Who will Play with Me?

What do you like more to study or to play?

What will happen if you spend all of your time on playing and don’t study?

This is a story about a boy who does not like to study at all. One day he meets some creatures and then he changes. Why does he change himself? Let’s find out.

This is Rohit.

He does not like his studies. All of his friends go to school daily but he doesn’t go there.

He wanders here and there. One day he goes to the garden near his home. He finds no other children in the garden to play with. He sits on a bench under the big banyan tree. After some time, he notices a peacock dancing near the flowerbeds. Rohit walks to the peacock and says to him, “Will you play with me?” The peacock says, “I am busy. I am dancing. So I cannot play with you.”

Then Rohit meets a dog. He asks him, “Will you play with me?” I

The dog says, “I am busy. I am looking after my master’s house. So cannot play with you.”

He happens to see a parrot, crow, sparrow and horse. He asks them the same question. “Will you play with me?” “We are busy. We have many things to do. We cannot play with you.” they reply.

This has a great impact on Rohit. He says to himself, “All of them are busy. They are doing something. It is only I who am not working. Now I will also do my work and keep myself busy. I will give up my laziness.”

IHe returns home and decides to go to school daily. He starts studying attentively and completes his home work also. He learns his lessons regularly. In the evening, he goes to the playground and finds his friends there. He plays with them for about an hour.

After returning home, he takes his dinner and then revises what he studied at school.

With this change in his behaviour, he is now liked by everyone. His teachers praise him for his punctuality and his parents feel proud of him.

The Dussehra Festival

Which festivals do you celebrate?

Which festival is celebrated as victory of good over evil?

. On which festival do we burn effigies or putlas?

Let’s read why we celebrate Dussehra. What is the story behind it?

In India many festivals are celebrated with great zeal. Dussehra is one of them. It is also called Vijayadashmi. According to Hindu calendar, Dussehra occurs on the tenth day of ‘Ashwin month’ ‘Shukla Paksha’.

On this day Lord Ram got victory over Ravan, the king of Lanka. He kidnapped Ram’s wife Sita and took her to Lanka. This led to a fierce battle between Ram and Ravan which ended with the defeat of Ravan and his army. Dussehra is celebrated in honour of Ram’s victory.

In many parts of India, Ramleela is organized during Navratris, from Ashwin Shukla Pratipada to Dashmi. Ramleela describes the story of Ram in the form of a drama. Every day many scenes of Ram’s life such as Narad Moh, Ram Janm, Ram Vivah, Ram Vanvas, Tadka Vadh, Panchvati scene, Seeta Haran, Hanuman Milan, Burning of Lanka. Setu Nirman and Ram-Ravan Yuddh are enacted on the stage. Hanuman’s get- up attracts everyone especially the children.

On the tenth day, large effigies of Ravan, his son Meghnad and his brother Kumbhkaran are erected on a big ground. These effigies are stuffed with fire crackers. In the evening people begin to assemble to see Ravan Dahan and fireworks.

Fairs are organized at various places on this auspicious occasion. Children enjoy themselves in many ways. They play the roles of various characters like Ram, Hanuman and Rakshasas using handmade paper arms and masks.

At sunset Ram and Lakshman come in a chariot with Vanar Sena. Ram shoots arrows at the effigies. The effigies catch fire and burn to ashes. Fireworks and crackers explode in the air. People in some areas of Rajasthan go to greet each other. Dussehra is a symbol of victory of good over evil.

Adding Colours

. Do you like drawing?

. Which is your favourite colour?

. Do you know we can get various other colours by mixing two different colours?

Let’s read this colourful poem and find out how

Adding white to black we get grey Every day to God we should pray. Adding yellow to blue we get green Our house should always be tidy and clean.

Adding white to red we get pink Morning and evening milk we must drink

Adding yellow to red we get orange After buying something we should count the change

Adding blue to red we get purple Mummy and Papa make a lovely couple.

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School is a Temple

Do you like wearing clean or dirty clothes?

Do you like sitting in a clean room or a dirty room?

If you find there is some rubbish (waste paper, wrappers of candies, etc.) lying on the floor around you what would you do?

Aclassroom…

Students are sitting. Raju, the class monitor, notices some bits of paper lying on the floor near Manjeet.

Let’s read

Raju Manjeet! Who has thrown these bits of paper in the class?

Manjeet: don’t know Raju. May be, some boy has thrown these scraps.

Raju No. You are telling a lie. When went out of the class. you were writing on a paper. I am sure these are the bits of that same paper.

Roju Manjeet: didn’t throw them here. I threw them in the dustbin. (loudly) No! No! No! You throw them here. Now, clean the floor.

Manjeet: When didn’t throw these bits of papers, why should clean them?

(Both start quarrelling Just then, the class teacher enters) TiBoys Why are you making a noise?

Manjeet: Sir, Raju is blaming me. He says that I have thrown these pieces of paper here. He is telling me to clean the floor also. It’s not my job!

Teacher: Boys! At first be quiet and listen to me patiently. Tell me, if your body becomes dirty, who cleans it?

All : We do it ourselves, sir!

Teacher: If your room is dirty, is it only your mother’s duty to clean it? Don’t you clean your room?

Raju : Yes sir, I clean my room myself.

Teacher: Good, Raju! Neha Bittu :Sir, I also sweep my room. I fetch water with my mother from a well. I help her in the kitchen also. Sir, I also help father at our shop.

