FIRST MAN TO CYCLE AROUND THE WORLD

Thomas Stevens 

The first man to cycle around the world was Thomas Stevens who set out on his journey on 22 April, 1884 from San Francisco, at the age of 29. 

He rode a penny-farthing, a cycle with a huge front wheel. Arriving in New York some months later he boarded a ship that took him across the Atlantic to Europe. Disembarking at Liverpool, he began the second leg of his journey which was to take him through England, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and finally to Istanbul, gateway to Asia. In Turkey, he had to outrun mobs of people who wanted him to teach them cycling. 

Arriving in India, through Afghanistan, he cycled down the Grand Trunk Road in scorching heat. Admirers and well-wishers helped him along the way with cooling drinks till he reached Calcutta where he took a ship for HongKong. 

His journey through China was a nightmare because the Chinese distrusted foreigners, especially whites. Chased by mobs and hit by stones, he arrived shaken but in one piece at Shanghai. From there he took a ferry to Nagasaki, Japan.

His bicycle journey ended when he reached the port of Yokohama on 17 December, 1886. A ship took him across the Pacific back to San Francisco from where he had started. He had circumnavigated the globe on his penny-farthing!

DO YOU KNOW

Who is the ‘Davis Cup’ named after?

The Davis Cup is a prestigious international men’s tennis championship, run by the International Tennis Federation.

An extremely popular tournament, it is described by its organizers as ‘the World Cup of tennis’. It is named in honour of American politician, Dwight F. Davis (1879–1945), one of its founders, who designed the original tournament format and contributed the first trophy.

The tournament originated over a century ago as a contest between the USA and Great Britain. It was conceived in 1899 by four students of Harvard University, including Dwight F. Davis, who challenged the British to a tennis competition. 

The first match (between USA and Britain) was held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Massachusetts in 1900. Although conceived as a two nation contest, within the next 5 years the tournament expanded to include Belgium, Austria, France and Australia. 

Originally called the International Lawn Tennis Challenge, it soon came to be known as the Davis Cup, after Dwight Davis’s trophy. The toppers in the Davis Cup are the USA, who have won it 32 times, and Australia (the winner on 28 occasions). India has never won the tournament till date, but has been the runner-up thrice, in 1966, 1974, and 1987.

INSPIRING STORY OF ARTHUR ROBERT ASHE JR

 Why me?

     Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (July 10, 1943 – February 6, 1993) was a First-ranked professional tennis player and the only African-American male, ever to win the US Open, the Australian Open, and the Wimbledon - the three Grand Slam singles titles.

     Arthur started his game with a puny physique and his coach Johnson helped fine-tune Ashe's game and taught him the importance of racial socialization through sportsmanship, etiquette and the composure that would later become an Ashe hallmark. 

   To have hailed from times when racial discrimination was at its peak, it is no normal 'attitude' that Ashe carried along to become the inspiring Superhero. In 1979, despite his active lifestyle, Ashe suffered a heart attack and underwent quadruple-bypass surgery. His return to tennis was stalled by the onset of recurring chest pains, causing him to officially retire in April 1980.

     In 1983, Ashe had to undergo a second round of heart surgery, during which he received a blood transfusion to expedite the recovery process. In 1988, Ashe was hospitalised once more, this time after experiencing paralysis in his right arm. After much testing it was discovered that Ashe was HIV positive, the belief being that he contracted the virus during the second heart bypass surgery in 1983.

     Wanting to be the master of his own destiny, he chose to reveal the news himself rather than let the newspapers do it for him. From all over the world, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: “Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease”? Ashe's spontaneous reply to the “WHY ME” was: 

   “The world over, 50 million children start playing tennis, 5 million learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi-final, 2 to the finals… When I was holding a cup, I never asked GOD 'Why me?' And today in pain I should not be asking GOD 'Why me?"

      No wonder that this attitude of 'Why me' for all the right reasons put Ashe truly on a different league. Ashe became a vocal campaigner for AIDS awareness. He set up both the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the defeat of AIDS and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. He died on 6th February 1993 from AIDS-related pneumonia when he was just 49. The US Open honoured him in 1997 by naming their new primary show-court, and it is still the largest tennis stadium in the world, in his honour. Ashe was truly unstoppable and certainly an only one of his kind.

AMAZING ANIMAL WORLD

 Kangaroo Rats

 

   Water is an essential for the survival of humans. Without it, we cannot stay alive for a long time. However kangaroo rats have a unique ability to stay without water for years, almost their entire lifetimes. These fascinating creatures are found in the deserts of North America and are 8 to 14cm long with a large head, short forelimbs, long hind limbs. Their tail is as long as their body, and they spend most of their time in burrows to avoid sweating. They have a pouch on their cheeks to avoid store sweating. 

