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CHAPTER -19, A SEED TELLS A FARMER’S STORY, 1. Are rotis made in your home? From which grains are, they made?, Ans. Yes, rotis are made in my home. These are made, of wheat or bajra grains., , 2. Have you eaten roti made from bajra or jowar? How, did you like these?, Ans. Yes, I have eaten roti made from bajra or jowar., They are tasty to eat., , 3. In your house what is done to protect grains and, pulses form insects?, Ans. In my house the grains and pulses are kept in air, tight containers to protect them against insects.

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4. Which are different festivals related to farming, celebrated in different seasons? Find out more about, anyone of such festivals and write in your notebook., The name of the festival, in which season it is, celebrated, in which states of India, what special food, are made, is it celebrated only at home with the family,, or together with many people., Ans. The different festivals related to farming that are, celebrated in the different season are Basant, Panchami, Holi, Lohri, Baisakhi etc., Basant Panchami: It is celebrated in the spring season., It is celebrated mainly in Punjab, Haryana, West, Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh. In this festival the special, food that is prepared is yellow rice, kheer, sweet rotis, etc. It is celebrated by the people of different families, together., , 5. Talk to the elders in your family and find out if there, were some special foods cooked earlier, that are not, cooked anymore?, Ans. After talking to the elders of my family I found, that there were no special food items which were, made earlier and are not made any more.

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6. Find out about the crops – cereals, vegetables,, pulses that are grown in your area. Of these, is there, anything that is famous across the country., Ans. The crops grown commonly in our area are Wheat, bajra, mushrooms, jowar etc. Out of these, mushrooms is well known everywhere., , 7. Can you identify these grains, , Ans. Yes, I can identify these grains. These are, (1) Corn seeds, (2) Mustard Seeds, (3) Wheat grains, (4) Bajra grains

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8. The bajra seed saw differences in the way Damjibhai, and Hasmukh did farming (for example in irrigation,, ploughing etc.) What were these differences., Ans. The differences in the way Damjibhai and, Hasmukh did farming as noticed by the bajra seed are, as follows:, Dhamjibhai used to grow different kinds of crops –, grains and vegetables according to the season. He used, to keep enough for his family and sold the rest to the, shopkeepers from the city. Sometimes he also grew, some cotton. Also each year, he used to keep aside, some seeds. But his son Hasmukh did farming with a, lot of differences. He bought new and modern, equipment for farming. He put an electric motor to, pump water, a tractor to plough the field. He bought, new varieties of seeds from the market, these were, easily affected by harmful insects. He used expensive, fertilizers., He used to grow mainly those crops which could be, sold in the city to get a lot of profit. All these materials, and equipment were very expensive and whatever, profit he earned from the city was used up to reply the, loans taken by him for the expensive machines and, equipments.

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9. Hasmukh said, “With profits from our fields, we can, progress”. What is your understanding of ‘progress’?, Ans. By progress, we understand, a better and, improved standard of living, a good place and house to, live, better and good standard of food, better also, those for entertainment like TV, radio etc. But besides, all these earning a high respect is a progress in real, sense., , 10. What kind of progress would you like to see in your, area?, Ans. I would like to see the following type of progress, in my town or area:, (i) Good Schools, (ii) Big and well equipped hospitals, (iii) Better transportation and communication facilities, (iv) Good places for recreation and entertainment.

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11. What can happen to Hasmukh’s farm after some, years?, Ans. As there was a lot of loss to Hasmukh’s due to, farming and it had become difficult for him to repay, the bank loans. Thus, it seems after some years there, would not be any agricultural activity on his farms., , 12. Damhibhai’s son Hasmukh chose to become a, farmer like his father, Hasmukh’s son Paresh is not a, farmer, but a truck driver. Why would he have done, so?, Ans. Paresh observed that his father was in great loss., Even the bank loans were yet to be repayed. Also,, farming had become very expensive. Therefore, in, order to repay the bank loans and earn better he, started working as a truck driver., , 13. The seeds were not sure that what Hasmukh was, talking about was really progress? What do you feel?, Ans. All new methods that were adopted by Hasmukh,, actually resulted in his downfall. He bought new, varieties of seeds which were easily affected by

