WORSHIP OF SNAKE GOD

 Nag Panchami

     The festival of Nag Panchami, celebrated all over India in August, centres around the worship of cobras or snake gods and goddesses. In some places devotees bow before live cobras; in others, serpent images made of clay, dough, or silver are venerated. Worship generally includes pouring milk over the head of the snake or its idol also offered to snakes for drinking. It is considered auspicious if the reptile drinks the milk.

     Nag Panchami is a time for snake charmers to make some money. They take the reptiles to towns and cities in round bamboo baskets. When they play the ‘been’, a musical instrument, the cobra coiled in the basket, stirs to life. It raises its head, spreads its hood and moves its head from side to side. One gets the impression that the snake is swaying to the music.

The Cobras of Shirala Battis: Shirala in Maharashtra's Sangli district is renowned for its celebration of the Nag Panchami festival. Shirala literally crawls with cobras during this time. Tourists pour in either to participate or gawk at the snakes or to witness the strange interaction between man and venomous reptiles.

     Days before Nag Panchami, the countless nag mandals or youth clubs whose members specialise in trapping snakes go on a snake-catching spree in the surrounding countryside. Even the children of the village are quite fearless and handle the snakes as if they were toys.The cobras are put in clay pots and carried by bullock cart in a colourful procession to the Amba temple where they're worshipped throughout the day. They're released back into the wild once the festival is over.The people of Shirala believe that they're protected against snakebite because of an ancient boon granted to their ancestors by Shiva. They also realise that snakes are very useful in keeping the rat population under control, and they never harm the snakes. However, animal rights activists say the snakes undergo tremendous stress during the festival.

Snake Myths: 

* When the snake charmer plays the 'been' the snake sways to the music.

False. Snakes don't have external ears. They cannot hear airborne sounds. They pick up vibrations of sound from the ground. They move their head from side to side when the snake charmer plays the 'been' because they're suspicious of the instrument and regard it as a possible threat. As the snake charmer keeps shifting the position of the 'been' the snake keeps moving its head from side to side so as to keep the instrument in sight all the time. Lizards have external ears but snakes don't.

* Snakes Loves Milk.                

False. Snakes can't digest milk and normally don't drink it. However, if they were deprived of water for several days they would drink milk, or for that matter even Pepsi or Coke, to quench their thirst. Often, during Nag Panchami, snakes are forced to drink milk by their owners and many die as a result. Some people believe that snakes enter cowsheds and drink milk from cows. This, of course, is utter nonsense. Snakes sometimes enter cowsheds while chasing rats. The cows are tethered and cannot get out of the way. They cower in fright and some of them may get so scared that their milk dries up. This may make the farmer think that the snake has drunk their milk. 

* Snakes can't lap up liquid with their forked tongue. When they're drinking water or any liquid they suck the liquid into their mouth and then force it into the oesophagus by contracting the mouth cavity.

INDIA'S OLDEST WIND INSTRUMENT

 Flute

     The flute is India’s most ancient wind instrument, depicted in the frescoes at Ajanta and in centuries-old temple sculptures. Remnants of flutes made of bone that are thousands of years old have been found in Europe and elsewhere, but the Indian flute developed independently of its western counterpart. 

     The flute is a simple instrument generally made of hollow bamboo though other materials may also be used. It has five or more holes along its length and a mouthpiece. The musical notes are produced by blowing into the mouthpiece and opening and closing the other holes with the fingers, in correct order. In India we have two main types—the bansuri, used in the Hindustani classical music of north India and the venu, used in Carnatic music. 

     The venu has eight holes and is smaller in size than the bansuri, which is typically around 35 cm (14 inches) in length but can be as long as 82 cm (32 inches) and has six or seven holes. 

     Lord Krishna is often shown playing the bansuri, an instrument with which he produced music that enthralled not only the gopis and others but also wild beasts. Two of his several names are Murlidhar or ‘one who holds the flute’, and Venugopal. 

     One of the greatest exponents of the flute is Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. 

     Pannalal Ghosh (1911-1960), maestro of the flute, made many innovations in the instrument to extend its tonal range and to integrate it into Hindustani classical music. 

STORY TIME

 Precious Onions

     Once upon a time there lived a man called Saul who was always in search of adventure. One day, a traveller came to Saul’s village and told of a far-away country where onions were unknown.    

     “What!” cried Saul in astonishment. “No onions? How can people eat food without the taste of delicious onions?” 

     He decided that he would introduce onions to those ignorant folks. He bought a wagon-load of onions and set off. As soon as he was admitted to the king’s presence, Saul announced, “I have brought a unique vegetable which will improve the taste of your food greatly.”

     The king agreed to ask his cooks to use the onions. “But if we fall ill, then it’s off with your head,” he warned Saul. 

     The next day, a number of dishes were prepared with the onions. A great banquet was held where everyone was invited.

     As they ate, Saul could see that the onions captivated all, from the king to the commoner. And everyone agreed that from then on, they would not eat food without onions in it!

     The king was very pleased with Saul and offered him gold equal in weight to the onions he had brought. When he reached home, he related his adventure to the admiring villagers. One of them, Peter, thought over what Saul had said.

     “If onions were welcomed so warmly, then what might be the reaction to garlic?” he pondered. “It adds even more flavour to food. Why, the king might even reward me with diamonds!”

