H ome  I n the news  S cience for everyday life  E arth warriors  O ne World  E xpressions  W hat people are talking about  W hy people are talking about  T he trouble with  G ood ideas (for a better world)  T en biggest environmental problems  M essages from Little Earth  D o It Yourself  S torybook  A lternatives  C hangemakers  F ind out for yourself      E xpressions Kashmir's self-taught Mr Fixit Gulam Nabi, 57, is a semi-literate scientific genius who lives in Anantnag in Kashmir. Born into a family of blacksmiths, Nabi always knew he was good with mechanical and electronic gadgets and chemicals. "I couldn't complete my education due to poverty, and I quit school after the eighth grade," he says. Four decades later there isn't a machine that Nabi can't fix.   Courage under fire We jumped up as soon as the bell rang releasing us from the dreadful grip of studies. It was time to make our way to the National Institute for Speech and Hearing (NISH) for a show that was being put on by the hearing impaired.   Ghostly encounters in the palace of tombs The car snaked its way through the busy streets. We were on our way to Humayun's tomb, in Delhi. Suddenly our driver announced: "Hum paunch gaye!"(We’ve reached!) A huge structure loomed up in front of us. My first reaction was: "That’s the Taj!" My dad explained to me that Humayun's tomb indeed looks quite like the famous Taj Mahal.   The amazing Daya Bai Daya Bai is an amazing lady. I still remember the night she came to our house. I thought she was a tribal woman. She came with Fr Augustin who is a priest and well-known social worker in Kochi. When she got out of the car, her bangles and anklets made a clinking noise. I stood there looking at her wrinkled face thinking she was a poor woman who had never been to school. Then I heard her speaking fluent English!   Wah, Taj! The Taj Mahal. I had heard of it, read a lot about it, and seen some amazing pictures of it. I knew that it was a great monument to love built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. But I had never been to Agra or visited the Taj. Was it really so worth seeing?   Tales from Varanasi... It was an unforgettable sight! The birds were flying around the boat in flocks, shrieking; they had white wings and orange beaks. I had never seen such birds before. Our guide handed us a packet of chips and I threw some into the water. The birds swooped down and snatched the pieces from our hands!   Cambodia: Green and serene Cambodia is a beautiful landmass situated between Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. The capital of Cambodia is Phnom Phen. Unlike India, Cambodia does not have a very large population: a 'mere' 14.5 million.   Land of shoguns and mermaids What a pleasant surprise it was to discover that part of our annual family holiday was to be spent in Japan! I had always been curious about the Land of the Rising Sun -- the land of samurais and shoguns.