Grade 7 (Age 12-13 years) on Pitara Kids Network

How Do Fish Survive in Icy Waters?

Mon, 31 Jan 2000 15:02:06 +0000

In cold winter months, lakes and rivers freeze over forming ice. Yet, fish and other aquatic animals manage to survive.

Animals like seals, penguins, walruses and a wide variety of sea birds are all fish eaters. They live in the Arctic and Antarctic Circle, amidst the icecaps. The land is completely frozen. Yet these animals manage to live in this region. How do they do it?

The icy waters of the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans support a great amount of marine life. For millions of years life has remained unchanged, making it possible for these animals to adapt themselves to these particular patterns of existence.

William Shakespeare: The Father of The English Language

Wed, 27 May 2020 18:30:00 +0000

William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616):

“Neither here nor there”, “with bated breath”, “vanish into thin air”… Words we use today, but they were written by one very talented writer nearly 500 years ago. The English language as we know it today owes a lot to William Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare is considered the greatest writer in the English language and the greatest playwright to have ever lived. Born on the 26th of April 1564, his complete works include 39 plays and 154 sonnets. His plays have been performed more than any playwright.

Why's the Sun Red during Sunrise and Sunset?

Sat, 01 Feb 2003 14:19:47 +0000

As day breaks, a reddish-white ball of light that we call the sun, rises. This red haze gives way to a golden-white sheen as the day advances and reappears when the sun sets in the evening. Does the sun really change colours, or does it only seem so? The explanation lies in-between.

Light from the sun consists of three kinds of radiation – ultra-violet rays, visible light and infra-red rays. Unlike visible light, ultra-violet rays and infra-red rays cannot be seen.

What is a virus?

Sat, 16 May 2020 10:28:31 +0000

Viruses are these tiny, invisible structures that cause infections. They make us sick. There are millions of viruses in our environment but only about 5000 have been identified by scientists. The ones you may have heard of are the Human Immunodeficiency Virus or HIV and the Novel Coronavirus or Covid-19.

What do viruses look like?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Do you think that a virus is some creepy, crawly thing? It is not. A virus is a non-living thing. It is invisible to the human eye. A virus is one hundred times smaller than a bacteria, which is why most viruses cannot be seen even under a microscope.

Amelia Earhart

Tue, 29 Jan 2002 02:45:20 +0000

Amelia Earhart was one of the world’s most celebrated aviators. She broke records and charted new skies in the course of her short life. She disappeared while she was on a flight around the world.

Earhart was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas. She was the elder of Edwin Stanton and Amy Otis Earhart’s two daughters. Childhood was not happy for the two bright sisters. Their father was an alcoholic and lost jobs often. The family travelled a great deal.

Who Invented The Pen?

Thu, 17 Nov 2005 05:01:49 +0000

The history of writing instruments with which humans have recorded and conveyed thoughts, feelings and grocery lists, is the history of civilisation itself. This is how we know about our ancestors and their lives.

The handy sharpened-stone, used for skinning and killing animals was adapted into the first writing instrument. Around 24,000 BC, the cave man started drawing pictures with the stone onto the walls of his cave dwelling. His drawings showed events in daily life such as the planting of crops or hunting victories. Walls at the Apollo site in Namibia, southwest Africa are believed to be the oldest rock paintings to date.

Where Did Numerals Originate?

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

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

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

My Trip to Nainital

Mon, 25 May 1998 23:16:50 +0000

Satyanshu Mohan is student St. Joseph’s Intermediate College at Allahabad and is studying in class four. Here he recounts his trip to Nainital with his family.

Nainital is a beautiful hill station in Himalayas. My father is very fond of Nainital. This year we went just after Deepawali to Nainital on a short trip. There is no direct suitable connection by train to Nainital from Allahabad so we first went to Rampur and then from there we took a train to Kathgodam.

The Potter

Tue, 03 Sep 2002 13:50:44 +0000

The summer sun smiles a scorching smile
The smile sends shivers
through the stoutest hearts
A summer smile is reason to sweat
But the potter’s back with his cool lifeline!

Earthen pots of every size
Are piled under a tarpaulin sky
Waiting to find new homes
And soothe thirsty throats!

Their water has a magical taste –
The sweet smell of wet earth
Or soil that comes alive after
The first seasonal shower!

Some pots are small, like a baby’s song
Some are round – a perfect ‘O’
Some are tall with slender necks
Like a curious gazelle looking ahead!

What Happens After an Earthquake?

Sat, 06 Apr 2002 21:55:39 +0000

People often wonder whether an earthquake can drastically change the topography of a region. A few tremors and some buildings that collapse does not mean that the shape of the earth has changed, does it? However, earthquakes can and do change the topography of the region.

An earthquake raised Rhodes island. The line of erosion (on the rock to the left) shows the sea level before the earthquake. The rise is uneven in different parts of the island, usually several meters. [Ввласенко / CC BY-SA]Ввласенко / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Our earth is made of many layers just like an onion. We can divide it into four main layers: the inner or solid core, the outer or liquid core, mantle, and crust. The inner core is composed mostly of iron and is extremely hot. This heat causes the outer core to remain in a liquid or molten form.

Which is the fastest animal on earth?

Fri, 26 Jun 2020 10:28:31 +0000

Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on earth – it can fly nearly as fast as an airplane.

Peregrine Falcon is one of the rare birds that thrive in urban environments. It uses tall skyscrapers as launchpads and hunts pigeons and ducks. It is the world’s most widespread bird of prey and one of the most widely found bird species. It also has a good relationship with humans who use it for hunting.

What is Water Harvesting?

Fri, 09 May 2003 05:03:49 +0000

Come summer and the entire nation seems to have just one word on its lips – water. Year 2000 saw one of the worst summers recorded in the history of India. The drought in the state of Gujarat and Rajasthan was the worst in decades.

Fresh water, they say is a scarce resource. Is it?

During the monsoons every year, we allow huge amounts of fresh water to run off our roads and pavements into the drains where it mixes with the sewage and heads straight for the rivers where we dump waste. Did you know that this rain water is enough to see us through the summers?

How did Christianity Come to India?

Sun, 17 Nov 2002 07:38:44 +0000

Would you doubt my word if I say that Doubting Thomas, one of the Apostles of Christ visited India and established Christianity? Don’t. For its true.

Among Christ’s 12 apostles, Thomas Didaemus or Doubting Thomas, along with Peter and Paul were pre-eminent. Thomas Didaemus was called Doubting Thomas because he doubted Christ’s word that on the third day after his crucifixion, Christ would rise again.

There are many schools of thought as to how Christianity spread in India. Some claim it is through St. Thomas who came to India in 52 A.D. Others claim that a Syrian merchant, Thomas of Cana, came to Travancore in Kerala and established a Christian colony there.

Why do Clocks Run Clockwise?

Sat, 23 Dec 2006 21:09:41 +0000

“Time to get dressed!” cries a harried Mama as she tries to pack the bag, straighten the tie, pack lunch, tie shoelaces as at the same time she pushes children dragging their heels towards the bus stop. Oh? Is it already “Time for school?” later still its “time for dinner” or “time for bed!” Old Father Time can be quite an interfering busybody and there really is nothing we can do. Most of us spend a greater part of our time and lives trying to beat exactly this – time!

Why can’t the Sun melt Snow?

Mon, 10 Feb 2003 13:20:47 +0000

There are some things in nature that have a great capacity to toss back or reflect a great deal of the sun’s light that falls on them. One of them is snow. Newly formed snow reflects about 90 per cent of the sunlight that falls upon it. This means that the sun is powerless to melt clean snow. And when snow does melt, it is not because of the sunlight. Snow does not melt on a spring day because of the sun’s heat. It melts because of the warm air from the sea.

Durga Puja in Calcutta

Tue, 30 Apr 1996 09:53:31 +0000

Durga Puja in Calcutta [Illustration by Shiju George]

Durga Puja is the biggest festival in Bengal. We celebrate this puja very nicely in our city. We look forward to Durga Puja every year It is a joyous occasion for all of us. In Calcutta, Durga Puja is a wonderful celebration. Being vacation time, we enjoy ourselves very much.

Durga Puja usually lasts for five days. It begins with ‘Shashti’ and ends with “Dashami”. In our locality, we decorate the ‘pandal’ (tent) very nicely . The Honourable Minister of Transport comes for the inauguration of the Puja to our locality . Every year I go with my parents and my sister to visit the pandal and worship the image of the Goddess Durga.

The Exotic Peacock

Mon, 04 Sep 2000 18:58:57 +0000

Come monsoons, and we immediately think about the beautiful peacock, dancing in the rain, with its luscious tail spread out behind it. Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful birds in the world and a native of the Indian sub-continent, it is not surprising that the Peacock was anointed as the national bird of India in 1963.

Hailing from the pheasant family, these exotic birds are cherished for their colourful plumes and eggs. The peacocks, more appropriately called peafowls, (peacock refers to the male) are found in lowland forests and hills usually in small groups consisting of one male and several females.

The Importance of the Mangrove Forest

Thu, 05 Jul 2001 14:13:59 +0000

Tropical coastlines and marshy areas around the world have one thing in common: mangrove forests. These consist of trees and shrubs that throw out many prop roots and sustain a large variety of aquatic animals, birds and plants. These mangroves form a complete ecosystem. That is, they provide a complete base for all the organisms within that environment to live and thrive. That keeps the balance in the larger environment of which humans are a vital part. Marshy and swampy tidal areas near seas and estuaries, where rivers empty into the sea, are ideal for mangrove forests.

How Does the Steam Engine Work?

Wed, 14 Jun 2000 05:10:00 +0000

In 1804 the first steam-powered engine ran, carrying some iron in Wales, in Britain. But it was almost twenty five years later, in 1829, that George Stephenson, a British engineer, designed the “rocket” that paved the way for railways all over Europe, Asia and America.

How Does the Steam Engine Work? [Illustration by Shiju George]

The steam engine is an example of a heat engine. Heat engines are those that convert heat energy into mechanical work.

Is Pluto a Planet?

Tue, 25 Nov 2003 09:10:50 +0000

Which is the planet farthest from the Sun? For a long time, the answer was Pluto. Not any more.

In 2006, the world’s astronomers met and agreed on exactly what a ‘planet’ is. Pluto did not fit the new rules, so it was given a new title — a dwarf planet.

Why the change? Mostly Pluto’s small size. It is only about 2,377 kilometres across — about five times smaller than Earth, and even smaller than our own Moon. Scientists had long suspected that something so tiny did not belong in the club of major planets.

Global Warming: Melting kingdom of the Polar Bear

Sat, 15 May 2004 18:42:46 +0000

Through the long and dark Arctic winter, the mother Polar Bear sat quietly in her den. She had given birth to her cubs, and was waiting for them to grow strong enough to follow her out to the ice pack. The ice pack is her refrigerator, the place where she gets her food. It’s quite literally a floating, rotating gyre or “cap” of ice that covers the Earth’s northern pole. Along its edges of cracked and broken ice swims the Polar Bear’s food: ringed seals, bearded seals, harp and hooded seals and, occasionally, carcasses of beached beluga whales, walruses, narwhals, and bowhead whales.

Why Do we Get Tired?

Fri, 03 Aug 2001 12:03:42 +0000

Sumit was a tireless bundle of energy. He was always up to some mischief or the other. As he grew, to his mother’s relief he became a more relaxed child, and over the years his energy level seems to have come down considerably. However, now he feels tired and fatigued. At times he wonders why he gets so tired so soon when there is so much that he wants to do?

Is Tomato a Vegetable or a Fruit?

Wed, 01 Feb 2006 17:55:56 +0000

We think the tomato is a vegetable, but it is actually a fruit. Because it is not sweet and is used for providing flavour to food, we think of it as a vegetable.

The tomato is originally from Mexico. The word “tomato” comes from the Spanish tomate, which in turn comes from the Nahuatl word tomatotl. Spanish explorers who went to South America about 500 years ago, brought back the tomato to Europe. The French called them love apples, while the British called them apples of gold. Young men made necklaces of tomato seeds and presented them to their loved ones.

What Kind of Horses did Knights Ride?

Mon, 16 Apr 2001 02:07:59 +0000

In 1066 AD the Normans (people who came from Normandy in Europe) conquered England and introduced feudalism in England. Feudalism was a system of contract where society was divided into four classes: royalty, barons (noblemen) and bishops, knights (a title or a rank) and lastly peasants. Merchants and artisans were placed just above the peasants.

From 1066 to about the 14th century, feudalism developed across Europe. There were no professional armies at that time like we have today. Every man who was called upon was expected to follow his king in battle. The king granted land to these knights. A knighthood was obtained either by birth into a noble family or through bravery in battle.

The Great Escape

Mon, 23 Sep 2002 21:19:40 +0000

On the outskirts of a bustling city near the sea coast was a zoo named Kananvan. It was famous all over the world for its magnificent white tigers, exotic birds and several other rare species.

However, there was one special quality that made the zoo different and about which no human knew. The animals of Kananvan practiced a democracy that is quite rare even in the so-called civilised world. A democracy in a zoo? I’ll explain.

How Does Ice float?

Thu, 16 Dec 2004 03:41:03 +0000

A cool glass of water topped with huge chunks of ice is sure to quench your thirst on a hot summer day. But, before you guzzle the water, look at how the ice floats on the water surface. How do these large ice pieces manage to stay afloat?

Ice floats because it is less dense than water. (If you take a one-litre container with ice and weigh it, it will be lighter than a similar container with water.)

Why is the Mediterranean Sea Blue?

Wed, 19 Jan 2000 02:23:58 +0000

We know that about seventy one per cent of the earth’s surface is covered with water. The earth’s three main Oceans are the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

The Atlantic Ocean is a great mass of water that separates Europe and Africa from America. It is shaped like a great hour-glass-with a ‘waist’ where Africa and South America bulge out towards each other. Although in area it is less than half the Pacific, it has many ‘secondary’ seas, such as the Arctic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

What Is The Origin Of Silk Fabric?

Fri, 15 Jul 2005 14:43:43 +0000

My mother took out her favourite blue silk saree for the dinner party. I looked at it, mesmerised by its shimmer and lustre. The rich fabric draped around her body, making her look so very elegant. Definitely no other fabric can match the qualities of silk.

But have you ever wondered, how silk fabric came into existence? Silk production, or ‘Sericulture’ as it is known, has a long history, unknown to most of us.

What Is The Origin Of Silk Fabric?

The silken roots

Can Plants be Parasites?

Thu, 27 Apr 2000 22:20:11 +0000

All living things are dependent either on other animals or plants for their food. Animals must constantly go in search of food. But plants remain fixed at one place. Some plants make their own food by using energy from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil to make sugar.

Green leaves of the plants contain chlorophyll that carry out this process called photosynthesis. But a large number of plants are unable to produce their own food because of the absence of chlorophyll. These plants, therefore, feed on other plants or dead animals.

What is the Weight of Air?

Fri, 14 May 2004 14:07:53 +0000

As you stand in the middle of a playground or while you are sitting in your class, there is an immense weight right over your head, but you do not feel it! This is the weight of the atmosphere, or air, as we know it.

Composed of nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases, it surrounds the earth like an envelope. And, it extends almost a thousand kilometres above the Earth’s surface.

Why do Doctors Examine the Pulse?

Tue, 14 Nov 2000 13:23:52 +0000

If you place the first three fingers of your hand on the inside of your wrist, a dull throbbing reverberates through your hand. Da-dub, da-dub, da-dub. Very reassuring, these gentle thuds, that remind us that our bodies are kicking along, and that, at least at last touch, we’re alive and well.

By pulse we mean the regular throbbing of arteries caused by the successive contractions of the heart. During the action of the heart there is a pause. During this pause, the wall of the aorta contracts. The aorta is the great trunk artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.

Who invented Hello?

