Let us Solve our own Problems
2. Always remember
Problems ours identify : My area gets water only thrice a week!... The garbage has piled up. I have to walk to school with my nose covered...... I feel like riding my bicycle to school every day, but there is no bicycle track !...... My father has to visit the taluka place every day for some dispute over the land !.....
Issues in civic life : We encounter many problems in our civic life. These problems cause us inconvenience. Sometimes our life is throws into disorder. If we turn a blind eye towards problems, they become worse. So it is best to solve them in time. The problems faced by people in cities and villages can be called problems or issues in civic life. It is important to be able to identify such issues. One person alone cannot solve such problems. They can be solved through everyone's efforts and co-operation.
Solving disputes : Disputes arising over various issues in our towns and villages can also be a problem. The well - being of a village is affected by constant disputes. It leads to loss of unity and obstructs the progress of the village. If the disputes are not serious, they can be solved locally by speaking to the parties involved. However, if the dispute is not solved in this way, it has to be taken to the appropriate bodies or the courts.
Do You Know ?
Since 2007, the 'Mahatma Gandhi Dispute - Free Village Mission' is being implemented in our State. The aim of this scheme is that village should be able to solve their own disputes through peaceful discussions. This method of solving disputers increases harmony in the village. Villages which have solved their disputes by using this method also get a peace award. In cities. Mohalla committees help to solve disputes.
Problem solving : Henware Bazaar : In the village of Henware Bazaar in Ahmednagar district, water shortage was a big problem. This problem was solved with the help and participation of the villagers. The problem of animals feed was also solved. Now, Henware Bazaar has lush green surroundings.
Cleaning a village through 'shramdaan': The people of Khudawadi village in Osmanabad district cleaned their village through 'shramdaan' or voluntary contribution of labor. They decided that everyone should help in cleaning the village. First, the waste water was dealt with. The garbage was used to make manure using vermiculture. A toilet was built in each house.
For a society to be peaceful, the basic needs of all of its sections need to be met. Each person must get the necessary security. The exploitation in society must stop. Inequality must decrease. Everyone must have the right to participate in public life. By learning the importance of peace and by using peaceful methods, we can create a peaceful environment in our family, school and community.
Do You Know ?
In order for peace to spread worldwide, and for nations to be able to strive for the development of their people. 21 September has been designated by the UN as 'International Peace Day'. On this day, in New York, where the United Nations have their headquarters, a bell is rung at 10'oclock in the morning. This is followed by a few moments of silence. This bell has been made from coins given by people from around 60 nations.
Our Environment
There are many things around us. They form our environment. There are stones and rocks and soil. There are rivers and streams and lakes. There is air. There are hills and mountains. There are jungles. There are fields and houses and roads and also barren lands. We also see many different animals around us. Different types of trees and bushes and climbers make our environment beautiful. We, too, are a part of this environment. An environment is everything that is around us, which includes both living and nonliving things such as soil, water animals and plants, which adapt themselves to their surroundings. It is natures' gift that helps in nourishing life on Earth. The environment plays an important role in the existence of life on the planet earth. The word Environment is derived from the French word "Environ" which means "surrounding". An ecosystem refers to all the living and non- living things present in the environment and it is a foundation of the Biosphere, which determiners the health of the entire planet earth. Ecology and Environmental science are the branches of life science, which mainly deal with the study of organisms and their interactions with other organisms and their environment.
A sparrow and a roadside stone :
Now let us look at a stone and a sparrow in our surroundings and compare them. A stone remains where it is. Its place changes only if someone picks it up and moves it. It doesn't eat. So it doesn't grow bigger. It doesn't have babies either. It's not the same with sparrows. They build nests. They move here and there on their own. They eat insects and grains. That is why they grow. They lay eggs in nests. Little sparrows hatch from these eggs. Sparrows take a lot of care of their young ones.
Why do we see these differences between the sparrow and the stone ?
The sparrow is a living thing and the stone is a
non-living thing. Things in our surroundings from two groups
- living things and non- living things. Living things are of two kinds, plants and animals. Animals have babies and seedlings grow from seeds. The
seedlings then grow into plants. This tells us that plants are living
things. Plants, too, move. For example, when a bud
blooms into a flower, its petals open. But movements of plants are not
so easily seen. Plants also need food.
Of course, plants do not move from place to place like animals do. Their roots hold them down in one place. This is a big difference between plants and animals.
The relationship between all things in the environment
Water and air are a part of the environment. All living things need them. Living things also need food. They get their food from the environment. Whatever living things need to survive, they get from their environment. Birds build nests. They need cotton, twigs and threads to build them. They get these things from the environment.
Human beings use so many things from the environment. We get cotton, Wool and silk from our environment. We weave cloth from them.
We make things like mats, baskets, paper from materials in our environment. We build houses using clay and stone and wood. These materials, too, we get from our environment. The seeds of some plants are scattered by the wind. As a result, seedlings of those plants grow in new places. Thus, plants, too, get help from their environment Living things take many things from their environment. What effect does that have on the environment ?Animals like vultures and foxes eat the flesh of dead animals. Thus, they clean the environment while they satisfy their hunger. Remains of dead animals decay. They mix with the soil. Leaves fall off trees. They, too, rot, and get mixed in the soil. This makes the soil fertile. Plants get nourishment from fertile soil. Thus living things bring about changes in non-living things, too.
A sheep: A sheep's body is covered with wool. The sheep feeds on leaves of shrubs. As it does so, the seeds of some shrubs can get caught in its wool. When the sheep goes somewhere else, the seeds may fall off there. Thus, the sheep helps new seedlings of the shrub to grow in many different places. In this way, the sheep which is an animal and the shrub which is a plant help each other.