Different Lands, Different Lives – Class 4 The World Around Us Chapter 9 Notes & NCERT PDF

Chapter 9: Different Lands, Different Lives

Introduction

Chapter 9 opens Unit 5, Our Environment. After the holidays, four children share their trips. Gurpreet visited his grandparents in the plains of Amritsar, Punjab; Ritika saw the desert of Rajasthan; Chandni went to a beach in Odisha; and Nayan visited the mountains of Sikkim. Their stories show how the land shapes people's food, clothes, houses, festivals, plants and animals.

What's in this Chapter

The plains, with Gurpreet – His grandmother welcomed him with "Jee aayan nu puttar!" (Welcome, my dear child!). Amritsar has large fields with rich, fertile soil, and many people are farmers. A favourite meal is makki di roti (corn-flour roti) and sarson da saag (mustard leaves) with lassi. The Golden Temple (Sri Harmandir Sahib) is gold-plated and surrounded by a sarovar. Its langar serves free meals to all and is one of the world's largest community service operations, run by volunteers.

The desert, with Ritika – A desert is a dry place with very little rainfall. Cactus, khejri and babool can live on little water; the cactus stores water in its stem. Camels, lizards, wild cats, pythons and eagles live there; the camel is called the ship of the desert. Women wear bangles and bandhini dupattas with ghaghras; men wear colourful turbans and play the khartal and sarangi. Houses are made of mud with thatched roofs, and many have tankas to store water. Popular food: dal-bati-churma and ker sangri. The Jaisalmer Fort is built of golden sandstone; people still live in it, and Satyajit Ray filmed it in "Sonar Kella".

The seashore, with Chandni – Puri in Odisha has sand beaches with sand art and sea shells, including the shankh (conch). Many coastal people earn their living by fishing. Chandni saw turtles on a boat ride and her mother bought a Sambalpuri saree. Odisha foods include dalma, pakhala, chhena poda and rasagola. The Shree Jagannath Temple is famous for Rath Yatra, when people pull the chariots of Jagannath, Subhadra and Balabhadra. Coastal areas face strong winds and cyclones; the Government of Odisha has won awards for saving lives through early warnings, preparation and good management.

The mountains, with Nayan – Mountains are rocky, high and usually cold; many Himalayan peaks are snow-covered, with steep slopes and valleys. In Gangtok, Nayan saw Mount Kangchenjunga turn golden in sunlight, ate thukpa and sel roti, and rode a yak, used for mountain travel. People wear the bakhu, dumdyam and Gunyo cholo. Oak, pine, walnut and chestnut trees grow there. Loosong and Namsoong marks the Sikkimese New Year and celebrates farmers' hard work, with the chaam mask dance. Children also think about wooden houses with slanting roofs and landslides in the rainy season.

Key Ideas

Activities from the Book

Words to Learn

Tips for Parents & Teachers

Common Mistakes