Features on Pitara Kids Network

Summer music of the trees

Sun, 12 Nov 2006 10:24:13 +0000

I always used to think that the drive across a four kilometre stretch from my house to the main road was a pain. Actually, not all of it was a pain. The car bounced up and down a few bumpy patches the first kilometer, then zoomed across a smooth 2.5 kilometre slope before struggling in a three-legged hurdle race at the final half kilometre. Reason: there was a traffic signal there and almost everyone in the world seemed to want to go somewhere at the same time. And exactly at the moment when our car inched towards the front, the lights would turn red again. It was a clear five minute wait there.

A Birthday Surprise

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 12:07:46 +0000

When you live in one place for as long as I have, you get to know everyone in the locality. I have lived in one house for 25 years now. When we moved to this house, the first person I met was Tara. Her parents lived in the next block. I think she was about eight when I first met her. Tara had wavy black hair, big mischievous eyes and a ready smile on her face all the time.

Batik: Ancient Art of Painting in Wax

Thu, 02 Jan 2003 19:03:30 +0000

A routine college day. We had to go for textile practicals after lunch. Going for any class post lunch was a pain. All we wanted to do was sleep. But, that remained a dream since we were always packed with classes after lunch. Lazily, I dragged myself to the textile laboratory.

“Today we are going to learn the technique of batik but first let me brief you about it,” said the teacher.

I was already bored. First theory and then the practical. What more could one ask for! Who wanted to know about a technique of dyeing with the strange name batik, anyway? Then I put aside these thoughts and decided to listen. After all, I would have to attempt it myself in a while.

What is a democracy?

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000

If three friends need to decide between eating pizza or burgers, they could debate and agree or they could put it to vote and go with the majority. Since there are only two options and three people, once the votes are counted, there would be a winner. This is an example of democracy at work.

More specifically, it is an example of what is called a direct democracy. This is a democracy where the voters have a direct say in the decisions made by the group. Imagine if the entire school of 3000 kids had to choose between pizza and burgers. That would be very hard. One way out would be for each class to choose a representative who could then vote on behalf of the entire class. This would be an example of representative democracy.

Juneteenth: Celebrating End of Slavery in the United States of America

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000

June + nineteenth => Juneteenth
A holiday to celebrate the end of slavery and the freeing of slaves. Also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day

Juneteenth (19th of June, 1865) is one of the most important days celebrated by the African American community in the United States of America. For it was on this day, 19th of June in the year 1865 that a majority of slaves were informed that they were free. However, they were informed two years after slavery was made illegal in the US.

The Wheel

Fri, 16 Jan 1998 12:12:14 +0000

The wheel is perhaps man’s greatest invention. Simple as it seems, it is the very basis of movement. The cart, the cycle, the motor-car and the railway train move on wheels. Even aircraft which fly thousands of kilometres through the air need wheels for taking-off and landing. It is not only for transport that the wheel is vital. Machines that produce various goods for us, watches that tell us the time, generators that produce electricity, and many gadgets which have become essential in our day-to-day life cannot work without a wheel.

Myths & Legends Related to Eclipses

Fri, 02 Jul 1999 15:49:23 +0000

Since time immemorial, eclipses have been interpreted in various ways by different communities all over the world, reflecting many a time the working philosophy of the religious denominations they belong to. The lunar and solar eclipses have, by and large, been held to bring in their wake calamities like epidemics, wars etc. It has been a common practice to observe the do’s and don’ts with religious overtones so as to avoid such cataclysmic fallouts of eclipses as well as hasten their end.

The Bittersweet Story of Chocolate

Sun, 18 Feb 2001 17:04:15 +0000

Many, many centuries ago, sometime around 400 BC, in the jungles of South and
Central America, the Cacao plant was discovered which in the ages to come would become the most desired foodstuff in the whole world.

The plant was found to have hard pods with each pod containing brown beans that later became the main ingredient in the making of chocolate. Cacao was a very important plant even then as it was actually used as money by the Mayans and later by the Aztecs.

Onam — The Harvest Festival

Sun, 22 Aug 1999 00:18:26 +0000

The harvest festival of Kerala, Onam, falls on Shravan day in the month of August or September. After a lush harvest, Onam is the time for the farmers to celebrate the bounties of nature and make merry. Like most festivals of India, Onam too has a legend associated with it.

The story goes: A long time ago an Asura king named Mahabali ruled Kerala. He was dearly loved by his subjects and was known to be a just and wise ruler. His popularity soon spread far and wide. Mahabali, however, incurred the wrath of the gods when, besides earth, he extended his rule to the heavens and the nether world. Indra, the king of gods, did not appreciate the growing power of the asura king. The gods approached Lord Vishnu the preserver in the Hindu trinity — to help them out of the situation and to curb the growing power of the asura king. Lord Vishnu in the guise of Vamana (a brahmin dwarf) approached Mahabali for alms. Now Mahabali was a very generous man. He told Vamana to ask for anything. The Vamana asked for three paces of land and the king agreed to it.

Chess for Children: A Smart Move

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 09:12:52 +0000

When we think of chess we think of two adults sitting opposite each other, thinking of ways and means to outsmart the other. Many people feel it is a very difficult game. But do you know that most chess players and champions start very young?

Viswanathan Anand, number two in the world, played his first chess game at the age of five. This was in 1974. Anand’s mother taught him the game and was his first opponent. In no time he came to be called the Lightning Kid. This was because he made his moves with such speed. In 1987, Anand won the world junior championship, in the Philippines. He was the first Asian ever to do so.

Ratha Yatra

Sat, 21 Nov 1998 06:25:30 +0000

Excerpts from the book “Festivals of India”
Published by National Book Trust, India.

Festivals bring large numbers of people together in a spirit of joy or devotion, or both. But there is one festival that combines joy and devotion with physical rigour. This is the Car Festival of Lord Jagannath at Puri, in Orissa, popularly known as the Rath Yatra. On this occasion devotees join hands to pull the massive chariots of their deities over a three-kilometre distance.

Where Did Chess Originate?

Sun, 29 Jul 2001 01:53:41 +0000

Chess originated in India around 7th century AD (around 1400 years ago). The game was then called Chaturanga – chatur meaning four and anga meaning parts. The game comprised the four parts of the army: elephants, horses, chariots and foot soldiers besides the king and his mantri (minister).

The game was in fact a battle-plan drawn on a smaller scale, to find out ways and means of outsmarting the enemy.

The Adventurer

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 16:50:06 +0000

I am sure all families are interesting. But I like to think that my family is especially interesting. I have such great nephews and nieces because of whom there is not a single dull moment in life.

Two-and-a-half year old Arshiya goes around asking everyone a very serious question, “Are you happy?” If you ask her to exercise, she says, “I am not Swami Ramdev”. Swami Ramdev is an expert on yoga and comes on a television channel every day. Arshiya has seen the programme with her grandparents.

Basket-making in India

Mon, 04 Jan 1999 22:32:01 +0000

Weaving of baskets in India is an art as ancient as the making of pottery. Even the nomadic food gathering cultures wove reeds together to prepare baskets. Later, different materials and cultures developed a variety of basketry for domestic use, as well as for ritual purposes. They developed special patterns based on local traditions and techniques.

Baskets as we know them are made out of twigs, bamboo, cane and the wild monsoon grass, and are covered with golden grass or the golden outer skin of the rice plant.

The curious history of the world’s most popular board game

Fri, 03 Apr 2015 14:10:58 +0000

There is a good chance that you have played this board game. And perhaps your parents and their parents before them too.

According to the company, that makes it, over 275 million games have been sold in 111 countries. Over the last eight odd years over one billion people have traded make-believe real estate with fake money.

If you guessed Monopoly, you would be right. Just in case you have not played this board game, a quick explanation is in order. At the start of the game all the players are allocated some fake cash. From there on every player gets to roll the dice to move around the board. When they land on a property on the board they can buy it if it is not already owned. But if it is already owned by another player they have to pay rent to the owner. The more properties you own the more rent you collect. The aim of the game is to own and control of the entire economy. The game ends when the ‘monopolist’ own everything and all other players are driven into bankruptcy.

Holi – The Colours of Spring

Mon, 11 Dec 2000 14:31:18 +0000

Quick, think of spring and what comes to mind? The festival of Holi, of course!! Think of Holi and what springs to mind? ‘Gulal’ or dry colours in bright shades, ‘pichkaris’ or water pistols, and buckets of water to drench people, right? For, winter has finally come to an end, and the friendly mischief of spring is in the air.

And so, on the day of Holi, huge armies of children and adults come out on the streets. They come armed with pichkaris and gulal, waiting to get their coloured hands on anyone with a clean face! It is difficult to recognise even your best friend through layers of gulal, red, blue and green. When applied with water the gulal refuses to leave the skin, at least for a while. There are those who go to the other extreme and smear ugly paint and grease.

Magic of Kondapalli Toys

Sat, 29 Nov 2003 05:32:18 +0000

Did you know that animals, birds, reptiles and humans learn the lessons of life through play? Any object can be used as a toy. Lion cubs even play with their parent’s tail! Human children play with objects of daily life, like spoons and cardboard boxes. But toys remain the favourite playthings of most children.

In India, the oldest toys belong to the 5000 year-old Harappan civilisation. These toys were made with natural materials like clay, wood and stone. They depicted ordinary men, women, animals, birds, fruits and vegetables as well as the important professionals who existed in those times – the potter, carpenter and farmer, among others. And these ancient toys are surprisingly similar to the handmade toys of a later date.

Programmed to learn

Tue, 22 Nov 2005 10:47:32 +0000

Two boys and two girls. They were to be found at one of the busiest traffic signals in south Delhi. The boys were about five or six years of age. The girls looked older, about eight or nine. As the traffic zipped along on the road, the four of them would play their own games on the divider. As soon as the traffic stopped on one side of the road, obeying the red signal, the children stopped their games. They would then go from car to car with dirty rags. ‘Cleaning’ the windscreens of cars with those dirty rags, they would then ask for some money. Some people would give a coin or two, and many more would tell them to buzz off. As soon as the traffic signal turned green, the children would be off to their little island on the divider, and back to their games.

The Birth of Christ

Wed, 22 Oct 2003 13:36:04 +0000

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Everyone knows that. Do you know the entire story of his birth?

Let me narrate it in brief. Over 2000 ago, Roman emperor Caesar Augustus, issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. So everyone went to his or her hometowns to register. A carpenter called Joseph, who was in Nazareth in Galilee in the Middle East (which was also part of the empire), went to nearby Bethlehem. He went there with Mary, who was to be married to him and was expecting a child.

How the Gorkhas Came to Dehradun

Sat, 24 Feb 2001 21:00:22 +0000

Some time ago, Madhu Gurung wrote about her grandmother who was the best storyteller in the world. Once ‘Bajai’ as she was called, told a different kind of a story – a real story of how the Gorkha warriors of Nepal came to settle down in Dehradun. Among them was Bajai’s grandfather, the chieftain of a clan.

