Activity Trail. The Hunt Footloose in the City. A Question of Belonging. To Follow a Dream. A Westward Journey. The Storm. The Forbidden Temple

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1 Activity Trail circa 3500 BCE circa 2300 BCE circa CE The Hunt Footloose in the City A Question of Belonging circa CE To Follow a Dream circa CE A Westward Journey circa CE The Storm circa CE The Forbidden Temple circa CE Boat Song circa CE For Love of a Game circa 1940 CE Checkmate Illustrations by Shefalee Jain 77

2 Ant-istory! 78

3 Have fun with your own Ant-iquated Ant-ecdotes! 79

4 Ahead of time? Look at this picture from the Stone Age. Can you pick out the objects you surely couldn t have seen back then? The Hunt Working our way Up-right These pictures represent stages in the evolution of our species. Try to name them. TODAY S SPECIAL! Calling all hungry stomachs for the feast of Roasted wild boar!! Convey this announcement to the entire tribe using rock art of the times (stick figures). 80 What are some major discoveries in the Stone Age, and how do you think they they were made? Other than the dog, which animals do you think may have been kept as pets many years ago? Why do you suppose the people in the Old Stone Age were nomadic? And what made them settle down? Search for Bhimbhetka on a map of India. Humans are social animals. Name some other animals that live in social groups. What are some advantages of living like this? How do you think language came into being? What are some ways in which animals communicate with one another?

5 Footloose in the City Seal the differences! Spot the ten differences between the pictures of the two seals. NAMES AND NUMBERS The Indus Valley civilisation extended far beyond the valley of the Indus river. Can you name another river, whose name begins with S, on the banks of which some of the cities were located? Which city, beginning with L, was probably an important port during that period? (hint: a dock was found there while excavating) How large do you think was the Indus Valley civilisation compared with those at Egypt and Mesapotamia half as large, twice as large, more than a dozen times as large? Guess how many Indus Valley sites are known today about 50, about 100, more than 1000? Baked bricks were used to build cities and structures in the three regions of West Asia, South Asia and North Africa. Match these structures to where they belong: Ziggurat Granary Pyramids Indus Valley Egypt Mesopotamia Some of the factors that could have caused the decline of the civilisation are changing climate, floods, drought, disease and invasion. Can you think of anything else? Why do you think ancient civilisations were often located close to rivers? In what modern countries do the sites of the Indus Valley civilisation now lie? Bones of many animals gazelles, swamp deer, nilgai, blackbuck, chital, water buffalo, wild cows, sheep, goat, pigs and elephants have been found in the remains of the Indus Valley. What does this tell you about the type of vegetation at the time? What kind of animals, trees and plants are found in the area today? Probably, in the past, there was a greater range of habitats including hills, grassy plains, woodlands and lush valleys. Is it idealistic/realistic to imagine a world where no one would feel the need to hoard weapons or have an army to keep others away? 81

6 A Question of Belonging The colours of peace... This is a picture of Buddha s birth. Fill it with colours that bring out his message of peace. 82

7 Who came first? Gandhara was a region on the west bank of the Indus. At different periods, it was ruled by different dynasties. Here are some rulers from there and invasions that happened. But they are mixed up in time can you put them in order? ALEXANDER S INVASION KUSHANA KINGS PERSIAN KINGS CHANDRAGUPTA MAURYA HUN INVASION ASHOKA WORD PLAY Do you know a word used to describe Greek influence? (hint: connected with Helen) A group of people who may represent the Indo-Greeks are described in the Mahabharata. What were they called? (hint: sounds like Ravana) When the Romans conquered Greece and made it a part of their empire, they split the country into two provinces. One was Achaia. The other was...? (hint: starts with Mace ) Greek became one of the official languages of the Roman empire. What was the other one? (hint: starts with L ) One man, many names Buddha has many other names. Fill them in using the first letters as clues? S... G... T... What are some other foreign cultures that have interacted with India? What were the results? Have Indians influenced other nations and cultures? When? How? What about today? Can you see any cultural, social or economic changes taking place because of such interactions? Are they different from those in the past? 83

8 To Follow a Dream Speaking Hands Bharatanatyam is much the same today as it was in the age of the Guptas. What do the mudras (hand gestures) above convey? Music in the air..... Can you match them up with the appropriate descriptions? Veena bell Venu conch Ghanta flute Jalaja drum Mridangam string instrument 84 Why was there so much intellectual activity in so many fields during the Gupta period? Could it be enlightened rulers, a climate of peace? What are other contributions Indians have made in science and mathematics? Try long multiplication and long division in Roman numerals and then in Indo-Arabic numerals! For example, multiply and divide CIV by IX. Is this easier or harder to do than 104 multiplied or divided by 9? How were scientists treated in ancient Indian society? How was this different from their status in ancient Europe? For example, contrast the life of Galileo, who was prosecuted for his ideas, with Aryabhatta, who was so respected. Among royalty in India, it was common practice for the king to give up his power in old age by naming and crowning his successor. Was that a better idea than waiting for a king to die before the next could ascend the throne?

