8 items in this section. Displaying page 1 of 1
The Wooden God
Bablu hated the ritual of prayer and fast that his family had been observing for as long as he could remember. The entire family had to wake at dawn and have a dip in the village pond, even if it was in the middle of the bitterest winter. A chilly winter day would find a shivering Bablu trying hard not to think of the million ice-cold needles that would pierce him when he entered the pond to bathe....
Venice is Sinking
Most people all over the world travel by the road. In a city in Italy however, waterways make up the primary commuting routes. The city of Venice, rich in architectural marvels, is best known for its canals. Unfortunately, this beautiful city of flat-bottomed boats (Gondolas), churches and quaint cobbled streets is sinking and sinking fast. Venice is Sinking Known as the ‘Queen of the Adriatic’, Venice is situated on 120 islands formed by canals in the lagoon between the mouths of the Po and the Piave rivers, at the northern extremity of the Adriatic Sea....
Fiji Struck by Cyclone
Where: Suva, Fiji March 16, 2010 : Fiji declared a state of emergency in the northern and eastern parts of the country after they were struck by a tropical cyclone, Cyclone Tomas. The eastern Lau group of islands was the worst affected. The country’s second largest island, Vanua Levu, also sustained severe damage. Over 17,000 people left their homes and fled to evacuation shelters as the storm raged. There were reports of deaths in some places but the numbers were not known....
The Flood
Where: New Delhi, India Every day, Indian newspapers carry reports that large parts of Bihar, Bengal and north-east India are flooded, causing loss to human and animal lives, and property. This happens year after year. What is the reason for these floods? An indepth report from ‘Gobar Times’, a children’s magazine on the environment brought out by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. The Flood May 12, 2000: The mighty Himalayas get knocked out by the monsoon system every year....
Precious Boats
July 27: Grooms in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district are singing a different tune these days. They are no more asking for jewels or hard cash. No, they haven’t given up on the dowry. Instead they are demanding for something more practical and useful, a wooden boat. Along with it comes the demand for a bride who can swim, says a report in Hindustan Times. The reason for this lies in the floods that hit this area last year and the people are not taking chances anymore....
Flooded by disaster
July 31: Monsoon in Orissa has meant only one thing in the recent past: floods. It’s no different this year. Floods have left 85 lakh people in over 15,000 villages homeless. The official death toll: 80. And one lakh hectare of crops have been submerged. About 5,000 kilometres of roadways, 500 kilometres of the national highways, and piped water supply sources to 61 towns have been submerged, causing widespread chaos and distress. As happens in such situations, water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, malaria and jaundice have affected more than 15,500 people, says a report in...
Orissa Police's Feathered Force is Dying
July 1: The news is that a mysterious disease has killed 35 valuable members of the Orissa’s police service. They are all pigeons. The first of the deaths took place in March in Puri district. Twenty-four more pigeons died soon after, in Cuttack district. They experienced long drowsy spells before dying. The veterinary doctors who examined them said that the mysterious disease could be just the sweltering heat. Pigeons? In this day and age? Yes, Orissa is the only state in India whose police force still employs pigeons as message carriers....
Camp of Coexistence
October 28: The recent flooding of West Bengal might have been a tragic affair in all but one respect. In a time of crisis, the animals of the region are bonding like never before. Be it the hunter or the hunted, the carnivores or the herbivores, they are all living in harmony at seven flood relief camps set up in the Bongaon region of the state. A few weeks ago, floods hit the state of West Bengal, threw life completely out of gear and led to a large scale loss of life and property....
- ❮ Previous
- Next ❯