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Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake - Rabindranath Tagore.

Happy Independence day

Article of the day...

Manchester United

Manchester United also known as “The Red Devils” is an English professional football (soccer) team based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. Manchester United is one of the richest and best-supported football clubs not only in England but in the entire world. The club has won the English top-division league championship a record 20 times and the Football Association (FA) Cup 11 times.

The club was formed as Newton Heath LYR in 1878 by workers from the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. Renamed Manchester United in 1902 (136 years ago), the club won its first English league championship in 1907–08.

Manchester United’s history since World War II has been dominated by two long-serving managers. Sir Matthew Busby was appointed manager in 1945 and over the next 24 years steered the club to five English league and two FA Cup victories.

The club had to contend with tragedy in 1958 when an aircraft carrying the team crashed in Munich, killing 23 of the 44 onboard. In the 1960s the team, rebuilt by Busby, included the highly talented attacking trio of Bobby Charlton, George Best, and Denis Law. Later in 1968 this team became the first English club to win the European Cup (now known as the Champions League) with a 4–1 victory over Benfica of Portugal in the final.

The former coach of the Scottish team Aberdeen, Alex Ferguson, managed the club from 1986 to 2013 and presided over an unparalleled spell of dominance in the English league.

Manchester United has won 12 Premier League titles since that league’s inaugural season in 1992–93. In the 1998–99 season the club secured the first “treble” in English football history by winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League. A second Champions League victory came in the 2007–08 season.

Manchester United is renowned for its youth team program, which has generated many notable homegrown players who later performed for the club’s first team, including David Beckham.

The club has also brought in a number of major transfer signings over the years, such as Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Andy Cole, Roy Keane, Eric Cantona, Patrice Evra, Dimitar Berbatov, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Words will always fall short for describing this man. He was a thinker, innovator and a creator. His love for design, smartness and simpleness can be seen in his products. From bringing 1000's of songs into a small little device to changing the way Mobile phones worked, he is a true legend.

From Mac to Ipod to Iphone to Ipad, he has been a true giver to the world of technology.

Inventions and Inventors.

Glue that never wears out, that sticks again and again. Yes Velcro it is.

Velcro today is not only a great invention, but also a well-known brand.

Invention of Velcro was not a process, but was an accidental observation by George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer.

For thousands of years, man has walked through fields of weeds and arrived home with burrs stuck to his clothing. It’s amazing no one took advantage of the problem until 1948.

George de Mestral returned from a walk one day in 1948 and found some cockleburs clinging to his cloth jacket. When de Mestral loosened them, he examined one under his microscope.

The principle was simple. The cocklebur is a maze of thin strands with burrs (or hooks) on the ends that cling to fabrics or animal fur.

By the accident of the cockleburs sticking to his jacket, George de Mestral recognized the potential for a practical new fastener.

It took eight years to experiment, develop, and perfect the invention, which consists of two strips of nylon fabric.

One strip contains thousands of small hooks. The other strip contains small loops. When the two strips are pressed together, they form a strong bond.

(Non Frequently Asked Questions)

Why do we shiver when we are cold?

The human body needs to stay at the same temperature to survive - about 37 degree Celsius.

When you feel cold, tiny sensors in your skin send messages to your brain telling you need to warm up.

Your brain sends messages to nerves all over your body telling your muscles to tighten and loosen really fast, which is what we call shivering.
It does this because when muscles move they generate heat.

(Not Frequently Asked Questions)

Why are railway tracks covered with ballasts?

The rail track is the very basis of the rail road line. It consists of parallel rails laid on cross-ties on a roadbed of ballast.

The standard steel rail is shaped like the letter 'T', resting on a wide base or fl**ge. It is fastened at right angles to wooden or concrete sections called cross-ties, which are embedded in crushed stone or cinders, ballast, to hold them steady.

The ballast also covers part of the rails. When train passes over the track the pressure acting on it changes continuously.

The variation in pressure is so much that i, instead of ballast, a rigid road like material is used, it would crack. The ballast gives the track flexibility to face this variable pressure. In addition to this cushioning effect, the ballast also helps drainage.

Cicadas – The Loudest Singer


Cicadas – The Loudest Singer

Cicadas are the loudest singers in the insect world. These large winged insects snap thin membranes on their thorax to produce a loud chirping that resembles the sound of locusts.

Infact, some cicadas are often called “seven-year locusts” or “seventeen-year locusts”, though they are not locusts at all.

The latter variety spends seventeen years eating and growing in underground passageways, then emerges for only a few weeks of sunshine before dying.

