The IPL is back! Are you ready for the cricketing action that will soon take the country by storm?
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is back! The 17th edition kicks off today at Chennai, as reigning champions Chennai Super Kings take on Royal Challengers Bangalore. Ten teams will compete with each other for sporting glory, giving cricket fans an unforgettable summer.
Who are the captains of all the 10 teams? Match the pairs in this interactive task.
Photos: Getty Images, PTI, AFP, ANI, SPORTZPICS, Nagara Gopal, Ritu Raj Konwar, RV Moorthy, Murali Kumar K
River? Stream? Delta? Glacier? Can you identify these water features correctly? Try this interactive task now.
You might have heard these names in your Geography class, but do you know what they typically look like? This World Water Day, try this task that’s all about some water-based features on Earth.
Drag and drop the labels in the correct spot.
This World Water Day, learn more about the sources of fresh water and try your hand at the activity at the end.
Look at satellite images of the Earth. What’s the first thing that strikes you? Isn’t it the vast expanse of blue, indicating water? Imagine this: Around 76.5% of the Earth’s surface is water. Yet, today, we struggle to ensure that everyone has access to clean water. That’s one of the reasons that we have World Water Day (March 22). This year’s theme is Water for Peace.
Why Peace? If water is not easily available or is polluted, it can cause problems between people and countries. Rivers and lakes cut across boundaries – both inside a nation and between countries. As human population rises and climate change changes the world, it is more important to protect and conserve this precious natural resource and use it for sustainable development that doesn’t leave anyone out.
So, when we talk about water, we are clearly not talking about the seas and oceans. Where, then, do we get fresh water from? From Glaciers, Rivers, Lakes, Ponds, Rain and Groundwater. Read on to know more about them:
Glaciers: These massive blocks of ice and snow are the largest containers of fresh water. Did you know that 99% of the fresh water is found in the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets? No wonder, that melting glaciers are a source of concern. Not only do we lose the fresh water they hold, but the water going into the sea causes ocean levels to rise.
Rivers: A flowing stream of water is called a river. Streams, brooks or creeks also have flowing water but these are smaller than rivers. A river’s source can be a glacier on a mountain top or groundwater that bubbles up to the surface. Apart from water, rivers also carry soil and nutrients that help support life along its course. No wonder then that the first human civilisations sprung up along riversides. The Nile is the longest river in the world, covering 6650 km across 10 countries in northern Africa. In terms of volume of flow and drainage basin the largest river is the Amazon in South America, which weaves it way through the complex rainforest ecosystem.
Lakes: By definition, a lake is a body of water surrounded by land. There are 11 kinds of lakes that are further divided into other sub-types. Canada has the largest number of lakes in the world, followed by Finland. While most are freshwater lakes, a few may hold saline water, such as the Dead Sea in the Rift Valley in Jordan. While Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, is the largest lake in the world by volume and depth, Lake Superior on the U.S.-Canada border is the largest in terms of surface area. It is also one of the five Great Lakes. England has a region in Cumbria known as the Lake District, which contains 16 lakes.
Ponds: Another body of water enclosed by land, ponds are smaller than lakes. There is no specific criteria to differentiate between the two. A pond can be created either by river channels being cut off or animals such as beavers creating their dams or even just be a natural depression on land filled by water. Apart from supporting a variety of plant and animal life, ponds provide water for human use, serve as flood control areas and also help control pollution by absorbing greenhouse gases. Among the most famous ponds in the world are Walden Pond in Massachusetts, the U.S., made famous by the writer Thoreau, and the Giverny Pond in France, immortalised in the paintings of Claude Monet.
Rainwater: Technically, it is the purest form of water but the pollution caused by industrialisation has led to the phenomenon called acid rain. The simplest explanation for how rain is formed is the water cycle. Water from the earth’s surface evaporates and collects as water vapour in the atmosphere. When the air can no longer hold the vapour, it becomes a liquid again through a process of condensation. When this returns to earth in the form of rain or snow, it is called precipitation. The village of Mawsynram in India’s Meghalaya receives the most amount of rainfall in the world.
Groundwater: As the name suggests, this is water found under the Earth’s surface. Found in the soil and in the spaces between the rocks, groundwater forms around 30% of the available freshwater in the world. When there is a deposit of enough water for use, it is called an aquifer. Groundwater is found almost everywhere but the level of the water table depends on many factors. While it can be replenished by rain or snow melt or rainwater harvesting, using up groundwater too quickly can cause water shortage in some areas.
