Date: 27th Feb.- 2nd Mar. 2012 & 5th Mar-9th Mar 2012.

 Jehangir and Shahjehan Part-1
PEACOCK THRONE
Courtesy Ms.Sumbul Faheem

TAJ MAHAL (A documentary)

C.W.

Q1. In the boxes below write a few words to describe how Jehangir tried to please Muslims, Hindus and Afghans in Bengal.  (3 marks)

Muslims
Hindus
Afghans

Q2. Fill in the blanks:

i)         Khusrou was  ---------of Jehangir.

ii)       Jehangir lost Kandahar to the king of ------------.

iii)      Nurjehan’s name appeared on ----------- when she became -----------.

iv)      Nurjehan died --------- years after Jehangir’s death.

Extension task.

Q3. List three aspects from Nurjehan’s life which tell us that she was ambitious.

H.W.

Read Chapter “Jehangir & Shahjehan” page 85.

 Fuels just a store of energy (Page 72)

ONLINE QUIZ FOR STUDENTS

http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/science/fossil_fuels/quiz313.html

C.W.                                                     

Q1 and Q3 on page 73 of the textbook.

H.W. Read Chapter Fuels just a store of energy page 73.

Extension task:

Q. Draw a flow chart showing distribution of electricity for domestic use.

Nuruddin Muhammad Jahangir 1605 to 1627

EARLY LIFE                                         

Born as Prince Muhammad Salim, he was the third and eldest surviving son of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Akbar's twin sons, Hasan and Hussain, died in infancy. His mother was the Rajput Princess of Amber, Jodhabai (born Rajkumari Hira Kunwari, eldest daughter of Raja Bihar Mal or Bharmal, Raja of Amber, India).

Akbar developed an emotional attachment with the village Sikri (abode of Chishti). Therefore, he developed the town of Sikri and shifted his imperial court and residence from Agra to Sikri, later renamed as Fatehpur Sikri.

Education

Akbar ensured that his son received the best education possible. Salim started his studies at the age of four and was taught Farsi, Turkish, Arabic, Urdu, history, arithmetic, geography and other sciences by important tutors like Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan, a renowned soldier and scholar.

Marriage

Salim was made a Mansabdar of ten thousand (Das-Hazari), the highest military rank of the empire, after the emperor. He independently commanded a regiment in the Kabul campaign of 1581, when he was barely twelve. His Mansab was raised to Twelve Thousand, in 1585, at the time of his betrothal to his cousin Manbhawati Bai, daughter of Bhagwan Das of Amber. Raja Bhagwant Das, was the son of Raja Bharmal and the brother of Akbar's wife Rajkumari Hira Kunwari, also known as Mariam Zamani.

Noor Jahan

The emperor Akbar died in 1605 and was succeeded by prince Salim, who took the regal name Jahangir. After her husband Sher Afghan (who was appointed as jagirdar of Bardhaman, a city in Bengal) was killed in 1607.

In March 1611, her fortune took a turn for the better. She met the emperor Jahangir at the palace meena bazaar during the spring festival Nowruz new year. Jahangir grew so infatuated by her beauty that he proposed immediately and they were married on May 25 of the same year becoming his twentieth wife.

Mughal empress: For Mehr-un-Nisaa's own immediate family, marriage to Jahangir became a great boon with several members receiving sizeable endowments and promotions as a result. This affection led to Nur Jahan wielding a great deal of actual power in affairs of state. The Mughal state gave absolute power to the emperor, and those who exercised influence over the emperor gained immense influence and prestige. Jahangir's addiction to opium and alcohol made it easier for Nur Jahan to exert her influence. She even gave audiences at her palace and the ministers consulted with her on most matters. Indeed, Jahangir even permitted coinage to be struck in her name, something that traditionally defined sovereignty.

Death of Nur Jahan

When Jahangir died in 1628, Nur Jahan's brother Asaf Khan took the side of his son-in-law Khurrum against his sister. It was Khurram who became the new Mughal emperor under the regal name Shah Jahan. Nur Jahan was confined to a comfortable mansion for the rest of her life.

