Mocomi TimePass The Magazine - Issue 78

1. Get Your Daily CopY! facebook.com/mocomikids ISSUE 78 JUNE 19, 2020 GO tO Why are Sparrows endangered? THE STORY OF INDIA’S VEDIC AGE Who will be the King of Birds? WHO WAS CECILIA PAYNE?

2. FOLKTALE of Birds The King Higher and higher went all the birds and made a beautiful picture in the sky. After a while, they started getting tired and dropped from the sky, one after the other. The eagle was the only bird that was strong and was still fying high. Within a short time, all the birds were back on the ground, except for the eagle. As he saw that all the birds had given up, he came down slowly and told the others, “So, I think I was right when I said that I would be the king, I few higher than anyone else.” Just then, a tiny little sparrow came out from under the eagle’s wings and few higher in the air. He said, “No Mr. Eagle, I can fy even higher than you. I am the king of the birds.” The eagle did not realize that all this while the sparrow was fying under its wings. All the birds agreed with the sparrow and he was chosen the king of the birds. The eagle was very jealous and could not tolerate the sparrow sitting on the king’s throne. He grabbed the sparrow with his sharp claws and threw him on the ground. The sparrow fell on the ground with a thud and realised that a part of his tail was missing. The eagle had actually torn of his tail. However, the sparrow did not mind much because he had become the king of the birds anyway. The sparrow has had a short tail ever since. All the creatures in the jungle had a king. The birds, however, did not have a king and were very embarrassed about it. The king was always the decision maker of a fock and instructed the others to follow the rules. As the birds did not have a king, they had to go to the other animals even for the smallest of decisions. So, one fne day, they decided that they would choose a king for the bird community. A meeting was called to resolve the issue. “But who can be a good king?” discussed the birds. The mynah replied, “The one who can fy the highest can be chosen as the king.” All the birds agreed to the decision. The eagle who was extremely proud and always boasted about himself said, “It will be a very easy decision. Everyone knows that I can fy the highest. I will be the king of the birds.” “Oh but you still might not win,” said a sparrow in its squeaky little voice. The eagle turned its head and saw the little sparrow, “Really? So you think you can win? Haha, you little bird, you can be really funny,” said the eagle mockingly. “We will see,” the mynah said on hearing their argument. A race was fxed to decide who few the highest. All the small, middle and big sized birds gathered for the race. As soon as the owl hooted, “Whoo, whoo,” all the birds started their fight. 1

3. Find the Ten Birds in the picture Silly Rhymes Did You Ever Did you ever go to the watering trough And watch the sparrows drink? Did you ever go to Potter’s pond And see the famingos pink? Did you ever steal to the barn at night And watch the hoot-owls think?

4. spot ten differences Pondering Corner Why are Sparrows Declining? House sparrows were once a common bird, found in abundance in cities. However, since the year 2012, the number of sparrows found in urban spaces have declined rapidly. In 2012, the bird was declared the 'state bird' of India's capital region, New Delhi and eforts were made to increase their numbers. The house sparrow is known to prefer urban spaces such as towns and cities, rather than forests and grasslands. For years, they have lived side by side with humans in gardens and trees. However, as cities grow more populated, this bird which was once found in large numbers has declined. Modern buildings and closely packed houses do not leave room for sparrows to nest and build homes and an increase in the use of pesticides on plants and crops and pollu- tion has also been harmful for them. 'World Sparrow Day' was frst instituted in 2010 to help increase the population numbers for house sparrows. Eforts are underway across India to help increase their numbers and protect the bird from extinction. 3

5. Tickle your funny bone Q: What do you call a parrot that few away? A:A polygon Q: What do you call a crate of ducks? A:A box of quackers Q: What language do geese speak? A:Porchageese AMUSING NEWS Fierce Mother Sparrows A crow was startled to fnd he had bitten of more than he could chew when he decided to bully a baby sparrow. Its mother came attacking in full fight, scar- ing the startled crow who was much larger than her. Well, they do say there is nothing like a mother's love!

