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Rhino
on the run
The pride of Kaziranga National Park,
the one-horned rhino, is under threat from poachers. Lack of
well-equipped manpower, insurgency and a flourishing world trade in
animal parts threaten the disappearing rhino,
reports Bijay Sankar Bora from Guwahati
Visitors on elephant back taking
a close look at a rhinoceros inside Kaziranga
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A
UNESCO World Heritage site, the
sprawling Kaziranga National Park, located on the south bank of River
Brahmaputra, has been under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. A
biodiversity hotspot, it is the largest habitat of the endangered
one-horned Asiatic rhinoceros. There has been a steep rise in
rhino-poaching incidents in the 859-sq km park. A well-coordinated
network of poachers is virtually laying siege to the famous habitat,
thereby making a mockery of the government’s anti-poaching strategy.
Roses
all the way
With roses in full bloom, R.
K. Luna looks at the flower which now comes in many colours,
shapes and fragrances
Rose,
the flower of love, is cultivated throughout the world. The
traditionally grown roses were fragile, wild, bloomed only for a
limited period. They were also prone to various pests and diseases.
These were found only in a few colours of red, white, pink, deep
crimson, pink and purple. However, with the development of clonal
technology, tissue culture and hybridisation, roses can be grown into
a variety of colours, fragrances and bloom shapes.
Check
out these geckos
T.S.N.
Murthy on the gentle lizards which can bite and bark like a dog
Geckos
are small, gentle lizards
characterised by a soft dull skin and large unblinking eyes. Most of
them are familiar to us as nocturnal (night) prowlers. As soon as
night falls and the lights are switched on, they are attracted towards
the light where they can be seen stalking insects. The amazing ability
of these little lizards to run, sometimes even upside down, or on
vertical surfaces, is due to the clinging pads on their feet.
Did
Hitler sketch Disney characters?
The
director of a war museum
in Norway claims that he has discovered cartoons of Disney characters
that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler drew during World War II. William
Hakvaag said he found the drawings hidden in a painting signed A.
Hitler, which he purchased at an auction in Germany.
An
evening in Paris
You could walk past
Belleville, where market stalls line the main boulevard. You could
take in the world-famous touristy sites like the Louvre, Moulin Rouge,
Notre Dame, Champs Elysees and, of course, the Eiffel Tower. Paris is
the essence of Europe, says Gyan Marwah
Paris
means different things to
different people. For the young it is the most romantic city in the
world. For those interested in history, it is a place that has been
witness to some of the most important events of the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries. And for many others, it is a city that symbolises
the essence of Europe.
HABBAN
A haven in the hills
Santosh Utsuk
If
you are looking for a
quiet retreat in the hills then Habban is the place you should be
heading to this summer. Located in the picturesque hills of Sirmaur,
this lush green village (6770 ft high) is 70 km from Solan. Direct
buses are available from Shimla, Solan and Rajgarh but taking your own
vehicle will add to your pleasure as you can stop wherever you want to
enjoy the captivating greenery and refreshing breeze.
An
affair to remember
Harjap
Singh Aujla on the Dev-Suraiya romance which read like a movie
script
Dev
Anand in his autobiography
Romancing with life unhesitatingly reveals his affairs.
According to him, he was not a skirt chaser in real life. It was the
women who took the initiative and Dev simply responded. But it was his
four-year-long (1948-51) affair with Suraiya, the singing sensation
and superstar of the Hindi/Urdu cinema, that left an indelible impact
on him. The two wanted to tie the knot but became victims of religious
bigotry.
From
acting to making movies
M.L. Dhawan
Actors
turning producers is not
new to Hindi cinema. Commercial considerations, family loyalties and
desire to make their kind of films has prompted actors from Ashok
Kumar to Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan to produce films when any number of
producers were ready to pay them their price and sign them for their
films. Shahrukh Khan recalls that
for a film he had to jump from a height of more than a 100 feet. He
decided to do the stunt himself and suggested the producer that he
should organise five cameras for the sequence to make impact.
Cancer
belt of Punjab
The number of cancer patients
has grown manifold in the recent years in the Malwa area. Local people
feel excessive use of pesticides has contaminated the ground water.
The pollutants are also found in the vegetables grown in the area,
reports S. P. Sharma from Bathinda
Wrapped
in blankets, a number of
ailing men and women steadily head towards platform number 2, Bathinda
railway station, at 9 pm to catch the train for Bikaner for treatment
of cancer. Over the years, this particular train has come to be known
as the "cancer train" (marizon ki train).
Casual
elegance
Banalata Bipani
While
recession and
eco-consciousness has prompted European designers to try to figure out
what their contribution to the ongoing decade is, economic
liberalisation and the media blitzkrieg is offering Indian designers
something their predecessors never had—the chance to create a label
and an identity. However, there have also been problems. For instance,
what should the fashion statement of the 2010 be? Should it be
practicality? Should it be realism?
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