Class 9 English · Original EZT practice
Winds of Change (Class 9 English Chapter 3): the pankha's story
The word punkha comes from 'pankh', the feather of a bird - and for centuries the hand fan cooled deities in temples and kings in royal courts, before becoming a cultural good carried along trade routes. Each region of India shaped its own pankha from local materials, from Rajasthan's applique and zardozi fans to Bengal's milky-white sola fans. Today the craft risks fading, kept alive as a source of livelihood for artisans. This page gives a summary, themes and practice questions. (Note: this is original practice, not a textbook exercise key.)
6 original worked examples, 6 fresh self-check questions and 4 mixed questions, with explained answers. These are not copied textbook exercises, an official chapter index or a full answer key. No affiliation with NCERT is claimed.
Official sources for topic and edition context, checked 23 October 2026:
1. Summary - from pankh to pankha: the fan in ancient India
'Pankha' refers to all fans, while 'pankhi' denotes a small plumed fan used in ancient India; evidence of pankhis appears in the Buddhist wall paintings at Ajanta, which date back to the 2nd century CE. Fans served in temples to fan deities and in royal courts to fan kings, and their size ranged from a tiny two-inch fan to large ones needing a person's full arm strength.
2. Summary - one craft, many regions
As pankhas travelled trade routes as exotic, stylish goods, each region developed its own variety from local materials - bamboo, cane, palm leaf, silk, brass, leather and silver, with decorative beads and stones. Rajasthan offers applique, zardozi, engraved-brass temple fans and painted cardboard fans for gods; Gujarat makes cotton mirror-work fans, bead fans with silver handles and Kutch's hand-stitched leather fans; Bengal crafts delicate sola fans and the ever-present Tal Patar Pankha of palm leaf; Uttar Pradesh has Phadh fans with gold and silver zari, Odisha large palm-leaf fans, and Bihar sturdy bamboo fans - while tribal makers work grass, metal, cane and palm into geometric patterns of white ink on red.
3. Summary - a craft at risk and its preservation
With the advent of technology, the culture of pankhas runs the risk of slowly losing its presence among Indians; once made for personal use, the craft has become a commercial business providing livelihood to artisans. The chapter argues that celebrating pankhas - through workshops within and outside handicraft exhibitions - spreads awareness, gives makers a platform, and keeps the tradition alive.
4. Theme - why the title is Winds of Change
The pankha literally moves air, and the chapter traces the changes sweeping through the fan's history - from sacred and royal use to regional craft, from personal use to commercial livelihood, and finally to a tradition fighting for survival. The 'winds' are both the fan's breeze and the forces of change acting on the craft, so the title captures the essay's essence in a single image.
Choose, solve, check, then try a fresh question.
Before calculating, read the method prompt and name the condition that makes it useful. Write your own attempt. Open the steps only when you need them, and use the check to catch a wrong sign, unit or interpretation. Finish with the fresh question before reading its answer.
Find the ancient evidence
Choose the method: Paintings, carvings and texts.
EZT practice question
How do we know that hand fans were used in ancient India?
Show the worked solution
- Representations of the pankhi survive in the Buddhist wall paintings at Ajanta, which date back to the 2nd century CE.
- Other images of the punkha appear in embroidery work, sculptures, and carvings.
- Texts and art together place the fan in temples and royal courts well over a thousand years ago.
Answer: Pankhis appear in the Buddhist wall paintings at Ajanta dating to the 2nd century CE, and punkhas also figure in embroidery, sculptures and carvings - evidence that the fan has been used in India for well over a thousand years.
Check: The evidence is archaeological and artistic, not just literary - objects and images, not only words.
Watch for this: Do not credit Ajanta's paintings to a later period - the chapter dates them to the 2nd century CE.
Now try it yourself
Where were pankhas used in ancient times?
Check your answer
In temples to fan deities and in royal courts to fan kings.
Sacred and royal use shows the fan's high status before it became a craft object.
Trace the word
Choose the method: From feather to fan.
