International School Link – India
Crossdale Primary School is pleased to announce an ‘International Schools Link’ with a partner school in southern India.
Over the past few months Mr. Mate has been working extremely hard in establishing an international school link and with the continued help and support of Mr. Cresswell together with other outside agencies, mainly Anna Disney we are pleased to provide the children and staff of Crossdale this wonderful opportunity to learn more about the wider world.
The International school partnership will benefit the pupils and staff of the whole school through collaboration and communication with learners of a different culture and their outlook. This can enhance language learning, but much more besides, including citizenship, history and geography — all of which benefit from a global dimension and better understanding of diversity.
More importantly, a sustained and committed school link can help pull together the identity and enhance the ethos of the school.
We hope the partnership will promote a forward-thinking approach in both school by encouraging reflection and discussion. It can be used to tackle particular areas that need focus and improvement in the schools, or to celebrate what is best about the school and to share and showcase it to greater effect to a partner school.
You can access plenty more information through the school’s learning platform Fronter https://nottsslp.org.uk/
India
The Flag of India
Facts about India
India lies in south Asia, between Pakistan, China and Nepal. To the north it is bordered by the world’s highest mountain chain, the Himalayas.
The capital city of India is New Delhi, and the country’s largest cities are Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Delhi, and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).
India is the seventh largest country in the world.
India’s population is one billion making it the second most populous country after China.
India is the largest democracy (Government by the people, like the UK is) in the world.
India is mainly an agricultural country, though it also has a large iron and steel industry and produces every type of manufactured goods.
India is in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
Geographic coordinates: 20 00 N, 77 00 E
Area:
- total: 3,287,590 sq km
- land: 2,973,190 sq km
- water: 314,400 sq km
Capital City: New Delhi
About 13 million people live in the capital, New Delhi.
Population: 1,065,070,607 (July 2004 est.)
India’s population is one billion (one thousand million), making it the second most populous country after China. It is more than three times the population of the United States though its area is only about one-third.
Languages:
17 major languages, 844 dialects
Main languages in India
Religion:
The two main religions are Hinduism (80%) and the Muslim religion (10%) but there are also small numbers of Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs, Parsees and Jains.
Climate:
The Climate in India varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north.
Government:
Federal republic
Head of State:
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
As you can see from the information above India is a huge country, not only in size but also population.
Our partner school is just a small part of the big picture.
Our school will be based in the Kerala district of India, which is right down in the south west part of the country. Here are some facts about Kelara and it’s location.
We will be linked with the Kerala district of India
Kerala
The flag of Kerala ( half white, half red)
Facts about Kerala
Kerala is a small state tucked away in the southwest corner of India. It represents only 1.18 per cent of the total area of India but 3.43 percent of the population of the country.
Area: 38,863 sq km
Population: 31.8 million.
Languages: Malayalam, Hindi, English
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Literacy Rate (2001): 90.92%
About Kerala Crops: Kerala is a major producer of coconut, rubber, pepper, cardamom, ginger, cocoa, cashew, coffee, and tea. Tree spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves etc., are also cultivated. Rice and tapioca are important food crops.
About Kerala Industries: Coir products, marine products, handloom industry, Khadi and village industry which produce Khadi, fiber, pottery, lime, paper, matches, cane and bamboo.
About Kerala Tourism: Tourism is a very important industry in Kerala. Every year significant numbers of tourists travel to Kerala, to see its beautiful, beaches, backwaters, hills, wildlife and cultural attractions. Tourism provides employment for a large number of local people and sustainable tourism practices ensures that Kerala’s natural beauty will be conserved for future generations.
About Kerala Airports: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, Nedumpassery International Airport (Kochi) and Karipur Airport (Kozhikode) provide entry points for tourists, who wish to travel to Kerala, India.
About Kerala Festivals: Thrissur Pooram, Onam, Pongal, Jagannatha Festival, Oachira Kettukazcha.