During this period, she paid for and oversaw the construction of her father's mausoleum in Agra, known now as Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, and occasionally composed Persian poems under the assumed name of Makhfi [1].

Nur Jahan died in 1645 at age 68, and is buried at Shahdara Bagh in Lahore, Pakistan in a tomb she had built herself, near the tomb of Jahangir. Her brother Asaf Khan's tomb is also located nearby.

 Jehangir and Shahjehan Part-2

 Rep-Rotation activity will be conducted on the following topics. Students will be divided into 5 groups of 5 students and each group will be allotted one of the following topics.

·         Shah Jehan as an emperor

·         Shah Jehan as an architect

·         Mumtaz Mahal

·         Shah Jehan’s religious policies

·         End of Shah Jehan’s reign

2. Written work:

C.W.

Q1. How did Shah Jehan capture his father’s empire?

Q2. List different aspects that show that Shah Jehan’s empire was rich and extravagant.

Q3. How did Aurangzeb overthrow Shah Jehan’s empire?

Extension task:

Q4.What changes did Shah Jehan bring in his religious policies during his reign?

C.W.

Q1. Describe in three lines the pictures given on page 84 and 85 of the text book.

Q2. Give reasons for the following:                                                                /6

i)                     Shah Jehan became emperor with ease …..

ii)                   Though Shah Jehan was tolerant of all religions but he persecuted Portuguese Christians……

iii)                  Aurangzeb imprisoned Shah Jehan in fortress of Agra…..

Q3 Write two lines about the following creations of                                       /4

       Shah Jehan?                                                         

i)                     Peacock Throne

ii)                   Taj Mahal

Extension Task:  Compare Emperor Shah Jehan with any one monarch of today.

H.W.; Read “Aurangzeb’s achievements”.

 Fuels just a store of energy-Part- 2. (Page 73

. Topic on energy is continuing and now Debate focusing following topics will be conducted. Debate will be carried out between two groups. Each group members will discuss among themselves and prepare debate and two students will deliver the speech.

• I cannot live without electricity, focusing “Distribution of electricity”.
•  Earth, apple of my eye, focusing “Renewable and Non renewable resources of energy”.

2. C.W.

Q4 and Q5 on page 73 of the textbook.

Extension task:

Q2 on page 73 of the textbook.

Earth Hour 2012...switch off lights at 08.30 pm on Saturday 31st March, 2012.

Dare the World to Save the Planet for Earth Hour 2012 - switch off your lights at 8.30pm on Saturday 31st March and share the positive action you will take for the environment. From February 16, upload your I Will If You Will challenge on YouTube.com/EarthHour

Courtesy www.youtube.com

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Akbar's Reforms.

The Tomb of Akbar the Great at Sikandra

Five miles northwest of Agra stands the magnificent tomb in which the dust of the great Moghul emperor Akbar reposes. The approach to the mausoleum is beneath a grand portal and up a handsome pathway lined on either side with trees and fragrant shrubs. The building itself is of red sandstone, except the upper storey, which is of the finest white marble. In the midst of this upper tier is a superb white marble cenotaph resting upon a tessellated pavement and standing directly above the place where, in a vaulted chamber, three storeys below, lie the remains of him who was India’s noblest king.

Akbar's Palace, Fatehpur Sikri

When Emperor Akbar conquered Gujarat, he expanded the name by adding Fatehpur to Sikri and since then ‘Sikri’ became known as Fatehpur Sikri. Akbar established the town of Fatehpur Sikri to commemorate his Gujarat victory and even made this city his new capital that remained operational between 1570 and 1586. But extreme scarcity of water forced Akbar to reshift his capital to Agra from Fatehpur Sikri and the city was abandoned. 

Akbar's Reforms

Akbar's attitude towards the Hindus, especially in the years of the Divine Faith, 1585 to 1595, encouraged nationalist feelings among them. They began to believe that their majority status entitled them to rule the country. For the same reason, Muslims wanted an emperor who would follow Islam in the traditional manner. They eventually found such an emperor in Akbar's descendant, Aurangzeb.

