247 items in this section. Displaying page 5 of 25
Town Mouse and Country Mouse
A town mouse and a country mouse were cousins. Now, as it usually happens in such cases, the attire and mannerisms of the two cousins reflected where they lived. But they were fond of each other. While the town mouse was a natty-dresser, a little brisk in her movements, and always in a hurry, the country mouse was the proverbial bumpkin, with her slow unhurried ways and manner. But this factor didn’t affect their friendship. The town mouse visited the country mouse often, and stayed with her in her little house next to the kitchen that belonged to the village school....
Tenali Rama and the Jinx
Clown, jester, poet…Tenali Rama, minister in the court of the ruler of Vijaynagar, Krishnadeva Rai (reign: 1509-30), was a lot of things. 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....
Rediscovering a Smoke-less Diwali
Think of Diwali and firecrackers start exploding in the mind – that is how strong the association of crackers is with the festival of lights. Legend has it that on Diwali, the sound of firecrackers resounds through the universe, announcing the homecoming of Lord Rama after a long period of exile. Another legend says that people began exploding crackers to convey to the gods, their joy at being alive and well on earth. Rediscovering a Smoke-less Diwali [Illustration by Sudheer Nath] Now come back to the present when the uncontrolled celebration of the victory of good over evil itself seems to have become a source of pollution....
Oh, Summer!
Summer can be killing but it can also be fun the trick is to stay cool despite the hot, hot sun. Oh, Summer! [Illustration by Shinod AP] Think of iced lemonade in a pitcher cold ice-creams and kulfis of the fruit salads mother makes with melons, bananas and berries. Summer is sultry hot days and sudden evening showers when the night air is sweetened with the fragrance of jasmine flowers. Summer’s the time to catch up with old friends...
The Making of the Goddess
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....
Teaching a Lesson!
“It’s my turn tomorrow,” mumbled Raghu to himself as he climbed the stairs of his school building, very slowly as if he were sleep-walking. He had been dreading this day ever since Pal declared his grand class prodigy scheme, two months ago. Pal was the much feared History teacher. “It has been said that genius is 99 per cent perspiration and one per cent inspiration,” he had said in his usual pompous manner. “I suggest we test this theory....
Don't Stop the Music, I Want to Dance
Joseph Templin or Joe is an American teenager who loves to dance. He knows how to do a moonwalk, a swing, a twirl – all popular dance steps. The minute the music begins to flow, this lanky but handsome nineteen-year old, is all charged-up and itching to dance . Nothing is extraordinary about this except for one little fact. Joseph is profoundly deaf. Which means that he cannot hear a note of the music he dances to so beautifully....
These Bold Police Women
April 21: These days Nirbhay (Fearless) Singh Gujjar, is not really living up to his name. This dreaded outlaw who operates in India’s most notorious dacoit-infested region, the Chambal Valley in the Bhind district of northern Madhya Pradesh, is on the run because he is scared of a 28 year-old police officer. Her name is Priyanka Mishra and she is the first woman police officer to be posted in the Chambal range. Gujjar is wanted by the police of two states – Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh....
The Dress
One evening, Maya was making plans for her birthday. She sat in the living room with her father and instructed him on what to get for her. “I want a chocolate cake…only a chocolate cake…and white candles on top, please ensure they are white…and five-differently coloured balloons, and of course, Nina’s blue dress,” she told him gravely. Her father who was writing all this down, looked up. “Why Nina’s blue dress?” he asked. “Because it is the only one that is the colour of the sky,” she answered....
Fun'tastic Ramlila, Dandiya, Jatra
Whether it is a pesky 11-year-old Dashrath struggling to maintain his flowing beard during the enactment of the Ramayana in a street Ramlila, or handsome young artistes enacting Rama and Sita on a professional stage, the feeling is the same for the viewers. They know the story of Sita and Ram by heart, but every year they wait with bated breath for yet another performance of the Ramayana in performances across the country, and specially in northern India....