GHOST TOWN

 Kuldhara

     Kuldhara is a charming but deserted village, very close to Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. People call it a ghost town. Until the 19th century, Kuldhara was a prosperous village. It was established in the 13th century by the Paliwal Brahmins, who had migrated from Pali. 

     No one knows why the village was deserted all of a sudden. Some say it was because of drought, others attribute it to an earthquake and still others to Salim Singh, a powerful minister of the then state of Jaisalmer, who took delight in harassing the villagers with his unscrupulous tax collecting ways. 

     It is said that Salim Singh’s roving eyes fell on the beautiful daughter of the village headman. He tried to take her away by force but was prevented by her father and some villagers. Infuriated, he warned the people that he would levy steeper taxes if they dared to come in his way again. The villagers panicked and as night fell, they packed their belongings and quietly trooped out of the village. Kuldhara hasn’t been inhabited ever since. Many believe that this is because the villagers had cursed the place before leaving, saying that it would never be inhabited again. 

     People visiting or travelling through Kuldhara have reported hearing about people meeting with strange deaths if they tried to live there. Many have supposedly heard spooky sounds and seen ghosts walking about at night. 

     Ruins of empty houses, stepwells, temples and other community structures with pretty carvings stand as silent sentinels today. Kuldhara now enjoys the status of a heritage site and is being maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. As the exodus took place on Raksha Bandhan, no member of the Paliwal Brahmin community celebrates the festival.

FIVE IMPORTANT MAXIMS

 Parable of the pencil

       The pencil maker took the pencil aside, just before putting it into the box. 

     "There are five things you need to know," he told the pencil, "before I send you into the world. Always remember them, and you will become the best pencil you can be.

     One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone's hand.

     Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil. 

     Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

     Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside.

     Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave a mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

     Now, replacing "pencil" with "you" always remember the five maxims listed above.

     

DO YOU KNOW

 What is dry ice and what are its uses?

     Dry ice is the common name for the solidified (frozen) form of Carbon dioxide. It is so called because it does not melt into a liquid, but changes directly from solid to gaseous form when heated, in a process known as sublimation.

     Because of its extremely cold temperature -78⁰C, dry ice is very useful for refrigeration. Its main use is as a cooling agent. Being simple to use and easy to handle using insulated gloves, as well as non-toxic and completely dry, it is widely used as a refrigerant to ship frozen or medical products or to cool materials during production. Food-grade dry ice can also be put into beverages to cool them (but must not be eaten or swallowed).

     Another important use of dry ice is for blast cleaning, an effective and environment-friendly way to clean industrial equipment. This method involves shooting pellets of dry ice from a jet nozzle on to the equipment or machinery to be cleaned. This effectively removes residues of materials such as ink, glue, oil, paint etc.

     An interesting use of dry ice is in fog machines. When it is kept in water, sublimation ensues, creating dense clouds of smoke-like fog. This is very useful for dramatic effects in stage plays, dances etc. Hence fog machines containing dry ice are used in night clubs, theatres, film shooting sets and amusement parks.

     Dry ice is also an excellent material to enliven science lessons and is commonly used in school projects to make a volcano, a cloud chamber etc. 

HISTORICAL EVENT OF THE MONTH

 Fall of Bastille

     On July 14, 1789, a group of revolutionaries stormed and captured the Bastille, a medieval fortress in Paris that was used as a French state prison. The Bastille was a symbol of the tyranny of the reigning Bourbon monarchy and held an important place in the ideology of the French revolution, which in turn changed the face of modern politics across Europe and the world.

     In 1880, the French government passed a law declaring July 14 a public holiday. Since then, the day has been commemorated as La Fete Nationale, or Bastille Day in English, across France and French-speaking areas.

INDIAN SPACE RESEARCH ORGANISATION'S

 Chandrayan-3

     The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon as per schedule at 2:35 p.m today at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.   Chandrayaan-3, India's third lunar          exploration mission, will make India the fourth country to land its spacecraft on the surface of the moon and demonstrate the country's abilities for safe and soft landings on lunar surfaces. 

     This will be the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) follow-up attempt after the Chandrayaan-2 mission faced challenges during its soft landing in 2019. 

