Chapter 4 — Growing up with Nature

Chapter 4 tells the story of Reena and Amit visiting their village near a forest for a harvest festival. The village is also celebrating becoming fully solar-powered. During the visit the children learn about the Palash tree, natural dyes, clay houses, traditional grain storage, herbal medicines, and India's festivals that honour plants and animals.

When Palash trees bloom, their bright orange-red flowers make the entire forest look reddish-orange from a distance, which is why it is called the 'flame of the forest'. In Gujarat the same tree is known as Kesuda.

The chapter gives a step-by-step activity: collect flowers, leaves, barks, or roots with colouring properties (such as beetroot, hibiscus, or marigold), boil them in 1–2 litres of water for 30 minutes to an hour with the container covered, then strain the liquid to get the natural dye. The dye can be used to colour a light-coloured cloth.

The village houses Reena and Amit visit are made using clay, hay, cow dung, and other natural materials. The walls are decorated with paintings made from a dye of rice flour mixed with water.

Grains are stored in earthen pots lined inside with neem leaves and in bamboo baskets coated with cow dung on the outside. Both methods protect the stored grains from insects and pests naturally.

The Jenu Kurubas are a tribe from Karnataka whose name comes from the word 'Jenu', meaning honey. They sing songs to apologise to bees when collecting honey from beehives, which the chapter uses as an example of a community's deep respect for nature.

A Sacred Grove is a small patch of forest protected by a local community. The trees and wildlife within it are preserved, and it serves as an important gathering place for worship and to celebrate the beauty of nature.

The grandfather shows Reena and Amit a mixture made with neem oil. Rubbing it on hands and feet keeps mosquitoes away. This is presented as a natural, traditional alternative to market-bought repellent creams.

The chapter lists Vat Purnima (associated with the Banyan tree through worshipping), Hari Jiroti (associated with fruit-bearing trees through plantation), and the Kaziranga Elephant Festival (associated with elephants through an awareness drive) as examples of India's tradition of respecting nature.

Students are asked to list five colourful flowers from their area, make a model house using natural materials, prepare a natural dye and paint a cloth, find traditional grain-preservation methods in their state, discuss medicinal plants with family elders, research traditional dances of their region, and design a herbal garden.

Reena and Amit's village is celebrating becoming a fully solar-powered village on the same day as the harvest festival. The chapter uses this to introduce how solar panels can generate electricity for appliances like fans and bulbs, showing a connection between renewable energy and living in harmony with nature.

The chapter recommends reducing paper waste, saying no to plastic, spreading awareness about saving plants, keeping food and water for birds, planting trees, and organising clean-up drives as everyday actions students and families can take to care for the natural environment.