This article covers the complete question-answer guide for Class 9 English Moments Chapter 6 – “Weathering the Storm in Ersama” by Harsh Mander, prescribed by ASSEB (Assam State Board of Secondary Education) for the Class 9 curriculum. The article includes a detailed summary, all textbook questions from “Think about It” and “Talk about It,” additional short and long answer questions, and multiple choice questions to help students prepare thoroughly for their examinations.
Summary of Weathering the Storm in Ersama
“Weathering the Storm in Ersama” is a true account written by Harsh Mander, a civil servant and social activist, about a catastrophic super cyclone that struck the coastal state of Orissa (now Odisha) on 29 October 1999. The cyclone was one of the most powerful and destructive in India’s recorded history, killing nearly ten thousand people and rendering millions homeless.
The story centres on Prashant, a young man of eighteen years who had gone to visit his friend in Ersama, a small town in coastal Orissa. On the night of the cyclone, Prashant and his friend’s family were huddled inside their house when the storm struck with tremendous force. The winds were ferocious and the rains were relentless. Trees were uprooted, rooftops were blown off, and floodwaters rapidly inundated the land. Prashant’s friend’s family climbed to safety on the roof and then onto a large tree, clinging to it for two nights and a day as the storm raged below them. Prashant helped a young child by tying him to his chest so that the boy would not fall. The waters around them were filled with debris — bloated animal carcasses, uprooted trees, and the wreckage of houses — making the ordeal even more terrifying.
When the floodwaters finally receded, Prashant felt an urgent need to return to his own village, Kalikuda, which was about eighteen kilometres away. He set out on foot through a landscape of utter desolation — broken roads, dead bodies of humans and animals littering the ground, collapsed houses, and uprooted trees everywhere. After walking through this harrowing scene, he reached his village and was overcome with relief to find his family alive, though their house had been badly damaged.
However, the village was in a state of crisis. Many people had perished, and those who remained were desperate for food and shelter. The nearest food supplies were not coming. Rather than succumbing to grief or despair, Prashant took charge. He mobilised the village youth and organised them into an action team. They first pressed the government to provide food and relief, and when this proved slow, they arranged for their own resources. Prashant organised the villagers to collect rice from damaged and destroyed homes and cook communal meals for everyone.
Prashant then turned his attention to the large number of orphaned children who had lost their parents in the cyclone. He gathered these children together, comforted them, and set up a shelter using polythene sheets. He organised the women of the village to look after the orphans. When military helicopters flew over the village dropping food packets, Prashant had the children run onto a sandbar with empty utensils and utensil lids so that the pilots could see them and drop more supplies. This initiative worked and the village received additional food aid.
As relief agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) began arriving in the village, Prashant worked alongside them. He ensured that the women were involved in the food-for-work programme organised by NGOs, so that they had both an income and a purpose. He helped set up a trauma counselling centre for the children who were deeply disturbed by what they had seen and experienced. He organised sports and activities for the children to help them recover psychologically from the disaster.
A debate arose over what to do with the orphaned children and the widowed women. Some people suggested placing the children in institutions (orphanages) and the widows in widow welfare homes. But Prashant and the other volunteers strongly resisted this idea. They believed that institutional life would deprive the children of love and a sense of family, and that women placed in welfare homes would suffer from social stigma and loneliness. Instead, Prashant advocated for keeping these groups within the community — having village families adopt the orphans and integrating the widows back into normal village life with the support of the community.
The story is ultimately a powerful tribute to human courage, compassion, and community solidarity. Prashant, though only eighteen years old, showed remarkable leadership and maturity in the face of an overwhelming disaster. His actions saved lives, restored hope, and helped rebuild the social fabric of his village. The story illustrates how a single determined individual, driven by empathy and a sense of responsibility, can make a significant difference in a crisis.
Key Themes
- Courage in Crisis: Prashant’s bravery during the storm and its aftermath exemplifies how individuals can rise to the occasion in times of disaster.
- Community Solidarity: The story highlights how collective action and mutual support help a community survive and recover from tragedy.
