Latest World Records India 2013

Saturday 24 August 2013

The world’s biggest school in India

The world’s biggest school in India


 The first day in class for any new pupil can be an overwhelming experience, so imagine arriving for lessons as one of 40,000 pupils on the roll-call of the world's biggest school.
The latest edition of Guinness World Records awards the title to the City Montessori School (CMS) in Lucknow with 39,437 registered pupils in the 2010-2011 academic year.

world_Biggest_School_indiaThe school says that enrollment numbers have already risen above 45,000, with 2,500 teachers, 3,700 computers, 1,000 classrooms -- and one of the hardest first-eleven cricket teams to break into.CMS, as it is known, was opened by Jagdish Gandhi and his wife Bharti in 1959 with a loan of 300 rupees ($6 at current rates) and just five pupils.

Today it sprawls over 20 sites in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state, and is as famous for its exam results and international exchange programmes as for its scale.

"The phenomenal growth of our school is a reflection of our efforts to please our parents with our service to their children," said Gandhi, who is still involved in the school's management at the age of 75.

"Our students have exceptional academic results each year and outstanding global exposure. Getting this Guinness record is heartening but it's not just about size," he told AFP.

The pupils, who are aged between three and 17, all wear uniform and each class has about 45 members, but the whole school never gathers for assembly as there is nowhere big enough to hold them.

CMS, which receives no government funding, charges 1,000 rupees a month in fees for younger pupils, rising to 3,500 a month for seniors.


"In such a large school, there are many advantages, one being you get to make a lot of friends across the many sites that we have," Ritika Ghosh, 14, who has been at CMS for two years, told AFP. "But as the school is so huge it takes a lot of effort to get noticed. Otherwise you are just one of the thousands that study," she said. "There are certainly more challenges and competitions, which in the end prepares us for real life."


Fellow pupil Tanmay Tiwari, 16, credits the large size of the school for making him more outgoing. "I used to be very shy but the school has given me that confidence," he told AFP. "Now I am in the college team, debating in national competitions."

The school's size is matched only by its idealistic ambitions, with pupils taught a philosophy of universal peace and globalism under the motto "Jai Jagat" (Victory be to the World).

With pupils under fierce pressure to get good exam results, sport is not always a top priority, but cricket coach Raju Singh Chauhan says selecting a team is still tricky.
"To fish out sports talent in the 45,000-plus students can be a huge problem," he said. "For this reason we hold inter-branch competitions to dig out the best children and then eventually we get the bigger picture and our best eleven for the team."

CMS first held the title of the world's biggest school in 2005, when it had 29,212 pupils, beating the previous record holder, the Rizal High School in Manila, Philippines, which had 19,738 pupils.





Alumni include Ushhan Gundevia, an executive banker at Goldman Sachs, and Prakash Gupta, a senior United Nations diplomat in New York, as well as Harvard scholars and several leading surgeons and scientists.

"The school is an inspiration not only to the pupils, but also to anyone, anywhere who wants to make a positive difference," Craig Glenday, editor-in-chief of Guinness World Records, told AFP from London.

"The school understands that teaching is the most sacred of professions, and from humble origins to being the largest and one of the most respected educational establishment in the world, it is a truly awe-inspiring story."

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Janmashtami - Lord Krishna Birth Festival


Janmashtami also known as Gokulashtami is celebrated all over the country with great gusto. On this auspicious day, Lord Krishna took birth to end the wickedness which was growing day by day during those days. This day holds great significance among the Hindus and the ardent followers of Lord Krishna observe fast. India is a country of diversity and thus, there is a slight difference in the rituals and traditions which are followed in various parts of the country. People sing bhajans, give performances on the life and great achievements of Lord Krishna during this festive time. The idols of Lord Krishna are decorated very beautifully and the houses and temples are also adorned to welcome Lord Krishna. Till the date, Lord Krishna is showing His followers the path of honesty, truth and kindness through the holy book called Bhagavad Gita. Read the article to know more about the importance of Janmashtami along with the date on which it will be celebrated in 2013.

When Is Janmashtami Celebrated


According to the Hindu calendar, Janmashtami is celebrated on the 8th day of the Krishna Paksh or the dark half under the nakshtra Rohini, in the month of Shravana whereas as per the Gregorian calendar, it comes in the month of mid August-September. The Shravana month corresponds to the month of Bhadrapada Krishnapaksha, according to Barhapatyamana. It is said that Lord Krishna took birth in the year of Visvavasu, about 5,227 years ago. He was the avatar of Lord Krishna which came to the earth in Dwapara Yuga.