When Akbar had settled the rebellions that occurred in the early years of his reign, he determined to make his empire better, richer and more just for everyone. He tried to establish a real Indian culture, rather than imposing an alien culture on the local inhabitants as the Persian, Afhan and Mongol invaders had done in the past. In order to achieve this, he believed that people of different races and religions should learn to live together as equals. There were four main aspects of his reform programme:

Army

Akbar knew that a well-trained army was necessary to put down rebellions and to conquer more land. He abolished the old jagir system whereby senior army officers had been paid by land grants. Akbar himself chose and paid his commanders. They all took an oath of loyalty to him alone.

Under the mansabdari system he set up, the nobles were given ranks. They were all paid to recruit, equip, train and command a certain number of soldiers. The lowest noble had to keep a force of ten trained man, chiefs and important nobles maintained up 5000 soldiers, while royal princess maintained up to 10,000 soldiers. Every year they had to parade before the emperor to show that they were ready for battle. By this means, Akbar always had an efficient, well-trained army ready at a moment's notice to go to war.

Administration and Justice

Akbar divided his empire into 15 provinces. Each of these was under a governor appointed and paid by the emperor himself. The governor was responsible to the emperor for the general running of the province, including law and order and administration.

Akbar also appointed the judges who dealt with criminal cases. For civil cases, Muslims were tried by Shariah law and Hindus by juries of their own caste. Tax officials were responsible directly to the governors did not have the money, and the tax officials did not have the soldiers, to start a rebellion. Officials were transferred from time to time to prevent them from establishing a power base in any one region.

Money Akbar knew he had to have plenty of money to pay for the army and officials. The taxes were still based  on land and crops, and in many parts of the empire, especially in the Delhi area, all the land was taken by the government. The fields were remeasure, and the crops of each area were recorded by name. The people were then taxed one-third of the value of the crops, instead of one-half as in the past. The money was sent directly to the royal Treasury by officials who were closely checked to prevent corruption. These officials acted as advisers to the farmers and encouraged them to grow Ne, high-value crops such as sugar, cotton, maize and indigo because increased profits meant greater tax revenues for the government. To increase trade, Akbar built new roads with trees, rest houses and wells. As money gradually began to take the place of bartering in trade, Akbar had new mints built to make gold, silver and copper coins.. Banks and moneylenders began to appear. Much of all this was run by Hindu merchants so that a Strong Hindu middle class evolved, especially in the cities.

Religion

Akbar realized that differences in religion caused many of the problems in his empire, so he tried to bring Muslims and Hindus closer together.

He encouraged Muslims to marry Hindu women, especially Rajputs, as he himself had done. To please the Hindus, he forbade the kill inf of cows and abolished the jizya tax and the tax on Hindu pilgrmages. The destruction of Hindu temples was made a crime, and many Hindus were given very high positions in the government and army. This friendly attitude convinced many Raput princes to join him and become senior officials and generals in his empire. Ins some places, however, the Hindus had so much power that they began to persecute the Muslims.

Many Muslims felt that they were being unfairly treated. In order to please them, Akbar tried to stop the Hindu practices of suttee and child marriage. He also banned other Hindu practices like the killing of baby girls and discouraged animal sacrifices.

Divine Faith

In Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar had a Hall of Worship where he met Muslim scholar to discuss the Islamic faith and the Quran. Later, scholars religions leaders of other religions -- Hinduism, Jainism, Christianity and Zoroatrianism -- were invited to join the discussions. Akbar felt that all religions were really trying to achieve the same end for heir followers -- to reach paradise and bring about communion with God. It was just that they had different ways of going about it.

In 1582 Akbar began a new religion, Din-i-Ilahi, which he said contained the best teaching of all the other religions. Allah, the Prophet (PBUH) and the Quran were still the foundation of the new faith, but Akbar said he was Allah's representative on earth. As Allah's representative, people of all ranks had to bow down to the ground before him. Naturally, all of this made Muslims very angry because according to Islam people should bow down only before Allah. Only a few courtiers joined Akbar's new religion. He himself returned to Islam about ten years later.