EZT practice question
What is the origin of the word punkha, and how does pankhi differ from pankha?
Show the worked solution
- The word punkha, or pankha, originates from 'pankh', which means the feather of a bird.
- Pankha is used to refer to all fans.
- Pankhi denotes a small plumed fan used in ancient India.
Answer: Punkha comes from 'pankh', meaning a bird's feather; pankha is the general word for all fans, while pankhi names the small plumed fan of ancient India.
Check: The very word carries the craft's origin - the first fans were feathers.
Watch for this: Do not swap the two terms - pankhi is the small ancient plumed fan, pankha the umbrella term.
Now try it yourself
What range of sizes did pankhas come in?
Check your answer
From a tiny two-inch fan to large ones requiring a person's full arm strength to move them.
The size range shows fans served both personal and ceremonial needs.
Link craft to region
Choose the method: Materials tell you the place.
EZT practice question
How does the structure of a pankha reflect the cultural core of its region?
Show the worked solution
- Each region builds its fan from its own materials - bamboo, cane, palm leaf, silk, brass, leather and silver, decorated with beads and stones.
- Rajasthan sews fabric pieces in applique and glittering zardozi gold threadwork; Gujarat uses mirror work on cotton and bead craft; Kutch stitches leather with thread and wool.
- Bengal shapes the spongy milky-white centre of the sola plant into delicate fans.
Answer: Each region makes its fan from local materials and its own craft tradition - applique and zardozi in Rajasthan, mirror work and beads in Gujarat, stitched leather in Kutch, sola pith in Bengal - so the fan's very structure tells you where it was made.
Check: A pankha is a map of its region: materials, stitches and motifs all point home.
Watch for this: Do not treat the regional varieties as interchangeable - the chapter's point is that each is distinct.
Now try it yourself
What is special about Gujarat's and Kutch's hand fans?
Check your answer
Gujarat makes elegant pure-cotton fans with mirror work and bead fans with silver handles; Kutch is known for hand-stitched leather fans decorated with thread and wool at the seams.
Both reuse crafts the regions are already famous for.
List Rajasthan's varieties
Choose the method: Four fans, one state.
EZT practice question
Name the four Rajasthani pankha varieties the chapter describes.
Show the worked solution
- The applique hand fan sews pieces of fabric into patterns.
- The zardozi hand fan glitters with gold threadwork.
- Engraved-brass temple hand fans carry long handles for fanning deities, and the painted cardboard pankha is offered to gods.
Answer: The applique hand fan, the zardozi hand fan with gold threadwork, engraved-brass temple hand fans with long handles, and the painted cardboard pankha offered to gods.
Check: Two are fabric crafts, one is metalwork for temples, one is painted cardboard for worship - variety within one state.
Watch for this: Do not list mirror work under Rajasthan - mirror-work cotton fans belong to Gujarat.
Now try it yourself
What are Bengal's sola pankha and Tal Patar Pankha?
Check your answer
The sola pankha is a delicate fan made from the milky-white spongy centre of the sola water grass; the Tal Patar Pankha is a palm-leaf fan kept as a permanent article of possession in Bengali households.
One is fragile art, the other an everyday fixture - two ends of one state's fan culture.
Unpack the title
Choose the method: A breeze and a metaphor.
EZT practice question
How does the title 'Winds of Change' capture the essence of the chapter?
Show the worked solution
- A pankha literally moves air - it makes wind.
- The chapter traces change across the fan's history: from temples and royal courts to regional craft, from personal use to commercial livelihood.
- The craft now fights for survival, so the 'winds' are also the forces of change acting on it.
Answer: The pankha moves air, and the chapter follows the changes sweeping through its history - sacred and royal use to regional craft, personal use to commercial livelihood, and now a struggle for survival - so the winds are both the fan's breeze and the forces changing the craft.
Check: A good title question asks for both layers: the literal breeze and the historical change.
Watch for this: Do not explain the title only as weather or politics - keep it tied to the fan and its changing fortunes.
Now try it yourself
How has the role of the pankha changed over the years?
