Anita Desai

BIOGRAPHY

Novelist, short-story writer and children's author Anita Desai was born in 1937 in Mussoorie, India. She was educated at Delhi University.

Her novels include Fire on the Mountain (1977), which won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize, and Clear Light of Day (1980), In Custody (1984) and Fasting, Feasting (1999), each of which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In Custody was made into a film by Merchant Ivory productions. Her children's book The Village by the Sea (1982), won theGuardian Children's Fiction Award.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Girton College, Cambridge and Clare Hall, Cambridge. Her most recent novel isThe Zig Zag Way (2004), set in 20th century Mexico.

Anita Desai lives in the United States, where she is the John E. Burchard Professor of Writing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.

PRIZES AND AWARDS

1978 National Academy of Letters Award Fire on the Mountain

1978 Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize Fire on the Mountain

1980 Booker Prize for Fiction (shortlist) Clear Light of Day

1983 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize The Village by the Sea

1984 Booker Prize for Fiction (shortlist) In Custody

1993 Neil Gunn Prize

1999 Booker Prize for Fiction (shortlist) Fasting, Feasting

2000 Alberto Moravia Prize for Literature (Italy)

Selected works:

• The Peacock, 1963
• Voices in the City, 1965
• Bye-Bye, Blackbird, 1971
• The Peacock Garden, 1974
• Where Shall We Go This Summer?, 1975
• Cat on a Houseboat, 1976
• Fire on the Mountain, 1977
• Games at Twilight and Other Stories, 1978
• Clear Light of Day, 1980
• Village by the Sea, 1982
• In Custody, 1984 - film 1993, dir. by Ismail Merchant, starring Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Om Puri, screenplay by Anita Desai
• Baumgartner's Bombay, 1988
• Journey to Ithaca, 1996
• Fasting, Feasting, 1999
• Diamond Dust, 2000
• The Zigzag Way: A Novel, 2004

My Primary School Days

It was hard during those days

Homework and tuition were my days

May be I would be crazy

But my friends would be first

Canes was so thin

But it was pain when they are angry

It made my hand red like blood

But in the end is noting

Prizes was all I care

I had to get one of those I swear

It looks so shiny

And also worth a lot of money

When it was result's time

Me and friend were shaking

We want to win another

It was our objective

With my friends I say

Lovely everyday

Even with some girl-friends

It was OK.

My life in Primary School

Will not be the same

Without my lovely, lovely

lovely school, Sin Kwang

Analysis on "The Son is in Secondary School" by Affian Sa’at

The Son is in Secondary School by Affian Sa’at

My badge has a Latin motto
Hope for the future
The future is hope
Or something

At times black crows try to interrupt
When we sing the National Anthem

It is difficult to maintain
The whiteness of my shoes
Especially on Wednesdays

I must admit there is something quite special
About the bare thighs of hardworking scouts

The Malay chauffeurs
Who wait for my schoolmates
Sit on the car park kerb
Telling jokes to one another

Seven to the power of five is unreasonable

On Chinese New Year
Mrs Lee dressed up
In a sarong kebaya
And sang Bengawan Solo

The capital of Singapore is Singapore

My best friend did a heroic thing once
Shaded all A’s
For his Chinese Language
Multiple-choice paper

In our annual yearbook
There is a photograph of me

Pushing a wheelchair and smiling
They caught me
At the exact moment

When my eyes were actually closed

Q1. Write an analysis of the poem.

My badge has a Latin motto
Hope for the future
The future is hope
Or something

From this, I can see that the motto means noting to him. Because of the "Or something", it feels like it is not important to him.

At times black crows try to interrupt
When we sing the National Anthem

From this, I can see that when the poet is singing the National Anthem, he is always searching for crows and he thinks that the crow did it on purpose as "black crows try to interrupt".

It is difficult to maintain
The whiteness of my shoes
Especially on Wednesdays

From this, the shoes of the poet was hard to be clean. This shows that the poet was a active boy. And his shoes were hard to be clean especially on Wednesday. This shows that maybe P.E. is on that day that it made the shoes dirty and hard to be clean.

I must admit there is something quite special
About the bare thighs of hardworking scouts

From "about the bare thighs of hardworking scouts", it clearly shows that the poem is about Singapore earlier days, the days where scouts wore short pants that show their thighs. Unlike now, scouts wear pants at a certain length.

The Malay chauffeurs
Who wait for my schoolmates
Sit on the car park kerb
Telling jokes to one another

This is a quatrain. From this, I can see that the poet came from a poor family, but the poet's classmate are from a wealthy background.

Seven to the power of five is unreasonable

From this, I can conclude that they were not allowed to use calculator and seven to the power of five was very hard to be calculated.