Bajai told us that more than 200 years ago, when the British East India Company ruled parts of India, they attacked Nepal. Bajai’s grandfather was the chieftain of a Gurung village called Gandrung. It lies at the foot of the fishtail mountain called Machapuchara. He and other chieftains from different parts of Nepal, joined under the command of General Amar Jung Thapa. They drove the British back. The British fled and the Nepalese army followed, conquering the whole of Kumaon and Garhwal hills.

Schoolboy’s Diary – 4000 years ago

Thu, 30 Jan 2003 04:13:06 +0000

When I was in the fourth standard, I got my first real diary as a present from a cousin. It made me feel very important because it was gifted to me in the year for which it had been printed. Until then the elders had always shoved at me, two or three-year-old diaries in which the listed holidays and Sundays made no sense. Naturally!

It was a diary bound in dark brown leather and was printed by some company that must have been making a lot of money. And the first week of my life as a diary owner went by in a haze. I would keep looking at it, my heart swelling with pride. And then I would inhale the smell of fresh paper. It was heavenly.

Dress like an Egyptian

Thu, 27 Mar 2003 10:19:44 +0000

I am writing this as I am travelling in my time machine. I know how important it is to keep a diary of happenings. The machine is making strange rattling noises, because I forgot to clean its aching joints this morning. It’s an old contraption, after all. Hullo! Where am I? I thought I was visiting ancient India, but this decidely looks like a pyramid. Oops! Looks like I have reached ancient Egypt. Never mind, as they say – enjoy!

Aristotle can’t remain Ignorant!

Fri, 17 Dec 2004 02:54:54 +0000

The Greeks were a passionately curious lot. When Alexander the Great set off in 334 BC on the famous expedition that took him over the Hindukush into Tashkent and Kashmir, he was accompanied not only by navigators, guides and surveyors, but historians and philosophers as well.

Aristotle can’t remain Ignorant! [Illustration by Shinod AP]

Alexander had been taught by the philosopher Aristotle, and we are told that he ordered everyone throughout Greece and Asia who made their living by hunting, fowling, fishing, beekeeping and so on, to make sure that “Aristotle should not remain ignorant of any animal born anywhere.”

The Greek Barber

Fri, 17 Dec 2004 22:02:40 +0000

I wonder what others think of when they hear a mention of Greece. I think of the first Olympics and I think of the poison Socrates the philosopher was forced to drink. But I want to see something different today. Athens, here I come!

My machine says we have reached the Athens of 2005 years ago (5th century BC). I stretch myself and walk out of the machine. There is a large group of men chatting and laughing in a shop. It’s a barber’s shop! If our Indian barber shops are any indication then these barbers’ shops must be the place where men exchange the news and gossip of the day – whether it is about politics or sports, or even philosophy. Yes! My pocket guide on ancient Greece tells me it is true.

Welcome to Blind Cow Restaurant

Tue, 16 Sep 2003 06:01:18 +0000

Almost two years ago, a blind pastor, Reverend Jorge Spielmann started a restaurant for the blind in the city of Zurich, in Switzerland. Almost all the chefs, bartenders and waitresses who worked at the Blind Cow, as the restaurant was named, were also blind.

Now, not just the blind, but even people who can see with their eyes flock to this restaurant for the unique experience it provides, apart from the good fare it dishes out.

The Day Mother raised the Flag

Fri, 10 Jun 2005 22:58:58 +0000

On August 15, at the stroke of midnight, the Indian flag replaced the Union Jack of the British Empire. And millions of Indians went to sleep in a state of excitement. For, they would literally wake up in a free country. Among them was a five-year-old girl called Amrita Rangasami. She lived with four siblings and a young widowed mother, in a bylane of Madras (now Chennai).

Sixty-year-old Amrita, a senior journalist and scholar, remembers the day clearly, as if it were yesterday.

Boomerang: From Weapon to Fun

Fri, 31 Aug 2001 01:20:24 +0000

This goes back a long time. The aborigines, or the original inhabitants of Australia, needed an effective weapon to hunt animals and birds for food. When they looked around, their eyes rested on wood, which was so easily available. They made banana-shaped weapons of hard wood, with a curve on top and a flat bottom. That made each leg act like an aircraft wing.

They held it from one end over their shoulders and threw it hard and straight with such force that even animals could be killed. Thus was the boomerang born.

Crafts kits for kids

Sun, 05 Feb 2006 02:03:01 +0000

I live in a neighbourhood of Delhi which is full of children of all ages, shapes and sizes. In the evenings, the quiet of the place is shattered by the blood curdling cries of boys and girls let loose in the park. They play games that are certainly not for the fainthearted!

Ishaan and Tarini are no different. This brother-sister pair is particularly mischievous. Eight year old Ishaan and 10-year-old Tarini are known for playing pranks on others. Placing chewing gum on a chair before someone sits on it is one example. Their idea of helping their mother in the kitchen is to put salt in the tea before offering it to a guest. Two months ago, they locked up their neighbour so they could climb his guava tree and raid as many fruits as possible. The list is long.

Abdul Kareem's Forest

Fri, 19 Sep 2003 15:01:49 +0000

A lush green forest in the middle of a rocky wasteland. No, this paradise is not an illusion. Abdul Kareem has created it with his own hands.

Kareem’s 30-acre forest is in Kasargode district, Kerala. It is home to 1,500 medicinal plants, 2,000 varieties of trees, rare birds, animals and insects. Agricultural scientist, MS Swaminathan, has called the forest a “wonderful example of the power harmony with nature.”

Abdul Kareem’s Forest [Illustration by Shinod AP]

So, how did Kareem manage to convert a wasteland into a forest?

Saraswati River in the Thar Desert

Sat, 09 Aug 2003 17:34:07 +0000

The vedas mention the mighty Saraswati river flowing down the Himalayas and then westwards towards Rajasthan. But Rajasthan is a desert. So where did this huge river, which the vedas say was bigger than the Ganga, disappear?

It is widely believed that this river still flows under the Thar desert, though no one has been able to prove this for sure.

Even the epic Mahabharata, written in 1000 BC, mentions Saraswati as the once-mighty river that was drying up. As of now, the Saraswati has completely disappeared from the earth’s surface, which is why several people even doubt that it ever existed. For long scientists have been hunting for traces of the Saraswati in the desert.

The Boy Who Could Do Nothing Right!

Mon, 06 Jun 2005 21:06:32 +0000

Do you know of anyone who stumbles on a flat stretch of road, or walks into chairs and tables all the time? I knew one such boy. His name was Tarun. I met him in the hill retreat of Shimla in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. I had gone there for a holiday some time ago.

The Boy Who Could Do Nothing Right!

For a nine-year-old Tarun was tall. Since he was much taller than his classmates, he would hunch his shoulders to appear smaller. His arms and legs were loose and he always seemed to have trouble walking straight. It seemed as if his arms and limbs were not ready to go along with the rest of the body. So much so that the joke in school was that no one knew whether Tarun was coming or going. On any given day there would be one or more bruises on his body from walking into table corners or closing the door on his hand. Prince of the Clumsy Kingdom was what everyone called him. Tarun was miserable.

Letter from a Daughter to a Mother

Sat, 12 May 2001 19:01:30 +0000

Twelve-year-old Soumya thinks that mothers can make difficult things simple. In this letter to her mother, she tells us why she feels so.

Dearest mother, you are the loveliest person in the whole world. You do anything and everything for me. Now this reminds me of the day when I had a fight with my friends.

This happened when I was 10 years old. My friends and I were playing basketball when one of them teased another. The one who was teased was sensitive. She started crying.

Buddha Purnima

Wed, 06 Aug 1997 03:13:03 +0000

Buddha Purnima is the most sacred day in the Buddhist calendar. It is the most important festival of the Buddhists, and is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Every festival has its own rituals which provide an insight into the lives and beliefs, customs and culture of the people observing them.

One may well ask why is Buddha Purnima observed only by the Buddhists? The answer is simple: because it is associated with the founder of their faith, Lord Buddha. Although Buddhists regard every full moon as sacred, the moon of the month of Vaisakh (April-May) has special significance because on this day the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and attained Nirvana when he died. This strange, three fold coincidence, gives Buddha Purnima its unique significance.

Banaras The Eternal City

Tue, 21 Sep 1999 06:18:01 +0000

City of many names, Banaras as it is most commonly called, was officially renamed in 1956 as Varanasi, a name from antiquity. It was first known as Kashi, the city of light, when it was the capital of the kingdom of the same name about 500 BC.

For over 2000 years, Banaras the eternal city has been the religious capital of India. Built on the banks of sacred Ganga it is said to combine the virtues of all other places of pilgrimage and anyone who ends their earthly cycle here is said to be transported straight to heaven.

The Telegraph

Sun, 18 Jan 1998 03:06:34 +0000

In 1833 John Herschel, a British astronomer, went to South Africa to study the southern skies. He took with him a powerful telescope and many other instruments. He wanted to make charts and maps of the sky which people in the northern half of the world never saw. John Herschel planned to stay at the Cape of Good Hope for three or four years to complete his work.

Then Richard Locke, a reporter on the staff of the New York Sun, had a bright idea. Whatever he wrote about John Herschel’s discoveries would be believed as there was no means of verifying it. No one would find out the truth unless he sent a man or message by ship to South Africa, and even then it would take months to receive a reply from the astronomer. In the meanwhile, Locke decided to have all the fun he could.

When Grandma challenged British Rule

Fri, 22 Oct 2004 12:18:40 +0000

Whenever I go to my ancestral home in Nainital, I never forget to brush my hand across an engraved name-plate and feel the name on it. The name belongs to my great grandfather who used to work for the British Empire. For his loyalty, he was rewarded with the title of ‘Rai Saheb’.

Having worked with the British for years, Rai Saheb gained in wealth and name. And everyone in the household feared him. Well, not exactly. There was one person who dared to defy him: my grandmother. She was his first-born and his favourite.

Dad and the Dog

Thu, 06 Jan 2005 21:49:55 +0000

If you happen to come across a man talking to a large, brown dog, carrying on a realtime, honest-to-god, heart-to-heart conversation, although the dog doesn’t appear to be saying very much, what would you think? Is the guy a candidate for the nut factory, has he lost what little was left of his mind, or is he just another dog owner?

If he is called Mr Joshi, and his mate on the leash is called Pluto, there goes my Pop and his most precious companion.

From Heaven To Hell

Mon, 09 Aug 2004 04:05:15 +0000

Kaz Suyeishi will never forget the quiet peace of the cloudless August morning in 1945. The 18-year-old was in the front garden of her home in Hiroshima. She was chatting with a friend, when a gleam of silver in the sky caught her attention. “It looked like an angel,” she said. “It was the most beautiful airplane. It looked like heaven and peace.”

