INDIA AND ABOUT INDIAN

Out of 29 States of India, Which is your favorite state and why?

 

Arunachal Pradesh , I would say it is my favorite state out of the 29 states of India. Now, coming to “why”, here is what I love about the state :

1. Being the easternmost state of the country, Dong valley in Arunachal witnesses the first sunrise in India.

2. The state is known as the Orchid state of India (also known as a paradise for Botanists), because of the large variety of flora found in the region.

A view from Bhalukpong, a small town in the state.

3. Now, here comes the beautiful Tawang, many people say that this place is as beautiful as Kashmir!! And seeing the images of the place, I think that’s true :)

Next, is few of the amazing lakes in the state :

Pankang-teng-tso lake

Sangester lake

Sela pass paradise lake

Tsungastar lake (Also known as Madhuri lake after the shooting of movie Koyla)

Nurunang waterfalls

Parashuram Kunda (Has great religious significance, thousands of devotees visit this place during Magh month)

Tawang Monastery (Largest Buddhist monastery in India)

Ziro Valley (one of the best places for solo travelling, also famous for its annual music festival)

Besides all these scenic beauties, what made me love the place more was the peaceful and serene atmosphere around, freshness of the place and of course the culture and heritage of the place :)

Culture of Arunachal

Image source : Google

    

 

 

Who are the uncorrupt politicians in India today?

 

Manohar parrikar

1. He has a signature look

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2. He refused to let personal tragedy come in the way of work
You'll never find him without his trademark half-sleeved bush shirt, creased trousers and simple footwear. And we mean never! Case in point, his son’s wedding where he welcomed guests in the same attire.

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3. He doesn’t care for sarkaari benefits
About a month before his swearing-in as the first-time chief minister of Goa, Parrikar’s wife Medha succumbed to cancer. That left Parrikar with the responsibilities of running the state while being a single parent to his two teenage boys. But he put up a brave front and got about discharging his duties as CM.

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4. He's the real poster boy for aam aadmis
Even after becoming CM, Parrikar continued living in his own modest house and didn’t upgrade to a fancier vehicle, preferring instead to keep using the Innova he was allotted as leader of the opposition.

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5. He's a workaholic
Parrikar always travels in economy class and pays for personal calls from his own pocket. He doesn’t entertain the VVIP treatment meted out to netas. He is famous for using a rickshaw and public transport like a regular person, especially outside Goa.

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6. He is a taskmaster
One of the many traits he shares with PM Modi is his penchant for keeping a punishing schedule of 16-18 work hours every day. For a 58 year old man, that’s pretty impressive.

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But...
...who doesn’t tolerate corruption and is blunt in his dealings. He took on the illegal mining in Goa with gusto, handing out suspensions and cancelling licenses of rogue traders. His clean governance motto leaning saw him suspending block development officers, panchayat secretaries and lower-rank staff. No wonder this squeaky clean CM was branded Goa’s Mr Clean.

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7. He has some famous IIT batch mates
His image took a beating, and he was dubbed a 'U-turn' CM by the media and Congress when he failed to deliver on poll promises, flip-flopped on important issues and failed to root out the mining mafia completely.

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Nobody stops talking about his engineering degree from IIT Bombay. But not many know that this metallurgical engineering graduate shared hostel space with technocrat Nandan Nilekani in 1978.

8. He has RSS roots

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9. He has sharp political foresight
Parrikar joined the RSS at a very young age, even looking after the Powai hostel unit of RSS. He has often expressed pride of his RSS background. The RSS loves him back equally, even considering him for the post of BJP president, before appointing Nitin Gadkari. His RSS roots helped strike a saffron chord with PM Modi and Amit Shah. Look what this did for his political career!

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PTI
Long before anybody could foresee the Modi wave, Parrikar openly backed Modi to be BJP’s choice for PM, becoming the first party functionary to do so. He also branded old soul and Modi opposer L K Advani "a rancid pickle". His Modi loyalty seems to have been rewarded and how.

