Cheetah – The Fastest Mammal on Land

November 5, 2022 admin

The cheetah is the world’s fast mammal on land. The spotted cat is native to Africa and central Iran and is known to reach up to 112 km per hour in just 3 seconds. The body of the cheetah has evolved for speed, with long legs, an elongated spine, and a long tail for balance. Most of the cheetahs in the wild are found in the sub-African Sahara and a small population is found in Iran. Even though they’re the fastest land animal, cheetahs are not known for their stamina as they tire easily. Most cheetahs are only active 12% of the time of the day and only accelerate their speed when they’ve spotted prey.

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All You Need To Know About The Fastest Land Mammal- Cheetah!

Physical Characteristics of Cheetah

Cheetah’s body works like a machine, everything from its fur to its tail serves to help it in hunting its prey. Let’s take a close look at how his physical characteristics help it in surviving in the wild. Each body part serves a special purpose that helps it chase its prey with great agility and focus.

Tail

A cheetah has a flat-shaped muscular tail that acts like a rudder. Its tail helps it control the steering and also balance its weight while running fast.

Claws

Cheetahs have hard paws, unlike other cats who have soft paws. Their semi-non-retractable claws help them maintain a tight grip on the ground when they’re running swiftly.

Tear Marks

You might have noticed the long black lines along Cheetah’s eyes that run across its mouth. These tear marks act like sun glare protection and help them stay focused on their prey while they hunt.

Spotted Skin

The black spots that you see on a cheetah come from their skin. The black fur grows out of the black spots on their skin.

Hair

Cheetah cubs have long hairs that run from their neck to their tail and are called the mantle. Their long mantle makes them blend in with their surroundings and grant protection from predators like hyenas and tigers.

Teeth

Unlike other big cats, cheetahs have weak jaws and smaller canine teeth. Their teeth are not their strongest defense weapons as they often find it hard to protect their hunted prey from other larger predators.

2. Interesting Facts About Cheetahs

Unlike other big cats like lions and tigers, cheetahs don’t roar, they chirp, purr and meow. When faced with danger, they growl. When communicating with each other, cheetahs bark.

The cheetah gets its name from the Sanskrit word “chitraka” meaning the spotted one.

To avoid competition from other big cats like leopards and lions, cheetahs hunt during the day.

Their exceptional eyesight helps them to spot their prey from afar. Cheetahs stalk and chase their prey before knocking it down. They kill their prey with a bite to the throat.

Cheetahs can see appropriately with full details up to 3 miles, however, they do not have special night vision.

Cheetahs are social animals that live in groups. A group of male cheetahs sometimes live and hunt together. A mother cheetah and young cubs also live together.

The average lifespan of the cheetah is up to 14 years in the wild and 20 years in captivity.

Cheetahs can survive without water for up to 10 days! They only need to drink water once every 2-4 days.

Cheetahs are racing towards extinction and are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

Cheetahs are hunted for their skin which puts them at risk of extinction. Destruction of their habitat and climate change are also contributing factors that are leading to their extinction.

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History of the Constitution of India

November 5, 2022 admin

The Indian constitution is the most important book in India. It contains all the rules, regulations, and ideas that govern Indian laws and government. The Constitution of India was drafted or written by a group of people called the Constituent Assembly under the leadership of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. The Constitution of India was adopted on November 26, 1949, and came into effect on January 26, 1950.

Introduction to The Constitution of India

The Indian Constitution begins with the Preamble text that summarises the object and purpose of the constitution and its functioning. The ideals of the Preamble are borrowed from the French Constitution. The Preamble reads as follows:

Preamble

WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN, SOCIALIST, SECULAR, DEMOCRATIC, REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens:

JUSTICE, social, economic, and political;

LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith, and worship;

EQUALITY of status and opportunity; and to promote among them all;

FRATERNITY, assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the nation;

IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of November 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.”