     Kangaroo rats search for food only when the temperature falls, which usually happens in the evening or at night. They eat seeds, leaves and other vegetation growing around them and the water that is needed for their body is received through the food they eat. 

    Interestingly, Kangaroo rats have larger kidneys compared to other rat species. Kidneys help in taking out the waste from the blood and transforming it into urine. Also, kidneys remove the extra water from their waste and pump it back into their body, thus allowing them to survive without drinking water for an extended period. 

DO YOU KNOW

Why baby deer has spots?

     Baby deer, also known as spawn, has white spots on its fur for two main reasons: camouflage and communication. The white spots on fawn's coat help to camouflage it in its surroundings, making it harder for predators to see the deer. The spots break up the fawn's shape, making it look like it's part of the sunlight peeking through the trees. This works well when fawns are very young and need extra protection from predators. The white spots on a coat can also be used for communication. The mother deer can use the spots to identify her fawn from a distance, even in low light. The spots can also help spawns to stay close together when they are grazing, as they can see each other's spots even when they are a little distance apart. 

KNOW ABOUT CHRISTMAS

 Everything you need to know about the last major festival of the year 

Why is Christmas celebrated?

    Christmas is an annual Christian festival celebrated on December 25. It is celebrated to honour the birth of Jesus Christ. It is the time of the year when Christians as well as believers of other faiths, decorate their homes with Christmas trees, build creative cribs, prepare sweets and share gifts with family and neighbours. People come together and sing Christmas carols and greet one another a 'Merry Christmas'.

     Christmas is celebrated differently in different places around the world. Some parts of the world celebrate the festival in a quiet, solemn manner while other places have big celebrations with carnivals and festivities. 

Where does the word 'Christmas' come from?

  The word 'Christmas' comes with a combination of two words, 'Christ' and 'mass' from the old English words, 'Cristes maesse'. Christmas was also known as Yule. In Spanish, the festival is referred to as Navidad, in Italian it is better known as Natale and the French refer to it as Noel; all these words are related to the nativity or the birth of Jesus Christ. 

Why is Christmas celebrated on December 25?

     The exact date of Jesus' birth is not specified in the Bible. There are disagreements among scholars as to when exactly Jesus was born, but most believe it was between 6 and 4BC. The first recorded date when Christmas was celebrated December 25, 336, during the time of the Roman emperor Constantine, who was the first Roman emperor. It is believed that December 25 was chosen as it is exactly nine months after Jesus was immaculately conceived on March 25. Christmas was also celebrated by the early church on January 6, which is celebrated as the Epiphany, the Baptism of Jesus or Three Kings Day. January 6 is still referred to as Old Christmas. 

What is a Christmas crib?

     The Christmas crib, also called the nativity scene, shows baby Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. Building a crib is a tradition that was started in 1223 by St Francis of Assisi at Greccio in central Italy. He created a live manger scene that was enacted by real humans and animals. It showed Jesus Christ born in a hay-filled stable surrounded by animals and shepherds as described in the Bible. The nativity scene also shows the three Kings- Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar- with their camels following a star, which points to the north. They passed through fields and mountains to pay their respects to baby Jesus. 

     Crib building is now a common Christmas activity and cribs are displayed in churches, homes, shopping malls and on streets during Christmas. 

What is midnight mass?

     The Christmas mass service was the only service that was allowed to take place after sunset and is held on midnight of December 24. The Christmas midnight mass dates back to the early church; it was believed that Jesus was born at midnight, although there is no proof of this. It is also believed that the midnight mass tradition started in the western world in 430AD in Rome, Italy, and it became widely popular by the 12th century. 

What are the symbols that we often see on Christmas trees?

     Have you ever wondered why people hang things around an evergreen Christmas tree? Most of these decorations Have a special meaning. In the 16th century, Germans decorated their trees, which they called paradise trees, with real apples, nuts and berries. Some of the other decorations that go up on a Christmas tree include:

Stars: The Christmas star, which is placed right on the top of the tree, symbolises the star of Bethlehem. According to legend, a star guided the three kings or wise men to the stable where Jesus was born. The star also symbolises shining hope for humanity. 

Gifts with bows: The three wise men who brought gifts to honour the birth of Jesus inspired the concept of exchanging gifts on Christmas. The ribbons tied around the gifts represent how people should be bonded together in unity. 