Fri, 20 Aug 2004 11:15:32 +0000

Hello, Hullo, Hallo, Hull-oo-oo-oo. You may say it softly or you may holler at the top of your voice, but the person at the other end knows that all you are trying to do is get in touch with a greeting.

Legend has it that Thomas Alva Edison was the first to say hello over the telephone. But Edison didn’t invent ‘hello’ by a long shot. As a matter of fact, the greeting has been around for centuries much before the invention of telephone in 1885.

An Organism that is visible from Space

Sat, 10 Aug 2002 10:30:36 +0000

The elephant is the largest land animal. The Blue whale is the largest sea animal. But however big these animals may be, they can not size up to the colonies built by tiny little sea creatures – the coral. The colonies built by corals are called coral reefs. Coral reefs can be as huge as big islands or even as big as a country!

These reef-building corals are not single animals. A coral is a colony made up of many individual animals called polyps. These are connected to each other.

How do Satellites Stay Up?

Thu, 24 Apr 2003 16:34:46 +0000

Satellites orbit the earth because of the force of gravity. To understand why this happens and why the satellite does not get pulled in and fall, we have to understand what forces do. A force will change the motion of an object; it might speed it up, slow it down or change its direction. For example, if you are running and someone pushes you from behind, you speed up (the force is in the direction of your motion). But if someone pushes you in the chest when you are running, you slow down (the force is in the opposite direction to your motion). If you are running and someone pushes you from the side, you move away from them, changing your direction. (the force is at right angles to the motion). This idea is called

The Magical Rainforest

Fri, 10 Aug 2001 11:17:58 +0000

Imagine a forest where the trees touch the sky. Due to enough rainfall, the trees grow huge and spread wide. Their tallest branches are so thick-leafed that they create a thick curtain. Even the wind does not find enough space to blow as it pleases. All there is in that forest is stillness. And it is very warm. The temperature could vary between 20 and 35 degrees centigrade. The climate is such that it is good for life forms of all kinds — from trees to animals, birds and insects.

Why do Cats Always Land on Their Feet?

Wed, 22 Oct 2003 00:43:52 +0000

When someone falls from the fourth or fifth floor, and survives, we call it a miracle. When a cat falls from that height, we watch astonished as it lands on all fours, pauses, then straighten up and walks away looking just a little fazed. What would you call this, a miracle or God’s grace?

Any guesses why cats survive while humans don’t? Well, it all has to do with the in-built ability of a cat to adjust its position during a sudden fall, its light weight and lithe muscular body. While humans tumble uncontrollably and completely lose control over their bodies when they fall, cats are able to straighten themselves even in mid-air and manage to fall on their feet.

Who discovered Vaccination?

Sun, 24 Feb 2002 05:56:48 +0000

“Mom, I have a stomach ache and I am feeling sick!” Try this out at home and the quick response is bound to be, “Don’t worry, we will take you to the Doctor!” More often than not, if the ache is because you haven’t done your homework, the mere mention of the word ‘doctor’ cures you. Of course, if the problem is genuine no one will know the cure better than a doctor.

Edward Jenner was an English physician who was the pioneer of smallpox vaccine — the world’s first vaccine. rook76 / Shutterstock.com

Know what the scariest thing about a doctor is? – that invariably you get an injection for all aches and pains. Do you know that a newborn child is given vaccination for many diseases? You may throw a tantrum and scream your head off to avoid the injection and inwardly mutter death threats at the person who invented such a painful method for treatment, but the fact remains that whenever we are sick an injection does the trick.
How did it begin? It so happened that one day in 1768, a young milkmaid visited a doctor in Gloucestershire, England. Though nearly everyone in the district was then sick with smallpox, a dreaded disease at that time, the milkmaid was not affected! In the eighteenth century, smallpox was a killer disease, as widespread as cancer now, but with the difference that the majority of its victims were young children.

How is Paper Perfumed?

Fri, 05 Oct 2001 21:49:02 +0000

Fruity, musk, floral, woodsy… believe it or not, the human nose can detect the difference between nearly 1,000 different odours. Our nose is very sensitive to delicate variations in smell. To cater to the need ’to smell good’, perfume manufacturers churn out innovative new fragrances all the time.

Perfume manufacturers spend a lot of money on making a perfume, research, bottling and advertisements. That’s not all, sometimes they even put the fragrance on a page in a popular magazine so that readers can sample the scent. A bit like a sniff preview!

Why do Meteorites Strike the Earth?

Sat, 27 Apr 2002 10:32:14 +0000

On a hot summer afternoon, I sat down with my elder brother to play carom. I took the first strike and pocketed two coins. Then I did a little war dance. Wow!

Suddenly dada (Bengali for elder brother) had an idea. “How would it be if a fast-travelling object hit the earth? Quite like the way the striker hit the coins.”

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.

The Deadly King Cobra

Mon, 24 Jan 2000 17:09:40 +0000

Belonging to the family Elapidae, the name Cobra is popularly applied to African and Asian snakes that are capable of spreading long ribs in their necks into a hood when threatened. There are six species of cobras: the Naja, the south African ringhal (Hemachatus), king cobra (Ophiophagus), water cobra (Boulengerina), tree cobra (Pseudohaje), and shield-nose cobra (Aspidelaps).

The king cobra or Hamadryad holds a record length of 5.58 m (18.3ft) for a venomous snake.

Bruce Lee

Sat, 25 Jan 1997 19:04:12 +0000

The Chinese American actor Bruce Lee, was born in San Francisco on November 27, 1940. Born a sickly child, he was named Li Jun Fan a female name by his mother to ward off evil spirits. His dad an Hong Kong opera singer returned back to Hong Kong along with his family in 1941.

As a kid martial arts and bodybuilding were his only preoccupation, studies didn’t interest him. In 1946 he appeared in first of many films as a child actor. He appeared in 20 movies and rarely in school. He soon became involved with a gang and his mother shipped him back to America before his 18th birthday so he could claim his dual-citizenship and avoid winding up in jail.

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.

How Is Jelly Formed?

Thu, 10 Jan 2002 07:54:18 +0000

Had a good dinner? Now how about some cool custard with jelly on the side for dessert? Doesn’t the jelly look inviting, a transparent red-coloured blob sitting pretty on the plate, making you long to dig your spoon into it?

Called Jell-O in the United States of America, jelly changes shape with the change in temperature. It stays sets at room temperature, which is between 0 degrees and 20 degree C. Warm it to about 27 degree C and watch it disintegrate into a watery mixture. Cool it and it thickens until it sets again.

Why are Zebras Striped?

Sat, 09 Nov 2002 16:23:19 +0000

As a child I was always full of questions. I remember asking my parents why zebras were striped or why did giraffes have such a long neck. Most of the time the answers were elusive and I used to be very irritated. I could never get the right answer to satisfy my curiosity. I now realize why my parents could not give me a concrete answer. You see I happened to be in the same dilemma when my three-year-old daughter asked me the same question! I was faced with the difficult task of giving her half-baked answers or finding the right answers this time.

Why do People Kiss Under the Mistletoe?

Tue, 31 Jul 2001 02:09:33 +0000

In millions of homes in Europe and America, a sprig of mistletoe with berries is hung outside the doorway at Christmastime. According to custom, a man is allowed to kiss a girl if she is standing under the mistletoe.

Why do People Kiss Under the Mistletoe?

Legend has it that when Balder, the son of the Norse goddess Frigga was killed by an arrow made of mistletoe by Loki, an evil spirit, Frigga wept tears of white berries which brought him back to life. Overjoyed, Frigga blessed the plant and bestowed to kiss all who passed beneath it.

What are Canal Locks?

Wed, 24 Nov 1999 19:48:09 +0000

In some rivers or canals the water is not too deep for large ocean-going ships. In such places large watertight compartments are built that help ships and boats go up or down different levels on rivers or canals. These are called canal locks.

In certain areas, man-made canals are constructed to connect two water bodies. These canals are built to help cut down the distance a large ship would otherwise have to take to reach its destination. The canals are therefore constructed at a higher level, like the Panama Canal to prevent land on either side from getting flooded.

Does the Black Widow Spider Kill her Mate?

Tue, 06 Jun 2000 06:08:59 +0000

Largest of the cobweb weavers, the black widow or Latrodectus Mactans is a poisonous spider. They get their ignoble name because the females commonly eat their mates after mating (as is common among spiders) and hence are often widows. They comprise about six species and inhabit warmer regions of the world.

Shiny black in colour with a reddish hourglass shape on the underside of her spherical abdomen, the female black widow is about one inch long. The male is about half her size and may have a pair of reddish stripes on the side of his abdomen.

How Many Kinds of Rhinos are There?

Thu, 19 Oct 2000 02:17:34 +0000

A modern day rhino or rhinoceros looks pretty much like its ancestor that existed on earth more than 30 million years ago.

Its status as an animal “biggie” hasn’t changed much either. The ancestors of the modern-day rhinoceros – the 4 feet tall Uintatherium and the 15 feet high Indricotherium – were the largest land mammals ever. Today’s rhino is the largest living land mammal, after the African elephant, in terms of size and weight.

Tenali Rama the Messenger

Sat, 14 Apr 2001 06:53:21 +0000

Clown, jester, poet…Tenali Rama, minister in the court of the ruler of Vijaynagar, Krishnadeva Rai (reign: 1509-30), was a multi-faceted personality. Stories, about Tenali Rama and his practical jokes on everyone around him, including distinguished fellow poets and the emperor himself, abound in south India.

His fame spread beyond Vijaynagar (present-day Andhra Pradesh), to areas that come in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka today. Tenali Rama was also a great scholar of several languages that included Marathi, Tamil and Kannada.

Jupiter's New Moon

Tue, 01 Oct 2002 03:02:45 +0000

Does Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, have a 17th moon? Astronomers seem to think it does.

Last year, astronomers at the University of Arizona and a Massachusets Observatory discovered what looked like a new moon around Jupiter. They had been scanning the skies for comets and asteroids as part of a spacewatch programme. In fact, when they saw the new moon, they thought it might be a comet or an asteroid.

A comet is a small body of ice and dust that orbits the Sun. When it approaches the Sun, the ice in it vaporises and forms a head and a tail. This object around Jupiter looked nothing like one, though it moved in an elongated orbit like a comet. It looked even less like an asteroid, which is a small rocky body that orbits the Sun. In the solar system, asteroids exist in a wide belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Why do Earthquakes Occur?

Thu, 29 Jul 1999 07:19:27 +0000

As a result of upheavals below its surface, the earth shakes now and then. This shaking of the earth is known as an earthquake.

Few natural events are as violently destructive as an earthquake. It usually strikes without warning, giving off violent vibrations in the process. These vibrations not only shake the ground but also sometimes crack it open. And then, there is chaos, for earthquakes have been known to wipe out cities and civilisations.

How Does a Helicopter Hover?

Mon, 12 Nov 2001 09:37:31 +0000

It was January 26 and Rahul was terribly exited. And with good reason too. His father, a pilot in the Indian Navy, had been bestowed the rare honour of flying the newly acquired “Pawan Hans” helicopters for the Republic Day parade.

Rahul couldn’t sleep the night before. He had already set his alarm clock to wake him up at 4 a.m., He wanted his mother to take him to the venue well before the scheduled time.

The Hottest way to Catch Crooks

Sat, 13 Oct 2001 05:18:56 +0000

All of us know how crooks are caught. We have seen it in film after film: the police inspector matches the fingerprints on the scene of the crime with the suspect’s fingerprints. And the culprit goes to prison.

Fingerprinting has remained one of the best ways to catch a person with a criminal record. The technique was foolproof, for no two people have matching fingerprints — even identical twins.

Unfortunately, things are not so simple any more. Crooks have become smarter and are very careful not to leave fingerprint traces. While some wipe all the surfaces they touch, others prefer using gloves. British police are now using different ways to nab or catch offenders.

What is an Earthquake?

Mon, 28 Oct 2002 22:15:31 +0000

One moment, the world seems just the way it was yesterday, the day before, last year, or even the day before the day before. All is well with the world. It’s a beautiful sunny day and you are sitting drinking your morning tea or coffee relaxed and enjoying the day. Suddenly there is a rattling of plates and glasses. Within seconds chairs and tables are rocking violently, the fans sway crazily and crockery is falling off the shelves. Help!! Sometimes plaster falls from the ceiling, walls develop cracks or worse still, they collapse. The very earth is shaking!

Vaikom Mohammed Basheer

Mon, 25 Sep 2000 11:50:57 +0000

We Indians are story-lovers. We were all, at one point or the other, children at our grandmother’s feet, listening wide-eyed to her tales of days long gone. And if we love to hear stories, there are many among us who love to tell them as well. Nowhere is this truer than in the world of Indian languages. India abounds in storytellers who write in their mother tongue.

There are several reasons why such writers are special. The range of their stories is amazing. And they smell very real. It is as if we were back at grandmother’s feet again.

What to do During an Earthquake?

Fri, 12 Apr 2002 18:11:00 +0000

An earthquake is literally an earth shattering experience! Here you are enjoying an afternoon snooze, or having a cup of coffee in the morning or even sleeping under a quilt on a cold winter night when WHAM! The entire crockery shelf collapses shattering plates and cups; the painting on the wall nearly knocks you down as it falls; or the antique fan looks like it will brain you as it hangs down, held by a single wire!

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.

Planets! Planets! and more Planets!

Mon, 22 Jul 2002 22:20:18 +0000

Astronomers working at Berkeley and Geneva have found nine new planets circling nearby stars. With this discovery, we now know of 50 extra-solar planets, also called exoplanets. That is a big increase from 41 planets last known five years ago.

All these individual planets move in an orbit around a star, which is called their parent star. The astronomers estimate that the Beta Pictoris star has a planet ten times the mass of Earth. It orbits at a distance of about 10.5 billion kilometers, more than ten times the distance of the earth from the sun. And Vega, one of the brightest stars in the sky appears to have a planet twice the mass of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. This planet is 8 billion kilometers from its parent star. In comparison, our solar system seems almost tiny. The distance between Pluto, the farthest planet in our solar system and the sun is “just” 5.9 billion kilometers!

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.

The Plastic Menace

Tue, 09 Jan 2001 02:18:05 +0000

Heavy rains lashed Mumbai city a few months ago, the worst rains in decades. The downpour literally brought the city to a standstill. And all because of discarded plastic bags. Plastic bags or polythene bags are essentially made of petro-chemicals.

These bags are very thin and in a strong wind can fly away from garbage bins and land on drains and rain-water channels. The bags then clog the drains as they do not let water to flow through.

Roach Sense

Mon, 22 Oct 2001 23:08:45 +0000

Have you ever caught a glimpse of a cockroach scurrying across your kitchen floor? Well, by the time you manage to get your hands on a roach repellent, the cockroach would have disappeared. Not surprising really, considering you are dealing with one of the greatest escape artists in the insect kingdom.

Yes, cockroaches or roaches for short, are adept at wriggling out of tight spots. Whether it is a frog lurking behind a bush, or a descending broom, these creatures have an uncanny ability to scent danger. That’s how they have survived on earth for the past 320 million years!

What is Vetiver Grass?

Mon, 02 Dec 2002 03:01:55 +0000

If you ask someone what vetiver is, chances are that you might get a blank look. But mention the word khus, and most people will be all-smiles. For this grass have the sweetest and coolest fragrance that beat the summer heat. That is why for centuries Indians have had vetiver or khus mats and screens in their homes. A steady sprinkle of water is enough to keep the hot summer wind out.

Chrysopogon zizanioides, commonly known as vetiver found abundantly in India, is of Asian origin. It gets its name from the Tamil word ‘vetriver’, meaning root. From India it travelled to the West Indies, Fiji and Africa, where a new use was found for it – as a sponge to hold the soil in place and prevent erosion, according to a report by the Academy for Mountain Environics, an NGO based in Dehra Dun, in north India. Creating environmentally sustainable technologies at the local level, is its main concern.

How Did Santa Claus Originate?

