English - Lesson 21: (TMA) " The Village Pharmacy" - Conversation between Neema, Vembu, Grandma, Iniyavan

 The Village Pharmacy

THE VILLAGE PHARMACY

It was already six in the evening. 

Neema, a student of standard VIII, had not yet returned home from school. 

Iniyavan, her father, a paediatrician at the city hospital, her mother,

Vembu and her grandparents who had come from the village were very much worried.

Neema entered just then with a sapling in her hand.

All: What happened to you? Why are you so late from school?

Neema: It was a tearful homage that we paid at our school to the ninety-four

children who died under the most tragic circumstances in Kumbakonam*.

*TRAGEDY AT SCHOOL

G. SRINIVSAN in Kumbakonam

A school in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, in which 94 children died, raises serious

questions about the state of basic education in schools.

Classes were on as usual at the Sri Krishna High School in Kumbakonam in Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu. 

In the school kitchen preparations were on to cook the mass

noon meal – rice, sambar, a side dish and a boiled egg per child . 

No one noticed a small fire in one corner of the kitchen.

But a strong wind, normal in the month of Aadi (July-August) in the State, seemed to

breathe new life into the flames and suddenly they leapt to catch the thatched roof.

Soon smoke filled the rooms and the children ran to the door screaming for help.

There was no other escape route as the flames spread. 

And then the burning thatch fell. 

Seventy-five children were burnt alive. 

Of the other 30 who suffered severe burns, 18 died in the hospital.

(Front line Cover Story 13th August 2004, issue 16th July to Aug 13, 2004,

frontlineconnect.com)

Vembu: It was a terrible accident!

Grandma: Neema, how did your school children pay homage?

Neema: Grandma, we have planted 94 neem saplings in our school campus in memory of the departed souls. 

We see in the saplings the images of the children whose lives were mercilessly nipped in the bud. 

I have brought home one sapling to be planted in our garden.

Vembu: That’s a fitting gesture on the part of your school.

Iniyavan: Yes, I agree. By the way, Neema, do you know that neem has a lot of medicinal values?

Neema: No, I don’t. I would certainly like to know.

Grandma: I think your grandpa will be the right person to tell you about it. 

He has lived in the village all his life, and he knows better than anybody else,

that it is the “village pharmacy.”

Neema: Grandpa, do tell me about the medicinal value of the neem. 

In fact, we have a science exhibition in our school next week.

 May be our class could prepare something on the ‘Neem.’

Grandpa: It’s true that we villagers call the neem tree our ‘village pharmacy.’ 

To begin with, look at my teeth. I am eighty. Can you believe? 

This is thanks to the neem twigs that I use to clean my teeth every morning.

Look at my skin–still blemish less as a child’s. 

Thanks again to the neem paste that I apply regularly. 

I’m hale and hearty even at eighty.

Thanks once again to the neem juice that I drink. 

It purifies the blood and cures all ailments. 

Do you know what motivated your father to become a doctor? 

Well, he used to watch my father preparing medicines

from various parts of the neem–its bark, seeds and leaves. 

That created an interest in ‘medicine’.

Traditionally, in India, the neem has been used widely as a medicine, for many centuries. 

It can fight inflammation, hypertension and ulcers.

 It can combat diabetes and malaria. 

Boils, rashes and wounds disappear in no time. 

You name it and the neem cures it. 

It is a panacea for many ailments. 

Even as early as 4000-4500 years ago, various parts of the neem tree were used in cosmetics and medicinal products by East Indian Harappans.

Evidence of these uses exist in the remains excavated at the Harappan site. 

These days, even toothpaste, soap and shampoo are made from the neem.

And, here I must tell you something about Mahatma Gandhi. 

The prayer meetings at the Sabarmati ashram were conducted under a Neem tree

and neem leaf chutney was a part of his everyday diet. 

And Neema, if you think that the Neem has medicinal properties alone, you are mistaken.

It also increases the fertility of the soil. Thus it is eco-friendly. 

It is a good insect repellent. 

In fact research has proved that its chemical makeup

is such that it is resistant to more than two hundred different types of insects. 

It has also proved to be a good pesticide. 

Neem is thus agro friendly too. 

It protects crops from harmful insects, viruses and bacteria.

The litter of its fallen leaves is rich in organic content and hence serves as good manure. 

The neem is also an ideal source of timber for carpentry, for it’s wood is termite resistant. 

You would be surprised to know that during the hot summer months, the temperature under the

neem tree is 10º C less that the surrounding temperature. 

In fact your air conditioners may not match the healthy cooling effect of the neem.

Thus it is a ‘free air-cooler service’! 

These evergreen, perennial trees can grow in any type of soil. They grow very fast. 

They can reach a height of 30 feet in 5 years. 

And if they escape your axe, they can survive for even 200 to 300 years. 

Is that all you want to know, or….

Neema: Oh, grandpa! How blessed I am to be named NEEMA!

Vembu: No wonder the neem is known as the ‘wonder tree’ and you’re a wonder girl too!

Terminal Questions

1. This lesson is titled ‘The Village Pharmacy’. Do you think this is an appropriate title? Why?

It is an appropriate title because a pharmacy is a place where one gets medicines of various kinds. 

In the same way the neem tree provides cures for several kinds of diseases. 

