In the continuing series, here are 50 Interesting and Amazing Facts About India-Part 5. You can read the other four parts here, part 1, part 2, part 3,part 4.
1-10
1. In Bangalore, this year, the government shamed property tax defaulters by sendingdrummers to makes noise and wave banners outside of their properties until they paid their taxes.
2. In a similar case, Patna’s Municipal Corporation employed eunuchs to dance and sing in front of businesses to shame them into paying overdue taxes.
3. WIPRO stands for Western India PROducts.
4. The 2012 North Indian power blackout affected 620M people or 9% of the world’s population. It was also the largest power outage in human history.
5. One of the biggest and the most sensational bank robbery in India was carried out in Kerala and was inspired from the Bollywood movie – Dhoom.
6. Once you become a Hindu Sadhu, you are legally dead to the country of India, and as a ritual, they may be required to attend their own funeral.
7. Pagal Panthi (Pagalpanti is a common Hindi word for madness) was a semi-religious sect that waged war against the British and the Zamindars (landlords).
8. Dowry system was not part of Indian marriage until the Europeans introduced the concept. Today according to Indian National Crime Record Bureau, in 2010, 8391 dowry death cases were reported across India.
9. As recently as 2007, the Holi festival across India was celebrated with coloured and powdered asbestos (known to cause lung cancer).
10. The word “thug” is derived from a secret society of assassins originally formed in India some time before the year 1356.
11-20
11. Camels’ hair is designed and shaped in very elaborate ways as part of festivals, beauty shows and fairs in Rajasthan.
12. On April 9, 1965 for the first time in Independent India, a domestic police force fought against a full-fledged Pakistani infantry brigade. The 2nd Battalion of CRPF fought and repulseda Pakistani brigade, killing 34 and capturing 4 while losing 6 Indian men in Rann of Kutch, Gujarat.
13. In the 1960s, an Indo-American expedition tried to place a nuclear-powered monitoring device on a peak in the Himalayas to keep an eye on Chinese nuclear programme, but it was lost in an avalanche. Even now 5 kilograms of radioactive plutonium remains unaccounted for, somewhere near the source of the River Ganga.
14. There is a chain of islands called the Sunderbans near West Bengal that are sinking relatively quickly into the ocean due to climate change, with four already underwater. People who have nowhere else to go are still trying to live there.
15. IIM, India’s premier college of management have resorted to giving bonus marks to girls and non‑engineers in order to increase diversity.
16. There is a bank in Udaipur that collects Mother’s milk called Divya Mother Milk Bank to provide milk to newborns who can’t consume their mother’s milk.
17. On May Day 1993 thousands of landless and small farmers (mostly Harijans and Tribals) courted arrest, choosing Satyagraha instead of Naxalism. After a fortnight of arrests, officials refused to arrest them as there was no more space in jails.
18. Until 2002, common Indian man was prohibited from displaying our own national flag.
19. In the Lotus Temple of New Delhi everyone is welcome regardless of religion or race.
20. In order to promote lower birth rates, Indian authorities have created a sterilization lottery. Individuals that volunteer to be sterilized are given 600 rupees and their names are put into a lottery to win televisions, motorcycles, food processors, and the grand prize, a Tata Nano.
21-30
21. While many Indian believe that no dinosaurs roamed the Indian subcontinent, the truth is that the biggest dinosaur fossil found to date, Bruhathkayosaurus is said to have roamed the Indian subcontinent.
22. The Dutch East India Company was the most valuable company ever in world history. With a value of 78 million Dutch Guilders, adjusted to 2012 dollars it was worth $7.4 trillion.
23. The Dutch East India Company was the first corporation in existence, created in 1602. They were the first company to issue stocks and is the granddaddy of all corporations today.
24. The Swedish East India Companies imported more tea than the British East India Company and smuggled it to Britain.
25. Horses came to India only after 3000 BC.
26. Police officers in Madhya Pradesh, India are given a slight pay upgrade for having a moustache.
27. Grand Anicut Dam of Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu is still standing after 2000 years after it was built. It was built by Chola King Karikalan during the first century.
28. India is the world’s largest beef exporter
29. In Punjab, India two puppies fell into a well and a king cobra kept them safe until help arrived about 48 hours later.
30. India is known as the land of Tigers, but still the American state of Texas has more tigers than the whole of India.
31-40
31. Despite beliefs that India has a milk drinking culture, over 80% of Indians cannot break down lactase and are therefore lactose intolerant. Hence Indians prefer dahi and paneer over raw milk. The remaining 20% Indian carry a European mutation for breaking down lactase and digest milk.
32. 60% of all Indians share a mitochondrial DNA group, which is universal amongAndamanese islanders.
33. Indians are more prone to heart attacks because of a genetic mutation that affects one in 25 people in India.
34. “India” in Chinese (Mandarin) “印度” is pronounced “Yìndù.”
35. In 2008, police in busted a “Blood farm” holding 17 weak and malnourished “donors” in Uttar Pradesh.
36. Diamonds were not originally mined in India. They were actually found alongside or at the bottom of the rivers in India.
37. A village in southern Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district has been planting 111 trees for every girl child born for the last few years. To date, they have planted 250,000 trees and also have a mini industry manufacturing products made from this “forest.”
38. A monument called ‘Zero Mile Stone‘ in Nagpur, Maharashtra indicates the geographical center of India.
39. There existed a Greek kingdom near Punjab that lasted more than 100 years after Alexander the Great’s empire fell apart.
40. A huge furore was raised in international media over recent execution of terrorists in India. The stats indicate that China executes thousands every year (10,000 in 2005), while India has executed only 2 since 2004.
41-50
41. Samosas are banned in Somalia for their resemblance to the shape of the Christian Holy Trinity.
42. It is alleged that Pakistan Military believed one Pakistani soldier was equal to four to ten Hindus or Indian soldiers, and thus invaded India even though India had a bigger army.
43. In 1965 Pakistan Air Force unsuccessfully tried to hijack a plane carrying Chief Minister of Gujarat, and his wife and finally shot down the plane resulting in their death.
44. To get an idea of the size of Mumbai, if Pakistan were to nuke South Bombay with its largest nuke, the immediate resulting damage wouldn’t even be felt in the suburbs.
45. Bangladesh, Pakistan and India contribute the highest number of UN Peacekeeping troopsin the world.
46. Border between India and Pakistan is visible from space at night.
47. The 2G Scam is placed 2nd on the “Top 10 Abuses of Power” by Times Magazine.
48. The world’s largest school in the world is City Montessori School of Lucknow. About 39,437 pupils were enrolled in 2010-2011.
49. All the Top 10 stores in the world by the number of pizzas sold in a year are from India.
50. Maggi is 123 years old.
