13 January 2020/Class 2/Ms.Malvika
We discussed Chalcolithic period (8000 to 1500 B.C.) in India (Malwa, Jorwe and the Indus valley Civilization). Malwa is present day Rajasthan, Jorwe is in Maharashtra.
We started discussing what we know about the Indus Valley Civilization since it was the most familiar one. Harappa and Mohenjodaro were two major sites which helped us establish what the civilization was.
The cities were planned properly (drainage system, Great Bath, agriculture practices), there were pictorial representations of their activities, they had seals made out of copper and terracotta, they had an established economy (Barter System), objects found there were made for multiple uses utility (utensils), toys (entertainment), jewellery (luxury), they used to worship one Mother Goddess (Nature).
Objects of need also became objects of art, people moved on from using looking at objects to fulfill basic utilities for satisfying their needs to luxury items (jewellery) or for use of entertainment (toys) and décor (pottery).
Before moving to other settlements, we tried defining what a settlement is and how they come into existence.
They tend to settle near water because it provides well, water, the riverbed is fertile, making it suitable for agriculture, animals always come near water bodies which makes it easier to hunt. These settlements establish an economy which was barter system in those times to carry on with their daily transactions.
Malwa had pottery/ copper utensils with unique motifs which was something traded between settlements. It also had a separate area of living which meant there was a social hierarchy among the residents.
There were also granaries in those settlements meaning there was an abundance of crops. Grains were stored as contingency for natural calamities, famine or other unseen events.
*There are traces of grains left on the utensils which were used which helped determine what grains the residents used to consume.
*Seals were signs of a hierarchy, cult following or helped distinguish a certain group of people from others.
*Burial rituals- The feet of the deceased were cut off and the body was kept in an urn and the urn was buried under the family’s residence. They believed in afterlife because the bodies were buried with objects of daily use.
The concept of Mother Goddess struck out to me. People believed that they owe everything they had, including their life, to nature and hence had a great respect for the resources around them. Even in modern times we have shifted to following religions instead of individual deities we still use the concept of religion to keep people in check.
My building has pictures of Hindu Gods and Goddesses adorning the walls to avoid people from spitting and it works brilliantly. A few years ago, when there were awareness drives across the country about biodegradable Ganpati Statues, a lot of campaigns expressed how important it is to preserve marine life and how the statues cause harm to the ecosystem. One of the campaigns posted pictures of broken pieces of Ganpati statue washed up ashore and asked people if this is how they want to see their God. I am not aware of the laws surrounding this and it may not have been a very crucial move in shifting to eco-friendly statues, but it made an impact.
We can really promote saving the environment and sustainability as more of a spiritual and religious journey and it may help us out with our current state.
My Odyssey 