Spokenez

 The Sharpest Shield and Sword A man who made spears and shields once came to Akbar's court. "Your Majesty, nobody can make shields and spears to equal mine," he said. "My shields are so strong that nothing can pierce them and my spears are so sharp that there's nothing they cannot pierce." "I can prove you wrong on one count certainly," said Birbal suddenly. "Impossible!" declared the man. "Hold up one of your shields and I will pierce it with one of your spears," said Birbal with a smile.

  The True King The King of Iran had heard that Birbal was one of the wisest men in the East and desirous of meeting him sent him an invitation to visit his country. In due course, Birbal arrived in Iran. When he entered the palace he was flabbergasted to find not one but six kings seated there. All looked alike. All were dressed in kingly robes. Who was the real king? The very next moment he got his answer. Confidently, he approached the king and bowed to him. "But how did you identify me?" the king asked, puzzled. Birbal smiled and explained: "The false kings were all looking at you, while you yourself looked straight ahead. Even in regal robes, the common people will always look to their king for support." Overjoyed, the king embraced Birbal and showered him with gifts.

  Did you know? 1. During pregnancy womans brain shrinks and it takes up to six months to regain its original size. 2. Putting sugar on a cut or wound reduces pain and speed up the healing process. 3. Loneliness weakens immunity, having family and friends increases immunity by 60%. 4. About 8,000 Americans are injured by musical instruments each year. 5. The French language has seventeen different words for surrender. 6. Otters hold hands when they sleep. 7. The total number of steps in the Eiffel Tower is 1665. 8. It snowed in the Sahara desert for 30 minutes on the 18th February 1979. 9. March 20 is celebrated as Snowman Burning Day. 10. Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart. உங்களுக்குத் தெரியுமா? 1. கர்ப்ப காலத்தில் பெண்ணின் மூளை சுருங்கிவிடும்இ அதன் இயல்பு அளவை மீண்டும் அடைய ஆறு மாதங்கள் வரை ஆகும். 2. வெட்டு அல்லது காயம் பட்ட இடத்தில் சர்க்கரை வைத்தால் வலியை குறைத்து சிகிச்சை வழிமுறைகளை வேகப்படுத்தும். 3. தனிமை நோய் எதிர்ப்பு சக்தியை பலவீனப...

Back to Square One As usual a lot of people were present in Akbar's durbar. A famous astrologer had come from a far away country. He was talking about the Solar System and the Earth's shape. At one point Akbar said, "If the earth is round, and if one travel strait towards one direction, he will come back to the same spot from where he has started the journey." "Theoretically it is correct", said the astrologer. "Why not in real life?", asked the king. "One has to cross oceans, mountains and forests to keep the path straight." the astrologer said.  "Sail through the oceans, make tunnels in the mountains and use elephants to cross the forests." Akbar found the solution. "Still it is impossible" said the astrologer. "Why?" Asked Akbar. "It may take years to complete the whole journey" said the astrologer "Years? How many?" asked Akbar. "I don't know. May be a hundred years or more...

 The Well Dispute Once there was a complaint at King Akbar's court. There were two neighbours who shared their garden. In that garden, there was a well that was possessed by Iqbal khan. His neighbour, who was a farmer wanted to buy the well for irrigation purpose. Therefore they signed an agreement between them, after which the farmer owned the well. Even after selling the well to the farmer, Iqbal continued to fetch water from the well. Angered by this, the farmer had come to get justice from King Akbar. King Akbar asked Iqbal the reason for fetching water from the well even after selling it to the farmer. Iqbal replied  that he had sold only the well to the farmer but not the water inside it. King Akbar wanted Raja Birbal who was present in the court listening to the problem to solve the dispute. Birbal came forward and gave a solution. He said " Iqbal, You say that you have sold only the well to the farmer. And you claim that the water is yours. Then how come you can keep y...

The Foolish Brahmin Once upon a time a foolish brahmin came to visit Birbal with a strange request. He wanted to be addressed as ‘pandit’.  Now, the term ‘pandit’ refers to a man of learning. But unfortunately this poor brahmin was uneducated. Birbal tried to explain the difference to him saying that it was not correct to call an uneducated man a pandit and because of this very reason it would be improper to call him so. But the silly brahmin had his heart set on this title.  So, as usual, Birbal had a brilliant idea. He said that as the brahmin was an uneducated man he should hurl abuses and stones at anyone who dared to address him by the very same title he wanted. Then Birbal called all his servants to himself and ordered them to call this lowly brahmin a pandit. The brahmin was very pleased.  But the moment the servants started calling out to him as ‘pandit’ he pretended to be very angry and started to abuse them loudly. Then he picked up a few stones and hurled them ...

Solar Eclipse: Sometimes the Moon moves between the Sun and the Earth so the three are in a straight line. The Moon blocks the Sun's light and part of the Earth is in the Moon's shadow. This is a solar eclipse. Discover what happens in a solar eclipse. What you need about Solar Eclipse... globe of the Earth ball with string attached (Moon) torch (Sun) Ploce the Eorth, Moon and Sun in line so that the Moon is in the middle. Turn on the Sun and observe the shadow that falls on a small part of Eorth. Rotote the Eorth so that the eclipse occurs where you live.

Day and Night: Earth's rotation on its axis causes day and night. As Earth spins, sunlight only falls on one-half of the planet. This means it is daytime on that side of Earth. On the other side, it is night. This way we have Day and Night. The apparent movement of the Sun across the sky is actually due to the rotation of our Earth. The Sun always appears to rise in the east and set in the west regardless of where you are on Earth. When the Sun rises, that part of the Earth is turning to face the Sun. When the Sun sets, that part of the Earth is turning away from the Sun. The Sun itself doesn't actually rise or set. Each planet spins around or rotates on its axis. Earth spins around at a speed of 1 600 km/h. Earth takes almost 24 hours to complete one rotation around the Sun. Because each rotation takes slightly less than 24 hours the calendar needed adjusting. Leap years add an extra day, the 29th February, to the calendar every four years so that the calendar aligns with Eart...

Seasons on Earth: Earth's revolution around the Sun creates the seasons. They are different in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Why do we have Seasons on Earth? Earth completes a revolution around the Sun over 365.25 days. It is this orbit, combined with the tilt on Earth's axis, which causes the seasons. The tilt, which is approximately 23.5 degrees, means that the Earth leans slightly towards the Sun. For part of the year, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun. During this time, the Sun is closer to the Northern Hemisphere. This means the Northern Hemisphere is in the direct path of the Sun's energy. As the Sun's rays hit Earth, they are concentrated, because they've travelled less distance through the atmosphere. The Sun rises higher in the sky and produces longer days. This is the Northern Hemisphere's summer. At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere is tilted away from the Sun. The Sun's rays hit Earth at an angle. The Sun's energ...