General Awareness Ebook

GENERAL AWARENESS
General Awareness Unit I : 1-16

General Awareness Unit II : 17-41
General Awareness Unit III : 42-59
General Awareness Unit IV : 60-82
General Awareness Unit V : 83-106
COURTESY :
CMS COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & COMMERCE
( AUTONOMOUS)

THE UNIVERSE
SOLAR SYSTEM - STATISTICS
The solar system consists of the Sun and 9 planets
revolving around it in different orbits. The statistics of
the sun and the planets are given below :

SUN
Age : About 5 Billion years
Distance : 149.8 Million Kms
Diameter : 1,38,400 Kms.
Photosphere temperature : 5,770 K
Core temperature : 150,000,000 K
Absolute visual magnitude : 4.75
Rotation (as seen from the
earth at the equator) : 25.38 days
Rotation (near the poles) : 33 days
The sun consists of 71% of Hydrogen, 26.5% Helium and
2.5% of other elements.
The rays of the Sun take about 8 minutes to reach the
earth.

PLANETS
(1) MERCURY : It is the planet nearest to
the earth.
Average distance
to the Sun : 57.6 Million Kms.
Diameter : 4,849.6 Kms.
Period of revolution : 88 days
Period of rotation : 58 days 15 hrs 30 mts. 34
sec.

(2) VENUS : It is also known as the
Morning Star or the
Evening Star. It is the
brightest of all the
planets.
Diameter : 12,032 Kms.
Period of rotation : 243 days 14mts.

(3) EARTH
Equatorial diameter : 12,756 Kms.
Polar diameter : 12,714 Kms.
Distance from the Sun : 149,597,900 Kms.
Period of revolution : 365 days 5 hrs, 48 mts,
45.51 sec.
Period of rotation : 23 hrs 56 mts. 4.09 sec.

(4) MARS
Diameter : 6,755.2 Kms.
Distance from the Sun : 225.6 Million Kms.
Period of rotation : 24 hrs 37 mts. 22.663 sec.

(5) JUPITER : This is the largest planet
in the solar system.
Distance from the Sun : 772.8 Million Kms.
Period of revolution : 11.9 years
Period of rotation : 9 hrs 50 mts. 30 sec.

(6) SATURN : It was discovered by
Galileo. Diameter
: 119,296 Kms.
Distance from the Sun : 1,417.6 Million Kms.
Period of revolution : 29.5 years
Period of rotation : 10 hrs 14 mts.

(7) URANUS
Period of revolution : 84 years

(8) NEPTUNE
Distance from the Sun : 4,497 Million Kms.

(9) PLUTO : This is the coldest and
smallest of all planets. It
is also the most distant
one.
Period of rotation : 6 days 9 hrs and 18 mts.

MOON : Moon is earth's satellite.
Its period of rotation and
Period of Revolution are
1
the same. i.e.29
2
days.

THE EARTH DATA
Surface Area : 510,100,500 Sq.Kms.

Polar radius : 6,357 Kms.
Land Surface : 148,950,800
(29.08%)
Water Surface : 361,149,700
(70.92%)
Equatorial circumference : 40,075 Kms.
Polar circumference : 40,008 Kms
Equatorial radius : 6,377 Kms.
Equatorial Diameter : 1,22,756 Kms.
Sq.Kms.
Sq.Kms.
Polar Diameter : 12,714 Kms.
Mean distance from the
Sun : 14,95,97,900 Kms.
Period of revolution : 365 days 5 hours 48 mts.
45.51 Sec.
Period of rotation : 23 hrs. 56 mts. 4.091 Sec.
Escape Velocity from
the earth : 11 Km per Sec. (minimum)

THE
The Earth and the Solar System :
WORLD
The seasons are due to the change of the Earths
The Earth is a member of the Solar System. It is one
of nine major planets revolving round the Sun. Of these,
Mercury and Venus are nearer, and Mars, Jupiter, Saturn,
Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are farther away from the
Sun than the Earth.

The planets radiate no light of their own, but shine
with that reflected from the Sun. The Sun has a diameter
of 864,000 miles (1,390,000 Kms) and it is 93,000,000 miles
(150,000,000 Kms) from the Earth. The Sun is a star. The
stars, unlike the planets, are self-luminous bodies. The
other stars appear small because they are so far away;
the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is 200,000 times more
distant from us than the Sun.

The Moon is a dead planet. It is about 240,000 miles
(386,000 Kms) from the Earth. The Moon revolves round
the Earth taking approximately 29 days to complete one
round. The phases of the Moon are the result of its
position in relation to the Earth and the Sun.

The Moons orbit is ecliptical and inclined at an
angle of 5
o
to the plane of the Earths orbit. This explains
why we do not have a total eclipse of the Sun every time
there is a new moon.

The Earth:
The Earth is a sphere but it is not a perfect sphere.
It is slightly flattened at the poles and bulges at the
equator. The circumference of the earth is approximately
25,000 miles (40,000 Kms).

It rotates on its axis once in every 24 hours, spinning
from west to east. Besides spinning on its axis, it also
moves round the Sun, called the revolution.

Its orbit round the Sun is oval or ecliptical. The
time taken to complete one revolution is approximately
365 days or one year. For convenience, one year is
taken as 365 days and the shortfall of day each
year is made good in the Leap Year which consists of
366 days. The Earths axis inclined to the plane of its
orbit at an angle of 66
O
.
position in the course of its revolution about the Sun,
and to the inclination of its axis. The Equator is an
imaginary line drawn round the Earth midway between
the Poles. There are two other lines, namely, Tropic of
Cancer (23
O
N) and the Tropic of Capricon (23
O
S).
The word tropic means, turning place. The inclination
of the Earths axis together with its revolution round the
Sun is the cause of the varying length of day and night in
different parts of the world. On March 21 (Vernal Equinox)
and September 23 (Autumnal Equinox) the Sun is over-
head at the Equator. On these dates, except at the Poles,
(a) days and nights are equal all over the world; and (b)
the Sun rises exactly due east and set exactly due west at
all places on the Earths surface. At the Equator itself
days and nights are equal throughout the year. Between
March 21 and September 23, when the North Pole is tilted
towards the Sun, the days are longer than the nights
throughout the Northern Hemisphere and there is
continuous daylight at the North Pole. Similar conditions
are experienced in the Southern Hemisphere and the
South Pole between September 25 and March 21.

Latitude and Longitude:
Latitude is distance, measured in degrees, north or
south of the Equator. Longitude is distance, measured in
degrees, east or west of any fixed meridian. The meridian
passing through Greenwich is numbered 0
O
. On a globe
the meridians are numbered from 0
O
to 180
O
E (East) or W
(West). At the equator the degrees are 69 to 70 miles
apart (25000360). Since earth completes one rotation on
its axis in 24 hours, 360 meridians pass under the Sun in
that time. Therefore, 1 degree passes under the Sun every
4 minutes.

International Date Line:
If we travelled westward to a place X on longitude
180
o
W, the time there would be 12 hours behind
Greenwich time (180 x 4 minutes = 720 minutes = 12 hours).
If we journeyed eastward to a place Y on longitude 180
o
E, the time there would be 12 hours ahead of Greenwich
time. Thus X and Y both on 180
o
have the same time but

differ in date by a day (12 hours + 12 hours = 24 hours).
To overcome the confusion that would otherwise arise,
the International Date Line has been established. It runs
along 180
o
E or W. Westward-bound vessels crossing
the Date Line drop a day from the calendar, while those
going eastward add a day by giving the same date to two
consecutive days. Instead of changing the time exactly
according to change in degrees at the rate of 4 minutes
per degree, certain time zones have been established. All
places in the same area or time zone or time belt, use
what is called Standard Time. Thus we have the
Greenwich Mean Time (G.M.T) and the Indian Standard
Time (I.S.T). There are five time-belts in Canada and four
in United States.

The Lithosphere:
The mass of the Earth is generally divided into three
layers, namely, Crust, Mantle and Core. The Lithosphere
is the name given to the outer Crust which is not more
than 10 miles thick. It is made up of a great variety of
rocks, soils, etc.

Rocks:
1. Sedimentary Rocks:These rocks are made up of
deposits laid down on the floor of river beds, lakes
and seas.
Examples:Sand and sandstone, clay, lime stone,
chalk and carbonaceous rocks, such as lignite, coal
and anthracite.
2. Igneous Rocks:These are primary rocks which are
formed by cooling and solidification of molten lava.
When such rocks are poured out on the surface
they are known as Volcanic rocks, e.g. basalt. When
the molten material solidifies at considerable depth,
plutonic rocks are formed, e.g. granite.
3. Metamorphic Rocks:These rocks are formed as a
result of alteration by extreme heat and or pressure
of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Example, slate,
gneiss, schist etc.

Soil:
The upper layers of rocks weather to form the soil.
There are three distinct layers of soil. The uppermost
layer forms the top soil. The second layer is called the
subsoil. The third layer is made up of decomposing and
much-broken rock, known as mantle- rock. The type of
soil depends on a number of factors, namely, climatic
conditions, the nature of the parent rock, relief, vegetation
and the period over which it has been worked by man.
Soils may by broadly classified as (a) Forest, (b) Grassland
and (c) Desert types.

Mountains:
In past geological ages disturbances in the Earths
interior have caused crumpling and cracking of the crust.
This has resulted in great upholds forming Fold-
Mountains which are mainly made up of folded strata of
sedimentary rocks, e.g. the Alps, the Rockies, the Andes,
and the Himalayas. The mountain structures worn down
by prolonged denudation are known as Residual
Mountains, e.g. Highlands of Scotland and Scandinavia.

Denudation:
The process known as denudation or the wearing
away of the land is continually going on. The chief causes
of such erosion are (a) changes in temperature; (b) frost;
(c) winds; (d) water, including rivers; (e) ice; and (f) the
action of the sea. Steps to combat soil erosion include (i)
terracing; (ii) contour ploughing; (iii) strip cropping (iv)
planting shelter belts of trees; and (v) plugging the gullies
by building small dams etc.

The Atmosphere:
The air is composed mainly of nitrogen (78%) and
oxygen (21%) with small proportions of carbon dioxide,
water vapour and rarer gases like argon and neon.
Atmosphere is 200 miles thick, but nine-tenths of the air
composing it is found within 12 miles, and half within 3
miles of the earths surface. We are concerned mainly
with the lower layer of troposphere. The upper layers in
the ascending order are Stratosphere, Mesosphere and
Ionosphere. Troposphere extends to a distance of about
ten kilometres. Stratosphere is a region extending from
an altitude of about 11 Km to 50 Km above the earth. The
upper part of stratosphere has plenty of ozone which
protects us from the fatal effects of Suns ultraviolet
radiation. Mesosphere is the next layer extending from 50
to 80 Kms above the earth. It is a very cold region.
Ionosphere extends from about 60 Kms upwards. It
includes Thermosphere and Exosphere which marks the
outer limits of the earths atmosphere.

Wind is air in motion:
The chief cause of wind is difference in atmosphere
pressure. One of the main reasons for differences in
pressure is unequal heating of the air. From the high
pressure belts the air flows outwards to the regions of
low pressure. Owing to the rotation of the earth, the winds
do not blow due north and south, but are deflected. In
this deflection they obey Ferrels Law which states, Any
moving body on the earth surface including a current of
air, tends to be deflected, the deflection being to the right
in the northern hemisphere and to the left in southern
hemisphere. Land and seabreezed are local winds caused
by the unequal heating of land and water. During the day
the land becomes very much hotter than the sea, with the
result that there is marked low pressure over the land.
Thus the air over the sea flows rapidly loses heat, but the
sea remains warm for a longer time. Thus at night, heavy
cool air blows from the land to take the place of warm air
rising over the sea. The monsoon or seasonal winds may
be regarded as land and sea breezes on a large scale, in
which the time-frame is a year instead of a day. This
phenomenon is to be found in south-east Asia, but is
especially marked in the subcontinent of India. A cyclone
is a portion of the atmosphere in which the pressure is
lowest in the centre. The winds blow inwards in anti-
clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere. In the

Southern Hemisphere cyclonic winds blow in a clockwise
direction in accordance with Ferrels Law. An anticyclone
is a portion of the atmosphere in which the pressure is
highest in the centre. The winds blow outwards in a
clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere and in
an anti-clockwise direction in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Oceans:
It is estimated that 72% of the surface of the globe
is covered with water. The Pacific, which is the greatest
of all oceans, covers a third of the earths surface, its
total area being greater than that of all the dry land.
Atlantic is slightly less than half the size of the Pacific,
yet so many great rivers flow into it that it receives half
the drainage of the world. The other oceans are Indian,
Mediterranean, Antarctic and Arctic. The average depth
of the ocean is 12,500 feet, compared with the average
height of the land which is about 2,500 feet. The greatest
known depth is that of the Marianas Trench in the Pacific,
where a depth of 35,800 feet has been recorded.

Tides:
Tides are caused by the gravitational attraction -
the pull of the moon on the earth, sometimes assisted
by and sometimes hindered by the Sun.At new and full
moon, when the Sun, Moon and Earth are practically in a
straight line the attractive force of the Sun increases that
of the Moon. Such high tides are called spring tides.

Weather and Climates:
Weather may be defined as the condition of the
atmosphere at any place at a particular time. The average
weather conditions determine the climate. Humidity,
temperature, elevation, distance from the sea, ocean
currents, atmosphere pressure and prevailing winds
combine to affect the climate of a region.
Humidity:
Humidity, the term used to express the dampness
of the atmosphere, is due to the pressure of water vapour
Evaporation is the mean by which water is drawn off as
invisible water vapour from oceans, lakes, rivers, etc.
when the air contains as much water vapour as it can
hold is said to be saturated. When saturated air is cooled
condensation takes place and some of the water which
form the clouds grow larger, they precipitate i.e., fall to
the earth as rain. The proportion of water vapour in the
air, compared with the maximum it can hold at the same
temperature, is known as Relative Humidity. Dew is
caused by the condensation of water vapour on the cold
ground during the night. The temperature at which such
condensation takes place is called the Dew Point. When
condensation takes place near the surface (and not on
the ground) the result is usually mist or fog. When
condensation takes place at some distance from the
ground, clouds are formed. When water vapour is
condensed at a temperature below freezing point it forms
snow. There are various kinds of clouds. The layer like
clouds often seen on the horizon at sunrise and sunset
are called stratus clouds. The light wispy clouds formed
high in the sky are called cirrus clouds. The heaped up
clouds, looking rather like masses of cotton wool are called
cumulus clouds. The black rain clouds are known as
nimbus.

Temperature:
Of all climatic factors, temperature is the most
important. It affects mans food, crops, dress and the
type of dwelling he builds. Temperature decreases 1
o
F
for every 300 feet above the sea-level. This decrease
is largely due to the fact that the rarified air, found
in elevated regions, absorbs less heat than the denser
air at lower levels.

SEVEN WONDERS
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD
1. The Pyramids of Khufu
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
3. The Temple of Artem is at Ephesus
4. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia
5. The Mausolus at Halicarnassus
6. The Colossus of Rhodes
7. The Pharos (Lighthouse) at Alexandria

SEVEN WONDERS
OF THE MEDIEVAL WORLD
1. The Colosseum of Rome
2. The Great Wall of China
3. The Porcelain Tower of Nanking, Cahina
4. The Mosque at St.Sophia (Constantinople)
5. The Stonehenge of England
6. The Catacombs of Alexandria
7. The Leaning Tower of Pisa
SEVEN NATURAL WONDERS
OF THE WORLD
1. Mount Everest, on the border of Tibet and Nepal.
2. The Nile River, Egypt.
3. Rio de Janeiro Harbour.
4. Iguassu Falls, Argentina.
5. Yosemite Valley and the Giant Sequioas of California.
6. The Grand Canyon, Colorado River, Arizona.
7. The Northern Lights, especially from Northern
Canada and Alaska.

SEVEN WONDERS OF TODAY
1.Egypts Great Pyramids
2.Taj Mahal
3.Grand Canyon
4.Panama Canal
5.Empire State Building
6.St. Peters Basilica
7.Chinas Great Wall.

GEOGRAPHICAL
Aricas Motor City Detroit Britain of
he South New Zealand
Chinas Sorrow River Hwang Ho
City of Dreaming Spires Oxford (England)
City of Eternal Springs Quito (S.America)
City of Flowers Cape Town (S.Africa)
City of Golden Gate San Francisco (USA)
City of Magnificient Buildings Washington (USA)
City of Quiet thoroughfares Venice
City of Seven Hills Rome (Italy)
City of Skyscrapers New York (USA)
Cockpit of Europe Belgium Dark
Continent Africa
Emerald Isle Ireland
Empire City New York
Eternal City of Hopes Rome, Italy
Forbidden City Lhasa (Tibet)
Garden City Chicago
Garden in the desert Ethiopia
Garden of England Kent (England)
Gate of tears Strait of bab-el-Mandeb
Golden City Johannesburg
Gibraltar of Indian Ocean Aden
Gift of Nile Egypt
Granite City Aberdeen
Hanging Valleys Valley of Switzerland
Hermit Kingdom Korea
Herring Pond Atlantic Ocean
Holy Land Palestine
Human Equator of the Earth Himalayas
Island Continent Australia
Island of Cloves Zanzibar
Island of Pearls Bahrain (Persian Gulf)
Islands of Sunshine West Indies
Kashmir of Europe Switzerland
EPITHETS-WORLD
Key to Mediterranean Gibraltar
Land of Five Seas South West Asia
Land of Lakes Scotland
Land of Golden Pagoda Myanmar
Land of Kangaroo Australia
Land of Golden Fleece Australia
Land of Lilies Canada
Land of Maple Canada
Land of Midnight Sun Norway
Land of Morning Calm Korea
Land of Rising Sun Japan
Land of Setting Sun United Kingdom
Land of Thousand Elephants Laos
Land of Thousand Lakes Finland
Land of Thunderbolt Bhutan
Land of White Elephant Thailand
Loneliest Island Tristan De Gumha
(Mid. Atlantic)
Manchester of Japan Osaka (Japan)
Pillars of Hercules Straits of Gibraltar
Play Ground of Europe Switzerland
Quaker City Philadelphia
Queen of the Adriatic Venice
Roof of the World The pamirs (Tibet)
River in the Sea Gulf Stream
Sickman of Europe Turkey
Sugar Bowl of the world Cuba
Venice of the East Bangkok
Venice of the North Stockholm
White City Belgrade
Windy City Chicago
Workshop of Europe Belgium
Worlds Loneliest Island Tristan Da Cunha
Yellow River River Hwang Ho
(China)
FAMOUS LINES, FRONTIERS
Durand Line Pakistan and Afghanistan
Hindenburg Line Germany and Poland.

Maginot Line France and Germany.
Oder Neisse Line East Germany and Poland.
Radcliffe Line India and Pakistan
Siegfried Line Germany and France.
17th Parallel North and South Vietnam
24th Parallel India and Pakistan
38th Parallel North and South Korea
49th Parallel U.S.A. and Canada

GEOGRAPHICAL DISOVERIES
America Chiristopher Columbus
Sea-route to India Vasco-da-Gama
North Pole Robert Peary

WORLD -
Aluminium USA, France & India
Asbestos Canada, Zimbabwe
Bauxite Australia, Guinea
Chromium Zimbabwe, India
South Pole Amundsen
Suez Canal Designed by Ferdinand de
Lesseps

MINERALS
Copper Ore CIS, U.S.A.
Crude Oil CIS, Saudi Arabia
Diamonds CIS, Zaire
Gold South Africa, South America,
Coal U.S.A., England, Russia
Germany
and Australia
Graphite Ore CIS, Brazil

Ilmenite India
Iron Ore U.S.A., Russia
Lignite East Germany, CIS
Manganese Ore CIS, South Africa
Mercury Italy, Spain
Mica, Monazite India
Natural Gas U.S.A., CIS
Nickel Ore Canada, CIS
WORLD -
Baku (Russia) Petroleum
Bangkok (Thailand) Shipping
Belfast (Ireland) Ship buildings, Linen
goods
Buenos Aires (Argentina) Dairy Products
Cadiz (Spain) Cork
Chicago (U.S.A.) Gramophone
Detroit (U.S.A.) Automobiles
Petroleum U.S.A., Russia & Middle East
Countries
Phosphate U.S.A., CIS
Silver Mexico, U.S.A., and India
Steel U.S.A., Russia, U.K. & Germany
Tin Malaysia, Indonesia
Uranium U.S.A., Canada
Zinc Ore Canada, CIS
INDUSTRIES
Johannesburg (South Africa) Gold Mines
Kimberley (South Africa) Diamond Mining
Leeds (England) Woollen Goods
Los Angeles (U.S.A.) Film, Oil
Lyons (France) Silk
Morocco (North America) Leather
Munich (Germany) Lenses
New Orleans (U.S.A.) Cotton
Dresden Optical and Pitsburg (U.S.A.) Iron and Steel
P h o t o g r a p h i c
apparatus
Glasgow (Scotland) Machinery, Textiles
Havana (Cuba) Cigar
Hollywood (U.S.A.) Films
Plymouth (England) Ship building
Sheffield Cutlery
Venice (Italy) Glass
Vienna (Austria) Glass
Wellington (New Zealand) Dairy Products

COUNTRIES AND
Bechuanaland Botswana
Burma Myanmar
Ceylon Sri Lanka
Dutch Guiana Surinam
Formosa Taiwan
India Bharat

ALTERNATIVE NAMES
Japan Nippon
North Borneo Sabah
Kampuchea Cambodia
Rhodesia Zimbabwe
Siam Thailand
South-West Africa Namibia
NATIONAL
Australia Kangaroo
Canada White Lily
France Lily
India Lioned Capital of Asoka
Italy White Lily
EMBLEMS
Japan Chrysanthemum
Pakistan Crescent
Spain Eagle
U.K. Rose
U.S.A. Golden Rod

NAME OF PARLIAMENT
Afghanistan Shora
Britain Parliament
Denmark Folketing
Germany Bundestag
India Parliament
Iran Majlis
Israel Knesset
Japan Diet
Malaysia Majlis
SIGNS
Sun Air India
Wheel (Chakra) Progress
Red Triangle Family Planning

AND
Nepal Panchayat
Netherlands States General
Norway Storting
Poland Seym
Russia Supreme Soviet
Spain Crotes
Sweden Riksdag
Taiwan Yuan
U.S.A. Congress
SYMBOLS
White Flag Truce
Olive Branch Peace
Stars and Stripes National Flag of U.S.A.
Black Flag Protest (or Flag flown at half mast
National Mourning)
Red Cross Hospital Medical Aid
Red Light Traffic Sign Stop
Lotus Culture & Civilization
Tricolour National Flag of India
Justice A Blind-folded woman holding a
balanced scale.
Union Jack National flag of U.K.
Hammer & Sickle National Flag of Russia

Highest - Biggest - Longest - Deepest - Largest - Smallest
ARCHIPELAGO
Largest Indonesia
AREA
Smallest State in Area (India) Goa
Smallest Union Territory Lakshadweep
Largest State in Area (India) Madhya Pradesh
Largest City in Area (World) London

ANIMAL
Tallest Animal Giraffe
Fastest Animal at short run Cheetah
Fastest Animal The Peregerine
Falcon
Largest existing Land animal Elephant
Most Intelligent Animal Chimpanzee
Most Cunning Animal Fox
Largest Sea Animal Blue Whale

BELL
Largest Bell (World) Greatest Bell of
Moscow (Russia)

BIRD
Largest Bird Ostrich
Largest Sea-bird Albatross
Fastest Bird Swift
Flightless Bird Swift
Smallest Bird Humming Bird
Singing Bird Nightingale

BRIDGE
Longest Railway Bridge (India) Sone Bridge (Bihar)
Longest Steel Arch Bridge New River Gorge
Bridge, 518.2 m long
(West Virginia, USA)
Longest combined Highway The Yangtse River
Bridge
and Railway Bridge 6,772 m rail deck and
4,589 road deck
(Nanking, China)
Longest Railway Bridge Huey P. Long Bridge,
7009 m (Metairie,
Louisiana, USA)
Highest Road Bridge Bailey Bridge built
by the Indian Army,
30 m long at an
altitude of 5600 m
( K h a r d u n g i a ,
Ladakh)
Highest River Bridge Royal Gorge, 321 m
above sea level on
the river Arkansas,
268 m long, Colorado.

Highest Railway Bridge Fades Bridge on river
Sioule 144 m long and
132.5 m above the
river. (Clermont
Ferrand, France)
BUILDING
Tallest Bank Building Bank of Montreal, 72,
Storeys, 284.98 m
high (Toronto,
Canada)
CANAL
Longest Canal (India) Saradha Canal (Uttar
Pradesh)
Longest Big Ship Canal (World) Suez Canal (Egypt)
160 km
Longest Small Ship Canal Beloye (White Sea)
Baltic Canal (CIS) 226
km long.
CAVE TEMPLE
Largest Cave Temple (India) Ellora (Maharashtra)
CHURCH
Largest Church (World) St. Peters Church,
Vatican City (Italy)
CITY
Highly Populated City (India) M u m b a i
(Maharashtra)
Oldest City (India) Kolkata
Higest City (World) Wenchuan (China)
5,100 metres above
sea level
Highest Capital Lhasa (3,684 metres
above sea level)
Largest City in Population (World) Shangai (China)
Costliest City (World) London
CLOCK
Biggest Clock (World) Big Ben (London)
CONTINENT Largest
Continent Asia
Smallest Continent Australia
CORRIDOR
Largest Corridor (World) Rameswaram Temple
COUNTRY
Largest in Population China followed by
India
Largest in Area Russia
Largest Electorate India
CREATURE
Largest Creature Blue Whale. It can
grow upto a weight
of 150 tonnes.

Largest and Biggest (India) Gol Gumbaz

Largest Dome (World) ' Astrodome' in

DAM
Longest Dam (India) Hirakud Dam on the
river Mahanadi -
Orissa
Highest Dam (World) The Grande
(Switzerland)
Highest Straight Bhakra Nangal on
river Sutlej
DAY
Longest Day June 21 (in Northern
Hemisphere)
Shortest Day December 22 (in
N o r t h e r n
Hemisphere)
DELTA
Largest Delta (Sunderbans). The
World's largest delta
is that created by the
Ganges and Brahma
putra in Bangladesh
and West Bengal,
India. It covers an
area of 30,000 sq.
miles.
DESERT
Largest Desert (World) Sahara (Africa)
Coldest Desert Antarctica
Largest Desert (India) Thar Desert
(Rajasthan)
Largest Desert in Asia Gobi (Mongolia)
DOME

Housten, Texas
(USA) outside
diameter 216 metres
and inside 196
metres.
EPIC
Longest Epic Mahabharatha
FILLING STATION
Highest Filling Station Petrol pump at Leh at
3658 m. It is operated
by Indian Oil
Corporation.

FOREST
Largest Forest (India) Assam

GATEWAY
Highest Gateway (India) Buland Darwaza

GULF
Largest Gulf Gulf of Mexico
HARBOUR
Largest Natural Harbour (India) Visakhapatnam

HILL STATION
Highest Hill Station (India) Gulmarg (Kashmir)

HOTEL
Biggest Hotel (India) Ober oi - Sherat on
(Mumbai)
ISLAND
Largest Island Greenland
Largest Group of Islands Malaya Archipelago
LAKE
Largest Salt Water Lake Caspian Sea
Largest Fresh Water Lake Superior (31,200
sq.miles) (India)
Deepest Lake Lake Baikal (Siberia)
701 mts
Highest Lake Titicaca (Bolivia)
3854 metres above
sea level.
Largest Lake (India) Wular Lake
LIBRARY
Largest Library (World) United States Library
of Congress
(Washington)
The Lenin State
Library (Moscow-
Russia)
LIGHT HOUSE
Largest Light House (World) Bishop Rock
(England)
MEMORIAL
Most Beautiful Memorial Taj Mahal (Agra)
MINES
Largest Diamond Mines (World) Kimberley (South
Africa)
Deepest Mines (India) Kolar Gold Fields
(Karnataka)
MOUNTAINS
Longest Mountain Range (World) Mt. Andes (South
America) (8,800 km)
Highest Peak (World) Everest Nepal
Highest Peak (India) Godwin Austen
Highest Mountain Range Himalayas
Highest Peak (South India) Anaimudi (2,720 m)
Anaimalai
MOSQUE, CATHEDRAL, TEMPLE
Biggest Mosque (India) Jama Masjid (Delhi)
Largest Mosque Umayyad Mosque
157 m 97 m
covering an area of
3.76 acres.
Damascus, Syria.

Largest Cathedral Diocese of New York
11,240 sq.m.
Largest Temple Angkor Vat. 162.6 ha
area, built for Lord
Vishnu by Khmer
King Suryavarman-II
during 1113-50 A.D.
(Cambodia)
MUSEUM
Largest Museum (India) Indian Museum
(Kolkata)
Largest Museum (World) American Museum
of Natural History,
New York city. It
comprises 19 inter-
connected buildings
with 23 acres of floor
space.
OCEAN
Deepest, Largest & Biggest The Pacific Ocean

PALACE
Biggest Palace (World) Vatican Palace, Rome
(Italy)

PENINSULA
Largest Peninsula (World) Arabia

PLACE
Hottest Place (India) Barmer (Rajasthan)
Hottest Place (World) Azizia (Libya) 58
O
C
Coldest Place (World) V e r k h o y a n s k
(Siberia) 85
O

Driest Place Death Valley
(California)
Heaviest Rain Fall (World) M a w s y n r a m
(Meghalaya)
PLATEAU
Highest Plateau Pamir (Tibet)
Largest Park Wood Buffalo
National Park
inAlberta, Canada
(17,560 Sq.miles)
PLANETS
Largest, Biggest & heaviest Jupiter
Planet
Smallest Planet Mercury
Brightest Planet Venus
Coldest Planet Pluto
Planet Farthest (from the Sun) Pluto
Planet Nearest (to the Sun) Mercury
Dustiest Planet Mars (Red Planet)
PLAY
The Longest Play The Mouse-Trap
(Agatha Christies
Novel)
POEM
Longest Poem of the World Mahabaratha
POPULATION
Largest Country in China
Population (World)
Largest State in Uttar Pradesh (India)
Population (India)
Densiest State in Population West Bengal (India)
Smallest State in Population Sikkim (India)
Smallest Union Territory Lakshadweep (India)
in Population
RAILWAYS
Longest Railway (World) T r a n - S i b e r i a n
Railway from
Moscow to
Nakhodka, 9438 km.
Longest Railway (Asia) India
Fastest Train (World) French T.G.V.
Longest Railway Station (India) Kharagpur (W.B.)
Longest Railway Platform Sonepur (Bihar)
(India)
Longest Railway Route Himsagar Express
RIVER
Longest River The Nile (Egypt)
Largest River in Volume Amazon (Brazil,
South America)
Largest River (India) The Ganges (6,679
km)
ROADS
Largest Road (India) Grand Trunk Road
Highest Road (World) Le Narba Road -
Ladhak
Longest Road P a n - A me r i c a n
Highway 27387 km
(North West Alaska
to Southern most
Chile)
SCHOOL
Largest School South Point High
School, Kolkata,
India.
SEA
Largest Sea South China Sea
STATE
Smallest Independent Vatican (Italy)
State (World)
Biggest State (India) Madhya Pradesh
Smallest State (India) Goa
STADIUM
Largest Stadium Strahov Stadium. It
can accommodate
around 240,000
people in Prague,
Czech

STATUE
Tallest Statue (World) Statue of Liberty,
New York
Tallest Statue (India) Statue of Gomateshwara
UNIVERSITY
Oldest University University of
Karueein founded in
AD 859, Morocco

STAR
(Karnataka State)
Largest University Building University of
Riyadh., Saudi
Arabia.
Biggest and Brightest Sirius also called
Dog Star
STREET
Broadest Street (World) Broadway St. (USA)
SHIP
Largest Open University Indira Gandhi
National Open
University, New
Delhi.

VOLCANOES
Greatest Ship (World) Queen Elizabeth
Highest Volcano (World) Cotopoxi (Andes,

TOWER
2,83,000 tons
Eucador)
Largest Volcano (World) Mauna Lea (Hawai)
Highest Tower (World) 1. Tokyo Television
Tower (Japan)
2. Eiffel Tower
(Paris, France)
Highest Leaning Tower (World) Leaning Tower, Pisa
(Italy)
Highest Tower (India) Qutub Minar (Delhi)
88.4 m
TUNNEL
WALL
Longest Wall (World) Great Wall of China
2400 km

WATERFALLS
Highest Waterfall (World) Angel Waterfalls in
Venezuela, South
America
Highest Water fall (India) Gersoppa Waterfall
Largest Tunnel (India) Jawahar Tunnel
(Karnataka)

Longest Rail Tunnel Bombay-Pune route
Longest Highway Tunnel Norway 24.5 km
(Laerdal Tunnel) (Oslo-Bergen)

ZOO
Largest Zoo (India) Zoological Gardens,
Alipur, Calcutta

COUNTRIES
Afghanistan Kabul
Albania Tirana
Algeria Algiers
Angola Luanda
Andorra Andorre-la-Vieille
Antigua & Barbuda St.Johns
Argentina Buenos Aires
Armenia Yerevan
Australia Canberra
Austria Vienna
Azerbaijan Baku
Bahamas Nassau
Bahrain Manama
Bangladesh Dhaka
Barbados Bridgetown
Belgium Brussels
Belize Belmopan
Benin Porto Novo
Bermuda Hamilton
Bhutan Thimphu
AND CAPITALS
Bolivia La Paz
Bosniaherzegovina Sarajevo
Botswana Gaborone
Brazil Brasillia
Brunei Bander Seri begawan
Bulgaria Sofia
Burkina faso Ouagadougou
Burundi Bujumbura
Byelorussia Minsk
Cambodia Phnom-Penh
Cameroon Yaounde
Canada Ottawa
Cape Verde Praia
Central African Republic Bangui
Chad N Djamena
Chile Santiago
China Beijing
Colombia Bogota
Comoros Moroni
Congo (Formerly French) Brazzaville

Costa Rica San Jose
Coted ivoira Abidjan
Croatia Zagrab
Cuba Havana
Cyprus Nicosia
Czechoslovakia Prague (Praha)
Denmark Copenhagen
Djibouti Djibouti
Dominica Roseau
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo
Ecuador Quito
Egypt Cairo
El Salvador San Salvador
Equatorial Guinea Malabo
Eritrea Asmara
Estonia Tallinn
Ethiopia (or Abyssinia) Addis Ababa
Falkland Islands Stanley
Fiji Suva
Finland Helsinki
France Paris
Gabon Libreville
Gambia Banjul
Germany (United) Berlin
Georgia Tbilisi
Ghana Accra
Greece Athens
Grenada St.Georges
Guatemala Guatemala City
Guinea Conakry
Guinea-Bissau Bissau
Guyana Georgetown
Haiti Port-au-Prince
Honduras Tegucigalpa
Hong Kong Victoria
Hungary Budapest
Iceland Reykjavik
India New Delhi
Indonesia Jakarta
Iran Teheran
Iraq Baghdad
Ireland (or Eire) Dublin
Israel Jerusalem
Italy Rome
Ivory Coast Abidjan
Jamaica Kingston
Japan Tokyo
Jordan Amman
Kazakhstan Alma-ata
Kenya Nairobi
Kirghizia Frunze
Kiribati Tarawa
Korea (North) Pyongyang
Korea (South) Seoul
Kuwait Kuwait City
Lao s.P.D.R. Vientiane
Latria Riga
Lebanon Beirut
Lesotho Maseru
Liberia Monrovia
Libya Tripoli
Lithuania Vilnius
Luxembourg Luxembourg
Macao Macao
Macedonia Skopje
Madagascar Antananarivo
Malawi Lilongwe
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
Maldives Male
Mali Bamako
Malta Valletta
Mauritania Nouakchott
Mauritius Port Louis
Mexico Mexico City
Monaco Monaco
Mongolia Ulam Bator
Montserrat Plymouth
Morocco Rabat
Mozambique Maputo
Myanmar (Burma) Yangon
Namibia Windhoek
Nauru Yaren Nauru
Nepal Kathmandu
Netherlands Amsterdam
New Zealand Wellington
Nicaragua Managua
Niger Niamey
Nigeria Abuja
Northern Ireland Belfast
Norway Oslo
Oman Muscat
Pakistan Islamabad
Panama Panama City
Papua New Guinea Port Moresby
Paraguay Asuncion
Peru Lima
Philippines Manila (Quezon City)
Poland Warsaw
Portugal Lisbon
Puerto Rico San Juan
Qatar Doha
Rourkina Fasso (Upper Volta) Quagadougon
Romania Bucharest
Russia Mascow

Rwanda Kigali
San Marino San Marino
Sao Tome and Principle Sao Tome
Saudi Arabia Riyadh
Senegal Dakar
Seychelles Victoria
Sierra Leone Freetown
Singapore Singapore City
Solomon Islands Honiara
Somalia Magadishu
South Africa Pretoria
Spain Madrid Sri
Lanka Colombo
St.Kitts-Nevis Basseterre
St.Lucia Castries
St.Vincent & The Grenadines Kingstown
Sudan Khartoum
Suriname Paramaribo
Swaziland Mbabane
Sweden Stockholm
Switzerland Berne
Syria Damascus
Tadzhikistan Dushanbe
Taiwan Taipei
Tanzania Do doma
Thailand Bangkok
Timor Dili
Togo Lome
Tonga Nukualofa
Trinidad and Tobago Port-of-Spain
Tunisia Tunis
Turkey Ankara
Turkmenistan Ashkhabad
Tuvalu Funafuti
Uganda Kampala
Ukraine Kiev
United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi
United Kingdom London
U.S.A. Washington D.C.
Uruguay Montivideo
Uzbekistan Tashkent
Vanuatu Vila
Vatican City State Vatican City
Venezuela Caracas
Vietnam Hanoi
Western Samoa Apia
Yemen (North) Sania
Yugoslavia Belgrade
Zaire Kinshasa
Zambia Lusaka
Zimbabwe Harare

COUNTRIES AND CURRENCIES
Afganistan Afghani
Albania Lek
Algeria Dinar
Andorra French Franc,
Spanish Peseta
Angola New Kwanza
Antigua & Eastern Caribbean
Barbuda Dollar
Argentina Peso
Armenia Rubie
Australia Australian Dollar
Austria Schilling
Bahamas Bahamian Dollar
Bahrain Bahrain Dinar
Bangladesh Taka
Barbados Dollar
Belgium Franc
Brazil New Cruzado
Britain Pound
British Dollar
Honduras
Bulgaria Lev
Canada Dollar

Central African France CFA
Republic
Chile Peso
China (People's) Yuan
Columbia Peso
Congo France CFA
Costa Rica Colone
Cuba Peso
Cyprus Cyprus Pound
Czechoslovakia Koruna
Denmark Krone
Ecuador Sucre
Egypt Pound
El Salvador Colon
Ethiopia Birr
Fiji Dollar
Finland Mark
France Franc
Gambia Dalasi
Germany Deutsche Mark
(United)
Ghana Cedi
Greece Drachma

Guatemala Quetzal
Guinea-Bissau Peso
Guyana Guyana Dollar
Haiti Gourde
Holland Florin
Honduras Lempira
Hong Kong Hong Kong Dollar
Hungary Forint
Iceland Krona
Ireland Irish Pound
India Rupee
Indonesia Rupiah
Iran Rial
Iraq Dinar
Israel New Shekel
Italy Lira
Ivory Coast Franc CFA
Jamaica Jamaican Pound
Japan Yen
Jordan Jordan Dinar
Kenya Kenyan Shilling
Korea Won
Kuwait Kuwait Dinar

Laos
Lebanon
Liberia
Libya
Luxembourg
Madagascar
Kip
Pound
Liberian Dollar
Libya Dinar
Luxembourg Franc
Malagasy Franc
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Papua
New Guinea
Paraguay
Omani Rial
Rupee
Balboa
Kina

Guarani
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad
Tobago
Shilling
Baht
France CFA
Pa Anga
Trinidad Dollar
Tobago Dollar
Malaysia Malaysian Dollar Peru Inti Sol Tunisia Dinar
Maldives Maldivian Rupee Philippines Peso Turkey Turkish Lira
(Rufiyaa) Poland Zloty United Arab Pound Dirham
Malta Lira Maltija Portugal Escudo Emirates Republic
Mauritius Rupee Qatar Qatari Riyal Uganda Ugandan Shilling
Mexico Peso
Romania Leu U.K. Pound (Sterling)
Monaco French Franc
Russia Rouble Uruguay Nuero Peso
Mongolia Tugrik
Salvador Colon U.S.A. Dollar
Morocco Dirham
SanMarino Italian Lira Vatican City Lira
Mozambique Metical
Saudi Arabia Riyal State

Myanmar Kyat
Singapore Singapore Dollar Venezuela Bolivar
(Burma)
Nepal

Nepalese Rupee
Somalia
South Africa
Somali Shilling
Rand
Vietnam
Yemen
Dong
Rial
Netherlands Guilder
Spain Peseta Yemen Arab Dinar
New Zealand New Zealand
Dollar
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Rupee
Sudanese Pound
Republic
Yugoslavia
Dinar
Nicaragua New Cordoba
Sweden Krona Zaire Zaire
Nigeria Naira
Switzerland Swiss Franc Zambia Kwacha
Norway Kroner Syria Syrian Pound Dinar Zimbabwe Zimbabwean Dollar
LANDMARKS
ARCHITECTURES, MONUMENTS, BUILDINGS, TOWNS AND PLACES

Abu, Mt. : (Rajasthan) hill station on the Aravalli Range;
sacred centre of Jain worshippers, Dilwara temples.
Abu Simbal : (Egypt) famous ancient temple cut-out of
rock by Rameses II.
Adams Bridge : Very nearly joined to India between
Mannar Pennsula and Danushkodi by a line of sand banks
and rocks called Adams Bridge.
Aga Khan Palace : In Pune where Mahatma Gandhi was
kept interned with his wife Kasturba Gandhi. Kasturba
died in this palace.
Ajantha Caves : Located near Aurangabad, famous for
wonderful Buddhist cave temples richly ornamented with
sculpture and carved with paintings.
Ajmer: (Rajasthan) Pilgrim centre for Muslims; tomb of
Khwaja Muin-ud-din chisti.
Alexandria : City and sea-port of Egypt founded by
Alexander the Great.
Allahabad : (Prayag) is a city in Uttar Pradesh situated at
the confulence of the Ganga and the Jamuna. Kumbha
Mela (religious fair of the Hindus) is held here once in
every 12 years.
Amarnath : Situated at a height of about 4054 metres in
Kashmir. It is a place of pilgrimage for the Hindus.
Amber Palace : Deserted capital near Jaipur (Rajasthan)
containing the finest specimens of Rajput architecture.
Amritsar : (Punjab) on the north-west border or India;
Golden Temple; Jallianwala Bagh tragedy on April 13, 1919.
Angkor Vat : A ruined city in Cambodia where beautiful
specimens of ancient Indian art and culture are found.
Athens : The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on
September 5, 1997, awarded the 2004 Summer Olympics
to Athens, the Greek capital which was the birth place of
the Games. Athens hosted the first modern Olympics in
1896 but lost out to Atlanta in 1996 Centennial Games.
Aurangabad : One of the important towns of Maharashtra
State; tomb of Emperor Aurangzeb and of his wife. Ellora
and Ajanta Caves are reached from here.
Auroville : It is an international township constructed in
Pondicherry with the help of UNESCO.
Avadi : Near Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Government owned
Heavy vehicles factory. Vijayanta and Ajit tanks are
manufactured here.
Badrinath : Himalayas; Place of pilgrimage for the Hindus
near Gangortri Glacier.
Baroda : Capital of the former Baroda State is known for
Laxmi Vilas Palace which is one of the most beautiful
palaces in India.

Belur Math : It is monastery near Calcutta in West Bengal
founded by Swami Vivekananda. A beautiful temple
dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
Bethlehem : Palestine; about 9 km South of Jeruselam;
birth-place of Jesus and Kind David; Church of Nativity.
Buckingham Palace : In London; residence of the Royal
family of England.
Buddha-Gaya : It is situated 10 km south of Gaya in Bihar
State on the river bank of Lilajan and famous as the place
where Buddha got enlightenment. There are modern
monasteries, rest houses and museum.
Calcutta : West Bengal Government re-christened
Calcutta as Kolkata with effect from January 1, 2001.
Siliguri has been renamed as Shilliguri.
Cape Comorin : also called Kanya Kumari in Tamil Nadu,
where Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal meet the Indian
Ocean. It gives a beautiful view of sun-set and sun-rise.
Chennai : Capital of Tamil Nadu is the third largest city in
India. Known for Fort St.George, Light House, St.Thomas
Mount, Integral Coach Factory, Adyar (the headquarters
of the Theosophical Society).
Chidambaram : Famous for its great Hindu Siva temple,
dedicated to Nataraja or Siva in his aspect of Cosmic
dance. Annamalai University is located here.
Chittorgarh : Ancient capital and fortress of Udaipur;
known for Tower of Victory and Mira Bais Temple.
Dakshineswar : 8 Kns from Calcutta where Vivekananda
was initiated into religious life by Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa.
Dandi : famous for Salt Satyagraha (Dandi March) by
Mahatma Gandhi in 1930.
Digboi : (Assam) is known for rich oil-fields.
Dilwara Temples : near Mount Abu (Rajasthan) are five
Hindu Temples constructed here between 11th and 13th
century A.D.
Downing Street : No.10 Downing Street is the official
residence of the Prime Minister of England in London.
Durand Line : the line demarcating the limits of neutral
territory between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Eagles Nest : Name given to the historic fort at Raigarh
in Kolaba district of Maharashtra where 300 years ago,
Chatrapati Shivaji, the great warrior-statesman, was
crowned.
Eiffel Tower : In Paris (France) 300 m high and built at a
cost of 200,000 pounds. It is now being used as a
Meteorological Wireless Station.
Elephanta : an Island in Mumbai harbour - famous for
rock-cut temples.
Ellor and Ajantha : famous for wonderful Buddhist cave
temples richly ornamented with sulpture and carved with
paintings.
Empire State Building : (U.S.A.) is one of the loftiest
buildings in the world; height about 365 metres; it has
102 storeys.
Ernakulam : in Kerala State is famous for its backwaters.
Fatehpur Sikri : 32 km from Agra; city built by Emperor
Akbar in 1569, now deserted.
Fleet Street : A street in London running from Temple
far east wards to Ludgate Circus. The area (with adjoining
streets) houses the offices, and printing establishments
of many of the leading British newspapers and press
agencies.
Gateway of India : in Mumbai harbour erected in 1911 on
George Vs visit to India.
Gaya : (Bihar) the place where Lord Buddha got
enlightenment; famous for pilgrimage.
Gibraltar : British fortress and naval base on west end
of the Mediterranean (extreme south of Spain) key to the
Mediterranean.
Golden Temple : in Amritsar (Punjab), sacred to the Sikhs.
Gol Gumbaz : largest Dome in Bijapur (Karnataka).
Gomateswara : (Karnataka) famous for the 2000 year old
statue of Jain Sage carved out of a single stone.
Great Wall of China : 2400 km long wall; its construction
was started by Chinese King Emperor Shih Hwang.
Gwalior : in Madhhya Pradesh famous for its Fort,
Tansens Tomb, Rani Laxmi Bais Chhatri.
Hague, The : (The Netherlands) Seat of International
Court of Justice; Art galleries.
Hampi : site ruins of Vijayanagar - ancient capital of
Vijayanagar empire. It is in Karnataka.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon : one of the Seven Wonders
of the World; planted near the Euphrates in 603 B.C.
Hiroshima : in Central Honshu (Japan) close to the
Island of Light with the famous Shinto temples; first
city destroyed by atom bomb in the Second World War.
Howrah Bridge : a cantilever span bridge constructed
over the river Hooghly connecting Howrah Railway
Station with Kolkata.
Hyderabad-Secunderabad : Twin city-capital of Andhra
Pradesh.It stands on the river Musi, known for Charminar,
Osmania University, Salarjung Museum - one of the
richest and most varied collections in Asia.
India Gate : A memorial in New Delhi facing the
Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Jaipur : capital of Rajasthan is famous for pottery,
brassware, sculpture, ivory and sandalwood work and
jewellery. Famous for Maharajas palace; Jai Singhs
observatory. Amber (ancient capital) Hawa Mahal.
Jallianwala Bagh : a garden in Amritsar; scene of
massacre of innocent Indians by the British on 13th
April 1919.
Jama Masjid : (Delhi) built by Shah Jehan, Indias biggest
mosque.
Jamshedpur : (Bihar) centre of iron and steeel industry;
Tata Iron and Steel Factory is located here.
Jantar Mantar : in Delhi, is an Observatory constructed
in 1724 during the days of Maharaja Jai Singh II of Amber.

