The story of man’s attempt to rival the birds is as old as the human race. From Greek mythology we have the story of Icarus who had wings of feathers sewn on with threads and fastened with wax. He flew too near the sun, and the wax melted. Icarus fell into the sea and was drowned. Oliver of Malmesbury, an …

A warmist – or global warmist – is a person who believes that the human race is primarily responsible for warming. Once a term used for scientists who so believed, it has now taken on a pejorative meaning. There are ‘deniers’ who believe that while global warming may be true, warming and cooling has been happening for millions of years, …

A gelotologist is a specialist who studies the physiological effects of laughter. When a person laughs, some special muscles called gelastic muscles get exercised, and, as a result, several physiological changes such as an increase in respiration and blood circulation take place. A gelotologist is concerned with analysis of such changes and their effect on human health. The word originated …

Galileo, the Italian scientist, invented the thermometer in 1593. At that time, however, it was used to measure pressure changes in relation to weather predictions, rather than to take a human temperature!

The history of writing instruments with which humans have recorded and conveyed thoughts, feelings and grocery lists, is the history of civilisation itself. This is how we know about our ancestors and their lives. The handy sharpened-stone, used for skinning and killing animals was adapted into the first writing instrument. Around 24,000 BC, the cave man started drawing pictures with …

Mukhtaran Bibi — Only a few leaders are alchemists who take the worst of human behavior and turn it into the best. Mukhtaran Bibi is a Pakistani woman from the village of Meerwala, in the rural tehsil (county) of Jatoi of the Muzaffargarh District of Pakistan. Mukhtar Mai was the victim of a gang rape as a form of honour …

Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan (born 7 August 1925) is an Indian agricultural scientist. He currently serves as a Member of Parliament from Rajya Sabha and is also member of the National Advisory Council. Swaminathan is known as the “Father of the Green Revolution in India”, for his leadership and success in introducing and further developing high-yielding varieties of wheat in India. …

Michael Ignatieff — A winner of the Gelber Prize for his book Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the New Nationalism, Michael Ignatieff is a leading thinker on human rights issues, a public intellectual and historian. He is deputy leader of Canada’s Liberal Party and has held academic positions at Cambridge, Oxford and is the former head of Harvard University’s Carr …

Dr. Meenakshi Gopinath is currently Principal, Lady Shri Ram College rated among the best institutions of higher learning in India. She has held this position since 1988 and has worked to mould it as a centre of excellence, which seeks to educate women to assume positions of leadership in society. The institution which today draws to its fold some of …

Marlon Brando, Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor and film director. He is hailed for bringing a gripping realism to film acting, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential actors of all time. A cultural icon, Brando is most famous for his Oscar-winning performances as Terry Malloy in …