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?Affiliated & Accredited to CBSE, MHRD, Govt. of India

Recognized by Directorate of Education, Govt. of NCT, Delhi 2017–2020

DELHI

Volume : XIWebsite : www.rdpschool.edu.in Email : contact @rdpschool.edu.in www.facebook.com/RukminiDeviPublicSchool

Mrs. Anita Garg, Director

Dear students, in this era of cut throat competition, it is quintessential that students are equipped with appropriate knowledge, habits, attitudes and values leading to their holistic development. To facilitate the process of creative and critical thinking, students are encouraged to pen down their thoughts, which are later published in the school’s newsletters. Impetus is an innovative publication fostering the paraphrasing skills of the students. Students are motivated to browse the various resources available in the library, read the interesting articles and then rehash those articles in their own words. I intently believe that this practice not only develops the writing skills of the students but also makes them avid readers.

Happy Reading!

Reading is important, because if you can read, you can learn anything about everything and everything about anything. — Tomie de Paola

Lord Acton has rightly quoted "Learn as much by writing as by reading." The students need to be taught the virtues of reading and writing more today than any time in the past. The indispensable initiative, ‘Impetus’ certainly fosters the budding writers to reveal their innate talent of writing. The platform aids in giving wings to the young brilliant minds and promotes healthy reading habit among learners by instilling in them a love for books.

Best Wishes !

Mrs. Anjali Kotnala, Principal

Most Unforgettable

TRIP…Most Unforgettable

TRIP…Getting the opportunity to visit the UK for an educational excursion was truly a blessing for me. This excursion efficiently combined learning with gaiety and I could not only explore the beautiful city but could also learn about the foreign culture and lifestyle. I, along with other students, visited the famous attractions including the London Eye, Madame Tussauds Museum, and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! I got the exquisite chance to interact with many people that enhanced my confidence. Apropos the aforementioned this experience was awarded to me as a prize by the SilverZone Foundation, a prestigious organisation known for conducting Olympiads for various subjects with a noble motive of imparting knowledge to aspiring young minds.

I owe this achievement to my school, Rukmini Devi Public School, that opened doors to many opportunities for me so that I could attain precious knowledge and upgrade my personality. It is not without motivation that one can blow the winning bugle. I would sincerely wish to thank my respected teachers and Ma’am Principal for providing the necessary support and encouragement so that I could get inspired to bring out the best in me.

Rishabh Bhatia, Class X C

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A businessman with exceptional vision set up India’s first aircraft – producing factory. Hindustan Aircraft, in 1940. Seth Walchand Hirachand, who had also set up India’s first shipyard. Scindia Steam

Navigation Company and automobile plant - Premier Automobiles was exceptionally prescient when he approached the kingdom of Mysore for seed capital for his startup. Hirachand was laying the building blocks for the

soon – to – be independent country’s industrial base. Today, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is India’s only hub for the design, development and production of aircraft. Over the past 70 years, it has churned out 29 types of aircraft – from the MiG – 21 to the Sukhoi Su – 30 MKI and the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft; Chetak, Cheetah and Dhruv helicopters; and transport aircraft for the security forces. An aerospace wing set up over two decades ago gave the Indian Space Research Organisation a leg–up in its space race by supplying key components for the Mars Orbiter mission and GSLV–Mark III launch in 2014. It has created an entire aviation and high–technology industrial eco–system by sourcing components from nearly 2,400 partners HAL supplies high precision structural and composite work packages for Airbus A–320 and Boeing–777 aircraft. It has manufactured 4,060 aircraft and helicopters, 4,900 aero engines, and overhauled / upgraded over 11,000 aircraft and 32,000 engines. Of late, it’s transforming the firm by ploughing 10 per cent of profits into R and D and is set to produce over 100 combat jets over the next decade to remain the mainstay of India’s aerospace might.

Resource referred: Magazine India Today, August 2017

Ridhi Garg, Class X C

AVIATION COMPLEX

HINDUSTAN

AERONAUTICS LIMITED

India’s premier research and development facility in nuclear sciences and engineering, scientists of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) gave the country a strategic edge by developing the nuclear bomb. They have developed variants of nuclear fuels to meet the needs of the country’s nuclear power plants as well as strategic requirements for its nuclear arsenal. BARC was instituted as the Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET), with Homi Jehangir Bhabha, who conceived India’s nuclear programme, as its first director. The primary task was to consolidate all research and development efforts for nuclear reactors and technology under the Atomic Energy Commission. AEET was renamed BARC in 1967. The first nuclear test reactors at BARC and the first power reactors at the Tarapur atomic power station were imported from the United States.

BARC has five test reactors. The facilities include research reactors for research and radioisotope production, plants for generating uranium metal and nuclear fuels, fuel reprocessing, waste immobilization and seismic stations. Dhruva represents the most significant engineering achievement. The high neutron flux reactor was designed, built and commissioned entirely by Indian engineers. It uses natural uranium as fuel, and heavy water as moderator and coolant. Dhruva is useful in investigations related to power reactor technology and production of radioisotopes required for special applications. The 100 MW reactor, though commissioned in 1985, initially experienced problems that delayed plutonium production for several years. The plutonium nuclear fuel used in India’s nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998 came from BARC’s reactors. The effort gave Indian scientists the technological knowhow and confidence to not only develop nuclear fuel for future reactors but also the capacity to refine it into weapons – grade fuel for developing nuclear weapons. BARC has also designed and built India’s first pressurized water reactor, which was commissioned at Kalpakkam near Chennai, as well as the power unit and propulsion reactor for INS Arihant, the first indigenous nuclear power ballistic missile submarine commissioned in 2016.


Hitakshi Gupta, Class X D

ATOMIC AWAKENING

GREEN CORRIDOR

KONKAN RAILWAY

This rail link was the brainchild of Praja Socialist Party leader Nath Bapu Rai, who mooted it first in the 1960s. The Konkan railway line was constructed in a record time of eight years. Better still, funds for this project were gathered together without making any demands on the central government’s coffers. Konkan Railway is still in the growth and expansion phase, with efforts ongoing since 2015 toward doubling the tracks and their electrification. The 740 – km- long link between Mumbai and Mangaluru passes through Maharashtra, Goa and Karanataka, offering spectacular views. It’s a constant challenge, though, to keep the line operable through 91 tunnels, 129 bridges and 4,000 – plus mm of rainfall.


Vansh Sharma, Class IX A

FARE PLAYIRCTC

Only a few years ago, booking a train ticket ranked high among the very worst of Indian agonies–possibly right next to getting a root canal without anesthesia. It usually involved endless queues in ticketing houses run by whimsical staff with no guarantee of anything but the slow wastage of time. Then, with the arrival of the Internet, the Indian Railway Catering and Ticket Corporation (IRCTC) launched online passenger reservation systems in August 2002. Like most big things, this had small beginnings – IRCTC’s online window sold 27 tickets on the first day and 3,343 tickets in the first month. Today, it sells over 600,000 tickets per day, over 55 per cent of railway ticket sales. Last year, it recorded sales of Rs.22,023 crore making it one of India’s largest e – commerce players and one of Asia’s largest such portals. At peak times, the IRCTC websites handles over 2,000,000 enquiries per hour. A mobile app introduced in 2015 sees 250,000 logins a day. There are complaints about slow speeds and server crashes, but these glitches are a far cry from the utterly joyless experience of physically buying a train ticket.


Kanan Arora, Class X B

Launching it as a weapon of political protest to promote Swadeshi, Mahatma Gandhi embedded khadi family in the national psyche. He set up the first khadi production centre at Kathiawad, Gujarat, in 1921. A quarter of a century later, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission as we know it today came into being a year after the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Act was passed in 1956. A statutory body under the micro, small and medium enterprises ministry, it seeks to “plan, promote, facilitate, organize and assist in the establishment and development of khadi and village industries in the rural areas in coordination with other agencies engaged in rural development wherever necessary”.

KVIC (Khadi and Village Industries Commission) has been in recent years pushing khadi in the branded space. In May this year, it partnered with Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd to launch a new line of khadi products under the Peter England brand. The same month, Raymond announced the launch of its khadi label – Khadi by Raymond. The company will be sourcing around 400,000 metres of khadi from khadi institutions. It has also signed an MoU with NIFT for better design development and training at different khadi institutions. Khadi is perhaps no longer what it was when Mahatma Gandhi sat with a charkha and spun a philosophy around it. It has lived a life of its own despite its heavy baggage of political symbolism, absorbing contemporary shades and blemishes, and evolved. It has added more layers to the characteristics, while retaining its fundamental ones, making it a fabric that reflects the times.


Ishika Bansal, Class X C

‘KHADI’ THE FABRIC OF OUR NATION: KHADI GRAM UDYOG

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The Election Commission of India is regarded as the guardian of free and fair elections. Over the years, it has grown from being just a constitutional rubber stamp with little or no power to regular electoral malpractices to one of the most respected and feared constitutional bodies. Reforms introduced by the EC over the decades – model code of conduct, ceiling on poll expenses, voter identity cards, electronic voting machines, and the recent NOTA (none of the above) option in EVMs – have all changed for the better the way we choose our representatives. In the beginning, the EC had only the chief election commissioner. Two more election commissioners were appointed by the President of India on October 16, 1989, to help the EC cope with the increased workload on account of lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18 years. The concept of two election commissioners was dropped in January 1990, but Parliament passed a law in 1991 to revive it.

• For the 2014 general elections, the Election Commission set up a voting booth in Gujarat’s Gir forest, manned by five people just for one voter, Mahant Bharatdas.

• 20,140 litres of unique violet ink was dispatched by Mysore Paints and Vannish Ltd. For electrons in 2014.


Bhuvi, Class IX A

DID YOU KNOW

VOTEELECTION COMMISSION

OF CONFIDENCE

A welfare state’s biggest challenge is to precisely identify the location of the recipients. The larger the population, the greater the challenge. For decades, this identification crisis lay at the heart of India’s notoriously leaky and inefficient public distribution system. Only 15 paise of every rupee reached the downtrodden, as former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi famously said in 1985 after travelling to Odisha’s drought – hit Kalahandi district. Opacity encouraged corruption as the state kept shooting in the dark.

It all began as a National Identify Card pilot project in 13 states in 2003, but got a boost with the creation of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) headed by Nandan Nilekani for an ambitious project to use thumbprints and retinal scans of the world’s second largest population to create a unique database, using 10 fingerprints, two iris scans and one facial photograph of 1.12 billion Indians. The scheme survived the test of government change. The world’s biggest biometrics – based identify platform, which covered roughly 88 per cent of India’s population, is now paying for itself. In 2015, the government distributed Rs.61,000 crore to over 300 million beneficiaries via direct benefit transfer. The flip side was the detection and deletion of 16 million bogus ration cards and resultant savings of about Rs.10,000 crore. India’s 12 – digit revolution is here to stay.


Somya Jindal, Class X C

THE IDENTITY

AADHAAR

INDIAN

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Let’s take a look at the interesting history of some common English words :

Squirrel comes from the Greek word skiouros literally meaning ‘shadow-tail’.

The adjective awkward is based on the Old Norse afugr, meaning ‘turned the wrong way around’. In this sense, it could be applied, for instance, to an animal that was on its back and unable to get up.

Have you ever been told not to run in corridors? Well, corridor evolved from the Latin currere ‘to run’ which actually means ‘running place’. The modern sense of ‘a long passage in a building’ dates from the early 19th century.

In early use, girl was used to refer to a child or young person of either gender. The origin of the term is not known for certain but it is perhaps related to Low German language meaning ‘child’.

The word computer has been used to refer to a person since 1613, to a machine since 1869, and to an electronic device since 1946.

A type of large wild cat with spots on its fur. It is related to the leopard. From Tupi – Guarani (indigenous languages of South America) jaguara / yaguara.

A tulip is a kind of flower which can be of various colours. Tulip may have come from the Turkish tulbend, meaning “turban”, referring to the shape of the flower.

Resource referred: The Times of India, Student edition, 4.12.17

Abhinav Parewa, Class VII D

SQUIRREL :

AWKWARD:

CORRIDOR :

GIRL :

COMPUTER:

JAGUAR :

TULIP :

INTERESTING WORD

MIT engineers have developed a new desktop three-dimensional (3D) printer that performs up to ten times faster than existing commercial counterparts. The most common printer may fabricate a few Lego-sized bricks in one hour, the new design can print similarly sized objects in just a few minutes.

The key to the team’s nimble design lies in the printer’s compact printhead, which incorporates two new, speed-enhancing components – a screw mechanism that feeds polymer material through a nozzle at high force; and a laser, built into the print head, that rapidly heats and melts the material,

enabling it to flow faster through the nozzle. The new printer demonstrates the potential for 3D printing to become a more viable production technique.The new printer may find “applications in emergency medicine, and for a variety of needs in remote locations”. Hart and Jamison Go, a former graduate researcher in Hart’s lab, set out to identify the underlying causes limiting the speed of the most common desktop 3D printers, which extrude plastic, layer by layer, in a process referred to in the industry as “fused filament fabrication”.