Jerusalem : ancient city and capital of Palestine known
as Holy City. Christ was crucified here.
Jog Falls : also called Gersoppa Falls in Karnataka are
one of the highest warerfalls in the world. These falls are
formed by the river Sharasvati which takes a big leap
down a steep rock from a height of 253 metres.
Juma Masjid, Mandu : is in Madhya Pradesh; it depicts a
synthesis of Hindu and Muslim styles in architecture.
Kailasha Temple : rock-cut temple in Ellora caves.
Kalpakkam : near Chennai in Tamil Nadu is known for
Chennai Atomic Power Project (MAPP).
Kanchi or Kancheepuram : Near Chennai was the ancient
capital of ancient Pallavas; famous for ancient temples.
Kandahar : This is a town in Afghanistan where Pakistan
backed 5 terrorists and forced the hijacked Indian Airlines
plane IC 814 with 155 passengers and crew aboard to
land at Kandahar Airport on December 25, 1999, keeping
them hostage for seven days.
Kanya Kumari : in Tamil Nadu, famous temple (the Virgin
Goddess) situated at Cape Comorin on the extreme
southern tip of India where the Bay of Bengal, Arabian
Sea, and the Indian Ocean meet; a picturesque spot.
Vivekananda Rock Memorial Buddha.
Kapilavastu : small kingdomin the north of India;
associated with Mahatma Buddha.
Kaziranga : is a Game Sanctuary in Assam. It is the centre
of the great Indian one-horned rhinos.
Khajuraho : in Madhya Pradesh famous for the group of
highly ornate medieval Hindu temples.
Kodaikanal : is a town in Tamil Nadu famous for its
Observatory for the study of Solar Physics.
Konarak : small town 16 km north of Puri (Orissa) famous
for its Black Pagods; Sun Temple.
Kovalam : is a sea-beach about 16 km from Trivandrum in
Kerala. Developed as a Tourist Resort by India Tourism
Corporation.
Kremlin : Large fortified citadel in Moscow, now the
headquarters of Russia. The Kremlin, originally built in
1156 by Yuri, (George) Dolgoruki, price of Suzdal became
the centre around which Moscow has grown.
Qutub Minar : in Delhi (88.4 m high) is one of the master
- pieces of Indian architecture and art. It is the biggest
minaret in the world. Completed by Altamash in 1232 A.D.
Leaning Tower : (Pisa, Italy) 55 metres high.
Lumbini : birth place of Buddha. It is in Nepal. The
Nepalese Government have plans to develop the place
with the U.N. assistance as an Internatinal Tourist Resort.
Madurai : in Tamil Nadu, famous for Meenakshi Temple,
dedicated to Lord Siva.
Mahabalipuram : in Tamil Nadu on the Eastern Ghats,
famous for temples and monumental architectures. An
atomic power station is being set up near here at
Kalpakkam.
Mathura : a holy city in Uttar Pradesh; Birth-place of
Lord Krishna, Hindu temples; oil refinery.
Mecca : the holiest cityof the Mohammedan world in
Arabia, where the Prophet was born. It stands in the
desert. It is a place of pilgrimage and Muslims from all
parts of the world visit the place it for Haj in every year.
Mount Blanc : highest mountain peak in Europe. It is in
the Alps on the confines of Italy and France, longest
road tunnel in the world.
Munich : (West Germany) scene of Munich pact; art
galleries; The 20th Olympic Games (1972) were held here.
Nilgiris : mountain range in Tamil Nadu, tea
plantations.
Panna : in M.P. Panna district is known for diamond mines.
Panna town has several buildings of historical interest
including Shri Baldeoji temple.
Pearl Harbour : in Hawaii Island (USA) Naval Base;
scene of Japanese attack in World War II.
Pentagon : in Washington. It houses many Government
offices of the War Department of the USA.
Petronas Twin Towers : Located in Kuala Lumpur with
88 storeys high, these are the tallest buildings in the
World.
Philadelphia : (USA) place where Americans framed
their Constitution and declared their Independence
son 4th July, 1776.
Plassey : a village on the Ganges (West Bengal) Battle
of Plassey was fought here in 1757 in which Clive
defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah and laid the foundation of
British Rule in India.
Pokhran : The Nuclear test site in Rajasthan, 600 kms
from Jaipur. The first nuclear test was conduted on May
18, 1974 and five more on May 11 and 13 1998.
Pondicherry : formerly a French possession, since
taken by the India Govenement and now specified as
a Union Territory. Aurobindo Ashram is established
here. Auroville, an international township inmemory
of Sri Aurobindo has been built here.
Pyramids of Egypt : are vast stone or brick-built
structures on west bank of the Nile. They date back to
about 300 B.C. The largest is called the Great Pyramid
which is 146 metres high and is one of the Seven
Wonders of the World. Three lakh men were employed
for 20 years to build it. These Pyramids have inner
chambers and subterranean entrances built by
pharaohs as oval tombs.
Raj Ghat : On the bank of Jamuna in Delhi, Samadhi of
Mahatma Gandhi.
Rashtrapati Bhavan : official residence of the President
of India in New Delhi; known as Viceragal Lodge during
British reign.
Red Fort : Red-stone Fort built by Shah Jehan in Delhi
near the Jamuna.

Red Square : It is a famous open space in Moscow
linked with the Kremlin by three gates used for
political demonstrations and processions. Lenins
mausoleum is in the Red Square.
Rome : capital of Italy; on the River Tiber; one of the
most famous cities of the world also known as
Eternal City.
Sabarmati : in Gujarat State near Ahmedabad; Harijan
Ashram founded by Mahatma Gandhi.
Sarnath : situated 8 km outside Varanasi. Saranath is the
famous place of Buddhist pilgrimage in India. In the Deer
Park of Sarnath, Gautama Buddha preached his First
Semon. Also located here is the famous Ashoka Pillar of
polished sand-stone whose lion capital was adopted by
the new Republic of India as the State Emblem.
Scotland Yard : the Metropoliton Police Headquarters in
London from which the force is administered CID
headquarters.
Seringapatnam : Seringapatnam was the capital of
Karnataka during the rule of Tipu Sultan. The fourth and
the last Mysore war was fought here. Tipu Sultan died
here fighting bravely against the British forces.
Sriharikota : in the Nellore district on the Andhra coast
is Indias Satellite Launching Centre. The Sriharikota
Range (SHAR) comprises the Sriharikota Launch
Complex, Rocket Shed Facility, Static Test and Evaluation
Complex, Solid Propellant Space Booster Plant and
Sriharikota Common Facilities.
Suez Canal : Ship canal (Egypt) it connects the
Mediterranean (Port Said) with the Red Sea (Suez).
Sunderbands : is a tract of forests and swamps - 264 km
long and 129 km wide fringing the delta of the Ganges.
Taj Mahal : the white marble mausoleum built at Agra by
Shah Jehan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Tanjore : (Tamil Nadu) famous for museum, temples and
library. Brihadeeswara temple.
Taxila : in West Pakistan; site of excavation, old seat of
Buddhist culture and famous for ancient Taxila University.
Tel Aviv : magnificent city in Palestine built by the Jews;
capital of Israel.
Thumba : near Trivandrum in Kerala State is known as
rocket launching station.
Tirupati : in Andhra State about 160 km to the north-
west of Chennai is one of the holiest places in South
India. This hill temple of Sri Venkateshwara is an example
of early Dravidian architecture and is one of the finest in
the south.
Trafalgar : Cape Trafalgar is famous for the naval
battle fought between the British led by Admiral
Nelson and an allied naval force of France and Spain in
1805. Admiral Nelson won the battle though he was
himself killed in action.
Triveni : in Allahabad (UP) Confluence of the Ganges,
the Jamuna and the mythical Saraswati; a place of
pilgrimage for the Hindus.
Varanasi : or Banares is a town in UP very sacred to the
Hindus. It is known as the religious capital of Hindu India.
Famous for Banares Hindu University, Vishwanath
Temple, Manmandir with Jaisinghs Observatory,
Ramnagar Fort etc.,
Vatican : the Papal State of Italy; an independent
territory; the palace of Pope in Rome. It includes the
Church of St. Peter.
Victoria Falls : on the River Zambesi, Zambia-Central
Africa. These Falls, the greatest in the world are 1700
metres wide.
Victoria Memorial : a magnificent building in
Calcutta having an art gallery and a well-laid out garden
attached to it.
Vijay Ghat : On the banks of the Yamuna in Delhi is
Samadhi of Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri, former Prime
Minister of India.
Visakhapatnam : big harbour on the eastern coast of
India; ship building yard.
Viswa Shanti Stupa : (World Peace Pagoda) 45 m high
stupa raised a top, the picturesque Ratnagiri hill, it is the
first stupa of its kind in India.
Vivekananda Rock : is situated near Kanyakumari at the
southern tip of Indias coastline. It has been so named in
memory of Swami Vivekananda.
Wagah Border : This is a border between India and
Pakistan. Indian Prime Minister Mr. Atal Behari
Vajpayee crossed the border to enter Pakistan by bus
as part of his peace initiative with India's neighbour on
February 20, 1999.
Wall Street : a street in New York, centre of US Banking
and Finance.

Wardha : (Maharashtra State) Mahatma Gandhi lived here
for several years; centre of cotton trade.
Waterloo : Belgium; famous for the battle of Waterloo
which marked the end of Napoleons power.
Wellington : in the Nilgiris hills (Tamil Nadu) is known
for Defence Services Staff College.
White Hall : London, Government Offices.
White House : is the Official Residence of the President
of the USA. It is located at 600. Pennsylvania Avenue
in Washington D.C.
Wimbledon : in London, famous for Lawn Tennis Court.
Yellow Sea : Sea between northern China and Korea.
Zambesi : River in South East Africa. It flows east to
Mozambique Channel, Indian Ocean.
Zojila : a pass in the way from Srinagar (Kashmir) to Leh
and then to Yerkand in Tibet.

INDIA - AT A GL ANCE
India lies at the north of the equator between
8 4' and 37 6' north latitude and 68 7' and 97
25' east longitude.
It is bounded on the South West by the Arabian
Sea & on the South East by the Bay of Bengal.
On the North, North East & North West lie the
Himalayan ranges. The southern tip, Kanyakumari
is washed by the Indian Ocean.
India measures 3214 km from North to South &
2933 km from east to west with a total land area of
3,287,263 sq.km. It has a land frontier of 15,200 km
& a coastline of 7516.5 km. Andaman & Nicobar
Islands in the Bay of Bengal & Lakshadweep in
the Arabian Sea are parts of India.
India shares its political borders with Pakistan
and Afghanistan on the West and Bangladesh
and Burma on the East. The Northern boundary
is made up of the Sinkiang province of China,
Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan.

India has Seven major Physiographic
regions
1. Northern Mountains including the Himalayas
and mountain ranges in the North-East.
2. The Indo-Gangetic plain
3. Central Highlands
4. Peninsular plateau
5. East Coast
6. West Coast
7. Bordering seas and islands.

India has Seven principal Mountain
ranges

1. the Himalayas
2. the Patkai and other ranges bordering India
in the North & North East
3. the Vindhyas, which separate the Indo-
Gangetic plain from the Deccan Plateau
4. the Satpura
5. the Aravalli
6. the Sahayadri, which covers the Eastern
fringe of the West Coast plains and
7. the Eastern Ghats, irregularly scattered on

National EMBLEM
The State Emblem of India is an adaptation from
the Sarnath Lion Capital of Asoka as preserved in the
Sarnath Museum. The Government adopted the emblem
on 26th January, 1950, the day when India became a
Republic.
In the State Emblem adopted by the Government,
only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden
from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of
the abacus with a bull on the right and a horse on the
left and the outlines of the other wheels on the extreme
right and left.
The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The
Words, Saytameva Jayate from the Mundaka Upanishad
meaning Truth alone triumphs are inscribed below the
abacus in Devanagari script.

National FLAG
The National Flag is a horizontal tri-colour of
deep saffron (Kesari) at the top, white in the middle
and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The
ratio of the width of the flag to its length is two to
three. In the centre of white band is a wheel, in navy
blue, which represents the Charkha (Khadi Spinning
Wheel). Its design is that of the wheel (Chakra) which
appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of
Asoka. Its diameter approximates the width of the
white band. It has 24 spokes.
The design of the National Flag was adopted by
the Constituent Assembly of India on 22nd July, 1947.
Its use and display are regulated by a code.
Rabindranath Tagores song, Jana-gana-mana was
adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the National
Anthem of India on 24th January 1950. The first stanza
(out of 5 stanzas) of the song, forms the National
Anthem.

National Calendar
The Saka year has the normal 365 days and
begins with Chaitra as its first month. The days of the
Saka calendar have permanent correspondence with
the dates of the Gregorian Calendar, Chaitra 1 falling on
March 22 in a normal year and on March 21 in a Leap
Year. The National Calendar commenced on Chaitra
1 Saka, 1879 corresponding to March 22, 1957 A.D.

NATIONALANIMAL : TIGER

the East Coast and, forming the boundary
of the East Coast plains.

Himalayas, the highest mountain - system in the
world, is also one of the world's youngest mountain
ranges.
NATIONAL GAME : HOCKEY

NATIONAL FLOWER : LOTUS

NATIONAL BIRD : PEACOCK

1. Assamese 6. Kashmiri 11. Sanskrit
2. Bengali 7. Malayalam 12. Tamil
3. Gujarati 8. Marathi 13. Telugu
4. Hindi 9. Oriya 14. Urdu
5. Kannada 10. Punjabi 15. Sindhi.

National Song
Bankim Chandra Chatterjees Vande Mataram
which was a source of inspiration to the people in their
struggle for freedom, has an equal status with Jana-
gana-mana. The first political occasion on which it was
sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National
Congress.

India-Religious Communities
The major religious communities of India are the
Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains
and Parsis.

RELIGIOUS BOOKS

Hindus Four Vedas, The Bhagwad Gita, The
Ramayana, The Puranas, The
Mahabharat, The Upanishads, The
Ramcharitmanas
Muslims The Holy Quran

Sikhs Guru Granth Sahib

Christians The Bible
Parsis Zend Avesta

India - Principal Languages
India has 18 officially recognised languages
(Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were added to the
official list of 15 in 1992). The 1961 and 1971 census
had listed 1652 languages as mother tongues spoken in
India. The Indian languages of today have evolved
from different language families.

They may be grouped into 6 groups as
under :

1. Negroid 4. Dravidian

2. Austric 5. Indo-Aryan

3. Sino-Tibetan 6. Other Speeches.

These languages have interacted on one another
through the centuries and have produced the major
linguistic divisions of modern India. Among the major
groups, the Aryan and the Dravidan are the dominating
families. Indo-Aryan, the Indic branch of the Indo-
European family, came into India with the Aryans. It is
the biggest of the language groups in India, accounting
for about 74 % of the entire Indian population. The
important languages in this group are : Western
Punjabi, Sindhi, Eastern Punjabi, Hindi, Bihari,
Rajasthani, Gujarati, Marathi, Assamese, Bengali, Oriya,
Pahari, Kashmiri and Sanskrit. Sankrit, the classical
language of India, represents the highest achievement
of the Indo-Aryan languages. Although hardly spoken
now-a-days, Sanskrit has been listed a nationally
accepted language in the VIII Schedule to the
Constitution. Dravidian languages form a group by
themselves, and unlike the Aryan, Austric or Sino-
Tibetan speeches, have no relations outside the
Indian subcontinent, that is, India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh. The Dravidian family is the second
largest group in India, covering about 25% of the total
Indian population. The Dravidian language came into
India centuries before the Indo-Aryan.

The outstanding languages of the
Dravidian groups are :
(a) Telugu, the State language of Andhra Pradesh,
numerically the biggest of the Dravidian languages
(b) Tamil, the State language of Tamil Nadu, apparently
the oldest and purest branch of the Dravidian
family
(c) Kannada, the State language of Karnataka, another
ancient Dravidian language that has developed
individually
(d) Malayalam, the State language of Kerala, the
smallest and the youngest of the Dravidian
family.
Of the 1652 mother tongues listed in the census,
33 are spoken by people numbering over a lakh. With
independence, the question of a common language
naturally came up.
The Constituent Assembly could not arrive at a
consensus in the matter. The question was put to vote
and Hindi won on a single vote-the casting vote of the
President. Hindi however was only one of the many
regional languages of India.
The Indian National Congress had advocated the
formation of linguistic provinces. The acceptance of
this policy involved the statutory recognition of all the
major regional languages. The Constitution therefore
recognised Hindi in Devanagari script as the official
language of the Union (Art.343) and the regional
languages as the official langugaes of the States
concerned (Art.345).
English was recognised as the authoritative
legislative and judicial language (Art 348). The 8th
Schedule was added to the Constitution to indicate all
regional languages statutarily recognised.

The Schedule originally contained 15
languages as follows :

By the 71st Amendment to the Constitution,
Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were added to the
list in 1992. Hindi, numerically the biggest of the
Indo-Aryan family is the official language of the
Government of India. This was originally spoken
in Delhi and some Western UP districts. Official
Hindi is written in Devanagiri script.
Tamil, the oldest of the Dravidian languages, is
the State language of Tamil Nadu. Tamil literature
goes back to centuries before the Christian era.
The language is spoken by 74 million or more and
judging by its modern publications, it is advancing
at a faster pace.
Kannada, the official language of the State of
Karnataka, belongs to the Dravidian family.
Kannada, as an independent language, dates
from the 9th century. It has rich literary
traditions.
Malayalam, a branch of the Dravidian family, is
the official language of the State of Kerala.
It is one of the most developed languages of
India.
Telugu, numerically the biggest of the Dravidian
languages is the State language of Andhra
Pradesh. Next to Hindi, it is the biggest linguistic
unit in India.

TRIBES AND RACES

Bhils Primitive race inhabiting Central India Santhals Aboriginal natives of Orissa

Moplas Muslim Tribe of Malabar (Kerala) Todas Aboriginal Tribe of Nilgiris

Nagas Hill Tribe of Nagaland

CAPITAL CITIES OF STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES
STATES CAPITALS

1. Andhra Pradesh Hyderabad
2. Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar
3. Assam Dispur
4. Bihar Patna
5. Chhattisgarh Raipur
6. Gujarat Gandhinagar
7. Goa Panaji
8. Haryana Chandigarh
9. Himachal Pradesh Shimla
10. Jammu & Kashmir Srinagar
11. Jharkhand Ranchi
12. Karnataka Bangalore
13. Kerala Thiruvananthapuram
14. Madhya Pradesh Bhopal
15. Maharashtra Mumbai
16. Manipur Imphal
17. Meghalaya Shillong
18. Mizoram Aizawl
19. Nagaland Kohima
20. Orissa Bhubaneshwar
21. Punjab Chandigarh
22. Rajasthan Jaipur
23. Sikkim Gangtok
24. Tamil Nadu Chennai
25. Tripura Agartala
26. Uttar Pradesh Lucknow
27. Uttaranchal Dehradun
28. West Bengal Kolkata
National Capital Territory

New Delhi New Delhi
Union Territories Headquarters

1. Andaman & Nicobar Islands Port Blair
2. Chandigarh Chandigarh
3. Dadra & Nagar Haveli Silvassa
4. Daman & Diu Daman
5. Lakshadweep Kavaratti
6. Pondicherry Pondicherry

PLACES ASSOCIATED WITH INDUSTRIES IN INDIA
Place Name of Industries
Ahmedabad Cotton Textiles
Aligarh Locks
Alwaye (Kerala) Rare Earths Factory,
Aluminium
Ambattur (Chennai) Cycle, Enfield Motor
Cycles
Ambarnath Machine Tools Prototype
Amritsar (Punjab) Printing Machines
Anand Amul Butter
Ankleshwar (Gujarat) Oil
Avadi (Chennai) Tank Factory
Bangalore Aircraft
Bhilai (M.P) Steel Plant
Bhadravati Iron and Steel
Bhopal Heavy Electricals
Bokaro Steel Plant
Mumbai Atomic Reactors
Nomba High Oil
Chittaranjan Locomotive
Cochin Ship-building
Coimbatore Pulp & Textiles
Dindigul Locks
Durgapur (W.B) Steel Plant
Ennore Thermal Power
Guntur Cotton
Haldia Oil Refinery
Jharia Coal
Kagithapuram (T.N) Paper
Kalpakkam Atomic Power
Kanpur Leather
Kollegal (Karnataka) Silk
Kolar (Karnataka) Gold Mines
Lucknow Sugar
Ludhiana Hosiery
Moradabad Utensils

Place Name of Industries
Mysore Silk
Nandambakkam (Chennai) Surgical Instruments
Nangal Fertilizers
Nepanagar (M.P) Newsprint
Neyveli Lignite
Ooty (Nilgiris) (T.N) Film Manufacture
Perambur (Chennai) Integral Coach Factory
Pimpri (Poona) Pencillin Factory
Pinjore (Haryana) Machine Tools
Rana Pratap Sagar Atomic Power Plant
Raniganj Coal Mining
Renukoot Aluminium
Rupnarainpur (W.B) Cables
Sindri Fertilizer
Singhbhum Copper, Iron ore
Sirpur Paper
Sivakasi Match Industry
Sriharikota (A.P) Satellite Station
Surat Gold lace
Tarapur (Maharashtra) Nuclear Power
Thumba (Kerala) Rocket Launching Centre
Tiruchirappalli Cigar
Tiruverumbur (T.N) Heavy Electricals
Titagarh Paper Mills
Trombay (Maharashtra) Atomic Reactors
Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu) Thermal, Pearl fishing
Udaipur (Rajasthan) Zinc Project
Udhana (Gujarat) Rayon
Urkunta (Karnataka) Cement
Uttapara (W.B) Ambassador cars
Vadodara (Gujarat) Nylon filament yarn
Vandalur (Chennai) Automobile
Visakhapatnam Ship, Submarine
Worli (Mumbai) Baby Food
ZainaKot (J&K) HMT Watch Factory

MINERALS
Minerals Places

Aluminium Kerala
Bauxite Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir
Coal Raniganj
Cobalt Rajasthan and Kerala
Copper Khetri (Rajasthan)
Carborundum Salem, Khasi Hills
Diamond Panna (Madhya Pradesh)
Gold Kolar (Karnataka)
Gypsum Tiruchy, Bikaner & Jodhpur
Heavy Water Tuticorin, Kota Iron
ore Singhbhum (Bihar)
Lignite Neyveli (Tamil Nadu)
Marble Jaipur (Rajasthan)
Minerals Places

Mica Koderma (Bihar), Nellore (Andhra
Pradesh)
Petroleum Digboi, Mumbai High, Cauvery
Basin
Red stone Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
Salt Sambhar Lake (Rajasthan),
Vedaranyam, Kovalam
Tin Hazaribagh (Bihar)
Thorium Trivandrum (Kerala)
Tungsten Nagpur, Maharashtra and Marwar
Uranium Bihar
Zinc Zawar mines (Udaipur)
Zircon Kerala sea shores & Cape Comorin

NATIONAL PARKS AND SANCTUARIES
Anna Zoological Sanctuary Vandalur (T.N.)
Anamalai Sanctuary Coimbatore, (T.N.)
Bandipur National Park Mysore (Karnataka)
Corbett National Park Nainital (Uttaranchal)
Crocodile Farm Kovalam (Chennai)
Dachigam Santuary Srinagar (J & K)
Ghana Bird Sanctuary Bharatpur (Rajasthan)
Ghatprabha Bird Sanctuary Belgaum (Karnataka)
Gir National Park Junagarh (Gujarat)
Guindy Deer Sanctuary Guindy (Chennai)
Guindy Snake Park Guindy (Chennai)

WILD
Black Bear Kashmir and parts of Himalayas
Deer (Spotted) Many parts in India

Hazaribagh National Park Hazaribagh (Jharkhand)
Kanha National Park Mandla (M.P.)
Kaziranga Natinoal Park Jorhat (Assam)
Manas Tiger Sanctuary Barbeta (Assam)
Mudumalai Sanctuary Nilgris
Periyar Sanctuary Idukki (Kerala)
Pichavaram Bird Sanctuary Chidambaram (T.N.)
Rangathitto Bird Sanctuary Mysore (Karnataka)
Ranthanbor Tiger Sanctuary Sawai (Rajasthan)
Sivpuri National Park Sivpurai (M.P.)
Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary Kancheepuram

ANIMALS
Lions and Panther All Over India
(Gir Forest, Gujarat)
Elephants Western Ghats, Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu & Orissa
Rhinoceros Assam
Tiger Many Parts in India

GEOGRAPHICAL EPITHETS
Bengals Sorrow Damodar River
Blue Mountains Nilgiris Hills
City Beautiful Chandigarh
City of Ghats & Temples Varanasi
City of Golden Temple Amritsar
City of Palaces Kolkata &
Chandigarh
Garden City of India Bangalore
Gateway of India Mumbai
Land of Five Rivers Punjab
Land of Sunrise Arunachal Pradesh
Land of Setting Sun Kanyakumari
Manchester of India Mumbai
Manchester of South India Coimbatore
Poormans Ooty Yercaud
Queen of Arabian Sea Cochin
Queen of Hills Mussoorie (U.P.)
Rose Pink City Jaipur
Scotland of the East Meghalaya
Spice Garden of India Kerala
Switzerland of India Jammu & Kashmir
Venice of East Cochin

ASSOCIATION OF PLACES
Bardoli Sardar Patel
Belur Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Chittor Rana Pratap
Corsica Napoleon Bonaparte
Dandi Mahatma Gandhi
Fatehpur Sikri Akbar the Great
Haldighat Rana Pratap
Hiroshima (Japan) Ist Atom Bomb dropped
Jallianwala-Bagh Massacre of Indians
Jerusalem Jesus Christ
Kapilvastu Buddha
Lumbini Buddha
Macedonia Alexander the Great
Mecca Prophet Mohammed
Nagasaki (Japan) IInd Atom Bomb dropped
Pearl Harbour Japan's attack during World
War II
Pondicherry Aurobindo Ghosh
Porbunder, Rajghat Mahatma Gandhi
Sabarmati Mahatma Gandhi
Seringapatnam Tipu Sultan
Shakti Sthal (New Delhi) Mrs. Indira Gandhi
Shantivana Jawaharlal Nehru
Shantiniketan R.N. Tagore
Talwandi Guru Nanak
Trafalgar Nelson
Ujjain Mahavira
Vijay Ghat (Delhi) L.B. Shastri
Vrindaban (U.P.) Lord Krishna
Waterloo Napoleon

IMPORTANT DAYS
JANUARY
12 National Youth Day
21 Army Day
26 Republic Day
30 Martyrs Day
FEBRUARY
28 National Science Day
MARCH
8 International Womens Day
11 Commonwealth Day
15 World Consumers' Rights Day
15 World Disabled Day
21 World Forestry Day
22 World Day for Water
23 World Meteorological Day
APRIL
5 National Maritime Day
7 World Health Day
10-16 Railway Week
13 Jallianwala Day
18 World Heritage Day
22 Earth Day
23 World Book Day
MAY
1 May Day, Workers Day,
International
Labour
Day
8 World Red Cross Day
17 World Tele-communication Day
21 Anti-terrorism Day
24 Commonwealth Day
31 No-Tobacco Day
JUNE
5 World Environment Day
JULY
1 Doctors Day
11 World Population Day

AUGUST
1-7 Breast Feeding Week
6 Hiroshima Day
9 Nagasaki Day
9 Quit India Day
15 Independence Day
29 National Sports Day
SEPTEMBER
5 Teachers Day
8 International Literacy Day
16 World Ozone Day
27 World Tourism Day
OCTOBER
1 International Day for the Elderly
2 World Vegetarian Day
2 World Animal Day
4 National Integration Day
8 Air Force Day
16 World Food Day
21 Police Commemoration Day
24 UN Day
30 World Thrift Day
31 National Integration Day
NOVEMBER
14 Childrens Day
19 Citizens Day
DECEMBER
1 World AIDS Day
4 Navy Day
7 Flag Day
10 Human Rights Day (UN)
20 Kisans Day

MULTIPURPOSE RIVER-VALLEY PROJECTS
Beas Project : It is a joint venture of the government of
Punjab; Haryana and Rajasthan. It consists of two units:
(i) Beas - Sutlej link and (ii) Beas Dam at Pong.

Beas-Sutlej Link : The Project links the Beas and the
Sutlej rivers in Punjab through 38.4 km of hill and valleys.
The project is shared by Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan
which will benefit from its irrigation and power potential.
The biggest beneficiary will be Haryana.

Bhadra Reservoir Project is across the river Bhadra in
Karnataka.

Bhakara - Nangal Project (Himachal Pradesh) : It is the
largest multipurpose project in India and the highest
straight-gravity dam in the world (225.5 m high) ont the
river Sutlej.

Chambal Project is a joint undertaking by the Rajasthan
and Madhya Pradesh governments. The Rana Pratap Dam
at Bhata, 488 km from Kotah, was inaugurted on Fed 9,
1970. The project comprises construction of two other
dams : Gandhi Sagar Dam in Madhya Pradesh and Jawahar
Sagar (Kotah) Dam in Rajasthan.

Chamera Hydro-Electric Project : The 540 MW Chamera
Hydroelectric project on the river in Himachal Pradesh
was implemented with Canadian credit offer about Rs.
335 crore.

Chukha Project : The 336 MW project is the most
prestigious and largest in Bhutan. It has been
completely built by India. The dam has been constructed
on Wang Chu river. The project costed Rs.244 crore.

Damodar Velley Project (West Bengal and Bihar) :
Principal object of this multipurpose scheme is to control
the flowing of the Damodar which is notorious for its
vagaries and destrutiveness. It is designed on the lines
of the Tennesses Valley Authority (T.V.A.) in U.S.A.

Dul-Hasti Hydro-electric Project : The 1263 crore project
has been built on river Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir.
The foundation of the project was laid in September 1984.
The project consists of a power plant of 390 MW capacity.
The power house will be located underground.

Farakka Barrage : The basic aim of the Farakka Barrage
is to preserve and maintain Calcutta port and to improve
the navigability of the Hooghly river. It consists of a
barrage across the Ganga at Farakka. Another barrage at
Jangipur across the Bhagirathi, a 39-km long feeder canal
taking off from the right bank of the Ganga at Farakka
and tailing into the Bhagirathi below the Jangipur barrage,
and a road-cum-rail bridge have already been completed.
Especially, the object of Farakka is to use about 40,000
cusecs of water out of the water stored in the dam to
flush the Calcutta port which is getting silted up.
Gandak Project (Bihar and UP) : This is a joint venture
of India and Nepal as per agreement signed between the
two governments on Dec. 4, 1959. Bihar and UP are the
participating Indian States. Nepal would also derive
irrigation and power benefits from this project.

Hirakud Project (Orissa) : is the first of a chain of three
Dams planned for harvesting the Mahanadi.

Idduki Hydro-Electric Project : It is a giant hydro-electric
project of Kerala and one of the biggest in the country
constructed with Canadian assistance with an installed
capacity of 390 MW in the first stage and 780 MW on the
second stage. The project envisages to harness Periyar
water and it has three major dams, the 160 m high Iddukki
arch dam across Periyar river, 138 m high Cheruthoni Dam
across the tributary of Cheruthoni river and 99.9 m high
Kulmavu Dam.

Jayakwadi Dam (Maharashtra): The 10-km long
Jayakwadi dam on the Godavari is Maharashtras largest
power project located near Paithan.

Kakarapara Project is on the river Tapti near Kakarapara,
80 km upstream of Surat. The project is financed by the
Gujarat government.

Koel Karo Project : The project envisages construction
of eastern dam across river south Koel at Basia in Bihar
and another dam over north Karo at Lohajimi. The
capacity will be 710 MW.

Kol Project : The 600 MW project is to be located on the
Sutlej, 6 km upstream of the Dehar House on the Beas-
Sutlej link project in Mandi districts, Himachal Pradesh.
Beas generting power, the dam will also serve as a check
dam for the 1,050-MW Bhara Dam to prolong its life by at
least 10 years.

Kosi Project (Bihar) : This project will serve Bihar and
Nepal. The Kosi rises in Nepal, passes through Bihar
and it joins the Ganges. The river is subject to heavy
flood. Two are to be built across it.

Nagarjuna Sagar Project : is a venture of Andhra
Pradesh for utilising water from the Krishna river. The
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam was inaugurated on Aug. 4, 1967.
It is situated near Nadikonad village in Mriyalguda taluk
of Nalgonda district.

Nathpa-Jhakri Hydel Project : 1500 MW Nathpa-Jhakri
Project is to be built over river Sutlej in Kinnaur
district of Himachal Pradesh at a cost of about Rs.
2216.34 crore. The project will be Asias biggest Hydro-
electric project.

Parambikulam Aliyar Project : is a joint venture of Tamil
Nadu and Kerala States. It envisages construction of

seven inter-connected reservoirs by harnessing river
including 2 major rivers viz., Parambikulam on the western
slopes of Anamalai hills and Aliyar on the eastern slopes.

Parappalar Dam : The Rs.1-Crore Parappalar Dam with a
storage capacity of 1677 million cubic feet near
Oddenchatram about 75 km from Madurai in Palani taluk
(Tamil Nadu), was inaugurated on August 30, 1976.

Periyar Valley Scheme (Kerala) : The scheme envisages
the construction of a masonary barrage 210.92 meters
long across the river Periyar near Alwaye, in
Ernakulam district.

Pong Dam : Also called the Beas Dam on the river Beas,
near Talwara in Himachal Pradesh, is the highest (132 m
high) rockfill dam in the country. The project is a joint
venture of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. The dam has
been designed to store 6.6 million cu. feet of water.

Rajasthan Canal Project : It is a bold venture of irrigation
to a desert area. The project, which uses water from the
Pong Dam, consists of 215-km long Rajasthan feeder
canal with the first 178 km in Punjab and Haryana and the
remaining 37 km in Rajasthan and the 467-km long
Rajasthan main canal lying entirely in Rajasthan.

Ramganga River Project : UP envisages construction
of a dam across the river Ramganga, one of the major
tributaries of the Ganges at 3.2 km upstreams of Kalagarh
in Garhwal district.

Rihand Project : (Mirzapur District - U.P.) This project
has been completed by the U.P. government and
comprises construction of a concrete gravity dam across
the Rihand river in Mirzapur District (UP) and a Power
House at Pimpri and necessary transmission lines.

Rongtong - Worlds Highest Hydro Power Project : The
Rongtong project is situated in Kaza in the Spiti Valley in
Himachal Pradesh. The project will help transform the
entire cold mountain desert into a lush green belt.

Salal Project : It has been built on River Chenab in Jammu
and Kashmir. The first stage was completed on February
9, 1989 and marked the beginning of the harnessing of
hydro-power potential of the river Chenab. At present
the capacity of the power house is 345 MW. With the
completion of Second stage the capacity will be doubled.

Sanja Vidyut (Hydel) Project : It is Asias first fully
underground Hydel Project. The 120 MW project is
located near Bhaba Nagar in Kinnur district of Himachal
Pradesh. It harnesses the water of the Bhaba khud, a
tributary of Sutlej.

Sardar Sarovar Project : This is one of the largest river
valley schemes in the country. The project envisages
construction of 163-meter-high cement concrete dam at
Navagam in Gujarat. This will create irrigation potential
of 1.79 million hectares and generate 1450 MW of power.
On completion of the project more than 40 per cent of the
drought-affected areas of Gujarat would be ensured
against the calamity.

Sharavati Project (Karnataka) : Located about 400 km
from Bangalore near the Gersoppa falls, the Sharavati
project is one of the worlds major power projects, built
by Indian Engineers with American collaboration.

Subarnarekha Project : It is Rs. 130-crore multipurpose
project which would, when completed, provide assured
irrigation to 7,06,000 acres to the chronically drought-
prone areas of Orissa and Bihar.

Ranjit Sagar Dam : In view of the situation that
developed after the expiry of the Indus water treaty (with
Pakistan) on March 31, 1970, the Punjab Government drew
up plans to utilize water of the Ravi. It is proposed to
construct a 131.6 m high dam at Thein village across the
Ravi 25 km upstream, of Madhopur headworks at an
estimate cost of Rs.92 crore. The project was earlier
known as Thein Dam Project.

Tehri Dam Project : The project is to be built by the
Soviet Union on a turnkey basis. This dam being
constructed will be the third highest dam in the world.
The total capacity will be increased to 2000 MW in the
second stage of the project.

Telugu Ganga Project : Inaugurated in May 1983 this
project will consist of 400 km long canal named Telugu
Ganga which starts from the Srisailam reservoir of Krishna
river in Kurnool district. The canal will join four more
reservoirs on way before joining the Poondi reservoir in
Tamil Nadu. The Poondi reservoir is to meet the drinking
water needs of Chennai.

Tunghabhadra Project (Andhra and Karnataka) : It is a
joint undertaking by the governments of Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka. The project comprises a dam across the
Tungabhadra river near Mallapuram.

Ukai Project : The Ukai power project of Gujarat
equipped with power generating sets manufactured by
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited was inaugurated on
October 12, 1977. It has added 540,00 MW of installed
capacity to the States existing power network.

Upper Krishna (Karnataka) : A Project consisting of
Narayanpur dam across the Krishna river and a dam at
Almatti.

Upper Penganga (Maharashtra) : Two reservoirs on
penganga river at Isapur is Yavalmal district and the other
on Rayadhu river at Sapli in Parbhani district.

Uri Power Project : It is located on the river Jhelum in
the Uri Tehsil of Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir.
It is a 480 mw hydroelectric project which was dedicated
to the nation on February 13, 1997.

INDIAN POLIT Y
CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY
The election to the Constituent Assembly based
on the Cabinet Missions Plan took place in July 1946.
The sets in each Province were distributed among the
three main communities, Muslims, Sikh and General, in
proportion to their respective populations. The election
was indirect in that members of each community in the
Provincial Assemblies elected their own representatives
by the method of proportional representation with
single transferable vote. The Constituent Assembly
first met on 9th December 1946, without the members
of the Muslim League. Dr.Rajendra Prasad was elected
President and various committees were appointed to
draft the different parts of the Constitution. As a result
of the Partition and the Indian Independence Act of
1947, which provided for separate Constituent
Assemblies for India Pakistan, separate Constituent
Assembly was set up for Pakistan. The Constituent
Assembly of India reassembled on 14 August 1947, as
the Sovereign Constituent Assembly for the Dominion
of India. The membership of the Assembly was
reduced to 299 when it met again on 31 October 1947
with some members ceasing to be so after their
Provinces opted to join Pakistan.

ACCEPTANCE
The Constituent Assembly appointed a Drafting
Committee on 29 August 1947 under the Chairmanship
of Dr.B.R.Ambedkar. The members included
N.Gopalaswamy Ayyangar, Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar,
K.M.Munshi Mohammad Sadullah, B.L.Mitter and
Dr.D.P.Khaitan. The last two were replaced by
N.Madhava Rao and T.T.Krishnamachari respectively.
A draft Constitution of India was published in February
1948. The Assembly met in November 1948 to consider
the draft clause by clause. The second reading was
completed by 17 October 1949. On 14 November the
Assembly sat for the third reading and finished it on
26 November 1949. On that date the constitution
received the signature of the President of the Assembly,
Dr.Rajendra Prasad, and was declared as passed. The
Provisions relating to citizenship, elections, provisional
Parliament, etc. came into effect immediately. i.e. from
26 November 1949.
The rest of the Constitution came into force on 26
January 1950 the date which is referred to in the
Constitution as the date of its commencement. The
date was specifically chosen for the inaguration of the
Indian Republic as it was on 26 January 1930 that the
historic call for Purna Swaraj as a goal was passed
at the Lahore Session of the Congress. The final
session of the Constituent Assembly was held on 24
January 1950 when it unanimously elected Dr.Rajendra
Prasad as the First President of the Republic of India
under the new Constitution.

CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
The Constitution of a country is a very important
document. No Government can be run without a clear
set of laws. This set of laws is commonly known as
Constitution.
Our Constitution was framed by an elected body
called The Constituent Assembly. This assembly
started its work on 9 December 1946 in the Central Hall
of our Parliament House in New Delhi. Dr.Rajendra
Prasad, who was elected the first President of India in
1952, was the Chairman of the Constituent Assembly.
Among other important members of the assembly were
Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad, Dr.Shyama Prasad Mukherji,
Dr.B.R.Ambedkar, Dr.K.M.Munshi, Dr.S.Radha Krishnan,
Alladi Krishnaswami, Mrs. Sarojini Naidu and Mrs.
Vijayalakshmi Pandit. Dr.B.R. Ambedkar was the
Chairman of the Drafting Committee which prepared the
draft of the Constitution.
The Drafting Committee studied the Constitution
of many Countries such as U.K., U.S.A., Ireland,
U.S.S.R., France and Switzerland. The draft was
discussed and debated in detail by the Assembly. The
Constitution was finally signed by the members on 26
November, 1949. The Constitution came into force on
26th January 1950. On this day India became a
Sovereign Democratic Republic.

SALIENT FEATURES
Preamble:Our Constitution has a Preamble or a
statement of the Constitution. The Preamble opens
with the words, We the People of India. The people
resolve to secure to all the citizens of India Justice,
Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

SOVEREIGN DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC
The most important feature of our Constitution is
that the supreme political power belongs to the people.
The people drafted the constitution through their
representatives. It is the people of India who govern
the country through their elected representatives. The
people are the real masters with whom the ultimate
authority rests.
India is a Sovereign Democratic Republic. It is
Sovereign because it is supreme and free in all matters
governing the country. No outside nation can interfere
with its affairs. It is Democratic because the people
govern the country through their elected
representatives. It is a Republic because the Head of
the State, The President of India, is elected for a limited
period of five years. He may seek re-election on the
expire of his term.

A Secular State : The Preamble of the Constitution was
modified in 1976. India is now a Sovereign Socialist
Secular Democratic Republic. It is secular because the
state does not favour or propagate or finance any
particular religion. It does not discriminate among
people of different religions or faiths.

A Socialist State : Our Constitution stands for a
society based on economic and social equality. Ours
is a Socialist Republic. It exists for the welfare of the
masses.

Written Constitution : Ours is a written Constitution.
It is the lengthiest in the World. It originally contained
395 Articles.

Single Citizenship : Our Constitution provides for
single citizenship for all Indians. A citizen of our
country can freely move to any part of the country for
the sake of employment. He can purchase property or
start a business in almost all parts of the country.

Union of State : Our motherland, India or BHARAT,is
a Union of States. There are 26 states and 6 Union
Territories in the Union.

Universal Adult Franchise : The Constitution gives
the right to vote to all the people of India who are
not less than21 years (now reduced to 18 years) of age,
whether they are educated or uneducated, rich or poor,
men or women. This is known as Universal Adult
Franchise.

Fundamental Rights and Duties : An important feature
of our Constitution is that it guarantees some basic
rights to the people and also prescribes some basic
duties. These rights are essential rights and provide
help and safeguards to the citizens in many ways. Ten
fundamental duties of citizen were included in the
Constitution in 1976. It is the duty of a citizen to pay
taxes, to vote wisely and to serve the country in peace
and war. Rights and duties help society to achieve its
goals.

Directive Principles : Our Constitution states in clear
terms that the Governments should make all efforts to
remove poverty, ignorance, economic disparities and
social inequalities in the country. These directions
have been mentioned in what we call Directive Principles
of State Policy.

Parliamentary Form of Government : Our Constitution
provides a precise outline of the framework of the
Government. All policies and programmes of the
Government must be approved by a majority of the
elected representative in the legislature. No tax can be
imposed nor any amount of money be spent without
the sanction of the parliament or the State Legislature.

Independent Judiciary : The Constitution provides for
a uniform pattern of judiciary. The Supreme Court is
the highest court in India. The judiciary in India is
independent of the executive control.
An Instrument of Social Change : To sum up, our
Constitution aims at fulfilling the hopes and aspirations
of the people. It resolves to secure to all its citizens
Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. It aims at
establishing a democratic secular, Socialist Society in a
peaceful manner and is an instrument of social change.

Union list, State list and Concurrent list : The Union
Goverment and the state Governments have exclusive
powers to make laws on the subjects.

Union list : The main subjects are defence, external
affairs, railways, shipping, airways, post and telegraph,
currency and coinage, banking, insurance, RBI etc.,

State list : Agriculture, health, irrigation, electricity, law
and order in the state, entertainment etc.,

Concurrent List : Both the Union Parliament and the
State Legislature have power to legislate. Some
important subjects under the list are: criminal law,
criminal procedure, marriage, divorce, labour welfare,
factories, newspaper books, priniting, social welfare,
education price control etc.,

President of India
President of India is the executive head of the
Union of India. Citizens of India take no direct part in
election of their President. Instead he is elected by
members of the Parliament and the State legislatures,
i.e., by representatives of the people. The legislators
elect the President by secret ballot.
The name of a candidate for the office of the
President of India may be proposed by any one
member of the electoral college. The electoral college
shall consist of (a) the elected members of both
Houses of Parliament, and (b) elected members of the
Legislative Assembly of the States. (Elected members
of the Legislative Council, however, do not constitute
the electoral college for election of the President of
India. The Chief Minister of a State of India is NOT
eligible to vote in the Presidential election if he is a
member of Upper House of the State Legislature). The
President can be removed from office if he goes against
the Constitution. When he does that, not less than
one-fourth of the total membership of both the Houses
of Parliament should give 14 days notice that they
propose bringing a motion of impeachment against
the President. The motion can be introduced in either
House i.e., in the Lok Sabha or in the Rajya Sabha. If
a two-thirds majority of the total membership of the
Parliament votes that the charges against the President
stand proved, the latter is removed forthwith.

Powers of the President with respect to Parliament :
The President can summon, prorogue, address and
send messages to the two Houses of Parliament. He
gives assent to bills passed by the Parliament. He can
issue ordinances when Parliament is not in session. He
has the power to declare war or make peace. He can
declare a state of emergency arising due to war,

external aggression, internal disturbances, failure of
constitutional machinery in any State or threat to the
financial stability or credit of India.
Indian Parliament can invade the State List if
(1) a subject in the State List assumes national
importance, and
(2) a proclamation of emergency has been issued by
the President of India.

Oath of office : The oath of office by the President of
India is conducted by the Chief Justice of India. The
President is not a member of Parliament (or any State
Legislature). The President holds an office of profit in
the Government of India, thus he cannot be a member
of Parliament.
Qualifications to become President : A Candidate for
the office of the President should have the following
qualifications : (1) He should be an Indian citizen; (2)
He should not be less than 35 years of age; (3) He
should have qualifications for elections as a member of
the House of the people; (4) He should not be holding
any office of profit under any government for local
body; (5) He should not be a member of Parliament or
any State Legislature. A government servant or a
servant of a local authority is, however, ineligible for
election as President.
Election of the President : The election of the
President is made by secret ballot in accordance with
the system of proportional representation by a single
transferable vote i.e., by indirect direction. The President
is thus elected by an electroral college consisting of
elected members of Parliament and of the Legislative
Assemblies of the States i.e., by representatives of the
people. The citizens have no direct part in this election.
A candidate for the office of the President should not
be a member of Parliament or any State Legislature. In
the case of a conflict between the Centre and a State
in respect of a subject included in the Concurrent List
in the Constitution, the matter is to be resolved by the
Supreme Court of India. The President of India can
preside in the proceedings of either House of Parliament
without having a right to vote. The disputes regarding
election of the President are referred to the Supreme
Court of India.
Amendment of election procedure of the President :
For this purpose, a Bill is required to be passed in
Parliament by the required majority and to be ratified
by the legislatures of atleast half of the States.
Tenure : Elected for five years but is eligible for
immediate re-election and can serve any number of
terms.
Emoluments : Rs.50,000 per month.
Powers : (i) Executive and Administrative Powers : He
appoints the senior officials of the state including the
Prime Minister. All Union Territories are under the
President of India. (ii) Legislative Powers : (a) Appoints
12 members to the Rajya Sabha and two Anglo-Indian
members to the Lok Sabha; (b) Dissolves the House of
People; (c) Assents or withholds his assent to any Bill
passed by the Parliament; (d) Issues ordinances. (iii)
Financial Powers : (a) Causes the budget to be laid
before the Parliament; (b) Sanctions introduction of
money bills; (c) Apportions revenue between the
Centre and the States. (iv) Judicial Powers : Empowered
to grant pardons, reprieve, remit the sentences, or
suspend, remit or commute punishments. (v) Emergency
Powers : Article 352 empowers the President to
proclaim an emergency and take under his direct charge
the administration of any State. The President cannot
be questioned by any court for the action taken by him
in the discharge of his duties. No criminal proceedings
can be launched against him. He may be removed from
office for violation of the Constitution by impeachment
(Article 61).

Vice-President
Election : The Vice-President is elected by members of
an electoral college consisting of the members of both
Houses of Parliament. However, his election is different
from that of the President as the state legislatures have
no part in it.
Tenure : Five years and is eligible for immediate re-
election.
Functions : (1) Acts as ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya
Sabha. (2) Officiates as President in case of death,
resignation or removal of the latter. (3) Functions as the
President when the President is unable to discharge his
functions due to illness, absence or any other cause.
Emoluments : Vice-President is entitled to a salary of
Rs.40,000 per month in his capacity as the Chairman of
Rajya Sabha.

The Prime Minister
The Prime Minister of India heads the council of
ministers. He is the leader of the party that enjoys a
majority in the Lok Sabha. He is appointed by the
President.
Tenure : Five years, and holds the office with the
consent of the President till a new Lok Sabha is formed.
Resignation : If the government is defeated in the
Lok Sabha (not in Rajya Sabha), the cabinet as well
as the Prime Minister have to resign.

Union Council of Ministers
The President appoints such person as Prime
Minister whose leadership in the House (Lok Sabha)
is explicitly recognised. The other Ministers are
appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime
Minister and thus the Union Council of Ministers is
formed to aid and advise the President in the exercise
of his functions. The Prime Minister is a link between
the President and the Cabinet. The term ordinarily is
for 5 years.

Parliament
Parliament or the Central Legislature consists of the
President and the two Houses :
(i) The Rajya Sabha (Council of State) and
(ii) the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The
President is an integral part of Parliament and all
bills passed by Parliament must have his assent
before they become law. Parliament is to meet at
least twice a year and at an interval of not more
than six months between one session and another.
The maximum strength of the two Houses is fixed
at 545 for the Lok Sabha (not more than 525 from
the States and 20 from the Union Territories) and
250 (12 nominated) for the Rajya Sabha.
Qualifications to become a member of Parliament :
(1) A person should be a citizen of India.
(2) He should not be less than 30 years of age in
order to fill a seat in Rajya Sabha and not less
than 25 years of age to fill a seat in the Lok
Sabha.
(3) He should possess such other qualifications as
may be prescribed under any law made by
Parliament. He is also required to make and
subscribe an oath or affirmation to bear the true
faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India.
A person is disqualified both for being chosen
as, and for being, a member of Parliament if he :
(i) holds an office of profit under any
Government in India, other than an office
declared by Parliament by law not to
disqualify its holder,
(ii) is of unsound mind,
(iii) is an undischarged insolvent,
(iv) has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a
foreign State or
(v) is disqualified by or under any law made by
Parliament.

Powers and Functions of Parliament : Parliament has
vast legislative powers :
(1) It can make laws on the subjects contained in the
Union and Concurrent Lists.
(2) In certain cases, Parliament can also make laws on
the subjects mentioned in the State List.
(3) It has vast financial powers. It passes the budget
and authorises all the income and expenditure.
(4) It exercises control over the executive.
(5) The Lok Sabha or the House of the People has
also a share in the election of the President and
the Vice-President.

Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha
Rajya Sabha (Council of State) : The elected members
are representatives of the States and the nominated
members are eminent men in art, literature, science and
social services etc. The Rajya Sabha is a permanent
body, i.e., it is not subject to dissolution. One third of
its members retire after every two years. The elections
to the Rajya Sabha are indirect. The alloted quota of
every State is elected by the elected members of the
Legislative Assembly of that State. The election is
conducted in accordance with the system of
proportional representation by a single transferable
vote. The Vice-President is the ex-officio Chairman of
the Rajya Sabha.

Lok Sabha (House of the People) : The number of seats
to each State is allotted in such a way that the ratio
between the number and the population of the State is,
as far as practicable, the same for all States. Each
member represents not less than 500,000 citizens. The
term ordinarily does not exceed 5 years.
Anglo-Indians : The President may, if he is of the
opinion that the Anglo-Indian community is not
adequately represented in the Lok Sabha, nominate not
more than two members of that community to the
House of People (Lok Sabha). The Lok Sabha
Secretariat comes under the direct supervision of
the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The Secretary General
of the Lok Sabha, who is chief of the Secretariat,
is appointed by the President of India as per Article
98 of the Constitution. Except in the case of Money
Bills, the Constitution provides equality of status of
the two Houses. The Speaker is elected by members of
the Lok Sabha for a period of 5 years. The term of the
Lok Sabha can be extended for one year at a time. The
Lok Sabha can be dissolved before the expiry of its
normal term of five years by the President.

