Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul

Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul

Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul commonly known as V.S. Naipaul is a travel writer, novelist and an essayist. He was born on 17^th August, 1932 in Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago.
The eighty one (81) year old British writer has written both fiction and non-fiction books including Miguel Street, The Mystic Masseur, The Middle Passage,  An Area of Darkness etc.

Some of V.S Naipaul books

      

Education and Accomplishments

V.S. Naipaul studied at Queen’s Royal College and then to the University of Oxford in 1953. He was knighted by the Queen in 1989 and in 2001 he was awarded the noble prize for Literature. It was one of the many prizes and awards. Sir Naipaul received over the years.

Sir V.S. Naipaul collecting
 his noble prize

Personal life, Family and Marriage

Naipaul was born to Indian decent parents. His father, Seepersad Naipaul was a journalist and a writer. In 1955 Naipaul married an Englishwoman, Patricia Hale who die from cancer in 1966. After Patricia death Naipaul proposed to Nadira Khannum Alvi, a divorced Pakistani Journalist.

V.S Naipaul with his wife Nadira

     

Short Story- The Wait...

   There I was, in a huge room containing over two hundred students or more. Most of them were either smarter or more intelligent than me; but nevertheless the time was here, ready to defeat me. I stared at the paper in front of me, at first glance it looked blurred but after I rubbed my eyes and I could see all the writing; words and numbers written on the paper. 
"Start now!" said the instructor. My body went numb but my right hand begun to write.

'What am I doing? These students are better than me. Will I succeed in passing this exam? Will I make my parents, teachers and family members proud? Or will I disappoint them? What will happen?' all such thoughts came to my heart and mind. "Wrong timing thoughts" I whispered to myself. 

I looked around the huge room and saw every students busy thinking and writing. 'How can they be so calm?' I thought. 
I watched at the clock that looked like it was mocking me. "Time is going dear, it's going..." I recalled my mother voice which echoed in my head. I continued to read carefully and answered question by question, one at a time. Time went by and my hand hurt with pain from writing, or maybe cause of lack of blood flow due to my nervousness.

"Five minutes more" called the tired instructor. With two more questions to answer, I hurried. 'I will finish, I will finish...' was the thought in my head now. 

"Time's up! Pens down." called the instructor finally.
I nervously handed over my paper to the instructor with a forced half smile. "Hope for the best my child" she said and collected the paper with a bright smile. 
Walking out of the room, I felt a warm breeze on my cheeks. "Well... That was it" I told myself, "All I have to do now... is wait."

To Be Continued...

Egyptian History Part 4

EGYPTIAN GODS 

The ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods at different times and in different places. Some gods changed in importance over time. There were over 2,000 names of gods in Ancient Egyptians. Some images of Ancient Egyptians gods and goddesses show them with a human body and the head of a bird or an animal. Animals were chosen to represent the powers of the god.


Ra the god of the sun- Ra was the most important god. He was lord of all the gods. He was usually shown in human form with the head of a Falcon, crowned with a sun disc encircled with a scared cobra. The ancient Egyptian believed that Ra was swallowed every night by the sky goddesses Nut, and was reborn every morning. They also believed that he travelled through the underworld at night. Where he appeared as a man with the head of a Ram.

Ra the god of the sun

Anubis the god of mummification- Anubis was an Egyptian god of the underworld who guided and protected the spirits of the dead. He was known as the “Lord of the hallowed land”. Anubis was the god of embalming (the art and science of preserving human remains) and the dead. Anubis was the man with the jackal head, since jackals were often seen in cemeteries, the ancient Egyptians believed that Anubis watched over the dead. He was also the god who watched over the process of mummifying people when they died. Thus priests often wore a mask of Anubis during mummification ceremonies.

