Indian History --- KALIBANGAN

Location:

Kalibangan is located on the left bank of the Ghaggar ( Ancient Saraswati) river. About 5 kms. from Pilibanga Railway Station. It was explored by Shri A. GHOSH, Ex. Director General, Archaeological Survey of India. On 15th Aug. 1947 when India got Independence it was deprived of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro the two provincial capitals of the Harappan Empire, the earliest known civilization of the Indian sub-continent and it was given to Pakistan. It did not deterred the Indian Archaeologist. On the contrary during the last 33 years the Indian map is dotted with number of Harappan sites and Kalibangan is one of them.

Excavations:

Like Harappa and Mohenjo-daro it consists of two mounds one smaller and lower on the western side (KLB1). known as citadel, rising to a height of 9 Meters and the other higher and bigger known as lower city (KLB2) on the eastern side rising to a height of 12 Meters. They cover the area of quarter square kilometer. The site was excavated from the year 1960-61 to 1968-69, for 9 successive excavation sessions.

During excavation a Harappan Cemetery about 300 M. west south-west of the Citadel mound on the present day flood plain of the river was located. In which a good no. of graves (perhaps 34) were (i) Extended inhumation and (ii) pot burial. In the extended position with the head towards the north. The funerary furnishings in the shape of pots were placed near the region. Evidence of trepanning was also noticed. (ii) In the pit burial the pit was oval or circular in plan and contained besides urn, other pots which were of then found clustered round the former and varied in number. No skeleton material was found.

Present Position:

The undersigned visited the site 12th Aug. 1980 as per the instructions of the Director, Archaeology & Museums, Rajasthan, Jaipur and went round the site see its present position.

At the mound KLB2, the lower city (Bigger and higher mound) the successive rains (from 1969 to 1980) seems to have caused havoc as the bricks (Used by the walls of the houses and their alignments are not clearly visible. The successive outer walls of the houses on the arterial streets does not give the impressive look. It may be due to the fact the unbaked bricks and the other filled in earth and earth of successive layers does not have much difference and hence wall wet in rainy season was not easily distinguished. The recent rain gullied in the excavated area has given a bad shape to the excavated walls etc.. The city fortification wall seems to have been reburied for preservation and hence not visible.

At the mound KLB1, the Citadel, the fortification wall seems to have been reburied/covered for preservation and hence not visible. At places the excavated remains including house walls and fortifications are preserved with the help of black polythene plastic sheets covered with the earth which was excavated form the area during the excavation (In the process it seems that the thick polythene/plastic sheets are spread and then the loose earth, excavated one is spread in them in good thickness to protect them from rain water, human and animal agencies). The baked brick stairs pathway leading from the northern half of the Citadel to the southern half of the citadel is in bad state of preservation as the mud brought in with the dust-storm and rain water has deposited itself on the path-way and hence it is unable to give its clear picture.


This is the present state of position of well excavated Harappan site, KALIBANGAN, looking over the ancient Saraswati Valley as said to be the third provincial capital of the Great Harappan Empire, so far known as the earliest Civilization of the Indian sub-continent, bearing the excavated evidence of perhaps the earliest ploughed field in the world, the first fortified city of India and the first most systematically & scientifically excavated city of Harapan Empire in Indian sub-continent. Today an enthusiastic man may go and come back after covering a hazardous way to have a blank impression on his mind. At least some descriptive board (at least bi-lingual) with brief description of corrugated iron sheets or enameled ones may be put up to give some information to the visiting public about the site and its history.

Jagadish Chandra Bose

Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, CSI, CIE, FRS was a Indian polymath: a physicist, biologist, botanist, archaeologist, and science fiction writer. He pioneered the investigation of radio and microwave optics, made extremely significant contributions to plant science, and laid the foundations of experimental science in the Indian subcontinent. He is considered the father of radio science,[3] and is also considered the father of Bengali science fiction. He was the first from the Indian subcontinent to get a US patent, in 1904.

Born in Bengal province of British India, Bose graduated from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta. He then went to the University of London to study medicine, but couldn't complete his studies due to health problems. He returned to India and joined the Presidency College as a Professor of Physics. There, despite racial discrimination and a lack of funding and equipment, Bose carried on his scientific research. He made remarkable progress in his research of remote wireless signaling and was the first to use semiconductor junctions to detect radio signals. However, instead of trying to gain commercial benefit from this invention Bose made his inventions public in order to allow others to develop on his research. Subsequently, he made some pioneering discoveries in plant physiology. He used his own invention crescograph to measure plant response to various stimuli, and thereby scientifically proved parallelism between animal and plant tissues. Although Bose filed for patent for one of his inventions due to peer pressure, his reluctance to any form of patenting was well known. Now, some 70 years of after his death, he is being recognised for many of his contributions to modern science.

