Delve into the past
History is a storehouse of examples to guide future actions, and therein lies its importance. Try this crossword based on the past.
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The sleeping gypsy
A top-notch painting in some wonderful hues… have fun with this memory game revolving around Henri Rousseau’s masterpiece.
The Sleeping Gypsy is an 1897 oil painting by French artist Henri Rousseau. It depicts a lion musing over a sleeping woman on a moonlit night.
Rousseau first exhibited the painting at the 13th Salon des Indépendants, and tried unsuccessfully to sell it to the mayor of his hometown, Laval. However, it became the private collection of a Parisian charcoal merchant where it remained until 1924, when it was discovered by the art critic Louis Vauxcelles. The Paris-based art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler purchased the painting in 1924. It was acquired by art historian Alfred H.Barr Jr.for the New York Museum of Modern Art.
Here is a fun game for you. The painting has been broken down into tiles. Can you match identical tiles correctly?
Choice of goodness
October 13 to 20 is the time for an epicurean feast. Dussehra brings with it days of celebration, laughter, bonhomie, music, and dance. And, in the midst of all that, discover a foodie’s heaven.
Festivals and food go hand in hand and it is the feasting after the fasting that is most enjoyed. And, navaratri is no exception.
Click on each of these food items to know the specialities these cities offer.
Shifting seasons
Close on the heels of October comes winter and some places get dark earlier than others. But, what do we get to see in the night sky this month?
Close on the heels of October comes winter and some places get dark earlier than others. But, what do we get to see in the night sky this month?
Scroll through the timeline below to see what else the tenth month of the year has in store for us.
Statescan – October 12, 2018
Cyclone Titli left behind a trail of misery in Odisha, and people in Mumbai may soon get a taxi drone service… Read on to know more about the news from around the country.
Take a look at what’s been happening around the country this past week.
Tree warriors
Trees are essential to life. They create the very air we breathe and filter air pollution. … they remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the air, and cool the earth.
Animals on canvas
Animals are one of the most fascinating subjects and they never fail to amaze you with their beauty, intelligence and adeptness. It’s no wonder they have been portrayed on canvas for ever so long.
The idea of celebrating Wildlife Week is to create awareness about the flora and fauna in our country. This week, let’s take a look at some paintings by famous artists who with paint and brush have brought alive the animal kingdom.
Art has always been a medium of choice to showcase the beauty of the wild. And, this has been done since prehistoric times. Some artists, paint animals with the aim of observing nature, while others use animals as subjects to provide topics of discussion or social commentary.
Let’s take a look at five paintings from ancient times to the 19th century. Find out more about the paintings and enjoy the shuffle puzzle too.
Lascaux cave paintings (Ancient times)
On September 12, 1940, over 2000 paintings were discovered in the Lascaux caves in the south of France. The paintings were approximately 17,300 years old. The material used was coloured mineral pigments. Several of these painting depict animals that roamed the area at that time, including horses, cattle, bison and birds.
Young Hare by Albrecht Dürer (1502)
This watercolour painting by the German artist Albrecht Dürer has been praised for its striking accuracy and realistic portrayal of the hare. This is one example of how some artists use animals in their work to observe them with scientific detail.
The Goldfinch by Carel Fabritius (1654)
The Goldfinch was one of the final works by Dutch artist Carel Fabritius. Not long after, he died when a store of gunpowder exploded near his home. This painting shows a goldfinch chained by one of its feet and is notable for its large, sweeping brush strokes and its careful attention to detail.
A lion attacking ahorse by George Stubbs (1765)
Stubbs was fascinated by animals engaged in combat and this is one of his favourites. He has done several paintings of the lion and horse. He was one of the most well known animal painters of England. His focus on the violent forces of nature had a profound impact on the following generation of Romantic artists. Stubbs often replicated these figures exactly but varied the landscape setting in each work. The landscape was critical to Stubbs as it helped set the tone for his often repeated ‘sublime’ encounter.