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harmful insects. He bought expensive fertilizers and, medicines for the crops which were giving off a bad, smell and also affecting the soil texture. He grew only, those crops which could be sold in the market to gain, more money. But since, all the farmers started this, the, price for these crops went down under the earth. Since, all the farmers did the same, the water level was going, down under the earth., Since all the farmers did the same, the water level was, going down under the earth. Generally, there was so, much loan to be repayed by him to the banks that even, his son to quit farming and work as a truck driver only, to repay the loans. Therefore, his farming work was, not flourishing, rather it was coming to an end, and this, is not progress., , 14. What can you see in each picture on the next page?, , Ans. In this picture 1 – bajra crops can be seen. A lady, is separating and taking out the cobs from the bajra, crops., In this picture 2 – The bajra cobs are put in a mustard, (okhli, used for crushing). The cobs are crushed with a

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pestle (moosli) and the seeds are separated from the, cob, In this picture 3 – The separated seeds are seen. Today, this work is also done by big machines like threshers., , 15. What technology could have been used to cut the, stem?, Ans. The stem is cut in picture 1 by the help of big knife, or cutter., 16. What do you think is being done in the grinder, (chakki) in picture 4?, , Ans. Here the grinder is being used to grind the bajra, seeds and obtain the bajra powder.

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17. What ways technologies would have been used to, do the work shown in picture 5 and 6? You can see that, the dough is ready in picture 6. When do you think a, sieve would have been used? Discuss each step in, detail, in any language you wish to use., , Ans. In picture 5 – The ready bajra flour is seen., In picture 6 – The bajra flour is converted into a dough, by using water., In picture 7 – The bajra chapatis are been prepared., In picture 8 – In this picture the bajra chapati I being, prepared on the tawa., In picture 9 – The ready bajra chapatis are being shown, in a plate. Sieve would have been used in picture 5 to, separate the flour and the seek husk.

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18. There have been many changes in our food. What, can this mean? Use the seed story and what you know, from elders to explain., Ans. There have been many changes in our food such, as:, (i) Earlier people used to eat a variety of foods like, bajra, jowar, wheat etc. but now we are eating mainly, wheat., (ii) Earlier the old seeds were stored and grown in the, next year. Now a days new varients of seeds are grown, and their products are quite different in taste., (iii) Earlier the foods were eaten in very simple forms,, not very much spicy and over heated., (iv) Earlier, the traditional methods of irrigation,, ploughing etc. were used whereas now a days, new, methods of irrigation, ploughing are being used., , 19. What would happen if all the farmers were to use, only one kind of seed and grow only one kind of crop?, Ans. If all the farmers will grow only one kind of seeds, and crops, the price for these seeds and crops would, fall and there would be no profit to the farmers.

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Moreover, growing same kind of seeds and crop on the, same land will extract the same minerals from the soil, each time and a result the soil will be deprived of these, minerals., , FILL IN THE BLANKS :1. Compost is a natural fertilizer., 2., 3., 4., , In earlier times, farmers used neem leaves to, protect the seeds from insects., Undhiya means upside down., Cotton used to be spun on a spinning wheel by the, village people at home., , 5. Tractors are used to plough the fields nowadays, instead of bullocks., 6., , The new seeds are such that the crops can easily, affected by harmful insects, , 7., , Farmers grow different kind of crops according to, their need., , 8., , The earthworms are called the best friends of the, soil., , 9. Damjibhai made a strong wooden box to store, seeds.

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10. Neem leaves protect seeds from insects., 11. A tractor could do in a day, what the bullocks, would take many days to do., 12. When the top layer of the soil becomes dry, the, croton leaves bend and become limp., , TRUE OR False, 1., , Farmers have been sent to jail for not playing, their loans. True, , 2., , Undhiya is made up with different, pulses. False, , 3., , Electric motors are used to pump water for, irrigation. True, , 4., , In Olden times, seeds are stored in dried, guard., True, , 5., , The bajra cobs are crushed with a, pestle., True, , 6. Farmers grow same grains and vegetables in, all seasons, False, 7. The canal water was not enough for the new, crop., True

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8. Hasmukh used electric motor to pump, water. True