(S)Tahr Of The Nilgiris

The Nilgiri tahr is an endangered mountain goat found only in the hill ranges of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Tommy, The Tuff

A Dog story

The One-Legged Sadhu And The Disappearing Ganga

Story

Over And Over Again

A Zen tale retold by Aquarius

Deepa Malik

A tale of grit and courage

Bapu Beyond India

Glimpses of places in England and South Africa which have the honour of being associated with the Mahatma.

The Ghost Trio

THE atmosphere in Spooky Foundation School was far from pleasant. In the class for beginners, little ghosts sat huddled in their chairs waiting for their teacher Professor Coldblood, a tough taskmaster, to arrive and announce their grades.

The Halloween Nightmare

A costume party? I’m not going.” 

Master of the High Seas

Navy Day is celebrated on 4 December to commemorate India’s victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak War.

Why Monsoon Matters!

The three girls, studying in the 4th standard in Bilpudi, say the rainy season is their favourite time of the year. “I like to sing and play in the rain,” says Jacinta Rathad. “I play with my brother when it rains,” admits Kalista Hadal. She says her grandfather goes fishing in the river with men from the village. A heavy rain can send water gushing into the river.

When Coldplay Was In Town

I remember the first time I heard a Coldplay song — I was in class 9. Chris Martin, the band’s frontman, singing ‘Paradise’ in his unusual yet enchanting voice had me gasping for more.

Bearcat

THE binturong looks like a cross between a cat and a bear, but it is neither! It has a bewhiskered feline face, a bushy tail and a body covered with shaggy hair like a bear. It is related to Asian palm civets and African genets and fossas but not to bears.

Discovery of Everest

IN 1847, the British Surveyor General of India, Andrew Waugh while making observations of Mount Kanchenjunga, then considered the highest mountain in the world, saw a peak further afield that appeared to be taller. The mountain was tentatively named Peak XV.

Environment Crusader

Lakshmi Menon, a designer by profession, runs Pure Living, an organisation in south Kerala that is dedicated to finding sustainable, eco-friendly, livelihood solutions. One of 42-year-old Menon’s passionate projects is making pens that grow into trees when disposed. Here she is in conversation with Monish Shah.

The Teacher Who Did Not Like Classrooms

MY teacher was the world-famous scientist and bird expert Dr. Sálim Ali. He was slim and frail-looking, so we students referred to him as ‘Old Man’ even though we knew he was actually strong and full of energy! This may sound rude, but actually it was said out of our great affection for him and respect for his extraordinary knowledge.

He Rocked the World

“I won’t be a rockstar... I’ll be a legend.

Importing Waste for Profit

Can you imagine a country importing waste? Sweden, population 9.8 millon, is perhaps the only country in the world to do so.

The Beetle God

ARJUN heard about the Beetle God from a friend of his, a botanist who had gone to the jungles of central India to study a rare plant.

The Arch Enemy

PANJA pulled out the newspaper from the slit of the door. With his morning cuppa in his right hand and the newspaper in the left, he positioned himself cozily on the sofa.

The Power Of Wind

Imagine, wind can provide 40 times or more electricity the world uses today! The energy from wind is clean, free, renewable and sustainable. So why is wind not used to its full potential?

Gift for Annie

MOST people said, "Aah! Christmas!!"with a big smile. But not JasonMathews. The poor man invariably said, "Oh, no! Christmas!"

In a Pickle

IT was March. The summerbreeze caressed theneem leaves. Inside, Amma was preparing dosa for breakfast. I sat at the table with a growling stomach and a drooling tongue. I asked Amma if we had some of the mango pickles that Ammamma had got for us on her last visit. Sadly, we had run out of it.