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Drafting of The Indian Constitution

The constitution was drafted by the members of the constituent assembly. The authors were Dr. BR Ambedkar (Chairman of the Drafting Committee), BN Rau (Constitutional Advisor to the constituent assembly), and Surendra Nath Mukherjee (Chief Draftsman of the constituent assembly), along with other members of the assembly. There were a total of 284 signatories who were members of the constituent assembly including Jawahar Lal Nehru, Abdul Kalam, Vallabhbhai Patel, and Rajendra Prasad.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar is also considered the ‘Father of the Constitution as he studied the constitutions of over 60 countries. However, Ambedkar gives credit to BN Rau who was the Constitutional Advisor of the constituent assembly and played a vital role in preparing the constitution’s rough draft of the constitution for the consideration of the Drafting Committee.

Prem Behari Narain Raizada was the calligrapher who hand-wrote the original constitution in flowing italic style. Artists who decorated and added classical artistry to the constitution were Nand Lal Bose and Beohar Ram Manohar Sinha who belonged to Shantiniketan.

The Hindi version of the constitution was written by calligrapher Vasant Krishnan Vaidya and was illustrated by the talented artist Nand Lal Bose.

True Facts About the Indian Constitution You Should Know Of

The Indian Constitution is handwritten in both English and Hindi. Artists have beautifully illustrated it.

There are three original copies of the Constitution.

The first president of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, was the first person to sign the Constitution of India.

The original handwritten copies of the Constitution of India are kept in a special case in the library of the Parliament of India.

The Constitution of India comprises 470 articles divided into 25 parts, 12 schedules, and 5 appendices.

It is the largest constitution in the world with over 1.4 lakhs written words.

The constitution also provides the fundamental rights and duties of the citizen. Every citizen of India is obligated to abide by the fundamental duties and has the freedom to enjoy their fundamental rights.

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Everything You Need To Know About Chacha Nehru

November 2, 2022 admin

On November 14, 1889, Jawahar Lal Nehru aka Chacha Nehru was born in Allahabad, India. He was educated in Hindi, Sanskrit, and English as a child. He moved to England in 1905 to pursue his studies in law and science. He went back to India in 1912, where he practised law in Allahabad.

In 1947 Jawaharlal Nehru became the first prime minister of India. For more than 20 years he had worked with Mahatma Gandhi to free India from British rule. The Indian people called him Pandit, which means “wise man.” Nehru was awarded with the Bharat Ratna award in 1955. It is India’s highest civilian honour for his outstanding contribution during the freedom struggle and as the first prime minister of India.

With the “Gandhi cap” and the “Nehru Jacket” being instantly recognisable items, Nehru’s traditional clothing style is still prevalent and continued today. His ancestry in the Kashmiri Pandit family. This is why he was given the name ‘Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’.

Nehru remained prime minister until his death. He died in New Delhi, India, on May 27, 1964. His daughter, Indira Gandhi, became prime minister two years later.

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Children’s Day and its honour to Chacha Nehru

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was extremely fond of children and loved them very much. Children also used to fondly address him as ‘Chacha Nehru’. November 14 is still celebrated as Children’s Day in India. It is because of his love for the children that it is celebrated that day.

Since Jawaharlal Nehru consistently highlighted the need of showing children love and affection, the primary goal of observing his birthday as Children’s Day is to promote the welfare of kids nationwide. Nehru founded Children’s Film Society India in 1995 in an effort to produce locally produced children’s films and to advance every child’s right to entertainment.

This day is observed in all schools with great excitement and a variety of events and activities are organised for the kids at school. Activities such as dancing performances, essay writing contests, and singing competitions are planned.

Did You Know?

Another day celebrated in his honour is the occasion of Children’s Day which has been observed on November 20 in India since 1959, which was the date observed by the United Nations as Universal Children’s Day. It was after Jawaharlal Nehru’s death in 1964 that a decision was made to observe Children’s Day or Bal Diwas in India on his birthday.

Chacha Nehru’s Achievements

He wrote many books, including ‘The Discovery of India’, ‘Glimpses of World History’, and his autobiography, ‘Towards Freedom’.

