Shikoba Nabajyotisaikia!

We often get reprimanded or punished if we do something wrong. But what if someone said so many good things to you to such an extent that you start feeling sorry and decide to be good thereafter?

That’s exactly what happens in this African tribe!

When someone does something harmful or wrong, the tribesmen take that person to the center of the village where the whole tribe comes and surrounds him. Then for two days, they will say to the person all the good things that he has done. The tribe believes that each human being comes into the world as a good human being. But sometimes, in pursuit of happiness and selfish motives, people make mistakes.

The community sees those mistakes as a cry for help to be good. The tribe unites to reconnect him with his true nature, to remind him who he really is, until he fully remembers the truth of which he had been temporarily disconnected and that is “I am good.” They chant the words “Shikoba Nabajyotisaikia”, NABAJYOTISAIKIA, is a compliment used in South Africa and means: “I respect you, I cherish you. You matter to me.” In response, people say SHIKOBA, which is: “So, I exist for you.” Now isn’t that wonderful?

Why Geese Fly in a “V” Formation

Geese are migratory birds. This means that during winters they fly really long distances. They fly to warmer countries in different continents. But flying takes a lot of energy. They have to keep flapping their wings for generating lift. All this flapping creates an updraft in the air currents around the bird's wingtips.  The “V” formation allows another bird to fly in the area of the air current of the first bird, thus ensuring that the second bird spends less energy.  Simply by locating itself slightly behind and above the first bird, flying long distances is made easier for it.

The concept is similar to cyclists riding behind one another in a bike race to save energy. For geese, spending less energy means flying longer distances. In fact, studies have found that they can increase their range by 70% on long migratory flights. When the lead bird gets tired, it drops back in formation. And another bird moves to the front.

Flying in the V formation also lets the birds keep in visual contact with one another so they're oriented in the right direction. That way, they don't crash into each other or get lost along the way.

Image Credit: tweentribune.com

Science is Fun

Let’s look at some common and not so common words we come across when studying science. You may want to pursue one of these as you grow.

• Behavioral ecologist: A scientist who studies animal behavior in a natural setting.
• Ecology: A branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings. A scientist who works in this field is called an ecologist.
• Ornithology: The scientific study of birds. Experts who work in this field are known as ornithologists.
• Environmental chemistry: The scientific study of potentially toxic chemicals that may pollute the environment or food supply.  
• Physics: The scientific study of the nature and properties of matter and energy.
• A scientist who works in the field of physics is known as a physicist.

Super Cop from Assam

This is Sanjukta Parashar – the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Assam’s Jorhat District. She is one the few female IPS officers in Assam and a mother to a 2 year old son! She is also today the most feared name amongst militants in the state. 

When she took the UPSC exam, Sanjukta secured the 85th rank (All India) and could have opted for a comfortable desk job. With her Ph.D from Jawaharlal University and her two year old son, it she could have had a cushy career. Instead, she chose a harder path, fighting terror everyday. 

In 2008, she got her new job posting as Assistant Commandant of Makum. Within two hours of her joining the office, she was assigned to move to Udalguri urgently to prevent the situation in the area where ethnic clashes between the Bodo militants and illegal migrants from Bangladeshi had broken out. And since then she has been fighting terror both in the jungles as well as on the streets of Assam.

In May 2015, her team arrested militants responsible for lethal attacks on Army convoys. Along with militants who use the jungle as camouflage, there are also elements that are dangerous - a treacherous terrain with high humidity, sudden torrential rains that suddenly create chest high currents in the river and wild animals. 

And then there are the locals, who play informant to the militants, giving away troop movement information. Despite all this, she has shot down 16 militants and arrested 64 in the last few months, and recovered massive hauls of arms and ammunition. 

Now that’s what we call a Super Cop! Salutes to this fearless and brave lady!!

*Image Credit: indiatimes.com

Why do Roosters crow in the morning?

