The Queen's Rival - Poem by Sarojini Naidu

The Queen's Rival - Poem by Sarojini Naidu

QUEEN GULNAAR sat on her ivory bed, 

Around her countless treasures were spread; 

Her chamber walls were richly inlaid 

With agate, porphory, onyx and jade; 

The tissues that veiled her delicate breast, 

Glowed with the hues of a lapwing's crest; 

But still she gazed in her mirror and sighed 

"O King, my heart is unsatisfied."

King Feroz bent from his ebony seat: 

"Is thy least desire unfulfilled, O Sweet?

"Let thy mouth speak and my life be spent 

To clear the sky of thy discontent." 

"I tire of my beauty, I tire of this 

Empty splendour and shadowless bliss; 

"With none to envy and none gainsay, 

No savour or salt hath my dream or day." 

Queen Gulnaar sighed like a murmuring rose: 

"Give me a rival, O King Feroz."

II

King Feroz spoke to his Chief Vizier: 

"Lo! ere to-morrow's dawn be here, 

"Send forth my messengers over the sea, 

To seek seven beautiful brides for me; 

"Radiant of feature and regal of mien, 

Seven handmaids meet for the Persian Queen." 

. . . . . 

Seven new moon tides at the Vesper call, 

King Feroz led to Queen Gulnaar's hall 

A young queen eyed like the morning star: 

"I bring thee a rival, O Queen Gulnaar." 

But still she gazed in her mirror and sighed: 

"O King, my heart is unsatisfied." 

Seven queens shone round her ivory bed, 

Like seven soft gems on a silken thread, 

Like seven fair lamps in a royal tower, 

Like seven bright petals of Beauty's flower 

Queen Gulnaar sighed like a murmuring rose 

"Where is my rival, O King Feroz?" 

III

When spring winds wakened the mountain floods, 

And kindled the flame of the tulip buds,

When bees grew loud and the days grew long, 

And the peach groves thrilled to the oriole's song, 

Queen Gulnaar sat on her ivory bed, 

Decking with jewels her exquisite head; 

And still she gazed in her mirror and sighed: 

"O King, my heart is unsatisfied."

Queen Gulnsar's daughter two spring times old, 

In blue robes bordered with tassels of gold, 

Ran to her knee like a wildwood fay, 

And plucked from her hand the mirror away.

Quickly she set on her own light curls 

Her mother's fillet with fringes of pearls;

Quickly she turned with a child's caprice 

And pressed on the mirror a swift, glad kiss. 

Queen Gulnaar laughed like a tremulous rose: 

"Here is my rival, O King Feroz." 

The Poem explained:-

Useful links:-

1. Analysis of Sarojini Naidu's Queen’s rival
2. Notes on the poem
3. Comments on the poem

Books on poems by Sarojini Naidu:
Selected Poems

Botanical Garden in India

THE HANGING GARDEN IN MUMBAI

Location:

It is located in the city of Mumbai - the capital of Maharashtra. Location in the map is given below.

Address: Ridge Road , Malabar Hill, Simla Nagar, Malabar Hill, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400006

Hanging Garden - Entry Fee, Timing, Address, Official Website
Address	Malabar Hill, Mumbai, Maharashtra - 400075
Entry Fee:	No Entry fee
Timings:	Visiting Hours - 5:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Phone No (Official)	+91-33-66285549 / +91-33-66285509
Official Website	www.mumbai.org.uk
Photography allowed or not	Allowed
Nearest railway station	Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Station

Hanging Gardens are also known as Pherozeshah Mehta Garden and Kamala Nehru Garden, present on the top of Malabar Hill. From here one can get a view of the Girgaum Chowpatty Beach, the Arabian Sea, and Marine Drive. The Hanging Gardens are terraced gardens perched at the top of Malabar Hill, on its western side, just opposite the Kamala Nehru Park. This park stretches over an area of 3,300 sqmts.


It provides sunset views over the Arabian Sea and features numerous hedges carved into the shapes of animals.

How to reach?