Speaker
The House of the People elects a Speaker and a
Deputy Speaker from among its members. The
principal function of the Speaker is to preside over
the meetings of the House in addition to other duties
in connection with the internal affairs of the House of
the People.

Money Bill :
A Money Bill is not introduced in the Rajya
Sabha which has no power over Money Bills. It can
originate only in the Lok Sabha. In financial matters,
the Lok Sabha is more powerful than the Rajya Sabha.
After a Money Bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha,
it is to be sent to the Rajya Sabha for its
recommendations. The Rajya Sabha cannot reject or
amend a Money Bill by virtue of its own powers. If the
Rajya Sabha does not return the Bill within fourteen
days, it shall be deemed to have been passed by both
Houses.

Elections :
Election held to elect members of Parliament and
State Legislative Assemblies as also to the office of the
President and Vice-President is termed as General

Election. General Elections are normally held every
five years in India. But mid-term elections can be held
if the circumstances so demand. General Elections are
controlled by the Election Commission consisting of
one Chief Election Commissioner and a number of
Election Commissioners appointed by the President.
The Election Commission conducts the election of the
President and Vice-President of India as well.
Main Duties of the Election Commission : The main
duties of the Election Commission are :
1. to superintend, direct, control and conduct all
elections to Parliament and State Legislatures as
also to the office of the President and Vice-
President of India;
2. to lay down general rules for election;
3. to determine constituencies and to prepare
electoral rolls;
4. to give recognition to the political parties;
5. to allot election symbols to different political
parties and individual contestants, and
6. to appoint tribunals for the decision of doubts
and disputes arising out of or in connection with
election to Parliament and State Legislatures.
Powers of the Election Commission are given in
Article 324.

Minimum age prescribed for election is : (i) President
of India - 35 years (ii) Member of Lok Sabha - 25 years
(iii) Member of Rajya Sabha - 30 years.
Mid-term election : is an election held out of schedule
as a result of the dissolution of Parliament or a State
legislature before it has been in existence for its normal
term of five years.
By-election : is held in respect of a seat rendered
vacant during the running term of an elected person,
which might occur on resignation, death or due to any
other subsequent disqualification of the already elected
Member. Every person who is a citizen of India and
who is not less than 18 years of age and who is not
otherwise disqualified, is entitled to vote at the
elections of the House of the People (and also of the
Legislative Assembly of the States). A member of
either House of Parliament will be disqualified from
being a member if he has voluntarily given up
membership of the party on whose ticket he was
elected. Democracy in India rests on the fact that
people have the right to choose and change the
government.

REMEDIES FOR ENFORCEMENT
Articles 32 of the Constitution provides a
guaranteed remedy for the enforcement of fundamental
rights. The remedy is in the form of specific writs
mentioned in the Article or any other appropriate order
by the Supreme Court. A writ is a written court order
by which one is summoned or required to do some-
thing. The writs mentioned in the Constitution are the
following:
1. Habeas Corpus, 4. Certiorari,
2. Mandamus, 5. Quo Warranto.
3. Prohibition,
Let us now see the nature and significance of each of
them.

Habeas Corpus
Habeas Corpus is a Latin term which literally
means you should have the body. The writ was
regarded in England as a foundation of human freedom
and the British citizen insisted upon this privilege
wherever he went whether for business or colonisation.
This is how it found place in the Constitution of the
United States when the British colonies in America
won their independence and established a new state
under that Constitution. In India the power to issue a
writ of habeas corpus is vested only in the Supreme
Court and the High Court. The writ is a direction of the
court to a person who is detaining another, commanding
him to bring the body of the person in his custody at
a specified time to a specified place for a specified
purpose. The writ has only one purpose; to set at
liberty, a person who is confined without legal
justification; to secure release from confinement of a
person unlawfully detained. The writ is issued not
only against the State and its authorities but also to
private individuals or organisation, if necessary.

Mandamus
The Latin word Mandamus means we order.
The writ of Mandamus is an order of the Supreme
Court or the High Court commanding a person or a
body to do that which is his or its duty to do. For
instance, a licensing officer is obliged to issue a licence
to an appicant if he fulfills all the conditions laid down
for the issue of such licence. Similarly, an appointing
authority should issue a letter of appointment to a
candidate if all the formalities of selection are over and
if the candidate is declared fit for appointment or the
authority concerned refuses or fails to issue the licence
or the appointment letter, the aggrieved person has a
right to seek the remedy through a writ of Mandamus.

Certiorari
Certiorari is a writ which orders the removal of a
suit from an inferior court to a superior court. It may
be used before a trial take place to prevent an excess
or abuse of jurisdiction and to move the case for trial
to a higher court. It is invoked also after trial to quash
an order which has been made without jurisdiction or
in difiance of the rules of natural justice.

Prohibition
A writ of prohibition is issued primarily to
prevent an inferior court from exceeding its jurisdiction
or acting contrary to the rules of natural justice. For

example, a Judge may be restrained from hearing a case
in which he is personally interested. The writ of
prohibition is a counterpart of the writ of certiorari and
an aggrieved person may make an application for the
issue of both the writs.

Quo-Warranto
An application for a writ of quo-warranto seeks
an order from the Supreme Court or High Court to
restrain a person from acting in an office to which he
is not entitled. It may also seek the office to be
declared as vacant. What the court has to do is to
determine whether there has been surpation of an
office of a public nature. For example, a member of a
Municipal Corporation may through an application of
writ of quo-warranto challenge the authority of the
Mayor if he is of opinion that the Mayor was not
properly elected.

INDIAN JUDICIARY

The Supreme Court of India
The highest court of Justice in the country is the
Supreme Court. It now consists of the Chief Justice
and 25 other Judges.
The Chief Justice is appointed by the President of
India in consultation with the Judges of the Supreme
Court.
The President appoints the other Judges of the
Supreme Court in consultation with the Chief Justice.

Qualifications of the Judges
In order to be a judge of the Supreme Court, a
person must be;
(a) a citizen of India
(b) a judge of a High Court of not less than five
years standing or an advocate of ten years
standing in a High Court or an eminent jurist.

Term : The Judge of the Supreme Court holds office till
the age of 65 years. He can be removed only on the
ground of proven misbehaviour.Both the Houses of
Parliament will pass a motion to that effect by a two
third majority of the members present and voting. But
this cannot be less than a majority of the total
membership of the House. After this, the President
issues an order for the removal of the judge.
Salary and Allowances : The Chief Justice draws a
salary of Rs.33,000/- per month. The salary of other
Judges is Rs.30,000/- per month. Every Judge is given
a rent free official residence. The pay and allownces of
judges are charged on the Consolidated Fund of
India. A retired Judge of the Supreme Court is debarred
from practising in any Court of law or before any other
authority in India.
Location : The Supreme Court of India is located in
New Delhi.

INDEPENDENCE OF SUPREME
COURT JUDGES

The independence of the Judges of the Supreme
Court is ensured by the following:

1. The salaries of the Judges have been fixed under
the Second Schedule and these shall not be
varied to their disadvantages after their
appointment.
2. The administrative expenses of the Supreme
Court, including pay and allowances of the
Judges and their staff, are charged on the
Consolidated Fund of India. These expenses are
not subject to Parliamentary Vote.
3. The President has to consult, among others, the
Chief Justice or the Judges of the Supreme
Court while appointing the Judges or the chief
Justice of India, as the case may be. This ensures
appointment of Judges with independent bent of
mind.
4. A Supreme Court Judge cannot be removed by
the President except on a joint address by both
Houses of Parliament on ground of proved
misbehaviour or incapacity of Judge in question.
5. Discussion of the conduct of a Judge of the
Supreme Court (or a High Court) in Parliament is
forbidden except in a case when a motion has
already been introduced to remove the Judge.
6. After retirement, a Supreme Court Judge shall not
plead or act in any Court or before any authority
in the country.
There are analogous provision in the case of
High Court Judges.

Jurisdiction
The Supreme Court has three kinds of jurisdiction,
namely (i) Original; (ii) Appellate, and (iii) Advisory.

Original Jurisdiction
(i) The Supreme Court is empowered to decide all
disputes between the Union and one or more
States.
(ii) Under Article 32 of the Constitution, the Supreme
Court can enforce fundamental rights guaranteed
under Part III of the Constitution.
(iii) It is empowered to issue directions or orders of
writs including those in the nature of writs of
habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo-
warranto and certiorari, whichever may be
appropriate, to enforce the fundamental rights.

Appellate Jurisdiction
(i) The Supreme Court hears appeals from any
judgement passed by a High Court and which
involves a substantial question of law as to the
interpretation of the Constitution.

(ii) The appeals for civil and criminal cases arising
from the judgements of High Courts lie with the
Supreme Court. However in case of a civil suit
appeal, the case must involve a substantial
question of law of general importance.
(iii) It has jurisdiction over all courts and tribunals in
India and can grant special leave to appeal against
any judgement made by these courts and tribunals.
Advisory Jurisdiction
The President can seek the opinion of Supreme
Court on important questions of law and fact. The
Supreme Court shall have the power to make rules for
its working, subject to the laws made by the parliament
in this regard. The minimum number of Judges to
decide an issue involving the interpretation of the
constitution or any Presidential reference is five.

Doctrine of Judicial Review
Judicial Review, as emphasised in the Indian
Constitution, reprensents the competence of the
Supreme Court to act as the guardian and protector of
fundamental rights as also the institutions which are
set up under the Constitution. The Judiciary, in other
words, has been assigned the role of preventing the
executive and the legislature from violating the rights
and freedoms guaranteed to the citizen. It has the
power to nullify an executive order or an Act passed
by the Parliament or by a State legislature, by declaring
in ultra vires of the Constitution or an act as not
authorized by law.

Attorney General of India
The Constitution provides for the appointment
by the President of a person who is qualified to be
appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court to be
Attorney-General for India. The Attorney-Genral holds
office during the pleasure of the President. He gives
expert legal advice to the Government of India and
performs such duties of legal character as are assigned
to him. He has right of audience in all courts in India
and can take part in the proceedings of either House
of Parliament but he is not entitled to vote.

HIGH COURTS
A High Court is the highest court of justice in the
state. A High Court consists of the chief Justice and
some other judges. The Chief Justice of a High Court
is appointed by the President in consultation with the
Chief Justice of India and the Governor of the State
concerned. The other Judges are appointed by the
President of India in consultation with the Chief Justice
of India, the Chief Justice of the High court and the
Governor of the State concerned. The Judges can
serve upto the age of 62 years, unless they resign or
are removed by the President of India on a
representation by both the Houses of Parliament in the
prescribed constitutional manner. It is the same as the
case of a judge of Supreme Court.
Qualifications
To be a judge of a High Court a person must
1. be a citizen of India
2. have been a judge of a civil and session
court in India for atleast ten years
3. an advocate in a High court for atleast ten
years

The Chief Justice draws a salary of Rs.30,000/-per
month and other judges draw a salary of Rs.26,000/-
per month. They also get pension and other retirement
benefits. The pay and allowances of High Court Judges
are changed on the Consolidated Fund of the State.

Powers of High Courts
The High court is mainly a Court of Appeal. It
can hear appeals in both civil and criminal cases. A
person can appeal to the High Court to protect his
Fundamental Rights. The High Court controls and
supervises the working of the lower courts. The High
courts is empowered to issue to any person or the
Government within its jurisdiction, orders or writs,
including writs which are in the nature of habeas
corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo-warranto and
certorari. The High Courts have powers of
superintendence over all subordinate courts and
tribunals within their jurisdiction. The Advoate General
is appointed by the Governor.

Transfer of Chief Justice
The President after consultation with the Chief
Justice of India, transfers a Chief Justice from one High
Court to another High Court.

Appointment of officers and staff
Officers and servants of the High court are to be
appointed by the Chief Justice. The expenses of High
court will be charged on the Consolidated Fund of the
state.

Subordinate Courts
Subject to minor local variations, the structure
and functions of the subordinate courts are more or
less uniform throughout the country. Each State is
divided into a number of districts, each under the
jurisdiction of the principal civil court provided over by
a district judge. Subordinate to him is a hierarchy of
different grades of civil judicial authorities. The court
of the District Judge is the highest Civil Court in a
district. When a Judge decides a civil cases, he is
called the District Judge and when he deals with
criminal cases he is called the Sessions Judge, appointed
by the Governor in consultation with the Chief Justice
of the state. Besides the district court there are Courts
of Sub-Judges, Munisif Courts and Courts of Small
Causes. For criminal cases, District Magistrate and
Sub Magistrates in the districs and taluk centers
respectively. In cities they are called Metropolitan
Magistrates.

(1) Assamese (7) Konkani (13) Punjabi
(2) Bengali (8) Malayalam (14) Sanskrit
(3) Gujarati (9) Manipuri (15) Sindhi
(4) Hindi (10) Marati (16) Tamil
(5) Kannada (11) Nepali (17) Telugu
(6) Kashmiri (12) Oriya (18) Urdu.

SCHEDULES TO THE CONSTITUTION
Constitution of India contains Ten Schedules, which are an integral part of the Constitution. A brief
summary is given below:

First Schedule : It contains the list of the States and
the Union Territories comprising the Indian Union.
2nd Schedule : It has Five Parts.

Tenth Schedule : (Fifty Second Amendments) Act
1985. It contains anti-defection Acts.

Part (a) fixes the remuneration and emoluments payable
to the President of India and Governors of the States.
Part (b) was deleted from the Constitution (7th
Amendment) Act 1956)
Part (c) contains provisions as of the Speaker and
Deputy Speaker of the House of people, Chairman and
Deputy Chairman of the council of States and the
Speaker of the Legislative Assemblies and Chairman
and Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Councils.
Part (d) fixes the emoluments of the Judges of the
Supreme Court and High Courts.
Part (e) contains provision of the Comptroller and
Auditor - General of India.
3rd Schedule : It contains the allocation of seats of
each States and Union Territories in the Council of
States.
4th Schedule : It provides for the administration and
control of scheduled areas. It can be amended by a
simple majority of theParliament.
6th Schedule : It provides for the administration of
tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizopram and
goes into details of the administration in these areas.
It can be amended by a simple majority of the
Parliament.
7th Schedule : It gives the allocation of powers and
functions between the Union & the States. It contains
three lists: (1) Union list of 97 subjects over which the
Union government has an exclusive authority, (2) State
list of 66 subjects over which States have exclusive
authority and (3) Concurrent list of 47 subjects over
which the Union and the States have concurrent
powers.
8th Schedule : It contains a list of eighteen languages
of India recognised in the Constitution. They are :

9th Schedule : It was added by the Constitution 1st
Amendment Act 1951. It contains Acts and Orders
relating to Land tenure, Land tax, Railways, Industries,
etc., possessed by the Union government and State
governments (including Jammu & Kashmir), which are
beyond the jurisdiction of the Civil Courts.

Amendments to the Constitution
Procedure (Article 368) : The methods of Amendment are three - according to the subject matter of the Article
concerned. : 1. Articles that may be amended by a simple majority. 2. Articles that may be amended by a two-
thirds majority of both Houses of Parliament - these are comparatively important matters. 3. Articles that require
not only a two-thirds majority of the Parliament but also ratification by at least one-half of the State Legislatures.
Some important recent Constitutional Amendments are :

Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act, 1976 : It
is a piece of comprehensive legislation containing 39
clauses, the main features of which may be summarised
as follows :
(a) The Preamble has been altered from 'sovereign,
democratic republic' to 'sovereign, socialist, secular
democratic republic' and 'unity of the nation' has
been modified to 'unity and integrity of the
nation'.
(b) Provision of Fundamental Duties.
(c) Directive Principles brought under legal purview
and given precedence over Fundamental Rights.
(d) Division of jurisdiction between the Supreme
Court and the High Courts in the matter of
determination of the constitutional validity of
central and state laws.
(e) Limitation of the jurisdiction of High Courts in
certain respects and provision, or for creation of
Administrative Tribunals for adjudication for
service matters.
(f) Duration of the Lok Sabha and the State
Assemblies increased from 5 to 6 years.
(g) Provision for dealing with anti-national and
communal activities.
(h) Proclamation of Emergency may be made
applicable to any part of the country (instead of
the whole country), and emergency could be
lifted from any part of the county while it
remained in force in other parts.

The Constitution (Forty-third Amendment) Act, 1978
: This amendment repealed the obnoxious provisions of
the Contitution (Forty-Second Amendment) Act passed
during the emergency. The duration of the Lok Sabha
and State Assemblies was restored to five years. The
special privileges for the Prime Minister and the
Speaker in disputes pretaining to their elections to the
Lok Sabha were annulled.
The Constitution (Forty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1979
: This amendment reversed many of the provisions of
the Constitution (Forty-second Amendment) Act and
also made far-reaching changes in many of the
provisions of the Constitution.
(i) The right to property has been deleted from the
list of Fundamental Rights. Now it becomes an
ordinary legal right.

(ii) The amendment provides that the fundamental
right to life and liberty cannot be demolished
even during the operation of emergency.
(iii) The right of information, media, and especially
the press, has been guaranteed, to freely report
without censorship, the proceedings in Parliament
and State Legislatures.
(iv) Restored the jurisdiction and powers of the
Supreme Court and High Courts as they existed
before the forty-second Amendment Act.
(v) Term of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies was
again reduced from 6 years to 5 years.

The Constitution (Fifty-second Amendment) Act, 1985
: Defection has been prohibited by this amendment. If
an elected representative changes his party, he would
lose his seat in the State / Central legislature. However,
in case at least one-third of the members of the party
change affiliation, it shall not be termed as defection.
A nominated or an independent representative cannot
join any party for 6 months after nomination or election.

The Constitution (Fifty-fourth Amendment) Act,
1986: This amendment increased salaries of the Chief
Justice, Judges.

The Constitution (Fifty-eighth Amendment) Act, 1987:
Hindi version of the Constitution accepted as
authoritative and that the translation of this Constitution
shall have the same meaning as the original text in
English.

The Constitution (Fifty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1988:
To facilitate proclamation of emergency by the President,
the phrase 'armed rebellion' in the Article 39 has been
replaced by internal disturbance.

The Constitution (Sixty-first Amendment) Act, 1989 :
It has reduced the voting age from 21 years to 18 years
for the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

The Constitution (Sixty-second Amendment) Act,
1989 : It extended reservation of seats for Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes for a further period of 10
years, i.e, upto 2000.

The Constitution (Seventy-first Amendment) Act, 1992
: It included Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali in the
Eighth Schedule of the Consitution. The Eighth
Schedule now has 18 languages.

The Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act,
1993 : Article 40 of the Constitution which enshrines
one of the Directive Principles of the State Policy lays
down that the state shall take steps to organise village
'Panchayats' and endow them with such powers and
authorities as may be necessary to enable them to
function as a unit of self-government.

The Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act,
1993 : A new part IX-A relating to the Municipalities
has been incorporated in the Constitution to provide,
among other things, constitution of three types of
Municipalities, i.e, 'Nagar Panchayats' for areas in
transition from a rural area to urban area, Municipal
Councils for smaller urban area, and 'Municipal
Corporations' for larger urban areas.

The Constitution (Seventy-eighth Amendment) Act,
1995 : Article 31B of the Constitution confers on
the enactment included in the Ninth Schedule to
the Constitution, immunity from legal challenge of
the ground that it violates the fundamental rights
enshrined in Part III of the Constitution. The Schedule
consists of list of laws enacted by the central
governments and various state governments which,
inter alia, affect rights and interest in property
including land.
The Constitution (79th Amendment Act) 2000 : It
extends reservation to SCs & STs in Lok Sabha and
State Legislative Assemblies for 10 years beyond 2000.
The Eightieth Amendment, 2000 : It relates to the
revenue sharing between the Centre and the States
whereby States' over-all share was increased to 29% as
per the Tenth Finance Commission's recommendation.
The Eighty First Amendment,2000 : It relates to
carrying forward backlog vacancies of SCs and STs.
The Eighty Second Amendment,2000 : It relates to
relaxation in qualifying marks and reservation of posts
in super speciality course in Medical and Engg. etc.,
for SCs and STs.

The Eighty Third Amendment,2000 : It exempts
Arunachal Pradesh from reserving seats for scheduled
castes in Panchayati Raj institutions as there are no
Scheduled Castes.

The Eighty Fourth Amendment,2000 : It relates to the
creation of new states of Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal and
Jharkhand.
The Eighty Fifth Amendment, 2000 : It provides for
the benefit of reservation in promotions in government
service to the members of Scheduled Castes(SC)/
Scheduled Tribes (ST).
The Eighty Ninth Amendment, 2000 : The bill passed
by Parliament on May, 2000, provides for the transfer
of 25% share of net tax proceeds to States for a five-
year period and seeks to bring several Central taxes
and duties like Corporation Tax and Customs Duty at
par with personal income-tax for the purpose of sharing
with the States.

The Ninety Third Amendment, 2001 : Union Cabinet
approved the Constitution (93rd Amendment) Bill, 2001
on 20th September 2001. It seeks to provide free and
compulsory education for the children aged 6 to 14
across the country.

The Ninety Sixth Amendment, 2003 : The Lok Sabha
unanimously approved it on 6th May 2003. It seeks to
provide for readjustment of electoral constituencies,
including those reserved for Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes on the basis of the population
census for the year 2001 without affecting the number
of seats allocated to States in the Legislative bodies.

OFFICIAL BOOKS AND PAPERS

Blue Book : Official report of the Government of U.K.
White Paper : Short Phamplet giving authoritative recital of
facts given by the Government.
Red Book : Book banished in a country.
Green Book : Official Publications of Italy and Iran.
Grey Book : Official Publications of Japan and Belgium.
Orange Book : Official Publications of Netherlands.
White Book : Official Publications of Germany, China and
Portugal.
Yellow Book : Official Publications of France.

HISTORY OF INDIA
History of IndiaDates and events relating to Indus valley Civilization, Vedic, Aryan and Sangam age,
Maurya Dynasty, Buddhism and Jainism, Guptas and Vardhanas, Pallavas, Cholas and Pandias, Sultanate and
Mughal Period, Advent of European powers specially the British and other related, topics.

The name India is derived from Sindhu (Indus)
the name of the great river in the North-West.

THE INDUS VALLEY CIVILISATION :
The approximate period of Indus Valley Civilisation
appears to have flourished between 2000 to 1700 B.C.
The first known civilisation in India is called the
Indus Valley Civilisation because the important sites
which were excavated first are located in the valley of
Indus. The civiliasation appears to have spread over
Punjab, Sindh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Baluchistan. The
most significant feature of the Indus Valley Civilisation
is burnt brick buildings. The Great Bath was found
in Mohen-jo-Daro. Mohen-jo-Daro is also known as
Mound of the Dead. The Indus people were probably
ruled by merchants. The script used by the Indus
Valley people has not yet been deciphered. The first
metal to be discovered and used for making tools was
copper. Iron was not known to the people of Indus
Valley Civilisation. Rice cultivation is associated with
the Harappan site of Lothal. Mohen-jo-Daro and
Harappa are not in India. According to the historians,
there were close commercial and cultural contacts
between Indus Valley and the Sumerian Civilisation.
The Indus Valley people had not learnt to domesticate
horses but those who lived in the Vedic age did make
use of the horse. Wheat was the staple food of the
Indus people. The Indus Valley people worshipped
Pasupathi. The Indus Valley people venerated the bull.
It was non-Aryan because it had a pictographic script.

THE VEDIC CULTURE :
The Aryans came to India from Central Asia. The
Rig Vedic Aryans were largely urban people. The first
home of the Aryans was Punjab. The Rig Vedic Aryans
were generally under a monarchical Government. Copper
was first used by the Vedic people. Upanishads are
books in Philosophy. They were translated into Persian,
during the reign of Shah Jahan. The Aryans were
skilful farmers. They knew the art of domesticating
animals. They were engaged in trade and knew maritime
navigation. The religious books of the Aryans are four
in number (1) the Rig Veda, the oldest (2) the Yajur
Veda (3) the Sama Veda (4) the Atharvana Veda. The
Epics - the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
Mahabharata is the longest epic in the world, the
Puranas - 18 in number; the Shastras or the Darshanas
- six in number and the Manu.

BUDDHISM :
Buddhism was founded by a Kshatriya Prince,
Siddhartha born in 1567 B.C. at Lumbini. Siddhartha
was afterwards known as the Buddha, the enlightened
one. Buddha laid stress on the Four Noble Truths and
the pursuit of the Noble Eight-fold path. To attain
nirvana, Buddha prescribed the Eight-fold path. The
Buddhist section which started worshipping the Buddha
as a God is known as Mahayana. Buddha preached his
first sermon at Saranath. Tripitacas are the sacred
books of the Buddhists.

JAINISM :
The founder of Jainism is unknown. Mahavira, a
contemporary of Buddha was the preceptor of Jainism.
He was the last of the Jain teachers called Tirthankaras.

ALEXANDERS INVASION:
Alexander, son of Philip, King of Macedonia
(Greece)crossed the Indus in 327 B.C. After defeating
Porus, he retreated as his army refused to proceed
further. He returned by the way of Indus and died
on his way to Babylon in 323 B.C. Alexanders
invasion opened the land route from Europe to India
and it paved the way for the political unity of India.

SANGAM AGE :
It is stated that there were three Sangams,
Agasthiar presided over the two Sangams. The third
Sangam was held in Madurai. It was the age for the
birth of art and literature. The Cholas, the Cheras and
the Pandyas ruled the ancient Tamil Kingdom. The
emblems were the tiger, bow and the fish respectively.
They were the flower garlands of Aathi, Palm and Neem
respectively. The Tamils were the first to build dams
across rivers. They were the first experts in ship-
building. The people of Sangam age divided their lands
into Kurinji, Mullai, Marudham, Neithal and Palai.
They worshipped Murugar, Thirumal, Indra, Varuna
and Kottravai.

MAURYA DYNASTY :
Chandra Gupta Maurya was the founder of the
Maurya Dynasty and also the founder of the first
historical empire in India. With the help of his wise
and able minister Kautilya or Chanakya - he drove the
Greeks out of punjab and conquered Magadha.
Megasthenes, the Greek Ambassador sent by Seleucus
came to his court and wrote the book Indica -
Kautilyas book Arhtasastra deals with principles and
practice of state crafts. Ashoka the Great, the most
famous king of the Maurya Dynasty and one of the
greatest kings in history, conquered Kalinga in 261
B.C., but the battle turned his warlike attitude and he
embraced Buddhism. Ashoka spread his Dharma
through edicts by using Prakrit language and sending
bikshus to the foreign countries. The core of Asokas

Dharma was peace and non-violence. Dharma
Mahamatras were appointed to preach Dharma. The
effects of the Kalinga war are described on rock edicts.
He stressed the principles of Ahimsa and Toleration
through these edicts. Ashoka believed in paternal
kingship, All men are my children he said, and felt
that he should care of them in the same way.

KUSHAN DYNASTY :
The Kushanas are important rulers of India and
among them is Kanishka. The coins of the Kanishka
kings help us to know the history of this dynasty.
Kanishka is undoubtedly the most striking figure
among the Kushana Kings of India. A great conqueror
and a patron of Buddhism, he combined in himself the
military ability of Chandra Gupta Maurya and the
religious zeal of Ashoka. Kanishka conquered and
annexed Kashmir to his empire. Kanishka used to
spend his summer time in Kashmir. Kanishkapura, a
city after the name of Kanishka was also founded by
him in Kashmir. After his conversion to Buddhism,
Kanishka channelized his indefatigable energies to the
propagatin of Buddhism. The crowning service which
he rendered to Buddhism was convened at Jalandhara
according to certian authorities, while others hold the
view that it met at Kashmir. The chief aim of the council
was the compilation of the doctrines of Buddhism and
the writing of commentaries on them. According to
Kalhanas Rajatarangini, Kanishka founded various
monasteries and stupas. He also sent missions abroad
to propagate Buddhism. Kanishkas reign also witnessed
a remarkable change in the fundamental doctrines of
Buddhism. Buddhist creed was now divided into two
big camps - Hinayan and Mahayana. The latter was
accepted as the State religon by the Kushanas. During
Kushana period, two schools of art flourished in India
called Gandhara School of Art and Mathura School of
Art. Gandhara Art remained in existence from the first
centrury B.C. to fifth century A.D. Gandhara Art was
the combination of the Indian and Greek styles of
sculpture. Geographically this region was so situated
that it lay exposed to all sorts of foreign contacts and
influences - Persian, Greek, Roman, Saka and Kushana.
In the Gandhara art sculptures representing the stories
and legends of Lord Buddhas Life were made, as they
were in great demand. These sculptures were produced
almost in a mechanical manner. Kanishka was succeeded
by his younger son Huvishka who was also a follower
of Buddhism. Huvishka was succeeded by his son
Vasudeva who was a weak ruler. He believed in
Saivism. After him, the Kushana dynasty practically
came to an end.

GUPTA DYNASTY :
Chandra Gupta I founded the powerful kingdom
and started the Gupta Era. The Gupta rule was the
Golden period of the Hindus. Samudra Gupta, son of
Chandra Gupta - I was the most powerful and ablest of
the Hindu Kings, a great military genius, scholar, poet
and musician; known as the Indian Napoleon on
account of his great conquests. He had very cordial
relations with Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), also performed
Asvamedha Yajna (horse sacrifice). His achievements
are inscribed in Allahabad Prasasti. Chandra Gupta II
or Vikramaditya was the second great king of Gupta
dynasty. Fahien, the first Chinese pilgrim visited his
kingdom. Art and literature flourished. Kalidasa - poet
and dramatist; known as the Shakespeare of India.
and Prince of Indian Poets lived during his period.
Aryabhatta, Varahimihira and Brahma Gupta- the
greatest mathematicians and astronomers of their time;
Kumarila Bhatta and Shankaracharya - the great
preachers of Hinduism and Dhanwantri, Nagarjuna -
great physicians. The nine scholars who adorned the
court of Gupta were called the Navratnas. The Ajanta
cave paintings mostly belong to the period of Gupta.
The paintings of Ajanta depict stories of the Jatakas.
Kumara Gupta founded the Nalanda University. The
Delhi Iron Pillar belonging to the Gupta period still
remains rustless.

VARDHANA DYNASTY :
Harsha Vardhana was the king of Thaneshwar
and established a strong empire. He was the last great
Hindu king of Northern India. Hieun-Tsnag, a Chinese
pilgrim visited. Harshacharita - a biography of Harsha
was written by Banabhatta. Kanauj became the important
city of Northern India under Harsha. Bana was the
court poet of Harsha.

CHALUKYA DYNASTY :
Pulakesin II was the most powerful ruler of
Chalukya dynasty in the Deccan. He came into conflict
with both Harsha in the North and the Pallavas in the
South. In the Battle of Narmada, Harsha was defeated
by Pulakesin II. Finally, Pulakesin II was defeated and
killed in battle with the Pallavas.

PALLAVA DYNASTY :
Pallava dynasty was great from cultural as well as
political point of view. Sivaskanda Varman was the first
great ruler of Pallava dynasty. Narasimha Varman I was
regarded as the greatest king of the Pallava
dynasty. He defeated Pulakesin II, the Chalukya ruler
at Vatapi and so he was called Vatapi Kondan. He
was also a poet and Kudumianmalai inscriptions
reveal his mastery in music. During this period
Hieun-Tsang visited Kanchi. Narsimha Varman II got
erected a beautiful temple of Kailasnath near Kanchi
and one at Mahabalipuram. He sent an ambassador to
China. Dandin lived in his period. Nandi Varman II got
erected the Mukteswar temple at Kanchi. He also
performed the famous horse ceremony called
Asvamedha.

CHOLA DYNASTY :
The Chola dynasty was an ancient Tamil Kingdom
on the lower coast of India along the banks of the river
Cauvery. The real founder of the Chola dynasty of

Thanjavur was Vijayalaya. Woriur was the capital of
the Cholas of Sangam age. The ascendancy of Rajarajas
gave Chola the paramount power in India. With a
powerful naval fleet at his disposal he was able to
bring under his control the Arabian Sea and the Indian
Ocean. Rajaraja was an expert architect. His Siva
Temple Brihadeeswara in Thanjavur is a masterpiece
of art of his rule.
Rajaraja was succeeded by his son, Rajendra. He
also established authority over the islands of Andaman,
Nicobar and Malaya. The Cholas had a democratic
system of administration. The village assemblies
collected the land revenue and dispensed justice.
Village was the smallest unit of administration. Land
revenue was their main source of income. The village
community got a lot of power during the reign of the
Cholas. The Chola age was the most famous for
village assemblies and Kudavolai system. The
Uttiramerur inscription of Parantak I is the main source
of village government under the Cholas.

PANDYA DYNASTY :
Pandya dynasty is the oldest. Pandyas had
commercial contacts with Rome in 20 B.C.
Jatlivarman was the greatest imperialist of his
dynasty. The invasion of Malik Kafur shattered the
Pandya empire.

DELHI SULTANATES :
The Arabs were the first Muslims to come to
India. Sultan Mohammed of Ghazni led a series of
plundering raids, about 17 in number. He attacked and
plundered Somnath Temple in Kathiawar. The scholar
who accompanied Mohammed of Ghazni in India was
Albaruni. In 1191, Mohd. Ghori was defeated by
Prithvi Raj Chohan at the Battle of Tarain near
Thaneswar. The dynasty which ruled from Delhi
till the coming of the Mughals in the 16th century
were the Slaves, the Khiljis, the Tughlaqs, the Sayids
and the Lodhis. This phase of Indian History is
known as the Sultanate Period. Under Altmash and
Balban, they extended their sway over practically the
whole of North India.

SLAVE DYNASTY :
Qutub-ud-Din Aibak was first a slave of Qazi
Fakha-ud-Din and later on purchased by Mohammed
Ghori.
Aibak was a great general and was very generous
and called Lakh Bakhsha. He started the construction
of the Qutub Minar in Delhi and the same was
completed by Iltutmish; Iltutmish was also a slave and
so he was called slave of a slave.
Razia Begum was the daughter of Iltutmish. She
was the first and the only Muslim lady who ever sat
on the throne of Delhi.
Balban is considered to be one of the greatest
monarchs of Delhi Sultanate. He was the patron of the
learned people and scholars. Amir Khusro, called The
Parrot of India was the well-known Poet flourished in
his court. Amir Hasan was another poet of his time.

KHILJI DYNASTY :
Alad-ud-Din Khilji was the first Muslim Sultan.
He was not only a great warrior and conqueror but also
an excellent administrative genius and economist. He
was the first to bring control of prices of essential
commodities. Amir Khusro also flourished in the time
of Ala-ud Din Khilji. He wrote mainly in Persian.

TUGHLAQ DYNASTY :
Muhammad bin Tughlaq : The first great political
experiment was the transfer of capital from Delhi to
Devgiri which was rechristened Daulatabad. Secondly,
he introduced copper coins as the legal tender and
putting them at par with gold and silver coins. The
system failed and resulted in heavy loss and trade with
foreign countries came to a standstill. He was no doubt
a gifted Sultan with extraordinary powers but his
schemes were far advance of his time.

SANGAM DYNASTY :
Harihara and Bukka founded the kingdom of
Vijayanagar. The two foreign travellers Nicoli Conti,
an Italian and Abdur Razzaq, a Persian visited during
the reign of Deva Raya II.

TULUVA DYNASTY :
Krishna Deva Raya was the greatest and the
most famous of the Kings of Tuluva dynasty. He
himself was an accomplished scholar and did, a lot for
learning. He had eight celebrated poets known as
Astadiggajas at his court.
His poet laureate, Alasani-Peddanna is regarded
as an author of the first rank. Domingos Paes, a
Portuguese traveller visited his court. Sadasiva was the
last ruler of the dynasty. His powerful minister Ramaraya
was very ambitious. Battle of Talikota (1565) Muslim
kingdoms joined and defeated the Vijayanagar king.
Ramaraya was killed, Vijayanagar was ruined. The ruins
of the Vijayanagar empire can be found in Hampi.
THE MUGHALS :
Babar : The foundation of the Mughal rule in India
was laid by Babar in 1526. He defeated Ibrahim Lodi
in the First Battle of Panipat.
Akbar : He was the greatest of the Mughals. He was
the real founder of the Mughal empire and the first
Muslim ruler who divorced religion from politics. He
created a new religion called Din-i-Ilahi or Divine
Faith. Ibadat Khana was constructed by Akbar to
provide religious leaders an opportunity to express
their view point. He was considered National Monarch.
The new system introduced by Akbar in military
organisation is called mansabdari system. Akbar
made the Buland Darwaza to commemorate his conquest
over Gujarat.

Shah Jahan : called Engineer King built Taj Mahal.
Shah Jahans reign is regarded as a Glorious Epoch
in the histrory of the empire in architecture. The
famous peacock throne originally belonged to Shah
Jahan. Mosque building reached its peak during his
reign. European paintings were introduced in the court
of Jahangir.

THE MARATHAS :
The most powerful of the Maratha chiefs was
Shivaji. Shivaji visited Aurangzebs court in Agra in
1666 where he was made a prisoner but escaped. He
declared himself independent ruler of the Maratha
Kingdom and was crowned, "Chatrapathi" in 1674 in
Rajgarh.
The Maratha State was governed by the King,
advised and assisted by a; council of eight ministers -
the Ashtapradhan. The Maratha Government levied
two taxes. One was called the Chauth, one fourth of
the total revenue paid to the Mughal Government or
the Deccan Kingdoms which was taken in return for
promising not to plunder and raid their territory.
The other one was Sardeshmukhi, which was an
additional, one tenth. Shivajis successors were weak
and the government gradually moved into the hands of
Peshawas and later on by the Mughal king Aurangzeb
called Alamgir.

Downfall of Mughal Rule :
Aurangzeb captured and executed Sambhaji, son
of Shivaji. Internally, Aurangzeb had to deal with the
rebellion of the Jats in the Mathura region. The Rajputs
were also a source of trouble. The Sikhs were the
followers of Guru Nanak. Nine Gurus succeeded Guru
Nanak. In order to curtail their power, Aurangzeb
ordered the execution of Tegh Bahadur. This naturally
enraged the Sikhs. So, the tenth and the last guru, Guru
Govind Sing founded the military brotherhood or
the Khasla meaning the pure. Apart from this,
Aurangzeb destroyed many temples and reimposed
Jazia. Aurangzebs death set off the rapid decline of the
Mughal empire.

THE SIKHS :
The Sikh community was founded as a religious
section by Guru Nanak. Guru Govind Singh, the tenth
and the last guru of the Sikhs transformed the religious
sect into a military brotherhood. Maharaj Ranjit Singh
was the greatest Indian ruler of his time and founder of
the Sikh rule in the Punjab. Guru Tegh Bahadur was the
ninth guru of the Sikhs. He was ordered by Emperor
Aurangzeb to embrace Islam, he refused and was
executed.

THE COMING OF THE EUROPEANS :
The Portuguese were the first among the European
nations to trade with India. In 1498, Vasco da Gama
discovered the sea route to India and reached Calicut.
Alfonso Albuqurque laid the real foundation of the
Portuguese power in India. Following them were the
Dutch, the English, the Danish and the French.

THE ENGLISH EAST INDIA COMPANY :
The East India Company was incorporated in
1600 to trade with India by a charter given to it by
Queen Elizabeth I. In 1615, the company built the first
factory at Surat with the permission of Jahangir, secured
through Sir Thomas Roe, the ambassador to James I.
Dupleix, the last Governor General of the French
possession in India, wanted to drive the English out of
India but the arrival of Robert Clive on the scene dashed
all hopes. The French challenge to the British supremacy
in India came to an end with the Battle of Wandiwash.
The crowning achievement of Clive was in the Battle
of Plassey in 1757 in which he defeated Siraj-ud-
Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal and laid the foundation of
the companys power in Bengal. The conquest was
complete in the Battle of Buxar in 1764. Bengal was the
first province in India to be conquered by the English.
Robert Clive was the first Governor of Bengal.

BRITISH GOVERNOR GENERALS
and VICEROYS :

Warren Hastings : (1772-85) First Governor General
of Bengal of East India Company. Appointment of
Board of Revenue - Interference in Rohilla War, Nanda
Kumars murder, the case of Chet Singh and acceptance
of bribes. Impeachment proceedings in London
prolonged for seven years.

Lord Cornwallis : (1786-93) Permanent Settlement of
Bengal. Reorganisation of the Revenue Courts -
Criminal Courts - compilation of Cornwallis Code.

Sir John Shore : (1793-98) Non-intervention policy.

Lord Wellesley : (1798-1805) Subsidiary Alliance - a
scheme to keep British forces under the Indian rulers
- opened a college to train the Companys servants in
Calcutta. He is called the Father of the Civil Service
in India.
Sir George Barlow : (1805-1807) Mutiny in Vellore.
Lord Minto I : (1807-1813) Treaty of Amritsar.
Marquess of Hastings : (1813-1823) He was the first to
appoint Indians to high posts. The first venacular
newspaper Samachar Patrika began to be published.
Passed the Tenancy Act to protect the cultivators.

Lord Amherst : (1823-1828) Mutiny of Barrackpur.
The Indians refused to be carried away by ships
to Burma and it led to mutiny.

Lord William Bentinck : (1829-1835) English accepted
as the medium of instruction after the famous
Macaulay's recommendations-Medical College of
Calcutta was started. Abolition of Sati, suppression of

thugee, banning of female infanticide, abolition of
human sacrifice, reform in the Hindu Law of inheritance.
First Governor of India under East India Company.

Sir Charles Metcalfe : (1835-1836) He removed the
restrictions on the vernacular press.

Lord Auckland : (1836-1842) Grand Trunk Road from
Calcutta to Delhi.

Lord Hardinge : (1844-1848) The First Sikh War (1845-
1846 AD) started in his period. The success in this war
extended the British Empire upto the Doab of Jallunder.

Lord Dalhousie : (1848-1856) Doctrine of Lapse -
annexing the princely states whose ruler died without
a natural heir. Accordingly, Satara, Jaipur, Sambalpur,
Baghat, Udaipur, Jhansi and Nagpur annexed. Simla
made summer capital. First Railway Line was laid from
Bombay to Thana in 1853. Competitive examination for
the I.C.S. began.

Viceroys of India :

Lord Canning : (1856 -1858) Hindu Widow re-marriage
Act. First Universities in India were established at
Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. On May 10, 1857, the
Sepoy Mutiny called First War of Indiependence
began. Mutiny was suppressed. Queen Victorias
Proclamation called Magna Carta of India was
announced. East India Company Rule ended. Canning
was appointed the first Viceroy of India. He had given
amnesty to persons who took part in mutiny. Lord
Canning is therefore called Canning the Clemency.
Penal Code was prepared. High Courts were set up at
Calcutta, Bombay and Madras.

Lord Lawrence : (1864-1869) Telegraphy System was
opened between India and Europe.

Lord Mayo: (1869-1872) First Census was taken in 1871
Lord Northbrook : (1872-1876) Suez Canal was opened
and trade between India and England greatly flourished.

Lord Lytton : (1876-1880) Famine Fund was created.
Vernacular Press Act was passed. Indian Arms Act
forbade Indians from keeping or dealing in arms
without the permission of the Government.
Lord Ripon : (1880-1884) The Vernacular Press Act was
repealed. Formed Local self-Government, was called the
Father of Local Self-Government. Factory Act was
passed. 1881 census was taken and it would be
repeated after every 10 years.

Lord Dufferin : (1884-1888) In his period Burma (now
Myanmar) was invaded in 1895 and then was annexed
to the British empire in 1889. Indian National Congress
was formed during this time. Public Service Commission
was appointed in 1886.

Lord Lansdowne : (1888-1894) A weekly holiday was
awarded to all factory workers.

Lord Curzon : (1899-1905) Agricultural Banks were
established. He founded the Agricultural Research
Institute at Pusa in Bengal. Ancient Monuments
Protection Act passed. Archaeological Department was
established. Partition of Bengal in 1905 created
trouble. Emperor George cancelled the partition.

Lord Minto II : (1905-1910) Minto-Morley Reforms.

Lord Hardinge II : (1910-1916) Capital shifted from
Calcutta to Delhi in 1911. Foundation of the Banaras
Hindu University, Banaras, Pandit Madan Mohan
Malaviya was the founder-Chancellor of this University.

Lord Chelmsford : (1916-1921) Rowlatt Act called
Black Act was passed. Under the Act Government
armed itself with unlimited rights even to detain a person
and arrest him without producing him before a Court.
The Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy took place in April 13,
1919 under the command of Gen. Dyer. Khilafat
Movement, Non co-ooperation movement took place.

Lord Reading : (1921-1926) Visit of Prince of Wales.
Moplah Rebellion (1921) on the South Western coast
of India.

Lord Irwin : (1926-31) Simon Commission. Demand for
complete Independence. Civil Disobedience Movement
(1930) First Round Table conference-Gandhi-Irwin Pact.

Lord Wellington : (1931-1936) Second and Third
Round Table Conferences - Communcal Award - Poona
Pact - Government of India Act 1935 passed. Cripps
Mission. Quit India Movement (1942).

Lord Linlithgow : (1936-1943) During his viceroyalty,
provincial autonomy was established. The State of Pakistan
for the Muslims was demanded by Muslim League leader,
Jinnah. Second World War broke out in 1939.

Lord Wavell : (1943-1947) Simla Conference. Muslim
League launched Direct Action Day.

Lord Mountbatten : (1947-48) Deputed by the British
Prime Minister Lord Atlee. Indian Independence Act
1947 passed-India and Pakistan created under the
Mountbatten Plan - Lord Mountbatten became the first
Governor General of Free India and the last
Viceroy of India. India attained Independence on
August 15, 1947.

C.Rajagopalachari was the first & the last Indian Governor-General of free India. Dr.B.R. Ambedkar was the
Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee. The Constitution of India was adopted on the November
26, 1949 and it came into force on January 26, 1950. Dr. Rajendra Prasad - the first President of India and
Jawaharlal Nehru - the First Prime Minister of India. Dr. S.Radhakrishnan-the first Vice-President of India.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel-first Deputy Prime Minister of India.

INDIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT
Indian National Movement National freedom movement and attainment of independence-contribution of
national leaders like Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Gopalakrishna Gokhale, Dada Bhai Naorji, M.K. Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru
and others-role of Tamil Nadu in freedom movement, Bharathiyar, V.O.C., Subramaniya Siva, Rajaji and others.

The National Movement or the movement for
Independence from the British Rule nearly started in
1857 which the British historians have called Sepoy
Mutiny and the Indian historians, as the First War
of Independence. Previously Indian soldiers have
broken out in open mutiny against British Officers at
Vellore in 1806, in 1842 in Bengal, in 1844 in Sind, then
in Bihar and Punjab.
The immediate cause which precipitated the
Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 was due to the introduction of
cartridges greased into cows and pigs fat. The revolt
started from Meerut and the first sepoy who refused to
use the greased cartridge was Mangal Pandey. Mangal
Pandey was killed by the British Army. The Indian
soldiers have massacred the British personnel marched
to Delhi in May 1857. The revolt of 1857 started from
Meerut.
The Indian Soldiers proclaimed the Mughal
Emperor Bahadur Shah II as the Emperor of India. The
heroine of this first war of Independence for India was
Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, one of the most courageous
and capable leaders of the mutiny. She fought the
British forces strongly but fell. Among others who fell
fighting were Nana Saheb and Tantya Tope, the brave
commander of Nana Sahebs forces. The leaders lost
the war mainly because of lack of unity of purpose
effective organisation, and a unified system of
leadership.
One of the immediate results of the mutiny was
that it led to the assumption of direct responsibility for
administration of India by the British Crown. Queen
Victorias Proclamation was issued in 1858. Queen
Victoria was proclaimed the Empress of India and the
Governor - General was designated the Viceroy and the
Governor-General Lord Canning became the first Viceroy
of India.

BIRTH OF INDIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS
The birth of Indian National Congress was a great
achievement for the unity of India. The Indian National
Congress was founded by A.O.Hume in 1885, during
the Governor-General ship of Lord Dufferin. The first
session of the Indian National Congress was the
training and organisation of public opinion in the
country. The outbreak of the First World War in 1914
gave a new lease of life to the nationalist movement.
On the outbreak of World War I, some of the Indian
revolutionaries thought of alliance into Germany against
England. A young Tamil named Champakraman Pillai,
President of a body in Zurich, called the International
Pro-India Committee, went to Berlin to work under the
German Foreign Office. He started the Indian National
Party which was attached to the German General Staff.
In early 1915, Mrs.Annie Besant launched a campaign
through her two papers.
New India and Commonweal and organised
public meetings and conferences to demand that India
be granted self-government. In April 1916, Tilak set up
the Home Rule League. Annie Besant announced the
formation of her Home Rule League, with George
Arundale, as the organising secretary. She also
organised Theosophical Society at Adyar.
The two leagues worked in co-operation
demarcating their area of activity, at belgaum meeting,
Tilak declared Swaraj is my birthright and I will have
it. At another meeting he told the people : Do not
ask for crumbs; ask for the whole bread. Jawaharlal
Nehru joined both the Home Rule Leagues, but worked
mostly for Annie Besant's Home Rule League. Tilak
joined the Lucknow Session of the Congress in 1916
and with the co-operation of Annie Besant and Bipin
Chandra Paul secured control of the Congress.

GANDHIAN ERA :
During the war years, 1914-1918, Nationalism
gathered its forces, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
was born on October 2, 1869 at Porbandar in Saurashtra.
He proceeded to England in 1888 and returned to India
as Barrister-at-Law. He proceeded to Natal in South
Africa and fought for the Indian Congress and also a
newspaper called Indian Opinion with a view to
educating Indians in political matters. Gandhiji returned
to India in January 1915, and was warmly welcomed.
His first involvement was in Champaaran in Bihar and
the second in Kheda (Kaira). Gandhiji organised
Satyagraha and asked the cultivators not to pay the
land revenue. The Government yielded and a
compromise was reached.

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre :
On the afternoon of April 13, 1919 a public
meeting was held in Jallianwala Bagh in Amristsar,
despite a ban on meetings. Sir Michael O Dyer, the Lt.
Governor took command of the troops and ordered fire.
Many innocent people died on the spot. Rabindranath
Tagore renounced his 'Knighthood' as a measure of
protest. Gandhiji returned the 'Kaiser-i-Hind' medal
given to him for his work during the Boer War.

Non-Co-operation Movement :
The Non Co-operation Movement was launched
by Gandhiji on August 1920. Tilak died on the same
day. Tilaks last message to the nation was 'Unless

Swaraj is achieved, India shall not prosper. It is
required for our existence'. Gandhiji withdrew the Non
Co-operation Movement when an angry crowd burnt
the police station at Chauri Chaura (U.P.).

