Village by the sea

Ten years had passed in a flash, Thul had gone through tremendous changes. Anyone who went to the great city Thul now would never have thought that it was once a quiet fishing village. Hari had progressed from working in a small watch-mending shop to an enormous watch factory! he did not just stop there, Hari was even going overseas to expand his business! Overtaking the old Biju, Hari was now the most successful and rich man in the whole of Thul as well as Alibagh. He had thousands of workers, all working in the factory which he had built with his hard earned money.

Meanwhile, Lila owned the largest farm in the whole of India. Instead of specialising in poultry only, Lila also bred pigs, cows and sheep. She even grew crops too! of course, managing the whole farm by herself was impossible, so she had to employ men to manage it for her. Being a renowned company now, her products were selling like hot cakes as many housewives trust her brand of goods.

The small wooden hut they had lived in was long gone, in its place stood a grand white two-story house, fit for the king. Inside, there was an old couple. Seeing their son and daughters doing so well, they couldn't help but smile to themselves. After a life of hardship, they finally could relax and have Hari's wife wait on them.

Hari's wife was a pretty and hardworking young lady. They had met each other in Hari's little watch-mending shop a few years ago. They were very fond of each other and decided to get married once Hari had earned enough to support her. They became a couple soon as Hari kept his promise.

And Lila? She too was married off. She was married to a dashing scholar from Bombay. Husband and wife worked together to expand their farm, going through thick and thin as a couple. They now loved each other deeply.

Bela and Kamal were sent off to Bombay to further their education. They still keep in touch by sending letters frequently to their family members or simply by phone. Bombay is still as great a city as before, not much has changed, except that there were no Europeans and people of different races walking the streets! Bela and Kamal had also befriended these overseas migrants and learned each other's languages. Shops in Bombay now had English names underneath their Indian names. Chinese migrants brought in Chinese food, and it was amazingly popular among Indians! Fast food restaurants sprouted everywhere as well and it was a booming industry. it was definitely popular among the working adults who needed quick meals as they were very busy.

So much had changed, but the more they change, the more they all seem the same. Hari and Lila are still the ones earning money, Bela and Kamal are still studying. But one change had brought about the greatest change of their lives, the building of the factories.

Renewable energy: A permanent viable solution?

With the world in panic regarding the alarming depletion rates of non-renewable forms of energy like crude oil and coals, we are forced to explore all other forms of possible sources of energy, and renewable energy is one of the key areas of research focus.

Renewable energy has many benefits as well as limitations. Being renewable, it's greatest benefit lies in its ability to be recycled and reused over and over again. Examples of renewable energy like solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy can be regenerated without much efforts, and they do not contribute to environmental damage as much as non-renewable forms like coals do.

Another positive aspect of renewable energy is its rampant availability. Renewable energy can be found everywhere and it is possible to set up solar cells on all parts of the earth, producing solar energy. Singapore is leading research in this area, having plans to build 2 solar-powered buildings soon. Recognising the need for energy-efficient and environment-conserving forms of energy, many key global players are also doing intensive research on this area. This means that new technology for better utilsation and storing of the energy generated via renewable means will be developed.

However, there are also negative aspects of renewable energy which explains why it is still not as prevalent today as a form of energy as it was supposed to be. The core reason why people are unwilling to depend on it for energy is because it is intermittent. For example, solar energy is only produced when there is light, and hence, during a particular period of intense cloud cover, people may not be able to get electricity at all because there is no supply of it. The same goes for wind energy, without wind, the windmills will not turn and hence, no electricity will be generated.

Another negative area of renewable energy is its difficulty of storage and cost inefficiency. Large machinery and space need to be built and cleared. Currently, no brilliant solutions has been found yet to solve these problems and hence, this explains why many countries are still not dependent on renewable forms of energy as their main source.

In conclusion, unless more breakthroughs can be done with regards to the arena of renewable energy, I do not think that it is a permanent viable solution. Instead, it will just be a spur of a moment kind of research interest with not much practical value. I feel that it is perhaps nuclear energy which will be the energy of the future, judging by the sheer amount of research that is being done on it.

Village by the sea (Ending)

Lila turned around and smiled in delight. Their mother had recovered and their father had turned over a new leaf. Hari's poultry farm was built and Lila tended to it daily, feeding the chickens and taking care of the farm. Their father had surprisingly volunteered to clean the farm and had even gone to the market to buy food for the chickens. Meanwhile, Hari concentrated on his watch repair career. Using what he had earned in Bombay, he set up a shop right in Thul. Months later, just like what he had expected, people came from overseas in boats!

Hari guessed that they must have been engineers coming from big cities to live in Thul. Much to Hari's delight, lots of them wore watches. Within days of their arrival, Hari's business is booming.

With the combined effort of Lila and her father, their poultry farm was also a success. In a day alone, they sold close to a thousand eggs and some chicken. They also started breeding programmes for their hens.

Due to two large sources of income, Bela and Kamal could now go to school without any worries about the lack of money for the next year's books and school feels.

Their mother naturally became in charge of the household, doing chores and cooking for the family.

Like in all fairytales, Hari's family had a happy ending with both parents back together again. Hari and Lila lived a glamorous life with the money they made though sheer hard work. Bela and Kamal continued studying happily in their school. With their childhood ruined, they tried their best to make up for all the time they had lost.