Video showing Akbar's Reforms/Akbar's Din-i-Ellahi.

Dear Students you will find the video on right hand side....showing Akbar's palace that he made at Fatehpur Sikri. It was here he had a new religion made which shows his tolerance towards other religions.

http://www.pbs.org/thestoryofindia/gallery/photos/15.html#fatehpur_sikri_video

Date: 6^th Feb.- 10^th Feb. 2012 

 C.W.

Q1. How was Akbar able to achieve a better, richer and a just empire?

Q2. Describe Mansabdari system of Akbar.

Q3. How did Akbar control the law and order situation of his empire?

H.W. Read Akbar’s Reforms page 83.

Extension task:

Q4. What steps were taken by Akbar to bring reform in tax collection?

Q5. Fill in the blanks:

i)         Akbar realized that differences in ----------------- may cause problem in his ----------.

ii)       Akbar himself married a Hindu ----------- woman to show ------------ towards Hindus.

iii)      To please the Hindus he forbade killing of ---------- and abolished -------------.

iv)     ------------- is a Hindu ----------------- in which a woman has to die with her dead husband.

v)       Akbar divided his empire into 15 ------------------- and appointed a ------------- in each.

Written task will be given having following questions.

C.W.

Q1 and Q5 on page 65 of the textbook.

H.W.

Read Chapter “So where is everyone?”

Extension task:

Q2 on page 65 of the textbook

Date: 13^th Feb.- 17^th Feb. 2012 
Written task: -
History.

C.W.

Q1. Akbar’s religious matters were very controversial, discuss.

Q2. Describe divine faith of Akbar?

Q3. How did Din-e-llahi become a negative aspect of Akbar’s reform?

Q4. Describe picture given on (page 83)

No H.W.  due to 1^st Assessment 2^nd Term.

Geography.

C.W: Q1,Q2,Q3 andQ4 on page 67 of the textbook will be given for class work.

Worksheet on Razia Sultana and links about rain forests by Ms Sumbul Faheem

Following are links for online games and other interesting activities.

http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/kids/visits

http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/kids/games

http://www.rainforestfoundationuk.org/Kids

http://www.kidssavingtherainforest.org/main.html

Razia Sultana - Worksheet. (Courtesy Ms Sumbul Faheem)

Daughter of Iltutmush, Razia Sultana was the first female Muslim ruler of South Asia. She was a talented, wise, just and generous woman. She was a great administrator and was well versed in governmental affairs. She was not only a good leader in the battlefield but herself was also an excellent fighter. As the most capable son of Iltutmush died during his own life, and the rest were incompetent to govern, Iltutmush nominated his daughter, Razia Sultana, as his successor on the throne of Delhi. Whenever Iltutmush had to leave his capital, he used to leave Razia Sultana in charge of the affairs in Delhi.

Razia Sultana established complete law and order in her country. To rule the country, she abandoned her femininity and adopted a masculine getup. She used to dress as a man when appearing in public, be it in court or on the battlefield.

The Turkish nobles resented having a woman as their ruler. They began conspiring against her. She was defeated by the Turkish nobles and was compelled to flee away. A peasant who had offered her food and shelter while fleeing from an encounter killed her in her sleep. She died in 1240.

Answer the following questions:

1- Who was Razia Sultana?

2- Why did Iltutmish choose her as his heir?

3- What are her best qualities as a ruler?

4- Why did the Turkish nobles rebel against Razia?

Social Studies 1st Assessment 2nd Term Syllabus. February, 2012

History
1. Mehmud of Ghazni.
2. Ghauris and the slave king dynasty.

Geography
1. Introducing ecosystems.
2. Earth's main ecosystems.
3. The tropical rainforests.

 Dear Students......... Wish you success!!!....:)
02.02.2012

The Early Mughals and Bairam Khan.

Babur's empire

Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur founded the Mughal Empire in India after defeating Ibrahim Lodhi in the Battle of Panipat in 1526.

