May 2016

IGNITING MINDS ` 125/-

Volume.01 | Issue.07 | May 2016

/ignitingmindsmagazine

Monthly Educational Magazine

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RNI No: TELENG/2015/65077

“Inspired by a great soul Dr. APJ ABDUL KALAM”

# HOW TO BECOME AN ARMY OFFICER

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18

+9

# THE PEOPLE’S OFFICER SMITA SABHARWAL

Handwritten

Letters

Editor Nagasri Nampally +91 8885053541

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Greetings Readers!

Change is the only constant, said “Heraclitus”, a Greek philosopher.

Yes, we do believe that change is the only constant and nothing stays still. Our start happened a month ago, and we are slowly acclimatizing to the change that is for good, and to stay.

It has been humbling the way we have been appreciated by all of you. This is what fuelled a series of improvements and changes we have adopted this month. Without the critical acclaim and positivity of the comments that poured in, we wouldn't have advanced and are constantly on the go.

We have new stuff lined up for you this month, to end the year on a productive note. We as a team are more than delighted to let you all know that we are just a tap away, be it on your smart phones or a PC. Just click install "IGNITING MINDS" application on Android and tickle your IQ by soaking in the information available on our “facebook/ignitingmindsmagazine” page on Facebook!

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08 Cover Story 08

Healthy Tips for Kids this Summer The summer season is here, and with it comes the scorching heat....

14 Life Skills Do you have a Goal?

When you talk about goals, numerous questions cloud your mind.....

18 Handwriting Healthy Tips for Kids this Summer

Contents 18

22

The summer season is here, and with it comes the scorching heat....

20 Parenting Communicating safety tips to Children Given the fast paced life we all lead, it is a tad too difficult to supervise our children....

22 Health & Nutritions

24

Importance of Exercises Irrespective of age or physical built, regular workouts happen to......

24 Motivation Story The People’s Officer Smita Sabharwal Smita Sabharwal currently holds the charge of Additional Secretary .......

28 Awards 30

Arjuna Award Arjuna Awards in India are introduced for recognizing......

30 Science Force & Motion Motion makes the world go ‘round. Motion makes the moon go......

34 Mathematics Vedic Mathematics

36 38

Aaryan was so excited today.

Coming back from school,......

36 History Scientific Revolution The Scientific Revolution, between 1550 and 1727, marked a change......

38 Career Awareness

48

How to become an Army Officer

42 Pride of India 48 Sports (Volleyball)

44 Country (Greece) 50 Cool Inventions & Guinness world Records 52 Current Affairs 56 Brain Gym

P. V. Narasimha Rao

44

Sunday

Events Calendar (June)

Monday

* World Environment 05 Day

* Russian Language Day

Tuesday

06

* Cancer survivors Day

Wednesday

07

Thursday

01

* Telangana Formation Day

08

09

* Donald Duck Day

Friday

02

* World Milk Day

* World Oceans day

Saturday

03

* International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

04

6

* Running Day

10

11

* Ball Point Pen Day

* Jerky Day

* World Day Against 12 Child Labor

13

*World Doll Day

* International Day * World Sickle Cell Against Drug Abuse 19 Awareness Day 26 and Illicit Trafficking

* World Refugee Day

20

* World Blood Donor day

21

* World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

22

14

15

16

* Chocolate Eclair Day

* Fresh Veggies Day * United Nations Public 23 Service Day

* World Day to Combat Desertification 17

18

* International Yoga Day

* Go Fishing Day

24

* Global Beatles Day

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IGNITING MINDS | |May 2016

* Fairy Day

27 * Sunglasses Day

28

* Insurance Awareness Day

29

* Statistics Day

30* Social Media Day

Birthday Calendar (June) * Mukesh Bhatt (Film 05 producer 1952)

19

* Rahul Gandhi (Politician 1970)

26

* Aruna Roy (Indian Political leader 1946)

06 Producer 1936-2015)

*Raj Reddy (Former Co-Chair of US President’s Information 13 Technology 1937)

* Mahesh Bhupathi 07 (Tennis player 1974)

14

* Shamim Karhani 08 (Poet 1913-1975)

* Octavia E. Butler * Prasanta Chandra * Anna Hazare (Social (Science Fiction Writers, Mahalanobis (Scientist 15 Activist 1937) 22 1893-1972) Novelists) 29

* Kiran Bedi (Social Activist 1949) 09

* Virbhadra Singh * Mithun Chakraborty ( (Film actor 1950) 16 23 Indian Politician 1934)

* D.Ramanaidu (Film

* Karnam Malleswari 01 (Weightlifter 1975)

12

* E. Sridharan (Engineer 1932)

* Kumar Mangalam Birla (Industrialist)

20

* Bankim Chandra * Vikram Seth Chattopadhyay (Writer 1836-1894) (Novelist 1952) 27

* R. K. Shekhar

21 (Music composer)

* P.V.Narasimha Rao (1921-2004)

28

* Mani Ratnam (Film Director 1955), * Ilaiyaraaja (Music composer)

02

30

* C.N.R. Rao (Chemist 1934)

* M. S. Viswanathan (Music Director 1928 - 2015),

03

* Arastu Yar Jung (Physician 1858-1940)

* Leander Paes (Tennis player 1973) 17

* Guru Gopinath (Kathakali Dancer 1908-1987) 24

* Ram Prasad Bismil (Poet 1897-1927)

* K.S.Sudarshan ( Former RSS Chief 18 1931-2012)

* Sucheta Kriplani (Indian Politician 25 1908-1974)

* T. Harish Rao (Politician 1972) 10

* S. P. Balasubrahman04 yam (Singer 1946)

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7

Cover Story

Handwritten

Letters

N

owadays we rarely pick up a pen and paper to communicate with one another, but it might not be wise for us to trade this long-standing, cultural practice entirely for the convenience of text messages and emails.

Research has shown that the general act of writing by hand can promote quite a few physical and mental benefits, from improving learning abilities to fostering a more positive outlook on life. And when it comes to writing that is used as a form of communication between two people, namely letters and postcards, the impact of such messages lasts far longer than any alternative version offered in our high-tech world. From the careful intentions of the sender to the value experienced by the receiver, no true match exists for this old-time, traditional means of conversation.

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Letter writing can be fun, help children learn to compose written text, and provide handwriting practice — and letters are valuable keepsakes. This guide was written for England's "Write a Letter Week" and contains activities to help children ages 5–9 put pen to paper and make someone's day with a handwritten letter.

Letter writing is an essential skill. Despite the prevalence of emails and text messages, everyone has to write letters at some point. Letters of complaint, job applications, thank you letters, letters requesting changes or making suggestions — the list goes on and on. Encouraging children to write letters from an early age will improve their communication, social and handwriting skills, and teach them what they need to know about writing and structuring letters.

Handwriting too is an essential element.Handwriting is required: ◆ To be legible. ◆ Have a consistent size and spacing of letters. ◆ Show flow and movement. ◆ Show a confident personal style. ◆ Thus letter writing exercises can fulfil two elements of the curriculum Within the home, letter writing has many uses. ◆ It encourages good manners, especially writing 'thank you' letters. ◆ Children can write invitations. ◆ Children can write letters to friends and relatives. ◆ Pen pals are always popular, giving insights into other children's lives, especially overseas.

Being asked to write letters is a task that will appeal to children.

The sheer fun of sending and receiving letters appeals to every child. There is something special about putting letters into the post box and then having letters delivered by the postman… the brightly coloured stamps, seeing your name on the envelope and knowing that inside is a long awaited letter from a friend or member of the family. It shows someone cares and has taken the time to sit down and think about you.

Handwritten letters have a charm of their own. You can take time to think about what you want to say. You can keep letters to read again and again. You can admire the handwriting; share dreams and thoughts. Responding by letter is very different to the immediacy of a text message or an email.

Hand Written Communication vs. Emails Hand written letters and emails are both forms of communication used today. Emails are used more often than letters, but some still use letters as a form of communication. However, there are pros and cons of each.

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What are the advantages?

A hand written letter is seen as a more personal form of communication because the sender is personally taking the time out of their day to write a letter. Hand written letters are not used as often as emails which also adds more value to them. Think about it, would you rather receive an email or a hand written letter? I personally like receiving letter. The article above mentions that through a hand written letter, the reader can almost feel their emotion. I agree. If the author were angry when writing the letter they may have applied more pressure on their writing utensil when writing. The authors writing may not be as neat because of anger or frustration. Also, using a pen or pencil on paper is a cheap way to communicate with others. Even the postage stamp is only a few cents!

What are the disadvantages?

Letters, although more personal, can take several days to be delivered to the sender. The postal service does not deliver on Sunday's except during major holidays when the demand for delivering packages is higher than normal. Other than during major holiday times such as Christmas and New Years, the postal service will not deliver mail Sunday's. In addition to the slow time it takes to deliver a letter, they also can be misspelled and lost easily resulting in the author to either restart the letter, or erase any words written in pencil, which could result in smudge marks and can appear dirty and unprofessional.

With emails, there is no need to worry about smudge marks but there is a concern for computer viruses, not to mention the price to buy and maintain a computer. Computers can serve many purposes but they are not cheap. Viruses can cause a computer to crash and the user could lose all of their work, such as an email they were composing. Keeping viruses from attacking and harming a computer costs money.

Which is better an email or a handwritten letter? It all depends on the authors preference. If it is urgent that the information be sent, then an email would suffice.

If the author wishes to be more personal, a handwritten letter would best fit. There are pros and cons to both forms of communication. However it all comes down to the authors preference and needs.

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Whether you’re trying to cultivate a little love, nurture a friendship or simply stay connected with loved ones while abroad, here are nine reasons you should still send a letter or postcard once in a while.

They create lasting memories.

