Homeschoolers on the way to the 'Mound of the Dead'

The intrepid homeschooler explorers are on the move. Imagine the scene. On a fine weekday in January, when all kids of the world will be slumping over desks with a strong urge to sleep, our homeschoolers will embark on a great adventure. They will set off to explore the sooooo very ancient Indus Valley Civilisation. Yep, so very ancient that nobody knows exactly when the awesome Harappan people began to settle on the banks of the Indus River. Some indologists - that is the posh word for those who pretend they know all about India - speak of 5000BC or even 8000BC. That isn't all!! Our buddy experts don't even agree whether the Harappans settled first along the Indus or the Sarasvati. To please all, the ancient civilization has now been renamed the Indus- Sarasvati Valley Civilization.

Anyway, count on our intrepid homeschoolers to check this out. Be sure! Our kids are real pro when it comes to exploring.

But where on earth will our homeschoolers travel to witness the ruins of this antediluvian society? Will they go to Mohenjo- Daro or Harappa? Well, that is too deadly difficult. Besides quite a few sites are in India: Lothal, Surkotada, Rangpur, Ropar, Dholavira, Kalibangan…

On the way to those very old heaps of bricks, sand and mud (yep, in most places you actually have to go with the magnifying glass and lots of imagination to see something), our not at all faint-hearted homeschoolers will travel through terribly perilous places.

One of the most death-defying points will be the tropical dry deciduous jungles of Sasan Gir, the Asiatic lion's last refuge. Did you know? Eight thousand years ago, lions would have been more common than tigers in western India. Don't believe me? Well, it is true. Already in the Rigveda, lions were considered kings of the jungle (Panthera leo persica is actually the longest lasting dynasty that has ever ruled on earth ). And remember the Rigveda would have been written by the Harappans and not those illiterate nomadic tribes called Aryans. OK OK OK. No argument please. Will discuss later.

To reach Dholavira in Kutch, our homeschoolers, sizzling with excitement, will trudge thirstily across the vast treeless parched expanse of the Rann of Kutch. Yeah, there is no shade in that bone-dry corner of India. Be warned. The sun is strong enough to burn you to a crisp, fry your brain and toast your toes!

In Kutch, our hardy homeschoolers with survival skills second to none will also visit Goshalas where they will get to see what real bull-heads are. Yep, Gujarat has one of India's most outstanding breed of cattle: the Kankrej. And guess what? The ox shown on the Harappan seal is some sort of Kankrej. By the way, are you brave enough to sneak a closer look? Not of the seal, of the BULL!!!

Sorry, I got carried away. Which is actually good for you as I am sure you got to learn plenty!!!???

Anyway, before our intrepid homeschoolers set off on their awesome adventure, they will have classes during which they will study, I mean unstudy, all there is to unlearn about the Indus Valley Civilization.

For the PRO program, see you later.

One more teeny thing, don't forget to check this link and get your first feel of the most ancient civilized civilization that has ever existed on earth.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/indusvalley/


Muriel Kakani