My Science School

          The greatest battle fought by Alexander in India was at Jhelum. The Indian infantry attacked with 20,000 men and 130 elephants. The trumpeting, ferocious elephants were defeated by Alexander, but he suffered great losses, too.

          Porus, King of the Punjab, led the final elephant charge in person. He lost more than 12,000 troops and both of his sons were also killed in battle. Porus was finally captured and brought to meet Alexander. Porus was a magnificent figure of a man, tall and handsome. His bearing had lost none of its pride, and his air was of one brave man meeting another. He was a king, who was in the presence of another king with whom he had fought honourably for his kingdom. Alexander asked Porus whether he had any request. Porus replied that he only wished to be treated like a king. His answer so impressed Alexander, that he returned Porus’ kingdom to him.

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          Alexander the Great was the King of Macedonia in Ancient Greece. His father, King Philip, was a brilliant military commander and politician. He had built up a strong army, and dreamt of invading Persia. Philip was assassinated on the eve of his invasion of Persia. His son, Alexander, took over the reins of both his father’s army and kingdom when he was just nineteen! He carried out his father’s invasion plans at once.

          Schooled in war and politics by his father and in everything else by the legendary Greek philosopher Aristotle, Alexander was filled with knowledge of the world, and ambition for conquering it. In 331 BC, he defeated the Persian King Darius, and conquered Persia. However, Alexander was not satisfied. He wanted to conquer the world, and moved towards India. He entered India through the Khyber Pass. Astonishingly enough, Alexander brought with him a flotilla of war boats to cross the Jhelum River and his determination to succeed brought him victory after victory.

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          The Ajanta caves in Maharashtra are rock-cut cave monuments dating from the second century BC. They are famous for their magnificent paintings and sculptures that are considered masterpieces of Buddhist art.

          The paintings of Ajanta are vibrant with life, and are richly coloured. These paintings show the everyday life of the people as well as kings and courts, animals, birds, musicians and warriors. It is believed that highly skilled monks made these paintings to spread the teachings of Buddha, and to guide people in a righteous way.

          Do you know how these caves were discovered? Way back in1819, a party of British army officers was on a tiger hunt in the forest of the Western Deccan. They suddenly spotted their prey, on the far side of a loop in the Waghora River. The hunting party saw the tiger, silhouetted against the carved facade of a cave. On investigating, the officers discovered a series of carved caves, each more dramatic than the other. There are 29 caves in all. Five of them were temples and 24 were monasteries, thought to have been occupied by some 200 monks and artisans. The cave complex was continuously built until about AD 650. Today, the Ajanta caves have been recognized by UNESCO as one of the world’s greatest historical monuments.

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          The oldest university in the Indian subcontinent was Takshasila, or Taxila. It was the capital of the Budhhist kingdom of Gandhara and was located west of Rawalpindi in what is now Pakistan. The University of Taxila was a great centre of learning in the ancient world. Scholars came from all over the world to study here.

          It was famous for its schools of Brahminical studies, Buddhist philosophy, medicine, sciences and arts. Great scholars like Panini, Charaka, and Kautilya are believed to have taught there. Many of its students became great leaders, thinkers and scientists. The university came under Persian rule, and in 326 BC, it was surrendered to Alexander the Great. King Ashoka made it an important Buddhist centre in BC 261. It was destroyed by the Huns in the 5th century AD.

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          You must have read tales known as the Jataka Tales. The Jatakas are the tales about the former lives of the Buddha. Before he attained enlightenment, Buddha had been born as Bodhisattva. It is said that he was born again and again 547 times, sometimes in a human form, and sometimes as a bird or beast or fish.

          The Jataka deals with these lives of Buddha. These tales always begin with an incident in the life of the Buddha, usually a sermon he is giving, which he illustrates with a story from one of his previous lives. The Jatakas are primarily moral tales, illustrating the wisdom and goodness of the Bodhisattva figure.

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          All religions have their sacred scriptures upon which their doctrines are founded. For example, Christianity has the Bible, Islam, the Koran, and Hinduism, the Vedas.