Lahore Congress Purna Swaraj :
The Congress assembled at Lahore towards the
end of December 1929. The Lahore Congress declared
that the agreement to Dominion Status in the Nehru
Report had lapsed and committed the Congress to full
Swaraj. At midnight on December 31, 1929. Jawaharlal
Nehru unfurled the tri-colour national flag on the banks
of the Ravi.

Civil Disobedience Movement :
The Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930-31
marked a critically important stage in the progress of
the anti-imperialist struggle. Gandhi launched Civil
Disobedience Movement by organising the Dandi
March with a view to break the salt law. Organisation
of country-wide demonstrations and hartals, boycott of
the foreign goods and refusal to pay taxes were stages
of Civil Disobedience Movement. As a result of Gandhi
- Irwin Pact of 1931, Congress agreed to withdraw the
Civil Disobedience Movement and took part in the
Round Table Conference.

Bardoli Satyagraha :
In Gujarat, a conflict developed between the
peasantry and the Government. The Government
attempted to increase revenue, Vallabhbhai Patel took
up the cause of the peasants and the struggle was known
as the Bardoli Satyagraha. The Struggle met with success
and Vallabhbhai Patel came to be called Sardar.

Quit India Movement :
In 1942, the Congress decided to launch the Quit
India Movement with a view to compel the British
Government to offer more favourable terms.

Cabinet Mission :
The Cabinet Mission came to India to evolve a
consensus on the constitutional question. In 1945,
when Mr. Atlee of the Labour Party became the Prime
Minister of Britain, he took a realistic view for the
fulfilment of Indias dream for freedom.

Mountbatten Plan :
The Mountbatten Plan of June 3, 1947 contained
a solution for the political and constitutional deadlock
created by teh refusal for the Muslim League to join
the Constituent Assembly, formed to frame the
Constitution of India.

It laid down detailed principles for the partition of
India and the speedy transfer of political power in the
form of Dominion Status to the newly born Dominions
of India and Pakistan.

A Bill containing the main provisions of the
Mountbatten Plan of June 3, 1947 was introduced in
the British Parliament and passed as the Indian
Independence Act of 1947.

Lord Atlee was the Prime Minister of England
when India got Independence. India thus obtained
Independence on the 15th of August 1947 and became
a Sovereign, Secular, Democratic and Republic State
on the 26th January 1950.

GENERAL

SCIENCE
General Science will cover general appreciation and understanding of science including matters of everyday
observations and experience as may be expected of a well educated person who has not made any special study
of any scientific discipline. The questions shall be from topics, in Physics, Chemistry and Biology, viz., Scientific
laws, Scientific Instruments, Inventions and Discoveries, Scientists and their contributions, Human Physiology,
Diseases their cause, cure and prevention, diet-balanced diet, human Genetics, Animals Mammals and Birds,
Environment and Ecology elements and compounds, acids, Bases and salts and allied subjects, Motion, Newtons
Laws, MatterProperties of Matters Electricity, National Laboratories and other related topics.

VARIOUS

Acoustics : The study of sound and sound
waves
Agrostology : The study of grasses
Anatomy : The science of the structure
study of the animal / human
body learnt by dissection
Astronautics : A science dealing with space
travel & space vehicles
Astronomy : The science of heavenly bodies
(planets)
Biology : The science of living organisms
SCIENCES

Mycology : Concerned with fungi and
fungal diseases
Nephrology : A branch of medicine dealing
with kidney diseases
Oncology : Study dealing with tumours
Orology : The study of mountains
Paediatrics : A branch of medicine dealing
with child diseases
Pathology : A branch of medicine that deals
with etiologies, mechanisms and
manifestation of diseases
Botany : The science of the
kingdom
Bryology : The study of mosses
plant Psychiatry : The study & treatment of mental
& emotional disorders
Radiology : A branch of medical science
Cardiology : A branch of medicine dealing
with heart
Chemistry : The study of elements, their
behaviour and laws of their
combination, etc.
Cosmetology : The study of cosmetics and
their use
Dactylogy : The study of fingerprints
dealing with the use of x-rays
for diagnosis and treatment
Rheumatology : The study of small joints in
human body
Seismology : The study of earthquakes &
related phenomena
Theology : The study of religions
Virology : The science that deals with
Dietetics : The science of diet
nutrition
Endocrinology : The study of glands
and
viruses
Zoology : A branch of biology that deals
with animal life
Lithology : The study of the characteristics
of rocks

SCIENTIFIC
Zymology : A study that deals with the
process of fermentation.

LAWS ETC.,

Archimedes Principle:It states that a body,

when

is kept constant i.e., P x V = a constant, if T remains
immersed in a liquid, experiences an upward thrust
equal to the weight of the liquid displaced by it.

Avogadros Hypothesis:It is a modification of Berzelius
hypothesis. It states that equal volumes of all gases
under similar conditions of temperature and pressure
contain equal number of molecules.

Boyles Law:States that the volume of certain gas is

the same.
Charless Law:It states that at constant pressure all
gases expand by of their volume at 0
o
C i.e., the
volume of a given mass of gas at constant pressure is
directly proportional to the absolute temperature.
Dulong and Petits Law:States that the product of
atomic weight and specific heat of solid elements is
inversely proportional to the pressure at a constant
nearly equal to 6.4 i.e., At. wt. sp. heat = 6.4 approx.
temperature. In other words, the product of pressure
and volume remains constant provided the temperature
Gay-lussacs Law of Combining Volumes:Gases react
together in Volumes which bear simple whole number

ratios to one another and also to the volumes of the
products, if gaseous - all the volumes being measured
under similar conditions of temperature and pressure.
Grahams Law of Diffusion : States that the rates of
diffusion of gases are inversely proportional to the
square roots of their densities under similar conditions
of temperature and pressure.
Law of Definite Proportions : A chemical compound is
always found to be made up of the same elements
combined together in the same ratio by weight.
Law of Floatation : For a body to float, the following
conditions must be fulfilled: (1)The weight of the body
should be equal to the weight of the water displaced.
(2) The centre of gravity of the body and that of the
liquid displaced should be in the same straight line.
Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation : States that
Every portion of matter attracts or tends to approach
every other portion of matter in the universe with a
force proportional to the masses and inversely as the
square of the distance.
Newtons First Law of Motion : A body continues in
its state of rest or of uniform motion in a straight line
unless compelled by an external force to change that state.
Newtons Second Law of Motion : The rate of change
of momentum is proportional to the impressed force
and takes place in the direction of the force.
Newtons Third Law of Motion : To every action, there
is an equal and opposite reaction, e.g. Rockets, recoil
of a gun.
Newtons Law of Cooling : States that the rate of
loss of heat of a hot body is directly proportional to
the difference of temperature between the body and
the surrounding and is independent of the nature of
the body.
Ohms Law : States that the ratio of the potential
difference between the ends of a conductor and the
current flowing in the conductor is constant. e.g., for
a potential difference of E volts and a current/amperes,
the resistance R, in Ohms is equal to E/I.
Principle of Conservation of Energy : It states
that, in any system, energy cannot be created or
destroyed; the sum of mass and energy remains
constant.
Specific heat of substance : The quantity of heat
required to rise the temperature of 1 gm. of a substance
through 1
o
C.

MEASUREMENT UNITS
Angstrom : For measuring length of light waves
Barrel : For measuring liquids. One barrel is equal to
31 gallons or 7,326.5 cubic inches
Cable: For measuring length of cables. It is about 183
m. in length
Carat : Used for measuring precious stones. It is also
a measure for the purity of gold alloy
Fathom : It is used for measuring depth of water. One
fathom is equal to 4 inches
Knot: For measuring speed of ships
Horse Power : Used for measuring the power of petrol
or steam engine
Light Year : A light year is the distance light travels
in one year at a speed of 2,97,600 km per second
Nautical Mile : A unit of distance used in navigation
- one minute of longitude measured along the equator.
A Nautical Mile is approximately equal to 1853 metres
Ohm : The unit of electrical resistance of a conductor
Quintal : Metric measure of weight, 100 kilograms = 1
Quintal.

SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
Accumulator : Electrical energy is stored
Altimeter : Used in aircraft for measuring altitudes
Ammeter : Measuring the electrical current in amperes
Anemometer : Measuring the strength of winds
Audiometer : Measuring intensity of wind
Barometer : Measuring atmospheric pressure
Binocular : An optical instrument designed for
magnified view of distant objects by both eyes
simultaneously
Cardiogram : For recording the heart movements
Calorimeter : Measuring of quantities of heat
Chronometer : A clock that keeps very accurate time
as the one that is used to determine longitude at sea.
Clinical Thermometer : A thermometer for measuring
the temperature of human body.

Colorimeter : An instrument for comparing intensities
of colour.
Commutator : An instrument to change or remove
the direction of an electric current, in dynamo
used to convert alternating current into direct
current.
Computer : A technical device designed to find
instantaneous solutions of huge complex calculations
based on the information already fed.
Crescograph : For recording the growth of plants
Cyclotron : Studying the properties of atoms by
smashing them
Drinkers Apparatus : To help breathing in infantile
paralysis
Dynamo : A device for converting mechanical energy
into electrical energy

Dynamometer : An instrument for measuring the
electrical power.
E.C.G. : Device to diagnose heart disfunctioning
E.E.G. : To diagnose disorder in the human brain
Electroscope : An instrument for detecting the presence
of electric charge.
Eudiometer : Measuring volume changes in chemical
reaction between gases
Fathometer : Measuring depth of the ocean
Galvanometer : For detecting and measuring electric
current
Geiger Muller Counter (GM Counter) : An instrument
for detecting and counting atomic particles and
radiations
Hydrometer: For determining the specific gravity of liquids
Hygrometer: For measuring the amount of water vapours
Iron Lung : For artificial respiration
Lactometer : For determining the purity of milk
Manometer : To measure gas pressure
Micrometer : For accurately measuring small distance
or angles
Microscope : An instrument for magnified view of very
small objects.
Odometer : The distance covered by a wheeled vehicle
is recorded
Oscillograph : For recording electrical or mechanical
vibrations
Periscope : It is used in submarine to survey the ships
etc., on the sea while the submarine is under water
Phonograph : For reproducing sound
Photometer : An instrument for comparing the luminous
intensity of the sources of light
Plantimeter : A mechanical integrating instrument to
measure area of a plane surface.
Pyrometer : For measuring high temperature from a
distance
Pyknometer : An instrument used to measure the
density and coefficient of expansion of a liquid
Quadrant : An instrument for measuring altitudes and
angles in navigation and astronomy
Quartz Clock : A highly accurate clock used in
astronomical observations and other precision work
Radar : Radio, angle, detection and range is used to
detect the direction and range of an approaching
aeroplane by means of radio micro waves
Radiometer : An instrument for measuring the emission
of radiant energy
Radio Micrometer : An instrument for measuring
heat radiations
Rain Guage : An instrument for measuring rainfall
Rectifier : An instrument used for the conversion of
AC into DC.
Refractometer : An instrument used to measure the
refractive index of a substance
Resistance Thermometer : Used for determining
the electrical resistance of conductors
Salinometer : A type of hydrometer used to determine
the concentration of salt solutions by measuring their
densities
Seismometer (Seismograph) : An Apparatus for
measuring and recording earthquake shock
Sextant : For guiding ships or surveying land.
Spectroscope: An instrument used for spectrum analysis
Speedometer : It registers the speed at which the
vehicle is moving
Spherometer : For measuring curvature of surfaces
Sphygmomanometer : An instrument used to detect
blood pressure in a human body. It is also called
B.P.Apparatus
Sphygmophone : Instrument with the help of which, a
pulse beat makes a sound
Spring Balance : Useful for measuring weight
Stethoscope : To hear and analyse movements of heart
and lungs
Stop Watch : Recording small intervals of time in the races
Stroboscope : An instrument used for viewing the
objects moving rapidly with a periodic motion and to
see them as if they were at rest.
Tachometer : For measuring speed of aeroplanes and
motor boats
Tangent Galvanometer : An instrument for measuring
the strength of direct current.
Telemeter : For recording physical events happening
at a distance
Teleprinter : A machine which records automatically
messages received on telephone wires
Telescope : For viewing distant objects
Television (T.V.) : For transmitting the visible moving
images by means of wireless waves.
Theodolite : Measuring distances on the surface of the
earth
Thermometer : For recording temperature of a human
body
Thermocouple : Measuring temperature
Thermostat : Automatically controlling the temperature
to a particular degree
Transformer : To convert high voltage to low and vice
versa
Transistor : A small device which may be used to
amplify currents and perform other functions usually
performed by a thermionic valve
Vernier : An adjustable scale for measuring small sub
divisions of scale
Viscometer : For measuring viscosity
Voltmeter : To measure potential difference between
two points
ZETA : Zero Energy Thermometer Assembly for
developing thermonuclear Assembly.

J. P.Eckert &
J.W.Manchly
Cosmic Rays R.A.Millikan
Crystal Dynamics C.V.Raman

INVENTIONS AND SCIENTISTS
A
Adding Machine Blaise Pascal &
William
Burroughs
Air Conditioning Carrier
Air Plane (Jet Engine) Whittle
Air-brake G e o r g e
Westinghouse
Airplane with motor Orville and Wright
Airship Giffard
Airship (Non-rigid) Zeppelin
Aniline Dyes Hoffman
Animal Classification Aristotle (Father of
Zoology)
Anti-polio Vaccine Jonas E.Salk
Antiseptic Surgery Joseph Lister
Arc Lamp C.F.Brush
Artificial heart Michael de Baxey
Art of Printing Guttenburg
Atomic Physics Ernest Rutherford
Atomic Theory John Dalton
Atom-breaking up the nucleus Rutherford
Atomic Numbers Moseley
Atomic Structure Bohr & Rutherford
Atomic bomb Otto Hahn
Automobile (Self Starter) Kettering
Automobile (gasoline) Daimler
Automobile (gears) Benz
Automobile (magneto) Daimler
Automobile (Steam) Nicolas Cugnot
Avogradras Hypothesis Avogadro
Ayurveda Atreya
B
Bacteria Leeuwenhock
Ball Point Pen John Loud
Balloon Montgolfier
Barometer Torricelli
Battery & Current Electricity Volta
Beriberi (cause) Eijkman
Bicycle Macmillan
Bicycle tyre Dunlop
Bifocal lens Franklin
Blood Circulation Harvey
Blood Transfusion Landsteneir
Blood grouping Dr.Costella and
Dr.Moss
Brownian Movements Robert Brown
Burglar Alarm Edwin T.Holmes
C
Camera Zeiss
Carburettor Daimler
Cash Register James Kitty
Chloroform James Young
Simpson
Cholera bacillus Robert Koch
Chronometer John Harrison
Cinema Nicolas Lumiere &
Edison
Cinematography Thomas Edison
Clock Pendulum Huygens
Computer (Original Model) Charles Babbage
Computer (electronic) J . G . B r a i n e r d

D
D.D.T. D. Paul Muller
DNA (model) Watson and Crick
Diesel Oil Engine Rudolf Diesel
Disc Brake Lanchester
Dynamite Alfred Nobel
Dynamo Michael Faraday
E
Electric Attraction Coulomb
Electric Battery Volta
Electric Current, Induction of Michael Faraday
Electric Energy Joule, James
Electric Lamp Edison
Electric Motor (DC) Zenobe Gramme
Electric Motor (AC) Nikola Tesla
Electrical Resistance Ohm
Electricity, Current Volta
Electrons J.J.Thomson
Elevator brake (lift) Otis
Evolution, Theory Charles Darwin
F
Film (Musical) Lee de Forest
Film (talking) Warner Bros.
Fountain Pen Waterman
Four Stroke Engine Nikolaus Lotto
Flying Shuttle John Kay
G
Galvanometer Sweigger
Gas Engine Diamler
Gas Lighting William Murdock
Geiger counter Geiger
Geometry Euclid
Genetic Code (deciphering) Hargobind Khorana
Gramophone Thomas Edison
Gravitation, Laws of Newton
Gunpowder Roger Bacon

Cells in the plants Robert Hooke

Cell Theory Schleiden &
Schwann
Cement Joseph Aspdin
Chain Drive Leonardoda Vinci
H
Heavy Hydrogen H.C.Urey
Helicopter Broquet
Helium Janssen & Lockyer

53

Homoeopathy Hahnemann
Hydrogen Henry Cavendish
I
Inert Gases (Argon, Neon, Ramsay
Helium etc)
Insulin F.Banting

Phonograph Edison
Photography L.Daguerre
Photography (Coloured) Gabriel Lippman
Pneumatic Tyre Dunlop
Poliomyelitis (vaccine) Jonas Salk
Polythene Fawcett
Pressure Cooker Dennis Papin Robert

J
Jet Propulsion Frank Whittle
Jet Engine Frank Whittle
K
Kala-a-zar Fever U.N.Bramachari
Kidney Machine Kolf
L
Laughing Gas Priestley
Laser Charles Townes
Lever, Principle of Archimedes
Lift (power elevator) Otis
Lightning Conductor Benjamin Franklin
Logarithms John Napier
Locomotive Richard Travithick
M
Malaria Parasite Dr.Ronald Ross
Machine gun James Puckle
Malaria germs Laveran
Malaria Parasite Dr.Ronald Ross
Match (safety) J.E.Landstorm
Mathematics (India) Ramanujan.S.
Microphone Berliner
Microscope Jansen (improved by
Galileo)
Microscope (electron) Vladimir Kosme
Sworykin
Motor Car Austin
Motion, Law of Newton
Motor cycle Edward Butler
Motor Scooter Greville Bradshaw
Mitochondria C.Benda
N
Natural Selection, Laws of Darwin Neon-
gas W.Ramsay
Neon Lamp George Clande
Neutron Chadwick
Nuclear Fission Otto Hahn
Nuclear Physics John Crockfort
Nylon W.Carothers
Boyle
Printing Press Caxton
Printing for the Blind Louis Braille
Q
Quantum Theory Max Planck
R
Radar Robert Watson Watt
Radio Telephone Lee De Forest
Radio Transmitter Alexanderson
Radio signals G.Marconi
Railway Engine Stephenson
Raman Effect C.V.Raman
Razor (Safety) Gillette
Razor (Electric) Jacob Schick
Rayon Joseph Swann
Refrigerator Harrison & Catlin
Relativity, theory of A.Einstein
Replacing human heart Christian Barnard
Revolver Samuel Colt
Rh-factor Karl Landsteiner
Rubber (latex foam) Dunlop Co.
Rubber (tyres) Thomas Hancock
Rubber (vulcanised) Goodyear
Rubber (waterproof) Macintosh
S
Safety Lamp Humphrey Davy
Safety Matches J.E.Landstorm
Safety Pin William Hunt
Safety Razor Gillette
Salk Vaccine (Anti Polio) Dr.Jonas E.Salk
Seismograph Robert Mallet
Sewing Machine Issac Singer
Ship (Steam) J.C.Pierier
Ship (turbine) Charles Parsons
Shorthand Pitman
Skyscraper Baron Jenny
Solar system Copernicus
Spectacles Venice (Italy)
Stethoscope Rene Lainnec &
William Stockes
Steel (Stainless) Henry Bearley
Space Flying Wernher Von
Submarine Bushell

O
Origin of Life (artificial) Stanley Millar
Oxygen J.B.Priestley

T
T.N.T. (high explosive) Will Brand
Tank (Military) Swinton

P
Paints Shalimar
Parachute Andre-Jacques
Penicillin Alexander Fleming
Periodic Law Mendeleev
Telegraph William Cook
Telegraph Code Samuel Morse
Telephone Graham Bell
Telescope Galileo
Telescope (Reflecting) Newton

Television J.L.Baird
Thermometer Fahrenheit
Torpedo Rabert Whitehead
Transformer William Stanley
Transistor W.Shockley &
Bardeen
Tuberculosis bacilli Robert Koch
Tungsten Coolidge
Turbine Engine Charles Parsons
Typewriter Sholes
Tyre (Cycle) Dunlop
Tyre (Pneumatic) Dunlop
U
Umbrella Samuel Fox
Uranium Henry Becquerel
Uranus (planet) William Herchel
V
Vacuum Flask James Dewar
Vaccination (Small Pox) Edward Jenner
Vitamin D F.C. Hopkins
Vitamins Funk
Vulcanisation Goodyear

W Washing Machine Hurley Machine Co. Washing Soda
Watch (winding)
Greg
uet Weaving Machine Kay
Welding (Electric)
Tho
mson
Wireless Telegraphy G.Marconi
X
X-ray Roentgen
X-ray tube Coolidge
Xenon W.Ramsay &
M.
Travers
Xerography Chester
Carison Xerox Haloid-
Xerox
Y
Yellow fever, cause of Reed
Z
ZETA (Zero Energy Thermo Harwell
nuclear Assembly)
Zip Fastener W.L.Judson

VITAMINS

Thediscoverydatesofthevitaminsandtheirsources
YearofdiscoveryVitaminFoodsource
1913 VitaminA(Retinol)Codliveroil
1910VitaminB
1
(Thiamine) Ricebran
1920 VitaminC(AscorbicacidCitrus,mostfreshfoods
1920 VitaminD(Calciferol) Codliveroil
1920 VitaminB
2
(Riboflavin) Meat,eggs
1922 VitaminE(Tocopherol) Wheatgermoil,unrefinedvegetableoils
1926 VitaminB
12
(Cobalamins) liver,eggs,animalproducts
1929 VitaminK
1
(Phylloquinone)Leafygreenvegetables
1931 VitaminB
5
(Pantothenicacid)Meat,wholegrains,
1931 VitaminB
7
(Biotin)Meat,dairyproducts,eggs
1934VitaminB
6
(Pyridoxine)Meat,dairyproducts
1936VitaminB
3
(Niacin)Meat,eggs,grains
1941VitaminB
9
(Folicacid)Leafygreenvegetables

2
12
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY, DISEASES

WATER
About 60% of the weight of the body is due to
water. Water plays such a vital role in the physiology
of living beings which no material can serve. The
importance of water in our body is so great that even
10% of the water loss may prove fatal.

BALANCED DIET
A diet which contains of all the essential food
constituents viz. protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals,
vitamins, water in correct proportion is called Balanced
Diet. A balanced diet has following composition: (i)
Carbohydrates 60%; (ii) Proteins 25%; (iii) Fats 15%.
Individual Caloric Requirements: People doing different
types of work need different calories of energy in a
day. The energy requirement depends on the age, sex,
nature of work and climate.

DEFICIENCY DISEASES
Calcium, iron, iodine, sodium, potassium,
magnesium, phosphorous, chloride, are some of the
common minerals essential for the normal physiological
functioning of the body. Deficiency of these minerals
results in the diseases. Few of them are discussed below:
Anaemia : It is caused by the deficiency of iron in the
diet. Since iron is an important constituent of
haemoglobin therefore there is deficiency of
haemoglobin in the red blood corpuscles. Since
haemoglobin plays a vital role in the transport of
oxygen, enough oxygen is not made available to cells
to oxidise the nutrients and production of energy. It is
because of this reason anaemic patients look pale and
get exhausted soon with little amount of work. The rich
source of iron is liver, meat, green leafy vegetables
(such as spinach) and fruits (guava, apple, banana,etc.).
These sources of iron if taken in diet can recover
the patient from this ailment. The reason for higher
incidence of anaemia in women than in men is
menstrual loss, loss of blood during child birth etc.

Hyponatremia : It is caused due to deficiency of
sodium. The body experiences deficiency of sodium
due to (i) intense vomitting (ii) acute diarrhoea.
Diabetes Mellitus : This disease is characterised by
the presence of excess quantity of sugar in the blood
and urine. It is caused due to defective functioning of
the Beta cells of islet of langer-hans in the pancreas
which fail to secrete insulin hormone. Due to the
absence of insulin, the tissues are unable to utilize
glucose. This results in the increase in the quantity of
glucose in the blood. The sufficient oxidation of
glucose affects the metabolism of fats. During fat
metabolism, the ketones are produced as intermediate
products. These ketones accumulate in the blood and
result in the ketosis. This disease can be controlled by
restricting sugar in the diet. The injections of insulin
can also help to check the level of glucose in blood.

Obesity
It is a nutritional disorder. If any person takes
more food than the body needs, then the surplus food
turns into fat and accumulates in the body. This is
known as obesity. In man, obesity means body fats
more than 20% of his total weight whereas in woman,
obesity results when body fats are more than 30% of
her total body weight.
Lathyrism : This disease is caused by eating large
quantities of Khesari Dal (Lathyrus sativus) by the
poor people. It is a disease of the nervous system and
that cripples man. Common symptom of the disease are
lesions on the lower spinal segments followed by
paralysis of legs.
Xeropthalmia or dry eye disease : It is caused due to
deficiency of vitamin A. In this disease lacahrymal
glands stop producing tears, a condition conducive
to subsequent bacterial infection and eventual
blindness.
Pernicious Anaemia : It is caused due to deficiency of

Goitre : It is caused due to deficiency of Iodine. Due

Vitamin B
reduced

and in this disease, formation of R.B.C. is
the bone marrow. It is also called

to iodine deficiency, the thyroid fails to synthesize
enough amount of thyroxine. The low amount of
thyroxine stimulates anterior lobe of pituitary to release
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). The increasing
amount of TSH in turn stimulates thyroid gland to
enlarge. This enlargement of thyroid gland so as to
secrete more of thyroxine is known as goitre.Cure:
Those who live in areas where iodine content in water
is low are advised to use iodized salt containing 0.01%
Potassium Iodine.
Hypokalemia : It is caused due to deficiency of
potassium. The body experiences deficiency of
potassium due to (i) severe vomitting (ii)acute
diarrhoea (iii)excessive secretion of the hormones of
adrenal cortex.
in
Megaloblastic anaemia.. Vitamin B was first recognised
by Japanese sea men.
Rickets : It is caused in children due to deficiency of
calcium and phosphorous.
Ariboflavinosis : Insufficient amount of riboflavin
(Vitamin B ) results in a disorder called ariboflavinosis.
The symptoms of this disease are: cracking of skin at
angles of mouth, dermatosis, blurred vision, burning
and soreness of eye and tongue.
Pellagra : Insufficient amount of niacin results in a
disease called Pellagra. The symptoms of this
disease are: tip and lateral margins of the tongue,
mouth and gums become red and swollen and later
develop ulcers.

in man:

1. Chicken Pox 5. Small Pox
2. Measles 6. Trachoma
3. Poliomyelitis 7. Influenza.
4. Rabies

Disorders due to sex chromosomal
genes:
Colour Blindness : In this disease, a person cannot
distinguish between red, green and blue colours. The
gene determining colour blindness is carried on the X-
chromosome. The Y-chromosome does not carry any
gene connected with colour perception. Strangely
enough, woman rarely suffers from this defect and yet,
a man always inherit this defect from his mother.
Haemophilia (Bleeders disease) : In this disease,
blood lacks the capacity to coagulate. Under normal
conditions if a person gets some external injury or cut
in the body, the blood starts oozing out and gets
clotted in 2 to 8 minutes. But if a person is suffering
from haemophilia, a small cut may lead ultimately to
death due to lack of ability of blood to clot. Like colour
blindness this disease is also found in males and rarely
in females.

COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
A. Diseases caused by Viruses :
Following are some of the important viral diseases

Chicken Pox - Causal Organism: Varialla-Zoster
Mode of spread:
1. By direct contact with diseased person.
2. By indirect contact i.e., by clothings, bed and
other articles used by patient might spread the
diseases to a healthy person.

Symptoms:
1. Occurrence of moderate fever in the beginning.
2. Appearance of rashes or eruptions within 24
hours from the time of infection. These rashes
pass through several stages.
3. Appearance of crusts or scabs finally. These
crusts or scabs fall off within 14 days after the
rash begins.

Prevention and control:
1. The patient suffering from this disease should be
isolated from public places until all crusts or
scabs are fallen off.
2. Bed and clothing of patient should be kept clean.
3. Calamine lotion should be applied on the rashes.

Measles or Rubeola - Causal organism: Myxovirus
Mode of spread:
1. By direct contact with patient.
2. By coughing or sneezing.
Symptoms :
Since the incubation period of this virus is 10
days, therefore first symptom appears after 10 days.
The symptoms are:
1. Fever, dry cough and running nose.
2. Inflammation of the respiratory mucous membrane.
3. Loss of appetite.
4. Pink or red rashes or eruption appear on the face,
neck and trunk. These rashes last for 4-7 days
and the marks of dark pigmentation left thereafter
disappear after a few days.
5. Vomitting.
6. Eyes become sensitive to light.
7. Contract pneumonia as a secondary infection.

Prevention and Control :
1. Passive immunity can be attained by injecting of
gamma globulin. This immunity thus developed
lasts for only three to four weeks.
2. Isolation of patient and personal hygiene are
important to prevent the spread of infection.
3. Use of glycerine or carbolized oil prevents its
further spread.

Poliomyelitis or Polio-Causal organism : Entero- virus
Mode of spread:
1. By contaminated food and water.
2. By intestinal discharge of diseased person.
3. Insects and flies play an important role in the
transmission of viruses.

Site of infection :
The virus enters the intestine through
contaminated food. It multiplies in the intestine
through contaminated food. It multiplies in the
intestine from where it reaches the nervous
system through the blood stream i.e., circulatory
system. In the spinal cord it causes inflammation
of motor cells which control the movement of
voluntary muscles. In the absence of nervous
control, the muscles wither away and get
paralysed.

Symptoms:
1. The initial symptoms of the disease are occurrence
of fever and stiffness of neck. Due to stiffness of
neck, the head cannot bend forward and
downward.
2. Skeletal muscles get weakened and paralysed.
3. Movement of limbs becomes weak and finally
stops as the muscles fail to contract.

Prevention and Control :
1. Poliomyelitis vaccine is quite safe and effective
against this disease.

2. All children should be immunised in the beginning
of infancy to ensure complete safety against the
disease.
3. The immunity can be maintained if booster dose
is given every few years. Other viral diseases are
Rabies, Small Pox, Trachoma, Influenza etc.

B. Diseases Caused by Bacteria:
Following are some of the important Bacterial
diseases in man.

Cholera - Causal organism : Vibrio cholerae
Mode of spread:
2. By inhalation of droplets expelled by diseased
person through coughing, speaking, sneezing or
sputum.
3. Flies are the main carrier of these bacteria and
spread the disease.
4. Epidemic of cholera usually occur during fairs
and after flood and other such natural calamities.
Symptoms :
Since the incubation period of this bacteria is 2-
3 days, therefore symptoms will appear after 2-3 days
of infection. The various symptoms of this disease are:
1. Vomitting and acute diarrhoea with rice water
stools resulting in dehydration and loss of
minerals from body. In acute cases death may
also occur.
2. Muscular cramps.
3. Suppression of urine.

Typhoid - Causal organism : Salmonella typhi
Mode of spread:
2. By faeces and urine of the patient.
3. By direct contact with patient.
Symptoms :
Since the incubation period of the bacteria is 10-
14 days therefore symptoms of disease will appear
after 10-14 days of infection. Various symptoms of
disease are:
1. High fever.
2. Slow pulse.
3. Tender and distended abdomen.
4. Eruption of rose coloured rashes on body.
5. Diarrhoea with water-green stools.

Tuberculosis - Causal organism : Mycobacterium
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is most common in crowded city
slums. Bacterium which causes tuberculosis can infect
any organ of body but the most favourite site is lung.
It can also attack lymph nodes, bones and joints.
Mode of spread:
1. By inhalation of droplets of infected sputum
expelled by patient during coughing, sneezing or
speaking.
2. By contaminated food, water or milk.
3. By inoculation of bacteria into the skin or mucus
membrane.
Symptoms:
1. Constant fever.
2. Pain in chest.
3. Cough and blood in sputum.
4. Loss in body weight.
5. Gradual weakening of body.
Prevention and control:
1. Isolation of patient.
2. The B.C.G. vaccine against tuberculosis gives
considerable protection against disease.

Leprosy - Causal organism : Microbacterium leprae

Mode of spread :
By prolonged contact with diseased parts of
patient.

Symptoms:
1. Appearance of light coloured patches on the
skin.
2. In acute cases the organs are deformed and parts
of body are lost.
3. Perpheral nerves are damaged therefore affected
organ becomes senseless.
4. Ulcers, nodules, scaly scabs and deformities of
toes and fingers may also be caused.

Meningitis - Causal organism : Neisseria meningit
Mode of spread:
By coughing and sneezing the germs spread from
infected person to healthy person.
Symptoms :
1. Sore throat, fever, severe headache.
2. Vomitting.
3. Difficulty in bending the head to forward due to
stiffness of neck.
4. Occasional appearance of red spots all over the
body surface.
5. The clear cerebrospinal fluid becomes turbid due
to inflammation of meninges (membranes covering
the brain and spinal cord) also called meningitis.

Syphilis - It is called veneral disease.
Mode of spread :
1. Through intercourse with an infected man.
2. They enter the body through any crack or cut in
the skin.
3. Through contaminated objects.

Symptoms :
1. Occurrence of fever and skin eruptions.
2. After 3-4 weeks of infection, the primary sore or
pimple appears on external genitals (the penis in
male and labia minora and majora in female) which
gradually becomes big and hard and later on
becomes more prominent.
3. Enlargement of lymph nodes in groin takes place.
4. After 2-3 months, white shiny patches appear
inside the mouth.
5. Eruption appears on the skin particularly on face,
palms, soles and scalp.
6. Destructive changes in the internal organs of the
body take place even after many years.
7. Cardio vascular system may be badly affected.
8. The infection can pass from infected pregnant
mother to developing foetus through placenta
and may result in the premature death of the
foetus.

Gonorrhoea
Mode of spread :
1. through intercourse with infected man
2. through indirect way like cloths, bedding.
Symptoms :
1. urine passes out with difficulty and there is an
urge for frequent urination.
2. infection may pass into foetus through placenta
if the infected female is pregnant.
3. eruptions appear on the skin. Other common
diseases caused by bacteria are: Plague, Botulism,
Pneumonia etc.

C. Diseases caused by Protozoa :
Amoebic dysentry or Amoebiasis
Mode of spread :
1. indirectly through flies which may pollute human
food with cysts.
2. through contaminated water, vegetables, fruits
and other food stuffs.
Symptoms:
1. frequent loose stools or diarrhoea.
2. the blood stained mucous passes along with
stool.
Prevention and Control:
1. Proper disposal of faecal matter of the patient.
2. Vegetables and fruits when used raw, should be
thoroughly washed preferably with potassium
permanganate.

Malaria : Plasmodium
Mode of spread :
By the bite of an infected female anopheles
mosquito which acts as a carrier.
Symptoms :
1. sudden onset of fever and sensation of extreme
cold.
2. signs of shivering and intense headache also
follow.
3. fall in temperature is accompanied by profuse
sweating.
4. the symptoms are repeated after every fixed hours
depending upon the species of Plasmodium.
Prevention and control :
1. Destruction of breeding places (stagnated water)
of mosquito by spreading an oil film on the water.
2. Use of mosquito nets.
3. Use of mosquito repellents like odomos.
4. Spraying of D.D.T. or malathion in residential
areas and other places.
5. Use of various drugs like Quinine, Atebrine,
Isopenta-quine is quite effective in control of
malaria.
6. By fumigation i.e., certain chemicals are burnt so
as to produce fumes that either kill mosquitoes or
drive them away from their dwelling places.

D. Diseases caused by Fungi Ringworm:
Mode of spread :
Ringworm of foot spreads on the skin peripherally
and heals centrally and the pathogen gains entry
through foot if the person moves bare-footed.
Symptoms:
1. the early lesion which appears on body is ring
like-with a scaly border.
2. in case if the ringworm appears on nail, the free
edges of nails become grey or brown, rough, dull
and sometimes nails are shed.

1. Personal hygiene is the best method of prevention
of disease.
2. The infected body parts should be washed with
dilute potassium permanganate and kept clean.

NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
These diseases do not spread by contact with the
diseased person or any other agency.
1. Coronary heart disease : The blood is supplied
to the heart muscles by coronary arteries. If these
arteries become hardened and narrowed due to
deposition of fatty materials, the heart does not
receive enough amount of blood and as a result
the person feels severe pain in the chest.
Sometimes the blood vessels (arteries) may rupture
or a clot may be formed in them. This stops the
supply of blood to heart and the patient has a
heart attack which is also called as coronary
thrombosis.

2. Hypertenison : This disease is caused due to
emotional stress such as fear, worry, anxiety and
excessive joy and nervous tension. In this
disease the walls of the arteries contract
persistantly resulting in the rise of blood pressure.
This rise of blood pressure is known as Hyper-
tension. Destruction of the arteries of kidneys,
condition is known as chronic nephritis is a
common result of hypertension.
3. Arterosclerosis : In this disease, the arteries and
arterioles become narrow due to the deposition of
cholestrol or fibrous tissue and lose their elasticity.
In advanced stages of arterosclerosis the rise in
blood pressure may cause the arteries to rupture
and let out the blood. If arteries rupture in brain,
partial paralysis occurs and the person is said to
have had a cerebral haemorrhage.
1. the diet having low fat should be used.
2. during hypertension, use of salt should be
avoided.
3. use of tea, coffee and alcohol should be avoided.
4. avoid smoking.
5. the nitroglycerine tablets relax the coronary
arteries and reduce pain in the chest.
6. Anticoagulant like heparin prevent the clotting of
blood and promote its flow.

Cancer :
This disease results due to uncontrolled divisions
of cells in any part of the body. Due to uncontrolled
and repeated mitotic divisions a lump or tumour is
formed. Parts of tumour often break off, move through
the blood stream of lymph to other parts of the body
and start a new or secondary tumour. This stage is
known as Metastatia and proves fatal.

Leukemia :
It is a type of blood cancer in which the white
blood corpuscles increase in number enormously.
These W.B.C. infiltrate into other tissues such as the
bone marrow, the spleen, the lymph nodes etc. This
disease is mostly found in young children (below five
years) and no remedy is known for it.

Danger signals or symptoms of cancer :
1. Any wound that does not heal.
2. A thickening or lump in the breast or elsewhere.
3. Difficulty in swallowing.
4. Persistent indigestion.
5. Unusual discharge or bleeding.
6. Persistent cough or harshness.

Allergy :
Hypertension or supersensitivity of the body or
mind to some chemical or physical agent is known as
allergy. The common allergents (Substances or agents
which cause allergy) are plant pollents, dust, certain
food stuffs, animal hair, heat, cold,drugs, chemicals,
certain fabrics and pathogens. These allergents when
come in contact with body of an allergic person,
physiological disturbances start within the body and
many allergic reactions take place.

AIDS disease :
A virus has been identified to be responsible for
acquired immuno deficiency syndrome disease known
as AIDS which has been termed as the disease of the
century. This disease is more dreadful than Cancer.
Causal organism : AIDS virus.
Mode of spread:
1. Through sexual intercourse.
2. Through blood transfusion.
3. Through contaminated injection needles.

General account :
In the host, virus attacks W.B.C. which are
responsible for immunity. The rate at which virus
multiplies in W.B.C. of host is thousand times higher
than that of a virus. As a result of fast multiplication,
the immunity system of the body (due to W.B.C.) is
devasted. Such persons become highly susceptible to
various types of pathogens due to decrease of
immunity.

Symptoms :
1. Damage to brain.
2. Loss of memory.
3. he ability to speak and think is impaired.
Till today no suitable drug is known for treatment
of the disease. No vaccine has been developed so far
to prevent the disease. Thus it is a serious threat to life
for years to come.

SOCIAL DISEASES
Alcoholism :
It is a social disease. It ruins the health of the
people and causes a loss of manpower and hampers
economic progress. It may lead to increased accidents,
social crimes and other illegal activities. People start
with small quantities out of curiosity and pleasure and
soon become addict to it and take to heavy drinking.

Drug addiction :
Primarily drugs are meant for treatment of a
disease. But sometimes people start taking drugs even
though they dont have any disease. They do so for
excitement or pleasure or to relieve themselves of mental
tension. Constant and regular use of these drugs forms
a habit and once acquired, it becomes very difficult to
get rid off this habit. This condition is called Drug
Addiction. Like alcoholism it is also a social disease.

SCIENTIFIC PHENOMENA
Why is rainbow seen after rain?
After a rainfall, the clouds break and lie hanging
in the sky and the sun is also visible. The Suns rays,
falling on the water drops, are dispersed, totally
How do you convert Centigrade reading to Fahrenheit?
With the help of the following formula:-

C
=
F 32

reflected at the back of the drops and then again
refracted into the eye of the observer with his back

100 180
towards the sun. These dispersed rays which have
suffered deviation give rise to a concentrated beam of
light indicating all the colours of light.

Ice wrapped in a blanket or packed with saw dust does
not melt away quickly. Why?
Ice wrapped in blanket does not melt, because
blanket being bad conductor, cut off heat rays. Saw
dust is also a bad conductor of heat. It protects
the ice from the external heat and prevents it from
melting away.

Petrol fire cannot be put with wamter. Why?
Petrol has less density than water. So when water
is poured the petrol floats on it and keeps on burning.
The temperature of the burning petrol is so high than
the water and it would be evaporated before it can
extinguish the fire.

Fuse wires are always provided in electrical
installations.
Fuse wire is a high resistance wire and when it is
put in the series of electrical installations under strong
currents, the wire melts away avoiding damage to main
installations.

Copper wire cannot be used as heating element in
electric heaters.
Copper melts at 1083C and also reacts with air to
form a black powder.

Glass when heated cracks while metal does not.
Glass is a bad conductor of heat. On heating,
only the upper layers of the glass expand while lower
ones remain unaffected, hence it cracks due to unequal
expansion. Metal is a good conductor of heat and so
all its bulk gets uniformly heated up. Thus the expansion
also has uniform surface strain, hence no cracking.

Why a cyclist has to apply a greater force at the start
than when the cycle is in motion?
A cyclist has to apply a greater force at the start
in order to produce momentum, but once a suitable
momentum has been gained only then a smaller force
is required to balance the frictional forces.

Why sea-water is saline?
Because the rivers falling into the sea, bring
deposits of salt along with them during their journey
from mountains and plains and this process has been
going on for ages.
The sky appears blue, Give reasons, why?
The blue colour of the sky is due to the scattering
of light by dust particles or air molecules. This
scattering is inversely proportional to the fourth
power of wavelength. Consequently the shorter
wavelengths are profusely scattered and when we
look at a portion of the sky away from sun, we receive
this scattered and re-scattered light which is rich in
blue (short wavelength).

An electric bulb makes a bang when it is broken
The bulb has a partial vaccum. When it is broken
the air rushes in to fill the vaccum and thus a noise is
produced.

How is it that food gets cooked quicker in a pressure
cooker than in an ordinary vessel?
In a pressure cooker, on account of the increase
of pressure, the boiling point is raised, so the food gets
cooked quicker than in an ordinary vessel. A pressure
cooker is very useful in high mountains where, on
account of low pressure and hence low boiling point,
the vegetables cannot be cooked properly.

A burning candle gets extinguished when covered with
a tumbler. Why?
The tumbler cuts off the oxygen supply which is
necessary for its burning.

Why rain water is soft but river water is hard?
River water during its course in the mountainous
terrain dissolve the calcareous matter or lime
compounds and thus becomes hard. While during
evaporation only the molecules of water go up and
minerals are left behind; hence the rain water is soft.

Why is water from hand pump warm in winter and cold
in summer?
In winter, the temperature outside is low and the
unexposed water underground is at a higher
temperature. In summer, the outside temperture is
higher than the temperature inside. Hence water is
warm in winter and cool in summer.

An iron nail floats on mercury but sinks in water.
Give reasons, why?
An iron nail floats on mercury, because the
weight of mercury displaced by it and hence the
upward thrust is more than its weight, the density of
mercury and iron being respectively 13.6 gm per c.c.

and 7.6 gm. per c.c. The density of water being 1 gm./
c.c., the upward thrust is much less and hence the iron
nail sinks.

A flash of lightning is seen before the sound of
thunder heard. Why?
It is because of the fact that light travels faster
than sound.

One leans forward while climbing a hill.
While leaning forward, the centre of gravity of
the body also shifts forward and this helps climbing.

A dead body floats in water after some time.
A body weighs less when weighed in water
because of the apparent loss in weight being equal to
the weight of the water displaced. There is an upward
thrust exerted upon a body immersed in a fluid called
buoyancy, equal to the weight of the fluid displaced
and thus the dead body floats in water after some time.

Why are we advised to empty the ink from our fountain
pen before going up in an aeroplane?
As we go up in an aeroplane the air becomes rarer
and the pressure of the atmosphere therefore falls, so
that the volume of the air inside the fountain pen will
also increase and the ink will be pushed out thus
spoiling the clothes and hence the advice.

Wet clothes dry slowly on a rainy day. Why?
On a rainy day the air in the atmosphere
contains more water vapour than on a dry day.
As a result evaporation is slower.

Why it does not hurt when we cut our nails?
Nails are the parts of the body which have no
connection with either the blood vessels or the
cartilage and hence the nerve system is unaffected.
Consequently cutting them will not injure us.

It takes more time to cook meat and vegetables at hill
stations. Give reasons, why?
Meat and vegetables can be cooked properly and
quickly at a temperature of 100C. Since at hill stations,
the pressure is decreased and hence the boiling point
is lowered thus causing a serious drawback in cooking
which will therefore take a much longer time.

A blotting paper absorbs ink. Why?
A blotting paper contains minute pores. These
pores will be filled with ink. Thus the ink will be
retained by the paper.

How a ball which falls down, bounces up?
A ball on falling to the ground is slightly
deformed. On account of the elastic force coming into
existence due to the deformation the ball tries to
recover its original size. In doing so it presses the
ground and in accordance with Newtons third law of
motion it receives a reaction upwards and hence it
bounces up.

Why a needle sinks in water, whereas an iron ship
floats on it?
The specific gravity of a needle which is a solid
piece of steel, is decidedly greater than water and it,
therefore, sinks in water; whereas an iron ship is so
designed that the total weight of water displaced by it
is greater than the weight of the ship itself. The ship,
therefore, floats by the upward thrust of water.

Why a convex mirror is used by the motorist to see the
road behind him?
Due to the formation of miniature size images, a
convex mirror has a large field of view. Consequently,
the motorist sees a large number of objects behind the
car simultaneously. It also avoids reflection of the sun
rays which are diverged and scattered.

Why is it dangerous to allow extra passengers on the
upper deck of a double-decker bus?
There are chances of the double-decker bus
tilting, if the upper deck gets over-loaded with
passengers. In fact, the upper deck and lower deck act
as a counter-balance to each other and secondly, the
upper deck has no support on top of it. With extra
load on the upper deck, the centre of gravity of the
bus is raised and the resulting instability can make
the vehicle tilt.

A hydrogen balloon rises. Why?
Hydrogen is lighter than air. The weight of
hydrogen in the balloon is less than the weight of the
air displaced by it.

Why an iron nail gains weight on rusting?
Rusting is nothing but iron oxide. If fact, iron in
the presence of moisture absorbs oxygen to form iron
oxide. Hence on absorption, iron gains a weight equal
to the amount of oxygen consumed.

Give scientific reasons as to why a clinical
thermometer should not be dipped in boiling water?
A clinical thermometer is an ordinary Fahrenheit
thermometer, calibrated from 95F to 110F, whereas
boiling water usually acquires a temperature of more
than 100C or 212F in water. It is, therefore dangerous
to dip a clinical thermometer in boiling water because
it is difficult for it to accommodate such high
temperature, as a result of which it might burst.

Why is it more difficult to breathe on mountains than
on plains?
On the mountains the density of air is much less
than in the plains and so the oxygen content for
volume is reduced considerably. During the act of
breathing a definite supply of oxygen is needed per
breathe which being deficient, breathing becomes
difficult.

m

Why cloudly nights are warmer than clear nights?
Cloudy nights are warmer than clear nights
because clouds prevent radiation of heat from the
ground and air.

A green leaf appears green in daylight but looks dark
in red light. Why is it so?
During daylight, a green leaf appears green
because out of all the constituents of white light, it
reflects green only, all other colours being absorbed.
But when red light falls on it, it is all absorbed and
hence the green leaf reflects none and looks dark.

Why the outer surface of a glass containing iced
water becomes wet?
A tumbler containing cold water cools the air near
it so that a film of moisture is deposited on the outside
of the tumbler by the condensation of water vapours
present in the air.

A solar eclipse can occur only on a new moon
day. Why?
Soloar eclipse is due to the full moon coming in
between the sun and the earth, and hence it is natural
that it should be a new moon day.

Why the lunar eclipse occurs only at full moon but not
every full moon?
The lunar eclipse occurs only when the moon is
full and is near to one of its nodes which does not
occur every full moon.
Where days and nights are equal throughout the year
and why?
Day and nights are equal throughout the year
at the Equator. During the course of the earths
revolution round the sun, one half of the Equator is
always in the light and the other half is in the dark. i.e.,
the circle of illumination always cuts the Equator into
equal parts.

What is the difference between a star and a planet?
Star is the name given to a fixed celestial body
which has its own light whereas Planet is the name
given to a celestial body which revolves round the sun
in elliptical (regular oval shape) orbit. A planet has no
light of its own but it reflects light of the sun.

Where days and nights are longer in the year?
Longest day : 21st June. Longest night 22nd
December (in Northern hemisphere).

Why are mountains cooler than plains?
Because (i) the air of the mountains is rarer than
that of the plains and contains fewer dust particles.
The air on the mountains absorbs less heat than
the air on the plains, (ii) the heat absorbed during the
day on the mountains radiates very quickly at night
owing to the rarity of the air and nights on the
mountains are cooler, (iii) due to uneven surface of the
mountains, the major portion always remains in the
shade. The sun does not heat much of the land which
may heat the air.

Animals, Mammals and Birds

Albatross: Sea birds, North Pacific, off the American
coast. Also found in Antarctica

Alpaca: Animal found in Chile (South America)

Apes: These are four kinds of apes in the world, two
in Africa: Gorilla and the Chimpanzee, and two in Asia:
Gibbon and the Orang - Utan.

Beaver: Found in Europe (Russia and Poland) and
North America. It is a genus of mammals of the
Rodentia order with short scaly ears and webbed hind
feet and broad flat muscular tail. Its skin is of
considerable commercial value. It is noted for ingenuity
and industry in building houses and damming shallow
streams. It is also valued for its reddish brown fur and
a secretion costoreum (Caster oil) used in medicines
and perfumes.