It is open from 5 am to 9 pm. Places to visit near hanging gardens are kamla nehru park, Mani bhawan gandhi museum, and jain temple. The best way to reach here is getting down at charni road station, take a taxi which will take about 15-20 minutes to reach. The Hanging Gardens can be reached from any part of Mumbai, through autos, buses, local trains or taxis.

By RoadHanging Gardens is well-connected by roads, therefore, reaching here will be no problem for anyone. One can take the Walkeshwar Road and Ridge Road from Marine Drive to reach the gardens. Buses are available from the city but the best way to reach Hanging Gardens is by hiring a taxi or an auto-rickshaw.

By RailThe Grand Road Railway Station is the nearest station to the gardens. One can board a local train from Charni Road Station (West), located close to the gardens from where it takes only around 20 minutes to reach the place.

When was it formed?

The park was laid out in 1881 by Ulhas Ghapokar over Bombay's main reservoir. This terraced garden was built in 1880 and opened to the public on 1881, later renovated in 1921. It was an era when the city was called Bombay and was still ruled by Britishers. Obviously, the island city has hardly anything developed and south Mumbai was the only business location. Malabar hills, where Hanging Garden and the adjacent Kamla Nehru Park is located, was a little jungle/forest area. It is said that wild animals been seen around Walkeshwar and still dense green locations like the tower of silence. The Hanging Gardens is dedicated to its barrister Pherozeshah Mehta, which is why these gardens are also known as Pherozeshah Mehta Garden. Some say to cover the water from the potentially contaminating activity of the nearby Towers of Silence. When seen from the air, the walkway inside the park (Hanging Gardens Path), spell out the letters PMG(Pherozeshah Mehta Gardens) in cursive.

Sanjay Mukherjee, additional municipal commissioner (AMC), remarked that in 1872 the open water reservoir was closed by the construction of slab structures on it and later in 1878 the garden was built. As on the slopes of the reservoir the plantation happened, therefore, it was named as Hanging Garden.

What to do there/ What is it famous for?

These gardens provide offers amazing sunset views across Arabian sea. Watching the sunset from the Hanging Gardens would provide you with an experience worth remembering a lifetime.

1. The Malabar Hills is known for its splendid green vegetation and animal shaped hedges, which is an interesting sight for anyone who visits this spot.
2. Another one of its major attractions is a huge and impressive flower clock situated in the center of the garden.
   
   
   
3. The gardens have been built in such a way that they look towards Colaba and offer a breathtaking view of the entire city. Visit the gardens in the early morning or late evening and feel yourself rejuvenating amidst the picturesque locales and cool breeze. Kamala Nehru Park has a viewing deck that has a spectacular view of South Mumbai. Chowpatty and Marine Drive look stunning. Looking down from this height it makes sense why the “U” shaped Marine Drive is called “Queen’s Necklace”.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Kamla Nehru Park has an iconic two storied 'Old woman's shoe' or the 'Boot House' which is completely made from stone, is also a very interesting feature. Children under 10 can climb up the spiral staircase to the top. There is a play area for kids to enjoy themselves.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Well maintained pathways for a good stroll or a jog around the park. Its a great place for morning walks.
6. You can take a lot of pictures. You will cherish them all.
7. The water fountains put on during the evening add to the charm of the place.
8. You can get the bird’s eye view of Marine Drive and Chowpatty.
9. A small playground for kids where they will get to enjoy some basic rides likes swing, slide, see-saw, etc.
    
10. The garden is maintained perfectly. 

Renovations and Restorations:

With major renovation and makeover done at adjacent Hanging garden, Some changes are also expected at the Hanging garden as below detailed.


Introducing a gazebo place which will welcome various talents around the city to perform and entertain visitors. It can be an artist, a group or a band to entertain and perform inside the Hanging garden. More improvements to give natural looks to Shrubs converted to Animal topiary with its natural color and look to be done. For example, Sand colored shrubs to be used for Camel topiary while green is used for Elephant and similarly others. This will radiant real looks and will give a different feel inside Hanging garden. The new design of the garden upon renovation and facelift is said to be of Persian styling. No more details of what exactly will that be is known, So when said Persian styled, Google it will get us some idea or straight visit Hanging garden post renovation and facelift work.

