After days of heavy rainfall in northern and eastern states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, rivers have risen above the danger mark affecting more than 50,000 people.

Some trace the origin of COVID-19 virus to bats but these creatures of the night are more than virus carriers.

Thanks to the trade and imperial ventures of humans, these disease-causing organisms could cross regional boundaries and spread infection. Humans are really strange. They love giving awkward names to other living beings. For example, I am called a 'virus'. In Latin, it means poison or poisonous liquid. Well, humans do seem to enjoy giving names carrying negative connotations. My other name, 'pathogen', is not encouraging either. So, what is a pathogen? If you Google it, you will get the following explanation: 'Pathos' is the Greek word for disease and genes means 'born of'.

Use the sun's energy to brighten up your house with colourful lights

Stop behaving like humans. Set a final deadline for our human eradication programme. 

What kind of world will the younger generations inherit? Piu gets a hint.

Mr Rakesh Khatri has actively promoted sparrow conservation. Since 2007, he has been building nests for sparrows using natural material like bamboo, jute and coir. He trains young people to build these nests so that they could put them up around the city.

The season of festivals is here. But something feels different. My mother tells me that about 25 years ago, the winters would make a precise entry on Dussehra, which usually falls between September and October. A week before Dussehra, we would take the warm clothes out of an old trunk. "Now, it is late November when the weather becomes cold. Only a few days in December are cold enough to wear warm clothes," says my mother. We read in books that India has six distinct seasons—Grishma seasons (summer), Varsha (monsoon), Sharata (autumn), Hemanta (pre-winter), Shishira (winter) …

One upon a time, in the great blue ocean there lived a turtle called Tundra. She travelled miles and miles from the Pacific Ocean to the warm waters in the Indian Ocean. When she reached the shoreline, she could not believe her eyes. It was at the same beach she had first set foot on when she was a baby. It was the best beach to lay eggs.