This activity is about the importance of free and fair competition and to establish the need for political parties.

Activity: Dum-a-dum mast kalandar

Time needed: 20 minutes

This is an activity that will test physical endurance, and perhaps even the strength of some classroom furnitur

Activity pre-preparation:

Divide the class in two halves
Each team must pick two of most physically fit candidates in their half
Teacher to keep a timer handy

Explanation:

The chosen students must come in front of the class.
Then, on the count of three, they must step on their benches and then step down, like how one might do on a staircase or on a stepper in the gym.
The teacher must count to 60 seconds. The student who can do most steps in 60 seconds from each team in the winner of the first round.
Then, repeat this exercise with the remaining students in each time but with a twist. They are supposed to raise their hands every time they climb on the bench and put them down when they get down.
The student who can do most steps in 60 seconds from each team in the winner of second round.
There is an incentive this time – the winner will get to enjoy 5-10 minutes of naptime in the class. The teacher must mention this before the contest begins.

The teacher must ask the class to cheer for the winner, then quite down and ask the following questions for discussion:

Was the contest fun?
Was the contest fair?
How do you know it was fair?
What if there was only one participant instead of four?
Did the incentive make it fun?
Did anyone cheat?
What if there were more participants?
Why is fairness in competition so important?
How can you use this analogy to describe political parties in our country?

From this activity, teachers must draw out the fact that competitions in Indian elections are not only between individuals but between parties that these individuals represent. Talk about the definition of a political party and the characteristics of a political party from here. You can distribute class handout 1 for reference.