9 A Westward Journey Study Abroad! Match the name of each university for the field of study it was most famous for: Takshashila religion Ujjain art and architecture Ajanta medicine Sarnath astronomy A road not easy Find your way through the maze to Nalanda University. Footpr otprints of the Buddha Complete the sentences: Sanchi is famous for.....sarnath is famous for.....bodhgaya is famous for..... Did you know that the ancient Chinese wrote from top to bottom rather than left to right as we do in English? That s because they began by using long strips of bamboo to write on, rather than paper. Do you know what the ancient Indians used instead of paper? How is Arabic written? Think about different types of scripts pictographs, syllabic scripts, alphabets. What are their advantages and disadvantages? Harsha was attracted to Buddhism and some historians say he became a Buddhist in his later years. What aspects of the religion do you think attracted so many rulers? 85

10 The Storm The Persian Connection! Join the dots and watch the Simurgh, a mythical beast of the Persians, reveal itself. WORD PLAY Try to guess the English words which came from these Persian root words. Magus gave rise to a few English words. Can you name some? (hint: think Harry Potter!) Put pa (meaning leg) and jamah (meaning garment) together, and what do you get? Shah mat means the king is dead. A very similar sounding word is used when a certain game ends. Can you name the word and the board game? Kaza ghand is a padded jacket. Guess which English word has this root? Shamshir probably gave rise to the name for a kind of curved sword often associated with the Arabs. What is it? Do you know any other groups of people who were persecuted because of their religious beliefs and left their homeland to find peace in India? Well, Jews came during the Spanish inquisition and, more recently, the Dalai Lama was forced to leave Tibet. What was India like, politically, when the Parsis landed? Can you point out Sanjan on a map? What happened to the Parsis after they moved to Sanjan? In which state in India do most Paris live now? Can you name some well-known Indians belonging to the Parsi community? In what ways have they contributed to Indian society become the sugar in the milk? 86

11 The Forbidden Temple Mind-boggling Minds Can you unscramble the names of the Bhakti saints given below? Rahacknsayahar Labyavhralacah Ithacanya Sahadri Sulditsa Vamandae Sravanjen Thaken Muratka Madras Ribka Paramabhulla Addu Yadal Singing Saints Match these women saints with the state they came from: Lalleshwari Rajasthan Akka Mahadevi Tamil Nadu Andal Karnataka Meerabai Kashmir Rupandara Sada Mandarana Rich words... The Bhakti movement helped make classical (Carnatic and Hindustani) music more popular and accessible by introducing bhajans that were sung by large groups of common people. Many saints and followers of the movement wrote in local languages or translated works into these languages so that a wide variety of people, rather than just the Sanskrit speaking elite, could understand them. Can you name the books with which the South Indian poets Thiruvalluvar and Kambar are associated? Unfortunately, in India today, children are sometimes illegally employed in the weaving trade. They are forced to sit at the looms in small, dark rooms, twisting threads, dipping their hands in boiling water and handling dead silk worms that can cause many infections. Employers sometimes treat these children cruelly. Why do you think that the caste system was still in place and remained relatively rigid despite the popular appeal of the Bhakti movement and the values it propagated? Is caste still deep-rooted in Indian society? How do you think it affects the people who are oppressed? And how does the belief in the superiority of one s caste also harm a person/the oppressor? 87

12 Boat Song Where do I belong? Help each of these South Indian kings find their way into the house that bears the name of their dynasty. Pallava Rajaraja Rajendra Hoysala Simhana Ramachandra Pulakesin Vikramaditya Chalukya Vishnu Vardhana Vira Bhallala Chola Rashtrakuta Mahendravarman Narasimhavarman Yadava Amogavarsha Names and stones Shore temple Meenakshi temple Kailasanatha temple Hoysalesvara temple Ellora Halebid Mammallapuram Madurai Match the temples to the places they belong to. Do you know which dynasties built them? Names and Places Chera Pandya Vijayanagara Tamil Nadu: Tamil Andhra Pradesh: Telugu Kerala: Malayalam With what modern Indian state and language are these kingdoms most often related? What are some similarities shared by South Indian languages? How are they same or different from North Indian languages? Does South Indian temple architecture differ in style from that of the North? In what ways are systems of classical music of South and North India same or different? What are some of the foreign influences felt in the south? How do they compare with what was felt up north? 88

13 For Love of a Game Can you spot the 10 things wrong in this picture of Akbar s court? Past imperfect! 89

14 Lay of the land Color in the map to show how far you think Akbar s kingdom extended. Compare it with the map on the answer page. Did you get it right? SHAH JAHAN AKBAR BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR BABUR JEHANGIR HUMAYUN AURANGAZEB Family Line-up Can you put the following Mughal emperors in order, beginning with the earliest? Why is Akbar often called great? Changez Khan and Timur the Turk are believed to have been Akbar s ancestors. Both are very well-known. Why? 90

