FOLLOW US: Thursday, May 7, 2020 thehindu.in facebook.com/thehinduinschool twitter.com/the_hindu CONTACT US [email protected] Printed at . Chennai . Coimbatore . Bengaluru . Hyderabad . Madurai . Noida . Visakhapatnam . Thiruvananthapuram . Kochi . Vijayawada . Mangaluru . Tiruchirapalli . Kolkata . Hubballi . Mohali . Malappuram . Mumbai . Tirupati . lucknow . cuttack . patna A QUICK QUIZ c The Essential Tagore 1. Rabindranath Tagore became the rst non­European Today is Rabindranath Tagore’s 159th birth anniversary. Let’s delve into the to win the Nobel Prize in extraordinary life of the bard of India ... Literature in 1913. He won the prize for which of his works? A. “Gora” “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high...” In a dierent light B. “Kabuliwala” In the literary world, Rabindranath Tagore is not just an institution, he is an emotion as At 60, Tagore picked up the paint brush quite late in C. “Gitanjali” well. Whether they are songs of patriotic fervour or joyful exclamations of love, Tagore’s verses life. Even then he was able to produce masterpieces. His 2. Which other country, remain timeless. Through his ideas of peace and spiritual harmony, the Nobel laureate paved work shows a unique use of colour because he was apart from India, has a song a new way of life based on his ideals of Brahmo Samaj. His contribution to education too is partially colour blind. He could not distinguish between composed by Tagore as its unparalleled. He founded the Visva Bharati University, promoting a stress­free style of learning. the shades of red and green. national anthem? Take a virtual tour of Tagore’s original paintings A. Sri Lanka Early life and times hosted by National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi on B. Bangladesh Home­schooled till the age of 17, Tagore was their website – ngmaindia.gov.in C. Pakistan a child prodigy. He penned his rst poem at the 3. Why did Tagore age of eight. By the time he turned 16, hehad a Rabindra sangeet renounce his knighthood? large poetry collection and a few plays to his Songs written by Tagore are fondly known as A. For India’s independence name .He dropped out of a law school in ‘Rabindra Sangeet’. All of his songs are published in the B. To protest against London as literature excited him more. book titled “Gitabitan.” Tagore also composed dance Bengal’s partition Success as a writer dramas or Nritya Natya. The Visva Bharati University C. To protest against the Tagore gained international fame after oers a bachelor’s degree in Rabindra Sangeet. Jallianwala Bagh massacre he translated his works from Bengali to The forgotten anthem 4. What is Tagore’s English. His popular works include an The “Jana Gana Mana” that we sing today is only ancestral home which is now a anthology of poems “Gitanjali”., which one of the ve stanzas of a hymn composed by Tagore. museum dedicated to fetched him the Nobel Prize in 1913. And Another composition of his “Amar Shonar Bangla” was him,known as? he became the rst non­European to win adopted as the national anthem of Bangladesh, while the prestigious award for literature. Sri Lanka’s national anthem was inspired by his works. The social reformer Tagore and the world Tagore brought about several Tagore was invited for lectures and friendship tours all social reforms, especially in the over the world. He travelled to more than 30 countries eld of education. He started including Japan, the Netherlands, Israel and the United the Visva Bharati University in States. Tagore Studies is taught as a subject in many of Shantiniketan, which emphasises these countries. ushanta Patronobish multi­disciplinary learning. Music, S painting and dramatic The lost Nobel performances are an integral part of Tagore’s Nobel medallion and the citation were stolen A. Santiniketan its curriculum. from the Visva Bharati University’s museum in B. Visva Bharati Santiniketan in 2004. Though the CBI has been probing C. Thakur Bari in Jorasanko The bard’s nest into the theft, the stolen items haven’t been recovered so Tagore’s ancestral home, Jorasanko far. 5. Who wrote the preface to in north Kolkata, is now a museum No thank you, ‘Sir’ “Gitanjali”? dedicated to his life and works. The Tagore renounced the knighthood conferred upon him A. W.B Yeats bard was born and breathed his last by the British to protest against the Jallianwala Bagh B. Ruskin Bond here. You can learn more about massacre. On April 13, 1919, the British Army opened re C. William Wordsworth Tagore and his life through family upon unarmed civilians, who had gathered there in ; 4 ­ C; and 5 ­ A. photographs, portraits on display. Amritsar to dissent against the government’s policies. C nswers: 1 ­ C; 2 ­ B; 3 ­ A A QUEST c Will COVID­19 take the Science for everyone sheen o ball­shining? A return