At the age of 14, Babur ascended the throne of the Central Asian kingdom of Farghana. His greatest ambition was to rule Samarkand. He fought many battles in the pursuit of this goal, winning and losing his kingdom many times in the process. In 1504, he ventured into what is now Afghanistan and conquered Kabul.

His position in Central Asia was precarious at best. In order to consolidate his rule, he invaded India five times, crossing the River Indus each time. The fifth expedition resulted in his encounter with Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat in April 1526. Babur's army was better equipped than Lodhi's; he had guns while the sultan relied on elephants. The most successful of Babur's innovations was the introduction of gunpowder, which had never been used before in the Sub-continent. This combined with Babur's newer tactics gave him a greater advantage. Babur's strategy won the war and Ibrahim Lodhi died fighting.

Panipat was merely the beginning of the Mughal rule. Akbar laid its real foundation in 1556. At the time of the battle of Panipat, the political power in India was shared by the Afghans and the Rajputs. After Panipat, the Hindu princes united under Rana Sanga, the Raja of Mewar, resulting in a sizable force. Babur's army showed signs of panic at the size of the huge opposing army. To prevent his forces retreat, Babur tried to instill confidence in his soldiers by breaking all his drinking cups and vessels, and vowed never to drink again if he won. His soldiers took heart, and when the armies met in the battle at Kanwaha, near Agra on March 16, 1527, Babur was able to win decisively. Kanwaha confirmed and completed Babur's victory at Panipat. Babur thus became the king of Central India.

Map showing Babar's Empire

The foundations of Mughal art were laid by Humayun

Emperor Humayun

Babur was succeeded by his eldest son Humayun. Humayun failed in asserting a strong monarchical authority. He inherited a freshly won empire with a host of troubles; the Afghan nobles, the Rajputs and worst of all, his three treacherous brothers. They caused numerous problems for him. Following his father's advice, Humayun treated his brothers kindly and appointed them to high positions. Kamran was appointed as the Governor of Kabul, Kandhar and later even Punjab. Askari was the Governor of Sambhal, and Hindal the Governor of Alwar. In return, his brothers hindered him at every step and betrayed him in his hour of need. All of them coveted the throne. This was a curse that each successful Mughal king had to deal with. Humayun almost lost the empire his father had fought so hard to bequeath him. In the first ten years of his rule, he faced so many challenges not only from his younger brothers but also from the Afghan General Sher Shah Suri who had served under Babur. Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun in the battles of Chausa and Kanauj in 1540. This defeat was the first setback to the infant Mughal Empire. He lived the next 15 years of his life, from 1540 to 1555, self-exiled in Persia. Later on, with the help of the King of Persia, he captured Kabul and Kandhar. He was finally able to re-ascend the throne at Delhi and Agra after defeating Sikandar Suri. After recovering his throne, Humayun devoted himself to the affairs of the kingdom and towards improving the system of government. He laid the foundation of the Mughal style of painting. Later on, during the reign of Akbar, a fusion of Persian and Indian style of painting took place.

Unfortunately, after recovering his empire, Humayun was not destined to rule for long. In January 1556, he met his tragic end by slipping from the famous building known as Din Panah. After him his eldest son Akbar took over the rule of the empire.

Bairam Khan was an extraordinary military general who served for Mughal emperors Humayun and his son Akbar and had great contributions in expanding their kingdom. Bairam led Akbar to his victory against Hemu in the second battle of Panipat. As an able regent, he guided Akbar during hostile situations. Bairam was loyal to the Mughal Empire until Akbar came close to his nurse Mahan Anga's that developed differences between the two. 

When Humayun got the news about Islam Shahs death, he became enthusiastic to invade India. At this point of time, Bairam Khan came to his aid. Punjab was conquered, the Afghans were defeated and Delhi was captured without any oppositions. Bairam's contribution was immense as the Mughal Empire again rose to glory. Humayun died when Akbar was only fourteen years old and Bairam took the responsibility to guide Akbar. Under his care, Akbar consolidated the shaken Mughal kingdom, into a vast empire. The Afghan army under Hemu Vikramaditya captured Agra and Delhi but Akbar's army led by Bairam defeated Hemu in the second battle of Panipat (1556) and recaptured the lost territories. 

