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Our learning resources for the chapter, From On the Move Again EVS  for Class 5th are designed to ensure that you grasp this concept with clarity and perfection. Whether you’re studying for an upcoming exam or strengthening your concepts, our engaging animated videos, practice questions and notes offer you the best of integrated learning with interesting explanations and examples. 

On the Move Again: A Farmer’s Journey in Search of Work 🚜🌾

A Festive Beginning: Celebrating Dussehra Together 

Dhanu’s house is buzzing with excitement! Relatives have arrived in bullock-carts, bringing along their luggage. Dhanu’s family is busy preparing a delicious feast of puranpoli (sweet roti with jaggery and gram) and spicy kadi. Everyone laughs and chats together. But by evening, the mood changes. It’s time for the mukadam (agent) to discuss work for the next six months.

Why Do Families Like Dhanu’s Have to Move?

In Dhanu’s village, farming depends on rain. When there’s no rain, there’s no farming, and families can’t earn enough to survive. They borrow money from the mukadam and work in sugarcane fields to pay back the loan.

Think About It:

• What would happen if Dhanu’s family stayed in the village during the dry months?
• How can farming be done without depending on rain? 

Farmers preparing their fields with bullocks.

A Long Journey Ahead: Leaving the Village 🛤️

After Dussehra, Dhanu and other families from the village leave for the sugarcane fields. They live in huts made from dry sugarcane leaves near the fields.

• Men work in the fields, cutting sugarcane.
• Women and children bundle the sugarcane and take it to factories.

Dhanu often accompanies his father to the factory. Sometimes, they even spend nights in bullock-carts outside the factory.

Life in the Sugarcane Fields: Hard Work and Small Joys

At the factory:

• Dhanu’s father gets the sugarcane weighed and receives a receipt.
• This receipt is shown to the agent, who gives money for the family’s weekly expenses.
• Dhanu’s mami buys atta (flour), oil, and sometimes sweets for the children.

Although life is tough, Dhanu enjoys small moments like playing with bullocks or exploring the fields.

Workers harvesting sugarcane in the fields.

Activity: Imagine and Share

• Imagine living in a hut near the fields for six months. What would you miss most about your home?
• Write a short letter to your best friend, describing your day in the sugarcane fields.

Education On Hold: A Concern in “On the Move Again”

In the chapter On the Move Again, Dhanu’s story shows how children of migrating families miss out on school. For almost six months, Dhanu and children like him cannot attend classes. His mami wants to see him succeed and says,
“Next time, let him stay with his grandmother and continue his studies.”

Children moving often for work, as we see in On the Move Again, face many learning gaps.

The Real Struggles in On the Move Again

On the Move Again also highlights the many challenges that migrant families face:

• Separation from family: Elderly and ill members often have to stay behind in the village.
• Poor housing: Small huts made of dry sugarcane leaves do not protect them from heavy rains or wind.
• Lost learning: Children miss school, making it hard for them to follow their dreams.
• Money problems: Families borrow from agents again and again, which increases their troubles.

What Can Be Done to Help?

• Mobile schools: Teachers can travel with migrant families to teach children.
• Better wages: Ensuring fair pay can reduce the need for loans.

Understanding the Role of the Mukadam 💼

The mukadam:

• Lends money to families for daily expenses.
• Finds work for them in sugarcane fields.
• Keeps track of loans, which families repay through their hard work.

Activity: Role Play

A villager 

• Imagine you are the mukadam. Explain to the villagers how you’ll help them find work and manage their loans.
• As a villager, ask questions about your pay and working conditions.

A Better Future for Dhanu and Others 🌟

Dhanu’s story shows us:

• The challenges faced by migrant families.
• The importance of education for a brighter future.
• The need to find solutions for rain-dependent farming.

Final Activity: Design a Solution

Design a Solution: Build a school

• Think of ways to support families like Dhanu’s. For example:
  • Build schools near sugarcane fields.
  • Teach farmers about water-saving farming techniques.
• Draw or write your ideas and share them with your class.

To read the NCERT text of On the Move Again, click here.

To read our notes for the previous chapter Like Father, Like Daughter, click here.