247 items in this section. Displaying page 13 of 25
Kidnapped for the Camel Race
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’....
The Slum Hero
August 5: Last week, we had written about social worker Aruna Roy who has been tirelessly working to promote the rights of villagers in Rajasthan. And for her work, she has been awarded the Magsaysay Award for the year 2000. Keeping her company is 53-year-old Arputham Jockin. Arputham has only one objective in his life — to ensure the rights of slum dwellers in Mumbai. For this purpose, he has also founded the National Slum Dwellers’ Federation (NSDF), says a report in ‘The Hindu’....
The Law versus the Dhoti
February 26: It took a 25-page judgement by a judge of the Rajasthan High Court, in the state capital Jaipur, for the dhoti‘s fortunes to rise. The traditional lower garment worn by men in India, can now be worn by practising lawyers to court. It all started with lawyer Ved Pal Shastri coming to court one day, wearing a dhoti, instead of the usual white trousers that every lawyer wears. His senior, Justice Rajaram Yadav, objected to the dhoti saying it went against notions of the prescribed dress code....
Crazy About Harry
He is an ordinary boy. But he has made the world go crazy. Meet Harry Potter, the boy with the magical powers. Where: Worldwide July 15, 2000: Harry has a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair and bright green eyes. He wears round glasses held together with a lot of cellotape because of all the times Dudley punched him on the nose. The only thing Harry likes about his appearance is a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like a bolt of lightning....
5000 Years Old Quake-proof Town
February 14: The image on the right is one of the most recognisable symbols of the Harappan civilisation. It is the bearded man of Mohenjodaro and Harappa. But why is this sober gentleman smiling in our image? There’s a reason for it. The January 26 earthquake has devastated a large part of the Kutch region. Village after village, town after town depict the same sad story of death and destruction. It’s almost as if entire towns and villages have fallen off the map....
She Pulls Airplanes, with her Teeth
September 9 : Eighteen-year-old Seema Bhadoria has no teething problems when it comes to pulling strings with weights attached. She is one of the strongest persons in India. Seema has done something even strong body builders hesitate to do – she has pulled an airplane weighing 3387.33 kg on the runway of the Bhopal airport. What’s even more amazing, she has pulled the plane with her teeth. Seema weighs barely 56 kg and at 5 feet 6 inches, is not even very tall....
All About Dinosaurs
Where: Los Angeles, USA November 4, 2000: The “dino” passion that the 1993 film ‘Jurassic Park’ ignited among children and adults does not show any signs of abating even in today’s world of ever-shortening attention spans. In the few years since Hollywood director Steven Spielberg made his blockbuster film, an industry has sprung up around the dinosaur theme, with dino caps, bags, theme parks, books and of course, films, milking to their heart’s content, the public’s never-ending fascination for the gigantic creatures that roamed the earth in prehistoric times....
Tintin Storm in 'Millionnaire' Show
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....
A Children's park in the Train
October 14: First chocolates and now mobile playgrounds! Children have two reasons to thank the Swiss. The latest bit of good news is that the Swiss railways have started trains which have a special children’s corner. And no prizes for guessing that the theme of this playground is dinosaurs. The Indian Express. Children boarding trains on the Basel-Zurich-Chur route and the St. Galen-Zurich-Berne-Interlaken line have found that riding the train can be a most enjoyable experience, reports ‘The Indian Express’....
Prized Skeleton in Museum Closet
September 23: A newcomer has joined the exhibits at Delhi’s prestigious National Museum. She is all of 5000 years old, from the time of the Harappan Valley civilisation, and in skeletal form. Discovered from Rakhigarhi, in the northern Indian state of Haryana, the skeleton is remarkably well-preserved. Even the shell bangles in her left hand, are still intact, says a report in ‘The Hindustan Times’. Several pots were found arranged around her, hinting that the Harappans may have believed in life after death....