     So Peter carted five sacks of garlic to the same kingdom. The king agreed to introduce garlic to his people. When everyone sampled the food cooked with garlic, they praised it to the skies and remarked that it was even better than onions. As Peter had predicted, the king and his minister wished to gift him something even more valuable than gold. 

     After a long discussion, the king summoned Peter and said,“We would like to present you with the most precious commodity in our kingdom to express our gratitude for your gift of garlic.”

     And the king handed over to Peter five sacks full of onions!

DRAWING WITH LIGHT

 Photography

     Photography is a way of capturing and recording images using a device called a camera. Photography was invented by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, a French inventor. The person who captures the picture is called a photographer. Pictures captured using a camera are called photographs.

     Photography is considered as a useful form of communication. A photograph has the ability to capture an experience, an idea or a moment in time and gives us more information about the place, people, events and objects in the photograph. World Photography Day is observed annually on August 19 to celebrate the art, craft, science and history of photography.

Facts:

* The word 'photography' is derived from Greek words meaning 'drawing with light'.

* The oldest photographic image is almost 200 years old and it took eight hours to capture.

* Print media (newspapers and magazines) has been using photographs of events and people since the 1800s.

* The first colour photograph was taken in 1861 by Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell.

* George Eastman founded the Eastman Kodak company that made camera film and photography available to the masses.

* People never smiled in the olden days as they had to stay still for many hours for one photograph to be captured.

* The first digital camera weighed four times more than the modern DSLR.

* The most viewed photograph is a wallpaper of Windows XP named 'Bliss'. It was photographed by American photographer Charles O'Rear.

DO YOU KNOW

How and where did forks originate?

     The dining fork has an interesting history. It originated centuries ago, in an ancient Egypt, not as an item of cutlery but as a cooking tool used for carving or lifting meats from cauldron or the fire. The original forks were fairly large with two tines (prongs) that prevented meat from twisting or moving during carving and allowed food to slide off more easily than it would with a knife.

     By the 7th century, the nobles and royalty of the Middle East and the Byzantine empire began to use forks at the table for dining. (Until then, they had eaten with their fingers, using only knives for cutlery.) But this did not meet with the approval of the clergy, who considered it sinful to substitute metal forks for the natural forks (fingers) provided by God. It was not until the 16th century that forks gained acceptance in Italy. In 1533, forks were brought from Italy to France when Catherine de Medici married king Henry II. The French, too, were slow in accepting forks, because using them was thought to be an affectation. The French Monarch Louis XIV was known to have forbidden his children from eating with the forks their tutor had encouraged them to use. But gradually, the fork gained popularity and by the beginning of the 19th century, it had become an essential part of the French dinner table.

     An Englishman named Thomas Coryate brought the first forks to England after seeing them in Italy during his travels in 1608. He initially faced much ridicule, as the English thought it unnecessary. But over the years, they became prized possessions made of expensive materials intended to impress guests. Small slender-handled forks with two tines were generally used for sweet, sticky foods or for foods such as berries which were likely to stain the fingers. By the mid 1600s, eating with forks was considered fashionable among the wealthy British. Forks used solely for dining were luxuries and thus markers of social status and sophistication among nobles.

NOBLE VIRTUE

 Kindness

     At one of the Special Olympics, nine physically challenged boys lined up at the starting line for the 100-metre race. 

     At the sound of the starting gunshot, they all darted out, each in their own tracks, making their best effort to dash towards the finish line. 

     During the race, a young boy tripped and tumbled to the ground and began to cry. Hearing the cry, the other boys slowed down and looked back at him. 

     Then without hesitation, they all turned around and began running towards the injured boy. 

     Instead of pushing forth to the finish line to win, they decided to help the boy to his feet. Then all of them linked their arms and together they walked to the finish line. 

     By the time they reached the end, everyone in the stadium was on their feet and cheering the boys, some with tears rushing down their cheeks.  

     Even though they had lost their chance to win the race, all the boys had smiles on their faces because they knew they had done the right thing.  

     Mark Twain said, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Kindness to all is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength and nobility of character.

MOST COMMON FISH FOUND IN HOME AQUARIUM

 Goldfish

     Goldfish are freshwater fish. They are most common fish found in home aquariums. Goldfish have two sets of paired fins and three single fins. They have large eyes and great sense of hearing and smell.

     Goldfish eat worms, shrimp and other small fish. Goldfish are not just golden orange, they come in various sizes and colours.

Types of Goldfish:

Black telescope eye goldfish

Common goldfish

Bubble eye goldfish

Oranda goldfish

Some facts about goldfish:

i) It can survive for up to 10 years in an aquarium 

   and 30 years in a pond.

ii) It can grow to a length of between 4 and 16 

    inches.

iii) Around 450 million goldfish are sold as pets 

     across the world every year.

iv) There are about 200 breeds of goldfish.

v) Gifting a goldfish is a sign of friendship.

vi) The world's largest pet goldfish was found in 

      Netherlands in 2008. It measured 18.7 inches.

Goldfish habits:

1) Goldfish doesn't have teeth. They crush their  

    food in their throat.

2) They are friendly and usually do not harm 

     other fish.

3) Though they are quite calm, they can become 

     aggressive when released into the wild.

4) They do not need companions and can live 

     alone in a tank.

5) They are smart and enjoy music.