Farmers on Pitara Kids Network

The Apple Tree

Sat, 16 Jun 2001 08:24:42 +0000

There was an old apple tree in a farmer’s garden. It was so old that it had stopped bearing fruit a long time ago. The only purpose it served was to provide shelter to the sparrows, grasshoppers and squirrels in the neighbourhood.

One day, the farmer decided to cut the tree down. He felt it had become completely useless. Besides, he wanted to get some furniture made and what better way to ensure the wood supply from the tree? The wood was still strong.

Waiting for the Rain

Sat, 15 Dec 2001 23:13:10 +0000

I hope it rains at least today," Velu thought, as he opened his eyes. Velu was a farmer.

The sun was beginning to rise, glowing crimson like fire. Velu scanned the sky. There was not a cloud.

“It doesn’t look encouraging,” he muttered to himself and got up.

Rain or no rain, a farmer wakes up early. Velu worked hard. His piece of land never failed him. Season after season he cultivated it, harvesting jowar one season and dal the next. Throughout the year he worked, never thinking of rest or taking a holiday. For nearly six years it had been so, ever since he had got his own piece of land.

What is Cloud Seeding?

Fri, 11 May 2001 03:21:04 +0000

There was a time when a farmer would sit out in his field, watching a lonesome cloud float away, taking with it the last hope of a much-needed burst of rain. As humans take control over more and more natural processes – not necessarily for the betterment of civilisation – rain too seems to have finally been leashed in.

Just like a farmer throws seeds on ploughed land to harvest plants, clouds can also be seeded with chemicals to induce rain! But to understand how cloud seeding works we must first learn some basic facts about the weather.

How the Dragon Came to be

Mon, 17 Sep 2001 23:40:12 +0000

Long ago, there lived in China a young boy called Chi Yu.

Chi Yu lived with his mother in a tiny house at the edge of the village. There were beautiful green meadows all around and tall hills. Every year after the rains, the fields looked greener and more beautiful than ever before.

Each morning as the sun peeped into his window, Chi Yu jumped out of bed. He ran to the fields to cut the fresh grass that had grown at night. He gathered it in his big round basket and took it to farmer Hieun Tse who wanted the freshest grass for his cows. And Chi Yu got a jar of rice in return.

Lonely Kalu

Mon, 16 Sep 2002 05:27:58 +0000

Kalu was the only son of a farmer and his wife.

“I wish I had a brother or a sister, to play with,” he told his parents one day. “Everyone has a brother or a sister. I don’t like it when the children who come to play with me, on our farm, go back to their homes at night.”

“Don’t be silly,” said his father. “Their parents love them and want them back.”

But his words had some effect, because within a year, the farmer and his wife were blessed with twin girls. But Kalu was still unhappy. “I’m fond of my baby sisters,” said Kalu. “They are too small to play with me, just yet. Mother is busy with them, as they take up too much of her time. I’m lonely and bored.”

What is Mad Cow Disease?

Wed, 14 Nov 2001 04:57:27 +0000

In 1996, doctors detected 10 cases of a rare and fatal human brain disease in Britain and they diagnosed that it was probably due to eating beef from animals with “mad cow disease”. Scientifically, this cow disease was termed bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE while the disease affecting humans was termed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

The disease caused panic in Europe both among people eating beef and the farmers who were selling it. The European Union, which is the administrative body and includes all countries in Europe, responded immediately by banning imports of British beef.

The Farmer and the Serpent

Sun, 19 Aug 2001 13:47:50 +0000

A long time ago a farmer’s son was going to meet his friends. It was dark and he was in a hurry, so he didn’t see a cobra that was relaxing in the path. He trod upon the cobra’s tail. He stepped back immediately afterwards, but it was too late. The angry cobra lashed at him and bit him.

A cobra’s poison is one of the deadliest in the world. The farmer’s son stood no chance against it and died.

Mama Moo on a Swing

Tue, 14 Aug 2001 16:01:01 +0000

It was a summer’s day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and the flies were buzzing. All the cows were grazing in the pasture — all except Mama Moo.

Mama Moo had sneaked away from the others and jumped over the fence. She had taken her bicycle and rode off toward Crow Forest. She was carrying something in the package holder on her bicycle.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!

