National Parks: When Mother Nature Beckons “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” - John Muir, American author  National parks have always been the natural reservoirs of biodiversity and the last bastion against the rapid development which has put our nature at grave risk over the past few decades. They are protected vast swathes of breathtaking landscapes, pristine water bodies, hilly terrains and home to indigenous tribes and exotic creatures.

National parks help to take care of places with natural and historical value. Some plants and animals find it very difficult, or impossible, to survive in areas where their habitat has been disturbed or changed. National parks preserve habitats for a wide range of native plants and wildlife. Parks maintain and protect endangered species and help in the revival of near extinct species through techniques such as captive breeding. Teachers in their own essence National parks provide the opportunities to learn about flora and fauna as well as to explore the beauty of diverse environments. When it all started The national park culture started off in the United States in the mid-19th century when it was passed off as a national pride to showcase to the world the natural wonders of their nation. In 1872, Abraham Lincoln’s former general, President Ulysses S. Grant, built Yellowstone situated in Wyoming, America’s and the world’s first national park. This then led to the birth of other national parks around the world.

National parks in India India had its first national park in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park. As of April 2012, there were 112 national parks. All national park land encompassed a total of 39,919 km2, comprising 1.21% of India's total surface area. Dachigam National Park in Kashmir is the only area where the Kashmir stag is found. For any nature lover and for children, this park is a sensory treat. In national parks, one gets to spot various exotic animals from red pandas to white tigers to Asiatic lions. Andaman and Nicobar Islands have ten national parks which are not only home to many rare species of plants and animals but also showcase how men and nature can co-exist together without interfering with each other. Species of fauna in the reserve include the Nicobar scrubfowl (a megapode bird), edible nest-swiftlet, Nicobar short-tailed macaque, coconut crab, Malayan box turtle, reticulated python, saltwater crocodile and giant leatherback sea turtle. So, the next time you are planning your vacation, don’t forget about visiting national parks. National parks are not only a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city but also teach an important lesson of conserving our one and only life-force – Nature.

Is India Free from Child Marriage?

What do you think is the answer? Well, sadly, it’s a NO. According to a UN report, India has the second highest number of child marriages, which is really not a good thing. According to UNICEF, India will take another 50 years to abolish child marriage. Now, this is disheartening. Is the scenario so bad? States such as Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh still practise child marriage. Also, when we talk about child marriage, it’s the girls who suffer the most, as they’re the ones who are usually forced to get married at an early age.

Image source: images.jagran.com What’s Child Marriage?

According to Indian law, if a girl is below 18 years of age and the boy is below 21 years of age, then the marriage is considered a child marriage. Why is Child Marriage Deep Rooted?

There are numerous reasons why child marriages happen in certain parts of the country. Traditions: Parents marry off their daughters at an early age because they believe that it’s the tradition to do so and it can’t be broken. The one who breaks it faces the brunt of society. Poverty: Poverty is another reason children are married off at an early age, especially girls. An early marriage eases out the burden of at least one family member. Large families: Large families in India are those where a couple have more than two children. If a family is poor and with more than two children, then parents prefer marrying them off as early as possible. Often the eldest daughter/son is married at an early age, so the rest of the siblings don’t face any delay. Status of women: The status of women in India has always been a debatable topic. Girls are still considered a burden in many parts of the country and hence the early marriage. Mentality: Yes, the mentalities of people matter to a very large extent. People feel that if they marry their daughters at an early age, then they’ll be safe from physical and sexual assaults.Although all these reasons aren’t concrete enough to encourage or support child marriage, they have a strong hold in Indian communities which support child marriages. However, we need to understand that howsoever strong the reasons, they aren’t strong enough to validate child marriage.

Child Marriage Laws

The Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929: The law states that no girl below 18 years and no boy below 21 years can be forced to get married. If somebody forces them, then he/she can face an imprisonment of 15 days or will have to pay a fine of Rs 1000. The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006: The law was passed to make up for the shortcomings of the Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929. The age limit for marriage has been kept the same in this law. Some additional points were added to help minors who got married. Points such as the right to nullify marriage were added with this law. The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women: CEDAW establishes that every woman has the right to choose their spouse and have similar responsibilities. The convention aims at ending discrimination against women.The number of cases of child marriages has indeed reduced as compared to the past, but there’s still a lot to do to stop the practice. Only awareness can help us get rid of this problem. Now that you know about the laws and the causes of child marriage, go ahead and spread the word.

How Did Facebook Come into Existence?

To get an answer to, 'How did facebook come into existence?' you do not need to look far back in history. This dominant social networking site has over 600 million active followers worldwide but it originated only in 2003. In its initial years, it gained popularity among the college goers. However, in the present times, it is used by people belonging to all age groups. You only need to be 13 years old to become its member.

Facebook was founded by a Harvard University student, Mark Zuckerberg and his friends Eduardo Saverin, Chris Hughes, Dustin Moskovitz. Zuckerberg created a version of the popular website 'Hot or Not' exclusively for the students of Harvard University. He named it Facemash. Like 'Hot or Not', this website would also present two images of people (normally young

women). It would ask the user to tell who was better or more attractive. In case of Facemash, these pictures were of women of Harvard's nine houses.

To get the pictures, Zuckerberg had hacked the Harvard's private network and taken the photos from the dormitory of each house ID pictures. Within a couple of days, Facemash was shut down by the University administration. Zuckerberg was taken as a threat to security and was set to be expelled. However, after some time, all the charged put on him were dropped and he was given permission to stay in the Harvard campus.

Many universities offer face books to their students to help them recognize their fellow college mates with names. These face books include pictures of all the students with their names. In February 2004, Zuckerberg used his knowledge from his 'Facemash' project and created a new website called 'The Facebook.'

Within the first month of the website's creation, over half of the Harvard undergraduate students had joined The Facebook under the domain name www.thefacebook.com. Later on, as the site kept on becoming popular, Zuckerberg called on Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum and Dustin Moskovitz. In March 2004, The Facebook expanded to three more Universities. They included Stanford, Yale and Columbia. Throughout the spring of 2004, this website grew to serve the rest of the Ivy Leagues schools and many Boston region schools.

Till June of 2004, Facebook was officially called "The Facebook." The base of operations moved from Boston to Palo Alto, California. The following year 'The Facebook' officially became Facebook. The company purchased the domain name www.facebook.com for $200,000.