Rainforests of the sea
Every now and then, we hear of coral reefs dying out due to bleaching. What is coral bleaching? What are invasive species?
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Worldly greens
Did you know that many of your favourite vegetables did not originate in India? Play this game and learn more about them.
There are many vegetables that today are a staple in Indian cuisine, but you might be surprised to know that some of them did not originate in India but were introduced to the region during the course of history.
For instance, potatoes likely originated in the Andes region of South America, while chillies were brought to India by the Portuguese. Yet another favourite, the lady’s finger, is native to Africa, and tomatoes were first cultivated in Central and South America. Cauliflower has Mediterranean origins, while carrots were first cultivated in Central Asia.
Aren’t you glad these tasty veggies found their way to India?
Task for you! The below Sudoku has the pictures of the above vegetables instead of numbers. Can you fill up the grid in such a way that each vegetable appears only once in every row, every column and every 2*3 grid?
Lifestyle redefined
Being fit ensures better health, increased stamina, mental clarity, and an overall improved quality of life.
Prince Rama takes a hand
Episode 50: While Rama is able to calm Kaikeyi down by showing her how Manthara got hurt, he makes an enemy of the latter.
Story so far: As Manthara and Kaikeyi listen to Lakshmana and Shatrugna, arrows fly in and scratch Manthara’s back. Kaikeyi and Manthara look towards that side in anger.
As they turn to see who shot the arrows, one arrow flies in a strange way, changing direction from left to right, right to left, top to bottom and then suddenly straightens itself.
Illustration: Sahil Upalekar
Manthara (astonished): What is this weird arrow travelling in different directions like a bird?
Kaikeyi picks up the arrow to examine it and sees a hollow bamboo filled with a white powder like sugar.
Kaikeyi: Very few archers are capable of this kind of arrow control.
Suddenly from inside the arrow, a mini pigeon makes a noise. When Kaikeyi throws it down, the pigeon flies away.
Kaikeyi (confused): It is not very professional but is not an easy technique to practise.
Manthara: Enough Kaikeyi. Attacking an old woman like me is not a good thing. Whoever did this must be punished.
A young boy comes running in, his head gear glowing in the sunlight. Manthara realises it is Kaikeyi’s son Bharata and bites her tongue.
Manthara: … Unless it was done in love.
Kaikeyi understands that Manthara added the rider because it was Bharata.
Kaikeyi: A mistake is a mistake, whether made out of love or not.
Illustration: Satheesh Vellinezhi
Bharata races in and stops in front of Kaikeyi and waves his hands to stop her from talking.
Bharata: Did you notice? I did it?
Kaikeyi (harshly): Yes, I noticed but did your guru teach you to attack innocent people?
Bharata’s face crumples and he begins to cry.
Manthara (hugs Bharata): It’s okay if he hurt me. He is our little boy. It may have been a mistake.
Kaikeyi: Don’t be biased. A mistake is a mistake whether it is my son or not. He belongs to a royal family. As a prince, he cannot hurt innocents even by mistake.
As Bharata falls to his knees crying, Kaikeyi lifts the arrow as if about to hit him. Suddenly 16 more direction-controlled arrows with smoke coming from them fall around Bharata protecting him. Both Kaikeyi and Manthara are shocked. From the smoke emerges a long arm holding a beautiful bow.
Rama, the prince of Ayodhya and son of Kausalya, steps out.
Rama: Stop mother., It’s not his mistake. It’s mine. I asked him to hit a specific target.
Kaikeyi (angrily): You are not behaving like a prince, Rama.
Rama: Mother, isn’t there a saying, “To discern the truth in everything, by whomsoever spoken, is wisdom.”
Manthara: He is very conceited; thinks whatever he does is right.
Ram (to Kaikeyi): Mother, you are angry now. Please calm down because “truth can’t be seen in a state of anger.”
Manthara: You are so young and you think you can advise the queen?
Kaikeyi: Wait Manthara. He has a point. Rama, tell me what happened.
Rama (to Manthara): Please stand in the position you were in earlier.
(To Kaikeyi): Mother, please come with me. You too, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrugna.
Manthara stands in the practising arena at a point which is higher than other places. The others go to the place where the boys were practising, which is at a lower level. Many round stones are lying around here. Kaikeyi turns to look at where Manthara is standing and her eyes widen. She realises what happened: the boys were unable to see Manthara except for her hunchback, which resembles the round stones. Kaikeyi hugs Rama.
Kaikeyi: I am sorry, Rama. And apologies to all of you boys too.
Rama: Sorry is a big word, mother. It was a misjudgment. As the prince it was my duty to make you understand. Not only are you a queen but you are also the king’s charioteer in war.
Kaikeyi: I am proud of you, Rama. Now tell me why was there a pigeon in the first arrow and in your 16 arrows?
Illustration: Satheesh Vellinezhi
Rama: Guru Vasishta taught me that it is called Thrust vectoring and guided missile technology. A direction-control mechanism for arrows, rockets and missiles. Since it has to be done manually, I used pigeons, which I trained to focus on a target. Even when the image is moved, they turn their heads to keep looking at the target. I tied a bunch of strings to their necks and connected those to the fins and nozzles. The white smoke is the propellant — a combination of sugar and potassium nitrate, which father taught me. (Ref: Episode 48.)
Kaikeyi: You have a great understanding of technology at such a young age, Rama. I am so proud of you.