Camel: Found in deserts of Arabia and India. It has
long legs with padded feet, a long neck with a hump
on its back. Its hump is made up of fat and is a store-
house for food. It can also store water in the stomach
and can go for days without a drink. It is also called
Ship of the Desert.
Chameleon: It is a family of lizards. The common
chameleon is a native of Africa. Chameleon is
remarkable for its power of changing colour to resemble
its surroundings when surprised a power that is due to
the presence of pigment bearing cells beneath the skin.
It is slow in movement.
Cheetah: Found in India and Africa. Fastest land
animal at short run
Corals: Small marine animals closely related to sea-
anemone, found mainly in the Mediterranean; also
found in the Indian Ocean.
Crocodiles: can be recognised by their narrow snouts
which have a notch near the front on both sides. They
live mostly in the tropics along the sides of rivers and
lakes. Alligators also resemble the crocodile but have
broader snouts.
Dinosaurs: They are great reptiles flourished about
150 million years ago in the Jurassic period. It was over
24 m long and must have weighed some 30,000
kilograms. Its tiny head contained a brain no larger
than a hens egg. It was clumsy and slow-moving and
probably quite harmless.

Elephant: Found in Africa and India. It is the largest
existing quadruped. Both males and females have large
ivory tusk of considerable commercial value. The
Indian elephant is domesticated and can carry up to
2,000 lbs. on long journeys maintaining a pace of about
6 km per hour.

Emu: Running bird of Australia. It is the largest of
living birds after the Ostrich.

Giraffe : Found in Africa and South Sahara except
in the Congo forests. It is the tallest of existing
animals.

Ilama: A dwarf camel-like animal found in South
America. It has no hump, but has a long neck and is
used as a beast of burden.

Kangaroo: Is a pouched (Marsupial) mammal of
Australia. It can reach a height of over 6 ft. It is the
national animal of Australia.

Kiwi: Flightless bird, found in New Zealand, now very
rare. It is little larger than a domestic hen and lays
astonishingly large eggs for their size. Its feathers are
hair-like and it has rudimentary wings concealed by the
plumage.

Koala: Animal found in Australia.

Ladybird: It is an insect usually of a red or yellow
colour with small coloured or black spots.

Lion: Among the big cats, the lions live in open grass-
land, its tawny coat blending with the dry bush. It is
lazy in habit, Gir forest is familiar in India.

Mustang: Animal found in American prairies

Nightingale: A singing bird found in India

Octopus: A genus of marine mollusc with eight
tentacles that bear suckers.

Ostrich : Largest living bird now found only on
the sandy plains of Africa and parts of South West
Asia. The male has beautiful white plumes on wings
and tails. The wings are useless for flight, but the
birds have a fleetness of foot exceeding that of the
swiftest horse.

Oyster: is a bivalve molluscs which is eaten as a
delicacy, the pearl oyster may grow a pearl under
its shell. This is due to an initation probably a tiny
spect of sand, which the oyster covers with
mother-of-pearl.
Penguin: is a genus of large birds with small wings and
webbed feet. They exist in enormous numbers in the
Southern Ocean and Antarctica Sea. They are facile
swimmers, and live on fish.
Plover: Bird, common in all continents except Africa
and South America.
Puma: A carnivorous quadruped of North America. It
is called American Lion. It is smaller than lion.
Reindeer: A genus of deer horned in both sexes;
Siberia.
Rhinoceros: Found in swamps Assam and
Sunderbans; South-East Asia; Africa.
Seal: fish found in Northern Russia.
Sea Lions: One of the families of Seal found in the
Pacific.
Shark: A large and powerful ocean fish, mostly found
in tropical seas. Oil is obtained from its liver.
Swifts: are birds of the air with extraordinary ability and
speed in flight. The worlds tiniest humming birds of
tropical America. They dart about with dazzling speed,
hovering moving up & down sideways and even
backwards.
Tiger: India is the home land of Tiger which ranges
across the Far East to the Indonesia. National animal of
India, its stripes help to blend with the tall grass
and bamboo thickets in which it hides.
Trout: a fresh water fish of the Salmonidae family;
found in Kashmir.
Walrus: A very large marine mammal related to the
Seals; Arctic Sea.

Whales: The magnificient blue Whale is the greatest
animal on earth, reaching a length of 30 m and
weighing upto 18,000 kilograms. No other animal has
reached this. Although a mammal, the Whale looks fish
- like only because it lives in water and has a
streamlined body.

Yak: A curious long-haired ox, found in Tibet.

Yeti: Or the abominable snow-man of the high Himalayas
is variously being from 6 to 12 ft. tall half- Gorilla-like,
with shaggy body and hairless face. His foot-prints
have been seen and photographed many times.

Zebra: African quadruped of whitish-grey colour with
regular black stripes.

DISEASES OF
64

DOMESTIC ANIMALS

BACTERIAL DISEASES
Anthrax Cattles
Komari Cattles
VIRAL DISEASES
Foot and Mouth Diseases Cattles Blue
Tongue Cattles
Rinderpest & Cattle Plague Cattles
Rabbies or Hydrophobia Dogs,, Jackals

DISEASES OF POULTRY
Ranikhet,, Foulfox and Tick Fever
DEFICIENCY,DEFECTIVE PARTS OF THE
& GENERAL DISEASES BODY AFFECTED
Appendicitis Intestine
Arthritis Inflammation of joints
Asthma Chest
Astigmatism Eyes
Beriberi Body growth
Bronchitis Windpipe
Cataract Eyes
Coronary Thrombosis Heart vascular muscles
Diabetes Pancreas

Dysentery Bowels
Eczema Skin
Elephantiasis Swelling of tissues
particularly lower parts of
the body
Filaria Lympth vessels
Goitre Thyroid gland
Glaucoma Eyes
Hypermetropia or Longsight Eyes
Infantile paralysis Limbs
(Arms & Legs)
Jaundice Eyes; liver
Leprosy Skin and nerves
Leukaemia Blood cells
Meningitis Spinal glands
Myopia or Shortsight Eyes
Neuralgia Nerves
Night Blindness Eyes
Pellagra Skin
Pleurisy Chest wall
Pneumonia Lungs
Polio Spinal cord nerves
Pyorrhoea Gums
Rabies Hydrophobia Mental systems
Rheumatism Joints
Rickets Bones
Scurvy Gums
Thrombosis Blood
Trachoma Eyes
Tuberculosis Any part of the body
except hair and nail
Typhoid Intestine, whole body

NATIONAL LABORATORIES
(Including Scientific Research Institute and Industrial Undertakings etc.,)

Function of National Laboratories : The National
Laboratories undertake basic and applied research with
special reference to the problems of industries failing
within their spheres. These refer to the problems with
the work of industrial development and each having its
own detailed programme of work drawn up by expert
committees.
Birla Industrial and Technological Museum : Kolkata
(West Bengal)
Central Building Research Institute : Roorkee (U.P.)

Central Electro - Chemical Research Institute : Karaikudi

Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants :
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).
Central Leather Research Institute : Chennai (Tamil
Nadu).
Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute :
Durgapur (West Bengal).
Central Mining Research Station : Dhanbad (Bihar).
Central Road Research Institute : New Delhi (Delhi).
Central Salt and Marine Chemical Research Institute :
Bhavnagar (Gujarat).
Central Scientific Instruments Organisation : Chandigarh
(Chandigarh).
Indian Institute of Chemical Biology : Kolkata (West
Central Electronic Engineering Research
Pilani (Rajasthan).
Central Food Technological Research
Mysore (Karnataka).
Institute :

Institute :
Bengal).
Indian Institute of Petroleum : Dehra Dun (Uttar
Pradesh)
Indian Toxicology Research Centre : Lucknow (Uttar
Central Fuel Research Institute : Dhanbad (Bihar).
Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute : Kolkata
(West Bengal).
Pradesh).
National Aeronautical Laboratory : Bangalore
(Karnataka).

National Biological Laboratory (in Planning) : Palampur,
Kangra Dist. (Himachal Pradesh).
National Botanical Research Institute : Lucknow, (U.P.)
National Chemical Laboratory : Pune, (Maharashtra).
National Environmental Engineering Institute :
Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh).
National Institute of Oceanography : Panaji (Goa).
National Metallurgical Laboratory : Jamshedpur
(Bihar).
National Physical Laboratory : New Delhi (Delhi).

Pulsars Research Laboratory : New Delhi (Delhi).

Regional Research Laboratory : Bhuvaneshwar
(Cuttack), Jorhant (Assam), Jammu and Kashmir and
Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh).

Structural Engineering Research Centre : Roorkee
(U.P.). and Chennai.

Visveswarayya Industrial and Technological Museum:
Bangalore, (Karnataka).

NUCLEAR

RESEARCH

AND ATOMIC ENERGY
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Formerly the Atomic
Energy Establishment) : Trombay near Mumbai
(Maharashtra).
Centre for Advanced Technology (CAT) : Indore.
High Altitude research Laboratory : Gulmarg
(Kashmir)
Indian Cancer Research Centre : Mumbai.

Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research : Kalpakkam.
Physical Research Laboratory : Ahmedabad (Gujarat).
Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics : Kolkata (West Bengal)
Seismic Research Centre : Gaurividanur near
Bangalore (Karnataka).
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research : Mumbai
(Maharashtra)
SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH INSTITUTES
Bharat Ophthalmic Glass Limited : Kolkata, (West
Bengal).
Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaecobotany : Lucknow
(Uttar Pradesh)
Bose Research Institute : Kolkata (W.Bengal).
Central Arid Zoo Research Institute : Jodhpur
(Rajasthan).
Central Coconut Research Institute : Kaserkode (Kerala)
Central Glass and Ceramic Research Station : New
Delhi
Central Inland Fisheries Research Station : Barrackpore
(W.Bengal)
Central Institute of Fisheries Technology : Ernakulam
(Kerala).
Central Jute Technological Research Institute : Kolkata
(W.Bengal).
Central Marine Research Station : Chennai (Tamil
Nadu).
Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute :
Durgapur (West Bengal).
Central Mining Research Station : Dhanbad (Bihar).
Central Research Laboratory : Chepauk, Chennai
(Tamil Nadu)
Central State Farm : Suratgarh (Rajasthan).
Central Tobacco Research Station : Rajamundry (Andhra
Pradesh).
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology : Hyderabad
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Institute:
New Delhi.
Fluid Control Research Institute : Kanjikode (Kerala).
Forest Research Institute : Dehra Dun (Uttar Pradesh)
Indian Institute of Agricultural Research Institute :
New Delhi.
Indian Institute of Science : Bangalore.
Indian Institute of Sugar Technology : Kanpur, (U.P).
Indian Lac Research Institute : Ranchi (Bihar).
Indian Space Research Organisation : Bangalore
(Karnataka)
Institute of Microbial Technology : Hyderabad.
National Dairy Research Institute : Karnal (Haryana).
National Environmental Engineering Institute : Nagpur.
National Sugar Research Institute : Kanpur (U.P.)

MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES
All India Institute fo Hygiene and Public Health :
Kolkata (W.Bengal).
All India Institute of Medical Science : New Delhi
(Delhi).
All India Malaria Institute : Delhi.
Central Research Institute : Kasauli (Himachal
Pradesh).
Haftkine Institute : Mumbai.
Indian Institute of Experimental Medicine : Kolkata
(W.Bengal)
Indian Vetrinary Research Institute : Mukteshwar and
Izatnagar (Gujarat).
National Institute of Communicable Disease : Delhi.
Nutrition Research Laboratory : Coonoor (Tamil
Nadu)
Tuberculosis Institute : Delhi.

CURRENT EVENTS
) ABBREVIATIONS ) SPORTS ) UNO ) BOOKS & AUTHORS ) ECONOMY
) TERMINOLOGY ) FIRST AND LAST ) DEFENCE ) PERSONALITIES

ABBREVIATIONS
A
AAFI Amateur Athletic Federation of India
ABC Atomic, Biological and Chemical (warfare);
American Broad-casting Company; Australian
Broadcasting Company.
ABM Anti Ballistic Missiles
ABVP Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad
ACC Auxiliary Cadet Corps; Air Coordinating
Committee
ADB Asian Development Bank
ADC Aide-de-Camp
AEC Atomic Energy Commission
AICTE All India Council for Technical Education
AIDS Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome
AIMS All India Institute of Medical Sciences
AITUC All India Trade Union Congress
ALCMS Air Launched Nuclear Armed Cruise Missiles
AMC Army Medical Corps
ANCA Alternative Nuclear Command Authority
ANN Asian News Network
APPEAL Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for ALL
APPLE Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment
ASAT Anti-Satellite Weapon
ASEAN Association of South-East Asian Nations
ASLV Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle
ASPAC Asian and Pacific Council
ASROCK Anti-Submarine Rocket Launchers
ASSOCHAM Associated Chambers of Commerce and
Industry
ATS Anti-Tetanus Serum (injection)
AWACS Airborne Warning and Control System

B
BARC Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
BBC British Broadcasting Corporation
BEL Bharat Electronics Limited
BCG Bacillus Calmette Guerin - Anti- Tuberculosis
Vaccine
BHEL Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd.
BIMSTEC Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, Economic Co-operation
BLT Bado Liberation Tiger
BMR Basal Metabolic Rate
BP Blood Pressure
BRO Border Road Organisation
BSF Border Security Force

C
CA Chartered Accountant
CAG Comptroller & Auditor General
CARE Co-operation for American Relief Everywhere
CAT Centre for Advanced Technology
CBI Central Bureau of Investigation
CCI Cricket Club of India
CDAC Centre for Development of Advanced
Computing
CDP Community Development Programme
CHOGM Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting
CIA Central Intelligence Agency (of U.S.A)
CIS Commonwealth of Independent States
CISF Central Industrial Security Force
CMC Computer Maintenance Corporation
CMIE Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy
CNS Chief of the Naval Staff
COD Central Ordinance Depot
COFEPOSA Conservation of Foreign Exchange and
Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act
CPCSEA Committee for the Purpose of Control and
Supervision of Experiments on Animals
CRPF Central Reserve Police Force
CRR Cash Reserve Ratio
CSCAP Council For Security Co-operation for Asia
Pacific
CSIR Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation
CSO Central Statistical Organisation
CTBT Comprehensing Test Ban Treaty
CWC Central Warehouse Corporation
D
DAVP Directorate of Advertising and Visual
Publicity
DDT Dichloro-Diphenyl Trichloro-ethane
(disinfectant)
DNA Deoxy ribo-Nuchie-Acid
DOD Department of Ocean Development
DRDO Defence Research & Development
Organisation
DRES Department of Renewable Energy Sources
E
ECG Electro Cardiogram
ECGC Export Credit and Guarantee Corporation of
India
ECIL Electronic Corporation of India Limited
ECT Electro-convulsat Therapy (electric shock
treatment)
ECU European Currency Unit
EEC European Economic Community (Common
Market)
EEG Electro-encephalography
e.g. exampli gratia; for example
EIL Engineers India Limited
E-MAIL Electronic Mailing
E & OE Errors and Omissions Excepted

ERDA Energy Research and Development
Administration
ESA European Space Agency
ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific
ESI Employee State Insurance
ESMA Essential Services Maintenance Act
EST Eastern Standard Time
etc. ett cetera (and other things)
EU European Union
EVM Electronic Voting Machine
EWS Economically Weaker Section
F
FACT Fertilizers & Chemicals Travancore Ltd.
FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation
FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation (of the U.S.A.)
FCI Food Corporation of India
FDR Flight Data Recorder
FERA Foreign Exchange Regulation Act
FICCI Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
and Industry
FTII Film & Television Institute of India
G
GAIL Gas Authority of India Limited
GATE Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering
GATT General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade
GDR German Democratic Republic
GIC General Insurance Corporation
GIST Graphics & Intelligence based Script
Technology
GMDSS Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
GM Grand Master (Chess)
GMT Greenwich Mean Time
GNP Gross National Product
GOC General Officer Commanding
GOP Grand Old Party
GSI Geological Survey of India
GSLV Geo Synchronous Launch Vehicle
GTB Global Trust Bank Ltd.,
H
HAL Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
HBV Hepatitis - B - Virus
HFDC Housing Finance Development Corporation
HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HUDCO Housing and Urban Development Corporation
I
IAAI International Airport Authority of India
IAC Indian Airlines Corporation
IADF International Agricultural Development Fund
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
IAMC Indian Army Medical Corps
IATA International Air Transport Association
IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and
Development
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organisation
ICAR Indian Council of Agricultural Research
ICBL International Campaign to Ban Landmines
ICC International Cricket Conference
ICF International Court of Justice
ICCR Indian Council of Cultural Relations
ICCW Indian Council for Child Welfare
ICHR Indian Council for Historical Research
ICJ International Court of Justice
ICICI Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation
of India
ICMR Indian Council of Medical Research
ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross
IDA International Development Association
IDBI Industrial Development Bank of India
IDPL Indian Drugs & Pharmaceuticals Ltd.,
i.e. id est; that is
IEA International Energy Agency
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural
Development
IFCI Industrial Finance Corporation of India Ltd.
IFFCO Indian Formers Fertilizers Co-operatives
IFTU International Federations of Trade Unions
IGMOP Integrated guided Missile Development
Programme
IGNCA Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts
IGNOU Indira Gandhi National Open University
IIT Indian Institute of Technology
ILO International Labour Organisation
ILY International Literacy Year
IMA Indian Military Academy
IMF International Monetary Fund
IMO International Maritime Organisation
INCOSPAR Indian National Committee on Space
Research
INMARSAT International Maritime Satellite
Organisation
INMAS Institute of Nuclear Medicines & Allied
Science
INS Indian Naval Ship; Indian Newspaper Society
INSA Indian National Science Academy
INSAT Indian National Satellite
INTELEX International Teleprinter Exchange
INTERPOL International Police Organisation
IOC International Olympic Committee
IORARC Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional
Co-operation
IRBM Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile
ISE Inter-connected Stock Exchange
ISO International Standards Organisation
ISRO Indian Space Research Organisation
ISP Internet Service Provider
ISS International Space Stations
ISSP Indian Scientific Satellite Project
ITDC Indian Tourism Development Corporation
ITO International Trade Organisation; Income-Tax
Officer
J
JCO Junior Commissioned Officer
JNU Jawaharlal Nehru University
JP Janata Party; Justice of Peace
K
KG Kindergarten
Kg Kilogramme

KPMF Kothari Pioneer Mutual Fund
KRC Konkan Railway Corporation
Kw Kilowatt
L
LASER Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation
LCA Light Combat Aircraft
LED Light-Emitting Diode
LIC Life Insurance Corporations (of India)
LPG Liquid Petroleum Gas
LTC Leave Travel Concession
LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
M
MAPP Madras Atomic Power Project
MISA Maintenance of InternalSecurity Act
MASER Micro-wave Amplification by Stimulated
Emission of Radiation
MAT Minimum Alternate Tax
MODVAT Modified Value Added Tax
MRTPC Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices
Commission
NPP National Population Policy
NPTC National Power Transmission Corporation
NREP National Rural Employment Programme
NRI Non-resident Indian
NRSA National Remote Sensing Agency
NSA National Securities Act
NSC National Statistical Commission
NSC National Security Council
NSS National Savings Scheme
N.S.C. National Service Corps, National Security
Council
NSG National Security Guards
NSO National Sports Organisation
NTC National Textile Corporation
NTPC National Thermal Power Corporation
O
OAU Organisation of African Unity
OCS Overseas Communication Service
OECD Organisation Economic Co-operation and
Development
OGL Open General Licence
OIL Oil India Limited
OM Order of Merit

N
NAA National Airport Authority
NABARD National Bank for Agriculture & Rural
Development
NAEP National Adult Education Programme
NAG National Air Guard
NAM Non-aligned Movement
NASA National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (of the U.S.A.)
NASSCOM National Association of Software and
Service Companies
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
NCC National Cadet Corps
NCEP National Committee on Environment Planning
NCERT National Council of Education Research and
Training
NCM National Commission of Minorities
NCRPB National Capital Region Planning Board
NCSC & ST National Commission for Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes
NDA National Defence Academy
NDC National Development Council
ONGC Oil and Natural Gas Commission
OPEC Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
OSCE Organisation for Security and Co-operation in
Europe
OTS Officers Training Academy
P
PAC Political Affairs Committee; Public Accounts
Committee
PDA Preventive Detention Act
PERC Political & Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd.,
PETA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
PIB Press Information Bureau
PIL Public Interest Litigation
PIN Code Postal Index Number Code
PIO Persons of Indian Origin
PLO Palestine Liberations Organisation
PROM Programmable Read Only Memory
PSLV Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle
PTA Preferential Trade Area
PTI Press Trust of India
PVC Param Vir Chakra
PVSM Param Vishisht Sewa Medal

NDPS Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances

NEP National Education Policy
NEPA National Environment Protection Authority
NFC Nuclear Fuel Complex
NFDC National Film Development Corporation
NIB National Internet Backbone
NIC National Integration Council
NICSAT National Informatics Centre Satellite
NIFT National Institute of Fashion Technology
NIO National Institute of Oceanography
NIS National Institute of Sports
NLM National Literacy Mission
NLMA National Literacy Mission Authority
NMDC National Mineral Development Corporation
NNPT Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty
NPC National Productivity Council
Q
QMC Quarter Master General
R
RADAR Radio Detecting and Ranging
RAM Random Access Memory
RAW Research and Analysis Wing
RBI Reserve Bank of India
RCI Rehabilitation Council of India
REC Rural Electrification Corporation
RLO Returned Letter Office
RPF Railway Protection Force
RPM Revolution Per Minute
RRB Railway Recruitment Board
RSS Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh

S
SAARC South Asian Association for Regional Co-
operation
SAI Sports Authority of India
SAIDC South African Industrial Development
Corporation
SAIL Steel Authority of India Limited
SALT Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (or Treaty)
SAPTA South Asian Preferential Trade Agreement
SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
SARSAT Search and Rescue Satellite - Aided Tracking
System
SAVE SAARC Audio Visual Exchange
SEATO South East Asia Treaty Organisation
SEBI Securities and Exchange Board of India
SENSEX Sensitivity Index of Share Price
SEMIBOMBLA Scheme of the Economists for
Monetary Immobilisation through Bond
Medallions and Blocked Accounts
SFC Strotegic Forces Command
SHCIL Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd
SIDBI Small Industries Development Bank of India
SIEMA Southern India Engineering Manufacturers
Association
SINP Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics
SIT Special Investigation Team
SOS Save Our Souls - distress signal
SPCA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals
SPG Special Protection Group
SPIC Southern Petro-Chemical Industrial
Corporation
SROSS Stretched Rohini Satellite Series
SSI Small Scale Industry
STARS Satellite Trecking and Ranging Station
START Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
STC State Trading Corporation
STD Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Subcribers
Trunk Dialling
SWAPO South-West African Peoples Organisation
T
TAAI Travel Agents Association of India
TADA Terrorist and Disruptive Activities
(Prevention) Act
TANSI Tamil Nadu Small Industries Corporation
TAPS Tarapur Atomic Power Station
TCAS Tactical Collision Avoidance System
TDA Trade Development Authority
TELEX Teleprinter Exchange
TIFAC Technology Information, Forecasting and
Assessment Council
TISCO Tata Iron and Steel Company
TNAU Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
TNCSC Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation
TNT Tri-nitro-toluene (high explosive)
TNV Tripura National Volunteers
TRYSEM Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment
U
UGC University Grants Commission

UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development
UNDCP United Nations International Drug Control
Programme
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNEF United Nations Emergency Force
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation
UNFPA UN Fund for Population Activities
UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees
UNI United News of India
UNIC United Nations Information Centre
UNICEF United Nations International Childrens
(Emergency) Fund
UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development
Organisation
UNMOGIP United Nations Observer Group in India
and Pakistan
UNSCOM United National Special Commission
USAID United States Agency for International
Development
USIS United States Information Service
UTI Unit Trust of India
V
VAT Value Added Tax
VCR Video Cassette Recorder
VHD Vishwa Hindu Parishad
VHRR Very High Resolution Radiometer
VOA Voice of America
VPP Value Payable Post
VRDE Vehicle Research & Development
Establishment
W
WAY World Assembly of Youth
WBF World Book Fair
WCD World Commission of Dams
WEF World Economic Forum
WFP World Food Programme
WFTU World Federation of Trade Unions
WHO World Health Organisation (of the U.N.)
WMO World Meteorological Organisation
WPI Wholesale Price Index
WTO World Tourism Organisation
WWF World Wildlife Fund
X
X-mas Christmas
Y
YMCA Young Mens Christian Association
YWCA Young Womens Christian Association
Z
ZETA Zero Energy Thermo-nuclear Assembly or
Apparatus
ZOPFAN Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality
ZS Zoological Society

THE FIRST AND THE LASTS
First Visitors, Invaders, Heads of State, Expeditions, Sports, Etc.,

First British Governor - : Lord Mountbatten
General of the new
Dominion of India
First and the Last Indian : C. Rajagopalachari
Governor - General
of Free India
Last Governor-General of : Lord Canning
India who also became
the first Viceroyof India
Last Viceroy of India : Lord Mountbatten
First British : Warren Hastings
Governor-General in India
First Commander-in-Chief : General Cariappa
of free India
Tenth and the last Guru : Guru Gobind Singh
of the Sikhs
First Chinese pilgrim to : Fa-Hein
visit India
First European to : Marco Polo
visit China
First European invader : Alexander the Great
on Indian soil
First U.S.A. President : D. Eisenhover
to visit India
First Russian : V.I.Bulganin
Prime Minister to visit India
First British Prime Minister : Harold Macmillan
to visit India
First President of the USA : George Washington
First President of the : Sun Yat-Sen (1912)
Chinese Republic
First Prime Minister : Robert Walpole
of Great Britain
First Women : Mrs. S. Bandaranaike
Prime Minister (twice) (Sri Lanka)
of a Country in the World
First Indias Spaceman : Sqn. Ldr. Rakesh Sharma
First Indian to scale : Phu Dorjee
Mount Everest
First President of : Dr. Rajendra Prasad
Indian Republic
First Woman : Mrs. Indira Gandhi
Prime Minister of India
First Indian to win : Dr. Rabindranath Tagore
Nobel Prize
First President of Indian : W.C.Bonerjee
National Congress

First person to conquer : Serpa Tenzing and Hillary
Mount Everest
First man who climbed : Nawang Gombu
Mount Everest (twice)
First woman who climbed : Mrs. Junko Tabei, Japan
Mount Everest
First Indian to swim across : (Men) Mihir Sen,
the English Channel (Women) Mrs.Arati Gupta
(Prodigy) Kutraleeswaran,
Chennai.
First woman to sail : Kay Cottee
non-stop around the world, alone
First Woman to reach the : Ann Bancroff
North Pole
First Indian woman to : Bachendri Pal
scale Mount Everest
First person to reach the : Amundsen
South Pole
First woman to walk in : Svetlana Savitskaya space
space (Russia)
First person in the world : Neil A. Armstrong and
to land on the moon Edwin E. Aldrin Jr of USA
First woman cosmanaut of : Valentina Tereskhova, the
world Russian
First country to launch a : Russia
cosmic space rocket
towards moon
First Chief Justice of a : Justice H.L.Kania (Men),
High Court Ms. Leila Seth (Women)
First Judge, First Judge : Justice Syed Mehmood
of a High Court (Men), Anna Chandi
First Judge of : Camelia Sorabji
Supreme Court
First Magistrate : Mrs. Omana Kunjamma
First Indian to become : Dr. Nagendra Singh
President of International
Court of Justice
First Bar-at-Law : J.M.Tagore
First Woman : Chokila Iyer
Foreign Secretary
First Women Grandmaster : Ms. Vijayalakshmi
(India) Subburaman
First Indian Woman to : Karnam Malleswari
win an Olympic Medal
First Asian to claim : Viswanathan Anand
Chess' World Title
First Indian Woman : Ms.P.Bandhobathyai
Air-Commodre

First Indian girl to win the : Joshna Chinappa (17 yrs)
British Junior Squash title
First Indian Muslim : Aneesha Mirza
Woman Mayor (Ahmedabad)
First Test Tube Baby : Louise Joy Brown
First Place where atom : Hiroshima
bomb was dropped
First man to reach : Robert Peary
North Pole
First man to climb : Sherpa Sungau (Nepal)
Mount Everest
First man to walk in space : Alexi Leonov (USSR)
First Governor General : Mohammed Ali Jinnah
of Pakistan
First oldest man to scale : Mario Curris
Mount Everest
First Commander-in-Chief : General Roy Bucher
of Free India
First Emperor of : Babar
Moghul Dynasty
First Field Marshal : S.H.F.J.Manekshaw
of India
First Indian ICS Officer : Satyendra nath Tagore
First Indian Member : Sir S.P. Sinha
of Viceroy's Executive
Council
First man to climb : Phu Dorjee
Mount Everest without Oxygen

COMMUNICATION
POSTALSERVICE IN INDIA

First Postal Service was started in - 1837
First All-India Postal Stamp was issued - 1854
First Postal Department was opened - 1854
First Money Order was started in - 1880
First Air-Mail Service was first operated
at Allahabad & Nainital - 1911
Total No.of Postal Zones - 8
PINCODE was started in the year - 1972
PINCODE ZONES AND THEIR JURISDICTION
Peincode Zone Jurisdiction
Zone No.1 Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir
Zone No.2 Uttar Pradesh
Zone No.3 Rajasthan, Gujarat, Daman & Diu, Dadra &
Nagar Haveli
Zone No.4 Maharashtra, Goa & Madhya Pradesh
Zone No.5 Andra Pradesh and Karnataka
Zone No.6 Tamil Nadu, Kerala & Lakshadweep
Zone No.7 West Bengal, Orissa, Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland,
Tripura and Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Zone No.8 Bihar
First Tolkie Film : Alam Ara (1931)
First Test Tube Baby : Indira
(Documented)
First Woman Minister : Rajkumar Amrit Kaur
of Indian Union
First Woman : Sucheta Kriplani
Chief Minister of State
First Woman Governor : Sarojini Naidu
First Woman President of : Dr. Annie Besant
Indian National Congress
First Woman Speaker of a : Shanno Devi
State Assembly
First Prime Minister of : Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
India
First Muslim President of : Dr. Zakir Hussain
Indian Union
First Speaker of : G.V. Mavlankar
Lok Sabha
First Woman Judge in : Fathima Beevi
Supreme Court
First Woman Chief Justice : Leela Seth
of a High Court
First Indian Woman to go : Kalpana Chawla
in space
First Indian Woman : Sonali Banerjee
Merchant Navy Officer
First Dalit Speaker of the : G.M.C. Balayoki
Lok Sabha

AND TRANSPORT
TELECOMMUNICATION

First Telephone line was started - 1851
between Kolkata and Diamond Harbour
First Telephone service was started - 1881
at Kolkata
First Telephone exchange was opened - 1881
at Kolkata with 50 lines
First International Telephone line was - 1870
started between Mumbai and London
First Automatic Telephone exchange in - 1913
Simla was opened at
Post and Telecommunication started - 1984
Total Post Offices (2000) - 1,55,000
Quick Mail Service was started in - 1975
Speed Post was started in - 1986
E-Post was started in - 2002

INDIAN RAILWAYS
The Indian Railways system is the largest in Asia
and third in the world after U.S., and Canada, it is the
biggest employer in the world and largest public sector
undertaking in India and it has the second biggest
electrified system in the world after Russia . On April 16,
1853 first train in India was opened between Bombay and

1988 Rail Coach Kapurthala Coaches,
3. Juhu-Mumbai

Factory

wagons & spl. 4. Begumpet-Hyderabad

containers 5. Thiruvananthapuram-.Kerala

Thana covering a distance of 34 km. Shatabdi Express is
the latest super-fast train introduced in the Indian
Railways. Deccan Queen is the first Electric train
introduced in 1929. Life Line Express or Jeevan Rekha is
the worlds first hospital on wheels opened in Mumbai
on 16th July 1991 to cater the medical needs of people in
rural areas. For every financial year Railway Budget is
presented by the Union Railway Minister in the
Parliament.
Rail Tracks :
Type Distance between rails
(a) Metre Gauge 1.00 metre
(b) Broad Gauge 1.69 metre
(c) Narrow Gauge 0.77 metres

Railway Zones :
There are nine zones in Indian Railways :

ROADWAYS
Road Network : With a network of 2.7 million kilometres
of road length, India has the Third largest road
network in the world. From a road length of about 4 lakh
kilometres in 1950-51. The road network has expanded
nearly Seven-Fold.
National Highways : The National Highway System is
the primary road grid of the Country. The construction
and maintenance of National Highways is the direct
responsibility of the Central Government. National
Highways have a total length of 34,258 kilometres.
National Highways carry nearly 40% of the total
traffic.
Highways Authority : The main task of the authority is to
takeover in a phased manner, the construction,
maintenance and operation of the national highways.
Before the constitution ofthe authority the maintenance
Zones Opened on Headquarters
1. Central Railway Nov. 05, 1958 Mumbai
2. Eastern Railway Aug. 01, 1955 Kolkata
3. Northern Railway April 14, 1952 New Delhi
4. North-Eastern Railway April 14, 1952 Gorakpur
5. North-East Frontier Jan. 15, 1958 Maligaon,
Guwahati
6. Southern Railway April 14, 1951 Chennai
7. South-Central Oct. 02, 1966 Secunderabad
8. South-Eastern Aug. 01, 1955 Kolkata
9. Western Railway Nov. 05, 1955 Mumbai
(Church Gate)
The following seven additional zonal offices were
created out of existing zones.

New Zones Opened on Headquarters
1. East-Coast Railway Aug. 08, 1996 Bhubaneshwar
2. North-Central Railway Aug. 28, 1996 Allahabad
3. East-Central Railway Sep. 08, 1996 Hajipur
4. North-Western Railway Oct. 10, 1996 Jaipur
5. South-Western Railway Nov. 01, 1996 Bangalore
6. West-Central Railway Dec. 12, 1996 Jabalpur
7. South-East Central Rly. Sep. 09, 1998 Bilaspur

Railway Manufacturing Units :

Estd in Name Location Items
manufactured
1950 Chittaranjan Chittaranjan Locomotives
Locomotive Works
1955 Integral Coach Perambur Coaches
Factory
1964 Diesel Locomotive Varanasi Locomotives
Works
1983 Wheel & Axle Plant Yelahanka Wheels & axes
Diesel Component Patiala Components of
Works diesel engines
of the roads was done by the State PWDs.
Twelve of the principal highways are :
1. Delhi-Amritsar
2. Delhi-Kolkanda
3. Agra-Mumbai
4. Jalandhar-Srinagar-Uri
5. Delhi-Ahmedabad-Mumbai
6. Chandigarh-Manali
7. Ambala-Shimla-Tibet
8. Jorhat-Shillong-Bangladesh
9. Manali-Leh
10. Pathankot-Mandi
11. Cochin-Madurai
12. Beawar-Sirohi-Kandla.

AIR TRANSPORT
The International Airport Authority of India (IAAI)
was set up in 1972 manages the international airports.
J.R.D. Tata was the first to make a solo flight from Mumbai
to Karachi, (Now in Pakistan) in 1931.

Following are the important International Airports :
1. Anna International Airport, Chennai.
2. Jawaharlal Nehru Airport (Santa-Cruz), Mumbai.
3. Indira Gandhi International Airport at New Delhi.
4. Subash Chandra Bose Airport (Dum-Dum) at
Kolkata.
5. Rajasansi Airport at Amritsar, Punjab.

The National Airport Authority manages 88
domestic aerodromes and nearly 28 civil enclaves in which
23 are classified as major airport, 43minor and 22 as
intermediate airports.
Following are some of the Inland Aerodromes :
1. Kamaraj Domestic-Chennai
2. Safdarganj-New Delhi

DEFENCE AND SECURITY
Supreme Commander - President of India
Administrative control - Ministry of Defence
ARMY : is headed by the Chief of Army Staff and its
headquarters is at New Delhi.
Indias Battle Tanks: (1) Vijayanta battle tank; (2) Arjun :
Indigenously built Main Battle Tank (MBT) inducted in
1993; (3) T-55 and T-72 purchased from Russia.
AIR FORCE : is headed by the Chief of Air Staff and its
Aircrafts : MIG-29 aircraft were acquired from Russia
and have been named Baaz. MIG-23, MIG-25 and MIG-27
are the other types of MIG aircrafts. MIG-21 is being
manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
to serve as jet training aircraft.
The Defence Research & Development Organisation
(DRDO) has developed a Pilotless Target Aircraft which
has been named Lakshya.
India also acquired the Mirage-2000 from France, which
has been named Vajra.
NAVY : is headed by the Chief of Naval Staff and its
No. of Fleets: (a) Western Fleet (b) Eastern Fleet
Aircraft Carriers:
(a) INS Vikrant: Indias first aircraft carrier
(b) INS Viraat : Indias largest aircraft carrier

IMPORTANT SUBMARINES/MISSILE
BOATS/WAR SHIPS
(a) INS Vibhuti: Countrys first indigenously built
missile boat.
(b) INS Chakra : Indias first nuclear powered
submarine. It has now been decommissioned and
returned to Russia.
(c) INS Vipul : Second indigenously built missile boat.
(d) INS Savitri: Indias first warship.
(e) INS Shalki : Indias first indigenously built
submarine.
(f) INS Delhi : Indias largest, most sophistiated,
indigenously built warship.
(g) INS Nashak : Third indigenously built missile boat
joined the Navy in 1994.

INDIAS MISSILE PROGRAMME Defence
Research and Development Organisation
(DRDO) has started Indias Integrated Missile
Development Programme (IGMDP) in 1982-1983 under
the chairmanship of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. viz.
Prithvi : is a Surface-to-surface battlefield missile and
has a range of 150km-250km. It was first launched on
February 25, 1988 from Rocket Launching Centre,
Sriharikota. It was successfully test fired from the Interiem
Test Range at Chandipur-on-sea, March 27, 2003.
Agni : is a Surface-to-surface ballistic missile. It has a
range of 1200km-2000km. On May 22,1989 it was first
launched from Chandipur (Orissa).

Agni-1 : was successfully test fired from the launch
complex at the Wheeler's island located in the Bay of
Bengal of the Orissa coast.
Trishul : is a low-level and quick reaction surface-to-
surface missile and has a range of 500 m to 9 km (short
range). It is developed for all the three defence
services namely army, navy and air force. It was first
launched in 1985.
Nag : is a Anti-tank guided missile. Its range is 4 km. Its
first test flight was made in 1988.
Anti-Missile System : India has embarked upon the
developmnt of an anti-missile system capable of detecting
and destroying enemys long-range missiles similar to
the US made Patriot which was effectively used against
Iraqi scud missiles in the 1991 gulf war.
Nag Fire and Target System : Indian defence Scientists,
in a technological breakthrough, have successfully tested
the "fire and forget guidance system" using imaging
infra-red seeker for mounting on Nag, making it the first
third generation anti-tank missile in the world.
Akash : Akash was successfully test fired from
Chandipur-on-Sea, in Balasore district, Orissa on
September 19, 2000. It is a medium range surface-to air
missile. It has a range of 25 km. It was again successfully
test fired on January 21, 2003.
BrahMos : The supersonic anti-ship cruise missile
BrahMos, jointly developed by India and Russia, was
successfully test fired for the 2nd time in February 12,
2003. For the first time missile was the test fired from the
ship (INS-Rajput) stationed in the Bay of Bengal.
The Arjun Tank : The state of the art flagship of Indian
armour and can move in a battlefield at 72 kmph. It has
laser range finder, computer-based firing system, 12.7 mm
machine gun and thermal sighting equipment.
Pinaka : Pinaka is a multi-barrel rocket system
characterised by the capability to deliver saturation fire
over targets not engagable by guns. It has a range of 40
km and can deliver a variety of warheads.
LCA : LCA is an eight tonne state of the art multi-role
combat aircraft. It would be capable of engaging air battle
in a 600 km combat zone. It would carry laser-guided
bombs, IR and radar guided missiles, anti-ship missiles,
cluster bomb dispensers etc.
INDIAS ATOMIC RESEARCH
First Nuclear Implosion was carried out on May
18,1974 at Pokharan in Rajasthan (Thar) desert. The main
objective was the use of atomic energy for peaceful
purposes, i.e.digging canals, reservoirs, oil exploration,
as well as to study rock dynamics. This successful
implosion made India the sixth nuclear nation in the
world. In Pokhran (Rajasthan) three tests were
conducted on May 11, 1998 and two on May 13, 1998.
Code named "Operation Shakti". India declared itself a
nuclear weapon state capable of deterring a nuclear
attack on its territory.

ATOMIC POWER PLANTS

Name Location

SLV Mission (Satellite Launch Vehicle) : India's first
satellite launch vehicle SLV-3 was successfully
launched on July 18, 1980 from Sriharikota.
1. Tarapur Atomic Power Station Tarapur
(TAPS) (Maharashtra)
2. Rajasthan Atomic Power Starion Rawabhata
(RAPS)
3. Madras Atomic Power Station Kalpakkam
(MAPS) (Tamil Nadu)
4. Narora Atomic Power Station Narora
(NAPS) (Uttar Pradesh)
5. Kakrapara Atomic Power Station Kakrapara
(KAPP) (Gujarat)
6. Koodangulam Atomic Koodangulam
Power Station (KNPP) (Tamil Nadu)
7. Kaiga Power Project (KPP) Kaiga
(Karnataka)

Atomic Energy Commission: was established in 1948,
with Dr H.J. Bhabha as its first Chairman, to look after
Indias atomic energy programmes.
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE): was set up in
August 1954 for implementation of atomic energy
programmes and headed by the Prime Minister of India.
It has several centres/laboratories:
1. Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research: is located
at Kalpakkam (Chennai) , it was established in 1971.
2. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC): was
established in1957, it is located in Trombay
(Maharashtra) and is Indias largest atomic research
centre.
3. Centre for Advanced Technology (CAT):is located
at Indore, it was established in 1984.

NUCLEAR POWER PROJECTS
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPC),
set up in 1987, is responsible for the design, construction
and operation of nuclear power plants in the country. It
is envisaged that by 2000 AD, Indias atomic power
generation would be in the vicinity of 10,000 MW.

INDIA'S SPACE PROGRAMME
The Indian Space Programme began in 1962. In 1969,
the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was set
up with headquarters in Bangalore. The Space
Commission was established in 1972. In 1975, India
launched its first satellite, Aryabhata, and thus entered
the space age.

SPACE MISSIONS :
Aryabhatta : India launched its first experimental satellite
on April 19, 1975 from a Soviet cosmodrome to perform
scientific x-ray experiments in space and send back data
to earth.
Bhaskara-I : India's second 436 kg satellite was launched
on June 7, 1979 to collect information on India's land,
water, forest and ocean resources.
Rohini satellite was put into orbit on April 17, 1983 using
SLV-3 and this completed the planned developmental
flights of the SLV-3.
1984 : Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to
travel in space.
ASLV : First develomental launch of ASLV but
unsuccessful.
Apple (Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment) : India's
first experimental, geostationary satellite weighing 673
kg was launched on June 19, 1981.
Bhaskara-II : India' s second satellite for earth
observation was launched on November 20, 1981.
IRS Mission (Indian Remote Sensing Satellite) :
IRS-1A India's first IRS was launched on March 17, 1988
for monitoring and management of natural resources.
IRS-1B India's second remote sensing satellite was
launched on August 29, 1991 to replace IRS-1A which
was nearing the end of its life.
1992 : ASLV (Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle)
successfully launched from Sriharikota on May 20. It is
designed to augment indigenous satellite launching
capability and put 150 kg class satellite into near earth
orbit. Insat-2A was hurled into space from Kourou on
July 10.
1993 : Insat-2B second indigenously fabricated
multipurpose satellite placed in sapce, by Ariane rocket
from Kourou on July 23.
IRSIC : The world's most advanced remote sensing
satellite, IRS-1C, built by Indian Scientists, was put
into orbit successfully by a Russian rocket from the
Baikonur cosmodrome on December 28, 1995.
ASLV is the forerunner of the more powerful Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and the Geosynchronous
Launch Vehicle (GSLV). The first development flight
of the PSLV, called PSLV-D1, on September 20, 1993,
failed. However, according to ISRO it was a partial
success which established India's capabilities in liquid
propulsion system.
SROSS-III (Stretched Rohini Satellite Series) : After
failure of two ASLV launches, SROSS-III, a 105 kg satellite
was successfully placed in a 450 km high orbit via the
launching of ASLV-D3, on May 20, 1992 though th
elifespan of the satellite was only 55 days. The fourth
development flight was made on May 4, 1994 and SROSS-
C4 was successfully placed into the near earth orbits
from Sriharikota.
PSLV-D3 was successfully launched in 1996 from
Sriharikota, placing the 922-kg. Indian remote sensing
satellite, IRS-P3, into orbit. With this, India has entered
the US-dominated global market for satellite launch
vehicles.

INSAT Mission (Indian National Satellite System) : For
domestic telecommunication, earth observation and
nationwide radio and TV broadcasting, India launched
four satellites in the INSAT-1 series, viz.
INSAT-1A On April 10, 1982-it failed prematurely.
INSAT-1B On August 30, 1983-it was successful.
INSAT-1C On July 22, 1988-it became redundant in 1989.
INSAT-1D On July 17, 1990-it was successful and
completed the mission.

INSAT-2 Project :
INSAT-2A India's first indigenously built second
generation satellite, it was launched on July 10, 1992. It is
equipped with 50 per cent more capacity than the INSAT-
I series.
INSAT-2B India's second indigenously built satellite. It
was launched by the European Space Agency from
Kourou, French Guiena on July 23, 1993. INSAT-2B has
taken the place of INSAT-1B whose functioning ended
following the completion of its ten-year life. The fourth
development flight of ASLV-4 was made on May 4, 1994
and the SROSS-C4 was successfully placed into the near
earth orbit from Sriharikota.
Insat-2D launched Ariane Rocket from Kourou on June
4, 1997 only four months later failed - disrupted
communication had been abandoned in October 97 after
efforts to solvage the satellite.
IRS-1D satellite launched in 1997 incorporate advanced
features such as teh LISS-III camera, a Panchromatic
Camera (PAN) and a wide field (wifs) enabling better
spectrol resolutions - enhancing the application pottential
of the satellite.
PSLV-D4 placed IRS-1Din orbit on October 7, 1997. The
first developmental launch of the GSLV was scheduled in
1997-98, using a Russian Cryogenic Engine.

Insat-2E : Satellite was placed in space on April 3,
1999. PSLVC2 was launched on May 26 with 3 satellites
on board.
Insat-3B was launched on March 22, 2000.
ISRO Launched Cryogenic Engine : On February 16,
2000, the first cryogenic engine was ignited at the
Liquid propulsino Systems Centre at Mahendragiri is
Tamil Nadu.

GSLV-D1 : This was successfully launched on April 18,
2001 from Sriharikota.

PSLV-C3 : This was launched from Sriharikota on October
22, 2001. Three satellites were put into the orbit of the
earth namely (a) TES (India); (b) BIRD (Germany); (c)
PROBA (Belgium).

INSAT-3C : ISRO built Satellite was launched by
ARIANE-4 from Kourou, French Guyana on January
24, 2002.

KALPANA-1 : To honour the memory of Kalpana Chawla
Prime Minister Mr.Vajpayee renamed METSAT, India's
first metorological research satellite launched by ISRO
on September 22, 2002.

GSAT-2 : The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) successfully launched India's second Geo-
Stationary Satellite (GSAT-2) on May 8, 2003, from Satish
Dhawan Space Centre - SHAR (SDSC - SHAR) at
Sriharikota, 100 kms from Chennai.

FIRST MOON WALKERS
Kalpana Chawla
The girl from Karnal in Haryana
is the First Indian or Indian
American woman to go on a space
launch (November 19, 1997) as
Mission Specialist of 6 member
crew on the fourth US
microgravity payload flight on
board Columbia on Mission "STS-
87" to study the outer atmosphere
of Sun.
She took up on her second
voyage on January 16, 2003, the
US space shuttle, Columbia
blasted off from the Kennedy
Space Center, Cape Canaveral
(USA) on a 16 day scientific
research mission led by
commander Rick Husband. All the
seven members were killed when
the space shuttle exploded mid-air
minutes before landing on
1.2.2003.
Their main intention was to
develop medicines to treat several
diseases including cancer.
Astronaut/Spacecraft Total Eva.*
Hr. Min
Mission Dates
1. Neil A. Armstrong, Apollo-11 2:32 Jul. 16-24, 1969
2. Edwin E. ("Buzz") Aldrin;
Apollo-11
2:15 Jul. 16-24, 1969
3. Charles Conrad, Jr., Apollo-12 7:45 Nov. 14-24, 1969
4. Allan L. Bean, Apollo-12 7:45 Nov. 14-24, 1969
5. Alan B. Shepard, Apollo-14 9:23 Jan. 31 - Feb. 9, 1971
6. Egar D. Mitchell, Apollo-14 9:23 Jan. 31 - Feb. 9, 1971
7. David R. Scott, Apollo-15 19:08 July 26 - Aug. 7, 1971
8. James B. Irwin, Apollo-15 18:35 July 26 - Aug. 7, 1971
9. John W. Young, Apollo-16 20:14 Apr. 16-27, 1972
10. Charles M. Duke, Apollo-16 20:14 Apr. 16-27, 1972

* Extra Vehicular activity

ART AND CULTURE
FINE ARTS
Bhangra (Punjab) - folk dance of harvest season,
Lalit Kala Academy was set up in 1954 at New
Delhi.
Sangeet natak Academy was established in 1953 at
New Delhi. Its function is to conduct survey
research of different art forms in India.
Sahitya Academy was established in 1954 at New
Delhi. Its aim is to encourage production of high
class literature in several languages of India.
The National Book Trust of India was set up in
1957.
ASI - Archaeological Survey of India - was
established in 1861. Its headquarters is in New
Delhi.
Indian Council for Cultural Relations was established
in 1950, and it strives to promote and to strengthen
cultural relations and mutual understanding between
India and other countries. The Council administers
the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for the promotion of
peace and international understanding.
NSD - National School of Drama - was set up in 1959
in Delhi.
Dances : There are two main branches of Indian
dance, namely classical and folk. Classical dances
are those which are based on ancient dance
disciplines and have rigid rules for presentation.
Classical dances of India :
Bharatnatyam (Tamilnadu) - follows the principal of
Natya Shastra. Rukminidevi Arundale revived it by
establishing Kalakshetra at Adayar, Chennai.
Famous dancers are Yamini Krishnamurthy, Sonal
Mansingh, Padma Subramanyam, Mrinalini Sarabhai.
Kathakali & Mohiniyattam (Kerala) - the poet
Vallathol revived Kathakali and Mohiniyattam by
establishing Kerala Kalamandalam at Cheruthuruthi,
Thrissur, in 1930.
Kathak - North Indian classical dance form. Birji
Maharaj, Gopi Krishna and Shambu Maharaj are the
famous exponents of this dance form.
Odissi (Orissa) - Guru Kelucharan Mahapatra is at
the forefront of the greatest of Odissi exponents.
Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh) - a variation of
Bharatnatyam.
Mohiniattom (Kerala) - Swathi Thirunal encouraged
this dance form.
Manipuri (Manipur) - a delicate lyrical style of
dance.