Sanskar, Class VIII E

3 D PRINTER THAT’S 10 TIMES FASTER

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ONGC anchors the country’s domestic oil production. It owns the biggest oil fields both onshore and offshore, including Bombay High, which produces 285,000 barrels a day, and the Barmer block, which produces over 200,00 barrels daily. Of the seven basins open for commercial production, six were opened by ONGC. ONGC has its origins in the Nehruvian era. The draft of the 1948 industrial policy laid emphasis on developing the petroleum sector. Prior to Independence, undivided India has only two oil producing companies- Assam Oil and Attack Oil. In 1955, India decided to copy the Soviet model and formed the Oil and Natural Gas Directorate. But Jawaharlal Nehru and his deputy minister in the Ministry Natural Resources. Keshava Deva Malviya, soon realised the model wasn’t working. In 1956, the directorate was raised to the status of commission with enhanced powers, although it continued to be under the government. The mandate of the commission was to plan, promote, organize and implement programmes to develop petroleum resources, including the sale of products produced by it. This was a time when private players dominated the limited exploration that India offered. The present government’s target of cutting down oil imports by 10 per cent by 2022 means ONGC will have to increase production accordingly. It is also working out its acquisition of public sector oil marketing company HPCL, which will strengthen its position in all three verticals of the oil business. In the past three years, oil process have been constantly hovering at round $60 a barrel, and most international players believe this will continue in the long term. As gross refining margins and marketing margins of refiners are up, ONGC can expect to see a future in this acquisition.

ØThe only fully – integrated Petroleum Company in India, operating along the entire hydrocarbon value chain.

ØHolds largest share of hydrocarbon acreages in India.

ØRefining capacity of about 12 MMTPA.

ØState – of – the – art seismic data acquisition, processing and interpretation facilities.

ØUses one of the Top Ten Virtual Reality Interpretation facilities in the world.

ØAlliances with Transocean, Schlumberger, Halliburton and Baker Hughes, IPR, Petrobras, Norsk, ENI, Shell.

ØOne of the biggest ERP implementations in the Asia. rdØRanks 3 Oil & Gas Exploration & Production

(E & P) Company in the world.

ØIn the past five decades, the ‘C’ in acronym ONGC changed from Commission to Corporation; now, the firm is known as just ONGC.


Sanchita, Class IX D

KEY FACTS ABOUT ONGC

STEPPING ON THE GAS: ONGC

7

Lucknow, the city of Nawabs, is immersed in courtly culture. Its refinements of manner and speech aside, the city is a treasure trove of sites and monuments steeped in history, and bazaars bustling with delectable food and exquisite crafts. The main remarkable feature of Lucknow is the Gomti river, the lifeline of the city. Known as the city of Nawabs and kebabs as well as adab (courtesy) and tehzeeb (refinement), Lucknow has several delights behind its veil.

Rumi Darwaza, is a 60 – foot gate built under the patronage of Nawab Asaf ud – Daula and is inspited by the Turkish Gate in Constantinople, Turkey. The gate is huge and is said to be the entrance to the Lucknow of yore and we can actually a get a sense of old world charm here. Close to the Rumi Darwaza is a 221 – foot clock tower, built in 1881 to commemorate the arrival of Sir George Couper, the first Lieutenant Governor of the United Province of Awadh. Locally called Ghantaghar, the clock tower has been influenced by both Victorian and Gothic designs. The most famous monument here is the Bara Imambara, also built by Nawab Asaf Ud–Daula during 1786 –91. Interestingly, this place has a staircase from the outside that leads to a series of labyrinths, the Bhul Bhulaiya, which has complicated maze passages, tunnels and steps that one must see with an authorized guide as some places are dark. The Chhota Imambara, also called the Hussainabad Imambara, is to the west of the Bara Imambara and is more elaborate in architecture with its golden dome, intricate calligraphy, stunning Belgium chandeliers, gilt – edged mirrors and bright stuccos. Built by Nawab Muhammad Ali Shah in 1838, it houses his tomb as well as those of other members of his family. The Jama Masjid, built in 1837, is another building that reflects the fine style of Mughal architecture. The pillars here have carvings inspired by both Hindu and Jain culture. Nearby is a gallery that displays life – size portraits of the Awadh Nawabs. In contrast to these buildings in the Residency, a group of buildings are housed in a neatly maintained structure that was built for British residents during Nawab Saadat Ali Khan’s rule between 1780 and 1800. This was originally a large complex with arched buildings, places of worship, residential quarters, barracks, an armoury, stables and dispensaries. This was also the seat of the siege of Lucknow during the First War of Independence in 1857,that took place from July to November 17. Today, however, it is set amidst terraced lawns and gardens and only muted ruins bear witness to the turmoil of 1857 with bullet marks and cannon balls from the time. The cemetery in the ruined church close by is said to house the graves of 2,000 people who died during the siege. However, to experience the real Lucknow and get a feel of its literature, fashion, cuisine, performing arts and food, one must head to the local markets, especially in the Chowk, Aminabad and Hazratganj areas. The highly recommended Chowk with its numerous lanes and bylanes famous for its extensive collection of reasonably priced Chicken embroidery and Zardozi work that is seen on a variety of garments and are great gifts to take back home. The tourism department of Uttar Pradesh has marked Lucknow as part of the Heritage are extending from Agra to Varanasi. Lucknow is a gateway to discover the culture, food and history of a region resonating with old world charm and heritage.

Resource referred: Magazine Discover

India, October 2017

Vaagisha Nagpal, Class X D

LUCKNOW NOW!

8

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

DMRC

CSIR National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur has developed a low cost automatic mechanical urinal flush toilet, a smart toilet solution for rural India. According to the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, around 40% of the production does not have proper sanitation facility and around 60% population lacks improved sanitation facility in rural areas; 99.8% deaths occur globally due to diarrhoea according to the World Health Organization (WHO), caused due to poor sanitation. In order to provide cost effective and hygienic alternative for flushing, CSIR – NEERI has developed this technology under its ‘CSIR 800’ project scheme. Conventional flush urinals require 4 – 14 litres of water at every flush and proper maintenance from time to time, which are cost intensive. With this urinal, the catastrophic hurdles like lack of water, unavailable flushing system and lack of maintenance are avoided. The system has zero dependency on electricity and works on the simple mechanism of spring. A platform near the urinal is attached to an overhead water storage tank. When a person stands on the platform to urinate, water automatically starts getting loaded in the flusher. Once the person steps out, water dispenses in the urinal from the flusher. The flushing mechanism reduces the requirement of water by 75% as only one litre of water gets dispensed automatically into the urinal. The system becomes an asset for sanitation in water–deprived areas. NEERI estimates that with an average of 1000 people in any establishment like office or school, up to Rs. 2 lakh will be save annually on water utilization. It comes as a boon for many municipalities which often face many challenges to build public toilets. Two units have already been installed within the NEERI campus for public use. Apart from that, four units are also placed in Maharashtra’s Khapri village as part of the testing phase. The potential areas where the urinal can be introduced in both rural as well as urban areas are railway stations, schools, municipal toilets and various tourist spots.

Resource referred: Magazine Science Reporter,November 2017

Ishika Malika, Class IX D

HANDS FREE

The Delhi Metro was not India’s first underground metro rail system. That distinction belongs to the Calcutta Metro commissioned in 1984. But what the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation did achieve was creating an institution that executed projects with breathtaking speed and efficiency with minimal time and cost over runs to deliver a world class mass rapid transit system. While Calcutta Metro’s 27 km stretch took 12 years to complete, the Delhi Metro took seven for its first 65 km line, two years and nine months ahead of schedule, in 2005. Today, the Delhi Metro spans 218 kms in Delhi, with 164 stations, and a separate 17 – km Airport Express link with six stations. It also snakes into Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, providing a pollution – free transport alternative to the vehicle choked National Capital Region Six Indian cities have the metro rail, with projects under way in a dozen others, from Ahmedabad to Kanpur. The DMRC Gold Standard of project execution has ensured its managing director, E. Sreedharan, 85, can never hang up his boots.

FACTS ABOUT DELHI METRO

The female voice of Delhi Metro, who speaks in English, is Ms. Rini Simon Khanna and male voice of Delhi Metro, who speaks in Hindi, is Mr. Shammi Narang. The escalators at all the Delhi Metro stations are provided with unique ‘Sari guard’ feature that sidetracks loose clothing such as saris of ladies from getting trapped in the escalator. Most of the metro station in the blue of Delhi Metro is inducted into rain water harvesting as an environment measure taken by up DMRC. The Delhi Metro Platform is constructed in such a way that blind people can easily walk on it without any one’s assistance. The yellow titles with horizontal lines serves as a path for the blind people and leads directly to the lift.


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Ø

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Gayatri Mann, Class X B

TOILETFLUSH

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RUBY is the fourth type of chocolate after dark, white and milk with distinctive flavour and colour that come naturally from the ruby cocoa bean. It offers a berry like flavor with no berries actually in the chocolate. Its flavour is described as being not bitter, milky or sweet, but a tension between berry–fruitiness and luscious smoothness. Barry Callebaut, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high–quality chocolate claims that it is the first new natural colour of the chocolate in over 80 years.

Resource referred: Magazine Science Reporter, November 2017

Jasmine Kaur, Class X B

1. The very first instance of a newspaper was commissioned was by Julius Caesar in 59BC, and it was a daily list of announcements that was carved into metal or stone and displayed publically.

2. Across the globe, more than 24 billion newspapers are published every year. That’s a lot of ink!

3. Newspapers make almost their entire income from advertisements. They write interesting articles so people will read them and look at the ads nearby. Advertisers pay for this access.

4. If everyone recycled their newspapers, we would save 250 million trees each year.

5. For Sunday newspapers (which are the biggest issues of the week), 500,000 trees have to be cut down each year.

6. Before we had modern newspapers, “written notices” were published in Venice circa 1556. They would cost a “gazette” (a Venetian coin), which is why many newspapers have Gazette in their titles.

7. The first crossword puzzle was published in a British newspaper called the Sunday Express in 1924.

8. There are less than 1,000 newspapers left in the United States (the most we ever had was 7,689). Many smaller communities now contribute to a “local” section of a larger paper.

9. Even though newspaper subscriptions are declining, they still reach billions of people every day. Smart publications are taking advantage of the Internet.

10. 99.4% of all retailers advertise their business in the newspaper.

11. Most readers only skim. They read headlines until they find an article that interests them. Very few people read a newspaper entirely.

12. Newspapers aren’t always region-based. Many newspapers are designed to support causes like charities, business industries, or hobbies. Often these are called newsletters, but they’re essentially the same thing (and usually displayed in similar formats).

13. Studies show that newspapers are the most effective place to advertise store sales and promotions.

Resource referred: https://www.surpriseride.com/13-interesting-facts-newspapers/Dhairya, Class V B

13 Interesting Facts about

NEWSPAPERS13 Interesting Facts about

NEWSPAPERS

RUBY CHOCOLATE

BY BARRY CALLEBAUT

10

There are a number of things we use in our daily lives that are harmful to the environment.Here’s is a list of 7 things that we need to replace rightaway:

WHY : Many hand wash brands contain the chemical triclosan which can lead to serious health conditions. The chemical is resilient and can survive water treatment – it can reach the ocean and destroy bacteria that form the base of the food chain.

ALTERNATIVE : Choose safe soaps that don’t contain triclosan, triclocarbon or fragrances. Alcohol – based sanitizers area better than those with active ingredients. You can even opt for natural soaps.

WHY : Some brands contain plastic microbeads, a leading contributor to the huge amounts of plastic that enter the ocean every year. In the long run, this affects wildlife and the marine environment. Microbeads don’t biodegrade easily and can’t be caught in clean – up exercises. They also attract toxic chemicals as they travel.

ALTERNATIVE : Use salt – and sugar – based or herbal toothpastes.

WHY : Wipes contains plastic and cannot be broken down easily like toilet paper. If flushed through the toilet or dumped in sewers, these non – biodegradable products cause blockages. They wash up in huge volumes on beaches.

ALTERNATIVE : It is better to use a cloth handkerchief or duster. If using wet wipes, you should dispose them off properly in garbage bins instead of flushing them down the toilet.

WHY : Plastic is non– biodegradable poses one of the major threats to the rapid decline in seabird populations as well as affect the marine environment.

ALTERNATIVE : Either use a reusable container for drinking water or throw your plastic bottles in garbage bins that send the trash for recycling thereby giving it a second life as packaging, home décor or even clothes.

WHY : Did you know there are 1 trillion non–biodegradable plastic bags ‘disposed’ each year which breaks down waterways, clogs landfills sites and releases toxic chemicals when burnt?

ALTERNATIVE : Use jute bags or paper bags that can be recycled as often as you can.

WHY : Do you wear everything that’s in your wardrobe? Unlikely. Do you know that while you are expanding your wardrobe with clothes that won’t even last you a season, thousands of tons of textile waste is being added to global landfills? The more we follow the new consumption pattern, the more energy and resources we waste when throwing old clothing away.

ALTERNATIVE : Buy only as much you will wear. You can contact NGOs that turn old clothes into useful material such as bags, comforters, even bedsheets, if you have anything in surplus.

WHY : Batteries contain toxic chemicals and heavy metals that can leach into the environment once the casing disintegrates. Did you know that just one battery can contaminate 400 litres of water and nearly 20 square metres of soil? It is illegal to dispose of household batteries in the trash.

