As air pollution becomes an alarming issue that can no longer be snoozed, let us take a deep breath and study about its major pollutants and sources across the country. Five years back itself, in 2019, air pollution was alone responsible for about 16.5 lakh deaths in India. This was disclosed by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), published by some very credible organizations—the Lancet Planet Health and the Indian Council of Medical Research. Their stat is believable as 24 out of 50 most polluted cities in the world are already in India, which we know from nothing but the World Health Organization’s data released …
Pensive thoughts by a Gen Z on the human civilization, and its past, present, future. As the human civilization has advanced, it has undergone a trial of conscience at every successive step. Simply put, it has been in a court of paradoxes where there were problems, debates, and choices to be made. The Homo Sapiens—modern humans—appeared around 20,00,000 years ago. Gradually, these creatures chose to migrate and sail across the seas to make their own way. In the Neolithic Age, they opted to settle down at different places and brought new civilizations into existence. They invented a language, began keeping records, …
Child waste pickers in India need our help and compassion. Imagine waking up really early, when the sun is just starting to peek through. Imagine putting on a pair of your most ragged, worn-out clothes, picking up your work-gear – a large, equally tattered bag, maybe. And then, trudging out to begin another day, not for school, but for doing what you do every day of the week: pick up waste. Thousands of children in our country do this every day. You can see them scurrying along streets and footpaths with their oversized bags slung on their thin shoulders, rummaging through garbage dumps. They are the unsung ‘green …
An observation report made by high-schoolers in rural Maharashtra, studying the impact of climate change and the water resources installed by them a year earlier. At the cusp of the monsoon in Kharajgaon, land had laid barren for months. The countryside was tense and farmers awaited rains. Too early and the crops would die, too late and they can’t be sold. Most farmers took multiple jobs during off-season to support their families. Navin, a farmer we worked with, forced his daughters to leave school to sustain their living costs. Promised prosperous yield, they adopted inorganic fertilisers and pesticides. “We know …
From the tales of Black Panther to White Tiger and many charming variants, explore how melanin colour codes the wild. The Dark Brown Pigment—Melanin Let me start this article with someone whom all of you know: A certain ‘Bagheera’. Yes, the ‘black panther’ from Rudyard Kipling’s masterpiece, The Jungle Book. In the book, it is Bagheera who teaches the feral boy (or ‘man cub’) Mowgli about the ‘ways of the jungle’. You may or may not have seen real-life Bagheeras in your city zoo. The first thing that may have struck you on seeing such an animal is the sheer spectacle: …
How much can one season bring? From scorching heatwaves to raging floods, discover how extreme weather events shape our lives. It was hot every year, but this year they had to close Joni’s school for an extra two months because of the heat. Mr Gokhale, the principal of City Public School, had looked particularly sweaty during the last morning assembly. As all the students stood in rows, Mr. Gokhale wiped his large forehead with his hanky and took the mic on the podium.“Children, we have a special announcement. As you know, we are experiencing a difficult heatwave this year. That’s why the government has …
As per the latest State of India’s Environment 2024, published by the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, air pollution is one of the biggest reasons for child mortality in India. From womb to birth to adolescence, murky air with heavy doses of PM2.5 and noxious gases cripple generations. Doctors say that Delhi and many cities in India are witnessing a spike in cases of children and non-smoking adults with black deposits in lungs. These deposits cannot be removed and damage the lungs. It is a criminal oversight to ignore this health emergency.
Brainstorm Blitz: The First Breath (Qualifying Round) | Air Wars: The Final Frontier! (Final Round)
Through activities and games, chase nature’s wildest occurrences and know more about the climate crisis.
Lavanya Karthik’s delightfully narrated and illustrated biography of Janaki Ammal, a path-breaking woman scientist in colonial India, inspires young readers. Edavalath Kakkat Janaki Ammal was one of India’s first female scientists, but before she broke glass ceilings, she was just a little girl in Kerala’s seaside town of Thalassery. The short, illustrated biography by Lavanya Karthik charmingly captures her story, looking for a dream world away from her hometown with rigid rules.The book is Janaki’s journey from being a seed to a blossoming forest. The storytelling is captivating even though the …
PYTHONS COULD DO WITH GLASSES Pythons have pretty poor eyesight. But they have a super power. Heat sensors! These are on their lips. From the heat radiated from their prey, they can find them even in the dark! MUMMY MUMMY… Pythons, like most reptiles, are very maternal. Some lay up to a hundred eggs. The mother then coils around to keep them warm until they hatch, which can be up to 90 days! She never leaves them even to feed herself!! Mother's love at its best.
An ‘earth construction’ session on building sustainably. DIY included too!