On Chinese New Year
Mrs Lee dressed up
In a sarong kebaya
And sang Bengawan Solo

From this, I can see that Mrs Lee is most likely a Straits Born Chinese.

The capital of Singapore is Singapore

My best friend did a heroic thing once
Shaded all A’s
For his Chinese Language
Multiple-choice paper

From this, I can see that the poet's friends were daring and extremely mischievous.

In our annual yearbook
There is a photograph of me

Pushing a wheelchair and smiling
They caught me
At the exact moment

When my eyes were actually closed

This is the last part of the poem which mainly shows how the son was unluckly.

Fauna found in "The Village By the Sea"

Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders. Until recently[vague], most gulls were placed in the genus Larus, but this arrangement is now known to be polyphyletic, leading to the resurrection of several genera.
Gulls are typically medium to large birds, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They typically have harsh wailing or squawking calls, stout, longish bills, andwebbed feet. Gull species range in size from the Little Gull, at 120 g (4.2 oz) and 29 cm (11.5 inches), to the Great Black-backed Gull, at 1.75 kg (3.8 lbs) and 76 cm (30 inches).



Curlew
Curlew is the common name for the bird genus Numenius, a group of eight wader species, characterised by a long slender downcurved bill and mainly brown plumagewith little seasonal change. They are one of the most ancient lineages of scolopacid waders, together with the godwits which look similar but have straight bills (Thomas, 2004). In Europe"Curlew" usually refers to one species, the Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata.
Curlews feed on mud or very soft ground, searching for worms and other invertebrates with their long bills. They will also take crabs and similar items.
The stone-curlews are not true curlews but members of the familyBurhinidae, which is in the same order Charadriiformes, but only distantly related within that.



Sandpipers
Sandpipers are found on shores and in wetlands around the globe, breeding on the Arctic tundra to more temperate climes. This adult Spotted Sandpiper typifies the latter group: it breeds along river and lake shores across temperate North America.
Sandpipers are a highly diverse family which include the ground-dwelling snipes and woodcocks to the highly pelagic Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius. Biochemically they seem to have arisen from a single ancestor but underwent an explosive evolution in the early Tertiary after a great wave of extinctions in the late Cretaceous period . Today, the wide variety of sandpipers, and the close relationships of many, present numerous identification challenges. The identification literature alone is impressive. Further, the beautiful patterns and colors on juvenal-plumaged birds are among the most striking in the world, while the striking breeding plumage feathers serve to camouflage adults on their breeding grounds on the arctic tundra. Many of these arctic breeders spend the non-breeding period well south of the Equator, brightening the lives of birders in the austral summer



Barnacle
A barnacle is a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive settings. They are sessile suspension feeders, and have two nektonic larval stages. Around 1,220 barnacle species are currently known. The name "Cirripedia" is Latin, meaning "curl-footed".



Mollusca
The Mollusca, common name molluscs or mollusks, is a large phylum of invertebrateanimals. There are around 85,000 recognized extant species of molluscs. It is the largest marinephylum, comprising about 23% of all the named marine organisms. Numerous molluscs also live infreshwater and terrestrial habitats. Molluscs are highly diverse, not only in size and in anatomicalstructure, but also in behaviour and in habitat.



Western Reef Heron
The Western Reef Heron, Egretta gularis, also known as the Western Reef Egret, is a medium-sized heron. It occurs mainly on the coasts in tropical west Africa, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and east to India. It has been recorded as a vagrant in the Cocos Islands, an Australian territory in the eastern Indian Ocean.[citation needed].



Pomfret
Pomfret are perciform fishes belonging to the family Bramidae.
They are found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, and the largest species, the Atlantic pomfret, Brama brama, grows up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) long.




Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of thegenera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets. The distinction between a heron and an egret is rather vague, and depends more on appearance than biology. The word "egret" comes from the French word "aigrette", referring to the long filamentous feathers that seem to cascade down an egret's back during the breeding season.



King Fisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia. The group is treated either as a single family, Alcedinidae, or as a suborder Alcedines containing three families, Alcedinidae (river kingfishers), Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers), and Cerylidae (water kingfishers). There are roughly 90 species of kingfisher. All have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with little differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests. They consume a wide range of prey as well as fish, usually caught by swooping down from a perch. Like other members of their order they nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into the natural or artificial banks in the ground. A few species, principally insular forms, are threatened with extinction.



Moorhens
Moorhens, sometimes called marsh hens, are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family Rallidae. They constitute the genus Gallinula.[1] They are close relatives ofcoots, and because of their apparently nervous behavior are sometimes called "skitty coots". Often, they are referred to as gallinules.



