The year begins with a bang. Meteor showers, full moon, lunar eclipse and a planetary dance too. Take a look…
The beginning of the year will see great action in the skies above. From meteor showers, lunar eclipse and a new moon, get a piece of the action. Here is a timeline to guide you through the month.
Sundays are meant for sitting back and relaxing, just taking a day off. The idea was the same in 1884 Paris too. Here’s a painting which shows it.
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is a painting by French artist Georges Seurat. It was painted in 1884 and it shows Parisians at a park on the banks of the River Seine. It uses a technique called pointillism where small, distinct dots of colour are applied in a pattern to form an image.
For Parisians, Sunday was the day to escape the heat of the city and head for the shade of the trees and the cool breezes that came off the river, this is what we see when we first look at the painting.
Here’s an activity for you, the below image is the original painting. The one below it has errors. Can you spot the differences?
Sir, captain, Prime Minister, CEO, Governor…each title has a different significance and meaning. Can you set the titles right for a few of them?
Titles are given to suggest a person’s position of power, position in a hierarchy, and their responsibilities – be it a kingdom, government, company or classroom.
Here are some examples of titles, but they are all jumbled up. Can you unscramble them with the help of the clues given for each?
1. An Indian queen
2. Leader of a classroom
3. Head of a faculty in a university
4. Captain of a ship or cricket team
5. Title of an Arab ruler
Pakistan equalled a record that was previously held by India alone. Each of the top four batsmen in their batting order scored centuries in the same innings.
Throughout the history of Test cricket, there have been only two occasions when the top four batsmen of a side have scored a century each in the same innings of a match. While India achieved the feat in 2007 in a Test against Bangladesh at Dhaka, Pakistan repeated it in December 2019 in a Test against Sri Lanka at Karachi.
Here are Pakistan’s four centurions in the game and their scores: (click to expand)
Photos: AP
From Mozart to Bizet, here are some famous classic tunes and their composers. Put on your headphones and let the fun begin!
At some point of time we have all heard some well known classical tunes, that have been used as background scores in movies, cartoons and so on. Also, some well-established musicians have tried to replicate these tunes in their shows.
Put on your headphones, listen to this melody and match them to their original composer.
Whip up a chocolaty concoction this weekend. Here’s a recipe just for you to try, just put them in the right order.
A chocolate brownie is a baked chocolate baked treat. Brownies can be either like a fudge or cake. Why not try your hand at making a brownie today?
Follow this recipe and first put together the ingredients
Now that you are done with that why not try to arrange these pictures in order to see how exactly a brownie is made.
Some words don’t mean what they actually are. They take on an entirely different meaning in different contexts. Confused? Read on…
The English language is replete with figures of speech. One such is the metonym.
A metonym is a word or phrase that is commonly used to refer to an object or place instead of its own name. This means the object or place is not called by its own name, but by the name of something that is closely related to it or within the context.
Example: Tongue is a metonym for language, though it actually refers to the oral muscle.
What are these metonyms?
Tall buildings, crowded pavements, traffic jams…some of the things that are common to all our cities. But, there is more to life in the city. Work out this crossword and find out.
How is it to live in the city? If you can answer that question then this crossword is for you.
Take a look back at 2019 and all the achievements the country has made.
Solve the shuffle puzzles to catch a glimpse of a few captivating castles from around the world.
Castles conjure up visions of princesses, knights, horses and even dragons. All castles have a history regardless of which part of the world they are from. Let’s take a short tour of some castles from France, Denmark and the United Kingdom. Solve the shuffle puzzles to see them in all their splendor.
Château de Chambord, France: Commissioned by King Francis I and imagined by Leonardo da Vinci, the Chateau de Chambord is the largest and most majestic castle of Loire, France. In 1515, Francis I returned victoriously from the Battle of Marignam and decided to build Chambord. It was to be a residence as well as a symbol of his power. But sadly, he spent just 50 days there.
Glamis Castle, Scotland: Situated besides the Glamis village at Scotland, this castle has been home to a Royal family since the 14th Century. It was also home to Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. The castle is home to the mystery of all mysteries that involves a hidden room, a secret passage and shadowy figures that are sighted on the battlements at night.
Interestingly, the castle is mentioned by Shakespeare in his play Macbeth.
Harlech Castle, Wales: Built by Edward I at Wales, this castle has seen many wars. It is one of the finest examples of the 13th century military architecture.
Harlech backs onto the Irish sea which allowed the castle to be restocked with food and provisions from passing ships, should it ever come under siege by land. But since 1283, the sea level has gone down and ships can no longer unload cargo without having to climb a pebbly beach and 108 craggy steps.
Kilkenny Castle, Ireland: This castle was built in 1195, in Ireland as a symbol of Norman occupation. It is said to be one of the most beautiful castles in the world. It overlooks the River Nore and was used to guard the important river crossing for more than 900 years.
Kronborg Castle, Denmark: At the eastern part of North Sealand, guarding the entrance to the Sound (the Danish-Swedish border), stands the Kronborg castle: a fort turned royal home and then military complex. It was built by King Eric VII in the 1420s. Made to show Denmark’s wealth, with a copper roof spanning the entire castle and all walls covered in expensive sandstone, Kronborg gleams as yet. Shakespeare mentions this castle in his play Hamlet.