Sun, 14 Jan 2001 20:31:45 +0000

Its nearly midnight and with a jingle of bells a sled comes streaking from the north, pulled of course by Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer. Sitting in the sled is a jolly round red robed figure with flowing white beard and a bag slung over his shoulder that lands on the rooftop with a merry ho-ho-ho.

Hey! Its Christmas and its Santa Claus. If you’ve been nice, he slides down the chimney and loads up little stockings hung there with lots of toys and goodies. If you’ve been naughty, then you get fewer toys!

Robot That Changes Form

Tue, 11 Sep 2001 11:18:11 +0000

Did you know that the word robot is derived from the Czech word robota? It means compulsory labour or work. The word robot was first used in a Czech drama in 1921. It described a mechanical device that looked human but lacked emotions. It worked mechanically.

Modern-day robots do not necessarily look like humans. But they are programmed to handle tasks that are normally carried out by humans, especially in big factories that manufacture products like cars. Employers prefer these mechanical devices because of many reasons: they are faster and more accurate than human workers; they never ask for a pay hike; nor do they take endless coffee breaks! Robots are also capable of working in an environment that is dangerous for humans.

What is Blood Pressure?

Sun, 17 Dec 2000 21:38:51 +0000

The heart is a live pump that delivers blood to different parts of the body. Blood flows in or flows out when the heart contracts and expands. The blood is forced into the arteries, which expand to receive the oncoming blood. The force with which the blood moves through the arteries is knows as blood pressure.

The arteries have a muscular lining which resists this pressure. The blood is thus squeezed out into smaller blood vessels. Maximum blood pressure coincides with the steady contraction of the heart, which pushes the blood into the arteries. This maximum pressure is called systolic pressure.

What were the Voyager Missions?

Sat, 19 Jul 2003 22:32:53 +0000

Imagine a journey that takes you a billion kilometres away from earth, to the edge of the solar system, from where you can look back over your shoulder and see our sun as just another star in the sky.

We are not talking about a science fiction movie but the Voyager space mission. On August 20, 1977, the Voyager 2 spacecraft was launched. Close on its heels, the Voyager 1 was launched on September 5, 1977. Both the unmanned spacecraft were launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, USA.

Raksha Bandhan

Wed, 21 Apr 1999 12:18:43 +0000

Excerpts from the book “Festivals of India”

Sravani, the sacred thread changing ceremony, and Raksha Bandhan are celebrated on the full moon day of the month of shravan (June-July) and are often regarded as two names for the same festival. This is not strictly true because Sravani is specifically a Brahmin festival referred to in the sacred Sanskrit texts as Rishi Tarpan or Upa Karma. It is a very ancient Vedic festival and even today is regarded as important in Bengal, Orissa, southern India, Gujarat and some other states. The more popular of the two festivals, however, is Raksha Bandhan.

Sitting in Rows is Better for Primary School Kids

Tue, 25 Jun 2002 23:58:18 +0000

October 21: Are you studying in primary school? How does your teacher make you sit – in rows or in groups? How would you like to sit? Does sitting in rows make you feel good or does it make you feel lonely? Do you feel that sitting in a group and discussing things makes you learn more and in an easier way?

For those who were in primary school at any time, try to remember your classroom, the way the tables and chairs were arranged. How were you made to sit, and did you like it?

Who Invented the Frisbee?

Sat, 08 Dec 2001 11:46:28 +0000

At first glance in the park or at the beach, you may confuse it for an UFO (unidentified flying object) and rush home thinking the Martians have really landed from outer space! Soon it becomes clear that the “spacecraft” is actually a harmless toy — a colourful Frisbee, and the creature from outer space is the boy next door!

Today, almost all of us have seen one or sent a Frisbee gliding through air. We have seen dogs chase it and leap to catch these flying discs. The toy has proved enormously popular and there are Frisbee throwing competitions held in America.

The Scent of an Enemy

Mon, 02 Sep 2002 20:13:15 +0000

It seems the fish were always a smart lot. Only, humans took some time to realise the fact. Some years ago, scientists had discovered that they identify family members with their smell. Now, scientists in Glasgow University, have discovered something new, according to a report in the journal ‘New Scientist’. They have discovered that the salmon fish go a step further. They actually keep a nose out for fish that smell like outsiders and not like family. Then they get tough with them.

Great White Sharks Heading for Extinction

Mon, 29 Apr 2002 07:46:05 +0000

If you want a beach crowded with surfers and swimmers and other sun worshippers to empty out within a minute, cup your hands by the side of your mouth and shout loudly, ‘SHARK’ and wait for this miracle to happen.

Because the very word conjures up images from Steven Spielberg’s movie ‘Jaws’. An image of a gaping mouth with rows of razor-sharp teeth and a greyish white shark thrashing around in murky water, grappling with its catch.

What is a Kangaroo Rat?

Mon, 17 Jun 2002 14:37:03 +0000

It looks like a small kangaroo for its hind legs are longer than its fore legs. And it uses its tail to balance itself. In fact, unlike other rats it does not run on all four legs but jumps around from bush to bush in search of food – like a kangaroo. And that’s why it is called the kangaroo rat.

It has another unique feature. Unlike most animals, the kangaroo rat does not need to drink water.

Where is the Twins Day Festival Held?

Sat, 11 Jan 2003 06:25:24 +0000

Are you a twin? And if so, are you a “double” too? Then Ohio, United States is the place for you to be for an August weekend of twin fun. Every year, in August, twins from all over the world gather at Twinsburg, Ohio, for a special day dedicated to twins and for a weekend of socialising, celebration and fun?

The Twins Days festival at Twinsburg is the world’s largest annual gathering of twins. It’s a big club-like event in which twins, “doubles”, triplets, quadruplets and their parents come to this small town near Cleveland.

The Whale Hunt is On

Wed, 22 Aug 2001 23:50:28 +0000

Japan has sent out a fleet of ships on a two-month mission. Officials say that the expedition has a harmless aim: it is merely a survey to collect data on the Bryde, Sperm and Minke whales’ habitats, diet and migration patterns.

The Whale Hunt is On [Illustration by Shiju George]

But the environmentalists are up in arms against them. What has shocked them is the Japanese intent to catch and kill 160 whales. Both the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Whaling Commission (IWC) are furious with Japan. They insist that the project is not a research study at all, and is merely a cover for commercial hunting.

Who's the Brainiest animal of Them All?

Tue, 22 Oct 2002 04:42:41 +0000

The next time someone calls you an ape or a bird brain, ask her to think again. Brain scans of animals have revealed similar patterns of electrical activity in human and animal brains, so obviously humans aren’t the only smart ones around.

Who’s the Brainiest of Them All?

The brainiest animals are chimpanzees, which share 99 per cent of the human deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA as it is known. (DNA is a chain of molecules within the nucleus of a cell that have all the genetic information influencing the characteristics we inherit from our parents.)

My Ambition

Thu, 10 Dec 1998 08:03:09 +0000

My Ambition [Illustration by Shinod A.P.]

Rishika Das Roy, who is from Kolkata, seems to be very determined about what she wants to become when she grows up.

Sometimes I wonder what I would like to be when I grow up. I think of a different ambition every year. Since I turned eight, I would wonder what I really wanted to be. Would I be a teacher, a singer, a journalist or no, an astronaut.

How can We Use Water to run Cars?

Thu, 16 Jan 2003 16:00:01 +0000

Huge amounts of polluting gases are being released into the earth’s atmosphere by the large scale burning of fossil fuels or natural fuels found under the earth. These gases are the main culprits behind the phenomenon of global warming and other climatic changes.

In order to find cleaner fuels, scientists around the world are trying to find a fuel or source of energy which produces little or no pollution on being burnt.

Excerpts From 'The world of trees'

Thu, 07 Nov 1996 05:51:09 +0000

This is a remarkable book on trees – trees which are not just ‘described’ to you in words as having branches, leaves and sweet-smelling flowers, but trees which you can actually ‘see’ as you read. Big trees, tall trees, stately trees….all come alive with the cries and activities of the numerous birds and insects living on them, the age old myths associated with them and the author’s personal comments, witty and insightful. Indeed, in many places, especially in villages in India, trees are quite inseparable from the way of life of the people.

Passing by My School Garden

Tue, 09 Nov 1999 05:17:32 +0000

How I wish I could step into this garden
Just a temptation as I pass by
I wanted to know what the flowers said
And the gentle murmur of the wind in the sky.

My heart swayed with happiness
As I watched the upright poppies
The wind whistled while kissing the trees
And the jolly gardener watered them happily.

Perhaps the leaves so green, were busy
Preparing tasty dishes for the family!
The sweet smelling fragrance of that lovely environment
Got to my nostrils and tickled my mind.

How does a Juggler Juggle?

Sun, 22 Jul 2001 14:04:50 +0000

Yesterday, after seeing a circus show, I made up my mind about a career. I was at home busy throwing an orange in the air with one hand to catch it while the other hand was passing me a second orange. I wanted to juggle oranges the same way a clown juggles balls.

I could manage it with two. But my hand started to fumble when it came to the third. The clown we saw yesterday was throwing plates in the air and I knew my mother would kill me if I broke any!

The Making of the Goddess

Sun, 10 Nov 2002 18:22:53 +0000

On an ordinary day, the names Kumartuli and Krishnanagar would not make much of a difference to a Bengali. But come Durga Puja, and these two ordinary towns near Calcutta, become the focus of great attention. For it is here that the clay idols of Durga are made. This age-old tradition of clay sculpture has been preserved by the community of Pals.

Months before the Puja, clay artisans start to breathe life into the images of Durga.

What is the Software for Life?

Thu, 02 Jan 2003 15:20:13 +0000

We all use computers. If you use Windows on your machine, like me, you will have a small button at the the bottom of your screen called ‘Start’. Every machine in the world which has the Windows software installed has to have that button. However, we can have different screen colours, different text sizes, wallpapers etc.

Similarly our bodies are essentially the same, but we have different colours, sizes, shapes and structures. Our body also has a software which is responsible for these differences between one human being and another. It is called the DNA.

Evergreen Clothes

Tue, 04 Dec 2001 19:40:07 +0000

There is good news for those who love splashing around in rain puddles and don’t want to get their clothes dirtied. Or those who play soccer but don’t want their shirts to get soiled or wet with sweat. British scientists have created a fabric that never gets dirty or wet!

Evergreen Clothes [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

The cloth is treated with a special non-sticky chemical that repels grease and water. This ensures that the clothes remain squeaky clean. But the scientists are not yet ready to make public the formula of this “miracle” chemical, says a report in ‘The Times of India’ newspaper.

Do Aphasics Make Great Lie Detectors?

Sat, 24 Mar 2001 16:12:33 +0000

Believe it or not but it is true. There are people who lose the ability to understand or use words due to brain damage. But they become extremely good at something else. They become experts at spotting liars. By the changing expressions of people’s faces and the tone of their voice they can make out lies from truth.

The condition in which people lose their power to understand or words due to brain damage is called aphasia. A study conducted in Massachusetts, USA, has clearly proved that aphasics make good lie detectors.

Toddler teacher in UK

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

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

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

Music-loving Plants and Music-giving Plants

Sun, 07 Oct 2001 08:18:09 +0000

Are your ferns drooping more than usual? Perhaps a bit of music may perk it up, for it is a known fact that music plays an important role in plant growth. But plants are choosy about the kind of music they want to hear.

Experiments show that plants thrive if soothing instrumental music is played in the background. On the other hand they shrivel and die if exposed to heavy metal or rock music. And now a Japanese company has created a gadget that puts you in touch with the ‘feelings’ of plants.

World's hottest chili takes on wild jumbos

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 01:32:07 +0000

Where: the north-eastern state of Assam

November 14, 2007: For some time villages in Assam located close to forests have been having a tough time. Often the villagers find unwelcome guests in their backyards: herds of wild elephants in a wild mood. In the contest between human and animal there have been deaths on both sides.

In recent times, more and more forests have been cut down. Wild animals have found their homes getting smaller and smaller. At the same time, human settlements are getting closer to the elephants’ habitats. This has resulted in disaster. Wild herds of elephants stray into villages and villagers panic, using everything they have to defend themselves. In some cases villagers have tried to put up electric fences, but these plans have not succeeded in keeping wild elephants at bay.

Eid in Yusufpur

Fri, 02 Aug 2002 07:10:11 +0000

Guess what guys?? My dad is taking me to his village for Eid this year. I am so excited that my tummy is all tied up in knots and I can hardly wait to get there. I haven’t yet enjoyed Eid the way papa says he used to when he was small. Well, I am hoping to do so this time.

Let me start with the village first, the way my dad describes it. Yusufpur is a sleepy village in Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh. Its almost as if the residents wait for festival time to wake up. And gosh, what a waking up it is.

AHA! Books: Arvind Gupta

Thu, 25 Apr 1996 10:42:46 +0000

An individual booklist is found to reflect the compiler’s own interests and biases. To that extent this booklist does not lay claim to any objectivity. It contains some extremely fine books on education, popular science, maths and children’s stories. Over the years, I have been actively involved in translating and popularising many of these books. At times we have been successful in bringing out low-cost, Indian reprints like for instance The UNESCO Source Book for Science in the Primary School, Publisher : National Book Trust, India.

Pickpocket

Sat, 27 Sep 2003 07:42:23 +0000

December 9: Small children on streets running around, darting in and out of traffic seemingly without a care in the world. They are usually homeless and all alone. Even at such a young age they have a profession, where they earn at least Rs 20 a day – pickpocketing.

Not a profession any of you would like to practise, would you? But not having much else to fall back upon, some poor young children in Calcutta were lured into stealing. The Telegraph has reported that they were promised food and shelter, and some money as bonus pocket money. Seen from their point of view, that was a lot. Much more than they had been getting from their parents or relatives earlier.

Where did Coffee Originate?

Wed, 28 Nov 2001 04:22:36 +0000

The aroma of coffee beans was one of the earliest smells to intoxicate me as a child – such was its flamboyant richness. That, and the lush sight of frothy white milk becoming creamier as it mixed with the nut-brown coffee decoction, served in steel tumblers, was perfect happiness.

It is a memory shared by many Indians living in the southern states, the main coffee growing as well as drinking regions in the country.

The pleasure that the beverage gave was so intense that it never occurred to me that coffee could have originated anywhere but in India.

Shirt That is a Mobile Phone

Tue, 05 Jun 2001 05:09:23 +0000

Clothes that can make phone calls, play music, dial your pal’s number, keep you snug during cold weather, operate your computer…

This is not fantasy. A British company, called Electrotextiles, has created a dazzling range of clothes — clothes that have a mind of their own! Scientists, working for the company, have invented a fabric that can be blended with flexible electronic materials to create intelligent clothing. The result is elctronic garments.

The Writer

Tue, 04 Feb 2003 11:04:44 +0000

The Writer [Illustration by Anup Singh]

December 9: Stanley “Tookie” Williams is an American writer of children’s books. His books are cautionary tales, warning children to stay away from drugs, guns and gangs so common to certain sections of poor America.

Williams has won wide acclaim and two literature prizes. But then Williams is no ordinary children’s writer. He is a four-time murderer on death row (waiting to be executed) in California’s San Quentin prison. This means that the State will execute him someday for the crimes he has committed.

Holi in Fiji

Thu, 30 Jan 2003 05:15:50 +0000

March 19: Before it was Holi in India, phagua, as Holi is called by the Indo-Fijians, was already being celebrated. The Fiji Islands, in the Pacific Ocean, are six-and-a-half hours ahead of Indian time and the Indo-Fijians were already singing chautal, an oral tradition of celebration.

For the community, memories of India go as far back as 120 years, when the first batch of Indians in colonial India, were taken to Fiji, also a British colony, as labour. As is the case with many immigrant communities all over the world, celebrations always seem to carry a greater echo of ‘home’. And so it was during phagua.