Candy canes: The Christmas candy cane is originally a concept from Germany and it dates back to some two and a half centuries ago. Candy canes represent the shape of a shepherd's crook and are supposed to remind children of the shepherds that came to visit baby Jesus. Jesus himself was also referred to as the Good Shepherd. The candy cane is red and white in colour, where red represents blood and white represents Jesus' purity.

Lights and candles: The lights around the tree and the candles lit near it bring warmth and brightness to the season. Candles are lit on the eve of Christmas. They represent the light of the star that appeared at the birth of Jesus. Candles were also used as decorations on Christmas trees before electric lights were invented. 

Bells: Bells are rung on Christmas Eve to proclaim the birth of Jesus and to announce the arrival of the Christmas season. On the eve of Christmas, church bells are rung while choirs sing hymns to proclaim the birth of Jesus. 

Red and green colour: For hundreds of years, red and green have been used as the traditional Christmas colours. The colour red represents the blood of Jesus when he died on the cross and the colour green signifies light and life. It also represents the evergreen trees that remained green right through the winter when Jesus was born. 

MAHAKAVI

Subramanya Bharathi 

 A Tamil writer, poet, journalist, Indian independence activist, a social reformer and a polyglot. 

     Great Tamil poet and nationalist Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi was born on 11 December 1882 at Ettayapuram town in present-day Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu. He was born to Chinnaswamy Iyer and Lakshmi Ammal. He was called Subbiah in his childhood.

     He started writing poetry in Tamil at the tender age of seven. At the age of 11, he won a debate in the court of Ettayapuram Raja and was bestowed the title ‘𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢’ (meaning blessed by Goddess Saraswati) since he impressed all the eminent men present in the court with his intellect and erudition.

     At the age of 15, he spent 2 years in Banares and learnt Sanskrit, English and Hindi there. His stay in Banares changed his outward appearance. He started growing a beard and wore a turban. He also gained a bold swing in his gait. It was in Benares that Bharathi was exposed further to Hindu spirituality and the idea of nationalism. He also attended Congress sessions.

     He worked as an editor of magazines and newspapers. He also contributed to these journals. His poems and hymns were based on diverse themes like patriotism, relationship between man and God, Russian and French revolutions, children, devotion, etc. These magazines included 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧, 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚 and 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐦.

     At the historic Surat session of the Congress in 1907 when the party split into extremists and moderates, Bharathi sided with Bal Gangadhar Tilak and supported armed resistance against the authorities.

     In 1908, Bharathi fled to Pondicherry, then under the French, when faced with the prospect of arrest owing to his writings in ‘𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚’. In Pondicherry, he edited and published journals '𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚', '𝐕𝐢𝐣𝐚𝐲𝐚', '𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐦' 𝐚𝐧𝐝 '𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐦'. In 1909, the British government banned ‘𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚’ and ‘𝐕𝐢𝐣𝐚𝐲𝐚’ in India.

     Bharathi also met great leaders like Aurobindo, Lala Lajpat Rai and V V S Aiyar while in Pondicherry. He started learning Vedic literature here. He translated Vedic hymns, Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra into Tamil. In 1918, when Bharathi entered India, he was arrested. He was released after 3 weeks following the intervention of Annie Besant and C P Ramaswamy Aiyar. In 1920, he resumed being the editor of Swadeshamitran in Chennai. He spent the last few years of his life in Triplicane, Chennai.

     Subramanya Bharathi was an advocate of women’s rights and also against the caste system. According to him, Indian society would have to be united before being liberated from foreign rule. He condemned certain Shastras that denigrated women. He believed in the equality of humankind and criticised many preachers for mixing their personal prejudices while teaching the Gita and the Vedas.

     He is considered the foremost poet in not only modern Tamil language but in all of Tamil history. He is widely regarded as the pioneer of modern Tamil literature. He used simple but effective words and rhythm. As a poet, his themes ranged from patriotism to nature, from romance to philosophy, from devotion to self-respect. 

     He also wrote of the need for scientific advancements if the country was to move ahead. His famous poems include 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐢, 𝐒𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐮𝐦 𝐕𝐢𝐳𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐫, 𝐀𝐠𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐦, etc. He was a polyglot and translated the speeches of Aurobindo, Swami Vivekananda and Tilak into Tamil.

    His poems have and continue to inspire millions of people around the globe. He is fondly called ‘𝐌𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐯𝐢’ or ‘𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐞𝐭’. Bharathi was struck by ill-health due to his arrests. He passed away on 11 September 1921 aged just 38. In 1949, he became the first poet whose works were nationalised by the state government.