NCERT Solution : Rural Livelihoods Chapter 8 Class 6 Social and Political Life - I
Page no - 67
1. Describe the work that you see people doing in the above pictures.
Answer:
The work that people are doing includes :
- Labourers, carrying loads
- Mansions
- Hawker
- Fishing
- Plucking fruits and vegetables
- People supervising the work in the field
- Labourers working in the fields
2. Identify the different types of work that are related to farming and those that are not. List these in a table.
Answer:
Answer:
Students, do it yourself.
Page no - 69
Q. Based on the above diagram (given on page 69) would you say that Thulasi earns money throughout the year ?
Answer:
No, Thulsi does not earn money throughout the year, because she is an agricultural labourer. There is no agricultural activity in the months of January to April. So, she does not earn money these months.
1. Describe the work that Thulasi does. How is it different from the work Raman does ?
Answer:
- Thulasi works in the paddy field from 8.30 am in the morning till 4.30 in the evening. She transplants the paddy, when they have grown a little.
- She does all the work at home like cooking, cleaning the house and washing clothes. She goes to the nearby forest to collect firewood and fetch water.
- Raman is a labourer. He sprays pesticide on the sapling.
- When there is no work on the farm, he finds work loading sand from the river or stone from the quarry.
- He also helps to get grocery for the household.
2. Thulasi gets paid very little money for the work she does. Why do you think agricultural labourers like her are forced to accept low wages ?
Answer:
Agricultural labourers are forced to work for very little wages because there is no other kind of work in the village. Secondly the labourers have the assurance that they will be again called back to work.
3. In what ways would her way of earning a living have been different if Thulasi owned some farm land ? Discuss.
Answer:
If Thulasi had owned some farmland she would have cultivated her field, with little outside help at the time of harvesting. The whole produce and the money she got after selling would have belonged to her. If she had purchased seeds and fertilizers from the traders on loan, she will have to pay it back.
4. What are the crops grown in your region or nearby rural area ? What kinds of work do agricultural labourers do ?
Answer:
Rice is cultivated in my region. The labourers do the following work :
- ploughing the field
- planting the sapling
- filling the fields with water
- transplanting the sapling
- weeding and harvesting
Page no - 71
1. What work does Sekar's family do ? Why do you think Sekar does not usually employ labourers for doing farming work ?
Answer:
Sekar's family work in the field, cultivating and growing crops. Sekar does not usually employ labourers for doing farming work because he owns a very small plot of land and it is cultivated by him and his family. If outside help is needed at the time of harvesting, he exchanges his labour with the other farmers.
2. Why does Sekar not go to the town market to get a better price for his paddy ?
Answer:
Sekar does not go to the town market to get a better price for his paddy because he gets about 60 bags of paddy. Some of this will be said to settle the loan and the rest will be used in his home. He does not have a surplus.
3. Sekar's sister Mina had also taken a loan from the trader. She does not want to sell her paddy to him but she will pay back her loan. Write an imaginary conversation between Mina and the trader's agent and the argument given by each person.
Answer:
Mina : (Is sitting near her hut and the traders agent has come.) (There is fear in her eyes). When the agent arrives she greets him politely and asks him to sit.
Agent : You have collected the paddy from the field I have come to buy it. After deducing the money taken by you as loan. The rest of money will be given to you.
Mina : I do not want to sell my paddy to you.
Agent : (In anger) Why ? You do not have to go the market to sell it. I will save your time.
Mina : (Insists) I will give the loan.
Agent : (Rudely) I am asking why ?
Mina : The market price is more and you are giving less.
Agent : Aha ! We give money when you need. Not the market. I will buy your paddy.
4. What are the similarities and differences between Sekar and Thulasi's lives ? Your answer could be based on the land that they have, their need to work on the land, that belongs to others or loans that they need and their earnings.
Answer:
The differences between Sekar and Thulasi's lives are :
| Sekar | Thulasi |
|---|---|
| He owns a plot of land which is about 2 acres and works on his own. | She doesn't own any plot of land. She works for big land owners. |
| He takes a loans from the traders and to pay back the loans, he has to sell the paddy at a lower proce. | When Thulasi took loan, because her daughter was ill, she had to sell her cow. |
Similarities -
- Both are labourers and work on the land. They work from morning till evening in the paddy fields. They have to take loans.
- Both have to work to get additional money. Sekar works for Ramalingam and thulasi has to do all household chores like collecting firewood and fetching water.
Page no - 71
Q. Read again Sekar's and Thulasi's accounts. What do they say about Ramalingam, the large farmer ? Together with what you have read fill in the details below :
1. How much land does he have ?
Answer:
Ramalingam owns about 20 acres of paddy fields in Kalpattu.
