DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL, NOIDA

ENGLISH INTEGRATED GROUP PROJECT

DATE: 22.08.2022 TO 26. 01. 2022
CLASS IV (SESSION 2022-23)

TOPIC: “KASHMIR-The Poetry by Nature”

Picturesque and enchanting, Kashmir is cradled high in the lofty green Himalayas and hailed
all over the world for its incredible natural beauty. Surrounded by mountain peaks, lush green
valleys, glistening lakes, temples and spectacular Mughal-era gardens, it has inspired poets
through centuries. Kashmir is crisscrossed by chinar tree-lined roads and is home to bustling
bazaars and forts. Add to this, the charms of flavourful Kashmiri cuisine and apples and walnuts
from the lush orchards surrounding it. In winter, Kashmir takes on a white glow, covered in
soft snow. And in summer, as the snow melts, and the flowers in the meadows bloom, it
resembles an artist's canvas.

The folk tales of this region give us a glimpse of its cultural heritage. Some of the popular
folktales of Kashmir have been listed below. Each group is required to work on the folktale
assigned to them.

a) A Real Feast (Group 1 ,4 and 7)

b) The Devil Outwitted (Group 2 and 5)
c) The Precious Present (Group 3 and 6)
I. Each group needs to include the following points in the project.

1) On the cover page make a collage with pictures showcasing the beauty of
Kashmir on an A4 sheet. Also write a quotation on the beauty of Kashmir.
2) Write a short paragraph about Kashmir. Write briefly about any three attractions
in the state and why are they famous?
3) The festivals of Kashmir showcase the vibrant culture of the state and are a
reflection of the traditions followed there. Write about any one of them.
4) Spices add flavour and give a distinctive taste to the Kashmiri cuisines. Write a
brief note on the cuisine of Kashmir, what makes it special and write the recipe of
any one dish.
5) Write the summary of the story in your own words. Also write the value you
have learnt from the story.
6) Pick your favourite part of the story and illustrate with the help of drawings or
cutouts from clipart. Write a few lines about why you found that part interesting.

Note: Draw or paste relevant pictures to illustrate wherever needed in order to

make your project interesting and colourful.

Guidelines for the Project

The following guidelines are to be kept in mind while doing the project:

1.Integrated project is to be done by a group of six students in each group. Each child
will do the point allotted to him/her. The art and craft activity is compulsory for
each student in the group.
2.The project is to be done on A4 sheets by each student in the group.
3. Children will do the project in the English period during the project week.
4. The project needs to be compiled and submitted by the group leader.
5.Children are required to give a group presentation of the project after the completion
of the same. Presentation should be related to the respective point done by each
child.
6.Children can also enact or narrate the story in a group using props, costumes, masks,
or puppets. (optional)
 ART AND CRAFT

Kashmir is known for its handicraft items such as carpets, shawls, silk, crewel
stitched and embroidered fabrics, wood carvings in walnut wood, papier-mache
products basketry etc.

Crewelwork is a distinctive form of embroidery done using chain stitches with

wool threads to form a solid, thick pattern that gives a raised effect. Kashmiri
designs are typically floral with bright colours.

On an A4 sheet print a black and white image of crewel embroidery. Colour or paint
the image and display it during your presentation. This is compulsory for each
student in the group.
*You can wear either the costume, an accessory or a piece of jewellery from that region
while giving your presentation.
(optional)
 A Real Feast
Moti Lal lived in a valley which was abundant in fruits and flowers. One day, his
friend, Kisan Lal had come to meet him. He was delighted to see the beauty of
the place. Moti Lal arranged a grand feast for his friend. There was a variety of
dishes, fruits, and sweets.

As Kisan Lal started having his lunch, Moti Lal

was expecting words of praise from his friend.
Kisan Lal appreciated the meal but said that the
feast served in his village was better. Moti Lal
called his cooks and ordered them to cook a lavish
dinner. Again, the table was laid with delicious
dishes, fruits, and mouth-watering sweets. Moti Lal
thought that now his friend would not compare the
feast to the food served in his village.
Unfortunately, the guest was not impressed this time
too. Moti Lal was disappointed again.

Next day, again a sumptuous meal was prepared but that too was not able to
impress the guest. Eventually, Kisan Lal went back to his village.

After many years, Moti Lal decided to visit his friend and taste the famous feast
of Kisan’s village. Kisan Lal was happy to see his friend and warmly welcomed
him. Moti Lal was expecting a lavish dinner to be served. However, a simple
dinner was served which included rotis, a bowl of curd, salad, dal, and vegetable.
Moti Lal ate the food and thought that the delicacies of the village would be
served to him the next day. But the entire week same food was served to Moti
Lal.

