India is a country located in South Asia. It is the second-most populous nation which is the seventh-largest country by area, and the most populous democracy in the world. In fact, it is a land of mystery and known for incredible history.
India is not only big in terms of population but also in terms of diversity and cultural heritage. India gained Independence from the British rule back in the year 1947. Talking about the details of our national flag that has four colours namely- Saffron, White, Green and Navy blue. Each colour signifies a particular message.
Navy blue wheel with 24 spokes is Dharma Chakra while the saffron colour stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation. The white colour signifies purity and truth whereas the green stripe stands for faith and fertility.
Now, in this article, we will learn about 25 incredible facts about India.
25. Rajma is not an Indian dish. It first came to India from Mexico and slowly, it became a part of our cuisine.
24. Kites were not invented by Indians. Shocking right? They were invented by China.
23. Samosa is not an Indian dish. Yes, you read it right. It was originated in Central Asia.
22. The highest cricket pitch in the world is located in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. It is situated at a height of 2,444 metres above sea level.
21. Did you know? India is the largest producer of movies. Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood and other regional cinema industries together produce more movies than any nations in the world.
20. USB, abbreviated as Universal Serial Bus is one of the most commonly used things in today’s life. It was invented by an Indian-American computer architect Ajay V. Bhatt.
19. Dolphins are deemed as non-human persons in India. We all know that dolphins are cognitively-strong and quite interactive with humans as compared to other animals. This is exactly the main reason why the Government of India officially declared that they should be treated just like humans. Holding dolphins captive is illegal in India.
18. One can easily get a personalised stamp with your own picture on it from the government.
17. Until the year, 1896, India was the only official place for Diamonds. Yes, in the 19th century, India was the only nation in the world where diamonds were mined. The diamond mines of Golconda near the modern city of Hyderabad are talked about around the world for the most popular diamonds in history found there. Now, you know why Britain was so determined in keeping their Colonial rule in India.
16. For the uninitiated, Plastic Surgery was majorly invented in India. Sushruta, an ancient surgeon made a huge contribution to medical science in the field of plastic and cataract surgery back in the 6th century.
15. India gave something very important to the world and i.e. Buttons.
14. Did you know? The Pentium Chip was invented by an Indian. Vinod Dham, known as the Father of the Pentium Chip is the genius behind the invention of Pentium Chip.
13. As Indians, we must be proud of India’s space program which is one of the Top 5 space programs in the world. Despite budget issues, India still made it to the top 5 of space programs in the world.
12. Did you know? India’s first-ever rocket was carried on a bicycle in the year 1963 and the first satellite on a bullock cart.
11. After USA, India is the largest English-speaking population. In India, 11.38% of the population knows English. However, it is quite obvious that due to high population, we have managed to achieve this feat.
10. Railways are the second fastest mode of transport. It is also the most dependable mode of transport as people can sit comfortably in trains during weather conditions like fogs, rains, etc. It offers a wide range of facilities compared to other means of transport. Indian Railways has around 1.4 million employees and this number is more than the population of several popular cities in the world.
9. Did you know that the world’s largest school is located in India? Yes, the City Montessori School which is located in Lucknow holds the Guinness Book of World Record for being the largest school in the world in terms of the total number of students.
8. The ever-so spectacular gathering of Kumbh Mela is clearly visible from space in our naked eye. Here is the picture of Kumbh Mela clicked from outer space.
7. The production cost of one 1 Rupee coin is estimated to be around Rs. 1.11. Yes, you read it right. The cost of Rs 2 coin is Rs 1.28 and Rs 5 coin is said to be Rs 3.69. The new Rs 10 currency coins cost Rs 5.54 each.
6. Did you know? India is mainly responsible for the origin of Calculus and Trigonometry. We might hate these subjects but these subjects have come out of India and also reached the world.
5. Do you get goosebumps when you hear the name, Bear Grylls? Yes, because he is definitely from another planet. His real name is Edward Michael Grylls. He is a Northern-Irish adventurer, writer and also a Television presenter. He is well known for his Television series ‘Man vs Wild’. Man Vs. Wild presenter had a dream of joining the Indian army after his school days.
It is good to hear someone from outside India showing some admiration for the Indian Army. Bear Grylls has always had a liking for the elite Indian Army. He also wanted to join them after his schooling because he was highly fascinated by the great adventure he experienced during his visit to India. He had heard how Indian army gave independence to Bangladesh from Pakistan and Made 94 Thousand Pak soldiers surrender. Devoid of Indian citizenship, he was unable to join the Army. However, he still spent some quality time with Indian Army in Sikkim.
Bear had a friend named Watty with whom he stepped in India to learn the skills of mountaineering. Luckily, he was taught the unmatched skills of hiking and mountaineering by a retired Indian Army Officer, in what turned out to be the best learning day for him. This is the reason he wanted to join the Indian Army as he was highly influenced by Indian Army officers’ lives.
4. Only three cities of India are said to be the world’s fastest-growing cities from 2006 and 2020. Ghaziabad, Surat and Faridabad are among the world’s fastest-growing cities.
3. In the majority of the places in India, when a man marries a woman, the latter moves to the former’s house. But, there are some places in the country where a man marries a woman and then moves to his mother-in-law’s house. Khasi in Meghalaya and matrilineal Muslims in Minicoy, Lakshadweep are the places.
2. How many of you all know that India doesn’t have a national game? Hockey is not a national game. Shocked? For the unversed, there is no national game at all.
1. Hindi is not the national language of India and perhaps the majority of the people have accepted it as the national language but it is not. There are more than 20 official languages in India and Hindi is one of them.
Written By: Sagar Abhinandan
This article was originally published on theyouth.