Mongooses
Mongooses are a family of 33 species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also frequently referred to as "mongooses". Genetic evidence indicates that the Galidiinae are more closely related to other Madagascar carnivorans in the familyEupleridae, which is the closest living group to mongooses.

Flora found in "The Village By the Sea"

Flora

Spider Lily
 Spider Lily is a herbaceous plant, it is a perennial which can reach 61cm in height (24inches). This plant has basal leaves only. Leaves can reach 60cm in length (24inches). Leaves can be as wide as 5 cm (2inches). Each long slinder leaf arches outward and is entire. The flowers have 6 Regular Parts. They are white. Blooms first appear in mid summer and continue into late summer. The very showy flowers face outward from the top of a single stalk. There can be 3 to 9 flowers.



Allamanda
Allamanda, also known as Yellow Bell, Golden Trumpet or Buttercup Flower, is a genus of tropical shrubs or vines belonging to the dogbane family (Apocynaceae).



Casuarina
Casuarina is a genus of 17 species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australasia, southeastern Asia, and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was once treated as the sole genus in the family, but has been split into three genera.



Ipomoea
The genus Ipomoea is the largest in the family Convolvulaceae, with over 500 species. Most of these are called "morning glories", but this can refer to related genera also. Those formerly separated in Calonyction are called "moonflowers". The genus occurs throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and comprises annual and perennial herbaceous plants, lianas, shrubs and small trees; most of the species are twining climbing plants.



Mauve
Mauve is a palelavender-lilac color, one of many in the range of purples.
Mauve is more grey and more blue than a pale tint ofmagenta would be. Many pale wildflowers called "blue" are actually mauve. Sometimes mauve can be considered a dirty pink or a shade of purple.
Mauve can also be described as pale violet.
Another name for this color is mallow.



Plumeria or Frangipani
Plumeria (common name Frangipani) is a small genus of 7-8 species native to tropical and subtropical Americas.[2] The genus consists of mainly deciduous shrubs and trees. It produces flowers ranging from yellow to pink . From Mexico and Central America, Plumeria has spread to all tropical areas of the world.In Hawaii, it is grown for the production of leis.



Pandanus
Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. Plants vary in size from small shrubs less than 1 metre (3.3 ft) tall, up to medium-sized trees 20 metres (66 ft) tall, typically with a broad canopy and moderate growth rate. The trunk is stout, wide-branching, and ringed with many leaf scars. They commonly have many thick prop roots near the base, which provide support as the tree grows top-heavy with leaves, fruit, and branches. The leaves are strap-shaped, varying between species from 30 centimetres (12 in) up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) or more long, and from 1.5 centimetres (0.59 in) up to 10 centimetres (3.9 in) broad.



Ixora
Ixora is a genus of 529 species[2] in the family Rubiaceae, consisting of tropical evergreen trees and shrubs. Though native to the tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world, its centre of diversity is in tropical areas in Asia, especially India, Ixora now grows commonly in subtropical climates in the United States, such as Florida. Ixora is also commonly known as West Indian Jasmine. Other common names include: rangan, kheme, ponna, chann tanea, techi, pan,santan, jarum-jarum, Jungle flame, Jungle geranium, and many more. Plants possess leathery leaves, ranging from 3 to 6 inches in length, and produce large clusters of tiny flowers in the summer. Members of Ixora prefer acidic soil, and are suitable choices for bonsai.



Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree. "Banyan" often refers specifically to the species Ficus benghalensis, though the term has been generalized to include all figs that share a unique life cycle, and systematically to refer to the subgenus Urostigma. The seeds of banyans are dispersed by fruit-eating birds. The seeds germinate and send down roots towards the ground, and may envelop part of the host tree or building structure with their roots, giving them the casual name of "strangler fig." The "strangling" growth habit is found in a number of tropical forest species, particularly of the genus Ficus, that compete for light. Any Ficus species showing this habit may be termed a strangler fig.



Jasmine
Jasmine is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family (Oleaceae), with about 200 species, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World. Most species grow as climbers on other plants or are trained in gardens on chicken wire,trellis gates or fences, or made to scramble through shrubs of open texture. The leaves can be eitherevergreen or deciduous.

Indian Food

Chapati
Chapati is an unleavened flat-bread (also known as roti) from the Indian subcontinent.


Ingredients :
3 cups
1 1/2 teaspoon
1 tablespoon
1 cup
Fine wholemeal flour or roti flour
Salt or to taste
Ghee or oil, 



Paratha
Paratha is an Indian flat-bread which is originated in the Indian subcontinent. Paratha is an amalgamation of the word “parat” which literally means layers of cooked flour.