ALTERNATIVE : Look for places in your neighbourhood where old batteries are collected for proper disposal or recycled into new ones. Collect old batteries and deposit them at these centres.

Resource referred: The Times of India, Student edition,6.2.17

Shivay Bajaj, Class VIII B

HANDWASH

TOOTHPASTE

WET WIPES

PLASTIC BOTTLES

PLASTIC BAGS

OLD CLOTHES

OLD BATTERIES

DAILY USE ITEMS TO SKIPDAILY USE ITEMS TO SKIP

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1) A flower named Cosmos atrosanguieus carries the aroma of a chocolate. It appears brown in colour.

2) Venus is the only planet in the solar system that rotates, clockwise, whereas all other planets rotate anti – clockwise.

3) A hug releases a hormone called oxytocin, which makes you feel relaxed.

4) Zebra stripe patterns are unique and just like fingerprints no two zebras carry similar stripes.

5) Every adult human being contains around 10 pounds of bacteria in the body.

6) The butterfly was originally called ‘flutterby’.

7) Red, yellow, and orange colours stimulate hunger.

8) Sound travels three times faster in water than in surface.

9) A person cannot snore and dream simultaneously.

10) Computer, smartphones, and internet can’t function without water.

Resource referred: Magazine Terragreen, October 2017

Saksham Koul Class XI A

DID YOU KNOW?

COLUMBUS ZOO AND AQUARIUM

The zoo is home to the world’s first gorilla born in captivity, Colo and has more than 7,000 animals

The first zoo in Columbus, the Columbus Zoological Company, is located in the north Riverview neighbourhood of Beechwold in Clintonville. The zoo opened in May 1905 but closed for unknown reasons only five months later

in October 1905.

The present Columbus Zoo opened in 1927 as the Columbus Zoologically Gardens.

The city of Columbus took over management of the zoo in 1951, but later gave up ownership to the Zoological Park Association, Inc, a non – profit organization, in 1970. The city continued

providing funds from the city’s general fund, however; until 1986.

The zoo has become a leader in breeding gorillas with 31 gorillas born at the zoo since 1956.

Jack Hanna became the director of the Columbus Zoo in 1978 and remained director until 1993. The zoo benefited greatly from his oversight, rising to national recognition during his tenure.

The animal exhibits are divided into regions of the world with the zoo currently operating eight such regions.

The North America region of the Columbus Zoo is the second–largest and the oldest.

The shore region is most well–known for the fish and manatee aquariums, known as ‘Discovery Reef ’ and ‘Manatee Coast’. In addition to the indoor aquariums, the shore region also features exhibits of American flamingos,

American alligators, and Humboldt penguins.

Resource referred: Hindustan Times, Student edition, 31.8.17

Arv Gupta,Class V B

BRIEF HISTORY

FEATURES

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January 25 is observed as National Tourism Day in India – a day earmarked by the Indian government to raise awareness on the importance of tourism for the country’s economy. Check out some interesting facts about Indian tourism……..

1) The travel and tourism industry contributed $124.8 billion to GDP in Indian in 2015 – this accounted for approximately 6% of India’s total GDP.

2) A 2014 study found that India was one of the fastest growing thtourism destinations worldwide, Placed in 11 in the list, the

direct contribution of travel and tourism to GDP in India was expected to grow at an average of 6.4% annually between 2014 and 2024.

3) Tourist arrivals in India increased to 8,91,000 in November from 7,54,000 in October 2016. It averaged 4,26,846.43 from 2000 until 2016, reaching an all – time high of 9,13,000 in December 2015 and a record low of 1,29,286 in May, 2001.

4) The largest source market for visitors to India was the US, followed by Bangladesh and the UK. Outbound travel from India is expected to reach 1.41 million in 2020.

5) Tourism in India provides 40 million jobs. The sector is expected to grow at an annual average growth rate of 7.9% till 2023, making India the third fastest growing tourism destinations over the next decade.

6) The industry provided more than 23.5 million jobs in 2015. Over 7.7% of Indian employees work in the tourism industry.


Pearl Bajaj, Class VIII D

Halloween is celebrated on the night of October 31.The world Halloween is the short form for ‘all hallows evening’ also known as Halloween Eve. On Halloween night, adults and children dress up as creatures from the underworld (ghosts, ghouls, zombies, witches, goblins), light bonfires, and enjoy the festivities. The houses are decorated by carving pumpkins or turnips into scary faces. Halloween has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival known as Samhain (pronounced “sahwin”). The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. Samhain was a period used by ancient pagans to take stock of supplies and prepare for winter. The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped and the deceased would come back to life and cause havoc such as sickness or damaged crops.

Virtually all present Halloween traditions can be traced to this ancient Celtic festival. Halloween is a holiday of many mysterious customs, but each one has a history, or at least a story behind it. The wearing of costumes, for instance, and roaming from door to door demanding treats can be traced to the Celtic period and the first few centuries of the Christian era, when it was believed that the souls of the dead were out and around, along with fairies, witches, and demons.

Offerings of food and drink were left out to placate them. As the centuries wore on, people began dressing like these dreadful creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This practice was the origin of the concept of trick–or–treating. The custom had become firmly established in popular culture by 1952, when Walt Disney portrayed it in the cartoon Trick or Treat. UNICEF first conducted a national campaign for children to raise funds for the charity while trick–or–treating.


Prerna Sharma, Class VIII D

WHERE, WHY AND HOW OF

HALLOWEEN

13

WHY ARE THE VIKINGS

NOTABLE IN THE HISTORY OF VOYAGES?

The Vikkings were Scandinavian seafaring traders, warrior and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas of Europe. They travelled in long, open ships. The Viking Ships also known as ‘dragon-ships’ or ‘longships’, were designed to travel at a comparatively high speed. The largest Vikings ship could carry about 100 sailors at a time. Their unique construction made them seaworthy. They were ‘clinker built’, which is a method of boat building, where the edges of hull planks overlap. They were usually finished with copper nails. These Scandinavian pirates were infamous for their raiding and invasion skills. They used to attack, raid, and loot coastal areas without any warning. The Vikings conquered most of the places they raided, and established their colonies in many of these lands. Though the Vikings travelled mostly for trading, their interest in raiding and looting made them the most – feared pirates of their time. They mainly targeted the British Isles, the Atlantic, and the North Sea shoreline of the Carolingian Empire, which included most of what is now France, Germany, and to east of what became Russia.

Resource referred: Magazine: Manorama Tell Me Why (Voyages that changed the World)

Amber Jain, Class IX A

CRAB SPECIES NAMED AFTER HARRY POTTER

CHARACTERS An underwater crab species has been named, after Harry Potter and Severus Snape – characters from J K Rowling’s popular novel series.

The new species and genius of crab, Harryplax severus, also honours researcher Harry Conley, who had collected the crab specimen about two decades ago. The new species is a tiny crab measuring less than a centimeter in both length and width and can be found deep inside a coral rubble.The crab’s species name, severus, is inspired by another character from the wizarding world – Prof Severus Snape, who despite being a central character in the series, keeps his background and agenda mysterious until the very end. The species is “just like the present new species which has eluded discovery until now,” researchers said.


Divij, Class V B

1) Name the American President who authorized the start of ‘Operation Ranch Hand’, the US Air Force’s Herbicide Programme in Vietnam.

2) Which is the most dominant tree species in the Teria ecosystem?

3) Which tree produces Margosa Oil ?

4) Who is known as the ‘Father of Oceanography’?

5) When is ‘International Day of Disaster Reduction’ celebrated every year?

6) The Pacific Geoduck is a species of which organism?

7) The world’s first wildlife sanctuary was declared in the third century BC in which country?

Resource referred: Magazine Terragreen, October 2017Yash Sharma, Class XI A

1. John F.Kennedy, 2. Sal 3. Neem 4. Mathem Maury 5. October 13 6. Saltwater Clam 7. Sri Lanka

14

According to research by Quartz, that looked at 195 states in the Oxford Concise Dictionary of World Place – Names, most country’s names fall into one of the four categories. They are…………….

Norway means “northern way”

Australia means “southern”

Algeria is named after its capital city Algiers, which means “the islands”

Costa Rica means “the rich coast”

Barbados means “the bearded ones” after its great banyan tree

Sierra Leone is thought to have been named “Lion Mountains”, possibly because of the sounds of thunder in the hills. “Singa” is lion in Malay

France is named after the Franks, a popular tribe

Italy’s name comes from the Vitali tribe

Switzerland originated from the Schwyz people

Vietnam means Viet – people of the South

Papua New Guinea is thought to describe people native to Melanesia, and “papua” means “frizzy – haired” and Guinea came from Spanish explorer Ynigo Ortiz de Retes who thought they looked like African Guineans because they had dark skin

thThe Philippines is named after Spain’s 16 century king Philip II

Bollivia is named after the Venezuelan revolutionary Simon Bolivar

The USA is named after Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci


1) A DIRECTIONAL DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY

2) A FEATURE OF LAND

3) TRIBES AND ETHNIC GROUPS

4) AN IMPORTANT PERSON

Harsh Suri, Class IX D

EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD IS NAMED AFTER ONE OF FOUR THINGS

Hundreds of sticky threads, known as byssus, glue mussels to slippery, wave – pounded rocks. Mussels make the threads by squeezing quick – setting liquid protein into a groove in their muscly foot. The key ingredients are called ‘mussel adhesive proteins’, or MAPs, which form weak bonds with the rock. They’re being investigated as the chemical inspiration for surgical glues that would work inside living bodies. And for the production of hard–wearing, self–healing polymers to manufacture replacements hip and knee joints. Synthetic MAPs may even be used to fix anti – fouling chemicals to the bottoms of boats, to stop animals like mussels from sticking on.

Resource referred: Magazine: Knowledge, September 2017Prabhakar Bindlish, Class IX A

HOW DO MUSSELS STICK

TO WET ROCKS?

HOW DO MUSSELS STICK

TO WET ROCKS?

15

Christopher Columbus’ voyage had disheartening moments too. One of them was the wreck of the ship Santa Maria. The other ships of the Columbus expedition were the smaller, caravel–type ships Santa Clara, remembered as La Nina and La Pinta. Columbus named the island of Haiti as Espanoia or The Spanish island, in honour of the Spanish Crown. It was at north Haiti that the Santa Maria sank. The currents carried the ship to a sandbank. Columbus tried to float the ship off the bank, but the tide was lower and the ship was firmly grounded. The Santa Maria tilted to one side as the water level fell. Then, the ship’s seams began to open. With a horrific crack, the planking split open and the seawater rushed into the ship from below the waterline. Columbus’ flagship Santa Maria couldn’t be re-floated and saved, it was a terrible disaster. Columbus ordered his men to strip the timbers from the ship. These timbers were later used to build a fort, which Columbus called ‘La Navidad’ because the wreck occurred on Christmas Day, north from the modern town of Limonade.

Resource referred: Magazine: Manorama Tell Me Why (Voyages that changed the World)Rohit Jindal, Class IX A

WHY IS IT SAID THAT COLUMBUS’ VOYAGE ALSO HAD MANY UNHAPPY EVENTS?

Henry the Navigator was Portuguese prince, soldier, and patron of explorers. His real name was Henrique. Henry the Navigator never actually took command of a ship, or went on a voyage, but he sent many expedition fleets down Africa’s west coast. He played a pivotal role in bringing Portugal to the forefront of seafaring and exploration. He was the major initiator of the so called ‘Age of Discovery’. He was the driving force behind the early development of Portuguese exploration and maritime trade with other continents through the systematic exploration of Western Africa, the islands of the Atlantic Ocean, and the search for new routes. Henry’s father King John I was the founder of the House of Aviz, the second dynasty of the kings of Portugal. Henry encouraged his father to conquer Ceuta. On the North African coast, across the Straits of Gibraltar from the lberian Peninsula. He learned the opportunities from the Saharan trade routes, and became fascinated with Africa. He grew up intrigued by the idea of expanding Portuguese trade, and thus benefitting his homeland.

Resource referred: Magazine: Manorama Tell Me Why (Voyages that changed the World)

Naman Mehta, Class X D

WHY IS HENRY THE NAVIGATOR CONSIDERED A SIGNIFICANT FIGURE IN THE HISTORY OF VOYAGES?

WHY IS HENRY THE NAVIGATOR CONSIDERED A SIGNIFICANT FIGURE IN THE HISTORY OF VOYAGES?

The 2011 Kumbh Mela was the largest gathering of people with over 75 million pilgrims. The gathering was so huge that the crowd was visible from space.


Prerna Bajaj Class VIII D

16

CelebrationsIN DECEMBER

Festivals are a part of every nation’s cultural heritage. They lend zest, colour and grandeur to an otherwise humdrum everyday routine and enrich our lives. Festivals help us to stay connected to our roots, our culture, our values and our origin.

DECEMBER, the last month of the year, is marked by cold, darkness, and in some parts of the country by rain. With this month also comes the inevitable pang of sadness at the realization that this year, with all its joys and sorrows, is drawing to an end and will soon be gone by good. However, the overall gloom is dispelled by many festivals across the country which light up our lives in more ways than one.

An important festival of Tamil Nadu is Karthigai Deepam, the festival of lights. One of the State’s oldest festivals, Kathigai Deepam, Predates Diwali and Navarati. Its antiquity is borne out by the fact that it is mentioned in literature dating back to the Sangam age (200 B.C. to 300 A.D.) as a Tamil peruvizha (major festival). Ancient temple inscriptions in the State also refer to the festival.

