Q: What did Maniya Chacha say about the importance of education?
A: He explained that forests are being destroyed because of mines and dams, and that education would help in understanding the laws and possibly saving the forests.
Q: What is the ‘Cheraw’ dance?
A: It is a traditional dance in which people sit in pairs on the ground holding bamboo sticks, beating them while the dancers step in and out to the beat of the drums.
Q: How does the village council in Mizoram distribute land for farming?
A: They use a lottery system, where families take turns choosing how much land they want to farm, as the land belongs to the entire village.
Q: What happened after Shambhu Contractor came to the forest?
A: After the contractor came, the villagers were not allowed to pluck even a single leaf from the forest.
Q: What work did Suryamani do with Vasavi Didi?
Answer: She joined the Jharkhand Jungle Bachao Andolan along with Vasavi Didi, who was a journalist.
Question: What concerns did Sikhya raise in her letter to the Chief Minister of Odisha?
Answer: She raised concerns about development projects like dams and factories, which are destroying forests, affecting tribal livelihoods and displacing both people and animals.
Question: How do people in Mizoram transport their rice crop after harvesting?
Answer: With no roads and only hilly paths available, people have to carry their crop on their backs, which takes several weeks.
Question: What is special about education in Mizoram?
Answer: Despite difficult living conditions, almost all children in Mizoram go to school.
Question: What does Suryamani mean when she says “If the forests don’t exist, we won’t exist either”?
Answer: It means that the lives of forest dwellers (tribals) are deeply intertwined with forests for their survival, livelihood and cultural identity.
Question: How do people of Mizoram celebrate after the farm work is over?
Answer: The whole village celebrates by cooking, eating, singing and dancing, including their special ‘Cheraw’ dance.
