A great nation, my India is. Not many know, and not all appreciate, but it's one of it's sorts. Every year, on 26th January, the country celebrates it's Republic Day, for it was back then in 1950, when the constitution was implemented. And since then, the implementation has been worth a watch!
In a nation where every year the good ones are awarded, a pretty sad thing resides forever. And that is the fact that the bad forever persists, despite our mythologies, and the hope never dies.
We're a bunch of people ethical people who either take pride in our past, or expect great results from out future. Well, the present is just what you can see now, in between two glorious eras: one gone, and one, yet to come.
I thought I'd just list down, statistically, about the country's past, present and expected future. (I know, I should have done this earlier during the day, but I've been trying to construct a DC motor that has now started to spin.)
Well, so the glories of the past include:
1) India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilizations! (That's why we remain so religious in all our endevours.)
2) India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history. (We still retain the respect for our non- violent freedom fighters!)
3) India invented the number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta. (That's why we take pride in having scams with huge number of zeroes!)
4) When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization).
5) Sanskrit is the mother of all the European Languages . Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magzine July 1987.
6) Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.
7) India is one of the few countries in the world, which gained independence without violence.
8) India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
9) The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.
10) Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
11) Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.
12) Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.
13) The earliest cotton in the world was spun and woven in India. Roman emperors would wear delicate cotton from India that they would call “woven winds.” Mogul emperors called the fabrics “morning dew” and “cloth of running water.
14) Every major world religion is represented in India. Additionally, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism all originated in India.
15) On India’s Independence Day, August 15, 1947, the country was split into India and Pakistan. The partition displaced 1.27 million people and resulted in the death of several hundred thousand to a million people.
16) According to legend, to prevent the builders from ever replicating the beauty of the Taj Mahal, their hands were cut off. The Taj Mahal (“crown palace”) was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592-1666) for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631). This architectural beauty has been called “marbled embroidery” for its intricate workmanship. It took 22,000 workmen 22 years to complete it.
17) Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.
So, we have a rocking past? Without this mysterious subcontinent, maybe the world would not be half of what it is today. (I think so.)
**यह दुनिया एक दुल्हन , दुल्हन की माथे की बिंदियाँ , यह मेरा इंडिया ! I love my India!**
Moving on, our present. Cross your fingers. It might feel like a sudden shift of frame.
1) India is the world's Largest democracy.
2) There are 300,000 active mosques in India , more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.
3) India has the second largest pool of Scientist and Engineers in the World.
4) India is the largest English speaking nation in the world.
5) India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indeigenously.
6) India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world. (Because we still believe that a letter is more valuable than a text. Call us backward, we take pride in that too!)
7) One of the largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways , employing over a million people.
8) The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
9) The total distance covered by the 14,300 trains on the Indian Railways everyday, equals three & half times the distance to moon.
10) Nehru Setu on Sone River is the longest Railway bridge in the whole freaking world!
11) The Kumbh Mela (or Grand Pitcher Festival) is a huge Hindu religious festival that takes place in India every 12 years. In 2001, 60 million people attended, breaking the record for the world’s biggest gathering. The mass of people was photographed from space by a satellite.
12) India leads the world with the most murders (32,719), with Russia taking second at 28,904 murders per year.
13) India has one of the world’s highest rates of abortion.
14) More than a million Indians are millionaires, yet most Indians live on less than two dollars a day. An estimated 35% of India’s population lives below the poverty line.
15) India is the world’s largest producer of dried beans, such as kidney beans and chickpeas. It also leads the world in banana exports.
In a nation where every year the good ones are awarded, a pretty sad thing resides forever. And that is the fact that the bad forever persists, despite our mythologies, and the hope never dies.
We're a bunch of people ethical people who either take pride in our past, or expect great results from out future. Well, the present is just what you can see now, in between two glorious eras: one gone, and one, yet to come.
I thought I'd just list down, statistically, about the country's past, present and expected future. (I know, I should have done this earlier during the day, but I've been trying to construct a DC motor that has now started to spin.)
Well, so the glories of the past include:
1) India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilizations! (That's why we remain so religious in all our endevours.)
2) India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history. (We still retain the respect for our non- violent freedom fighters!)
3) India invented the number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta. (That's why we take pride in having scams with huge number of zeroes!)
4) When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization).
5) Sanskrit is the mother of all the European Languages . Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magzine July 1987.
6) Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.
7) India is one of the few countries in the world, which gained independence without violence.
8) India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
9) The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.
10) Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
11) Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.
12) Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.
13) The earliest cotton in the world was spun and woven in India. Roman emperors would wear delicate cotton from India that they would call “woven winds.” Mogul emperors called the fabrics “morning dew” and “cloth of running water.
14) Every major world religion is represented in India. Additionally, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism all originated in India.
