Age and adversities, what's that? Too often age is one thing that seems to hold an athlete back.

But not for India's first woman Paralympic medallist Deepa Malik. After managing a catering
business, she turned to sports at the age of 36! In 1999, Deepa was diagnosed with a spinal tumor
but that didn't dampen her spirit. And she did not stop until winning the Paralympic medal in Rio
2016. Deepa won the silver medal in Shot Put in Rio at the age of 46! AGE, IT IS JUST A
NUMBER! Know Your Sports Star Cristiano Ronald – Soccer 1. He got the name "Ronaldo"
after former US president Ronald Reagan, who was his father's favourite actor. 2. Ronaldo was
expelled from school at the age of 14 after he threw a chair at his teacher. Ronaldo said he did it
was because the teacher disrespected him. Despite it being a negative thing, it turned into a great
turning point in his life. His mother then encouraged him to focus all his attention on football,
which turned him into an international sensation. 3. Ronaldo does not smoke nor does he have
any tattoos on his body because he regularly donates blood. 4. Cristiano Ronaldo's net worth is
$250 million 5. His free-kick speed is about 13.1kmph, which is compared roughly with the
speed of a space shuttle while launching. VRINDA VIII-D Did You Know? 1. The highest
cricket ground in the world At an altitude of 2,444 meters, the Chail Cricket Ground in Chail,
Himachal Pradesh, is the highest in the world. It was built in 1893 and is a part of the Chail
Military School. 2. The human calculator Shakuntla Devi was given this title after she
demonstrated the calculation of two 13 digit numbers: 7,686,369,774,870 × 2,465,099,745,779
which was picked randomly. She answered correctly within 28 seconds. 3. A special polling
station is set up for a lone voter in the middle of Gir Forest Mahant Bharatdas Darshandas has
been voting since 2004 and during every election since then, a special polling booth is set up
exclusively for him as he is the only voter from Banej in Gir forest. 4. A floating post office
India has the largest postal network in the world with over 1, 55,015 post offices. A single post
office on average serves a population of 7,175 people. The floating post office in Dal Lake,
Srinagar, was inaugurated in August 2011. The Most Beautiful Places in India 44 1. Nubra
Valley, Ladakh – The undiscovered realm of nature Surrounded by snowcapped Himalayan
ranges, Nubra valley lies sandwiched between Tibet and Kashmir. 2. Nohkalikai Falls,
Cherrapunji – Cascading water that changes colour Nohkalikai Waterfalls is around 5 km from
Cherrapunjee and is the fourth highest waterfall in the world. 3. Nanda Devi, Uttarakhand – The
towering marvel of nature Nanda Devi is the second highest peak in the world, surrounded by
Nanda Devi National Park is a must-visit place 4. Pangong Tso's- Leh Ladakh – The
mesmerising vistas of blues and browns Remember the scene from the movie' Idiots' when
Kareena Kapoor comes riding on a scooter to meet Aamir Khan? Situated in the upper reaches of
the Himalayan Mountain range in Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir, the most notable feature
of the lake is the ever-changing hues of the lake. 5. Ghats in Varanasi – The realm of spirituality
and divinity According to Hindu mythology, Varanasi liberates the soul from the human body to
the ultimate. It is the Ganga Ghats of Varanasi that complement the concept of divinity. 6. Sand
Dunes, Jaisalmer – The colors of royalty Travel through the crests and troughs of the naturally
formed Sand Dunes on a camel back and experience the essence of life in the Jaisalmer region.
Riddles 1. What is always in front of you but can't be seen? 2. What can you break, even if you
never pick it up or touch it? 3. I have branches, but no fruit, trunk, or leaves. What am I? 4. What
can you catch, but not throw? 5. What has to be broken before you can use it? 6. I'm tall when
I'm young, and I'm short when I'm old. What am I? 7. What goes up but never comes down? 8.
The more of it, the less you see. What is it? 9. What can travel all around the world without
leaving its corner? 10. What cannot be answered with yes? Answers 1. The future 2. A promise
3. A bank 4. A cold 5. An egg 6. A candle 7. Your age 8. Darkness 9. A stamp 10. Are you
asleep yet? 45 Science Facts 1. On Mars, iron oxide forms rust dust that floats in the atmosphere
and creates a coating across much of the landscape. 2. Scientists have estimated that about 95
percent of all the cells in the body are bacteria. The vast majority of these microbes can be found
within the digestive tract. 3. While the planet Mercury may resemble our moon in many ways, it
has no moon of its own. 4. Giraffe's tongue is dark blue and around 20 inches in length. The
length of their tongues allows them to browse for the highest, juiciest leaves on their favorite
acacia trees, and the melanin in their tongues may protect them from UV rays—that is, getting
sunburned. 5. Bats are the world's only group of mammals that have wings. Although some other
groups of mammals can glide using skin membranes, only bats are capable of true flight. 6. It is
possible to die from drinking too much water. Water intoxication and hyponatremia result when
a dehydrated person drinks too much water without the accompanying electrolytes. 7. Ants are
capable of carrying objects 50 times their body weight. Relative to their size, ant muscles are
thicker than those of larger animals or even humans. 8. Penguins' eyes work better underwater
than in the air. This perk gives them superior eyesight to spot prey while hunting, even in cloudy,
dark, or murky water. . 9. The most dangerous animal in the world is the common housefly.
