Positive news for the young and curious
Hello kids and all . . . Welcome to our wonderful world!
See the world through the eyes of Namita, Pratima and Girish.
The only planet in this Universe that is fascinating, scintillating and exciting.
A world where innovative ideas abound, love and peace rules, fun and frolic is the rule of the day and creativity has no limits.
Join in our projects and participate. Do write and tell us what we can do to make this experience better . . . your word matters.
The Indians had had enough of the British rule and the atrocities meted out to the locals.
• Mahatma Gandhi got the Indians together to fight for Independence. His slogan was ‘Do or Die’.
History has taught us about a few famous freedom fighters (listed below) but there are countless unsung heroes who joined … were thrown in jail or died fighting for India’s freedom.
‘Freedom creates and embraces diversity because all people are unique. Respect it, be responsible for your actions and never misuse freedom.’
Mahatma Gandhiji – When Gandhiji returned from Africa in 1915, he developed the concept of’ ‘non-violence’ or ‘ahimsa’ to counter the horrific killings by the British. He believed in peaceful protests and fasts rather than confrontation. He not only fought for independence but also demanded fair treatment for the untouchables and lower caste, fasting in support of them. He also called untouchables ‘Harijan’ meaning ‘Children of God’.
Watch the movie ‘Gandhi’ by Richard Attenborough, starring Ben Kingsley as the Mahatma.
Jawaharlal Nehru – was the first Prime Minister of Independent India.
• He founded Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Set up the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) in Darjeeling in 1954. He also founded the Border Road Organization
• Despite his English education, Nehru renounced western wear during the freedom movement and instead donned Indian wear like long kurta, sherwani and churidars; not to forget the quintessential Rose, Nehru Topi and Nehru Jacket.
Bhagat Singh – an Indian revolutionary who was hanged to death by the British Colonisers, at the age of 23. He went on a hunger strike in jail for more than 100 days. He coined the phrase ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ that became the slogan of India’s armed freedom struggle, spearheading a growing militancy in the 1930’s, which went against the nonviolent stand of the Indian National Congress. He was also a prolific writer and contributed to many newspapers of the time. He wrote around four books while in prison alone, although besides his diary, nothing else survives.
Mangal Pandey – he is one of the first Martyrs of India and is referred to as Shahid Mangal Pandey.
• The place where he revolted against the British and was hanged later, is now called the Shahid Mangal Singh Udhyan.
Sardar Vallabhai Patel – The Iron Man of India, Founding Father of India, Bismarck of India, Unifier of India are some titles to one of the greatest freedom fighters of India.
He was a barrister who persuaded more than 562 princely states to integrate to form one united India.
During the time of Integration, he was the first Commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose – was a brilliant student. Despite cracking the Indian Civil Services examination, he resigned from the government post to fight for India’s freedom. He was known to be the editor of ‘Forward’ and ‘Swaraj’ newspapers.
• ‘Jai Hind’, one of the most popular slogans of India was coined by Bose and he was also the one to select Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Jana Gana Mana’ as his preferred national anthem.
Sarojini Naidu – was called the Nightingale of India by Mahatma Gandhi because her poetry was said to be lyrical and full of imagery. She wrote poems on civil rights and women’s emancipation.
• She was the first Indian woman to be president of the Indian National Congress. She was the first Indian woman to be president of the Indian National Congress.
Lokmanya Tilak was the first leader of the Indian independence movement. The British colonial authorities called him ‘The father of the Indian unrest’. He was also conferred with the title of ‘Lokmanya’, which means ‘accepted by the people as their leader’. Mahatma Gandhi called him ‘The Maker of Modern India’.
• In 1916, he concluded the Lucknow Pact with Jinnah to provide Hindu Muslim unity.
Dandi March – The Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha and Dandi March was an act of non-violent civil disobedience in colonial India, led by Mahatma Gandhi.
The twenty-four day march commencing on 12th March 1930, began with 78 Satyagrahis. 50,000 joined them along the way.
• It was called a ‘White Flowing River’ as everyone wore white khadi.
• The march which spanned 385 kms from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, which was called Navsari at that time, was a direct action campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly.