About Kerala Legends: According to a legend the state of Kerala came up from beneath the sea, when the warrior sage Parashurama threw his axe here. The scriptures say that, Parashurama appealed to the gods to atone him from his previous sins, and he received two boons, from Varuna, the God of the Oceans and Bhumidevi, the Goddess of earth. He proceeded to Kanyakumari, and threw his axe northwards, and the land that rose from the sea where the axe fell was called the land of Parashurama. Another theory suggests that the enormous amount of silt that the rivers of Kerala deposit from the hills to the sea is washed up to the shore.
Modern Kerala was created in 1956 when all the states were reorganized along linguistic lines. It became the first state in the world to democratically elect a Marxist government in 1957.
Agriculture contributes most to the state’s income in the primary sector. Kerala’s major sources of exports are agro-based like coir and cashew as well as marine products and manpower. In spices, pepper is the single most important product, with Kerala being the largest producer and exporter of black pepper. Cardamom and ginger are also exported.
About Kerala Art, Culture and Festivals
Kathakali is a classical dance form of Kerala characterized by elaborate costume and ritual performances of stories from the epics.
Kalaripayattu is the traditional martial art form of Kerala.
Pooram is the great elephant pageant typical of certain temples in Kerala. Bejewelled tuskers numbering ten to hundred, line up for this exotic spectacle with mahouts sitting atop them. The temple festival is now a popular tourist attraction and many elephant lovers travel to Kerala, India, to see this magnificent sight.
Theyyam is an ancient dance form of Kerala, characterized by its colorful costume and trance like performances, performed only by men.
Mohiniattam or the “dance of the celestial enchantress” is the classical dance form of Kerala, performed by women. It is characterized by graceful movements and facial expressions.
Onam is an important festival in Kerala. Malayalis welcome the mythical King Mahabali with floral decorations and an annual feast on this day. The Onam festival has become a popular attraction and many tourists travel to Kerala, India, during Onam to see the state at its festive best.
The Nehru Trophy Boat Race is held in a backwater off the canal town of Alleppey on the second Saturday of August. Snake boats, rowed by teams of rowers, vie with each other to win the annual prize. This event has become a popular attraction and many tourists travel to Kerala, India, to see the swift snake boats of Alleppey race against each other.
Weather in Kerala
What life is like in India?
The Indian Flag
Above is a picture of the Indian flag as we know it today.
It has been this way since 1947 when India become a country in it’s own right. Before this India was part of the huge British Empire.
Map of the British Empire.
After 1947 India became an independent country and began to adopt it’s very own flag.
The Indian flag is now a horizontal tricolour, which is cut into equal proportions. It has deep saffron (orange) on the top, white in the middle and a very dark green on the bottom.
Each colour has a different meaning
- Saffron stands for courage and sacrafice.
- White stands for peace, unity and the truth.
- Green stands for faith and fertility.
- The Blue symbolises the sky and the ocean.
At the centre of the flag is an interesting picture of a wheel.
This wheel is called the DHARMA CHAKRA.
Above is a picture of the Dharma Chakra.
It is a 24 spoked wheel and it refers to the ‘wheel of law’.
Indian Life
Here are some links that may help to explain what life is like in Indian for many children of primary school age.
Popular Symbols of India
The National Animal of India is the Tiger
It is very well respected in India for its strength and grace, as well as its incredible power. The Indian tiger is also called the Royal Bengal Tiger. Many people regard this animal as the greatest of all.
The National Bird
The National Bird of India is the beautiful Peacock . The Peacock symbolizes grace, pride, and beauty. Peacocks are often used in Indian mythology and folk stories.
The National Fruit of India is the Mango fruit
In India there are well over 100 varieties of mangos, in a range of colours, sizes, and shapes. They are very tasty and are often used in a wide variety of different dishes.
Indian clothes
Indian clothing is very different from what we know here in Britain.
Below is are some links that might help us learn a little more about popular Indian dress.
Indian Dance
Indian Food
As you will already know Indian food is very bright colourful, spicy and diverse. It has grown in popularity over the years in Britian is fast becoming one of Britain’s favourite foods.
Below are some links that well help explain more about the wonders of Indian cuisine.
Popular features found in India
The Taj Mahal
Facts about the Taj Mahal
The Ganges
Facts about the Ganges river
The Golden Temple
The Himalayas