236 items in this section. Displaying page 13 of 24
Indians: Masters of Junk
Where: New Delhi, India In the last couple of years, in the Indian capital, Delhi, and in many other parts of the country, schoolchildren have led a very effective campaign against plastic – the material that is choking the earth. But why do we Indians store so much junk? Well known sociologist Shiv Visvanathan tells us the reason in a simple and detailed way. June 5, 2000: Indians are masters of junk. And out of junk they produce masterpieces....
5000 Years Old Quake-proof Town
February 14: The image on the right is one of the most recognisable symbols of the Harappan civilisation. It is the bearded man of Mohenjodaro and Harappa. But why is this sober gentleman smiling in our image? There’s a reason for it. The January 26 earthquake has devastated a large part of the Kutch region. Village after village, town after town depict the same sad story of death and destruction. It’s almost as if entire towns and villages have fallen off the map....
Girl Power
August 26: The world is changing fast. A decade ago, no one would have thought about boys wanting to step into a girl’s shoes. But now, this is happening. According to a report in The Times Of India, girl power rules. A survey by the Hyderabad-based market research company, NFO-MBL India, says that 42 per cent boys marvel at the thought of being a girl. The boys in question are between 15 and 19 years of age and they belong to the five cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai....
Saina Nehwal Wins Indonesian Open Badminton Women's Title
Where: Jakarta, Indonesia June 26, 2009 : Nineteen year old Saina Nehwal, ranked eighth in the world, beat China’s Wang Lin (world number three). Saina was seeded sixth in the tournament. She took 49 minutes to beat Wang 12-21, 21-18, 21-9 in an exciting final. Saina became the first Indian to win a super series badminton tournament. In the past, two male badminton players have won the All England Championship title. Prakash Padukone won it in 1980, and Pullela Gopichand, who is currently Saina’s coach, won the title in 2001....
Strength from Within
Brave Hearts – Winners of the National Bravery Awards Published by Scholastic India Pvt. Ltd. This book has been aptly named after those Indian children whose acts of courage have helped saved lives. We carried a news item on the brave children who won the National Bravery Awards 2000. Curious to know about what motivates these brave souls? Read this book highlighting the deeds of each of the 14 children who received the National Bravery Awards in 1999....
Prized Skeleton in Museum Closet
September 23: A newcomer has joined the exhibits at Delhi’s prestigious National Museum. She is all of 5000 years old, from the time of the Harappan Valley civilisation, and in skeletal form. Discovered from Rakhigarhi, in the northern Indian state of Haryana, the skeleton is remarkably well-preserved. Even the shell bangles in her left hand, are still intact, says a report in ‘The Hindustan Times’. Several pots were found arranged around her, hinting that the Harappans may have believed in life after death....
We Would All Scream Without Ice Cream
Can you imagine a summer without ice creams? It seems the Chinese, too, couldn’t. For it was they who gave the world its first ice cream. In India, the Mughals are said to have introduced their kind of ice cream — the kulfi. The exact date of origin of the ice cream is not known. Kulfi is a mixture of khoa, pistachio nuts and saffron essence frozen in conical metal containers after sealing it with dough — exactly the same way as it is made today!...
Indian Children on US Mars Project
October 6: The planet Mars, or the ‘red-planet’ as it’s called, has fascinated people on earth for centuries. The fourth planet from the sun, Mars is the nearest planet to earth. This stunning landmass of craters, an uneven surface and dark skies has been a highly favoured destination for space travelers in science fiction, the body of literature that deals with stories of exploration into alien worlds. The possibility of humans visiting Mars and even colonizing it some day, is the dream of astronomers and space scientists the world over....
Poor Rainfall In India Affects Crops
Where: Mumbai, India July 15, 2009 : The Indian Meteorological (Met) Department had predicted an excellent monsoon in 2009 for the entire country. The monsoon is an annual rainfall system, and India’s farmers have always depended on it for their crops. Changing monsoon patterns are among the harmful effects of climate change. The Met Department has reported that the entire country had a 34 per cent drop in rainfall between June 1 and July 9, 2009....
A World for Children
July 31: K Shankar Pillai (1902-1989) or Shankar as he was called, was one of India’s best-known and best-loved cartoonists. Besides cartooning, he had one other love – children. He was especially interested in encouraging a child’s creativity. It was lucky for children that he thought this way, and from Delhi, where he was settled he wove an amazing web of dreams for children. He began the Shankar’s International Children’s Writing and Painting Competition in 1949 or 51 years ago....