The Anubis mask that priests wear
during mummification ceremonies

    

Anubis the god of mummification

God Amun- Amun was the Egyptian god for wind, air and fertility. He was a breaded man with a Ram head and an ostrich plumed hat. He is the ultimate god of entire ancient Egypt; many of the Egyptians considered him as the God of Kings and King of Gods! He is the oldest and the most worshipped ruler of ancient Egypt. The almighty god Amun personifies the Sun God and the Sun is the symbol of birth and energy. Thus he was given the name “Amun Ra”. Amun was a very powerful god, the Egyptians believed he could have transform into any form he wanted .They also said he had the power to kill someone just by looking at them.

The egyptian god-
Amun

A statue of Amun

God Amun engraved on
the wall of a temple

                 

Cereals: Part 1

What is a cereal?

A cereal is a nutritious grain produced by a cultivated plant belonging to the grass family. A cereal is a kind of grain used for making human and animal food.Some examples of cereals are wheat, rice, corn, oats, rye, barley, millet, etc.

Wheat

Wheat is a type of grass grown all over the world for its highly nutritious and useful grain. It is grown 2 to 3 feet tall. It is a cereal used mostly for human consumption. This grain is grown on more land area than any other commercial food. It is the most important kind of cereal grown in temperate countries. Wheat can be grouped into two main classes- winter wheat and spring wheat. Winter wheat produces a 'soft' flour while spring wheat produces a 'strong' flour. Wheat is a staple food used to make flour, bread, biscuits, cookies, cakes, pasta, noodles, etc.

Products made from Wheat

Wheat Bread

Wheat Flour

Rice

Rice farming is practiced widely and is best grown in warm humid temperate zones and in damp tropical lands; where mud, water and sunshine are plentiful. Rice is a popular cereal crop commonly used as human food. It is actually a type of grass and belongs to a family of plants. Rice is rich in nutrients and contains a number of vitamins and minerals. It is an excellent source of carbohydrates and proteins. Rice is used to make rice cakes, baby food, soup, etc.

Products made from Rice

Rice Cakes

Rice Krispies

Corn

Corn, also known as maize, is the third most widely produced cereal. Corn is a grain as well as a vegetable. It grows in warm weather and usually matures in late summer. It produces large kernels on a cob and grows within a tall grass-like stalk. This is one of the few crops that can be used for hundreds of different things. It can be used for food for humans and livestock. Corn can be processed and produced into breakfast cereals. Some products made form corn are corn meal, corn flour, corn syrup, etc.

Products made from Corn

Corn Flour

Corn Meal

To Be Continued...