Sea Animals - Interesting Facts

Hello Everybody, today I am going to talk about sea animals, Some of them are Sea Horses, whales, and jelly Fishes

SEA HORSES

 Seahorse is the name given to marine fishes. They are also called -  "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek hippos meaning "horse" and kampos meaning "sea monster".

Seahorses are fish. They live in water, breath through gills.

However they do not have tail fins and have a long snake-like tail. They also have a neck and a snout that points down.

Eyesight

Seahorses have excellent eyesight and their eyes are able to work independently on either side of their head. This means they can look forwards and backwards at the same time! This is particularly useful as they hunt for food by sight.

Snout

Seahorses have long thin snouts enabling them to probe into nooks and corners for food. When they find food they suck it up through their snouts like a vacuum cleaner. Their snouts can expand if their prey os larger than the snout. They are not able to chew and have to disintegrate the food as they eat it.

Tail

Seahorses have a prehensile tail. This allows them to grip onto eel grass and other weeds and prevents them from being washed away by strong currents and waves.

Color

Seahorses can change color very quickly and match any surroundings in which it finds itself. They have even been known to turn bright red to match floating debris.Seahorses are poor swimmers.

Species

There are between 30 and 40 species of seahorses worldwide.

Habitat

Seahorses live in shallow weedy areas especially eel grass beds. In winter they move into deeper waters to escape the rough weather.

Threats

Seahorses are under threat worldwide because of being used in traditional Chinese Medicine, they are used for decoration and pet trade

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SEA TURTLES

     

       

• Turtles are reptiles.
• Turtles have a hard shell that protects them like a shield, this upper shell is called a ‘carapace’.
• Turtles also have a lower shell called a ‘plastron’.
• Many turtle species (not all) can hide their heads inside their shells when attacked by predators.
• Turtles have existed for around 215 million years.
• The largest turtle is the leatherback sea turtle, it can weigh over 900 kg! 
• Sea turtles lay eggs on land.
• Sea turtles live a long time. Around 70-80 years.
• Many sea turtles can hold their breath for over 30 minutes.
• Leather-back sea turtles have been known to dive over 1000 feet deep in the ocean.
• Sea turtles don't need to drink water. They can live off of the water they get from their food.
• Sea turtles sometimes look like they are crying. These tears are from special glands that allow them to get rid of extra salt they get by living in salt water oceans.
• Some turtles lay eggs in the sand and leave them to hatch on their own. The young turtles make their way to the top of the sand and scramble to the water while trying to avoid predators. 

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JELLYFISHES

•  Jellyfish live in the sea and are found in all oceans.
• Jellyfish look a little like umbrellas.Jellyfish can be large and brightly colored.
• They can often be transparent (see-through) or translucent (semi-translucent).
• Some can be very hard to see, nearly invisible to the human eye.
• Although the word is mentioned in their name, jellyfish are not fish.
• A group of jellyfish is called a ‘bloom’, ‘swarm’ or ‘smack’.
• Large blooms can feature over 100000 jellyfish.
• Jellyfish don’t have brains.
• Jellyfish use their tentacles to sting. Most are harmless to humans but stings from  some species, such as the box jellyfish, can be very painful and sometimes kill.
• Jellyfish eat plankton. Some sea turtles eat jellyfish.
• Some jellyfish can glow in the dark, they have bioluminescent organs, which emit light. This light may help them in a number of different ways, like attracting prey or distracting predators.
• Jellyfish can clone themselves. If a jellyfish is cut in two, the pieces of the jellyfish can regenerate and create two new organisms. Similarly, if a jellyfish is injured, it may clone(copy) itself and potentially produce hundreds of offspring.