Ingredients :
Five eggs
2 cups of wheat floor.
1 chopped capsicum.
Chopped fresh coriander.


Two chopped onions.
1 tablespoon red chili powder.
Cooking oil according to you and probably two table spoon.
Also clarified butter and ghee.



Puttu
Puttu is a culinary specialty in Kerala. It is also popular in certain areas of Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu. It is made by steaming moistened rice powder.


Ingredients :
Raw Rice(Pachari) - 1/2 kg

Coconut - 1/2 of one

Water - to sprinkle

Salt



Roti canai
Roti canai is a type of flat-bread found in Malaysia, often sold in Mamak stalls. It is known as roti prata  in Southern Malaysia and Singapore, and is similar to the Indian Kerala porotta.


Ingredients :
1-1/2 cups ( 10oz or about 300 gms) all purpose flour

1/2 cup ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 cup water, give or take few tablespoon.
salt to taste



Curry chicken
Chicken curry s a common Punjabi cuisine dish popular in South Asia, Bangladesh, East Asia, as well as in the UK, the U.S. And Caribbean. A typical curry consists of chicken in an onion, tomato, and yogurt-based sauce, flavoured with ginger, garlic, chillies and a variety of spices, often including cumin, cinnamon, cardamom. Chicken curry is sometimes made with pre-made curry powder. Milk is sometimes added to decrease the spiciness.


Ingredients :
1 1/2 lb boneless chicken thigh and/or breast

2 lemon grass

6-8 pieces kaffir lime leaves

1 1/2 inch galangal

1/2 lb fresh red chili

5 shallots

1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon lime juice

Salt to taste

1 inch ginger

6 candlenuts

1/2 inch fresh turmeric

1/4 teaspoon belacan



Indian omelette
An Indian Omelette is a version of the omelette found in Indian cuisine. Its main ingredients are eggs, herbs, tomatoes and spices that vary by region.
The omelette commonly includes finely chopped green chili peppers and onions (or shallots), finely chopped fresh green coriander, salt and jeera. Variations include grated coconut, groundblack pepper, curry leaves, and finely chopped tomatoes. Grated cheese may also be added. The egg mixture is whisked until fluffy and then cooked on a skillet. Usually the skillet is not warmed much before the mixture is poured in and it does not immediately solidify. The stove is usually turned on right before the egg is poured in.

Ingredients :
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 spring onion, sliced finely
1 medium red onion, chopped
1-2 green chilies, chopped fine,to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 inch gingerroot, finely chopped
salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 eggs, beaten
freshly chopped coriander
freshly chopped mint
3-5 drops lime juice



Butter chicken
Butter chicken is an Indian dish from Punjab, popular in countries all over the world. The origins of butter chicken can be traced back to Delhi, during the period of Mughal Empire. Butter chicken is usually served with naan, roti, parathas or steamed rice. It is also confused with Chicken tikka masala.


Ingredients :
1/4 pint/150ml natural yogurt 
2 ounces/50g ground almonds 
1 1/2 tsp chili powder 
1/4 tsp crushed bay leaves 
1/4 tsp ground cloves 
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 
1 tsp garam masala 
4 green cardamom pods 

1 tsp ginger pulp 
1 tsp garlic pulp 
14 ounce/400g can tomatoes
1 1/4 tsp salt 
2 pounds/1kg chicken, skinned, boned and cubed
3 ounces/75g butter 
1 tbsp corn oil 
2 medium onions, sliced 
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
4 tbsp cream

Child Labour In India

Child Labour

Introduction
Child labour is a big issue and it is worth investigating. The reason that children are forced into labour and not go to school, concerns many people. India is the largest nation that faces the problem of child labour. It is estimated that 60 to 115 million of children are working. It is the highest number of child labour in the world.

What is child labour?
Child labour is when a child, usually between 6 to 14 are working. Child labour is an illegal act and according the child labour law in India, no child below 14 years old can be employed. But the results still shows that India has the highest amount of number of child labour.

Why is there child labour?
Due to my research, 44 million children are force to work. Many children have to work to help their families and some families expect their children to continue the family business at a young age. Some of them have to work to make a living for his/her family. Some work because they don't want to go to school.

My point of view
I think that children should have an opportunity to go to school and learn. Learning is fun and I believe that children should have a chance to learn and not go to work at factories. Working in factories are taking away children childhood.

I also believe that learning in school is very important. Imagine if a person without knowledge, can he make a living, especially at this generation where jobs are very hard to find. I will be very make to make a living and will be very poor. But if we have knowledge, we can find jobs easier and make a living. Who wants to be poor?