 

 

Who are some of the successful but not well known Indian businessmen?

Darshan Patel, founder of FOGG deodorant.

He is the person behind FOGG’s astonishing success in last 3–4 years.

Darshan N Patel, one of the three Patel brothers who took Paras Pharmaceuticals (creator of pain relief gel Moov) towards marketing glory, is repeating the act with his Vini Cosmetics pvt. Ltd. Three years after inception, and about two years after big-bang entry into the world of deodorants, Patel’s Fogg has dethroned the likes of Axe — the brand that can rightfully claim credit for carving out the deo category in India. Fogg, now Vini’s flagship product, leads the country’s ₹2,000-crore deodorant market with a 13 per cent share since its launching December 2011.

Businesses are successful if they prioritize consumer behavior and innovation. When all the Deodorants brands were coming with the same type of product, Patel came up with a different type of product, a liquid based deo instead of gas. The people of India have a common mindset of getting more for less capital. Fogg understood this human behavior and delivered a product in Indian market with demonstrating this product with only liquid and no gas.Lots of people raised doubt over success of Fogg in India. But Patel’s brilliant marketing strategy has changed the Deo Industry in India and FOGG is the most successful and most selling deo in India right now, giving Hindustan Unilever's (HUL) AXE, Park Avenue, Wild stone a run for its money.

Patel successfully launched brands like Krack cream, Itchguard, Moov, Livon and Dermicool, which created a dissonance in the marketplace. Patel appears to be following a similar strategy with Vini Cosmetics as well.

Patel ex

pects to close FY16 with a turnover of Rs 600 crore, which would be a near 18% jump over FY15. In FY14 turnover was 350 crore.

Besides Fogg Vini has White Tone, Glam Up,18+ deo and NUFeel brands.

Darshan Patel is a man of Idea, innovation and Marketing. Without any doubt he is one of the most successful businessmen of India.

 

 Who are some of the successful but not well known Indian businessmen?

 

Naga Kataru

Ever heard of this name? Well he’s the man behind Google Alerts. He was the 40th employee at Google, after being hired in 2000. He launched Google Alerts in 2003. Left Google in 2008. An Ex-IITian too!

What is he doing now?

He is a farmer now. In 2008, he bought a 320-acre farm in Modesto, California. Later on converted it into an almond farm, which required one-third the labor.

Today the farm, which also grows apricots, is profitable and has eight employees. It generates $2.5 million in annual revenue.

 

 

 

THE BATTLE OF ASAL UTTAR

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It was fought from 8th September to 10th September during the Indo-Pak conflict in 1965.

During this period, Pakistan was being supported by the US. They even got Patton tanks from US which were considered to be the best during that time and were way better than the centurion tanks that Indian Army had. Pakistan launched its 1st Armoured division against an Indian Armoured brigade (264 Pakistani tanks against 135 Indian tanks)

During night, India flooded the sugarcane fields and were ordered to fallback and assume a horseshoe formation around the Pakistan tank approach. As Pakistan tanks crossed the Indian border they couldn't see any Indian retaliation and hence they thought India has withdrawn from the battle, as Indian Army was in disadvantage technologically and numerically. They were so confident that they got out of tank, took a halt and even had a meal in between.

Though Patton tanks were technologically superior, the only disadvantage that they had was its weight. When Pakistan's heavy Patton tanks entered the muddy slush they got stuck and could not move even an inch. After that they were an easy target for Indian tanks camouflaged in sugarcane fields. Pakistan tanks were being fired from three sides (horseshoe formation) and they could only fire while standing on a static ground.

The result of battle was in favor of India. India only lost 10 tanks were as the other side lost 99 Patton tanks. It was the biggest tank grave in any battle after WWII. In the 1965 war, as a whole, Pakistan lost 165 tanks out which 99 were from this battle alone. The place were Pattons were destroyed is known as Patton nagar (nagar means city in town).

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(Destroyed Patton tanks)

 

 

   Why was India denied GPS access from the USA during Kargil war?

