Dimdima
Online Children's Magazine from India
Dimdima
Online Children's Magazine from India
Greetings from Arizona! I have just returned to my home in the desert after an extended trip along the eastern coast of the United States. Although I encountered some really nasty weather, I am all excited about having visited some major historical landmarks and educational institutions, including some of the Ivy League schools.
The Ivy League is an elite group of eight colleges and universities that are world renowned for their excellent academic standards and ancient history. There are many interesting stories about the origin of the term "Ivy League." Some researchers believe that "Ivy" is a corruption of the Roman numeral IV, which symbolized the four colleges (Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Dartmouth) that originally competed with one another. Others believe that sometime in the 1930's, Stanley Woodward, a sports writer working for the New York Herald Tribune, coined the term to describe the athletic conference in which eight of USA's oldest colleges compete. Yet another theory is that many of these old institutions had masses of ivy creepers growing on their walls, and this inspired people to nickname the colleges the Ivy League schools. Despite these opposing theories, the fact remains that the catchy title has captured everyone's attention, and the name has stuck on.
Established in 1636, 16 years after the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers, Harvard is the oldest Ivy League school. The college was established by a vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusets Bay Colony. It owes its name to John Harvard, a clergyman, who bequeathed his library and a portion of his estate to the institution during its infancy. During the early years, the college adopted a religious curriculum that was based largely on the Puritan faith practised by the early settlers. In the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a shift toward incorporating other fields of study. An interesting nugget of information that might tweak your fancy is that women were not allowed into the hallowed classrooms of Harvard till 1943. Several US presidents, including John Adams, F.D.Roosevelt, J.F.Kennedy, and George W. Bush are Harvard graduates.
Harvard's quaint university town is only a few miles away from downtown Boston. This town is well connected by road and rail networks. Beautiful colonial style houses and tiny shops and restaurants bustling with activity give the town an undeniable charm. Harvard Square is the center of the business district and the University Events and Information Center is located there. Tourists who take a leisurely walk through the campus will be awestruck by the beautiful buildings that reflect old American architecture. Each building or monument tells us a unique story. An interesting example is the John Harvard Statue which is a huge crowd puller. Located in front of a building known as the University Hall, the inscription on this statue reads, "John Harvard, Founder, 1638." This statue has been nicknamed "The Statue of Three Lies," because during the time the statue was designed and completed, no authentic photographs of John Harvard could be found. 
So, the seated figure is only a piece of the sculptor's imagination and is not actually a likeness of the college's benefactor. Furthermore, John Harvard was not the founder of the college, and the college was founded before 1636. Another landmark that tourists are often drawn to is the Massachusets Hall. Built in 1720, this is the oldest building on the campus. Legend has it that the Hall was used in the Revolutionary War to shelter soldiers of the Continental Army. Historians also believe that George Washington used the Wadsworth House as his temporary headquarters in 1775. Memorial Hall is a beautiful cathedral-like building with stained glass windows that was built in honor of Harvard men who lost their lives while fighting for the Union Army during the American Civil War.
My pals and I spent an amazing afternoon along with our student tour guide exploring the wonders of the campus. It was a great experience to walk along the corridors that has produced so many famous people. I could have spent many more hours soaking up the rich cultural atmosphere of Harvard. Unfortunately, the New England weather had other plans for me. As the afternoon progressed, temperatures began falling. The cold wind made it impossible for us to walk out in the open, and we ran into the nearest pizzeria for a cup of hot chocolate and a superb pizza straight out from the wood fire oven.
Oops, all this talk about food is making me hungry again. I'd better go grab a bite to eat before my stomach begins to grumble. So until next fortnight then, it's Hasta la Vista from your Arizonian amiga!
Ivy League Schools and Dates They Were Established
Harvard in 1636
Yale in 1701
Penn in 1740
Princeton in 1746
Columbia in 1754
Brown in 1764
Dartmouth in 1769
Cornell in 1865.
Notes:
Pilgrim Fathers = The very first European settlers to come to the US
Hasta la Vista = Spanish for "Until I see you again"
Amiga = Spanish for female friend
Dimdima is the Sanskrit word for ‘drumbeat’. In olden days, victory in battle was heralded by the beat of drums or any important news to be conveyed to the people used to be accompanied with drumbeats.
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
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Dimdima.com, the Children's Website of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan launched in 2000 and came out with a Printed version of Dimdima Magazine in 2004. At present the Printed Version have more than 35,000 subscribers from India and Abroad.