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WHALES

• Whales are mammals.
• This means that whale calves grow inside their mothers until they are born. Besides, they are nursed and taken care by their mothers until they reach certain age.
• Whales breathe air as we do.Therefore, they need to reach the surface of the ocean to breathe because they cannot breathe underwater.
• To breathe, whales have a blowhole in the top of their heads.
• When they reach the surface, they take air in through this blowhole.
• There are two types of whales, Baleen Whales and Toothed Whales.
• Baleen whales feed from krill and plankton.
• Krill are shrimp-like creatures which are very important ocean creatures.
• Toothed whales eat several kind of fish, like tuna, cod and salmon among others and some small mammals like seals.
• The Blue whale is the largest animal in the world.
• Even more, it is the largest animal that has ever existed, even larger than the largest dinosaur ever found. The blue whale is a baleen whale.
• Some baleen whales sing.
• Particularly the blue whales and the humpback whales are well known for singing.
• Some Whales can stay underwater for as long as 90 minutes.
• Whales do not sleep as we do.To rest, whales sleep only half brain so they remember to take air in, otherwise they would drown.

Dolphins are also whales

• Compared to other animals, dolphins are believed to be very intelligent.
• Dolphins are carnivores (meat eaters).
• Female dolphins are called cows, males are called bulls and young dolphins are called calves.
• Dolphins live in schools or pods of up to 12 individuals.
• Dolphins often display a playful attitude. They can be seen jumping out of the water, riding waves, play fighting and occasionally interacting with humans swimming in the water.
• Dolphins communicate with each other by clicking, whistling and other sounds.
• Some dolphin species face the threat of extinction
• Dolphins have been observed teaching young how to use tools. They cover their snouts with sponges to protect them while foraging.
• Dolphins are very intelligent animals.
• Dolphins have several highly developed forms of communication. They have a “signature whistle” which allows other individuals to recognise them They are known to stay and help injured individuals, even helping them to the surface to breath.
• Dolphins, whales, and porpoises do not chew their food. They swallow it whole!
• The world’s largest whale is the blue whale, which can grow to 100 feet long and weigh up to 300,000 pounds!
• Their tongues can weigh as much as an  elephant!  Blue whales are the largest mammals on Earth.
• A long, long time ago, dolphins used to be land animals!
• All of the fun squeaks and whistles you hear a  dolphin make actually come out of their blowholes! They do not  make sounds with their mouths.

Want to read stories about interesting sea creatures?: Visit- www.swarnainthemagicalforest.com

Solar System - download and print

Facts about Giraffe - download and print

Pharynx and Larynx

Pharynx  

The pharynx (plural: pharynges) is the part of the throat that is behind the mouth and nasal cavity and above the esophagus and the larynx, it is the tube going down to the stomach and the lungs.  The pharynx is part of both the digestive and respiratory systems. For the digestive system, its muscular walls function in the process of swallowing, and it serves as a pathway for the movement of food from the mouth to the esophagus 

Larynx

 The larynx, commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck, it is involved in breathing, producing sound, and protecting the trachea from food going into it. It is situated just below where the tract of the pharynx splits into the trachea and the esophagus.  

Art - What is ART? How is it of use to us?

Art

Art is something that is created with imagination and skill. It includes human activities like creating visual, auditory or performing artworks.

An art is meant to be appreciated for its beauty or emotional power.

Art, is simply a form of communication. The artist can convey whatever he wishes or means by the materials, techniques, and forms he uses. He can also convey the meaning by the ideas and feelings it creates in its viewers.

 Art is an act of expressing feelings, thoughts, and observations. 

Apart for this art has scientific, historical and religious significance.

For example: We came to know about the cave man’s life by the cave paintings made by him. Arts from the past (painting, statuses etc.) let us know how societies thought, associated, moved, ate, lived. 

Paintings of gods and myths are shown on many temples and religious places.

Pictures in story books invokes interests in children and help in generating interest in education.

Uses of Art.

It will get attention of people to the topic or cause shown in the artwork.

It may spark a discussion about the art form and bring about change or awareness

It may be used to inspire action or strength by generating strong feelings.

Or it can be simply used to lighten the mood and generate a happy feeling.

Types of Art:

Art can be visual- like paintings, sculptures, architectures etc, plays etc.

Auditory- music and musical instruments.

Modern forms of art include graphic on computers, abstract paintings etc