From Heaven To Hell [Image Source: Darkness of a Thousand Suns: Causes, Complexion and Consequences of the Nuclear Arms Race, by Delhi Science Forum]

The plane was ‘Enola Gay’, dropping the world’s first atomic bomb, nicknamed ‘Little Boy’, over the Japanese city, on August 6. “That little bomb changed heaven to hell,” recalled Suyeishi. The flash of silver disappeared, replaced by a white spot in the blue sky. The sky changed to gray. Then red. Then black. The next thing Suyeishi remembers is regaining consciousness under a mound of wreckage that had been her neighbour’s house. She is above 70.

Madhubani Magic of Gangadevi

Wed, 27 Feb 2002 14:29:14 +0000

Aditi De of the ‘Women’s Feature Service’ writes about a meeting she had in the 1980s, with Gangadevi, the gifted painter of Mithila. Gangadevi is largely responsible for placing an ancient art, practiced for centuries by the women of her village, in the artistic map of the world.

Face to face, Gangadevi, seemed shy at first glance. She drew the pallav (the border of the sari) of her brightly coloured cotton sari over her head, and pushed her black-rimmed spectacles firmly onto the bridge of her nose.

Don't Stop the Music, I Want to Dance

Fri, 05 Oct 2001 16:52:04 +0000

Joseph Templin or Joe is an American teenager who loves to dance. He knows how to do a moonwalk, a swing, a twirl – all popular dance steps. The minute the music begins to flow, this lanky but handsome nineteen-year old, is all charged-up and itching to dance .

Nothing is extraordinary about this except for one little fact. Joseph is profoundly deaf. Which means that he cannot hear a note of the music he dances to so beautifully.

Alpana

Thu, 10 Jan 2002 22:04:26 +0000

Thousands of years ago when humans did not know how to read and write he communicated by means of drawing pictures. The walls of caves where early man lived, whether it was in India or France, have been found to be full with primitive drawings. The art of alpana, practised by Indian women for centuries, is one such form of visual expression.

Alpana has different names in different parts of India. In Bengal, it is Alpana, it is Kolam in south India, Rangoli in Maharashtra, Osa in Orissa, Aripana in Bihar, Sonarakha in Uttar Pradesh, Sathiya in Gujarat, Aripona in other regions of north India and Apna in western Himalayas.

Rabi, the Budding Poet

Tue, 03 Dec 2002 14:50:25 +0000

When Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for his poems in Gitanjali , he was the first Asian to be so honoured. We’ve seen pictures of him with his flowing grey beard and smiling eyes, clad in a long saffron robe. We know him as the man who founded the unusual gurukula or school at Shantiniketan in West Bengal in 1901.

We also know that he’s the only poet whose verses have been chosen as the national anthems of two countries – India and Bangladesh.

Instrument with a Human Tone

Wed, 02 Oct 2002 17:07:25 +0000

A family of musicians in the city of Mysore, in Karnataka, has a unique family heirloom — a beautiful 300-year-old veena. The veena is India’s most ancient Indian stringed instrument.

The veena is a poly chord instrument, that is, it is made of several strings. Each string produces a certain tone, which other strings cannot duplicate. Melody is produced when the strings are plucked.

The Emperor and Hawai Elephant

Wed, 12 Sep 2001 00:19:35 +0000

It happened more than 400 years ago. Mughal emperor Akbar was very fond of taming elephants and riding them. Hawai was the most magnificent elephant in the royal stable. Despite his huge size, the male elephant was a swift runner. He was as quick in losing his temper. Even the best riders had problems getting on to him; the thought of making him take part in a fight was unthinkable. And that was a challenge Akbar simply could not refuse.

The Kite-Maker

Fri, 27 Apr 2001 11:57:02 +0000

The night was pitch dark. A street lamp shone dimly, creating pools of shadows along a tiny lane in Bareilly city. Sitting beneath the light was Imran. His nimble fingers were busy pasting thin sheets of coloured paper. He was making a kite.

Even though he could barely see, he didn’t fumble in his work. He could make these kites blindfolded now. At 10, he was an old hand at the craft, having started making kites when he was just six years old – the kites that Bareilly, in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh, is so well known for.

Viswanathan Anand – The Lightning Kid

Tue, 04 Jan 2000 05:52:26 +0000

Whenever advertisers want a brainy sportstar to talk about their product, very often they think of one name – Viswanathan Anand. A world-class chess champion who was given the name of Lightning Kid because of the speed with which he played.

But how are world class champions like Vishy born? For that, ask his mother Sushila. In 1974, when he was five, she first opened a chessboard and taught him the game. She was also his first opponent in the game. Anand was her youngest child.

Monsoon in Mumbai

Mon, 27 Aug 2001 19:40:46 +0000

To the people of Mumbai, the thought of rain is as natural as breathing. And they think they are always prepared for it. As the temperature drops, and there is a slight nip in the air they cannot help thinking of piping hot pakoras and garam chai or hot tea.
But the visitor often drops down from the sky unexpectedly. It has the power to disrupt the lives of the people. Like it did recently.

The Best Storyteller in the World

Sat, 02 Jun 2001 22:15:57 +0000

Bajai," as we called grandmother, was the best storyteller in the world. Her tales of jewelled ladies and brave warriors, of civilisations that ended due to famine, floods, war or volcanic eruptions, filled our young lives with fantasy.

Nestling in the foothills of Mussoorie is a tiny village called Johri Gaun (Johri village) where we spent part of our summer and winter vacations every year. They were fun-filled days of sun-kissed air and raucous laughter, when we cousins met and had a great time. On our long walks we would nibble berries or catch colourful dragon flies, which we had nicknamed “helicopters”. I always collected red ones. If anyone caught a whirring red helicopter they would yell out for me and I would run and open my shoe box to put it in.

The Story of Indian Bronzes

Fri, 13 Sep 2002 04:24:31 +0000

One of the most beautiful figures in Indian sculpture is that of Lord Shiva dancing the Ananda Tandava or dance of joy, one leg raised high, his face very calm, as he destroys all life until new life is born once more. Looking at the divine dancer, we can almost hear the sound of the damru or small drum that he holds in one fist.

The bronze figure of this god is often seen in museums, in homes, even at crafts bazaars. So are crafted figures of Shiva and Parvati, Buddhist saints, or even Rama, Sita and Lakshman.

A Harvest of Festivals

Fri, 14 Apr 2000 08:25:23 +0000

The Punjabis celebrate this festival as Baisakhi. The Assamese call this festival Bohag Bihu. In Kerala they usher in the new year with Vishu. For Tamilians it is Varasha Porupu, while Gudi Padva is important for Maharashtrians. But what are they celebrating in the first half of April? The start of a new year according to the indigenous calendar system, and the start of a new agricultural season. The harvesting is over and the old agricultural cycle has ended. Winter has been chased away by the colours of spring, and summer is upon us. It is a time for feasts.

Roman Holiday

Thu, 28 Oct 2004 02:59:37 +0000

Suitcase – checked. Diary – checked. I am writing my last lines before I take off in the time machine. Time machine – checked! This time it’s going to ancient Rome at the height of its empire. Only this morning I read somewhere that when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you want to accompany me, sit in your seat, hold the mouse firmly, and whatever you do, don’t press the escape key on your keyboard.

The King Who Tested Babies

Fri, 31 Aug 2001 00:53:34 +0000

Children are always asking questions, like ‘Why is the sky blue’, or ‘Why do we have only one nose’. And sometimes they also open up things like clocks to understand how they work. Emperor Akbar was also like that — always wanting to know this or that. He continued to ask such questions even after becoming the emperor.

Once he asked a very interesting question. How do babies learn to speak? Was it by listening to people talk? What if a child grew up in a place where there was no one to talk to? Would the baby learn to speak then? It was Akbar’s view that children learnt to speak by hearing people’s conversations. He decided to check it out.

Puppets on a String

Tue, 21 May 1996 17:14:42 +0000

June 10: Who is that mousy lady in a sari? What is the clown doing with a huge ball that looks like the sun? And what is this — a man with the heads of two big-eyed cows in his hands? All of them look like they want to tell a story. Their story. And that’s exactly what they do, for they are all puppets. And when their master pulls the strings and speaks from behind the curtain, they sing and dance, play and fight, laugh and cry.

Puppets on a String Dance Again

Sat, 03 Mar 2001 15:54:46 +0000

Vishnudas Bhave’s puppets had to go through a long ordeal before they finally got to the right place and in the hands of the right people. It was not just a long journey but a tough one too.

This story dates back to the year 1843, when the father of Marathi theatre, Vishnudas Bhave created his puppets, in Maharashtra’s Sangli district. They were not ordinary wooden puppets. They were so life-like that it seemed they would talk to you any moment. They put life into every play that he put up on stage. ‘Seeta Swayamvar’ became the most well known of his puppet dramas.

Script your own Cartoon or Movie

Sat, 22 Sep 2001 08:22:24 +0000

Superman flies. Mowgli grins. A pig speaks and a dog identifies a thief. Children live in the land of toys and ice creams. You must have seen one or the other in cartoons or movies.

So how does it all happen? How does it start?

Well, it starts like most things do — with an idea.
A person, or a group of persons, may have an idea.

Then they work upon that idea and create a story around it. A story may be something that one narrates or reads. But you need to do something more if you want to see this story in moving images — on stage or on screen.

The dabbawalas of Mumbai

Sat, 14 Apr 2001 01:00:11 +0000

Late every morning at Mumbai, in India, rows and rows of neatly stacked dabbas (boxes) with weird markings on the top are trundled across busy office buildings. At fifteen to one, a cloth capped man delivers one of these cylindrical boxes on my table in the Fort area. At once I open the case and find the lunch my mother had packed. Hot lunch delivered at the doorstep.

Is this the same food my mother packed for me? Or was it packed by someone’s wife for her husband working in the Mumbai docks? Could the dabbawala have made a mistake? I immediately call home to check. No, it’s the same four idlis and chutney. What is incredible is that all the boxes are identical and yet each one gets to the right person in time for lunch! How on earth the

Peru's Barefoot Librarians

Thu, 05 Jul 2001 19:45:20 +0000

Twelve year-old Leonardo Herrera had never seen a book in his life although he knew how to read. He and his friends used to carve letters and numbers on cactus leaves after seeing their teacher do the same on small blackboards.

He belongs to poor peasant family in Bambamarca in Peru. His family grows maize and potatoes in a place which is 12,000 feet above sea-level.

But Leonardo wanted to see what a book looks like. So he asked the new priest in his parish to give him one. But there was no electricity in his village. So Leonardo borrowed candles from the church and sat up all night reading it. By dawn, he was at the door of the priest asking for another book to read.

