On 20th May 1498, two years after he set sail from Lisbon, Portugal, Vasco da

Gama arrived on the western sea coast of India at Kozhikode, Kerala

The East Indian Company was founded during the rule of Queen Elizabeth I and
grew into a dominating global player with its own army. 1600
By 1647, the EIC had 23 factories and settlements in India
In 1717 Farrukh-Siyar issued a Farman which gave the British EIC the right to
trade freely except for an annual payment of 3000 rupees
EIC eventually came to rule large areas of India, exercising military power and
assuming administrative functions. Company rule in India effectively began in 1757
after the battle of Plassey and lasted until 1858.
In 1835 special taxes were imposed on Indian salt to facilitate its import. This paid
huge dividends for traders of the British East India Company.
The rebellion began on 10th May 1857 in the form of a mutiny of sepoys of the
Company’s army in the garrison town of Meerut.
In 1877 Benjamin Disraeli, conservative Prime Minister, had Queen Victoria
proclaimed as Empress of India.
Mahatma Gandhi returns to India from South Africa on 9th January 1915. After
arriving in India, Mahatma Gandhi successfully organized Satyagraha movements
in various places.

Mahatma Gandhi
He was born in India in 1869. He went to London to study law and after his degree
went to work in South Africa. Gandhi became involved in civil rights and developed
his theory of Satyagraha: non-violent protest. In 1914 he returned to India and
joined the Indian National Congress.
He encouraged people to Boycott British goods and institutions in protest against
British Rule. The British arrested thousands of Indians, including Gandhi.
In 1930 he led the salt march, in protest against the taxes the people had to pay on
salt. In 1947 India was made independent but was divided into two countries of
India (with a Hindu majority) and Pakistan (with a Muslim majority)
To build a fire
1. The power of nature is one of the central themes in this short story. This
theme is prevalent throughout the story and plays a crucial role in the
unfolding of events. The natural world in the story is portrayed as indifferent
to the men’s struggles. Nature follows its own laws, and the men’s survival
is entirely dependent on his ability to adapt and respect those laws.

2. The man is highly vulnerable to nature, and this vulnerability is a central

theme in the story. Several factors contribute to his precarious position in
the harsh Yukon wilderness: Underestimation of Nature, Lack of
Preparedness, etc.

3. the author uses the characters of the dog and the man to highlight the
contrast between instinct and rational behavior, underscoring the primal
wisdom of the dog compared to the flawed reasoning of the man. Here are
several ways in which this dichotomy is portrayed in the story:
Instinctual Awareness of Danger: The dog senses the danger inherent in
the extreme cold and the treacherous conditions of the Yukon. It is attuned
to the environment and instinctively understands the threats, as opposed to
the man who, driven by arrogance and overconfidence, downplays the risks.
Response to the Environment: The dog adapts to the harsh conditions by
conserving its energy and using its natural instincts to navigate the
wilderness. In contrast, the man relies heavily on his intellect, dismissing the
environmental dangers and attempting to conquer nature through reason
and knowledge.
Reliance on Experience: The dog's behavior is informed by its instincts,
which are honed through generations of survival in the wild. It draws upon
an inherent knowledge of the environment. The man, lacking direct
experience in the harsh Yukon conditions, relies on his rational thinking and
dismisses the practical wisdom offered by others, such as the old-timer's
advice.
Understanding of Ice: The dog is cautious around the ice, recognizing its
potential danger. It refuses to traverse the ice when the man tries to force it.
The man, on the other hand, disregards the risks associated with the ice,
leading to his eventual fall into the freezing water.
Trust in Instinct vs. Trust in Intellect: The dog trusts its instincts, reacting
to the environment based on primal knowledge. The man, in contrast,
places excessive confidence in his intellect and rationality, believing that
scientific understanding can triumph over the forces of nature.
Survival Response: As the man faces increasing danger, his actions
become more frantic and desperate. In contrast, the dog's responses
 remain consistent with its survival instincts, illustrating a steady and reliable
approach to navigating the challenges of the wilderness.

Poison:
1. Racism: Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism by an individual,
community, or institution against a person or people on the basis of their
membership of a particular racial or ethnic group, typically one that is a
minority or marginalized.
2. Timber Woods and Harry Pope repeatedly refer to Dr. Ganderbai as little
Indian, minimizing him. A quote that shows racism is when Harry says “Why,
you dirty little Hindu sewer rat!”
3. Racism is not something that people are born with. Is it learned behavior
influenced by societal factor, upbringing, and exposures to various
influences.
4. In terms of racism, Dr. Ganderbai represents the diminished minority, but as
a person, the story portrays him as a competent, patient and emphatic
doctor who is dedicated to his profession and committed to providing
medical assistance.
5. The overall message of the story is that racism is a poison. Harry is perfectly
willing to tolerate Dr. Genderbai as long as his life is in danger, but as soon
as Genderbai dares to question Harry, he shows his true colors.

Room 226
Apartheid: Is a system under which people of different races were kept separate
by law, and white people were given more political and educational rights.
Serfdom: Is a historical system of labor in which individuals, known as serfs or
peasants, were bound to the land they worked on and were under the control and
authority of a lord or landowner.
Inequity: refers to the unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, or benefits
among individuals, groups, or population. It can manifest in various aspect of life,
including income, wealth, education, healthcare, social status, and more.
Hopelessness: Is a state of mind characterized by a lack of optimism, belief in a
positive outcome, or confidence in one’s ability to change or influence a situation.
Filial Duty: Is a concept that refers to the ethical and moral obligation of children to
show respect, obedience, and care for their parents, as well as to uphold family
values and maintain family harmony.

Steve biko
He was a south African anti-apartheid activist. He was born in 1946 in King
William’s Town in South Africa. He enrolled in medical college and became
involved in the National Union of South African students. He formed the South
African Students Organization in 1968, became president of the Black People’s
Convention, which raised awareness about civil rights and anti-apartheid issues.
Biko was expelled from medical school and “banned” by the apartheid government.
The ban meant he could not leave his home town, nor make speeches in public. It
was also forbidden to talk about him or mention his name. He was arrested in 1977
and died from head injuries while he was in prison.

Authors
Roald Dahl: He was a British author of popular children’s literature and short
stories. He was born in Wales in 1916, and spent most of his life in England. He
served in the Royal Air Force during the second World War. Dahl’s stories are
known for their unexpected endings.
Jack London: He was an American novelist, journalist and activist. He was born in
1876 in San Francisco, California. London was part of the radical literary group
“The crowd” in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’
rights and socialism. His most famous works include “the call of the wild” and
“White Fang”, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike gold rush.
Hilda Bernstein: She was a British-born author, artist and an activist against
apartheid and for women’s rights. She emigrated to South Africa at the age of 18
years, becoming active in politics. She married fellow activist Lionel “Rusty”
Bernstein, and together they played prominent roles in the struggle to end
apartheid in South Africa. Government harassment forced them to flee to
Botswana. They lived in Britain for some years and they returned to South Africa in
1994 for the South African election in which fellow activist Nelson Mandela was
elected President.