Sanyukta's Discovery of Nature

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Sunday 23 august 2009 7 23 /08 /Aug /2009 08:31

The Pola festival

In July I went with my mother to Pola festival. This festival happens during the monsoon to thank the bulls who have just ploughed the land.

For the festival, we went to Pangari village near Panchgani. There, on the plaza, all the bulls were standing proudly. Their bodies had been smeared with turmeric and painted with beautiful designs. Some looked really majestic while others looked terribly dangerous.

When all the bulls had assembled, the procession started. Immediately, one bull looking particularly angry started running ahead of everybody. I got scared of that bull and went to hide in a corner. The bulls were so fast that we couldn't follow them and went back to the village.

After the procession was over, we visited all the farmers who had bulls. We then saw them doing the puja of their bulls. They even offered them huge size ladus.

This breed of bulls or zebus called Hallikar is the the best breed of ploughing bulls in the full India. It is a white bull with long curved horns that are usually painted red.

See craft: Decorating a bull for Pola festival

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By Sanyukta Kakani - Posted in: interesting facts
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Tuesday 18 august 2009 2 18 /08 /Aug /2009 18:03

Putul and the Dolphins

Story by Mariam Karim-Alhawat.

The story happens in Bengal which is in Eastern India. It is a very beautiful state with paddy fields and coconut trees.

Putul and the Dolphins happens in a small fishing village called Dabri, which is on the bank of the river Ganga. In one of the huts lived a little girl called Putul. Putul didn't go to school because her family had no money. She spent her time helping her mother cook and clean. The rest of the time she played with her friends.

One year it rained so much that the Ganga river became a monster. It swallowed up the villages and flooded the place. One day because of the floods, two dolphins entered Putul's hut. Putul's mother threw some stale rice to keep the dolphins nearbye so that they can be speared later by Putul's fater.

Putul got so worried that she jumped in the water to frighten away the dolphins. She kept swimming and the dolphins followed her.

All the villagers came out of their huts to see what was happening. Suddenly Putul couldn't swim anymore because the current was too strong. But at that moment the dolphins saved the life of Putul.

After that, Putul's mother promised that she would never let someone harm the dolphins.

The dolphins in this story are not the ordinary dolphins. They are called the Gangetic dolphins and are an endangered species of river dolphins. They can be recognized very easily at their long narrow snout.

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By Sanyukta Kakani - Posted in: favourite books
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Sunday 9 august 2009 7 09 /08 /Aug /2009 08:39

Decorating a bull for Pola festival

Take some white card

Draw the shape of a simple bull

Colour its horns red

Cut out the shape of a blanket in coloured paper

Make a design on the blanket

To make it beautiful decorate it with sequins and plastic mirrors

Stick the blanket on the body of the bull

Do the same process for the headgear of the bull

Now your bull is ready for the festival!!

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By Sanyukta Kakani - Posted in: crafts
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Thursday 16 july 2009 4 16 /07 /Jul /2009 17:55

Gulla and the Hangul

Gulla and the Hangul is a story of Mariam Karim-Ahlawat (published by Tulika)

The story happens in Kashmir, a state in northern India. It is in the mountains of the Himalayas. It is a very beautiful state famous for its pine forests. Kashmir is also very cold.

The story’s main character is a boy called Gulla. When Gulla was only four, there was a terrible earthquake. The earth was cracked in crooked lines and the houses fell. Fortunately, Gulla and his family managed to escape.

One day, Gulla took his sheep out to graze. Full day he was out in the pastures. It started to be dark and he had to take his sheep home. He felt lazy to walk. So he said to his dog Ruda: “Take the sheep home.” And he gave him a push.

Then Gulla sat down and started chewing an apricot that had fallen from a tree. Suddenly he heard a bark that made him turn to look. Two large dogs were chasing a little Hangul. He had to save the little deer so he ran behind the dogs and in time caught the little animal.

Soon Gulla realized it was dark now. He had to sleep in the forest and was very scared. He slept full night with the Hangul. Next morning he said to the Hangul: “We are safe now.” But as he watched, the Hangul turned into a boy. The boy said: “I am Sheen, the Eternal Spirit of the Snow. You have risked your life to save mine. I am ready to grant you the wish you desire.”

“I want no more earthquake in Kashmir,” Gulla said.

“All right,” said the boy and he disappeared.

Gulla ran back to his home and said the good news to his parents.

Since that day, Hanguls are sacred and protected.

Hanguls belong to the family of Red Deer. They are also called Kashmiri stags. They are the state animal of Kashmir.

The Hanguls live in herds led by full grown male. The male Hangul have spreading antlers which are really majestic. Their fur is reddish brown.

Hanguls used to be common animals in Kashmir. But today, Hanguls are endangered. There are only 150 of them left in the wild with just 20 full grown male stags.