A STUDENT’S REFLECTION ON FIELD TRIP – GRADE 6

We, the 6^th graders, went on a field trip to the Birla Archaeological & Cultural Research Institute, Hyderabad, to gain first-hand information on our ongoing POI Topic, Ancient Civilizations. The museum indeed gave us hands-on knowledge of the world of archaeology.

The students of E, F, G and H sections assembled on the morning of the big day, bubbling with excitement and enthusiasm. You could feel the excitement in the air as we settled in our buses for the half-hour ride to the museum.

Upon reaching, we were shown into the archaeology section on the ground floor. It had sculptures and statues from various ancient sites including the Jain Stupa in Guntur. The intricate designs and shapes of the pieces took our breath away. Each sculpture told its own story- of what it depicted, where it had come from, who made it and when. It helped us realize the importance of learning about past occurrences and lives, civilizations and systems- and archaeology itself.

Beyond this were the tools, books, manuscripts and weapons that had been excavated or donated from other royal homes and residences across the country. The weapons were of various kinds- from sharp steel daggers to round, intricately wrought shields, they were all enough to make us gasp in wonder. The books and manuscripts varied in their languages, the places they had come from and the material they were written on. There were also different Tribal artifacts, which ranged from metal figurines of human beings to  statues of animals that looked as though they were about to come to life any moment.

The collections also included some beautiful glass, crystal and precious stone sculptures, all as delicate and breathtaking as the next.  The china figurines of different people in various poses were very interesting and their delicate workmanship was indeed praiseworthy.

We journeyed on to the Dinosaurium on the top floor of the Institute, where dinosaur fossils as tall as trees, to snail fossils as small as palms all awaited us.

At last our adventure was over and we trooped back to the buses, exhausted but satisfied and happy with the research we had done.

We are deeply thankful to all the teachers and coordinator ma’am for this amazing opportunity to view archaeology and ancient civilizations in person.

Devanshika Bajpai, VI H.