One group leader says, The scarcity of food will be a serious problem in the years ahead. It true that our agriculturists have developed new varieties of rice and its per acre production has definitely increased. But the rate of increased in food production cannot keep pace with the rate population growth. This because our land is fixed,i.e.we cannot increase it,while our population is increasing repidly.
Another group leader comes up with housing problem in the country, which he says adds much to the food problem. He says, Families are growing larger in size and at the same time breaking into smallar families. Each smaller family needs a separate house to live in. Also thr arable fields are being divided by these smaller families among themselves. Mills and factories are being set up,which occopy considerable portion of our land. So while we need more land to grow more food to feed more mouths, our land is shrinking day by day. If our population any land to build a house on. And, as a result,many of them might live on trees or on the floating boats in the rivers.
No way, another student argues. Trees are being cut, hills are being cleared and water bodies are being filled up all meet the needs of too many people.
Thank you students, Ms Choudhury says, You're quite right. Let me tell you about this village where I was bron and brought up. Things were not like this in the pastv. I remember as a child,the village was so beautiful! The green paddy fields and yellow mustard fields seemed to be unending. They used to wave and dance in the breeze.There used to be a wood in the northern side of the village. There was a tall tamarind tree in the middle of the wood. Also there was a big banyan tree which looked like a huge green umbrella,with its aerial roots hanging down. I often used to go there with my friends. We would often have picnic there. While the boys would climb the tamarind tree and pic some tamarinds, I and my best friend Rima used to swing from the hangnig roots. But now, look,the wood is gone. The Beauty of the crop fields is spoiled by the unplanned houses built here and there.