Karthigai Deepam is dedicated to Lord Shiva and his son, Lord Muruga. In fact, the entire Karthigai month is sacred to Muruga as it is believed to be his birth month. Fire is a predominant motif of his festival and the burning lamp is considered an auspicious symbol, believed to fend off evil forces and usher in prosperity. Rows of lamps of different sizes, shapes and colours are lit and placed in and outside homes and temples. The festival assumes a special significance at the temple of Arunchaleswara (Siva) in Thiruvannamalai, where it is believed that the Lord appeared as a pillar of fire on the Karthigai day.

On December 3, the Feast of St. Francis Xavier is celebrated in the Basilica of Bom Jesus, Goa. The festival commemorates the death of Saint Franc Xavier, a 16th – century Jesuit missionary who arrived in Goa in 1542 and is considered by Goans to be their patron saint. Special prayer services are held from November 21 onwards. The Basilica and the surrounding roads are beautifully decorated to greet the lakhs of worshippers who throng to the cathedral on this occasion.

During the first ten days of December, the North–Eastern state of Nagaland comes alive to pulsating rhythm of music, dancing and revelry during the Hornbill Festival. It’s a week – long cultural extravangaza organised by the Government of Nagaland to encourage inter–tribal interaction and promote Nagaland’s culture heritage. The festival is named after the Great Indian Hornbill, a bird that is central to the Naga tradition, symbolized in their costumes and eulogized in Naga folklore. The venue in the Naga Heritage Village in Kisama, 12 km from the state’s capital Kohima. There are 16 gates, representing Nagaland’s 16 major tribes.

The festival which originated in the year 2000, was organized as a local heritage event to calcite with the celebration of Nagaland Statehood Day on 1st December. However, today it has grown beyond its boundaries to become an international festival and a major tourist attraction. In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian Head of State to attend the festival. The festival highlights include music concerts, dance performances, stall selling tribal food, herbal medicines, handicrafts, flower shows, fashion shows, archery, Naga wrestling, and interesting competitions (including a popular chilli-eating contest in which Assam Regiment soldiers) in which the officers enthusiastically participated.

One of the most popular festivals worldwide, which is also celebrated in India, is Christmas – joyous occasion that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. As other places, in India and Christians mark Christmas Day by attending special church services, wearing new clothes and preparing a special festive meal which is eaten with family and friends. A Nativity scene is put up at home with small clay figurines and an illuminated Christmas tree, decorated with stars and baubles, is kept. Christmas carols are sung and gifts are exchanged among family members.

Resource referred: Magazine Children’s World, December 2017

Nandini Achhra, Class VIII A

17

PANGOLIN

THE MOST HUNTED ANIMAL

IN THE WORLD

It’s the only mammal (in the world) that has scales considered as good as gold in the black market. That’s why more than a million pangolins have been illegally hunted and killed in just the last decade. It is estimated that 100,000 pangolins are captured every year from across Africa and Asia, with most shipped to China and Vietnam. Covered in tough, overlapping scales, pangolins are indigenous to parts of Asia and Africa. They eat ants using their pink, sticky tongues which are almost as long as their bodies. Unfortunately, these scaly anteaters fetch a high prize in the black market as their meat is prized as delicacy and their body parts as ingredients in traditional medicine in some regions of Asia and Africa. Out of a total eight species, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has classed two as ‘critically endangered; two as ‘endangered’ and four as ‘vulnerable’. One of the reasons that makes it the most hunted animal. When touched, it coils so humans can pick it up easily. Pangolin scales have been known to sell in the black market for over $3,000 a kilogram. The pangolin is the only mammal in the world with scales. These scales are made of keratin (also found in our fingernails, rhino horns and bird talons).The pangolin’s scales are meant for its protection but in traditional Chinese medicine the scales are dried and roasted as a remedy for relieving palsy, stimulating lactation and draining pus.

Resource referred: The Times of India, Student edition

Eshan Mishra, Class VI D

It was Video Games Day on July 8. The day celebrates popular video games that stormed into the market and changed the way we play games. Some of the most successful video games in history are:

Developed in 1980, it became pop culture staple in that period and led to the sales of countless merchandise, an animated TV series, and a top 10 hit single. Pac Man is the most famous arcade game of all time, and the highest grossing video game ever with a generated income of $ 2.5 billion, all before 1990.

Developed in 1994, this was the first game of use pre–rendered sprites, which create a 3D effect throughout the game. Its graphics were made from silicon 3D graphic models compressed for 2D Super Nintendo Entertainment System that gave its animations several vivid details.

Released by Blizzard Entertainment in 1994, it is hugely popular with over 12 million players worldwide and is currently the world’s most subscribed game.

Mario is the face of Nintendo. Mario owns Guinness World Records for the “Best Selling Video Game Series of All Time”, “Most Prolific Video Game Character”, and even “First Movie Based on an Existing Video Game”.

PAC MAN

DONKEY KONG COUNTRY

WORLD OF WARCRAFT

SUPER MARIO BROS


Rhythem, Class V B

18

Usain Bolt has been a superhuman with a larger–than–life image, winning our heart for every stunt he performs. Although he has announced his retirement, the poster boy of track and field athletics will always be remembered as the greatest of all time.

In the summer of 2008 at the Olympics in Beijing, Usain Bolt made an entry as an underdog but proved everyone wrong. He ran with one shoe untied, but this didn’t affect him. At the post event conference, Bolt said this signature style will be remembered even after he retires. True that!

World record # 2 was set during the 2008 Olympic Games at the Men’s 200 m individual event. Bolt runs 19.30s to separate himself from the field as well as the rest of the world yet again! Bolt announced before the games that the record in the 200m would fall and that the winner of the race would be Jamaican.

Somehow, Bolt always makes time to celebrate during his races, rather than only afterwards and he does so while making it look a lot easier than it should be.

There was never a dull moment during the WCs in 2009, as Bolt set two records again in the 100m / 200m and the relay team ran the 2nd fastest time ever in the world. He ran 9.58, 19.19 and the Jamaican relay team ran 37.31 secs. Bolt agreed that this was the toughest of the races he had ever ran. At one point during the relay, Bolt said he thought his legs would give in. But it didn’t and went on a winning spree.

At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Bolt was eliminated from the 100m finals due to a false start. He came back strongly to win the gold medal in 200m with a timing of 19.40 seconds. He then partnered his Jamaican team mates to set a world record time of 37.04 seconds in 4x100m relay. The false start became viral on the internet and a lot of memes were generated but Bolt was unfazzeld. “Such things happe…. I am not perfect. I am not God”, he had said. This goes down as one of his favourite

He participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics and created history to become the first man to successfully defend both the 100m and 200m Olympic sprint titles. He also won the 4x100m relay race and achieved the ‘Double Triple’ title,

1)

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

Usain Bolt has been a superhuman with a larger–than–life image, winning our heart for every stunt he performs. Although he has announced his retirement, the poster boy of track and field athletics will always be remembered as the greatest of all time.

1) In the summer of 2008 at the Olympics in Beijing, Usain Bolt made an entry as an underdog but proved everyone wrong. He ran with one shoe untied, but this didn’t affect him. At the post event conference, Bolt said this signature style will be remembered even after he retires. True that!

2) World record # 2 was set during the 2008 Olympic Games at the Men’s 200 m individual event. Bolt runs 19.30s to separate himself from the field as well as the rest of the world yet again! Bolt announced before the games that the record in the 200m would fall and that the winner of the race would be Jamaican.

3) Somehow, Bolt always makes time to celebrate during his races, rather than only afterwards and he does so while making it look a lot easier than it should be.

4) There was never a dull moment during the WCs in 2009, as Bolt set two records again in the 100m / 200m and the relay team ran the 2nd fastest time ever in the world. He ran 9.58, 19.19 and the Jamaican relay team ran 37.31 secs. Bolt agreed that this was the toughest of the races he had ever ran. At one point during the relay, Bolt said he thought his legs would give in. But it didn’t and went on a winning spree.

5) At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Bolt was eliminated from the 100m finals due to a false start. He came back strongly to win the gold medal in 200m with a timing of 19.40 seconds. He then partnered his Jamaican team mates to set a world record time of 37.04 seconds in 4x100m relay. The false start became viral on the internet and a lot of memes were generated but Bolt was unfazzeld. “Such things happe…. I am not perfect. I am not God”, he had said. This goes down as one of his favourite

6) He participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics and created history to become the first man to successfully defend both the 100m and 200m Olympic sprint titles. He also won the 4x100m relay race and achieved the ‘Double Triple’ title,

FAST AND FURIOUSraising his overall Olympics medal tally to 6 gold medals. He won the

100m race in 9.63 seconds and 200m race in 19.32 seconds.

At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, he emerged victorious in 100m and 200m, with a timing of 9.77 seconds and 19.66 seconds, respectively. He also won the gold medal in the 4x100 metres relay final and became the most successful athlete in the 30 – year history of the World Championships.

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he was coming back from a hamstring injury and thus didn’t’ participate in 100m and 200m races. He participated in the 4 x 100m relay and helped his team with a gold.

At the 2015 Beijing World Championships, he went on to win the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay race with the timings of 9.79 seconds, 19.55 seconds and 37.36 seconds, respectively. He also joined Carl Lewis and Maurice Greene on a record three 100m world titles and recorded his fourth consecutive win over 200m at the World Championships.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he once again won the gold medals in all the three events and took his overall Olympics medal tally to 9 gold medals. He won 100m in 9.81 seconds, 200m in 19.78 seconds and 4 x 100m relay in 37.27 seconds.

Usain Bolt doesn’t train when he isn’t in Jamaica.

He keeps a pet cheetah.

He was a huge fan of Waqar Younis’ blowing as a kid.

He ate 1,000 nuggets over the course of 10 days.

Usain Bolt owns a restaurant called ‘Tracks and Records’. It is a music lounge, described as ‘the first of its kind in the Caribbean region’, striving to ‘break the barriers of a causal eatery and sports lounge’. As eateries go, it’s a bit of a chimera – 7,000 square feet including Jamaican fusion menu, hi – tech seating, a retail shop carrying

exclusive brand Bolt products, 45 flat screen for sporting and the words.

7)

8)

9)

10)

11) TRIVIA

Ø

Ø

Ø

Ø

HE OWNS A RESTAURANT IN JAMAICA :

raising his overall Olympics medal tally to 6 gold medals. He won the 100m race in 9.63 seconds and 200m race in 19.32 seconds.

7) At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, he emerged victorious in 100m and 200m, with a timing of 9.77 seconds and 19.66 seconds, respectively. He also won the gold medal in the 4x100 metres relay final and became the most successful athlete in the 30 – year history of the World Championships.

8) At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he was coming back from a hamstring injury and thus didn’t’ participate in 100m and 200m races. He participated in the 4 x 100m relay and helped his team with a gold.

9) At the 2015 Beijing World Championships, he went on to win the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay race with the timings of 9.79 seconds, 19.55 seconds and 37.36 seconds, respectively. He also joined Carl Lewis and Maurice Greene on a record three 100m world titles and recorded his fourth consecutive win over 200m at the World Championships.

10) At the 2016 Rio Olympics, he once again won the gold medals in all the three events and took his overall Olympics medal tally to 9 gold medals. He won 100m in 9.81 seconds, 200m in 19.78 seconds and 4 x 100m relay in 37.27 seconds.

11) TRIVIA

ØUsain Bolt doesn’t train when he isn’t in Jamaica.

ØHe keeps a pet cheetah.

ØHe was a huge fan of Waqar Younis’ blowing as a kid.

ØHe ate 1,000 nuggets over the course of 10 days.

Usain Bolt owns a restaurant called ‘Tracks and Records’. It is a music lounge, described as ‘the first of its kind in the Caribbean region’, striving to ‘break the barriers of a causal eatery and sports lounge’. As eateries go, it’s a bit of a chimera – 7,000 square feet including Jamaican fusion menu, hi – tech seating, a retail shop carrying

exclusive brand Bolt products, 45 flat screen for sporting and the words.

HE OWNS A RESTAURANT IN JAMAICA :

19

Declared by the WHO ( Wo r l d H e a l t h Organisation) pollution statistics as the cleanest capital city of the world, Stockholm – capital of Sweden – aims to be fossil free by 2050. The beautiful Scandinavian city is also popular for its natural beauty, beaches and architecture, among other things.

The Stockholm Arciphelago buffers the city from the Baltic Sea and is made up of about 24,000 low – lying islands. The picturesque land is situated on 14 islands connected by 57 bridges. Stockholm is also home to 96 beaches. This is the reason why the people of this city own around 200,00 boats.

Since 1901, this city has been hosting the Nobel Prize ceremonies. Everyone who receives the prize signs in the guestbook of the Nobel Museum’s café. Here, you can order the food relished by them from the “Nobel ceremony” menu!

Stockholm’s oldest remaining building – the Riddarholmskyrkan – is used as the final resting place of Swedish monarchs. It was built in 1270.

Stockholm’s sports can concert hall – Globen - is considered to be the world’s largest multi – purpose arena. Also, the Marten Trotzigs Grand Alley here is the narrowest alley in the world – its diameter is barely 90 cm.

