Into India Extension Activity 1

Extension Activities

CHAPTER 1: THREADS OF TIME

Students explore aspects of the history of India through a study of the history of the Indian textile industry. They examine the capacity of the industry for continuity and change over time and case studies are used to focus on contemporary trade issues.

To explore additional ideas and resources for using this chapter of Into India, click on one of the following:

Teaching and Learning Activities | SOSE Profile | WWW Links | Annotated Bibliography

Teaching and Learning Activities

Here are some additional teaching and learning activities related to this chapter.

Investigation 1: Indian Textiles-Past and Present

Using the Timeline
Resource 4 (pp. 26-7) is a timeline which establishes some landmarks in the history of Indian textiles. It is useful to refer to it throughout Investigation 1 and Investigation 2.

The timeline can be used in a range of other student activities:

Before students have seen the timeline, photocopy it and cut off the 'Date' and 'International event or dynasty' columns. Then cut the remaining 'Indian event or dynasty' and 'Textile information' columns so that each pair of items is on a separate piece of paper. (It may not be necessary to use every pair of items for this exercise.) Ask students to reassemble the pieces of paper in chronological order. Discuss the reasons for the various arrangements. Ask students to speculate about the approximate dates of the events before supplying the original timeline as a whole.
Organise students into small groups and ask the groups to discuss and choose the ten most important events in the 'Textile information' column. Either establish criteria for 'importance' in advance or allow groups to debate their own criteria. Then ask groups to report to the class and justify their choices. (Alternatively, this could be set as a written exercise.) Groups could then prepare a graphical representation of the timeline, using their chosen events.
Provide each student with a copy of Map 1 (p. 9) and/or a world map. Ask students to draw lines on their maps to indicate the major directions of the Indian textile trade throughout history. Each line should be labelled with its appropriate date. In some cases, it is also possible to provide labels which indicate which groups of people were involved, such as 'Arab traders', 'Muslim kingdoms' or 'the East India Company'. For each trade link, the class can then discuss what the benefits were likely to have been for the traders and for the Indian producers of textiles. (The above activities lead neatly into the material of Investigation 2.)

Investigation 2: The History of Indian Textiles
If students have completed the extension activities suggested above for Investigation 1, they will have graphical representations of a timeline and annotated maps. The further historical material in Investigation 2 can be used to refine and extend these pieces of work.

Activities 7 and 8 (p. 35) look at the positive and negative effects of British rule in relation to the Indian textile industry. This information can also be used to extend the discussion of the benefits of trade suggested above for Investigation 1.

A Writing Task
After these Activities, ask students to prepare a written response to the statement: 'On balance, British rule had a negative effect on the Indian textile industry'. This will involve them in deciding what weight they give to each of the positive and negative effects they have listed in Activity 7. Alternatively, use the statement as the basis of a class debate.

Investigation 3: Textiles 2000-Ancient or Modern?
This Investigation is supported by the 'Computer Saris' section of the Into India video.

When dealing with the Anokhi case study, try to arrange for students to have some experience of making and using wood blocks for printing. Alternatively, printing blocks can be made from potatoes or linoleum.

Discussion and Writing Task: The Origins of Anokhi
After viewing the Anokhi section of 'Computer Saris', discuss the beginnings of the company with the class. Ask students to remember that the block printers would have been using the same designs for generations. Use the following questions to organise the discussion:

What was the economic situation of the block printers in 1970?
How might Faith Singh have approached them to get them to work for her?
What might have attracted them to her ideas?
What might have worried them?

After the discussion, divide the class into two groups. One group is to take the role of Faith Singh, the other the role of a leader of the block printers' community. Ask students to write (in role) about their experiences at the time of the beginning of Anokhi. Then share responses. Alternatively, ask small groups to write dialogue between Faith Singh and the leader of the block printers. Volunteers can then perform their work for the class.

A Local Investigation
'Computer Saris' also includes an interview with Morrie Fraid, Managing Director of Spotlight Fabrics. He says that about 10% of the fabrics sold at Spotlight come from India, a fact that some students may find surprising. Arrange for students to conduct interviews with one or more local fabric retailers and use a class brainstorm to derive questions to be asked. This exercise also allows students to have first-hand experience of Indian fabrics. Suitable questions include:

What percentage of the merchandise comes from India?
Where does the other merchandise come from?
What percentage is made in Australia?
What are the various types of Indian fabric available?
Which are 'hand-made' and which are 'machine-made'?
What Indian fabrics are most popular at the moment?
What other fabrics compete with those from India?
Are Indian fabrics cheaper or more expensive than their competitors?