Param Vir Chakra

CAPT GURBACHAN SINGH SALARIA,PVC
Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria, was born on 29 November 1935, in Gurdaspur, Punjab . He was commissioned in the 1 Gorkha Rifles on 9 June 1957. After the Belgians quit Congo , a civil war situation developed in that country. When the United Nations decided upon military intervention to retreive the situation, India contributed a brigade of around 3000 men to the U.N. Force. In November 1961, the U.N. Security Council had decided to put a stop to the hostile activities of the Katangese troops in Congo . This greatly angered Tshombe , Katanga 's secessionist leader, and he intensified his 'hate the UN' campaign. The result was more violence against UN personnel. On 5 December 1961, a 3/1 GR Company supported by 3-inch mortar attacked a road-block, established by the Katangese troops, between HQ Katanga command and the Elizabethville airfield at a strategic round about. The enemy roadblock was destroyed and the Gorkhas established a UN roadblock there.
When Captain Salaria in platoon strength tried to link up with the Gorkha Company to reinforce the roadblock, he met strong opposition in the old airfield area. The enemy brought down heavy automatic and small arms fire on his force from a dug-in position on the right flank. The enemy held the area strongly with two armoured cars and 90 men. Captain Salaria was not deterred by the superior enemy strength and firepower. He decided to take the enemy, head-on, to achieve the objective. The Gorkhas then charged the enemy with bayonets, khukris and hand-grenades. A rocket launcher supported them in the attack. In this sharp encounter, Captain Salaria and his men killed 40 of the enemy and knocked out two enemy cars. His bold action completely demoralised the enemy who fled despite numerical superiority and well-fortified positions. However, in the engagement, Captain Salaria was wounded in the neck by a burst of enemy automatic fire, but he ignored the injury and continued to fight till he collapsed due to excessive bleeding.
Subsequently, he died of his grave wounds. Captain Salaria prevented the enemy from going to the roundabout thereby saving the UN Headquarters in Elizabethville from encirclement. His leadership, courage, unflinching devotion to duty and disregard for his personal safety were in the best traditions of the Indian Army. For his extraordinary leadership and devotion to duty, Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria was awarded the highest wartime medal, Param Vir Chakra, posthumously.

Indo-Pak War:- Origins of conflict

The root of most conflicts and the mutual hatred lies in Kashmir and in the manner in which its political alignment was decided by the two countries following partition in 1947. Kashmir was ruled by a Hindu Maharajah ruling a largely muslim population who tried to make Kashmir an independent state. But following an invasion by Pakistani tribals and some regulars he acceeded to India. Immediately afterwards the First Kashmir War broke out between the two nations over the mountainous region of Kashmir when Indian and Pakistani troops fought against each other. The war lasted for more than a year with both nations making significant advances into each other's territory. As the war was ended by a UN ceasefire, India had managed to secure just under three-fifths of Kashmir and importantly the most fertile part of it including the Kashmir Valley.The Second Kashmir War again involved the issue of Kashmir with Pakistan infiltrating and starting a rebellion in Jammu and Kashmir, India (See Operation Gibraltar) The plan was a non-starter and India reacted by launching a formal attack on Pakistan igniting the war. The war ended in stalemate.The third war was unique in in that it did not involve the issue of Kashmir but was entirely about East Pakistan and the crisis brewing there. After months of internal conflict India decided to help the Bengalis in East Pakistan much to the consternation of West Pakistan. Within just a fortnight the Indian Military had decisively defeated Pakistan with the aid of the rebels and forced a surrender upon Pakistan.The latest war, the Kargil War, is considered a minor war though it produced stirring emotions between the two nations involved coming at a time of increased media and electronic coverage. The war ended in a multi-pronged victory for India. The withdrawal of Pakistan from its occupation was seen both as a politico-diplomatic triumph as much as a military success.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT India

The name `India’ is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.

The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name `Hindustan’ combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.

The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist who invented the digit zero.

Sanskrit is considered as the mother of all higher languages. This is because it is the most precise, and therefore suitable language for computer software. ( a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987 ).

Chess was invented in India.

Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies which originated in India.

The' place value system' and the 'decimal system' were developed in 100 BC in India.

The first six Mogul Emperor's of India ruled in an unbroken succession from father to son for two hundred years, from 1526 to 1707.

The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara temple at Tanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The shikhara is made from a single ' 80-tonne ' piece of granite. Also, this magnificient temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola

MERA BHARAT MAHAN!