Stockholm has several museums including the world’s first open air museum – Skansen – located on the island, Djurgarden.

The residence of the Swedish royalty, Royal Apartments, with its 500 chambers, also features famous former monarch Gustav III’s belongings.

The traditional Swedish buffet, smorgasbord, is few centuries old. To save serving time, Swedes transfer all the food into large dishes, and arrange them neatly on the table.

ISLANDS, BEACHES AND BOAT OWNERS

HOSTS NOBEL PRIZE CEREMONY

OLD WORLD CHARM

CITY OF MANY FIRSTS

WORLD’S FIRST OPEN AIR MUSEUM

A ROYAL PALACE

UNIQUE CULINARY CULTURE AND TRADITIONS


Shubhra, Class IX C

STOCKHOLM

20

ECO WARRIORS WHO ARE CHANGING THE WORLDFrom teaching people how to farm at home and harnessing the power of the sun to creating ecologically viable dwellings to cleaning up streets, beaches and managing waste efficiently... our eco warriors, comprising both individuals and organizations, are working tirelessly at the grassroots level to ensure a cleaner future.

This NGO in Bengaluru is teaching people how to farm at home because rising pollution levels in the city have made farm produce toxic. The NGO was founded by entomologist, Dr B. N Vishwanath, an authority on organic farming, terrace gardening, landscaping and bio fertilizers. Their aim is to encourage people to generate more oxygen, atop and around their homes by planting fruits and vegetables.

Located about 20km from the state capital, Kohima, Khonoma is India’s first green village. Self – sustaining, this village has a system of nourishing the environment with nitrogen dioxide, rather than carbon dioxide. People here do not cut trees, instead, they plant Alder tress alongside their crops to prevent soil erosion.

Based in Chennai, Solar Suresh, as he is known locally, transformed his home and made it completely electricity self – reliant. His home draws its entire supply of electricity from solar energy. He also composts his food waste, which is then used to energise a bio-gas plant - this is the fuel that cooks his meals. Now this is what we call green power!

The world’s largest beach clean-up was organised in Mumbai’s Versova beach in 2015, thanks to his lawyer. Initially Shah was the only one cleaning up the ‘plastic island’, but six months later, he managed to get 150 volunteers. Not only is Versova beach spotlessly clean now, but Shah’s efforts won him the UN’s Champions of the Earth award for his initiative.

Also called Garbage Girls, she is the co-founder of Waste Warriors, an organisation dedicated to cleaning up the streets and managing waste. The vision of this outfit is to clean India and create a system which ensures that every citizen disposes waste properly. It would also like to instill a sense of responsibility and national pride regarding cleanliness among people.

GARDEN CITY FARMERS

KHONOMA, NAGALAND

D SURESH

AFROZ SHAH

JODIE UNDERHILL


Kashish Garg, Class IX C

THE GUTENBERG BIBLE was the first book printed with moveable metal type. Before its

printing in 1454 or 1455, books were either copied by hand or printed from engraved

wooden blocks – methods that could take up to months or years to complete. Johannes

Gutenberg invented a printing press that revolutionized the distribution of knowledge by

making it possible to produce many copies of a work in a relatively short amount of time.

Written in Latin, the Gutenberg Bible is an edition of the Vulgate, printed by Gutenberg, in

Mainz, Germany, in the 1450s.

21

DTC

INDIAN AIRLINES

THE TRADE FAIR

STATE BANK OF INDI A

OPERATION FLOOD

Incorporated by the government in 1948, the logo’s inter-connecting arrows signify the inter-state local bus services designed by Benoy Sarkar.

Another of Benoy Sarkar’s designs. Sarkar designed many memorable logos and identified programmes for corporations and institutions. This one was designed around 1946.

Symbol was designed by Benoy Sarkar in 1974, when the government of India started external trade.

Designed by Shekhar Kamat, the logo was unveiled on October 1, 1971, the day the SBI Central Office building at Backbay Reclamation, Bombay was inaugurated.

Designed by Vikas Satwalekar (1970 – 71), the drop logo symbolizes the movement started by Verghese Kurien for National Dairy Development Board.

Resource referred: Hindustan Times, Student edition, 04.01.18

Anvi Garg, Class VI D

The world’s largest optical and infrared telescope, that will help scientists under the inner working of the universe is currently being built in Chile by the European Southern Observatory. The telescope has a mirror which is 39 metres in diameter.

Unique in features, the Extra Large Telescope (ELT) is modeled as an adaptive telescope with the ability of checking and correcting atmospheric turbulences. The giant telescope is all set for completion and launch in 2024.

Scientists from Oxford University are playing a major role in the ambitious project; the team is responsible for the construction and design of the telescope’s spectrograph, called ‘HARMONI’, as specially developed equipment to simultaneously take almost 4,000 images – each in slightly different colour tone.

The near-infrared instrument will utilize the telescope’s adaptive optics to provide extremely vivid images.

‘HARMONI’ will allow researchers to gather a more in-depth picture of the formation and evolution of the various objects in the universe. It will help researchers to view everything from the planets; both in nearby galaxies and in our own solar system with amazing precision. With ELT, the gradual evolution of galaxies could be observed.

The telescope, when functional, will catalyse inventions that are not so easily feasible. In contemporary times, it will also inspire numerous people around the world to think about science, technology and our place in the universe.


Swayam, Class VII B

SPECIAL FEATURES

HARMONI

INFRARED EQUIPMENT

EVOLUTION OF THE UNIVERSE

GLOBAL INSPIRATION

ICONIC Designs

WORLD’S FIRST INFRARED

TELESCOPE

Designs

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1795 :

1802 :

1835 :

1846 :

1850 :

Madame Tussaud is born as Marie Grosholtz in a village near Strasbourg.

Marie models the famous author and philosopher, Francois Voltaire.

She becomes art tutor to King Louis XVI’s sister and goes to live at the Royal Court.

On the eve of the French Revolution. Marie returns to Paris to make death masks.

Marie is imprisoned with her mother in the notorious Laforce Prison, Paris.

The French Revolution ends and Marie inherits Dr. Philippe Curtius’ Wax exhibition.

She marries Francois Tussaud, a civil engineer. The couple have two sons, Joseph and Francois.

Madame Tussaud takes her exhibition on tour to the British Isles, leaving behind her husband.

With her sons, she establishes a base in London at ‘The Baker Street Bazaar’. She gets instantly popular.

The title ‘Chamber of Horrors’ was given to a room where morbid relics of the Revolution are housed.

Marie dies at her Baker Street home in London. Her sons were at her bedside when she passed away.

Resource referred: Times of India, Student edition, 02.11.17

Pakhi Sharma, Class IX B

THE MAKING OF STAR

A painting of Christ by Renaissance master Leonardo Va Vinci sold for a record $450 million at an auction, smashing previous records for artworks. The painting, ‘Salvator Mundi’, Latin for ‘Saviour of the World’, is one of the fewer than 20 paintings by Da Vinci known to exist. It was sold by Christie’s auction house, which didn’t immediately identify the buyer.

The 26-inch tall painting dates from around 1500 and shows Christ dressed in Renaissance style robes, his right hand raised in blessing as his left hand holds a crystal sphere.

Owned by King Charles I, the painting disappeared from view until 1900, when it resurfaced. The latest seller, Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev, bought it for $127.5 million in 2013.

Salvator Mundi is thought to have been painted by Da Vinci around 1500 A.D.

Previously believed lost, it was later presumed destroyed. In 1958, it was sold for $ 60.

Resource referred : The Times of India, Student edition, 20.11.17

Ayushi Parashar, Class IX E

‘SALVADOR’ FACT FILE

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DA VINCI SOLD FOR $ 450 MILLIONDA VINCI SOLD FOR $ 450 MILLION

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Did you know US President – Donald Trump suffers from bathmophobia? It’s the fear of slopes of stairs. This phobia is quite similar to climacophobia, or the fear of climbing stairs. Well, Trump is not the only leader to suffer from a phobia. Here are some other famous personalities who have experienced some kind of fear in their life...

From a young lawyer, who couldn’t speak before a judge in a courtroom to a national leader who moved the masses, Gandhi travelled a long way. He was said to have experienced a fear of public speaking early in life and spoken about “the awful strain of public speaking”, which prevented him from even making a friendly dinner speech. However, he was able to overcome it later in life.

The ‘Master of Suspense’ feared eggs. In an interview, he said, “I’m frightened of eggs, worse than frightened, they revolt me. That white round thing without any holes... Have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid? Blood is jolly, red. But egg yolk is yellow, revolting. I’ve never tasted it”.

Many people are afraid of mice, but when you attribute the fear to the creator of the world’s most famous mouse, Mickey Mouse, it becomes iconic. It is widely believed that Disney was afraid of mice, but thought them to be sympathetic creatures nonetheless. Though some refute this claim, it is certainly intriguing that Mickey Mouse was created by a man who, as rumour has it, feared mice.

The soccer superstar always looks perfectly groomed, with not a hair out of place. It is no coincidence that Beckham has ataxophobia, the fear of disorder. In an interview, he said, “I must have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs. I’ll put my soda cans in the fridge and if there’s one too many I’ll put it in another cupboard somewhere. I’ll go into a hotel room and before I can relax, I have to move all the leaflets and all the books and put them in a drawer. Everything has to be perfect”.


Karan Arora, Class X B

MAHATMA GANDHI: FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING

ALFRED HITCHCOCK; FEAR OF EGGS

WALT DISNEY: FEAR OF MICE

DAVID BECKHAM: FEAR OF DISORDER

BIZZARE PHOBIAS

USE LEFTOVER SOAPS TO MAKE A NEW SOAP

USE LEFTOVER FOOD SCRAPS TO MAKE AIR FRESHNER

1) Save as many scraps of soap as possible. If you have different varieties, your new product will be a mixture of colours.

2) Break the scraps into smaller pieces. Put them in a deep pan and fill with enough water. Turn the burner to medium heat.

3) Boil scraps on medium heat for a few minutes. You don’t have to boil it over, just let it simmer for some time. Stir often until the water and soap scraps start sticking together.

4) Pour the solution in a steel container. This will separate the excess water.

5) Take some glass bowls and grease the insides with some oil. This will help the soap come out easily later.

6) Take a large spoon and pour the soapy solutions into the bowls. Leave the bowls overnight in the refrigerator. Next morning, use a sharp object to carve the ‘soap’ out of the bowls.

1) All you need is some kind of dried, sweet-smelling spice like cinnamon, nutmeg, or dried vanilla powder, a little oil, and some inedible scraps from your favourite fruit.

2) Place the scraps on a piece of wax paper, tin foil or a small ramekin; add the oil, the spice, and bake it all in the oven at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

3) The pleasant smell should last for a couple hours.


Payas Agarwal, Class X B

HOW YOU CAN RECYCLE LEFTOVERS AT HOME

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A new study has found that Caribbean staghorn corals (Acropara cervicornis) are benefiting from ‘coral gardening’, the process of restoring coral populations by planting laboratory-raised coal fragments on reefs. The research, led by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science and partners, has important implications for the long-term survival of coral reefs worldwide, which have been in worldwide decline from multiple stressors, such as climate change and ocean pollution.

In the study, the researchers set out to document restoration success during their initial two years at several coal restoration sites in Florida and Puerto Rico. Their findings showed that current restoration methods are not causing excess damage to donor colonies as a result of removing coral tissue to propagate new coral in the lab and that once out planted, corals behave just as wild colonies do.

Stag horn coral populations have declined as much as 90 per cent in the Caribbean since the 1980s. As a result, the spices were listed as threatened under the UD Endangered Species Act in 2006 to help protect and conserve these species that form the foundation of the biologically-rich coral reef habitats.

The findings, published in the journal Coral Reefs, offer a guide for successful restoration and recovery efforts of the threatened species worldwide.

Thousand of corals are raised in laboratories and planted onto degraded reefs each year. This study is the first to collect baseline coral restoration survival and productivity data at regional scales, including data from thousands of individual. A cervicornis colonies, more than 120 distinct genotypes within six geographical regions to develop benchmarks to fully assess the progress and impacts of the region’s coral and reef restoration efforts.

Coral reefs provide many goods and services including fisheries habitat, food for humans and other ocean species, and protection against natural hazards, such as hurricanes. As a result, coral restoration is viewed as an effective and cost efficient strategy to buffer coastlines from the effects of storm surge and sea-level rise.

Resource referred: Magazine Terragreen, September 2017

Vanshika Virmani, Class VIII E

CORAL GARDENINGBENEFITTING CARIBBEAN REEFS

The organisation (founded by a group of university friends in 2008) is building a global grassroots climate movement that can hold global leaders accountable to take measures against the fossil fuel industry and build clean energy for all. It was built with the goal of uniting climate activists in 189 countries have enrolled their names. In India, activists have mobilized people to speak up against the country’s dependence on coal.

.ORG

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ADVANTAGES OF ENERGY – EFFICIENT APPLIANCES

REFRIGERATORS

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Amongst the barrage of technological advancements, home – improvement appliances constitute a considerable portion demanding its own share of investors and consumers. While there is no denying the numerous advantages that have indeed facilitated a better standard of life, the flip side, however, is rather grim. In our urgency to outdo ourselves by creating faster gizmos that hardly seem to take any time to complete tasks, not all is well and balanced in this technologically driven cityscape.

