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Land ahoy!

The country’s long coastline has facilitated trade by sea for ages and port cities developed across different parts. Here are four important ones.

India has a long tradition of maritime trade, which goes back all the way to the Indus Valley Civilisation. Long before the British East India Company came to India, the country had trade relations with West Asia, Egypt, Rome, Greece, Southeast Asia and China. Thus it is not surprising that ancient India had many port cities. Here we look at four important ones.

Tamralipti (West Bengal)
Also known as Tamralipta, this ancient port city was located near the Rupnarayan river on the Bay of Bengal. Today, historians identify the town of Tamluk in Purba Medinipur as the site of Tamralipti. The name comes from the Sanskrit, Tamra, meaning copper, which was mined at Ghatsila. During the time of the Guptas, trade with Ceylon, Java and China was conducted from here. Tamralipti was connected to other major cities of the time via a road network.

Lothal (Gujarat)

Possibly the oldest port city in India, this Indus Valley Civilisation site is located in Gujarat’s Bhal region and had trade connections with West Asia and Africa. Discovered in 1954, excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) revealed a dock. Archaeologists believe that the port’s brick structures were constructed after studying the tidal movements, which allowed ships to use the high tides in the Gulf of Khambat. A lock-gate system, brick passages and ramps leading to the dock are believed to have been used to load and unload cargo without difficulties.

Muziris (Kerala)

Mentioned in ancient texts such as Periplus of the Erythrean Sea, the Puranuru, and Pliny’s Natural History, this port city on the east coast had connections with the Persians, the Phoenicians, the Assyrians, the Greeks, the Egyptians and the Romans. The main export from Muziris was spices, especially black pepper. Imports landed here from over 30 countries. An important archaeological discovery was a wharf complex with bollards to harbour boats and a decayed canoe. The current location of Muziris is a matter of debate among historians.

Poompuhar (Tamil Nadu)

Also known as Puhar and Kaveripoompattinam, the city is located at the mouth of the Cauvery in Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam district. The town is referred to in ancient Tamil texts such as the Pattinapalam and Purananuru and the epic poem Manimekalai. While spices were exported from here, the port saw the import of horses from Arabia and other goods from Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The city is said to have been submerged in the sea and this incident is referred to in Manimekalai. Researchers have recently claimed to have found evidence of a harbour, lighthouse, and dockyards buried underwater.

The great race

12 animals for 12 years, but how did they get there? Watch and learn.

The great raceFeatured Video Play Icon

What’s your guess?

Predators in the wild. Who are we talking about?

Nature is full of secrets and the best kept ones are our four legged animals. Today’s word is one such powerful predator!

Femme fantastic!

Discover some explosive girl bands to break into the music scene!

Female bands have made an undeniable impact on the music industry, shaping and expanding the sound of popular music across genres and eras. From the Motown era with the Supremes to the pop powerhouse Little Mix, female bands have pushed boundaries and broken barriers, inspiring generations of fans with their music, fashion, and messages of empowerment. Their contributions have solidified their place in music history as trailblazers and innovators.

Here’s a look at a few of them:

Little Mix – A British girl group that rose to fame after winning The X Factor in 2011, known for their powerful vocals and empowering messages in their music. They are the first group to win the series and are regarded as the show’s most successful winning act.

Fifth Harmony – An American girl group formed on The X Factor in 2012, known for their harmonies and hits such as “Work from Home” and “Worth It”. Its famous member is actor/singer Camila Cabello.

Spice Girls – A British girl group that redefined teen pop! It is the best-selling female group of all time and the most successful British band since the Beatles.

Destiny’s Child – Ranked as one of the most famous musical trios of all time, this American girl group achieved worldwide success in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Its final lineup featured members who are now successful artists in their own right – Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams.

Girls Aloud – A British girl group formed on the television show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002, known for their energetic pop tunes and iconic fashion. Guinness World Records lists them as the “Most Successful Reality TV Group” in the 2007 edition.