6. stories from history India's Vedic Age The Aryan invaders were primarily nomads. They cleared forests near river- banks and settled in small villages, or 'gramas', becoming semi-agriculturists. Each grama was headed by a Gramini. The Aryan villages were simple structures, which formed the basis for archi- tecture in India. In fact, the caves of Ajanta and Ellora were influenced by early Aryan villages. Their huts were very basic, circular and with thatched roofs over bamboo logs. Fences of wood and bamboo surrounded the settlement for protection against wild animals. Soon the demand for fertile land grew and rivalry spread. Groups of villages joined forces and thus small ‘cities’ or clans called ‘Vis’ were born. A group or clan formed a Jana and their leader was the Rajan or King. A priest or 'Purohit', the commandant or 'Senani', and the administration, 'Sabha' and 'Samiti', as- sisted him. 5

7. The city buildings were made almost entirely from wood, and walls protected each city. The Vedic carpenters became skilled at constructing timber struc- tures and their techniques were used in stone constructions of the future. During this period, animal husbandry, agriculture, weaving, carpentry were the primary occupations. The barter system flourished. External trade began with West Asia and Egypt. Coins were introduced for trade and were called the ‘Nishka.’ 6

8. The Aryans made a contribution to Indian religion through Sanskrit. It was during this age that the Vedas were most composed. And this formed the foundation for the early Hindu religion. The Aryans developed a rich tradition, composing hymns of the four Vedas. These sacred scriptures included the : Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. Two great epics were also composed during this period - ‘The Ramayana’ and ‘The Mahabharata.’ These tell us a great deal about the culture, society and religion of the people of that era.

9. Those Who Made a Difference Cecilia Payne Cecilia Payne was an astronomer who discovered that stars were made of helium and hydrogen, thus changing the way astronomers understood the universe. It was previ- ously believed that Earth, the Sun and stars were elementally very similar. Her work was initially rejected as it questioned long held beliefs in astronomy. Payne studied astronomy at a time when there were very few women in the feld. She began her journey when she was granted a scholarship to Cambridge University to study physics. After fnding her options for the future limited, she moved to Harvard University and became the frst woman to receive a PhD in Astronomy from Radclife College. Her analysis of variable stars laid the groundwork for all studies that have been con- ducted since. She showed a far greater understanding of the universe than most of her male counterparts at the time. Her work was rewarded when she became the frst woman to chair the Department of Astronomy at Harvard University. 8

10. "Oh no," my father sighed, "There's a bird's nest over here." He was stand- ing atop a ladder in our garage, trying to fnd the source of a twittering noise that we had been hearing for a few days. "Its mother is nowhere to be found, I think we should take this nest inside!" he said as he brought the nest down to reveal four chirping sparrow chicks... Complete the Story... fun facts with Hamlet the Hamster To know or not to know, that is the question! Well, wouldn’t you prefer to know? Facts about Sparrows Sparrows are very small birds. They can reach 4 to 8 inches in length and 0.8 to 1.4 ounces in weight. They are very social and they live in colonies called flocks. Sparrows can survive between four and five years in the wild. They easily learn to eat “served food” and eat from bird feeders. 9

11. Help the Sparrow Find her Nest 10

12. The Team Editor Assistant and Copy Editor Aryaa Naik Dalmiya Lavanya Khare Content Contributing Writers Kaniz Fatima Khan Priyanka Garegat Deepti Raavi Ekta Bhatnagar Raunaq Amarnani Rituparna Chatterjee Archana Rajagopal Layout and Design Walmik Pawar Artists Kalpana Siromani Amol Padwal Shailendra Havane Sujith VS Rohini Dusane Bhavini Damani Sitanshu Bhartiya Atul Wankhade Archana Rajagopal Bharat Pillai Tushar Rokade Distribution Digital Marketing Dnyanesh Thombre Prashant Kini Shekhar Ramaiah Creator Jesh Krishna Murthy

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