We truly live in a wonderful world! Using a tiny, flat gadget that fits in our hand, we can speak to a friend on the other side of the world. Another hand – held device allows us to view a football match – capturing all its excitement and colour – taking place on another continent. Cooking is not the old smoky, sweaty, greasy, and lengthy affair it used to be. Thanks to microwave ovens and pressure cookers, cooking has become an easy task.

These are just a few amongst the various other gadgets that did not exist many years ago. However, such inventions that make our lives simpler come at a price. Nearly all the things we use in our homes are harmful to the environment; they are usually made from materials that exhaust our planet depleting resources that cannot be replenished. Moreover, many of the items use far too much electricity and are often wasteful or poisonous to the environment.

Not many are aware of the fact that homes are the world’s largest consumers of electricity. Energy waste is formidable global issue requiring serious involvement of countries to keep it under check. Little acts of carelessness on our part, such as keeping the computer on when not using it or not switching off lights when not in the room, add up to an enormous electricity drain that we can only imagine.

There are several ways to turn our homes green and cut down energy consumption. The question is how? We can get and use products that help to save resources, such as water and energy. We should use products that do not pollute the air, water, and land, especially the common gadgets in our homes.

In a hot, tropical country such as India, a fridge has become a basic necessity. Over the last 15 years or so, refrigerators have changed quite remarkably. While they may still look more or less the same, their inner workings are not. They have become a lot greener and efficient.

Let us look at what we need to keep in mind; how new refrigerators are better and more beneficial.

Refrigerators, as a rule, work wonderfully for 12 to 16 years. After that they start to give trouble and the energy efficiency begins to wane. This is when we should think about acquiring a new one.

The new models of fridges are extremely efficient and are guaranteed to reduce electricity bill every month. They have more efficient compressors and better insulation that greatly improve the energy performance.

The energy – efficient models may be more expensive than the less – efficient units. The energy / electricity you save with the help of the efficient models will more than cover the cost difference in a very short period of time. We will, beyond a doubt stand to gain the long run benefit.

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WASHING MACHINES

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The Energy Star qualified models are better. Why? Because they use about 20 per cent less electricity than the other types. And if your fridge is a 2001 models, or older, it would be using 40 per cent more than the Energy Star certified ones.

It is better to get the top-freezer models and avoid the side-by-side ones because the top-freeze models are far more efficient users of energy. The side-by-side freezer models are attractive to customers because they have more space. However, in terms of energy consumption that extra space means more energy usage.

The biggest mistake that many people make when they buy a new refrigerator is keeping the old one! While the old one may have a sentimental value attached to it, it is wise to let it go. Apart from becoming a cherished relic, it will have little utility purpose. Many homes with an old fridge have their well meaning intentions of going green dashed. In such circumstances, it is best to give it to a recycling agency.

Once considered to be an item of pride that was showed off to neighbours and friends, washing machines have now become a common sight in every household. A modern-day necessity, these are terrific labour and time-saving things that lets us spend more time on other useful activities.

While these may be wonderful, washing machines can be great energy and water guzzlers. Some studies have found that washing machines use around 14 per cent of the average electricity of a middle-income household’s total energy consumption. This, in no uncertain terms, is quite a lot of money and electricity. So, here are a few tips to keep in mind when buying a new washing machine. These tips will make homes greener and save quite a bit of money.

If one has a washing machine that is older than 10 years, it is a good idea to replace it with a new energy – efficient model. Old machines are inefficient in both water consumption and electricity usage.

Get the Energy Star certified models as they are really efficient. According to the US Department of Energy, an efficient washer requires 50 per cent less energy than a standard washer and uses 65 to 100 litres less water per load, saving us a considerable amount of money per year. In addition, efficient washers are gentler on clothes, leading to less wear and tear.

Get front – loading washing machines as they are more energy and water efficient than the top – loading ones.

We all seem to think that warm water washes cleaner than cold. Not true! In fact, we must use cold water as using hot water can increase the electricity bill.

Wash a full load of clothes. Washers are most efficient when completely full.

The incandescent lamp or light bulb has been in existence, in one form or another, for over 140 years. We do not realize it, but this small, simple item in every room in every house is a huge energy consumer. Undoubtedly, the light bulb has served us well, but its time has passed. Better, improved, and far more efficient lights are constantly being developed.

Let us take a look at the advantages and benefits of switching to the new, efficient, environmentally friendly, and longer lasting bulbs that are now available.

Start off by changing all the bulbs to Energy Star–certified ones. Products certified by this are subject to very strict efficiency, quality and energy consumption standards.

Exchange your old, traditional (incandescent) bulbs for fluorescent lighting. These use 75 pr cent less energy and can last ten times longer.

Start using LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting. These also use 75 per cent less energy than the incandescent bulbs.

LED efficiency is better than fluorescent lighting.

The best argument for using fluorescent or LED lights is that they can save us a lot of money on electricity costs.


Aryan Taneja, Class VIII E

LIVE A LIVE A

LIFELIFE

26

SHE LIVES IN SAUDI ARABIA

LIMITED RIGHTS

Saudi Arabia has become the first country to give a robot citizenship. The move is an attempt to promote Saudi Arabia as a place to develop artificial intelligence – and presumably, allow it to become a full citizen.

The robot named Sophia, was confirmed as a Saudi Citizen during an event in Riyadh.

A number of web users, however, pointed out that while the country might be celebrating the rights it has given to female – appearing robots, it still only gives limited rights to human women.


Nityanshi Singh, Class VI D

Nature is replete with hardworking animals that work for long days and nights just to survive in the animal kingdom. Many of them perform tasks that are similar to what we do, though they may have completely different reasons and unique tools for completing them. For instance, beavers work as nature’s engineers, Bowerbirds work as interior decorators, and Cleaner wrasse is called nature’s beauticians. Let’s take a look at some examples to find out how hardworking these animals are.

Ants are well known for their collective intelligence, strength and shrewdness. They work in well – organised groups and have evolved different techniques to collect food in difficult conditions. Their underground passages help aerate soil, making them an important part of ecosystem.

The beaver is a semi – aquatic and nocturnal animal. These long-toothed mammals build small lodges, canals, dams, etc. in rivers or streams to create ponds suitable for their lodging needs. They build dams and canals to protect themselves from the fast-flowing water and also from predators. All the same time, they also provide a useful service to other creatures like ducks and moose, which use the ponds as a water source, irritation.

Wrasses are brightly coloured marine fish. Typical cleaner wrasses feed on the material removed from other fishes and also on the dead tissues of the other fishes. They act as a cleaner to the fishes providing a parasite – free environment.

These tiny bugs are social and cooperative insects, responsible for a multi–million dollar business. They work hard to mark honey and contribute to the pollination of fruits, berries, vegetables, etc. Their hives have long provided us honey and beewax.

Bowerbirds are creative engineers. To attract females, the males build, decorate, and maintain elaborate structures arranging pebbles, shells, flowers and other objects to stage the nest.

Resource referred: Magazine Science Reporter, July 2017

ANTS – THE MINI FARMERS

BEAVERS – NATURE’S ENGINEERS

WRASSES – BEAUTICIANS OF THE WATER WORLD

HONEY BEES – THE CORPORATE WORKERS

BOWERBIRDS – THE INTERIOR DECORATORS

Garima Agrawal, Class VII D

NATURE’S INDUSTRIOUS ANIMALS

MEET THE WORLD’S

ST1 CITIZEN

SOPHIA

ROBOT

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From time immemorial, human beings have lived on Earth using its resources and producing wastes of many different kinds. But, now this must stop to protect our planet from disaster. Here are some simple ways in which we could help in reducing the production of waste by adopting zero – waste lifestyle.

Humans have been looking for growth and development in various fields since the dawn of civilization. Growth meant unrestrained, unwarranted resource consumption and consequent waste generation. The more was said, researched, and done about waste recycling, the more careless and clueless we became of the amount and kind of waste we generate. Living as sustainably as possible does not sound out of the world because often we do not have an idea of how our actions or thoughts can have an effect, however microscopic it might be, on our planet. Quantifying waste reduction and letting people know about it will make great inroads into waste management.

Many voices have been raised against plastic pollution, but, we have generally failed to hear them. Down cycle or recycle, plastic is forever. Coalitions against plastic pollution are on the rise, but we will be freed from the sobering reality of plastic garbage only when countries stop producing plastic with immediate effect. If ‘stop using plastic’ doesn’t work magic then ‘stop producing plastic’ could do the trick.

Wise choices that don’t lead to overflowing trash bins and dump yards should be encouraged at the societal level. The path for a clean India emerges from homes. Every individual must be educated for independent participation in making waste-free-choices. Masters of discontent are cashing it on the new mood of the parents in wishing to indulge their children’s whims. There is much buying for children, and the things brought, used, not-used, and trashed are determined by what the child wants rather than what the child needs or the parents want for the child. Therefore, make wise choices during your shopping trips.

Beware of planned obsolescence. An existing product may look outmoded when a new one is introduced. Even the best of products, of course, wears out after some time. Model numbers of products are found in hard to notice places. No replacement of parts can be made until the model number is located. Manufacturers of products should place the model number in such a way that it is visible to the human eye. If at all we locate the model number, either replacement parts cost more or ailing parts are inaccessible.

Alluring packaging, cans, and wrappers that we throw away isn’t a free dividend to any consumer. What’s so inconvenient about taking along our containers, oil jars, eggs holders, and bags while we go shopping in our car? There is certain packaging that costs ten times as much as the products inside. Ordering milk in reusable glass containers from the local milk booth or taking packed fruits and vegetables into our own bowls would also mean educating a fellow being or an onlooker. Therefore, please try to carry your own containers and bags for shopping.

Reusable bags, water bottles, hankies / tissues; try to carry your own cloth bags for shopping

Reduce the consumption of fast food and junk food

Try using reusable utensils and returnable containers.

Try to repair and mend your articles.

Ditch plastic wrap and try phasing out plastic.

Try growing your own vegetables on your terrace garden (if applicable)

Adopt composting.

We should stop assuming that the stuff we trash into bins disappears in thin air. So, let us all be cautious about what we trash. ‘Greed Not, Trash Not’ should be our mantra. If we do not accomplish this, the world’s population and resources can’t be brought into a more tolerable balance and the competition by nations for resources that they badly need will generate ugly frictions exploding into warfare.


Aakriti Singhal, Class VIII E

SHUN PLASTICS AND BE THE CHANGE

BUY IN NEED AND NOT GREED

PERCEPTIONS OF WEAR AND TEAR

CARRY A BAG NOT POLYTHENE CARRY BAGS

MAKE A DIFFERENCE THAT LASTS •

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WE ARE THE SOLUTIONADOPTING A LOW WASTE LIFESTYLE

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MUKUNDRA HILLS were home to tigers historically. It also acted as a vital connect and support for the dispersing from the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, which is currently home to more than 65 tigers. With an aim to revive the tiger population in the Mukundra Hills region, the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve was established in 2013. Kota district of Rajasthan was once home to a thriving tiger population. However, hunting of the tiger during the colonial period and even afterwards, combined with extensive loss of habitat due to forest loss due to forestry operations, overgrazing and excessive extraction of firewood, quarrying, among others led to a steady decline and ultimately loss of tigers in the region. Located in this region is the newly declared Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR), which currently holds no tigers. A sub – adult tiger was last seen there in 2003, the tiger is believed to have made its way to the area from Ranthambore travelling a distance of around 100 to 150 km. The journey however was short – lived as the tiger was run over by a train.

It established in 2013 was is one of the youngest tiger reserves in India. The reserve is divided into six ranges, the topography of all of which is strikingly unique. The Jawahar Sagar range showcases the spectacular beauty of the Chambi River, which passes through the tiger reserve. It is also the range where the maximum number of abandoned mines are present, some of which have become permanent water bodies as the rain water gets collected in these. Dense forests are a special features of Borawas, Kolipura, and Rawntha ranges. Kalipura and Rawntha ranges have many drains where water is present throughout the year in pockets. Darra and Gagron ranges on the other hand have a mix of grasslands and forests.

Management practices aimed at future improving the habitat and enhancement of the prey base can help MHTR emerge as a potential habitat supporting dispersing tigers from Ranthambore. The Rajasthan State Forest Department is planning to translocate its first tiger to MHTR by the end of 2017. At the same time ensuring natural connectivity from Ranthambore to MHTR through Ramgarh – Visdhari Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) and the Reserve Forest areas of Bundi division under the territorial wing is critical. The Western India Tiger Landscape of WWF India in partnership with the Rajasthan Forest Department has taken up a series of initiatives to build a secure future and strengthen protection of tigers and prey species in MHTR. A monitoring exercise was conducted jointly with the Rajasthani Forest Department in 2017 covering all six ranges, and camera traps were installed at 94 locations in the months from April to June. While no tiger signs were found, the monitoring exercises revealed the presence of a healthy prey base population in the region. It also showed a good density of leopards, sloth bears, and hyenas. The Indian wolf is also present in some area. Jackals and jungle cat are also present representing medium – sized carnivores. Amongst the ungulates, nilgai and Indian gazelle were found to be present in all the ranges of the tiger reserve, while spotted deer and sambhar deer are present in Borawas, Kolipura, Rawntha and Darra range.In order to build the capacities of the forest department personnel and ensure that exercises, such as camera trapping, become a part of their routine, frontline staff was provided intensive training spanning over ten days on the operation and deployment of camera traps.

