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Ride the Camel
The world looks very strange from a camel’s back. On a recent trip to Rajasthan, we travelled on camel back from the city of Jaisalmer to the Sam dhani or sand dunes of the adjoining Thar Desert. We were travelling to Thar, just 42 km away, to watch its dazzling sunsets. Deoram and Raju When we set out from Jaisalmer, the desert city famous for its golden fortress, the early evening sun dazzles our eyes. Bright, beige wasteland stretches all around us for miles....
The Cool and Cunning Lark
The very mention of summer and heat makes us think of desert land. Countless films have shown thirsty travellers lost in the desert, uttering the words, ‘Water! Wa-a-ter, waaa…” But then what do you do if the temperature even in the desert shade is as high as 50 degree centigrade, hot winds almost cut you up into pieces, and there is no water, or even saliva in your mouth? If you are smart like the desert animals, you would probably sleep during the day and move about at night....
It's a Beetle's World
Have you ever had winged visitors to your room on a rainy day, that are black, shiny and button-like, and which fall to the ground with a distinct tapping sound? You might also be familiar with those cute-looking insects with bright orange bodies dotted with black, called Ladybirds, hovering over flowers and tender leaves. There also might have been times when an unlucky one splats on your windshield or gets crunched underfoot. Well, these are all different kinds of BEETLES — creatures that can be called evolution’s biggest success story....
Take me Too
Oh camel with a humpy back Do take me for a ride You’re so strong! For don’t you cross The sandy desert wide? Take me too when you go next For I would love to see The desert and an oasis Which are unknown to me! Take me Too [Illustration by Sudheer Nath] (C) Swapna Dutta
Why does a Kentish Plover Parent Desert its Family?
When couples exchange vows on the marriage day, they generally say ‘till death do us part’. For a species of shore-dwelling bird called the Kentish Plover, it is ‘till divorce do us part’. Indeed, birds of this species usually leave their partners after the incubation (hatching) of the eggs and usually it is the female who moves on, while the male stays on to look after the babies. A recent study conducted by Andras Kosztolanyi of the University of Debrecen, in Hungary, sheds light on the reason behind this behaviour....
Camel's Milk and Pet Registration
November 24: Hey, how about trying camel’s milk instead of buffalo’s or cow’s milk with your porridge? Not very keen on the thought? Doesn’t sound appetising? Did you know that many mothers, particularly in the rural regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, offer camel’s milk to their children? Unlike cow’s milk, a camel’s milk is rather salty and very thick. But as far as being a source of nutrition is concerned, its benefits are considerably more than that of cow’s milk....
Ancient Library in the Desert
Ancient Library in the Desert [Illustration by Shinod A.P.] February 16: Ever heard of Chinguetti, a city nestling deep in the Sahara desert close to the North African country of Mauritania? No? Well, neither did most of the world, till it was discovered that this desert city that is slowly sinking in sand, could be home to the world’s oldest “living” libraries. That is to say a library with intact manuscripts....
Make your own Salt
What is the crop of farmers in the desert fields of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat? The answer is: salt! Farmers make rectangular fields with borders so that the water does not drain away. The water stands still under the sun and evaporates. Once the water evaporates, all that can be seen is salt. For, almost 70 per cent of the earth’s surface is covered by salt water. Make your own Salt [Illustrations by Shiju George] To test out how they do it, just do this simple experiment at home....
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