My Science School

            ‘Kathasaritsagara’, meaning Ocean of the Streams of Stories, is an 11th century collection of Indian legends, fairy tales, and folk tales,  retold in Sanskrit by a scholar named Somadeva.

            Nothing is known about the author other than that his father’s name was Ramadevabatta.

            The work was compiled for the entertainment of the queen Suryamati, wife of king Anantadeva of Kashmir.

            Unlike most familiar classics, this work contains no hidden moral lessons. Instead, it is an easy celebration of earthly life. It consists of 18 books of 124 chapters, and has more than 21,000 verses, in addition to prose sections.

            The book contains a major tale, which is about the adventures of Naravahanadatta, son of the legendary king Udayana.

            Most of the other tales are interestingly connected to this central story.

            The work was translated into English by Charles Henry Tawney. The translation was published in two volumes in 1880 and 1884.

Picture credit: google

            Written between 1605 and 1615, ‘Don Quixote’, also known as ‘The Ingenious Nobleman Sir Quixote of La Mancha’, is a children’s novel by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. It has been widely read, and enjoyed by children.

            The novel, originally written in Spanish, is about a wannabe knight, Alonso Quixano, who drags a farmer, Sancho Panza, along on a series of adventures. Don Quixote, in the first part of the book, does not see the world for what it is and prefers to imagine that he is living out a knightly story. The book was immediately translated into English, and it was a great and continuing success.

            ‘Don Quixote’ is considered to be one of the most important books of all time, and it is often cited as the first modern children’s novel.

Picture credit: google

            ‘Robinson Crusoe’ is another sea adventure children’s book, written by Daniel Defoe. The novel ‘Robinson Crusoe’ tells the story of a young and impulsive Englishman who defies his parents’ wishes, and takes to the seas seeking adventure.

            He was involved in a series of violent storms at sea, and was warned by the captain that he should not be a seafaring man. The young Robinson Crusoe is ship-wrecked and cast away on a remote tropical island for 28 years.

            This wonderfully written book is said to be based on the true-life events of Alexander Selkirk, a sailor who survived four years on a Pacific island, after he encountered a terrible ship mishap.

            Despite its simple narrative style, ‘Robinson Crusoe’ was well received in the literary world. Before the end of 1719, the book had already run through four editions, and it has gone on to become one of the most widely published books in history.

Picture credit: google

            If you are into sea adventure books, you will thoroughly enjoy the famous story book – ‘Moby-Dick’, written in 1851 by Herman Melville. It recounts the adventures of the narrator Ishmael, as he sails on the whaling ship, Pequod, under the command of the monomaniacal Captain Ahab.

           ‘Moby-Dick’, is a classic, not only in children’s literature but also in world literature. It is a novel first published in London as ‘The Whale’ and a month later in the United States as ‘Moby-Dick or The Whale’.

            Ishmael is the narrator in the story. Ishmael believes he has signed onto a normal whaling vessel, but he soon learns that Captain Ahab is not guiding the Pequod to hunt any whale, but is seeking one specific whale, Moby-Dick, a great white whale infamous for his ability to destroy the whalers that seek him.

            The captain’s wooden leg is the result of his first encounter with Moby-Dick. After the ship sails, it becomes clear that Captain Ahab is bent on revenge and he intends to get Moby-Dick.

Picture credit: google

 

 

               ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ is a classic children’s book, written by Jonathan Swift. It was originally published in 1726.

               ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, comprises four books. It is an adventure story involving several voyages of the main character Lemuel Gulliver, a ship’s surgeon, who, because of a series of mishaps, ends up on unknown islands living with people and animals of unusual sizes. However, Gulliver returns to his home in England, where he recovers from these unusual experiences and then sets out again on a new voyage.

               In this creatively written work of fiction, many exciting things are included, for example- ‘remote regions of the world’, including Lilliput, where Gulliver finds himself tied to the ground by six-inch-high human figures, where he meets a man ‘as tall as an ordinary spire steeple’.

