Literacy India, Vidyapeeth Centre, Gurgaon

Gopi Birla Memorial School, Mumbai

By Literacy India, Vidyapeeth Centre, Gurgaon

Sushma Pandit

My buffalo

Sonu Sonu is my buffalo. She is very nice. She is very fat. She gives us 10 liters of milk every day. She eats grass and oatmeal. Sonu has one child. His name is Tony. I love my buffalo very much. Her dung is used as manure in field and also is used for cooking meal. In Haryana state, there are many murra buffalos, well known all over the world. They can give near about 24 liters of milk per day. We make many things with the milk, like curd, lassi (a drink made of curd), butter, cheese, etc.




By Gopi Birla Memorial School, Mumbai

Jil Shah
Khushbu Shah
Nidhi Chauhan

Peacock, a symbol of India

The magnificent peacock is the national bird of India. It is known as the MOR in Hindi and the mayura and nilkantha in Sanskrit. The peacock has always enjoyed a unique status and dignity in India. It is also called the thousand-eyed creature in Sanskrit, as it is the most beautiful among male birds, with its long blue neck, fan-shaped crest, and its gorgeous train of feathers. Each feather ends in a half-moon or eye. When raised, the train spreads like a fan from which a thousand eyes seem to gaze. Ironically, the female or peahen is a small, drab bird in comparison, without a sweeping train.
The peacock is one of the largest flying birds in the world and has a loose fluffy appearance. In spite of being a beautiful bird, their calls are loud and coarse. The peacock in spite of being a shy bird, dances in front of the peahens during courtship. He then struts before them showing them his many colored train. The site of rain clouds is another occasion for such display.
Lord Krishna gave the peacock dignity and glory by wearing its feathers in his crown. The peacock is the mount of Kartikeya, the god of war. Sometimes Saraswati, the goddess of learning, is shown with the peacock. Alexander The Great was so fascinated with the peacock, that he took back to Greece several peacocks from India. The throne of the Mughal emperor Shahjahan, was called the peacock throne because it had gem-studded peacocks on it. This fabled treasure was taken to Iran by the invader Nadir Shah. A phrase “as proud as a peacock” is commonly used. Peacocks shed their tail feathers once a year and grow new ones.
People carefully collect these old feathers, which are then made into lovely fans and other decorative items. The white peacocks are only found in the forests of Assam, and some zoos. They are a rare variety.
The peacock is a shy bird. The bloody battle of Kalinga in 260BC moved Emperor Ashoka to embrace Buddhism. Ahimsa and non-violence became an important principle of his life. He completely forbade the killing of peacocks which were slaughtered daily for the royal kitchen. In Gujarat and Rajasthan, peacocks are regarded as sacred and inviolate. Flocks of them can be seen entering the village looking for grass.
The export of peacock feathers and items made from them are banned but feathers are openly sold in various tourists’ destinations within India and it is used in the cure of arthritis. Peacock population has been dwindling in the northern regions of India. Peacocks are protected under section 51, 1-A of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and killing is strictly prohibited.
The peacock symbolizes grace, beauty and pride. It is a sign of joy for all of those who see it. It is used in mythology and folk stories.