Bhaswati Ghosh on Pitara Kids Network

Where Did Numerals Originate?

Sun, 11 Feb 2001 13:28:15 +0000

We deal with numbers all the time. Not just while doing math lessons at school, but also while counting money at the shop, memorising the numbers of our favourite TV channels or even keeping tabs on the number of hours we spend in front of the Internet! But we are so used to numbers that it has never occurred to us to find out where these numbers come from.

For that, we must travel back in time. We must go back to 6th century India. It was around this time, that the great Indian astronomer Aryabhatta invented a set of numerals that is now used by people all over the world.

Treaty on Global Warming

Thu, 27 Jun 2002 00:48:55 +0000

In the last week of July 2001, representatives from 178 countries met in Bonn, Germany, for something that is very crucial to their future and the very survival of our planet. They signed a historic agreement that promises to fight global warming. This is the first international treaty of its kind that seeks to check the excesses of human development at the cost of the environment – and the planet itself.

Location and date marker for glacier in Jasper National Park in Canada. Clear evidence of global warming.

The very fact that the treaty has been signed despite strong opposition by the United States, the world’s greatest polluter, represents a triumph of will. The feeling that it is now or never is what gave the decisive push toward the signing of the treaty.

Toddler teacher in UK

Sun, 27 Mar 2005 16:55:35 +0000

August 26: At a a supermarket in County Durham, England, the workers are getting ready for some lessons in sign language so as to better communicate with deaf customers. And the prospective students are only too eager to meet their teacher. For in this case, Madame Diana Graham, all of two years old, will be giving them the lessons. Seriously.

Diana is a wonder-kid. Even before she uttered her first word, she had learnt sign language to speak to her mother who happens to be deaf. So whenever the phone rings or there’s a knock at the door, 36-year old Susan Graham is promptly informed by her alert daughter.

Pollution – an old ancestral legacy

Tue, 10 Sep 2002 07:56:37 +0000

If you thought today’s pollution and environmental damage was just as old as the coming of industrial factories, smoke and chemical waste, you were wrong. A recent report in the journal ‘Science’ says that environmental pollution is as old as human existence itself, though industrialisation certainly hastened the process.

The report is based on a study consisting of the combined research of 19 scientists across four continents, who found that the diversity of marine life was among the first to be affected. Entire species of animals were killed. This created an imbalance in the ecological chain as certain species decreased rapidly while some other species increased their numbers.

Chained Inmates of an Asylum burnt to Death

Sat, 24 Dec 2005 17:44:24 +0000

August 8: In a gruesome tragedy, 26 mentally challenged persons were burnt to death in Yerwadi, Tamil Nadu. When the fire broke out, the patients, who were chained to posts, in a makeshift asylum, were unable to escape. Eleven of the patients were women.

Chained Inmates of an Asylum burnt to Death []

Taking serious note of the fire, the Supreme Court issued notices to the central and the Tamil Nadu governments seeking a report on the Yerwadi fire. The Court said the tragedy “raised questions concerning human rights of inmates of a mental asylum”.

Gaseous twist to the Delphic legend

Tue, 07 Jun 2005 09:31:43 +0000

August 26: In ancient Greece, like a magnet, the shrine at Mount Parnassus, in Delphi, attracted people from all over Europe. They were drawn by the prophetic powers of the Pythia, or priestess of Apollo, who was famous as the Oracle of Delphi. It was said she could foretell everything, from the result of wars to new twists in day-to-day family problems. But, from where did the Oracle get her prophetic powers?

Legend says that high priest of the shrine, Plutarch, thought that the Pythia got her prophetic powers by inhaling some special gases, which would lead her to a state of trance. Now a four-year study by geologists in areas near the shrine has found evidence of hallucinogenic gases rising from a nearby spring and preserved within the temple rock. (Hallucinogenic gases contain hallucinogen, a substance that induces hallucinations or visions and imaginary perceptions.) The scientists have smelt truth in the high priest’s claim at last! The study has been reported in the August issue of Geology.

The Don's dream team

Mon, 12 Sep 2005 14:33:15 +0000

August 17: He is officially and unanimously known as the best cricketer of all times. Undoubtedly, he will find a place in any dream team. But who all would feature if Don Bradman created his own dream team? Well, among some of the towering giants of cricket, Indian hero, Sachin Tendulkar finds a pride of place in the Don’s ‘dream-11’ squad, according to a book ‘Bradman’s Best’ released in Sydney last week.

In the team, the legendary batsman placed himself at number three, followed by Tendulkar at four. Other greats who feature in the team include Dennis Lillee, considered the most devastating bowler by Bradman, Barry Richards, Gary Sobers and Don Tallon.

Rats Race through US Cities

Wed, 10 Nov 2004 08:05:36 +0000

Rats Race through US Cities [Illustration by Shinod A P]

August 7: Even as Americans compete with each other in the “rat-race” for a good life, the real rats are coming out of the sewage dumps and are literally dancing on the streets. Funny though it might sound, rats have become a menace in many US cities. So much so, that in New York City, a rodent task force has been appointed to tackle the problem.