Arrange the countries that lie on the Equator from East to West
The equator is an imaginary line between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It divides the globe in half at 0 degrees latitude. Countries along the equator don’t have traditional seasons like spring, summer, fall (autumn), and winter. Around the equator, they have wet and dry seasons.
In this activity, you have to arrange the countries on the equator from east to west. Can you get them all?
Pantos are entertaining and good fun. If you are part of the audience, you can get very involved with what’s happening on stage. It is truly a theatre of children of all ages.
Have you been to a pantomime?
It is a kind of theatre entertainment usually performed around Christmas and New Year. It is often referred to as a panto. It is meant for children. It is different form mime in the sense that there is a lot of action on-stage and for a panto to be successful you have to have a lot of audience participation.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane to see how pantos originated. In began in Ancient Greece and was known as pantomimos. It was usually performed by one dancer. However, in the Middle Ages, it developed into theatre called Commedia dell’arte. It told a story with certain characters. It evolved into being performed as a short entertainment between opera pieces. Until finally it became a separate show.
Today, the pantomime is a show for children. It usually tells the story that is popular and well known, like Cinderella, Musicians of Bremen or Puss in Boots and so on. There is a lot of conversation, music and sometimes the audience is called upon to join in.
The word search below contains the names of some well-known pantos. Use the pictures and the clues to find the names in the grid.
Episode 28: Meghnath learns about the different types of weapons that add to Goddess Durga’s powers
Meghnath travels to meet his guru Sukracharya and learn more about Goddess Shakti’s powers. There, he finds Sukracharya praying to Goddess Kali, as part of a nine day-ritual.
Sukracharya: Welcome, Meghnath. You’ve come at the right time.
Meghnath: Thank you, Guru. May I know what you are doing?
Sukracharya: I am undertaking a nine day-ritual that serves as a reminder of the power of Durga — Goddess Shakti’s incarnation. More specifically, a reminder of the power of women.
Meghnath: Can you tell me more about her?
Sukracharya: She was created to kill the asura Mahishasura who was protected by a boon that no man could kill him. She was given 10 weapons to kill the asura.
Meghnath: Why 10?
Sukracharya: The 10 weapons and hands are a symbolic reference to the 10 directions. It means that she protects innocent beings in all 10 directions.
Meghnath: But aren’t there only eight directions: east, southeast, south, southwest, west, northwest, north and northeast?
Sukracharya: Include the sky above and the earth below, you will have 10 directions.
Meghnath: Oh! Guru, can you tell me about those ten weapons?
Sukracharya: Sure. I will tell you what I know. The first is Shiva’s trident. It could be a defence mechanism to protect Durga from electric weapons or lightning, much like a lightning arrester. It could also have served as an electromagnetic radiation generator like the Heinrich Hertz EMR Machine, which could generate and detect radio waves.
Sukracharya:Next is Vishnu’s Sudarshana chakra. It could be something like an ‘electromagnetic boomerang’ that uses electromagnetic motors.
Sukracharya: The third is Brahma’s Kamandala. It’s more powerful than a weapon. It’s the energy source of most weapons.
Meghnath: How?
Sukracharya: Remember we once discussed electrolysis?
Meghnath: Yes. It is a process by which current can be produced and stored in a device, like a battery.
Sukracharya: Exactly. The Kamandal is indeed like a battery. Moving on, the fourth weapon is Indra’s vajra which generates and strikes with the power of electricity. Its handle is made of diamond (vajra), a material that does not conduct electricity. Hence, it will protect the holder of the weapon from the high-voltage electricity generated by the weapon.
Meghnath: That sounds very powerful!
Sukracharya: There’s more. The next weapon is Vayu’s bow and a quiver of infinite arrows. In modern science, it could be equated to a rocket with a thrust, or a compressed air weapon like an air rifle. Next is Varuna’s conch, somewhat like the modern-day sonic cannon — a weapon that uses sound waves to attack enemies.
The seventh is Agni’s burning spear — missiles with nuclear warheads. Then Yama’s sword, which is similar to hypersonic missiles that can destroy any type of defence system or cannot be stopped by any defence technology.
The penultimate one is Viswakarma’s axe which can create all sorts of objects including weapons and shields from any metal scrap. The idea is like a 3D printer used on Earth today. And the final weapon is Surya’s (sun) rays.
Meghnath: How can visible light be a weapon except for blinding the enemy?
Sukracharya: It’s not the visible light, but the invisible and harmful radiation of the sun that can be used as a weapon. Thankfully, the earth has an ozone layer that protects humans from the harmful UV and Gamma rays.
Meghnath: Oh, yes. I have learnt about it.
Sukracharya: These are the ten weapons of Durga. And Shakti too has nine different incarnations, each created for a different purpose and with different powers.
Meghnath:I am curious to learn more…
Sukracharya: All in good time…
The author is the founder and CEO of Vaayusastra Aerospace, an IIT-Madras incubated ed-tech startup that offers Air Science workshops for children between five and 14 years.
From Cambodian temples, architecture at Sydney, towers, and more… a crossword on buildings and architecture.
The world of architecture beckons. From famous monuments across India and the world, to common aspects of the architecture, learn more about it in this crossword.
A quick look at what’s going on in the world around us.
The war between Russia and Ukraine continues unabated, with Russia striking Kyiv with missiles. In the U.S., the Republicans and Democrats are gearing up for the mid-term Senate elections in 2022. And there’s more going on around the world. Here’s a quick look at some of the happenings of the past week.
These two pictures may look the same but they are not. How many differences can you spot?
The best way to exercise is to breathe fresh air and spend time amidst nature. This week try to get outdoors and spend a few minutes exercising. It will help you rejuvenate your mind and body. Take a look at this beautiful picture and find the differences between the two.
A memory game to help you guess the sounds we live with
Today, the music industry needs all kinds of sounds to make music. Learn more about these sounds today as you play this game.
A fun history quiz on South Indian kingdoms. How well do you think you can fare?
From the Rashtrakutas, Chalukyas, Cholas, Cheras, and more southern India, has been ruled by several exemplary rulers. How much do you know about them? Time to brush up on your history. A set of six questions to get you started.
Despite my brief tenure as Prime Minister, I have quite a few achievements to my name.
What is DART and why did it deliberately collide with an asteroid? Watch this video and find out.