The book ‘Letters from a Father to a Daughter’ contains a compilation of his letters to his daughter when she was 10 years old and away at boarding school.

His very first speech Nehru made as the first Prime Minister of independent India, titled ‘Tryst with Destiny’, is considered to be one of the greatest speeches of the 20^th century..

Under his direction, some of the most prestigious institutions in our nation were founded, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), and National Institutes of Technology (NITs). In order to end social inequities and preserve peace and harmony among India’s many different communities, he also made a number of reforms and revisions to the laws already in place.

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What Is Halloween & Why Do We Celebrate It?

October 21, 2022 admin

Halloween is a popular holiday festival celebrated on October 31st, every year in the US, Ireland, England, and Canada. It is one of the oldest holidays in the world and is considered to be the second most successful commercial holiday in the US after Christmas. This holiday is also known by many different names such as Snap-Apple Night, All Hallows’ Eve, Witches Night, etc. With the roots of its origin dating back thousands of centuries ago, Halloween borrows its traditions and practices from many different cultures.

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Why Do We Celebrate Halloween & What Are The Halloween Traditions?

1. Where Was Halloween Originated?

Origins of Halloween

Halloween is believed to have originated around 2,000 years ago. The ancient Celtic people in Europe celebrated the end of summer and harvest every year on October 31st. This festival was called Samhain (pronounced “sow-win”). On the night of October 31st, the Celts believed that ghosts of their dead would come back to visit the Earth and therefore large bonfires were lit in villages to ward off evil spirits.

By 43 AD, the Romans conquered most of the Celtic territory and brought their festivals with them. However, a few centuries later, November 1st came to be celebrated as All Saints’ Day or All Hallows’ Day to honor some saints. And October 31st was celebrated as All Hallows’ Eve, which later became Halloween.

Did You Know?
Celts were people that mostly lived around the area that is now Ireland, the UK, and northern France.

2. What Are The Famous Halloween Traditions?

There are many popular traditions of Halloween that people celebrate with full zest and zeal. A lot of these rituals have interesting stories behind them, let’s find out-

Scary Costumes

Halloween is synonymous with scary and crazy Halloween costumes. And the tradition was started by the Celts during Samhain, to ward off evil spirits and confuse the ghosts. The people would dress up in scary costumes to scare away the ghosts. Slowly and steadily wearing scary and weird Halloween costumes became an integral part of Halloween.

Carving Jack-O-Lanterns

Jack-o-Lanterns originated in Ireland and were originally made using turnips. According to an Irish folktale, a man named Stingy Jack was condemned to wander the Earth as a ghost. He was given a carved-out turnip with a lump of coal to light his way. The locals then started carving frightening faces into their turnips to scare the evil spirits. Today, the carving Jack-o-Lanterns have become a staple of the Halloween festival. People in the US carve pumpkins and use them as decoration outside their houses.

Going Trick-or-Treating

It is believed that during the festival of Samhain, Celtic people would keep food out to please the wandering souls and ghosts. Eventually, people began dressing up as ghosts and demons and went door-to-door performing songs in exchange for food and drink. It is also believed that children and poor adults would go door-to-door to collect food and money in return for prayers said for the dead. This eventually evolved into the present-day custom of trick-or-treating. Today, kids go door-to-door dressed up in their Halloween costumes asking for candies.

Decorating With Black and Orange

Black and orange are Halloween theme colors. From decorations to costumes, mostly everything on Halloween is in black and orange. These classic Halloween colors also find their origins back to the Celtic festival of Samhain. Black signifies the “death” of summer and orange represents the color of the crops and the autumn harvest season.

How To Throw A Halloween Party?

If you want to throw a Halloween party for your friends all you need is the following items:

A fun costume, you could turn into any of your favorite cartoon, movie, or comic characters like Superman, Spiderman, or Bugs Bunny. Or simply throw over a white bedsheet and turn into a cute ghost.
Decorate the party area with orange and blue items like balloons, colored charts, curtains, bedsheets, etc.
Grab a small container and go trick-or-treating with your friends.
Watch a scary movie with your friends and family.
Learn to carve a spooky pumpkin with your friends.
Lastly, remember to have lots of fun!