Studies have revealed an association between writing by hand and brain development and cognition, increasing neural activity more than typing can. Just aslearning by handwriting notecards and study guides proves more effective for students, the moments you commit to paper for others are more likely to stay stored in your own memory as well, allowing you both to reflect back and appreciate them again in the future.

They show how much you care.

In the days of oversimplified communication, receiving a “just to say hi” email can feel like a big deal. So imagine the powerful message you convey when you actually write out your thoughts for another person by hand, purchase a stamp, physically deliver your note to a mailbox and wait days for your special someone to receive it.

Their beaming smile at your thoughtfulness will say it all.

They make you feel good.

Aside from the residual satisfaction of knowing you’re making a close friend’s day with your efforts, science has linked expressive writing to better mood, reduced stress and improved overall sense of well-being. Similar to keeping a gratitude journal or writing about your future goals, sharing your genuine thoughts with another person can be quite the morale booster — not to mention a mini adrenaline rush as you drop the final draft into the mailbox.

They make every word count.

Postcards only offer so many square inches, forcing the sender to truly think about the message they want to share and how they want to phrase it. Unlike with a quick text or Facebook message, you only have one chance when you send a handwritten message, so you learn just how important it is not to let it go to waste.

They spark creativity.

Taking to pen and paper utilizes the visual, motor and cognitive brain processes differently than when we recruit technology to help us out. It is also by nature more labor-intensive, requiring us to slow down and connect the mind with the hand, one word at a time. Together these factors can make the sensory experience of writing just what you need to get those creative juices flowing.

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They require your undivided attention.

By recruiting all of the senses to participate in the writing-by-hand process, little room is left for multitasking (or hyper-speed task switching). To write thoughtfully and coherently, we must focus on the present moment and contemplate — without side conversations or other to-do list items taking priority — the thoughts we’re aiming to coherently convey to the person on the receiving end of the letter.

They require unplugging.

Let’s face it — we could all use a little extra screen-free time these days. By nature of sitting down to write a thoughtful note to a special someone, your thumbs won’t be able to scroll your Facebook feed or type out a text message to another friend in demand of your attention. For those few minutes, you will live entirely in the present moment and in the thoughts you’re putting on paper.

They honor tradition.

There’s something sacred (and romantic, in the broadest sense) about communicating in the way generations before us once did. We’ve all heard the stories: It’s how your parents communicated with Santa Claus, it’s how grandma and grandpa kept their love alive during wartime, it’s how immigrant families and friends separated by their respective moves shared written snapshots of their new lives. Computers and smartphones may prove more efficient, but they can never take the place of this kind of sentimental history.

They’re timeless.

“A letter always seemed to me like immortality because it is the mind alone without corporeal friend.” — Emily Dickinson Long after they are written and sent (and even after their senders and receivers are gone), letters and postcards remain to be read, appreciated and preserved. Whether displayed on museum shelves honoring famous historical figures or saved in a scrapbook between two old friends, letters protect the memories of lives lived in a way that technological communication cannot. They are tangible, personal and real, in every sense of the word.

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Schoolboy Denis Cox sent the following urgent letter to Woomera’s Rocket Range in 1957, the intention being that one of the facility’s top scientists would see the plans within, build the rocket ship according to the blueprint and enter Australia into the Space Race. Just weeks previous to the letter being written, the world had emitted a collective gasp following the announcement that the Soviets had trumped the U.S. with the successful launch of Sputnik 1. Clearly, no-one had anticipated young Denis throwing his hat into the ring on Australia’s behalf.

Writing Letters is somuch fun! get started now!

IGNITING MINDS|| |May 2016

13

Life Skills

Do you have a

Goal?

W

Aakanksha Tunk Corporate Trainer

hen you talk about goals, numerous questions cloud your mind.

What is my goal? What do I really want to achieve? Which of my goals is an immediate target to achieve? How soon do I want to achieve my goal? Can I do it and succeed? Do I have the qualities or capability to achieve my goal? Am I certainly sure about my goals?

But then, do you have the perfect answers for these questions that pop up in your mind?

Goal setting is a powerful process, for thinking about your ideal future, which is a solid foundation, for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality. The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life and you may know where you want to concentrate and what to improve.

Why setting a goal?

If you do not think about what you might like to achieve, if you have no direction or focus for your energies, it becomes a matter of luck as to where you end up in life and what you achieve. Some reasons as to why you might consider setting goals: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

Setting goals gets you to think about possibilities Goals give you a direction to work towards Goals give you a clear picture of where you want to go Goals help you to push yourself just that little bit more Goals can give you motivation and focus

Goal Setting Formula Goal Setting = Passion + Dream +Time Success = Goal + Action + Motivation I have jotted down 2 basic formulas to explain you in detail. To set a goal, one must be passionate to achieve his dreams in a time span.

I would like to quote very famous lines of Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, “Dream is not that you see in sleep. Dream is something that does not make you sleep.”

If you have a dream or a goal and no passion/no action to achieve it, then what’s the point of setting a goal?

Success only comes when your goals are very specific and certain action is taken to achieve it.

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Are You Doing It Right?

Goal setting isn’t enough. Goal setting is just the first step to achievement. Imagine, for instance, that your goal is to lose weight. Knowing that goals need to be specific if you’re going to have any chance of success, you decide that you will lose 15 pounds by a date set four months from now. Time passes. Four months later, you get on the scale. Are you surprised to discover that you haven’t lost any weight?

Action, Action, Action! Goals need Action Just thinking about your goals will not lead you towards success.

You got to take an action. You got to do it. If you want to score good in your academics, then it’s only you who can do it. Your goal, your action and motivation will help you to achieve it.

Is your Goal SMART? What happens when you go beyond the basic step of goal setting?

With the help of SMART Principle, you will be able to make your goals Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. Evaluating your success or failure is easy, because your goal is specific rather than general. And suddenly, instead of just having a goal that you may or may not achieve, depending on chance, you have a specific battle plan to follow to achieve the goal you’ve set. Instead of setting yourself up for failure, you’ve set yourself up for success!

You may not see the need to work toward a goal without understanding the relationship between the short-term goal and the long-term goal.

For example, graduating from high school may be a motivating factor to help you work toward the short-term goal of passing the eighth grade.

S.W.O.T Analysis After you set your SMART Goals, I highly recommend you to do SWOT Analysis Now what is SWOT all about? It is the most important method used after setting a goal. This SWOT technique helps you in better understanding of your Strengths and Weaknesses, and for identifying both the Opportunities open to you and the Threats you face.

If you can set well-defined goals, you can measure and take pride in the achievement of those goals. However, one of the most important tasks of you is setting short-term goals (less than a year) and long-term goals (more than five years).Aspiring to achieve long-term goals gives you short-term motivation.

For instance, you may want to attend a major university (long-term goal). First, you need to do well on the G.R.E Test (short-term goal).

The most important point to be taken is you should establish a long-term goal before a short-term goal can be explored.

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Originated by Albert S Humphrey in the 1960s, the tool is as useful now as it was then. Strengths and weaknesses are often internal to you, while opportunities and threats generally relate to external factors. Your opportunities are dependent on your strengths and threats are related to your weakness.

For instance your Strengths can be good score in academics and having practical knowledge about a certain technology. Weakness can be low in confidence level and not fluent in speaking in English. Similarly opportunities can be winning a Technical quiz competition or short listing of your profile for job. Threats can be as your confidence level and English speaking skills is low then you may find it difficult to state your opinion.

Five Reminders to Setting Goals (To Recap) ▶ Research shows that we should keep goals few in number to not feel overwhelmed, Make the S.M.A.R.T ▶ Write down your goals. ▶ Write down your SWOT – Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. ▶ Review them frequently (tape them to your mirror!!) ▶ Share them selectively (with people who will support you)!

The Bottom Line: Those without goals, more often than not, find themselves directionless relying mostly on things likes luck. Goal Setting is only the first step.

Constant Goal Review is the activity that ensures Goal Achievement and success!

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17

Handwriting

‘Spacing’ For better

Handwriting

I

Y.Mallikarjuna Rao Director, National Handwriting Acadamy

t is embarrassing when you are discussing with a person who is standing very far from you. And it is also not convenient to talk with someone who is standing toweling

you.

Similarly, writing the letters of a word very far from each other or without any space in between two letters would cause severe illegibility.

Irrespective of the style of a handwriting whether it is cursive or non-cursive, ‘Spacing’ play a very vital role in forming an impressive hand.

Handwriting of such meaningless or confusing situations happen it the writer is not alert when writing. One should always be coercions about what he or she is writing. One should remember that the handwriting is read in absence of a written, most of the times.

All the rhythm in handwriting is maintained only by applying medium and uniform spacing among all the letters of a word.

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Spacing among the words of a sentence: Always maintain one letter space among all the words of a sentence. In a sentence of 7-8 words, most of the times, only because of irregular spaces among the letters of word, entire handwriting appears illegible. Practice in such a way that the writing instrument automatically jumps for a letter’s space immediately after completing a word.

Spaces among the sentences of a paragraph: When the sentences are framed in a handwriting text, spaces among all the sentences must be so clear that, before reading the content itself, it should give firm indication that: ‘this is a first sentence. And here starts second sentence’. To create such impression, write must leave two-letter space among the sentences of a paragraph.

One a sentence is completed, a full stop is made. The two-letter space must be maintained only ‘after’ full stop.

So, remember, ‘RHYTHM’ is the secret of of beautiful handwriting and ‘SPACING’ is the secret behind rhythm.

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19

Parenting

Communicating safety tips to

Children Provide a balanced perspective of safety to your children Given the fast paced life we all lead, it is a tad too difficult to supervise our children the way our parents probably did. They need to be more independent and therefore need to be aware of all the do’s and don’ts of daily life, especially those pertaining to safety. While this is of paramount importance, it is equally important to provide a balanced perspective of safety to our children.

