Sparrows are a bird we've all grown up seeing. They live their lives in towns and cities and in close proximity to people. Have you noticed that their numbers are going down? Find out why in Mocomi TimePass Magazine Issue 78. Every issue has something fun for everyone. In each magazine you will find folktales, trivia, puzzles, health tips, jokes and much more!

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ISSUE 78
JUNE 19, 2020
Who will be
the King of
Birds?
Why are
Sparrows
endangered?
THE STORY
OF INDIA’S
VEDIC AGE
W H O W A S
C E C I L I A P A Y N E ?

2. Higher and higher went all the birds and made a
beautiful picture in the sky.
After a while, they started getting tired and
dropped from the sky, one after the other. The
eagle was the only bird that was strong and was
still flying high. Within a short time, all the birds
were back on the ground, except for the eagle. As
he saw that all the birds had given up, he came
down slowly and told the others, “So, I think I was
right when I said that I would be the king, I flew
higher than anyone else.” Just then, a tiny little
sparrow came out from under the eagle’s wings
and flew higher in the air. He said, “No Mr. Eagle, I
can fly even higher than you. I am the king of the
birds.”
The eagle did not realize that all this while the
sparrow was flying under its wings.
All the birds agreed with the sparrow and he was
chosen the king of the birds.
The eagle was very jealous and could not tolerate
the sparrow sitting on the king’s throne. He
grabbed the sparrow with his sharp claws and
threw him on the ground. The sparrow fell on the
ground with a thud and realised that a part of his
tail was missing. The eagle had actually torn off his
tail. However, the sparrow did not mind much
because he had become the king of the birds
anyway.
The sparrow has had a short tail ever since.
All the creatures in the jungle had a king. The birds,
however, did not have a king and were very
embarrassed about it. The king was always the
decision maker of a flock and instructed the others
to follow the rules. As the birds did not have a king,
they had to go to the other animals even for the
smallest of decisions.
So, one fine day, they decided that they would
choose a king for the bird community. A meeting
was called to resolve the issue.
“But who can be a good king?”discussed the birds.
The mynah replied, “The one who can fly the
highest can be chosen as the king.” All the birds
agreed to the decision.
The eagle who was extremely proud and always
boasted about himself said, “It will be a very easy
decision. Everyone knows that I can fly the highest.
I will be the king of the birds.”
“Oh but you still might not win,”said a sparrow in its
squeaky little voice. The eagle turned its head and
saw the little sparrow,“Really? So you think you can
win? Haha, you little bird, you can be really funny,”
said the eagle mockingly.
“We will see,” the mynah said on hearing their
argument.
A race was fixed to decide who flew the highest. All
the small, middle and big sized birds gathered for
the race. As soon as the owl hooted,“Whoo, whoo,”
all the birds started their flight.
FOLKTALE
The King
of Birds
1

3. Find the Ten Birds in the picture
Did You Ever
Did you ever go to the watering trough
And watch the sparrows drink?
Did you ever go to Potter’s pond
And see the flamingos pink?
Did you ever steal to the barn at night
And watch the hoot-owls think?
Silly Rhymes

4. 3
House sparrows were once a common bird, found in abundance in cities. However, since the
year 2012, the number of sparrows found in urban spaces have declined rapidly. In 2012, the
bird was declared the 'state bird' of India's capital region, New Delhi and efforts were made to
increase their numbers.
The house sparrow is known to prefer urban spaces such as towns and cities, rather than
forests and grasslands. For years, they have lived side by side with humans in gardens and
trees.
However, as cities grow more populated, this bird which was once found in large numbers has
declined. Modern buildings and closely packed houses do not leave room for sparrows to
nest and build homes and an increase in the use of pesticides on plants and crops and pollu-
tion has also been harmful for them.
'World Sparrow Day' was first instituted in 2010 to help increase the population numbers for
house sparrows. Efforts are underway across India to help increase their numbers and protect
the bird from extinction.
Why are Sparrows
Declining?
Pondering Corner
spot ten differences

5. Tickle
your
funny
bone
AMUSING NEWS
A crow was startled to find he
had bitten off more than he
could chew when he decided to
bully a baby sparrow. Its mother
came attacking in full flight, scar-
ing the startled crow who was
much larger than her. Well, they
do say there is nothing like a
mother's love!
Fierce Mother Sparrows
Q: What do you call a crate of ducks?
A: A box of quackers
Q: What do you call a
parrot that flew away?
A: A polygon
Q: What language
do geese speak?
A: Porchageese

