NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Social Science Chapter 8 Textiles and Clothing — LET'S EXPLORE
Book page 130–131 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
In the above pictures, can you recognise what a sari has been used for?
Fig. 8.4, pages 130–131 — the six photographs are described here; see the textbook for the photographs themselves.
Under a tree. A long red sari is knotted to a low branch and hangs down in a deep loop; a small baby lies asleep inside the loop, just above the dry leaves. Behind, two women walk away with baskets on their heads.
In a river. A woman stands waist-deep in the water at dusk, holding one end of a bright orange sari and dragging the stretched cloth through the water in front of her.
In a field. A woman walks away from the camera with a big brass pot balanced on her head; a red checked length of cloth is rolled into a thick ring and placed between her head and the pot. A basket hangs at her back.
On a courtyard floor (seen from above). Two women hold a red sari stretched taut between their hands like a shallow sheet; one of them tips grain out of a metal measure on to the cloth. A full sack of grain stands beside them.
In the rain. A woman in a pink printed sari lifts the loose orange end of her sari over her head with both hands and holds it stretched above her as the rain falls.
On the grass. A woman lies fast asleep on a yellow-and-green sari spread flat on the grass, her head resting on her hand; a cow grazes among the trees behind her.
Answer
The six photographs in Fig. 8.4 (pages 130–131, all from south India) each show the sari doing a job that has nothing to do with dressing.
#
What the picture shows
The sari is being used as a…
1
A red sari knotted to a low branch in an orchard, hanging in a deep loop, with a baby asleep inside it
cradle or hammock — the child sleeps in the shade while the mother works nearby
2
A woman standing waist-deep in a pond, dragging a stretched orange sari through the water
fishing net — the fine weave traps small fish and prawns
3
A woman crossing a field with a heavy brass pot on her head, resting on a thick coil of cloth
head-pad — the cloth is twisted into a ring that steadies the pot and cushions the weight
4
Two people seen from above pouring grain from a measure into a red sari held stretched open
container and sieve — grain is caught, carried and cleaned in the held-out cloth
5
A woman in the rain pulling the orange end of her sari up over her head with both hands
umbrella — shelter from rain, and on other days from the sun
6
A woman lying on the grass in a field, resting her head on a spread checked cloth, cattle grazing behind her
mat or bedsheet — a clean place to lie down and rest in the open
Why one garment can do all this: because the sari is unstitched. A stitched dress has one shape and one purpose. Six metres of loose cloth can be knotted, stretched, coiled, held open or spread flat — so it becomes whatever the moment needs. The chapter's larger point is the same: the fewer the fixed rules, the more forms a thing can take.
Q2.
Are you aware of, or can you imagine, more uses for the sari?
Answer
Yes — an old sari almost never gets thrown away in an Indian home. Some more uses, several of which you will have seen yourself:
Use
How it is done
A cloth swing (jhula, thottil, uyyala)
Tied between two ceiling hooks or two trees for a baby, indoors as well as out
A curtain or a room divider
Strung across a doorway or a window, giving privacy and cutting the glare
Straining and setting curd, or filtering water
A clean cotton sari is one of the oldest household filters
A carrying bundle
The four corners tied over vegetables, grain or firewood make an instant bag
Shade over a courtyard, or a temporary tent wall
Stretched between poles at a village function or a wedding
A quilt (kantha, godhadi)
Several worn saris layered and run through with running stitch — a famous craft of Bengal and Maharashtra
Rope, sling or bandage in an emergency
Torn into strips; also used to lower a bucket into a well
The last stage in the life of the cloth, after which the threads may still go into a rag rug
Think about it: almost every use listed here is a form of reuse. A garment that is never cut to a fixed shape can be handed on, re-draped, layered or torn up without being spoiled — which makes the sari not only versatile but genuinely thrifty and eco-friendly. Ask an elder at home what the oldest sari in the house is being used for now; the answer is usually a surprise.
Q3.
Following the example of the sari, make a list of different styles you have seen for the dhoti — both as regards the fabric and the uses the dhoti can be put to. What conclusion can you draw?
Answer
The dhoti is the same idea as the sari: a plain unstitched length of cloth, worn by men in most parts of India, and known by a different name almost everywhere.
Part 1 — styles, names and fabrics.
Name and region
Fabric usually used
How it is worn
Dhoti — north India
White or cream cotton; silk for weddings and rituals
Wrapped round the waist, pleated in front, one end drawn between the legs and tucked behind
Dhuti — West Bengal
Fine cotton, often with a thin coloured border
Broad pleats fanned in front, worn with a kurta or panjabi
Dhotar — Maharashtra
Cotton, nine-yard length
The kachcha style, tucked at the back, which allows free movement
Veshti — Tamil Nadu
Cotton, with a gold or coloured border (zari kara)
Worn full-length, or folded up to knee height for work
Mundu — Kerala
Fine white cotton, often with a kasavu gold border
Wrapped once round the waist; folded up in the same way for work
Panche / Kachche — Karnataka
Cotton, sometimes silk
Worn loose or in the tucked kachche style
Pancha — Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
Cotton, often with a border
Wrapped and tucked; the uttariyam cloth goes over the shoulder
Dhotiyu / Chorno — Gujarat, Rajasthan
Cotton, sometimes tie-dyed
Worn with a kediyu and a turban
Laacha / Tehmat — Punjab
Cotton, often checked
Wrapped without the centre tuck, worn for bhangra and for fieldwork
Dhoti of the wrestler and the kabaddi player
Strong cotton, worn short
Tucked tight and high so that the legs are completely free
Part 2 — uses beyond a garment. Like the sari, the dhoti gets pressed into other work: the loose end is used as a towel to wipe the face and hands, as a filter for water, as a bag to carry grain or fodder when the corners are knotted, as a fan in the heat, as a sheet to sit or sleep on, as a sling or bandage in an emergency, and as a rope when torn into strips. Folded up to the knee it becomes work clothing; let down to the ankle, the same cloth is formal dress for a temple or a wedding.
The conclusion you can draw.
One unstitched cloth
+ different fabrics, borders, lengths and ways of tying
+ different names in different States
= the same ‘unity in diversity’ pattern as the sari, in a completely different garment Conclusion: this is a pattern in Indian life, not a one-off.
Why the same pattern shows up twice: both garments start from the simplest possible design — cloth, uncut. Because nothing is fixed by stitching, every region is free to choose its own fabric, border, length and drape without ever leaving the shared form. Diversity grows out of the unity rather than against it, which is exactly what the chapter is arguing.