Ila Sachani: NCERT Class 6 Story (Poorvi)

etmantra3 Nov 20266 min read

Ila Sachani could not use her hands, so she learnt to embroider with her feet, and her work won the President's Medal. This chapter shows children how family support, hard work and a positive mind can turn a challenge into a victory. It also brings them close to a beautiful craft from Gujarat.

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

What your child learns

Reading a true story about courage and hard work
New words: challenge, determination, awestruck, exhibition, independence
Synonyms and antonyms: tiny and small, tiny and huge
Words of quantity: many, much, a few, a little, some

What the story is about

Ila Sachani was born into a farmer's family in Amreli, Gujarat, with hands that she could not use in the usual way. As a little girl she watched other children draw and pick flowers and wished she could join them. Her mother and grandmother, who knew Kathiawar embroidery, decided to teach her this art using her feet. Her parents also helped her learn to eat and comb her hair with her legs. Threading a needle was hard, but she kept trying, became an expert while still young, and even learnt styles from other states, such as Kachhi, Kashmiri and Lucknawi.

At first Ila made designs only for family and friends, but word of her talent spread through the village and reached a government office in Surat. Her work was shown at a state exhibition, people bought it happily, and she went on to national exhibitions, many awards and the President's Medal. Today she works in Moti Vavdi village, Bhavnagar, earns her own income and enjoys her work. Her story tells us that art can rise above the limits of the body.

New words, with Hindi meanings

embroidery: pictures and patterns sewn on cloth with a needle and coloured thread (हिंदी: कढ़ाई)
challenge: something difficult that tests what you can do (हिंदी: चुनौती)
single-minded: thinking about only one goal and working hard for it (हिंदी: दृढ़ निश्चयी)
determination: a strong will to do something even when it is hard (हिंदी: दृढ़ संकल्प)
expert: a person who is very good at something (हिंदी: माहिर)
awestruck: so amazed that you cannot stop looking or praising (हिंदी: चकित)
admiration: a feeling of great respect and liking for someone (हिंदी: प्रशंसा)
exhibition: a show where art or things are put out for people to see (हिंदी: प्रदर्शनी)
popularity: being liked and known by many people (हिंदी: लोकप्रियता)
independence: being able to look after yourself without help (हिंदी: आत्मनिर्भरता)

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 was Ila's challenge when she was a small girl?
Who taught Ila embroidery, and how did she learn it?
Why was the state exhibition an important event in Ila's life?
What did 'new independence' give Ila?
Have you ever kept trying at something that was hard for you? What happened?

Answers for parents

She could not use her hands in the usual way, so she could not draw or play like other children.
Her mother and grandmother taught her Kathiawar embroidery, and she learnt to do it with her feet.
People saw her work there and bought it, so she became famous and went on to bigger exhibitions.
She earned a regular income and found joy in doing the work she loved.
For example: Riding a bicycle was hard for me. I fell many times, but I kept practising, and now I ride to school.

Grammar corner: Words of quantity: many, much, a few, a little, some

Words of quantity tell us how much or how many. Use 'many' and 'a few' with things we can count (flowers, needles), and 'much' and 'a little' with things we cannot count (thread, milk, energy). 'Some' and 'a lot of' work with both.

Ila made many cushions for the exhibition.
How much thread do you need for this design?
Grandmother added a few small mirrors and a little red thread.

Practice at home

Fill in the blank with 'many' or 'much': How ___ pillows did Ila embroider?
Write the opposite of each word: tiny, quiet, tough.
Make a sentence with 'determination' about something you want to learn.

Answers: 1. many · 2. huge, noisy, easy · 3. Sample: I am learning to swim with determination.

Try this

Make a small artwork from four or five things at home, such as leaves, straws, old cards or bottle caps. Then tell the family about it: what you used, how you made it and what it shows. Ask each person one question about it, and let them ask you one back. Notice who uses words like 'many', 'a few' and 'a little'.

Tip for parents

Ask your child in Hindi first: 'Ila ne haath ke bina kaam kaise seekha?' and let them answer in Hindi or a mix of Hindi and English. Then say the English words together: challenge (चुनौती), determination (दृढ़ संकल्प), embroidery (कढ़ाई). If anyone in the family does kadhai or sewing, let your child watch and describe it in English, and praise every try.

Questions parents ask

What is the chapter Ila Sachani about?

It is the true story of Ila Sachani from Gujarat, who could not use her hands and learnt Kathiawar embroidery with her feet. Her work became famous, and she received many awards, including the President's Medal.

What is the moral of Ila Sachani: Embroidering Dreams with her Feet?

Challenges can be turned into victories with focus, hard work, a positive mind and never giving up. Support from family also matters a lot.

Is Ila Sachani in the new NCERT book?

Yes. It is chapter 15 of 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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