When two Voices become One Voice of Peace

Mon, 19 Jul 2004 19:16:40 +0000

Have you ever asked your family members or friends about the images they think of when a mention is made of war? Chances are that many would think of the mushroom cloud made by the atomic bombs that were dropped by the United States over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, on August 6 and August 9, 1945, during the Second World War.

Bombs wiped out more than half the population of the cities, and made the survivors and future generations suffer the harmful effects of radiation, in the form of terrible diseases and illnesses.

The Taziyas of Old Delhi

Mon, 04 Aug 2003 02:48:33 +0000

I was wandering in the crowded streets of Chandni Chowk, the heart of purani Dilli or Old Delhi. Until India gained independence in 1947 and a new Delhi came up, it was the ‘only’ Delhi. For close to 300 years, it had been the seat of Mughal power and culture, especially when it came to cuisine. And that is what drew me to that place!

I had taken the day off to savour Chandni Chowk’s famous parathas and the juicy sweet jalebi at the famous 200-year-old sweet shop, Ghantewala.

Seeing the City

Sun, 25 May 2003 19:27:11 +0000

I have a friend with whom I argue a lot. No, that seems as if I am the one who does the arguing all the time. Half the time it is he who says something ridiculous, and then we start arguing!

There is one topic that we keep coming back to argue upon. I have stayed in one city all my life — in Delhi, the capital of India. He from childhood has lived in many places — cities as well as small towns across India.

Ride the Camel

Tue, 04 Jun 2002 16:47:43 +0000

The world looks very strange from a camel’s back. On a recent trip to Rajasthan, we travelled on camel back from the city of Jaisalmer to the Sam dhani or sand dunes of the adjoining Thar Desert. We were travelling to Thar, just 42 km away, to watch its dazzling sunsets.

Deoram and Raju

When we set out from Jaisalmer, the desert city famous for its golden fortress, the early evening sun dazzles our eyes. Bright, beige wasteland stretches all around us for miles. Tiny babul shrubs grow by the roadside. There are no villages or huts in sight.

Shri Guru Nanak Dev

Tue, 07 Mar 2000 04:43:38 +0000

Shri Guru Nanak Dev was born at a time when the world was plunged into the darkness of ignorance, feudal tyranny, religious & cultural strife.

Born in 1469 at Rai Bhoeki Talwandi (now known as Nankana Sahib) situated in the Punjab province of West Pakistan, he went on to lay down the foundation of Sikhism. He preached brotherhood and humanitarianism irrespective of caste, creed, colour and economic status.

According to him, love of God implied love for his creations and thus service for humanity indicates one’s love for God.

The Boy who Lacked Sight but Had a Vision

Mon, 06 Nov 2000 01:39:35 +0000

It was like any other day in school for six-year-old George Abraham. He went to La Martinere school in Lucknow, where he lived with his aunt. The school was open to boys till the fourth standard.

That day, as usual, the teacher found that the little boy was holding the book next to his nose. She complained and George had to undergo several eye tests. The doctors found that his retina was damaged beyond repair, and said he would lose most of his eyesight.

The Joy of Flying

Sat, 29 Sep 2001 20:16:46 +0000

Come Independence Day and the markets are flooded with kites. The sky looks like an ocean swarming with tiny tadpoles swimming across from one place to the other. Colourful tadpoles, though!

Although kite flying has been popular in India for hundreds of years, historians believe that kite flying originated in China almost 3,000 years ago. There are many stories, which talk about the origin of kites. One of them goes like this:

There was a king in China who asked his army men to tie him to a kite and fly him off to the enemy’s territory. The moment he reached above enemy territory, he shouted out that if anyone came out of their palace they would be killed.

The Silken Web

Sat, 04 Oct 2003 14:06:33 +0000

While working on a machine in a sericulture unit in Karnataka, a little girl was severely injured in the head. Sericulture is the art of raising silkworms to obtain raw silk. The incident ocurred in the Ramanagaram-Channapatna taluk (a group of villages make a taluk) of Karnataka, where there are many such units.

The little girl is one of hundreds of thousands of children employed in the sericulture industry in the state. Owners of sericulture units prefer children over adults for the work.

The First Woman to Fly High in the Air Force

Wed, 03 Oct 2001 23:57:57 +0000

Across the world there are tales of women who take up adventurous careers as a challenge. They fly planes, climb mountains or travel to space on a rocket launcher. Some among them have another remarkable quality. They know how to include their striking achievements into their normal day-to-day life. Fifty-five year-old Dr Padmavati Bandhopadhyay is one of them.

At home, she is like any other mother, happy to retell tales from the Mahabharata, cook elaborate meals for her family. But this mother of two boys has the distinction of being the first woman Air Commodore in the Indian Air Force.

Why Father's Day

Sat, 22 May 2004 05:02:43 +0000

Father’s Day, contrary to what many people believe, was not established in order to help greeting card manufacturers sell more cards. It began in the US about a 100 years ago when cards were not as common as they are now.

It was started by Sonara Louise Smart Dodd who lived in Spokane, Washington, in 1909.

Her father, William Smart, a Civil War veteran, was an outstanding dad. He had raised six children singehandedly after their mother died during childbirth. And Dodd felt that there should be a special day to honour her remarkable father as there was one to honour mothers.

A Train Journey beyond Childhood

Fri, 08 Nov 2002 18:35:39 +0000

The year was 1938, and the fear of war was looming before Europe. Hitler’s Nazi Germany was becoming more and more arrogant, with its fearful philosophy of the superiority of their (Aryan) race and the inferiority of the impure Jewish race, which made them less than human.

That year holds the key to one of the most tragic and unknown events of the Second World War era. For, in 1938, 10,000 German-Jewish children bade a final farewell to their parents before being sent off to foster homes in England. The intention was to save them from the wrath of Hitler’s regime.

Welcome Rains?

Tue, 29 Apr 2003 09:45:58 +0000

April 21: A few days ago, Delhi residents were pleasantly surprised when the sweltering April sky suddenly darkened with clouds and it began to rain heavily. A freak shower, they thought, since it hardly ever rains in Delhi in April.

But, surprise, surprise… the rains occurred the next day, too. And the day after. The unseasonal showers have transformed the weather marvellously. It hasn’t happened in Delhi alone.

Most of northern India, from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, western Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, have been hit by the rains. Some parts of south India have also been lashed by rains.

The Shoe-shine Women

Tue, 24 Dec 2002 11:19:57 +0000

Ludhiana, the industrial capital of the state of Punjab in northern India, is like any other prosperous Indian city but for one interesting difference. Its cobblers are largely women.

A trip to the inter-state bus stand, outside the railway station, at roadside corners, in the local markets, under trees, and in almost every other place that you can think of, will reveal scores of them, polishing shoes of commuters in the vicinity.

Actually, they may not like being referred to as cobblers. For it appears that the Indian caste hierarchy is at work here too. These women only polish shoes. They never repair them.

The Day Christ Died

Wed, 05 Mar 2003 14:19:47 +0000

As a child, I did not know the significance of Good Friday for Christians. For me, all it meant was a day off from school. One evening, I let it slip to a friend that I thought ‘Good’ Friday meant something good must have happened on this day.

My friend Lorraine stared at me in astonishment. Then she told me that Good Friday is actually a day of mourning as Christ was crucified on that day.

Stockholm: The City on the Water

Thu, 16 May 2002 20:35:05 +0000

Sweden lies in the Scandinavian Peninsula in northern Europe, with Norway to the west and Finland to the northeast. Stockholm, its permanent capital since 1523, is located at the junction of Lake Mälar (Mälaren) and Salt Bay (Saltsjön), an arm of the Baltic Sea, opposite the Gulf of Finland. Due to its location, built as it is upon numerous islands, Stockholm is regarded as one of the most beautiful capital cities in the world.

The Swedish capital, Stockholm, has puzzled people for ages. Its folks once thought of it as Europe’s largest small town. But over the past 15 years, it has grown to be the continent’s smallest large city, with a population of about 1.6 million people.

Why do we Celebrate April Fool's Day?

Sun, 03 Jun 2001 09:04:42 +0000

Breaking news: Linus Torvalds, (a competitor of Microsoft) has decided to join hands with Microsoft! Alien spacecraft lands at Siberia. Scientists are rushing from across the world to investigate it!

What is your reaction on reading these statements? Disbelief? Taken aback? Yes, this is exactly what people may want you to do on this day — take you for a ride! It is April First or Fool’s Day!

Most people are fooled when they hear some such unsuspecting news! And that is where the fun begins! Why do people play pranks on this day? It has something to do with the New Year. No, no I am not pulling your leg. Its true! Read on. . .

The School Teacher and the Dacoit

Fri, 02 Feb 2001 03:23:53 +0000

Nirmala is a primary school teacher in the Rajiv Gandhi Shiksha Mission for universal education, in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. Every day at 11.30 am, her husband Malkhan Singh, drops her to the school in an autorickshaw. In the evening, at 4 pm, he is there to pick her up as well. Slung across his shoulders at all times, is a rifle during these rides.

So, what is so unusual about this couple?

The answer is their past. Rather, his past.

Weave of Survival

Sat, 23 Feb 2002 02:53:14 +0000

To unravel the story behind the famed Kota doria sari, Aditi De of the Women’s Feature Service, travelled to Kota in Rajasthan recently. From there she went to the hamlet of Kaithoon, 15 km from Kota. Kaithoon is the real home of the legendary Kota Doria sari. The creation of each sari is a work of art, involving the labour of the entire family of the weaver. The weaving is mainly done by the daughters of the family, most of whom are small girls too busy working to go to school.

Chintu Pintu Talk on the Net

Sun, 23 Sep 2001 13:14:35 +0000

Do you send E-mails to your friends? E-mails in which you write in words how you are feeling — happy or sad?

Do you want to surprise your friends by sending them an e-mail in a new language? The language of the Internet? If so, then read on to know what Chintu and Pintu write. Then, impress your friends!

Chintu : Hi! 🙂
( I like this big net smile )

Pintu : Hullo! 😉
This is also a smile

Looking for sister in Hiroshima

Sun, 06 Jun 2004 06:59:12 +0000

August 6, 1945. The day the United States of America dropped the atomic bomb on Hirsohima city, killing more than 200,000 people. A day after which the world has never been the same, for it proved that humans’ capacity to inflict suffering on fellow human beings was infinite. A day that hundreds of thousands of survivors try to make sense of to this day, by trying to remember what happened at each moment that day, before and after the bomb fell.

The First Notes of Mozart

Thu, 01 Aug 2002 11:31:15 +0000

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived just 35 years. But he filled those years so totally with 626 musical works that the world today recognises him as one of the greatest composers ever. Among his works were 50 symphonies and 19 operas, including much-loved works like The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute.

