The Oberammergau Passion Play was first performed in 1635 and is the result of a vow made by the inhabitants of the village that if God spared them from the effects of the bubonic plague then sweeping the region they would perform a passion play every ten years. The play is now performed in years ending with a zero, except …

Have you ever tried chasing a frisky grasshopper? If you have, you will definitely know that scampering after a jumpy bug is not an easy task. Most species of grasshoppers have a keen sense of hearing and the moment they sense trouble, they can hop fast and furious! Sometimes, shortage of food turns grasshoppers into migratory insects as they venture …

The city is celebrating Mother’s Day primarily with banners and posters. For, the idea of buying presents for moms just doesn’t find favour with youngsters. NECESSITY is the invention of all mothers. As so many moms seek ‘all things good and wonderful’ primarily for their little ones, they remain at the receiving end. No, not in the unending queues for …

MOTHERS are often taken for granted because they are always there for you. The thought that one should verbalise one’s emotions on a specific day takes a little getting used to. But, thanks to media hype and multinationals’ selling strategies, there’s a way to celebrate each and every day—Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day etc. Multinationals use all sorts of …

The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600’s, England celebrated a day called “Mothering Sunday”. Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent (the 40-day-period leading up to Easter), “Mothering Sunday” honoured the mothers of England. As Christianity spread throughout Europe, …

सन्ताें के तपस्थलाें, तीर्थस्थलाें व पवित्र धामाें की यात्रा पर जाने का महात्म्य यह है कि हमें वहां जाकर ईश्वर का स्मरण हाे सके। हमारे पूजा-स्थल, धर्म स्थान व मंदिर इसलिए पूज्य व पावन हैं क्याेंकि वहां जाकर हमें ईश्वर की याद आती है। वास्तव में ईश्वर कहीं खाे नहीं गया है, बस हमने ही उसे भुला दिया है। अनमाेल …

Clip-clop, clip-clop goes a horse on the road. If you look carefully you will see that it walks on the tips of its toes – like a ballet dancer. Walking on tiptoe for a long time is difficult for us, but horses find it the easiest thing to do. The foot of a horse is divided into a toe with …

The beak of a flamingo looks as if it has been broken in half and the halves bent downwards and rejoined. As you might expect there is a very good reason for this peculiar shape. Flamingos like to live in shallow lagoons and lakes. Despite their large size and their large beaks flamingos feed on the smallest of organisms in …

Dogs have a better sense of smell than we do because the physical structure of a dog is better adapted for scenting odours. In dogs this sense has remained keen, while in man it has become comparatively dull. Dogs use scent in feeding, detecting enemies, recognizing mates and offspring and in rivalry. The chemical sense of smell is called chemoreception …

Dogs have been at people’s side for longer than any other animal. But a lot of their actions can only be explained by their past before they were tamed by humans. For example, you may have noticed that a dog turns round three times on the spot before setting down to sleep – this may be because its ancestors had …