vipins wrote:We have black Panthers also in Nagarhole Tiger Reserve.
Black panthers (Melanistic leopards) have been documented in many places in India, including Kerala, Western Ghats and North-East India. But they are not a separate species, just leopards that are excessively pigmented.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 07 Mar 2018 18:28
by Kashi
vipins wrote:
Akshay Kapoor wrote:Kaziranga. But happy to be corrected if wrong. Extra marks for correction.
No Hippos in Kaziranga!!
No hippos in wild anywhere in India for that matter! Hippos are native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 11 Mar 2018 01:21
by Akshay Kapoor
VKumar wrote:
arshyam wrote:
Thanks for the danda saar.
Chacha Chowdhury, who else?
ARVIND KEJRIWAL?
Hahaha. Its Chacha Chowdhury of course.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 11 Mar 2018 01:21
by Akshay Kapoor
Kashi wrote:
vipins wrote:
No Hippos in Kaziranga!!
No hippos in wild anywhere in India for that matter! Hippos are native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Thanks gents. Quizmaster stands corrected....and resolves to do more research next time !
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 11 Mar 2018 01:24
by Akshay Kapoor
Quiz - which Indian comic character wears an orange shirt and blue trousers and was the son of a criminal.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 11 Mar 2018 01:26
by Akshay Kapoor
Pathik wrote:India is the only country in the world to have all 3 of the 4 big cats in wild - Lion, Tiger and Leapord (Jaguar/Panther - restricted to the americas). I would also credit this to the divinity of the animals to choose themselves to be born in this country. Lion and Tigers are vahans of the Devi.
Beautiful posts Kashi and Pathik.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 11 Mar 2018 04:29
by Kashi
Akshay Kapoor wrote:Quiz - which Indian comic character wears an orange shirt and blue trousers and was the son of a criminal.
Bahadur!!
Long live Indrajaal.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 11 Mar 2018 21:46
by Rakesh
Picture below is NOT a photo trick. The water is *REALLY* that clear.
https://twitter.com/chopsyturvey/status ... 1732355072 ---> Dawki River known as one that carries “flying boats”. Due to crystal clear waters which permit seeing depths in excess of 10 meters with naked eye. It borders India with Bangladesh. Likewise there’s a nearby village called Mawlynnong which is known as Asia’s cleanliest village.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 12 Mar 2018 23:06
by Akshay Kapoor
Kashi wrote:
Akshay Kapoor wrote:Quiz - which Indian comic character wears an orange shirt and blue trousers and was the son of a criminal.
Bahadur!!
Long live Indrajaal.
Correct. And the police officer who mentored him ?
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 12 Mar 2018 23:07
by Akshay Kapoor
Rakesh wrote:Picture below is NOT a photo trick. The water is *REALLY* that clear.
https://twitter.com/chopsyturvey/status ... 1732355072 ---> Dawki River known as one that carries “flying boats”. Due to crystal clear waters which permit seeing depths in excess of 10 meters with naked eye. It borders India with Bangladesh. Likewise there’s a nearby village called Mawlynnong which is known as Asia’s cleanliest village.
wow ! Welcome to this thread Rakesh.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 12 Mar 2018 23:08
by Akshay Kapoor
Complete the following phrases (clue in Rakesh' post) :
Naini.....
Bhim....
Naukuchiya....
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 13 Mar 2018 05:21
by Kashi
Akshay Kapoor wrote:Complete the following phrases (clue in Rakesh' post) :
Naini.....
Bhim....
Naukuchiya....
Nainital
Bhimtal
Naukuchiyatal
Tal is the Hindi shabd for a lake.
Akshay Kapoor wrote:Correct. And the police officer who mentored him ?
Can't remember this, cannot tell this without googling- that would not be fair.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 13 Mar 2018 05:35
by SriKumar
Kashi wrote:We also have snow leopards and clouded leopards. Less than a century ago, we also had Cheetahs. The last three were hunted in 1948, by a royal no less.
Pen pineapple apple pen! So there!!