- Youth Leadership: An eighteen-year-old becomes the driving force behind relief and rehabilitation, showing that age is no barrier to making a difference.
- Compassion over Institutionalisation: Prashant’s insistence on keeping orphans and widows within the community reflects a deep understanding of human emotional needs.
- Natural Disaster and Human Resilience: The story documents the devastating power of nature while simultaneously celebrating the resilience of the human spirit.
Think about It
Q1. What havoc has the super cyclone wreaked in the life of the people of Orissa?
Answer: The super cyclone of October 1999 caused massive and widespread destruction across coastal Orissa. It uprooted trees, flattened crops, and demolished houses, leaving entire villages in ruins. Floodwaters inundated vast stretches of land, submerging homes and fields. Dead bodies of humans and animals lay scattered across the landscape, and the stench of death was everywhere. Roads and bridges were destroyed, cutting off affected areas from relief supplies. Thousands of people were killed and many more were left homeless, without food or clean water. Children were orphaned, women were widowed, and families were torn apart. The cyclone essentially wiped out the livelihoods of fishing and farming communities, plunging survivors into acute poverty and despair. The scale of suffering was so immense that it required both government intervention and the efforts of NGOs to begin any process of recovery.
Q2. How has Prashant, a teenager, been able to help the people of his village?
Answer: Despite being only eighteen years old, Prashant demonstrated extraordinary leadership and organisational ability in helping his village recover from the cyclone. After returning to his village of Kalikuda, he quickly assessed the situation and took decisive action. He mobilised the village youth to demand relief from the government and to organise communal food preparation using rice collected from damaged homes. He gathered orphaned children, constructed a shelter with polythene sheets for them, and arranged for village women to care for them. He organised children onto a sandbar with empty utensils to signal military helicopters for food supplies. He enrolled women in NGO-run food-for-work programmes to give them income and purpose. He set up a trauma counselling centre for children and organised sports and games to aid their psychological recovery. He also resisted suggestions to send orphans to institutions or widows to welfare homes, instead advocating for community-based rehabilitation. Through these many initiatives, Prashant became a central force in the village’s survival and recovery.
Q3. How have the people of the community helped one another? What role did the women of Kalikuda play?
Answer: The people of Kalikuda showed remarkable community solidarity in the aftermath of the cyclone. The village youth came together under Prashant’s leadership to organise relief efforts — collecting food, cooking communal meals, and building shelters. Neighbours helped each other search for survivors and tend to the injured. The community worked collectively to signal helicopters for aid and to distribute food and supplies equitably.
The women of Kalikuda played a particularly vital role. They took on the responsibility of caring for the large number of orphaned children, providing them with maternal love, attention, and comfort. This was critical because many of these children were deeply traumatised and needed emotional support. The women also participated in the food-for-work programme organised by NGOs, which provided them with a source of income and helped them regain a sense of purpose and dignity after losing their husbands and homes. By engaging in these activities, the women contributed both practically and emotionally to the village’s recovery, and their involvement was central to keeping the community together.
Q4. Why do Prashant and other volunteers resist the idea of setting up institutions for orphans and widows?
Answer: Prashant and the other volunteers believed strongly that placing orphaned children in institutions and widows in welfare homes would be harmful rather than helpful. Their reasoning was rooted in a deep understanding of human emotional and social needs.
For the orphaned children, life in an institution — however well-run — could not substitute for the love, warmth, and sense of belonging that comes from living within a family and community. Institutional life might provide food and shelter, but it would deprive children of the emotional security and individual attention they need to heal from trauma and grow up with a healthy sense of identity.
For the widows, placement in welfare homes carried the risk of social stigma — being marked out as a separate, pitiable category of people — and of deep loneliness and isolation. Once removed from their community and social networks, these women would find it much harder to rebuild their lives.
Instead, Prashant advocated for keeping orphans and widows within the village community. Orphaned children would be looked after by village families — giving them love and a normal childhood — while widows would remain integrated into village life with the support of neighbours and community structures. This approach prioritised dignity, emotional well-being, and long-term recovery over the more convenient option of institutionalisation.