2. What does Ramalingam do with the paddy grown on his land ?
Answer:
The paddy is used to produce rice in the rice mill, which is then sold to the traders in nearby towns.
3. Apart from farming how else does he earn ?
Answer:
The other sources of his earnings are -
- He gives loans to the poor people and gets interest.
- He owns a rice mill and buys paddy from within the village and surrounding villages and profits are earned.
- He also owns a shop which sells seeds, pesticides etc.
Page no - 72
Q. From the figures given above would you say that a majority of the country's farmers are quite poor ? What do you think can be done to chnage this situation ?
Answer:
In India about 2/5 rural families are agricultural labourers and what they earn is not sufficient to meet the expenses of the family.
To improve their condition the government has to take necessary steps, e.g., to provide land, provide credit on easy terms and give high yielding variety of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc., help them in marketing their produce.
Page no - 74
1. Why do both Sekar's and Aruna's families have to borrow ? What similarities and differences do you find ?
Answer:
Both Sekar's and Aruna's families have to borrow because Sekar's family owns about 2 acres of land and produces about 60 bags of paddy, which is not sufficient for his family. So he has to borrow money. Aruna's family has to borrow money because four months in a year are the breeding season and men cannot go to the sea.
Similarities :
- Both have to work very hard, from morning till evening to earn their living.
- Both are under the clutches of the traders, from whom they have borrowed money.
Differences :
- Sekar is a small farmer and Aruna is a fisherwoman.
- SEkar has to do additional work.
2. Have you heard of tsunami ? What is this and what damage do you think it might have done to the life of fishing families like Aruna's ?
Answer:
Tsunam, is a Japanese word. It is made of two smaller words 'Tsu and 'nami'.
It is a killer wave. When the waves reach the coast, they gain both in height and speed. They cause wide destruction, wash away the villages. The villages are flooded with water debris floating on the water. It takes away everything which comes in its way.
The fisherman who live near the coast, may have lost the huts and belongings. Many family members lost their lives and many children were either, orphaned or separated from their family.
Questions, Page no - 75
1. You have probably noticed that people in kalpattu are engaged in a variety of non - farm work. List five of these.
Answer:
The non - farm work in which the people of Kalpattu are engaged are :
- People engaged in marking baskets, utensils, pots, bricks.
- People who provide services like blacksmith, washerman, weavers, teachers and nurses.
- Shopkeepers like tea shops, barber shop.
- Repair shops.
- Construction workers and lorry drivers.
2. List the different types of people you read about in Kalpattu who depend on farming. Who is the poorest among them and why ?
Answer:
The people who depend on farming are :
- Land owners, who have their farms and employ workers to work on their fields.
- Farmers with small plots on land, who do all their work themselves. Sometimes they take the help of other farmers and in turn help them to harvest their fields.
- Landless labourers, who work on the land of others.
The poorest among them are landless passants who work very hard but are unable to meet their needs. The landless labourers are out of work for a few months in a year, when there is no work in the field.
3. Imagine you are a member of a fishing family and you are discussing whether to take a loan from the bank for an engine. what would you say ?
Answer:
I will go for a bank loan for two main reasons. First, it will save us from the high interet rates charged by the local moneylenders. Second, when the engine is fitted in the catamaran, it could go far into the sea and fisherman would be able to get a better catch.
4. Poor rural labourers like Thulasi often do not have access to good medical facilities, good schools, and other resources. You have read about inequility in the first unit of this text. The difference between her and Ramalingam is one of inequility. Do you think this is a fair situation ? What do you think can be done ? Discuss in class.
Answer:
To improve the condition of the landless labourers and farmers the government can
- give land, which can be cultivated either individually or by a group of families.
- give credit and loans to the farmers on easy terms, i.e., less rate of interest.
- provide them with High Yielding Variety of seeds (HYV) pesticides, fertilizers etc.
- provide water and electricity.
5. What do you think the government can do to help farmers like Sekar when they get into debt ? Discuss.
Answer:
The government can give loans to the farmers, through the rural banks, on easy terms, i.e., less rate of interest.
6. Compare the situation of Sekar and Ramalingam by filling out the following table :
Answer :
| Sekar | Ramalingam | |
|---|---|---|
| Land cultivated | is about 2 acres | owns about 20 acres of land. |
| Labour required | work in their own | employs other labourers |
| Loans required | take loans from traders | no loans |
| Selling of harvest | some of it is used by home consumption and some sold to the traders. | harvest is sold in the village and nearby towns. |
| Other work done by them | working in the rice mill, selling milk. | shop selling seeds and presticides. |