Page 70 - SST Class 04

India : Life in

16
Northern Plains

Northern Plains and I

The northern plains have a great impact on the life of all Indians because plains have led to

dense population, intensive agriculture, large industries and a wide network of roads and
railways. Before proceeding further, read again Lesson 3 : The Great Northern Plains in this
book.

The northern plains are fertile with abundant water resources, so they are thickly
populated. The lifestyle of people here varies from region to region. These plains
extend over the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam
and Tripura and the union territories of Delhi and Chandigarh.

Punjab

Punjab, with its capital at Chandigarh, is a prosperous state. Owing to three major
rivers (Sutlej, Beas and Ravi) and canals, the people of Punjab are mainly engaged in
agriculture. The important crops grown here are wheat, sugarcane and rice. Scientific
and modern farming implements are used for farming. Amritsar and Jalandhar are

places of tourist interest. The Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh are well-known for
their historical heritage.

The people of Punjab are hard working. Men wear dhoti-
kurta-turban while women wear salwar-kameej-dupatta .
Other dresses are also popular. Punjabi is spoken widely but
English and Hindi are also well understood. Two popular folk
dances of this state are Bhangra and Gidda . Wheat is the staple
diet. Many of Punjab’s dishes are popular all over India, such
,
as sarson-da-sag makke-di-roti and chhole-bhature .
Jalliawala Bagh
Haryana

Haryana is a small but rich state. It shares its capital Chandigarh with Punjab.

70 Contemporary Social Science-4