Sights on Citizenship

Sights on Citizenship

Class 5 takes a heritage excursion guided by class 12 historians.

The Indian School is proud to have adopted Firoz Shah Tughlaqs tomb, an important part of our citys history. On 6 October, 2012, the Humanities section of class 12 accompanied the children of class 5 to this heritage site.

The tour began on the bus journey itself, as the guides for the day explained to the children the meaning and importance of heritage, and the need to preserve it. The children were briefed on the nature and purpose of the trip. As they deboarded, their enthusiasm knew no bounds. We, teachers were bombarded with questions right from the entry point! The students were divided into 2 groups; one was led by Ummang, Aishwarya, Ridhi and Bhavyaa, and the other by Amrita, Sanjana, Devika and Mukul. Each group was given instructions regarding staying together and not littering.

The 2 groups began from different areas in the complex, and subsequently explored the entire premise. We explained various aspects such as the architectural style used, materials used for construction, the history behind the ruins. We used the means of story-telling, question-and-answer sessions and anecdotes.

We explored the Hauz Khas Lake, the tomb of Firoz Shah, the Madrasa, as well as the chhattris and mosque adorning the complex. The children were amazed as we told them the history of the city of Siri, showed them beautiful calligraphy on the walls of the tomb, and recounted the tale of the Hauz Khas Lake.

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After the tour, the 2 groups met at the tomb complex for a clean-up drive. The children cleaned up the garden very diligently. Each one had realised the importance of keeping the site clean, and a few children even got upset upon seeing scribbles on some walls.

After an exciting clean-up drive, the guides were granted a break. We looked around the site ourselves and felt as mesmerised as the little ones; amazed at how intricately the structures had been built so many centuries ago. The unbelievable beauty of the place was refreshing. After a small game with the junior students, the guides conducted a quiz, where the children found it hard to wait for their turns to answer. They had indeed absorbed much more information than what we expected and their observations were surprisingly detailed. When the time to give the awards came, we found it rather hard to judge the most interactive and most involved, since everyone seemed to be a suitable awardee! Finally, it was time to leave, and each one of us left as a more knowledgeable and responsible citizen.

A lot of preparation went into the trip on behalf of the senior students. We had researched about the topic from various sources; the internet as well as books from the school library. After this, a basic tour-plan was chalked out and all of us brainstormed about ideas to make the tour more interesting. With extremely helpful inputs from our history teacher, we finally came up with a tour-plan. Next, we thought of some awards- which would be enjoyed by the children.

All in all, this trip was an memorable experience. We learnt a lot as did the children. Even as we both enjoyed.
As filed by Aishwarya Tewari.