Library blog KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA PORT TRUST, KOCHI

Words to ponder

According to Socrates, “The only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing.”

Have a dekko!

Master Ajay John of Class XI-C received first prize in the Sub-Junior category Power Lifting Championship 2012 conducted by Ernakulam District Power Lifting Association. He was also awarded Strong Man of Ernakulam District in the Sub-junior Category. Click here for more photos of this event.

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What this blog has to offer

Welcome! This is your library’s blog. It is like a window of your library to the Web-world. Or, in other words, it is your library’s part of the Web. It offers you a wonderful opportunity to get to know your library better (if you belong to KV Port Trust, Kochi). You will find the following resources here.

• Searchable, regularly updated Library Catalogue on the Web.
• Check issue details of a member. Keep track of the books you have issued.
• Online quiz. Come and check your general awareness.
• Submit and read book reviews. You can submit book reviews by sending them to
  kvptlib [at] gmail dot com.
• Photo gallery of most recent events in the Vidyalaya. Come and be a part of it. Find photo galleries of earlier sessions.
• List of new arrivals in the library.
• Interesting articles.
• Useful downloads and hundreds of links to educational resources in the Web. Click here to go to the downloads page.
• Give air to your opinions and suggestions. Make your library serve you better.

Blog updates

Photo gallery updates

• Students put up a great show during the 34th Annual Day celebration. It was an evening filled with joy, dance and music!

More photos…

Other updates

 

• Book reviews by students added.
• A downloads page added. Go here to download previous year question papers, sample papers, curriculum related material, library software, portable software, etc.
• Article added: A mathematics puzzle
• Article added: Career options for students
• Article added: How to write a book report

 

Very useful links

Find here the most useful links for a school library

• India news headlines
• CBSE previous year question papers for Classes X and XII
• A smart way to search the Web
• Online textbooks – NCERT
• List of latest CBSE publications with their price
• Science Olympiad sample papers
• Split up syllabus of Classes III to VIII
• Online quiz
• Useful bookmarks of Library KV PT Blog

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See and hear

Frontpage article: Nathu La

Nathu La is a mountain pass in the Himalayas. It connects the Indian state of Sikkim with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region. The pass, at 4,310 m (14,140 ft) above mean sea level, forms a part of an offshoot of the ancient Silk Road. Nathu means “listening ears” and La means “pass” in Tibetan. On the Indian side, the pass is 54 km (34 mi) east of Gangtok, the capital of Indian state of Sikkim on JN Marg and only citizens of India can visit the pass, that too after obtaining a permit in Gangtok.

Nathu La is one of the three open trading border posts between China and India; the other two are Shipkila in Himachal Pradesh and Lipulekh (or Lipulech) in Uttarakhand. Sealed by India after the 1962 Sino-Indian War, Nathu La was re-opened in 2006 following numerous bilateral trade agreements. The opening of the pass was expected to bolster the economy of the region and play a key role in the growing Sino-Indian trade but that has not happened. Currently, agreements between the two nations limit trade across the pass to 29 types of goods from India and 15 from the Chinese side. The opening also shortens the travel distance to important Hindu and Buddhist pilgrimage sites in the region.

Nathu La is located on the 563 km (350 mi) Old Silk Route, an offshoot of the historic Silk Road. The Old Silk Route connects Lhasa in Tibet to the plains of Bengal to the south. In 1815, trade volumes increased after the British annexed territories belonging to the Sikkimese, Nepalese, and Bhutanese. The potential of Nathu La was realised in 1873, after the Darjeeling Deputy Commissioner published a report on the strategic importance of mountain passes between Sikkim and Tibet. In December 1893, the Sikkimese monarchy and Tibetan rulers signed an agreement to increase trade between the two nations. The agreement culminated in 1894 when the trade pass was opened.

Nathu La played a key role in the 1903–1904 British expedition to Tibet, which sought to prevent the Russian Empire from interfering in Tibetan affairs and thus gaining a foothold in the region. In 1904, Major Francis Younghusband, serving as the British Commissioner to Tibet, led a successful mission through Nathu La to capture Lhasa. This led to the setting up of trading posts at Gyantse and Gartok in Tibet, and gave control of the surrounding Chumbi Valley to the British. The following November, China and Great Britain ratified an agreement approving trade between Sikkim and Tibet.

On the Tibetan side two highways — from Kangmar to Yadong and from Yadong to Nathu La — were listed in the 2006 construction plans. Plans are also underway to extend the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to Yadong over the next decade.

The nearest railheads are New Jalpaiguri in India and Lhasa in China.

The Chinese government is planning to extend its rail service to Yadong, barely a few kilometers from Nathu La. In addition, the Government of India is planning an extension of rail services from Sevoke in Darjeeling district to the Sikkim’s capital Gangtok, just 38 miles from Nathu La.

[Courtesy: Wikipedia]