Practice: Let's Explore

In-Text Activity Solutions

Throughout the chapter, there are “Let’s Explore” boxes. Here are structured responses to them.

Activity 1: Classroom Diversity (Page 126)

Task: Make lists of birthplaces and mother tongues of classmates.

• Observation: You will likely find that even in a single classroom, students have roots in different districts or states.
• Conclusion: This micro-diversity in the classroom represents the macro-diversity of India.

Activity 2: Food Ingredients (Page 128)

Task: Take any one vegetable and think of the number of different dishes you can prepare with it.

• Example: Potato (Aloo)
  1. Aloo Gobi (North India - Dry curry)
  2. Masala Dosa filling (South India - Mashed/Spiced)
  3. Aloo Posto (Bengal - cooked with poppy seeds)
  4. Batata Vada (Maharashtra - Fritter)
  5. Dum Aloo (Kashmir - Yogurt based gravy)
• Insight: One vegetable $\rightarrow$ Many distinct cultural expressions.

Activity 3: The Sari Reflection (Page 129)

Task: Explain how the example of the sari reflects both unity and diversity (100-150 words).

Solution: The sari is a perfect metaphor for Indian culture. The unity is found in its fundamental form: it is always an unstitched length of cloth, typically 5 to 9 yards long, worn by women across the subcontinent. It represents a shared cultural identity that has survived for millennia. The diversity is found in its execution. Every region weaves it differently—from the heavy silks of Kanchipuram to the airy cottons of Bengal. Furthermore, the style of draping changes every few hundred kilometers, adapting to the local geography and work requirements of women. Thus, the sari is “One” in essence, but “Many” in expression.

Activity 4: Sari Uses (Page 130)

Task: Identify uses of the sari in Fig 8.4 and imagine more.

Identified Uses from Text/Images:

1. Dress (Clothing)
2. Cradle for a baby (tied to a tree branch)
3. Sieve/Filter (for water or grain)
4. Head protection (against sun/rain)
5. Carrier (bundle for carrying crops/wood)

Additional Uses:

• Privacy Screen: Used as a partition in shared spaces.
• Towel: Old cotton saris are soft and absorbent.
• Quilts: Old saris are stitched together to make Kantha quilts (Bengal/Odisha).

Activity 5: Dhoti Styles (Page 131)

Task: Make a list of different styles for the Dhoti.

Solution:

• North India: Often worn with a Kurta, loose pleats.
• South India (Veshti/Mundu): Often white/cream, wrapped around the waist, sometimes folded up to knee length for work.
• Maharashtra: Dhotis can be tucked between the legs (similar to the Nauvari sari style) for ease of movement.
• Bengal (Dhuti): Specifically pleated style worn during Pujas.
• Conclusion: Like the sari, the Dhoti is a pan-Indian unstitched garment adapted to local needs.