But at this time, a lot of children in India are very poor and their parents depend on them to make a living for the family. So I think that we must help them, especially the government. Instead of letting them working, I think we should provide them a living and also provide the children education. As I said above, education is very important.

But after I read the book, “Village by the Sea”, I think that letting children to work is not a bad idea after all. Because of reality, some people are born in a rich family, and some are born in a poor family. So, the people that are born in rich families can afford to go to school and the poor cannot. According to the story, Hari, a 12 year old boy, went to work in Bombay and after that experiences, we because a new person. He became more smarter and learn how to plan. He is no longer a boy, he became a young man.

But, overall. I still think that going to school is much better. Going to school will have a bright future, while going to work will also have a bright future, but not as bright as going to school to learn.





Point of view of the Human Rights Organization

The Human Rights Organization thinks that children should have some lesson. The lessons are intended for ages 12-15 (grade levels 6-8).

The lessons are intended to enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of child labor issues internationally, to develop skills in organizing and using the information contained in the Fields of Hope web site and other sites devoted to child labor, and to foster attitudes of social responsibility.

Expected Learning Outcomes
1. Knowledge: Students will be able to:

1. Define child labor and distinguish between abusive child labor and allowable work for children.
2. Describe reasons why child labor is a problem.
3. Understand the contributing factors that lead to the existence and spread of child labor, and the reasons why many working children are not in school.
4. List the health dangers to which child laborers are exposed.
5. Discuss ways to end child labor.

2. Skills: Students will be able to:

1. Read, assess and contribute to information on a multimedia web.
2. Organize and use information gained from pre-selected Internet-based sources.
3. Write a fact-based letter, newspaper article, editorial or story about child labor.
4. Participate in an interactive web-based discussion.
5. Assess the strengths and weaknesses of real-life program interventions.

3. Attitudes: Students will have an opportunity to:

1. Communicate their own beliefs, feelings and convictions about child labor.
2. Assess the value of their own opportunity and right to education.
3. Understand the importance of citizen action in a local and international problem that affects children.

These information above are taken from http://www.hrea.org/erc/Library/fieldsofhope.pdf .





India government point of view

From the time of its independence, India has committed itself to be against child labour. Article 24 of the Indian constitution clearly states that "No child below the age of fourteen years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or employed in any hazardous employment" (Constitution of India cited in Jain 1985, 218). Article 39 (e) directs State policy such "that the health and strength of workers . . . and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength" (Constitution of India cited in Human Rights Watch 1996, 29). These two articles show that India has always had the goal of taking care of its children and ensuring the safety of workers.

The Bonded Labour System Act of 1976 fulfills the Indian Constitution’s directive of ending forced labour. The Act "frees all bonded laborers, cancels any outstanding debts against them, prohibits the creation of new bondage agreements, and orders the economic rehabilitation of freed bonded laborers by the state" (Human Rights Watch 1996, 30). In regard to child labour, the Indian government implemented the Child Labour Act in 1986. The purpose of this act is to "prohibit the employment of children who have not completed their 14th year in specified hazardous occupations and processes" (Narayan 1988, 146). ILO convention No. 138 suggests that the minimum age for employment should not be less than fifteen years, and thus the Child Labour Act of 1986 does not meet this target (Subrahmanya 1987, 105).

A recent advance in government policy occurred in August of 1994, when then- Prime Minister Narasimha Rao announced his proposal of an Elimination of Child Labour Programme. This program pledges to end child labour for two million children in hazardous industries as defined in the Child Labour Act of 1986, by the year 2000. The program revolves around an incentive for children to quit their work and enter non-formal schooling: a one hundred rupee payment as well as one meal a day for attending school (Human Rights Watch 1996, 119-120). Where the funds for this program will come from is unknown. The government needs eight and a half billion dollars for the program over five years, and yet "about 4 percent of the five-year estimated cost was allocated for child labour elimination programs in 1995-1996" (Human Rights Watch 1996, 120).

All of the policies that the Indian government has in place are in accordance with the Constitution of India, and all support the eradication of Child Labour. The problem of child labour still remains even though all of these policies are existent. Enforcement is the key aspect that is lacking in the government’s efforts. No enforcement data for child labour laws are available: "A glaring sign of neglect of their duties by officials charged with enforcing child labor laws is the failure to collect, maintain, and disseminate accurate statistics regarding enforcement efforts" (Human Rights Watch 1996, 131). Although the lack of data does not mean enforcement is nonexistent, the number of child labourers and their work participation rates show that enforcement, if existent, is ineffective.
Information taken fromhttp://www.karmayog.org/childlabour/childlabour_17897.htm