          The sacred scriptures of Buddhism are the Tripitakas. They are written in the Pali script, and are made up of three parts, which are referred to as ‘baskets’. In fact, the very word ‘Tripitakas’ means ‘three baskets.’ One part is called the Abhidhamma Pitaka or the Basket of Dharma. It explains the principles of Buddhism. Another part is called Vinaya Pitaka or the Basket of Discipline. It deals with the rules to be observed by the monks. The largest and most important part is the Sutta Pitaka, or the Basket of Stories. It consists of the sermons and sayings of Lord Buddha. The number of volumes in the Tripitaka, which were compiled at various times differs, and is without parallel in any other religion.

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          Lord Buddha did not want his followers to worship his image, and so, for a long time, no figures of Buddha were drawn or carved.

          The earliest representation of Buddha was made through the stupas or mounds erected on the relics of Buddha. These mounds had external decorations on them, tracing various events in the life of Buddha. Symbols like a foot, sacred tree, holy seat or altar were also widely used to represent Buddha. The first Buddha statues were carved in stone in Mathura, near Delhi. The noteworthy characteristics of the Buddha statues were that the figures were always standing free or seated in the regular cross-legged religious posture.

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          The Buddhists began the practice of  creating temples by hollowing out rock faces. The monks needed places where they could pray and hold discussions in peace, and caves were ideal for this purpose. Gradually, these caves became temples or monasteries where the monks lived.

          The earliest Buddhist cave temple was found in Maharashtra, at Bhaja near Pune. It is more than 2000 years old. Instead of images, the presence of Buddha was indicated only by a stupa or mound in the early cave temples. In the later cave temples though, like the ones at Ajanta, many images of Buddha can be seen. The distinguishing feature of all the temples is a huge arched window that is found over the main entrance. The Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, and the Elephanta Caves near Mumbai, are other famous cave temples of this era.

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        Vajrayana Buddhism emerged in Tibet about the 7th century AD. Its prominent symbol is the ‘Vajra’ which means a diamond, or thunder bolt. It was the latest phase in the development and evolution of Buddhism.

        Vajrayana’s main claim is that it enables a person to reach Nirvana or freedom from suffering in a single lifetime, rather than passing through countless lives before achieving salvation. Vajrayana promises the ‘fast path’ to Buddhahood-a path that, in some Vajrayana traditions, brings magical powers.

        Vajrayana Buddhism lays great emphasis on mantras or incantations, mudras or hand gestures, and mandalas or diagrams of deities and other cosmic forces. It also involves for the first time, worship of female deities, of which the most important of all is Tara.

        Vajrayana Buddhism developed out of Mahayana teachings in Northwest India. It is also known as Tantric Buddhism, due to its reliance on sacred texts called tantras.

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          Buddhism does not believe in the existence of gods, in elaborate rituals, in the caste system, or in the worship of images. It teaches that everyone is equal, that nothing lasts forever, and that nothing happens by chance. Its aim is to attain ‘Nirvana’, which is the liberation of the soul from the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

          Buddhism is divided into two major sects - Hinayana and Mahayana. The Hinayana sect regarded Buddha as a great teacher, not a god.

          They believed that the only way to attain Nirvana was by leading a monastic life, and abandoning all worldly pleasures. The Mahayana sect worshipped Buddha as God. They believed that enlightenment would come to all those who followed the path of righteousness, irrespective of their status in society. The Mahayana Buddhists also believed that love and compassion are as important as knowledge. Mahayana Buddhism became very popular in India, China, Tibet, Japan and Central Asia. Hinayana Buddhism spread more in Burma, Sri Lanka and the countries of South East Asia.

I am a student of Std X. I am interested in digital interior designing. I want to know whether there are any diploma courses available for digital interior designing. Please list the colleges in Pune which offer this course.

A digital interior designer is an interior designer who works on multimedia and graphics projects and applies his or her technical and creative skills to this field. If you are technically apt and visually inventive, a career as a digital designer may be an excellent choice.

A good course in interior design also teaches students the best ways t convey messages through a digital medium. Organizing information and presenting it in a way that connects with an audience is the ultimate goal of good design, but students also learn how to use specialized programs to complete their tasks, including Adobe Flash, Photoshop, Autodesk, Adobe Illustrator, Google SketchUp and more.

The best institutes to do this course are National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and School of Interior Design, Centre for Environmental Planning and technology University, Ahmedabad. There are many institutes offering these courses in Pune. Some of these are MIT Institute of Design, Pune; Pearl Academy; iNIFD, Pune.