For the village people it is the safe and easy answer to several of their common health problems.

2. Neema’s grandfather had a lot of knowledge about the neem tree. 

List at least 10 things that he told Neema about the neem tree.

It is a medicine for several diseases.

It has been used since ancient times for several purposes.

It is used to purify the blood and clear the skin. 

It purifies the air around it. 

Its wood is termite resistant. 

It is an insect repellent; it is eco-friendly as well. 

It is being used to make soaps, shampoos, and oils.

3. You have read about the many uses of Neem. 

Would you like to start using neem products? 

Are you inspired to use more natural products like neem? 

Give reasons for your answer.

4. Do you know that besides neem, there are many other trees around us which are very useful? 

Find out about two more such trees and write at least 3 ways in which each of them can be used.

5. Match the parts of a neem tree with their uses given below.

----Parts of a neem tree -----Uses

a) bark, seeds, leaves -----organic manures(c)

b) twigs ------medicines(a)

c) fallen leaves/ litter -----blood purifier(e)

d) neem wood/timber------- to clean the teeth(b)

e) neem juice ----carpentry(d)

6. Choose the correct word/ phrase from the given options to fill in the blanks.

Agri- friendly, eco-friendly, organic content, termite resistant, air cooler, insect repellent

a) If you mix neem oil in paint, the wood becomes………termite resistant………

b) In the summers, wet khus curtains or blinds serve as an ……air cooler……….

c) These days, there are several ……eco-friendly……………products available in the market.

d) Decayed vegetable matter increases the fertility and ………organic content………… of the soil.

e) Cow dung, ash are all ………Agri- friendly………. products and can be safely used for protecting plants from pests.

f) Rubbing mustard oil mixed with neem oil on the body works like an……insect repellent……….

1. Answer the following questions:

1. Fill in the blanks with appropriate words from the text

a. Neema was studying in the ____VIII______ standard.

b. Her father was a —doctor/paediatrician———— by profession.

c. Neema came home with a ————neem sapling————— in her hand.

d. The fire accident took place in ——Kumbakonam———— in Tamil Nadu.

e. Neema’s ——grandparents—— were visiting her family from the village.

2. Circle the correct meaning of the underlined phrases in the following sentences from among the options given below each sentence.

a. The country is paying homage to the dead soldiers today.

1. showing respect

2. passing a comment

3. giving a prize

4. celebrating

b. Sometimes we have to face some tragic circumstances in life.

1. surprising events

2. sad events

3. cause to be angry

4. occasions.

c. Her plans to start a business of her own were nipped in the bud when the bank, as

well as her friends and relatives refused to give her a loan.

1. changed

2. postponed

3. plucked the flower while it was a bud

4. destroyed at an early stage

d. When a person dies, we pray for the peace of the departed soul.

1. a missing person

2. a person who has left home

3. a person who has died

4. a person who is alive

3. What do you think about the idea of paying homage to loved ones by planting a tree in their memory? 

Would you plant a tree in memory of a loved one? Why? Answer in about 30 words.

Yes it is a good idea .When we grow a tree in someone’s memory, it always reminds us of that person. 

It also helps in growing more trees, which is useful for us and for the environment.

Answer the following questions:

1. Answer in one or two words only.

(a) How old was Neema’s grandfather? eighty years

(b) What was about to happen in Neema’s school the following week? science exhibition

(c) How did Neema’s grandfather brush his teeth? neem twigs

(d)What did Neema’s grandfather apply on his face? neem paste

2. How did Neema’s father get motivated to become a doctor?

He saw his grandfather preparing medicines from various parts of neem tree. 

This made him interested in medicine.

3. Why did the villagers call the neem tree ‘the village pharmacy’?

The neem tree is a store house of useful qualities. Every part of it can be used to cure so many diseases.

4. In India medicines have traditionally been prepared from plants, herbs, spices and everyday kitchen ingredients. 

Our mothers and grandmothers know how to prepare some of these medicines at home. 

They often use such home remedies to cure small health problems and ailments.

Find out at least 2 such home-remedies and record in the table below. 

One example has been provided.

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Say whether the following statements are true or false:

a) The neem tree can fight many diseases. True

b) A neem tree takes very long to grow. False

c) The neem tree provides a very cool shade. True

d) Neem leaf chutney was part of Gandhiji's diet. True

e) The neem tree reduces the fertility of the soil. False

f) Neem is an evergreen, perennial tree. True

2. The lesson says that the neem tree and its leaves are effective as an insecticide and fertilizer. Why is this important? 

Why do you think it is important to use plant-based products as insecticides and fertilizers. Answer in around 50 words.

Chemical-based fertilizers leave traces of harmful substances on the fruits, vegetables and crops that we eat. 

They even harm the soil, ground water, and environment. 

Plant based products do not have harmful chemicals. 

They have very little or no side-effects. 

Fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides made from neem are therefore safe for us to use.

3. Neema says, “How blessed I am to be named after the neem tree”. Why do you think Neema said that?

Neema’s name comes from the word neem, which is the name of a tree with wonderful qualities. 

These qualities of the neem tree make it very useful, healthy and beneficial for all of us. 

Neema thinks that she is fortunate that her name is similar to this wonderful tree.