Folk Dance of India :
Bihu (Assam) - a post - harvest folk dance.
Ottam Thullal (Kerala) - performed inside temples.
Chakiar Koothu (Kerala) - performed inside temples.
Yakshagana (Karnataka) - about 400 years old -
revived by Dr. Shivaaram Karanth.
coinciding with the festival of Baisakhi.
Tamasha (Maharashtra) - Nautanki (U.P.), Garba
(Gujarat), Chhow (Orissa, Bihar).
There are two forms of music in India - Carnatic and
Hindustani.
Sama Veda deals with music.
Purandaradas gave shape and form to Carnatic
music.
The trinity of Carnatic music is Thyagaraja, Syama
Shastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar.

Names Associated with Indian Music:
Ustad Alla Rakha - A master of the Tabla.
Bala Murali Krishna - A singer of Carnatic music.
Bhim Sen Joshi - A Hindustani singer.
Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasya - Flute player.
Pt. Jasraj - Famous singer of Hindustani music.
Parveen Sulthana - Hindustan style singer.
Neralathu Ramapothuval - Sopanam.
M.S.Subha Lakshmi - Carnatic music. (1998 Bharat
Ratna).
Swathi Thirunal - Maharaja of Travancore who
composed many varnas and kritis.
Ustad Zakir Hussain - Tabla.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan - Sarod
Begum Akhtar - Gazal singer
Bismillah Khan - Shennai player
Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma - Santhoor
Lalgudi Jayaraman - Violin
Pt. Ravi Shankar - Sitar player of world fame.
Personalities Associated with Indian Dance
Rukmini Devi Arundale - Associated with
Bharatnatyam; founded Kalakshetra.
T. Balasaraswathi - Bharatanatyam.
Yamini Krishnamurthy - Famous exponent of
Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi.
Birju Maharaj - One of the best known Kathak
dancers and a choreographer.
Sonal Mansingh - A notable Odissi and
Bharatnatyam dancer.
Rabindranath Tagore helped Manipuri dance gain
prominence in the early 20th century by introducing
it in his Shantiniketan.
Prominent Indian artists associated with painting
are Amrita Shergil, M.F.Hussain, Jamini Roy, Nandalal
Bose etc.
INDIAN CINEMA
Dadasaheb Phalke, the producer of Indias first
indigenous feature film Raja Harishchandra (1913)

is considered to be the Father of Indian Cinema.
The first talkie film Alam Ara was produced in 1931
by Ardeshir Irani.
India tops in the world in respect of production of
feature films.
The film producing centre in Mumbai (Bombay) is
known as Bollywood.
The most prestigious award in the Indian film world
is Dada Saheb Phalke Award instituted by the
Government of India.
The name of the award given to male actors in India
is the Bharat Award and the award given to
actresses is the Urvasi Award.
Swarna Kamal (Golden Kamal) is the name of the
award given to the best film of the year by the
Government of India.
Adi Shankara directed by G.V. Iyer is the first
Sanskrit film in India.
Satyajit Ray was the world renowned Indian director.
His first film was Pathar Panjali. He won a special
Oscar Award.
The first Indian to win an Oscar was Bhanu Athiya.
The first cinemascope film in India was Kagaz ki
Phool.
The National Film Archieves of India is located
at Pune.
The first actress of the Indian cinema to win a
Padmashri Award was Nurgis Dutt (1958).
Sivaji Ganesan was the first Indian to win the
Chevalier award instituted by the French
Government.
The first winner of the Dada Saheb Phalke Award
was Devika Rani Roerich (1969). She is known as
the Lady of Indian Film.
M.G. Ramachandran was the first film star to
become the Chief Minister of an Indian State.
The first International Film Festival of India was
held in 1952.
The 2002 International Film Festival of India took
place in New Delhi.

RADIO AND TELEVISION
Radio broadcasting started in India in 1927 with
privately owned transmitters at Mumbai and
Calcutta. It was named All India Radio (AIR) in
1936 and later became to be known as Akashvani
since 1957.
The experimental telecast of Doordarshan started in
Delhi in 1959. The national programme and other
transmissions started in 1982. Doordarshan
Commercial Service started in 1986.
NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS

The first newspaper in India was James A. Hickeys
Bengal Gazette published in 1780 in Calcutta.

The largest number of newspapers are published in
the State of Uttar Pradesh and the language in
which the maximum number of newspapers are
published is Hindi.

The oldest existing newspaper in India is
Bombay Samachar published in 1822 in Gujarati
The oldest existing English daily is the Times of
India (1838).

Malayala Manorama enjoys the distinction of
being the newspaper with the highest circulation
and the Times of India is the largest selling English
daily.

There are four main news agencies in India. They
are (1) Press Trust of India (PTI) (2) United News
of India (UNI) (3) Samachar Bharati and (4)
Hindustan Samachar. PTI and UNI supply news in
English and the other two are operating through the
medium of Hindi and other Indian languages.

The Press Trust of India was the first news agency
in India.

Some Important Newspapers and places of
publication :
The Statesman Calcutta; New Delhi
The Times of India Mumbai New Delhi etc.
The Hindustan Times New Delhi
The Pioneer Lucknow
The Bombay Samachar Mumbai
Dawn Karachi
Izvestia Moscow
Pravda Moscow
Peoples Daily Beijing
The Hindu Chennai, Coimbatore, Etc.,
The Amrita bazar Patrika Calcutta
The Indian Express Chennai-Madurai etc.,
Daily Thanthi Chennai-Madurai etc.,
The Patriot New Delhi
The Tribune Chandigarh
The Times London
Al Ahram Cairo
The Daily News New York
Merdeka Jakarta
Le Monde Paris
PIB - Press Information Bureau
ABC - Audit Bureau of Circulation
) No newspapers are published from Arunachal Pra
) Anand Bazar Patrika has the largest circulation a

desh
ong

and Lakshadweep.
single edition dailies.

m

BOOKS, AUTHORS & LITERARY WORKS
A
A Dangerous Place Daniel Patrick
Moynihan
A Midsummer Nights Dream Shakespeare
A Million Mutinies Now V.S. Naipaul
A Pair of Blue Eyes Thomas Hardy
A Passage to India E.M.Forster
A Passage to England Nirad C.Chowdhury
A Study of History Arnold Toynbee
A View from Delhi Chester Bowles
A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens
A Week with Gandhi Louis Fischer
Adventures of Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes
Affluent Society J.K.Galbraith
After the Dark Night S.M.Ali
Age of Reason Jean Paul Sartre
Agni Pariksha Acharya Tulsi
Agni Veena Kazi Nazrul Islam
A Judges Miscellany M.Hidayathullah
Akbarnama Abul Fazal
Ain-i-Akbari Abul Fazal
Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carol
Alls Well that Ends Well William Shakespeare
Amar Kosha Amar Singh
Ambassadors Journal J.K.Galbraith
Ambassadors Report Chester Bowles
Anand Math Bankim Chandra
Chatterji
An Area of Darkness V.S. Naipaul
Ancient Mariner Coleridge
Androcles and the Lion George Bernard
Shaw
Animal Farm George Orwell
Anna Karenina Tolstoy
Antony and Cleopatra Shakespeare
Ape and Essence A.Huxley
A Prisoners Scrapbook L.K.Advani
Apple Cart G.B.Shaw
Arabian Nights Sir Richard Burton
Area of Darkness V.S.Naipal
Arms & The Man G.B.Shaw
Around the World Jules Verne
in Eighty Days
Arthashastra Kautilya
Ascent of the Everest Sir John Hunt
Ashtadhyayi Panini
Asian Drama Gunnar Myrdal
As You Like It Shakespeare
Autobiography of an Nirad C.Chowdhury
Unknown Indian
Autumn Leaves O.Pulla Reddi
A Voice of Freedom Nayantara Sahgal

Beginning of the Beginning Bhagwan Sri
Rajneesh
Beauty and Revolution K.A.Abbas
Ben Hur Lewis Wallace
Between the Lines Kuldip Nayar
Bhagwat Gita Ved Vyas
Birth and Death of the Sun George Gamow
Bisarjan R.N.Tagore
Bitter Sweet Noel Coward
Blind Beauty Boris Pasternak
Bliss was it in that Dawn Minoo Masani
Blue Bird Maurice Maeterlink
Broken Wing Sarojini Naidu
Buddha Charitam Ashvaghosha
Bunch of Old Letters Jawaharlal Nehru
C
Caesar and Cleopatra G.B.Shaw
Canterbury Tales Chaucer
Chandalika Rabindranath Tagore
Changing Liv Ullmaan
Chemmeen T.S.Pillai
Chidambra Sumitranandan Pant
Chinese Betrayal, The B.N.Mullick
Chitra R.N.Tagore
Chittrappavai P.V.Akilandam
Childe Harold Lord Byron
Comedy of Erros Shakespeare
Confessions of a Lover Mulk Raj Anand
Confessions of a Thug Taylor
Confidential Clerk T.S.Eliot
Coolie Mulk Raj Anand
Conquest of self Mahatma Gandhi
Court Dancer, The Rabindranath Tagore
Count of Monte Cristo Alexander Dumas
Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky
Crisis of India, The Ronald Segal
D
Das Kapital Karl Marx
Daughter of the East Mrs.Benazir Bhutto
David Copperfield Charles Dickens
Day in Shadow, The Nayantara Sehgal
Days of His Grace Eyvind Johnson
Death of a President William Manchester
Decline and Fall of the Edward Gibbon
Roman Empire
Decline of the West,The O.Spengier
Defence Without Drift P.V.R.Rao
Democracy Redeemed V.K.Narasimhan
Deserted Village Oliver Goldsmith
Descent of Man Charles Darwin
Devdas Sarat Chander
Discovery of India Jawaharlal Nehru
Divine Life Sivananda
Doctors Dilemma G.B.Shaw

B
Babarnama Babar
Bang-e-dara Mohd. Iqbal
Beast and Man Murry Midgley
Don Juan Lord Byron
Don Quixote Cervantes
Dolls House Ibsen
Dr.Zhivago Boris Pasternak

E
East of Aden John Steinbeck
Economic Planning of India Ashok Mehta
Elimination of Child Labour;
Whose responsibility Pramilla H. Bhargava
End of an Era C.S.Pandit
Ends and Means A.Huxley
Essays on Gita Aurobindo Ghosh
Expanding Universe Eddington
Experiments with Untruth Michael Anderson
Eternal Himalayas H.P.S.Ahluwalia
Eye of the Storm,The Patrick White
F
Face to Face Lasse and Lisa Berg
Facts and Facts Khan Abdul Wali
Khan
Faces of Everest M a j o r
H.P.S.Ahluwalia
Fatal Cart, Reconciliation C.Rajagopalachari
Why and How
Flames from the Ashes P.D.Tandon
Freedom Song Amit Chaudhuri
Friends and Foes Mujibur Rehman
French Revolution Thomas Carlyle
From India to America S.Chandrasekar
French Mystic Romain Rolland
Fairie Queene Edmund Spenser
Far from the Madding Crowd Thomas Hardy
Farewell The Trumpets James Morris
Fasana-i-Azad Ratan Nath Sarshar
Father and Sons Ivan Turgenev
First Among Equals Jeffrey Archer
First Circle A l e x a n d e r
Solzhenitsyn
For Whom the Bell Tolls Ernest Hemingway
Freedom at Midnight Lapierre and Larry
Collins
Dominique
Friends, Not Masters Ayub Khan
Future Shock Alan Toffler
G
Ganadevata Tara Shankar
Bandyopadhyaya
Gandhi and Stalin Louis Fisher
Gandhi's Murder and After Gopal Godse
Gardener Rabindranath Tagore
Gathering Storm Winston Churchill
Geeta Govind Jaya Dev
Gift of Wings Shanthi Gopala
Gitanjali Rabindranath Tagore
Gita Rahasya Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Glimpses of World History Jawaharlal Nehru
Golden Gate, The Vikram Seth

Great Tragedy Z.A.Bhutto
Guide, The R.K.Narayan
Gullivers Travels Jonathan Swift
H
Half a Life V.S. Naipaul
Hamlet Shakespeare
Harsha Charita Bana Bhatt
Heat and Dust Ruth P. Jhabwala
Henry Esmond Thackeray
Hero of Our Time Richard Hough
Himalayan Blunder Brig. J.P.Dalvi
Hindu Civilization J.M.Barrie
Hindu View of Life Radhakrishnan
History of the Congress Party Dr.Shankar Ghose
Home and World Rabindranath Tagore
Hungry Stones Rabindranath Tagore
I
Insider, The Narasimha Rao
I am not an Island Khwaja Ahmed
Abbas
Ideas for Action N. Wittal
Idols Sunil Gavaskar
Idylls of the King Tennyson
I Follow the Mahatma K.M.Munshi
If I am assassinated Z.A.Bhutto
Ignited Mind A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Illiad Homer
India 2020 A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
India Discovered John Keay India
of our Dreams M.V. Kamath
India Divided Rajendra Prasad
India Unbound Gurucharan Das
India We Left H u m p h r e y
Trevelyan
India Wins Freedom Maulana Abul Kalam
Azad
Indian Home Rule M.K.Gandhi
Indian Philosophy Dr.S.Radhakrishnan
Indian Muslims Prof.Mohd.Mujeeb
Indian Struggle Subash Chandra
Bose
Indian War of Independence V.D.Savarkar
Indo-Pakistani Conflict, The Russell Brines
In Memoriam Tennyson
In Search of Gandhi R i c h a r d
Attenborough
Inside Asia John Gunther
Inside Europe John Gunther
Inside the Third Reich Albert Speer
Invisible Man H.G.Wells
Invitation to the White House Hillary Clinton
Isabella John Keats
Ivan Hoe Walter Scott
Golden Threshold Sarojini Naidu

Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchel
Good Earth Pearl S.Buck
Gora Rabindranath Tagore
Grammar of Politics Harold Laski
Great Expectations Charles Dickens
Great Illusion Normal Angell
J
Jai Somnath K.M. Munshi
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
Jobs for Millions V.V.Giri
Julius Caesar William Shakespeare
Jungle Book Rudyard Kipling

K
Kadambari Bana Bhatt Kali
Andhi Kamleshwar
Kamasutra Vatsyayana
Kamayani Jai Shankar Prasad
Kanthapura Raja Rao
Kargil - A Soldier's Diary Harvinder Baweja
Kayar T.S.Pillai
Kennilworth Sir Walter Scott
Kidnapped R.L.Stevenson
Kings Clothes Anderson
King of Dark Chamber Rabindranath Tagore
King Lear William Shakespeare
Kubla Khan Coleridge
Kipps H.G.Wells
Kumarasambhava Kalidas
L
Lady of the Lake Sir Walter Scott
LAllegro John Milton
Lajja Nasreen Taslima
Last Days of Pompeii Bulwar Lytton
Last Face, The Pyare Lal
Laws Versus Justice V.R.Krishna Iyer
Lead Kindly Light Vincent Shean
Le Contrat Social Rousseau
(The Social Contract)
Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman
Les Miserables Victor Hugo
Life Divine Aurobindo Ghosh
Life of Pi Yann Martel
Lipika Rabindranath Tagore
Long Walk to Freedom Nelson Mandela
Lord of the Flies William Golding
Love Story Eric Segal

Modern Painters John Ruskin
Mother Maxim Gorky
Mother India Katherine Mayo
Mountbatten Philip Ziegler
Mrs.Warrens Profession G.B.Shaw
Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare
Mudra Rakshasa Vishakhadatta
Murder in the Cathedral T.S.Eliot
Muslim Dilemma in India, The M.R.A.Baig
My Childhood Days Taslima Nasreen
My Days R.K. Narayan
My Experiments With Truth Mahatma Gandhi
My Life and Times V.V.Giri
My Presedential Years R. Venkatraman
My Truth Indira Gandhi
My Music, My Life Ravi Shankar
Mysterious Universe James Jeans
N
Naganandan King Sri Harsha
Nana Emile Zola
National Anthem Rabindranath Tagore
Netaji Dead or Alive Samar Guha
Nehru Family and Sikhs Harbans Singh
New Dimensions of India's
Foreign Policy A.B.Vajpayee
Nilambari Sa chchi dananda
Vatsyayan
Nine Days Wonder John Masefield
Nineteen Eightyfour George Orwell
Non-violence of Peace and War M.K.Gandhi
Nuclear Weapons B.S.Gupta
O
Odakkuzhal G.Shankar Kurup
Odyssey Homer

M
Macbeth William Shakespeare
Magic Mountain Thomas Mann
Mahabharata Veda Vyas
Major Barbara G.B.Shaw
Malgudi Days R.K. Narayan
Man of Destiny George Bernard
Shaw
Man, the Unknown Carrol
Man and Superman G.B.Shaw
Man Eaters of Kumaon Jim Corbett
Man from Moscow, The Greville Wynne
Manvini Bhavai Pannalal Patel
Many Worlds K.P.S.Menon
Marriage and Morals Bertrand Russell
Martyr Kuldip Nayar
Mati Mahal Gopinath Mohanty
Meghdoot Kalidas
Mein Kampf Hitler
Memoirs of the Second Churchill
World War
Men Who Kept Secrets Thomas Powers
Merchant of Venice Shakespeare
Midnights Children Salmon Rushdie
Miser, The Moliere
Midsummer Nights Dream William Shakespeare
Oh,Calcutta Kenneth Tynan
Oliver Twist Charles Dickens
On Contradiction Mao Tse-tung
One World Wendell Wilkie
One Life Christian Bernard
Only one Year Svetlana
Ordeal to Love Huge Tinker
Origin of Species Charles Darwin
Othello Shakespeare
Our India Minoo Masani
Our Films, Their Films Satyajit Ray
Our Presidents M.A.Naidu
P
Painter Signs T.K.Narayan
Panchali Sapatham Subramania Bharati
Panchatantra Vishnu Sharma
Paradise Lost John Milton
Philosophy of Right Hegel G.W.E.
Pickwick Papers Charles Dickens
Pilgrims Progress John Bunyan
Pompei of the Great John Masefield
Post Office, The (Dak Ghar) Rabindranath Tagore
Prathama Pratishruti Ashapurna Devi
Price of Power Seymour Hersh
Prince, The Machiavelli

Prison Diary J a y a p r a k a s h
Narayan
Prithvi Raj Raso Chand Bardai
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
Professor, the Charlotte Bronte
Principle of Mathematics Bertrand Russel
R
Rabbit at Rest John Updike
Raghuvamsa Kalidas
Rains Came Louis Bromfield
Rajpath Se Lokpath Par A.B.Vajpayee
Rajtarangini Kalhana
Ramayana Valmiki (in Sanskrit)
Ramayana Darshanam K.V.Puttappa
Ram Charit Manas Tulsidas
Ram Rahim Raja Radhika Prasad
Rape of Bangladesh A n t h o n y
Mascrenhas
Rape of the Lock Alexander Pope
Ratnavali King Sri Harsha
Rediscovering Dharavi Kalpana Sharma
Red Star Over China Edger Snow
Red Tap and White Cap P.V.R.Rao
Reminiscences of Nehru Age M.O.Mathai
Reprieve Jean Paul Sartre
Republic Plato
Rescue Democracy from C.Rajagopalachari
Money Power
Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe
Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare
S
Sad dan's Bomb Shyam Bhatia and
Daniel Mc Grony
Sakharam Binder Vijay Tendulkar
Satanic Verses Salman Rushdie
Satyarath Prakash Swami Dayanand
Savitri Aurobindo Ghosh
Sceptred Flute Sarojini Naidu
Scope of Happiness, The Vijayalakshmi Pandit
Seven Pillars of Wisdom Lawrence T.E.
Seven Lamps of Architecture John Ruskin
Seven Summer Mulk Raj Anand
Shadow from Ladakh B h a b a n i
Bhattacharya
Shakuntala Kalidas
Shah Nama Firdausi
Shame Salman Rushdie
Shape of Things to Come H.G.Wells
She Stoops to Conquer Goldsmith
Shivaji, The Great Patriot Lala Lajpat Rai
Silent Woman Ben Johnson
Social Contract Rousseau
Songs of India,The Sarojini Naidu
Sons and Lovers D.H.Lawrence
Sorrow is Knowledge Arabinda Ray
Sunny Days Sunil Gavaskar
Sursagar Surdas
Sursatia Bimal Mitra
Surviving Doomsday Bruce Sibley
Swapnavasavdatta Bhasa
Swami and Friends R.K.Narayan
Swords and the Sickle Mulk Raj Anand
T
Tales from Shakespeare Charles Lamb
Talisman Walter Scott
Tess of the DUrbervilles Thomas Hardy
Testament of Beauty Robert Bridges
Thank You Jeeves P.G.Wodehouse
The Adventures of Angle March Saul Bellow
The Interpretors Whole Soyinka
The God of Small Things Arundathi Roy
The Great Depression of 1990 Ravi Batra
The Mousetrap Agatha Christie
The Old Devils Kingsley Amiss
The struggle in My Life Nelson Mandela
The Tempest Shakespeare
The Third World in the
Age of Globalisation Ash Narain Roy
Thirukkural Thiruvalluvar
Tholkappiya Poonga M. Karunanidhi
Three Musketeers Alexander Dumas
Thieves in the Night Arthur Koestler
Time of Hope C.P.Snow
Time Machine H.G.Wells
To Light a Candle Welthy Fisher
Tom Jones Henry Fielding
Tom Sawyer Mark Twain
Towards Total Revolution J a y a p r a k a s h
Narayan
Towards New Horizons Dinesh Singh
Travels with a Donkey R.L.Stevenson
Treasure Island R.L.Stevenson
Trial of Jesus John Masefield
Triumph, The J.K.Galbraith
Tropic of Cancer Henry Miller
The True History of Kelley Gang Peter Carey
To Live or not to Live Nirad C.Chowdhury
The Fall of a Sparrow Salim Ali
The Power and The Glory Graham Greene
The Sound and the Fury Faulkner William
The Round Table Hazlitt William
Tamerlaine the Great M a r l o w s
Christopher
Trinity Leon Uris
Trumpet Major, The Thomas Hardy
Tulsi Sat Sai Tulsidas
Twelfth Night Shakespeare
Two Leaves and a Bud Mulk Raj Anand
Two Women Alberto Moravia
Tryst with Destiny S.Gopalan
Tyagpatra Jainendra
Spirit of the Age William Hazlitt

Spycatcher Peter Wright
St.John G.B.Shaw
Strangers and Brothers C.P.Snow
Story of My life, The Morarji Desai
U
Ulysses James Joyce
Unknown Man, The Lewis Carrol
Unhappy India Lajpat Rai

Utopia Thomas More
Universe Around Us James Jeans
Unto This Last John Ruskin
Untold Story B.M.Kaul
Upturned Soil, The Mikhail Sholokhov
Uttara-Rama Charita Bhava Bhuti
Utopia Thomas Moore
V
Vande Mataram Bankim Chandra
Vanity Fair William Thackeray
Venisamhar Narayana Bhatt
Viceroys Journal Penderal Moon
Vikar of Wakefield Oliver Goldsmith
Vinaypatrika Tulsidas
Viswambhara Dr.C.N.Reddy
Vanity of Human Wishes Samuel Johnson
Village, The Mulk Raj Anand
Vendor of Sweets R.K.Narayan
Voice of Conscience V.V.Giri
W
Waiting for Godot Thomas Becket
Wake Up India Annie Besant
Walls of Glass K.A.Abbas
War and Peace Tolstoy
War of Indian Independence Vir Savarkar
Waste Land T.S.Elliot
Way of All Flesh Samuel Butler
Wealth of Nations Adam Smith
What Went Wrong? Kiran Bedi
... and continues
Wilhelm Meister Goethe
Wings of Fire A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Witness to an Era Frank Moraes
Wreck, The Rabindranath Tagore
Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte
Y
Yama Mahadevi Verma
Yashodara Ma i t h a l i s h a r a n
Gupta
Yayati Vishnu Sakharam
Khandekar
Year of the Vulture Amita Malik
Yesterday and Today K.P.S.Menon
Yogi and the Bear S.Nihal Singh
Z
Zakir Hussain B.B.Ahluwalia
Zhivago, Dr. Boris Pasternak
Zulfi, My Friend Philoo Mody

SPORTS
PLACES ASSOCIATED WITH SPORTS

Aintree (U.K.) Grand National Horse
Race
Bisley Shooting
Blackhealth London Rugby Football
Chepauk Ground (Chennai) Cricket
Donchester (England) St.Ledger Horse Race
Eden Gardens (Kolkata) Cricket
Epsom (England) Derby Horse Races
Feroze Shah Kotla Ground (Delhi) Cricket
Florence Chadwik Skiing
Forest HIlls (New York) Tennis
Henley (U.K.) Regatta (Boat Race)

Hurlingham (England) Polo
Leeds (England) Cricket
Lords(England) Cricket
Mortlake (England) Swimming
Nehru Stadium (Chennai) Cricket
Oval (England) Cricket
Putney Boat-rowing
Trent Bridge (England) Cricket
Twinkenhem (England) Rugby
Wembley Stadium (England) Association Football
Wimbledon (England) Lawn Tennis
Yankee Stadium (New York) Boxing

TROPHIES ASSOCIATED WITH SPORTS INTERNATIONAL
American Cup Yatch Racing
Ashes Cricket (Australia England)
Asia Cup Cricket
Asia Oceanic Tennis
Canada Cup Golf(World Championship)
Colombo Cup Golf (World Championship)
Colombo Cup Foot ball (India, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka and Myanmar)
Corbillion Cup World Table Tennis (Women)
Davis Cup Tennis / Lawn Tennis
Derby Horse Race (England)
Eisenhower Trophy Golf (Amateurs - World)
Grand National Horse Steeple Chase Race
(England)
Jules Rimet Trophy World Soccer Cup
Kings Cup Air Races (England)

Merdeka Football (Asian)
MRFWorld Cup Cricket & Boxing
Prince of Wales Cup Golf (England)
Schneider Cup Seaplane Race (U.K.)
Swaythling Cup World Table Tennis (Men)
Thomas Cup World Badmintion
Tunku Abdul-Rahman Cup Badminton (Asian)
U Thant Cup Tennis
Uber Cup World Badminton (Women)
Walker Cup Golf (England)
Westchester Cup Polo (England)
Wightman Cup Lawn Tennis (Women of
U.S.A. and England).
Wimbledon Trophy Lawn Tennis
World Cup Cricket
World Cup Hockey

Aga Khan Cup Hockey
All-India Womens Guru Hockey
Nanak Championship
Bangalore Blues Basketball
Challenge Cup
Barna-Bellack Cup Table Tennis (Men)
Beighton Cup Hockey (Calcutta)
Bombay Gold Cup Hockey
Burdwan Trophy Weightlifting
Chakola Gold Trophy Football
Cock of the Fleet Trophy Regatta
D.C.M. Trophy Football
Dhyan Chand Trophy Hockey

NATIONAL

Nagjee Trophy Football
Nehru Trophy Hockey
Nizam Gold Cup Football
Obaidullah Gold Cup Hockey
Prithi Singh Cup Polo
Radha Mohan Cup Polo
Raghbir Singh Memorial Football
Cup
Rajkumari Challenge Cup Table Tennis (Junior Girls)
Ramanujam Trophy Table Tennis (Junior Boys)
Ramnivas Ruia Challenge Bridge
Gold Trophy
Rangaswamy Cup National Hockey
Dr. B.C. Roy Trophy National Football (Junior)
Duleep Trophy Cricket
Durand Cup Football
Ezra Cup Polo
F.A. Cup Football
G.V. Raja Memorial Trophy Football
Gurmit Trophy Hockey
I.F.A. Shield Football (Calcutta)
Indira Gold Cup Hockey
Irani Cup Cricket
Jaswant Singh Trophy Best Services Sportsman
Jayalakshmi Cup National Table Tennis
Championship (Women)
Kuppuswamy Naidu Trophy Hockey
Lady Rattan Tata Trophy Hockey
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Hockey
Gold Cup
Maulana Azad Trophy Inter-University Sports &
Athletics
MCC Trophy Hockey
Moinuddowla Gold Cup Cricket
Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey
Championship
Ranji Trophy National Cricket
Championship
Rene Frank Trophy Hockey
Rohinton Baria Trophy Cricket (Inter-University)
Rovers Cup Football
Sahni Trophy Hockey
Santosh Trophy National Football
Championship
Scindia Gold Cup Hockey
Sethu Cup Aquatics
Sheesh Mahal Trophy Cricket
Sivanthi Adithan
Gold Cup Kabbadi
Sri Krishna Gold Cup Football
Subroto Mukerji Cup Football (Inter-School)
Todd Memorial Trophy Football
Tommy Emar Gold Cup Hockey (Women)
Vijay Hazare Trophy Cricket
Vittal Trophy Football
Vizzy Trophy Cricket
Wellington Trophy Rowing

WORLD CUP FOOTBALL
The most popular tournament the World Cup Foot Ball was started in 1930 and is held once in four years.
In 1998 these games were held in France.

Year Venue Country Winners Runners-up

Year Venue Country Winners Runners-up

1930

Uruguay

Uruguay

Argentina

1974 West Germany West Germany Poland
1934 Italy Italy Czechoslovakia
1978 Argentina Argentina Holland
1938 France Italy Hungary
1982 Spain Italy West Germany
1950 Brazil Uruguay Brazil
1986 Mexico Argentina West Germany
1954 Switzerland West Germany Hungary
1990 Italy West Germany Argentina
1958 Sweden Brazil Sweden
1994 USA Brazil Italy
1962 Chile Brazil Czechoslovakia 1998 France France Brazil
1962 Chile Brazil Czechoslovakia 2002 Japan/Korea Brazil Germany
1966 England England West Germany 2006 Germany (scheduled)
1970 Mexico Brazil Italy 2010 South Africa (scheduled)
Note: In 1942 & 1946 games were not played.

ECONOMICS

AND COMMERCE
INDIAN ECONOMY
In recent years the Indian economy has been characterised as an underdeveloped but developing economy.
Indian economy is the ideal model of a mixed economy. Indias economy is more than three times as large as
previously measured, making it the sixth largest behind the U.S.,Japan,Germany and France according to the International
Monetary Funds latest calculation.

Planning Commission
Economic planning is a conscious and judicially
carried out process for optimum utilisation of existing
resources in order to fulfil some well-defined objectives
laid down by the state. Perhaps the first attempt to initiate
economic planning in India was made by M.Visvesvaraya
in 1934. After Independence, the Planning Commission
was setup in 1950 under the chairmanship of Jawaharlal
Nehru and India ushered in the era of economic planning
with the beginning of the First Five Year Plan in 1951.
Objectives of Planning
The long-term objectives of planning in India have
been more or less the same in almost all the Five-Year
Plans. These objectives are interconnected with one
another
1. Economic Growth to raise the level of national per
capita income in real term
2. Self-Reliance implies reduction in the dependence
on foreign aid and concessional foreign capital's
the donors can have political influence on the
decison-making process of the country.
3. Promoting Social Justice has two sub objectives
namely (a) removal of poverty and (b) reduction in
inequalities of income and wealth.

National Development Council
The National Development Council is presided by
the Prime Minister of India. It is constituted with the
members of the Planning Commission together with the
Chief Ministers of the states.

National Planning Council

The National Planning Council was established in
1965,it is an advisory board attached to the planning
commission. It includes experts representing a cross-
section of the Indian Economy.

Five-Year Plans
The five-year plans are the developmental plans
drawn by the Planning Commission to establish Indias
economy on a socialistic pattern in regular phases of
five-year periods.
The organisation set up to formulate basic
economic policies,draft plans and watch its progress and
implementation consist of:
1. Planning Commission of India
2. National Development Council and State Planning
Commissions, and
3. National Planning Council.

FIVE-YEAR PLANS

Plan Period Remarks
First Five-Year Plan 1951-52 to 1955-56 Priority given to irrigation and agriculture.
Second Five-Year Plan 1956-57 to 1960-61
Third Five-Year Plan 1961-62 to 1965-66
Develoment of basic and heavy industries.
Long-term development of Indias economy.
Annual Five-Year Plan 1967-68 to 1968-69 Plan holiday period.Pakistan and Chinese wars.
Fourth Five-Year Plan 1969-70 to 1973-74 It brought in a scientific temper to Indian agriculture.
Fifth Five-Year Plan 1974-75 to 1977-78 Janata Government terminated a year earlier and introduced
the Rolling-Plan.
Annual Five-Year Plan 1978-79 to 1979-80 Introduced by the Janata Government.
Sixth Five-Year Plan 1980-81 to 1984-85 New Government revised plan for 1981-85 and approved
subsequently.
Seventh Five-Year Plan 1985-86 to 1989-90 Productivity,work and food were given basic priorities.
Eighth Five-Year Plan 1992-93 to 1996-97 was designed to tackle the twin problems of unemployment
and poverty
Ninth Five-Year Plan 1997-98 to 2001-2002 Ensuring the implementation of Common Minimum Programme
and boosting agricultural investment
Tenth Five-Year Plan 2002-2003 to 2006-2007 Funds will be allocated especially towards poverty alleviation
programmes.
Eleventh Five year plan 2007- 2012

UNITED NATIONS ORGANISATION
Origin of U.N.O. :
When the world war II was going on the Allied
powers had felt the necessity for forming a United Nations
Organisation. The talks were held at Dumbarton Oaks,
Washington D.C.from August 21 to October7, 1944,
which was finally put to concrete shape by the delegates
of 50 Allied Nations assembled at San Francisco from
April 26 to June 26, 1945. At this place the representatives
of 50 nations signed the United Nations Charter and
the United Nations officially came into existence on
October 26, 1945, after the Charter has been ratified by a
number of countries. This meant the end of the League
of Nations.
Non-members : The nations that are non-members of the
UNO are (a) Switzerland (b) Taiwan. Switzerland and
Vatican are permanent observers.
Official languages : They are Arabic, Chinese, English,
French, Russian and Spanish.
Flag of the UN : On the flag is the UN emblem in white
superimposed on a light blue ground. The emblem
consists of the global map projected from the North Pole
and embraced in twin olive branches. (Symbol of Peace).
Objectives: The U.N as an organisation of nations
who have voluntarily joined together to work for world
peace, the objectives and purposes of the U.N.
1. To maintain peace and security in the world.
2. To develop friendly relations among nations.
3. To work together to remove poverty, disease and
illiteracy in the world and to encourage respect
for each others rights and freedom.
4. To be a centre for helping the nations to achieve
these goals

Charter of the U.N.:
The Charter of the U.N contains aims and purposes
of organisation. It gives direction to achieve these aims
within the rules and regulations, set by U.N. U.N. General
Assembly proclaimed the historic declaration of Universal
Human Rights on December 10, 1948.

Admission into U.N.O.:
1. A country must get the support of the two-third
members of the General Assembly.
2. Country must be peace-loving
3. Country must accept the rules and regulations,
aims and objectives of the U.N.O.
4. It is necessary for a new member to get the
recommendation of Security Council.

Power of veto:
If any one of the five permanent members casts a
negative vote on the resolution, it falls. This is known
as Veto. Every member has got one vote. To pass a
resolution, all the five Big Powers Plus two others must
cast their votes in favour of the resolution.

Principal Organs of the U.N:
Headquarters: U.N Plaza, New York City, U.S.A.
General Assembly, Secretariat, Security Council,
Trusteeship council, Economic and Social Council
and International Court of Justice.
The General Assembly:
The General Assembly is the largest of all the
organs of the United Nations. The Assembly consists
of the representatives of all the member States. Each
State has one vote. The General Assembly meets at
least once in a year. Special sessions may be convened
by the secretary-General, on a request by the Security
Council. The General Assembly determines the
contribution payable by each member. It receives and
consider the reports of the special committees including
the Security Council. It passess the annual budget of
the U.N. The General Assembly elects the non-
permanent members of the Security Council, the members
of the Economic and Social Council and elected members
of the Trusteeship Council.
The Secretariat:
It is composed of the Secretary-General who is the
Chief Administrative Officer of the organization and an
International Staff appointed by him under regulations
established by the General Assembly. The Secretary-
General is appointed by the General Assembly on the
recommendation of the Security Council.
Secretary - General of the U.N.O:
1. Mr. Trgve Lie (of Norway) the First Secretary
General of the UNO (1946-52)
2. Mr. Dag Hammarkjoeld (of Sweden) (1953-61)
3. Mr. U.Thant (Myanmar) (1962-71)
4. Mr. Kurt Waldeim (of Austria) (1972-81)
5. Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, (Peru) (1982-91)
6. Dr. Boutros Boutros Ghali, (Egypt) (1992-96)
7. Mr. Kofi Annan (of Ghana) appointed on Jan 1,
1997-2001
8. Mr. Kofi Annan (of Ghana) appointed on Jan 1,
2001 till date
Security Council:
The member states of the United Nations have
delegated the Primary reponsibilities for maintaining
world peace, Security to the Security Council. It consists
of 15 members, each of which has one vote. There are
5 permanent and 10 non-permanent members elected fo
a 2 year term by a two-thirds majority of the General
Assembly. The permanent members have the power to
veto any move. Retiring members are not eligible for
immediate re-election. Permanent Members: China,
France, Russia, U.K., and USA. Non-permanent
Members : Bangladesh, Mali, Tunisia, Jamaica and
Ukraine (until Dec. 31, 2001), Malaysia, Namibia, Canada,
Netherlands and Argentina (until Dec. 31, 2000)

Non-permanent Members:
Cape Verde, Hungary, Japan, Morocco,
Venezuela (until Dec.31,1993) Brazil, Djiboute, New
Zealand, Pakistan and Spain (until Dec.31, 1994). The
Presidency of the Security Council is held for one
month in rotation by the member states in the English
alphabetical order of their names. The expansion of the
Security Council to include new powers such as
India, Germany and Japan as permanent members has
been suggested. India has formally stakes its claim to a
permanent seat on the council as and when it is expanded.
Trusteeship Council:
The Charter Provides for an international
trusteeship system to safeguard the interests of the
inhabitants of territories which are not yet fully self-
governing and which may be placed there under by
individual trusteeship agreements. These are called trust
territories. All of the original 11 trust territories except
one, the republic of Belau (palau) administrated by the
USA, have become independent or joined independent
countries. Members : China, France, Russia, UK, USA.
Economic and Social Council:
Economic and Social Council is responsible under
the General Assembly for carrying out the functions to
achieve cooperation of the United Nations with regard
to international economic, social cultural, educational
and health to promote and encourage respect for human
rights and fundamental freedom without distinction of
race or sex, language or religions. It consists of 54 member
states elected by a two-thirds majority of the General
Assembly.
The Council has the following regional Economic
Commissions :
1. ECE (Economic Commission of Europe) with its
H.Q. at Geneva.
2. ESCAP (Economic and Social Commission for
Asia) with its H.Q. at Bangkok.
3. ECIA (Economic Commission for Latin America)
with its H.Q. at Santiago (Chile).
4. ECA (Economic Commission for Africa) with its
H.Q. at Addis Ababa.
5. ECWA (Economic Commission for Western Asia)
with its H.Q. at Baghdad.

International Court of Justice:
It was Created by an International Treaty, the Statue
of the Court, which forms an integral part of the United
Nations Charter. There are 15 Judges. President is
Gulbert Guillaume (France). The Court has its seat at The
Hague. The expenses of the Court are borne by the U.N.
The Purpose of the Inter-national Court of Justice is to
adjust and settle international disputes in confirmity with
justice and international law. There is no appeal against
the decision of the Couurt. The Judges of the Court are
elected for nine years and may be re-elected.
Languages : French, English.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
It was adopted by the U.N. Assembly on December
10, 1948. It is a statement of normal standards to be
followed by all nations.
It guarantees international peace and prosperity.
It stresses the fact that everyone has the rights to life,
liberty and security, equality before law, freedom of
movement etc. Irrespective of race, religion, sex or
language.

International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
Headquarters : London.
It was established as a specialised agency of the
UN by the UN Maritime Conference at Geneva in 1948.

International Labour Organisation (ILO)
Headquarters : Geneva.
It was established in 1919 as an autonomous part
of the League of Nations. It is an intergovermental agency
with a tripartite structure, in which representatives of
governments, employers and workers participate. In 1969
it won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO)
Headquarters : Rome.
The UN Conference on Food and Agriculture held
in May 1943, at Hot springs, Virginia, set up an Interim
Commission in Washington in July 1943 to plan the Food
and Agricultural Organisation, which came into being on
16th October 1945. FAO sponsers the World Food
Programme.

United Nations, Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
Headquarters : Paris.
A Conference for the establishment of an
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization of the
United Nations was convened by the Goverment of
France, and met in London, 1 to 16 Nov. 1945. UNESCO
came into being on 4th November 1946.
The main purpose of UNESCO is to promote peace
and security in the world by promoting collaboration
among the nations through education, science and
culture in order that people may have respect for justice,
for the rule of law, for human rights and fundamental
freedoms irrespective of race, sex, language and religion.

United Nations International Childrens
Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
Headquarters : USA.
It was founded in 1946 by the General Assembly. It
was established to deliver post-war relief to children and
it aims at improving the quality of life for children and
mother in developing countries. UNICEF is not financed
by the U.N. budget but by voluntary contributions from
governments and individuals.

International Civil Aviation Organisation
(ICAO)
It was formed in the International Civil Aviation
Conference held in Chicago from 1 Nov. to 7 Dec. 1994.
Its aims and objectives are to develop international air
navigation and foster the planning and development of
international transport. Headquarters: Lebanon.

International Bank of Reconstruction and
Development (IBRD)
It was established at Bretton Woods Conference in
July 1994. Its object is to assist the member nations in the
economic reconstruction and development of the
territories. The bank advances loans to the member
nations for development purposes and encourages
private foreign investment and also arranges loans to
its own security. It guarantees loans by Private Investors.
Headquarters : Washington.

International Monetary Fund (IMF)
It was established on 27th December 1945 and it
operates from 1st March 1947. It works for the promotion
of International Trade. It helps those countries with
foreign exchange whose balance of trade is in
unfavourable position. Headquarters: Washington.

World Health Organisation (WHO)
WHO came into existence on April 7, 1948. It aims
to assist the Governments to raise the standard of public
health and impart information of health research. It also
promotes in improvement of nutrition, housing, sanitation
and recreation. Headquarters : Geneva.

Universal Postal Union (UPU)
It was formally established on 1st July 1875. It has
been established to alleviate uncertainty. Confusion and
excessive cost of international postal communications
by writing its member countries in a single postal territory
for the reciprocal exchange of mail. The postal convention
has been extended and improved by the various Postal
Congress. Headquarters : Switzerland.

International Telecommunications Union
(I.T.U.)
The International Telegraph Union founded in Paris
in 1865 and the International Radio Telegraph Union,
founded in Berlin in 1906 by the Madrid Convention
of 1932 to form the ITU. Its main purpose is to bring
the improvement and rational use of telecommunications
and increase the efficiency of the telecommunication
services by maintaining and extending international co-
operation. Headquarters : Geneva, Switzerland.

International Finance Corporation (IFC)
It was established in July 1956. It is affiliated to
World Bank. The basic object of the Corporation is to
supplement the activities of the World Bank. It will seek
to bring together investment opportunities, domestic and
foreign private capital and experienced management. The
membership of the Corporation will be open to those
countries which are members of the World Bank.
Headquarters : Washington.

International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA)
It was set up under the U.N. to make
recommendations for the use of atomic energy for
peaceful purposes. All the nations are to pay a part of
fissionable material and also Uranium at the disposal of
the Agency. The Agency was established at meeting of
82 nations held in New York in September, 1956.
Headquarters : Vienna.

The General Agreement on Tariffs and
Trade (GATT):
It was negotiated in 1947 and came into force on
January 1, 1948. It is the only treaty setting rules for
world trade. Its functions are to ease trade barriers and
establish rules of fair trade. In recent years, GATT made
special efforts to develop international trade and has also
given particular emphasis on increasing the export trade
of developing countries. GATT was replaced by the
World Trade Organisation (WTO) on January 1, 1995.
Headquarters : Geneva.

World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
Conference of Directors of the International
Meteorological Organisation meeting in Washington in
1947, adopted a convention creating the W.M.O. It aims at
improving weather observations and to adopt common
measures for weather reporting in order to prevent-disaster
caused by natural calamities like cyclones, typhoons etc.
Headquarter : Geneva, Switzerland.

World Intellectual Property Organisation
(WIPO)
The convention establishing WIPO was signed
at Stockholm in 1967 by 51 countries and came into
force in April 1970. In Dec. 1974 WIPO became a
specialized agency of the U.N. Headquarters : Geneva,
Switzerland.

International Fund for Agricultural
Development (IFAD)
The establishment of IFAD was one of the major
actions proposed by 1974 World Food Conference. The
agreement for IFAD came into force on 30 Nov. 1977
following attainment of initial pledges of $ 1,000 and the
agency began its operations. Headquarters : Rome, Italy.

United Nations Industrial Development
Organisation (UNIDO):
It provides developing and underdeveloped
countries with advice on all aspects of industrial policy
converted into a specialized agency by U.N. in 1985.
Headquarters : Vienna.

UN MEMBERS
1. Argentina 1945 50. Yugoslavia 99. Mauritania 1961 146. Solomon Islands
2. Australia
3. Belarus
4. Belgium
5. Bolivia
6. Brazil
7. Canada
8. Chile
9. China
10. Colombia
11. Costa Rica
12. Cuba
13. Denmark
14. Dominican
Republic
15. Ecuador
16. Egypt
17. El Salvador
18. Ethiopia
19. France
20. Greece
21. Guatemala
22. Haiti
23. Honduras
24. India
25. Iran
26. Iraq
27. Lebanon
28. Liberia
29. Luxembourg
30. Mexico
31. Netherlands
32. New Zealand
33. Nicaragua
34. Norway
35. Panama 1945
36. Paraguay
37. Peru
38. Philippines
39. Poland
40. Russia
41. Saudi Arabia
42. South Africa
43. Syria
44. Turkey
45. Ukraine
46. UK
47. USA
48. Uruguay
49. Venezuela
51. Afghanistan 1946
52. Iceland
53. Sweden
54. Thailand
55. Pakistan 1947
56. Myanmar 1948
57. Israel 1949
58. Indonesia 1950
59. Albania 1955
60. Austria
61. Bulgaria
62. Cambodia
63. Finland
64. Hungary
65. Ireland
66. Italy
67. Jordan
68. Laos
69. Libya
70. Nepal 1955
71. Portugal
72. Romania
73. Spain
74. Sri Lanka
75. Japan 1956
76. Morocco
77. Sudan
78. Tunisia
79. Ghana 1957
80. Malaysia
81. Guinea 1958
82. Benin 1960
83. Burkina Faso
84. Cameroon
85. Central African
Republic
86. Chad 1960
87. Congo
88. Congo, Dem.
89. Cote d-Ivoire
90. Cyprus
91. Gabon
92. Madagascar
93. Mali
94. Niger
95. Nigeria
96. Senegal
97. Somalia
98. Togo
100. Mongolia
101. Sierra Leone
102. Tanzania
103. Algeria 1962
104. Burundi 1962
105. Jamaica
106. Rwanda
107. Trinidad & Tobago
108. Uganda
109. Kenya 1963
110. Kuwait
111. Malawi 1964
112. Malta
113. Zambia
114. Gambia 1965
115. Maldives
116. Singapore
117. Barbados 1966
118. Botswana
119. Guyana
120. Lesotho
121. Equatorial
Guinea 1968
122. Mauritius
123. Swaziland
124. Fiji 1970
125. Bahrain 1971
126. Bhutan
127. Oman
128. Qatar
129. United Arab
Emirates
130. Bahamas 1973
131. Bangladesh 1974
132. Grenada
133. Guinea-Bissau
134. Cape Verde 1975
135. Comoros
136. Mozambique
137. Papua New Guinea
138. Sao Tome &
Principe
139. Suriname
140. Angola 1976
141. Samoa
142. Seychelles
143. Djibouti 1977
144. Vietnam
145. Dominica 1978
147. St. Lucia 1979
148. St. Vincent &
Grenadines 1980
149. Zimbabwe
150. Antigua and
Barbuda 1981
151. Belize
152. Vanuatu
153. St.Kitts and
Nevis 1983
154. Brunei 1984
155. * Germany 1990
156. Liechtenstein
157. Namibia
158. Yemen
159. Estonia 1991
160. Korea (North)
161. Korea (South)
162. Latvia 1991
163. Lithuania
164. Marshall Islands
165. Micronesia
166. Armenia 1992
167. Azerbaijan
168. Bosnia-
Herzegovina
169. Croatia
170. Georgia
171. Kazakhstan
172. Kyrgyzstan
173. Moldova
174. San Marino
175. Slovenia
176. Tajikistan
177. Turkmenistan
178. Uzbekistan
179. Andorra 1993
180. * Czech Republic
181. Eritrea
182. Macedonia
183. Monaco
184. Slovakia
185. Palau 1994
186. Kiribati 1999
187. Nauru
188. Tonga
189. Tuvalu 2000
190. Switzerland 2002
191. East Timor 2002

In 1973 East and West Germany became the members of UN Germany as such became the member in
1990.
Czech Republic (previously Czechoslovakia became the member of UN as early as 1945).

A

IMPORTANT PERSONALITIES
Abul Fazal : Abul Fazal was the oldest of
Akbars 'Nine Jewels'. He as the brother of Faizi.
He was a profound scholar of his time and
rose to Akbars Prime Minister. He wrote Ain-i-Akbari.

Abraham Lincoln : He was the son of a woodcutter,
rose to be the 16th President of the United States who
wanted to abolish slavery and on account of this there
was a civil war between the southern and northern
States of America. He won the civil war and abolished
slavery.

Abdul Kalam A.P.J. : Dr. Aavul Pakkiri Jainulabidin
Abdul Kalam was born in 1931 at Rameswaram in
Ramanathapuram, Tamilnadu. He was familiarly known
as the "Missile Man of India". He became the eleventh
President of India on July 25, 2002. He was awarded
Bharat Ratna in 1998. He wrote books like "Wings of
Fire"' "India 2020", and "Ignited Mind".

Adolf Hitler : Adolf Hitler is a German Dictator who
was born in Austria. He led the Nazi party and became
German Chancellor in the year 1933. He ordered the
invasion of Austria and Czechoslovakia. His invasion
of Poland in 1939 started the Second World War. He
committed suicide in Berlin in 1945. He was the author
of Mein Kampf. He is also called Fuehrer.

Ahalyabai : Born in 1735 and daughter of Manakoji
Shinde of Chante, Ahalyabai did her elementary
education and married Khanduji, the son of Malharrao
Holkar in 1744. Her husband was killed in siege of
Khanduji in 1754. Malharrao appointed her for the
administration of his territories. Her son Malerao
succeeded after the death of Holkar but actual reigns
of office were in the hands of Ahalyabai. She
administered the territory astutely and renovated many
temples. She died on August 13, 1795.