Riddles and Jokes

1. Q. Why did the banana go to the hospital?
A: Because he wasn’t peeling well!

2. Q: Why did the orange stop in the middle of the hill?
A: It ran out of juice!

3. Q: What do postal workers do when they’re mad?
A: They stamp their feet.

4. Q: Why are the floors of basketball courts always so damp?
A: The players dribble a lot.

5. Q: What nails do carpenters hate to hit?
A: Fingernails.

6. Q: Why was the math book sad?
A: It had too many problems.

7. Q: What’s the tallest building in the world?
A: The library, because it has the most stories.

8. Q: Why did the class clown take a computer to school?
A: Her mom told her to bring an apple for the teacher.

9. Q: Where does Friday come before Monday?
A: In the dictionary.

10. Q: How does the ocean say hello?
A: It waves.

11. Q: Why did the boy take a ladder to school?
A: He wanted to go to high school!

12. Q: What do you call a fairy who doesn’t take a bath?
A: Stinker Bell.

13. Q: Why did the melon jump into the lake?
A: It wanted to be a WATERmelon.

14. Q: Why was the boy sitting on his watch?
A: Because he wanted to be on time.

15. Q: What did one tooth say to the other tooth?
A: The dentist is taking me out tonight.

16. Q: Why did the man take a pencil to bed?
A: Because he wanted to draw the curtains!

17. Q: Why did the gardener plant his money?
A: He wanted his soil to be rich!

18. Q: Why did the tree go to the dentist?
A: It needed a root canal.

19. Q: If you drop a white hat into the Red Sea, what does it become?
A: Wet.

20. Q: What kind of dress can’t be worn?
A: Address.

21. Q: Why did the girl throw the butter out the window?
A: She wanted to see a butterfly.

22. Q: Where do all the letters sleep?
A: In the alphabed.

23. Q: Which candles burn longer, bee’s wax or tallow?
A: Neither, they all burn shorter.

24. Q: Why did the baseball player bring a rope to the game?
A: Because he wanted to tie the score!

25. Q: Why did the tree get a computer?
A: To log on.

26. Q: Why don’t honest people need beds?
A: They don’t lie.

27. Q: There were five people under one umbrella. Why didn’t they get wet?
A: It wasn’t raining!

28. Q: What are pirate’s favourite treat?
A: Chips AHOY!!

29. Q: Why did the surfer think the sea was his friend?
A: Because it gave him a big wave!

30. Q: Three people were in a boat. They all fell off. Only two people ended up with wet hair. Why didn’t the other person’s hair get wet?
A: Because he was bald!

                                                                         BONUS

 

Mammals: DOLPHIN

Dolphins

The dolphin is one of the most playful and intelligent animals on our planet. Even though dolphins spend their lives in the water, they are not fish, but are mammals. Dolphins can't breathe water like fish, but need to come to the surface to breath air. They are found worldwide, mostly in shallow seas of the continental shelves. Dolphins are very social animals. Many dolphins travel in groups called pods. There are many kinds of dolphins. The most famous are the Bottlenose Dolphin and the Killer Whale.

 

NOTE: The Killer Whale is a member of the dolphin family. 

killer whale

The largest dolphin is the Killer Whale which grows up to 23 feet long and can weight over 4 tons. The smallest dolphin is the Heaviside's Dolphin which grows to just over 3 feet long and weighs around 90 pounds. Dolphins have long snouts that typically hold around 100 teeth. They also have a blowhole on the top of their head that they use for breathing.

A Dolphin’s Diet

Dolphins eat other smaller fish. They eat squid, too, and some dolphins. Dolphins often hunt together, herding fish into packed groups or into inlets where they can be easily caught. Some dolphins will share their food with the young or let the young catch injured prey as practice. They don't chew their food, they swallow it whole. Dolphins get the water they need from the animals they eat, rather than drinking ocean water. 

A Dolphin’s Behavior

Dolphins are well known for their agility and playful behavior, making them a favorite of wildlife watchers. They like to jump and play and do acrobatic spins in the air. They have been known to surf waves near the beach or follow the wake of ships. Dolphins communicate through chirps and whistles. Many species will leap out of the water to view their surroundings.

How do dolphins sleep?

Dolphins have to sleep. They let half of their brain sleep at a time. While one half sleeps the other half is enough awake to keep the dolphin from drowning. Dolphins may float at the surface while sleeping or swim slowly to the surface every now and then for a breath.

 

Dolphins Playing

 

Anatomy Of A Dolphin

FUN FACTS

1. Female dolphins are called cows, males are called bulls and young dolphins are called calves.
2. Dolphins use a blowhole on top of their heads to breathe.
3. Dolphins live in schools or pods of up to 12 individuals.
4. Dolphins are carnivores (meat eaters).
5. Some fishing methods, such as the use of nets, kill a large number of dolphins every year.
6. Dolphins have excellent eyesight and hearing as well as the ability to use echolocation for finding the exact location of objects.
7. Dolphins don’t smell very well.
8. The skin of the dolphin is very delicate and it can easily be damaged by contact with other surfaces.
9. River dolphins live in fresh water, rather than salt water.
10. The smallest dolphins are about 4 feet long with the longest being 30 feet long. They can weigh from 90 pounds to more than 11 tons. 
11. Almost all dolphins have no hair other than a few that they have at birth.
12. Dolphins can swim at a speed of up to 25 miles per hour for a long time. This is about 3 times faster than the fastest humans in the world.
13. There are two stomachs for dolphins just like for cows. The first one stores the food for them and the second one is where digestion takes place.