Forest guards were also taught the basics of using a GPS device and even identifying signs of animals. The camera traps were checked at regular intervals and the images were shown and discussed with the forest staff of the respective ranges. The presence of a healthy prey population in MHTR gives reason for hope that the area will once again become a stronghold of tigers. However, in order that the region continues to host a healthy population of tigers, maintaining the connectivity to Ranthambore Tiger Reserve through the wildlife corridors is of utmost importance. The natural dispersal of tigers is a necessary function, to maintain genetic diversity and avoid conflict. Lack of dispersal and increase in the tiger population at the source site also often leads to a concurrent increase in human wildlife conflict.

Resource referred: Magazine Terragreen, August 2017

Tanisha Goyal, Class X C

MUKUNDRA

TIGER

HILLS

RESERVE

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PUDUCHERRY is a beautiful, clean and peaceful tourist destination with architectural and cultural remnants from French colonization. To further lend a helping hand to the clean image of Puducherry, Prof. S.A. Abbasi from Pondicherry University, Chinna Kalapet in Puducherry has designed a simple, low cost and efficient waste water treatment plant called SHEFROL (Sheet Flow Root Level) bioreactor. It costs just Rs.20,000 as compared to a standard sewage treatment plant which costs around Rs. 50 lakh.

This is green technology as the system uses aquatic plants to absorb chemicals, pathogens and microorganisms from waste water. Two aquatic plants – four leaf clover and water hyacinth act as natural agents for phytoremediation. The system consists of pits and channels over which non – permeable sheets are placed. Waste water is allowed to flow slowly across the aquatic plants, which are grown over the sheets, thus detoxifying and improving it for further use in irrigating fields and gardens.

Because of the intensive ‘water – root – micro – organism’ contact made in these units, more than 80% of the wastewater treatment is completed in about 2 hours as compared to 2 days or more needed in other systems.

Prof. Abbasi and his colleagues, S. Gajalakshmi and Tasneem Abbasi tested the system before setting up a pilot plant in the university campus itself way back in 2005. In 2011 they received financial support from the Department of Biotechnology and registered a patent claim and published it in the official journal of the patent office, India.

Eventually, in 2014, a SHEFROL plant was set up in Chinna Kalapet by Ph. D. students of Pondicherry University, Ashraf Bhat, as part of his thesis work with the guidance of Assistant Professor Tasneem Abbasi.

The SHEFROL plant is easy to build, is scalable depending on the need and requires low maintenance. Every day, grey water (house–hold sewage) from nearly 38 houses is fed into the plant that has a capacity of 10,000 litres. The plant takes only six hours to treat the waste water and does not use any chemicals. The system makes use of topography and gravity, thus doing away with the requirement of pumping water. This simple system can be set up of dismantled easily as well as scaled up or scaled down as per need. The inventors of SHEFROL plant want more villages across India to use this eco – friendly system to decontaminate waste water and they are offering transfer of process to communities free of cost. Also, the team is working for complete cataloguing of non – commercial aquatic plants that are commonly available in different regions of India.

Sarvam, a Tamil Nadu – based NGO, is already working to install SHEFROL plants in several villages in the state while several European and Middle – Eastern nations have expressed interest in implementing this system in their countries.

Resource referred: Magazine Science Reporter, July 2017

Maynak Pant, Class X C

SHEFROL BIOREACTORAN ECO

FRIENDLY

The small character, hashtag which started life as an organizational tool, has become part of common parlance in the past decade...

1) The idea to use the # to organise tweets and groups on Twitter was first suggested on August 23, 2007, by former Google and Uber designer Chris Messina.

2) The 1,186th user on Twitter, Messina posted a message asking fellow users what they thought about using the hashtag to collate people and messages.

3) At the time, the 140 – character network had been around for more than a year and had hundreds of thousands of users.

4) The first hashtag to be used on Twitter was Messina’s sample #barcamp. Barcamp is a loosely – structured network of people that run user–generated conferences about tech and the internet.

5) In the first year after the invention of the hashtag icon, the most used was #noticias, the Spanish term for news.

6) The term hashtag was added to the Merriam Webster dictionary in 2014. The definition said: “A word or phrase preceded by the symbol # that classifies or categorises the accompanying text (such as a tweet)”.


Shubh Sharma, Class VI B

# TURNS 10

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1) PARIS EWERS MUSEUM – VALUTED WALLED SEWERS

2) THE MUSUEM OF BAD ART (MOBA), USA – AWFUL ART TO WIDEST AUDIENCE

3) UPSIDE – DOWN MUSEUM, PHILIPPINES

4) THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON – GEOLOGICAL EXHIBITION

5) CORPUS MUSEUM, THE NETHERLANDS – INSIGHTS INTO HUMAN ANATOMY

6) BEIJING MUSEUM OF TAP WATER – ONE OF A KIND

7) SCIENCE CITY, KOLKATA – SCIENCE POPULARISATION

8) CANCUN UNDERWATER MUSEUM, MEXICO – UNDERWATER ART MUSEUM

9) G U G G E N H E I M M U S E U M , N E W Y O R K – ARCHITECTURAL ICON

The archive displays a chronological history of the sewer frame work tracing its development through the centuries and showcases engineering achievements far ahead of their time and uncovers the massive network of connections underneath the city.

The world’s only museum devoted to the collection preservation, exhibition and celebration of bad art in all the forms.

Gives a topsy – turvy experience with optical illusions where everything is upside down : a house, a bridge with real cars attached to the ceiling, and many more.

The museum reveals the amalgamation of science and technology with architectural magnificence and showcases a broad range of specimens from various segments of natural history.

The world’s first museum that takes you to the entire anatomy of the human body and reveals how the body functions, how various organs relate to each other and what can be done to keep them healthy.

The museum is built on the original place of the first water plant in Beijing – Zhongzhimen Water Plant – and displays the history of tap water in China with real objects, pictures, models, etc.

The largest science museum in India with several of interactive exhibits like Dynamotion, Maritime Centre, Space Odyssey, Evolution Theme Park, a Mini Auditorium, a Seminar Hall building, etc. The museum showcases science and technology in a stimulating and engaging environment.

The museum is the aqua world of sculptures which are made of pH – neutral concrete and clay where marine life can thrive on their surfaces.

The renowned art museum with a distinctive spiral architecture where pieces have been displayed on a continuous path from the top to the bottom of the gallery.

Resource referred: Magazine Science Reporter, August 2017Pragyan Yadav, Class X C

UNIQUE

MUSEUMS

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Humans may have built huge structures. But let us not forget to appreciate the architectural marvels of the tiny termites, the ever – lasting structures built by the corals, and the infrastructure building acumen of the hard working beavers. We now know too well about human ingenuity and expertise in constructing massive structures. Are there any parallels in the world of creatures other than humans? Sure there are – let’s take a look at one such example – the termites.

Have you ever seen a termite – mound in the wild? In many villages, towns and cities there is a constant threat of these tiny arthropod creatures for they are bestowed with some amazing symbiont – parasites, from whom their gut receives cellulose digesting enzyme called ‘cellulase’. So, they can easily digest wood. Nutrition for these termites is provided by flagellate protozoans living anaerobically (i.e. without oxygen) in the hindgut part of termites and secreting enzymes cellulase and cellobiase, which break down cellulose into simple sugar (glucose) and acetic acid. The

termites depend entirely on these gut – dwelling protozoans for cellulose digestion. Without these microbes the termites would starve and ultimately die. However, consider the fear of these tiny ant – like creatures, which is indeed jaw–dropping. These diminutive arthropods damage wooden – structures and furniture. Termites –mounds at some places are massive structures made by these tiny creatures using particles of clay, silt and sand, which are stuck together with the help of their unique sticky saliva secretion from their mouth. And thus safe passages, alleys, lanes, and by–lanes are constructed within these remarkably designed earthen mounds. One mound is a dwelling–place for many millions of termites. Believe it or not, their underground passages are even as deep as 70 metres. Surprising though in some termite hills, found in Central and Northern Australia, some part of Africa and elsewhere too, scientists found tiny fragments of gold, which these tiny arthropods might have picked up from that depth of the earth the miners used to dig out gold from. Termites have a remarkable ability, they can vertically move subsoil from great depths. While living in the fifth–floor of an apartment, the authors witnessed in the late nineties, the unbelievable endurance of these tiny – creatures, moving subsoil particles up there through the minute passages within the concrete and cement plasters of the columns of a multistoried – building!

Off late, entomologists – scientists studying insects, have been helping the miners and mining companies by using these insects to help find new gold and other mineral deposits all over the world. Besides the tall and impressive mounds, the smaller nondescript ones too would hold cues about mining prospects of an area. Ancient African civilizations used termites and their enormous mounds as a starting place for prospecting and uncovering deposits.

Inside the mounds are honeycomb like structures within which they grow fungus. Other kinds of spectacular mounds are built by fungus – growing termites found in the regions of Indo – Malaya and Africa. Ants and ant – like many creatures evolved their fungus – growing ability in the course of gradual evolutionary transformations in the past millions of years. The most widely acclaimed ones are the famous “leaf-cutter ants”.

So, while ascending in the elevator of Burj Khalifa at Dubai, or peeping through a window of a jetliner to enjoy the spectacular view of the Great

Wall of China, do not forget to appreciate the architectural marvels of the tiny termites.

Resource referred: Magazine Science Reporter, September 2017

SUPER ARCHITECTS – TERMITES

Tanya Goel, Class VIII D

The Great BUILDERS

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“The saperas – the snake charmers – with their bamboo baskets, loose robes, and beans are a part of our collective memories. The children and adults alike would step out to see the black cobras most had never seen in their lives.”India was known as the land of snake charmers. Not anymore. Most of us view the changing perception as a good sign. But isn’t that also a sign that a nation and culture, since as far back as the collective memory goes, is now a land that prides itself in the disconnect?

The sapera would go from door to door, make the snake way to the tune of his been and ask for offering for the Naag Devta. These semi – nomadic and ascetic communities – such as Kalbelia of Rajasthan, Sapua Kela of West Bengal, Naagbachcha of Odisha, and so on – are spread all over India. These nomadic saperas go from city to city not only providing entertainment but many indigenous services, such as treating snake bites in remote villages, specializing in herbal medicines, capturing and removing venomous animals from homes and fields, selling snake venom to chemical laboratories, etc.

After the Wildlife Act of 1972, Sapera villages were routinely raided. These events have been documented by the Wildlife Trust of India in an effort to negotiate both the preservation of wildlife and the culture heritage of saperas.We tend to superimpose human emotions on animal welfare. Cruelty against animals should be seen in a broader, multidimensional perspective of a long-term co-existence with nature, which,

incidentally, has diminished as the advancing man leaves nature behind in his great walk. Saperas have historically done a great service by sensitizing people towards snakes and trying to soften the age – old fear and hatred towards these reptiles.

Saperas, madaaris, qalandars, the Adivasis (tribals) – who would keep only what they took from the jungle – represent the dying traditions of India. We shun them in the name of cruelty. Cruelty towards animals is highly

objectionable. But what is cruelty? We spray on a deodorant contributing to greenhouse gas, put on leather shoes of cattle skin, get into a car that further drills into the ozone hole, reach our friend’s place

built on the grave of millions of insects, switch on the AC that drills into the ozone hole deeper, sip on tea made of milk that belongs to the calf, pat our pet dog, and sigh about the ‘cruel saperas, madaaris, and zoos. The drive against bans should begin with banning our purist approach.

May be a little respect, and a more robust perspective and understanding that some of the notions that we discard as cruelty today may be the only remaining links we have

with the natural world.

Resource referred: Magazine Terragreen, July 2017

Trish Arora, Class X C

INDIA, STILL A LAND OF SNAKE CHARMERS… ?

APRIL 25 was observed as World Penguin Day, which coincides with the annual northward migration of penguins. Here are some interesting facts about the popular grounded birds…

1) Penguins are one of about 40 species of flight-less birds. Other flightless birds include rheas, cassowaries, kiwis, ostriches and emus.

2) Most scientists agree that there are 17 species of penguins. The fastest species is the Gentoo Penguin, which can reach swimming speeds up to 22 mph.

3) Oil spills kill approximately 20,000 adult and 22,000 juvenile Magellanic Penguins off the coast of Argentina every year. The Magellanic Penguin is named after Ferdinand Magellan, who first saw the oil spills in 1520.

4) Penguin nesting areas are called rookeries and may contain thousands of pairs of birds.

5) Each penguin has a distinct call, which allows individual penguins to find their mates and chicks even in the largest groups.

6) Penguins’ unique colouring is called countershading. To predators looking down from above, the penguin’s black backs helps them blend into the dark ocean. To predators looking up from underwater, the penguin’s white belly blends in against the light sky and snow.

7) The earliest known penguin fossil is Wainmanu Manneringi, dating about 60 million years ago. The fossil was discovered in Antarctica in 1980. Its name comes from the Maori term for “water bird”.