Blackpink – A South Korean girl group known for their dynamic performances, catchy pop beats and distinctive fashion sense. Referred to as the “biggest girl group in the world”, they were the first girl group to top the Billboard Artists 100.

The Supremes – An American girl group that rose to fame in the 1960s, known for their soulful Motown sound and glamorous style. They were one of the most successful acts of their time success which helped pave the way for future African American musicians.

Word Search

Find the names of the bands (given within brackets) in the grid.

Baffling mystery

Episode 37: Sukracharya continues to narrate the story of how more matter came into the universe.

Sukracharya begins to narrate the story of the science behind Nature’s favouritism towards matter over antimatter.

Sukracharya: It all starts when Indra loses his powers when sage Durvasa curses him for a simple mistake.

Meghnath: It is not surprising, considering Durvasa is famous for his curses.

Sukracharya: Yes. A short temper can cause lots of problems. Never take decisions when you are angry. Because of this curse, Indra and his army became weak, which led to their defeat by Asura king Bali.

Meghnath: What happened next?

Sukracharya: Indra approached Vishnu for help. He told them that to regain their powers, the devas needed to find the nectar of immortality hidden under the cosmic ocean, which may be considered as a black hole.

Meghnath: The only way to bring out things hidden in a black hole is through a white hole.

Sukrachayra: Exactly!

Meghnath: How did the asuras come into the picture?

Sukracharya: The devas were already weak. So, they needed the power of the asuras to churn the white hole. Even then, it took them 1000 years to do it.

Meghnath: Oh! So much effort to help the devas regain their powers!

Sukracharya: That’s the rule of nature, Meghnath. Matter and antimatter should prevail equally for the existence of the universe. If Vishnu hadn’t helped, the asuras might have taken over the entire universe. Metaphorically, it might have become engulfed by antimatter.

Meghnath: Oh! Vishnu was protecting matter over antimatter! But how did the asuras agree to help the devas?

Sukracharya: They did not know they were helping the devas. Vishnu convinced Bali and the other asuras to help by assuring them that the 14 precious objects that would appear from the white hole would be split equally between the two. What he didn’t reveal was that the nectar would be given only to the devas.

Meghnath: This is the favouritism you were talking about!

Sukracharya: Yes. But the real drama began after the appearance of the pot of nectar. Vishnu disguised himself as a beautiful maiden and promised to divide the nectar between the asuras and devas. She distracted the asuras with a mesmerising dance performance and started to serve the nectar to the devas, who regained their powers.  

Meghnath: But how is this connected to science?

Sukracharya: Research is being conducted in the world’s largest particle accelerator called the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb). Experts are investigating the slight differences between matter and antimatter by studying a type of particle called the “beauty quark”, or “b quark”.

Meghnath: What are quarks?

Sukracharya: A group of subatomic particles believed to be among the fundamental constituents of matter. Just like how protons and neutrons make up an atomic nucleus, these particles themselves are thought to consist of quarks.

Meghnath: Could this nectar be the beauty quark?

Sukracharya: Quite possible.

Meghnath: So, back to the story. To overcome this antimatter loss, the asura named Swarbhanu, disguised himself as a deva and drank a few drops of the nectar. Mohini found out just in time and chopped off his head. Despite that, he achieved immortality as two beings: his head became Rahu and his body became Ketu. The message is that the white hole gave out one special thing that made more matter over the antimatter in the universe. Have modern scientists been able to find out what this extra matter is?

Sukracharya: That is the current biggest challenge in Quantum Physics. With the research going on in CERN Laboratory, scientists may be able to find it. If that happens, the discovery will take science to the next level.

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.

 

Wordoku

Play this variant of Sudoku where the grid contains letters instead of numbers: fill every row, column and 3×3 region with each given letter exactly once. The letters are: Q-U-A-R-K-S!

Parts of the body

A fun quiz to find out how well you know your internal organs. Get, set, go.

The human brain serves as the center of the nervous system. In other words, it exerts centralised control over the other organs in a body.

