A crossword that’s all about the world of theatre. Find out how many answers you know.
When it comes to theatre, there’s always a lot of drama. Sets, actions, props, music, actors … the list is never-ending. Find out more about what goes on behind the scenes with this crossword on words connected to theatre.
Learn about marine mammals that show great intelligence in the way they have adapted to live in the oceans.
Marine mammals show incredible intelligence and adaptability to life in the water. Whether it is diving deep like sperm whales or collaborating like dolphins and sea lions, they remind us of the wonders of Nature. Protecting their habitats and ensuring a safe future for these ocean giants is crucial. By learning about them, we can help keep their world healthy and thriving.
As you read about these fascinating creatures, solve the shuffle puzzles to unravel their images.
Masters of the deep
One of the most fascinating marine mammals is the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). It lives in the deep ocean, in inhospitable environments that demand extreme adaptations for survival. They can dive nearly a mile underwater and stay submerged for over an hour without coming up for air. They are experts at navigating and hunting in the cold, dark waters and have evolved to conquer harsh conditions.
Clever hunters
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are found in the shallow waters of Florida Bay, where an abundance of fish presents both opportunities and challenges. Their large tail, designed for powerful swimming, requires them to adopt a side-swimming technique to move effectively in the less than one-meter-deep water. To catch fish, they employ an ingenious hunting strategy of churning the water by beating it with their tails and creating a muddy barrier that forces fish to leap into the air, making it easier for them to catch their dinner. They also use an S-shaped barrier to spook fish, showcasing intelligence and adaptability.
Amazing migrators
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are strong swimmers as soon as they are born. They migrate to find food, embarking on a journey fraught with danger from predators like orcas (Orcinus orca). Since the ban on commercial whaling, humpback whale populations have surged from a few hundred to over 35,000. However, this has made them targets for orcas that specialise in hunting their calves. A small pod of orcas will take advantage of a mother’s momentary distraction to lead the calf into their slipstream before attacking. During migration season, orcas can kill as many as five calves a day, illustrating the brutal efficiency of Nature when prey is abundant. But, humpback whale cows are fierce protectors, always ready to defend their calves.
Strategic collaborators
On the Pacific coast of Mexico, Californian sea lions (Zalophus californianus) are masters of the ocean. They strategically wait for the striped marlin (Kajikia audax) to herd schools of sardines into tight balls, allowing the agile sea lions to rush in for a feast without expending much energy. In the Galapagos Islands, pregnant Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) come ashore to give birth, with the newborn pups relying entirely on their mothers for nourishment. As the pups grow they initially find safety in sheltered inlets but also face dangers from predators, particularly sharks lurking in the surrounding waters. A young pup that strays too far from the safety of its rock pool may encounter a shark. If it is fortunate, the dominant bull sea lion may intervene, showcasing its protective instincts and strength, to save the pup. Even so, nearly half of the young sea lions do not survive past their second year.
Crack the code of healthy snacking with this nutty word search! How many names can you spot?
Nuts are a powerhouse of nutrients essential for growth and development. They are rich in healthy fats, packed with fibre, and low in calories. This wordsearch has names of different kinds of nuts hidden in the grid. How many can you spot?
Do we even think about the tube that contains the toothpaste we use every day?
All of us brush our teeth first thing in the morning. We squeeze the toothpaste onto the brush and off we go! Have you ever thought of how the tube that contains the paste came into being? Here’s the story of the toothpaste tube:
Stack it, pack it and snack on it … who doesn’t love a yummy sandwich? Did you know we have a special day to celebrate this dish?
When you are hungry, and there are no snacks at home, what do you do? Reach out for two slices of bread, put whatever you can find on one slice, cover it with the other and eat it. Right? Yes, the sandwich is one of the most versatile dishes ever invented and it is for this reason that there is now a day (World Sandwich Day on November 3) to honour it.
Story
Did you know that the sandwich has a history? Its story goes back to 1762. John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich was an avid gambler and did not like to leave the table for his meal. He told his servants to bring him meat between two slices of bread, so he could eat with one hand and play with the other hand. Also, there was no need for cutlery. Seeing this, his friends began to order “What Sandwich is having” and the name of the dish became ‘sandwich’. The sandwich soon gained popularity. It was convenient and could be carried around easily and you could use any filling you wanted. So here are two popular sandwich recipes that you can make for yourself.
Factorisation is all about breaking down big numbers into their smallest building blocks! Watch this video to know more.
When we write, we express our thoughts in sentences. But do we ever stop to think of the kind of sentence we use?
A valley in a desert full of fossils of marine mammals! That’s the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Wadi al-Hitan in Egypt.
Imagine a huge site full of fossils from another time. That’s Wadi al-Hitan, also known as Whale Valley. Located in the deserts of western Egypt, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is known for its fossils of the earliest whales. The archaeoceti, an extinct sub-order of whales, is a crucial link in the story of how the whales evolved from a land animal into the marine mammal that we know of today.
The area contains a huge number of fossils in an extremely well-preserved state. In some cases, even the stomach contents are available. Apart from early whales, the fossils of sharks, crocodiles, sea cows, saw fish, turtles and rays have been found allowing scientists to understand the environment and ecology of the area during this time.
First discovered in 1902-03, Wadi al-Hitan remained undisturbed for around 80 years because the area was difficult to reach. As four-wheel drives became available in the 1980s, there was a revival of interest and fossil collectors began to converge to the site. This led to the removal of bones and the Egyptian government brought it under the Wadi el-Rayan Protected Area to conserve the remains.