Teenage Girl Lone Survivor from Yemeni Air Crash

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:03:50 +0000

Where: Moroni, Comoros

July 2, 2009 : Weeks after an Air France airliner crashed into the Pacific Ocean, a Yemeni jetliner went down into the Indian Ocean near Comoros, where it was scheduled to land. All passengers were killed, except one teenage girl.

The passengers on the ill-fated plane Airbus that crashed into the Indian Ocean were flying the last leg of a journey from Paris in France to Comoros, with a stop in Yemen to change planes. Of the 153 people on board, only one, a teenage girl, survived. Comoros is an archipelago of three main islands between Africa’s southeastern coast and the island of Madagascar. The aircraft, an Airbus 310, was believed to be very old, and some of its equipment had been certified faulty during an inspection in 2007. Severe turbulence and high speed winds at the time were among the factors that caused the crash.

The Candy

Fri, 10 May 2002 01:57:51 +0000

It was a hot Tuesday afternoon in the month of October. The geography lesson was interesting but Sharmila was getting restless waiting for the class to get over. The ice candy man had come some time ago and his day’s quota would soon get over.

He visited the school every Tuesday and Thursday to sell his delicious candies that the children waited for eagerly, every week. It was always a struggle for the teachers to hold on to the students’ attention during the last period of school on those two days.

Easter's Here

Tue, 22 Jul 2003 16:46:16 +0000

Go out into the market on Easter and you cannot miss the Easter egg on the shop counter – filled with sweets and chocolates, it is irresistible. Several people also paint eggs or emboss chocolate eggs with sugar flowers to gift to friends and relatives.

But what is Easter? Easter Sunday falls on the Sunday after Good Friday and on this day Easter eggs are available in the market – that is what most of us know. In reality, the preparation for Easter starts with a fast 40 days earlier, on Ash Wednesday.

A Day in the Life of a Magician

Thu, 13 Sep 2001 13:31:25 +0000

Excerpts from ‘A Day in the Life of a Magician’. First published by Vigyan Prasar, India

Years ago I gave up hanging up a stocking on Christmas Eve. One reason is that I have no stockings to hang, because I almost always wear trousers, and even when I wear shorts I wear socks with them so as to make my calves brown. And I don’t think Father Christmas would find room in a sock for all the things I want. So when I woke up on Christmas morning I was rather surprised to see one of my socks hanging on the bottom of the bed, and much more so when it got up and walked along the counterpane towards me.

The Concorde

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 05:30:23 +0000

The sleekest and the fastest jet aircraft in the world. The Concorde.

Sounds like an ad?

Wait till you hear how much it costs to travel in it.

A trip on this aircraft could cost you $9,000 – at least 25 per cent more than the regular first class travel fare.

For a long time, the Concorde was considered the safest aircraft – the only jet aircraft in the history of aviation which has never had a serious accident.

World's First Space Tourist

Wed, 09 Jul 2003 13:04:28 +0000

May 11: The world’s first paying space tourist is back on earth after a week-long joyride in space. On Sunday, May 6, American millionaire Dennis Tito and two Russian cosmonauts landed back on earth, as their space capsule gently parachuted down onto the barren steppe in Kazakhstan.

World’s First Space Tourist [Illustration by Shinod AP]

Emerging unsteadily from the capsule, the exhilarated 60-year-old Tito, who is also a former NASA rocket scientist, said the trip was the culmination of a lifelong dream.

Assam's Boys Shine in Asian Cricket

Sat, 21 Jul 2001 10:22:08 +0000

July 22: Two young boys have done the impossible in Assam. They have pushed politicians and the continuing violence, out of the media spotlight. Both boys are stars of the Indian under-15 cricket team.

One of them, Palash Jyot Das, is the son of a bank employee. The other, Mrigen Talukdar comes from a poor family. There’s nothing remarkable about their backgrounds. Much is remarkable about their achievements, though. While Palash is Asia’s best batsman, Mrigen is Asia’s best bowler.

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.

Man Who Could Make The Taj Disappear

Sat, 16 Jun 2001 13:28:51 +0000

August 12: Franz Harary is the magician. He has a simple wish: he wants to make the Taj Mahal disappear. Nothing doing, says the Indian government.

Harary is an American magician. His specialty is making huge monuments disappear. In ten years, he has done things no other magician has dared do before. In Hawaii he moved a volcano two miles out to sea. In Japan, he made the Tokyo Bay Bridge vanish. At Cape Kennedy in the USA, he made the NASA space shuttle vanish.

Chimp Traits

Sun, 23 Sep 2001 15:00:45 +0000

Do you think chimps are chumps? If the answer is yes, then you are in for a surprise – because chimps or chimpanzees are actually very, very intelligent. Chimpanzees are the most intelligent of the ape family. It was known that chimpanzees use tools intelligently to obtain food. They use rocks to crack open nuts or use sticks to dig the earth for choice insects and termites.

Once a chimpanzee learns a certain method he/she teaches it on to all the other chimps in the area. Scientists say that different groups of chimps follow different customs or styles related to eating, grooming and courtship. So this teaching one group’s ‘customs’ to another group is an act of ‘culturally transmitting a ritual’.

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.

Ramadan: The Month of 30 Fasts

Tue, 18 Mar 2003 04:32:49 +0000

Ramadan (or Ramzan) is a very special month for Muslims, people of the Islamic faith. Muslims are people who follow the Islamic religion propagated by the Prophet Mohammed in the seventh century. Muslims believe that it was in this month that Allah revealed the holy book of the Muslims, the Koran (or Quran) to the prophet Mohammed.

The Quran says that the fast of Ramdan is important as it tests devotion and faith. So believers fast from sunrise to sunset every day during the entire month of Ramdan. The roza (fast) is one of the strictest on earth and that means, no breakfast, no mid morning snack, no lunch and no water!

The Quake that rocked Gujarat

Sat, 07 Aug 1999 20:45:53 +0000

Where: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

February 5, 2001 : It was 8.45 am on January 26, 2001. A day when the country was celebrating Republic Day. Like their counterparts across India, the people of Ahmedabad, in the western state of Gujarat, were settling down to watch the Republic Day Parade on television. Basant Rawat was one of them.

Suddenly the earth began to shake under his feet. Basant ran out of his house. And, the sight that greeted him seemed to be straight out of an action film – Tagore apartments, a five-storeyed building, 400 yards from his house, collapsed like a pack of cards, says a report in ‘The Telegraph’. He was right in the midst of an earthquake.

Whose River?

Mon, 11 Dec 2000 11:09:28 +0000

This is a true story. Villages around the famous tiger reserve of Sariska in Rajasthan, had always faced droughts and water shortages. So the villagers, along with an NGO, decided to build small check dams called johads to trap rainwater. The men and women of all the villages gave voluntary labour and even contributed their own money to build the johads. The water table slowly began to rise. Forests began growing again.

No Monkey Business

Thu, 12 Apr 2001 02:09:03 +0000

Bandar, Bandariya and Baby Bandar were ready for their show. Come Sunday morning and their tamasha would begin in a congested and busy Bombay suburb witnessed by an excited group of children.

Raju, the Bandarwala, would announce his arrival with the familiar drumbeat and sound of ghungroos. Sometimes he even brought along a sleepy black bear.

Each week it was the same routine. Dressed in dotted pyjamas with a shiny red sleeveless jacket and a Wee Willy Winkey cap edged with tiny bells, Bandar cartwheeled and somersaulted backwards and forwards.

The Kiwi is Australian!

Tue, 26 Aug 2003 11:57:12 +0000

The Kiwi is Australian! [Illustration by Shinod AP]

March 14: The kiwi bird is one of the most common symbols of New Zealand. It is also the country’s national bird. And that’s not all. It features as an insignia on New Zealand’s coat of arms as well.

New Zealanders consider the kiwi their most enduring national symbol and until now, they believed that the bird did not even exist outside New Zealand. But recently, a group of scientists, led by researcher Alan Cooper, has made a startling statement – the kiwi might have Australian origins.

English and Indlish

Fri, 15 Sep 2000 10:59:46 +0000

July 15: Students are often rebuked for using what is known as ‘Indian English’ words. Perhaps these teachers need to know that many Indian words have actually become a part of an Oxford Dictionary.

The Asian Age newspaper reported that the Oxford Advance Learner’s Dictionary of Correct English has a section on Indian English. The section has 2,500 words The fifth edition of the dictionary was released recently.

Words like bandicoot, bungalow, jungle, chit, cushy, juggernaut are commonly known. But, there are others that most of us wouldn’t know had an Indian origin.

Holi is For Children

Mon, 21 Oct 2002 23:58:45 +0000

Kamla Mathur was born and brought up in Etah, a small town in Uttar Pradesh. Now, at 65, she lives in Delhi and reminisces fondly of the Holi she and her siblings celebrated at ‘home’, in the area called Brajbhoomi, the land where the Braj dialect of Hindi is spoken. Brajbhoomi refers to the places connected to the legends of the birth and childhood of Krishna and his dalliance with Radha.

As Holi continues to be a significant festival for the Brajvasis, many of the old ways of celebration survive. However, with time, the community feeling has lessened somewhat. Kamla Mathur takes us back to her childhood when Holi meant sheer fun.

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.

Why do Some People Stutter?

Wed, 29 Mar 2000 02:19:20 +0000

Rahul is a lonely child. He is laughed at because whenever he speaks, he stutters. He goes “my name is Ra-Ra-Rahul.” His mother and grandmother thought it was because he had a short tongue. Other people said it was because, as a baby, Rahul’s hair was cut before he spoke his first word. Finally, Rahul’s mother took him to the doctor. She was told that it had nothing to do with these myths. Rather, Rahul had a speech disorder called dysphemia.

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.

Escape to Freedom

Fri, 29 Dec 2000 19:02:26 +0000

Horses to Vijayanagar
Written by Monisha Mukundan

Published by Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd.

Fortune favours the brave – those who have the courage to ride into the mouth of danger for the pearl of happiness that awaits the deserving ones. And that’s exactly what this fascinating adventure is all about.

Twelve-year-old Ferdinand and his little sister Manuela live with their elder brother Jose and his wife Esmeralda in a little village, in Goa. Work as hard as they might around the house, they are neither appreciated nor given enough to eat. It’s almost always a thin rice gruel that they get, while Jose and Esmeralda feast on fish curry.

An Octopus as Jar-opener

Wed, 22 May 2002 12:46:10 +0000

Try opening a bottle of jam. See how skilfully your fingers wrap around the lid and unscrew it?

Now researchers at the Brighton University, United Kingdom, are carrying out an interesting study to see if the octopus, too, has the same skill. Makes sense considering it has so many ‘hands’ or tentacles!

The scientists have even made a gigantic glass aquarium, specially designed for the resident pet octopus, in the university laboratory. They have named it Roger, after the British actor Roger Moore who acted as James Bond in the Hollywood film

This Time Teachers are the Students

Tue, 24 Apr 2001 14:20:08 +0000

August 12: About 55,000 teachers in West Bengal are going back to school. They are going to be taught English so that they can teach the language to their students.

The West Bengal government has realised that most primary school teachers in the state do not know the ABC of English. Rather, they don’t remember.

The reason is not hard to find. For 20 years the government had banned the teaching of English at the primary level. So children studying up to class V were taught in Bengali. As a result primary teachers were not required to know English, which was taught as a second language from a higher class onwards.

Excerpts from 'Everything has a History'

Thu, 26 Mar 1998 02:26:14 +0000

Haldane’s books are the best for communicating science to a layperson. He wrote almost 300 brilliant articles on popular science for ordinary workers, many of which were later collated into books such as ‘Everything has a History’, ‘Science in Everyday Life’ and ‘On Being the Right Size’. Here are two chapters from ‘Everything has a History’.

How Bees Communicate:

Eight years ago, I gave an account in ‘The Daily Worker’ of the early work of Von Frisch and others on the language of bees. In July 1947, I was at the London Zoo with Professor Hadorn of Zurich. We watched bees coming into the glass-fronted hive laden with pollen of different colours in the bags on their legs. He was able, by watching them, to tell me from what direction they had come, and roughly from what distance. So will you be, after reading this article.

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.

Rat Menace

Sat, 22 Dec 2001 21:18:50 +0000

August 12: About 26 people in Mumbai and nearby Thane died recently due to a strange fever. Initially the doctors in Mumbai were unsure which disease had afflicted these people, because no tests were conducted to find out the nature of the fever.

Most patients had avoided getting the test done because it cost a lot of money (Rs. 750) and they did not see why they should spend so much money for what appeared to be just an ordinary fever. That is, until people started dying like flies and newspapers began writing about it.

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.

Winter Guests

Tue, 09 Dec 2003 11:37:39 +0000

December 27: Every winter, the Delhi Zoo in New Delhi, India, spruces up for the visit of some special foreign visitors. They fly in from the distant lands of China, Japan and Central Asia to escape sub-zero temperatures back home and bask in the warmer Delhi sun.

These visitors include pin-tail ducks, shoveller ducks, common teals, coots, dab-chiks, yellow wagtails, yellow-winged wagtails and white wagtails. Flocks of migratory birds have made the Delhi zoo their temporary habitat. And they’ve already arrived in the city, reports The Times of India.

Slices of Italy

Sat, 12 Apr 2003 05:30:02 +0000

April 12: So, you love digging your teeth into a cheesy pizza made with home-made sauce from fresh tomatoes and herbs. Then you would have loved to attended the 10th World Pizza Championship! At the championship this year, judges had their fill of tasting pizza of various types including classic pizza, pizza in a baking tray, fastest pizza, and yes, the largest pizza.

The championship was held in Salsomaggiore, Italy. And the Italians once again walked away with the top honours. They were declared expert pizza makers. But naturally, after all the Italians gave the pizza to the world!

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.

Young girl's earth-shaking courage

Sat, 26 Jun 2004 08:30:30 +0000

There is a ray of hope for quake hit-Gujarat. All it needs to do is listen to a 12-year-old girl, Prutha Desai. She might be small but towers over many in spirit. This girl who lost her right arm in the January 26 earthquake, six months ago, has shown great courage in starting life afresh, literally: from learning to write with her left hand to wearing socks. But what is remarkable is that Prutha hasn’t lost her smile, courage, or creativity in drawing and art, says a report in The Indian Express.

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. . .

Rani Hindustani!

Wed, 03 Dec 2003 02:53:01 +0000

March 27: Poonam Maharashtrian Hindustani (Indian) runs a one-woman-one truck transport company. But it is not merely her name or her profession that are colourful. The lady has had an equally colourful past.

A good deal of her time in that past has been spent trying to assert her independence, reports The Indian Express, which wrote an article on this courageous woman.

Poonam had been born Hemlata Gaikwad in Pune city, Maharashtra. Her father constantly beat her mother up and even burnt Poonam’s secretly-acquired driving license. He wanted the women of his household to be docile and meek.

Do Some Animals Farm?

Sat, 04 Aug 2001 00:29:13 +0000

We all live the way we do in villages and cities because a long, long time ago, the early humans gave up hunting for farming. They domesticated plant species by cultivation, ploughed the land and harvested the grain. That was the beginning of civilisation as we understand it.

But, do you know that certain ant species were actually farming fungus years before humans learnt how to farm?

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 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:

The changing face of childhood dreams

Sun, 25 Jan 2004 19:34:00 +0000

Dreams – the word itself, sounds so fascinating. Everyone has different dreams. Dreams are actually our aspirations.

Dreams are of different types. Some dreams, like touching the sun, are impossible. Some are extremely silly. When I was five and was asked about what I wanted to be, I used to say: “to grow up”, as if anyone could stop that! As we grow and learn about great achievers, we all secretly want to emulate them…

How Green is Your School?

Mon, 17 Apr 2000 02:17:19 +0000

Here’s a little check – list from the New Delhi based children’s newspaper Gobar Times, to rate your school.

Getting There

Optimum use of the school bus fleet: School bus routes should cover a lot of area, with the fleet picking up as many students as possible.