 

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I met a boy on Instagram. He proposed to me one day and we entered into a relationship. We never met. We just used to chat for some time every day. Everything was fine until one day I fell in love with another boy. As my new crush and I became close I blocked my boyfriend saying that my family had come to know about him. After two months I started talking to him again. Now I realize that making a boyfriend online is not right and can be unsafe. As I do not have any boy in my life now, not even my crush, I want to stop all this and focus on my studies and my family. I don’t know how to tell him that I cannot talk to him anymore. I’m afraid he might get upset with me about breaking up again and again and try to cause me harm or leak my number in anger or frustration. What should I do? I want to get away from him as soon as possible!

At the tender age of 14 you are running very fast from one relationship to another and making mistakes in your relationships. You started with a boy you met on Instagram and chatted with him every day. Subsequently you made another boyfriend online and decided to stop the old relationship for the new one. The result is that you do not have a boyfriend now. This negative experience should teach you to stop running after love dreams, which you are not able to handle. The decision you made to stop all this and focus on your studies and your family is the right one and I encourage you to follow it. You will never repent for having done that. Stop chatting online and those boys will forget you and move on.

 

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I’m addicted to social networking sites. Although I don’t have a personal phone I still have accounts on many social networking sites. I often operate them from my mother’s phone secretly in spite of warnings from my parents. I am not able to focus on my studies and next year is my board exam. Please help me to snap out of it.

Your addiction to social networking sites is playing a negative role in your life. In spite of warnings from your parents you disobey them and often operate these sites secretly from your mother’s phone. You have lost interest in your studies though next year is your board exam. If you continue in this way you will cause pain to yourself and your parents, because you may fall in these exams and be unable to achieve a good education. This will make it difficult for you in future to get a good job. You have to make a choice between entertaining yourself with social networking sites and not achieving a good position in life or concentrate on your studies and be successful in life, making your parents proud of you. Addictions are always bad and I strongly advise you to get out of this addiction which will help your life.

 

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I’m a degree student in a relationship with a boy three years older than me. We live in different cities due to our studies and meet each other only once or twice a year. Both of us take our studies seriously and respect each other’s space. Now it’s been six months and he has not responded to my calls and text messages properly. He makes excuses when I try to talk to him. He doesn’t like conversing on the phone so I don’t call him often but he complains for not calling him again. I’m confused as to how to respond to him. Sometimes I feel he has no more feelings for me and perhaps loves someone else. I thought of moving on but I love him a lot and I’m ready to respect his own time. But I’m growing more anxious now. I need your advice.

You are in a relationship with a boy three years older than you and live in different cities, therefore can “meet each other only once or twice a year”. Six months have passed but he has not responded to your calls properly and “he doesn’t like conversing on the phone”. Besides “he makes excuses when you try to talk to him”. This behaviour could mean that he is busy with his studies and does not want to waste time. This could also mean that his feelings for you have changed and he wants to move on your studies and let him make up his mind about his relationship with you. The day he will send you the message: “I love you so much”, you can understand that your love for each other can grow and reach a proper conclusion in a permanent relationship.

 

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A psychology degree opens up a wide range of career opportunities. Psychology graduates have knowledge of the assessment of personality, intelligence and attitudes, interviewing techniques, questionnaire design and analysis, child development, and methods of teaching and learning. This knowledge can be applied to an enormous number of occupations and profession like market research, social work, personnel management and career guidance. They may also be involved in investigations such as crime detection and lie detection.

You need at least a Master’s degree for professional work in which you might administer and interpret psychological tests, counsel college students with educational or emotional problems, or help the handicapped find suitable training and employment. Some firms employ their own psychologists who are always on the lookout to improve methods of training, working conditions, method of salesmanship, etc.

With a doctorate’s degree, they can qualify for more responsible research and counseling positions in hospitals, clinics and other health facilities. Research psychologists examine the behaviour of individuals in order to understand and explain how and why they act as they do.

The work of a psychologist should not be confused with that of the psychiatrist who are medical practitioners specializing in the prevention and cure of psychological disorders. The training of a psychiatrist usually takes a much different track when compared with psychologists.

 

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