Lesson 3: Our food and shelter

The class comes up with different problems. One group leader says, “The scarcity of
food will be a serious problem. It is true that our agriculturists have developed new
varieties of rice and its per acre production has definitely increased. But the rate of
increase in food production cannot keep pace with the rate of population growth. This
is because our land is fixed, i.e. we cannot increase it, while our population is
increasing rapidly.”
Another group leader comes up with the housing problem in the country, which he
says adds much to the food problem. He continues, “Families are growing larger in
size and breaking into smaller families. Each such family needs a separate house to
live in. Also the arable fields are being divided by these smaller families among
themselves. Mills and factories are being set up, which occupy a considerable portion
of our land. So when we need more land to grow more food to feed more mouths, our
land is shrinking day by day. If our population grows at the present rate, a day will
come when many people will not find any land to build a house on. And, as a result,
many of them might live on trees or on the floating boats in the rivers.”
“No way,” another student argues. “Trees are being cut, hills are being cleared and
water bodies are being filled up --- all to meet the needs of too many people.”
“Thank you students,” Ms Choudhury says, “You’re quite right. Let me tell you
about this village where I was born and brought up. Things were not like this in the
past. I remember as a child, the village was so beautiful! The green paddy fields and
yellow mustard fields seemed to be unending. They used to wave and dance in the
breeze. There used to be a wood in the northern side of the village. There was a tall
tamarind tree in the middle of the wood. Also a big banyan tree looked like a huge
green umbrella, with its aerial roots hanging down. I often used to go there with my
age-mates. We would often have picnic there. While the boys would climb the
tamarind tree and pick some tamarinds, me and my best friend Rima used to swing
English For Today 57

with the roots. But now, look, the wood is gone. The beauty of the crop fields is
spoiled by the unplanned houses built here and there.”