Car pooling: This is quite a workable idea today. Students coming to school from the same neighbourhood should be encouraged to car-pool, after working out the cost of petrol and vehicle wear and tear.

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.

What is Asthma?

Sat, 01 Apr 2000 10:59:46 +0000

Asthma is one of the most common diseases affecting the lungs. A serious disease, it affects all races and both sexes equally. This disease affects millions. Many of us recognize asthma symptoms like wheezing, chest tightness and gasping for breath. However, few of us know what is going on inside the body of a person with asthma.

When we breathe, we inhale oxygen through the nose and mouth. The air passes down the trachea or windpipe through the two bronchi that branch off into the millions of tiny airways that make up the lungs. Here the inhaled oxygen enters the bloodstream and carbon dioxide is pulled out of the blood and sent back up the airway to be exhaled.

Killer Storm Rages Through Western Europe

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:44:01 +0000

Where: Paris, France

March 1, 2010 : A violent storm originating in the Atlantic Ocean crashed into the western coasts of France, Portugal and Spain on February 28, 2010. The storm, named Xynthia, left more than 50 people dead and thousands homeless along France’s Atlantic coast. The storm killed people in Germany, Spain and Portugal, but France had the maximum number of casualties.

Winds raging at speeds of 140 kilometres (87miles) per hour moved from Portugal up through the Bay of Biscay and struck the French coast. There was torrential rain as well. The storm later swept north-eastwards into Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. High speed winds struck the Swiss Alps.

Is New York Burning?

Mon, 25 Mar 2002 15:28:39 +0000

In New York, people consume about 500 million kilowatt hours of energy per square kilometre every year. This is almost half of the total amount of solar energy (heat of the sun rays) falling on such an area in a year. So New Yorkers, in effect, live under a sun-and-a-half.

In addition, paved areas, walls and the roofs of buildings absorb and re-radiate more heat than soil or plant-covered ground. Water runs off these surfaces more rapidly, allowing little cooling by evaporation. And the heat is produced by the bodies of the people themselves and leaks out of every building.

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.

Polite Police

Mon, 16 Oct 2000 08:42:10 +0000

July 8: Very soon, a banner will appear in the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi. It will read:

The Tourist Police
For you, with you,
Always.

But, most people are scared that it might actually mean “The Tourist Police, For you, with you, after you, Always.

Polite Police [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Disappointed with the police force and its rude ways of dealing with the public, the Ministry of Tourism now wants to have its own police force, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’ newspaper.

AHA! Books: Manjula Padmanabhan

Tue, 07 Oct 1997 09:11:40 +0000

Award-winning writer, playwright, artist, cartoonist and illustrator, Manjula Padmanabhan has published 21 books for children. She lists out her 10 all-time favourite children’s books and series, for Pitara’s A-Ha list.

List of Ten:
It’s not possible to make a list of “Ten Favourite” children’s books, without including whole series! So that’s what I’ve done. I’ve confined myself to those books that I read in childhood, which means I can’t include the recent children’s books I’ve read — such as Harry Potter (three books, the remaining four are feverishly awaited), the Animorph series (all 31!) and the Golden Compass (three books, the last is yet to be published). I love to read good children’s books and feel as strongly about them as I do about adults’ books.

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!

Latecomers Out

Wed, 08 Aug 2001 23:33:55 +0000

August 19: What happens when guests come late to school functions in the city of Surat, Gujarat? They are not invited a second time round. No prizes for guessing the identity of these guests – the city’s politicians, of course.

Latecomers Out [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Politicians who come late to functions in Surat, known as the diamond city for its thriving trade in the precious stone, are a worried lot today. They are no longer invited to be chief guests at school functions in the city.

A Battle Well Fought

Thu, 06 May 2004 12:28:34 +0000

June 2: In the war against AIDS, they don’t come any tougher than Xolani Nkosi, better known as Nkosi Johnson since his adoption by a white family. In his short life, he had become one of South Africa’s youngest and boldest campaigners fighting for the rights of AIDS affected people to be accepted by society.

At 5:40 am on June 1, he finally lost the battle. Now, there’s nothing more the doctors can do for him. The virus had damaged his brain, making him unable to speak or eat.

Hockey Heroines

Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:03:03 +0000

Where: India

September 12, 2007 : I must confess that I got interested in the Indian women’s hockey team after watching the film Chak De! India . But unlike many friends who kept talking about the bright actors in the film thinking they were actually discussing the game of hockey, I did some reading up on the hockey team. To tell you the truth it was as captivating, if not more, than the film.

Since this is a news item, let me give you the ‘hard’ news first. The Indian women’s team played in the Sixth Asia Cup hockey championship in Hong Kong early this month. This tournament is held once every four years and the Indian women had won it in 2003. But several players who had been in the team for a long time have bowed out. This is a young team. they played well but had to be content with the fourth spot.

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).

Making Friends and keeping them

Fri, 05 May 2000 23:47:54 +0000

Making Friends and keeping them []

Coping With Friends
Written by Peter Corey
Illustrations by Martin Brown
Published by Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd.

You must have often wondered if only you had known how to handle that bossy friend of yours in school, you wouldn’t have to run away from her every time you met. Well, blame it on the fact that you didn’t have a ‘how-to’ book on coping with friends all this while. Today you can, however, be wiser by referring to Coping With Friends. You’ll love this book for its hilarious sense of humour and outrageous fun.

Pushkar Lake Water or Sugarcane Juice?

Tue, 29 Apr 2003 20:14:14 +0000

May 19: If you take a glass of water from the famous Pushkar lake in Rajasthan, it looks like sugarcane juice. But, that is where the simile ends. It is neither sweet, nor does it smell fresh.

It has a rotten smell and you will not feel like tasting it. Plus, it has fish bones and mud in it – because, in the past two weeks, 200 fish weighing between 5-20 kilograms have died in the brown depths due to lack of life-sustaining oxygen, The Indian Express newspaper reports.

The Boy Who writes with His Feet

Sun, 20 Apr 2003 08:25:31 +0000

March 7: Sujit Dawn of Sehera Bazar town in Burdwan district, West Bengal, is taking the madhyamik (middle-level) or Class X Board Examinations this year. If he passes, he goes on to senior school.

But there is something about Sujit that makes him different from the other boys taking the exams. He is writing the exams with his feet.

Sujit is physically challenged. The only son of Swapan (a timber merchant) and Putul Dawn, he was born without hands and learnt to write by holding the pen between his right toes. His ambition is to become a teacher, says a report in

Rahman Bags Double Grammy Honour for India

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:08:30 +0000

Where: Los Angeles, USA

January 31, 2010 : A.R. Rahman, one of India’s most well-loved music composers, won international recognition with two Grammy awards. Last year, he had won the Oscar for his music in the hit film Slumdog Millionaire. This year, he had his first Grammy win. He picked up two awards: one for the ‘best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture’ (Slumdog Millionaire) and the other for ‘Best Motion Picture Song’ for the song ‘Jai Ho’ from the same film. In the best song category Rahman beat singer Bruce Springsteen and his song ‘The Wrestler’ from the movie of the same name. The modest Rahman said, “This is insane, God is great again”.

Women's hockey steals the show!

Sun, 12 Feb 2006 14:42:04 +0000

The year was 2002. The Commonwealth Games were on in Manchester, England. A nail-biting hockey final was being played out between the women’s hockey teams of favourites England and underdog India. England had defeated the reigning world and Olympic champions Australia to reach the final. India had come from nowhere to defeat stronger teams like New Zealand, South Africa and South Korea to meet England for the decisive match on England’s home ground.

Picture the scene now. Hosts England play a fast game from the word go – “attacking” game as sportswriters put it. But the first goal is scored by Indian striker Mamta Kharab in the first half. Then Sita Gossain scores one more goal. India is jubilant. However, before the first half ends, a determined England captain Sarah Banks puts in a goal.

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.

Badminton champs in the spotlight

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 04:41:11 +0000

Hyderabad Hurricane – Saina Nehwal

No, this is not a spelling mistake. We are not writing about Sania Mirza and her achievements in tennis. In this piece we are writing about the latest sensation on the badminton courts, Saina Nehwal. In 2006, Saina became the first Indian woman to win a badminton tournament with a four-star rating. Ranked 86 in the world, she defeated Julia Xian Pei Wong of Malaysia who was ranked number 4 in the tournament. The event was the Philippines Open. Saina was 16 years old. On the way to the title Saina had beaten world number 4, Xu Huaiwen.

How Fast can you Think?

Mon, 15 May 2000 23:49:16 +0000

How Fast can you Think? []

Absolutely Mental 1
Written by Rowland Morgan

Illustrations by Mike Phillips
Published by Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd.

Do you have what it takes to keep your head when it really counts? This puzzle book by Rowland Morgan will indeed help you discover that. A puzzle book with a difference, it is bound to appeal to the pre-teens and above – including adults!

Guns everywhere

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:05:13 +0000

Where: The southern state of Virginia, United States

April 19, 2007: April 16 began like any other at Virginia Tech college. Some hours later, it turned into the most violent day that any American college had seen so far. A student armed with two guns went on a shooting spree, killing 32 people. The gunman’s bullets just did not seem to end. He fired in a dormitory as well as in a classroom. Finally, he shot himself.

Do Computer Games Make You Violent?

Sun, 12 Aug 2001 12:25:03 +0000

August 12: Four children aged four and five were suspended from their nursery school in New Jersey, US, for using their fingers for guns in a game of cops and robbers. The children were heard shouting ‘I shot you’ and ‘Boom, boom’ during break time.

Do Computer Games Make You Violent? [Illustration by Kusum Chamoli]

“It may be just a game …but it can be taken differently by other children,” said school principal, Georgia Baumann. The incident was reported in the magazine Index, published from London.

Camel's Milk and Pet Registration

Tue, 05 Mar 2002 01:12:30 +0000

November 24: Hey, how about trying camel’s milk instead of buffalo’s or cow’s milk with your porridge? Not very keen on the thought? Doesn’t sound appetising?

Did you know that many mothers, particularly in the rural regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, offer camel’s milk to their children? Unlike cow’s milk, a camel’s milk is rather salty and very thick. But as far as being a source of nutrition is concerned, its benefits are considerably more than that of cow’s milk.

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.

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.

A Problem, Naturally!

Tue, 23 Dec 2003 21:46:11 +0000

April 4: On April 1 or Fool’s Day, India’s capital, New Delhi, wore a deserted look. There were no public vehicles on the road. According to a Supreme Court decision passed two years ago, they were required to run on compressed natural gas or CNG, to ease the terrible pollution levels in the city.

For two years, two successive Delhi governments slept through the deadline, not bothering to create a system that would make the transition easy.

The Adventures of Clifford

Mon, 17 Jul 2000 17:29:54 +0000

The Adventures of Clifford []

Clifford the Small Red Puppy
Clifford Grows Up
Clifford takes a Trip
Written by Norman Birdwell

Pictures by Norman Birdwell
Published by Scholastic Inc. Ltd.

The three charming picture-books tell the story of the reddest, biggest dog in America, Clifford.

Clifford the Small Puppy is the story of Clifford, the tiniest puppy who grows up to be the largest dog ever seen. He belongs to the kindly Emily Elizabeth, who loves him dearly.

Cruising in the Sky

Thu, 06 Feb 2003 06:54:12 +0000

Cruising in the Sky [Illustration by Anup Singh]

December 9: You remember how plush and huge the Titanic was? It was a ship any one would want to travel in. Don’t you wish travelling in an aeroplane could be made as comfortable instead of you being crammed into a place where you can’t even stretch out to sleep? Well, very soon you will actually be able to make your dream come true !!

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.

Pushed to the Edge

Sun, 30 Mar 2003 03:34:03 +0000

December 27: Leslie Readwin of Britain is in India with a purpose. She wants to see the famous tigers of the Corbett National Park, which nestles at the foot of the Indian Himalayas. The 80 year old is very keen to meet the majestic cats in their natural surroundings. But she might have to return without seeing even one.

The tiger is dying out at Corbett, a Park that was created with the very aim of preserving the region’s tigers.

Kidnapped for the Camel Race

Sat, 23 Nov 2002 13:24:04 +0000

September 30: Ten year-old Mohammad Zubair Arrian was playing in Medina Syedan, his village in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Suddenly, he met a mysterious red-bearded man. The stranger gave him something to eat. The next thing Mohammad knew, he had woken up in an airport.

For the little boy who had never stepped outside his village, it was the most scary moment of his life. But, somehow, he managed to escape. He roamed about the unfamiliar streets lost and crying, until a passer-by saw him and turned him over to the police, says a report in ‘The Guardian’ newspaper of Britain, which was published in ‘The Deccan Herald’.

Indians: Masters of Junk

Wed, 02 Oct 1996 13:57:52 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

In the last couple of years, in the Indian capital, Delhi, and in many other parts of the country, schoolchildren have led a very effective campaign against plastic – the material that is choking the earth.

But why do we Indians store so much junk? Well known sociologist Shiv Visvanathan tells us the reason in a simple and detailed way.

June 5, 2000: Indians are masters of junk. And out of junk they produce masterpieces. One such junk master is the sculptor Nek Chand who fashioned his sculptures from waste. The story goes that Nek chand was once invited to America to fashion sculptures, works of art out of waste. Nek Chand came back disillusioned and glum complaining that their junk was not so good, that its feel and smell was so alien.

Girl Power

Tue, 13 Sep 2005 17:29:12 +0000

August 26: The world is changing fast. A decade ago, no one would have thought about boys wanting to step into a girl’s shoes. But now, this is happening. According to a report in The Times Of India, girl power rules. A survey by the Hyderabad-based market research company, NFO-MBL India, says that 42 per cent boys marvel at the thought of being a girl. The boys in question are between 15 and 19 years of age and they belong to the five cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai.

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.

Squirrelling it Away

Mon, 05 Mar 2001 23:30:19 +0000

Chimpu and his grandfather had gone to the park for an evening walk. After Chimpu had played with his friends for over an hour, he came back sweating and tired, to sit beside his grandfather at the park bench. There he found his grandfather throwing peanuts, brought from home, to the scampering squirrels at his feet.

In fact, bushy-tailed squirrels are a common sight in the city’s parks and gardens. This frisky little rodent is constantly scampering around, and it is indeed rare to come across one perfectly still.

Tintin Storm in 'Millionnaire' Show

Thu, 05 Sep 2002 03:30:58 +0000

October 14: A couple of weeks ago, the French version of the game-show, ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’ ( the Indian version, Kaun Banega Crorepati, is the most popular programme on Indian TV these days ), asked Frederic a real teaser of a question.

The question was: in the adventures of Tintin, which doctor takes care of Captain Haddock – Dr Rotule, Dr Omoplate, Dr Mensiscus or Dr Tympan?

Tintin is a boy reporter who goes around the world having hair-raising adventures with his dog, Snowy, and his friend, Captain Haddock, in one of the most famous comic book series in the world till date, having sold more than 175 million copies around the world. He is one of the world’s most famous Frenchmen.

Strength from Within

Wed, 01 Nov 2000 03:14:52 +0000

Brave Hearts – Winners of the National Bravery Awards
Published by Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd.

This book has been aptly named after those Indian children whose acts of courage have helped saved lives. We carried a news item on the brave children who won the National Bravery Awards 2000. Curious to know about what motivates these brave souls? Read this book highlighting the deeds of each of the 14 children who received the National Bravery Awards in 1999.

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.

Lucknow Students Win Robotics Trophy in Canada

Mon, 17 Jul 2000 23:16:53 +0000

July 1: It’s a long way from Lucknow to Calgary, Canada. But five schoolboys did it very easily. The students of City Montessori School (CMS) went to participate in the World Robotics Championship and almost pocketed the entire championship. They won five golds, four silvers and a bronze medal. Among the ideas that won them these medals was a “seeing” cap for the blind, and a robot that can trace the place from where a fire starts.