IN THE LINE OF FIRE...
Vivek Pradhan was not a happy man. Even the plush comfort of the air-conditioned compartment of the Shatabdi express could not cool his frayed nerves. He was the Project Manager and still not entitled to air travel. It was not the prestige he sought, he had tried to r… the admin person, it was the savings in time. As PM, he had so many things to do!!
He opened his case and took out the laptop, determined to put the time to some good use.
"Are you from the software industry sir," the man beside him was staring appreciatively at the laptop. Vivek glanced briefly and mumbled in affirmation, handling the laptop now with exaggerated care and importance as if it were an expensive car.
"You people have brought so much advancement to the country, Sir. Today everything is getting computerized."
"Thanks," smiled Vivek, turning around to give the man a look. He always found it difficult to resist appreciation. The man was young and stockily built like a sportsman.
He looked simple and strangely out of place in that little lap of luxury like a small town boy in a prep school. He probably was a railway sportsman making the most of his free traveling pass.
"You people always amaze me," the man continued, "You sit in an office and write something on a computer and it does so many big things outside."
Vivek smiled deprecatingly. Naive ness demanded reasoning not anger. "It is not as simple as that my friend. It is not just a question of writing a few lines. There is a lot of process that goes behind it."
For a moment, he was tempted to explain the entire Software Development Lifecycle but restrained himself to a single statement. "It is complex, very complex."
"It has to be. No wonder you people are so highly paid," came the reply. This was not turning out as Vivek had thought. A hint of belligerence crept into his so far affable, persuasive tone. “Everyone just sees the money. No one sees the amount of hard work we have to put in. Indians have such a narrow concept of hard work. Just because we sit in an air-conditioned office, does not mean our brows do not sweat. You exercise the muscle; we exercise the mind and believe me that is no less taxing." He could see, he had the man where he wanted, and it was time to drive home the point.
"Let me give you an example. Take this train. The entire railway reservation system is computerized. You can book a train ticket between any two stations from any of the hundreds of computerized booking centers across the country. Thousands of transactions accessing a single database, at a time concurrently; data integrity, locking, data security. Do you understand the complexity in designing and coding such a system?"
The man was awe stuck; quite like a child at a planetarium. This was something big and beyond his imagination. "You design and code such things."
"I used to," Vivek paused for effect, "but now I am the Project Manager." "Oh!" sighed the man, as if the storm had passed over, "so your life is easy now."
This was like the last straw for Vivek. He retorted, "Oh come on, does life ever get easy as you go up the ladder. Responsibility only brings more work. Design and coding! That is the easier part. Now I do not do it, but I am responsible for it and believe me, that is far more stressful. My job is to get the work done in time and with the highest quality. To tell you about the pressures, there is the customer at one end, always changing his requirements, the user at the other, wanting something else, and your boss, always expecting you to have finished it yesterday."
Vivek paused in his diatribe, his belligerence fading with self-realisation. What he had said, was not merely the outburst of a wronged man, it was the truth. And one need not get angry while defending the truth. "My friend," he concluded triumphantly, "you don't know what it is to be in the Line of Fire".
The man sat back in his chair, his eyes closed as if in realization.
When he spoke after sometime, it was with a calm certainty that surprised Vivek. "I know sir; I know what it is to be in the Line of Fire." He was staring blankly, as if no passenger, no train existed, just a vast expanse of time.
"There were 30 of us when we were ordered to capture Point 4875 in the cover of the night. The enemy was firing from the top. There was no knowing where the next bullet was going to come from and for whom. In the morning when we finally hoisted the tricolour at the top only 4 of us were alive."
"You are a..."
"I am Subedar Sushant from the 13 J&K Rifles on duty at Peak 4875 in Kargil. They tell me I have completed my term and can opt for a soft assignment. But, tell me sir, can one give up duty just because it makes life easier.
On the dawn of that capture, one of my colleagues lay injured in the snow, open to enemy fire while we were hiding behind a bunker. It was my job to go and fetch that soldier to safety. But my captain sahib refused me permission and went ahead himself. He said that the first pledge he had taken as a Gentleman Cadet was to put the safety and welfare of the nation foremost followed by the safety and welfare of the men he commanded... .... his own personal safety came last, always and every time."
"He was killed as he shielded and brought that injured soldier into the bunker. Every morning thereafter, as we stood guard, I could see him taking all those bullets, which were actually meant for me. I know sir....I know, what it is to be in the Line of Fire."
Vivek looked at him in disbelief not sure of how to respond. Abruptly, he switched off the laptop. It seemed trivial, even insulting to edit a Word document in the presence of a man for whom valor and duty was a daily part of life; valor and sense of duty which he had so far attributed only to epical heroes. The train slowed down as it pulled into the station, and Subedar Sushant picked up his bags to alight.
"It was nice meeting you sir."
Vivek fumbled with the handshake. This hand... had climbed mountains, pressed the trigger, and hoisted the tricolour. Suddenly, as if by impulse, he stood up at attention and his right hand went up in an impromptu salute. It was the least he felt he could do for the country.
PS: The incident he narrated during the capture of Peak 4875 is a true-life incident during the Kargil war. Capt. Batra sacrificed his life while trying to save one of the men he commanded, as victory was within sight. For this and various other acts of bravery, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the nation's highest military award.
Live humbly, there are great people around us, let us learn! Winners are too busy to be sad, too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful and too determined to be defeated!
MERA BHARAT MAHAN!

