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Statescan – April 27, 2019

It’s been a busy week in India, with the General Elections and IPL. What are some of the other news that India woke up to? Click here to find out.

The Reserve Bank of India has announced that it will soon issue new banknotes of Rs 20 denomination in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) series, bearing the signature of the central bank’s governor Shaktikanta Das;
A naval officer was killed in fire-fighting efforts on board aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya on Friday. The fire is said to have started in the engine room in the morning as the ship was entering the harbour in Karwar in Karnataka; and, in the wake of criticism over its ₹4.2 crore lawsuit against four Gujarati potato farmers, food and beverages giant PepsiCo has offered to settle the case if the farmers stop growing the registered potato variety used in its Lays chips.
What else is news in India? Click the hotspots to find out.

Become an Air Traffic Controller

Air traffic controllers ensure our safety not just on the runway but also in the skies. Get to know them a little better today.

Did you know that there are people who make sure you fly safely? They also make sure you take off and land on time. They even make a career out of it. Learn more about them today.

Art by Sonal Goyal

Iconic buildings

Travel is the only thing you can buy that will make you richer. Here are some architectural gems from around the world that will open your eyes to the wonders of the past

One of the greatest joys of traveling is soaking in the local culture. It is reflected in the food, the textiles and architecture.

The Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey is a former Greek Orthodox Christian patriarchal cathedral. Later, it became an Ottoman imperial mosque. At present it is a museum. It was built in 537 AD at the beginning of the Middle Ages.

Designed on a vacant river plot, the Dancing House or Fred and Ginger in Prague, Czech Republic was designed in 1992 and completed in 1996.

An architectural mixture of late Gothic and early Renaissance, The Château de Chenonceau spans the River Cher. The current chateau was built between 1514 and 1522.

The Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba is also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba and the Mezquita, whose ecclesiastical name is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. In 784 Abd al-Rahman I ordered construction of the Great Mosque.

A Bahá’í House of Worship, the Lotus Temple, located in Delhi, India, was dedicated in December 1986. Notable for its flower like shape, it has become a prominent attraction in the city.

The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was initially completed in 691–92 CE.

Shard of Glass London Bridge or The Shard, is a 95-storey super-tall skyscraper. It was inaugurated in 2012.

The fictional home of Dracula, Bran Castle is a national monument and landmark in Romania. From 1920 to 1957 Bran served as royal residence, a gift of the people of Brasov to Queen Marie of Romania.

Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE sun temple, near Puri on the coastline of Odisha. The temple is attributed to King Narasingha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty about 1250 CE.

The Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region, was the residence of the Dalai Lama until the 14th Dalai Lama fled to India. It is now a museum and World Heritage Site. The 5th Dalai Lama started its construction in 1645.

The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre at the harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The building was formally opened on in 1973.

Beijing National Stadium, is also known as the Bird’s Nest in Beijing. It was designed for use during the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Den Blå Planet The Blue Planet) in Kastrup, Copenhagen is a national aquarium in Denmark. It opened to the public in March 2013 and is the largest aquarium in Northern Europe.

Take a look at these iconic buildings that are known for either their history, their architectural charm or both. Now drag and drop these pictures in order of existence.

The age range of these buildings is from 537 A.D. to the most recent being 2012.

The last of their kind

Many animals are on the verge of extinction with fewer than 50 of them remaining. Here is a look at five of such critically endangered species…

Poaching, deforestation, pollution, invasive species, habitat destruction and climate change have driven many species to the brink of extinction. Unfortunately, in some of these species there are fewer than 50 individuals in the world and ambitious measures are required to prevent species loss.

Take a closer look at these five critically endangered species for they may be gone soon…

Body beautiful

The human body is everything that goes to make you up…from head to toe. How familiar are you with it?

The human body is a complex biological system involving cells, tissues, organs, and systems all working together. From the outside, the human body can be divided into several main structures. The head houses the brain, which controls the body. The neck and trunk house many of the important systems that keep the body alive and healthy. The limbs (arms and legs) help the body move about and function in the world. How much do you know about your body? Take this quiz, to find out.

Let’s play

Crosswords keep your mind alert and sharp. Enjoy this word game and try and see how many of the squares you can check.

It's time to get down to playing some games. Have fun.