On the day of his departure, Moti Lal asked his friend that the food served to him
in is village was very simple and could not match the superiority of the food
served at his house. Kisan Lal was surprised to hear this. He said, “We are simple
people. Our food as well as our habits are simple.” He said that the people in the
village work hard in fields and eat simple but nourishing food which is a secret
to their health and prosperity. Moti Lal agreed to what his friend said and returned
home a changed man.
 The Devil Outwitted

Once there lived a young man in a village. He had no land of his own but worked on the farms of
several landlords one after another and thus earned his living. Soon, he got married and lived
with his wife. They felt that they did not get enough respect in the village as they did not have
enough wealth.

The farmer consoled his wife by saying that she need not worry
because by the end of the year they will have a farm of their own.
The peasant approached the local patwari with a present and told
him everything.

The patwari was eager to help him. "I shall make you a land-owner” he
assured him.
"But I have nothing to purchase it with" re-joined the peasant. "Don't worry", said the patwari.
"When I have given you my word, I shall prove true to it."

He explained to him how he could become a landholder without having to pay the price for it.
There was a piece of land on the outskirts of the village. The patwari advised the young man
to start his work there.

The young peasant set about his task with all his might. He was helped by his wife and in a few
weeks the land was practically fit for cultivation. The peasant was making preparations for
sowing seeds. Late one night, he was about to return home from this newly-acquired farm when
a devil appeared before him in disguise.
"What can I do for you, my dear Sir ?" he asked the devil without losing his presence of mind.
''You have been tilling my farm," replied the other.

"Never mind, my dear Sir, I have all my life been cultivating land for people. You won’t get a
better peasant than me" The devil obviously felt flattered with the respectful attitude of the
peasant. "You could work on my land, but you never took my permission for doing so," said
he. "I apologize wholeheartedly for entering your farm without your permission," submitted the
peasant. "And what rent may I pay?" he asked.

The devil demanded half of the yield from his land as rent from the peasant. "Indeed, Sir, I
shall feel it a great honour to give one half of the crop to you, but which half would please you
like, the upper half or the lower half?" "Of course, the upper half," said the devil. "By all means,
your highness. When the crop is about to be harvested, will it please you to come and have your
share?" said the peasant. The devil was mighty pleased and disappeared. The peasant left for
home with a light heart.

He did not tell anything about this to his wife but decided to raise turnips on his land. The seed
was sown and in good time the leaves raised their head from the earth. The devil saw and felt
pleased that at last through his wisdom he was making a fortune without working for it. Then
came the harvest time. The peasant cut with his sickle ,the leaves from turnips. He piled a big
heap of leaves for the devil and his wife carriedthe turnips home. While the devil was thinking
about what to do with the leaves, they started turning yellow and brown. He carried them to the
market but the customers did not even look at them. The devil became angry about his failure.
 "For once this young peasant has fooled me. But none of this any more. I shall teach him a
lesson now," he thought. The next sowing season came and the peasant once again asked the
devil "Which part of the crop do you wish for?" The devil did not want the peasant to know
that he had been outsmarted. He simply told him that he would take the lower portion. "By all
means" said the peasant. The devil was highly pleased with this.

This time the peasant sowed barley and in due course the entire farm was full of the crop.
Gradually the stalks were heavy, and the crop turned yellowish and golden. It was a bumper
crop that the peasant raised, this time too.

Once again he and his wife got busy with harvesting. The peasant took all the ears and the grain
leaving the stubble and the roots for the devil. When the devil came to collect it, the peasant
respectfully submitted the entire share. And the devil was so glad! But in the market the
customers laughed at his stupidity and he understood that he had been fooled once more.

"I must teach this fellow a lesson" said he to himself. By experience he had found that it was
either the root or the top that mattered. To eliminate all risks he asked for both.

The peasant agreed again. This time he sowed maize. The stalks grew tall and full of white milky
cobs. In time the grains of maize became brown and strong. The devil came and took the roots
and the top of the crop; and the peasant bundled together all the stalks in between with the rich
cobs growing on them.

The devil soon realized that even the third time he had been defeated. "He is more than a match
for me," he came to the conclusion. He called the peasant. The devil said. "It is too much for
me," he added, "the land and its problems. From this time I have absolutely no claim upon your
farm and you can do what you like with it."