6. India's Vedic Age
stories from history
The Aryan invaders were primarily nomads. They cleared forests near river-
banks and settled in small villages, or 'gramas', becoming semi-agriculturists.
Each grama was headed by a Gramini.
The Aryan villages were simple structures, which formed the basis for archi-
tecture in India. In fact, the caves of Ajanta and Ellora were influenced by early
Aryan villages. Their huts were very basic, circular and with thatched roofs
over bamboo logs. Fences of wood and bamboo surrounded the settlement
for protection against wild animals.
Soon the demand for fertile land grew and rivalry spread. Groups of villages
joined forces and thus small ‘cities’ or clans called ‘Vis’ were born. A group or
clan formed a Jana and their leader was the Rajan or King. A priest or 'Purohit',
the commandant or 'Senani', and the administration, 'Sabha' and 'Samiti', as-
sisted him. 5

7. The city buildings were made almost entirely from wood, and walls protected
each city. The Vedic carpenters became skilled at constructing timber struc-
tures and their techniques were used in stone constructions of the future.
During this period, animal husbandry, agriculture, weaving, carpentry were the
primary occupations. The barter system flourished. External trade began with
West Asia and Egypt. Coins were introduced for trade and were called the
‘Nishka.’
6

8. The Aryans made a contribution to Indian religion through Sanskrit. It was
during this age that the Vedas were most composed. And this formed the
foundation for the early Hindu religion.
The Aryans developed a rich tradition, composing hymns of the four Vedas.
These sacred scriptures included the : Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda and
Atharva Veda.
Two great epics were also composed during this period - ‘The Ramayana’ and
‘The Mahabharata.’ These tell us a great deal about the culture, society and
religion of the people of that era.

9. Cecilia Payne was an astronomer who discovered that stars were made of helium and
hydrogen, thus changing the way astronomers understood the universe. It was previ-
ously believed that Earth, the Sun and stars were elementally very similar. Her work
was initially rejected as it questioned long held beliefs in astronomy.
Payne studied astronomy at a time when there were very few women in the field. She
began her journey when she was granted a scholarship to Cambridge University to
study physics. After finding her options for the future limited, she moved to Harvard
University and became the first woman to receive a PhD in Astronomy from Radcliffe
College.
Her analysis of variable stars laid the groundwork for all studies that have been con-
ducted since. She showed a far greater understanding of the universe than most of
her male counterparts at the time. Her work was rewarded when she became the first
woman to chair the Department of Astronomy at Harvard University.
Those Who
Made a
Difference
Cecilia Payne
8

10. Complete
the Story...
with Hamlet the Hamster
To know or not to know,
that is the question!
Well, wouldn’t you prefer to know?
fun facts
Facts about Sparrows
Sparrows are very small birds. They can reach
4 to 8 inches in length and 0.8 to 1.4 ounces in
weight.
They are very social and they live in colonies
called flocks.
Sparrows can survive between four and five
years in the wild.
They easily learn to eat “served food” and eat
from bird feeders.
"Oh no," my father sighed, "There's a bird's nest over here." He was stand-
ing atop a ladder in our garage, trying to find the source of a twittering
noise that we had been hearing for a few days. "Its mother is nowhere to
be found, I think we should take this nest inside!" he said as he brought
the nest down to reveal four chirping sparrow chicks...
9

11. Help the Sparrow
Find her Nest
10

12. Jesh Krishna Murthy
Aryaa Naik Dalmiya
Contributing Writers
Lavanya Khare
Assistant and Copy Editor
Layout and Design
Artists
Kaniz Fatima Khan
Deepti Raavi
Raunaq Amarnani
Archana Rajagopal
Priyanka Garegat
Ekta Bhatnagar
Rituparna Chatterjee
Content
Amol Padwal
Shailendra Havane
Sujith VS
Rohini Dusane
Bhavini Damani
Sitanshu Bhartiya
Atul Wankhade
Archana Rajagopal
Bharat Pillai
Tushar Rokade
Walmik Pawar
Kalpana Siromani
Dnyanesh Thombre
Prashant Kini
Shekhar Ramaiah
Digital
Marketing
Distribution
Creator
Editor
The Team

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