               The book became popular as soon as it was published. John Gay wrote in a 1726 letter to Swift that ‘It is universally read, from the cabinet council to the nursery’.

Picture credit: google

            ‘Oliver Twist’ is a must read, classic children’s novel written by Charles Dickens, published serially under the  pseudonym ‘Boz’.

             It is the story of a young orphan, Oliver, and his attempts to stay good in a society that refuses to help. Oliver is born in a workhouse, to a mother not known to anyone in the town. She dies right after giving birth to him, and he is sent to an orphanage, where he and the other orphans are treated terribly, and fed very little.

            After escaping from there, little Oliver travels to London, where he meets the ‘Artful Dodger’, a member of a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal, Fagin.

           In the later part of the story, Oliver meets a good man, who takes him in. But, the plot takes a turn when Oliver is again trapped by Fagin’s men.

          ‘Oliver Twist’ has been the subject of numerous adaptations for various media, including a highly successful musical play, ‘Oliver!’, and the multiple Academy Award-winning 1968 motion picture of the same name.

Picture credit: google

 

 

            ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’, the classic children’s book by Lewis Carroll, tells the story of Alice who falls down a rabbit hole, and lands into a fantasy world that is full of weird, wonderful people and animals. Though it is a children’s book, it is one of the popular ones among adults too.

            Commonly shortened to ‘Alice in Wonderland’, the book was published in 1865. Unlike most of the other children’s books till then, ‘Alice in Wonderland’, was an imaginative fantasy work, not just bound to moral lessons.

            The book portrays many interesting characters that Alice meets during her adventure. Some of them are the Duchess, the March Hare, Mad Hatter, and the Red Queen. The book has inspired numerous film and television adaptations.

Picture credit: google

             If you are looking for something exciting to read during your holidays, try reading the ‘Jataka Tales’. They are story books that are enjoyable, as well as filled with wisdom.

            Originally written in the Pali language, the ‘Jataka Tales’ have been translated into different languages around the world. They contain stories of the previous lives of Gautama Buddha. These include Buddha in both animal and human forms. These stories are extremely popular and are valued in all branches of Buddhism.

            ‘The Jataka Tales’ are dated between 300 BC and AD 400. Many of the tales are set in or near Benares, now called Varanasi, a city in North India on the Ganges River.

            Each tale begins by noting the occasion that prompted its telling, and ends with the Buddha identifying the lives of the people in the introductory story with those of people from the past. There is humour in some of these stories.

Picture credit: google

       

 

          ‘Aesop’s Fables’ is a collection of tales from the Greek storyteller, Aesop.

            He was a slave who lived in ancient Greece, between 620 and 564 BC. He was a keen observer of both animals and people. Most of the characters in his stories are animals, some of which take on human characteristics, and are personified in their ways of speech and emotions. Each fable has an accompanying moral to be learned from the tale. The fables, numbering 725 totally, were all passed down orally through generations.

            Aesop loved to write stories which were mostly fables. A fable is a very short story with a moral, or a lesson to teach. Three centuries after Aesop’s death they were written down, and their author-ship was attributed to Aesop.

There are many famous fables, including the most famous ones like ‘The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs’, ‘The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse’ etc.

Picture credit: google

            ‘The Panchatantra Stories’ are the most popular children’s book in India. These are the oldest surviving fables from India, which are popular abroad too.

            Panchatantra is believed to be written by Vishnu Sharma, along with many other scholars. It is basically a network of interesting stories on human behaviour, depicted through animal characters that are loved by people of every age group.

            The stories were probably written originally in Sanskrit, and later translated into English, and many other languages. These stories are the best guide to teach children moral values, since each tale has a moral lesson at its end. Most of the stories are written very creatively, featuring plants and animals that can speak and converse with human beings too.

            Apart from a short introduction, these tales consist of five parts. Each part contains a main story, called the frame story, which in turn, contains several sub stories.

            The most popular Panchatantra stories are ‘The Wedge-pulling Monkey’, ‘The Blue Jackal’ etc.