What I mean to say is we need to guard against communicating to the child that ‘the world is an unsafe place’ and that ‘people are all out to take advantage of you.’ If the child adopts any such belief, it may lead to emotional turmoil which could manifest in anxiety and apprehension, separation anxiety and clinginess or a refusal to be alone. Let us understand better how this happens:

Trust Trouble “You never know who will take you for a ride. Be careful!”, “Nobody is out there to care about you so you take care of yourself.” Messages such as this unintentionally convey that “you can’t trust anybody”, “trust, and you will have to pay for it.” Children may not completely understand that such messages apply only to certain situations. For instance, if Shaman’s classmate accidentally spills paint over her drawing, she may believe it was done on purpose and pick a fight; or if the bus driver inadvertently misses Shaman’s bus stop, she may believe he did it to ‘take her for a ride.’ Next thing, she may just refuse to travel to school by bus, leaving you flabbergasted and even annoyed.

Further, if children come to believe that ‘mistrust’ is better than ‘trust’, it may pose a block to their forming close interpersonal ties. They may then be aloof, withdrawn and quiet. An underlying reason for this could be lack of trust.

Feeling of Inferiority The child may also consider himself weak and unable to control the events of his life. ‘I am weak.’ ‘Others can easily harm me.’ If such

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Sadia saeed raval Inner Space

thoughts consolidate in the child’s mind, it may ultimately lead to low self esteem. The child may not like the state of powerlessness he thinks he is in. This in turn can then lead to several emotional and behavioral difficulties ranging from sadness, clinginess, withdrawal and learned helplessness (as an acceptance of powerlessness) to anger, aggression and oppositional behavior (as attempts to convey that one is powerful.)

Each set of behaviors is rather difficult to deal with.

Anxiety and Apprehension If the child internalizes that the world is unsafe, he/she may be more anxious and alert. Instead of adopting a healthy preventive stance, the child could be hyper alert, high strung and easily upset by any slight indication of potential harm. He may for example, be extremely fearful if new people approach him or could become highly anxious if he loses sight of his parent while playing. In a few extreme situations, this could lead to anxiety disorders, one of which is related to the hearing of traumatic events.

At the same time, it is important to communicate to children that safety is important. Hence, keep the following in mind :-

Absolute versus Relative Statements:

While communicating safety tips to children

‘Run slowly or you will fall!’ ‘Don’t share your stuff with everybody in class. Nobody will share theirs with you.’ Refrain from framing absolute statements. Instead frame statements that talk of ‘likelihood’ or ‘probability.’ ‘While sharing notes remember that you may or may not be repaid the favor.’ ‘Don’t run too fast. You may have a fall.’ Let children know that their actions may or may not bring about negative consequences. While such instructions still warn the children, they will be more realistic and serve to prevent mistrust, inferiority and anxiety from setting in.

Maintain a Balance If you are describing a mishap, for example, an accident/plane crash, also remind the child that most people return home safely. Tell them that though one needs to be aware and careful, mishaps are still the outlier and not the norm. Also, one can elaborate upon first aid measures, discuss potential ways of getting help in case of a mishap etc. This will help establish a sense of control in the child, while also educating him/her about the importance of prevention.

Frame Affirmative Instructions Emphasize on the positive consequences of being careful rather than the negative consequences of not taking care. The reason for this is, framing sentences positively helps avoid frightening descriptions of negative events. It could do a lot to allay anxiety in children.

For egg. ‘Ensure that you don’t talk to random strangers to remain safe’ is more effective than ‘Don’t talk to strangers or else you might just be kidnapped!!”

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21

Health & Nutritions

Importance of

Exercises Discovering The Importance And Benefits Of Physical Exercising Irrespective of age or physical built, regular workouts happen to be of paramount significance for every individual. Especially, when it comes to your kids, physical exercises seem to be even more important. It is important to remember that children determine the future of a nation as well as the society. Therefore, a healthy and proactive life based on physical activities will help them achieve their dreams.

Parents across the globe are always concerned about the overall health and wellness of their children. Let’s find out why regular exercising will prove to be beneficial for them.

Why is it important?

Before delving deep into benefits, you must understand the importance of exercising. Regular workouts will help your child develop flexibility, agility, strength, and unsurpassed fitness levels. Here are some of the reasons stating the importance of exercising.

Mukta Agrawal Senior Nutriyionist “INLIFE Healthcare”

I. Overall development: Workouts ensure physical, mental, as well as, cognitive development in children. Chances of obesity will get reduced to a great extent.

II. Strengthening bones: Nothing other than physical activities can strengthen your bones and muscles. Your kids will develop healthy joints, tissues, and muscles giving rise to increased agility.

III. Improves sleep: Workouts also improve sleeping postures along with the quality of repose.

You enjoy uninterrupted hours of sound sleep.

IV. Zero depression: Physical activities play the role of mood enhancers, thus keeping the chances of depression and anxiety at bay.

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Exercises for children There are quite a few exercises that children can do to stay in top shape. Statistics show that children undergoing 3-month workout programs will develop 50% more strength than other kids of their age. Most importantly, these exercises are easily performable without expert supervision. Parents need to keep a watch on their kids as they perform, and that will be enough.

1. Planks Rest your body on your forearms and lie in a facedown position. Push up by using your toes along with squeezing your glutes, and drawing the belly button towards spine.

Hold the position for at least 30 seconds.

Repeat it several times according to your comfort levels.

2. Chair squats Use a chair and try to perform squats. For performing this exercise, you will have to stand with your legs stretched and toes pointed in the forward direction. Take a deep breath and lower your hips, until they touch the chair. Continue it for 10 to 15 times.

3. Push-ups While in their growing years, children often develop obesity issues. Belly fat increases at an alarming rate, thus giving rise to a lot of other physiological issues. Push-ups will prove to be one of the easily doable and effective physical workouts for kids.

Get down on your knees and hands, straighten your legs, and continue going up and down. Try to do at least 20 push-ups a day, for best results.

Understanding benefits Workouts and exercises have amazing benefits. Some of its top advantages include: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

Healthy heart Zero obesity Increased blood flow throughout the body Strong tissues and muscles Development of cognitive capacities and interpersonal skills

Conclusion By performing these simple yet effective exercises, kids will develop immense strength, flexibility, and agility, thus taking a step towards good health.

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23

Motivation Story

The People’s Officer

Smita Sabharwal

S

mita Sabharwal (born 19 June 1977), is an Indian Administrative Service Officer of 2001 batch borne to the Telangana cadre.

She is popularly known as “Peoples Officer”.

She is the first lady IAS officer to be appointed to the Chief Minister’s Office.

Early life and Education Smita was born in West Bengal. Most of her schooling was done in various parts of the country. Her father, a retired Army officer, Colonel Pranab Das, served in the Indian Army. The last couple of years of school education was from St. Ann’s, Maredpally, Hyderabad. She later graduated in Commerce from St. Francis Degree College. She is one of the youngest to have cracked the Union Public Service Commission exam securing All India 4th rank and opted for the IAS.

Career After completing the administrative training in Lal Bahadur Sastry, National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, she was trained in Adilabad district in her probationary days.

Her first independent charge was as Sub Collector, Madanapally, Chittoor which let her gain hands-on experience in Land Revenue Management & District Administration. Thereafter she worked in Rural Development sector as Project Director, DRDA, Kadapa. During her next stint as Municipal Commissioner, Warangal she introduced “Fund

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your City” scheme where a large number of public utilities such as Traffic Junctions, Foot-overbridges, Bus-stops, Parks were created with Public-Private partnership(PPP).Later she served as Deputy Commissioner, Commercial Taxes, Visakhapatnam, and also as Joint Collector of Kurnool and Joint collector of Hyderabad.

In April, 2011 she took charge as District Collector, Karimnagar district where she made significant contribution in the Health and Education sector. The health initiative to improve institutional deliveries in the public sector popularly known as “Ammalalana” was started and successfully implemented in the district and today serves as a role model for many health initiatives of ‘high risk pregnancy management targeting, IMR and MMR’ in NRHM of Government of India. This initiative was also nominated as one of the best initiatives for Prime Minister’s award for excellence in public administration.

With the help of Public Representatives, Karimnagar Town underwent a facelift in the form of wider roads, scientifically planned traffic junctions, Busstops, Toilets and other public utilities. Karimnagar district was awarded the best district in PM’s 20 Point Programme for 2012-2013.

She also served as District Collector of Medak during the General Elections 2014 and successfully conducted free and fair polls registering a high polling turn out.

She is known popularly as people’s officer and is known to use latest developments in technology to her advantage, especially in implementing Government Programmes on field. Monitoring of Government doctors through skype has completely changed the scenario in the public health sector.

Performance monitoring of Government schools through specially designed software has made Karimnagar & Medak Districts stand top in the state during her tenure.

Smt. Smita Sabharwal, IAS with her kids Nanak Sabharwal, Bhuvis Sabharwal The Bengali beauty, who is basically from Darjeeling, has done most of her schooling in various parts of the country because of her Army background.

Her father Colonel P. K. Das, who served in the Indian Army settled in Hyderabad, so Smita completed her 12th from St. Ann’s, Marredpally, Hyderabad and graduated in Commerce from St. Francis Degree College.

The dedicated student On her study pattern, Smita Sabharwal IAS adds, “I used to study only for six hours a day and play for at least an hour. It is wrong to think that one can get through the civils only by studying very hard. In the final round, your interests and hobbies are also taken into account for selections.”

Who is Smita Sabharwal?

Smita Sabharwal currently holds the charge of Additional Secretary to Chief Minister of Telangana and is indeed an inspiration to all.

A 2001 Cadre IAS officer, Smita not only cleared the UPSC exams at quite young age, but was among the toppers’ list being ranked 4th in the country.

