Discuss
1.What do you think is a forest?
Ans. Forest is a large area thickly covered with varieties of trees. It is home to different animals, insects and birds.

2.If someone grew lots of trees close to each other, would this become a forest?
Ans. No, this would not become a forest because a forest is more than thick green cover.

Find Out and Write
1.Other than trees what all is there in a forest?
Ans. Apart from trees; there are different types of animals, insects and birds in a forest.

2.Do all forests have similar types of trees? How many trees can you identify?
Ans. Different forests have different types of trees. I can identify some trees like peepal, banyan, neem, etc.

3.Suryamani says, “If the forests are not there, we too will not remain”. Why so?
Ans. Forests are essential for us. They help in maintain the balance in the environment. Green plants absorb harmful gases and release oxygen. Forests provide wood, herbs, many raw materials for us. Many tribal depend on forests for their livelihood. Hence, Suryamani is right in her statement.

Think and Write
1.Do you know anyone who loves the forest?
Ans. Yes, I and my friends love the forest.

2.The contractor did not allow Suryamani’s people to go into the forest. Why?
Ans. The contractor may have been in the forest for cutting the trees to sell somewhere. He may not want local people to use forest resources and hence did not allow Suryamani’s people to go into the forest.

3.Is there any place around your area which you feel should be open to everyone, but where people are not allowed to go?
Ans. Yes, there is a lake in my town. I have heard that for security reasons people are not allowed to go near that lake. I think it should be open to everyone.

Discuss
1.Who do you think the forest belongs to?
Ans. Forests belong to everyone.

2.Bhudhiyamai said—“Forest is our ‘collective bank’—not yours or mine alone”. Are there other things which are our collective wealth? So if someone uses more, everyone would suffer?
Ans. Yes, there are some other things which are our collective wealth. Some examples are as follows:
(a) Groundwater (b) Fish in the rivers and sea
(c) Minerals (d) Fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum.

3.Do you have a friend with whom you can share everything?
Ans. Yes, I have a friend with whom I share everything.

4.Some people have moved so far away from the forest that they cannot understand the lives of forest people. Some even call them ‘jungli’. Why is it not correct to say this?
Ans. The word ‘jungli’ is a derogatory remark and referred to someone who is seen as uncivilized. Forest dwellers have their own distinct culture which is altogether different than the mainstream culture. They are not uncivilized rather they are living in a way which is different than our way of living. Hence it is wrong to call them ‘jungli’.

5.What do you know about how adivasis live? Write and draw a picture.
Ans. Adivasis live a simple life. They wear simple clothes. During their traditional festivals, they wear costumes made of leaves and flower. They depend on forest produce for their livelihood. They collect firewood from forests and take their cattle into forest for grazing. They make useful articles from leaves, wood and bamboo. They have very good knowledge of medicinal herbs.

6.Do you have an adivasi friend? What have you learnt about the forest from her?
Ans. Yes, I have an adivasi friend. She reads in my class. I have learnt many things about forest from her. I can identify many trees which were unknown to me earlier. I have leant the method of preparing manure from fallen leaves. I also know about many useful items which can be made from bamboo and dry leaves.

Think
1.Do you know of any one who works to save forests?
Ans. Yes, there is a person in my neighbourhood who runs an NGO. His NGO works for protection of forests.

2.What is your dream? What will you do to make your dream come true?
Ans. I want to become an architect. I will work hard for making my dream come true.

3.Collect reports about forests from newspapers. Did you find any news about how cutting down of forests affects the weather? How?
Ans. Yes, I could find many news about how cutting down of forests affects the weather. I have read that cutting down of forests leads to less than normal rainfall in the area. This leads to a prolonged summer.

4.In ‘Torang’ Suryamani does a lot to keep the Kuduk music, dance and traditions alive. Would you like to do something like this for your community? What would you like to keep alive?
Ans. Yes, I also want to do some useful thing for my community. I want to keep the traditional painting style of my community alive.

Read and Tell
1.Is there any factory or some construction work going on in and around your area? What type of work?
Ans. Yes, lot of construction activity is going around near my area. A new flyover is under construction.

