NCERT Book Class 5 EVS Chapter 20 Whose Forests?

20. Whose Forests?

Daughter of the jungle
Look at the picture. Where do you think these children are off
to, with little bundles on their sticks? When you find out you
too would want to go with them!
The children are going to the forest. There they jump, run,
climb trees and sing songs in their language called Kuduk.
They pick the fallen flowers and leaves, to weave them into
necklaces. They enjoy the wild
fruits. They look for birds,
whose calls they imitate.
Joining them in all this fun is
their favourite didi – Suryamani.
Every Sunday Suryamani
takes the children to the forest.
Nitin Upadhaye

As they move around, she
shows them how to recognise
the trees, the plants, and animals. Children enjoy this special
class in a forest! Suryamani always says, “To learn to read the
forest is as important as reading books.” She says,”We are forest
people (adivasis). Our lives are linked to the forests. If the forests
are not there, we too will not remain.”

Suryamani’s story is a true story. Suryamani is a ‘Girl Star’. ‘Girl Stars’ is a
project which tells extraordinary tales of ordinary girls, who have changed their
lives by going to school.
Teacher’s Note : Encourage children to share their experiences and imagination
about forests. Planting thousands of trees does not make a forest. It is important
to discuss the web of relationships between plants, trees and animals in a forest,
to see how they depend on each other for food, security and habitat.

182 Looking Around