The heart pumps blood through the circulatory system’s blood vessels. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body.

The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans. Their function is to extract oxygen from the air and transfer it into the bloodstream, and release carbon dioxide from the bloodstream into the atmosphere.

The stomach is a part of the digestive system, and is involved in the gastric phase of digestion, after chewing.

The liver performs many vital biological functions such as detoxification and the synthesis of proteins and biochemicals necessary for digestion and growth.

The intestine is a long tube running from the stomach to the anus. Most absorption of nutrients and water happens here.

The kidneys receive blood from the paired renal arteries and control the volume of various body fluids.

The bladder stores urine from the kidneys before disposal through urination.

The thyroid is a small gland in the front of the neck, and produces hormones that control how the body uses energy.

The Larynx is that area of the throat, which contains the vocal cords and is used for breathing, swallowing, and talking. It is also referred to as the voice box.

The pancreas functions mostly to regulate blood sugar levels, and secrete the hormone insulin, among others.

Can you recognise these parts of the body? Check out the quiz and drag and drop the parts of the body to the right boxes.

Leaving a mark

For World Pencil Day, here’s some appreciation for this versatile writing instrument!

World Pencil Day is celebrated on March 30 every year to commemorate the anniversary of the invention of the pencil. It was first celebrated in 2018 to honour the history and significance of this simple but important tool.

The modern pencil as we know it today was invented in the late 16th century, with graphite being discovered in England in the early 1500s. However, it wasn’t until the 19th century that the process of encasing the graphite in wood was perfected, leading to the widespread use of the pencil we know today.

Today, pencils are used in schools, offices, and art studios and are popular among artists, writers, and students alike. Owing to their versatile usage, they come in different types and sizes to suit different needs.

Here are some different types of pencils. Can you guess their names?

1. They are everyday writing instruments with a wooden casing and a clay and graphite core. They come in various darkness levels achieved through different ratios of graphite and clay and are versatile tools used for different purposes.

2. They are flat-shaped writing tools made of strong graphite designed for durability, preventing easy breakage and rolling off the desk.

3. They are short and standard writing instruments commonly used for marking scores in golf.

4. These pencils use a mechanism to push leads through a hole at the end. They come with special leads that match the pencil’s diameter.

5. They are cartridge-style plastic holders housing many short pencil tips. They do not require sharpening; instead, when one tip becomes dull, it can be removed from the front and pushed to the rear of the pencil, bringing a new, sharp tip to the front.

6. They are art tools shaped like sticks and come in different shades of black, sepia and white. They are darker than graphite pencils and are used for artistic expression.

Quiz Whizz March 29, 2023

A quickfire round of questions to test your General Knowledge. How many of these do you know the answer to?

From people to animals to astronomy… here are a set of six questions that will get your grey cells working.

Drama and action

On World Theatre Day, let us take a look at how it all began. And at superstitions evolve, not only in the theatrical world but also in ours.

March 27 is World Theatre Day. This is as good a time as any to get familiar with the history of theatre.

Performance or performing arts can be traced to the 6th Century B.C. where Ancient Greeks made dramatic presentations.

Much later, Greece was conquered by the Romans, who quickly adopted theatre. But the Romans preferred comedies to tragedies, which was the mainstay of Greek theatre.

The people on stage were a unit known as ‘chorus’. A man named Thespis decided to step out of this and he played a different character. He is known as the ‘Father of Theatre’.

By the 16th century, theatre became an art form. It was a time for great playwrights like Shakespeare and Marlowe to become popular. In 1599, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre was constructed.

In the 19th century, Romanticism became popular. Magical lands, cavaliers, Caribbeans and more came to be seen on stage.

Then came the age of realism.

Nowadays theatre is more technologically advanced and is diverse in its casting and genres that are performed.

People in the theatre are a superstitious lot. Here are six of them and how they could possibly have come about.

What’s different?

Two pictures, same characters, seven differences. Find them all

There are at least seven differences between the two pictures. How many can you spot?

Courtesy: Asia Features