15) On India’s Independence Day, August 15, 1947, the country was split into India and Pakistan. The partition displaced 1.27 million people and resulted in the death of several hundred thousand to a million people.
16) According to legend, to prevent the builders from ever replicating the beauty of the Taj Mahal, their hands were cut off. The Taj Mahal (“crown palace”) was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592-1666) for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal (1593-1631). This architectural beauty has been called “marbled embroidery” for its intricate workmanship. It took 22,000 workmen 22 years to complete it.
17) Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.
So, we have a rocking past? Without this mysterious subcontinent, maybe the world would not be half of what it is today. (I think so.)
**यह दुनिया एक दुल्हन , दुल्हन की माथे की बिंदियाँ , यह मेरा इंडिया ! I love my India!**
Moving on, our present. Cross your fingers. It might feel like a sudden shift of frame.
1) India is the world's Largest democracy.
2) There are 300,000 active mosques in India , more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.
3) India has the second largest pool of Scientist and Engineers in the World.
4) India is the largest English speaking nation in the world.
5) India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indeigenously.
6) India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world. (Because we still believe that a letter is more valuable than a text. Call us backward, we take pride in that too!)
7) One of the largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways , employing over a million people.
8) The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
9) The total distance covered by the 14,300 trains on the Indian Railways everyday, equals three & half times the distance to moon.
10) Nehru Setu on Sone River is the longest Railway bridge in the whole freaking world!
11) The Kumbh Mela (or Grand Pitcher Festival) is a huge Hindu religious festival that takes place in India every 12 years. In 2001, 60 million people attended, breaking the record for the world’s biggest gathering. The mass of people was photographed from space by a satellite.
12) India leads the world with the most murders (32,719), with Russia taking second at 28,904 murders per year.
13) India has one of the world’s highest rates of abortion.
14) More than a million Indians are millionaires, yet most Indians live on less than two dollars a day. An estimated 35% of India’s population lives below the poverty line.
15) India is the world’s largest producer of dried beans, such as kidney beans and chickpeas. It also leads the world in banana exports.
16) Indians hold prominent places both internationally and in the United States. For example, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems (Vinod Khosla), the creator of the Pentium chip (Vinod Dahm), the founder/creator of Hotmail (Sabeer Bhatia), and the GM of Hewlett-Packard (Rajiv Gupta) are all Indian.
17) India has the world’s largest movie industry, based in the city of Mumbai (known as the “City of Dreams”). The B in “Bollywood” comes from Bombay, the former name for Mumbai. Almost all Bollywood movies are musicals.
18) The Lotus temple is one of the most visited temples in the world, with over 50 million visitors per year
19) India has the world’s third largest road network at 1.9 million miles. It also has the world’s second largest rail network, which is the world’s largest civilian employer with 16 million workers.
20) India is the world’s largest tea producer, and tea (chai) is its most popular beverage.
21) 42% of the world's poor live in India.
22) Half the world’s outsourced IT services come from India, amounting to a $47 billion dollar industry.
23) India is the world's second largest importer of arms and has spent $50 billion on defense purchases in the last decade.
24) India has 568 million more registered voters than the US and a better turnout rate too.
Well, the article's longer than expected, but I can't help it. The county's crazy!! It's still cut so short, it's a miraculous journey: the journey through India!
Well, so the future may hold:
1) India's GDP per capita will quadruple from 2007 to 2020, according to Goldman Sachs.
2) In the next three years, up to 25% of the world's new workers will be Indian.
3) Every Indian will be litearte by 2020.
I couldn't fund much on the future, but for sure it's better. I haven't read the 'India 2020', because it's with my mamaji, but I'll reblog once I read it.
And, for signing off, well, here are a bit werid, and fun facts about this wild place!
1) Though the Ganges is one of the dirtiest rivers in the world, bathing in the river is thought to wash away one’s sins.
2) Rivers have played a vital role in India’s popular culture and folklore—they have been worshipped as goddesses because they bring water to an otherwise dry land. Bathing in the Ganges in particular is thought to take away a person’s sins. It is not unusual to spread a loved one’s ashes in the Ganges.
3) Most Indians rinse their hands, legs, and face before eating a meal. It is considered polite to eat with the right hand, and women eat after everyone is finished. Wasting food is considered a sin.
4) Cows can be found freely wandering the streets of India’s cities. They are considered sacred and will often wear a tilak, a Hindu symbol of good fortune. Cows are considered one of humankind’s seven mothers because they offer milk as does one’s natural mother.
5) India experiences six seasons: summer, autumn, winter, spring, summer monsoon, and winter monsoon.
6) 17 major languages and 844 dialects are spoken here.
Now, I'm exhausted. Combining information from almost everywhere!!
For more, try: www.indiainvites.com/lighternote.html
Hush, THANK YOU!! <3
HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY!
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