Journey to the end of the earth

The story begins with the author on a journey in a Russian vessel. It was headed towards Antarctica. We learn that the
author has travelled about 100 hours in a car, aeroplane as well as the ship. The main objective of this trip is to learn everything in
detail about Antarctica. Further, we learn about her two-week stay there and what all is present there. The place stores 90% of the
earth’s total ice volumes with no trees, buildings or anything. It has 24-hour austral summer light. Moreover, it is covered in
silence.This makes the author wonder about the time when India and Antarctica were the same landmass’s part. We learn about
the existence of a southern supercontinent, Gondwana. It existed for six hundred and fifty million years ago. We learn that the
climate back then was much warmer and also sustained a huge variety of flora and fauna.All this was before the arrival of human
beings. Moreover, for 500 million years, Gondwana flourished. Thus, after the extinction of dinosaurs, the landmass separated
into countries, as we know today. Moreover, we also learn about the reality of climate change. Similarly, the author believes that
to study the impact closely, one must make a visit to Antarctica.After that, we learn about Antarctica’s ecosystem and how it lacks
biodiversity. Moreover, it is the place to observe if you wish to see what consequences a little action can bring about in the
environment. If the ozone layer keeps depleting at the present rate, it will impact the lives of the inhabitants of the area like the
sea-animals and birds. Moreover, it will also impact the global carbon cycle.We learn about the contributors to climate change,
like the burning of fossil fuels and more. All this is damaging the quality of Antarctica and this may cause immense danger to
human life. Moreover, we also learn about it through examples of phytoplankton. Finally, the story ends with the author observing
some seals sunbathing on ice. It makes her wonder whether this beauty will be reserved for the years to come, or will the future be
catastrophic.

Indigo

This story is set in 1916 where Gandhi steps up to help a bunch of poor peasants from Champaran. It gives an account of how he
struggled to bring them justice and equality. Thus, it begins with most of the arable land of Champaran that divides into a large
estate. The owners of the estate are Englishmen and the workers are Indian tenants. We learn that the chief commercial crop on
this land is Indigo. Moreover, we also see that the landlords compel all the tenants to plant 15% of their Indigo and submit the
whole harvest in the form of rent. The tenants are under a long-term agreement to do so.However, Germany starts developing
synthetic Indigo. Thus, the British do not require the Indigo crop any more. Thus, in order to release the poor peasant from their
agreement of 15%, they start demanding compensation. While some of the uneducated peasants agreed on this, the other did not
agree. Thus, we notice that one of the sharecroppers, Raj Kumar Shukla arranges for a meeting with Gandhi.He meets him for the
same issues and insists Gandhi to visit the place to end the longstanding injustice. Gandhi agrees and boards a train to Patna in
Bihar. After that, Raj Kumar Shukla helps Gandhi visit the house of Rajendra Prasad, a lawyer. As Gandhi dresses simply, the
servants thought of him to be a poor peasant. Thus, Gandhi planned before trying to get the peasants any justice. It is because the
British government are punishing anyone who is keeping national leaders or protestors.Thus, when Gandhi arrived in the place,
the news of his arrival and mission spread across the town like wildfire. This resulted in a lot of lawyers and peasant groups
pouring in large numbers in his support. Consequently, the lawyers did accept that the charges are quite high and too unreasonable
for a poor peasant.However, Gandhi was criticizing them for collecting huge fees from the sharecroppers. He was emphasizing on
counselling as this will provide the peasants with confidence to fight their fear. Thus, he manages to get justice after a yearlong
fight for the peasants. He has also arranged for the education, health, and hygiene for the families of the poor peasants. Finally, he
teaches them a lesson of self-sufficiency and self-confidence

Deep water

Deep Water is about the writer’s journey of overcoming the fear of water, which is deeply rooted in him since childhood. The
author started fearing water since the age of four. It starts when he was visiting California with his father. He visits a beach where
a wave knocks him down and sweeps over him. This terrifies the author, although the father laughs at this knowing it was no
danger. However, this experience terrifies him and develops a fear of water. After that, when the author is 11 years old, he
experiences another incident which escalates his fear.He is at a swimming pool in Yakima, trying to learn swimming. On one fine
day, a bully decides to pull a dangerous prank. He pushes him in the deep end of the pool which frightens the author. He reaches
nine feet into the water and starts struggling desperately to hold on to something.Moreover, he yells for help but he starts feeling
paralyzed and only his heart was moving now. Thus, he gives up and readies himself to die but wakes up at the side of the pool.
However, the terror he experiences while drowning never goes away. It continues to haunt him for many years and even spoiled
his future expeditions concerning canoeing, swimming, fishing and more.He even visits Marine Lakes, Columbia, New
Hampshire and more but is not able to enjoy it. Thus, he decides to overcome this fear by hook or by crook. He enrols himself in a
swimming class and tries to learn from the instructor. The instructor teaches him many tips and tricks for swimming. He begins
with the inhaling and exhaling part then he practices it for many weeks.Further, he moves on to the kicking the legs on the side of
the pool. Finally, he combines all this with the final move of swimming. Although the author knows how to swim, he is still
terrified of water. Thus, in order to get rid of the fear, he decides to confront it. He mocks it by thinking what can it really do?
Consequently, he plunges in to the water and to his surprise, his fear goes away. He faced it in many places and at last, manages to
conquer it.

The lost spring

The first part tells the author’s impressions regarding the life of poor rag pickers. The rag pickers have come from Dhaka.
Furthermore, the settlement of the rag pickers is in the area of Seemapuri. Destruction has come in their fields and homes due to
the storms. They had come to the big city in the hope of finding living there. However, the reality was, in fact, painful for them
and they had to face many hardships. They are certainly poor and lack various resources.The writer watches Saheb every morning
as he scrounges for “gold” in the neighbourhood. The means of survival for these rag pickers is the garbage. Furthermore, for the
children, it is a wondrous thing. The children are able to find a coin or two from it. These people have ambitions and desires. The
problem is that they do not know the way to make them possible. There are quite a few things that they are unable to reach. Later
Saheb joins a tea stall where there is a possibility for him to earn 800 Rupees and all the meals. However, this job has deprived
him of his freedom. As such their condition is pretty hopeless and full of misery. The second part explores the life of
Mukesh. Mukesh is a boy who belongs to the family of Bangle-makers. Firozabad is famous for its amazing glass-blowing
industry. There is an engagement of nearly 20,000 children in this particular business. Furthermore, no one over there understands
or respects the law that forbids child labour. Moreover, the living condition, as well as the working environment, are both
horrendous.These children live in dreary cells. Also, they work close to hot furnaces. This is certainly very dangerous as it makes
these children blind when they enter adulthood. Furthermore, these children have to deal with the pressure of debt. Moreover, they
are unable to think of a solution to solve this problem. There is no way for these children to come out of this trap.The policemen,
bureaucrats, middlemen, and politicians will all hinder their way of progress. The women in the household consider it to be their
destiny or fate. As a result of such thinking, they just follow the established tradition. There is something different about Mukesh.
He is not like the rest of the folk there. This is because Mukesh has big dreams. He has a desire to become a motor mechanic in
future. The garage is far away from where he lives but he has the determination to walk.