Seventeen years later, a new generation of cicadas will emerge from the ground. These creatures thus constitute the longest lived species in the insect kingdom.

Article of the day...

The story of Valentines Day..

"The story of Valentine's Day begins in the third century with an oppressive Roman emperor and a humble Christian Martyr. The emperor was Claudius II. The Christian was Valentinus.

Claudius had ordered all Romans to worship twelve gods, and had made it a crime punishable by death to associate with Christians. But Valentinus was dedicated to the ideals of Christ; not even the threat of death could keep him from practicing his beliefs. He was arrested and imprisoned.

During the last weeks of Valentinus's life a remarkable thing happened. Seeing that he was a man of learning, the jailer asked whether his daughter, Julia, might be brought to Valentinus for lessons. She had been blind since birth.

Julia was a pretty young girl with a quick mind. Valentinus read stories of Rome's history to her. He described the world of nature to her. He taught her arithmetic and told her about God. She saw the world through his eyes, trusted his wisdom, and found comfort in his quiet strength.

"Valentinus, does God really hear our prayers?" Julia asked one day.

"Yes, my child, He hears each one."

"Do you know what I pray for every morning and every night? I pray that I might see. I want so much to see everything you've told me about!"

"God does what is best for us if we will only believe in Him," Valentinus said.

"Oh, Valentinus, I do believe! I do!" She knelt and grasped his hand.

They sat quietly together, each praying. Suddenly there was a brilliant light in the prison cell. Radiant, Julia screamed, "Valentinus, I can see! I can see!"

"Praise be to God!" Valentinus exclaimed, and he knelt in prayer.

On the eve of his death Valentinus wrote a last note to Julia, urging her to stay close to God.

He signed it, "From your Valentine." His sentence was carried out the next day, February 14, 270 A.D., near a gate that was later named Porta Valentini in his memory.

He was buried at what is now the Church of Praxedes in Rome. It is said that Julia planted a pink-blossomed almond tree near his grave.

Today, the almond tree remains a symbol of abiding love and friendship. On each February 14, Saint Valentine's Day, messages of affection, love, and devotion are exchanged around the world."

Happy Valentines day...

Born Glorious

Sarojini Naidu - The nightingale of India

An Indian poetess of English language and known as the 'nightingale of India'-Sarojini Naidu was a great patriot who took part in freedom struggle and became the first woman Governor of U.P. She was the truly, one of the gems of the world.

She was born on February 13, 1879 in Hyderabad. Her father, Dr. Aghornath Chattopadhyay, was a scientist. He also founded Nizam College of Hyderabad. Her mother, Varasundari, was a Bengali poetess. In this way Sarojini Naidu inherited qualities from both her father and mother, and enjoyed a veiy bright career.

Although her father wanted her to become a mathematician or scientist but she was more interested in poetry than mathematics or science. She wrote "The Lady of the Lake", a poem of 1300 lines long, at a very tender age. She also wrote a play named "Maher Muneer" in the Persian language.
Sarojini Naidu, during her stay in England met a South Indian named Dr. Govind Naidu. She got married to him at the age of 19 after completing her education although it was an intercaste marriage, but was a very happy one.

Basically she was a poetess with a patriotic heart. In 1905 she got recognition as a poetess when her collection of poems was published under the title "Golden Threshold". Other collections of her poems were 'The Bird of Time", 'The Broken Wings", "Feast of Youth", and "A Treasury of Poems". The speciality of her poems was that they had English words, but an Indian soul.

In 1916, she met Mahatma Gandhi and immediately decided to use her talent to fight for freedom. The independence of India now became her sole motive. She travelled from state to state, city after city and awakened the women-folk.

In 1925 she became the first Indian woman President of the National Congress. She was sent to jail many times for her anti-British activities. In 1930, when Salt Movement was in full swing, Sarojini Naidu protested in front of the salt- depots in Gujarat.

Lakhs of people including a large number of women participated actively in this protest. In 1931 she accompanied Gandhiji to London to take part in the Round Table Conference. When India became free in 1947, she was made Governor of the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh). She enjoyed this post till her death on March 2, 1949.

Sarojini Naidu is not among us but her ideals will always inspire us to do something memorable.

Mohammad Azharuddin

A cricketer who turned into a villain and then ultimately turned a politician. The easiest thing for any discard and famous person is to join politics. Had he not been convicted for match fixing, he would end up becoming one of the most successful Indian Cricketers of his time.

"People say you should hit the iron when it's hot, but I believe in hitting the iron so hard that it gets hot."

- Ratan Tata