Now that you have read all about fresh water sources, try your hand at this activity. These words come from the text you have read. Fit them into the correct spot in the grid.
Try your hand at this jigsaw puzzle set in a kitchen. How quickly can you solve it?
The kitchen can be a wonderful place with enticing aromas and tasty bits to munch on. Have you ever tried your hand at whipping up a delicious dish? Before you do that, try to solve this puzzle.
How well do you know the main characters from popular books? Try this game and find out.
In the realm of storybooks, heroes stand tall as beacons of courage, compassion, and resilience. From daring knights to intrepid explorers, these characters embark on epic quests, facing challenges with unwavering determination and a sense of justice. Through their noble deeds and inspiring journeys, they teach valuable lessons of bravery, kindness, and the triumph of the human spirit. With every turn of the page, these heroes captivate readers of all ages, leaving an indelible mark on the heart and reminding us that greatness lies within each of us.
Play this game and see how many heroes you can spot in the grid.
Exercise equipment is used to strengthen the body. How well do you know the different kinds of fitness aids? Try this activity to find out.
A gym is the place you go to when you want to get fit. It has different kinds of equipment. Each works on a specific part of your body. You can use the cycle to increase your stamina, or lift weights to improve the strength in your limbs. The equipment in the gym helps you increase your exercise efficiency and helps you achieve better results faster.
Can you identify the gym equipment in these images?
What are stepwells? How are they constructed? And why? Read on to find out about these ancient water conservation structures.
You probably know that the Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his queen, Mumtaz. Today, let’s explore an underground structure built by a queen in memory of her king. There’s more to it than just its architectural beauty. It also served a purpose as critical today as it was centuries ago: storing and conserving water.
Stepwells, known as vavs or baolis, are unique water conservation structures built predominantly in the northwestern states of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Unlike today, when we have all kinds of fancy devices such as jacuzzis and water parks that guzzle water, our ancestors were preoccupied with conserving and storing water, especially in drought-prone regions.
Smart conservation
Northwest India is dry for large parts of the year, with heavy rains during the monsoons. The vavs/ baolis were a smart response to these conditions. Their steps went many floors underground, and then came a vertical trench that went even deeper to hit the water table. Surrounding water sources would recharge the well. During the monsoon, the rains would fill the well to the brim. The wells were so massive that people could continue to use the water during the summer by climbing down until they reached the water level.
Many stepwells were simple structures, but some were grand and ornamental, almost like underground inverted temples. The Rani ki Vav in Patan, Gujarat, is one such famous stepwell, commissioned by Queen Udayamati of the Solanki Dynasty in the 11th Century in the memory of her husband. It has seven underground storeys, with galleries filled with intricate sculptures of gods and goddesses, humans and animals, plants, trees and everyday life, making it a beautiful space to be in.
Beat the heat
Since stepwells are underground and hold water, their insides would be a few degrees cooler than the scorching sun outside. This was a bonus in the era of no air-conditioning. With beauty, utility and cool temperatures, stepwells became a social space, particularly for women who could have a leisurely chat with friends, as they drew water.
The Rani ki Vav was partly buried underground for many years and its full glory was rediscovered only after restoration work was completed in the 1980s. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other famous stepwells are the Chand Baoli in Rajasthan, Adalaj ni Vav in Gujarat, and Agrasen ki Baoli in Delhi. So, the next time you see a fancy ride in a water park, remember we have created much cooler water structures centuries ago.
With International Day of Forests coming up, let’s take a look at the causes and effects of deforestation, and what we can do about it.
Take a look at the two pictures above. The one on the left shows dense forest cover. Can you see the clouds gathered above? That’s because the transpiration from the trees in the forest adds to the water vapour in the atmosphere, which later comes down as rain.
Now look at the image on the right? No trees, blazing sun, dry ground… means less or no water. This is what deforestation does. The indiscriminate cutting down of trees has emerged as one of the major causes of loss of green cover.
A crossword that’s themed around World Sparrow Day, International Day of Forests and World Water Day… try solving it now.
Forests, water, sparrows… this crossword is all about Nature’s wonders.
Some countries have more than one capital city. How many of them do you know of? Play this game to learn more.
Think India’s capital, and New Delhi instantly comes to mind. But what do you do when a country has more than one capital? Below are the names of some capital cities. Match them to their country.