     The 'Launch Rehearsal', simulating the entire launch preparation and process, has been concluded by the ISRO. 

     The mission will propel the lunar spacecraft towards a trajectory to the Moon. The mission readiness review committee of ISRO had given its clearance for liftoff, as all the necessary parameters for a successful launch had been met. Following the committee's approval, the launch authorisation board had also granted permission for the Chandrayaan-3 mission to proceed. If all goes according to plan, the 43.5-meter LVM-3 launch rocket will send the spacecraft into an elliptical Earth orbit before it begins its journey towards the Moon. The scheduled landing near the lunar south pole is expected to occur around August 23. 

     The LVM-3 is a heavy-lift launch vehicle renowned for its ability to carry a substantial payload into space. It is the most powerful rocket developed by ISRO and stands unrivaled in its class. Known as the 'Bahubali' of rockets, the LVM-3 is a three-stage rocket equipped with two solid-fuel boosters and a liquid-fuel core stage. The solid-fuel boosters provide the initial thrust, while the liquid-fuel core stage ensures sustained thrust to propel the rocket into orbit. 

     The mission involves a 2-meter tall lander designed to deploy a rover near the lunar south pole region. The rover is expected to operate for approximately two weeks, conducting a series of experiments. 

     ISRO's previous mission, Chandrayaan-2, successfully deployed an orbiter in 2020. However, its lander and rover were unfortunately destroyed in a crash near the intended touchdown site of Chandrayaan-3. 

     To date, only the Soviet Union, the United States, and China have achieved successful soft landings on the Moon. This launch by ISRO marks the country's first major mission following the Centre's announcement of policies aimed at promoting investment in private space launches and satellite-based businesses.

THE MUD FESTIVAL OF GOA

  Chikal Kalo

     The Marcel Devaki Krishna temple hosts the Chikal Kalo, or mud festival, in the rainy season. Wet mud is referred to as chikal. The villagers celebrate Lord Krishna's joyful nature by dancing and engaging in activities in the muddy, rainy monsoon muck. 

     Men congregate at the temple to worship while dousing their bodies with oil. Chikal Kalo (or Chikhalkala) is a monsoon celebration. It is observed in the premises of the Devki-Krishna temple in Marcel, a village in North Goa's Ponda Taluka. The celebration of Chikhal Kalo is distinctive to the village of Marcel; here, everyone unites despite their differences to sing devotional songs and engage in a variety of sports to mark the occasion. 

     It is thought that it was historically commemorated in Marcel as a representation of the young Lord Krishna, who adored playing with his pals in Vrindavan. The Devaki-Krishna temple in Marcel serves as the backdrop for the entire action.

How is Chikal Kalo celebrated?

Village men start the festivities by applying oil to themselves. Then enjoyable games and pastimes are performed, evoking the games that Lord Krishna and his companions used to play when they were kids. Music played on traditional Goan instruments enhances the joyful mood. Sweets, particularly puran poli, are given out to everyone on the occasion. The playing of dahi handi marks the festival's conclusion. The village's younger residents get together to create a human pyramid. Later, they break the clay butter pot that is fastened to a at a height. This celebratory event is a vibrant and young demonstration of youth. All participants leave their everyday concerns and join in the joyful celebration, savoring the moment whole-heartedly.

DO YOU KNOW

 Where are the ghost mountains?

     In Antarctica. It is the nickname for the 1,200km-long Gamburtsev mountain range on the icy continent. It is named so because it is buried under four kilometres of snow. It was discovered when ice penetrating radar equipment was used.

     It was discovered in 1958 by Soviet geophysicist Grigoriy A. Gamburtsev. In 2008-2009, a multinational team of experts embarked on a mission called the AGAP (Antarctica's Gamburtsev Province) to map the sub-glacial range. Aircraft loaded with remote-sensing equipment criss-crossed the area, flying 120,000km, that is about three trips around the globe! It collected data about the ice thickness and radar images of the rock bed and conducted gravity and magnetic surveys. The findings revealed a jagged landscape not unlike the Alps of Europe. The project explored 20% of the East Antarctic ice sheet.

     It is yet not known how the mountain was formed, but it is estimated to be several million years old.