Mozart was born in the Austrian city of Salzburg, known for its salt mines, in 1756. His father, Leopold, was the choirmaster to the Archbishop of Salzburg.

The 'Jawabi Keertan'

Fri, 12 Apr 2002 20:30:33 +0000

I saw it 23 years ago, but the incident is as fresh in my mind as if it happened yesterday. I was seven years old then and staying with my grandmother in Shahjahanpur, a sleepy little town in western Uttar Pradesh. The nearest big city, Bareilly, known for its glass bangles industry, was one hour away.

It was the month of July and most people found it difficult to do anything beyond wiping the sweat off their brows. But one day, the whole town was buzzing with excitement, especially in and around the railway station. The reason was pretty clear: the Jawabi Keertan was round the corner!

Signals of the Past

Sat, 17 Mar 2001 12:11:07 +0000

You want to send a message to someone. Immediately. No problem. You just pick up a land phone or a mobile phone, or send an email. The telegram is still there but many of us have forgotten about it.

Now travel back in time to France, 206 years ago, when there was none of your latest technology. Not even the telegraph. But people still felt the need to send long distance messages.

It was then that a Frenchman called Chappe invented a code for the alphabet. It was called the semaphore. It was a code in which different positions of the human arm stood for a particular alphabet. Thus, there were 26 positions. People sent messages in this way by holding a flag in each hand to make sure that the positions were seen clearly, and a correct message was sent.

A Sojourn in Venice

Thu, 14 Mar 2002 12:35:07 +0000

Venice is one of Italy’s major seaports, and capital of the province of Venezia in northern Italy. It was the greatest seaport in late medieval Europe and Europe’s commercial and cultural link with Asia. It is also one of the world’s oldest tourist and cultural centres. Aditi De writes of her visit to this most romantic of cities.

Venice is such a strange city. It is built on an Italian lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has canals instead of roads, which means there are no cars or buses, no trams or trains or bicycles whizzing past us. Best of all, we could walk or jump or play hide-and-seek on its cobbled streets or its countless bridges whenever we chose to.

Francoise's Dolls

Sat, 12 Oct 2002 15:11:52 +0000

“I did not see the face of my child: I passed into unconsciousness after her birth. My neighbours told me she was beautiful. My mother and the nurse buried her alive. I did not even hear her cry.”

A doll depicts a girl child and the words alongside it, movingly tells the tale of a new mother’s anguish at the brutal killing of her baby girl.

The doll has been made by Belgian-born Francoise Bosteels, who made India her home over 25 years ago. Francoise’s dolls ‘speak’. They speak of the beauty of life and its celebration, but also of the injustice, anger and frustration of those in despair.

The Earth Drum

Thu, 28 Sep 2000 09:54:36 +0000

Imagine a pit covered with the skin of an ox. The hairy surface is on top and the hairy tail of the ox is still connected to the animal hide or skin. The cover is nailed to the ground at several places. And the ox tail becomes the drum stick. This is not a fantasy drum. It seems this was one of the earliest ways our ancestors in India made drums. It was called the bhoomi dundubhi or the earth drum.

The Story-tellers

Sun, 26 May 2002 14:56:45 +0000

What could be a better way to get to know a country than through its folk-tales and stories? And if you love collecting stories anyway, as Madhu Gurung does, nothing could be more wonderful. Here, Madhu, presently based in Myanmar’s capital, Yangon, talks about the Myanmarese duo of mother and daughter who have enlivened her days by weaving tales even as they help her with her domestic chores. Madhu shares the magic of those story-telling sessions in the following anecdote:

Children and Water

Fri, 07 Feb 1997 09:29:10 +0000

Educators Wynne Harlen and Jos Elstgeest take us on a wonder-filled trip into the scientific world in their classic book: UNESCO sourcebook for science in the primary school, published by the National Book Trust in association with Unesco publishing.

Water is a common yet exciting material, freely available almost everywhere, which lends itself to an endless variety of genuine science activities. Common as it appears to be, water can be a source of wonder to children and to adults who have kept up the habit of questioning and wondering. Waterplay is one of the earliest forms of children’s exploration.

The Day the Bomb Fell

Sat, 20 Apr 2002 08:29:20 +0000

Near the centre of the explosion, people were instantaneously vapourised by the seeing heat, leaving only their shadows scorched into the stonework of walls or roads.

Thousands more were killed by being blown to bits, more commonly being hurled against solid subjects, crushed beneath falling buildings.

Others were simply cremated into charred corpses or hideously burned with great patches of skin stipped from their bodies and hanging in flaps around them.

In Hiroshima, 13 square kilometres of area was devastated and 92 per cent of its buildings were destryed. Over 2,00,000 of its estimated population of 3,50,000 were killed.

The Woman who Collects Children

Wed, 03 Oct 2001 12:55:21 +0000

An inspiring story from our archives: June 2000

Some people like to collect stamps. Others prefer stickers, posters, tattoos or coins. But Pinky Bhutia is different. She collects children. In her mountain village, in Sikkim, she is known as the wonderful young woman who adopts all the children she can.

Pinky was 14 when she adopted her first child, a Nepali orphan. Today, she has a dozen adopted children, and two sons from her marriage.

The Language of a Cat

Tue, 13 Jan 2004 12:33:50 +0000

The poet Carl Sandburg wrote, “The fog comes in on little cat feet.” So do a large number of our words and expressions. Let’s think of the cats that run and leap and pounce and slink and purr and meow through the English language.

There are a number of explanations for the phrase, “it’s raining cats and dogs”? Cats and dogs were closely associated with the rain and wind in the western mythology. Dogs were often pictured as the attendants of Odin, the storm god, and cats were believed to cause rain.

Dancing to Glory

Thu, 10 Oct 2002 11:56:59 +0000

It was a children’s dance-drama festival with a difference. At New Delhi’s LTG Auditorium recently, a group of ‘disabled’ children left the audience spellbound with their natural, joyful performances. Some of the children could not hear, others could not see or had difficulty walking. And still others were grappling with mental challenges. But that was no dampener to their spirits as they performed to an appreciative audience of eager parents, teachers and children.

The Annual Inter School Dance-Drama Festival saw over 300 children from 20 schools all over Delhi, participate in the event. What was important was the manner in which all of them overcame their challenges to become performers with joyous abandon.

The 24-hour Film!

Fri, 22 Mar 2002 16:48:34 +0000

Guess how long it takes to make a feature film, say like Star Wars or The Sixth Sense? Nothing less than three to four months! And that’s rushing it through. And if it’s a musical or action film, it will take longer as you add in rehearsal time.

Hollywood makes something like 250 films a year and that’s counting foreign language films too. However, the largest film producing country in the world is India with over 700 feature films a year and in 16 Indian languages. Imagine each film studio juggling artists, cameras, sets, directors, stuntmen and others day after day! How confusing!

Hopscotch

Wed, 26 Jun 2002 10:55:45 +0000

Ever played hopscotch as a kid? Hopped from square to square on one leg? Haven’t heard of it? Impossible! Hopscotch’s great fun. It’s a traditional game played by kids all over the world with many variations. I used to play it with other kids near my home. Okay, I’ll let you in on this game if you will tell me about some you played as kids.

All hopscotch requires is a rectangular area, a piece of chalk and a flat stone chip. And it requires a couple of people to play it, of course!

The Gift of Wonder

Fri, 22 Dec 2000 09:04:06 +0000

Eleven years ago, under the sequinned sky on a warm summer day, on the roof of his palatial home in the town of Vrindaban, my grandfather introduced me to wonder. As I lay on a mattress surrounded members of the family, my grandfather or “Nana” as I used to call him, asked me to look at the sky and try to spot the patterns and the constellations. “What does that look like?” he would ask, pointing to the Little Bear. “Um, a cart?” I would hesitantly venture. And he would chuckle and acknowledge what I had seen. He never denied my experiences. If it was a cart I said I had seen, as far as he was concerned, it was a cart.

Prabhu and the Prawns

Sun, 25 May 2003 08:54:13 +0000

The still, muddy water glistened with oil. There were no signs of any
life as Prabhu stood by the side of the narrow canal and squinted hard,
anxiously searching the depths of the murky pool. But the slick surface
made it hard for him to see anything beneath the surface.

Fear crossed the eight-year-old’s face. If he couldn’t find what he was
looking for, there would be no meal tonight.

Prabhu is a shrimp seed collector. Every morning, he trudges nearly three kilometres to reach a shrimp farm in Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. There he picks out tiny, baby shrimps called seeds from small, saline pools where they are grown, and transfers them to huge reservoirs.

The Girl who Won the Boys Chess Title

Sat, 24 Feb 2001 04:13:39 +0000

Koneru Humpy will win many chess titles in her career. After each title she
will also get many phone calls congratulating her. But there is one phone call
she will never forget. It is the call she got from Viswanathan Anand, after she won the World Chess Championship title in the under-12 category, last year. The championship was held in Spain.

In the year 2000, the smiling young curly-haired girl from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, created another record. Koneru Humpy, who turned 13 on March 31 that year, became the first Indian female player to win a National Boys title. She won the under-14 boys title in the National Children Chess Championship for the year 2000. The contest was held at the Karnavati Club, in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

A School for Dreamers

Mon, 19 Aug 2002 22:06:03 +0000

A school for dreamers? Teachers who help you build castles in the air?

But such a school does exist. Here children have their heads in the clouds, but their feet planted firmly on the ground.

Well, not quite planted. The mighty leaps into the air and well-aimed kicks during the ‘kalaripayittu’ class are the envy of any acrobat. (Kalaripayittu, an ancient martial art of Kerala, is the mother of all martial arts in the world).

The Emperor who Won a Toy in a Fight

Sat, 29 Dec 2001 19:07:49 +0000

Akbar was three years old in 1545. He was then staying with his uncle Kamran. On a special day, there was a feast. And Kamran had bought a kettle drum for his son, Ibrahim Mirza. Akbar took a fancy to it and decided he must have it.

Ibrahim Mirza, who was older than Akbar, was not in a mood to part with his toy. So he set a condition. He suggested a wrestling match. Whoever won would take the toy. The future emperor agreed at once. One doesn’t know if he gave any thought to the fact that his cousin was older and physically bigger than him. He rolled up his sleeves and prepared for the wrestling bout.

Bungee

Wed, 08 Aug 2001 22:01:21 +0000

Standing on the edge of a platform looking 150 feet straight down at the river below I thought to myself, how did I get roped into this mess? Do I really want to go ahead with this foolishness? Shouldn’t I be back with my feet firmly planted on the ground?

I was standing on the platform of a 100-ft high bridge. My fingers tightly holding the rails in a death grip. I was about to do a bungee jump because I had boasted to Himakar, my cousin, I could do anything he could. At that time didn’t take into account such craziness. Then I was full of false courage and so I let my cousin arrange for this jump on a lazy Sunday morning. He had fixed it with a local sports operator.