Flowering Bamboos

Sun, 28 Jun 1998 23:44:48 +0000

The huge bamboos, once bare,
Are now covered with beautiful, pale white flowers,
The yellow and green leaves,
Of the bamboos looming in the vast sky,
Make nature so beautiful and sweet.

Behold the pointed, shiny leaves,
Flying everywhere and leaping with the wind,
They are glad there are flowers,
With a fluffy carpet of them on the ground,
Along with the tiny grains.

Can you hear the leaves rustling,
They seem to tell each other a thousand times,

The Borders of the Internet

Sat, 08 Mar 2003 12:17:27 +0000

November 25: In what is seen as a historic decision by many people, a civil judge in Paris has ordered Yahoo! Inc., a leading American web company, to block out from its sites any reference to Nazi associated saleable items to people who log in from France. The Nazis under Adolf Hitler, perpetrated a reign of terror against Jews in the 1930s and 1940s and France suffered greatly under Hitler’s rule.

The Borders of the Internet [Illustration by Shiju George]

Well you thought the World Wide Web has no borders, huh? And you could put up anything on the Internet, and rest assured that it would be accessed by millions of people across the world. After all, you insist, it is this quality that makes the Net so democratic, i.e., by relating to the broadest mass of people.

The Magic Carpet

Tue, 09 Jul 2002 14:31:51 +0000

October 21: Meet Sheikh Tayyab Mahajan. This resident of Nagpur has a dream – he wants to create a carpet in which he can weave the complete cultural pattern of India.

Ambitious? But possible, thinks Tayyab. That is why he started weaving a durrie or rug seven years ago. At that time, he wanted to make it to the Guinness Book of Records for weaving the longest carpet in the world.

Now he is aiming higher having already woven 900 feet of the durrie. He has decided that he wants the rug to remind people of the diverse cultures of the country. This was reported in an article in

Screen Saver that saves

Tue, 19 Mar 2002 21:46:12 +0000

You can find a cure for cancer. Sounds impossible? But, it could become true. Now, there is a way in which you can be a part of a high-tech research team and perhaps hit upon the right combination to make a cancer drug.

Screen Saver that saves [Illustration by Shinod AP]

All you have to do is download a certain software and use it as a screen saver. This way your computer might find the way to make that wonder drug. So how does it work?

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.

Films for Kids — By Kids

Tue, 23 Oct 2001 19:02:08 +0000

All over the world achievers are getting younger and younger. A few weeks ago we had written a report on five Indian schoolchildren from south India who landed jobs with a famous American company called Lucent Technologies. Before that it was five children from Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) who had walked away with a huge haul of medals at the World Robotics championship, in Canada. Now it is the turn of a few schoolchildren in Delhi to get creative by making a 40-minute film all by themselves.

Gandhi's Belongings Auctioned for Millions

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:36:36 +0000

Where: New York, USA

March 6, 2009 : Indian industrialist Vijay Mallya bought Gandhi’s belongings at a New York auction for $1.8 million (Rs 9 crore). The trademark wire frame spectacles, pocket watch, brass bowl and plate set and a pair of leather sandals had belonged to Mahatma Gandhi, India’s most revered national leader. They were owned by American James Otis, and he put them up for sale at the auction house Antiquorum.

The Indian government had tried to prevent the auction, as it wanted the items to be returned to the country. Mahatma Gandhi’s legal heir is the Navjivan trust. The Trust filed a petition against the auction in the Delhi High Court, and obtained an order of restraint. This also made it impossible for the Indian government to bid in the auction without overriding a court ruling.

Eight year old rules the publishing world

Wed, 07 Jul 1999 18:57:23 +0000

Where: San Francisco, USA

July 1, 2000: The literary world is in a fix. Poets, scholars and publishers cannot believe their ears. An eight-year-old has accomplished what most of them believe is impossible.

Eight year old rules the publishing world [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Sahara Sunday Spain, has received a record advance of £66,000 from the publisher HarperCollins for a book of her poems. That amounts to $100,000 – quite a large sum even for an adult considering that it is for a poetry collection. Even the well-known British poet Ted Hughes received 50,000 pounds for his last collection of poems.

Flying Granny, Courageous Climber

Sat, 27 Mar 1999 23:20:44 +0000

Where: Worldwide

June 24, 2000 : British grandma Jennifer Murray turned 60 in Calcutta some days ago. But she is no ordinary grandmother. In 1997, she entered the Guinness Book of World Records by becoming the first woman to pilot a helicopter around the world. And now she is determined to become the first solo woman to circumnavigate the world in a helicopter. She was in Calcutta for a brief halt in the journey.

Grandma Murray is doing it for a cause. She is being sponsored by an organisation called the Pacific Century Cyber Work’s Network of the World. Their aim is to raise one million dollars for a very special project called Operation Smile. The project is run by a group which helps children who need to have facial surgery. The project is running in 16 developing countries. And Grandma Murray is flying for the cause.

Education that is and education that should be

Tue, 27 Jan 2004 06:59:22 +0000

**Mr Examination **
_
Oh, my dear examination
I have made no preparation
I’m terribly afraid of you
Kindly advise me what to do
You are early, but I’m very late
And daily losing weight
Please go and go you must,
Let me learn my lesson first.
Get out of my room
Now that’s something!!!_

Education that is and education that should be

What education can’t give
_education can give study
but not job
education can give books
but not brains

Creating Light from Garbage

Thu, 19 Apr 2001 18:49:43 +0000

July 22: We all create garbage. Every day we throw away armloads of things that we don’t need. Wrappers, leftovers, car parts, torn cloth, vegetable remains and mounds of other such stuff. What we throw away at home is domestic garbage. There’s much more that factories throw away. Garbage from factories is often very dangerous, because it could be poisonous chemicals, or plastics that choke the earth. The result of all this throwing away is that garbage levels around the world are rising, and fast. So fast that soon we will have no place left where we can throw our junk away.

Born to Love Animals

Tue, 29 Feb 2000 02:34:16 +0000

Born to Love Animals []

The House Where Cockroaches Live to a Ripe Old Age
Written by Yoram Kaniuk; Translated by Yoram and Miranda Kaniuk
Illustrations by Tapas Guha
Published by Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd.

This book is about a little girl, Naomi, whose love for animals makes her convert her house into a mini zoo. All she wants is more and more animals around her and sure enough, she does manage to get them!

The Circle of Life

Fri, 01 Aug 2003 23:16:39 +0000

February 5: Young Vittal Partani is one of many volunteers who has been engaged in a singleminded task these last few days in the town of Bhachau that was devastated by the January 26 earthquake, in Gujarat. But there is something special about the 20 year-old and the youngsters accompanying him on the rescue mission.

All of them are orphans of the Latur earthquake disaster of 1993. Only this time around, their roles have reversed – from victims to rescuers.

The China Doll

Fri, 11 Jul 2003 20:18:48 +0000

The China Doll [Illustration by Anup Singh]

December 9: A country’s national identity is very much like an individual’s identity. Each country has a name, a past from which it traces its origins and a few distinguishing characteristics that make up its overall personality. Yes, nations have personalities. Just like human beings, those countries with strong personalities are the ones with a sure sense of who they are.

Teachers' Day

Tue, 27 Nov 2001 02:18:13 +0000

Teachers’ Day [Illustration by Shiju George]

September 5: An average teacher teaches, a good teacher explains, a superior teacher illustrates, and a great teacher? A great teacher both learns and inspires students to ask questions fearlessly, for asking the right question is like taking the right turn amidst a maze of lanes and bylanes.

But these are different times. While school students say that teachers are no longer interested in teaching, teachers turn around and say that it is not their fault – nobody is interested in learning and that society treats them like dirt. So, who is right?

The Bright Ones

Wed, 26 Jun 2002 01:48:37 +0000

September 9: Five-year-old Krishna and four-year-old Rama are two very bright brothers. They are too young to join school but they know by heart all the textbooks of the primary school.

The little geniuses, however, are not Indian! Their names are the only thing Indian about these kids. For they are Russians in every other way.

The two boys, sons of Ariy Radogar, were allowed to take the test for primary school admissions after their father insisted that they could clear them. At first the headmaster of the school refused to admit the children. In Russia, as in the rest of the world, the age of the child for entry in primary school is six.

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 Eyes of a Child Soldier

Mon, 24 May 1999 23:42:42 +0000

Where: Sierra Leone, Africa

August 5, 2000: A child is recognised everywhere as a symbol of innocence. Those who fight wars know this fact. And the more brutal among them use this knowledge to do the most terrible thing. They force children to fight the wars that they have started.

This is what the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) does in the West African country of Sierra Leone. The title of the group suggests that it is performing heroic acts. What it actually does is just the opposite. It begins its attacks on government forces by sending waves of children in front. The idea is to unnerve the opponents. And the children come directly in the line of their gunfire.

Mystery Surrounds Air France Plane Crash

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 14:21:03 +0000

Where: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

June 16, 2009 : Air France Flight 447 carrying 228 people on board disappeared while flying from Rio de Janeiro to Paris hours after it took off on June 1, 2009. The plane vanished from radar when it was some distance away from the Brazilian coast. The Airbus A330-200 made its last radio contact with aviation authorities around three and a half hours after takeoff. Half an hour later, Air France officials received an automatic signal from the aircraft indicating electrical problems related to strong turbulence. However, no contact was made with the pilot, and the jet disappeared off all radar without a distress signal.

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.

Bird Flu Virus Returns to Asia

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 03:49:11 +0000

Where: China

December 18, 2008: The deadly Bird Flu virus is back, and hundreds of thousands of chickens are being culled (killed) across Asia and Africa to stop the virus from spreading. The H5N1 virus is commonly referred to as Bird Flu virus since it spreads through birds. It can be fatal for human beings, especially those that are exposed to birds such as poultry.

Bird Flu Virus Returns to Asia []

In China, over 370,000 chickens have been culled in the country’s eastern province of Jiangsu. In India, a similar exercise is happening in the western state of Bengal. The virus has also surfaced in Egypt, where it killed a little girl, and in Cambodia and Taiwan.

Brushed under the Carpet

Thu, 26 Sep 2002 08:32:14 +0000

October 14: Morocco is one of the few countries in the African-Arab world to have tourism as a major industry. Tourists flock to Morocco for two things – its old-world charm and fine weather. And for its beautiful carpets.

Morocco produces about 7,50,000 square metres of carpet a year. That’s a lot of carpet. Their bargain prices attract tourists in droves. And, most of these carpets are produced by young children.

Brushed under the Carpet [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

Mutual Aid Societies

Sat, 15 Nov 1997 16:25:09 +0000

Everywhere in Nature the small, weak and apparently helpless manage to survive by parasitism — sponging off hosts who may in their turn protect and help these hangers-on. Worms, ticks, fleas and various kinds of bacteria are common examples. But there are more spectacular cases among fish and other sea creatures.

On riverbeds, a species of fresh water clam tosses her young at passing fish to attach themselves with hooks. The host carries them about, nourishing them until they are adult enough to let go, settle as the bottom, and start another lifecycle. This form of parasitism disperses the clams more widely.

Tourists Stranded in Machu Picchu

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 05:53:46 +0000

Where: Lima, Peru

February 1, 2010 :Heavy rain and landslides destroyed the only land link to the ancient Inca* site of Machu Picchu in Peru’s Andes mountains. Around 20 people died in the floods, and 40,000 others were affected. This includes the 4,000 tourists who were visiting Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu is famously known as the lost city of the Incas. This architectural marvel is situated on a mountain ridge high above the Urubamba River Valley. Built in the 15th century, Machu Picchu was hidden to the rest of the world until an American explorer Hiram Bingham found the ruins in 1911. It is now the most well known symbol of the ancient empire.

Eastward Ho!

Thu, 23 Aug 2001 05:39:47 +0000

Britain wants Indian engineers to help modernise their London-Glasgow railway link, and that’s a real about turn! Nearly 150 years ago, Britain was the first country to use steam locomotives.

The British also built the first rail tracks in India and set up India’s railway network with one purpose – they wanted to collect raw material such as cotton from different parts of the country so that they could be shipped to Britain. And later, when the ready-made products came back to India, they used the rail network to sell them by reaching different corners of the country.

Shopping for Buyers

Sun, 20 May 2001 13:00:40 +0000

August 5: In June, German carmaker Volkswagen opened Autostadt, Europe’s first automotive theme park on cars. The company spent $424.4 million to build the complex. Situated in Wolfsburg, the park features displays, events, a motor museum, special areas for kids, special chambers to check how your car fares against wind and vibration, and even a section where you can design your own car. All this merely to persuade customers to buy a VW car. Companies are going out of their way to lure customers to buy their wares.

No marks for mother tongue

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 02:39:34 +0000

August 18: What’s the most difficult subject for students in Uttar Pradesh? Is it Maths, English or Science. Surprisingly, it’s none of these, it’s Hindi! According to a Press Trust of India report, it’s Hindi that lets them down when it comes to examinations.

Nearly 50 per cent of the class X students failed in Hindi in the UP Secondary School Board Examinations. And Hindi is the language they speak – for most people in the state it is their mother tongue. In the intermediate (intermediate refers to the to years after Class X and in some states these two classes are part of college) examination, the failure rate was 21 per cent and in elementary school 91 per cent of the children failed.

The Baby Current Which Destroys

Thu, 09 Apr 1998 06:08:47 +0000

Did you know that the period between November 1997 and November 1998 was the hottest year recorded on earth? In fact, six of the first eight months of the year were the warmest since humans began recording temperatures on earth in 1866.

Weather experts say one of the causes behind the warming of the earth’s atmosphere, or global warming, is El Nino, a water current in the Pacific Ocean.

But why should a water current create heat in the earth’s atmosphere, one would ask.

The Flood

Tue, 10 Feb 1998 10:58:25 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

Every day, Indian newspapers carry reports that large parts of Bihar, Bengal and north-east India are flooded, causing loss to human and animal lives, and property. This happens year after year. What is the reason for these floods? An indepth report from ‘Gobar Times’, a children’s magazine on the environment brought out by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment.

The Flood

May 12, 2000: The mighty Himalayas get knocked out by the monsoon system every year. For four months in a year, the mountains get a concentrated battering by two gargantuan blue-grey fists — the Bay of Bengal monsoon current and the Arabian Sea current. As an opponent, the Himalayas are very big, but not very strong. After all, they once used to be the bottom of the sea, just sand and slimy sediments!

The Actor

Sat, 19 Oct 2002 23:06:35 +0000

October 6 : Dhanna wants to become an actor. His dream is to star in a film with Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, two famous actors of Bollywood, Mumbai’s hugely popular film industry.

Seventeen year-old Dhanna is the son of a rexine bag-maker. He lives with his family in a narrow by-lane of a poor colony in Delhi. The journey from here to the bright lights of Bollywood appears to be very long indeed. The journey becomes even more convoluted given the fact that Dhanna is also mentally challenged.

World Environment Day on June 5: Become an Earth Warrior

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:58:06 +0000

Where: Worldwide

June 4, 2009 : World Environment Day is observed every year on June 5. It was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972. The guiding principle is that people have to take responsibility for the environment. The earth’s rain forests are disappearing, chemicals have poisoned our air, marine life is dying in our polluted seas, and harmful waste and toxins have reached even the least populated corners of the globe. The wake up call for earth’s citizens for 2009 is “Your Planet Needs You — UNite to Combat Climate Change”.

Gunning for Clouds

Thu, 12 Oct 2006 17:24:17 +0000

Where: Beijing, China

July 19: The photograph in the newspaper shows a soldier handling an anti-aircraft gun. At once, an image flashes across your mind: the gun moving left to right and firing away with a deafening, staccato noise, with an aircraft bursting into flames and somersaulting to the ground.

Good powers of imagination, fed on Hollywood films, but, unfortunately, completely off the mark.