Ask students to report on their interviews either in writing or, if samples of fabrics are available, in the form of a display.

Investigation 4: From Sari to Jattin Kochhar
This Investigation is supported by the 'Computer Saris' section of the Into India video.

Discussion Topic: The Views of Jattin Kochhar
Jattin Kochhar is quoted as saying that the 'modern woman of the nineties, it's very important that she has to fit into the Indian side as well as the modern side. That's where you get the best of everything' (p. 53). Use this quote as a focus for class discussion. The following questions will be of assistance:

On the basis of viewing Mr Kochhar's designs in 'Computer Saris', do you agree that they have an 'Indian side' and a 'modern side'?
Do you agree with what Jattin Kocchar is saying?
What groups within Indian society would the 'modern woman' be drawn from?
How do Mr Kocchar's design's compare with the saris worn by, for instance, the women of the block printers' community?
Do you think a similar quote could be applied to men's fashion?
Would it make sense to say that modern Australian women (or men) should fit into the Australian side as well as the modern side?

SOSE Profile Strands and Outcomes

This chapter provides opportunities for students to achieve learning outcomes at levels four to seven within the following strands and strand organisers specified in Studies of society and environment-a curriculum profile for Australian schools.

Strand Strand organisers

Time, continuity and change

Understanding the past
Time and change
Interpretations and perspectives

Culture

Cultural cohesion and diversity
Personal, group and cultural identity

Resources

Use of resources
People and work
Management and enterprise

Natural and social systems

Economic systems

Investigation, communication and participation

All strand organisers

A full listing of student outcomes can be found on p. 196 of Into India. Teachers are advised to consult their State or Territory curriculum documents for ways in which the activities and intended outcomes may be adapted to locally developed criteria.

WWW Links

AskAsia
http://www.askasia.org/
Developed to support studies of Asia in American schools and published by the Asia Society. Offers access to lesson plans, such as 'Gandhi speaks through clothing', which traces Gandhi's life through a set of photographs. Also has cultural information, games, activities and a variety of links. 'Adult-Free Zone' provided for students. About 10 schools in India listed. Also facility for 'Keypals Club International', for students 8-16 years old.

India Profile
http://www.meadev.nic.in/info/info.htm
Extensive information about India's culture, economy, sports, social issues and media, as well as useful further links.

Discover India on eWorld
http://www.indonet.com/DiscoverIndiaoneWorld.html
Has the 'India File' of facts and figures, charts, graphs and tables, together with a variety of articles and essays about Indian art, culture, history, geography and society. Also the Discussion Board of questions and answers.

Anokhi
http://www.anokhi.com/
Includes pictures of fabrics, the Anokhi centre near Jaipur and the history of the company.

Fashion India
http://www.fashionindia.net/
Includes information about Indian designers and pictures of their work, together with a history of Indian fashion.

Search India.com: Fashion > Designers
http://www.searchindia.com/search/Fashion/Designers/
Directory of the websites of contemporary Indian fashion designers.

Bibliography

Student materials
Caudle, M. 1996 Business in Asia, Curriculum Corporation, Carlton, Victoria.
A series of case studies of business enterprises in Asia. Includes a chapter about Neerja International, a successful pottery business in Rajasthan which uses village-based artisans. The case study could be compared with that of Anokhi in Into India.

In search of an identity 1996, (27 minute video), Film Australia, Lindfield NSW.
One of a series of documentaries exploring the impact of global economic change on people's lives. A few years ago, fashion designer Bina Rammani set up her design studio in Haus Khas, on the outskirts of Delhi. Other entrepreneurs soon joined her but sudden development transformed local life. Available from Film Australia, PO Box 46, Lindfield NSW 2070.

Reference Materials
Basham, A. L. (ed.) 1975, A cultural history of India, Oxford University Press.

Burnard, J. 1994, Chintz and cotton: India's textile gift to the world, Kangaroo Press, Box 6125, Dural Delivery Centre, Dural NSW 2158.

Chaudhuri, K. N. 1985, Trade and civilisation in the Indian Ocean: an economic history from the rise of Islam to 1750, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Gillow, J. & Barnard, N. 1991, Traditional Indian Textiles, Thames & Hudson, London.
An account of the history of Indian textiles, descriptions of production techniques and full-colour illustrations of Indian textiles from various regions.

Laxman, R. K. 1990, The best of R K Laxman, vols 1 & 2, Penguin, Delhi.
A collection of the work of the prominent Indian cartoonist, featured in Into India.

Masselos, J. 1991, India's textile heritage: a research collection, The Macleay Museum, The University of Sydney, 1990.

Curriculum Corporation and the University of Melbourne