Pakistan got independence from British rule on 14th August, 1947. While India chose to remain "Non-Aligned" to any major power block (US and USSR) of the world, Pakistan chose the simpler way. On 20th Oct, 1947 (2 months and 6 days from date of freedom), Pakistan approached US and formal relations were established between two countries.

In 1950, during official PM of Pakistan visit to US, Pakistan requested to setup CIA base in Pakistan in short make Pakistan a US colony.  Mind you in 1950s, all major powerful countries had colonies. Britain in Asia, France in Africa, Spain in South America.  While most of these countries gave independence, Pakistan insisted US to stay in the country.

In 1954, Ayub Khan, the Pakistani army commander who later became dictator of the country once said to US Brigadier, "I didn’t come here to look at barracks. Our army can be your army if you want us. But let’s make a decision". By 1956, US was running Peshawar Air Force station, various army stations and control centres where even Pakistani government was not allowed to enter. In layman terms, they sold the country officially for financial aid and weapons.

This marked the beginning of ruler- slave relationship between US and Pakistan. Pakistan got lots of foreign aid from time to time. CIA had built up HUGE presence in Pakistan and Afghanistan by this time. 

In 1970, Mighty USSR was expanding in all directions. In order to capture entire South Asia, USSR attacked Afganistan on 24th December, 1979. CIA, who didn't want to be a part of this war directly, created Jihadis and Mujhaidins in Afganistan and supplied them with ample amount of funding and weapons. Today the world knows them by the name "Taliban". After 9 years of this tug of war between US and USSR, USSR lost and withdrew it's army. These operations took US- Pakistan relations to new heights. They became "all weather friends".

India on the other hand followed a policy of Non-Alignment. It never sided with any power block. But since USSR was providing India sophisticated arms and intelligence support, USSR was a better friend than US.

India and Pakistan had already fought 3 wars by this time, 1947, 1965 and 1971. In all of these wars, Pakistan was the provoker and was always on the receiving end.

During 1971 war, US tried to threaten India to back off and moved one of it's aircraft carrier battle group in Indian Ocean only to find Russian battleship

s and nuclear submarines near Indian shore waiting for them. Russian and Indian intelligence had thoroughly checkmated US move. East Pakistan (Bangladesh) was lost and liberated. This was a humiliating defeat for CIA and US. Indians didn't had a very good opinion about US after this whole episode.

When Kargil war happened in 1998, US had to protect it's all weather ally. CIA had huge military logistics presence in Pakistan and it couldn't endanger them by assisting India in the war.  Thus, US denied any possible support to India including GPS access.

Thanks to US denial, India has finally built her own Navigation system (IRNSS- Navic) which can look beyond 1500 kms from Indian borders. "Necessity is the mother of invention" Isn't it!?

 

What is it that we as Indians are collectively doing wrong?

 

Boiling pasteurized milk for drinking. Would you stop that!

I was an intern at a dairy plant last summer.Every year on an average, for every 100 million kg of 'processed' milk produced by a dairy plant, about 8 million KWh of electrical energy is consumed. All this to provide us with aseptically packed  'safe' milk with a good nutritive value. As soon as you boil it, you get rid of most of the B vitamins, denature a lot proteins and amino acids. It is like turning John Cena's body into Rajpal Yadav's.

The pasteurized milk in poly-packs is fine for 2 days if kept in the refrigerator(4-5 degree C) in clean and covered utensils. The bad guys, chiefly Coxiella burnetti and Listeria monocytogenes are already taken care of by the appropriate heat treatments back at the dairy. Also, all tests are done before final packaging. You need not waste more fuel and nutrients while boiling that at home.

The dairy plants go through all of this trouble for you but you don't trust them.

Trust me if not them.

Please.

 In case if you wish to use it for any purpose other than drinking,(Curd, cream, etc) boil it!!

Also, it is very important to keep it in the refrigerator, covered , when not in use and consume it as soon as possible.

 

 

 

What are the mysteries in real places that even science cannot explain?