The anti-aircraft gun shown in the Hindustan Times is used for the purpose of cloud seeding, or making rain.

Smart Future

Fri, 26 Jan 2001 16:00:54 +0000

August 12: Do you know that there’s a possibility you may live forever? And that you will have computers that are 1,000 times more intelligent than Albert Einstein, generally known as the smartest scientist ever! That all these miracles may happen in 15 years or more?

These are the predictions of Ian Pearson, a top British futurologist. A futurologist is a person who tells what life will be in the future. He is a kind of professional day-dreamer.

Earthquake in Italy Kills 150

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 07:56:15 +0000

Where: Rome, Italy

April 6, 2009 : A powerful earthquake rocked the mountainous Abruzzo region of central Italy in the early hours of April 6, 2009 (3.32am local time). Over 150 people were killed and 1,500 were injured. The number of people who may be trapped alive could not be estimated. Thousands of rescue workers searched for survivors. Some 24 hours after the disaster struck, they began losing hopes of finding any more.

Most of the deaths took place in L’Aquila, a 13th century mountain city close to the epicentre of the earthquake. Surrounding towns and villages were also badly hit. Most of the stone buildings in the region were centuries old and collapsed quickly. Around 50,000 people lost their homes.The need for shelter became an important factor, as temperatures were in the region of 5 degrees C. Italy’s Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi declared a national emergency.

Still Standing Tall

Wed, 01 Oct 2003 22:17:19 +0000

Still Standing Tall [Illustrated by Shinod AP]

March 14: Recently, a severe earthquake shook the city of Seattle in the United States of America (USA). It was the regions strongest earthquake in 50 years. It measured 6.8 on the Richter scale.

On January 26, 2001, an earthquake that measured 7.9 on the Richter scale, 10 times stronger than the earthquake in Seattle, struck Gujarat, in India. Thousands of people had died and property worth millions of rupees was destroyed. But the Seattle quake saw only one death, and that too from a heart attack. There was not much property damage, either.

Take Me Back

Tue, 27 Jan 2004 21:30:11 +0000

July 6: A clueless girl stands outside her school building, looking lost among the swirling mass of uniformed school students. She is not allowed to wear the school uniform, ususally sits in the last row without a partner, her notebooks go unchecked and her name does not appear in the attendance register.

Meet six-year-old Ekta, who is being punished for something her father, Sunil Mistry, did. He had questioned the fee structure of the school and called it illegal.

A Green Olympic Village

Mon, 29 Jan 2001 13:11:30 +0000

August 19: Where will the world’s best sportspersons go when they stride away from the sporting venues at the coming Sydney Olympic Games? The answer is, the Olympic Village.

A Green Olympic Village [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

As many as 15,000 athletes will live in a specially created residential complex designed to satisfy each and every whim of theirs. The village will have 800 houses, 355 apartments and 336 modular homes. What’s more, it will be an eco-friendly village, running with the help of solar power.

The Girl who Failed the Citizenship Test

Mon, 25 Jun 2001 18:22:21 +0000

July 22: Twentyfour-year-old Vijai Shree has lived in the US since she was four months old. She holds a “green card” which permits her to stay on in the country. Her parents, Mr Sunder Rajan and Ms Shakuntala, are American citizens. Though they were not born in America, they have lived there for a long time and the US government has recognised them as naturalised Americans. That is, the government will protect them in the same manner that it protects its local people. And they get the same benefits as any other American citizen.

Teachers who Ticked Correct Answers Wrong

Sat, 21 Apr 2001 05:00:35 +0000

August 19: Do you know what a universal truth is? It is a truth that never changes, wherever in the world you might wish to test it.

For example, we all know that the earth goes round the sun. It’s a truth that will never change, at least not until the solar system lasts.

Another universal truth we’re told to believe is that our teachers know more than us. It’s a non-scientific universal truth, for sure. But then, if our teachers didn’t know more, they couldn’t very well be teaching us, could they?

Child's Play!!

Tue, 08 Apr 2003 22:19:01 +0000

February 26: A new game for children is being touted as the next big thing in America. Called Flip-Itz, the game is a colourful collection of three-legged toys with wacky human, animal and alien faces that propel through the air once their owners press down on them. Really so simple.

Child’s Play!! [Illustration by Navin Pangti]

And earlier this month, 11-year-old Justin Lewis and 12-year-old Matthew Balick, the creators of the toy, also flew to New York to market their product at the city’s annual international toy fair. The organisers of the fair had to lift their usual ban on children to allow the two to participate.

Children's Theatre of the World

Fri, 25 May 2001 04:39:11 +0000

August 5: At this very moment in Japan, a city called Toyama is hosting a very interesting event — the 6th World Festival of Children’s Theatre.

The purpose of this year’s theatre festival is to encourage children of the future to create a new theatre. Through which they will foster new values and a new culture for themselves and others around them. Since it is these kids who will be the new millennium’s first citizens.

The Privileged Moles

Fri, 04 Apr 2003 22:41:42 +0000

April 4: When you take a walk in the streets of Canada’s largest city, Toronto, you will probably come across people who hold out their hats for money. At least this is what a Reuters report in The Indian Express says.

Though Toronto is a prosperous city, there are many homeless, sick and destitute who have made the streets their home. To avoid running into them, the city’s richer citizens have gone underground. Literally.

Here is where they are: Toronto’s underground is made up of 27 tunnels, that are about 10 km long. These tunnels are collectively known as ‘The Path’. The Path occupies more than four million square feet of space. It connects the city subway with 48 tall office towers, six major hotels and 1,200 stores.

Tejasvi's Song

Thu, 13 Apr 2000 01:08:29 +0000

I’m going, I’m going on a safari

Driving around in my big lorry

Jungle animals I shall see

As they live, quite naturally,
Not behind the cages, tied

Lions, elephants, zebras, birds.
Moving together in their herds.
I’ll shoot them,
but with a camera
They’ll think “oh, he’s
a nice fella”.

So we’ll be friends and
long long after
I’m gone, you’ll hear our laughter.

Japanese Government Announces Green Stimulus Package

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:37:20 +0000

Where: Tokyo, Japan

April 11, 2009 : The recession has prompted many governments to inject ‘stimulus packages’ to boost their countries’ economies. Japan’s Prime Minister Taro Aso announced a package with a green focus. His government will encourage the start of mass production of electric cars in three years. It also has plans to boost solar power generation to 20 times the current level of 1.42m kilowatts.

Then there is a car scrappage scheme, under which motorists who trade in cars that are more than 13 years old for environment-friendly vehicles will receive subsidies. Energy efficient car owners will get to pay less tax.

The Olympic Gold Rush

Mon, 13 May 2002 01:06:47 +0000

September 30: At the Millennium Olympics in Sydney, Barbados, the tiny island nation in the Caribbean, has overtaken the United States and China to head the medals tally – if you calculate the number of medals against the population.

When sprinter Obadele Thompson won the bronze in the 100-metre race in 10.04 seconds, on September 23, Barbados topped the medal table list maintained by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). This is because Barbados has a population of only 270,000. This report featured in ‘The Hindustan Times’.

Death Threat

Mon, 07 Jul 2003 08:08:23 +0000

March 19: The Olive Ridleys are olive-green coloured sea-turtles that have existed for more than 200 million years. The Gahirmatha beach in Orissa is one of their nesting sites, but unfortunately the fishermen have started catching these turtles for meat to sell in the local market.

This has alarmed environmentalists. Nature lover and scientist, BR Ray says that this trend will surely lead to the extinction of the turtles.
Thousands of female ridleys travel thousands of kilometres to lay their eggs at Gahirmatha beach. The beach also happens to be one of the four large nesting sites for Olive Ridleys in the world. The others are found in the tropical Pacific, Indian and the South Atlantic Oceans.

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.

Schools of Failed Teachers and Students

Thu, 25 Jan 2001 05:55:56 +0000

September 6: Three schools in Hyderabad are changing people’s views of government schools – they showed a 90 per cent pass percentage in this year’s Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC) examination.

At the same time 12 government schools in Hyderabad have set another record of sorts. All students of the schools appearing for the SSC exam flunked the exams.

The SSC exam is the most important exam of a school student’s life. It marks the end of a student’s school life and the beginning of college life – which in many cases decides the student’s future course in life.

Hanoi's Good Samaritan

Fri, 10 May 2002 09:27:05 +0000

Hanoi’s Good Samaritan [Illustration by Shiju George]

November 4:The streets of cities in Vietnam teem with young boys who, despite their sad eyes, have dazzling smiles on their faces, and speak halting, broken English, that sounds charming to the ears. They sell postcards, shine shoes and hassle tourists with remarkably impressive sob-stories about needing money for sick parents, school fees and English lessons. It’s a combination that never fails to move the tourist for whose benefit of course, the entire performance is staged.

Injured Deer Lands on Dinner Plate

Fri, 24 Mar 2000 03:51:00 +0000

July 8: A deer was in great pain. It had got injured in the forest. It was discovered by some villagers who lived near the forest.

This incident happened in the Champhai district of Mizoram, in north-east India. The villagers picked up the deer and gave it to Hranleikapa, a leader of the Mizo National Party, to hand over the deer to the zoo in Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram.

But, that was not to be.

Computer Whiz Grans

Fri, 02 Feb 2001 11:16:23 +0000

July 31: A.Yogananda is learning the basics of the computer at a computer centre in Pune. Like how to send and receive e-mails to friends in US, Mumbai and Bangalore. He is as excited as any kid who is learning something new.

This eager student is all of 79 years old.

And he is not the only one. Senior citizens in Pune are rushing to computer classes and taking notes like never before. In the process they are discovering a strange universe of computer terms. Like Yahoo! Windows, folders, and recycle bins.

Finns Favour Freezing Swim

Tue, 12 Feb 2002 08:39:48 +0000

November 4: It’s winter in Finland and temperatures are touching single digits. Across the Arctic, from Burbank to Murmansk, the land is completely frozen. Suddenly a group of Finns appear with a pickaxe and drill a hole in the thick ice pack. Are they going to fish? So where are the rods?

Before you can blink a frozen eye, they have stripped down and stand shivering at the hole’s edge eyeing the chilly winter waters. Then, the bravest (or is it the most foolhardy?) splashes in!

Indians All the Way As 'Slumdog Millionaire' Sweeps Oscars

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:41:23 +0000

Where: Los Angeles, USA

February 22, 2009 : India awoke to the sound of cheers and applause last Monday as ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ fetched two Oscars* for A.R. Rahman and one for Resul Pookutty. With the American-made film ‘Smile Pinki’ about an Indian girl winning the Oscar for the best short documentary, the focus was definitely on India.

Slumdog Millionaire, directed by the recognised British filmmaker Danny Boyle, is about an Indian boy. The film has an all Indian cast, and was shot in Mumbai with Indian technicians. A.R. Rahman, one of the country’s best known musicians, became the first Indian to win two Oscars (Best Original Score as well as the Best Song, ‘Jai Ho’). Rahman’s acceptance speech was simple, and the maestro modest in victory. The honours for best song are shared by the famous lyricist Gulzar. Rahman had earlier won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA awards for his work in the film.

The Case of the Stonemasons

Mon, 07 Jul 2003 00:29:34 +0000

December 27: Last year, 10 stonemasons had been taken from Udaipur to London to build a temple. Overjoyed with this opportunity to earn more money, they went along willingly. But what did they get there? Just a dirty shack to live in and only 20 pence an hour.

The stonemasons did not know that they were being exploited. However, they did know that they were being treated badly. The moment they reached London, their passports were taken away from them. Then they were threatened that they would have to go back to India on their own if they disobeyed their ’employers'.

General Elections Announced in India

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:56:09 +0000

Where: New Delhi, India

March 2, 2009 : India is set to go to the polls to elect a new government. The Chief Election Commissioner Mr. N. Gopalaswami announced the schedule for the General Elections. The country will elect 543 members to the Lok Sabha, or the House of the People, in Parliament. Voting will take place on five days; April 16, April 23, April 30, May 7 and May 13, 2009. Counting of votes will take place on May 16, 2009 and results will be announced immediately. The number of voters is estimated to be 714 million. All 28 states and seven union territories will elect their representatives.

Worming into the Olympics

Mon, 06 May 2002 23:20:49 +0000

The organisers of the 2000 Sydney Olympics are very serious about projecting the Olympics as an eco-friendly event. So the Olympics village in Sydney, where the athletes are living, is entirely solar-powered. But the organisers haven’t stopped at that. They’re ensuring that even the garbage generated by people at the Olympics is eco-friendly.

For this, they’ve enlisted the help of the humble earthworm — three varieties of the earthworm, in fact. Thousands of these worms cluster behind eating areas at the Olympics. And chew their way through the garbage left there deliberately for their eating pleasure, reports an ‘Associated Press’ feature in ‘The Indian Express’.

The Lake and the Birds

Wed, 15 Dec 1999 06:46:25 +0000

Where: Himachal Pradesh, India

March 8, 2001: The picturesque Pong Dam lake region in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, is losing its lustre. A great deal of its charm has lain in the fact that it is north India’s largest refuge for migrating birds escaping harsh winters abroad. But not for long, if recent trends are any indication.

A low water level in the lake this year has forced the migratory birds to fly away one month in advance, says a report in The Indian Express.

Athlete's Death Casts Gloom Over Games

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:51:00 +0000

Where: Vancouver, Canada

February 15, 2010 : The 21st Winter Olympics began in Vancouver, Canada, on February 12, 2010. Just hours before the opening ceremony, Georgian athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili died during a practice session. He lost control of his sled, which was going at a speed of 90 miles per hour. The sled flew off the track at a sharp curve and crashed into a metal pillar. His event was luge: an ice sport in which the participant lies face up on a sled and propels himself forward using his calf and shoulder muscles.

End to Recession in Sight?

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 04:52:13 +0000

Where: New York, USA

March 25, 2009 : The New York Stock Exchange and European Stock markets showed high trading figures after the American government announced that it had planned another bailout package for banks. The United States Treasury is also expected to pump $1 trillion into the market for buying up ’toxic assets’. This means government will put money into those ‘bad assets’ which have frozen trading and aggravated the recession.

Mr. Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, the central bank in USA, said he expects that the recession in the country will end this year. The recession, or economic slump, began in 2007. Large numbers of businesses closed down and most others have cut down on jobs and pay packets. The number of unemployed people is still rising in the USA and in the United Kingdom.

Pet Chimpanzee Shot After Violent Attack

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:04:02 +0000

Where: Stamford, Connecticut, USA

February 17, 2009 : A pet chimpanzee named Travis, belonging to a Ms.Sandra Herold of Stamford, Connecticut, was shot and killed by the police after it broke out of its cage and attacked a woman. Travis, it seems, got out of control, escaped from his cage and attacked a 55-year-old woman friend of Ms. Herold’s. He bit her several times, and her injuries were said to be life-threatening. She was removed to hospital and was in a critical condition.

It's Hi Harry, Bye Hardy Boys

Sun, 01 Aug 2004 00:00:11 +0000

August 1: On July 31, as an army of children and adults got ready to “celebrate” Harry Potter’s birthday, there was a young fictional heroine waiting to share the limelight with him. Her name? Lyra Belacqua, a girl with extraordinary powers, unusual friends, and living an orphaned life as well. Lyra Belacqua is the name of the latest craze unleashed by writer David Pullman among young book readers in the US.

The verdict is clear; Harry Potter and Lyra Belacqua are here to stay. Gone are the days when the clean and well-scrubbed Hardy boys, Nancy Drew, the Famous Five and The Secret Seven ruled over young readers’ hearts and cupboards.

Potatoes get you in the pink of health

Sun, 29 Oct 2006 05:34:08 +0000

Where: Spain

June 25, 2007: Word’s just in: potatoes are good for you. But, you may still have to hold off on those fries you’ve been eyeing. Turns out, potatoes are best eaten in a cold salad, and not drowned in oil.

