Weathering the Storm in Ersama

Summary

This is a story of a nineteen year old boy who goes to his village seven years after his
mother’s death. He decides to spend a day with his friend in Ersama, eighteen kilometers
from his village. Unfortunately, a severe cyclone hits Ersama. He spends a cold and harrowing
time atop the roof of the house along with his friend’s family. The sight of the destruction
had severe impact on Prashant.
After two days, when the rain ceased, Prashant decided to walk to his village through the
flood waters, armed with a sturdy stick. His family was overjoyed to see him. Taking stock of
the grim situation in his village due to the cyclone, Prashant stepped in as a leader and
organized food and shelter for everyone. He later began a cleanliness drive and a drive to
resettle the orphans and widows into the community.

Comprehension Questions

1. What happened on the evening when Prashant had gone to spend a day with a
friend?
The small town of Ersama, where Prashant had gone to spend a day with a friend was
hit by a severe cyclone. Incessant rain, furious winds with the velocity of 350km per
hour uprooted ancient trees. People and houses were washed away. Prashant had to
spend two days atop the roof of the house with his friend’s family.
In the morning, a raging deadly brown sheet of water covered everything as far as the
eye could see. A few fractured cement houses still stood in a few places. Bloated
animal carcasses and human corpses floated in every direction. The rain ceased after
two days and the waters began to recede.

2. How were the two coconut trees that fell on the roof of his friend’s house, a blessing
in disguise?
The two coconut trees that fell on the roof of his friend’s house were a blessing in
disguise because the tender coconuts from the trees kept the trapped family from
starving in the several days that followed.

3. When did Prashant decide to seek out his family?
Two days after the storm hit, when the rain ceased and the water began to recede,
Prashant decided to seek out his family without delay. His friend’s family pleaded with
to stay a little while longer because the situation was dangerous but Prashant knew he
had to go.

4. Describe Prashant’s journey to his village from Ersama.
Prashant equipped himself with a long sturdy stick and then started on his eighteen
kilometer long expedition back to his village through the swollen flood waters. He
constantly had to use his stick to locate the road, to determine where the water was
most shallow. Some places it was waist deep, at several points he lost the road and had
to swim. He met two of his uncle’s friends and they travelled together. They witnessed
macabre sights at every village they passed. Prashant wept loud and long. He was sure
that his family couldn’t have survived the catastrophe. When he reached his village, his
heart went cold on witnessing the destruction. There was nothing left of his home.
Fortunately, he found his family at the Red Cross shelter.

5. What was ‘the miracle’ and how?
Prashant’s family in his village in Kalikuda had been worried about him. When he did
not return for days, they thought they had lost him. But when Prashant’s family found
him at the Red Cross shelter, they were extremely happy. They took it to be ‘a miracle’
because it wasn’t easy to survive the cyclone and the flood.

6. What did Prashant sense wrong with the people at the shelter? How did he solve the
problem?
Prashant could sense the feeling of a deathly grief settling fast upon the 2500 people
in the shelter. They mourned for the people who died due to the flood and the
property they lost. It was their fourth day at the shelter. So far they had survived on
tender coconuts but they were not many to feed all.
Prashant decided to step in as the leader. First he organized a group of youths and
elders to jointly pressurize the merchant to give rice. Next he organized a team of
youth volunteers to clean the shelter and tend to the wounds and fractures of the
injured.

7. How did Prashant and the youth task force communicate to the government that they
were hungry?
There was acute shortage of food at the shelter. The military helicopter dropped some
food parcels on the fifth day and then did not come again. The youth task force made
the children lie on the sand with empty utensils on their stomachs to communicate to
the passing helicopters that they were hungry. It very successfully conveyed the
message to the authorities. Due to their efforts, the helicopters started dropping food
regularly.

8. How did Prashant help the children orphaned by the cyclone and flood?
Prashant set up a polythene shelter for the orphans. Women were mobilised to look
after them while the men secured food and materials for the shelter. He organized
sports events to help them recover from their grief. He resisted the government’s
effort to set up institutions for them because he felt that in such institutions the
children would grow up without love. He believed orphans should be resettled in their
own community, in foster families made up of childless widows and children without
adult care. With the help of other volunteers, Prashant helped the orphans pick up the
broken pieces of their lives.

9. How did Prashant help the women affected by the devastating cyclone?
Prashant was quick to realize that the widows were sinking deeper into their grief. He
persuaded them to start working in the food-for-work programme started by an NGO.
He helped them set up foster families for orphans. He resisted the government’s plan
to set up institutions for the orphans and widows because he felt that in such
institutions He helped them emotionally and psychologically.

10. Why did Prashant resist the government’s plan to set up institutions for the orphans
and widows?
He resisted the government’s plan to set up institutions for the orphans and widows
because he felt that in such institutions the children would grow up without love and
the widows would suffer from stigma and loneliness. He believed that the widows and
the orphans should be resettled in their own community.

Answers to Text book questions

Think About It

1. What havoc has the super cyclone wreaked in the life of the people of Orissa?
The super cyclone devastated everything in Orissa. Houses were destroyed, people lost
their families, belongings and source of sustenance.
After the super cyclone, a raging deadly brown sheet of water covered everything.
Only some fractured cement houses still stood in a few places. Bloated animal
carcasses and human corpses floated in every direction. Even the huge old trees had
fallen. When Prashant went towards his village along with two friends of his uncle,
they had to push away many human bodies and carcasses of dogs, goats, and cattle.
They could barely see a house standing. All the houses had been washed away.