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Smita Sabharwal, who is one of the youngest to have cracked the Union Public Service Commission exam, confides that it was because of her father’s initiation and encouragement that she is here.

As per the Additional Secretary, “I had done my BCom degree from St Francis College in Hyderabad.

It was my father, who first put forward the idea that I should attempt the UPSC exam. Immediately after my graduation, I prepared for the exams for the next one year and cleared it.”

Surprisingly, Smita Sabharwal didn’t get the news of her result from her family or institution, but from All India Radio. This is what the ecstatic IAS officer had to say, “On the result day, I was waiting for a call from my training institute to inform me of my result. It was not until 3pm that I got a call from the All India Radio office who congratulated me for securing 4th rank.

I thought it was a crank call and did not pay much heed to it. But finally when the same was confirmed by my institute, it was just unbelievable as I felt I had performed badly in the last round.”

The Commerce graduate had chosen anthropology and public administration as her optional subjects for the UPSC. Smita Sabharwal hugely credits her coaching centre, Brain-tree in Hyderabad for imparting good training in the subjects.

The UPSC results are not her only achievements in her academic years, but she had already made her family proud when Smita Sabharwal had topped the all India ICSE Class 12 exams.

“I had taken the commerce stream with accounts and economics as subjects. I was actually angry with my parents for pushing me into this stream. But it was a surprise when I bagged the first rank in the all India ICSE Class 12 exams,” adds the Joint Collector of Hyderabad.

Her services and postings The Darjeeling girl, Smita Sabharwal was used to traveling wide from a very young age, thanks to her father, who is from the defense services. Having seen many cultures and places, it has made easier for her in accommodating and understanding people better wherever she has been appointed so far.

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After completing the tough administrative training in Lal Bahadur Sastry, National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, Smita Sabharwal was trained in Adilabad district in her probationary days. Initial posting was in Chitoor where she served as the Subcollector, Madanapalle and was groomed well, letting her grab hands-on experience. Thereafter she has worked in Rural Development sector as Project Director, DRDA, Kadapa and later on as Municipal Commissioner of Warangal.

Smita Sabharwal has then served as Deputy Commissioner, Commercial Taxes, Visakhapatnam, and also as Joint Collector of Kurnool and Joint collector of Hyderabad. However, she has significantly contributed to the society when she took charge as District Collector, Karimnagar district.

“Had I been assigned to some far off state other than the Andhra Pradesh, it would not have made much difference to me. Even after my two-years training in Mussoorie, I was sent for a friendly orientation to Adilabad district, which is one of the backward areas of Andhra Pradesh,” she informs.

Smita Sabharwal’s Achievements Smita Sabharwal strongly believes everyone should do something for the society, especially today’s youngsters who should give civils a shot as they can do a lot through this service. Nonetheless Smita has even justified her ideology as she has made some significant marks in her tenure so far.

“Fund Your City” – During her next stint as Municipal Commissioner, Warangal she introduced “Fund your City” scheme where a large number of public utilities such as Traffic Junctions, Foot-overbridges, Bus-stops, Parks were created with Public-Private partnership(PPP).

“Amma Lalana” and “Praja Vaani” – In 2011 when Smita Sabharwal took charge as District Collector of Karimnagar district, she made a significant contribution in the Health and Education sector.

Also with the help of Public Representatives, Karimnagar Town underwent a facelift in the form of wider roads, scientifically planned traffic junctions, Bus-stops, Toilets and other public utilities. Karimnagar district was awarded the best district in PM’s

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20 Point Programme for 2012-2013.

Smita Sabharwal was Medak District Collector during the General Elections 2014 and successfully conducted free and fair polls.

Personal Life Her bond with the civil services does not end with her profession. Smita Sabharwal is married to an IPS officer, and her batchmate, Akun Sabharwal who is now the Deputy Commissioner of Police for Central Zone in Hyderabad. They are blessed with two children, Nanak and Bhuvis.

Smita Sabharwal Family Smitha Sabharwal is a true inspiration to many women and is a much-loved youth icon. She is the leading IAS officer of all times and has left all the others far behind. With 14 years of experience, she hates corruption, irresponsible staff and illegal activities.

Smitha has always given Public Health and basic Education high priority, not to forget her hard work in upgrading the Government Hospitals. She has also been monitoring the Government Doctors over Skype calls and this has changed the face of Pubic Health drastically.

Smitha Sabharwal and Technology It is extremely surprising to know that this IAS officer does not own any personal accounts on the social channels but has a huge fan following her, especially the youth with 20 fan pages on her name and over 5 lakh followers on Facebook.

She carries with her, a tablet and uses an Ipad to save her files and documents when on the run.

Stay tuned for more updates on Smitha Sabharwal and many such inspiring stories!!

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Awards

Arjuna Award

A

rjuna Awards in India are introduced for recognizing the exceptional accomplishments of the players in National sports. Arjuna Awards were introduced by the Government of India in the year 1961. Arjuna Award includes a bronze statue of Arjuna, a scroll and a cash reward of Rs. 5,00,000.

Arena of Arjuna Awards In India, there are a lot of sports that have been considered as the mainstream or most popular sports. Amongst these sports Athletics, Hockey, Cricket,Football, Boxing, Chess, Basketball, Tennis, Table Tennis, Badminton, Swimming, Volleyball, Shooting, etc. are the leading. However, there are some other sports as well that might not be that much popular but that have been played in India for quite a very long period of time. Some of these are Equestrian, Rowing, Cycling, Gymnastics, Archery, Judo, Golf, Kabaddi, Carom, Billiards and Snooker etc.

Eligibility to achieve Arjuna Awards In recent times, Government of India has modified the scheme for the Arjuna Award. The revised guidelines state that a sportsperson will be considered eligible to receive the Arjuna Award, if that player has shown sportsmanship, leadership, discipline qualities. Further, that sportsman should have had a good performance record constantly at the international level for at least three years.

Categories of Arjuna Awards Since the year 2001, the Arjuna Award is awarded in cases of the categories including Sports for the Physically Challenged, Commonwealth Games/ Olympic Games/ World Championship Disciplines/ Asian Games/ World Cup and also in the category of Indigenous Games. During the middle of August 2011, as many as 19 Indian athletes had received the Arjuna Awards, and during 2012, 25 sportspersons were granted the Arjuna Awards. Arjuna Awards are given in following categories like.

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Arjuna Awards 2015 Winners S. No.

Name of the sportsperson

Discipline

1

Naib Subedar Sandeep Kumar

Archery

2

Ms. M.R. Poovamma

Athletics

3

Mr. Kidambi Srikanth Nammalwar

Badminton

4

Mr. Mandeep Jangra

Boxing

5

Mr. Rohit Sharma

Cricket

6

Ms. DipaKarmakar

Gymnastic

7

Mr. Sreejesh P.R.

Hockey

8

Mr. Manjeet Chhillar

Kabaddi

9

Ms. Abhilasha Shashikant Mhatre

Kabaddi

10

Mr. Sawarn Singh

Rowing

11

Mr. Anup Kumar Yama

Roller Skating

12

Mr. Jitu Rai

Shooting

13

Shri S. Sathish Kumar

Weightlifting

14

Mr. Bajrang

Wrestling

15

Ms. Babita Kumari

Wrestling

16

Ms. Yumnam Sanathoi Devi

Wushu

17

Mr. Sharath M. Gayakwad

Para-Swim

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Science

Force & Motion M otion makes the world go ‘round. Motion makes the moon go ‘round too. In fact, motion makes lots of things go. When we think of motion we often think of cars, bicycles, kids running, basketballs bouncing and airplanes flying. But motion is so much more.

Motion is important to our lives and impacts so many things that we do. Motion is the changing of position or location. But motion requires a force to cause that change. Let’s learn about force and motion and the effects of these physical laws in our world.

What is Force?

Force is just a fancy word for pushing or pulling. If I push on something or pull on it, then I am applying a force to it. Force makes things move or, more accurately, makes things change their motion. Two natural forces that we have experienced are the force of gravity and magnetic forces magnetic forces.

These two forces act at a distance and do not require direct contact between the objects to function. Gravity produces a force that pulls objects towards each other, like a person towards the ground. It is the force that keeps the Earth revolving around the sun and it’s what pulls you toward the ground when you trip.

Magnetism produces a force that can either pull opposite ends of two magnets together or push the matching ends apart.

Types of Contact Forces There are 6 kinds of forces which act on objects when they come into contact with one another. Remember, a force is either a push or pull. The 6 are: ◆ Normal force ◆ Applied force ◆ Frictional force ◆ Tension force ◆ Spring force ◆ Resisting force Let’s investigate how these forces can be seen in our lives.

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Normal Force A book resting on a table has the force of gravity pulling it toward the Earth. But the book is not moving or accelerating, so there must be opposing forces acting on the book. This force is caused by the table and is known as the normal force. You can “see� the normal force in some situations. If you place a thin piece of wood or plastic (a ruler works) so that it is supported by both ends (by books perhaps) and place a small heavy object in the center, the piece of wood will bend.

Of course it wants to straighten out so it exerts an upward force on the object. This upward force is the normal force. You can feel the force yourself if you push down in the center of the piece of wood.

The harder you push, the more the wood bends and the harder it pushes back.

Applied Force Applied force refers to a force that is applied to an object such as when a person moves a piece of furniture across the room or pushes a button on the remote control. A force is applied.

Frictional Force Frictional force is the force caused by two surfaces that come into contact with each other.

Friction can be helpful as in the friction that allows a person to walk across the ground without sliding or it can be destructive such as the friction of moving parts in a motor that rub together over long periods of time.

Tension Force Tension force is the force applied to a cable or wire that is anchored on opposite ends to opposing walls or other objects. This causes a force that pulls equally in both directions.

Spring Force The spring force is the force created by a compressed or stretched spring. Depending upon how the spring is attached, it can pull or push in order to create a force.