In present time, this festival is rejoiced for over two days because the nakshatra called Rohini and the 8th day of Krishna Paksh may not fall on the same day. This is why this festival is celebrated for two days, in which the first day is known as Krishnashtami, as on this day Lord Krishna took birth which comes on the eighth day after the festive occasion of Raksha Bandhan whereas the second day is called as Kalashtami.



Significance of Janmashtami
The festivities of Janmashtami start at midnight because it is said that God made his celestial appearance on the earth during this time. Conch is blown and the idol of Lord Krishna is given a consecrated bath with panchamrit and then with gangajal. After this, people perform special puja, perform aarti, offer sweets, fruits and fresh flowers as a tribute to the God. Also, they rock the cradle which indicates that Lord Krishna has taken birth. After performing the rituals, people break their fast by having the prasad.

Krishna Janmashtami - Dahi Handi Festival


The main objective of the coming of Lord Krishna on this earth was to make the people and the Mother Earth free from the evilness of the demons. He also played a very significant role in Mahabharta which was the legendary battle took place in Kurukshetra. He spreads the message of love, kindness, humanity, pure bhakti and good karma on the earth.

In 2013, the festive occasion of Janmashtami is on 28 August (Wednesday).

Monday 19 August 2013

Raksha Bandhan

Raksha Bandhan, (the bond of protection) or Rakhi is a Hindu festival primarily observed in India, Mauritius and Nepal(Madheshis only), which celebrates the relationship between brothers (shaurya), cousins and sisters (shreya). It is also called Rakhi Purnima in most of India. It is also celebrated in some parts of Pakistan. The festival is observed by Hindus, Jains, and some Sikhs.
In fact, the popular practice of Raksha Bandhan has its historical associations also. The Rajput queens practised the custom of sending rakhi threads to neighbouring rulers as token of brotherhood. The central ceremony involves the tying of a rakhi (sacred thread) by a sister on her brother's wrist. This symbolizes the sister's love and prayers for her brother's well-being, and the brother's lifelong vow to protect her. The festival falls on the full moon day (Shravan Poornima) of the Shravan month of the Hindu lunisolar calendar. One Islamic Scholar believes that Raksha Bandhan grew in popularity after Rani Karnavati, the widowed queen of Chittor, sent a rakhi to the Mughal emperor Humayun when she required his help.

Interesting facts about Rakhi

Yama, the lord of death, was blessed with eternity as his sister Yamuna tied up a Rakhi thread on his wrist. Since that time the festival of Raksha Bandhan is associated with tying of Rakhi thread.
Lord Krishna was left with a bleeding finger, after Shishupal's death. To stop bleeding, Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas, tore a strip of silk off her sari and tied it around Krishna's wrist. Touched by her concern, Krishna declared that he would protect her and promised to repay the debt manifold, and spent the next 25 years of his life doing just that.

Queen Karmavati of Chittor had sent a Rakhi to Humayun to protect her from Bahadur Shah. Humayun, then engaged in an expedition against Bengal, turned back to carry out his sacred brotherly duty and tried to protect her but was too late. Chittor had already fallen and the Rani had immolated herself in the Rajput custom of Jauhar.

Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel laureate poet used the occasion of the Raksha Bandhan as a community festival and gave a call to tie a rakhi amongst all Hindus and Muslims so as to maintain peace and harmony between them and spread the nationalist spirit among people from different ethnic backgrounds.

Other festivals on this day

In southern and central parts of India including Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Odisha, this day (i.e. Shravan Poornima day), is when the Brahmin community performs the rituals of Avani Avittam or Upakarma.

Balarama Jayanti
This is also celebrated as Shri Baladeva birth Ceremony. Lord Krishna's elder Brother Prabhu Balarama was born on this Poornima.

Raksha Bandhan celebrations in India and Nepal
While Raksha Bandhan is celebrated all over the country, different parts of the country mark the day in different ways.

In Nepal, Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on shravan purnima. It is also called Janaeu Purnima (Janaeu is sacred thread and purnima means full moon). Janaeu is changed in this day, in Brahmins and Kshetry families. A sacred thread is tied on wrist by senior family members and relatives. Nepalese people enjoy this festival, eating its special food "Kwati", a soup of sprout of seven different grains.

Rakhi Purnima

Rakhi is celebrated as Rakhi Purnima in North India. The word "Purnima" means a full moon night.

Gamha Purnima

Rakhi is also celebrated as Gamha Purnima in Odisha. On this date, all the domesticated Cows and Bullocks are decorated and worshipped. Various kinds of country-made cakes called Pitha and sweets mitha are made and distributed within families, relatives and friends. In Oriya Jagannath culture, the lord Krishna & Radha enjoy the beautiful rainy season of Shravana starting from Shukla Pakhya Ekadashi (usually 4 days before Purnima) and ending on Rakhi Purnima with a festival called Jhulan Yatra. Idols of Radha-Krishna are beautifully decorated on a swing called Jhulan, hence the name Jhulan Yatra.