Akbar's nurse Mahan Anga had other ideas. She, along with his son Adham Khan hoped to rule herself. She forced Akbar to remove Bairam who in any way had grown old. Akbar was influenced and he arranged an excursion for Bairam to go on Hajj to Mecca. Bairam left for Mecca but on his way was met by an army sent by Adham Khan, which as per say was sent to escort him from the Mughal territories. Bairam felt humiliated and led an attack against the forces. Bairam was imprisoned and brought to the court of Akbar. Instead of disrespect, Akbar offered respect and honor and funded his proper excursion to Mecca. However destiny had other plans for Bairam, when he reached the port city of Cambay he was stabbed to death by a Afghan, whose father had been killed five years ago in a battle let by Bairam. Bairam died on January 31, 1561. 

Video about Bairam Khan...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRMss-T0v9Y


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boUTKMd6WD4&feature=related

Savanna Biome

Savanna Biome

A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that thecanopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.^[1] Some classification systems^[which?] also recognize a grassland savanna from which trees are absent.^[2] This article deals only with savanna under the common definition of a grassy woodland with a significant woody plant component.

It is often believed that savannas feature widely spaced, scattered trees. However, in many savannas, tree densities are higher and trees are more regularly spaced than in forest. Savannas are also characterized by seasonal water availability, with the majority of rainfall confined to one season. Savannas are associated with several types of biomes. Savannas are frequently in a transitional zone betweenforest and desert or prairie. Savanna covers approximately 20% of the Earth's land area. The largest area of savanna is in Africa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tuk-JW-wng0&feature=related

Baobab tree in Savanna

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9V9bVEDSVs&feature=related

Acacia Tree and Girrafe

PASTORALISTS AND THEIR LIFE

Who are pastoralists?

Pastoralists are people who depend for their living primarily on livestock. They inhabit those parts of the world where the potential for crop cultivation is limited due to lack of rainfall, steep terrain or extreme temperatures. In order to optimally exploit the meager and seasonally variable resources of their environment and to provide food and water for their animals, many pastoralists are nomadic or semi-nomadic.

The type of livestock pastoralists keep varies according to area, and includes sheep, goats, cattle and camels, but also yaks and horses in Central Asia, buffalo in South Asia, llamas and alpacas in South America, and reindeer in the Palearctic region. An important characteristic of pastoralists is their close relationship with their animals. The identity of pastoralists is based on the close association with their livestock that forms a key component of their social and ritual life. By keeping animals under conditions that are close to the wild, but giving them the benefit of protection and health care, pastoralists represent a cultural counterpoint to industrialized animal production in the west.

There is no reliable information available on the number of pastoralists worldwide. According to one estimate, there are around 17.3 million pastoralists in Africa, 3.4 million in the Middle East and South Asia and no more than 2 million in Central Asia (Sandford, 1983).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tNX4wgm0bc

Deforestation is increasing/Savanna/Sher Shah Suri and Humayun

 Pakistan has highest deforestation rate in Asia
COMMEMORATED every year on June 5, since 1972, the World Environment Day is a principal vehicle through which the awareness of the environment is stimulated across the world.

It was started by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 and is hosted every year by different countries with a different theme. It was the first occasion on which the political, social and economic problems of the global environment were discussed at an intergovernmental forum with a view to actually taking corrective action.

The World Environment Day is an opportunity for us all to be involved in something which is critical for our shared future and work in a coordinated manner to empower us all to play an active role in protecting our environment.

The theme of the World Environment Day 2011, in support of the UN International Year of Forests (IYF), is “Forests: Nature at Your Service” a theme that encompasses the issues of deforestation and need to protect green spaces. It also underscores the variety of life-sustaining services that forests provide and calls for action to protect these resources and move towards a green economy. 