A team of Spanish researchers say that eating potatoes could have a beneficial effect on the body’s immune system. They’re rich in vitamin C and B-complex, have good doses of minerals like iron, calcium, managanese, magnesium and phosphorus, and believe it or not, are great for the tummy.

Plane Crash in New York Kills Fifty

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:32:16 +0000

Where: New York, USA

February 12, 2009 : A commercial air plane crashed into a house in Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people on board and one person on the ground. The plane burst into flames on impact. The Continental Airlines plane was on its way from Newark, New Jersey before crashing some distance away from the airport. Two people in the house were injured. The house itself was completely destroyed, and the authorities evacuated people from the neighbourhood, so that investigations could be carried out.

The Famous Five

Sat, 11 Aug 2001 14:03:57 +0000

Meet the “Famous Five” — Arjun Bansal, Vijay Kumar, Shruti Chandrsekhar, Arvind Thiagarajan and Sundeep Venkataraman. These five teenagers have just got jobs in the Research & Development wing of the India branch of Lucent Technologies — the famous American company.

The teenagers were handed offers of employment in the company recently. They can join the company as soon as they complete their graduation.

The Famous Five [Illustration by Sudheer Nath]

But first, they had to score the highest marks in a test done to discover the “best and brightest minds” in the cities of Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. They beat 655 other candidates.

All for One

Sun, 10 Aug 2003 16:30:21 +0000

February 26: What happens when someone in authority takes advantage of the position that he is in, to harass someone weaker? In India, more often than not, the victim ends up doing nothing about it. Why not? Fear forces him or her to keep quiet.

But not everyone believes in living up to the image of the powerless Indian. And when that ‘someone’ turns out to be an entire village, generally thought to be unchanging, it demands our attention.

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.

The Chief Minister and the Butterfly

Thu, 17 Sep 1998 07:22:25 +0000

Where: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India

July 1, 2000: Indian politicians are mighty people, especially when they are in power. Even Nature trembles before their arrogant minds. Some years ago, when India was ruled by a Congress-I government, its environment minister decided to build a guest house in Manali. Why not, you may ask. It’s a nice place. But there was one small problem – he wanted to have the course of a river changed so that he could have his guesthouse exactly where he wanted it.

Death Sentence for Makers of Killer Baby Milk in China

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 16:18:59 +0000

Where: Shijiazhuang, China

January 22, 2009 : The Sanlu Group is the largest producer of baby milk powder in China. The toxic substance melamine, which is used in the manufacture of resins, was added to raw milk so that it would appear to be higher in protein content. Six babies died as a result of drinking the milk and around 300,000 more took ill in September 2008. Around 900 tonnes of contaminated milk left the Sanlu dairies with the knowledge of the top management.

Flooded by disaster

Sun, 03 Oct 2004 13:27:43 +0000

July 31: Monsoon in Orissa has meant only one thing in the recent past: floods. It’s no different this year. Floods have left 85 lakh people in over 15,000 villages homeless. The official death toll: 80. And one lakh hectare of crops have been submerged.

About 5,000 kilometres of roadways, 500 kilometres of the national highways, and piped water supply sources to 61 towns have been submerged, causing widespread chaos and distress. As happens in such situations, water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, malaria and jaundice have affected more than 15,500 people, says a report in

Simayal's Women

Thu, 17 Jan 2002 04:46:24 +0000

September 30: Rows and rows of fresh vegetables and fruits: cabbages, cauliflowers, tomatoes, peas, bananas, apricots and apples in clean surroundings. That’s some of the stuff that greets Delhi-ites at the government-run ‘Mother Dairy’ outlets, which have mirrors on their walls to give a rich sense of plenty to buyers, at reasonable prices. No wonder, these outlets are great favourites with consumers.

Ever wondered where the outlets’ seemingly never-ending source of fresh produce comes from? There are many different sources and one of them happens to be Simayal, a remote mountain village in the Kumaon region of Uttar Pradesh (UP).

Every Ball You Bowl, Every Shot You Play

Thu, 18 Oct 2001 08:40:41 +0000

July 31: A spy will be hired to keep a watch on the activities of cricket players in Pakistan. This decision has been made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The idea is to prevent the players from fixing any more matches.

The spy will shadow the team, stay in the hotel and keep an eye on the cricketers. Like who they meet, where they go, and when they return to the hotel. So anxious is the PCB that the job is well done, that it has decided to keep the identity of the spy a complete secret. The players will be told about the appointment of a spy so that they feel nervous all the time. A report on this was carried by ‘The Asian Age’ recently.

A Penalty Kick into Disaster

Fri, 06 Apr 2001 20:38:26 +0000

Where: Kandahar, Afghanistan

July 22, 2000: It was the strangest football match that the Pakistani team had ever played. There they were in the city of Kandahar, in Afghanistan, for a match with a local team. Every sportsperson knows that home teams always get a lot more support than the visiting team, and is even prepared for it. But none of the Pakistani players were quite prepared for what happened to them on the football ground.

A Tale of Two Wonders

Wed, 07 Oct 1998 07:06:01 +0000

Where: USA and India

June 24, 2000: In the first week of June, Indian newspapers wrote about two very different kinds of success stories. Both involved youngsters — one 12 year old and another teenaged boy. One was in the United States, the other was in Madurai (Tamil Nadu), India. But both proved that their success had very little to do with the education system. It had more to do with their desires and determination.

Madhav Kumar Nepal Takes Office as Prime Minister of Nepal

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 07:00:18 +0000

Where: Kathmandu, Nepal

May 30, 2009 : Mr.Madhav Kumar Nepal took office as Prime Minister of Nepal on Monday. Earlier this month the Maoist-led government of Mr. Pushpa Kamal Dahal (“Prachanda") had collapsed. “Prachanda” had led the Maoist movement to establish a republic and abolish monarchy. The Shah kings had been the rulers of Nepal since 1768. The rebellion lasted 10 years and ended in the year 2006. Around 14,000 people died in the conflict. In 2008, the monarch, King Gyanendra, stepped down, and Prachanda became the Prime Minister. After eight months in office, he resigned because the country’s President refused to back his decision to sack the army chief.

Climate Change: Some Chilling Facts

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 03:05:22 +0000

Where London: United Kingdom

February 5, 2009 : All of Europe and much of North America experienced very chilly weather and battled snow and ice through most of January. Snowfall of unexpected proportions hit Madrid, Spain, and severe storms blew across France, U.K., Germany, and Northern Italy.

Since February 2, 2009 the U.K. has seen unusual amounts of snowfall. By midday on February 2 alone, about a foot of snow had fallen over London, the heaviest snowfall over the city in 18 years. London’s Underground, the world’s oldest underground rail transport system, national highways and air transport services across the country were severely affected. Thousands of children stayed home as schools shut down across England, Scotland and Wales after more snowfall on February 5.

High Performance, Low Pollution

Thu, 23 May 2002 15:44:47 +0000

With the number of vehicles and industries growing at an alarming rate in India, pollution levels are also shooting up. Most of us go about our daily lives feeling the impact of pollution in smarting eyes and asthmatic sighs, but we do not do much beyond talking about it. But there are some people who are actually thinking of ways in which to preserve a green environment so that we can all breathe cleaner air.

How to Write the Right Way

Tue, 12 Mar 2002 22:15:43 +0000

September 9 : These are days of the high-tech child. A child whose grasp of the computer is phenomenal and who knows how to handle the mouse better than he can handle toys.

But in this rush to be computer whizzes at age fifteen and below, kids are forgetting how to hold pens and pencils. Or, to put it simply, today’s kids are forgetting how to write.
It looks as if the days of the neat homework book, with pages and pages of beautiful, tidy writing – the school-going child’s special pride – will soon be a thing of the past.

The Minister who Couldn't Add

Tue, 24 Jul 2001 16:42:06 +0000

July 22: I want to say it simple and clear: I am bad at arithmetic. In school I could not even add up my marks in the annual report card. I could never figure out figures at all. So I have a sneaking sympathy for Miroslaw Handke for what happened to him recently. He lost his job because he couldn’t calculate.

Handke is the Education Minister of Poland. Probably, his math skills are as bad as mine but he still went on to calculate the money that his Ministry would mark for the running of schools in the annual budget. It is his job. But he bungled badly.

Militants Attack Police Academy in Pakistan

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:46:33 +0000

Where: Lahore, Pakistan

March 30, 2009 : Less than a month after the terror attack on Sri Lankan cricketers, militants targeted a police training school in Manawan on the outskirts of Lahore. They killed eight police recruits and two civilians, and injured nearly 100 people.

At 7.30 a.m., around 850 unarmed recruits at the school had assembled for their morning parade. At least 10 armed militants jumped over the boundary walls and entered the grounds. They threw grenades at the assembly and fired indiscriminately. All the recruits who died fell in this first strike. The attackers were in their twenties, bearded and dressed in salwar-kameez. Some of them wore police uniforms.They all carried backpacks full of arms and ammunition. Within an hour of the attack, it became clear that the police could not control the situation, and the government called in the paramilitary Pakistan Rangers and the Army. Three of the attackers blew themselves up to avoid being captured. Only one man was arrested.

This Bird Paradise Stinks!

Wed, 16 Jul 2003 04:49:09 +0000

March 19: Are you a bird lover? If you live in Delhi, then the river Yamuna is the place to go to. Yes, that same river that was once Delhi’s pride but has got reduced to a polluted dump with mounds of plastic islands floating on its surface and toxic effluents flowing in from fields.

And yet, birds flock to the Yamuna. Perhaps because there is no other river or wetland region in Delhi, which is predominantly a dry city, says a report in The Hindu.

Prisoners Ride on Fried Snack Success

Sat, 27 Apr 2002 14:27:39 +0000

September 30: It all began with ‘bhajiya’ (fritters). A few years ago, prisoners of Sabarmati jail in the city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, began a ‘bhajiya’ corner. They sold crispy ‘bhajiya’, a favourite snack of Gujaratis, in the shop. Predictably enough, the snack was a big draw among people. Sales touched Rs. 20,000 per day.

Inspired by the runaway success of their venture, the prisoners have decided to diversify.
They have proposed a series of profitable ventures that they would like to set up in the coming months. The only eligibility criteria they have to fulfill in return is to have a record of good conduct in jail.

American Woman Athlete, Aged 56, Swims Across Atlantic

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:07:29 +0000

Where: Trinidad

February 9, 2009 : Jennifer Figge, a 56-year-old American athlete, swam across the Atlantic Ocean, taking 24 days, spending eight hours in the water each day. Ms Figge claims she is the first woman on record to swim the Atlantic. She left Cape Verde Islands off the coast of Africa on January 12, tackling waves up to nine metres in height. She had planned to finish at the Bahama Islands. Strong winds forced her to change course and she hit land at Trinidad instead. The original route measured 3,380km, but the distance over the route she eventually took has yet to be measured.

Making Light of Darkness

Thu, 13 Mar 2003 18:32:57 +0000

May 11: Till five years ago, the Male Kudi tribals of Kodyadi, in the Western Ghats in Mangalore, lived in darkness. The government had never switched on to their needs. But now, thanks to their leader, Elyanna, the first graduate in the tribe, they have invented an ingenious method of electrifying their village – and their achievement has electrified the nation.

In 1995, when Elyanna returned from his educational stint at Ujire, his mind was teeming with ideas. The first idea was that of a cycle generator. Aluminium-coated tumblers were fitted around a cycle wheel. Since the mouths faced the water source, its force helped the wheel rotate. Hey presto! “The power was sufficient to light three bulbs,” says Elyanna in an exclusive report by

Federer Wins French Open Crown

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:05:50 +0000

Where: Paris, France

June 8, 2009 : Roger Federer, the Swiss tennis player who is ranked world Number Two* and believed by many to be the best player of all time, won the prize that had been eluding him for years. He won the French Open men’s singles title in Paris, defeating Swedish player Robin Soderling in straight sets. This was 27-year-old Federer’s 11th attempt at the title, and his fourth consecutive final at the championship. For the last three years, he was defeated by the Spanish player Rafael Nadal. This year, Nadal was knocked out of the tournament in the fourth round by Soderling.

Virender Sehwag Hits Fastest ODI Century by an Indian Cricketer

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:17:04 +0000

Where: Hamilton, New Zealand

March 11, 2009 : With his century coming off just 60 balls, Virender Sehwag became the fastest Indian batsman to hit a hundred runs in One Day International cricket. Sehwag broke Mohammad Azharuddin’s record of a 100 off 62 balls in Baroda 21 years ago. Sehwag also became the world’s seventh-fastest century hitter in limited-overs cricket.

India won the match by 10 wickets. New Zealand put up a total of 270 for five. The target for the chasers was revised a number of times, because of rain. Nothing could stop Sehwag, though. He hit 14 fours and six sixes in his knock of 125 not out from just 74 balls. Fellow opener Gautam Gambhir played a supporting role. Their unbroken opening partnership was the largest ever to win a match in One Day Internationals. Rain ended the match in the 24th over, and the result was determined by the Duckworth-Lewis* method.

Old PCs Save Precious Lives

Sat, 02 Jan 1999 08:48:39 +0000

Where: Chicago, USA

July 1, 2000: Computers and Internet connections are not for the rich alone. Even the poor should be able to use it, says Zina Munoz. Zina works as a nurse in Chicago.

But Zina is not merely a nurse. She is also one of the people behind an Internet revolution in half a dozen countries across the world.

The idea came to her during a medical conference in Dallas four years ago. Americans keep throwing away old models of computers for newer and faster computers even though the old ones are working fine. Why not send them to hospitals in the developing countries and link them to the Internet, she asked. Hospitals need access, not speed, said the nurse. A report on this was carried in ‘The Indian Express’ recently.

Disastrous end to Lunar New Year Firework Display

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:00:56 +0000

Where: Beijing, China

February 9, 2009 : Beijing’s nearly completed Mandarin Oriental hotel, in the heart of the city’s business district, caught fire on the day of the Lantern Festival. It was the last day of the Chinese Lunar New Year Festivities, and officials from the state owned China Central Television (CCTV ) were using the new building as the backdrop for a fireworks display.

According to Beijing’s fire chief, the broadcaster did not have permission to hold such a large-scale display. In fact, its staff had been warned not to start fireworks. These were set off by computers, like the ones used for the Olympics. They went off only a dozen metres away from the building, some of them hitting the building. Since it was under construction, the sprinkler system had not been switched on. The building was a huge tourist attraction, scheduled to open later in the year. It took only half an hour for the entire structure to catch fire. It is now completely blackened and ruined. Seven people were injured and one fireman died fighting the blaze.

Women's Army of Blood Donors

Tue, 21 Jul 1998 17:29:58 +0000

June 24: In a country like India, the lives of people are often lost because there is no help at hand. Many people think of it as fate and do nothing. But a group of poor village women have shown the way to the people of the southern state of Kerala, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’..

Sometime ago, a woman from Parappa village became seriously ill. She started bleeding heavily. The villagers frantically hunted for a vehicle to take her to the hospital, which was 40 km away. The woman survived. It was almost a miracle that she survived, said the doctor. For, she had lost a lot of blood.

Homing in on Prisons

Sun, 14 Apr 2002 23:48:14 +0000

September 9: Lately, newly-weds in Iran have been facing an unusual problem. They just can’t find homes to live in after they get married. This is because there is a shortage of housing in Iran.

To help solve this housing crisis, Iran’s government is planning to turn military centres and prisons into housing units for newly weds.

A housing ministry official was quoted in a news item in the Times of India as saying, “A plan has been drafted for turning military centers and prisons into economical 50 square metre housing units for newly married couples.”

Whick Book Carries Its Own Light?

Fri, 07 Sep 2001 04:48:00 +0000

How many times have you been told not to read in bed and how often have you been ticked off for reading in poor light? Probably quite a few times if you are an avid book-worm. Now you can cast away your small flashlights and get rid of your reading lamp, for there are specially designed books that create their own light!

The glowing book