# Living Together

## Overview

In the chapter “Living Together,” students explore the meaning of living in a community and the importance of shared responsibilities. They learn how cooperation, care, and unity help build a cleaner, greener, and happier neighbourhood. Real-life examples like celebrating Van Mahotsav, repairing a local park, and building a community bridge in Kanker illustrate how people contribute together for the betterment of their environment.

## Key Topics Covered

### 1. Community and Shared Spaces

- **Community Living**: Students learn that living together means sharing public spaces like parks, schools, hospitals, and roads.
- **Importance of Public Places**: These places are essential for social interaction, safety, education, and well-being.
- **Examples**:
- **Playground**: A place for children to play and elders to meet.
- **School**: Center of learning and friendship.
- **Health Centre & Police Station**: Provide healthcare and safety.
- **Market & Roads**: Help in trading and connecting people.

### 2. Van Mahotsav Celebration

- **Tree Plantation Festival**: Students and villagers plan a celebration by planting trees and cleaning a local park.
- **Team Effort**:
- **Children**: Make posters, spread awareness, and plant saplings.
- **Parents & Villagers**: Fix benches, repair street lights, and bring saplings.
- **Environmental Awareness**: Students learn the importance of trees and clean surroundings.

### 3. Community Work and Occupations

- **Helping Hands**: Everyone in the community, from masons to nursery owners, contribute their skills.
- **Skill-Based Contribution**:
- **Mason**: Repairs walls.
- **Carpenter**: Repairs benches.
- **Nursery Owner**: Provides saplings.
- **Activity**: Students identify local workers and tools used in their work.

### 4. Real-Life Example: Building a Bridge

- **Kanker, Chhattisgarh**: A community builds a bridge over the Chinar river during a flood using bamboo and stones.
- **Outcome**: Improved access to schools and hospitals.
- **Lesson**: Community strength can solve big problems quickly.


### 5. Sharing a Meal and Celebration

- **Community Feast**: After tree plantation, everyone shares a meal.
- **Children**: Distribute banana leaves.
- **Volunteers**: Serve food.
- **Waste Management**: Leaves are buried to make compost (manure).
- **Unity Through Food**: Celebrating together builds stronger bonds.

### 6. Cultural Celebrations and Traditions

- **Uruka in Assam**: People build huts (Bhela Ghar) and celebrate Magh Bihu together with dance and feast.
- **Sikkim’s Khetala Practice**: During harvest, people come together to help, building cooperation and community strength.

### 7. Roles in School and Community

- **People in School**:
- Teachers: Help students learn.
- Drivers: Ensure safe travel.
- Caretakers: Maintain cleanliness and order.
- **Teamwork in School**: Everyone must work together for learning and growth.
- **Student Role**: Participate in cleanliness drives, tree plantation, or creative work using natural materials.

### 8. Fun Riddles and Activities

- **Riddles**: Creative poems describing places like bus stops, post offices, markets, and parks.
- **Public Place Riddle Activity**: Students create their own riddles and identify community landmarks.
- **Group Activity**: Identify real-life problems (like cleanliness or broken equipment) and suggest solutions through teamwork.

## New Terms

| Term | Simple Definition |
|----------------|-------------------|
| Community | A group of people living together and helping one another. |
| Van Mahotsav | A tree planting festival celebrated in India. |
| Sapling | A young tree. |
| Feast | A large meal prepared for a celebration. |
| Public Place | A space used by everyone like parks or roads. |
| Compost/Manure | Natural fertilizer made by rotting leaves and plants. |
| Occupation | The type of work someone does to earn a living. |
| Landmark | A well-known place that helps people find their way. |
| Nursery | A place where plants and young trees are grown. |
| Khetala | Farmers in Sikkim who help each other during harvest. |

## Practice Questions

### Easy (3)

1. **What is Van Mahotsav?**
*A tree planting festival celebrated to protect the environment.*

2. **Name two public places in your neighbourhood.**
*Parks and hospitals.*

3. **Who helps in maintaining safety in a community?**
*The police.*

### Medium (2)

4. **Why is teamwork important during festivals like Van Mahotsav?**
*Teamwork helps in completing tasks faster and makes the celebration enjoyable for everyone.*

5. **What is the role of a school bus driver in a school community?**
*To ensure that children travel safely to and from school.*

### Difficult (3)

6. **Explain how the villagers helped repair the park before Van Mahotsav.**
*They fixed benches, repaired lights, and cleaned the area together.*

7. **Describe the community effort in building the bridge in Kanker.**
*Villagers worked together using bamboo and stones to build a bridge in two days, helping children and patients cross the river.*

8. **How does sharing a meal after a community event help build bonds?**
*It brings people together, lets them share joy, and strengthens their connection.*

### Very Difficult (2)

9. **Compare the role of a mason and a nursery owner in community development.**
*A mason builds or repairs structures, while a nursery owner provides plants to improve the environment.*

10. **If a park in your area is broken and dirty, what steps would you take to improve it with your friends and neighbours?**
*We would clean the park, plant trees, repair benches, and request help from adults and local workers.*

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