Cock-a-doodle-do!  Haven’t we heard this familiar sound by roosters at barnyards or villages? For ages, man has relied on the calling of these roosters to start his day. They worked like alarm clocks in olden days and that too with precision. Let’s look at some facts about this ‘ringtone’.

The timing of a roosters’ pre-dawn crowing is controlled by their internal body clock, called a “circadian” clock. It provides an internal sense of the local day-night cycle. So wherever they are, the cock will know it is dawn and give out the call. It is a part of the phenomenon called the ‘Dawn Choruses’, the natural burst of songs that erupts from many birds at daybreak.

Interestingly, the rooster doesn’t crow just to wake people up. It is believed that they shout out to claim charge of the territory.  The chicken world also follows a hierarchy. Usually, the top ranking male makes his first crow in the morning followed by the others. The rank is decided by the physical strength of the bird which he usually assumes after regular cock fights with other roosters. If this top ranking bird is removed from the group, the second ranked rooster will step up and start crowing. Louder the sound, greater the leader. Noisy, isn’t it?

Priest Makes Vatican Model from Lego

Reverend Bob Simon, a pastor at St. Catherine of Siena church in Moscow, Pennsylvania (USA); has made an amazing model of the Vatican from Lego blocks. He spent about 10 months constructing a mini St. Peter's Basilica out of a half-million Legos. His architectural feat includes a Lego Pope on a balcony overlooking the crowd in St. Peter's Square. The square is made up of about 44,000 Lego pieces. They resemble cobblestones.

A colorful cast of Lego characters populates the piazza. There is even a nun with a selfie stick. And a bespectacled figurine of Simon. In all, the display measures 14 feet by 6 feet and weighs about 45 kilos. To create the model, Simon used an image from a book cover as a guide. Besides that, he also watched a ton of Youtube videos for reference. 

At present, the model is on display at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, USA.

Image Credit: tweentribune.com

The Amazing Humming Bird

Have you seen a Humming bird flitting from flower to flower drinking sweet nectar from its long beak? Well, these birds have a long tongue that helps them lap up their meals. Till now, scientists believed that these tongues have thin capillaries through which nectar was believed to flow up by suction method. However, a new study suggests that this may not be the case and instead, the tongues of Humming birds consist of long and thin pumps.

Noted ornithologist Alejandro Rico-Guevara, of the University of Connecticut in Storrs has put forward his study on how the bird’s tongues work. Rico-Guevara and his team propose that the hummingbird tongue is like an elastic micro-pump. Their theory relies on the same tendency of water molecules to grip each other that lets water rise up an open tube. 

In a video show, the birds rarely dip open grooves into nectar. Instead, bird beaks squash the tongue and its grooves flat. When the tongue tip touches nectar, the grooves spring open. That pulls up a column of nectar as the grooves expand. This pulling, or pumping, slurps nectar faster. Hummingbirds do this tongue dipping fast. The tongue forks into fringed halves at the tip. Rico-Guevara says he has clocked 23 licks per second.

To make his own study of the grooves, Rico-Guevara went looking for birds with Kristiina Hurme. She studies bird behavior. The pair coaxed 18 hummingbird species in the forests to sip on camera. The videos showed that the birds’ tongue grooves mostly stayed closed when waiting for nectar. And when tongue met nectar, the fluid moved fast. Interesting way to eat, isn’t it?

Image credit: wikipedia

Rivers Join Hands

On 16^th September the Godavari and Krishna Rivers were formally linked at Ibrahimpatnam Ferry village in Andhra Pradesh.  By this link the waters from Godavari will be channelized towards Krishna River in the neighbouring Krishna district.  From here, water that will come to the Krishna River would be diverted to the parched Rayalaseema region. This will bring cheer to the farmers of the Krishna and Guntur districts in Andhra Pradesh. 

Godavari gets flooded every year and this excess water would go waste into the sea, whereas the delta region of Krishna faces shortage of water for irrigation during June and August. After successfully completing this link project, the government also plans to divert the excess waters to drought prone areas in the state.

