156 items in this section. Displaying page 9 of 16
The First Woman to Fly High in the Air Force
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....
The Woman who Collects Children
An inspiring story from our archives: June 2000 Some people like to collect stamps. Others prefer stickers, posters, tattoos or coins. But Pinky Bhutia is different. She collects children. In her mountain village, in Sikkim, she is known as the wonderful young woman who adopts all the children she can. Pinky was 14 when she adopted her first child, a Nepali orphan. Today, she has a dozen adopted children, and two sons from her marriage....
Young Peacemakers of Colombia
July 29: Ivan Vargas is only 14. But he is a messenger of peace for his country, Colombia. He and 100,000 other Colombian children have got together to start the Movement of Children for Peace. All of them want only one thing today – peace in their war-torn country — at any cost. But not having much faith in adults, they have decided to bring it about themselves. And for their efforts, the children’s movement was even nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize of 1999....
The Joy of Flying
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: The Joy of Flying [Illustrations by Shiju George] 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....
Mormu: Daughter of the Forest
Mormu Oraon was lying under a sal tree in the jungle. As the first rays of golden sunlight fell on her face, she stirred a little. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up slowly. Nearby, her mother poured steaming tea into clay cups. Dawn had just broken, but the day had begun for the Oraon family. Twelve-year-old Mormu is an adivasi or a tribal. She lives in Ranchi district, in India’s eastern state of Bihar. She is the first in her family to go to school....
Chintu Pintu Talk on the Net
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! 😉...
Script your own Cartoon or Movie
Superman flies. Mowgli grins. A pig speaks and a dog identifies a thief. Children live in the land of toys and ice creams. You must have seen one or the other in cartoons or movies. So how does it all happen? How does it start? Well, it starts like most things do — with an idea. A person, or a group of persons, may have an idea. Then they work upon that idea and create a story around it....
The Emperor and Hawai Elephant
It happened more than 400 years ago. Mughal emperor Akbar was very fond of taming elephants and riding them. Hawai was the most magnificent elephant in the royal stable. Despite his huge size, the male elephant was a swift runner. He was as quick in losing his temper. Even the best riders had problems getting on to him; the thought of making him take part in a fight was unthinkable. And that was a challenge Akbar simply could not refuse....
Artist of the Free Spirit
‘My heart is beating, keeps on repeating. . .’ remember the memorable lines from the 1970s Hindi movie ‘Julie’? Remember the Satyajit Ray directed film ‘Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne’ in Bengali and the mischievous Merlin-like magician Borfi? The tale of two simple village boys Goopy the singer and Bagha the drummer, who by a curious turn of fate, find themselves in the possession of boons by kindly ghosts. Artist of the Free Spirit [Illustration by Shiju George] Teeming with interesting, ‘other-worldly’ characters and the toothless Borfi in his pointy hat and glasses, a wizened creature who cast naughty spells on all and sundry....
He Can't See But He Shows The Way
As a child, he would beat up anyone who dared to call him “andha” or the blind one. Now he does not need to. Last week, he beat 33 people with his navigational skills at a car rally and emerged the winner. Meet Vipin Malhotra, who navigated a car through a distance of 50 km in one hour and 10 minutes at a car rally held in Delhi. He did this with the help of a map which had instructions in Braille....