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The India I love does not make the headlines. But I find it wherever I go — in field or forest, town or village, mountain or desert — and in the hearts and minds of people who have given me love and affection for the better part of a lifetime.
The Greeks, in their mythology, were only disciples of India and Egypt. It is not [for] us who were just barbaric savages, when these peoples were civilized and learned, to dispute their antiquity.
I am convinced that everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganges: astronomy, astrology, metempsychosis, etc.
11,000 Lamborghinis are manufactured annually in a plant in Ranipet, Tamil Nadu. These Lamborghinis are unfortunately not of the supercar variety. Instead, they are hardy tractors built primarily for the export market.
Curry is considered to be one of the national dishes of Japan. It was introduced by the British in the late 19th century, and, until relatively recently, was believed to be a Western dish.
A popular dish of Kenya is Kachumbari, a fresh tomato and onion salad. The dish (and the word) is derived from the Hindi Kachumber (or Koshumbri).
In 1987, famed freedom fighter, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna. He was then a Pakistani national and thereby became the first non-Indian to be honoured so.
In 1990, the Nishan-e-Pakistan, the highest civilian honour bestowed by the government of Pakistan, was awarded to Morarji Desai. He is the only Indian to have been so honoured.
Rukmini Devi Arundale, famed danseuse and founder of Kalakshetra, turned down an offer to become the President of India in 1977 because she would not have been able to walk barefoot in the corridors of the Rashtrapathi Bhavan and could not bear security guards.
Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini used Hindi as his pen name when he composed ghazals. His grandfather, Seyyed Ahmad Musavi Hindi, emigrated from India to Khomein in Iran in the 1830s.
The Tamil slang for something free of charge, oasi, is derived from the abbreviation, OC, which expands to On Company's Service. The company in question was the British East India Company which stamped its official mail with these letters to avoid having to pay postage.