 

1. The Hanging Pillar at Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh

An important archaeological and historical site in India, Lepakshi is known for its architecture and painting. This temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is among the most mysterious places in India, owing to its famous floating pillar.

This pillar hangs from the ceiling. It is believed that it was dislocated from its original position when a British architect tries to uncover the truth of it's support.

The Mystery: Among the 70 pillars at the site, one is hanging in mid-air, that is, it exists without a support. People come to the temple and pass objects under the pillar, believing it’ll bring prosperity into their lives!

The Theory: People believe it’s just another of the many genius tricks the temple builders of the old were capable of.

2. The Mini Desert at Talakad, Karnataka

Located on the banks of river Kaveri, in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka, lies a village buried deep in sand. Talakad is believed to have been home to about 30 temples once, 5 of which are Lingams representing the 5 faces of Lord Shiva.

The Mystery: It is believed that a widowed devotee of Lord Shiva had once cursed the land, following which the village turned into this strange desert and a mysterious place in India, where the river Kaveri mysteriously transforms into a swirling whirlpool.

3. The Tale of Twins at Kodinhi, Kerala

The extraordinary factor about this otherwise ordinary village in Malappuram, Kerala is the strikingly large number of twin births that it witnesses. Kodinhi, or the ‘Village of Twins’, as it is now called, holds an eminent place among the mysterious places in India!

The Mystery: Once you set foot into this village, you’ll start seeing doubles of almost everyone! Kodinhi is currently home to over 200 pair of twins and two sets of triplets. And that’s not all! Kodinhi’s women who are married outside the village also end up having twins or triplets.

The Theory: Doctors believe that the reason for this strange phenomenon lies in the chemicals of the water in the area.

4. Levitating Stone at Shivapur, Maharashtra

The Hazrat Qamar Ali Darvesh shrine is no unusual shrine. The shrine is listed among the mystery places in India and is known for this one special rock that weighs 70 kg and can only be lifted by one means.

The Mystery: To lift the rock, 11 people are required to gather around it, touch it with their forefingers, and loudly call out the name of the saint who placed a curse on it, following which the stone rises up in the air magically! The stone cannot be lifted by any other means, no matter how strong it is!

The Myth: It is believed that a sufi saint called Qamar Ali placed a curse on this stone being used for body building about 800 years ago.

Video link at the end.

5. The ‘Holy’ Rat Infested Karni Mata Temple at Deshnok, Rajasthan

The Karni Mata Temple is one of the most holy sanctums, but little do people know that it is also one of the most mysterious places in India. The temple is home to over 20,000 rats. Revolting as it may sound, one is not allowed to kill, hurt, or even scare them away!

The Mystery: These rats, or ‘kabbas’, as they’re called there, are considered to be highly auspicious, are worshipped, and safeguarded, which is why they hold more value than the humans visiting the shrine.

The Myth: The rats are believed to be the reincarnated relatives and family members of Karni Mata. In fact, the rare, white mice at the place are considered to be her sons.

6. Door-Deprived Houses of Shani Shignapur, Maharashtra

Shani Shignapur, a small village located 35 kms away from Ahmednagar, is famous for its Shani temple. But that’s not all that is famous about this village.

The Mystery: None of the houses, schools, and even commercial buildings in this village have a door, or even a door frame. In addition to this, not a single crime has ever been reported here.

The Myth: The villagers have undying faith in Lord Shani and believe that the near zero crime rate in the village is all His doing.

7. The Gravity Defying Palace at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

A stunning creation of the 18th century, Bara Imambara, with a blend of Arabic and European architecture is among the most mysterious historical places in India.

The Mystery: This monument’s central arched hall is about 50 metres in length and almost 3 stories high…but without any pillars or beams supporting it. The main hall is also famous for its unique interlocking brick structure and for the ‘Bhulbhulaiya’, a dense maze.

8. The Magnetic Hill of Leh, Ladakh

The enchanting hills of Ladakh have more than mere beauty to offer. The Magnetic Hill, located at an altitude of 11,000 feet above sea level is one of the most unusual places to visit in India.