Over 1500 skeletons of marine vertebrates have been discovered in the valley, with whale fossils ranging from bones to complete and partial skeletons. The two most common are Basilosaurus and the Dorudon. Small hind limbs and teeth similar to that of carnivorous land animals are highlights of the fossils. Skeletons of three species of sea cow were also found showing features that are not seen in the modern animal. The site also contains the bones of Moeritherium, a primitive form of the elephant. The oldest fossil – of a pelican from the late Eocene period – was discovered in 2021. A large log full of tubular shipworm fossils can also be seen.
In an attempt to protect the valley, four-wheel drives are being phased out and replaced by camel rides or trekking by foot. Visitors are restricted to specific guided tours along prescribed trails. A public park, open to tourists, has walkways for people to walk on and view the fossils.
Fun fact
The Garet Gohannam mountains that lie behind the valley are known as Mountain of Hell because the setting sun throws an unearthly red light on the range.
Now that you’ve read all about the Valley of Whales, here’s an activity for you. These words all appear in the story. Can you place them in their correct place in the grid?
A memory game to learn about the meanings behind the names of Indian states.
The names of Indian states are often rooted in language, geography, and local culture. For example, Andhra Pradesh is derived from “Andhra”, an ancient tribe of that region, and “Pradesh” meaning region or state. Together, it means “the land of the Andhras.” Similarly, Maharashtra can be split into “Maha”, meaning great, and “Rashtra”, meaning nation, together forming the “Great Nation.”
This memory game is based on the names of Indian States. Match the names of the States with the meaning.
Meghnath explains the concept of frequency and communicating through resonance and oscillations along with an experiment.
Story so far: While telling Ravana’s sons how Ravana and Kubera had a difference of opinion about using the Pushpaka Vimana, Prahasta brings up Brain-Computer Interface and its application in the 21st century.
Atikaya: So, I can kind of visualise how it works but how did Vishwakarma decode it and make it work in our Tretayuga? And how is Neuralink, which lies in the future, connected to the Pushpaka Vimana?
Prahasta: In the 21st century, the technology used by Elon Musk and his team involved artificially generated electromagnetic waves and artificially generated electricity. But Vishwakarma was a genius. He wanted to use naturally existing electricity, electromagnetic frequencies, sound resonance and make it much more nature friendly.
Akshayakumara: But how?
Prahasta: You know the story of how Meghnath met Vishnu in Vaikuntha, don’t you?
Trishira: He used brain waves, electricity generated by the body, sound frequencies generated by the vocal chords in combination with a crystal with specific frequencies to match those from Vaikunta.
Prahastha: Exactly. Vishwakarma used a similar technique.
Akshayakumara: I have never understood this concept of frequency. I know it’s used in several places and is connected to sound and resonance. Can you explain it?
Prahasta: Let’s ask Meghnath to do so.
Meghnath: It’s quite simple. Frequency means “how often something happens”. So for repetitions of sound waves, we say sound frequency; for repetition of water waves, it is water frequency. Similarly you have brain wave frequency and so on.
Akshayakumara: Okay but how does the same frequency transfer messages or data?
Meghnath: In Nature, anything with the same frequency – atoms, metals, crystals – can communicate with each other. There are various levels.
Akshayakumara: What do you mean?
Meghnath: Okay let me simplify this. A human can communicate easily with another human. Similarly, a dolphin can communicate with other dolphins. All living creatures can communicate with their own kind. A metal can communicate with other metals using resonance. A crystal can do so by using its vibrations. But making brain waves communicate with each other is more complex. Let me show you.
Meghnath goes into the ancient shrine and brings out two tridents. He holds them both close to each other and asks Prahasta to hit one with a hammer. Both hammers emit a sound.
Meghnath: In the science of the future, this is called resonance of a tuning fork. Instead of metals, if you use crystals, there will be oscillations. These will be used for to synchronise watches and for communication in satellites. Crystals have piezoelectric property, which helps them generate electrical signals.
Image: Getty Images/iStockPhoto
Prahasta: Slow down. What do you mean by piezoelectric?
Meghnath: Piezoelectric means stones that have movement of electrons.
Atikaya: The movement of electrons is electricity.
Meghnath: Right. So when you disturb the crystals, at a certain point, the electrons within them produce movement, which in turn produces current.
Akshayakumara: How do they communicate?
Meghnath: Just like the resonance of the metals, which I showed you with the triddents. But these crystals generate longitudinal ultrasonic waves (sonic means sound), which can’t heard normally. Using this ultrasonic resonance, we can make the crystal oscillators communicate. The process of making a crystal generate an electric field is called the piezoelectric effect. There is also inverse inverse piezoelectric effect, which involves sending electric voltage to create the vibration and resonance in crystals.
Akshayakumara: All right. But how did Vishwakarma use it?
Meghnath: You know how the devas communicate with each other, right?,/p>
Akshayakumara: Yes. Even Guru Sukracharya, father and you do it.
Meghnath: And have you seen our crowns?
Akshayakumara: Crystals in the crown. You all use a technique to energise those crystals by electrical pulses created by the body and cause inverse piezoelectric effect and use the ultrasonic resonance to communicate. Is that it?
Meghnath: Very smart. Let me show you a simple experiment for this.
How to move objects through sound
The author is the founder and CEO of Vaayusastra Aerospace, an IIT-Madras IC graduated ed-tech company and a Ph.D. research scholar in Education at NITTTR.