Q5. Do you think Prashant is a good leader? Justify your answer with examples from the story.
Answer: Yes, Prashant is undoubtedly an exceptional leader. Even at just eighteen years of age, he displayed all the qualities that define true leadership — courage, compassion, initiative, organisational ability, and a clear sense of purpose.
During the storm itself, Prashant showed physical courage by tying a young child to his chest while clinging to a tree in floodwaters, ensuring the child’s safety at risk to his own. Once the storm passed, he did not wait for others to act — he immediately set out on an eighteen-kilometre journey through devastation to reach his own village.
In the village, he mobilised the youth to take collective action, organised communal food preparation, and ensured that food was distributed fairly. His creative thinking in using children with empty utensils on a sandbar to attract helicopter attention showed resourcefulness and quick thinking.
His long-term vision was equally impressive — he set up trauma counselling, organised sports for children’s psychological recovery, enrolled women in livelihood programmes, and resisted institutional solutions in favour of community-based ones. He showed empathy not just for immediate physical needs but for deeper emotional and social needs.
In every sense, Prashant exemplifies the kind of leader who leads by doing — he never asked others to do what he was not willing to do himself — and who keeps the well-being of the community at the centre of all decisions.
Talk about It
Q1. In Prashant’s place, what would you have done?
Answer: This is a personal reflection question. Ideally, in Prashant’s place, one would try to help the community in every possible way — organising food, shelter, and medical aid for survivors; comforting the injured and the grieving; and working with relief organisations to ensure resources reach those who need them most. However, it is important to acknowledge that not everyone has the courage, clarity, and strength of character that Prashant demonstrated. His actions remind us of our responsibility towards society in times of crisis and inspire us to cultivate empathy and leadership qualities.
Q2. Do you think there are good people in the world like Prashant? Give examples to support your views.
Answer: Yes, there are many people in the world like Prashant who step forward selflessly in times of crisis. History and current events offer numerous examples. During the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, countless ordinary citizens — fishermen, teachers, students — organised relief operations and saved lives at great personal risk. Young activists like Malala Yousafzai have risked their lives to fight for the rights of others. Closer to home, during floods in Assam, we regularly see community members and volunteers wading through floodwaters to rescue stranded people and animals. Social workers, doctors in remote areas, and disaster volunteers around the world demonstrate every day that Prashant’s spirit of compassion and service is very much alive in humanity.
Q3. Is there someone you know personally who is involved in relief work? Tell the class about them.
Answer: This question invites students to share personal experiences. Sample answer: Many people in our communities are involved in relief work quietly and without fanfare. This may include local doctors who offer free medical camps during floods, teachers who organise donation drives for disaster-affected families, or members of youth clubs who help distribute food and supplies to homeless families during emergencies. These individuals may not become famous, but their contributions make a real and lasting difference to those they help.
Additional Questions
Short Answer Questions
Q1. Where was Prashant when the cyclone struck?
Answer: Prashant was in Ersama, a small coastal town in Orissa, where he had gone to visit a friend when the super cyclone struck on 29 October 1999.
Q2. How did Prashant and his friend’s family survive the cyclone?
Answer: Prashant and his friend’s family climbed onto the roof of their house as the floodwaters rose, and then took refuge on a large tree, clinging to its branches for two nights and a day until the storm subsided and the waters receded.
Q3. How far was Prashant’s village from Ersama, and what did he see on the way back?
Answer: Prashant’s village, Kalikuda, was about eighteen kilometres from Ersama. On the way back, he saw a landscape of complete devastation — broken roads, uprooted trees, collapsed houses, and the dead bodies of humans and animals scattered everywhere.
Q4. What was Prashant’s first concern when he arrived back in his village?
Answer: Prashant’s first concern was the safety of his family. He was overwhelmed with relief to find them alive. He then immediately turned his attention to the plight of the villagers, who were without food, shelter, and hope.
Q5. How did Prashant ensure that military helicopters dropped food in his village?