Dev, Class VIII E

PENGUINS’ DAY

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EDUCATION – FINLAND

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION – GERMANY

GENDER EQUALITY – ICELAND

HEALTH – CUBA AND THE UK

PEACE – NEW ZEALAND

WORKING CONDITIONS – THE NETHERLANDS

PUBLIC TRANSPORT – SWITZERLAND

Finland’s education is the world’s finest, and it’s free all the way from kindergarten to university. Teachers are drawn from the top 10% of graduates and paid top salaries. Over two – thirds of those leaving school go to university, based on their own aptitude and career needs. High levels of personal attention from teachers ensure shorter and more productive study-time, less homework and more fun. Finnish students are top performers in global PISA rankings.

Nearly 35% of Germany’s energy needs are met through a mix of renewable sources-solar, wind, hydro, biomass – while ensuring power of its highly industrialized economy and high-income citizens. Widespread recycling of water and solid waste and a commitment to cutting emissions give Germany some solid green credit.

This small, cold country is the best place in the world to be a woman. A full 57% of professional and technical workers, 41% of its MPs and 44% of its ministers are female. 83% of working-age women are actually working, unlike India where only 22% work, that too in agriculture. And here’s more – by 2022, Iceland had vowed to close its gender pay gap too.

Cuba’s universal healthcare is a model for the world, with extensive focus on primary care and preventive medicine through well-trained community doctors. Also so, despite its poverty, life expectancy in Cuba rivals that in the US.

No wars, terrorism, riots or lynch mobs, practically no crime – does not sound like a dream? Well; say hello to New Zealand. This Pacific nation is politically stable, gets along with its neighbours and respects human rights.

A six-hour work day, high average wages, sick leave up to two years, pension and old age benefits make it a pleasure to work in the Netherlands. This flexibility and support extended to all levels of the working population. The Dutch take their work – life balance seriously, and are the happier for it.

Getting from point A to B in Switzerland is the easiest thing, thanks to extensive and excellent road, rail and air networks. This world-class infrastructure is backed by top engineering and technological skills.


Muskan, Class IX B

WHAT INDIA CAN LEARN FROM THE BEST IN THE WORLD

Austen never added her name to her novels, and would only say they were ‘By a Lady’. The little page of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ said ‘by the author of Sense and Sensibility’. Her name was revealed after her death by her brother.

Goodreads has listed over 90 books which are based on various Austen novels – including ‘Emma’, ‘Sense’ and ‘Sensibility’. ‘Mansfield Park’.

Since the 1940s, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ has been adapted nine times for film and TV audience. The 1995 BBC production ‘is by far the most popular.

Now there are Austen themed tours, which offer a visit to her birth-place -Hampshire, her local church, and home, which displays her writing desk.

TRIVIA

Ø

Ø

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In the month of December, a thick smog rolled into New Delhi and NCR, making skyscrapers look like Showdowns, turning clear air into a grey fog. Here are examples of countries, that have won the ‘battle’ and work towards getting cleaner air.

Paris bans cars in many historic central districts on weekends, imposes odd – even bans on vehicles, makes public transports and encourages car and bike sharing programmes. From 2016, the city banned vehicles that are older than 19 years.

Politicians want to ban the sale of all petrol and diesel cars by 2025. They want to allow only electric or hydrogen vehicles. The proposed new law will however, allow those who already own a petrol or diesel car to continue using it. The city has been encouraging people to use bicycles.

The Finnish capital plans to drastically reduce cars on its streets by investing heavily in better public transport, imposing steep parking fees, encouraging bikes and walking and converting inner city ring roads into residential and walking areas. The idea is to boost the city’s public transport and make it carfree by 2050.

Copenhagen prioritizes bikes over cars and has more cycles than people. Thy city calculates that one mile on a bike is worth $0.42 to society. Large parts of the Danish capital have been closed to vehicles for decades.

Freiburg in Germany has 500 km bike routes, tramways. Vauban, a suburb, forbids people to park near their homes and makes car – owners pay for a space on the edge of town. In return for living car -free, people are offered cheaper housing, free transport, etc.

Zurich has capped the number of parking spaces in the city, and allows only a certain number of cars into the city at any one time. It is also building more car – free areas, plazas, tram lines and pedestrianised streets. Result : less traffic jams and pollution.

The southern Brazilian city of 2 million people has one of the biggest and lowest cost bus systems in the world. Nearly 70% of the city goes to work by public transport and the result is pollution -free air and traffic -free streets.

Once called the smog capital of the world, the city implemented Clean Air Act – there has been major improvement in air quality since 1970, much of it because of state and federal regulations.


Pushna Ajay Kulkarni, Class IX E

1) PARIS

2) THE NETHERLANDS

3) HELSINKI

4) COPENHAGEN

5) FREIBURG

6) ZURICH

7) CURITIBA

8) LOS ANGELES

SMOG IN OTHER COUNTRIES

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THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

ONE – TRICK PONY

LET SLEEPING DOGS LIFE

WEASEL OUT (OF SOMETHING)

OPEN A CAN OF WORMS

THE WORLD IS YOUR OYSTER

EAGLE EYES

“The elephant in the room” is an idiom for a problem or controversial issue that is too big to ignore but one that everyone tries to avoid talking about because it is embarrassing or will cause conflict.

A pony is a small horse, which is often used for shows, competitions, and exhibitions. People teach ponies “tricks” to perform at the shows. If a pony only knows one trick, then it doesn’t have a great variety of abilities. So describing someone as a ‘one – trick pony’ means the person has only one ability or good quality that he / she is known for, and doesn’t have any other abilities.

When someone says ‘let sleeping dogs lie,’ he’s saying let things be. Often, you’re in a situation you can’t change, so you should just leave it. It’s also used to tell someone to stay that’s not their business.

Weasels are known to be sneaky. If a person ‘weasels out of ’ a responsibility, it means they abandon their responsibility or commitment in a way that is sneaky. My roommate always tries to weasel out of doing the dishes.

This phrase is often used when you try to solve a problem or answer a question but end up creating more problems or more questions. Nobody is sure of the exact origin of this idiom, but some people believe it came from a time when fishermen bought canned worms for bait. They would bring the worms to the fishing site, but if they knocked the can over, the fish would have a feast!

It’s not easy to open an oyster. To find an opportunity in the world, is like opening an oyster, implying it’s not easy. At times, when you open an oyster, you’ll find a pearl. When you say that ‘the world is your oyster’ you have a positive outlook about opportunities in front of you.

This animal idiom is similar to watching like a hawk’, but when someone says ‘eagle eye’, they may not be referring to catching someone in the act of doing something wrong. If you have an eagle eye, it means that nothing gets past you because you are very focused on details.


Ronanki Vinuthna, Class VIII D

Animal Idioms in English

Goan Musician composes Anthem for Red Planet

A 31 year old Goan musician, Oscar Castellino, has composed a song for the Red Planet and called it “Rise to Mars”. His creation has been named “Mars Anthem” by the Mars society. The society, in association with the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, organized a world premiere of “Rise to Mars”. The anthem was released online and performed by Castellino in September at the society’s 20th annual convention, which has in the past witnessed addresses by celebrities such as Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon and Space X founder Elon Musk, who is planning a colony on the Red Planet. Before meeting British Indian soprano Patricia Rozario in 2011, Castellino worked as a software analyst in Mumbai. He won a scholarship to Royal College of Music, performed at Queen Elizabeth’s diamond jubilee celebration and also bagged numerous opera roles. A science graduate from Mumbai’s St. Xavier’s College, Castellino currently studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.


Sangeeta, Class IX E

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COSTLY CROWNS

The newly – crowned Miss World Manushi Chhillar’s winning diadem is worth a staggering $750,000. A glance at the worth of other tiaras in worldwide pageants. Little wonder someone called them ‘Crown’ jewels!

The tiara is designed by a Czech jeweller and is composed of several tall crystals representing the New York skyline, embedded with diamonds and sapphires.

This is the third most expensive among the big pageants. It is studded with pure pearls, gold, silver and diamonds.

True to its name, the crown, apart from having Argentum sterling silver, rubies and diamonds, has some rare earth metals – whose value is undeclared.

This new international beauty pageant is advocating an anti – war campaign to the world. Its crown is made of pure gold, and a heart – shaped jade gemstone.

This is perhaps the simplest of all crowns – the crown is made of pure silver and diamonds. It also has a name for itself : Oriental Holy Water.


Avni, Class VIII E

• MISS UNIVERSE $300,000

• MISS INTERNATIONAL $550,000

• MISS EARTH $150,000

• MISS GRAND INTERNATIONAL $300,000

• MISS INTERCONTINENTAL $ 360,000

Once believed to be the first country to see the sunrise in the morning, Japan is a land of wonders and surprises at every step. Whether it was a natural disaster or man made, Japan has been through it all and thrived! All this could be only achieved with the strong values and rich culture the country has to offer. Here is a list of few interesting facts about Japan that you probably didn’t know about-

1. They have hotel rooms the size of 2 square meters long and 1.20 meters high and they are known as Capsule hotels.

2. The Tale of Genji, written by a Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, is considered as the world’s first ever full-length novel.

3. The Japanese people eat more fish than any other people in the world. Japan is also the largest importer of seafood and consumes about 17 million tons of fish per year.

4. It’s no surprise that Japan is the largest automobile producer in the world.

5. Black cats are considered good luck charms in Japan.

6. Ôkunoshima, an island in Japan, is full of rabbits. Well, they were brought there during World War II to test the effects of poison gas.

7. Haiku, a traditional form of the Japanese poetry is the world’s shortest poetic form and consists of only three lines.

8. Masabumi Hosono, the only Japanese man who survived the wreck of the RMS Titanic in 1914 was called a coward in his country for not dying with the other passengers.

9. In Japan, tall buildings do not have a fourth floor. Thinking why? Because they avoid the number four(shi) as it sounds the same as the word for death(shi).

Resource referred: https://www.mensxp.com/culture/travel/38790-25-fascinating-facts-about-japan-that-you-might-not-be-aware-of.html

Kshitij, Class V B

Fascinating Facts About

Japan

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ANSWER KEY

(1) 1933(2) Truth. Many pilots in the fledgling air force were trained on gliders (3) Lord Haw Haw (4) Ethiopia (Abyssinia) (5) “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owned by so many to so few”. (6) Royal Oak. (7) The Schutzstaffel (SS), meaning ‘defence echelon. (8) Vichy (9) Lightning War (10) Rosie the Riveter. Wanda the Welder and Mabel the Machinist were also used, but Rosie the Riveter has become iconic. (11) Jewish refugees (12) After, at 5 pm on September 3, 1939 (13) Truth. The crossword compilers were arrested, but released after investigations showed that it was a coincidence. (14) The Reichstag (15) 338,00 (16) Admiral Graf Spee (17) Truth (18) He was the senior surviving officer of the Titanic. (19) RJ Mitchell (20) A bomb exploded in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler

Q1. In which year did Adolf Hitler come to power in Germany?

Q2. Truth or fiction? Germany used gliders rather than planes, in order not to break the re-armament conditions.

Q3. What was the nickname of the Nazi radio propagandist William Joyce?

Q4. On October 3, 1935, Italy invaded which country?

Q5. Complete the next line of this legendary speech delivered by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1940:

“The gratitude of every home in our Island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the world war by their prowess and by their devotion...”

Q6. Which British warship was sunk in Scapa Flow in October 1939?

Q7. What was the name used for the black-shirted security forces, a personal guard for Adolf Hitler, who replaced brown-shirted Stormtroopers in Germany?

Q8. Which French spa town became the home of the French government following the defeat of France?

Q9. What name was given to the poster of a female US war worker, used to recruit women to work?

Q10. In June 1939, the SS St Louis was turned away from the US. What was it carrying?

Q11. Blitzkrieg was an offensive method of war wages by Germany. What was it also known as?

Q12. Britain’s ultimatum to Germany to end hostilities in Poland expired at 11 am on September 3, 1939. When did France’s ultimatum expire? (before or after Britain’s)

Q13. Truth or fiction? The Allied landing on D – Day were feared to have been compromised as a number of codewords appeared as answers to crossword puzzles in newspaper.

Q14. Following fall of Berlin on May 2, 1945 Soviet soldiers raised their flag on which building?

Q15. How many men were rescued from Dunkirk by the end of the operation on June 4, 1940?

Q16. Name the German pocket battleship that was scuttled off Montevideo in Uruguay on December 17, 1939.

Q17. Truth or fiction? British air minister Sir Kingsley to bombed German factories at the start of the war because they were private property.

Q18. One of the evacuation ‘little ships’ used at Dunkirk was owned by Commander CH Lightoller. What historical event was he also known for?

Q19. Name the Chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works responsible for designing the most famous British fighter of war.

Q20. What happened at Wolf ’s Lair, Hitler’s field headquarters on July 20, 1944?

Resource referred: The Times of India, Student’s edition

Kanan Sharma, Class IX D

THEWAR

ULTIMATE WORLD QUIZ

Everyone knows who won World War II, who lost and how Hitler died. But what else do we know about a conflict which affected every nation and killed as many as 80 million people? Find out with this super brainy quiz on the global war:

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* This is an endeavour by our young budding Rukminians who have penned down their views on vivid areas. There may be certain discrepancies / doubts and we solicit your cooperation for the same.

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