The park story

This is the story of how Chandan's village got its park ready for Van Mahotsav, from your book, Our Wondrous World (Chapter 1). Van Mahotsav was coming, and Chandan and his school friends were excited. John said they could clean the park near their school and plant trees around it. Mallika said her grandmother walked in that park every morning with her friends; with a clean park and new trees, they would enjoy their walks more and have better air to breathe. Chandan said they should invite their families too.

The parents and other villagers wanted to help. They met under the big banyan tree near the playground to make a plan. Sheela said the park needed repairs. Sameer had some wood and nails at home, so he offered to fix the benches. Babita said she would repair the street light next to the park. Noor offered to bring saplings (young plants) from Noor's own plant nursery, to plant along the boundary of the park.

On the day, the children and their families gathered in the park. Mallika made the announcements with a microphone. People worked in groups: some cleaned, some planted saplings, some watered them and some cooked. Soon the park looked beautiful, with new saplings, clean paths and painted walls.

Then came a community feast, made with vegetables and cereals that the villagers had brought. The children handed out banana leaves, and volunteers served the food on them. After the feast, the leaves were put into a pit. Leaves buried in a pit turn into manure, which makes the soil better. Everyone was tired but happy, and the children decided to take care of the park from then on.