Naresh’s grandparents live in village of Karnataka. The name of the village is Kondajji which is in Harihar taluk of Davanagere District.

There is no railway station at Kondajji. So when Naresh wants to visit is grandparents he has travel by bus or train from Hubli to Bangalore. He gets off the train at Davanagere which is about 13 km from the roadside village of Kondajji, on the Davanagere –Kondajji –Kurubarahalli road. The bus to Kondajji runs every one hours from Davanagere and back. A bus also runs in the opposite direction from Kondajji to another industrial town, Harihar, about 15 km away. The bus service to this town, too, runs once in two hours. There is no bus-stand in this village. The buses stop at a circle where the two main roads meet.

This village is 530 km above sea level. It enjoys as easy approach by virtue of its location. It has a flat land terrain with wet and dry lands on either side of the road. Paddy, sugarcane and ragi are the main crops grown in the area. The cash crops are sugarcane and sunflower seeds. Jowar is also grown in this area. A tank provided water for the wet crops.

The average rainfall in this area is 89 cm per year. The village gets the monsoon rain from July to October. The monthly rainfall and daily temperature vary from one season to the other. It has a modern climate throughout the year with temperatures raging from 32 degree cilices to about 29 degree cilices.

There is a luxuriant growth of trees around the village. Hone, mango, neem and tamarind trees are scattered here and there. The green crops add beauty to the landscape.

But rather sadly the trees outside the village are being cut down for firewood at an alarming rate.

It is evident that Kondajji is essentially a residential village. There are about 2,500 Kannada –speaking people living there. Of them about 660 people can read and write. Thus nearly two-thirds of the population is illiterate. There is one government higher primary Boy’s school in the village. The people are predominantly Hindu. There are only three Muslims households here. Nearly half the people are engaged in cultivating their own lands and Naresh’s grandfather is one of these. Other earns their wages by working on other people farms. There are about eleven families only who are engaged in business like shop –keeping.

Every family has an average of six month members and most of the people live in their own hoses. The rest live in rented houses. Most of the houses are built of sun-dried bricks or mud, with mud flooring. The roofs are made of thatch or tiles. The houses are mostly single –roomed with no separate kitchen. No household has proper drainage facilities. The houses suffer from leaky roofs, improper light and ventilation. They do not have even proper latrines or sanitation. During the rainy seasons the storm water stagnates in pools and breeds mosquitoes.

Nearly half the number of families in this village own cattle. There are over 1000 cattle in the village. The cow re used for milk and the bulls used for plugging or pulling of carts. There is only one veterinary centre to look after all these animals.

There are only two dispensaries for all the people in the village. Emergency cases have to be taken to Davanagere or Harihar.

The polluted air from the Harihar poly fibers factory sometimes blows past this village causing a bad smell.

People of all ages need recreation or entertainment of some sort or the other. But in the Kondajji village there are no parks or playing grounds. The only recreation available is at the circle where the buses stop. There are four hotels and three old temples here. But there are no other places of worship. There is one co-operative society run by the village itself one youth club which is in dilapidated condition.

Water is one of the prime essentials for human habitation. Wells are the chief sources of water in the villages. There are five wells and four bore wells. 15 km south of Kondajji runs the river Tungabhadra, while the two grassy hills to the north are noted for their scenic beauty. The Bharat Scouts and Guides have their camp site here. A large tank lies between these two hills. The water is used by the villagers to irrigate their fields. The fisheries department also has their nursery and office there. A motor boat plies across the tank from hill to another.

Do you read the weather forecast in the newspaper to find out how warm, cloudy, or windy the water is likely to be?

People in the eastern Sahara, in North Africa, don’t have this problem. This is the world’s sunniest place, with an average of over 4,300 hours of sunshine a year!

On an average 45,000 thunderstorms occur somewhere around the world everyday! Hurricanes and tornadoes are types of thunderstorms.

We see lightning before we hear thunder. Lighting is a giant spark of electricity. One flash of lighting has the same power as 50,000,000 batteries! Did you know that lighting strikes somewhere on the earth about 100 times every second?

`Great God! This is an awful place,’ wrote the British explore Caption Scott at the South Pole on 17 January 1912. Antarctica is the coldest and windiest place on earth. It is a vast, ice –covered continent near the South Pole. No one lives here permanently. Some animals like albatross penguins and leopard seal have adapted themselves to life in Antarctica.

The Atacama Desert in South America is the world’s driest place. No rain has fallen here for the last 400 years! On the other hand, the most rain in the world falls in the state of Meghalaya in India.

