About the Author
This chapter is written by an unknown author. It is part of the NCERT book "An Alien Hand" for Class 7. The writer wants to teach children about deserts in a simple way. The text uses easy words and facts to show that deserts are not empty or scary places, but full of life and wonders. It is like a small book that helps students learn about nature.
What’s the Story About?
This is not a story with people and events, but a fun description of what a desert is really like. Many people think a desert is just a big area of sand with no water, no plants, and no animals. They see it as hot, dry, and empty. But the chapter says that is not true. Deserts can be beautiful homes for many living things.
A desert is a place with very little water and few plants. It can be hot like the Thar Desert in India or cold like Ladakh. Strong winds blow sand into big piles called dunes. These dunes move around and make the land change shape. But even in this hard place, plants grow. They have deep roots to find water far below the ground, or they store water in their thick leaves or stems.
When it rains in a desert, which is rare, the land turns colorful. Flowers bloom everywhere, making it look like a garden. There are also green spots called oases. An oasis is like a small island with trees, plants, and water from a spring or well. People and animals go there to rest and drink.
Animals in the desert are smart too. The camel, called the ship of the desert, can walk long distances without water. It drinks a lot at once and stores it in its hump. It does not sweat much, so it saves water. Smaller animals like rats or lizards get water from the plants they eat or from other animals. They hide in cool burrows during the hot day and come out at night.
The day in a desert is very hot because there is no wet air to block the sun's heat. But at night, it gets very cold fast. Nomads, who are people without a fixed home, live in deserts. They move from place to place with their camels, looking for food and water. They eat simple things like dates and meat, and make clothes from camel wool.
The chapter teaches that deserts are part of nature's big plan. They are not useless, but special places where life finds a way to go on.
Who’s Who in the Story
- The Camel: Known as the ship of the desert. It helps nomads travel and can live without water for many days.
- Nomads: People who move around in the desert with their animals. They have no fixed house and live a simple life.
- Desert Animals: Small creatures like rats, lizards, and birds that live by eating plants or other animals to get water.
- Desert Plants: Tough plants with deep roots or thick parts that store water, and flowers that bloom after rain.
- The Oasis: Not a person, but a green spot in the desert with water, trees, and life around it.
Themes and Moral
The main ideas are about nature's wonders and how life adapts. It shows that deserts are not dead places but full of smart plants and animals that survive hard times. It teaches respect for all parts of the earth, even the dry ones. The moral is: Deserts are important in nature's cycle. Do not think they are useless just because they are hot and dry. Every place on earth has a role, and we should learn about them to understand the world better.
Important Vocabulary and Phrases
- Desert: A large area of land with very little water and few plants. It can be hot or cold.
- Vegetation: All the plants growing in a place, like grass, trees, or flowers.
- Oasis: A small green area in the desert with water from a spring or well, surrounded by trees.
- Dunes: Big hills of sand made by wind blowing across the desert.
- Nomads: People who travel from one place to another with no fixed home, often with animals like camels.
- Ship of the desert: A fun name for the camel because it carries people and things across the sandy desert like a boat on water.
- Adapt: To change yourself to live better in a new or hard place, like animals doing in the desert.
- Burrow: A hole in the ground where small animals live to stay cool and safe.
- Phrase "Endless stretch of land": A very big area that seems to go on forever without end.
- Phrase "Scarce water": Very little water, not easy to find.