The peasant replied, “I am much grateful to you!" The peasant and his wife lived happily thereafter
 The Precious Present
This story takes the reader to a village on the bank of the Wular,
one of the largest fresh water lakes in India. Many years ago the
only way to the reach village was over mountain tracks or across
the lake which next to impossible to cross. Consequently the
village was practically cut off and no outsider visited it unless it
was absolutely important for someone to do so.
Coins were not in circulation in this remote corner, and if ever they were, they were
mostly of copper, or other lower denominations. Nobody in the village had ever seen the
silver rupee.
It so happened that by some mysterious process a silver rupee found its way into the
village. It caused a great sensation there and everybody was eager to have a sight of it.
Before long the matter came to the notice of the Nambardar, the headman, and the coin
was handed over to him for till he decided how to deal with it. He thought over it for a
day and a night, a pretty long day and a dark sleepless night, and announced his decision
the next morning.
"Brethren," he said, "this is the first coin of the kind that has ever been seen by any one of
us. It is stamped with the figure of our most respected ruler. It is most befitting that we
make a present of this respected and honoured token to His Highness in person.... "
The proposal was soon accepted. The headman of the village was regarded as the wisest
man. He gave them full details as to how such a present should be placed. The gift was to
be placed in a palanquin carried by six elders of the village whom he selected. They got a
really pretty palanquin and decorated it with whatever choice cloth they could get.
Spreading a finely woven blanket inside they covered it with a piece of silk that
somebody possessed. The headman then called all the village elders to the palanquin. In
the presence of the gathering they placed the rupee inside the palanquin and drew the
curtains as if it carried a delicate bride on her way to her husband's home. The capital was
to be reached by boat. The palanquin was accompanied with delightful songs, sung by
village women.
It is a tiresome journey going upstream. The palanquin was given a seat of honour and
nobody could sit or stand with his back to it. At night they lit a lamp and kept it lit till the
dawn, and took their turns at the watch. Whoever asked them the purpose of their journey
south was told that they were carrying a precious present for His Highness. They did not
reveal the nature of it at all.
On the morning of the third day when they came to the outskirts of the capital they
decided to leave with the boat and carry the palanquin on their shoulders. Four men lifted
the palanquin on their shoulders while one walked ahead it with a flag. The headman
walked humbly behind.
The small procession had to pass through the main streets of the capital before they could
reach Shergarhi, the palatial residence of the ruler. The news had spread quickly
throughout the city and many people were curious to know what precious gift it was that
had brought these folks over such a long distance. The village folk reached the palace
gate and made their purpose known to the guards. The captain of the guards got orders
from His Highness to admit them. With loud shouts wishing victory and prosperity to His
Highness the little procession entered the gate of the palace.
In the afternoon His Highness got up from his sleep and: desired the elders to be admitted
to his presence. The -minister-in-waiting, the prime minister and other dignitaries of the
State were in attendance. The headman entered barefoot. He was followed-': by the elders
bearing the palanquin. "Sir!" began the headman "this humble servant who has the
honour of standing before his ruler and father is the Nambardark of the village, famous
for its fish, caltrops and deadly waves. Along with these men -who are worthy elders of
the said village this loyal servant has covered the distance with a happy heart on account
of the pleasant. We crave your permission, to place this present at your Highness' blessed
feet."
The headman drew the curtain and thrust his hand into the palanquin. He appeared to be
somewhat confused and raised all the four curtains. Whispers were exchanged by all the
elders who began to fumble in the folds of blanket and into the corners of the palanquin.
Quite a few minutes passed thus while the villagers completed a thorough search for the
coin inside the palanquin.
The prime minister said, "Be quick rustics, His Highness has urgent matters of State to
attend to." But the rustics could not help the matter. They had so carried the palanquin as
to suffer the precious gift to slip somewhere. It was too late now to mend their folly and
the headman spoke: "we have unfortunately dropped the gift somewhere unwittingly."
The ministers found the incident as an insult to the person and throne of the ruler.
Punishment could easily be awarded for such an act. The prime minister declared, "To
come right to the presence of His Highness and try to cover their crime under the excuse
that they had dropped the gift somewhere! Your Highness, let them be taken to the prison
and dealt with according to law".
The ruler was gifted with a good deal of common sense. He saw at once that they were
simple but good- natured folk who had come from a remote village and meant nothing
but loyalty and affection. The villagers were placed in a cell and were supplied with all
requirements to enable them to cook their food. Instead of being given a burning wood or
live coal they were given a box of safety matches. They did not know what a match stick
was and could not cook their meal. They ate part of the rations raw and the rest was kept
intact.
When the ruler heard this news through the captain of the guards he was convinced of
their innocence. He called the villagers, heard the whole story and had a hearty laugh at
their simple faith. He assured the headman that the gift was as good as accepted. In fact
he gave them a rupee and received it back as a gift. The villagers felt highly thankful.
Further, they were treated as guests once again and dismissed the next morning with
suitable gifts. The villagers departed merrily shouting slogans.