2. How has Prashant, a teenager, been able to help the people of his village?
Prashant helped the people of his village by first getting a grip over himself because
he was initially shocked on witnessing the after effects of the cyclone. He decided to
step in as the leader of his village. He organized a group of youths and elders to jointly
pressurize the merchant to given rice for the people living in the shelter. He was
successful in this task. His next task was to organize a team of youth volunteers to
clean the shelter and to tend to the wounds of the people who had been injured
because of the cyclone. He then began efforts to help the orphans and widows pick up
the broken pieces of their lives by enabling them to resettle in their own community
itself.
Prashant brought a number of orphaned children together and constructed a
polythene shelter for them. While women were mobilized to look after them, the men
secured food and other essentials for the shelter. When he realised that the women
were becoming too grief-stricken, he persuaded them to start working in the food-for-
work programme, which was initiated by an NGO. He also organized sports events for
children.

3. How have the people of the community helped one another? What role do the
women of Kalikuda play during these days?
The people of the community helped one another by joining hands under the
leadership of Prashant. They jointly pressurized the merchant to give rice as everybody
was starving. A fire was lighted to cook the rice. It was the first time after the cyclone
had hit the area that everyone ate their fill. A team of youth volunteers was organized
to clean the shelter and to tend to the wounds and fractures of the people who had
been injured because of the cyclone.
When the military helicopter dropped some food parcels but did not return, the youth
task force gathered empty utensils from the shelter and deputed the children to lie in
the sand with these utensils on their stomachs to communicate to the passing
helicopters that they were hungry.
The women of Kalikuda looked after the orphaned children. On Prashant’s insistence,
the widows also started working in the food-for-work programme started by an NGO
and began foster care for the orphaned children.

4. What do Prashant and other volunteers resist the plan to set up institutions for
orphans and widows? Why alternatives do they consider?
Prashant and the other volunteers resisted the plan to set up institutions for orphans
and widows because they felt that in such institutions, children would grow up without
love and the widows would suffer from stigma and loneliness. Prashant’s group
believed that orphans should be resettled in their community itself, possibly in new
foster families made up of childless widows and children without adult care.

5. Do you think Prashant is good leader? Do you think young people can get together
to help people during natural calamities?
Yes, Prashant is a very good leader. Though he himself was grief-stricken, he got a
hold of himself and decided to step in as the leader of the village. He carried out his
role effectively and helped the people of his village in every possible manner.
Yes. Young people can definitely get together to help people during natural calamities
and otherwise. They can use their strength and vigour to help the people.

PRACTICE QUESTIONS

Q1 Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow.

(a) It was a journey he would never forget. He constantly had to use his stick to locate the

road, to determine where the water was most shallow.

i. Who is referred to as ‘he’? Where was ‘he’ going?

Prashant, a nineteen year old boy is referred to as ‘he’. He was going to his

village, Kalikuda from Ersama.

ii. What disaster had struck the area? Where was ‘he’ at that time?

The area had been struck by a severe cyclone. Prashant had been at his friend’s

house in Ersama and had spent two days huddled with his friend’s family on the

roof top.

iii. What made the journey ‘unforgettable?

Prashant armed with a long sturdy stick undertook the eighteen kilometre long

journey through swollen flood waters. Fortunately, he met two friends of his

uncle. They could barely see any house standing in any village that they passed.

They had to push away human bodies and animal carcasses as they moved

ahead.

iv. Give the antonym of the word ’shallow’.

deep

(b) The message got through, and after that the helicopter made regular rounds of the

shelter.

i. Who was trying to send a message and to whom?

The youth task force at the shelter in the cyclone hit village of Kalikuda were

trying to send a message to the military helicopter that dropped food parcels,

five days after the cyclone.

ii. What message was they trying to send and why?

They were trying to send the message to the military helicopters that they were

hungry. The military helicopter had dropped the food parcels one day and then

did not return.

iii. What did they do to send the message?

The youth task force gathered the empty utensils from the shelter and then

deputed the children to lie in the sand around the shelter with the utensils on

their stomach.

iv. Explain the meaning of the phrase-‘got through’.

succeeded in making oneself understood

Q2 Answer each of the following questions in about 30-40 words.

(a) How were the two coconut trees that fell on the roof of his friend’s house, a blessing

in disguise?

The two coconut trees that fell on the roof of his friend’s house were a blessing

in disguise because the tender coconuts from the trees kept the trapped family

from starving in the several days that followed.

(b) Why did Prashant resist the government’s plan to set up institutions for the orphans

and widows?

He resisted the government’s plan to set up institutions for the orphans and

widows because he felt that in such institutions the children would grow up

without love and the widows would suffer from stigma and loneliness. He

believed that the widows and the orphans should be resettled in their own

community.

Q3 Answer each of the following questions in about 100-150 words.

(a) What did Prashant sense wrong with the people at the shelter? How did he solve the

problem?

Prashant could sense the feeling of a deathly grief settling fast upon the 2500

people in the shelter. They mourned for the people who died due to the flood

and the property they lost. It was their fourth day at the shelter. So far they had

survived on tender coconuts but they were not many to feed all.

Prashant decided to step in as the leader. First he organized a group of youths

and elders to jointly pressurize the merchant to give rice. Next he organized a

team of youth volunteers to clean the shelter and tend to the wounds and

fractures of the injured.

(b) How did Prashant help the widows and the orphans of his village?

Prashant was quick to realize that the widows and orphans were sinking deeper

into their grief.

Prashant set up a polythene shelter for the orphans. Women were mobilised to

look after them while the men secured food and materials for the shelter. He

organized sports events to help the children recover from their grief.

He persuaded the widows to start working in the food-for-work programme

started by an NGO. He helped them set up foster families for orphans

He believed orphans should be resettled in their own community, in foster

families made up of childless widows and children without adult care. With the

help of other volunteers, Prashant helped the orphans and widows pick up the

broken pieces of their lives.

He helped them emotionally and psychologically.