Picture credit: google

               A snow leopard is a large cat that is native to the mountain areas of Central and South Asia. These wild cats can be spotted sporadically in the alpine and subalpine zones of China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia, and Mongolia, at heights between 3000 to 4500m.

               In size, snow leopards are slightly smaller than others of its family. They have stocky bodies with thick fur and small, rounded ears, all of which together, help the animal to minimize heat loss.

               Although the animals are agile and powerfully built, their population is in great danger. The main reasons for such falling numbers are hunting, habitat loss, and retaliatory killings. With the reduction in the number of its prey like the Argali sheep, ibex, and hares, these leopards are forced to hunt domestic animals in its nearby areas.

               As a result, locals kill them in retaliation. The leopards are also poached for their skin for making fur coats.

Picture credit: google

            The sei whale is one of the fastest whales in the world that inhabits all oceans and adjoining areas, except those in polar and tropical regions. They are the third largest rorquals, followed by blue whales and fin whales.

            Sei whales are sometimes seen travelling alone, or in pods of up to six individuals. A normal individual is about 14 to 20 metres long, with a weight up to 26 tonnes. Females are a little longer than males. If unharmed, these animals can live till the age of 65.

            As they are at the top of the food chain, whales have an important role in the overall health of a marine ecosystem. But today, they have a very insecure existence due to human activities.

            The biggest threat faced by the sei whale population is commercial whaling. Besides, there is something called scientific whaling, carried out by countries like Iceland and Japan. It means killing whales for scientific research.

            There have also been events of mass deaths of sei whales in the past due to pollution, and the presence of toxic substances in water.

Picture credit: google

            The Grevy’s zebra is an important member of the horse family. Also known as the imperial zebra, they are the most endangered of the zebra species. Historically, they were seen in the semi-arid scrublands and plains of Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Kenya in East Africa. But now, their range is confined to a few parts of Southern Ethiopia, and Northern Kenya.

            Compared to its relatives, Grevy’s zebras have larger ears and narrower stripes. They feed mostly on grass, roots, and tree bark, and also on hard seeds. It is believed that these zebras can live without water for about three days.

            During the 1970s, the population of Grevy’s zebras was thought to be 15,000. But at the start of the 21st century, this number came down to 3500.

            Today, there are estimated to be around 2500 in the wild. In captivity, there are around 600 individuals surviving. The main reason for the fall in population is poaching. The skin of these zebras is of great value in the global market.

Picture credit: google

               The giant otter is a carnivorous mammal native to South America. It is a social animal that lives with family groups, supporting up to eight members. They are mostly seen in freshwater rivers and streams that are seasonally flooded. Sometimes, these animals are also spotted in freshwater lakes and springs.

               The primary cause of the decline of the giant otter population is poaching. They have been hunted for decades, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s, bringing their number to less than 5000. It is the velvety pelt that makes a giant otter an attractive target. Besides, the animals are extremely easy to hunt as they are active throughout the day. And by nature, otters are inquisitive and fearless towards human beings. This makes it even worse for them.

               Other factors are habitat loss and degradation caused by mining, logging, and over-fishing. Quite a lot of giant otters are killed by fishermen who consider them to be a menace.

Picture credit: google

            The Rothschild’s giraffe is a subspecies of Northern giraffes. It is also known by the names Baringo giraffe and Ugandan giraffe.

            With just around 1500 individuals in the wild, it is yet another animal that has an endangered existence. Isolated population of this animal can be seen in savannah, grasslands, and the open woodlands of Uganda and Kenya. The strange name of these animals comes from zoologist Walter Rothschild, who was the first to describe the species.

            What makes a Rothschild’s giraffe different from others in the family is its appearance. It has a specific type of coat pattern, with light brown patches and creamy lines in between. Also, it has no markings below the knees, making one feel that the animal is wearing white stockings!

            The biggest threats to the lives of Rothschild’s giraffes are poaching, expansion of human population and habitat loss.

Picture credit: google