The Mystery: Cars driving up the hill get pulled up of their own accord. That is, one can drive up here with the ignition of their vehicles turned off!

The Theory: This exciting phenomenon is actually only an optical illusion resulting from the hill’s gravitational pull.

9. The E.T. Inhabited Kongka La Pass at Ladakh

At an elevation of 16,970 feet, the Kongka La Pass is one of the least accessed place in India, owing to the fact that is a disputed territory between India and China. But that’s not what makes it one of the most mysterious places in India.

The Mystery: A number of UFOs as well as strange figures of humanoids have been sighted there, according to many reports. So much so that the locals living around strongly believe that the area is home to aliens!

10. The Lake of Skeletons at Chamoli, Uttarakhand

Roopkund Lake is a glacier lake located at an elevation of 16,500 feet in the most God forsaken place in the Himalayas. But it’s remote and dangerous location has got nothing to do with the gloom and despair associated with this lake. It’s what lies beneath it that scares the shit out of most people.

The Mystery: Around 300-600 skeletons can be seen beneath the surface of the frozen Roopkund lake every year when the ice melts at this mysterious place in India. Radiocarbon tests and forensics date the corpses back to the 15th century AD.

The Theory: The locals believe that the corpses belong to the then king and queen of Kanauj, who were going on a pilgrimage but plunged into the lake due to a severe hailstorm and died.

11. The Red Rain at Idukki, Kerala

Apart from a place with rich natural splendour of the Western Ghats, a vast forest reserve, & the tempting coastal curry, Idukki, or the ‘Red Region’, is also famous as one of the mysterious places in India.

The Mystery: The red coloured rain at Idukki first fell on 25th July, 2001, and occurred sporadically for 2 months, staining clothes and buildings as it poured. This blood-red downpour, when collected by the locals, turned into clean water with red particles settled at the bottom.

The Theory: The scientists, after much analysis and debate, have zeroed in on one explanation for this occurrence. They say that the red particles are airborne spores of the locally growing alga in the region.

12. The Shrine of the Bullet Baba in Bandai, Rajasthan

There is a famous shrine somewhere in Rajasthan, that is believed to protect travelers. But what makes this one unique is the fact that people don’t worship the usual figurines of Gods and Goddesses here. What they worship, is a motorcycle!

The Mystery: A man named Om Singh Rathore, or Om Banna, had died at this very spot in a tragic accident while riding back home on his bullet. What followed was a series of unusual happenings wherein the police would take away the bike, empty its fuel tank, and bind it in chains, but it would return to the same spot before day break…every single time! When the authorities finally gave up, the locals built a temple around this bike, which is now listed among the most mysterious places in India owing to the story behind it.

13. The Immortal Flame of Jwala Ji Temple in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

Jwala Ji temple is a holy shrine located in the lower Himalayas in Kangra district, typical of other Jwala Ji shrines in the country. Why then, is it listed among the mysterious places in India, is another matter altogether.

The Mystery: The central pit of hollowed stone inside this shrine holds a flame that has been burning endlessly for over a 100 years.

The Theory: The flame is burning off a supply of natural gases like methane under its surface.

14. The Place of Suicidal Birds in Jatinga, Assam

An otherwise quaint and picturesque little village in Assam, Jatinga experiences a bizarre, yet sad phenomenon every monsoon.

The Mystery: During dark and foggy nights in monsoons, migratory birds flying over the village, dive headlong into trees, buildings, poles, and what nots, crashing to death. Jatinga is one of those strange places to visit in India that turns into a land of mass bird suicide every year during September & October.

The Theory: Ornithologists say that the dense fog and high altitude daze birds because of which they end up crashing into trees and buildings. However, there are many arguments that counter this theory.

15. The Abandoned Village of Kuldhara, Rajasthan

Once inhabited by Paliwal Brahmins, the village is now nothing more than a barren land with empty houses, broken structures, & an old temple.