• The British finally bowed down. Lord Irwin agreed to release all political prisoners, permit people to freely collect and sell salt and removed the salt tax … the Gandhi-Irwin Pact on 6th April 1931
A bill was passed in India to make the practice of Triple Talak a criminal offense. A ‘triple talak’ is a form of divorce practised in Islam, whereby a Muslim man can divorce his wife by uttering the word ‘talak’ three times. The man does not need to cite reasons and the wife need not be present.
3rd August…
World Sanskrit Day or
Viswa Sanskrit Dinam.
It is celebrated in the Shraavana month on Poornima day (the full moon). This year it actually falls on the 12th of August.
• The Sanskrit language is believed to be originated in India around 3,500 years ago … 1500 years BCE (BC).
• It’s language family…Indo- Iranian, Indo-European and Indo-Aryan languages.
• The script is Brahmi and has 46 letters.
• Sanskrit is also called ‘Dev-Vani (the language of the Gods) as it is said that Lord Brahma introduced this to the Sages of celestial bodies.
• Sanskrit is vital to the Indian culture because of its extensive use in religious Hindu, Jain and Buddhist texts and Yoga Shastras.
• Most modern Indian languages have been directly derived, or strongly influenced by Sanskrit. It is known as the mother of many languages.
It is celebrated in memory of the Swadeshi Movement started on this day in 1905, in the Calcutta Town Hall, to protest against the partition of Bengal by the British Government.
• Weaving, an Indian legacy, is an aesthetic, intricate art passed on from generations, taking forward India’s cultural heritage. It also empowers the lives and economy of the weavers and country.
• 70% of the handloom weavers and allied workers are women.
• The day is celebrated to highlight the contribution of the weavers, to showcase their incredible talent and the beauty of the fabrics.
• Each state has a different weave.
It began in 1942 at the Bombay session of the All India Congress by Gandhiji.
• It asked for an immediate end to the British rule.
• Declaration of the commitment of free India to defend itself against all kinds of imperialism.
• It sent a clear message that India could not be governed.
• Rani Velu Nachiyar from Tamilnadu was a freedom fighter against the British 100 years before 1857.
• The iconic ‘Quit India‘ slogan was coined by the mayor of Bombay, Yusuf Meherally.
• Celebrated to raise awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed in a predominantly right-handed world.
• Most daily tools like scissors etc are made for right-handed people.
• First observed in 1976 by Dean R Campbell.
• Left handedness is a combination of genetics, biology and environment.
• 10% of population score higher in creativity, imagination and intuition.
• Some left-handers: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Paul McCartney, Barack Obama, Lady Gaga, Oprah Winfrey, Charlie Chaplin, Amitabh Bachchan, Queen Elizabeth, Prince William and quite a few of the British Royal Family.
19th August..World Humanitarian Day…
to pay tribute to workers killed and injured in action. To honour all aid and health workers who continue to provide life saving support and protection to people most in need.
• This date is designated in memory of a bomb attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq on 19th August 2003, where 22 people died including Chief Humanitarian Sergio Vieira de Mello.
• The UN formalized this day in 2009.
• 4 humanitarian principles: Humanity, Neutrality, Impartiality and Independence
• Crisis can be caused by war, natural disasters, disease, famine
Famous humanitarian.. Mother Teresa
A day to pay homage to the history of photography. In the 1830s, Louis Daguerre invented the daguerreotype
Photography transcends the boundaries of language and is a medium for storytelling .
Clicked by the talented and much-in-demand wild life photographer Mithun Hunugund in the Kabini National Park in Nagarhole forest, Karnataka. He waited six days for this in the same spot and finally on a surreal winter morning, a single deer alarm led him to this breathtaking sight.
No celebrity couple can match the sheer beauty of this one. Meet Cleopatra (the leopard) and her mate Saaya (the panther) who he has named Cleo & Saaya as ‘The Eternal Couple’.
21st August … Senior Citizens Day… a day to show them how much you care.
• Proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to increase awareness of the issues that affect older adults, mainly health issues and abuse.
• The helpline in India for senior citizens is 14567 and 1291.
To do:
• Spend time
• Make a family tree
• Volunteer to help your grandparents or senior citizens in your neighbourhood. Good fellows – video
The United Nations General Assembly adopted this week in December 1992 .
‘To a thirsty man, a drop of water is worth more than a sack of gold‘
To save water….
• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth or taking a shower.
Even better, have a bucket bath … you will save 49 litres of water every day.
• Don’t fill glasses with water … take as much as you think you will need.
• Start a rain harvesting project in your society.
29th August…National Sports Day…Celebrating the birth anniversary of Major Dhyan Chand – the Olympic gold medalist who scored more than 400 international goals.. a record in those days, earning him three Olympic Gold Medals in1928, 1932, 1936
• His nickname was Wizard.
Indian veteran Sharath Kamal won the gold medal in the men’s singles table tennis.
• He won a total of three gold medals 
Former world champion PV Sindhu added one more gold medal to her cabinet by winning the women’s singles title.
Annu Rani scripted history as she became the first Indian female javelin thrower to win a medal – a bronze.
India athletics achieved a very rare one-two finish at a global event as Abdulla Aboobacker and Eldhose Paul won gold and silver medals in the men’s triple jump
Nitu Ghanghas won India’s first medal in boxing at the Commonwealth Games 2022 when she defeated Demie Jade of England in the women’s 48kg final to win gold.
That’s all folks !
Here’s Orca signing off !
See you next month
26 Responses
You all created such a gift for children. I salute you.
A vast amount of knowledge in a small space ! Well written! Look forward to reading the publication regularly!
Good content…. healthy information.
Kids should know this.
Such good information for children they Will learn a lot 👍🏻
Credible and informative . A sure treat for children and parents
What a plethora of information …not only for the younger generation but for “not so young”too.loved the moonlighting couple click.looking forward to the September edition!
This is so informative… for children and parents as well 🙂 a good effort, looking forward to more articles! Keep it coming!
What an awesome idea..
How very informative..
Excellent initiative, very well selected topics in this issue.
Good morning Ma’am
Wishing you all the very best for your future endeavors. A great initiative. Regards
What a wonderful idea to enthuse our children In various aspects of news , information sports etc it seems to be a fun way of getting the info and instills in them the curiosity of gaining information in an interesting way
This is really interesting for kids and their parents too. Loved to read and know about fun facts and inspiring stories…
What a wonderful initiative for young children! Will definitely forward for my granddaughter 💕very well conceptualised and thought of . Would be a great idea to introduce in schools too! Kudos to the team ORCA!
A wonderful initiative for the children all put together in a compact format .
Kudos to the team .
A wonderful initiative. Very informative and interesting. Good read for adults as well. Congratulations team ORCA
Wonderfully compiled into the 1st edition by team Orca … A perfect gift of positivity for both the young & the elders .. there was so much to learn & enjoy reading … with lovely illustrations , writeups & videos attached too !!! … Thankyou for the efforts & the provision for creativity by participation .. A very pleasant change through which to view our world .
Interesting initiative. Perhaps you could add science, art, jokes, riddles, puzzles, easy magic tricks and things like that?All the best.
I read almost all the posts to my 8years old kid. He was amazed by many articles. Especially ones about the Leopard Cleo and Saaya. He plans to capture local cats on his poloroid now😊
Also the one on hand looms. I showed him all the hand woven sarees we have at home and it definitely piqued his internet in our indigenous art.
Keep these coming..!
Wonderful magazine not only for children for us, adults too. Enjoyed reading it. Looking forward for the next edition. Thank you Pratima, Girish & Namita for sharing this with us. My best wishes to you all.
Hi this is amazing . Very informative and insightful. Would be great if this could be like a physical hard copy that we could subscribe to monthly for kids. A monthly Newspaper for children would be lovely.
Congratulations! This is great publication for kids. Love the variety of topics, it will definitely speak to kids of all ages! Looking forward to seeing the next edition.
Lovely initiative Team Orca!! No kids around me, but I too loved all the snippets and visuals- quite an amazing range of information for adults to brush up on and enjoy too! Very well put together! All the best for future issues!
Lovely initiative Team Orca!! No kids around me, but I too loved all the snippets and visuals- quite an amazing range of information for adults to brush up on and enjoy too! Very well put together! All the best for future issues!
Well done Pratima and your team. Very informative not only for children, but also for adults. Very well compiled. Will share it with my students.
Fabulous initiative! Well balanced content and useful resource with vast potential.
Treat for children and adults alike!
Congratulations! and keep ‘’em coming