So we know India had cheetahs until very recently. How many know that they were paaltu and used by royalty to hunt other animals? See this video...rajahs had cheetahs. 1939.
Actual hunts start at 2:00 but good footage even before that. Quite amazing actually. The handlers release the cheetah that chases and kills. The video is now in color....last time I saw it, I thought it was in black and white !!
India also has the red panda....it is found in Arunachal Pradesh.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 13 Mar 2018 08:11
by Rahul M
Also found in lower himalayas throughout the NE from north Bengal onwards. I remember seeing one at Darjeeling zoo around 1990 that was dancing to the tune of a bollywood song.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 13 Mar 2018 22:15
by Akshay Kapoor
Kashi wrote:
Akshay Kapoor wrote:Complete the following phrases (clue in Rakesh' post) :
Naini.....
Bhim....
Naukuchiya....
Nainital
Bhimtal
Naukuchiyatal
Tal is the Hindi shabd for a lake.
Akshay Kapoor wrote:Correct. And the police officer who mentored him ?
Can't remember this, cannot tell this without googling- that would not be fair.
Correct. Tal it is. Now for bonus points which district of India are those 3 tals from. Easy one.
Re Bahadur - it’s inspector V.....
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 14 Mar 2018 05:34
by Kashi
Akshay Kapoor wrote:Correct. Tal it is. Now for bonus points which district of India are those 3 tals from. Easy one.
I cannot remember if his last name was mentioned in any of the comics that I read.
Well done sir. No his last name was never mentioned. And Bela was the girlfriend. And their was a Mukhiya also.
One of my oldest memories as a child is getting my first Amar Chitra Katha. My dad gave it to me. It was Hitopdesa. And then started a love affair with ACK that is still very alive. A couple of years ago I presented my wife with a bunch of ACKs.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 16 Mar 2018 18:37
by Akshay Kapoor
And of course Supandi and Shikari Shambu, Vikram Betal and sometimes Chanda Mama.
This is a story of heroics of yet another common man of the country. This time it is by the officers of the Indian Railways. The brave act of a train ticket examiner, Mihir of Vijayawada Junction has saved the life of an infant.
On 6th June, a couple was travelling from Yeshwanthpur to Howrah with an ailing child. The child had serious health issues and was travelling with the support of Oxygen cylinders. The couple had arranged for two oxygen cylinders which would be emptied before reaching Vijayawada. This would have been a major danger to the life of that child.
The train ticket examiner of the concerned train, Mihir understood the gravity of the situation and took charge of it. He tried to get the train to reach Vijayawada to ensure the oxygen supply to the child is not interrupted. Soon Mihir contacted his higher authorities to arrange for oxygen cylinders and asked them to consider this as a high priority. The control room reacted immediately to make sure that the cylinders reach them in time.
Mr Jagga Rao, the chief ticketing inspector spoke to the chief controller and decided that the train would not stop anywhere in the middle of the journey before reaching Vijayawada. The train reached Vijayawada in next 20 minutes, thanks to the efforts of both Mihir and Jagga Rao. Mihir arranged another two oxygen cylinders at Bhubaneshwar and also made sure that there is a constant supply of oxygen to the child. They had also arranged oxygen cylinders in Kharagpur and Garden Reach stations. As soon as the train reached Howrah, he arranged for the ambulance. The child was then taken to the hospital for further care.
This effort by the officers of the Indian Railway has been appreciated by every passenger on that train. They also requested the Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to recognise these heroes and award them for their act.
As part of 150th Birth Anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi being held over the next one year, the Ministry of External Affairs has launched the 'India for Humanity' initiative in honour of his service to humanity. With its focus on Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of compassion, caring and service to humanity, ‘India for Humanity’ features a year long series of artificial limb fitment camps in a number of countries spanning the globe, for which the Ministry is collaborating with the renowned charitable organization "Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti" (BMVSS). Founded in 1975 and better known by its trademark limb "Jaipur Foot”, BMVSS is among the world’s largest organisations for the fitment of artificial limbs and till date has served over 1.73 million amputees.