All the brothers are happy. But all of them, including Kaikeyi, have forgotten Manthara, who standing in the sun in the practising arena and fuming. In her mind, Rama is to blame for it all.
The author is the founder and CEO of Vaayusastra Aerospace, an IIT-Madras incubated ed-tech startup that offers Air Science workshops for children between five and 14 years.
Now that you have read the story, try this activity. Below is a image of the guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher launching a Harpoon anti-ship missile during an exercise. Click on ‘Start Game’ at the bottom and see if you can put the image together again.
Here’s to a fresh start
A new year brings with it plenty of hope and positivity. Find out what to look forward to in 2024.
What does 2024 have in store for us? Read on, and solve the shuffle puzzles while you do.
An extra day
2024 is a leap year. This means that February will have 29 days instead of 28. Since this happens every four years, the next February 29 will only come around in 2028. Make the 366th day count by doing something fun and memorable.
Ballot ballet
2024 is an unusually busy election year. At least 40 countries around the world will go to the polls. This means that voters in countries representing more than 40% of the world’s population will elect their national leaders. With countries including the U.S. and India — the world’s largest democracy — on the list, the results could shape global politics and economy. Several milestones are on the cards. For instance, in Mexico, both the leading presidential candidates are women for the first time in history. Elections for the European Parliament, considered to be the world’s biggest transnational election, will also take place. South Africa, Taiwan, Indonesia, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and many other countries will have elections.
Sporting dreams
The biggest sporting event of the year is set to take centrestage in July and August: the Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Apart from Olympic regulars, such as athletics, badminton, gymnastics, hockey, tennis, swimming, weightlifting and more, this edition will mark the debut of breaking, sport climbing, skateboarding and surfing. The countdown is on for the battle of the world’s best sporting stars.
Cricket lover? Watch your favourite icons battle it out at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US in June. It will be the women’s turn in September and October, as the tournament rolls into Bangladesh.
Prefer football? Worry not. Get set for exciting action as the European Championship, UEFA Euro 2024, takes place in Germany in June-July.
Celestial treat
One of the most anticipated astronomical events of the year is the total solar eclipse on April 8. People across North America will witness the skies darken, as the Moon completely covers the Sun. The next total solar eclipse will be in August 2026.
Space craze
After a successful 2023 involving Chandrayaan-3, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has a busy 2024 in store, with work happening on Gaganyaan (India’s first human spaceflight programme), Mangalyaan-2 (the country’s second mission to Mars) and Shukrayaan-1 (first mission to Venus).
Also slated for launch are China’s Chang’e 6, which will aim to obtain soil and rock samples from the far side of the Moon, and NASA’s Artemis II, a crewed mission that will fly around the Moon and back.
This day, that age
2024 marks several significant anniversaries, including the 75th year of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the 20th year of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, and the 10th year of the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. It will also be 50 years since Operation Smiling Buddha, India’s first successful nuclear test, and the discovery of the Terracotta Army in China, one of the world’s greatest archaeological sites. The London Eye turns 25 and One World Trade Center in New York City turns 10.
Photos: AP, ANI, Getty Images/iStockphoto, Wikimedia Commons
Add colour to your plate
Red apples and yellow peppers, green spinach and purple brinjals… add a splash of colour and stay healthy.
It’s a whole lot of fun when you eat colourful things. No, we don’t mean eating multi-coloured candy! From red apples to yellow peppers, from purple cabbages to green spinach, there are loads of colourful fruits and vegetables that are packed with nutrients. A good way to make sure you eat healthy is to include fruits and vegetables of different colours in your diet every day. This is called ‘eating the rainbow’.
What health benefits do fruits and vegetables of various colours have?
My Monthly Planner: January 2024
What are your plans for January? Use this planner to figure out what to do in the next month.
In the herb garden
Herbs are the plants with aromatic properties that are used as a flavouring agent and garnishing food.
Herbs are the leafy part of a plant that is used in cooking. They can be used fresh or dried.
Any other part of the plant, which is usually dried, is referred to as a spice. These include, for example, barks (cinnamon), berries (peppercorns), seeds (cumin), roots (turmeric), flowers (chamomile), buds (cloves) and stigmas of flowers (saffron).
Herbs are a fantastic way to add flavour and colour to any sort of dish or drink, whether sweet or savoury, without adding fat, salt or sugars. In addition to flavour and colour, they each also tend to have their own set of health-promoting properties.
This grid has the names of 20 different herbs. Can you find them all?
Not-so-ordinary resolutions
…paved with good intentions. Are your New Year resolutions as awesome as Bug Boy’s?
Last week my mother ordered a desk calendar, a diary, a bullet journal, a mindfulness journal, and an intentions planner. Every day, the doorbell rings announcing the arrival of yet another tool intended to help her become more organised, mindful, fit, and … just better, I guess.
Historians say the ancient Babylonians were the first to make New Year’s resolutions about 4,000 years ago. It’s interesting how they no longer exist but their traditions still do. Oh well, maybe they should have spent more time worrying about invaders than making promises to go to the gym every day.
But, for some reason, my parents think I should be more intentional about what I’ll achieve in 2024. Apparently finishing all the levels in Batman: Arkham Asylum doesn’t count. So I’ve been given an intentions planner too. Here are some of the things I hope to achieve.
Illustrations: Sahil Upalekar
Chemical conundrum
A crossword that’s all about elements on the periodic table. Can you guess their names?
Chemistry buff? This crossword is all about elements you would find in the periodic table.