Check your answer
It was once made for personal use, but the handicraft has transformed into a commercial business that provides some form of livelihood to India's artisans.
That shift from home use to livelihood is the change the title points to.
Chart the way forward
Choose the method: Risk, then remedy.
EZT practice question
What risk does the pankha tradition face, and what steps does the chapter suggest to preserve it?
Show the worked solution
- With time and the advent of technology, the culture of pankhas risks slowly losing its presence among Indians.
- Celebrating pankhas and appreciating their culture, stories and artistry keeps public interest alive.
- Pankha-making workshops within and outside handicraft exhibitions spread awareness and give artisans a commercial platform.
Answer: The tradition risks fading as technology replaces the hand fan; the chapter suggests celebrating pankhas and their stories and running pankha-making workshops within and outside handicraft exhibitions, which spreads awareness and supports a sustainable livelihood for artisans.
Check: Preservation here is practical - awareness plus income, not nostalgia alone.
Watch for this: Do not say the chapter wants fans to replace coolers again - it wants the craft valued and viable.
Now try it yourself
Why are workshops central to the preservation effort?
Check your answer
They spread awareness of the craft, give contemporary makers a platform to demonstrate their skill, and support the artisans' livelihood.
The chapter ends on workshops as the meeting point of culture and commerce.
Try a mixed set
Choose a method or explanation before opening each answer.
1. Origin of the word punkha?
Show answer and reason
From 'pankh', the feather of a bird.
Pankha covers all fans; pankhi is the small plumed fan.
2. Oldest evidence of pankhis?
Show answer and reason
Buddhist wall paintings at Ajanta, dating to the 2nd century CE.
Fans also appear in embroidery, sculptures and carvings.
3. Bengal's two famous fans?
Show answer and reason
The sola pankha and the Tal Patar Pankha of palm leaf.
Sola is the milky-white spongy centre of a water grass.
4. How is the craft kept alive today?
Show answer and reason
As a commercial livelihood for artisans, with workshops and exhibitions.
Celebrating pankhas spreads awareness.
Try it yourself
Work these on paper before checking any notes. Answers are deliberately not shown here.
- Name the four Rajasthani pankha varieties from the chapter.
- Explain in one sentence how a pankha shows the culture of its region.
- Give two steps the chapter suggests to preserve the pankha craft.
Know the rule but lose track of the steps?
Bring your book edition, your school topic list and a question you attempted. Ask a tutor to explain the choice of method and test it with a different problem. Agree the lesson topics, schedule and fee before starting.
For cost context, see home tuition fees in Delhi NCR. Agree the topics, schedule and fee with your chosen tutor.
Questions about this practice page
- What is Winds of Change about in Class 9 Kaveri?
- It is a non-fiction essay on India's pankha (hand-fan) tradition - its ancient origins, regional varieties, and the effort to preserve the craft as a livelihood for artisans.
- What evidence of pankhas exists from ancient India?
- Buddhist wall paintings at Ajanta dating to the 2nd century CE show pankhis (small plumed fans), and fans also appear in embroidery, sculptures, and carvings; they were used in temples for deities and in royal courts for kings.
- Which regional pankhas are described in Winds of Change?
- Rajasthan's applique, zardozi, brass temple and painted cardboard fans; Gujarat's mirror-work cotton and bead fans and Kutch's leather fans; Bengal's sola and palm-leaf Tal Patar Pankha; Uttar Pradesh's Phadh fans; Odisha's palm-leaf fans; Bihar's bamboo fans; and tribal fans of grass, cane and metal.
- Why are pankhas considered a part of culture and not just objects?
- Because each fan's structure, materials and design carry the craft tradition and identity of its region, and the pankha's history is tied to worship, royalty, trade and community livelihood.
- How can the pankha craft be preserved?
- By celebrating pankhas and the stories behind them, giving contemporary makers platforms to demonstrate their craft, and running pankha-making workshops within and outside handicraft exhibitions - which also supports a sustainable livelihood for artisans.