The limb fitment camps, which aim to provide for the physical, economic and social rehabilitation of the differently-abled around the world by helping them regain their mobility and dignity to become self-respecting and productive members of the society, will be fully sponsored by Ministry of External Affairs.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 22 Apr 2019 21:40
by Shameek
Akshay Kapoor wrote:And of course Supandi and Shikari Shambu, Vikram Betal and sometimes Chanda Mama.
https://twitter.com/upcoprahul/status/1 ... 15040?s=20 ---> Salute the lady’s concern for the safety of the child! Also admirable is Traffic Inspector Deoria's effort to engage them in a conversation, appreciate their concern for safety & promise to reward the child in her school.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 03 Aug 2019 10:51
by Kashi
A short video on tiger conservation from Press Information Bureau
At 11,657 feet above sea level, Kedarnath is one of the most scenic and ethereal pilgrimage sites of Hindus. Steeped in legend and spirituality, records about this shrine date back to 6th century CE, when worship has been offered to Kedarnath almost continuously through.
The shrine may be lodged in the Himalayan valleys, but its head priest is traditionally from the Veerashaiva community down south in Karnataka. The shrine is even mentioned in Tamil bhakti works. Adi Shankara, born in today’s Kerala, one of India’s most influential philosophers, is said to have attained samadhi here.
Along with nearby Badrinath, this shrine is, perhaps, one of the hardest to visit as well. It would take a trek of 16 km for pilgrims to reach the temple.
The village of Kedarpuri, where the shrine stands, is today being redeveloped but much before the redevelopment was the 2013 floods that devastated the region, pulling down nearly every standing building in the village itself.
A unique project in Varanasi is pushing for modern development in the heartland of Indian antiquity. It may well become a model for historic precincts in the country as India develops economically.
An aerial view of the path being built from the riverfront to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The three domes on the left are of the Gyanvapi mosque, which is next to the temple.
This view shows the congested area before the project was taken up.
A 3D model of Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor
Several old temples in Varanasi were rediscovered within the demolished houses.
Re: Know Your India
Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:10
by Kashi
"In this Indic Talk, Sampadananda Mishra discusses the Wonder that is Sanskrit. He explains how Sanskrit is not just a language but an entire cultural eco-system in itself."
“Indian medical texts mention malaria in 1500 BC...Dr Sushruta’s astute reasoning and keen observations went unneeded for millennia.” Fascinating! The Mosquito - A Human History of our Deadliest Predator by Timothy Winegard.
Sri Rangam for instance has 1000 years old inscriptions recording donations from the pilgrims as far as Kashmir desam. It has inscriptions ranging from Sanskrit & Tamil, to Marathi Odiya, Kannada & Telugu. And this Xtian convert now dares northies to stay away from our temples!
An age old site in the temple towns of Kanchi. There are inscriptions on the temple Walls of Tamilnadu, dating back all the way to pre Islamic medieval era which records donations by Kashmiris visiting or working in Tamilnadu at that time!
Wow! #Adishankaracharya visited Sharada peeth, Kashmir. Kashmiris donated to #Tamilnadutemples! Our culture was syncretic, mutually respectful. We owe that culture much of our existence. History is full of such pleasant surprises, if we care to notice and read about our #IDENTITY
Rajatarangini infact records patronage provided by various Kashmiri rulers for the mathas/hostels for scholars/students coming from Lata (Southern Gujarat) Sindhu desa, Dravida desa etc. There is a funny portrayal of a Bengali student in Kashmir in one of Kashmiri drama as well!
The locally abundant Indian rubber tree, Ficus elastica, produces strong, rope-like aerial roots that, when lashed onto a scaffold of hollowed-out betel nut trunks, or tied to bamboo stalks, can be trained patiently over decades to grow horizontally across steep ravines and riverbanks. Eventually, with aching slowness, yet tirelessly, steadily, the roots are coaxed to entwine, to form the struts and supports for living footbridges that can hold up to 50 people at a time.