Akbar : Akbar succeeded his father Humayun at the
age of 14. Bairam Khan, a distinguished General,
became his regent. Bairam Khan defeated Hemu at the
Second Battle of Panipat (1556) and secured the throne
of Akbar. He followed a policy of conciliation with the
Rajputs and the Hindus.
He constructed Ibadat Khana, or the House of
Worship at Fatehpur Sikri. With the help of Abul Fazal,
Akbar founded a religion called the Din-i-Ilahi or the
Divine Faith. He built the beautiful city of Fatehpur
Sikri in red sandstone near Agra. He abolished the
hated Jazia and pilgrim tax and allowed full religious
freedom to all his subjects. He is therefore called a
National Monarch. The Mansabdari System was the
main essence of his Government. Akbars tomb is at
Sikandra near Agra. Historians say that it was Akbar
the real founder of the Mughal Empire in India.
Akbar Nama : In which the chief events of Akbars
reign are recorded.

Ala-ud-dinKhilji : Ala-ud-dinKhilji was the founder of
Khilji dynasty. Brought almost the whole of India
under his rule. He was a great administrator. He strictly
forbade drinking. He introduced a system of price
control and rationing.

Albert Einstein : A world famous scientist of German
Swiss origin who settled down in the U.S.A. after he
was driven out by the Nazis from Germany in 1933. He
is the author of the Theory of Relativity.

Alexander Cunningham : (1814-1893 A.D.) He was the
father of Indian Archaeology and first Director-General
of the Indian Archaeology Survey 1879-1885. Through
his efforts a beginning was made in translating and
dating ancient inscriptions and in describing
archaeological sites.

Alexander Fleming : He is the discoverer of penicillin.
He received in 1945 Nobel Prize for Medicine.

Alexander, the Great : Alexander, son of Philip, King
of Macedonia, North of Greece. He was one of the
greatest conquerors of the world. He was born
in 356 B. C. The famous philosopher, Aristotle was
his tutor, Alexander made his object to conquer
the world. In 326 B. C. he invaded India.

He was the first European invader on the Indian
soil. In the Battle with Porus, Alexander was
victorious. Alexander lost his famous horse,
Bucephalecus in the Battle. His army felt homesick and
insisted to return. Alexander died in 323 B.C. in
Babylonia. The result of Alexander invasion promoted
the political unification of India.

Almeida : Almeida was the first Portuguese Governor.
He strengthened the Portuguese sea power.

Alfonso Albuquerque : Alfonso Albuquerque
considered to be the ablest Portuguese Viceroy in
India. His policy was to destroy the Muslim traders
and to establish a Portuguese Empire in the East. He
conquered Goa from the Sultan of Bijapur and made it
his Capital.

He founded many Portuguese settlements all
along the West Coast of India e.g. Diu, Daman,
Bassein, Bombay, etc. He was the founder of the
Portuguese Empire in the East. The Portuguese power
lasted a century and a half and then it began to decline.
Goa, Daman and Diu have been taken over by the
Indian Government.

Alan Octavian Hume (A.O.Hume) : A retired English
civilian founded the Indian National Congress in 1885
with the help of educated Indians and a few Englishmen.
In the beginning, it was an association to discuss
matters concerning the welfare of the Indians.
Gradually it became a political body in opposition to
the British Government.

B

Ambedkar B.R. : Dr.Ambedkar is a well known Indian
Jurist Statesman, soical reformer and scheduled castes
leader. He was the Chairman of the Constitution
Drafting Body and played a significant role in drafting
the Indian Constitution after India attained
independence. He was posthumously awarded 1990
Bharat Ratna.
Amir Khusro : Amir Khusro called the Parrot of
India patronised by Alaudin Khilji. His literary works
are Laila Majnu, Tuglaq Nama etc. Amir Khusro
flourished during the reign of Alaudin Khilji.
Amitabh Bachchan : The film star, who is making
waves with Star Plus "Kaun Banega Crorepati"
unveiled his life like wax figure in Madame
Tussaud's wax Museum in London on December 20,
2000.
Annadurai C.N. : Born in Kancheepuram, founded
DMK party. He was the first Chief Minister of DMK
party in Tamil Nadu. A great writer and orator in Tamil
and English, he is affectionately called Anna.
Antony : He was supporter of Julius Caesar and
fought Brutus after the death of Caesar. He also fell in
love with Cleopatra.
Arundhati Roy : This Indian writer has bagged the
prestigious Booker Prize (1997) for her very first novel
"The God of Small Things". Arundhati Roy is the first
resident Indian recipient of the literary honour.
Aryabhatta : Aryabhatta is a celebrated Indian
astronomer and mathematician who adorned the court
of Chandra Gupta Vikramaditya. Indias first satellite
was christened after him. He laid the foundation of
Algebra and was responsible for pointing out the
importance of zero.
Asvagosha : He was a great Buddhist scholar. He
adorned the court of Kanishka. A great council was
convened about 102 A.D. by Kanishka for codifying
the new doctrines of Mahayanism. Asvagosha was the
President of the Council. The commentary known as
Mahavibasha was inscribed in copper plates and
enclosed in stone boxes.
Asoka the Great : Asoka, the most famous king of the
Maurya Dynasty, was one of the greatest kings of the
world. He was generally known as Devanampriya
which means Beloved of the Gods and Priyadasi
which means of pleasing appearance. The most
important event of his reign was the war with Kalinga.
The horrors of Kalinga War moved him deeply. He gave
up military conquests. Thereafter, he evolved a policy
of Dharmavijaya, conquest by pity. Asoka was a
Buddhist by faith and wanted to make Buddhism a
world religion. He got the principles of Buddhism
inscribed on rocks and pillars, these pillars, one at
Sarnath was the most magnificient. The National
Emblem of our Government is taken from this design.
The late historian, H.G.Wells regards Asoka as the
greatest Monarch in history.
Atal Behari Vajpayee : The first Indian Prime Minister
to reach Wagah border by bus in a bold initiative of
peace with Pakistan. The bus ride to Wagah and his
historic visit to Lahore was hailed all over the world as
a new chapter in the relations between India and
Pakistan.
Attlee, Clement Richard : He was the Labour Prime
Minister of England between 1945-51. His works
include an autobiography. During his period, he
deputed Lord Louis Mountbatten to India for the
settlement of Indian Independence.
Aurangzeb : Aurangzeb was the last of the great
Mughal emperors. He ascended the throne with the
title of Alamgir, conqueror of the world. The French
Physician Bernier visited the court of Aurangzeb.
During his reign, the Marathas became strong in the
Deccan. Shivaji the Maratha Chief defeated Shaista
Khan sent by Aurangzeb. Jats proved a menace to the
Mughal Empire. The Sikhs under the Guru Tegh
Bahadur, the ninth Guru protested against the anti-
Hindu policy of Aurangzeb, so Guru Tegh Bahadur had
to suffer martyrdom. Aurangzeb imposed Jaziya tax on
Hindus. The Rajputs also became enemies to Aurangzeb.
Aurangzebs private life was ideally simple. He thought
it a sin to use a pie for his own use out of the
Government Treasury, and earned his living by making
caps and copies of the Quaran. He simply hated music
and banished it from his court. Aurangzeb could not
crush the supremacy of the Marathas, Tarabai, a very
intelligent and gallant lady took the leadership and
continued the struggle successfully. Aurangzeb
completely reversed the religious policy of Akbar and
incurred the downfall of Mughal Rule.
Aurobindo Ghosh : He was a brilliant scholar and a
revolutionary member of the Congress. He spread the
spirit of Nationalism through his forceful writings and
speeches. He was the editor of Vande Mataram. He
took active part in the agitations held against the
partition of Bengal in 1905 introduced by Lord
Curzon. The British Government involved him in the
famous Alipore Conspiracy Case. Later, he gave up
Politics and came away to Pondicherry to lead a
spiritual life. He established Ashram in Pondicherry. He
wrote essays on Gita and Savitiri, Life Divine, etc.
Babar: He was the first of the great Mughal
Emperors of Hindustan. His full name was
Zahir-ud-din Muhammed Babar. Babar was
descended from Timur on his fathers side and from
Changhis Khan on his mothers side. The first Battle of
Panipat 1526 fought between Babar and Ibrahim Lodi
made Babar the master of the Empire of Delhi. The
Battle of Kanwaha (1527), the Battle of Gogra (1529)
made the master of nearly the whole of North India.
Babar wrote his own autobiography entitled Tuzk-i-
Babri. He laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire.
Baba Amte : Indian social worker known for his work
among leprosy patients. Established Anand Van, a

C

colony for leprosy patients, near Nagpur. Founder of
Knit India Movement. Receipient of first G.D. Birla
International Award for outstanding contributions to
humanity. Also winner of Templeton, Ramon Magsaysay
and UN Right Livelihood Awards. Awarded 1999
Gandhi Peace Prize for his exemplary work for treatment
and rehabilitation of leprosy patients and his concept
of the "Shramik Vidyapeeth".
Bairam Khan : He was Akbars uncle, also served as
his tutor and guardian. He also won the Delhi throne
for Akbar.
Balasaraswathi T. : The noted exponent of
Bharatanatyam and Choreographer, she was the first
recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademy Award for
Bharatanatyam in 1955.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak : Bal Gangadhar Tilak called
Lokmanya was one of the great leaders of Indias
struggle for freedom. He was born in Maharashtra. He
founded the Deccan Education Society to spread
education and national spirit among the people. He
started the Maratha a Marathi daily. Through this
news paper, he spread patriotism and nationalism.
He strongly protested against the partition of
Bengal in 1905. He was the leader of the extremists in
the Indian National Congress. He was sentenced to
six years imprisonment and kept at Mandalay. It was
Tilak who uttered Swarajya is my birthright, I and I
will have it.
Benito Mussolini : He was a dictator and leader of the
Italian Fascists. He seized Abyssinia and helped the
Spanish Fascists in the Spanish Civil War. He fought
with Germany in the Second World War from June 1940.
Italy was invaded by an Anglo-American army and he
surrendered in 1943. Mussolini was shot by his own
countrymen.
Benjamin Franklin : He was an American Politician
who helped to write the American Declaration of
Independence. As a scientist he made discoveries of
electricity and invented the lightning conductor.
Bertrand Russell : A distinguished English Philosopher
and mathematician,who won the Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1950. He advocated world peace and
human approach to international problems. His books
cover diverse subjects and some among them are
Marriage of Mathematics and Problems of
Philosophy.
Besant, Annie : An Irish woman by birth, she became
a staunch supporter of Indias freedom movement. She
founded the Theosophical Society of India. She is
associated with the Home Rule League. She is the first
woman President of the Indian National Congress.
Bhagat Singh : Bhagat Singh is known as Shabid-e-
Azam. His name is synonymous with patriotism and
revolution. He along with two other revolutionaries
Sukh Dev and Raj Guru was hanged on March 23, 1931
for participation in the Lahore Conspiracy.
Bhaskara : Bhaskara was the astronomer of the 7th
Century and was a contemporary of Brahmagupta,
another famous astronomer. Indias second satellite for
earth observation, Bhaskara is associated with his name.
Bhaskaracharya : Bhaskaracharya, is a great Indian
Mathematician and astronomer of the 12th century AD.
His famous Sidhanta Shironmani consists of two
mathematical and two astronomical volumes. His name
is associated with Indias second satellite.
Bhave, Acharya Vinoba : The Sarvodaya and
Bhoodan Movements leader. He was awarded Bharat
Ratna for 1983.
Bill Gates : World's richest private individual for the
sixth consecutive year with a $90b, fortune. President
and CEO of Microsoft Corp., He revolutionised the
computer industry. Philanthropist who has made record
donations.
Bipin Chandra Pal : He is called Bengal Danton. He
started the Journals New India, Swarajya, Indian
Student and assistant editor of Bengal Public Opinion
and Tribune.
Birla, G.D. : The doyen of Indian Industry died on
July 11, 1983 at the age of 86.
Buddha : Gautam Buddha was a Kshatriya prince and
was the son of Shudhodana. He was born in 623 B.C.
at Lumbini a few miles from Kapilavastu on the Nepal
Border. At the age of 28 he left his home and retired to
the forests. This event is known as the Great
Renunciation. He sat down in meditation under a pipal
tree near Gaya. He gave his first Sermon in the Deer
Park at Sarnath, near Banaras. This event is known
as Dharma Chakra Pravartan. He founded a powerful
Sangha or order of Bhikshus. His chief teachings were
four Noble truths. The Eightfold Path of Middle Path,
Karma, Ahimsa, Good Morals, No caste system and
silence about God. Buddha died at Dushinaar (U.P.) He
was indeed the Light of Asia.
Chaitanya : Chaitanya was born in Nadia
(Bengal). His original name was Bishaber. He
was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna and
preached the doctrine of love and devotion to Krishna.
He sang songs in praise of God and held Kirtana. He
laid the foundation of Vaishnavism in Bengal.
Chanakya or Kautilya : Chanakya was Chandraguptas
minister and wrote a book Arthashastra in Sanskrit
which tells us about the reign of Chandragupta
Maurya. Chanakya was also known as Vishnu Gupta.
Kautilya has fully discussed the duties and
responsibilities of an ideal King. He says: Whatever
pleases himself, he (king) shall not consider as good
but whatever pleases his subjects he shall consider as
good. Arthashastra is regarded to be the greatest
treatise in politics. Some writers compare Arthashastra
with Machiavellis Prince, because Kautilya like
Machiavelli tried to separate ethics from politics. He is
also called Aristotle of the East.

D
E

Chandragupta-I : Chandragupta-I was the founder of
the Gupta Dynasty. The Gupta era is called the Golden
age of Hinduism. Chandragupta assumed the title of
Maharajadhiraja.

Chandragupta Maurya : He was the founder of the
Maurya dynasty. He was the first historical emperor of
India. Magasthenes, the Greek ambassador sent by
Seleucus, visited the court of Chandragupta and wrote
a very interesting book Indica giving a most
valuable account of the reign of Chandragupta.

Chandragupta Vikramaditya : Chandragupta
Vikramaditya was the son of Samudragupta was as
brave and powerful as his father. In some of his coins
he was shown a live lion which shows that he
possessed great physical strength. Vikramaditya means
Sun of Valour. His court was adorned by `Nine
gems. Kalidas, the Shakespeare of India flourished
during his reign. The famous iron pillar standing near
Qutab Minar was erected in his reign as a kind of
victory Pillar. His reign was the Golden age of art and
literature. Fahien was the first Chinese Pilgrim to visit
India during his reign.

Chaplin, Charlie : The British born comedian, whose
silent films gave delight to millions.

Charlemagne : Also known as Charles the great
Roman emperor and Frankish King. He founded the
Holy Roman Empire in the year 800 and was the rest of
his life the champion of the Christian faith and the most
powerful figure in Europe.

Chavan Y.B. : The former Deputy Prime Minister died
on Nov. 25, 1985.

Chidambaram Pillai : (VOC) Chidambaram Pillai,
immortalised under the famous initials VOC (Va Oo Si)
was a lawyer in Tuticorin. He was the first to float a
corporate enterprise The Swadeshi Steam Navigation
Company Limited. The native company attracted a
good deal of the sea traffic between Tuticorin and
Colombo, which was dominated by the British Indian
Steam Navigation Company and naturally VOC came to
be seen as an opponent of English business interests
in India in general.

Chittaranjan Dass : A famous Indian Patriot and
freedom fighter who founded the Swarajist party in 1923.

Chittaranjan Singh Ranawat : The World renowned
Orthopaedic Surgeon who flew into Mumbai from New
York, successfully operated upon Mr. Atal Behari
Vajpayee replacing his left knee-joint by an artificial
one at the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on
October 10, 2000. The surgery lasted for 65 minutes. Dr.
Ranawat has performed close to 3000 such operations.
He also replaced the right knee-joint of Mr.
Soli.J.Sorabjee, India's Attorney General at the same
Hospital the same day.

Chola, Rajaraja : The great Siva temple of Thanjavur
(Tanjore) was built by him. Suryankoil or Suryas

temple built by him is at Thanjavur. Here Surya is
shown on a par with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Columbus, Christopher : Famous Italian Navigator
who discovered America in 1498.
Dadabhai Naoroji : Was the First President of
the Indian National Congress. He served as
President for three times. He presided over
the Indian National Congress of 1906 at Surat. He was
the first Indian to be elected as a member of the British
House of Commons from London. He is known as the
Grand Old Man of India. Dadabhai Naoroji presented
his Drain of Wealth Theory in his book Poverty and Un
British Rule in India.
Dalai Lama : (Tenzing Gyatso) Spiritual Leader of
Tibet. Fled to India after Tibetan uprising and
established Govt. in-exile at Dharamsala in Himachal
Pradesh, India (1959). Nobel Laureate (1989).
Dr.David Livingstone : A Scottish missionary who is
remembered for spreading Christianity and carrying out
exploration in the contingent of Africa. He explored the
Zambesi river and discovered Lake Nyasa (now Lake
Malawi) and the Victoria Falls.
Dayanand Saraswathi : A great Hindu social reformer
and founder of the Arya Samaj School. He fought for
removal of untouchability, widow remarriage and for
the abolition of other evils of the Hindu society. His
motto was Go back to the Vedas.
Dhanvantari : Dhanvantari is a famous Indian Physician
who adorned the Court of Chandragupta Vikramaditya.
Diana : Britain's Princess Diana, who had been
struggling to build a new life after her turbulent divorce
with Prince Charles, died on August 31, 1997 in a car
crash in Paris after being pursued at high speed by
paparazzi on motorcycles. Her companion, Dodi Fayed,
and their chauffer also died when thier Mercedes
crashed in a tunnel along the Seine river at Pond de
L'Alma bridge in Paris.
Diya Mirza : The 18 year old Femina Miss India Asia
Pacific created history on December 2, 2000 becoming
the first ever Indian to be crowned as Miss Asia Pacific
at the beauty Pageant in Manila (Philippines).
Dorjee Phu : The first Indian to climb Mount Everest
without oxygen, a seasoned mountaineer and instructor
at the Sonamgyastso Mountaineiring institute of
Gangtok was, along with two of his team mates,
overtaken by a fierce blizzard in May 1987. He scaled
Kanchenjunga, worlds third highest peak. He scaled
Mount Everest twice. He is a Padma Shri and Arjuna
award winner.
Dupleix : French statesman; appointed Governor of
French East Indian possessions in 1742.
Eisenhower:He became the President of
theUnited States. Commander of Allied Forces
in Europe. The first President of the U.S.A. to
visit India.

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Elizabeth I, Queen : Daughter of Henry VIII, she was
queen of England, under whose rule England became
a great power. Shakespeare lived during her time.
Epicurus : (342-270 BC) A Greek Philosopher who
founded the Epicurus philosophy. He advised self
negation, subdued life and the practice of virtues.
Eva Morris : The World's oldest woman died in
London on November 3, 2000 six days short of her
115th birthday. She was officially recognised in March
2000 as the oldest woman in the world by the Guinness
Book of World Records. Ms. Morris took the title
because her date of birth could be fully authenticated.
Ferdinand Magellan: A Portuguese Sailor
who commanded the first expedition to sail
round the world. He discovered the Magellan
Strait and gave the Pacific Ocean his name. He died
before the completion of the first voyage round the
world.Florence

Gallileo : He was an Italian Scientist and
professor of Mathematics. He invented the
telescope and devoted his life to the study of
astronomy.
George Washington : An American General who led
the revolt against the British and declared Americans
Independence. He became the first President of the
United States.
Giri, V.V. : The fourth President of India died in
Madras on June 23, 1980. He was Vice-President from
1967 to 1969. A recipient of the Bharat Ratna, he had
distinguished himself as a pioneer in the field of
organised labour, legislator, parliamentarian, diplomat
and statesman. He is the author of Job for Our
Millions. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna for the
year 1975.
Gopal Krishna Gokhale : An able Indian statesman
whom Gandhi regarded as his politician Guru. He
served as the President of the Indian National Congress
in 1907. Servants of India Society was founded by him.
Guglielmo Marconi : Italian Electrical Engineer who
invented wireless telegraphy and radio. He received
Nobel Prize for physics for 1909 jointly with Ferdinand
Braun of Germany for development wireless.
Gunnar Myrdal : The renowned economist who used
his background in Swedens welfare state to unite
classic works about the poor in America and in
developing countries. The author of An American
Dilemma he shared in 1974 Nobel Prize in Economics.
He was a widower of Alvar Myrdal, a Nobel Peace Prize
laureate. Author of Asian Drama.
Guru Gobind Singh : He was the real founder of the
Sikh power. He is the tenth and last Guru of the Sikhs.
He was a great warrior and writer. He re-organised the
sect at Anandpur Sahib and called as the Khaslas.
This Guru Gobind Singh transformed the religious sect
of the Sikhs into an army of warrior-saints. For this
reason the day of Baisakhi is very important in Sikh
history.
Guru Nanak : Guru Nanak was born in 1469 at
Talwandi now called Nankana Sahib in the West
Pakistan. He was opposed to caste system, idol
worship and untouchability. He founded the Sikh
religion.
Guru Tegh Bahadur : The nineth Guru of the Sikhs,
lived in Anandpur Sahib. He protested against the
anti-Hindi policy of Aurangzeb. He was summoned to
Delhi and asked to embrace Islam, which he refused. So
he had to suffer martyrdom in 1675. His son Guru
Gobind Singh therefore organised Sikhs into a military
organisation and fought against Mughals all through
his life.

Harsha Vardhana:Harsha Vardhana was the
last great Hindu King of Northern India. One
of the noblest and most accomplished kings
known to history. He combined in himself the qualities
of both Ashoka and Samudragupta. Harsha was a
great poet and dramatist. He wrote three dramas in
Sanskrit namely Ratnavali, Nagananda and
Priyadershika. Banabhatta wrote Harshacharita
which is a valuable source of information about his
reign. Hieun Tsang has given vivid description about
Harshas reign. Nalanda University founded by Kumara
Gupta I was at the height of its fame.
Hillary Rodham Clinton : The wife of former US
President, Mr. Bill Clinton, scored a historic victory in
the American history by winning the US Senate seat
from New York on November 7, 2000 becoming the first
wife of a President ever elected as a Senator. She
defeated Republican Congressman, Mr. Rick Lazio.
Humayun : He was the ill-fated king among the Mughal
rulers of India. In the battle of Kanauj he was defeated
by Sher Shah Suri. While he was coming down the
stairs of his storey at Delhi, he fell down and died
shortly. The word `Humayun means `fortunate but it
is an irony of fate that Humayun proved a most
unfortunate king. He tumbled through life and
tumbled out of it.

Indira Gandhi : The daughter of Jawarharlal
Nehru was the Prime Minister for 15 years. She
was shot dead by her own security man on Oct.
31, 1984. She was the recipient of Bharat Ratna in 1971.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar : A great social and
religious reformer, a great Sanskrit scholar with a
heartful of sympathy for the poor, fought for the
upliftment of Indian women and helped in the passing
of 'Widow Remarriage Act,1856'.

Jagjivan Ram:The former Deputy Prime Minister
of Janata regime and Congress President. One of
the countrys ablest political administrators.

Jai Dev : The first great reformer and advocate of
Bhakti movement in northern India was Jai Dev. He

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belonged to Bengal. His great work is Git Govind.
Krishna and Radha are subject of his Sanskrit work.
Jawaharlal Nehru : The great Indian leader and
maker of modern India. He was the first Prime
Minister of free India from 1947 and remained in the
office till his death. He pronounced the doctrine of
Pancha sheel which advocated peaceful co-existence,
non-alignment and non-interference in international
relations. The Discovery of India, Autobiography and
Glimpses of World History are some among his famous
literary works.
Jayaprakash Narayan : The Sarvodaya leader was
instrumental in the formation of Janata Party which
defeated the Congress Party in 1977 general elections
to Lok Sabha. Popularly known as Loknayak, he was
conferred the Rashtra Bhushan Award in April 1977.
Jean Jacques Rousseau : A great political philosopher
and thinker of France, who became famous for his
social contract theory. His teachings and writings led
to the French Revolution and the establishment of
republics in different parts of the world. He uttered
Man is born free but everywhere he is in chains.
Jehangir (Salim) : He came into power after the death
of Akbar. He took keen interest in art and painting and
laying out gardens and was a lover of nature. The
great painter Goverdhana was in his court. He laid out
the Shalimar and Nishat gardens near Srinagar. Akbars
Tomb at Sikandar was built by him. He was an
accomplished scholar too and wrote his autobiography
called Tuzh- i-Jehagiri. But he was addicted to drink
and opium. He is therefore called a talented
drunkard. During his reign Captain William Hawkins
was sent to India to obtain some trade concession for
the English East India Company. Sir Thomas Roe came
to the court of Jehangir and obtained permission to
construct a factory at Surat.
Joan of Arc : The girl whose heroism inspired the
French to drive the English out of Orleans. She was
burnt as a heretic at Rouen. She is called Maid of
Orleans.
John Milton : A well known epic poet of English. His
poetical works are Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained.
Joseph Stalin : He was a leader of the 1917 Russian
Revolution. He became head of the government in 1924
after the death of Lenin. He helped to make Russia a
great power.
Jyoti Basu : The 87 year old longest serving Chief
Minister of a state (24 years) since the first Left Front
Government swept to power in 1977 in West Bengal
announced his retirement from active politics and
resigned as Chief Minister on October 27, 2000 on
health grounds. He has been in the Communist party
since 1940.
Kabir : Indian saint and poet of Nirguna
Bhakti Movement. He believed in the unity of
God and equality of all religions.
Kalpana Chawla : Dr. Kalpana Chawla was the first
(Indo-American) woman to go into space. Her first
mission was on 19.11.97. Her second mission 0n 16.1.03
ended with a tragic explosion minutes before landing
on 1.2.03. In a way to honour her, India's first
meterological research statellite has been named as
Kalpana-I.

Kamaraj Nadar, K : One of the leading freedom
fighters and Congress Party leaders. He was Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu and introduced several measures
for the welfare of downtrodden in Tamil Nadu. He was
awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1976.
Kamban : A great Tamil poet and author of great
Kambaramayanam lived in the 9th Century A.D. He
was a native of Tiruvalandur in Tamil Nadu. He was
hailed as Kavi Chakravarthi. Kamban has given
full- fledged artistic expression to the grandeur and
vigour of this cultural upsurge in the greatest literary
epic of India.
Kanishka : He was the third and greatest King of the
Kushan dynasty. He was a great conqueror. He was a
Buddhist, and his reign witnessed the division of
Buddhism into two sects namely Hinayana and
Mahayana. Kanishka was a follower of the Mahayana
sect. Kanishka was a great patron of art and literature.
The well known Ayurvedic physician Charaka was his
court physician. He was the author of Charaka
Shastra, Nagarjuna, Ashvagosha, and Vasumitra.
Buddhist scholar flourished in his reign. Ashvagosha
wrote Buddha Charita. The Gandhara school of
architecture flourished during his reign. He founded
a town Kanishkapura.
Karnam Malleswari : Indian weightlifter from
Andhra Pradesh, became First Indian woman ever
to win an Olympic medal.
Kennedy, John : He was the youngest and the first
Catholic President of United States. He was
assassinated in Dallas on 22.11.1963. Khan
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan : A stalwart of Indias
freedom struggle who personified Gandhijis ideals and
ideas, died in Peshawar on January 20, 1988 at the age
of 98 after battling for life for more than 6 months. He
was buried as per his will in Jalalabad in Afghanistan,
86 k.m. from the Pakistan border on January 22, 1988.
A recipient of the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for
International Understanding for 1967, he was honoured
with Indias highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna in the
year 1987. He was also associated with Red Shirt
Movement. He is also called Frontier Gandhi.
Kishore Kumar : The King of melody, who held sway
over the music world for the past three decades died
on 13.10.1987 at the age of 58.
Kofi Annan : The seventh UN Secretary General who
is credited with the achievement of averting a possible
military strike by Anglo-American forces on Iraq over

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weapons inspection issue. Recipient of the Seoul Peace
Prize 1998 for his contribution to world peace.
Krishna Deva Raya : The Vijayanagar Kingdom founded
by Harihara and Bukka rose to prominence by Krishna
Deva Raya, the last great Hindu ruler of Southern India
belonging to Tuluva dynasty. His reign was remarkable
for the encouragement and development of art and
culture. Tradition mentions that Ashtadiggajas
flourished in his court. The Telugu poet Allasali
Peddanna was a famous poet. His reign constitutes
a golden age in South Indian History. He opined A
crowned king should always rule with an eye towards
Dharma.
Krishnamurthy, Jiddu : A renowned philosopher of
India. His patrons, Annie Besant and C.W.Leadbeather
wanted to make him the world teacher after Christ and
Krishna and created the order of the star in the East in
1911. In 1929, he dissolved the order of the Star of the
East as he felt that spiritual organisations were a
hindrance to the discovery of the truth.
Lal Bahadur Shastri : The Prime Minister of
India who succeeded Jawaharlal Nehru in
1964. His courageous decision to meet
Pakistani invasion to Kashmir by Indian Armed forces
put an end to Pakistani aggression and taught them a
lesson. He concluded the Tashkent Agreement and
after signing the declaration, he died in Tashkent itself
on January 10, 1966. He is associated with the slogan
Jai Jawan Jai Kisan. He is called Man of Peace.
He was awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously in 1966.
Lala Lajpatrai : He was the Congress leader of the
United Punjab. He is well known for his contribution to
freedom movement and social reforms. He died of
injuries caused by lathi-charge by the police while he
was leading a demonstration against the Simon
Commission in the year 1928. He was called Lion of
Punjap (Punjap Kesari). He is the author of Unhappy
India.
Lara Dutta : The 21 year old Miss. India Universe was
crowned Miss. Universe 2000 beating 78 other
contestants at the Beauty Pageant in Nicosia (Cyprus)
on May 13, 2000.
Leonardo da Vinci : He was a great Italian painter,
architect, sculptor, scientist, engineer and musician
rolled into one. Last Supper and Mona Lisa are two of
his most important paintings.
Leo Tolstoy : The great novelist and dramatist of
Russia. His famous novels are War and Peace, Anna
Karenina, Resurrection. Mahatma Gandhi had great
admiration for him and drew inspiration from his
writings.
Lord Chelmsford : The Rowlatt Act was passed in
1919. Under this Act of Government armed itself with
unlimited rights, even to detain a person and arrest him
without producing him before a court. To oppose the
Rowlatt Act, Mahatma Gandhi introduced the unique
weapon of Satyagraha, but he was imprisoned on
April 6, 1919. The Jalianwala Bagh tragedy took place
on April 13, 1919. The Khilafat Movement, Non co-
operation Movement and the Third Afghan War took
place.
Lord Dalhousie (1848-1856) : He introduced Doctrine
of Lapse and Satara, Jhansi, Nagpur and Jaipur were
annexed. Cudh was taken on grounds of mis-
government. He opened the first Indian Railway in
1853 between Bombay and Thane. Telegraph offices,
post offices were opened.
Lord Mayo (1869-1872) : A college was set up at
Ajmer to impart suitable education to the sons of the
Indian princes. Subsequently, this college was called
as the Mayo College. Lord Mayo went to Andaman
islands to inspect the conditions of the convicts, Sher
Ali stabbed him to death at Port Blair.
Lord Mountbatten : On February 20, 1947 Mr.Attlee,
British Prime Minister declared that the British
Government had decided to withdraw from India by
June 1948. To prepare plans for the transfer of power,
Lord Louis Mountbatten was sent to India in the place
of Lord Wavell.
Lord Mountbatten was able to persuade the Congress
to agree to the partition of India into two parts - India
and Pakistan. The Indian Independence Act of 1947
was passed in British Parliament. India attained
independence on 15th August 1947. Lord Mountbatten
was the first British Governor General of free India
and last Viceroy of India. C.Rajagopalachari was the
first and last Indian Governor-General of free India.
Mountbatten was Britains supreme Allied Commander
in South-East Asia in World War II. He was killed in an
explosion on a boat while holidaying in the Irish
Republic.
Lord Ripon : The only British Viceroy who became
immensely popular with the Indian people. The
Vernacular Press Act was repealed in 1882. The most
important measure of Lord Ripon was to encourage the
institution of Local Self Government in India. He is
therefore called the Father of Local Self Government.
The Hunter Commission recommended that the primary
and secondary education be transferred in the hands of
local bodies subject to the supervision of Educational
Officer of the government. The government accepted
most of the recommendations. The Punjab University
was established in 1882. The first Factory Act was
passed. The first census of the Indian people in 1881
was taken and it was resolved that it would be
repeated after every 10 years. The Ilbert Bill Indian
Judges to hear cases against Europeans could not
be passed.
Lord William Bentinck (1828-1835) : He is known for
many reforms viz., suppression of thuggee (Plunderers
of North India), prohibition of Sati, the evil system
followed by Rajputs, female infanticide and human
sacrifices. Lord William Bentinck received the hearty

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support of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. He introduced
English Education in India. The first Indian Medical
College was opened at Calcutta and the Elphinstone
College was founded at Bombay. He was the first Governor
General to act on the principle that the first duty of
British Government was to govern India for the benefit
of Indians and not simply to extend the territory.
Louis Braille : He was the inventor of embossed dot
system of reading and writing for the blind.

Mahatma Gandhi : Indian leader who fought
against the British rule. He believed in non-
violence and led India to achieve
independence. He is called the `Father of Indian
Nation. Gandhiji founded the Sabarmati Ashram at
Ahmedabad. Gandhiji made his first experiment of
Satyagraha in Champaran. In 1919 Gandhiji led an
agitation against the Rowlatt Act and made Satyagraha
his instrument of struggle. Gandhiji gave to the
country the slogan, Do or Die. On January 30, 1948
he was assassinated at the prayer meeting. Jawaharlal
Nehru declared The light has gone out of our lives.
The world dignitaries visit his Samadhi at Rajghat
whenever they visit India.
Mahavira : Vardhaman Mahavira is considered to be
the founder of Jainism. He was born as Kundagram
near Vaisali. He was called Mahavira or the Great
Hero and Jina or the Conqueror. He first preached in
Maghada. His teachings were Karma and
Transmigration and Nirvana. The object of life is to
attain Nirvana, which can be achieved by following the
three fold path namely (1) Right Faith, (2) Right
Knowledge and (3) Right Conduct. These three
principles are called Three Jewels or Tri Ratna.
The Jains worship Tirthankaras. Mahavira died at the
age of 72 at Pawa. (Patna district).
Mahmud of Ghazani : A brilliant General and a mighty
conqueror. He led as many as 17 expeditions into
India. He attacked the most celebrated temple of
Somnath. He entered the temple, broke the idol and
took vast booty. He would rather like to be known as
Mahmud the idol-breaker than Mahmud the idol-
seller. The frequent invasions and conquest of India.
He was a patron of art and letters. Alberuni, Firdausi
and Ansari adorned his court. He also erected
mosques and one of the mosques was called the
Celestial bride.
Major Yuri Gagarin : This Russian cosmonaut was the
first spaceman of the world at the age of 27. He
launched into space on April 12, 1961 in Vostok I and
returned to earth safely. He died in an aircrash.
Manu : Famous Hindu Law giver and author of Manu
Smiriti.
Margaret Atwood : One of Canada's most prolific and
well known authors bagged the prestigious Booker
Prize for 2000 in London on November 7, 2000 for her
novel "The Blind Assassin". The 60 year old author
has written some 10 novels and various critical works
and poetry collections.
Maria Montessori : Founder of the Montessory
system of child education, who hailed from Italy. Her
system enables the child to learn naturally and easily.
Martin Luther : A celebrated German reformer who
fought against the dogmas of the Catholic Church and
got himself excommunicated on that account. His
movement of reformation eventually led to the
emergence of Protestantism.
Masti Venkatesh Iyengar : The grand old man of
Kannada literature, popularly known as `Masti and
also `Srinivasa, he won the Jnanpith Award in 1983 for
his novel `Chikkaveera Rajendra.
Megasthanese : Megasthanese was a Greek scholar
who was sent by Seleucus as an ambassador to the
court of Chandra Gupta Maurya. He lived in Pataliputra,
the capital of Chandragupta for about a period of 5
years. During his stay whatever he heard and saw with
his own eyes he jotted down in a book called "Indica".
Indica throws a flood of light on the personality of the
king, his capital and also his system of administration.
Michael Faraday : He was an English Scientist who
made important discoveries in electricity and magnetism
which laid the foundation of the modern electrical
industry. At first, he was assistant to Sri Humphrey
Davy at the Royal Institution.
Mother Teresa : The angel of mercy who conquered
the world by serving the poorest of the poor. Roman
Catholic nun born to Albanian parents in Yugoslavia,
and baptized Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhin. Came to India
and was a teacher at Kolkata. Founded "Missionaries
of Charity", devoted to working for destitutes. Became
a citizen of India in 1962. Set up about 570 homes for
the poor, spread in about 125 countries. Nobel Peace
Prize 1979, Magsaysay Award 1962, Bharat Ratna 1980,
and many other awards. Mother Teresa died on
September 5, 1997 due to cardiac arrest. She was
conferred with Saint hood on October 19, 2003 at
St.Peter's Square in Vatican by Pope John Paul II.
Motilal Nehru : A great patriot, famous lawyer and
leader of Swaraj Party, was father of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Muhammad Tughlak : The real name of Muhammad
Tughlak was Jauna Khan. He made Devagiri his capital
and named it Daulatabad. This hasty project of the
Sultan has caused immense suffering to the people. He
issued copper coins and ordered that they should be
considered equal in value to the gold and silver coins.
But the people began to make counterfeit coins. The
result was that the government suffered heavily and
the trade and industry came to a standstill. The Sultan
was a man of able ideals which were far in advance by
the age in which he lived. Ibn Batuta, the celebrated
Arabian traveller visited his court and wrote a very
interesting account of his experiences.

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Munshi, K.M. : A great writer, educationalist and
expert on constitutional law. He played an active role
for Indias freedom. He is associated with

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Pandita Ramabai: She started the Sarada
Sadan, a school for widows. She also
started Krupa Sadan. It was a rescue home
`Vanamahotsava.
Muthulakshmi : Dr. Muthulakshmi was a pearl among
women and a champion among social reformers. She
was the first Indian woman to take MB & C.M.
Degree in Medicine. She campaigned against the evil
custom of the Devadasi system. By this, young girls
were dedicated to the temple and subjected to
moral indignities in the name of God. She is the
founder of Adyar Cancer Institute.
Nagarjuna : He was the famous scholar
during the period of Kanishka. His works
have been found in China and Tibet.
Nand Lal Bose : A famous Indian Artist, was the
Director of Kala Bhavan, Shantiniketan. He died in the
year 1966.
Napolean Bonaparte : French military leader nicknamed
Little corporal became emperor of France from 1804
to 1815. He was victorious in various battles against
England, Russia and Austria but was finally defeated
at Waterloo in 1815 and was exiled to St.Helena where
he died.
Narayana Guru, Sri : He was a great social reformer,
saint and philosopher of Kerala who had a place next
to Adi Sankara. He flourished in the first half of the
twentieth century and worked for eradication of
untouchability and social equality based on caste. He
was the first to propagate One caste, one religion
and one God for man.
Nelson Mandela : The Former South African President
and Nobel Prize Laureate (1993) was on November 29,
2000, selected to share the Gandhi Peace Prize with the
Grameen Bank of Bangladesh for his "exemplary work
resulting in social economic and political transformation
through non-violence and Gandhian means". The
award which carries an amount of Rs.1 crore and a
citation has for the first time been jointly awarded to
two persons or institutions. Dr. Nelson Mandela, who
dedicated his life to fight against apartheid in South
Africa and spent 27 years in prison to bring down an
unjust political order, is also the second foreign
recipient of Bharat Ratna (1990).
Niccolo Machiavelli : An Italian statesman, diplomat
and historian who advocated that the ends justified the
means. The Prince and Discourses are two of his
political treatises.
Nicolas Copernicus : He was a Polish priest and
astronomer. He made the great discovery that the earth
is a planet moving round the Sun, with other planets
and that the earth was not the centre of the Universe.
Nightingale : A famous English Nurse who organised
the nursing service in aid of soldiers who were
wounded in the Crimean War. She came to be called
The Lady with the Lamp.
for girls who were forced into prostitute homes under
dire circumstances. She also founded Mukti Mission
which bacame a shelter for the downtrodden women
and girls. In the complex of Mukti Mission at Poona
there are schools for the blind and for the mentally
retarded.
Pottekkatt S.K. : The renowned writer was the second
Malayalam writer to get the 1981 Jnanapith Award, the
first being the late Mahakavi G.Sankara Kurup.
Prithvi Raj Chauhan : Prithvi Raj Chauhan also known
as Rai Pithora was the last Hindu ruler of Delhi and
Ajmer. He waged many wars. It is said that he carried
off Samyukta, the beautiful daughter of Jai Chand, ruler
of Kanauj from her Swayamvar. This caused bad blood
between Prithvi Raj and Jai Chand. In 1191, he
defeated Muhammed Ghori, but in 1192, he was
defeated by the latter and put to death. This court
poet Chand Bardai, wrote an account of Prithvi Raj
in Prithvi Raj Rasau.
Priyanka Chopra : The Femina Miss. India (World)
from Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh) was crowned Miss. World
2000 at the 50th Miss World beauty Pageant in London
on November 30, 2000. The 18 year old Priyanka
Chopra is the Fifth Indian to win the Miss. World title
after Rita Faria (1966), Aishwarya Rai (1994), Diana
Hayden (1997) and Yukta Mookhey (1999).

Pythagoras : He was a Greek philosopher and
astronomer. Took keen interest in geometry.
Quab-ud-din Aibak : Qutab-ud-din was very
brave, best and generous and proved a good
ruler of Slave dynasty . On account of his
generosity he was called Lakh Bakhsh or Lakh
Data. He was a great builder. He began the construction
of Qutub Minar and Qutub-Mosque after the name of
Khwaja Qutab-ud-din, a Muslim saint. Both of these
buildings were completed by Altamash. Qutab-ud-din
while playing Chaugan (polo) at Lahore, he fell off his
horse and died of injuries.
Rabindranath Tagore : The famous Indian
poet, patriot, novelist and philosopher, in
Bengal. He was awarded Nobel Prize for his
work Gitanjali in 1913. He is the first Asian to receive
this honour. He founded Vishwabharati which is a
world university Shantiniketan in Bengal. He is
also called Gurudev. The National Anthem Jana
Gana Mana was composed by him. Rabindranath
renounced his knighthood in protest against Jallianwala
Bagh Massacre.
Radhakrishnan, Dr.S. : A great Indian Scholar, thinker
and second President of the Indian Republic. He was
also the first Vice- President of India. His great works
include Bhagwat Gita., The Hindu View of Life, Indian
Philosophy. He was awarded Templeton Award for

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1975 for special contribution to Hinduism. He was
awarded Bharat Ratna posthumously.
Rajagopalachari, C. : Popularly known as Rajaji and
CR was the first and last Governor General of free
India. C. Rajagopalachari is one of the ablest
statesmen of India. In July 1948, the Kashmir
Commission arrived in India and at once set about its
business in right earnest. The Razakars in Hyderabad
were committing inhuman atrocities and the Nizam was
asked to disband the Razakars. But he refused. So the
police action was taken against him. Major General
J.N.Chaudhuri was appointed Military Governor who
restored law and order in the State. Rajagopalachari
was the founder of Swatantra Party. As a Chief
Minister of Tamil Nadu he introduced prohibition. He
was also responsible for the Nuclear Test Ban. He also
led the historical salt march from Tiruchi to Vedaranyam,
a distance of 241 km. He was awarded the first Bharat
Ratna Award in 1954.
Raja Rammohan Roy : A well known social reformer of
India who dedicated his life for eradication of evils like
Sati, Child marriage and Purdah. Founder of Brahmo
Samaj. He is called Father of Modern India.
Rajendra Prasad, Dr. : He is the first unanimously
elected President of the Republic of India. He was the
Chairman of the Constituent Assembly while Dr. B.R.
Ambedkar was the Chairman of the Indian Constitution
Drafting Committee. He was the true apostle of
Gandhism and a symbol of Simple living and high
thinking. He was the author of India Divided.
Rajiv Gandhi : son of Late Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi and former Prime Minister of India was
assassinated on May 21, 1991. He is also a recipient of
Bharat Ratna award for the year 1991 posthumous.
Ramabai Ranade : Born in Satara district of Maharashtra.
She wrote several books of which Reminiscences and
Recollections written in Marathi, are considered classics.
She established Poona Seva Sadan for education of
women to make them economically independent. She
also established Seva Sadan Nursing and Medical
Associations.
Ramachandran, Dr. M.G. : The late Tamil Nadu Chief
Minister was on Jan.25,1988 posthumously awarded
Bharat Ratna the highest civilian honour by the nation.
He was the founder leader of the All India Anna
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa : A great Saint of India
and guru of Swami Vivekananda. He hailed from
Bengal and the Ramakrishna Mission has been founded
after his name.
Ramanand : Ramanand was born at Allahabad. It was
through him that the Bhakti movement became popular
in North India. He was the first Hindu reformer who
preached in the language of the people in Hindi. He
preached the worship of Rama and Sita. He also
strongly condemned caste system.
Ramanuja : Ramanuja preached Vaishnavism in the
south and declared Bhakti to be the sole of Salvation.
His doctrine is called Visishtadvaita. He is considered
to be the first great exponent of Bhakti movement.
Ramaswami, E. V. : E. V. Ramaswami popularly
known as Periyar was born in Erode. He fought
against irrational beliefs, outmoded customs and
superstitious practices of all kinds. He also fought
for the progress of the backward classes. He
participated in the struggle for securing for the
Harijans the right to go into the temple and earned for
himself the title of the hero of Vaikam Satyagraha.
(Vaikam is a temple at Kerala).
Rana Pratap : The most illustrious figure in the history
of Rajasthan. He was a great patriot. He refused to
submit to Akbar, the greatest monarch of his time, and
make marriage alliance with him. He also made a vow
that as long as he did not recover Chitor he would
sleep on the ground, would eat out leaves instead of
dishes, and would not twist his moustaches. Akbar
sent Raja Mansingh against him. Rana Pratap was
defeated. He was in fact, a true son of the motherland
and a noble patriot.
Ranjit Singh : His title Sher-e-Punjab (Lion of Punjab).
He united all the Sikhs to form into a powerful Sikh
State in 1783 AD. He was a successful administrator
and organised the central and provincial administration.
He reformed the revenue and provincial systems.
Robert Clive (1725-1774) : He came to India as a clerk
in the East India Company. He showed such remarkable
military genius that he became Commander-in-Chief.
He defeated Siraj-ud-Daulah supported by the French
in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Returned to England
in 1760; his later years were marked by mental
disturbance and ultimately he committed suicide.
Robert Walpole : He was opposed to war and his
policy of peace gave England a much needed rest from
war and led the country to economic prosperity during
his 21 years of office as first Prime Minister of England.
Roosevelt, F.D. : The only American to be elected four
times to the highest office in the United States. During
his presidentship, America entered World War II and
title the scales in favour of the allies. His name is also
remembered for his New Deala Reform in America.
President Roosevelt defined the four essential human
freedomsas (1) Freedom of speech and expression, (2)
Freedom to worship God in ones own way, (3) Freedom
from want, (4) Freedom from fear.
Salim Ali : The eminent Ornithologist known
as the Birdman of India watched birds for
most of his life, is a winner of several
international and national honours including Padma
Vibhushan in 1976.
Samudragupta : Samudragupta one of the oldest and
most powerful of Hindu Kings. He was a great general
and had passion for war. He is called the Indian

Napolean by historians. He conquered a very large
part of India. He was also an accomplished scholar,
poet and musician. He got that title of Kaviraja. In
commomeration of his brilliant conquests, Samudragupta
celebrated the Ashwamedha Yajna (horse sacrifice) and
assumed the title of Maharajadhiraj. He was a skilled
musician and an expert player of Veena. He also
patronised poets and chief among them was Harisena,
his court poet. Harisenas poem in Sanskrit inscribed
on a pillar of Asoka which stands at Allahabad is the
chief source of information of his reign.
Sankaracharya : Sankara was born at Kaladi in Kerala
in 1788. He learnt the four Vedas. He preached the
basic ideas of the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagvat
Gita. He preached the philosophy of Advaita. He calls
God The Paramathma. The soul in our body is
called Jeevathma. The body is the temple where
jeevathma lives. Hence the body should be kept
pure. He taught `Mukti, a stage when Jeevathma
(man) realises the Paramathma (God) within himself. He
founded mutts to propagate the philosophy of Advaita.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel : Sardar Patel was the first
Deputy Prime Minister of India. He is called the Iron
man of India, Bismarc of India who played a
unique part in the unification of India. He was
responsible for the annexation of Princely States to
Indian Union. The two enclaves Dadra and Nagar
Haveli which were under the Portuguese domination
were merged in the Indian Union on 17, August 1961.In
Gujarat a conflict developed between the peasantry
and the British Government when the latter attempted
to increase Revenue. Vallabhbhai Patel took up the
cause of the peasants and the struggle was known
as the Bardoli Satyagraha. The struggle met with a
considerable success. It was because of this successful
agitation that Vallabhbhai Patel came to be called
Sardar.
Mrs. Sarojini Naidu : Gifted Indian poetess of English
language who came to be known as Nightingale of
India and also Indian Torudatt. She took part in
Indias freedom struggle and was the second woman
President of Indian National Congress (Mrs.Annie
Besant was the First woman President of Indian
National Congress). In free India she became the first
woman Governor of an Indian State (Uttar Pradesh).
Her outstanding works are The Golden Threshold,
The Broken Wing, The Bird of Time, The
Sceptered Flute, The Song of India etc.
Satyamurti : He was an eminent freedom fighter and an
important leader of the Indian National Congress. He
took a leading part in the Civil Disobedience Movement
(1930) and in the Quit India Movement (1942). He was
arrested and imprisoned four times and died on March
28, 1943 in captivity.
Savarkar, V.D. : He was the founder of Abinava
Bharatha, secret society of revolutionaries. It preached
the gospel of freedom. His book Indian War of
Independence in 1906 at London about the great
uprising of 1857 helped both to put the record straight
and infuse a spirit of nationalism and rebellion among
the youth of the country.
Sawai Jai Singh II : Founder of Jaipur City (called
Rose Pink City) was a astronomer King. The king had
got constructed huge stone observatories (Janter
Mantars) for astronomical observations in various
parts of Northern India including Delhi and Jaipur. His
500th Birth Anniversary was celebrated on
November 3, 1989.
Shah Jahan : He was the most magnificent of the
Mughal emperors. His reign was the golden age of
Mughal architecture. He built Taj Mahal, a magnificent
marble tomb in memory of his wife Mumtaz. Taj
Mahal is at Agra. The pearl mosque, Red Fort, Jama-
Masjid, Shalimar Gardens, Jehangirs Tomb etc., are
beautiful work constructed by him. He is therefore
called the Engineer King. The Peacock Throne
built by him was taken away by Nadir Shah to Iran.
Shakespeare : The greatest English poet and dramatist.
He was born at Stratford-on-Avon. He first appeared
before the public as a poet in 1593 with his Venus and
Adonis. His famous plays are Macbeth, Merchant of
Venice, Julious Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra etc. He
died at the age of 52.
Sher Shah Suri : Sher Shahs original name was Farid
Khan. He defeated Humayun at Kanauj. During the
brief period of his rule he attempted to set up a national
state and initiated those reforms which brought him the
title of the Forenunner of Akbar. He introduced
postal system and constructed the Grand Trunk
Road from Peshawar to Calcutta. Sher Shah killed a
tiger and came to be called Sher Khan. His famous
tomb at Sasaram (Bihar) is one of the finest
monuments in India.
Shivaji : Shivaji organised the Marathas into a nation.
His contact with Guru Ramdas, a renowned religious
preacher inspired Shivaji with boundless zeal for Hindu
religion and love for motherland. He levied Mughlai
the surrounding territory from which he collected
Chauth and Sardeshmukhi taxes. The guerilla warfare
was introduced by him. He assumed the title of
Chatrapathi at Raigarh coronation.
Sigmund Freud : He is considered to be father of
modern psychological school. The interpretation of
Dreams, Psychopathology of Everyday Life, The Ego
and the Id are some of his famous works.
Sister Subbalakshmi : Sister Subbalakshmi of
Chennai was one of the social reformers of the
present century. She worked for the progress of
woman. She advocated equality of sex, widow
remarriage, higher education for women and employment
opportunities for women. She started a Widows Home
and gave craft training to the widows so that they
could earn their livelihood.