Surprised! by Henri Rousseau (1891)
This was the first jungle-themed piece by French artist Henri Rousseau. This is an oil-on-canvas painting showing a tiger preparing to pounce on its prey during a tropical storm. Although it wasn’t favourably received at the time, it still remains one of the most famous animal paintings.
Paws a little
From habitat destruction to poaching, our feline friends are at risk. Let’s join hands to save these animals and do our bit in protecting them.
The big cats….what’s that? Well, it’s the lion, tiger, leopard, snow leopard and the jaguar. Ironically the big cats, predators by nature, are under threat today. World Wildlife Week 2018 hopes to raise global awareness on their plight and increase their chances of survival.
In danger
Big cats face innumerable threats in the wild. From poaching, habitat loss, human-animal conflicts, to illegal wildlife trade, these predators are the victims today. These cats are found throughout the wild areas of Asia, Africa, and the U.S.
A quick look at how they are doing reveals that the tiger population has plummeted by 95% over the past 100 years, while the African lion population dropped by 40% in just 20 years. Did you know that these lions once roamed freely across Africa, the West and South Asia but have now vanished completely except in eight African countries?
In Africa, many big cats are hunted by Problem Animal Control Agents. PAC agents are licensed individuals that act on your behalf to solve wildlife problems. They are allowed to harass, destroy, or release non-domesticated reptiles, birds, and mammals that are endangering the life and health of humans or domestic animals and damaging property. Though these predators are safe in certain conservation zones, those outside of these face threats.
In Asia, poachers design snares using wires and cables from bicycles killing the animals. Deforestation is a major issue for tigers in India and for the jaguars in the Amazon. Agricultural expansion including the explosion of palm oil plantations in Indonesia has also added to loss of habitat. Man-animal conflict arises as livestock is attacked. The angry herder poisons his cattle, which the cat eats.
Poaching and selling body parts and fur is a thriving business. Global warming has also added to their woes as they need to change their habitat. Snow leopards are especially vulnerable to global warming as increasing temperatures melt snow at higher altitudes. These animals go higher up and their prey decreases. While lions are affected by disease outbreaks, coastal erosion due to rising ocean levels is reducing tiger habitat in India’s Sundarbans.
Seven days
Wildlife Week is celebrated in India from October 2 to 8 with the view to preserving animal life. It started in 1952 to create awareness on the need to protect wildlife. The Indian Government has established an Indian Board of Wildlife which frames policies and takes measures to conserve the wildlife in the country.
What you can do
Go to a zoo. While you get to see animals, you could also read up about them and the threats they face.
Volunteer at an animal rescue centre.
Find out about endangered animals. Create awareness by raising slogans, writing about them and informing people on why these animals are essential to the environment.
Discuss with your friends at school and in your neighbourhood what you could do to save these “paws”. From organising local clean-ups to buying reusable products to planting trees, there’s a lot you can do.
Furry situation:
Here’s a game for you to try, can you identify all the big cats just by their fur? Try this memory game and find out…
Fun fitness facts
Exercise plays an integral role in keeping you happy and healthy. How much do you know about fitness? Can you find out whether these facts are true or false? Try it out now and see how many you can get right.
If you are fit you are capable of living life to its fullest extent. Physical and mental fitness play an important role in your life. And, if you are both, physically and mentally fit, you are less prone to medical conditions as well.
Try your hand at this simple true and false statements to see how much you know about fitness.
Back from the brink
Here are 10 animals that have made a valiant comeback from near extinction thanks to the efforts of conservation agencies. Read on to find out more.
Animals have been bearing the brunt of human carelessness, and have been pushed to an untimely end. Habitat loss, hunting and poaching, toxins and other man made interventions have at some point pushed all of the following species to the brink of extinction.
However, in some instances conservation agencies, zoos and interested people have come forward and help save some species. This Wildlife Week, let’s take a look at ten animals that are now on the road to recovery.
Click on the hotspots to learn more about how they survived.