Meet the planet Mercury

 I am the Merry Mercury

Hey, I am the planet, Mercury.

I am named after the Roman God of commerce and travel.

I am the first and closest planet to the Sun and also a very small planet.

I am called Budh in Hindu mythology.

I am just one-third the size of Earth.

I am as wide as the Atlantic Ocean but I don’t have any water or moons.

 I am made of rock and my surface is covered with many craters. Since I am so close to the Sun I am very hot.

I am also the fastest planet in the solar system and I can go around the sun in just eighty-eight days.

But I rotate on my axis very slowly and take nearly sixty earth days to complete one rotation

By the way, there are other planets around me.

We come in all shapes and sizes.

Some of my friends are very far away.

Together we form the solar system.

We are the jewels of the sky.

Even though we are far away we secretly control many things on Earth.

Scientists’ are still discovering many things about us.

IT IS EASY TO EXCEL

 

It is easy to excel

A young man was eager to learn archery.

He wanted to become the champion archer in the district.

So he purchased the finest bow and arrows that money could buy.

But he proved utterly inept; if he aimed at a tree, his arrow might hit a nearby hedge; if he aimed at a hedge, his arrow might flypast the nose of a nearby cow.

Eventually he came to a sage in despair, and asked how he could improve.

The sage said to him, “Whenever you wish to accomplish something, you must consider how best to prepare yourself.”

“How do I prepare for archery?” the young man asked.

“Go to a local weaver and lie under his loom every day for a month. As the shuttle passes to and fro in front of your eyes, strive not to blink.”

The young man did as the sage suggested and returned to the sage and asked, “Am I now ready to resume archery?”

“No,” the sage replied. “You must catch a flea each day, and attach it to the hair from a horse’s tail. As dusk approaches, hang the flea over the window facing west; and watch the flea with the sun behind it.”

The young man did this every evening for a month.

He returned to the sage, and the sage told him he was now ready for archery.

The young man took his bow with great excitement and found he could hit the target; he could focus his eyes on it without blinking, and it seemed so large that it filled his vision.

As a result, he won every contest.

It is easy to excel if you have passion, practice and perseverance.

STORY OF TENALI RAMAN

 

As dear as salt

The king once asked Tenali Raman to tell him how much he valued him.

“I value you as much as I value salt,” was Raman’s reply.

“You equate me with something as cheap and common as salt?” asked the king, deeply disappointed. Thereafter, he behaved coldly towards Raman.

Several months passed and the king forgot about the incident.

But not Raman.

He invited the king to a feast one day.

The food smelt so good that the king eagerly put a morsel in his mouth.

Immediately he spat it out.

“I instructed the cook to prepare your favourite dishes,” said Raman.

“Is something wrong?”

“This food has no salt!” replied the king angrily. “Don’t you know that salt is the important ingredient?”

“But your Majesty, since salt is common and cheap, I told the cook not to add it to the dishes,” said Raman.

The king understood. He smiled at the clever manner in which Raman made his point.

Amazing Edutech Entrepreneur

 

BYJU RAVINDRAN

Byju Ravindran  was born in Azhikode village of Kerala. He studied at a Malayalam medium school where his parents were teachers.

The accidental entrepreneur in the educational technology (edutech) sector realized where his calling lay when he was able to help his friends crack the CAT entrance exam for admission to management programme.

For a lark, he also appeared for the test twice and scored in the 100^th percentile. He worked as a service engineer with a multinational company, before starting Byju’s classes for CAT in 2007. It helped CAT aspirants crack the exam by making them understand the concepts behind the questions. In 2011, he co-founded the online edutech company ‘Byju’s’ with his wife Divya Gokulnath.

In 2015, as the screen size of smartphones increased, Byju launched an app which students could easily access on their handheld devices, for the purpose of learning. By October 2018, “BYJU’s – The Learning App” was being used by students in the UK, the US and other English-speaking countries.

The test prep business that Byju founded in 2007 has now emerged as a giant in the Indian education technology space. It teaches maths and science concepts to kids from classes IV to XII and offers preparation for several entrance exams.

Byju, who often skipped classes when he was in school, had to catch up with his studies on his own. This was when he first began to develop the learning methods that he now imparts to the 1.6 lakh students who are paid subscribers on the Byju’s network, as well to those who have downloaded his free app. It has also enabled students to take on the primary responsibility for their learning.

Rulers of India

 

Abbakka the brave

“In brief, her aspect and habit represented rather a kitchen-woman or a laundress than a delicate and noble queen. This is how an Italian traveller had described Abbakka Rani, the queen of Ullal in Karnataka. However appearances can be deceptive… for this plain-looking lady was a thorn in the path of the Portuguese in the late 16^th century.

Abbakka was a strong-minded Jaina queen trained in the art of warefare. When she learnt that her husband, ruler of Bangadi was keen on allying with the Portuguese, she left him to manage her home turf, the prosperous town of Ullal, which exported spices.

At that time, the Portuguese were vying for control of the western coast, to monopolize the lucrative Indian spice trade. When Abbakka refused to pay them to carry on her trade with the Arabs in West Asia, the Portuguese raided her ship on the high seas. Not one to be cowed down, Abbakka daringly attacked their base in Mangalore.

Thereafter, the Portuguese launched several attacks against Ullal, but were repulsed each time. Her fame spread far and wide as the fearless ‘pepper queen’ who successfully kept the mighty European power on their toes.

Once, the Portuguese managed to seize the city of Ullal, but the intrepid queen escaped, gathered a band of 200 soldiers, and counter-attacked them, forcing the invaders to flee in disgrace.

Eventually the Portuguese did capture her with the help of her estranged husband, but even in prison she revolted, and died fighting like a soldier.

 

Abbakka was as benevolent as she was brave and worked for the welfare of her subjects. She maintained good relations with people of all communities and religions, employing them in her army and administration.

Words Worth Reading

 

Lessons from Abraham Lincoln

1. Take responsibility for your life.

“You have to do your own growing - no matter how tall your grandfather was.”

2. Remember that greatness is possible.

“That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.

3. Believe in and go after your own success.

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.”

4. Prepare yourself to succeed.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”

5. Become worthy of a good reputation.

“Reputation is like fine china, once broken it’s very hard to repair.”

6. Always see the brighter side of things.

“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”

7. Be committed to constant improvement.

“The way for a young man to rise is to improve himself in every way he can...”

8. Live your life fully.

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

THE WISDOM OF THE SWALLOW

 The Wisdom of the Swallow

An old swallow resting on a bean vine saw a farmer sowing hemp seeds in his field.

“Beware, friends!” he said to the pigeons around him. “That farmer is going to destroy us.”

“What makes you say so?” asked one little pigeon.

“Because he is sowing hemp seeds!” said the old swallow. “When the hemp grows, he will make them into cords and tie them into nets to trap us. My advice to you is to pick up the seeds as soon as he leaves!”

However, the birds did not pay heed to his advice. A few days later the old swallow died.

The hempseeds grew into plants.

Then one day, as the birds were about to fly out in a flock, the farmer caught them in his newly-made hemp net.

“Alas!” cried the pigeons as they fell into the net, “If only we had listened to the old swallow!”

Moral of the story: Destroy the seed of evil or it will grow up to be your ruin.