Ila Sachani: Embroidering Dreams with her Feet – ई-ज्ञानदीप

Let us do these activities before we read.

I) Look at the given picture and information. Discuss the questions with your teacher and classmates.

1. Do you think Pranav’s task is simple? Why or why not?

Ans. No, Pranav’s task is not simple because he have to work with their feet which is very difficult.

2. How does Pranav’s special ability make you feel?

Ans. Pranav’s special ability makes us feel inspired and amazed.

3. What qualities do you think were important for Pranav to become successful?

Ans. Pranav’s ability to stay focused on goals, adapt to difficulties and maintain a positive attitude enabled him to find unique methods to perform tasks.

4. What message does Pranav’s story give us?

Ans. Pranav’s story conveys that physical limitations do not define one’s potential and that with a positive attitude, individuals can achieve their goals.

II Look at the picture of Kathiawar embroidery. Discuss in pairs.

1. List the steps you think are needed to create this embroidery.

Ans.

Draw flowers on the fabric.
Secure the fabric on the hoop
Start sewing using the colorful thread.
Tie the thread on the other side of the design.
Once done, take off the hoop and press the fabric.

2. Discuss if these steps can be done with feet, instead of hands.

Ans. It is very difficult if these steps can be done with feet, instead of hands.

3. What efforts would be needed if someone has to embroider with their feet? Do you think it is possible?

Ans. Yes, it is possible to embroider with feet. It requires significant effort developing fine motor skills. The individual would need to learn to handle a needle and thread, guide the fabric with their feet.

Let us discuss

Read the paragraphs and write the main idea for each. Then, match the main idea with two supporting details.

Ans.

Paragraph	Main idea	Two supporting details
1	Introduction to Ila Sachani’s colourful embroidery	(i) Examples of embroidered things (ii) Ila’s use of shiny needle
2	Early challenges and family support	(i) Ila was born with weak hands (ii) Ila’s family helped her learn embroidery skills.
3	Overcoming her challenges	(i) Her mother and grandmother helped her learn sewing using her feet. (ii) She learned to comb and eat using her feet.
4	Ila did not give up	(i) Her younger brother and sister helped her too. (ii) She learned many styles, even ones from outside Gujarat.
5	Ila’s work was admired by the village people	(i) Her family and friends talked about those designs to others. (ii) The people in the village, too, discovered Ila’s special skill
6	Recognition at a state exhibition	(i) Government displayed her work (ii) People bought her embroidery
7	National recognition and awards	(i) Participated in national events (ii) Won awards and President’s Medal
8-9	Art has the power to rise above boundation	(i) Financial independence and joy (ii) Challenges can be turned into victories

Let us think and reflect

I) Read the following lines and answer the questions that follow.

Unlike other children, she could not use her hands in the usual way. While other small hands drew figures in the sand or plucked wild flowers, she wondered why she could not join them. She too wanted to hold a chalk in her hands and draw figures on a slate.

1. Choose the correct option to fill in the blank.
‘Unlike other children’ means that Ila was _____________. (unaware/different/simple)

Ans. different

2. What could Ila have felt when she could not join others in things they did?

Ans. Ila was disappointed

3. Complete the following with a suitable reason.

Ila could not draw figures on the slate because ___________.

Ans. She could not use her hands like others.

II) What creative ways did Ila and her family use to overcome the challenges she faced?

Ans. Ila’s mother and grandmother encouraged the little girl and were single-minded to help her overcome her challenge.

III) How did ‘new independence’ help Ila?

Ans. The most important change for Ila was the new independence. Through her skill, she not only earned a regular income but also found joy in doing what she loved.

IV) Why was the first state exhibition an important event in Ila’s life?

Ans. This experience opened new doors for Ila. People observed the beauty woven by her feet and readily
purchased the creations. Ila was no more a hidden talent, but famous!

V) What does the sentence, ‘art has the power to rise above physical boundaries and touch the soul’, tell us about the power of art?

Ans. It shows that art’s ability to express and communicate emotions, stories, and ideas is not bound by physical constraints.

VI) How can we be helpful and encouraging like Ila’s family and friends when someone faces challenges?

