36 items in this section. Displaying page 3 of 4
The Tinkle of the Goat Bells
Tanvi ran swiftly through the pine forest, the peppery smell of the herbs she crushed beneath her feet tickling her nostrils. She had to meet her friend Ramli, the goat girl at their favourite meeting place by the spring. Today they were planning to go down to the river bed and picnic there. She was late. Ramli had said that they should leave before the sun rose too high or it would be too hot by the river....
Whose River?
Whose River? 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....
Escape to Freedom
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....
The Three Ms for Freedom
Chandu wait. Let’s celebrate our victory,” Abdul requested. “I’ll just be back – I must tell Baba the news. It was his training that helped me win against the New English School Giants in the Kabaddi finals,” screamed Chandu. “I know, it was your stamina and speed that really worked,” Abdul said, “Thanks to Baba.” Chandu rushed home, “Baba, Baba! we won! Thanks to you Baba,” Chandu yelled excitedly. But there was no appreciation or ‘Shabashi’, Chandu looked up and saw his father’s worried face....
A Memorial to Children
July 31: In a wintry morning in Delhi three years ago, a school bus packed with children going to school, skidded off a bridge. It fell into the cold waters of the river Yamuna below. More than 30 children died. Today, there are plans to develop a memorial in a park for them, very close to the spot where the terrible accident took place. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has decided to build the memorial. The DDA is the government body in charge of public construction in the city....
Something Special
The children were very excited about it. Early in the morning they woke up to the bird songs. Before the sun’s rays could peep in through the treetops they were ready in the jeep. This was their first visit to the jungle with their parents and the guide who knew the jungle well. Welcome to the National Park said the guide. There are lots of interesting things to see. Let’s be on the look out. As they drove off, all senses were alert....
Bungee
Standing on the edge of a platform looking 150 feet straight down at the river below I thought to myself, how did I get roped into this mess? Do I really want to go ahead with this foolishness? Shouldn’t I be back with my feet firmly planted on the ground? I was standing on the platform of a 100-ft high bridge. My fingers tightly holding the rails in a death grip. I was about to do a bungee jump because I had boasted to Himakar, my cousin, I could do anything he could....
The Master of 'Mithaai'
It was the summer of 1997. I was travelling through the villages of West Bengal in search of the famed folk musicians of Bengal. They were simple people who journeyed from village to village, singing and performing. But something happened along the way… The afternoon sun was at its height when I reached Kankalitala, in the northwestern part of West Bengal. The temple in Kankalitala is very popular among the worshippers of Goddess Kali. The temple is located right next to a river called Kopai, a beautiful...
Eleven-year-old Eco-ambassador
July 31: Somya Ahuja does not like the way people treat their environment. So she wrote an essay about it. And that essay led to her becoming India’s Eco-ambassador at a children’s conference in England recently. Eleven-year-old Somya lives in Delhi – a city which has the distinction of being one of the most polluted cities in the world. The city’s roads are choked with cars, lorries, buses, tempos and three wheelers. Most of these vehicles belch poisonous gases....
Creating Light from Garbage
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....