DID YOU KNOW?

The fear of Halloween is called Samhainophobia.
In China, a festival similar to Halloween is celebrated. It is called the Hungry Ghost Festival.
Mexicans celebrate Día de Muertos, a three-day festival from October 31 to November 2. This festival is similar to Halloween and is also called the Day of the Dead.
The word “witch” comes from the Old English word wicce, meaning wise woman.
Until the 1950s, candy was not given to trick-or-treaters. A long time ago, trick-or-treaters were handed pieces of cake, nuts, fruits, coins, and little toys.

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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope: The Ultimate Guide

October 21, 2022 admin

The James Webb Space Telescope launched on December 25, 2021, is the largest and most powerful space telescope ever created. It is the successor of the Hubble telescope that released its first image on July 12, 2022. It aims to enable researchers to examine the state of the universe 200 million years after the Big Bang. Some of the very first galaxies to develop will be visible in photographs taken by the telescope. It will also be able to observe objects in our solar system from Mars outward, see into dust clouds to determine where new stars and planets are developing, and investigate the atmospheres of planets circling distant stars.

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James Webb Space Telescope Discoveries & Interesting Facts:

1. Images That Have Been Captured By The James Webb NASA Telescope

Since its launch on December 25, 2021, the James Webb telescope has provided a significant amount of information with image data. It has captured some of the most awe-inspiring cosmic images with greater details than those provided by NASA’s Hubble telescope.

The James Webb Telescope surprised people all over the world with the release of its first image of the Carina Nebula, Southern Ring Nebula, and Stephen’s Quintet on July 12, 2022.

The most recent images that left us in awe were of the Tarantula Nebula and the clearest images of Neptune which showed its rings. Tarantula Nebula images were released on September 6, 2022, and the photos of Neptune’s ring were published on September 21, 2022.

2. Indian Scientists That Were A Part of the James Webb Telescope Project

A large group of genius scientists were involved in the success of NASA’s James Webb Telescope. But do you know the 3 Indian-origin scientists who were also behind the success of this revolutionary space telescope?

Hashima Hasan

Lucknow-based Dr. Hashima Hasan is the Deputy Program Scientist of the James Webb Space Telescope mission. She expressed her dream of becoming a scientist in an interview which began when she was just 5 years old. When she was young her grandmother had taken her out in the backyard to spot the Sputnik satellite. As a Deputy Program Scientist, Dr. Hasan ensures that the James Webb Telescope mission stays true to NASA’s strategic objectives.

Kalyani Sukhatme

Kalyani Sukhatme was born in Mumbai and works at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She is working as a Project Manager for the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) on James Webb Space Telescope. MIRI is one of the four key instruments that support NASA’s James Webb Telescope mission. Her journey as a Project Manager at MIRI began in 2010, and since then Kalyani has contributed significantly to the development of infrared detectors which is a vital component of the James Webb Space Telescope.

Kartik Sheth

NASA’s Programme Scientist Kartik Sheth is a member of the communications team of the James Webb mission. He has received NASA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award for his work against racism within the organization. Apart from his contribution to the success of the James Webb Space Telescope, Kartik has also been behind the success of SOFIA, Spitzer, the Origins Space Telescope, and the Hubble fellowship program.

3. Interesting Facts About The James Webb Space Telescope

The size of Webb telescope is as big as a tennis court and is as tall as a three-story building.
A light that is undetectable to the human eye is seen by the James Webb Space Telescope. We experience heat from this light, which is known as infrared radiation. The infrared cameras on the James Webb Space Telescope will allow it to see through cosmic dust.
It will also be able to see objects (like the first galaxies) that are so far away that the expansion of the universe has made their light shift from visible to infrared.
Scientists have discovered thousands of planets orbiting stars other than our Sun and they are known as exoplanets. The James Webb Space Telescope will help to study the atmospheres of these exoplanets too.
The James Webb Space Telescope is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.

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