Resisting Forces Resisting force, like air resistance or friction, change motion.

Whether the forces actually stop or slow something depends upon your point of view. When you pick up a pencil, it’s friction with your fingers that get the pencil in motion.

In this case, the friction makes the two things move together.

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What is Inertia?

Inertia is actually not a force at all, but rather a property that all things have due to the fact that they have mass. The more mass something has the more inertia it has. You can think of inertia as a property that makes it hard to push something around.

What is Friction?

Friction is a force that happens when objects rub against one another. Say you were pushing a toy train across the floor. It doesn’t take much effort or force, because the toy is light. Now say you try to push a real train. You probably can’t do it because the force of friction between the train and the ground is more intense. Heavier the object, stronger the force of friction.

Velocity Velocity is the speed of an object in one direction. If an object turns a corner, it changes its velocity because it is no longer moving in its original direction.

Newton’s Laws of Motion Some consider Sir Isaac Newton to be the greatest English mathematician of his time and perhaps one of the greatest scientists the world has known. According to a story, Newton saw an apple fall to the ground and he figured out that the same force which caused the apple to fall also governed the motion of the Moon and the planets.

In 1687, Newton published his three laws of motion in the “Principia Mathematical Philosophiae Naturalism.”

His three laws explained how the concepts of force and motion work.

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Newton’s First Law Newton’s first law of motion states: A body in motion tends to remain in motion; a body at rest tends to remain at rest unless acted on by an outside force.

So, if an object is moving – its inertia (mass) will tend to keep it in motion, and if something is at rest, its inertia will tend to keep it at rest.

From the Goddard Space Center: learn more about Newton’s First Law. Check out these additional ideas.

Newton’s Second Law Newton’s second law of motion states that a force, acting on an object, will change its velocity by changing either its speed or its direction or both.

If your basketball goes rolling into the street and is hit by a bike, either the ball will change direction or its speed or both. It will also be true for the bike.

From the Goddard Space Center: learn more about Newton’s Second Law. Here are some additional ideas.

Newton’s Third Law

The third law is probably the best known of Newton’s laws.

It states that for every force and action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

This is what causes cannon to recoil when it fires. The ‘kick’ from the firing of the ammunition is what makes the cannon jump backwards.

From the Goddard Space Center: learn more about Newton’s Third Law. Here are some additional ideas.

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Mathematics

Vedic Mathematics

Saji Raghav The founder of VMAT www.vmat.in

A

aryan was so excited today. Coming back from school, he ran in to the kitchen with piece of paperIn hand and asked his mom, “Mom, do you know just drawing a few lines, we can multiply numbers? My teacher taught me something really interesting today. Look at this.”

His mom looked at the piece of paper and realized it was line multiplication which made him so excited.

Most of us love multiplication. We all know multiplication is nothing but repeated addition. As Aryan’s Teacher pointed out, people had used different methods for multiplying numbers.

Though they are hardly used in school these days, a few of them are really amazing and worth learning.

1) Lattice Multiplication.

4 x 3 = 12 We have 2 groups of lines here. The red lines representing 3 and the blue lines representing 4. The intersection points marked in yellow tell us the answer. There are 12 intersecting points and that is what4 x 3 is. We can use this method for helping the younger ones for understanding the multiplication better.

What about 2 -digit numbers then? Can we use the same method for finding the product of 2 -digit and 3 -digit numbers? The answer is ‘yes’, and it is really fun to understand this ancient calculation method.

We are going to multiply 23 x 41. As there are more digits, we need to draw more groups of lines to represent the numbers. Please observe the picture below to understand how we represent these numbers using lines.

We have represented 23 using 2 sets of diagonal lines (blue lines in the diagram).

The first two lines indicate the ten’s place digit (2), and the unit place (3) is drawn in the same way leaving a little space after the

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ten’s place. So, the blue lines together represent 23. Now our turn is to draw 41. To do that, we need to draw two more sets of lines again. The two sets of green lines represent 41. You may notice that we have drawn these green lines diagonally as well the way they cross the first set of blue lines. This is how we represent the multiplication of two 2 –digit numbers using lines.

Now looking at the intersection points, we can make out the answer easily. Observing closely, we see three parts for this diagram, the left most part representing the hundred’s place, the middle part representing the 10’s place, and the right most part representing the unit place.

I have marked them in different colors. The 3 yellow dots make the unit place of the answer.

We have 14 blue dots or 14 which is supposed to be in the ten’s place. We cannot write 14 a 2 –digit number in the ten’s place. So we write 4 in the very place and carry the 1 over the hundred’s place. The 8 dark -blue dots give us the hundred place digit. Adding the previous carryover to1 to 8, we get 9 as the number to be in the hundred’s place. So, we get 23 x 41 =943.

Can you guess how we can multiply 23 x 40 using line multiplication?

Try it; I am sure you will find it all by yourself! That is when real math learning takes place.

2. Lattice Multiplication: Though we do not use this method in schools right now, itis really a cool method for multiplying bigger numbers. It is much easier than the normal school method, and it is not fun too. We use special boxes for writing down the numbers. This box will have 2 parts divided by a diagonal and we write the ten’s place as well the unit place in the small triangles as shown in the diagram.

The hundred place diagonal marked pink has 8, 2, and 0.

Adding them together, we have 10. Carrying over the 1 to 10, we get 11. We write 1 down and carry the other 1 over the thousand places. 0 + 1 is 1, and we have our final answer now. 43 x 27 = 1161 Here are a few more examples for the lattice method of multiplication. Observe them carefully and understand them.

Let me explain how to multiply numbers using this amazing method.

43 x 27?

Write 43 and 27 around a 2 x 2 grid as shown in the illustration. Draw diagonals of each square as shown. Multiply 4 and 2, and write the answer 8 in the left top square. 8 is a single digit number so write it in the unit place part and a zero in the ten’s place part. Now, multiply 3 and 2 and write 6 in the right most square. As we have single digit number as the answer, we use the unit place part of the square.

We just put zeros in the 10’s place holder.

Now multiply 4 and 7, write 28 as shown. We have a 2 -digit number as the answer, so we need to write 2 in the ten’s place holder of the square and 8 in the unit -place holder. Multiply 3 and 7, and write 21 as shown. Now to get our final answer, we need to simply add the digits in the diagonals. The unit place diagonal is marked yellow and we have only 1 in that diagonal. So, 1 is the unit place of our answer.

The 10’s place diagonal is marked blue, and adding all the digits in that diagonal, 6, 2, 8, we get 16. We can write 6 in the ten’s place and carry 1 over the hundred’s place.

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315 x 24 = 7560

468 x 325 = 152100 In the next article, we will discuss a few more ways of doing multiplication along with our exciting Vedic math method.

(To be continued....)

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History

Scientific

Revolution

T

he Scientific Revolution, between 1550 and 1727, marked a change in the way that people thought about science. It was sparked by Copernicus and then spread across Western Europe. Sir Francis Bacon spurred on this change when he said that science should be based on observation and experiments. To this day, these are the foundations of science and a scientific temperament.

Who was Copernicus?

Nicolaus Copernicus was an astronomer, mathematician and scientist born in the 15th century.

He identified the fact that the sun, rather than our earth, was the center of our universe. Nicolaus Copernicus was born on February 19th, 1473 in Torun, Poland. He was the youngest of four children born to merchant parents. When only 10 years old, Nicolaus’ father passed away and his uncle, Bishop of Varmia Lucas Watzenrode decided Nicolaus’ education was his responsibility. Nicolaus entered the University of Kracow in 1491, and graduated in 1494. His first job was as a canon at Frombork’s Cathedral in Torun. This position allowed him to continue his education in his free time, leading to his eventual heliocentric model of the universe.

Who coined the term Scientific Revolution?

The term Scientific Revolution was given to this period of change in l939 by Alexander Koyre. The Scientific Revolution began with astronomy and then shifted to physics and anatomy. The most astounding progress in chemistry and biology only came in the early eighteenth century. Changes happened in them y and experiments as well as in the way let It worked and thought.

Were there any new discoveries in the life sciences at this time?

In 1543, Andreas Vesalius found that blood circulated in the body because the heart acted like a pump to push it around.

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He worked with dead bodies and put together the first complete human skeleton. William Harvey also dissected human bodies to show how blood circulates through the body.

Who were the first scientists to study electricity?

William Gilbert studied magnetism and its relationship to electricity in 1600. He discovered the Earth’s magnetic field, which makes the Earth act like a hung magnet. The needle of a compass always points north because of this magnetic field. Gilbert was the first person to use the term electricity.

Galileo Galilei Galileo was born in 1564 and became famous for his work on mathematics and astronomy. He developed the telescope to enable close observation of the night sky and was famously imprisoned for his (correct) theory that the sun was at the centre of the universe. Galilei was also interested in mechanics and motion and carried out many successful experiments about his ideas.

When did the Scientific Revolution end?

The Scientific Revolution is said to have come to an end with the death of Isaac Newton in1727. Lie took the work of Johannes Kepler and Galileo further. He developed calculus and showed how mathematics could be used in science. He also established the laws of gravity.

The science of preserved food Sir Francis Bacon was a lawyer and philosopher. Once, he was also put in debtors’ prison forewing people money. He is best known for an experiment he carried out to see if snow could preserve meat. In March 1626, while he was stuffing a chicken with snow, he caught pneumonia.

He died on April 9, 1626, a martyr to science.

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Career Awareness

How to become an

Army Officer A rmy Officers a career has always been a dream for young energetic youth of the country. There has always been a short fall of deserving candidates for this coveted career if you have the desire to give your country more then you desire to have from it. And if you think that you are born for your country and not the country for you, if you are looking to pursue your passion rather than a profession and if you think that your motherland is above all for you, then this is for you. Otherwise, you can look for something more lucrative to live a comfortable and cozy life with your family and friends.

