Chandigarh
13 April 2017
Kulbir Singh Kalsi
Nivedita Creche ,PGI celebrated Baisakhi with enthusiasm today . The crèche was decorated depicting the harvest season. Children were explained about the importance of the festival by showcasing the harvest of wheat. Children were also told about various aspects of the wheat through tableaux showcasing sowing, ploughing, harvesting, winnowing , gathering of crop and finally milling. Children themselves used chakki to ground the wheat kernels.
The motive behind the presentation was to apprise the children of the whole process. While speaking on the occasion, Dr Bhavneet Bharti Chairperson of the crèche said that the story of wheat activity on the eve of Baisakhi was a matter of surprise for the urban kids who hardly witness the process of harvesting
Children were explained how farmers come to know when the wheat is ripe, or ready to harvest. Children were shown to rub the wheat head in their hands, blow away the chaff, or the straw like outer covering of the kernel, and chew some of the grain. If the kernels are hard and make a gummy substance as they are chewed the farmers know the wheat is ready to be cut.
Children were told how combines have made wheat harvesting much faster and easier. It used to take three whole days to cut and thresh an acre of wheat. Today with a large combine, farmers can harvest an acre in less than six minutesThis giant machine called a combine cuts, separates, and cleans grain all at the same time. The combine gets its name, because it “combines” the jobs of reaper and thresher .Children sang the song Big Red combine harvester – chug chug Chugging away to understand the whole process of harvesting
Big red combine harvester,
Big red combine harvester,
Big red combine harvester,
Chug, chug, chug, chug, chugging away.
Clattering on, combine harvester,
Clattering on, combine harvester,
Clattering on, combine harvester,
Chug, chug, chug, chug, chugging away.
Cutting the corn, combine harvester,
Cutting the corn, combine harvester,
Cutting the corn, combine harvester,
Chug, chug, chug, chug, chugging away.
Threshing the corn, combine harvester,
Threshing the corn, combine harvester,
Threshing the corn, combine harvester,
Chug, chug, chug, chug, chugging away.
Big red combine harvester,
Big red combine harvester,
Big red combine harvester,
Chug, chug, chug, chug, chugging away,
Chug, chug, chug, chug, chugging away.
Finally Sister Punita baked the cake for all the children after telling the story of wheat using the Russian folk tale of Little Red Hen which teaches children the virtue of work ethic and personal initiative.the moral of the story is those who say no to contribution to a product do not deserve to enjoy the product if any would not work , neither should he eat”