Development, dynamism, progress…these are some of the words to describe India. Add ‘innovation’ and you get a more complete picture, points out V. Gangadhar. There is talk going around that in just one year under Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, India has achieved more than all earlier Prime Ministers put together. Mind you, some of these PMs were high calibered people like Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Narasimha Rao. Yet, in just one year NaMo has done ‘chutti’ of them. Every day something new happens and the nation is thrilled. The action is more dynamic in the fields of art and…
Author: oiop
Even in western countries, where recycling of waste happens very scientifically, there are some who prefer creative recycling. Why not make toys out of cardboard waste or teach young children their arithmetic concepts with cardboards and sketches, asks G. Venkatesh who makes and gifts these toys to friends’ kids in Trondheim, Norway. Waste paper and waste cardboard. The ones used for packaging especially. You shop from IKEA somewhere in Europe and you have a few square metres of cardboard to think about after you have done your DIY (Do It Yourself). You would simply take for granted that there is…
A common but timeless staple for all high school reading lists, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is all set to have a sequel, just a few months shy of completing 56 years in publication. Usually books that teachers tell you to read are either incredibly boring or unbelievably obscure extended metaphors for something like communism, which leaves a lot to be desired. Especially for kids like me who were just about trying to make the transition from the Baby Sitter’s Club to Kafka. Mockingbird is different because it draws you in with a fairly easy story, dealing with…
The Amazing Spider-Man was created to satisfy the comic-loving teenagers of the 60s. He continues to thrill and inspire thousands of fans of every age in every country through comics, merchandise, TV series, video games and films. American Stan Lee first came up with the idea of an ‘ordinary’ teen hero with all the problems of his age, with a secret identity as a crime-fighter. When artist Steve Ditko gave him a colourful costume with a mask to hide his youthful face, and a unique clinging power, a new superhero was born. The first story featuring Spider-Man was brought out…
When lightning strikes a tree or some other structure on the ground, the top of the structure gets charged with high voltage while the lower portion (in touch with the ground) remains at zero voltage. This high potential difference sets off a very high current in the structure, causing sudden heat generation in the material and its subsequent destruction. If an aeroplane in flight gets hit by lightning, the plane’s entire surface acquires the same high potential and as there is no potential difference, there is no current and no destruction.
God’s primeval handiwork and man-made luxuries go hand in hand in national parks in India. Here’s an account of the deliciously thrilling forays into the two leading tiger reserves in Karnataka – Bandipur and Nagarahole. Here, the creatures of the wild play hide and seek with tourists and travellers even as the forest entices them with bird song, the rustle of leaves and the creak of bamboos as tall as totem poles. Spotting the big cats may be the bonus, but the forests unveil many treasures which are equally satisfying. Bandipur Tiger Reserve There was a crispness in the air…
Should one don an attitude of cheerful optimism or of utter despair when contemplating the Indian wildlife scene? Perhaps optimism, tinged by realism is the right way to go. I used to laugh at prophets of doom. And for as long as I can remember, I have abhorred self-righteous, sanctimonious preachers with intensity. By and large I managed to ignore such people. Which is why my optimism and purpose are still intact after decades of battling the dragons of despair! But imagine my dismay upon waking one morning to discover that I had almost metamorphosed into the creature I loathed.…
A feminist and educationist (1922-2015) Dr. Jyotiben Trivedi was the Vice Chancellor of SNDT Women’s University (SNDTWU) from 1980 to 1986. She was kind, sensitive to the problems of all the employees of SNDTWU and took genuine interest in our lives, helped and guided us in times of difficulty, was generous in sponsoring education and health expenditure of the needy. Every time she met any one of us, the first thing she asked was, “Have you sent money order to your mother? Never neglect your mother. If you don’t have enough cash, I will give you the money”. For her,…
A waterway, river or sea is not an obstacle but a means of trade and communication. Also, in the modern world, the guarding of ocean territories is a big responsibility of a country’s naval force. The Indian Navy has built up an enviable reputation for not just protecting the country’s territorial sovereignty, but also playing a crucial role in ensuring safety in the neighbourhood, says Brig. Suresh Chandra Sharma. India has a maritime tradition dating back to the Vedic period. A tidal dock was built at Lothal on the Gujarat coast during the Indus Valley civilisation and Kautilya’s Arthshastra has…
Increasingly, Indians are realising the great sacrifice and bravery exhibited by Indian soldiers during the 1965 Indo-China War. Despite being the poorer, more ill-prepared army, the sheer determination and will of the Indians helped them to overcome many challenging situations, narrates Uma Sudhindra, whose father was one of those soldiers. “We saw the lightning and that was the guns and then we heard the thunder and that was the big guns; and then we heard the rain falling and that was the blood falling; and when we came to get in the crops, it was dead men that we reaped.”…