By knowing these facts one may think that there will not be any taker of this passion turned profession. But it is not so. Country is full of young ones who are ready to die for their country. Like in any other profession competition to join Indian Army too is really cut throat. Those who are mad to wear olive green know that they are the ones who are never going to lose in life. They know if they put bullet in the enemy’s chest they will be applauded and if they take enemy’s bullets, they will again be applauded for their courage and lauded. They know what they do cannot be done by others. They know that they are the only one’s that are not known as Hindu, Sikhs, and Muslims etc. They are known as The Indian Army. And there is no dearth of such young ones.

That is the reason, The Indian Army is one of the few volunteer Armies unlike many other so called super powers that have to maintain a compulsory army services.

Passion among the young one made the competition all the more high. It is also a truth that Indian Army is running short of nearly 11,000 officers but this does not show in any case that the next generation lost the charm for the services. Rather it highlights

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the fact that Indian Army never compromises on the quality, it may be short of quantity for some time for one reason or another but quality is never compromised.

So one has to be the best to join.

And to be the best, one should be full of confidence, courage, determination and grit to uphold the aspirations of the entire country. If you have these basic qualities you are most welcome to the Indian Army training institute where your qualities will be polished to lead the nation.

Eligibility to become an Indian Army Officer To become an Indian Army Officer you can avail one of the following Opportunities.

No.l Through National Defense Academy Exam (NDA)

Eligibility Criteria To join the NDA you need to fulfill the following requirements:

1. Educational Qualification: To be eligible for joining NDA you should be passed/appeared 10+2 in any stream

2. Age: 16-1/2 to 19 years 3. Nationality: Indian 4. Gender: Only male candidates can join the services through NDA

5. Physical Standards: General physical requirements are common for all candidates.

1. You must be in good physical and mental state of health and free from any disease/ disability, which is likely to interfere with efficient performance of duties. There should be no evidence of weak constitution, bodily defects or overweight.

2. The height and weight standards for men and women differ.

3. Your chest should be well developed. The minimum range of expansion after full inspiration should be 5 cm.

4. There should be no disease of bones and joints of the body.

5. You should be free of any past history of mental breakdown or fits.

6. Your hearing should be normal without any evidence of present or past disease of the ear, nose and throat.

7. There should be no sign of functional or organic disease of the heart and blood vessels. Your blood pressure should also be normal.

8. The muscles of the abdomen should be well developed without any enlargement of the liver or spleen. Any evidence of disease of internal organs of the abdomen can be a cause for rejection.

9. An un-operated hernia can make you unfit for selection. If operated, this should have been done at least six months prior to the present examination and healing should be complete without any potential for recurrence.

10. There should be no hydrocele, varicocele or piles.

If operated for hydrocele and/orvaricocele, this should have been done at least six months prior to the present examination and healing should be complete without any recurrence.

11. Urine examination will be done and any abnormality, if detected, can be a cause for rejection.

12. Any skin disease, which is likely to cause disability or disfigurement, will also be acause for rejection.

13. Vision will be tested. You must have good binocular vision. In case you have undergone or are detected to have undergone Radial Keratotomy, or any other procedure to improve the visual acuity, you will be permanently rejected.

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a recognized university and equivalent

New Delhi. It conducts a written test twice a year in April &August (NDA) and April & September (CDSE). Advertisements for the examinations are released about six months in advance. Qualifying in these exams take you to step two.

2. Age: 19 to 24 years

Step 2 -Testing Officer Like

No.2. Through Combined Defense Services Exam (CDSE) Eligibility Criteria To join threw CDSE you need to fulfill the following requirements:

1. Educational Qualification: Graduation in any discipline from

Qualities

3. Nationality: Indian

4. Marital: Single

After successfully clearing Step 1, you will receive a call letter to report to any one of the Army Selection Boards located at Bhopal Allahabad, and Bangalore. At the Army Selection Boards, you undergo a number of psychological tests, an interview and group activities, which are collectively called the Officer like Qualities (OLQ) Tests. These tests are designed to gauge your potential and suitability as an officer in the Armed Forces.

No.4. University Entry Scheme

Short Description of the Test: The Psychological Tests

4. Marital Status: Single.

No.3. Engineering Graduates Eligibility Criteria An Engineering graduate can join the Indian Military Academy directly. They only need to attend the Service Selection Board interview

1. Educational Qualification: Graduation in Engineering from a recognized university and equivalent

2. Age: 20-27 3. Nationality: Indian

Students of Final and pre -final years of engineering degree course can also apply to Indian army as an officer. They are eligible for induction into technical branches/services of the army as commissioned officers under the University Entry Scheme.

1. Educational Qualification: Final or Pre -Final year of Engineering from a recognized university and equivalent.

2. Age: 19-25 and 18-24 for final and Pre- Final year of Engineering 3. Nationality: Indian 4. Marital Status: Single.

How to become an Army Officer?

To be an Army Officer one has to follow the below given steps:-

Step 1-Scrutiny of Applications After scrutiny of application for the eligibility, sent by you to the UPSE, you will receive a call letter with further instructions. For seeking entry into the Army Wing of defense forces through the NDA or CDSE, your applications need to be sent to UPSC,

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are written tests that are conducted by a Psychologist.

The Group Tests are interactive indoor and outdoor tests. We expect active physical participation from you.

The Interview involves a personal conversation with our Interviewing Officer.

The following is the schedule for OLQ Tests:

Schedule for Army Branch Day 1 Phase I & Psychological Tests Day 2 Group tests Day 3 Group tests Interview Day 4 Interview Day 5 Conference

Step3 -Conducting of Medical Examinations If found suitable by the Selection Board, you would be sent for a thorough medical examination.

Step 4 -Preparing All India Merit List An All India Merit List is compiled on the basis of your performance at the AFSB and subject to being medically fit. Based on the vacancies available, Army HQ would issue joining instructions to Join Army Academy for the training.

Army Officers Career Prospects Once inducted in the Army as Lieutenant, you can move on to the following given position with the ability and experience of your services.

Army Officer Ranks ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

Lieutenant Caption Major Lt. Colonel Colonel Brigadier Major General Lt.General General (Chief of the Army Staff) the top most post in Indian Army.

Army Officer Pay Scale/Salary Rank

Pay Band

Grade Pay

Military Pay

Lieutenant

15600-39100

5400

6000

Caption

15600-39100

6100

6000

Major

15600-39100

6600

6000

Lt. Colonel

37400-67000

8700

6000

Brigadier

37400-67000

8900

6000

Major General

37400-67000

10000

Nil

Lt General

37400-67000

12000

Nil

General

80000

Fixed

Fixed

Chief of Staff

90000

Fixed

Fixed

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Pride of India

P. V. Narasimha Rao

P

amulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao was an Indian politician who served as the 10th Prime Minister of India. Under his administration several major economic reforms were implemented which led to the dismantling of the License Raj, opening up the Indian economy for speedy economic development and growth. Because of this he is often referred to as the “Father of Indian Economic Reforms”. The dismantling of the License Raj was a major milestone in the history of Indian economics as it reversed the socialist policies adopted by the successive Indian governments after the independence and paved the way for India to be an active participant in the wave of globalization, which was sweeping through the world. With his brilliant administration and relentless actions aimed towards the country’s development, he rescued India from an economic collapse and set the pace for recovery and growth. In addition to his visionary leadership, he is also famous for being the first Prime Minster hailing from non-Hindi-speaking south India.

He was a multi-faceted personality who was also a scholar and an intellectual; he spoke 17 languages and had interests in varied subjects like computer programming and literature.

Born: June 28, 1921, Vangara, Karimnagar Died: December 23, 2004, New Delhi Wife: Satyamma Rao Previous office: Prime Minister of India (1991–1996) Books: The Insider, Ayodhya 6 December 1992, India and the Asia-Pacific: Forging a New Relationship, A Long Way: Selected Speeches, Education: Osmania University, Fergusson College, and University of Mumbai

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Childhood & Early Life He was born on 28 June 1921 in a village in Warangal District, now in Telangana. He was adopted at the age of three by P. RangaRao and Rukminiamma, who hailed from agrarian families. His full name was PamulapartiVenkataNarasimhaRao. After completing his schooling he enrolled at the Arts College at the Osmania University from where he earned his Bachelor’s degree. He continued his studies at the Hislop College where he completed a Master’s degree in law.

Career Freedom struggle was at its peak during the 1940s, and Rao, a passionate patriot trained to be a guerrilla fighter to revolt against the Nizam who ruled Hyderabad at that time.

He fought a grueling war against the Nizam, risking his life as he strained to evade getting killed by the Nizam’s army.

He survived the war and joined politics after independence. He served in the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly from 1957 to 1977. He was a staunch supporter of Indira Gandhi.

From 1962 to 1973 he held various ministerial positions in the Andhra Pradesh government, serving as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 1971–73.

He was elected to LokSabha (lower house of parliament) in 1977. He handled diverse portfolios in the cabinets of both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, including that of foreign minister (1980–84, 1988–89).

He was planning to leave politics but the assassination of the Congress President Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 made him rethink his decision.

The Congress Party chose Rao as its leader and after the 1991 general elections; he became India’s Prime Minister.

Rao chose Manmohan Singh, an acclaimed economist, as his Finance Minister, who helped him in implementing the reforms. The SEBI Act of 1992 and the Security Laws (Amendment) were introduced under his administration.

Some of Rao’s reforms included opening India’s equity markets to investment by foreign institutional investors and starting the National Stock Exchange as a computer-based trading system in 1994.

As a Prime Minister, Rao made significant achievements and set the pace for the country’s speedy development. He energized the national nuclear security and ballistic missiles program, made diplomatic overtures to Western Europe, the United States, and China, and neutralized Kashmir separatist movement.

