Makara Sankranti is a Hindu festival celebrated in almost all parts of India and Nepal in a myriad of cultural forms. It is a harvest festival.

Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into the zodiac sign of Makara rashi (Capricorn) on its celestial path.^[2] The day is also believed to mark the arrival of spring in India and is a traditional. Makara Sankranti is a solar event making one of the few Indian festivals which fall on the same date in the Gregorian Calender every year: 14 January, with some exceptions when the festival is celebrated on 13 or 15 January.

                        BY;

AVANTHIKA.RAJESH

                                                          KERALA 

 Kerala /ˈkɛrələ/, regionally referred to as Keralam (കേരളം), is a state in the south-west region of India on the Malabar coast. It was formed on 1 November 1956 as per the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam-speaking regions. Spread over 38,863 km² (15,005 sq mi) it is bordered by Karnataka to the north and north east, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 census, Kerala is the twelfth largest state by population and is divided into 14 districts. Malayalam (മലയാളം) is the most widely spoken and official language of the state. The state capital is Thiruvananthapuram, other major cities include Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam and Thrissur.

The region was a prominent spice exporter from 3000 BCE to 3rd century. The Chera Dynasty was the first powerful kingdom based in Kerala, though it frequently struggled against attacks from the neighbouring Cholas and Pandyas. During the Chera period Kerala remained an international spice trading center. Later, in the 15th century, the lucrative spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, and eventually paved the way for the European colonisation of the whole of India. After independence,Travancore and Cochin joined the Republic of India and Travancore-Cochin was given the status of a state. Later, the state was formed in 1956 by merging the Malabar district, Travancore-Cochin (excluding four southern taluks), and the taluk of Kasargod,South Kanara.

                                           BY;AVANTHIKARAJESH

                                                                The Ball

       Life is like a ball that aims tall    

     If it has enough force, it Bounches high,

 If the force is little, it dies down.

           We’ re like these balls

         And we need some force

        To bounce high in our lives.

                              by avanthika rajesh

Harishchandra, in Hindu religious texts is the 36th king of theSolar Dynasty, Surya Maharishi Gothram (See: Vivasvan). His legend is very popular and often told as a benchmark for an ideal life. He was renowned for his piety and justice. His name is Sanskritfor "having golden splendour". Harishchandra had two unique qualities. The first being, he kept his word and never went back on what he uttered as a promise. The other being, he never uttered a lie in his life.These twin qualities were tested heavily in his life by various circumstances that led him to penury and separation from his family. But he stood to his principles in the face of all ordeals and persevered to become a symbol of courage.

BY AVANTHIKARAJESH

STREAMS

The God gifted you to nature
with many beautiful creatures
making all the way you pass
gay with your bass
fluttering in breeze
you make the air cool we wheeze
you starts your journey from mountains
making beautiful fountains
flowing over pebbles
you make the water in you trouble
then down the deep rock you go
splashing water as you flow
making rainbows in sun light
pleasing everyone those who fight
when you get on to plains
utter silence you gains
when you pass by fields
you zig-zag and glides
by the jutting soil
you look so fierce at the time
and snails coil
you go on and on
through the field of corn
at last i see
you merge in the sea
all your beautiful memories
are now my memorable summary.........

by Geethika Sathyanathan

50 YEARS AFTER THE FIRST ROCKET            LAUNCH IN INDIA          

It's 50 years today since India launched its first rocket from Thumba

Thursday, Nov 21, 2013, 14:10 IST | Place: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM | Agency: PTI

The Union Government took the first step in its space programme in August 1961 by entrusting the Department of Atomic Energy with the task of conducting space research and peaceful uses of outer space.

Source: Wordpress

India today entered the golden jubilee of the launch of its first rocket from the sylvan settings of the coastal hamlet of Thumba near here, marking the decisive step of the country's space odyssey which has witnessed landmarks like Chandrayaan and Mars mission. The sleepy palm-fringed village became part of modern India's quest to scale dizzying heights of scientific research when an American-built rocket Nike-Apache was fired on November 21, 1963.

The launch site in due course came to be known as Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station (TERLS) and later became Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a major centre of ISRO named after pioneer of Indian space programme Vikram Sarabhai.

It was Sarabhai who gathered a team of young scientists and engineers for the mission and sent them to the US for hands-on training in sounding rockets.His early recruits included former President APJ Abdul Kalam. According to scientists, Thumba was identified for locating the launch station as the magnetic equator passes through South Kerala making it an ideal spot for the launch.

The Union Government took the first step in its space programme in August 1961 by entrusting the Department of Atomic Energy with the task of conducting space research and peaceful uses of outer space.

In 1962, a national committee on space research was formed under the chairmanship of Sarabhai for carrying on the mission and the next year on November 21 the first sounding rocket, a US-built Nike Apache was launched from Thumba. The launch facility was prepared by shifting several fishermen families from Thumba to an adjacent coastal stretch with the then Catholic Bishop playing a vital role in persuading the villagers. A church in the locality has been retained as such and later converted into a space museum.

BY: DEVASOORYA

                                                        जवाहरलाल नेहरू 

पंडित जवाहरलाल नेहरु स्वतंत्रता संग्राम के अग्रणी नेता और स्वतंत्र भारत के प्रथम प्रधानमंत्री थे। उस्का जन्म १४ नवंबर ,सन १८८९ के इलहाबाद में हुआ ठसा।  उनका पिता का नाम पंडित मोतीलाल नरहरु था , जो अपने समय से         वकील और धनदाय व्यक्ति थे। उसका माता का नाम स्वरूपरानी था। नेहरूजी कि शिक्षा घर पर ही थी। उचित शिक्षा के लिए वे इंग्लैंड गए और बैरिस्टर बनकर भारत लौटे। उनका विवाह श्रीमती कमला से हुए। उनकी पुत्री इंदिरा गाँधी थी ,जो भारत कि प्रधानमंत्री बनी।  

SREELAKSHMI
VII