India is the world's largest democracy and is home to some of the world' s most ancient surviving civilizations. As a rising economic power and nuclear-armed state, India has emerged as an important regional power. Here are some amazing facts that most people don’t know about India.
Dolphins are treated as 'Non Human Persons' in India
India's Ministry of Environment and Forests has advised state governments to ban dolphinariums and other commercial entertainment that involves the capture and confinement of cetacean species such as orcas and bottlenose dolphins. In a statement, the government said research had clearly established cetaceans are highly intelligent and sensitive, and that dolphins "should be seen as 'non-human persons' and as such should have their own specific rights."
India has been the largest troop contributor to UN missions
India is the largest cumulative troop contributor , having provided almost 200,000 troops in nearly 50 of the 71 UN peacekeeping missions over the past six decades, including 13 of the current 16 missions!
Umling La is the highest motorable road in the world.
Credit: Deccan Chronicle
The world’s highest motorable road passes through Umling La Top in Ladakh at a height of over 19,300 feet (5833 m) and connects Chisumle and Demchok villages, located 230km from Leh.
Largest religious gathering on earth, Kumbh Mela
Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river. It is among the UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Kumbh Mela is held once in 12 years. An estimated 120 million people visited Maha Kumbh Mela in 2013 in Allahabad over a 2 month period, including over 30 million on a single day, on 10 February 2013!
Credit: Google maps (Satellite view)
The first rocket in India was transported on a cycle.
The first rocket was so light and small that it was transported on a bicycle to the Thumba Launching Station in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. What a humble beginning!
The rocket was launched from St. Mary Magdalene Church. The church became the workshop, and cattle sheds served as storage houses and laboratories.
India launched record-breaking 104 satellites from a single rocket.
Credit: ISRO
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully launched 104 satellites from the Sriharikota space centre, and overtook the 2014 Russian record of 37 satellites in a single launch.
India is the only country that managed to reach Mars in the first attempt.
India has a spa for elephants
Elephants are integral part of culture and traditions in South India, especially in Kerala. It is necessary for elephants to cool down during the scorching heat of summer months in Kerala. Also, elephants are given the status of ‘National Heritage Animal’ in India.
The youngest country in the world!
India has more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 and more than 65% below the age of 35. It is expected that, in 2020, the average age of an Indian will be 29 years!
Personalized postage stamps
Credit: Indian Postage
My Stamp is the brand name for personalized sheets of Postage Stamps of India Post.
Pioneers of rocket artillery
Mysorean rockets were the first iron-cased rockets successfully deployed for military use. Hyder Ali, the 18th century ruler of Mysore, and his son and successor Tipu Sultan used them effectively against the British East India Company during the 1780s and 1790s.
World’s fastest missiles
Brahmos is a joint venture between DRDO of India and NPOM of Russia. It has top supersonic speed of Mach 2.8 to 3 (almost 3 times the speed of sound).
Aleya Ghost Lights
Aleya (marsh ghost-light) is the name given to an unexplained strange light phenomena occurring over the marshes as observed by the people of West Bengal. This marsh light is attributed to some kind of unexplained marsh gas apparitions that confuse fishermen, make them lose their bearings, and may even lead to drowning if one decided to follow them moving over the marshes.
Bonus
Einstein was invited to Kerala Varsity as VC
A decade before India got its freedom, the tiny princely state of Travancore, Kerala had aimed it high in 1937 when it made a bid to enlist the services of great physicist Albert Einstein as vice-chancellor of its university for a monthly pay of Rs 6,000. But Einstein politely declined the invitation saying he wanted to join Princeton University in the United States.
Set up in 1937, Travancore University was renamed University of Kerala. According to the late historian, Prof. A Sreedhara Menon, who authored a comprehensive history of the university, inviting Einstein's service for the State was the idea of the then Diwan of Travancore Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar who was a far sighted administrator and multi-faceted scholar who kept abreast of contemporary developments, including modern science.
Great post :)
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