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The Hindu : St. Sophia’s Convent, NagarabhaviSt. Sophia’s Convent, Nagarabhavi celebrated National Science Day recently. The children were told about the significance of the day and students who had excelled in National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) at district, state and national levels were felicitated on the occasion. Rakshith, Suprith and Ramya received prizes from the guests.FROM A B SUDHINDRA…More

The Hindu : Podar Jumbo Kids, HulimavuPodar Jumbo Kids, Hulimavu, celebrated its annual day at Tulip Resorts recently. “It is my world” was the theme and the children presented a cultural programme.FROM A B SUDHINDRA…More

The Hindu : The Indira Priyadarshini Children’s library at the state central library at Cubbon Park in the city could well be called a model Children’s library. Situated in the heritage building overlooking the rose garden the library has been designed to give of its best to children.Right choiceThe books chosen with care includes right from the Aesop fables to Hitopadesha, Jataka to Enid Blyton to Harry Potter. O. Henry to Dr. Shivarama Karanth and Mark Twain to Arthur C Clarke. The children can sink into the bean bags or lean on the comfortably angled chairs and desks. They can even take a nap if they want to. The library also has a snack bar, a toy and scientific instruments shop and a book and stationery shop. According to the director of the department of libraries, P.Y. Rajendra Kumar the children’s library also has a digital library where they can view videos, documentaries and read digital books. The library has been equipped with the help of the International consumer electronic goods manufacturer Samsung of Korea at a cost of Rs. 20 lakhs. Interactive learning and reading experience increase the grasp says Mr. Kumar. The uniquely designed computer tables can accommodate 18 children at a time.The children’s library has seen an increase in visitors in the last year and on a day an average of 100-125 children visited the library. During the vacation the number of visitors increases, Mr. Kumar says. The library is also equipped with a LCD projector which is used for screening children’s films on a regular basis….More

The Hindu : A science teacher noted that in recent years, the quality of science education dispensed in undergraduate institutions is of poor quality. School or college labs are generally under-equipped, overcrowded and poorly staffed. Questions from students are often discouraged and experiments and demonstrations are few. Due to lack of laboratory facilities, science is taught unimaginatively and learnt by rote. All this has had a snowball effect: low standards at the undergraduate level are reflected among entrants into postgraduate education and research.What they sayStd. X student Rahul dreams of becoming a scientist when he grows up. His school has a well-equipped science laboratory but it is hardly used by the students. “As long as we don’t bring in changes in our teaching methodology and make science more interesting for students, this will continue,” remarks a teacher Sandhya. S. To enhance science education in schools, Educomp School Management Ltd., in association with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai will launch Science Enrichment Programme (SEP) soon. The programme would be implemented in “The Millennium Schools”, that are associated with Educomp. This is an innovative approach to science curriculum designed to ignite scientific temper among students. IIT Chennai will provide consultancy and develop SEP for Stds. V to XII in physics and chemistry. This will include planning and developing problem-based worksheets and activities which will make science fun and easy for children. It also includes training the science teachers to improve their skills as well as understanding using some of the best materials and getting advice from eminent professors from IIT. Workshops with students based on the materials developed would also be a part of the entire methodology. As part of the programme, students and teachers would be interacting and collaborating with faculty from IIT, Chennai….More

The Hindu : National Public School, KoramangalaNational Public School, Koramangala held Preksha, a musical event, in which students of Stds. I to V presented musical pieces learnt during the academic year. The children excelled in their presentation of the pieces of classical music, with meticulous reproduction of the “geetams” in perfect raga and tala accompanied by a violinist.Children also played tabla accompanied by their tabla master. They played popular folk, golgumba and nagada beats. Various lilting songs in different languages won the hearts of the audience. Vice-principal Sudha Balan said that music soothes the soul and told the budding artistes to weave magic through music. Hindustani vocalist Keerthi Kumar Badseshi was the chief guest and she appreciated the talent on show. The event exhibited the wide canvas of artistic sensibilities of the children.FROM A B SUDHINDRA…More

The Hindu : Richa Sharma’s makeover is remarkable. The Faridabad girl, who started her career singing “Mata ke bhajan” with Sonu Nigam, is catching eyeballs with her performance in NDTV Imagine’s “Dhoom Macha De.” She explains, “Singing requires a bit of acting. And when you are performing, the audience get to see this side of a playback singer. For instance, when I had to sing ‘Billo Rani’ for the show, it was imperative the costume should match the song. It also requires some dance movements to keep the live audience engrossed.”Richa says she is picking up these engaging skills from Baba Sehgal and Kamal Khan.Over the years Richa has shown a wide range, from “Mahi Ve” to the thumri “Daras Bina Nahin Chain” in “Saawariya”. “Usually, what happens is, the industry remembers you with your last hit. So if ‘Billo Rani’ or ‘Show Me Your Jalwa’ is the latest craze, music composers will offer me similar numbers. Thankfully, I am working with four different music composers — A.R. Rahman, Pritam, Adnan Sami and Monty Sharma — and singing in different genres.”Going back in time, this daughter of the late Pandit Shankar Upadhyay remembers how sitting in the aisles of the pandal, Sonu and she used to discuss their future. “The good thing is we both remained rooted to our values. My father spotted the singer in me when I was just three months old with the way I used to respond to his riyaaz. As I grew older, he used to tell me ‘Kaam aisa kar chalo, tum hanso, jag roye’. That remains my motto.”Trained in semi-classical music, Richa says her favourite raga is Yaman. “I am so besotted with this raga that when my nephew was expected, I was praying he should be a boy so that I could name him Yaman.” But what has she reserved for her son? “I am almost equally in love with…More