Ans. By offering emotional support and motivating them to keep trying.

VII) How can Ila’s story help others to overcome challenges in their lives?

Ans. It inspires others to work hard, stay positive, and never give up.

Let us learn

I) Read the words from the text given in Column A. Then, try to understand what they mean by reading the sentences in Column B. Now, match the word to its correct synonym in Column C. There are two extra synonyms given. You may refer to the dictionary.

Column A	Column B	Column C
Word	Sentence	Synonym
tiny	The garden was tiny but the park was really big.	silent work happy small difficult fantastic dangerous
wonderful	The wonderful artwork made everyone clap.
quiet	The quiet library was a better place to study than the noisy classroom.
task	Completing the Science homework was a challenging task as it had many questions.
tough	We know that tough times can be overcome, if we try sincerely.

Ans.

Column A	Column B	Column C
Word	Sentence	Synonym
tiny	The garden was tiny but the park was really big.	small
wonderful	The wonderful artwork made everyone clap.	fantastic
quiet	The quiet library was a better place to study than the noisy classroom.	silent
task	Completing the Science homework was a challenging task as it had many questions.	work
tough	We know that tough times can be overcome, if we try sincerely.	difficult

II) Unscramble the antonyms of the words in Column A. An example has been given for you.
Example: display – E D I H (H I D E )

Use these antonyms in sentences of your own.

1. tiny – E G H U (H __ __ __)

2. wonderful – R E E B L I T R (T __ R __ __ B ___ E)

3. quiet – I Y N S O (N __ __ __ __)

4. task – S I A E M T P (P __ S T __ __ E)

5. tough – SEYA (E __ __ __)

Ans.

HUGE – The elephant is a huge animal.
TERRIBLE – The weather was terrible yesterday.
NOISE – The market was very noisy today.
PLEASANT – We had a pleasant time at the park.
EASY – This question is easy to solve.

III) Read the sentences from the text and focus on the highlighted words.
• You will see lots of bright colours.
• There are many lovely things like cushions and bedcovers.
• They taught her to create many beautiful patterns using her feet!
• She learned many styles.
• She received many awards.

1. The highlighted words tell us about the quantity. Choose what the words show.
(i) Unmentioned quantity
(ii) Large quantity

Ans. (ii) Large quantity

2. Let us now understand what words of quantity tell us. Fill in the blanks to complete an example for each word of quantity. Hints are given in the brackets.

Ans.

(i) We saw five buses on the road. (countable noun)
(ii) How much milk do you want? (uncountable noun)
(iii) There is some milk needed. (uncountable noun)
(iv) I need two examples. (countable noun)
(v) I have a lot of energy left.
She picked six flowers. (countable and uncountable nouns)
(vi) I ate some rice. (uncountable noun)

Now, create two sentences for each word of quantity (i-vi), and share them with your teacher and classmates.

Let us listen

You will listen to a talk about Kathiawar embroidery. As you listen, circle the correct option. (refer to page 164 for transcript)
1. Form (i) old (ii) new

Ans. (i) old

2. Colours
(i) soft
(ii) bright

Ans. bright

3. Stitches
(i) running stitch
(ii) chain stitch

Ans. chain stitch

4. Seen on

(i) children’s caps

(ii) pants

Ans. (i) children’s caps

5. Things used
(i) small mirrors
(ii) shapes of buttons

Ans. (i) small mirrors

6. Designs

(i) elephants and horses

(ii) squares and triangles

Ans. (ii) squares and triangles

Let us speak

In pairs, write down two questions you would like to ask Ila Sachani.

1. Look at two examples.
Where were you born? Did you go to school?
The Yes/No questions use a rising tone at the end.

2. Speak the example questions aloud as a peer activity at least five times.

Ans. Practice the Yes/No questions aloud with correct rising tone.

3. Now, take turns to ask your questions to another classmate. Speak clearly and with the correct rising tone as shown in 1.

Ans. Ask your questions to classmates in turns.

Let us write

• Collect four/five items (such as flowers, leaves, pins, waste paper, old cards, cardboard boxes, straws, twigs, etc.).