435 items in this section. Displaying page 40 of 44
Conquering without Seeing
July 8: Yahya Sapatwala is a determined young man. Recently, he and his friends climbed the Beas Kund mountain in Manali, which is 12,000 feet (3,636 metres) high. And he did it without seeing. Yes, Yahya is blind. But that has never stopped Yahya from doing what he wants. A college teacher in Surat town in the western state of Gujarat, he walks to work every day. He is familiar with the route and reaches the institute where he works, without any problem....
Kids Learn to Fight from Politicians
July 15: It happened in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. A man saw a few children abuse and fight each other, and break furniture. He asked them what they were doing. Giggling, the children replied, “We are acting out a Sangsad ( Parliament ) scene.” It was a pretty good imitation of the unruly scenes in the Bangladeshi Parliament. Kids Learn to Fight from Politicians [Illustration by Shiju George] But Bangladesh President Shahabuddin Ahmed did not find the incident funny, however....
Robbing the Rich for Rain
July 8: Life becomes difficult when it does not rain. Farmers try all sorts of things to make the rain gods happy. Some get frogs married, others perform ‘pujas’ or worship. But, the Bhil tribals of Mewar, Rajasthan, are different. They plunder or rob the houses of traders, most of whom happen to be Jains, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’ newspaper. The Bhils believe that the traders keep the monsoon clouds trapped inside their lockers....
The School that Built Many Lives
July 8: Picture a world far removed from today’s life. No roads, nor any means of transport. Where going to school means crossing three knee-deep streams on foot. Kalpana Naroti used to do just that to reach her school, the Lok Biradari Post Basic Ashram Shala. Her efforts paid off. She is this year’s topper in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (SSCE), in Maharashtra. She is now looking forward to joining college. The bright student belongs to the Madia Gond tribe....
Hi-tech Schools
Where: Guizhou province, China July 15, 2000: This face appeared in the Wall Street Journal, a business newspaper in the US. What is so great about this face that it was written about in a newspaper. The face belongs to Bi-Jiangang, a 36-year-old man, who has brought about a huge change in the school system in China. He has started a school, called the Qiannan Computer School, which teaches computer skills to poor teenagers of the Guizhou province....
Orphanage for Elephants
July 15: Five baby elephants were very sad. They were being returned to the forest. In fact, they broke into tears. But why were they sad to return home? Orphanage for Elephants [Illustration by Sandeep Johri] Because they had fallen in love with the orphanage they were staying in before they were returned to the forest. The men who had taken care of them were sad too. There were no dry eyes among them....
All the Presidential Men
Where: Washington DC, USA December 9, 2000: Guess what the biggest mystery is nowadays that has the world in thrall? It is Who will be the next American President? Try to imagine all the big lawyers and judges in America trying to unravel this mystery, arguing with each other, jumping about and tearing their hair in frustration!! This is one mystery that even the most powerful man on earth, Bill Clinton, the current American President, cannot solve....
Street Cricket in Calcutta: Out, Caught!
July 1: Calcutta. A city without playgrounds. But still, a city that has learnt to have fun with what there is – the streets. And street or ‘para’ cricket is one of those inventions. Cricket during the day, under the sun, and cricket under streetlights and floodlights once the sun is down. Cricket played to the cheers of the neighbourhood — the family, the pet, the neighbours, their domestic helps — in short, all. This is nothing unusual for Indians who have always spent a large part of their lives outdoors, sitting on a ‘charpai’ or stringed cot under a tree or playing games according to the season, be it ‘gulli danda’ in summer or throw a stick in mud and let it hold, during the rain....
The Lake and the Birds
Where: Himachal Pradesh, India March 8, 2001: The picturesque Pong Dam lake region in the mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh, is losing its lustre. A great deal of its charm has lain in the fact that it is north India’s largest refuge for migrating birds escaping harsh winters abroad. But not for long, if recent trends are any indication. A low water level in the lake this year has forced the migratory birds to fly away one month in advance, says a report in The Indian Express....
Polluted India
Where: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India Hussain Sagar in Hyderabad is a lake famous for the thousands of migratory birds it attracts from other parts of India and abroad, in the winter months. But the seagulls, ducks and other migratory birds no longer find it hospitable. They only use it as a stopover and prefer to fly away elsewhere. Too many idols spoil the lake The lake has seen more clay idols of deities such as Ganesh and Durga being immersed in its waters than any other lake in the vicinity....