The poet is inspired to write after traveling by aircraft and seeing the world from different perspectives. From 10,000 feet, he sees the logic and inevitability of how cities developed along rivers and valleys due to water's importance. At 6 miles high, he witnesses that the Earth is round with more sea than land, but finds it difficult to understand why people hate each other and build borders instead of sharing the planet's resources equally.

2. The idea to write
this poem occurred
to the poet when
he travelled in an
aircraft.

4. Have you seen
Earth from different
altitudes?
How does it appear to
you, when you see it
from a height of
10,000 ft?

5. The ground looks unplanned, haphazard
and without style...
Let’s look at the
poet’s view...

6. But, when he looked
closely, his questions
were answered...
The city is scaled six inches to the mile,
and its valleys were populated where rivers run
through because water is essential.

7. Further, when the
aircraft went higher
About 6 miles...

8. The poet witnessed a
few things that we
have studied, but not
seen.
There is more water than land.
Earth is round.

9. But a few questions
arose in his mind.
He wondered...
What people are fighting for?
Why does men hate each other?
What are they trying to protect and from whom?

10. Why should we build borders?
Isn’t Earth common for all?
Aren’t the resources meant for everyone?

11. Though he pondered over these questions, he
couldn’t get an answer.

12. THE
POEM

13. Geography Lesson
When the jet sprang into the sky,
it was clear why the city
had developed the way it had,
seeing it scaled six inches to the mile.
There seemed an inevitability
about what on ground had looked haphazard,
unplanned and without style
when the jet sprang into the sky.
When the jet reached ten thousand feet,
it was clear why the country
had cities where rivers ran
and why the valleys were populated.
The logic of geography –
that land and water attracted man
was clearly delineated
when the jet reached ten thousand feet.
When the jet rose six miles high,
it was clear that the earth was round
and that it had more sea than land.
But it was difficult to understand
that the men on earth found
causes to hate each other, to build
walls across cities and to kill.
From that height, it was not clear why.
- Zulfikar Ghose

14. ABOUT
THE POET

15. ZULFIKAR GHOSE
 He was born in Sialkot, India
on 13 March 1935. He is a
novelist, poet and essayist.
His writing is a blend of
fantasy and harsh realism. His
poems have been published in
magazines and journals

16. LET US SEE THE
STRIKING IDEAS
EXPRESSED IN THE
POEM

17. THE CITY HAD DEVELOPED
BUT LOOKED NARROW AND CONGESTED -
ITS GROUND VIEW WAS HAPHAZARD, UNPLANNED &
UNSTYLISH

18. VALLEYS ARE POPULATED

19. BUT THERE’S A REASON BEHIND
HUMAN SETTLEMENT NEAR WATER
BODIES

20. IT WAS MORE POPULATED NEAR THE WATER BODIES
- TO CULTIVATE
- TO MAKE OUR LIVING
- WATER IS ESSENTIAL

21. SO, THERE’S LOGIC BEHIND CHOICE MADE BY HUMAN

22. LAND & WATER ALWAYS HAVE ATTRACTED MEN

23. THE JET GOES
HIGHER

24.  IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE EARTH IS ROUND
AND THERE IS MORE WATER THAN LAND
WE HAVE ENOUGH FACILITIES
AND COMFORTS TO LEAD A
HAPPY LIFE

25.  BUT……
IT WAS DIFFICULT
TO
UNDERSTAND…
 WHY PEOPLE
FIND CAUSES TO
HATE AND FIGHT?

26. WHY DO THEY BUILD WALLS AND LIVE
APART?

27. WHY DO THEY KILL ONE ANOTHER

28.  HERE THE POEM
ENDS
LET US PUT OUR
HANDS TOGETHER
TO MAKE THIS
WORLD A BETTER
PLACE !

29. PRESERVE
NATURE
HELP THE NEEDY

30. LET US NOT FIGHT OVER SILLY
MATTERS

31.  WE CAN MAKE THE WORLD MORE BEAUTIFUL
 WE CAN BRING MORE JOY, IF WE REALLY CARE