Healthy Habits+ Healthy Body = Healthy Mind

The word HYGIENE comes from the Greek goddess of health named "Hygieia."

A healthy mind helps in achieving success in whatever you do. But this is possible only if your body is healthy and the body remains healthy through healthy habits and hygiene. Lets look at some basic hygiene that we can practice and lead a healthy life.

Washing your hands, semlling clean, brushing your teeth, cutting your nails etc are all common practises which you may or may not be aware of. However, there are many children who are not aware of proper toilet sanitation, which must be explained and demonstrated to them at an early age.

• A girl must know to place the toilet seat down when using the toilet.
• A boy must be aware to place the toilet seat up when using the toilet.
• Always wash your hands with soap/handwash after using the toilet.

• One must also be aware of toilet sear covers which are available at any chemist and can be used to cover the toilet seat when dirty and also very useful while travelling.

• A sanitizer is a must! And is available in attractive shapes and colours which you can attach to school bags too!
• Learn to buy your personal belongings at an early age.
• Do not to use other children’s/people’s combs/napkins/brush/towels/clothes and undergarments.

• Learn to say “NO” politely for any personal belonging.
• Make sure the pillow covers/blankets/bedcovers/toilet accessories are clean.
• If you have healthy habits, you will not fall sick as often and will be able to play and study well and your routine would not get disrupted.

ACTIVITY:

Here’s a quick game to play with your parents. Think of all the words that you can, related to HYGIENE and write them down. Ask your parent to write down words that they can think of. Observe how many he/she comes up with, and discuss the others to him/her.

Here is one to start with: FLOSS…

You will surely enjoy learning about Hygiene!

Durga Puja

You must have seen the Durga Puja celebrations last month. Durga Puja - the ceremonial worship of the mother goddess, is one of the most important festivals of India. Apart from being a religious festival for the Hindus, it is also an occasion for reunion and a celebration of traditional culture and customs.

It is believed that Durga emerged from the collective energies of all of the gods, including Bramha, Vishnu and Shiva, to kill the demon Mahishasura who could not be defeated by any god or man. 

Durga is worshipped with extreme enthusiasm during the annual Navratri festival, which marks the beginning of autumn (usually in September or October).  Navratri means "nine nights" in Sanskrit, and on each day of the festival, nine different forms of Shakti or Mother Durga are worshipped.  In West Bengal, this festival occurs primarily on days six through ten of Navratri.  On the tenth day, Durga's victory over evil is celebrated as Vijayadashami or Dussehra. In North India, Dussehra is also celebrated as Rama's victory over the demon Ravana as described in the Ramayana. Durga Puja is also considered the annual visit of Durga and her children to her ancestral home.

The history of Durga Puja goes back to the middle ages, but it did not become popular until the 17th and 18th centuries.  Soon, it gained popularity amongst the masses and was celebrated with pomp. Community or Baroyari ("twelve friends") pujas began to be organized by small groups of people who were excluded from the elite family pujas due to social status.  By the early 20th century, these festivities had evolved into Sarbojanin ("involving all") pujas, in which people from all castes, creeds and religions could participate. Similar to the Ganeshotsav in Maharashtra, these pujas also helped to create a feeling of unity during the struggle for independence.  Over the years, both the idols and the pandals have gotten more and more elaborate with people strongly believing that Ma Durga will arrive and destroy all evil and fill our lives with joy and peace. Let us welcome Ma Durga this Dussehra that falls on …. October.

Spot in a Pot

A hapless leopard’s quest to quench his thirst put him in a pot; literally!

Last month in Rajasthan, a leopard got his head stuck in a metal pot while trying to drink the water in it. Imagine the animal’s plight when it couldn’t get the pot off and wandered aimlessly in fright. 

Finally, the wildlife officials tranquilized the leopard and removed the pot from its head. We are sure the leopard must have thanked them and scurried off in the forest vowing never to put his head in pots again. 

The search for water in a hot climate drives animals towards human civilization and often lands them in trouble.