Rats! Rats! Rats!

Thu, 22 Feb 2001 10:08:43 +0000

Rats here, rats there, rats everywhere!

In the kitchen, in the storage cupboards, in shops, in restaurants, all over the place.

People in Paris have no respite. The rat population has suddenly grown in such large numbers that Paris may soon need a Pied Piper to weed them out of the city.

The rat boom happened because of a new underground railway system. When work began on the railway system, workmen began digging the ground to make tunnels for the trains. In the process, they broke hordes of rats’ houses and drove them away from the ground.

Many Ramayanas

Thu, 05 Dec 2002 00:18:49 +0000

Once, Aristotle, the famous ancient Greek philosopher, asked an old carpenter how long he had used his knife. Thirty years, the carpenter replied. He had changed a blade a few times and the handle a few times, but the knife was the same, added the carpenter.

Something similar has happened to the Indian epic, Ramayana. Writers in different places and in different languages, have composed the Ramayana down the ages. They carry with them the flavours of local cultures, and each one proudly takes its place in the gallery of Ramayanas.

Bidriware

Mon, 10 Jun 2002 03:54:40 +0000

_Pallo latke gori ko pallo latke…_The music of this famous Rajasthani folk song filled the air at the Crafts Museum in New Delhi where I went one Monday afternoon. Sitting in the verandah were rows of people who had displayed their work. What work it was too! My heart soared looking at all the things that they had crafted.

It was all so beautiful that I could not help but talk to the artisans who had created them. That is when I met Shyamala, the bidri maker. She sat in a corner with the pallu of her sari over her head, fanning herself to get some relief from the searing heat. There was no customer with her at that time, so I took the opportunity for a little chitchat with her.

Going to School

Fri, 09 Feb 2001 02:38:09 +0000

I am sharing a small, yet the most important part of my life, with you. You may think “What the dickens have we got to do with her life?” After all, even I used to think the same way when I was a child but sometimes other’s lives can be interesting depending on how you see it.

I can’t forget the date. It was January 25th, 1987. The temperature was around 5 degree Celsius in Moradabad, my hometown, in India. I was wrapped up in my quilt, feeling warm and cozy when somebody pulled me out of my warm cocoon. This heartless creature was the one and the only person who dared do this – MOM!

The Master of 'Mithaai'

Sun, 25 Feb 2001 13:34:54 +0000

It was the summer of 1997. I was travelling through the villages of
West Bengal in search of the famed folk musicians of Bengal. They were simple people who journeyed from village to village, singing and performing.

But something happened along the way…

The afternoon sun was at its height when I reached Kankalitala, in the northwestern part of West Bengal. The temple in Kankalitala is very popular among the worshippers of Goddess Kali. The temple is located right next to a river called Kopai, a beautiful
silent river that is known to get naughty sometimes during the monsoons. There were very few people about, for almost all of Bengal sleeps in the afternoon.

His Master's Voice

Tue, 25 Dec 2001 12:50:37 +0000

Over seventy years ago, a 15-year-old boy recorded an anthem, ‘His Master’s Voice’. He never recorded another song after that but the enduring appeal of the song ensured the immortality of the composer to be etched in memory forever.

‘His Master’s Voice’ went on to become an instant hit. Did the boy then go on to make a lot of money in record deals? No. Unfortunately, it was not so easy to become rich then. No matter how talented one may be. So the boy continued to lead an ordinary middle-class life until his death. But his song continued to give pleasure to millions of people more than any pop song recorded by a teenage singing sensation.

Chintu Pintu Talk on the Net Again

Fri, 13 Apr 2001 01:42:14 +0000

Do you send E-mails to your friends? E-mails in which you write in words how you are feeling — happy or sad?

Do you want to surprise your friends by sending them an e-mail in a new language? The language of the Internet? If so, then read on to know what Chintu and Pintu write. Then, impress your friends!

Chintu: Hi Pintu!

Pintu: Hullo Chintu!

Life inside a Public Transport Vehicle

Tue, 14 Jan 2003 06:02:34 +0000

It’s interesting how people make use of the time they spend in travelling from home to office and back, in Indian cities like Delhi and Mumbai – especially if they happen to travel by public transport.

In buses and trains, packed tight as sardines, people manage to catch a few extra winks and even manage to reach the snoring stage. Or in one deft stroke they spread out a newspaper over multiple knees and arms to read the latest cricket score, the latest share to crash in the market, or the latest case of a politician caught taking a bribe.

Pablo the Pigeon Painter

Sun, 30 Jun 2002 16:28:55 +0000

Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano Santisma Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso. Phew! A mouthful, but a name reckoned to be among the greatest artists of the 20th century. His paintings are worth millions and millions have seen and admired his work. A handful is fortunate to own some of his paintings. He’s better known to the world as just Pablo Picasso. To his family he is simply known as – Pablito!

Romance of Postage Stamps

Tue, 31 Mar 1998 08:36:42 +0000

In earlier days the stamps of British Guiana were printed by a British printer, Waterlow & Sons. In 1856, the stock of stamps was exhausted but a fresh supply had failed to arrive. So the postmaster hurriedly had 4-cent stamps printed locally using the existing designs, the seal of the colony – a ship and the motto ‘Damus Petimusque Vicis sim’ (We give and we seek in turn). These new stamps were printed on magenta paper in black ink but the quality was so poor that the postmaster, to prevent forgery, asked the postal officials to initial each stamp before selling it.

Super Moms

Sat, 15 Dec 2001 23:42:42 +0000

Japan: Mothers for peace

Did you know that mothers in Japan were among the first to protest against nuclear weapons? This happened 45 years ago, in 1955.

In 1945, at the fag end of the Second World War, the US dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bombs killed 3,40,000 people. About 300,000 were left alive, but they suffered all through their lives from the horrible effects of radiation.

For a long time no one spoke about the terrible tragedy. The US forces were in Japan till 1953. They also did one nuclear test after another.

Chip off the Old Block

Sun, 16 Jun 2002 22:35:48 +0000

Long ago in the year 1853, one Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, a big
business tycoon , was having dinner at a resort called Saratoga Springs in New York. After eating a few fried potatoes, he sent it back complaining that they were too thick.

The chef, a native-American called George Crum, was apparently miffed at the Commodore’s complaint and decided to give a sarcastic reply. He sliced potatoes paper thin, fried them to a crisp and salted them.
Vanderbilt loved the “crunch potato slices,” as he called them, and the
“Saratoga Chips” became the restaurant’s speciality from that day onwards.

The Emperor and Chitranjan Cheetah

Sat, 01 Jul 2000 13:10:12 +0000

Mughal emperor Akbar loved hunting. Four hundred and twenty eight years ago, when he was passing through Rajasthan, he decided to go for a hunt. He used to keep cheetahs in his hunting party. Being very fast they were quick to catch their prey. But on that day he chose to hunt without the help of his cheetahs. He only took his attendants with him.

Without meaning to do so the attendants freed a royal cheetah in the hunting area. The cheetah’s name was Chitranjan and it ran after its prey – a deer.

The Making of a Prodigy

Fri, 29 Mar 2002 11:31:32 +0000

When Siva Kalyan was born, his spine or backbone was deformed resulting in a lifelong difficulty in walking. But that hasn’t stopped the nine-year-old from becoming a prodigy. This child, who loves reading comics, writing stories and enjoys sketching cartoon strips, is learning advanced mathematics and physics from one of the most reputed universities in the United States of America.

The Hindu reports that Siva’s parents were in Tamil Nadu when Siva was born. His backbone was not straight, his joints were loose and the muscles were weak. Till he was three-and-a-half years old, Siva could not even crawl. Wanting the best treatment for their son, Siva’s parents moved with him from India to Australia and later shifted to the United States of America.

The Emperor who Rolled his Eyes

Sat, 25 Aug 2001 05:23:40 +0000

At the age of 18, Akbar had been emperor of the Mughal empire for four years. This was 440 years ago, in the year 1560. But the king still had many desires that any ordinary young man would have at his age. He loved cock-fights and he liked to play practical jokes. He also had a great curiosity to know about the lives of ordinary people. For that reason he would go to places where festivals were celebrated — not as emperor but as an ordinary man without any fanfare surrounding him.

Dress Relief

Mon, 03 Jul 2000 04:55:34 +0000

The doorbell rang. ‘Now darling remember all that I have told you,’ said Ma for the umpteenth time as she nervously opened the door. There stood Grandma in her white saree, as upright as ever with the perpetual stern look on her face. ‘Jeetiraho’ boomed her voice as Ma touched her feet. I followed her example and then helped Papa who was struggling with the suitcases, tins and sacks. Grandma always carried her kitchen with her, no mixer or microwave or for that matter even a gas stove would do for her.

We Would All Scream Without Ice Cream

Sun, 05 Aug 2001 23:14:00 +0000

Can you imagine a summer without ice creams?

It seems the Chinese, too, couldn’t. For it was they who gave the world its first ice cream. In India, the Mughals are said to have introduced their kind of ice cream — the kulfi. The exact date of origin of the ice cream is not known.

Kulfi is a mixture of khoa, pistachio nuts and saffron essence frozen in conical metal containers after sealing it with dough — exactly the same way as it is made today! Khoa is made by boiling milk on slow fire till it becomes semi-solid.

Care for your Dog

Thu, 27 Jun 1996 15:11:34 +0000

The immense joy a dog brings to a family is unparalleled. The thrill of coming home to the deliriously happy barking of a dog is one of the few moments that makes owning a dog such a magical experience. The dog often becomes the one member of the family whose love for each person in the family is unconditional and unflagging.

Yet, owning a dog has its pitfalls. Or, to put it more positively, responsibilities. Responsibilities that, ultimately, parents must be willing, and able, to take, irrespective of whether their children will take on some of the attendant chores.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Sun, 06 Jan 2002 11:06:56 +0000

Dear Vishrut and Anushrut,

I forget the name of a short story by W.Somerset Maugham that I read long ago-perhaps you will read it some day. But I still remember the story and in particular one sentence from it. This is spoken by a chap, brought up strictly to tell right from wrong, who has to go out to the colonies as the British called the countries they ruled in Asia and Africa.

Well, he has been told not to mix with an uncle there who has become “bad”. Our pal finds that this uncle does cut corners and cheat but also that he his kind, generous and helpful to people especially the poor. So our pal grows to like this uncle.

The Office Where Records Are Made

Fri, 12 Oct 2001 22:27:56 +0000

. .265. . .puff! gasp!! 310. . 311. . . this is James Joseph of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, doing his squats in a corner of the Limca Book of World Records office. His aim? – setting a world record in squats. In front of James a large stopwatch ticks away the minutes. Behind him stands Kuldeep Monga with a score sheet keeping a tally of the number of squats. A doctor sits on a chair nearby, looking bored. A photographer is busy clicking away and a video camera is whirring.