But his tenure was also marked by the allegations of corruption.

He was charged with corruption and bribery in an alleged vote-buying scam dating back to 1993 when Rao’s government was facing a no-confidence motion In the 1996 general

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elections the Indian electorate voted the Congress Party out and he stepped down as prime minister in May 1996 In 2000, a lower court found Rao guilty of bribing the Jharkhand MuktiMorcha (JMM) MPs to save his government in 1993, and sentenced him to three years in prison. Rao got the bail and appealed to Delhi High Court against the verdict. In 2002, Delhi High Court acquitted him of the charge.

Major Works He is best remembered for bringing about economic reforms in the country while serving as the Prime Minister. Working along with the Finance Minster, Manmohan Singh, he introduced several measures including cutting government regulations and red tape, abandoning subsidies and fixed prices, and privatizing staterun industries, which ultimately revitalized the economy of India.

Personal Life & Legacy He was married to Satyamma and had eight children with her— three sons and five daughters. His wife died in 1970, leaving him a distraught widower for the rest of his life.

He was a scholar who spoke 17 languages and had a profound interest in literature. He was a prolific reader and wrote fiction in Telugu, Marathi, and Hindi.

He had also once served as the chairman of the Telugu Academy in Andhra Pradesh (1968–74) He suffered a heart attack on 9 December 2004 and died 14 days later on 23 December 2004, at the age of 83.

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Country

GREECE Official name: Hellenic Republic

Form of government: Parliamentary republic Prime Minister: Alexis Tsipras Capital: Athens Population: 10,722,816 Official language: Greek Money: Euro Area: 50,942 square miles (131,940 square kilometers)

Prime Minister: Alexis Tsipras

Flag: The national flag consists of nine equal horizontal stripes of royal blue alternating with white and a white cross on a royal-blue square canton.

Geography Greece has the longest coastline in Europe and is the southernmost country in Europe. The mainland has rugged mountains, forests, and lakes, but the country is well known for the thousands of islands dotting the blue Aegean Sea to the east, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Ionian Sea to the west.

The country is divided into three

44

geographical regions: the mainland, the islands, and Peloponnese, the peninsula south of the mainland.

The Pindus mountain range on the mainland contains one of the world’s deepest gorges, Vikos Gorge, which plunges 3,600 feet (1,100 meters). Mount Olympus is Greece’s highest mountain at 9,570 feet (2,917 meters) above sea level. Ancient Greeks believed it was the home of the gods. Mount Olympus became the first national park in Greece.

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Major Crops:

History

Most farms are small because there are no major valleys in Greece.

Wheat is Greece’s main crop. Other major crops include corn and other grains, cotton, figs, olives, oranges, peaches, potatoes, sugar beets, tobacco and tomatoes. Greece is one of the world’s leading producers of olive oil and raisins.

The first great civilization in Greece was the Minoan culture on the island of Crete around 2000 B.C. Wall paintings found at the ruins of the palace Knossos show people doing back flips over a charging bull. The Minoans were conquered by the Myceneans from the mainland in 1450 B.C.

People & culture Family life is a very important part of life in Greece. Children often live with their parents even after they get married. Greeks live long lives and it is thought that their varied diet of olives, olive oil, lamb, fish, squid, chickpeas, and lots of fruits and vegetables keep them healthy.

Nearly two-thirds of the people live in large cities. Athens is the largest city, with over 3.7 million people crowding the metropolis. Nefos, the Greek term for smog, is a big problem in Athens. The Parthenon, the temple to goddess Athena atop the Acropolis, is deteriorating due to pollution and acid rain.

Olive trees have been cultivated in Greece for over 6,000 years. Every village has its own olive groves.

Government Greece abolished their monarchy in 1975 and became a parliamentary republic. Under the new constitution, there is a president and a prime minister. The prime minister has the most power, and is the leader of the party that has the most seats in the parliament. The president selects cabinet ministers who run government departments.

The parliament, called the Vouli, has only one house with 300 members who are elected every four years. Greece became part of the European Union in 1981.

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During ancient times the country was divided into city-states, which were ruled by noblemen.

The largest were Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Corinth. Each state controlled the territory around a single city. They were often at war with each other.

Athens became the most powerful, and in 508 B.C., the people instituted a new system of rule by the people called democracy.

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Best Places to Visit in Greece Santorini Santorini is a volcanic island in the Cyclades group of the Greek islands. It is famous for its dramatic views, stunning sunsets, the white-washed houses, and its very own active volcano. Fira, the capital of Santorini, is a marriage of Venetian and Cycladic architecture, whose white cobblestone streets bustle with shops, tavernas, hotels and cafes, while clinging on the edge of the 400 meter (1,300 ft) high cliffs.

olis

p Parthenon, Acro

ropolis is one of on top of the Ac on en rth Pa e Th ctions and eece tourist attra Gr s ou m fa t os the m without visiting is not complete a visit to Athens the Parthenon construction of e Th e. pl m te is th older temple , replacing and started in 447 BC ians, and yed by the Pers that was destro ng life the BC. During its lo 2 43 in ed et pl com e, fortress, rved as a templ Parthenon has se a powder que and even as a church, a mos magazine.

Facts about Greece ■ It’s believed the first Ancient Greek civilizations were formed nearly 4,000 years Ago (approximately 1600 BC) by the mighty Mycenaean’s of Crete (a Greek Island).

The Ancient Greek Empire spread from Greece through Europe and, in 800 BC, the Greeks started to split their land into city-states, each with its own laws, customs and rulers.

■ The Greeks had some strange superstitions about food – some wouldn’t eat beans as they thought they contained the souls of the dead!

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Meteora Meteora (“suspended in the air”) in central Greece is a collection of six monasteries spectacular situated on top of several rock pillars. The first monastery in Meteora was founded in the 14th century. Access to the monasteries was deliberately difficult, requiring either long ladders or large nets used to haul up both goods and people. This required quite a leap of faith – the ropes were replaced only “when the Lord let them break”.

Delphi Theatre In ancient times Delphi was the most important site in ancient Greek religion, home to the sanctuary and oracle of Apollo. The ancient theatre of Delphi was built on a hill giving spectators a view of the entire sanctuary and the spectacular landscape below. It was originally built in the 4th and could seat 5,000 spectators. Today it is one of the top tourist attractions in Greece.

Crete The largest of the Greek islands, Crete is a spacious land of pleasing contrasts where landscapes range from stunning coastline to rugged mountains and rolling countryside dotted with olive trees. Bustling metropolitan cities spread beyond to quiet villages centered around outdoor coffee shops. Steeped in history, Crete still bears archaeological traces of the many civilizations that inhabited it down through the centuries.

■ Events at the Greek’s Olympics included wrestling, boxing, long jump, javelin, discus and chariot racing. But those taking part in the wrestling event had to be the toughest, as there were hardly any rules – and they had to compete naked. Eek! ■ Most Ancient Greeks wore a chiton, which was a long T-shirt made from one large piece of cotton. The poor slaves, however, had to make do with a loincloth (a small strip of cloth wrapped around the waist)!

■ The city-states were often at war, but just before the Olympics, a truce would be called so that everyone could travel to Olympia safely.

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Athens city

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Sports

Volleyball

V

ariations of the game volleyball have been in circulation since around 1895. The game has evolved since then and it was in 1964 where the sport entered its first Olympic games.

The sport now has a global following with nations from around the world professionally competing. The pinnacle of the sport comes in the Olympic Games were the best players are often on show.

Object of The Game The object of volleyball is to hit the volleyball over the net (by only using your hands) running through the centre of the court whilst trying to get it to bounce in your opponents half. The opposing team has to try and prevent the ball from bouncing before returning the ball. Games are played out in best of 3 or 5 sets and the team with most sets at the end of the game wins.

Players & Equipment Each team has 6 players on a court at any one time. Substitutes can be used throughout the game. There are no professional mixed sex teams.

Each player takes up a position in either the attacking zone (next to the net) or the defensive zone (at the back of the court). Three players are in each zone and rotate in a clockwise position after every point.

The court is of a rectangular shape and measures 18m x 9m. Running across the court is a 2.43m high net with the ball measuring 8 inches in diameter and weighing between 9 and 10 ounces. Around the outlines of the court is an out of bounds area and if the ball were to bounce in these sections then a point would be awarded to the opposing team.

Each team gets up to two timeouts per set of 30 seconds each. After each set the amount of timeouts resets back to two regardless of how many have been used previously.

Scoring To score a point the ball must hit the ground within the outlined section in your opponents half. You can also score a point by your opponent failing to hit the outlined section within your half or your opponent

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IGNITING MINDS | |May 2016

hitting the ball into the net. A point can be scored off either teams serve.

A player serving must do so from behind the base line and can use either an over or underarm action and hit with only the hand. Once the serve has been made the server can join their team in-play and battle out the point.

Each team is allowed to hit the ball three times before the ball must be returned. A player is not allowed to hit the ball twice in succession. If the ball hits the boundary line then the ball is deemed to be in-play. The defensive team can jump and try to block the ball returning to their side of the court. If a block attempt is made and the ball bounces in their opponents half then a point is awarded. If after the block the ball bounces out then a point is awarded to the opposing team.

Each game is played to 25 points and must be two points clear. If the scores reach 24-24 then the game is played until one team leads by two.

Winning The Game To win the game you must score more points than your opponents. The best of 3 or 5 sets are generally played and the winners will be the first team to reach the required number of sets.

Rules of Volleyball ◆ Each team consists of 6 players and 6 substitutes. Players can be substituted at any time but if they are to return can only be swapped for the player that replaced them.

◆ Each team can hit the ball up to three times before the ball must be returned. The defensive team can then try and block or return the ball again hitting it a maximum of three times.