2.Due to the factory is there any effect on the trees and the land? Have the people in that area raised this issue?
Ans. Yes, there is a power plant in a particular area in my town. Lot of smoke and dust keep on coming from the factory. Most of the trees have become lifeless because of this. Now, people from that area have started raising their voices against the factory.

Look at the Map and Write
1.What all is shown in the map?
Ans. This is a map of India. The map shows areas with very thick forests and those with less thick forests.

2.You have read Sikhya’s letter. Look for Orissa in the map.
Ans. Orissa is in the eastern coastal part of India. It is towards the east of Chhattisgarh, south West Bengal, and north east of Andhra Pradesh.

3.Is there a sea close to Orissa? How did you find out?
Ans. Yes, the Bay of Bengal is close to Orissa. I could find it in the map.

4.Which are the states which have sea on one side?
Ans. Following states have sea on one side:
West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

5.Where is Suryamani’s state Jharkhand on the map?
Ans. Jharkhand is situated towards south of Bihar, north of Orissa and east of Madhya Pradesh.

6.Where are forests on the map? How will you find these?
Ans. Forests are in almost all states of India. Some states have more area of forest than some other states. Forest can be seen in the map by green colour.

7.How can you find out which states have very thick forests and which have less thick forests?
Ans. This can be done by looking for states with dark green colour and those with parrot green colour.

8.For someone in Madhya Pradesh, in which direction would the country’s thickest forests be? Name those states.
Ans. For someone in Madhya Pradesh, the country’s thickest forest would be in north and in east. The states with thickest forests are; Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

Find Out
1.Which are the states around Mizoram?
Ans. The states around Mizoram are; Tripura, Assam and Manipur.

2.Chamui said they measure land using tin. Which are the other ways of measuring land?
Ans. Some of the other ways of measuring land Eire; in yards, in square metres,dn katha and bigha.

3.Returning from school, children drank water in a bamboo cup. Who do you think would have made this cup and kept it in the forest? Why?
Ans. The adivasis would have made the bamboo cup. They made those cups to help travellers passing through the forest.

4.Have you ever seen anything which people are free to use, with no one there looking after it?
Ans. Yes, I have seen some piau, baolis, etc. which people are free to use, with no one there looking after it. ”

5.Find out more about ‘cheraw’ dance. Do it in your class. But be careful and don’t hurt yourself.
Ans. Cheraw dance is a combination of rhythm and skill. Four people hold two pairs of long bamboos across one another on the ground. As the bamboo sticks are clapped together, the main dancers in traditional attires weave patterns through them in time to the rhythm. Cheraw is a major attraction during all festive occasions in Mizoram. Cheraw is believed to have a foreign origin. Similar dances are popular in the Far East and the Philippines. The Mizos may have brought the dance with them when they migrated to their land in India.

What We Have Learnt
1.What is similar and what is different between Jhoom farming and Bhaskarbhai’s way of farming?
Ans. Similarities:
In both the methods, organic manures are used.
Differences:
Bhaskarbhai uses plant waste to prepare manure. He makes manure by the process of composting. He also adds earthworms to hasten the process of composting. On the other hand, in case of Jhoom farming, weeds are burnt in the field and ashes are mixed with soil. The ash acts like manure.
Bhaskarbhai ploughs the land before sowing the seeds. In Jhoom farming, furrows are made with sickles before sowing the seeds.

2.Explain in your own words why forests are important for the people living in forests.
Ans. For people living in forests, forests are very important. Forest is an important resource. Forest provides firewood to be used as kitchen fuel. Forest provides different fruits and edible roots. Forest provides medicinal plants. Many forest produce are used to make useful articles which Eire sold in the market. The life of adivasis entirely depend on forests.

3.Did you find something interesting in Jhoom fanning? What is it?
Ans. Some of the interesting things in Jhoom farming are as follows:
(а) A new patch of land is cleared by slashing and burning the plants.
(b) Weeds are burnt and ashes are mixed with soil.
(c) Mixed cropping is practiced in Jhoom cultivation.