The environment day is observed every year to highlight troubles and issues pertaining the environment, and how issues like poverty, economy and health are essentially linked to environmental degradation. This year’s theme, forests, harbours the world’s most precious natural resources and communities. These resources are utilised in food, agriculture, medicine, clothing and much more, hence making them a critically important link in the environmental chain. 

Pakistan has only 2.5 percent of forest cover with an alarming rate of deforestation. The annual rate of deforestation in Pakistan is -2.1 percent, no Asian country has a forest degradation rate higher than this. 

The largest conversions of forest land have taken place in Punjab and Sindh, corresponding to 99,711 acres and 27,874 acres respectively and this is distressing as the government continues with deforestation.

Forests are important in the fight against greenhouse gasses which are impacting climate change. They absorb water and ensure that it is filtered, sustained, and gradually available for consumption. Their degradation does not only impact forest cover ratio of a country, it also leads to real life problems such as soil erosion, damaged watershed areas, leading to pollution in water bodies and endangering water availability in the long term.

A senior lawyer and president of ECO Green Society, Akhtar H Awan, said that he believed that environmental development was one of the key pillars that would achieve sustainability for future generations. He said that the need of the hour was to formulate policies and strategies aiming at sustainable forestry development by adopting holistic and integrated approach to manage forests’ resources.

Forests cover one third of the earth’s land mass, performing vital functions and services around the world which make our planet alive with possibilities. In fact, 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their livelihoods. 

Pakistan being in a region of mountains and glaciatic landscape is more susceptible to climatic changes, obvious examples regarding the fact are the intermittent flash floods and harsh weather conditions, to which forests are the keys to cope with these issues. 

Video showing deforestation in Amazon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COdc_d63t94

Deforestation in Pakistan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXAM2D3GXMY
 Courtesy: www.youtube.com

Class VII
The Early Mughals
Savanna
Date: 30^th Jan.-3^rd Feb. 2012  

The Early Mughals (Worksheet)

C.W.

Q1. Illustrate and write a detailed account of battle of Panipat?

Q2. What was Babur’s will and how was it helpful for the coming rulers?

Q3. Describe Humayun’s personality as a ruler.

Q4. Who was Bairam Khan? What is his contribution in the History of Mughals?

Q5. What are the achievements of Sher Shah Suri?

Extension task: -

Q6. Bairam Khan helped Akbar in getting a strong foot-hold in the Subcontinent. Justify.

H.W.

Read Chapter “Akbar’s Reforms”

Humayun in exile.

·         The Mughal domain came under the control of one of those nobles, Farid Khan Suri, who assumed the regional name of Sher Shah Suri. Humayun would spend the next 15 years in exile in Sind, Iran, and then Afghanistan.

·         During this exile, Humayun's Persian wife, Hamida Begum, a native of Turbat-I Shaykh Jam in Khurasan, gave birth to the future emperor Akbar.

·         After Sher Shah's death on 1545 AD, the kingdom survived for about nine years in the hands of his son, Islam Shah. But Islam Shah's unconciliatory nature alienated many Afghan chieftains.

·         Eventually, the squabbling for succession among Sher Shah's followers allowed Humayun and the Mughals to return to power in 1555 Iran's Shah Tahmasb (1524-76) had provided Humayun with the necessary troops to recapture Kandahar and then Kabul. Unfortunately, less than a year after regaining power, Humayun died unexpectedly at the age of 48 when he fell down the steps of his library with a handful of books while in his haste to obey the muezzin’s call to prayer on 27 January 1556.

Sher Shah Suri

• Sher Shah Suri was born as Farid Khan and took the name Sher Khan (the Lion King).
• Sher Shah Suri  was a brilliant strategist and proved himself as a gifted administrator and an able commander.
• He built the Grand Trunk Road (Sadak-i-Azam), and a network of caravanserais (inns) for travellers.
• He also planted trees and dug wells. Sher Shah introduced a silver coin rupee called rupiya , as a standard mode of exchange His government also minted gold coins called mohur and copper coins called dam . Sher Shah Suri died from a gunpowder explosion during the siege of Kalinjar fort on May 22, 1545 fighting against the Chandel Rajputs.