Discuss some of the difficulties faced by Zitkala-Sa on the first day at school?

Zitkala-Sa in her Cutting of My Long Hair recalls how, as a child, she had to suffer racial discrimination in the mainstream society. It was her first day in the land of apples as a student staying in a boarding school. It was time for breakfast. The whole atmosphere was noisy. She felt forlorn. She did not have the freedom she had at home. She was a Native American who had been sent to school to study. The medium of instruction was English. There were many Indian girls who had become accustomed to the English manners. But Zitkala-Sa did not feel at home. Her blanket had been stripped from her shoulders. All the students went to the dining table and kept standing nearby. Zitkala-Sa drew a chair from under the table and sat down when all others remained standing. She felt awkward as she did not know anything about table manners. She also failed to keep her head down for saying grace before meal. There was a paleface woman who keenly watched her. This was not the only ordeal she had to undergo. Late in the evening she came to know from her friend that her long heavy hair would be cut off. She decided not to submit. Her people used to believe that only cowards and mourners wore short hair. She went upstairs and hid herself under a bed. She could hear people calling her name. Soon people found her and dragged her out. She was carried downstairs and tied fast to a chair. When her hair was cut, she cried aloud. She moaned for her mother but there was no one to comfort her.

Describe the instance of untouchability witnessed by Bama on her way back from school. Bama was a little girl studying in the third class. She was a dalit. As a child she did not know what untouchability was. One day she was walking home from school. She walked slowly watching all the beautiful sights on the way. The performing monkey, the snake charmer and the cycle champion held her attention for long. The temple and the offerings, the dry fish stall and the gypsies with their ware were other attractions. Savouring the sights on the way, she reached a spot where a threshing floor had been set up. The landlord was nearby supervising the work. He was sitting on a piece of sackcloth spread over a stone ledge. Dalit people were at work driving cattle in pairs round and round to tread out the grain from the straw. Just then an elder belonging to Bamas community came along carrying a parcel of vadai or bhajji. He was holding out the packet by its string without touching it. This looked funny. After going home she asked

her brother what it was. He told her that there was nothing funny about it. It was an instance of untouchability practised in their village. The so-called upper caste people of the village avoided touching dalits in fear of getting polluted. When Bama heard this, she felt humiliated. Write a speech on World Environment Day. Honourable chief quest, respected teachers and my dear friends, It gives me great pleasure to be among you today to speak a few words on the occasion of the World Environment Day being celebrated in our locality. The World Environment Day is a reminder to show our gratefulness to Mother Nature. It is Nature which sustains all forms of life. This day reminds us to take collective efforts towards protecting the environment. It is on this historic day, the 5th of June in 1972, the United Nations Conference on Human Environment began in Stockholm. We should be proud of our countrys natural bounty and unique bio-diversity. Independent India has travelled a long way on the path of progress. We should make it a point to protect our environment which would raise the quality of life of all Indians. I am happy to know that street rallies, bicycle parades, essay and poster competitions, tree planting and clean-up campaigns have been held to mark the occasion. I congratulate all the participants and winners. Thanking you for having given me an opportunity to speak on this occasion, I conclude my short speech.