The Hindu : Many plants in the genus Allium are known by the common name onion, but used without qualifiers, it usually refers to Allium cepa. Allium cepa is also known as ‘garden onion’ or ‘shallot’. Available year round, onions are easily propagated, transported and stored.Medicinal propertiesEvidence suggests that onions are effective against the common cold, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and other diseases. They contain anti-inflammatory, anti-cholesterol, anti-cancer, and antioxidant components such as quercetin.Onions, like garlic, are rich insulphur-containing compounds that are responsible for their pungent odour.They are also rich in chromium, a trace mineral that helps cells respond to insulin, vitamin C and flavonoids. The higher the intake of onion, the lower the level of glucose found during oral or intravenous glucose tolerance tests.Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that allyl propyl disulfide, found in onions, is responsible for this effect. It does this by competing with insulin, which is also a disulphide, to occupy the sites in the liver where insulin is inactivated. This results in an increase in the amount of insulin available to usher glucose into cells causing a lowering of blood sugar.Regular consumption of onions has been shown to lower high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure, both of which help prevent atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, and reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke.Culinary usesOnions are a staple food in India, and are therefore fundamental to Indian cooking. They are commonly used as a base for curries, or made into a paste and eaten as a main course or as a side dish.Onions are low in calories yet add abundant flavour to a wide variety of foods. With only 30 calories per serving, onions are sodium, fat and cholesterol free, and provide dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, and other key nutrients.Onions are known to cause eye irritation. It can be avoided by cutting onions under running water or submerged in…More

The Hindu : Tens of thousands travel yearly to Jerusalem to visit where Jesus walked, preached, suffered, was crucified, and buried. But since his death, the city has been destroyed and rebuilt more than 20 times.Experts in The History Channel follow the evidence to reveal the city that Jesus would have visited. They rebuild Herod’s Temple Mount, in its time the largest man-made structure, they explain the manipulation of light and stone that created the Holy Sanctuary said to “sparkle like a snow-capped mountain in the sun”, and many more such discoveries.With new research and CGI, glimpse into a world hidden for more than 20 centuries. Watch “Lost Worlds – Jesus’ Jerusalem” on April 9 at 10 p.m. on The History Channel….More

The Hindu : Acknowledge itSOUND OFF! With exam results around the corner, Aditya Kumar S. feels we must learn to accept failure tooIt is common to say cheers to success in life. But not everybody cries over their failures. Why this difference in attitude? Both are events that everyone inevitably passes through. I am befuddled by the relationship between emotions and events.It is just a point of view that ultimately matters. It all depends on how you look at a half glass of water. There can always be more than one view.Why can’t one be happy, being unsuccessful? One, because all efforts went down the drain, and the other because they couldn’t achieve what they aspired for. One has to introspect because our inefficiencies have come to light. Instead if we sob over the issue, the result will be more elusive.Happiness and sadness are emotions that we use to react to circumstances; we were “programmed” for it by elders, peers etc. We often make a concoction of our emotions and circumstances, and fall into a mind game inadvertently.While it is right to celebrate success, it’s wrong to be terribly sad of failures. Nobody likes setbacks. But it’s not as bad as people make it out to be. It’s all in the mind. Look through a better looking glass and your entire perspective can change.If your head is drooping and you feel the sky’s fallen on your head, this is the right time to change your attitude. You have to survive a hurdle to be able to make it in life.Do you have anything to say? About the state of the world, the city, your angst?Pen it stylishly and you might get it published.And dash off your piece with your photograph. Email it tobangaloremetro@thehindu.co.in or post it to MetroPlus, The Hindu, 19 & 21, Bhagwan Mahaveer Road (Infantry Road), Bangalore 1….More

The Hindu : Excuse me, pleaseWhere have courteous smiles, waves and nods gone?The little nice things of life are not appealing to people anymore. To say “please,” or “thank you,” seems to be an obvious waste of time in the race for the biggest slice of the material pie. In the good old days, common courtesy was a natural instinct. It came from good upbringing. These were unwritten rules that were picked up from model parents and teachers right from the tender years.To be pushed or shoved around in a crowded mall is the most normal thing today. Worse is the manners on the road. The more discourteous on the roads, the more is the sense of accomplishment these days. Wonder where the days of a courteous smile or a wave or a nod have gone. These little acts of courtesy are increasingly being replaced by glares, snares and exchange of foul words.When adults have forgotten to see love in small things by being courteous, the big question is how are our children going to be courteous? How are golden rules such as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” going to be taught to them?The elderly feel that many teenagers lack decency and respect.A Korean colleague once politely attributed the natural instinct for most Koreans to be polite to the emphasis on being courteous laid by parents during their childhood. If one encountered an occasional rude person on the street, “we generally don’t get angry. We sympathise with the person as we know the person hasn’t had a good childhood!”Many marriages end in a divorce as couples think it is not so important to show love in small things. They rather have the attitude of taking things for granted. Clearing your cup of coffee, or putting away your shoes in the closet, or turning off the lights in the room, or simply putting…More