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Across

  • 1-5 :Rooks, Knights and Bishops are pieces on a ______ board (5)
  • 17-22 :World ______: Best achievement in a sport so far (6)
  • 34-40 :Nine-pin _______ (7)
  • 53-55 :To go down a snow covered mountain slope (3)
  • 60-62 : A score of zero (3)
  • 67-70 :A cricket match format (4)
  • 73-77 :The winner of the _____ game bags the trophy (5) 8
  • 89-92 :. Roger Bannister was the first athlete to complete the four minute ____ (4)
  • 94-99 :The _____-through after the swing makes all the difference (6)
  • 114-116 :You hit a ball with this (3)
  • 119-121 :Game, ____, and match! (3)

Down

  • 1-34 :Golf equipment (4)
  • 4-37 :A yacht has this (4)
  • 8-30 :A great serve, in tennis (3)
  • 10-54 : ______ & Field events (5)
  • 17-39 :Sprint (3)
  • 36-102 :To grapple (7)
  • 40-73 :Game played on an expanse of green turf (4)
  • 53-119 :Racquet sports are categorised as ______ and doubles matches (7)
  • 56-111 :Wickets (6
  • 77-99 :Swimming is a ___-impact sport (3)
  • 94-116 :Peak physical condition (3)

Summer is the time for fun and laughter, games and outdoors. Here’s a crossword tailor-made for you. It’s all about having a great time.

Know your paintings

Every painting has a story behind it. How much do you know about these pieces of art? Find out by answering these simple true or false questions.

Some of these paintings and artworks have been around for a really long time and are considered to be among the world’s most famous paintings. Check whether these statements are true or false. Find out…





Peek into Space

Katie Bouman led a team of scientists who captured the first image of the mysterious black hole.

On April 10, 2019, like millions of others, I was eagerly awaiting the release of the picture of one of the extreme objects in the universe. It is a picture of a region in space where gravity is enormous enough to trap all of matter if it was close enough. Even light isn’t shown any mercy. Yes, we are talking about black holes. And who doesn’t love a black hole?

Space subject

The recently released photo of the black hole caused much excitement around the world because a black hole had never been seen before. The target object, the supermassive black hole in the centre of giant galaxy M87 is 6.5 billion times the mass of the sun, and is 55 million light years away. When viewed from Earth it is so small.

Watch this video to find out how this famous picture was captured.

The writer is a Science Educator and Communicator at Mango Education.

Our world in words

April 23 is World Book Day — a day to celebrate books and authors who cast a spell on us, one page at a time. Click here to read and learn about a few of your favourite classics

“Let me tell you the story of how your grandfather chased away a woolly mammoth and saved our cave…” narrates a prehistoric Mum to her child.

Storytelling has been a part of human culture since the very beginning. The advent of the Gutenberg press saw the birth of the book.

Books continue to play an influential role in our lives. In recognition of their significance, and to celebrate their authors, UNESCO decided to observe April 23 as World Book and Copyright Day at a General Conference, held in Paris in 1995. The date is significant as it is the birth and death anniversary of William Shakespeare. Coincidentally, it is also the birth or death days of other prominent authors too.

Books that changed us

But what could possibly be so significant about books other than keeping us engaged for a few hours? These few examples could help us understand…

To begin with, there is Grimms’ Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm (1812). A compilation of German folklore by librarian brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. It is from this collection that popular characters like Cinderella and Red Riding Hood were adapted into the versions we see or read today.It is considered an important collection of indigenous literature that UNESCO World Heritage included it in its Memory of the World Registry.

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Then there is Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865) which began as a story narrated to keep three young girls entertained during a boat ride, and turned into a classic that changed the face of children’s literature. This book, has a young girl interacting with nonsensical characters in a whimsical world. Prior to the publishing and subsequent popularity of the book, children’s books were focused on teaching morals and were instructional in nature.

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Moving on, we come to The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (1947). A personal diary of a young Jewish girl living in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation, it was published as a book after her death in a concentration camp. The book struck a chord with readers across the world for presenting the hopes and innocence of a young girl against the harsh reality of Nazi occupation, emerging as a symbol of the struggle and life of the times.

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Fantasy fiction proved highly popular with the Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien (1954-1955).The books redefined the idea of fantasy fiction, with a parallel world complete with its own history, map, races of people goverened by specific laws and morals. The books introduced readers to the idea of seeing a character — usually the protagonist — age and evolve over a period of time across several books.

Arrange the tiles to see the covers of the books mentioned above:

Book challenge

Here are a few books that have the names of the young protagonists in the title. How many can you identify?

Where do you play?

Sports persons inspire us with their dedication and their fighting spirit. Their enthusiasm and love for their sport is motivating. How quickly can you match the sports person to their sport?

Professional athletes are some of the most celebrated people in the world. They are watched and admired by millions. During a match or a race, fans line up cheering them on. Here are some iconic sports persons. Can you match them with their sport?