13. A Shelter so High! - NCERT

1 120120120120120 Looking AroundA traveller s taleI am Gaurav Jani andthis is Loner mypartner my , Loner is never are together all and my motorcyclewait for a chance to getaway from the busy,crowded and noisy city ofMumbai. We like to travelto different parts of this wonderful country. Let me tell youabout our amazing journey on the highest roads in readyThis journey took about two months. I had to carry everythingon my motorcycle. I had to plan and collect all the things Ineeded. I packed a small tent, sleeping bag, plastic sheet, warmclothes and food that would remain fresh for some days. I alsotook my camera and extra cans for petrol.

2 Loner and I leftMumbai, passing through small villages and towns ofMaharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan to reach took me three days to cover 1400 kilometers from Mumbaito Delhi. I was hoping to see something new and different inDelhi. But Delhi looked just like Mumbai! I am tired of lookingat the same kinds of houses, made of cement, bricks, glassand steel. I was looking forward to my journey ahead. I was13. A Shelter so High! Gaurav Jani2021 22A Shelter so High! 121 Find outwCheck in your map. Which states would one pass throughwhile travelling from Mumbai to Kashmir?wGaurav Jani passed through several states while goingfrom Mumbai to Delhi.

3 Find the capital cities of thesestates. Was there any other big town on his way?wIs Manali a plain or a hilly area? In which state is it?excited that I would be able to see wooden houses, houseswith sloping roofs and those covered with snow. I had seenpictures of such houses in many packed more things in Delhi and continued. In two dayswe were in Manali. It was so refreshing to be in the mountainsand breathe the clean air! Now the real journey was to had to travel through difficult roads of the state of Jammuand Kashmir to reach Leh in homeLoner and I were coveringlong distances each I needed was food anda tent to protect myselffrom the cold night nylon tent was sosmall that I could justabout fit in it to stood guardoutside the tent.

4 The breeze and the sound of the birds wokeme up to see the Jani2021 22122 Looking AroundTeacher s Note : Discuss with children that all the deserts are not hot andsandy. Encourage students to look at the map and find all the states mentionedin the you ever stayed in a tent? Where? What was it like?wImagine that you were to stay alone in a small tent for twodays and could take with you only ten things. Make a listof those ten are the different types of houses that you have seen?Tell your friends about it. Make drawings desertAt last Loner and I reached the first time I saw such anarea high , dry and flat called acold desert. Ladakh gets very littlerainfall.

5 Here there are highsnowcapped mountains and acold, flat Leh, I found myself in a quietstreet with beautiful white houses. As I rode slowly, Ifound that I was being followed by a group of children. They called out jule, jule , meaning welcome, welcome . They were all amazed to seemy Loner . Everyone wanted me to come to their home with TashiTashi dragged me to his home. It was a building with two house was made of stones which were kept one over theother. The walls were coated with a thick layer of mud and house looked like a shed from inside with a lot of hayGaurav Jani2021 22A Shelter so High! 123stored there. We took the wooden steps and reached the firstfloor.

6 This is where we stay, explained Tashi. The groundfloor is for our animals and for storing necessary when it gets toocold, we also move downstairs. I noticed that the ground floorhad no windows. Thick treetrunks were used to make theroof then took me to the roofof his house. What a view! I couldsee the same flat roofs all some red chillies were, laidout to dry and on some there wereorange pumpkins and golden yellow corn. Some had stacks ofpaddy and on some cow dung cakes were laid out to dry. This is the most important part of our house, said Tashi. During summer season we dry many fruits and store them for winters when we do not get fresh fruits andvegetables.

7 As I stood there with Tashi I could see how every part of thehouse was built specially to suit the needs of his people. Icould understand how the thick walls , a wooden floor and awooden ceiling protected them from the winters, Tashi and his family live on theground floor. Why would they be doing so?wWhat is the roof of your house like? What all is theroof used for?Gaurav Jani2021 22124 Looking AroundPeople living on top of the worldNow was the time to climb higher. Loner had a tough timezigzagging along narrow, rocky mountain roads. At manyplaces there were no roads at was moving towards the rocky plains of Changthang .This place is at a height of almost 5000 metres.

8 It is so highthat it is difficult to breathe normally. I had a headache andfelt weak. Then I slowly got used to breathing in such many days we kept wandering in this area with not asingle human being in sight. No petrol pumps, nomechanics! Only clear blue sky and many beautiful days and nights passed. Loner and I kept movingahead. Suddenly one morning I saw before me flat grassy sheep and goats were grazing there. Far in the distanceI saw some tents. I wondered who lived there and what theywere doing in this far out outwAt what height is the place where you live?wWhy did Gaurav Jani say - This place is so high that it isdifficult to breathe normally?

9 WHave you ever been to a hilly place? Where?wAt what height was it? Did you have any difficulty inbreathing there?wWhich is the highest place you have been to?The ChangpaThere I met Namgyal and came to know about the Changpa a tribeliving on the mountains. The Changpa tribe has only about 5000people. The Changpas are always on the move with their goats and2021 22A Shelter so High! 125 Teacher s Note : In the language of the Changpa changthang means a placewhere very few people live. Are there words like this in different languages spokenby children? As you go up the mountain, the level of oxygen in air becomes lessand at times people have to carry oxygen cylinders.

10 It is not expected that childrenunderstand the concept of oxygen . But children may have some idea that it isdifficult to breathe on high altitudes. This will make them sensitive towards peopleliving in such conditions. Through this they will also understand all kinds ofdifficulties people have to face for a It is from these that they get all thatthey need milk, meat, skin for tents andwool for coats and sweaters. Their goats aretheir only treasure. If a family has moreanimals it is considered more rich andimportant. From these special goats they getwool for making the world famous pashminawool. The Changpa graze their goats at higherand colder places so that the goats have moreand softer hair (fur).