The Mystery: About 2 centuries ago, over 1,500 Paliwal Brahmins fled the village, OVERNIGHT. Since then, no one has been able to live here and it is now one of the abandoned places in India. Those who try are chased away at night by ‘paranormal activities’. Tourists who visit Kuldhara encounter an uneasy feeling when they set foot inside the village.

The Myth: Apparently, the rightful inhabitants of Kuldhara left a curse on the village that no one would ever be able to settle here after them.

16. The Whispers of the Dead on Dumas Beach, Gujarat

Listed among the mysterious places of India, The Dumas Beach in Surat, Gujarat has a lot of spooky tales associated with it.

The Mystery: People strolling on the beach hear whispers and find no one when they look around for the source. There have even been reports of disappearances on the beach.

The Theory: The beach was previously a burial ground for Hindus, and thus it is full of spirits of the dead! Maybe it’s the theory that makes it one of the mysterious and haunted places in India.

17. The Floating Stones of Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu

Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu holds immense importance in the Hindu mythology, as it is the place where, according to Ramayana, Lord Rama’s Vanara Sena built a bridge of floating stones all the way to Sri Lanka. But there is something else about the bridge that makes this place one of the most mysterious places in India…

The Mystery: According to Ramayana, the bridge was built of stones that would stay afloat once the name of Lord Rama was scribbled on it. As it turns out, this wasn’t just a story. The bridge was actually made of such stones, as they are still found around here and are a major tourist attraction in Rameshwaram.

18. The Visa God of Chilkur, Hyderabad

Troubled by your endless attempts at getting a US visa? Not to worry. Get to the Balaji Temple in Chilkur, Hyderabad, and Lord Balaji will grant you one!

The Mystery: Be it the poor or the elite, every kind of person can be spotted here bowing before the Visa God and begging for a visa. But that’s not the queer part. The fact that they soon end up getting one is, and this has landed the temple in the list of mysterious places in India.

19. The Village that Slithers, in Shetpal, Maharashtra

Snake worship happens to be an ancient and widespread practice in India, but there’s one town in Maharashtra that follows it way too religiously. The village has established a custom for every household, wherein it is mandatory for the house to have a resting place for cobras in the rafters of their ceilings.

The Mystery: The snakes here, it seems, are pretty friendly. The reason it one of the most mysterious places in India is because no snake bite has ever been reported in this village.

20. The Ghost Lights of West Bengal

The marshes of West Bengal can get spooky in the dark, but there is one phenomenon that really freaks out fishermen there.

The Mystery: There have been many sightings of unnatural glowing lights of different colours hovering over the marshes in West Bengal. Referred to as ‘Aleya Lights’ for many years now, these lights are a nightmare for fishermen, as they usually end up confusing them and they would lose their way. In many cases reported till date, various fishermen have even lost their lives due to these strange lights. These marshes are some of the most mysterious places in India owing to this unexplained phenomenon.

The Theory: Scientists suggest that these lights are essentially ionization of methane over the marshes that forms out of the decaying organic matter present in abundance in these bogs.

Hope you like this collection!

Happy reading !!

What are some facts about India that Indians are generally unaware of?

 

I can bet that 99.99% Indian's are unaware of this #omgfact.

India has the route that connects the 13 Asian countries and border of 8 European countries by road. Yes you can travel from Tokyo, Japan via Korea, China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia,Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to the border between Turkey and Bulgaria west of Istanbul by-road.

Its AH1 ( Asian Highway 1 ) which connect the 13 Asian countries and end with European route E80 east to Thailand,Micronesia, Indonesia, Australia,Papua New Guinea, Malaysia,Philippines, Taiwan

haha!

PS: My office is situated just beside AH1 at Faridabad India.

Source - Wikipedia AH1

Edit 1- Although its an Asian Highway so it's limit ends at Istanbul in West.. But the additional interesting fact is that one could travel entire world (except Australia and some other islands like Greenland etc) by road if only the 50 odd miles of Bering Strait could be joined by a bridge. This strait divides Russia from Alaska.