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NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 5 Ila Sachani — Let us explore

Book page 159 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
Does anyone in your family or neighbourhood do embroidery? Find out what type of embroidery they do and how they learnt it.
Answer

Turn this into a short interview. Carry a notebook and ask five questions in this order.

AskNote down
What type of embroidery do you do?The name — Kathiawar, Kachhi, Chikankari, Phulkari, Kasuti, Kantha, Zardozi, Sujani…
Who taught you, and at what age?Mother, grandmother, a neighbour, a training centre
How long did it take to learn?Months or years; which stitch was hardest
What do you need for it?Cloth, frame, needles, threads, mirrors, beads
What do you make?Dupattas, cushion covers, caps, wall hangings
Sample answer: My grandmother does Kantha embroidery, which she learnt in her village in West Bengal from her own mother when she was about eleven. She uses a simple running stitch to join two old sarees together, and turns them into a soft quilt. She says she never had a book or a teacher — she watched, tried, unpicked her mistakes and tried again, and that is how the whole village learnt.
Notice the pattern: Almost every answer you get will sound like Ila's — the art came from a mother or a grandmother, at home, without a school. That is what makes it a traditional art.
Q2.
Try a simple stitch on cloth with the guidance of a family member.
Answer

Begin with the running stitch, the easiest of all, and always work with an elder beside you.

  1. Take a small square of old, thick cloth and a large needle with thick thread — both are easier for a beginner than fine ones.
  2. Thread the needle and tie a knot at the long end.
  3. Draw a straight pencil line on the cloth to follow.
  4. Push the needle up from below, then down a little ahead, then up again — in, out, in, out — keeping the stitches the same length.
  5. When the line is finished, make two tiny stitches on top of each other at the back and cut the thread.
Next steps, once the running stitch is neat: try the chain stitch, the stitch used in Kathiawar embroidery, in which each loop is caught by the next; then try filling a small leaf shape with it.
Safety: keep the needle in a pincushion, never in your mouth or on the bed; count your pins before and after; and always sew in good light.
Q3.
Visit the given link to find out about embroidery types from different parts of India. Share with your teacher and classmates which one you liked the most and why.
Answer

Open the link (or the QR code) with your teacher, and keep a table like this while you look.

EmbroideryStateWhat makes it special
Kathiawar / KachhiGujaratBright colours, chain stitch and small mirrors — Ila Sachani's own art
ChikankariUttar Pradesh (Lucknow)White thread on fine white or pastel cloth; shadow work
PhulkariPunjab‘Flower work’ — bright silk floss covering a coarse cloth completely
KasutiKarnatakaTiny counted stitches making gopuras, chariots and peacocks
KanthaWest BengalRunning stitch that quilts layers of old sarees into a soft cover
ZardoziUttar Pradesh, DelhiGold and silver thread, beads and stones on velvet
SujaniBiharPictures that tell a story of village life
TodaTamil Nadu (Nilgiris)Red and black geometric bands on a white shawl
Sample answer: I liked Phulkari from Punjab the most. The whole cloth disappears under the thread, so the shawl looks as if it were woven out of flowers rather than embroidered. I also liked that a Phulkari is traditionally begun by a grandmother for a granddaughter's wedding, so every stitch in it is a kind of blessing.
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