Descriptive Essay ICSE 1999

This Descriptive Essay was asked in ICSE 1999 board exam. You can find Previous Year Descriptive Essay Topics asked in ICSE board exams.

Descriptive Essay ICSE 1999

Write about the wedding ceremony of your friend in which you took an active part. (ICSE 1999)

“Marriages are made in heaven,” so it is said, but they are solemnised here on earth. It is an occasion that comes once in a lifetime and therefore celebrated with great pomp and show all over in the world. In our country it is a very solemn and pious occasion, accompanied with numerous customs and rituals, which make it more exciting and memorable. The wonderful mix of religious rituals, blended with modernity earn the admiration of even foreigners.

Last month my friend Sita, who lived in the neighbourhood was married to her fiancee, a software engineer in the States. Since I was her best friend, I was assigned the responsibility of looking after the bride and chaperoning her at the wedding. On the appointed day there was hectic activity beginning with the Haldi ceremony, wherein Vermilion was applied on the bride. This was followed by ladies’ sangeet.

I applied mehndi on her hands, and with a lot of merrymaking, the mehandi ceremony was over. After lunch, we went to the market to collect her bridal wear, which had been given for some last minute alteration. Thereafter, we proceeded to the bridal beauty parlour. Emerging from the parlour Sita looked extremely beautiful, like the heroines in films

Since it was getting late, we rushed home to find the family members anxiously waiting for us. The barat was on its way and I could hear the drum beats. I rushed to see the barat as it approached the gate. The bridegroom was astride on a horse bedecked with flowers. His tall figure with a golden sehra on his head, made him look like the proverbial prince. There was the ‘Dwar Puja’ at the gate, followed by religious ceremonies performed by the pundit.

Thereafter the groom was escorted to the dais, where he was seated on a flower bedecked throne. I escorted the bride to the dais, amidst showering of rose petals by friends and relatives. This was followed by the ‘ Jai Mala’, where they exchanged garlands. With crackers bursting in the background, people started dancing and greeting each other with joy. This gaiety was so infectious, that I also found myself dancing in gay abandon.

After dinner the guests departed and the actual wedding ceremony commenced. In the mandap the pundit lit the sacred fire, amidst chanting of mantras. The bridegroom and the bride walked around the sacred fire, making solemn promises to each other. By the time this was over, it was well past midnight. I returned home wishing my dear friend a very happy and successful married life.

Assignments

  • A religious function in your neighbourhood in which you took an active part
  • A cultural function in your neighbourhood in which you took an active part

Rivers and lakes are always interesting and commercially important to people who live near them. Describe some of the ways in which people living close to a lake or a river use it to their advantage commercially and also for their relaxation and amusement all through the year. (ICSE 1999)

Introduction:
Lifeline for the people

  • Important role in the spread of civilisation like the Indus valley civilisation
  • Their importance for people providing indispensable source of drinking water, for irrigation and horticulture
  • Livelihood to the fishermen
  • Important role in industrial development
  • Invaluable source for entertainment and relaxation
  • Pollution of the rivers and lakes by dumping sewage is a cause for concern

Conclusion:
They are the lifeline for the people and hence need to be protected from pollution.

Since times immemorial, rivers and lakes play an important role in our life. They are responsible for sustaining life on the universe. Great civilisations like the Indus valley civilisation, the Egyptian civilisation existed thousands of years ago, on the banks of the rivers Indus and Nile respectively. Many old cities like Agra, Allahabad, Hyderabad and Varanasi came up on the banks of rivers and lakes because of their important role in sustaining life. People worship them and consider them sacred and holy.

The passage of time has not diminished their importance.Taking a stroll on their banks one finds huge water treatment plants, which provide safe drinking water to the people living in the cities close to them. Irrigation canals that stem from them, carry water for irrigating huge tracts of land for food crops and vegetables. This provides livelihood to the farmers and food to the people.

Early in the morning fishermen can be seen pushing their small fishing boats, laden with fishing nets into the river. Singing merrily they row their boats in anticipation of making a good catch during the day. Their women folks wave out to them wishing them well, as they go about their daily chores, before setting out to the fish market to hawk the fishes caught the previous night.

Huge chimneys of big factories line the shores, signify their important role in the economic development Of the region. This is for they provide water which is an essential requirement for the industries. Cargo boats can be seen ferrying goods from one place to another which is a safe and economic mode of transport.

The beautiful scene during sunrise and sunset are indeed breathtaking. People flock there early in the morning and around sunset to savour the beauty. Children can be seen playing in the shallow waters, while young men and women revel in fishing, boating and enjoying water sports like water surfing and motor boating. Their banks are a tourist delight, with people from far and near flocking to savour the beauty.

However, it is unfortunate to see some people polluting the water of the rivers and ponds with sewage, hazardous chemicals and other biodegradable waste. These pollutants render the life giving water poisonous, which pose serious danger to our health. The contaminated water also endangers aquatic life, which is the source of livelihood for many people.

Rivers and lakes are the lifeline for the people staying close to them. Besides providing essential requirements like food and water, they also help in the economic growth and development of the region. Besides this they also provide entertainment, amusement and relaxation to the people, throughout the year, ft is therefore our moral duty to ensure, that this blessing is not turned into a curse by our callousness.