India is not an underdeveloped country
India is not, as people keep calling it, an underdeveloped country, but rather, in the context of its history and cultural heritage, a highly developed one in an advanced state of decay.
History
Quotable quotes
India is a strange land
India is a strange land where people are loved not because they have power, but because they give up power.
The concept of dynastic succession
The concept of dynastic succession is altogether foreign to a parliamentary democracy like ours, besides being repugnant to my own mind.
- ‹ previous
- 9 of 9
Did you know?
Alam Ara
India's first talkie was Alam Ara (1931) starring Zubeida, who, as the daughter of the Nawab of Sachin, was a princess in real life. The film is now lost.
The Rupee vs. The Dollar
On Aug 15, 1947, one Indian Rupee was equal to one US dollar as it was linked to the British Pound. It fell to 4.79 in 1966 and prior to the 1991 liberalisation, it stood at 17.90 to the dollar.
Smiling Buddha
India's first nuclear test was conducted in 1974 in Pokharan, Rajasthan. It was codenamed Smiling Buddha.
Temples of Modern India
Dams are sometimes referred to as the temples of modern India. This epithet stems from a speech delivered by Nehru during the opening ceremony of the Bhakra Dam where he said, "This dam has been built with the unrelenting toil of man for the benefit of mankind and therefore is worthy of worship. May you call it a Temple or a Gurdwara or a Mosque, it inspires our admiration and reverence".
Cochinchina
For a few centuries before independence, a part of southern Vietnam was called Cochinchina. It was so named by 16th century Portuguese traders to distinguish its Malay name, Kuchi, from their Indian base in Cochin/Kochi in Kerala.
Shah Rukh
Timur / Tamerlane / Timur the Lame, founder of the Timurid dynasty and decimator of 5% of the world's population had a son named Shah Rukh.
Telangana and the gentlemen's agreement
Telangana's claim for statehood hinged on what it believed were violations of the Gentlemen's Agreement of Andhra Pradesh, an agreement signed between the leaders of Andhra and Telangana in 1956.
Indira Gandhi in Puri
In 1984, Indira Gandhi was not allowed to enter the temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri because she had married a Parsi, Feroze Gandhi.
- ‹ previous
- 9 of 11
- next ›