Worldly wise

Eskimos use refrigerators too! Not to keep food fresh as we do but to prevent it from freezing. If it where left outside, it would freeze!

King Louis XIII of France had a total of five baths in his whole lifetime!

As firm as the Rock of Gibraltar, it is not just a smile. The Rock of Gibraltar is a rocky cliff that lies at the tip of Spain. It is home to the only monkeys in the whole of Europe.

What is the Bermuda triangle?

The Bermuda or Devil’s triangle is part of the North Atlantic Ocean. A number of aircraft and ships have disappeared here.

Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and a brilliant sun shining through the window! In Norway there is daylight even at midnight. That is why it is called the Land of the midnight sun.

The Rosemead in Vienna is one of the largest giant wheels in the world. The highest point of the wheel is nearly 65 meters above the ground.

Manhattan Island is in the heart of New York City. Hundreds of skyscrapers have been built on it. In 1626, Peter Minuit, governor of the Dutch West India Company, bought Manhattan Island from an Indian tribe for beads, trinkets and cloth-all worth $24! Today its value is in billion of dollars.

When we rub an eraser over paper, thin layers of paper are peeled off, and with them, the ink. That is how the ink gets erased.

Ever tired sprinkling salt from a shaker in the monsoon season?

It does not come out, does it?

It rains when the amount of water vapor in the air becomes too much. A bit of this large amount of moisture in the air is absorbed by the salt, making it damp.

There are holes in a fly swat so that when we bring it down, the air rushing out of the holes creates a sucking effect which helps in trapping insects.

Have you ever wondered what cream actually is?

Many good habits are there. Reading books is one of the good habits. Reading makes a full human from innocent state. So, we should read all kind of books such as  biography, history, travel accounts, fiction and science.

Histories are very interesting to read. We can know about the rise and fall of many persons and nations. We also know that how civilization has spread in the world. we can make our role models from history. If you have some wrritting skill, you can write some fictions relating to that history. Mr. Kalki made some fictions in such a method. 'ponniyin selvan' , 'sivakamiyin sabatham' are some examples of his creations. Ponniyin selvan based on the history of Chola king Rajarajan.

Travel accounts give pleasure and similar travel experience to reader. It is also used as guide for new traveller. It widen our knowledge of the world, different cultures, customs and manners. Today scientific fictions are loved by youngsters. It develops logical and creative mind of youth.

Reading not only gives pleasure to reader, it also develop one's language skill. That makes them special among their friends and relatives. Translation of great books from other language to monther tongue is a great work. This work doing by some persons who have strong knowledge and written skill in languages

Biographies of great men impact our lives. They guide our conduct. They help us to make our own lives great and useful. For example, Biography of Mahatma Gandhi teach us non-violence and truth. Biography of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is act as blood circulation of our youngsters. It stimulates youngster's ideas and activities. It leads our country with good hope.

Works of pure fiction and stories give us great pleasure and it shows a new world. They definitely make us forget our worries and troubles. For example, Harry potter is a pure fiction story. But it's series loved by children who lived all over world.

Reading medicinal book s and cookery books gives practical uses. Devotional books gives peace to our heart. Puzzle books gives boost to our mind. I like sakundala Devi's puzzle books. So I suggest the habit 'reading books' definetly lengthen our life.

The Womens Reservation Bill has been introduced in the Rajya Sabha.

It may  be the most consequential act of lawmaking since independence.

Study shows it will have benefits....... But....????

How far will this reservation empower women and the society?

Questions arises on provisions as they been reported.

The bill seeks for more women in parliament by reserving seats. It widens the choice for the voter to put women leaders in to circulation, it also decreases the choice of candidates in reserved constituences.

Has to see how the bill balances these concerns.

If a seat is reserved for the next round of elections, what incentive will the sitting (male) member have to nuture the electorate?

For the women members to fight in the next election by themselves, will one term of reservation in enough?

The "representative" character of the male candidates who are elected year after year is not questioned with the same intensity?

No one can ignore the money power and favoritism rule in candidate selection.

Will the bill cure that?

For instance If a women representative is elected through the same electoral machine which is relies on black money, backroom deals and influence then what will be the diffence between her and exisiting representative?

The problems are If the reservation policy fails at sufficiently empowering women in that time frame - that failure will become justification for continuing with it longer

Will this end up preventing other bolder and imaginative, ways and means for ensuring political empowerment of women???????????????? Still a big ?????????