asking his driver to stop, Abhijeet found the injured man unconscious and bleeding heavily. A young, well-dressed couple in the crowd told Abhijeet that their car had hit the man. They were upset and didn’t know what to do, recalls Abhijeet. Taking charge, he told his chauffeur to drive the couple to the nearest hospital. Then, with the help of
bystanders, he carefully placed the injured man in the couple’s car and drove to the same hospital. Although required by law to treat accident victims immediately, doctors at the hospital were reluctant to admit the injured man. It took 10 minutes of wrangling for Abhijeet to get them to agree. Only after making sure that the man was being attended to and that his relatives had been contacted did Abhijeet leave for home at around 1 a.m
Don’t hesitate to help road accident victims, Abhijeet says. You can save a life!”
VASANT KALBAG, a 79-year old retired businessman, encourages people to be kind. Doing small selfless acts, he believes, not only helps others-it boosts our health and longevity. Kalbag realized this after he
came across two websites-globalideas bank.org and actsofkindness. org, both of which promoted the message that if only people were kind to one another, the world would be a much better place. Inspired by this simple but powerful idea, Kalbag started his own organization Kindness Unlimited (KU) and built the kindness unlimited.tripod.com website. Through it, Kalbag has built a net-work of KU members who keep in touch with him via e-mail and phone. And Kalbag e-mails all of them his bimonthly newsletter, recounting the kind deeds of the members. Kalbag also lectures school and college students on the importance of kindness. Swapna Hawaldar, a young software engineer says, Thanks to Vasant Uncle, I no longer think twice about helping strangers. There’s nothing as truly fulfilling as kindness, says Kalbag
The Tidiness Expert Rajkumar Sharma
a Mumbai businessman always bemoaned the squalid condition of the lane he lived in. The garbage bins overflowed;
streetlights never worked; the lane was full of potholes. One day Sharma learnt of a Mumbai municipality eautification programme called Advanced Locality Management, which required all the residents of a street or colony
to separate their wet and dry garbage. While the wet garbage was turned into compost to grow plants, ragpickers were hired to take away the dry variety. In return, the municipality gave priority to the street’s problems. Sharma implemented the programme in his street with 00 odd residents. Today, his green and lovely lane is a model project that attracts urban experts from around the world. Sharma has also helped residents of many other areas in the
city to start similar programmes.
The Life Saver AMALA MARY, a 48-year old Tamil Nadu beedi worker, was at home cooking when she heard a deafening sound. She ran out to find that a part of the embankment on which her hut was built on, had
collapsed, covering the rail tracks below with a huge mound of mud and debris. Just then she heard a train’s whistle. That meant a passenger train had left the station, two kilometres away. In a few minutes it would smash into the landslide. Amala started running on the embankment towards the train. Then, scrambling
down a muddy pathway onto the tracks, she continued to run. Luckily, she was wearing a red sari. She lifted its pallu and began waving it as she ran. When the engine driver saw Amala waving a red cloth, he slowed down. As the train neared her, Amala shouted, Land-slide The driver applied the emergency brakes and stopped
the train. There was a curve ahead, says driver B. Prabhakar, so the landslide wasn’t visible. Had it not been for Amala’s warning, many people would have died. I’m happy I was able to prevent a tragedy, says Amala, who was given the Kalpana Chawla Award for Courage and Daring Enterprise.
A. Answer the following questions
1. Why is Naranbhai Karangia called the Peacock Doctor?
Because he treats sick and injured peacocks with medicines, bandages and vitamin drops and even brings them home if they cannot survive in the wild.
2. What is the Advanced Locality Management Programme?
It is a municipal programme in which residents separate wet and dry garbage. Wet waste is turned into compost, dry waste is taken away by ragpickers, and in return the municipality gives priority to solving the street’s problems.
3. How has Sharma helped clean up his street?
He implemented the Advanced Locality Management programme in his lane, encouraged residents to separate garbage, and made the street green, clean and a model project for others.
4. How did the singer Abhijeet help the couple and the accident victim?
He took charge of the situation, asked his driver to take the couple and the injured man to the hospital, ensured the man was admitted and treated, and made sure his relatives were informed.
5. What message do you get from the story The Noteworthy Singer?
We should not hesitate to help accident victims. Timely help can save lives.
6. Why does Vasant Kalbag promote ‘kindness’ among people?
He believes that small acts of kindness help others, improve health and happiness, and can make the world a better place.
7. How was Amala Mary able to prevent the rail tragedy?
She ran towards the train, waved her red sari as a warning, shouted about the landslide, and made the driver stop the train in time.
8. What is the Kalpana Chawla Award given for?
It is given for courage and daring enterprise.
B. Explain the result of their timely action
| S.NO | Steps Take | Results |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Setup centres in villages for birds — | Peacocks were fed and protected when food was scarce, helping them survive. |
| 2 | Instructed driver to take the injured man to hospital — | The accident victim received medical treatment and his life was saved. |
| 3 | Encouraged people to be kind — | People began helping others more readily, creating a caring and better society. |
| 4 | Implementation of Advanced Locality Management — | The street became clean, green and well-managed, serving as a model for others. |
| 5 | Stopped the train — | A major railway accident was prevented and many lives were saved. |
Vocabulary
A. Complete the following sentences
1. When Karangia learnt that a peacock was ill or injured, he rushed to the bird on his motorcycle.
2. Abhijeet was returning home when he saw people gathered around a man.
3. After making sure that the man was being attended, he took leave for home at 1 a.m.
4. If only people were kind to one another, the world would be a better place. Inspired by this simple but powerful idea, he started his own organisation.
5. The garbage bins overflowed, street lights never worked, the lane was full of potholes on Sharma’s street.
6. Amala started running on the embankment towards the train. Then, scrambled down a muddy path onto the tracks, she continued to run.
B. One word for each profession
1. One who heals is a doctor
2. One who runs a business – businessman
3. One who takes care of a business – manager
4. One who sings for films – playback singer
5. One who designs an internet site – webmaster
6. One who cooks in a hotel – chef
7. One who collects waste – rag-picker
Work in groups and write a story based on the details given below
and give a Title to the Story.
ans: Brave Children on the Train
Charu Sharma was a 10-year-old girl. One day, she was travelling in a Mumbai local train with her mother Neha and her friend Chinmay. They were in the ladies’ compartment and were talking happily.
After two stations, some men entered the compartment. One man went near Neha and showed a knife. He shouted at her to give her handbag. Neha was very scared and held her bag tightly.
Charu and Chinmay had learnt karate at school. They wanted to protect Charu’s mother. Chinmay tried to stop the thief, and Charu held his arm. When the man tried to run away, Charu bit him. The thief became angry and hurt Chinmay on the face.
Just then, the train started slowing down. The thieves got frightened and jumped out of the train without the bag. Everyone in the compartment felt safe again.
Chinmay was hurt, but he was brave. Neha hugged both children and thanked them. Later, Charu and Chinmay were given bravery awards for their courage.
Neha told them, “I am proud of you, but you must always be careful.”
Charu and Chinmay said that if such a thing happens again, they will help others bravely.
B. Read sentence aloud. See clues given and speak in a sentence
1. White colour, long tail, eats mice
What am I?
I am a cat.
2. Tallest mountain, very cold, situated in Nepal
Who am I?
I am Mount Everest.
3. Ship of the desert, can live without water for up to a month
Who am I?
I am a camel.
4. Small in size, music comes out of it, children like listening to it
What is it?
It is a radio.
5. I go from house to house and deliver letters
Who am I?
I am a postman.
6. Cure animals, wear a white coat, work in a hospital
Who am I?
I am a veterinary doctor (vet).