Teacher: Very good, my children!

We work at home ourselves and help family members. There we don’t think whether our household activities are our jobs or not. In the same manner, our school is also like our home. We live here together and study in a friendly atmosphere. Shouldn’t we think of its cleanliness also? If we make it dirty, who’ll clean it? I think we should do it ourselves

Manjeet: All Yes sir, gatit We’ll all make our classroom and school clean

The school is ours, Let’s clean it carefully, my friend. we won’t leave a bit.

(They all start arranging the tables and benches. Then they wipe the doors and sweep the floor.)

Raju : I will remove all,

The cobwebs on the wall.

Using a stool,

I’ll clean my school.

Neha I’ll sweep the floor,

And wipe the door.

Using a broom, I’ll clean my room.

All :We’ll grow flower plants,

With teachers and aunts. School is our temple, Knowledge is ample.

Government Primary School

Teacher

You are all right,

Let’s make our school bright

If we are dutiful.

Bharat will be beautiful.

3

The Rats and the Elephants

Are we all of the same size?

Can a smaller animal help a bigger animal?

You’re often asked to help your younger sisters and brothers. Do you help them?

How do your younger brothers and sisters help you?

Let’s read

Long long ago, a group of rats lived happily in a forest. One day, a herd of elephants passed through that area in search of water. Many homes of the rats were destroyed under their big feet. Some rats were also killed. The king of rats, Mooshakraj

went to the king of elephants, Gajraj and requested him to take his herd through another route to the pond. He accepted the and told the elephants to take the other way, without disturbing the rats.

Mooshakraj was very happy and pleased with Gajraj. He thanked him and promised that the rats would always be ready to help the elephants if needed. Hearing this, the elephants in the herd laughed thinking how small rats could help big elephants.

After a few months…..

One fine day, when the rats were playing, they heard loud shouts of elephants coming from the direction of the pond. Mooshakraj realized that the elephants were in some danger.

He asked some of the strong rats in his group to come along, and went in the direction of that sound.

I

Near the pond, they saw the elephants caught in the traps kept by some hunters. The rats quickly started biting the ropes with their sharp teeth. Soon the elephants were set free. They thanked the rats and also felt sorry for making fun of their small size.

Can you name these yogasans?

Which of these do you perform in the prayer assembly?

What changes have you felt in your body after performing yogasans?

Shivam and Nitin were students of class V. One day they got up early. It was a pleasant morning. They went to a park for a morning walk. They saw many people in the park. Some of them were running on the track around the park. Children were playing. In the middle of the park, some people were sitting and making different poses. Shivam wondered what they were doing. Out of curiosity, both the friends went near them.

There was a Yoga teacher who was giving instructions to others. He said, “My dear friends, let’s learn pranayam in today’s Yoga class.”

“What is pranayam?”, somebody asked.

“Pranayam is control and extension of the breath. By practising it, we can reduce our breathing rate. Reduced breathing rate has a lot of benefits. It slows down heart rate, reduces blood pressure and relaxes body and mind. Pranayam increases our life expectancy.

Pranayam should be done on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning. You can also do it in the evening but there should be a gap of four hours after the last meal.”

Shivam and Nitin got interested and joined the group after seeking permission from the yoga teacher. The teacher started listing the steps of pranayam.

Step – I

Sit calmly on a mat and close your eyes.

Step – II

Put left ankle on the right thigh.

Step – III

Now put right ankle on the left thigh. (This posture is called ‘Padmasan’.)

In the beginning, you may find it slightly difficult to sit in this pose. Don’t worry, with a little practice, you will learn it.

Step-IV

Press your right nostril with your right hand thumb and breathe in slowly from the left nostril. Do this till your lungs are full.

(This process of breathing in is called ‘Poorak’.).

Step-V

Hold your breath for 5 to 10 seconds or only as long as you comfortably can.

(The process of holding breath is called ‘Kumbhak’.)

Step-VI

Now release the thumb and close the left nostril with your ring finger. Then breathe out slowly through your right nostril.

(This process of breathing out is called’Rechak.)

Step VII

Now, breathe in from the right nostril.

Step VIII

Hold your breath again.

Step IX

Now press the right nostril with thumb and breathe out from left nostril.

Step X:

You may start with 5 rounds and increase it up to 15-20 rounds.

Shivam and Nitin were happy to have learnt pranayam. They thanked the yoga teacher and decided to come to the park and attend the yog class daily.

We shall Overcome

Recite the given lines together with your teacher.

Hum honge kaamyaab,

Hum honge kaamyab,

Hum honge kaamyab ek din.

Ho ho mann mein hai vishwaas,

Poora hai vishwaas,

Hum honge kaamyaab ek din.

Isn’t it an inspiring song, children?

Do you know it was translated into Hindi from English by a

renowned poet, Girija Kumar Mathur?

Let’s read and sing the English song here.

We shall overcome, we shall overcome,

We shall overcome someday;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

We shall overcome someday.

We’ll walk hand in hand, we’ll walk hand in hand,

We’ll walk hand in hand someday;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

We’ll walk hand in hand someday.

We are not afraid, we are not afraid,

We are not afraid today;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

We are not afraid today.

The truth shall make us free, the truth shall make us free,

The truth shall make us free someday;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

The truth shall make us free someday.

We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace,

We shall live in peace someday;

Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,

We shall live in peace someday.