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The birth of an idea
Charles Darwin is among the most cogent scientists to have enhanced our understanding
of the history and mystery of life. M Rajivlochan
writes
about the evolution of a scientist
as the world celebrates the 200th birth anniversary of Darwin and the 150th
anniversary
of the publication of his work
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— The Origin
of Species — this year
IN
the history of knowledge, Charles Darwin (1809-1882) occupies a unique
position. His 200th birth anniversary falls on February 12.
The year 2009 also happens to be a jubilee year of sorts because it
was 150 years ago, in November 1859,
that Darwin’s book The Origin
of Species was first published. It was in this
book that the
greatly liberating idea of evolution was first suggested as a
scientific fact. |
H M S Beagle, a barque of 235 tonnes,
in the waters of Patagonia
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Breaking
new ground
This year’s Bharat
Rang Mahotsava saw new trends and newer impulses being inducted by
younger artistes, writes Chaman Ahuja
OF
the 62 productions showcased this year at the annual NSD festival,
Bharat Rang Mahotsava XI, as many as a dozen were from outside India.
The festival can legitimately claim to have graduated into an
international festival — a far cry from the purely national format
of the maiden event in 1999.
Mission
to serve
Known as the Mother Teresa of
Mau, Kerala-born Dr Jude has dedicated her life to the service of the
sick and poor. Treating her job as a mission, the ‘saint-doctor’
has till date performed over 70,000 Caesarean operations, writes Kulsum
Mustafa
Situated
in Mau, a poverty-stricken and nondescript district of eastern UP, the
Christian missionary-run Fatima Hospital has been home to Dr Jude for
the past 32 years. Popularly known as the Mother Teresa of Mau, this
67-year-old doctor of the Medical Sisters of St Joseph, has dedicated
her life to the service of the sick and poor.
A
tryst with tigers
Lt-Gen
Baljit Singh (retd) visits Kanha National Park and Tiger
Reserve where
the magnificent beast roams free in its natural habitat
AT
the turn of the 20th century when shikar was the
acme of field sport in India, it became the cherished dream of all
practitioners to indulge in the sport at the Banjar Valley Reserve
located in the Satpura Range of the Central Provinces.
First
superstar singer
M. L.
Dhawan recalls the contribution of Shamshad Begum, who was
recently
awarded the Padma Bhushan
Shamshad
Begum, the first superstar female playback singer, who has been
honoured with the coveted Padma Bhushan award recently for
contribution to the growth of Hindi film music, was spotted by
composer Ghulam Haider when she was singing devotional songs on AIR,
Lahore, in 1937. He gave her a break as a playback singer in a few of
his Punjabi films.
Dolphins
are capable sea chefs
Rob Taylor
Dolphins
are the chefs of the seas, having been seen going through precise and
elaborate preparations to rid cuttlefish of ink and bone to produce a
soft meal of calamari, Australian scientists say.
The
ordinary is the fashion
No longer the trendsetters in
fashion, the film actors are playing
the common man, writes Derek Bose
Late
last year, when the promos of Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
started storming the television screens, many fans of Shah Rukh Khan
did a double take. How could their hero look so down-market?
Role call
Rajesh Ahuja
SHE
seems to have become synonymous with ‘women living-on-the edge’
portrayals, being the natural choice of filmmakers for such roles.
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