MATERNITY
SUMMARY
‘Maternity’ by Lilika Nakos, the famous Greek
writer,describes the misery and sufferings of children and
women afflicted by war.
Mikali was an Armenian orphan refugee boy. His mother
had died while giving birth to his brother. So he had to take
care of the child. Mikali bore the child on his back. The
other refugees were unable to bear the continuous cry of the
baby. So they chased him away. They even wished that the
baby would die. Since the baby was kept on his back, he
was unable to do any job or earn his livelihood. No mother
was ready to give it breast-milk.
Finally a Chinaman showed pity for him. He took the baby
to his house. His wife fed the baby with her breast-milk. By
portraying the Chinaman’s wife as an ideal mother, the
author upholds the nobility of ‘maternity’.

DIARY
Suppose you happened to visit the refugee camp. Write a
diary after your visit.

20 August2018
Monday
My God! What a pathetic condition, the people are in! How
could I believe my eyes! I could only hear cries of children
everywhere! How cruel this war is! Is war to be blamed?
No. The human beings who start wars are to be blamed. The
most heart breaking thing was the sight of Mikali, a 14yrs
old boy. He is really carrying a burden. He is really a saint.
If I were in his position I might have felt it a burden. But
Mikali didn’t. My God! From the Chinaman’s wife, I
understood what maternity is. How noble mothers are!

Prepare a news paper report of Mikali’s life in the camp

An Unending Search for Maternity
Marseilles:The pathetic sight of Mikali, a 14 year old boy
wandering with a wailing infant shook the world
yesterday.A poor victim of war Mikali is forced to carry the
motherless and famished brother with him.The pitiful cries
of the infant has become a disturbance to others and Mikali
does not get food ,work or shelter. The little one has been
sucking its swollen thumb since birth and Mikali himself is
hungry for days. Even the women in the refugee camps are
horrified to look at the child which has an enormous head
and a thin body. People say that it is a repulsive sight.
Mikali is wandering from camp to camp in search of a
nursing mother. The picture of Mikali and the helpless child
is reported to have strengthened the common request to end
war.

2 .Imagine you happened to witness Mikali wandering in
the camp. what would be your thoughts?

Oh ! is this life? I just can’t believe what I see. How
pathetic is the condition here! They do not have proper food
or shelter. These poor victims are living under ruined sheds
or carpets held up at four corners by sticks. These children
are so unlucky and barefooted,playing in dirty water. But
what was most heart breaking was the 14 year old boy
wandering with a wailing infant. Can we call it a human

being? No,it is only a skeleton with an enormous head and
thin body.so horrifying to look at! It is crying for milk,but it
falls on deaf ears. How can the women be insensitive to it?
Who is responsible for this? Nothing but man’s thirst for
power. Let us hope for a solution soon.

3 Write a letter to your friend describing what you see in
the camp

Dear Arun,
Happy to hear about your success in the exams. How goes
things there? I heard that you had got a scholarship to study
abroad. You are so lucky. It reminds me of my visit to a
refugee camp. Do you know how pathetic is their life?
Without food and shelter. They have no hope left.
Can you imagine a 14 year old boy wandering in the camps
hopelessly for maternity?It is the most heartbreaking scene
I have ever witnessed. Poor Mikali! No woman in the camp
is ready to feed the famished little infant whom Mikali is
carrying. I just can’t forget the hopeless face of him .How
lucky we are. My dear friend, We should do something for
them.When we meet again we shall discuss it. Convey my
regards to all,wish you all the best.
Yours friendly
Rakesh

4.Mikali was chased away by the women in the Anatolian
camp.What could be his thoughts?
Oh God what a hopeless life ! Why was I born ? My
unlucky ,motherless brother..He is wailing day and night for
milk.poor boy, born in a cursed moment. How can I save
him? Nobody is ready to feed him. All the women including the nursing mother cried in horror on seeing him. It has
become a skeleton, no more a human being. It is crying out
of hunger and I haven’t had anything to eat for days. I wish
my mother were alive. I have lost all hopes. Where shall I
go? Please save me.

Character sketch of Mikali
Mikali is a motherless orphan who is wandering in the
refugee camps with his brother. Everybody is irritated at the
howls of the infant day and night and Mikali is denied of
food,work and shelter. Still he is hopeful of somebody
feeding the little famished one. He stands for courage and
determination .Though he is chased away by the women he
tries to save his brother. The neighbours throw stale bread
to him,but it weighs on him. He does not want charity. He
feels a sense of guilt,for he wants to work and earn his
living. Mikali is burdened with the responsibility of a
motherless child. Though the selfish women at the camp
shatter his hope he makes a last trial by following the
chinaman. He is very innocent. Mikali is matured as he
does not abandon the child.