T
U
V

Sirimavo Bandaranaike : Former Sri Lankan Prime
Minister (three times) and mother of President Ms.
Chandrika Kumaratunga died of heart attack in Colombo
on October 10, 2000, soon after casting her vote in
October Parliamentary elections. Earlier, Mrs. Sirimavo
Bandaranaike resigned from the Prime Ministership in
August 2000 on health grounds. She entered politics
after her husband, S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike was
assassinated by a Buddhist monk in 1959. In July 1960
Parliamentary elections, she led the Sri Lanka Freedom
Party (SLFP) to a landslide victory to become the world's
first elected woman Prime Minister on 22-7-1960.

Stalin Joseph : He was a leader of 1917 Russian
Revolution. He helped to make Russia a great power.

Subash Chandra Bose : Called Nethaji, was a true
patriot of India. The British Government interned him in
his own house at Calcutta.On 26th January, 1941, it was
found that he had mysteriously disappeared. During
the World War II, he organised a regular army and
called in the Indian National Army (INA) or Azad Hind
Fauz in Singapore. They gave good fight to the British
forces in Assam Hill. Their war song was - Advance
step by step, sing the song of joy, your life belongs to
the nation, sacrifice it for the sake of the nation.
After the surrender of Japanese, he is said to have
been killed in an air crash accident. He was the founder
of Forward Bloc Party. His slogans Jai Hind and
Dilli Chalo are inspirations of our nationalism.

Subramania Bharati : Subramania Bharati born in
Ettayapuram is a poet, journalist, patriot and
philosopher. His birth centenary year was observed in
1981. He had a dramatic impact in Tamil literature. He
had spotlighted the unbroken evolution of Indian
culture from the ancient times to the 20th century.

Subramaniam. C : The father of India's Green Revolution
and elder statesman died in Chennai on November 7,
2000 at the age of 90. A recipient of Bharat Ratna, C.
Subramaniam was one of the members of Constitutent
Assembly. He played a significant role as Minister
in the erstwhile cabinets of C.Rajagopalachari and K.
Kamaraj in Tamil Nadu. He later served as Union
Minister handling various portpolios under four Prime
Ministers, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri,
Indira Gandhi and Charan Singh, besides being a
Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. He was
appointed Governor of Maharashtra in 1992.

Sun Yat-sen : The founder and first President of
Chinese Republic played a prominent part in the 1911
Revolution of China.

Surendranath Banerjee : A great Indian Patriot of
Bengal who held the Presidentship of the Indian
National Congress twice. The pioneer of the Nationalist
agitation in India. He founded the Indian Association
aiming to make it the centre of the Indian National
Congress. Eminent leader in the agitation against the
partition of Bengal.
Swami Vivekananda : A great Hindu saint and religious
leader, born in Calcutta on January 12, 1863 and his
original name was Narendranath Datta. A disciple of
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, he championed the
greatness of Vedantic philosophy. He founded the
Ramakrishna Mission to carry on his humanitarian and
social work. He represented Hinduism in the Parliament
of Religions in Chicago (U.S.A.).
Tata, Jamshedji: The Indian industrialist
founded the Tata Iron & Steel Co. in Bihar and
thus started the industrial progress of India.
Tenzing Norgay : Nicknamed the Tiger of Snows, the
ace mountaineer, who with Edmund Hillary was the first
to climb Mount Everest (8,848 metre-high) was awarded
Padma Bushan.
Thomas Alva Edison : A great American inventor. He
began life as a newsboy and then served as a telegraph
operator. He has more than 1,000 inventions to his
credit including motion pictures, gramophone, electric
bulb, etc.
Thyagaraja : He was saint of South India and a great
composer of South Indian Music and devotional
songs.
Tipu Sultan : He was an able ruler of Mysore. He was
not only a valiant soldier but also a General. He got the
title Tiger of Mysore. He waged three wars against
the rulers of East India Company.
Todar Mal : He was Akbars Revenue Minister and one
of the nine gems of Akbars courts. He was famous for
his land revenue reforms.
Tulsidas : He was a great Hindu religious preacher and
wrote famous Ramacharitamanas in which he has
described life story of Lord Rama.
Uday Shankar : He was the famous artist and
exponent of Indian dance. He was the elder
brother of the famed sitarist Ravi Shankar.
Usha P.T. : The Sprint Queen and Golden Girl, who is
also known as Payyoli Express of Indian athletics with
a long span of 23 years as a sports career, was named
as female sports person of the Century by Indian
Olympic Association (IOA) on December 28, 1999.
She was conferred Arjuna Award in 1983 and Padma
Shri in 1985.

Valmiki : A celebrated Sanskrit poet
of Ancient India. He wrote the Famous
Ramayana.
Varahmihira : A distinguished astronomer,
mathematician and philosopher of early India. He was
one of the nine gems who adorned the Court of King
Vikramaditya (Chandragupta II).
Veerasalingam Pantulu : Kandekeeri Veerasalingam
Pantulu was a great social reformer of Andhra Pradesh.
He started a monthy journal in Telugu, Vivekavardhani
and expressed his enlightened views on widow re-

E

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W

marriage. The Widows Home in Rajamundry was
founded by him.
Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit : She was born on August
18, 1900. She was younger to Jawaharlal Nehru. Mrs.
Pandit had several firsts to her credit. She was the first
Indian woman to become a Cabinet Minister, when
appointed as the Minister of Local Government &
Health in the Congress Ministry of U.P. from 1937-1939.
She was the first woman Ambassador, the first woman
to lead a delegation to the U.N. General Assembly
(1946-51) as well as first President (1953-54). Also led
the first Indian delegation to China after the Communist
regime was established. Also the first woman to head
a London diplomatic mission in 1954 when she became
the High Commissioner for India in London.She served
as the Governor of Maharashtra for two years from
1962. The first woman to be accorded the unique
honour in international diplomacy, she treated her
election as President of the U.N. General Assembly
more as an honour to India.Her autobiography The
Scope of Happiness and Selection of Speeches are
two of her well-known books. [She was awarded the
Padma Vibushan by the Government of India and the
One world award and medal for services to humanity
in the U.S.]Her death on December 1, 1990 symbolises
the fading of an era, a powerful voice that had led
Indias prestige soaring in international diplomacy.
Visvesvarayya, M. : A great engineer of Mysore who
distinguished himself by building the dam across
Cauvery in Mysore. He was also a recipient of the
Bharat Ratna Award.
Viswanathan Anand : The Grandmaster became the
First Indian as also Asian Chess Player to clinch the

GENERAL T
world chess title winning the FIDE World Chess
Championship in Teheran on December 24, 2000 by
defeating Alexei Shirov of Spain (3.5-0.5). He was
formally crowned 15th World Chess Champion.

Vladimir Lenin : Founder of modern Communist
Russia who was responsible for the successful Soviet
revolution of October- November 1917. He wrote Not
a single problem of a class struggle has ever been
solved in history except by violence. Lenins
mausoleum is in Red Square, Moscow.

Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee : (W. C.
Bonnerjee) He was the first President of
the Indian National Congress, and a notable
part in the setting up of the League of Nations.

Yukta Mookhey : The 20 year old Miss India
was crowned Miss. World at the last Miss
World Beauty Pageant of the Millinneum
(1999) held in London. She is the third Indian beauty
to bag the title in a decade, after Aishwarya Raj (1994)
and Diana Hayden (1997).

Zakir Hussain.Dr: Dr. Zakir Hussain was
Indias second Vice President. He was elected
as President after a hot contest with former
Chief Justice K. Subba Rao. Dr. Zakir Hussain was
a great educationist. He was the founder of Jamia
Millia, an institution which has done a lot in the
promotion of education in India. As President, Dr.
Zakir Hussain pledged to serve the people
wholeheartedly and impartially. He said The whole of
Bharat is my home and its people my family. He died
in office on 3-5-1969. He was awarded Bharat Ratna
for the year 1963.

RMINOLOGY

Ad Hoe Committee : is a committee constituted for a
special purpose.
Adult Franchise : The right of voting in election
granted to every adult male or female having completed
18 years, without distinctin of caste, creed or colour.
Also called Adult Suffrage.
Aggression : The act of attacking. It occurs when
forces of one country enter the territory of another
country. This can happen after declaration of war by or
both or them, or even without any such decalration.
Agricultural Revolution : The transition from feudal to
modern farming practices is referred to as agricultural
revolution. It does not mean some suden or rapid
changes. It may be revolutionary in character. Like the
well-known industrial revolution, some countries have
experienced agricultural revolution. Recently, the
Green Revolution witnessed in India.
Air Pollution : means fouling up of the atmosphere as
a result of discharge into it of noxious and even
poisonous fumes, produced by automotiv
transportation, industries, nuclear explosions, etc. The
problem has recently assumed alarming proportions
and nuclear explosions, etc., The problem has recently
assumed alarming proportions and is presently engaging
the attention of scientists all over the world.

Ambassador : a diplomatic envoy of the highest order
sent by one State to another.

High Commissioner : is the designation given to the
highest diplomatic representative of one Commonwealth
country to another.

Apartheid : The language is spoken in South Africa.
Its literal meaning is apart-hood. The word is used to
describe the policy of keeping the white and the black
people separate from each other. It also means favouring
one race at the cost of another. South Africa and
Rhodesia follow this policy.

Asylum : means a place of refuge or protection.

Automation : Automation means use of such machines
in industry as can run automatically, replacing the work

of human beings. With automation, machines are used
to control other machines and the process is virtually
endless.
Autonomy : power or right of self-governing.
Balance of Power : Some believe that rival States
should build up equal military strength. According to
them, it is necessary for keeping the peace. It is called
the theory of balance of power.
Balance of Trade : The difference between the visible
exports and visible imports of two countries in trade
with each other is called balance of trade. If the
difference is positive, the balance of trade (or of
payment) is called favourable balance of trade and
if negative, it is called unfavourable balance of trade
(or payment).
Bank Nationalisation : Some major Indian Banks have
been nationalised with the object (i) to remove control
by the few over the commanding heights of economy,
(ii) to provide for adequate credit for agriculture and
small industry, (iii) to widen ownership base in order to
end concentration of economic and industrial power in
selected few hands.
Bank Rate : It is the rate of interest charged by the
Reserve Bank of India for lending money to
commercial banks.
Black Market : Selling goods at a higher price with a
profiteering motive by creating artificial scarcity by
means of hoarding, etc.
Black Money : means unaccounted money, concealed
income and undisclosed wealth. In order to evade
taxes, some people falsify their accounts and do not
record all transactions in their account books.
Blood Bank : It is a storing place of reserve blood kept
for emergency transfusion. Persons donating blood are
generally between 21 and 50 years of age, with
negative history of syphilis, chronic alcoholism and
recent illness.
Blue Chip : This is the common stock of a large,
reputed corporation which has a stable and least risky
growth path. The stocks of such a corporation, typical
blue-chip, stocks, are high-priced.
Blue revolution : Refers to fish-farming.
Brain Drain : When the best talents of one country
are attracted to another because of salary, living and
working conditions etc., in the latter are more
attractive, and a one way traffic in talent starts, it is
called brain drain.
Budget : It is the statement of the receipts and
expenditures of a country during a year. It is presented
to the Assembly for voting. It is a sort of balance sheet
of a country requiring the sanction of the legislature.
Bulls and Bears : are terms used on the Stock
Exchange. Bull refers to one who seeks to raise the
price of stock and speculate on a rise, whereas Bears
means one who sells stock for delivery at a future date
anticipating fall in prices.
Cabinet : a committee of ministers holding the most
important portfolios. They are responsible for the
legislature and they also work under a system of joint
responsibility.
CD-ROM - It is a computer peripheral device that
employs compact disk technology to store large
amounts of digitized data for later retrieval.
Census : an official enumeration of inhabitants with
statistics relating to them. The last census operations
in India were held in 1991.
Cellular Phone : This phone allows you to make a
telephone while on the move. It can be installed
in vehicles or can be carried along.
Coalition : combination of political parties. When a
single political party has not won an overall majority of
seats in a legislature, two or more political parties
combine together form a government. Such a govt. is
called a coalition government.
Communism : is a political system. It believes in a
classless society in which there will be no private
property. Pure communism has not been achieved
anywhere in the world so far.
Computer : (1) An electronic device that can store
recall, or process information. A computer performs
these tasks according to instructions which can easily
be changed so it is able to do many different kinds of
work. Computers keep files, solve mathematical
problems, play games, and control the operations of
other machines. (2) Person skilled or trained in
computing. This was invented by Charles Babbage.
Consumer Durable : Consumer Durable means any
commodity for personal use that has a long life, such
as furniture and electrical goods, as opposed to food
and drink, which are perishable and have to be
replenished frequently.
Customs Duty : is a tax levied on foreign goods
imported into the home country or home-made goods
exported to foreign countries. (Excise Duty is a tax
levied on certain commodities produced and consumed
within the country).
Direct Taxes : refer to income-tax levied directly
onindividuals on their total world income. (Taxes
collected in the shape of excise duties levied on goods
of daily use or consumption are called indirect taxes).
E-Mail : E-mail or Electronic mail is more cheaper, faster
and flexible than most other means of communication.
It involves transporting a computer file that contains
the e-mail message from one computer to another.
E-Commerce : This refers to the application of the
Internet in conducting commerce of any kind. It
includes buying and selling of goods, services or
information, between individuals and between

corporations. E-commerce has been categorised into
three. Business-to-Business (B2B), Business-to-
Consumer (B2C) and Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C).
Estate Duty : is a duty levied on the estate or property
which changes hands on the death of a person, and
has to be paid by his or her inheritors or successors.
Excise Duty and Customs Duty : Excise Duty is a tax
levied on certain commodities produced and consumed
at home. Customs duty is levied on imports & exports.
Fax : Short for Facsimile, it is a device that transmits
pictures, drawings, text to a similar device at the
receiving end, using telephone lines.
Floor Crossing : When a member of the legislature
leaves the opposition to join the party inpower or vice
versa, he or she is said to have crossed the floor. This
is also called defection of legislators from their
parent parties.
Free Port : a port where no duties are levied on articles
of commerce.
Gherao : These are tactics of coercion and intimidation
by wrongful confinement adopted by agitating workmen.
Gheraos have been termed illegal and banned.
Gift Tax : In order to plug th eleakage of taxes through
the offerings made by way of gifts by a relative to
another of his kin, the Central Government introduced
the Gift Tax.
Gold Bonds : These were introduced on October 27,
1965. The main feature of these bonds was that gold
will be returned for gold after a period of 15 years and
no enquiries would be made as to how the gold had
been acquired. Investment in gold bonds is exempted
from wealth tax and any gift of the bonds up to
5 kgs is exempt from levy of gift tax.
Green Revolution : refers to alleged elements of
change brought about in Indian agriculture by the use
of better seeds, improved implements and modern farm
practices in order to quicken th eprogress in agriculture.
Hartal : voluntary closure of all business or work to
express protest for redress of grievances.
Income-tax : Direct tax levied on total world income of
a person in a year. It was levied for the first time in the
world in Britain in 1799 by William Pitt to help finance
a war against France.
Internet : Internet is a network of computers that offer
access to people and informations.
Laser - Light Amplicatoin by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation. It is a device which is capable of producing
a powerful, monochromatic and coherent beam of light.
Laser beams are used to cut or melt hard materials,
remove diseased body tissues, transmit television
signals etc.,
May Day : the day of workers of the world celebrated
throughout the world on the 1st May every year with
the slogan Workers of the World, Unite.
Mid-term Poll : A mid-term poll is an election held out
of schedule as a result of the dissoluton of a State
legislature before it has been in existence for its normal
span of life.
Mixed Economy : Signifies the middle path between
capitalism and socialism. India has a mixed economy -
economic activity being mainly divided into two
sectors - public sector and the private sector. India had
accepted the ideal of a mixed economy as its
national polity.
Modvat : Modified Value Added Tax-the new scheme of
indirect taxes - was introduced in India from March 1,
1986. It allows a manufacturer to obtain instant and
complete reimbursement of the excise duty paid on the
components and raw materials.
National Income : The World net is of special
significance, because from the total gross produce a
certain amount is to be deducted as charges for
depreciation and wearing out of the plant and other
capital equipments, while the net income from foreign
investments must be added.
Octroi : It is a form of tax levied on goods entering a
municipal town. The tax thus collected is generally
used for the maintenance of the town.
Open University : is an University wherein students
are free to join, leave and rejoin at any stage in their
educaiton which is organized as a continuing process.
One such University has been functioning in the U.K.
for some time now.
Panchayati Raj : While capitalism entails exploitation,
concentration of wealth in a few hands and denial of
the requisite resources to the masses, Panchayati Raj
means the exercise of power by the villagers themselves
and local self-government at the grass-roots.
Per Capita Income : The term defines national income
per head or coefficient resulting from the division of
the national income by the size of the population.
Planned Economy : An economic system in which
some or all of the decisions on allocation, production,
investment and distribution are made by government or
an agency delegated to such an authority.
Poverty Line : is to be found at the level of income at
which a person or a family can barely subsist. Anyone
having an income below that level is said to be below
the poverty line.
Prohibition : a measure barring the sale and
consumption of alcoholic drinks.
Quorum : minimum essential of members to be present
in order to constitute a house to transact proceedings.
Snap Polls : A snap poll means a sudden election to
a legislature held at short notice before the expiry of its
full term. A mid-term poll also means the same thing,
even if an election is ordered many months after the
middle of a legislatures usual five-year span.

Socialistic Pattern of Society : even-distribution of
economic power or reduction of inequalities in income
and wealth in a country. The Resolution for a Socialistic
Pattern of Society was adopted at the Avadi Session
of the Indian National Congress.
Tax : A tax is a compulsory payment made by a person
or a body or persons to a public authority for which
there is no quid pro quo. It is an important source of
revenue for the modern governments. Sales tax, in
India is a case in point.
Territorial Waters : Although attempts have been
made to c odify international law on territorial
waters, it has not been found possible to enforce
a universally acceptable limit.
Third World : The world is divided into (i) the Western
bloc led by the U.S.A., the U.K., West Germany, Japan
etc., (ii) the Communist bloc led by the Soviet Union
including the East Euripean countries, and (iii) the
Third World which generally means the developing
countries.
Time Capsule : The term is used to describe metallic
cylinders filled with memorabilia and buried deep in the
earth so that after a few thousand years, if somebody
discovers such a capsule, he should be reminded of
what life and times were like when the time capsule
had been initially buries.
Trade Mark : a distinctive mark or sign, or a name
given to a product which is registered in order to
safeguard the manufacturers rights. Trade mark canot
be copied by anyone under the law.
Two - nation Theory : Before India had won freedom,
leaders of the Muslim League (which was one of the
important political parties in India) put forward the

Legal Terms
Accord : an informal agreement as between nations or
mutual agreement.

Accused : a person formally charged with committing
a crime.

Adjournment Motion : a motion moved by a member in
a legislature when it is desired to draw the attention of
the executive to a matter of urgent public importance or
interest.

Administrative Law : The rules and regulations framed
by the executive.

Adult Suffrage : is the right of voting in political
elections granted to every adult persons male or female
without distinction of caste, creed, colour or holding of
any property or qualification etc.

Advalorem : means according to the value. It is
calculated according to value. A duty the amount of
which depends upon the value of the property taxed is
called an advalorem duty.
theory that the Hindus and the Muslims living in India
constituted two separate nations with different religious,
cultural and linguistic patterns, and that India should,
therefore, be divided in two parts, one of which should
be a separate Muslim state to be named Pakistan. This
thesis came to be described as the two-nation theory.

Value-Added Tax (VAT) : A tax on the value added is
termed VAT. The principle governing this tax is that the
person paying for goods or services pays a tax thereon
and also collects tax on his sales. The net effect of this
tax is that the tax paid is credited against tax collected
and only the balance is payable to the taxing authority.

Veto : right of executive head to refuse to approve any
legislation.

Wealth-tax : It is a tax levied on wealth possessed by
an individual or by a Hindu Undivided Family in excess
of certain prescribed limits. The object is to keep even-
distribution of wealth in society.

White revolution refer to vast production of milk
achieved in India. Operation Flood-II programme has
been set up for the expansion of the existing plants.
A vast network of Milk producers Co-operative
Societies is operating under a three-tier system, milk
unions at district level and primary milk societies at the
village level.

Zero-base Budgeting : It is improvement over the
traditional budgeting and not a substitute of it. It
examines critically, regularly and systematically the
assumptions of the traditional budget. The budgeted
items are treated each year at the Zero-base level as if
it was non-existent in the past. Its input is related to
the output to decide upon its inclusion in or exclusion
from the annual budget.

Affidavit : a statement on oath for use as evidence in
Judicial process.
Alibi : elsewhere a legal plea that the accused was not
presented at the time and place of occurrence.
All Rights Reserved : Printed intimation in any book
or literacy work notifying that the owner of the copy
right was legally protected his rights against
infringement.
Amnesty : a general pardon that is granted to the
prisoners generally during a major national celebration.
Anticipatory bail : it is a bail granted by a court to a
person who apprehends that he might be arrested for
non-bailable offences.
Approval : an accomplice giving evidence against his
companions.
Arbitration : settlement of a dispute by someone
chosen to hear both sides and come to a decision.
Award : the decision of a law court or arbitrartor.

Amicus Curiae : He is a member of the Bar or other
stand-by who informs the court when it is doubtful or
mistaken of any fact or decided case.
Bail : the security given to effect the release of one
arrested or imprisoned, on the understanding that he
shall appear for trail at a fixed time and place.
Bicameral : having or consisting of two legislative
chambers.
Bigamy : an offence a husband or wife marrying again
during the life of the spouse.
Bonafide : in good faith
Bye Laws : are special rules and regulations made by
any company or corporation for carrying on its affairs,
but they must neither contrivance the powers conferred
by the parliament nor the laws of the land.
Censure Motion : means a motion of no-confidence in
a government or a gruop in power.
Certiorari : a writ to transfer a law suit from a lower
court to a higher one.
Circumstantial evidence : evidence based on the
circumstances of a case and sufficiently strong to
establish the guilt.
Coalition : combinations of political parties. When two
or more parties combine and form a government, it is
called a coalition government.
Cognizable offence : Offence which can be dealt with
by the court.
Contempt of Court : disobedience or disregrad of the
judgement or orders of the court.
Convict : one found guilty of a crime and sentenced by
a court.
Code : a body of classified laws or regulations, e.g.
Criminal Procedure Code.
Coup detat : is a violent and sudden change of
Government usually by the force of arms.
Copy right : the exclusive right of an author in his
literary or artistic work. It is vested in the author for
a period of fifty years.
Court martial : a court of military or naval officers to
try persons for breach of military discipline according
to military law.
C.P.C. : Civil Procedure Code.
Cr.P.C.: Criminal Procedure Code.
Curfew : an order under which people have to be
indoors within certain hours.
Decree : The award or decision of a court or arbitrator.
Defendant : a person required to answer in a court.
Defacto : actually : which actually functions though it
may not have any legal sanction.
Defamation : to attack the reputation of-slander
or libel.
Dejure : by right of aw, lawful, rightful.
Detenue : a person who has been detained by
the State.
Division Bench : refes to a Bench of two judges.
Double jeopardy : means prosecuting a person more
than once for the same offence.

Estoppel : a bar to prevent a person from admitting or
denying because of statements made by him previously.
Exhibit : a legal document presented as proof of
the facts.
Extradition : delivering a national of another country
for trial or offences.

Ex.gratia : by way of grace : it is used to denote
payment or grant made on humanitarian consideration.
Ex officio : by virtue of holding any office.
Exparte : something done or said by one person in the
absence of his opponent.
Facsimile : an exact copy of a document.

F.I.R.: first information report refers to information
relating to the commission of congnizable offence.
Forgery : the act of counterfeiting handwriting of
another with the intention of defrauding him.
Free Legal aid : legal aid provided to the poor at the
expense of the government.
Full Bench : refers to a bench of three or more judges.
Genocide : the willful extermination of a minority or a
religious community or race by mass killing or by
passing repressive measures.
Habeas Corpus : a writ refers to the right of an arrested
person to be produced before the court of law for trial.
Indemnity : security against damage or loss.
Indictment : document containing charges against a
prisoner.
INTERPOL : International Police Headquarters.
Lyons (Paris).

Inquest : legal or judicial enquiry to find out facts
usually concerning the death of a person.
In camera : in secret.
I.P.C.: Indian Penal Code.
Lease : contract by which a lessor, usually in
consideration or rent, conveys land or tenement to a
lessee for a specified time.
Legacy : money or property left to a person by will.
Letters Patent : A document under seal of the
government authorising an individual or body to do
some act or enjoy some privilege.
Levirate : means marriage of a woman with her
younger brother in law after her husbands death.

Libel : any publication or statement calculated to injure
ones reputation or character.
Life imprisonment : means imprisonment for
fourteen years.
Limited Company : is one in which the
shareholdes responsibility is limited to the extent of
their shares in it.
Limited liability : liability of the shareholders of a
company is limited to the extent of the value of
their shares.
Locus stand : right to interfere.
Mandamus : writ issue by a superior court diecting the
State or lower court, to whom it is issued, to perform
specified act pertaining to its office.
Malafide : with bad faith.
Minor : every person domiciled in India and below the
age of eighteen years is a minor.
Modus operandi : mode of working.
Monogamy : the practice or state of being married to
only one person at a time.
Mortgage : a deed transferring property to creditor as
security for the payment of a debt.
Moratorium : an order authorising postponement of
payment of dues without imposition of punishment.
Natural Justice : means justice founded on fairness,
equity and good conscience.
Naturalisation : is the grant of nationality or citizenship
to an alien.
Negotiable Instruments : are documents (such as bank
notes, cheque, promissory note etc.) which on transfer
from one person to another convey the legal right to
the property they represent.
Notry Public : an official, usually a lawyer, appointed
to attest or certify documents and deeds.
Official Receiver : a person properly authorised to
carry out duties in connection with the winding up of
an insolvents estate.
Ordinance : is an act promulgated by the Head of a
State in case of emergency without undergoing the
formalities of the regular procedure of the legislature of
the country. It cannot remain in force beyond a
specified period.
Parole : the release of a prisoner before the sentence
has expired, on condition of future good behaviour.
Perjury : making false statement on oath.
Plaintiff : one who brings a suit in a court of law.
Penology : is that branch of riminology which deals
with the study of punishments for crimes and reform or
reclamation of criminals.
Polygamy : practice or condition of being married to
more than one husband at the same time.
Postmortam examination : refers to meical examination
of a corpse (dead body) in order to discover the cause
of death.
Power of Attorney : a document under seal authorising
the person to whom it is given to act in all respects as
the agent of the granter of the power in relation to
matters specified in the documents.
Preventive Detention : imprisonment without trial
before the actual commission of a specified crime.
Promissory Note : an undertaking in writing to repay
the sum on demand.
Prohibition : is a measure banning the sale or
consumption of alcoholic drinks and narcotics.
Prohibitory Order : It is an order issued by acompetent
authority prohibiting meetings, processions,
demonstrations etc., without prior permission.
Proxy : One who acts for another or the written
authorisation for such action.
Prima facie : at the first sight.
Probono Publico : for the public good.
Quo Warranto : is the writ issued to person holding an
important office of the State to establish his claim to
hold that post.
Quorum : the minimum number to form meeting at
which any official business can be transacted.
Rule of Law : means that all persons are equal in the
eye of law without any distinction of status, colour,
caste and sex, and that the government cannot exercise
any arbitary powers.
Sedition : conduct or speech tending to rebellion or
breach of public order.
Sine die : without date, indefinitely.
Status quo ante : the previous positon.
Summons : a writ of a court commanding the
attendance of a witness at a specified time and
place.
Sub judice : under judicial consideration.
Ultravires : beyond ones power etc.,
Unicameral : having only one house in a law
making body.
Vakalat : a written authority by a litigant to his
lawyer.
Vox populi : the voice of the people.
Warrant : a legal document, issued by a competent
authority given power of arrest and detention before
trial, seizure of property or search of houses ad
buildings.
Writ : a written command by the High Court or the
Supreme Court directing the State or the court to act or
abstain from acting in some way.

CONSTITUTIONAL TERMS
Appellate Jurisdiction : The authority to hear the
appeal against the law courts.
Bill (Law) : Bill means proposed law introduced in the
legislature for discussion. When passed, it becomes a
law. A Bill may be introduced in either house of
legislature by a minister. It is then called an Official
Bill. A Bill may be introduced by a member in either
house of legislature after giving due notice. Such a bill
is called a Non-Official Bill.
Budget : A Statement of annual income and expenditure
is submitted to the legislature for its approval.
Cabinet : First rank members of the Council of
Ministers appointed by the President on the
recommendations of the Prime Minister.
Collective Responsibility : It means that the Council of
Ministers take decisions collectively and all ministers
actively support that decision. The whole Council of
Ministers resigns if a vote of no-confidence is passed
against a minister.
Constitution : A body of Fundamental laws and
principles according to which a country is governmed.
It is a frame wok within which a governmen works.
Constitutency : A body of voters that elect its
representative to a legislative body like the Lok Sabha,
or the Vidhan Sabha.
Civil Cases : Cases oncerning property, contracts and
damage to goods in transit, etc.
Crimnal cases : Cases dealing with left, robbery,
physical injury or murder.
Citizen : A citizen is one who lives in a country and
participates in the working of the government. An
individual cannot be a citizen of more than one country.
Constitutional Remedy : Our Constitution provides
that, in case an individual feels that he has been denied
his fundamental rights, he can demand justice from the
Court according to a procedure set by law.
Democratic Republic : A government through elected
representatives where the Head of the government is
elected for a fixed term.
Directive Principles : These principles are
constitutional guidelines and directives to the
government for the achievement of national goals.
Executive : A branch of government which implements
and executes or administers law. The Cabinet, the
Council of Ministers and the Public Services are a part
of the Executive.
Exploitation : To make use of the services of others for
selfish purposes.
Economic Justice : It implies removal of economic
inequalities. All citizens are guaranteed a decent
standard of living.
Fraternity : Spirit or brotherhood among the citizens.
Fundamental Rights : Rights fundamental or essential
to good living; six fundamental rights are guaranteed
by our constitution.

Impeachment : It means accusing a high official like
President of India, Supreme Court Judge, etc. of
disloyally to the country and corruption and trying him
in the Parliament according to a procedure set by law.
Judiciary : A branch of government which decides
disputes among individuals, between individuals and
the government or between parts of governments; for
example, Supreme Court, High Court and Subordinate
Courts.
Magna Carta : The great Charter of England, granted
by King John is called Magna Carta. It provides
thatno man shall be taken or imprisoned nor will he
pass upon him or condemn him but by lawful judgement.
Presidents Rule : A situation may rise when the
Governor feels that no party in the State Vidhan Sabha
has a clear majority or that the state ministry has lost
the confidence of the Legislature and it is not possible
to form an alternative ministry. There may be a
situation when he feels it is not possible to carry on
the administration of the state in a constitutional
manner. In such a case, the President, on the report of
the Governor, may dissolve the Assembly and dismiss
the Council of Ministers. The State then comes under
what is popularly known as the Governors Rule or
Presidents Rule.
Preamble : A Statement of the spirit and meaning of
the Constitution. It is the introduction in which the
purpose of the Constitution is given.
Prorogue : An act of ending of a session. It is the
discretion of the President and the Governor.
Laissez faire : A general principle of non-interference.
Legislature : A law-making body of elected
representatives who make law for a country or a state;
for example. Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Vidhan Sabha.
Question Hour : The list of the business before the
House of Legislature is given to the members in
advance. Generally, the first hour of each sitting is
Question Hour. The Government give replies to the
question aleady sent by the members. The members
are entitled to get more information through
supplementary Question. The main purpose of the
Question Hour is to seek information and draw the
attention of the Government to issues of public
importance. After the Question Hour, the agenda is
taken up".
Recess : The term is used for the period between the
prerogation of parliament and its reassembly in a new
session.
Secular State : A state which gives every individual a
right to practise his religion and worship in his own
way. It treats all religions alike. It neither favours any
religion nor discriminates against any religion. India is
a Secular State.
Snap General Election : Means a general election
which is called for suddenly. This happens in a
democratic regime when a duly installed majority

government finds it difficult to deal with an extraordinary
situation and wants the electorate to give a fresh
verdict on its programmes and policies.
Snap Poll : A snap poll means a sudden election to a
legislature held at short notice before the expiry of its
full term. A midterm poll also means the same thing,
even if an election is ordered many months after the
middle of a legislatures usual five-year span. But it
was the surprise dissolution of the Lok Sabha in 1971
and the election ordered soon afterwards that has
given wide currency to the expression snap poll.
Socialistic Pattern of Society : Means distribution of
economic power or reduction of inequalities in income
and wealth in a country. The Resolution for a
Socialistic Pattern of Society was adopted at the
Avadi Session of the Indian National Congress.
Splinter Group : Quite often parties have within them
certain groups which can be reffered to as splinter
groups. They are groups of people who differ from the
main body in their approach views or strategy.
Starred and Unstarred Questions : When asking
questions members of Parliament may ask for either
oral or written answers. Questions to which oral
answers are required are marked with an asterisk, and
are known as Starred Question. Questions requiring
written replies are Unstarred Questions.
Socialist State : A state which tries to bring about
economic and social equality in the country. India aims
at establishing such a socialist state.
Sovereign Government : A government that is supreme
and free and does not take directions from any outside
authority.
Social Justice : It implies that all citizens are treated
equal and none can be discriminated against on basis
of caste, creed, religion or status.
State of Emergency : The President can declare a state
of emergency in the country in an emergency caused
by way, of foreign attack or internal disturbances and
the armed rebellion in the country on an express
request of the cabinet.
Simple Majority Vote : Usually a candidate who
secures the highest percentage of votes is declared
elected by a simple majority vote. He may actually not
get even fifty percentage of votes.
Sine die : It is an adjournment of a meeting to a date
which is not fixed specifically at that time.
Single Transferable Vote : Under the system, the
voters cast their votes for candidates in order of
preference. If a candidate does not secure more than
fifty percent votes, the second preference votes are
also counted and a candidate is elected on the basis of
total votes polled, first preference and second
preference.
Single Citizenship : India has single citizenship. It
means that all the citizens of India. They are not the
citizens of state i.e. Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal. In
U.S.A., the citizens have double citizenship. They are
the cities of U.S.A. and also of a particular state.
Ultimatum : Final terms before a certain course of
action vis-a- vis another party is adopted.
Untouchability : Due to caste distinctions prevailing in
Indian society, certain castes were considered low and
suffered from many social and economic injustices.
Universal Adult Franchise : It means that every adult
citizens enjoys the right to vote. In India a citizen who
is not less than 18 years of age enjoys this right.
Ultravires : An invalid act done in excess of the
authority conferred by law, acts beyond the scope of
the powers of a corporation as defined by its
memorandum and articles of association. In fact, it is
an act done beyond powers or lack of power.
Veto : Right of executive head to refuse to approve
any legislation.
Vote : Right of executive head to refuse to approve
any legislation.
Vote on account : Usually, Vote on account is taken for
a sum equivalent to one-sixth of the expenditure for the
entire year in respect of demands for grants. As a
convention, it is passed by the Lok Sabha without any
discussion.
Vote of Credit : During a national emergency, the
house might grant a lump sum through a vote of credit.
Likewise, exceptional grants are given for special
purposes.
Vote of no-Confidence : It implies that the legislature
feels that the Council of Ministers is not working
properly and deserves to be removed from office. It
has lost the confidence of the legislature. If such a
proposal is passed, the Council of Ministers resigns.
Waiver : The act of abandoning or refraining from
asserting a legal right is called waiver. It is a defence
against subsequent enforcement.
Weaker Sections : Classes of people who are socially
and economically backward.
Weightage : Allowing a community (or group) more
representation that it can claim on the basis of its
population.
Whip : An important party official, entrusted with the
responsibility of organising disciplined voting according
to the party directions and ensuring attendance of the
party members on a specific occasion.
White Paper : A detailed policy statement issued by
a government with regard to a matter of considerable
public importance.
Zero-based Budgeting : It is an improvement over the
traditional budgeting and not a substitute of it. It
examines critically regularly and systematically the
assumptions of the traditional budget. The budgeted
item is treated at each year at the Zero- base level as
if it was non-existent in the past.
Zero Hour : The period following the question hour. If
generally begins at 12.00 noon and lasts till 1.00 p.m.
Officially, it is used to raise various issues of public
importance without priorly notifying the minister.

CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS
BC
3000 Indus Valley Civilization, Mohen-jo-Daro &
Harappa
563 Birth of Buddha, founder of Buddhism
326-327 AD Alexanders invasion of India
1191 First Battle of Tarain (Thaneshwar)
1192 Second Battle of Tarain (Thaneshwar)
1498 Discovery of sea-route to India by Vasco-da-
Gama
1526 First Battle of Panipat
1556 Second Battle of Panipat
1561 Battle of Talikota between Delhi Sultanate and
Vijayanagar ruler Ramaraja. Ramaraja was killed.
1600 East India Company established
1757 Battle of Plassey
1760 Battle of Wandiwash. French power ended.
1761 Third Battle of Panipat.
1764 Battle of Buxar.
1853 First Railway line opened in India between
Thana and Bombay
1857 First War of Independence (Sepoy Mutiny)
1869 2.10.1869, Birth of Mahatma Gandhi at Porbander
1881 First Census taken
1885 Indian National Congress was founded by A.O.
Hume.
1900 Australian Commonwealth proclaimed.
1901 Russian and Britain, agrees of the partition of
China.
1902 First partition of Bengal under Lord Curzon.
1906 Foundation of Muslim League.
1909 Minto-Morley Reforms.
1910 Mother Teresa born in Albania.
1911 Delhi becomes the capital - Partition of Bengal
revoked - King George V crowned King of the
United Kingdom and Emperor or India - First
British King and Queen land in Bombay.
1912 Titanic, World's biggest ship, sinks in North
Atlantic, Killing 1513 people - The 5th Olympic
Games held in Stockholm.
1913 The first Asian, Rabindranath Tagore is awarded
the Nobel Prize for Literature.
1914 World War I declared.
1918 World War I ends.
1919 Satyagraha Movement started by Gandhiji.
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre on 13th April 1919 at
Amritsar.
1930 Civil Disobedience Movement started by
Gandhiji. Dandi March by Gandhiji on 6.4.1930.
Burma separated from India.
1939 Death of Rabindranath Tagore (The first
Indian to win the Nobel Prize for his work
Gitanjali).
1942 Quit India Resolution.
1947 15.8.1947 India attained Independence.
1948 30.1.1948 Assassination of Gandhiji.
1949 26.11.1949 Indian Constitution passed.
1950 26.1.1950 India became a Sovereign Democratic
Republic.
1952 Free India holds her First General Elections.
1956 State Reorganisation Act came into force on
1.11.1956.
1957 Decimal system of coinage introduced.
1966 January 4th Indo-Pak Summit, Tashkent
Declaration signed on January 10. Death of Lal
Bahadur Shastri.
1972 Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan
(July 3)
1974 Indias first Satellite "ryabhatta" launched
from Cosmodrome in Soviet Union on April 19.
1975 Aryabhatta. Sikkim becomes 22nd State of the
Indian Union. State of Emergency declared.
1976 India - China re-establishes diplomatic relations.
1977 Sixth General Elections, Morarji Desai sworn in
as the first non-Congress Prime Minister. Neelam
Sanjiva Reddy elected Sixth President of India.
1979 Bhaskara, Indias second Satellite launched
into space. Indias first coalition Government
between Janata (S) and the Congress sworn in
with Mr. Charan Singh as P.M.
1980 Seventh General Elections held, Indira Gandhi
sworn in as Prime Minister.
1982 Giani Zail Singh elected as Seventh President of
India. IX Asian Games opened in New Delhi.
1984 Bachendri Pal, first Indian woman to scale the
Mount Everest. Mrs. Indira Gandhi assassinated.
Rajiv Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister.
1985 Congress completes 100 years.
1987 Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh becomes 23rd
and 24th States. Goa becomes 25th State. Mr. R.
Venkataraman sworn in as Eleventh President.
1988 M.G.Ramachandran (MGR.) was given Bharat
Ratna Award posthumously.
1989 Ninth Lok Sabha constituted. National Front
Leader V.P.Singh sworn in as 10th Prime Minister.

1990 Nelson Mandela, leader of the African National
Congress was set free after 27 years of
imprisonment by the South African Government.-
Iraq captured Kuwait.
1991 Tenth Lok Sabha constituted. P.V.Narasimha
Rao becomes the Twelfth Prime Minister of
India. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi,
assassinated at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu.
1992 Indias First indigenous multi-purpose Satellite
INSAT 2A was launched successfully from
Kourou in French Guyana. - Festival of India
was held in China. The disputed Babri Masjid in
Ayodhya (UP) was demolished by Kar-sevaks.
1993 The worlds biggest ever trade deal General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was
signed on 15th December at Geneva, nearly 117
nations participated.
1994 Sushmita Sen (18) first Indian selected for Miss.
Universe held at Manila, Philippines. Brazil won
the World Cup Football held at United States,
Shoemaker-Levy Comet collided with the
Gaseous Planet Jupiter on July 17, 19, 20 & 31.
1995 Jan.26 : Nelson Mandela, was the Chief Guest
on the Republic Day celebrations at New Delhi.
1996 Jan. 10-21 : 27th International Film Festival
held at New Delhi. July 19 - Aug. 4 : Atlanta
Olympics held - India won 1 bronze medal.
1997 Jan 10 : The 28th International Film Festival of
India held at Thiruvananthapuram. July 25 : Mr.
K. R. Narayan sworn in as 13th President of
India. Aug 15 : India celebrates Golden Jubilee
of Indian Independence.
1998 Jan 10-20 : The 29th International Film Festival
of India held at New Delhi. Jan 26 : India
celebrates its 49th Republic Day, Chief Guest :
French President Mr. Jacques Chirac. Mar 01 :
Bharat Ratna conferred on Dr.A.P.J. Abdul
Kalam, Mar 19 : Mr.A.B. Vajpayee becomes
16th Prime Minister of India. May 11 : India
conducts three Nuclear tests at Pokhran. May
13 : India conducts two more tests at Pokhran
May 28 : Pakistan conducts nuclear atom bomb
test. July 12 : France won World Cup-1998.
1999 May 26-July 17 India - Pakistan Kargil War.
Oct.10 : 13th Lok Sabha Elections - Mr.Vajpayee
sworn in as Prime Minister.; Dec.5 : Mumbai girl
Yukta Mookhey becomes Miss World. - Dec.24-
31 : Indian Airlines(IC-814) hijacked by terrorists
and hostages released at Khandhar.
2000 Mar.22 : India's INSAT-3B launched - Aug.28
President gives his assent to the Bills relating to
the creation of the new states of Uttaranchal
Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Sep.30
Gen.S.Padmanabhan takes over as the new
Chief of Army Staff from Gen.V.P. Malik. Dec.24
: Vishwanathan Anand becomes World Chess
Champion.
2001 Jan.12 : First genetically engineered monkey
created (Andy) by scientists in US. March.1
The nations population touches 1.02 billion
comprising 531,277,078 men and 495,738,169
women. Sep.11: Terrorists attack the World
Trade Centre in New York-the 110-storey twin
towers.
2002 Jan.6 : India's 21st Antartica expedition leaves
- team headed by Dr. Prem Chand Pandey
Feb.27-28 Attack on Sabarmati Express by
militants - Ram Sevaks from Ayodhya torched at
Gadhra railway station.; April.2 : POTO
(Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance) gets assent
from the President after a joint sitting of the Lok
Sabha and Rajya Sabha. May.10 : Mr. Joshi, is
the new speaker of Lok Sabha

All about Father of the Nation...

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, called Mahatma,
is the Father of the Nation.
He was born on October 2, 1869 at Porbandar in
Gujarat as, the son of Karamchand and Putilibai.
Gandhiji proceeded to England in 1888 and
returned to India as a Barrister-at-law in 1891.
Gandhiji went to Natal in South Africa in 1893 to
practise law. There he was subjected to colour
discrimination and he organized Natal Indian
Congress. He started the journal Indian
Opinion and built Phoenix Colony and Tolstoy
Farm here. He experimented the weapon
Satyagraha for the first time in South Africa in
1906. So South Aftica is often called his political
laboratory. The period between 1893 and 1914,
he engaged in a struggle against the racist
authorities of South Africa. It was then that he
evolved the teaching of Satyagraha based on
truth and non-violence.
He returned to India in 1915, leaving South Africa
for ever.
Gandhiji built his ashram on the banks of
Sabarmati in Gujarat on January 29, 1916.
Gandhijis first Satyagraha in India was for the
rights of indigo workers in Champaran (Bihar) in
1917.
Gandhijis first fast was in 1918 in connection
with the strike of mill workers in Ahmedabad.
Gandhiji had organised in February 1919 a
Satyagraha Committee, the members of which
were to take a pledge to refuse to obey the laws
of Rowlatt Act.
The Bills were enacted on March 18, 1919. The
Rowlatt Satyagraha was a failure but this projected
Gandhiji as "an all India leader of immense
potential".
The Jallianwala Bagh Tragedy on April 13, 1919
had a great impact on Mahatma Gandhi. He
returned the "Kaiser-i-Hind" medal given to him.
On November 23, 1919, Gandhiji was elected
president of the All India Khilafat Conference,
which met at Delhi.
First Non-Co-operation Movement was launched
on 1st August 1920. The Non-Co-operation
Movement spread to rural areas between 1921
and 1922.
Non-Co-operation Movement came to an end on
February 12, 1922 in response to the violence at
Chauri Chaura.
Gandhiji came back to active politics and attended
the Calcutta session of the Congress in December
1928.
The Civil Disobedience Movement was started
by Gandhiji on 12th March 1930.
Gandhiji along with 78 companions which included
Sarojini Naidu, marched nearly 375 km from
Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi and broke the law by
making salt from sea water.
The Congress boycotted the First Round Table
Conference which was held in London on
November 12, 1930.
Gandhiji attended the Second Round Table
Conference held in London on September 7, 1931
as the sole representative of Congress.
"A half naked fakir from India" - Winston
Churchills comment about Gandhiji when he
went to attend the Second Round Table
Conference in London in 1931.
Gandhiji was the editor of the English weekly
"Young India" and the Gujarati weekly
"Navajivan". Later he started the weekly
"Harijan" on January 8th, 1933 and this was
observed as "Temple Entry Day".
Gandhiji retired from Congress in October 1934.
One of the great dreams of Gandhiji was the
establishment of "Grama Swaraj". He said, "India
lives in villages". He started Sewagram Ashram
on 30 April 1936.
The Congress started "Individual Civil
Disobedience" in October 1940 and the Mahatma
Gandhi.
Meanwhile Gandhiji was again arrested and on
May 6, 1944, Mahatma Gandhi made earnest
efforts for communal harmony with Jinnah. But
the talks failed.
In 1945, a Conference was held at Simla, under
Lord Wavell, the then Viceroy. Jinnah argued that
only the League should nominate Muslims to the
Council. The Congress refused to accept and
Simla Conference broke down.
In the elections to the Central and provincial
Legislatures held in 1945-46, Congress won the
General seats. New Constituent Assembly started
to function from December 9, 1946. Dr. Babu
Rajendra Prasad was elected the chairman of the
Assembly on January 1947.
The British parliament passed the Indian
Independence Act based on the Mountbatten
plan in July 18, 1947.

On January 30, 1948 while he was holding a
prayer meeting at Birla House, Delhi, he was
shot dead by a Hindu fanatic, Nathuram
Vinatak Godse. His last words were Hai Ram,
Ram, Ram.
Gandhiji's slogans were "Quit India", "Do or
Die", "Bharat Charo".
Gandhiji spent altogether 2338 days in prison in
his lifetime, Most of the time spent in Yervada
Jail In Poona.
Gandhi also worked for eliminating untouchability
and bring harmony between Hindus and Muslims.
He set up a Harijan Sevak Sangh to uplift the
Harijan.
Gandhiji said, "Non violence is not one form, it
is the only form of direct action".
Rajghat is the name of the Gandhi Samadhi at
Delhi.
Kenneth Kaunda is known African Gandhi.
Gandhiji Birthday (October 2) is observed as
National Day in USA.
His political guru was Gopalakrishna Gokhale.
His autobiography The Story of My Experiments
With Truth was first published in Gujarati.
Leo Tolstoy was his favourite novelist. But the
book which greatly influenced Gandhiji was
Unto the Last by John Ruskin. The essay Civil
Disobedience by Henry Thoreau also influenced
him.
The title Father of the Nation was given to
Gandhiji by Subhash Chandra Bose and in return
Gandhiji called him Netaji.
The title Mahatma was given to Gandhiji by
Tagore.
Gandhiji once sarcastically (humorously) called
jail as "His Majestys hostel".
"Generations to come, it may scarce believe,
that such a one as this ever in flesh and
blood walked upon this earth" - Einstein about
Gandhiji.
"Truth and non-violence are my God" - Gandhiji.

"Untouchability is a crime against God and
mankind" - Gandhiji.
"Swaraj for me means freedom for the meanest of
our countrymen" - Gandhiji.
"The light has gone out of our lives and there is
darkness everywhere", Nehru about the death of
Gandhiji.

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GENERAL AWARENESS

General Awareness Unit I : 1-16

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