Know India

DudhSagar Falls: Magnificance redefined!

aurora — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:46:38 -0700

Dudhsagar waterfalls situated at a distance of 60 Km from Margoa; that is, on the border of Goa and Karnataka and lying on the eastern border of Goa-Karnataka, is a beholder's delight.The water plummets hundreds of feet in large volumes during the monsoon season, forming one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in Goa. It is a major part of the Goa ecosystem.This is a four tiered waterfall with a total height of 310 meters (1017 feet} and an average width of 30 meters (100 feet).

The Birth of Indian Cinema

aurora — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:28:29 -0700

The Indian film industry is the largest in the world in terms of ticket sales and number of films produced annually. Movie tickets in India are among the cheapest in the world.The industry is mainly supported by the vast cinema-going Indian public. The Central Board of Film Certification of India cites on its website that every three months an audience as large as India's billion-strong population visits cinema halls. Indian films are popular in various parts of the world, especially in countries with significant Indian communities.

One and only of it's type: The Nehru Cup Boat Race

aurora — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:26:14 -0700

The Nehru Trophy Boat Race on the Punnamda Lake, near Alappuzha, held on the second Saturday of August every year, is the most competitive and popular of the boat races. There are several boat races in Kerala like Champakulam, Pulinkunnu, Aranmula Cheruthana, etc but the Nehru Trophy Boat Race held at the Punnamada Lake is the most famous and popular among them.On the day of this fiercely fought boat race, the tranquil lake front is transformed into a sea of humanity with an estimated two lakh people, including tourists from abroad, coming to watch the event. For the people of each village in Kuttanad, a victory at this race for their village boat is something to be celebrated for months to come.

The Param Vir Chakra: An ode to the bravest of all

aurora — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:17:40 -0700

The Parama Vira Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of the enemy.The PVC was established on 26 January 1950 (the date of India becoming a republic), by the President of India, with effect from 15 August 1947 .It can be awarded to officers or enlisted personnel from all branches of the Indian military. It is the second highest award of the government of India after Bharat Ratna (amendment in the statute on 26 January 1980 resulted in this order of wearing). It replaced the former British colonial Victoria Cross (VC).

The Golden Temple at Amritsar: Uniqueness defined!

aurora — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:03:55 -0700

Sri Harmandir Sahib, also known as Sri Darbar Sahib or Golden Temple, (on account of its scenic beauty and golden coating for English speaking world), is named after Hari(God) the temple of God.The Sikhs all over the world, daily wish to pay visit to Sri Amritsar and to pay obeisance at Sri Harmandir Sahib in their Ardas.

Digboi: The worlds oldest continuously producing oilfield!

aurora — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:43:39 -0700

Digboi is a town and a town area committee in Tinsukia district in the north-eastern part of the state of Assam, India.The town's history begins in 1867 when a small group of men from the Assam Railway and Trading Co. found their elephants' legs soaked in black mud, that smelt somewhat like oil. The men began exploring more, and in 1889, the English started a small oil installation. India (and Asia) obtained its first refinery in Digboi in the year 1901. Various web sites offer variations on the elephant’s foot story, a consensus of which would be that engineers extending the Dibru-Sadiya railway line to Ledo for the Assam Railways and Trading Company (AR&TC) in 1882 were using elephants for haulage and noticed that the mud on one pachyderm’s feet smelled of oil. Retracing the trail of footprints, they found oil seeping to the surface. One of the engineers, the Englishman (not Canadian) Willie Leova Lake, was an ‘oil enthusiast’ and persuaded the company to drill a well.Oil India Ltd makes no reference to elephants’ feet in its company history,noting only that Lake noticed “the oil seepages around Borbhil”. Once the project had been approved, Lake assembled equipment, boilers, and local labour, and engaged elephants to haul the machinery to the site.

Brihadeswara temple: A sight of World Heritage

aurora — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 09:22:30 -0700

.The Brihadeswara temple is one of the most ancient and the most celebrated Hindu temple in the world.The temple is located in the city of Thanjavur that is also known as Tanjore, in the Indian province of Tamilnadu. The UNESCO has adjudged this thousand years old temple a "World Heritage Site".

Indian Volleyball: A Brief Insight

aurora — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:24:22 -0700

India. . The game of Volleyball was brought to India more than 70 years ago when some Physical Education teachers who had been abroad, were trained in different games including Volleyball. Y.M.C.A., College of Physical Education, Madras took this game seriously and started training of Volleyball in The students trained here took the sport to other parts of the country. The formation of V.F.I. has been one of the main factors in the development and popularization of the game of Volleyball in India.

LCA: Light Combat Aircraft

aurora — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:14:19 -0700

LCA is an advanced technology, single seat, single engine, supersonic, light-weight, all-weather, multi-role, air superiority fighter designed for air-to-air, air-to-ground and air-to-sea combat roles. LCA is the world's smallest, light weight, multi-role supersonic combat aircraft. It has been designed to meet the requirements of Indian Air Force as its frontline multi-mission single-seat tactical aircraft.The LCA design has been configured to match the demands of modern combat scenario such as speed, acceleration, maneuverability and agility. Short takeoff and landing, excellent flight performance, safety, reliability and maintainability, are salient features of LCA design. The LCA integrates modern design concepts like static instability, digital fly-by-wire flight control system, integrated avionics, glass cockpit, primary composite structure, multi-mode radar, microprocessor based utility and brake management systems.

Daskathia: Orissa's pecularity

aurora — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:56:13 -0700

DASKATHIA, once a popular art form confined to Ganjam, has spread to all other Districts of Orissa. 'Dasa" means a devotee. 'Katha' means two wooden pieces played in tune with the prayer of the devotee. The party consists of two persons. One is the chief singer, the other is the 'Palia' who helps him in all respects in singing and acting. The two persons stage a whole drama, act all the parts, change their tone from minute to minute. They relates humorous stories in between to break the monotony.