Hamara Bharat: Incredible India!: NCERT Class 6 Lesson (Poorvi)

etmantra3 Nov 20266 min read

How do you make a toy from soft wood, or a brass figure from wax and clay? In this lesson, children from four states of Bharat explain the art forms of their homes, step by step. Your child learns about our unity in diversity and how to describe a process in clear English.

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From NCERT’s new English book Poorvi for Class 6, unit “Culture and Tradition”. Unit 5.

What your child learns

Folk arts and crafts of Uttarakhand, Odisha, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh
Order words for steps: first, then, next, after that, finally, at last
The present tense, with -s or -es after he, she and it
Speaking about a local art form or dish, step by step

What the lesson is about

The lesson opens with a short passage about Bharat: a land of wise and brave people, rich culture, rivers, mountains and forests, where people of many kinds live together as one. Then a teacher and her students gather in a big hall for the Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat programme. Renu explains that it helps us see that we all belong to one nation, and that our unity in diversity makes the country wonderful.

On a big screen, four children greet the class in their own way and each describes an art form from their state. Aakansha from Uttarakhand tells about Aipan, designs drawn by the women of the family with white rice flour paste on walls coloured with red geru. Priyaranjan from Odisha explains Dhokra, a very old metal craft made with clay, wax and melted brass. Chitra from Kerala shows how coconut shells are cleaned, shaped and polished into bowls and jewellery. Balamurali from Andhra Pradesh describes the wooden toys of his village, Kondapalli.

New words, with Hindi meanings

heroic: very brave (हिंदी: वीर)
unison: together, as one (हिंदी: एकजुटता)
diversity: many different kinds of people and things (हिंदी: विविधता)
inhabitants: people who live in a place (हिंदी: निवासी)
folk art: art made by ordinary people of a region, passed down in families (हिंदी: लोक कला)
carve: to make a design with a sharp tool (हिंदी: नक्काशी करना)
scrap: small unwanted pieces (हिंदी: कबाड़)
stable: steady, not able to move (हिंदी: स्थिर)
biodegradable: something that breaks down naturally and does not harm the environment (हिंदी: प्राकृतिक रूप से नष्ट होने वाला)
tamarind: a sour fruit we can eat (हिंदी: इमली)

Talk about it

Ask these aloud after reading or watching. Let your child answer in English if they can, or mix in their home language. Both help.

What is the Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat programme about, according to Renu?
What is Aipan, and who makes it?
Why does the wax come out of the small openings in Dhokra?
What is common between the Kondapalli toys and the coconut shell craft?
Which art form or special dish comes from your own town or state?

Answers for parents

It helps us know that we all belong to one nation. Our unity in diversity makes our country wonderful.
Aipan is the folk art of Uttarakhand. The women of the family draw it with white rice flour paste on walls coloured with geru, for family functions and festivals.
The figure is put in the fire, so the wax melts and flows out. This leaves an empty space for the melted brass.
Both are made by hand from natural things (soft wood and coconut shell), and both are carefully shaped and finished, step by step.
For example: In my town, people make rangoli on Diwali. They use coloured powder. First, they draw dots, then they join them and fill in the colours.

Grammar corner: The present tense with -s/-es

We use the present tense for things that happen regularly. With I, you, we and they, the verb stays the same. With he, she and it, we add -s or -es to the verb (make → makes, polish → polishes).

My grandmother draws rangoli every morning.
The artist polishes the coconut bowl until it shines.
We celebrate our festivals with our neighbours.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank: Chitra ___ (wash) the coconut shell first.
Choose the right word: They (make / makes) toys from soft wood.
Put the steps in order, using first, then and finally: put on your shoes, brush your teeth, eat breakfast.

Answers: 1. washes · 2. make · 3. First, I brush my teeth. Then, I eat breakfast. Finally, I put on my shoes.

Try this

Play 'Guess my craft'. One person describes how something at home is made, using first, then, next and finally, without saying its name (a chapati, a paper boat, a rangoli). The others guess what it is. Then swap. For a harder round, describe one of the four crafts from the lesson and see who guesses it first.

Tip for parents

Ask your child to explain a family dish or craft in Hindi first, step by step: pehle, phir, uske baad, aakhir mein. Then help them say each step in English with first, then, after that and finally. If they mix Hindi and English words, that is fine; praise every try and ask them to say it once more.

Questions parents ask

What is Hamara Bharat: Incredible India! about?

It is about Bharat's unity in diversity. During the Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat programme, four children describe art forms from their states: Aipan, Dhokra, coconut shell craft and Kondapalli toys.

Which art forms are in Hamara Bharat: Incredible India!?

Aipan folk art from Uttarakhand, Dhokra metal craft from Odisha, coconut shell craft from Kerala, and Kondapalli wooden toys from Andhra Pradesh.

Is Hamara Bharat: Incredible India! in the new NCERT book?

Yes. It is in NCERT's new Poorvi book for Class 6, in Unit 5 (Culture and Tradition).

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Every chapter of Poorvi, NCERT’s new Class 6 book, with notes in English and Hindi, say-it-aloud practice with a score, listening, grammar, speaking and writing with feedback. ₹1,599 for the whole year.

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