This page offers Children at Work summary Class 8 pdf in easy language. We have presented short and long summaries from 50 words to 300 words. Go through to get a deep insight of the chapter Children at Work from the Book It So Happened. It is useful for exam point of view and quick learning of the chapter. Downloadable PDF is also available.
Table of Contents
Short Summary of the chapter: Children at work
Velu was an eleven-year-old boy. He ran away from his village because his father used to beat him. He took a train to Chennai without a ticket. At Chennai Central station, Velu felt tired, hungry, and scared. He had no idea where to go.
A girl called Jaya met him at the station. She was about his age. She was wearing a long banian and carried a big sack. Jaya understood that Velu had run away. She offered to find him food.
Velu followed Jaya through the crowded streets. They crossed busy roads and walked under big signboards. Jaya warned him not to get caught by the police. After a long walk, they reached behind a marriage hall called Sri Rajarajeshwari Prasanna Kalyana Mandapam. There they found leftover food near a garbage bin. Velu ate a banana and a vada because he was very hungry.
Jaya then took Velu to Triplicane, near Buckingham Canal. She lived there in a hut made of plastic, metal, and wood. Jaya gave Velu old shoes, a sack, and a stick. She told him that they were ragpickers. They collected paper, plastic, and glass from rubbish and sold it to a man named Jam Bazaar Jaggu.
Velu was not happy about this work. But he decided to work with Jaya for now because he had no other option.
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Detailed Summary of the chapter: Children at work
1. Velu Reaches Chennai :Velu was an eleven-year-old boy. He ran away from his village because his father used to beat him and take away all the money he and his sisters earned. Velu walked for a whole day to reach Kanur and then got on the Kanyakumari Express to Chennai.
He did not have a ticket but was lucky that no ticket collector came to check. In two days, he ate only some peanuts and a piece of jaggery.
When he reached Chennai Central station, he felt tired, hungry, and scared. His legs were shaking as if he was still on the moving train. He sat down on a bench with his small bundle and felt miserable seeing so many unknown faces.
2. Meeting a Strange Girl :While Velu was sitting sadly, a rough voice called out to him. It was a girl about his age, wearing a long banian and carrying a big sack.
Her hair was stiff and brownish. She was picking up dirty plastic cups from the platform and stuffing them into her sack. She guessed that Velu had run away from home. Velu did not want to talk much but he was very hungry. The girl said she could help him find food. She started walking away and Velu decided to follow her because he had no idea where else to go.
3. Walking Through the City :Velu followed the girl out of the station. He was shocked to see that the vehicles never stopped and there was smoke and dust everywhere. His head started spinning. The girl helped him cross the busy road quickly.
They walked under big English signboards showing banians, car tyres, and pens. Velu could not read English but he could read Tamil. On a bridge, the girl pointed to a big building with a wall and told Velu that it was Central Jail. She warned him not to get caught, otherwise he would be locked up there. Velu kept walking behind her, confused and worried.
4. Finding Food :After walking for almost an hour, they reached a big marriage hall named Sri Rajarajeshwari Prasanna Kalyana Mandapam. A board showed the names of the groom, J. V. Vinayagan, and the bride, Rani. Velu thought they would get food from inside the hall, but the girl led him to a garbage bin behind the hall.
The bin was full of rubbish and two goats were fighting over a banana leaf. The girl picked up a squashed banana and a vada and gave them to Velu. Velu felt bad at first, but his hunger was too strong. He gulped down the food quickly and felt a little better.
5. Reaching Jaya’s Home :After eating, the girl said she had to go to work. Velu panicked because he did not know what to do alone. So, he followed her again. After walking for about half an hour, they reached Triplicane near Buckingham Canal.
Velu was surprised to see huts made of plastic, metal sheets, tyres, and wood. The huts looked like they would fall down any moment. Jaya stopped at one hut and dumped her full sack outside. Then she picked up an empty sack and prepared to go out again.
6. Learning About Rag picking :Jaya gave Velu an old pair of shoes without laces, a stick, and a sack. She told him to help her. Velu asked if there were any farms in the city because the only work he knew was weeding and grazing cows. Jaya laughed and said there were no farms, only ragpickers. She explained that they collected plastic, paper, and glass from garbage bins and sold them to a man named Jam Bazaar Jaggu.
Velu was confused about why anyone would buy rubbish. But Jaya explained that Jaggu sold these things to factories. Velu did not like the idea of working with garbage, but he realised that he had no choice. He decided to work as a ragpicker for now until he found a better job.
This was how Velu’s new life in Chennai started, with Jaya’s help and support.
Pointwise Summary of the chapter: Children at work
1. Velu, an eleven-year-old boy, runs away from his village because his father beats him and takes away his earnings.
2. He travels without a ticket on the Kanyakumari Express and reaches Chennai Central station.
3. At the station, Velu feels tired, hungry, scared, and does not know where to go.
4. A rough-looking girl named Jaya, about his age, meets him and offers to help him find food.
5. Velu follows Jaya through the busy streets of Chennai, struggling to cross roads and walk under the hot sun.
6. They reach a marriage hall named Sri Rajarajeshwari Prasanna Kalyana Mandapam and find leftover food behind it.
7. Velu eats a banana and a vada from the garbage because he is very hungry.
8. Jaya takes Velu to her home in Triplicane, near the dirty Buckingham Canal, where she lives in a hut made of plastic and metal.
9. Jaya explains that she works as a ragpicker, collecting plastic, glass, and paper from rubbish bins to sell to Jam Bazaar Jaggu.
10. Though unhappy, Velu decides to work as a ragpicker for now until he finds a better job.