Narali Purnima
In western India and parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa this day is celebrated as Narali Purnima. On this day, an offering of a coconut (naral in Marathi) is made to the sea, as a mark of respect to Lord Varuna, the God of the Sea. Narali Purnima marks the beginning of the fishing season and the fishermen, who depend on the sea for a living, make an offering to Lord Varuna so that they can reap bountiful fish from the sea.

Jandhyam Poornima
Jandhyam is Sanskrit for sacred thread, and Poornima denotes the full moon in Sanskrit.
The people of the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, celebrate Raksha Bandhan and Janopunyu (जन्यो पुन्यु) on the Shravani Purnima, it is a day on which people change their janeu जनेयु or जन्यो (sacred thread). On this day, the famous Bagwal fair is held at Devidhura in district Champawat. Punyu in Kumauni means Purnima or full moon it is the purnima in which the sacred thread Janeu or Janyo is ceremonially changed. The Raksha Bandhan celebrations are similar all across North India. The thread changing ceremony is done all over India.
Kajari Purnima
In central parts of India such as Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkand and Bihar this day is celebrated as Kajari Purnima. It is an important day for the farmers and women blessed with a son. On the ninth day after Shravana Amavasya, the preparations of the Kajari festival start. This ninth day is called Kajari Navami and varied rituals are performed by women who have sons until Kajri Purnima or the full moon day.

Pavitropana
In parts of Gujarat, this day is celebrated as Pavitropana. On this holiday, people perform the grand pooja or the worship of Lord Shiva. It is the culmination of the prayers done throughout the year.

Jhulan Purnima, Poonal/Jandhya Poornima/ Janyu
According to Bengali Culture and Celebration, in the state of West Bengal (India), this day is also called Jhulan Purnima. Prayers and puja of Lord Krishna and Radha are performed there. Sisters tie rakhi to Brothers and bestow immortality. Political Parties, Offices, Friends, Schools to colleges, Street to Palace celebrate this day with a new hope for a good relationship. Brahmins in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Konkan, and Odisha change their sacred threads on the same day (Janayu, called as Poonal in Tamil, Jandhyam in Sanskrit)

ABOUT RAJASTHAN

Rajasthan  known as "the land of kings", is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It comprises most of the area of the large, inhospitable Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, which parallels the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan to the west. Rajasthan is also bordered by Gujarat to the southwest, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to the northeast and Punjab to the north. Rajasthan covers 10.4% of India, an area of 342,239 square kilometres (132,139 sq mi).




Jaipur is the capital and the largest city of the state. Geographical features include the Thar Desert along north-western Rajasthan and the termination of the Ghaggar River near the archaeological ruins at Kalibanga of the Indus Valley Civilization, which are the oldest in the Indian subcontinent discovered so far.
One of the world's oldest mountain ranges, the Aravalli Range, cradles the only hill station of Rajasthan, Mount Abu, famous for Dilwara Temples, a sacred pilgrimage for Jains. Eastern Rajasthan has the world famous Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, a World Heritage Site[2] known for its bird life. It also has two national tiger reserves, Ranthambore and Sariska Tiger Reserve, and a famous temple in Khatu, Sikar district, dedicated to Khatu Shyam Ji. Rajasthan was formed on 30 March 1949, when the region known until then as Rajputana, consisting of erstwhile 18 princely states, two chiefships and the British district of Ajmer-Merwara.

Largest cities of Rajasthan with population
Jaipur- 30,73,349
Jodhpur- 10,33,918
Udaipur- 11,51,735
Kota- 10,01,365
Bikaner- 6,47,804
Ajmer- 5,42,580
Sriganganagar-3,70,768
Bhilwara- 3,60,009
Alwar- 3,15,310
Bharatpur - 2,52,109





TOURISM : 
Rajasthan is famous for its forts, intricately carved temples, and decorated havelis, which were built by Rajput kings in pre-Muslim era Rajasthan.[citation needed] Rajasthan's Jaipur Jantar Mantar, Dilwara Temples, Chittorgarh Fort, Lake Palace, miniature paintings in Bundi, and numerous city palaces and havelis are an important part of the architectural heritage of India. Jaipur, the Pink City, is noted for the ancient houses made of a type of sand stone dominated by a pink hue. In Bundi, maximum houses are painted blue. At Ajmer, the white marble Bara-dari on the Anasagar lake is exquisite. Jain Temples dot Rajasthan from north to south and east to west. Dilwara Temples of Mount Abu, Ranakpur Temple dedicated to Lord Adinath in Pali District, Jain temples in the fort complexes of Chittor, Jaisalmer and Kumbhalgarh, Lodurva Jain temples,Mirpur Jain Temples, Sarun Mata Temple kotputli, Bhandasar and Karni Mata Temple of Bikaner are some of the best examples.