Mama Moo knocked on Crow’s branch.
“Hi, Crow!”, she whispered.

The Fox and the Grapes

Thu, 28 Dec 2000 10:45:27 +0000

Fitru fox was in a relaxed mood. He had no work that day. Since it was a holiday, the farmer was at home guarding his chickens. There was no way Fitru could reach them. Luckily, there was some food left over from the previous night. Life was beautiful. He closed his eyes for a moment.

The Fox and the Grapes [Illustrations by Shridevi]

When he opened his eyes he found himself looking at one, two and three bunches of luscious grapes, and got excited.

World Leaders Propose Solutions to Global Hunger

Thu, 30 Sep 2010 07:56:24 +0000

Where: L’Aquila, Italy

July 10, 2009 : The leaders of the Group of Eight (G-8) countries met at a summit in L’Aquila, Italy. The G-8 is a group of industrialized countries that includes Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Japan and the United States. After three days of talks, the leaders of these countries launched a new plan to tackle global hunger. The plan was approved by over 30 countries and organizations. Food security, or ensuring adequate access to food, has become a very important issue for governments everywhere after high food prices last year led to riots in some countries. What’s more, there are now one billion people across the world who live with hunger.

The Gracious Gift

Tue, 27 Jul 1999 10:16:46 +0000

Once there was a King who was generous and kind. He was interested in the welfare of all his subjects and it was his greatest wish that all should live in peace and happiness and none should have any cause to grumble. So he wandered about the country incognito to learn the true condition of his people.

One day, when he was in disguise, he saw a strange sight. A farmer was vigorously ploughing his field but instead of a pair of oxen, he had yoked a woman to the plough. The King’s blood boiled. He could barely control his anger.

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.

Square Watermelons

Fri, 14 Oct 2005 06:48:41 +0000

August 26: On a hot summer day is there anything that tastes as delicious and refreshing as a cold, juicy round watermelon? No wonder this healthy fruit has been enjoyed by man for thousand of years. How about trying square watermelons instead of round ones? Sounds fascinating doesn’t it?

Recently farmers in the southern Japanese town of Zentsuji have discovered a technique to grow their watermelons in square shape says a report of CNN.

The reason they’re doing this in Japan is because of lack of space in refrigerators. They are trying to make watermelons “refrigerator friendly”.

A peep into the future of food

Sun, 08 Feb 2004 16:04:32 +0000

My dream of India in the 22nd century shows water of our five great rivers of the north, harnessed into one great canal, which in turn, distributes water to every corner of the country.
I dream that our future generations will never have to face the agony of a flood or drought. In fact, farmers would probably have capsules which when sown alongwith seeds, will collect water from the atmosphere like the nitrogen fixing bacteria. Maybe these capsules will react with soil chemicals to produce h2o!

Chintu Pintu Talk on the Net

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

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

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

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

Pintu : Hullo! 😉
This is also a smile

Going Bananas

Mon, 11 May 1998 05:09:01 +0000

Where: Taiwan

July 7, 2000: The military force of the Asian country of Taiwan was put on a very important job last week. They were ordered by the government to eat as many bananas as possible.

The members of government did the same thing. They stood outside their parliament and munched bananas for a long time. Journalists from newspapers, radio and television were there to see their cheeks puff as they bit into one banana after another.

Poor Rainfall In India Affects Crops

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:50:52 +0000

Where: Mumbai, India

July 15, 2009 : The Indian Meteorological (Met) Department had predicted an excellent monsoon in 2009 for the entire country. The monsoon is an annual rainfall system, and India’s farmers have always depended on it for their crops. Changing monsoon patterns are among the harmful effects of climate change.

The Met Department has reported that the entire country had a 34 per cent drop in rainfall between June 1 and July 9, 2009.

Make your own Salt

Thu, 17 May 2001 14:35:57 +0000

What is the crop of farmers in the desert fields of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat? The answer is: salt! Farmers make rectangular fields with borders so that the water does not drain away. The water stands still under the sun and evaporates. Once the water evaporates, all that can be seen is salt. For, almost 70 per cent of the earth’s surface is covered by salt water.

Make your own Salt [Illustrations by Shiju George]

To test out how they do it, just do this simple experiment at home.

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.