"India
is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of
history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our
most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are
treasured up in India only."
These are
not our words. These are the words of the great Mark Twain. And here are 25
Indians facts to support his statement:
1.
A floating post office
India has
the largest postal network in the world with over 1, 55,015 post offices. A
single post office on an average serves a population of 7,175 people. The
floating post office in Dal Lake, Srinagar, was inaugurated in August 2011.
2. Kumbh
Mela gathering visible from space
The 2011
Kumbh Mela was the largest gathering of people with over 75 million pilgrims.
The gathering was so huge that the crowd was visible from space.
3. The
wettest inhabited place in the world
Mawsynram,
a village on the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, receives the highest recorded average
rainfall in the world. Cherrapunji, also a part of Meghalaya, holds the record
for the most rainfall in the calendar year of 1861.
4. Bandra
Worli Sealink has steel wires equal to the earth's circumference
It took a
total of 2,57,00,000 man hours for completion and also weighs as much
as 50,000 African elephants. A true engineering and architectural marvel.
5. The
highest cricket ground in the world
At an
altitude of 2,444 meters, the Chail Cricket Ground in Chail, Himachal Pradesh,
is the highest in the world. It was built in 1893 and is a part of the Chail
Military School.
6.
Shampooing is an Indian concept
Shampoo was invented in India, not the commercial liquid ones but
the method by use of herbs. The word 'shampoo' itself has been derived from the
Sanskrit word champu, which
means to massage.
7. The
Indian national Kabaddi team has won all World Cups
India has
won all 5 men's Kabaddi World Cups held till now and have been undefeated
throughout these tournaments. The Indian women's team has also won all Kabaddi
World Cups held till date.
8. Water
on the moon was discovered by India
In
September 2009, India's ISRO Chandrayaan- 1 using its Moon Mineralogy Mapper
detected water on the moon for the first time.
9.
Science day in Switzerland is dedicated to Ex-Indian President, APJ Abdul Kalam
The
father of India's missile programme had visited Switzerland back in 2006. Upon
his arrival, Switzerland declared May 26th as Science Day.
10.
India's first President only took 50% of his salary
When Dr
Rajendra Prasad was appointed the President of India, he only took 50% of his
salary, claiming he did not require more than that. Towards the end of his
12-year tenure he only took 25% of his salary. The salary of the President was
Rs 10,000 back then.
11. 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.
12. India
has a spa just for elephants
Elephants
receive baths, massages and even food at the Punnathoor Cotta Elephant Yard
Rejuvenation Centre in Kerala. Now that's a BIG step for the country.
13. India
is the world's second-largest English speaking country
India is
second only to the USA when it comes to speaking English with around 125
million people speaking the language, which is only 10% of our population. This
is expected to grow by quite a margin in the coming years.
14.
Largest number of vegetarians in the world
Be it
because of religious reasons or personal choices or both, around 20-40% of
Indians are vegetarians, making it the largest vegetarian-friendly country in
the world.
15. The
world's largest producer of milk
India
recently overtook the European Union with production reaching over 132.4m
tonnes in 2014.
16. The
first country to consume sugar
India was
the first country to develop extraction and purifying techniques of sugar. Many
visitors from abroad learnt the refining and cultivation of sugar from us.
17. The
human calculator
Shakuntla
Devi was given this title after she demonstrated the calculation of two 13
digit numbers: 7,686,369,774,870 × 2,465,099,745,779 which were picked at
random. She answered correctly within 28 seconds.
18.
Rabindranath Tagore also wrote the national anthem for Bangladesh
Rabindranath Tagore is credited not only for writing the Indian
national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, but the
Bangladeshi national anthem, Amar Sonar Bangla, as well.
He was also offered knighthood by the British but refused the honour after the
Jalianwala Bagh massacre.
19. Dhyan
Chand was offered German citizenship
After
defeating Germany 8-1 in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Major Dhyan Chand, the
wizard of hockey, was summoned by Hitler. He was promised German citizenship, a
high post in the German military and the chance to play for the German national
side. Dhyan Chand however declined the offer.
20.
Freddie Mercury and Ben Kingsley are both of Indian descent
Freddie
Mercury, the legendary singer of the rock band 'Queen' was born a Parsi with
the name Farrokh Bulsara while the famous Oscar winning Hollywood star Ben
Kingsley was born Krishna Pandit Bhanji.
21. Astronaut Rakesh Sharma
said India looks saare jahaan se achcha from space
Former
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked the first Indian in space, Rakesh Sharma,
about how India looked from space. His response was our famous patriotic song,
"Saare Jahaan Se Achcha."
22.
Havell's is purely an Indian brand & named after its first owner
Though
the company was bought for just 10 lakh Rupees a long time ago and is now a
multi-billion electrical goods company, it's an Indian company and is still
named after its original owner, Haveli Ram Gupta.
23.
Diamonds were first mined in India
Initially,
diamonds were only found in the alluvial deposits in Guntur and Krishna
District of the Krishna River Delta. Until diamonds were found in Brazil during
the 18th century, India led the world in diamond production.
24. A
special polling station is set up for a lone voter in the middle of Gir
Forest
Mahant
Bharatdas Darshandas has been voting since 2004 and during every election since
then, a special polling booth is set up exclusively for him as he is the only
voter from Banej in Gir forest.
25.
Snakes and Ladders originated in India
Earlier known as Moksha Patamu, the game was initially invented as
a moral lesson aboutkarma to be
taught to children. It was later commercialized and has become one of the most
popular board games in the world.