In the midst of all this activity the staff of Limca Book work quietly at their jobs. For the staff it is, ho hum, just another day at the office.

A Salty Life

Tue, 01 May 2001 17:47:24 +0000

It is one of the most common scenes in Bollywood films. There has been a jewel robbery in the house of a rich man. He comes walking down a long staircase and asks all the servants to gather. Then his eyes fall on the oldest servant. The servant falls on his knees and says Sarkar aapka namak khaaya hai (My lord, I have eaten your salt).

Remember the dreaded dacoit Gabbar Singh in Sholay, one of the biggest hits in the history of Bollywood, released in 1977? This action film, made like Hollywood westerns has Gabbar Singh pitted against our heroes, who have taken the challenge to catch him. In one scene, Gabbar is angry that three of his men could not manage to catch the heroes. He walks past the shamefaced gang members and asks (yes that famous dialogue):

The Cure is Laughter

Sun, 19 May 2002 17:52:23 +0000

It is not a new way of spreading happiness. The method has been practised for a while and has also been captured on celluloid by Hollywood in the film ‘Patch Adams’. In the film (based on a true story) Patch Adams is the name of a student
of medicine, who decides to use humour to help patients. The role was played by Robin Williams, Hollywood’s leading comedian.

This technique has been adopted in Brazil, to great success. Members of the ‘Group of Frolic’ (Turma da Pholia) regularly visit hospitals to cheer patients in Rio de Janeiro. Their clowning around helps in the treatment, say doctors. While their methods might be somewhat unusual, a sound principle governs them: a good state of mind can increase the immunity of a patient and speed up recovery.

The Only Time when the Emperor Smoked

Mon, 10 Dec 2001 08:56:17 +0000

It was the year 1604 — 392 years ago. An officer under Mughal emperor Akbar had just got back from the south. And this time the officer, Asad Beg Qazwini, had brought several presents for his king. There was one present that he knew would excite the emperor no end — a superbly made jewelled hookah or pipe, a golden burner for lighting the pipe, and a golden box filled with tobacco leaves. All this he kept on a silver tray and presented to Akbar. The fact that the official himself had never seen the use of tobacco in northern India had made him go for it.

Making Music

Sun, 01 Apr 2001 11:26:45 +0000

This happened a long time ago. Hemavati sat in her kitchen after a meal. There was nothing much to do, and Hemavati was bored. So she picked up the thaali or plate in which she had eaten earlier and struck it with a ladle. Taaaaang, traaaaaang, traaaaang… it went. Funny sound, she thought. But then, she liked it too. It was better than many other sounds. For instance, it was better than the snoring sounds her husband made when he slept.

Sundari

Fri, 01 Feb 2002 07:41:37 +0000

Sundari was my cousins’ immediate neighbour. She lived with Lalit Kapoor and his German wife, Hazel, in their beautiful bunglow in Nizammudin East. This goes back many, many years, when I used to come to Delhi from Indore for my holidays. I must have been six or seven years old then. I saw her for the first time from my cousins’ balcony. She was lazing in the garden enjoying the sun on that wintry afternoon.

From Cave Drawings to Floor Drawings

Tue, 02 Jan 2001 08:53:55 +0000

See this drawing? It was painted by our early ancestors on the walls of the caves in which they lived. Often they would draw bulls and bisons. These were the animals they went out to hunt.

Drawing them was a way of getting the courage to go and hunt successfully. They knew that if the animal did not die, there was a chance that one of them might. Drawing the pictures of bulls and bisons was a way of overcoming fear to get what they wanted: food and a long life.

Godly Guardian for the Road

Tue, 28 Jan 2003 07:19:25 +0000

The road on which I travel to and from office every day is one of the busiest roads linking the Indian capital, Delhi, to its neighbouring state, Haryana. It is barely 11 feet wide for the last couple of kilometres before it snakes across to the neighbours. And it is on this stretch that you have a war every morning and evening.

It is a war of space and speed – between cycles, scooters, auto-rickshaws, cars, lorries, tractors, buses and huge trucks. Though, thankfully, the last mentioned bullies – the trucks – have been banned from the road during the daytime.

Joining Hands for peace, at Hiroshima

Sat, 10 May 2003 14:38:29 +0000

Every year, on August 6 and 9, a peace memorial conference is held in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thousands of people from all over the world gather there to indicate their support for peace in a world that is free of nuclear weapons. Dr Srimanjari, who teaches History at Miranda House, Delhi University, took part in one such conference, in 1998. She shares her experience, saying that the visit was a real eye-opener for her.

How does one talk about peace? By sharing memories of pain with those who did not, over generations, so that the desire for peace become stronger. In the peace conference that Srimanjari attended, there were over ten thousand participants, who came from all walks of life.

I Carried the Olympic Torch

Sat, 07 Jul 2001 12:53:17 +0000

In his early 40s, George Abraham is known as the man who has used the game of cricket to encourage a competitive spirit and confidence among the blind. He is the man who singlehandedly put cricket for the blind on the world map, literally.

It was Wednesday, July 10, 1996, the time 11.30 p.m. The telephone rang. It was a call from Coca-Cola, Mumbai. The voice at the other end said, “Can you arrange for a US visa? We have nominated you as one of the six runners who will participate in the Olympic torch relay at Atlanta. You will have to leave for Atlanta tomorrow evening.”

Champion of a 2300-year-old game

Mon, 06 Jan 2003 17:35:32 +0000

It was a lazy summer afternoon, and the buffaloes had gone to sleep in the village pond, at Hassangarh, in Haryana. They had been given a vigorous rub by little Bhola and his gang of four, ranging from six to 10. All they wanted to do was doze.

The creatures moved their ears slightly when the boys clambered onto their backs. Each one of them held a flower stamen as if he was holding a sword. But even during the fierce sword fight between the ‘warriors’, the animals did not stir.

Mormu: Daughter of the Forest

Mon, 24 Sep 2001 22:33:28 +0000

Mormu Oraon was lying under a sal tree in the jungle. As the first rays of golden sunlight fell on her face, she stirred a little. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up slowly. Nearby, her mother poured steaming tea into clay cups. Dawn had just broken, but the day had begun for the Oraon family.

Twelve-year-old Mormu is an adivasi or a tribal. She lives in Ranchi district, in India’s eastern state of Bihar. She is the first in her family to go to school.
Her mother, Haria, or her grandmother, Hirma, had never heard of school.

Smart Ones and Fools

Sat, 14 Oct 2000 01:01:23 +0000

This morning we got a call in our office from a friend who gave us us the news that the Taj Mahal had collapsed in an earthquake in the wee hours of dawn. As soon as we let out shocked gasps we realised that we had all been made fools. For it is April 1 or Fool’s Day today!

Last year, one of India’s most well known TV networks put out a news report that left the viewers speechless. The news was about the first man in the world who was going to have a baby in an Indian hospital.

Mind the Manners!

Tue, 28 May 2002 17:42:35 +0000

Neeru and Shama were planning a trip to Europe for a holiday. They had been through all the travel catalogues, Lonely Planet series, and Michelins to plan their travel and stay. From friends and foren returned relatives they knew the weather backwards and had both warm and arctic-wear clothing.

The final stop was this book on etiquette that friends were raving about: How Not to Say Yes While Meaning No.

They sat in a group with their friends. Pooja, the authority because she had recently returned from a trip to Switzerland, read the excerpts.

Celebrity Camera

Tue, 22 May 2001 16:16:58 +0000

When man took the first steps on the moon, a camera captured the moment forever. Today those pictures are a part of history. And so is the camera that was used to shoot them. The Hasselblad camera.

The first space photographs were taken with Hasselblad cameras. One Hasselblad is still orbiting around the earth. It was dropped by an astronaut while on a space walk. Do you know that a few Hasselblads are also lying on the moon? They were left behind to save weight on the return trip from the moon.

The Flower Girls of the Mountains

Sat, 15 Jul 2000 22:16:24 +0000

I was back in my village after a long time. Tall pines and Deodars greeted me as I walked uphill, on the twisty ‘kuccha-pukka’ road. It is a small village, tucked away in the lower ranges of the Garhwal Himalayas, in northern Indian state of Uttaranchal. As my house came into view, my thrill knew no bounds. I was glad to be back.

It was a week-long family ‘puja’ that had brought the whole family together at the village. I met all the cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents who had come from different corners of the country, where they now live.

Artist of the Free Spirit

Sat, 08 Sep 2001 01:46:11 +0000

‘My heart is beating, keeps on repeating. . .’ remember the memorable lines from the 1970s Hindi movie ‘Julie’? Remember the Satyajit Ray directed film ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’ in Bengali and the mischievous Merlin-like magician Borfi? The tale of two simple village boys Goopy the singer and Bagha the drummer, who by a curious turn of fate, find themselves in the possession of boons by kindly ghosts.

Teeming with interesting, ‘other-worldly’ characters and the toothless Borfi in his pointy hat and glasses, a wizened creature who cast naughty spells on all and sundry. Including the king whom he put to sleep for years and years. No prizes for guessing who wrote the lyrics or who Borfi was. Borfi was none other than Harindranath Chattopadhyay!

The World's Hottest Chili

Sun, 20 May 2001 19:26:28 +0000

Do you like your chilies hot? For the spiciest, tongue-burning experience yet, head for Assam –
that’s where the hottest chilies are grown.

For years, Mexico’s ‘Red Savina Habanero’ was believed to be the hottest chili in the world.
But now a chili grown in Tezpur, Assam, in northeastern India, is being touted as the hottest
chili ever. And coming from a state, which is better known for its tea than its chilies, this
discovery has caused quite a stir.

The Woman who was Not Afraid of Guns

Wed, 21 Feb 2001 04:50:13 +0000

Six years ago, a very brave woman called Gloria Cuartes decided to fight the election for the town mayor’s post. So, what was so brave about that, you may ask. Women all over the world have been fighting some election or the other. But, 33-year-old Gloria’s case was different. You see, she came from the town of Apartedo, where there was violence everywhere.

Apartedo is in the South American country of Colombia. And, for about 17 years, there has been continuous fighting in that country. The fights have been between the government’s armies, guerrilla groups which fight them, and drug gangs.
The people of Apartedo, lived in fear. They were always getting hurt in the violence of gun battles, bomb blasts and kidnappings. Many people who had lived in the town all their lives, had even left the town.

The Girl who Squeezed a Peacock

Sat, 11 Aug 2001 03:17:10 +0000

Last year, a strange thing happened at a zoo in Beijing, China’s capital. When the day started, no one had any idea of what would happen some time later. As usual, there were many visitors to the zoo, especially children.