to international cricket might still be some time away, Here are a couple of snippets that show how science underpins almost every but the cricketing world is already discussing the issue of shining the aspect of our life ball in the post-COVID-19 scenario. Read on to understand what the One at a time problem is and the solutions that are being posed. Sometimes, it suddenly occurs to us that we are only breathing through one nostril, the left nostril, for BUT, WHAT WITH THE CORONAVIRUS… “SHINING THE BALL”? instance. But some hours later, we realise that we are WHAT’S THAT? Yes, the cricketing world at large is aware of the breathing through the right nostril but not the left one! changes that the sport would have to undergo once We wonder whether anything was wrong with us. While the idea of using it resumes after the pandemic. And shining the ball Most of the time, we use only one nostril while one’s sweat or saliva on the has denitely taken a central place in the whole breathing. This happens because of alternate swelling ball in order to preserve its discussion. The threat of passing around a ball that and decongestion of some valve­like structures called shine might seem gross to has been shined using sweat and saliva repeatedly is turbinates in each you, it is a traditional well understood by those involved. nostril. When one practice that is considered the In fact, it has already been announced that the norm in cricket. nostril swells the other What are semi­conductors? use of saliva and sweat will be restricted in Australia, one diminishes in Shining the ball is an based on guidelines drawn up by the Australian Semi­conductors are used in transistor radios. But what swelling and allows important aspect of cricket as Institute of Sport along with medical experts and is a semi­conductor? Conductors are substances that allow passage of air. This it enables bowlers to get conventional or reverse swing, governing bodies. heat or electricity to ow easily through them; insulators gives a resting period even as the ball gets older. This is especially vital in the on the other hand, stop the ow of heat or electricity. In to each nostril. longest form of the game, where the next new ball is addition, there are some substances that stop the ow of WHAT ABOUT ARTIFICIAL SUBSTANCES? When we exercise or available to the bowling side only after 80 overs. electricity but become less resistant to it in some do brisk work we need If a ball is not maintained using some kind of In cricketing circles, the subject of employing conditions and then allow electricity to pass. These are the more oxygen than shining, it will only get easier to bat after the initial articial substances to shine the ball has been taboo semiconductors. usual. In such shine of a new ball is gone – skewing the game up until now. This is because it is an oence, amounts Semiconducting materials have made possible modern circumstances, both further in favour of batsmen. Former Indian pacer to ball­tampering and could lead to bans for players computers and many other important electronic devices nostrils open and we Ashish Nehra went to the extent of saying that not who still resort to it. Only natural substances like like solar cells and transistor radios. Two well­known breathe through both allowing sweat or saliva would amount to murdering sweat and saliva, along with their clothing (provided semi­conductors are germanium and silicon. of them the bowlers, during an interaction with ESPNcricinfo. there are no articial substances), can be used by players for polishing the ball. simultaneously. (Content provided by Amrita Bharati) THAT MAKES THE BOWLERS’ JOB EVEN MORE DIFFICULT! Cricketers worldwide, and bowlers in particular, are aware of the unique problem confronting them. That is why the subject is being widely discussed and dierent solutions are being oered. Here are a few: Former South African pacer Allan Donald advocates legalising ball­ ARTIVITY tampering, in the hope that it can be well­monitored in the modern game. Former Australian spin legend Shane Warne has suggested having weighted balls with one side heavier, which would allow for swing without Artwork by: Ananya, the need for shining. Class 6, Vidya There is a widespread agreement that some articial substances would Sanskaar have to be allowed if doing away with the use of sweat and saliva for International Public shining. Australian manufacturer Kookaburra are developing a wax applicator for shining the ball and believe School, Bengaluru. they could have it ready within a month for testing in match conditions. If you have original The pros and cons of the various options that are existing and emerging would have to be weighed in and a artwork related to decision needs to be taken before cricket is played again.