15 Checkmate A Must-do List The Constitution names ten fundamental duties for every Indian citizen. See if you can remember six of them at least. Of Poets, Philosophers and Iron Men Can you match up the names of these freedom fighters cor Aurobindo Cama Freedom s Voices Do you know who said these words? I felt half-blinded by the blows and sometimes a dull anger seized me and a desire to hit out. I thought how easy it would be to pull down the police officer in front of me from his horse and mount up myself, but long training and discipline held, and I did not raise my hand, except to protect my face from a blow. Bhikaiji Ghosh Sardar Gokhale Subramania Bharatiyar Gopalakrishna Patel If God were to tolerate untouchability, I would not recognise him as God at all. I dress for him, just as he dresses for me. Find out about some world leaders from other countries who adopted Gandhi s principle of non-violence when they fought for justice and freedom. Why do you think that a country that achieved freedom through a peaceful struggle was immediately afterwards torn apart by religious strife? What causes the violent clashes that take place in India today? How can you help to see that they are prevented? 91

16 End of trail The Hunt Ahead of time Nike shoes, spectacles, teapot Working our way up-right Ape/Australopithecus Hominid/Homo habilis Human/Homo sapien Footloose in the City Seal the differences (1) eye (2) ear (3) folds in the neck (4) cloth on the back (5) tail (6) shape of underbelly (7) vessel in front of the bull (8), (9), (10) first, second and third units of the script Names and numbers Saraswati Lothal More than a dozen times the area of Egypt and Mesapotamia taken together! More than 1000! Ziggurat Mesopotamia; Granary Indus Valley; Pyramids Egypt A Question of Belonging Who came first? Persian kings; Alexander s invasion; Chandragupta Maurya; Ashoka; Kushana kings Hun invasion Word play Hellenistic; Yavana; Macedonia; Latin One man, many names S Siddhartha; G Gautama; T Tathagata 92

17 To Follow a Dream Speaking hands mayura (peacock) pataka (flag) Kartari mukha (arrow-shaft) Music in the air Veena string instrument; venu flute; ghanta bell; jalaja conch; mridangam drum A Westward Journey Study abroad Takshashila medicine; Ujjain astronomy; Ajanta art and architecture; Sarnath religion. Footprints of the Buddha Sanchi has a famous Buddhist stupa. Sarnath is the site at which Buddha delivered his first sermon. Bodhgaya is believed to be the place where Buddha attained enlightenment while sitting beneath a Bodhi tree. The Storm Word Play Magus magic, magician, magi Pa, jama pajama Shah mat checkmate in chess Kaza ghand cassock Shamshir scimitar sarpasirsha (snake s hood) mushthi (fist) The Forbidden Temple Mind-boggling minds Shankaracharya; Vallabhacharya; Chaitanya; Haridas; Tulsidas; Namadeva; Jnanesvar; Eknath; Tukaram; Ramdas; Kabir; Allamaprabhu; Dadu Dayal; Purandara Dasa; Ramananda Singing saints Lalleshwari Kashmir; Akka Mahadevi Karnataka; Andal Tamil Nadu; Meerabai Rajasthan 93

18 Rich words Thiru Kural and Kamba Ramayanam Boat Song Where do I belong? Chalukya Pulakesin, Vikramaditya Chola Rajaraja, Rajendra Hoysala Vishnu Vardhana, Vira Bhallala Pallava Mahendravarman, Narasimhavarman Rashtrakuta Amogavarsha Yadava Simhana, Ramachandra Names and stones Shore temple Mamallapuram Pallavas Meenakshi temple Madurai Nayakas Kailasanatha temple Ellora Rashtrakutas Hoysalesvara temple Halebid Hoysalas Names and places Chera Kerala Malayalam Pandya Tamil Nadu Tamil Vijayanagara Andhra Pradesh Telugu For Love of a Game Past imperfect! (1) street lamp (2) skyscrapers (3) electric fan (4) refrigerator (5) bicycle (6) cassette player (7) computer (8) computer stool (9) STD booth (10) car Lay of the land 94

19 Family line-up Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, Aurangazeb, Bahadur Shah Zafar Checkmate A must-do list To abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem To uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India To promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women To value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture To protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures To develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform Of poets, philosophers and iron men Aurobindo Ghosh, Bhikaiji Cama, Sardar Patel, Subramania Bharatiyar, Gopalakrishna Gokhale Freedom s Voices I felt half-blinded... Jawaharlal Nehru s description of a police assault during a peaceful protest against the Simon Commission. If God... Bal Gangadhar Tilak I dress for him... Mahatma Gandhi s response when asked how he dared to dress so inadequately for the British king. 95