Answer: Prashant organised children to run onto a sandbar carrying empty utensils and utensil lids. When helicopter pilots flying overhead saw the children waving the shiny vessels, they understood that people were in urgent need of supplies and dropped food packets there.
Q6. What was the food-for-work programme mentioned in the story?
Answer: The food-for-work programme was an initiative run by NGOs (non-governmental organisations) in which people were given food in exchange for performing work — such as clearing debris, rebuilding structures, or other community tasks. Prashant made sure that the women of the village were enrolled in this programme so that they would have both a source of food and a productive role in the recovery effort.
Q7. What kind of shelter did Prashant build for the orphaned children?
Answer: Prashant constructed a makeshift shelter using polythene sheets to protect the orphaned children from the elements. He gathered the children there and arranged for women from the village to care for them, providing them with warmth, food, and emotional support.
Q8. What was the condition of the roads and landscape after the cyclone?
Answer: After the cyclone, the roads were broken and damaged, making travel extremely difficult. The entire landscape was devastated — trees were uprooted and flung across the ground, houses had collapsed, fields were submerged, and the bodies of dead humans and animals lay everywhere, filling the air with a terrible stench. The scene was one of complete and overwhelming destruction.
Long Answer Questions
Q1. Describe Prashant’s experience during the two nights and one day spent on the tree during the cyclone.
Answer: The two nights and one day that Prashant and his friend’s family spent on the tree during the cyclone were an experience of extreme terror and endurance. The storm struck with terrifying ferocity — powerful winds howled, torrential rain lashed down, and floodwaters rose rapidly, engulfing the land around them. The family first climbed to the roof of their house when the water entered, and then took refuge in a large tree as even the roof was no longer safe.
Clinging to the branches of the tree through the darkness of the night was a harrowing ordeal. The floodwaters below them were filled with the debris of destruction — broken pieces of houses, uprooted trees, and the bloated carcasses of animals swept away by the current. The sight and smell of dead bodies made the experience even more frightening and demoralising. Throughout this ordeal, Prashant showed great presence of mind and compassion — he tied a small child to his own chest to prevent the boy from losing his grip on the branches and being swept away.
The family had no food or clean water during this time, and the continuous exposure to the storm left them physically exhausted and emotionally traumatised. Yet they held on, driven by the basic human will to survive. When the waters finally receded and they were able to climb down from the tree, Prashant’s thoughts immediately turned to his own family and village, and he set out on the long walk home without delay. His experience on the tree steeled his resolve and deepened his empathy for others who had suffered the same ordeal.
Q2. How did Prashant transform from a survivor into a leader? What qualities did he display?
Answer: Prashant’s transformation from a survivor into a community leader is one of the most compelling aspects of this story. When the cyclone was over, Prashant could easily have focused solely on his own family’s grief and recovery. Instead, he looked beyond his personal circumstances and took responsibility for his entire community.
The qualities he displayed were numerous and impressive. His initiative was evident from the start — he did not wait for others to organise relief but mobilised the village youth himself. His creativity and resourcefulness appeared in the way he used children with vessels to attract helicopter attention. His organisational skills were clear in how he coordinated communal food preparation, set up shelters, and enrolled villagers in NGO programmes. His empathy showed most clearly in how he cared for orphaned children, provided trauma counselling, and thought about the long-term social well-being of widows.
His vision and wisdom — remarkable in an eighteen-year-old — were demonstrated in his firm resistance to institutionalisation. He understood that placing orphans in institutions or widows in welfare homes would cause more harm than good, and he argued successfully for community-based solutions. Above all, he led by example — by always being willing to do whatever was needed himself rather than merely directing others. These qualities collectively transformed a young man caught in a disaster into the effective, compassionate leader that his village desperately needed.
Q3. The story celebrates community resilience. How does the community of Kalikuda come together to face the aftermath of the cyclone?
Answer: The community of Kalikuda provides a powerful example of collective resilience in the face of catastrophe. Though devastated by loss and grief, the villagers found strength in solidarity and collective action, largely galvanised by Prashant’s leadership.
