Salim Ali, often called 'the bird man of India', was among our best-known ornithologists and conservationists. His work as scientist, teacher and writer introduced millions of Indians to the joys of the natural world.

Dashratha, the prince of Ayodhya, was out hunting when he heard the sound of an elephant drinking water. Aiming his bow the prince shot in the direction of the sound. Tragically, the arrow killed a youth who was filling water in a pitcher for his old and blind parents. The anguished father cursed Dashratha that one day he would die grieving for his son. Dashratha's son was the valiant and unparalleled, Rama.

Anant Pai strode the Indian comics industry like a colossus. Using the comics format he told stories from mythology, history and literature to generations of children. Uncle Pai, as he was known, wanted Indian children to be familiar with their heritage. He believed that it helped build self-esteem and confidence. He also wanted to bring the children of this country together through stories. A chemical engineer by profession, Anant Pai gave up his job to follow his dream, a dream that led to the creation of Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle. Amar Chitra Katha pays tribute to its creator and traces the story of the man who left behind a legacy of learning and laughter.

When Usha, daughter of the asura king, Bana, dreamt of a handsome youth, she lost her heart to him completely. Little did she know that he was Aniruddha, grandson of Krishna. Nor did she ever imagine that their love would lead to a fierce battle between t

Jayadratha was a despicable man - vindictive, arrogant and selfish. In the Mahabharata battle, Jayadratha had shamelessly hidden himself away, for Arjuna had taken a terrible vow to put an end to his own life if he failed to kill the villain before sunset that day. With the wise Krishna by his side, would the mighty Arjuna fail to find his mark?

Kalidas owes his fame to his Sanksrit play Abhijnana-Shakuntala (Shakuntala Recognised by the Token Ring), the long epic poem Kumara-Sambhava (Birth of Kumara) and the lyric poem Meghaduta (Cloud Messenger). Kalidasa, who lived some time in the middle of the 4th and early 5th centuries A.D., has left no account of his life. According to popular legend, he owed his ingenuity as much to Goddess Kali’s blessings as to his own talents.

He was from a respectable family, well-educated and a lawyer, yet many Indians thought of him as ‘untouchable’. It was up to BR Ambedkar to teach his ‘depressed’ community to fight the injustices that it faced each day. Hard working and wise, he became the icon of the underprivileged. History, however, will remember him as the architect of India’s Constitution.

Madhvacharya (C. 1238–1317) propagated the Bhakti Marg or the path of devotion for the realisation of God. He felt that there was no need to deny the world in order to realise the Divine. Relying on logic, and quoting profusely from the scriptures, he made a strong case for theism. His school of thought is known as dvaita which stands for two realities – independent and dependent. The infinitely perfect God is independent and the world of matter and spirits is dependent on God. He advocated total surrender to God to achieve salvation.

The day was April 13, 1919. It was the festival of Baisakhi, new year's day in the Punjab, when thousands of holidaying villagers mingled with the citizens of Amritsar to listen to their leaders in Amritsar's Jallianwala Bagh. No one even imagined that the garden would turn into a killing field. The British Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, in a bid to teach 'a moral lesson to the Punjab', ordered his soldiers to open fire at the unarmed crowd of men, women and children. It was a turning point in India's struggle for freedom.