◆ Games are played up to 25 points and must be won by 2 clear points. ◆ Violations will be called for the following: → Stepping over the base line when serving the ball. → Ball hits the net and fails to get over the net (If the ball hits the net and still goes over the net then this is perfectly legal). → Players are not allowed to carry, palm or run with the ball. → Players must not touch the net with any part of the body. If the net is said to have hit them rather than vice-versa, then this is ok. → The ball cannot travel under the net. → Players cannot reach over the net and hit the ball.

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49

l o o CInventions s n o i t n e Inv

She was 14 years old when she invented this machine. It won her a National Award.

Meet Remya Jose. She is the inventor of the washing-cum-exercise machine that won her a National Award. During her 10th standard, her mother fell ill and father was undergoing medical treatment. Remya had to change three buses while going to and coming from school and spend about two hours each way. As there was no washing machine at home, the chore of doing the laundry fell to her and her twin sister. So instead of just wishing futilely for a washing machine, she decided to try her hand at making one during the vacations!

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IGNITING MINDS | |May 2016

s s e n n i Gu Records

wo rld

Franky Zapata sets new Farthest hoverboard flight record in France Franky Zapata, today set a new a new Guinness World Record title for the farthest hover board flight during a spectacular attempt off the coast of Sausset-les-Pins in the south of France.

The French Jet Ski champion managed a new benchmark distance of 2,252 meters (7,388 feet), far surpassing the previous record of 275.9 meters (905 feet, 2 inches), set last year by Canadian inventor Catalin Alexandra Duru.

Rising 50 meters above the surface for the attempt and trailed by a fleet of boats and jet skis, Franky, 37, piloted a futuristic aircraft called the Flyboard Air developed by his company Zapata Racing.

The aircraft can reach a claimed maximum height of 10,000 feet, with a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour (93 miles per hour).

Speaking at a press conference following the successful attempt, a delighted Franky told reporters: ”This has really been a life’s work”. In the run up to the attempt, a short video of a test flight of the Flyboard Air went viral, amassing over 3 million view on YouTube, with many viewers leaving comments doubting if the hover board was actually real.

The Flyboard Air uses an "Independent Propulsion Unit" to fly hose-free and can stay airborne for up to ten minutes.

Franky had previously set held the record for Most back flips with a water jet pack in one minute during an attempt for the CBBC TV show ’Officially Amazing’ at L’Estaque in Marseille, France back in 2014.

His record of 26 was beaten last August by Liu He of China in Beijing, who managed 27 flips.

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51

Current Affairs Indian Navy decommissioned INS Veer and INS Nipat

INS Veer was commissioned into Indian Navy on 26 March 1987 with the pennent number K 40 while, INS Nipat was brought into Navy on5 December 1988 with pennent number K 42.

ISRO’s seventh navigational satellite IRNSS 1G launched

Senior IPS officer Surender Kumar Bhagat appointed as DG of Railways Protection Force

Senior IPS officer Surender Kumar Bhagat was on 28 April 2016 appointed as the Director General (DG) of Railways Protection Force (RPF). His appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

IIT scholar, K Ashok Kumar, won International Plant Nutrition Scholar Award

Ashok is pursuing his PhD on ‘Comparative Assessment of Direct and Residual Effects of Organic and Inorganic Nutrient Management on Rice-Chickpea Production System in Lateritic

New Zealand’s $5 bill won IBNS Banknote of the Year Award

The runner’s up in the voting were Sweden’s 20 Kronor note depicting children’s author Astrid Lindgren, Russia’s 100 Ruble note illustrating Crimean landmarks, Kazakhstan’s 20,000 Tenge note and Scotland’s (Clydesdale Bank) 5 Pound polymer note.

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on 28 April 2016 launched India’s seventh navigation satellite of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS 1G) into a SubGeosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO) on-board PSLV-C33.

The satellite was launched from the First Launch Pad (FLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, which is situated 90 kms from Chennai.

52

Indian Railway used drone for the first time to inspect Dedicated Freight Corridor project

A drone is a flying robot which can be remotely handled through software-controlled flight plans embedded in its systems working in conjunction with GPS.

IGNITING MINDS | |May 2016

Radhika Apte won best actress award for ‘Madly’ at Tribeca Film Fest 2016

International Solar Alliance Cell and UNDP declared Cooperation for Promoting Solar Energy

The Interim Administrative Cell of International Solar Alliance (ISA Cell) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on 22 April 2016 declared their intention to promote solar energy globally.

The declaration was made on the occasion of the side event on International Solar Alliance at the UN Headquarters in New York.

Japan successfully tested its first stealth fighter X-2 jet Bollywood actress Radhika Apte on 22 April 2016 bagged the best actress in an international narrative feature honour at Tribeca Film Festival 2016 for her performance in anthology film Madly.

Radhika starred in Clean Shaven, which is a segment of Madly.

President presented Hindi Sevi Samman Awards

Japan on 22 April 2016 successfully tested the first stealth fighter jet.

With this, the country joins a select group of world military powers wielding the radar-dodging technology.

The domestically developed single-pilot prototype X-2 jet took off from Nagoya airport in central Japan on its maiden test flight. It safely landed at Gifu air base, north of Nagoya airport, after a 25-minute flight with no particular problems.

Mahindra became first Indian company to join EP100 Mahindra & Mahindra on 22 April 2016 became the first Indian company to join a global energy campaign, EP100, led by an international non-profit group, The Climate Group. It will work with the world’s most influential businesses in setting commitments to double their energy productivity.

The Hindi Sevi Samman Awards were instituted by Central Hindi Institute, Agra in 1989. Fourteen scholars receive this award in seven different categories every year for their contribution in the field of Hindi language and literature.

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53

ISRO Scientists made world’s lightest material ‘Silica Aerogel’ to keep soldiers warm in Siachen

Idriss Deby elected as Chadian President for the fifth time

Scientists at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram indigenously manufactured the world’s lightest synthetic material called ‘silica aerogel’ or ‘blue air’ or ‘frozen smoke’. It was in news in the third week of April 2016.

Idriss Deby was on 21 April 2016 elected as the President of Chad.

With this, Deby became the incumbent President with fifth term in office in a lopsided firstround victory.

World Bank, UNICEF established alliance to promote Early Childhood Development programme Since 2000, the WBG has invested 6 billion dollars in early childhood development (ECD) programs, including 3 billion dollars over the last two years alone.

In the 2016 election, Idriss Deby of Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS) party secured the 61.56 percent of the vote in the firstround runoff.

Maharashtra government banned digging of bore wells beyond 200 ft

Supercomputer ‘Param Kanchenjunga’ unveiled at Sikkim NIT

Sikkim Governor Shrinvas Patil on 17 April 2016 formally unveiled Supercomputer named ‘Param Kanchenjunga’ at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Sikkim. It is named after Kangchenjunga Mountain (8586 m), the third highest mountain in the world.

The Param Kanchenjunga is the most powerful and fastest among all available at the 31 National Institute of Technology’s.

It has been jointly developed by Pune-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) and the NIT Sikkim. The total cost of the Supercomputer is around three crore rupees.

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IGNITING MINDS | |May 2016

Maharashtra government on 18 April 2016 decided to restrict digging of borewells beyond 200 feet. The action was taken to check the steep decline in ground water level in the state, which at present is facing recurring droughts and severe water crisis in Marathwada and Vidarbha region.

Iraq Thomas made fastest ever century in cricket history

The 23-year-old Thomas represented Scraborough/ Mason Hall and remained not out on 131 runs off just 31 balls.

He helped his side to chase down Speyside’s target of 152 runs in just eight overs.

Japan unveiled Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympics Emblems

Japan’s Olympic organisers on 25 April 2016 unveiled the new official logos of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The emblems, designed by Asao Tokolo, feature an indigo-coloured check in the design.

Riyad Mahrez became first African footballer to win PFA Player of the Year

Dipa Karmakar became first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for Olympics Riyad Mahrez on 24 April 2016 became the first African footballer to win the Professional Footballers Association’s (PFA) Player of the Year award for the 2015–16 season. The footballer received the award at the Professional Footballers’ Association awards ceremony organised in London.

Laureus World Sports Awards 2016: Djokovic and Serena won Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Laureus World Sports Awards 2016 were given in Berlin, Germany on 18 April 2016. The award ceremony was held in Germany for the first time.

World No 1 tennis player Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the Laureus Sportsman of the Year Award, whereas US tennis player Serene Williams won the Sportswoman of the Year Award.

She earned a total score of 52.698 points in the Olympics qualifying event to book a berth for artistic gymnastics in Rio Games to be held in August 2016.

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55

Brain Gym 1. Friends ! can you tell what is common in all these six persons?

2. Spokes

3. Scrabble

CLUE 1. One of two equal parts of a divisible whole.

2. Young of domestic cattle.

3. A game played on a large open course.

4. A deep wide chasm.

5. Your consciousness of your own identity.

6. Waves breaking on the shore.

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IGNITING MINDS | |May 2016

IGNITING MINDS|| |May 2016

57

April Brain Gym Answers 1. All are Mammals.

2.

3. 1.HEAL, 2.WEAL, 3.HALE, 4.LAW, 5.LEA, 6.HEM, 7.HAW and 8.HE. 4. Pattern Number 2.

5. 1.Less numbers of spectators 2. Moustache of the batsman missing. 3. Difference of his utterance. 4. Fielder in the ground is not smiling. 5. Ball position is different. 6. Wicketkeeper’s nose missing. 7. One bail is missing. 8. Fielder’s teeth are missing.

5. Find Eight Differences in Both the Pictures.

4. Looking at the change of patterns, tell, what comes in Blank - Change to ‘Guess the next pattern...’

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Isaac Newton Quotes # Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy. # If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants. # I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies, but not the madness of people. # A man may imagine things that are false, but he can only understand things that are true, for if the things be false, the apprehension of them is not understanding. # Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in the multiplicity and confusion of things. # To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.

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