I don't claim the information to be my own. It has been collected from various sources

The Himalayas


The Himalayas, also Himalaya is a mountain range in Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau.
The Himalayan range is home to some of the planet's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. The Himalayas include over a hundred mountains exceeding 7,200 metres (23,600 ft) in height. By contrast, the highest peak outside Asia—Aconcagua, in the Andes— is 6,961 metres (22,838 ft) tall.



The Himalayas have profoundly shaped the cultures of South Asia. Many Himalayan peaks are sacred in both Buddhism and Hinduism.
Besides the Greater Himalayas of these high peaks there are parallel lower ranges. The first foothills, reaching about a thousand meters along the northern edge of the plains, are called the Sivalik Hills or Sub-Himalayan Range. Further north is a higher range reaching two to three thousand meters known as the Lower Himalayan or Mahabharat Range.

The Himalayas abut or cross five countries: Bhutan, India, Nepal, China, and Pakistan, with the first three countries having sovereignty over most of the range. The Himalayas are bordered on the northwest by the Karakoram and Hindu Kush ranges, on the north by the Tibetan Plateau, and on the south by the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
Three of the world's major rivers, the Indus, the Ganges, and the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra all rise near Mount Kailash to cross and encircle the Himalayas. Their combined drainage basin is home to some 600 million people.
Lifted by the collision of the Indian tectonic plate with the Eurasian Plate, the Himalayan range runs, west-northwest to east-southeast, in an arc 2,400 kilometres (1,500 mi) long. Its western anchor, Nanga Parbat, lies just south of the northernmost bend of Indus river, its eastern anchor, Namcha Barwa, just west of the great bend of the Tsangpo river. The range varies in width from 400 kilometres (250 mi) in the west to 150 kilometres (93 mi) in the east.


 I don't claim the information to be my own. It has been collected from various sources

Saturday 17 August 2013

States and Union Territories of India

Indian state View

STATES OF INDIA


Number
State
Code
Capital
language(s)
1
Andhra Pradesh
AP
Hyderabad
Telugu, Urdu,English
2
Arunachal Pradesh
AR
Itanagar
3
Assam
AS
Dispur
Assamese,Bengali
4
Bihar
BR
Patna
Hindi,Magadhi,Maithili, Urdu
5
Chhattisgarh
CG
Raipur
Chattisgarhi,Hindi
6
Goa
GA
Panaji
7
Gujarat
GJ
Gandhinagar
8
Haryana
HR
Chandigarh
Hindi, Haryanvi
9
Himachal Pradesh
HP
Shimla
Hindi
10
Jammu and Kashmir
JK
Srinagar
Dogri, Kashmiri, Urdu
11
Jharkhand
JH
Ranchi
Hindi
12
Karnataka
KA
Bengalooru
Kannada
13
Kerala
KL
Thiruvananthapuram
Malayalam, English
14
Madhya Pradesh
MP
Bhopal
Hindi
15
Maharashtra
MH
Mumbai
Marathi
16
Manipur
MN
Imphal
Manipuri
17
Meghalaya
ML
Shillong
English, Pnar, Garo,
18
Mizoram
MZ
Aizawl
Mizo
19
Nagaland
NL
Kohima
English
20
Odisha
OD
Bhubaneswar
Oriya
21
Punjab
PB
Chandigarh
Punjabi
22
Rajasthan
RJ
Jaipur
Hindi
23
Sikkim
SK
Gangtok
Nepali, Bhutia, Sunwar
24
Tamil Nadu
TN
Chennai
Tamil
25
Tripura
TR
Agartala
Bengali, Tripuri
26
Uttar Pradesh
UP
Lucknow
Hindi, Urdu
27
Uttarakhand
UK
Dehradun
Hindi, Sanskrit
28
West Bengal
WB
Kolkata
Bengali, English



UNION TERRITORIES 



MAP
NAME
CODE
LANGUAGE
CAPITAL
A
AN
B
CH
English, Hindi,Punjabi
C
DN
English,Gujarati, Hindi,Marathi
D
DD
English,Gujarati, Hindi,Marathi
E
LD
English,Malayalam
F
DL
English,Hindi,Punjabi, Urdu
G
PY
French andTamil; Regional: Malayalam, Telugu



 I don't claim the information to be my own. It has been collected from various sources
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