Because of their habit of visiting animal waste, they transmit more diseases than any other
animal. 10. Snakes are truly carnivorous because they eat nothing but other animals. They do not
eat any type of plant material. 11. The world's largest amphibian is the giant salamander. It can
grow up to 5 ft. in length. 12. The smallest bone in the human body is the stapes or stirrup bone
located in the middle ear. It is approximately .11 inches (.28 cm) long. 13. The longest cells in
the human body are the motor neurons. They can be up to 4.5 feet (1.37 meters) long and run
from the lower spinal cord to the big toe. 14. The blue whale can produce sounds up to 188
decibels. This is the loudest sound produced by a living animal and has been detected as far away
as 530 miles. 15. A newborn blue whale measures 20-26 feet (6.0 - 7.9 meters) long and weighs
up to 6,614 pounds (3003 kg). 16. The only letter not appearing on the Periodic Table is the letter
"J". 46 Fascinating Facts 1. China There are 63 million pairs of chopsticks — or 126 million
single sticks — manufactured in China every year. These range from mass-produced disposable
chopsticks to high-quality sticks that can take up to (yes) a month to painstakingly make. 2. India
India gave the world its sweet tooth. Although sugarcane originated in Southeast Asia, it was
first chemically refined about 2,500 years ago in India. 3. The United States The stars and stripes
make up one of the most recognizable flags of any country in the world. But did you know the
modern iteration containing 50 stars was designed for a class project by an enterprising high
school student in 1958, who anticipated the addition of Alaska and Hawaii a year later?
Amazingly, the boy's unimpressed teacher gave him a B-. 4. Indonesia This Southeast Asian
country is the world's largest island nation, but no one knows exactly how many islands it
contains (thousands and thousands, to be imprecise). Indonesia attempted to count them all in
2017, but several differing figures still exist. 5. Pakistan There's a small city called Sialkot in this
South Asian country that produces 40 percent of the world's soccer balls. 6. Brazil There are
more uncontacted people in Brazil's portion of the Amazon than anywhere else on the planet,
with the number of isolated tribes believed to be more than 100. Young Achievers GITANJALI
RAO- TIME magazine's first-ever 'Kid of the Year' Who is Gitanjali Rao? The Fifteen-year-old
Indian American Gitanjali Rao, who is a young scientist and inventor, from Colorado has been
named TIME's first-ever Kid of the Year 2020. Noteworthy credentials Rao has been selected for
her use of technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid
addiction and cyber bullying, and about her mission to create a global community of young
innovators to solve problems the world over. Leading the race Rao was selected from a field of
more than 5,000 nominees as TIME's first-ever Kid of the Year. She was interviewed by actor
and activist Angelina Jolie for the TIME special. Kindly and Innovation workshops KINDLY is
one of Rao's innovations that seeks to detect cyber bullying. It is an app as well as a chrome
extension that uses artificial intelligence. Rao has collaborated with rural schools. Women in
STEM organizations. VANSHIKA RANA VIII–D What is Cryptocurrency? Here's What You
Should Know A cryptocurrency (or "crypto") is a digital currency that can be used to buy goods
and services, but uses an online ledger with strong cryptography to secure online transactions.
Much of the interest in these unregulated currencies is to trade for profit, with speculators at
times driving prices skyward. 1. What is cryptocurrency? A cryptocurrency is a form of payment
that can be exchanged online for goods and services. Many companies have issued their own
currencies, often called tokens, and these can be traded specifically for the good or service that
the company provides. 2. How many crypto currencies are there? What are they worth? More
than 14,500 different crypto currencies are traded publicly, according to CoinMarketCap.com, a
market 47 research website. And crypto currencies continue to proliferate. 3. Best crypto
currencies by market capitalization These are the 10 largest trading crypto currencies by market
capitalization as tracked by CoinMarketCap, a crypto currency data and analytics provider.
Cryptocurrency Market Capitalization Bitcoin $1.1 trillion Ethereum $492 billion Binance Coin
$94.3 billion Tether $73 billion 4. How do I buy cryptocurrency? While some crypto currencies,
including bitcoin, are available for purchase with U.S. dollars, others require that you pay with
bitcoins or another crypto currency. To buy crypto currencies, you'll need a "wallet," an online
app that can hold your currency. 5. Should you buy cryptocurrency? Crypto currency is an
incredibly speculative and volatile buy. Stock trading of established companies is generally less
risky than investing in crypto currencies such as bitcoin. SAANCHI VIII–D Space x Space
Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American aerospace manufacturer, space
transportation services, and communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorn, California.
Space X was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk to reduce space transportation costs to enable the
colonization of Mars. Space X manufactures the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles,
several rocket engines, Dragon cargo, crew spacecraft, and Starlink communications satellites. It
is the first private company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station, the first
vertical take-off and