The village youth came together as an organised group to demand relief, collect and cook food, build shelters, and assist in every aspect of the recovery effort. They did not wait passively for outside help but took matters into their own hands. The women of the village took on the crucial role of caring for orphaned children, providing them with emotional support and maternal care at a time when many of these children were deeply traumatised. The women also joined the food-for-work programme, contributing to both their own livelihoods and the broader community recovery.
The community collectively resisted the option of sending vulnerable members — orphans and widows — away to institutions. Instead, they chose to care for them within the village, maintaining the social bonds that give communities their strength and identity. The arrival of NGOs provided additional support, but it was the pre-existing spirit of community solidarity — brought to the surface and organised by Prashant — that made the recovery possible. The story suggests that no external agency, however well-funded, can replace the power of a community that chooses to look after its own members.
Q4. “Weathering the Storm in Ersama” is both a story of destruction and hope. Discuss.
Answer: The title of the story itself captures this duality — “weathering the storm” means not just surviving the physical cyclone, but enduring and overcoming its aftermath. The story is simultaneously a chronicle of terrible destruction and an inspiring testament to human hope and resilience.
The destruction described in the story is almost incomprehensible in scale. The cyclone killed thousands, flattened entire villages, orphaned children, widowed women, and left survivors without food, water, or shelter. The physical landscape was transformed into a scene of desolation — broken trees, collapsed homes, and the bodies of the dead everywhere. The psychological damage was equally severe, with survivors, especially children, deeply traumatised by what they had witnessed.
Yet against this backdrop of devastation, the story presents a series of images of hope. A young man of eighteen chooses courage over despair and action over helplessness. A community comes together rather than falling apart. Women find purpose and dignity through work and care. Children slowly begin to play and laugh again through organised activities. Orphans find love within the community rather than being consigned to institutions. NGOs and relief workers arrive to assist. Gradually, the pieces of a shattered community are put back together.
The story ultimately argues that while natural disasters can destroy physical structures and take lives, they cannot destroy the human capacity for love, solidarity, and rebuilding. As long as there are people like Prashant — and communities like Kalikuda — there is always hope.
Multiple Choice Questions
Q1. “Weathering the Storm in Ersama” is written by:
(a) R.K. Narayan (b) Harsh Mander (c) Ruskin Bond (d) Premchand
Answer: (b) Harsh Mander
Q2. The super cyclone struck Orissa in:
(a) 1995 (b) 1997 (c) 1999 (d) 2001
Answer: (c) 1999
Q3. Prashant had gone to Ersama to visit:
(a) his uncle (b) a relative (c) a friend (d) his teacher
Answer: (c) a friend
Q4. For how long did Prashant and his friend’s family cling to the tree during the cyclone?
(a) One night (b) Two nights and a day (c) Three days (d) One day and one night
Answer: (b) Two nights and a day
Q5. Prashant’s village, Kalikuda, was approximately how far from Ersama?
(a) Five kilometres (b) Ten kilometres (c) Eighteen kilometres (d) Twenty-five kilometres
Answer: (c) Eighteen kilometres
Q6. What did Prashant use to construct a shelter for the orphaned children?
(a) Bamboo and grass (b) Polythene sheets (c) Wooden planks (d) Tarpaulin
Answer: (b) Polythene sheets
Q7. How did Prashant signal the military helicopters to drop food supplies in his village?
(a) By lighting a fire (b) By waving flags (c) By organising children with empty utensils on a sandbar (d) By blowing a whistle
Answer: (c) By organising children with empty utensils on a sandbar
Q8. Why did Prashant and the volunteers oppose sending orphans to institutions?
(a) Because institutions were far away (b) Because institutions were expensive (c) Because institutions could not give children love and community (d) Because the government refused to fund institutions
Answer: (c) Because institutions could not give children love and community
Q9. The “food-for-work programme” in the story was organised by:
(a) The state government (b) The Indian Army (c) Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) (d) The village panchayat
Answer: (c) Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
Q10. What is the approximate age of Prashant at the time of the story?
(a) Fourteen (b) Sixteen (c) Eighteen (d) Twenty
Answer: (c) Eighteen