Believe it or not!

Superstition is an unfounded belief that either good or poor luck contributes to the supernatural. Superstition has been around ever since the creation of the human race. In every culture, they're different, and in many of these cultures and communities they have played a major role. These are some weirdest superstitions that people still believe in from all over the world.

The Delhi History

The other half of India's freedom struggle

The history of Indian Freedom Struggle would be incomplete without mentioning the contributions of women. The sacrifice made by the women of India will occupy the foremost place. They fought with true spirit and undaunted courage and faced various tortures, exploitations and hardships to earn us freedom. When most of the men freedom fighters were in prison the women came forward and took charge of the struggle. The list of great women whose names have gone down in history for their dedication and undying devotion to the service of India is a long one. Woman's participation in India's freedom struggle began as early as in1817. Bhima Bai Holkar fought bravely against the British colonel Malcolm and defeated him in guerilla warfare. Many women including Rani Channama of Kittur, Rani Begam Hazrat Mahal of Avadh fought against British East India company in the 19th century; 30 years before the 'First War of Independence 1857'. The role played by women in the War of Independence (the Great Revolt) of 1857 was creditable and invited the admiration even leaders of the Revolt. Rani of Ramgarh, Rani Jindan Kaur, Rani Tace Bai, Baiza Bai, Chauhan Rani, Tapasvini Maharani daringly led their troops into the battlefield. Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi whose heroism and superb leadership laid an outstanding example of real patriotism. Indian women who joined the national movement belonged to educated and liberal families, as well as those from the rural areas and from all walks of life, all castes, religions and communities. Sarojini Naidu, Kasturba Gandhi, Vijayalakmi Pundit and Annie Bezant in the 20th century are the names that are remembered even today for their singular contribution both in battlefield and in political field. 

Text source: The Unsung Heroines of India's freedom struggle by Zahied Rehman Ganie and Shanti Dev Sisodia, American International Journal of Social Science Research. Read the abstract here.

The Artisans
Renaissance art is the painting, sculpture and decorative arts of the period of European history, emerging as a distinct style in Italy in about 1400, in parallel with developments which occurred in philosophy, literature, music, science and technology.

Renaissance (meaning "rebirth") art, perceived as the noblest of ancient traditions, took as its foundation the art of Classical antiquity, but transformed that tradition by absorbing recent developments in the art of Northern Europe and by applying contemporary scientific knowledge. Renaissance art, with Renaissance humanist philosophy, spread throughout Europe, affecting both artists and their patrons with the development of new techniques and new artistic sensibilities.

Renaissance art marks the transition of Europe from the medieval period to the Early Modern age. Let’s look at some of the artists during this period.

Dance: Diversity in India
Dance is an ancient and celebrated cultural tradition in India. Folk dances abound all across the country, and huge crowds of people can be found dancing at festivals and weddings. Dance and song features heavily in Indian cinema (so-called “Bollywood” films), too. But where does Indian dance draw its roots from? Here are some of the most important classical dance forms of India.

Text source: Britannica. Read the full piece here.

The Uncontrolled Fire
A wildfire is an unplanned fire that burns in a natural area such as a forest, grassland, or prairie. Wildfires are often caused by human activity or a natural phenomenon such as lightning, and they can happen at any time or anywhere. In 50% of wildfires recorded, it is not known how they started.
How much of a boon or bane wildfires can be?

Read more about wildfires

Women in Literature before 1500
Ancient literature fills us with hope and awe to encounter a person’s ideas thousands of years after their death. Throughout history, it’s simply been a lot harder for women to gain the time, space, recognition, and education necessary to write something with a chance of surviving centuries.

The first recorded woman playwright in England was Katherine of Sutton, abbess of Barking nunnery in the fourteenth century. Here are some women writers before 1500 that you've probably never heard of. 

Text source: Entropymag. Read the full piece here.

Climate Change: The Defining Issue of our Time

The biggest topic of our time is climate change and we are at a defining moment. The impacts of climate change are global in nature and unparalleled in scale, from changing weather patterns that threaten food production to increasing sea levels that raise the risk of catastrophic flooding. Adapting to these impacts in the future would be more complicated and expensive without drastic action now.

Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner. Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves.

Read more about this UN report: Climate Change

Exploring Australia

Australia is known as 'the land Down Under' for its position in the southern hemisphere. 
Australia is the smallest continent however, it is one of the largest countries on the globe. The country is an island lying between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific ocean in the southern hemisphere. The capital of Australia is Canberra however, some of the country’s more popular cities are Sydney and Melbourne. Australia is also the only continent in the world that doesn’t have an active volcano. Australia is also the second driest continent in the world after Antarctica. 

Australia, aside from this, also has other names. One of the most common nicknames is The Land of Oz. Oz is a phonetic derivative of an informal reference to an Australian from the word Aussie. The greenery and the abundance, though can trick you into thinking that it is the Wizard of Oz's magical land.

Read more: Why is Australia Called Down Under?

Turkey at a Glance

A little background about Turkey: It is mostly located in West Asia, however, a small portion of the country lies in southeastern Europe. Turkey’s capital is Ankara while its national language is Turkish. Its currency is the Turkish lira. Turkey is known for its fabulous food, cotton, and bazaars. Turkey’s climate varies across its different regions, but is generally dry and its heavily influenced but the sea to its north, south, and west. The climate is affected by the mountains that run through the country.

More than Just The Pyramids

Egypt is a country that lies on the southwest corner of Asia and northeast corner of Africa via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is the world’s only nation having borders adjacent to three continents: Asia, Europe and Africa.

The Pharaoh was the political as well as religious leader of the masses in ancient Egypt. The titles' High Priest of Every Temple 'and' Lord of the Two Lands 'were granted to him. The Greek form that was the name for the royal residence is the word 'pharaoh'. The pharaoh was considered a god on earth as the supreme leader of the people, a mediator between the gods and the people, and when he died, it was believed that he would become Osiris, the god of the dead.

Read more: EGYPT- The Land Of Pharaohs

Knowing More About Nihon

The expression "Land of the Rising Sun" is actually a translation of the name the Japanese use to refer to their country, Nihon. It's written using the kanji characters 日 (ni) which means "day", and 本 (hon), meaning "origin".

Nihon, then, would be the country of origin of the sun. It's a term that could refer to the geographical location of the country on the edge of Asia, but the name could also have a religious meaning associated with the sun goddess Amaterasu, believed to be an ancestor of the imperial lineage.

Japan is made up of 6,852 islands and its highest point in Japan is Mount Fuji which is 3,776 meters high. It is located along the Pacific Ring of Fire and has many earthquakes and volcanoes which sometimes result in a tsunami.

Text Source: The Land of the Rising Sun