All of a sudden, a six-year-old girl caught hold of a peacock and squeezed it hard. She said she would free the bird only if her mother agreed to buy a Barbie doll for her. Her mother, who wanted the bird to remain alive, said yes. A Chinese journalist called Wen Chihua wrote about this in a newspaper called Terra Viva.

The Lesson

Wed, 23 Feb 2000 14:17:05 +0000

It was on a rainy day last week that Ravi came running up to our third floor house, pretending he was a fast train. He rang the bell like it was the whistle of a steam engine. Acting as if I was loading a goods wagon, I handed him a bundle of clothes for ironing, with the usual reminder that he should take them to his parents without dropping them even once.

I reminded him of the time when he had dropped my freshly washed white salwar in a puddle. Pretending to be Shaktimaan, or the local Superman who appears in a television serial, he tried to “fly” from the fifth stair and crashed to the ground.

Festive Layers

Wed, 09 Feb 2000 08:23:50 +0000

There are festivals that are built around seasonal and agrarian cycles. Then there are festivals or occasions that are built around the lives of individuals who founded major religions. And there are festivals that revolve around mythological figures of gods and goddesses.

India is one of the few countries in the world, which can boast of observing the most important festivals of major world religions within a span of just 45-60 days!

Consider these fascinating facts: In most years, since Hindu festivals follow the lunar calendar, in end-March or early April, Hindus celebrate the birth of Lord Rama. In the late days of winter, is Muharram. On this day the Shia Muslims especially, mourn the memory of Imam Hussain, grandson of Prophet Mohammad, who was killed in the battle for succession following the Prophet’s death. The battle took place at Karbala.

Children's Pledge to On-line Safety

Fri, 28 Mar 1997 21:53:28 +0000

We recommend that every child accessing the Internet should adhere to the following pledge:

I promise to never give my name, address, phone number, school’s name, computer passwords or picture, to anyone on the Internet without my parents’ approval.

I promise to tell a parent or teacher if I see any bad language or pictures on the Internet, or if anyone makes me feel nervous or uncomfortable.

I promise to stay out of any chat rooms and websites not approved of by my parents.

The Emperor who Hated Schooling

Fri, 11 May 2001 03:59:47 +0000

Emperors too were children once. Even Mughal emperor Akbar, who has been given the title of Akbar the Great. He was more interested in bunking lessons rather than learn from his tutor. Being his own master from a young age, one day he decided that he did not want to study. He made the highest minister in his father Humayun’s court tell his teacher that it was to be an off day!

Later in life, he went out of his way to tell people that he was illiterate. But that was not entirely true, though it is correct that he never penned a line himself. At the same time, he loved books and also enjoyed them being read to him.

He Can't See But He Shows The Way

Thu, 06 Sep 2001 19:28:12 +0000

As a child, he would beat up anyone who dared to call him “andha” or the blind one. Now he does not need to.

Last week, he beat 33 people with his navigational skills at a car rally and emerged the winner.

Meet Vipin Malhotra, who navigated a car through a distance of 50 km in one hour and 10 minutes at a car rally held in Delhi. He did this with the help of a map which had instructions in Braille.

Young Peacemakers of Colombia

Sun, 30 Sep 2001 17:38:49 +0000

July 29: Ivan Vargas is only 14. But he is a messenger of peace for his country, Colombia. He and 100,000 other Colombian children have got together to start the Movement of Children for Peace. All of them want only one thing today – peace in their war-torn country — at any cost. But not having much faith in adults, they have decided to bring it about themselves. And for their efforts, the children’s movement was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize of 1999.

Hullo! My Name is Nershwn

Sun, 16 Jun 2002 20:19:40 +0000

He is eight years old and has already travelled a great distance from his original home, to Delhi. It was not a happy shift. What made his family leave its home was fear for the lives of its member. For, Majuli island, where they lived, is in Assam, different groups of people in Assam are fighting for what they think are their natural rights.

Nershwn speaks of all this in his own way. He gives a snapshot of the world as he sees it, from his height.

The Black Hole of Social Weights and Measures

Sun, 28 May 2000 16:03:17 +0000

William James Sidis could speak five languages and read Plato in original Greek by the age of five. At eight he passed the entrance for Harvard but had to wait three years to be admitted. Even so he became Harvard’s youngest scholar and graduate in 1914 at the age of sixteen. Frequently featured in ‘Ripley’s Believe it or Not’, Sidis made the front page of ‘The New York Times’ nineteen times.’

The story defies all conventional norms and may even sound like a joke if you found out that Sidis was born on April 1, 1898. But to the best of our judgement this is a true story*. But then if he was such an amazing character, how come no one knows of him? Whatever happened to him?

The First Dream of a Soccer Star

Sun, 22 Jul 2001 19:04:59 +0000

In 1981, Invalappil Mani Vijayan was 12 years old. He sold cold drinks at a football stadium near his home in Thrissur, Kerala, to earn some money for his family. Today he is not only the captain of the Indian football team, he has started a coaching centre at the same football stadium. He wants to help youngsters like him who have dreams but very few ways of making them come true.

The five feet ten inches tall Vijayan is one of the best goal scorers in Indian football today. He holds the record for the fastest goal in the world. He is the sole Indian player to have scored two international hat-tricks for India. The football player has been selected as India’s best player of the year three times.

The Luckiest Men?

Thu, 20 Mar 2003 07:30:43 +0000

St Pierre was a town of some 30,000 inhabitants, lying in a mile-long, crescent-shaped strip in the Martinique Islands, in the Caribbean or West Indies. The city had a grand backdrop: the 4,430 feet high Mount Pelee or ‘bald’ mountain. The mountain lives on but the town has become a part of its fiery history. Mount Pelee is a dormant volcano that erupts once in a while and then lies cold for a long time and without any activity.

The Filmmaker

Tue, 04 Jun 2002 06:04:38 +0000

Shooting ‘Shores of Silence’, was probably more exciting than shooting a high-voltage action thriller for Mike Pandey and his two crewmembers. The small fishing boat that they rode the high seas in, was tossed by huge waves like a cork, threatening their life and equipment several times. But the three hung on, determined to shoot the sequence that was to be the highlight of the film – the capturing and slaughtering of giant whale sharks.

A Monster in Tokyo…

Tue, 13 Nov 2001 19:18:09 +0000

It happened one evening in May, 53 years ago, in 1947. Many people in Tokyo had switched on to the American Armed Forces Radio Station. It was two years since the Second World War had ended and Japan had been defeated. But the Americans were still around. And so was their radio station.

Around 7 pm, the radio programme was interrupted. An announcer screamed that a huge sea monster had risen from the sea.

It was more than 20 feet long. Having waded ashore, it was scaring the wits out of people. And it had been seen in the stretch between Tokyo and Yokahama. Like the TV news channels tell us to “stay tuned for further news,” the radio announcer did the same. Fear could be heard in his voice.

Little Gyatsu Goes To School

Sun, 25 Jun 2000 14:56:54 +0000

As the sun rises over the hills, the birds start chirping. Nine-year-old Gyatsu knows that it is time to go to school. All his friends in the village go to school too. In no time a small army of rosy-cheeked children can be seen hurrying through the streets and up the hills, to the local primary school. The birds keep them company throughout the way.

Little Gyatsu lives in a hill village called Drutlang. It is close to Aizawl, which is the capital of Mizoram state, in the north-eastern part of India. Mizoram is one of the seven hill states in north-east India. These seven states are called The Seven Sisters.

The Emperor and the Zebra

Sat, 22 Jan 2000 21:53:13 +0000

This is a tale almost 400 years old. Mughal emperor Jehangir’s zoo had a brand new visitor — the zebra. And the emperor could not believe his eyes at the sight of this unusual, striped animal. So surprised was he that he wrote about it in his memoirs. He spoke of it as a very strange animal. So strange that some people imagined that the animal’s stripes had been painted!

The emperor decided to find out whether the zebra was indeed coloured or not.

Say Cheese!

Sat, 08 Dec 2001 20:40:57 +0000

My nephew was six when he received the first whiff of a peachy odour, later identified to him as Parmesan cheese. A gift from a “foreign returned” relative, the cheese by the time it came home had got slightly rancid. But all the same, he gobbled it up with relish.

There was never a dull moment thereafter and he started ferreting out large chunks of cheese and butter from sundry fridges without as much as a whey and what-for. Unlike Miss Tuffet he squirreled off some to his room and hid in various closets, under the stairs, in the attic and satisfied his desires.

Help Save Our Home

Fri, 18 May 2001 04:05:53 +0000

Raju Kher has just passed his Madhyamik or class X exams. He is very happy for having scored a first division and achieving ‘distinctions’ in four subjects. A student achieves a ‘distinction’ by scoring at least 75 marks in a subject.

But Raju’s distinctions are even more remarkable because he has nothing much to go by. He lives in a Home for the destitute – a home for the homeless and the poor.

So there have been no tuitions for Raju, no energy foods to improve his brainpower during exam times, and no parents either to shower all the attention that an achiever usually gets.

10 Tips for Parents of Children with Internet access

Thu, 23 Apr 1998 21:40:17 +0000

#1 Take the trip together. Take the time to see what your kids are doing online and what their interests are. If you don’t know how to log on, get your child to show you.

#2 Teach kids never to give out their personal information to people they meet online, especially in public places like chat rooms and bulletin boards.

#3 Instruct your child never to plan a face-to-face meeting alone with online acquaintances without your permission. If a meeting is arranged, make the first one in a public place and be sure to accompany your child.

Dia's Story

Thu, 23 May 2002 06:46:25 +0000

Dia, an 80-year-old labourer of Indian origin, lives in the corner of a cotton field in the western province of Kanchanaburi, Thailand. His rundown shack contains very little besides a military medal and a few clothes. The medal is a remnant of Dia’s eventful, if tragic, past.

It is a past that has included a stint at Myanmar (then Burma), as a prisoner captured by the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II (1939 – 45). During this time he was made to work in the construction of a railway between Burma and Thailand.

They Make you Swallow a Fish for a Herbal Cure

Wed, 11 Apr 2001 16:48:18 +0000

As the northwest monsoon strikes India in the first week of June, people from all parts of India, and abroad, make a beeline for Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh. They all have one thing in common: they suffer from the disease of asthma and gather in Hyderabad for a unique herbal cure. The medicine is stuffed inside the mouth of a three-inch live murrel fish which the patient is made to swallow. Once inside the body, the fish releases the medicine. Those who gather the courage to take the cure find that it works.

When a Whacky King Turned Serious

Thu, 08 Feb 2001 10:28:19 +0000

As a young emperor, Akbar seems to have had a whacky sense of fun. Since he was very fond of cock fights, he once announced that anyone coming to see him must bring a fighting cock with him.

One person who got a real taste of Akbar’s sense of humour was the governor of Punjab, Shamsudin Atka. He was on his way to meet the emperor when he received an order from Akbar that he should have his head shaved.