Section 49-0

Did you know that there is a system in our constitution, as per the 1969act, in section "49-O" that a person can go to the polling booth, confirmhis identity, get his finger marked and convey the presiding electionofficer that he doesn't want to vote anyone!Yes such a feature is available, but obviously these seemingly notoriousleaders have never disclosed it. This is called "49-O".Why should you go and say "I VOTE NOBODY"... because, in a ward, if acandidate wins, say by 123 votes, and that particular ward has received"49-O" votes more than 123, then that polling will be cancelled and willhave to be re-polled. Not only that, but the Candidature of thecontestants will be removed and they cannot contest the re-polling, sincepeople had already expressed their decision on them.This would bring fear into parties and hence look for genuine candidatesfor their parties for election. This would change the way, of our wholepolitical system... it is seemingly surprising why the election commissionhas not revealed such a feature to the public

Hindi Hai Vatan Hai Hindustan Hamara

In India, there are about 128,000,000 million people belonging to various castes, 371,000,000 people from the backward castes and 120,000,000 people from the upper Hindu castes.
The Indian caste system has been in use for many years. Still today the values of the caste system are held strongly. It has kept a sense of order, and peace among the people. There are five different levels of the system: Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Shudra, and Harijans. Within each of these categories are the actual "castes" or jatis within which people are born, marry, and die. They all have their own place among each other and accept that it is the way to keep society from disintegrating to chaos. This system has worked well for Indian people and still has a major role in modern India.

Eid ul-Adha

Eid-ul-Adha (Arabic: ‘Īdul’a), or Eid-e Qurban (Persian: Eide Ghorbân) occurs on the tenth day of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijja. It is one of two Eid festivals that Muslims celebrate. Eid ul-Adha is celebrated by Muslims worldwide as a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael for God. Others celebrate Eid ul-Adha as it marks the end of the Pilgrimage or Hajj for the millions of Muslims who make the trip to Mecca each year. Like Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha also begins with a short prayer followed by a khutba. In Mecca, the khutba is delivered at Mount Arafat.It is celebrated on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja of the lunar Islamic calendar, after Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. This happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan.Eid ul-Adha is four days long starting the day after the pilgrims in hajj (annual pilgrimage to Mecca by Muslims world wide) descend from mount Arafat.

Kerala

It's an intricate network of innumerable lagoons, lakes, canals, estuaries and the deltas of forty-four rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. Over 900 km of this labyrinthine waterworld is navigable. The largest backwater stretch in Kerala is the Vembanad lake which flows through three districts and opens out into the sea at the Kochi port. The Ashtamudi Lake (literally, having eight arms), which covers a major portion of Kollam district in the south, is the second largest and is considered the gateway to the backwaters. The Ketturvallom: Showcasing a unique heritage The kettuvalloms (houseboats) of Kerala are giant country crafts, measuring up to 80 feet in length. It took great skill and meticulousness to construct these giants by tying huge planks of jack wood together, without the use of a single nail. Today, these goods carriers have been adapted to make the most exciting tourism product in India, the luxurious furnished houseboat. A kettuvallom usually has one or two bath attached bedrooms, an open lounge, deck, kitchenette and a crew comprising oarsmen, a cook and guide.

GOA

Goa, a tiny emerald land on the west coast of India, the 25th State in the Union of States of India, was liberated from Portuguese rule in 1961. It was part of Union territory of Goa, Daman & Diu till 30 May 1987 when it was carved out to form a separate State. Goa covers an area of 3702 square kilometers and comprises two Revenue district viz North Goa and South Goa. Boundaries of Goa State are defined in the North Terekhol river which separates it from Maharashtra, in the East and South by Karnataka State and West by Arabian Sea. Goa lies in Western Coast of India and is 594 Kms (by road) away from Mumbai city. Goa, for the purpose of revenue administration is divided into district viz. North and South Goa with headquarters at Panaji and Margao respectively. The entire State comprises 11 talukas. For the purpose of implementation of development programmes the State is divided into 12 community development blocks. As per 2001 census, the population of the State is 13,42,998. Administratively the State is organised into two districts North Goa comprising six talukas with a total area of 1736 sq. kms. and South Goa comprising five talukas with an area of 1966 sq. kilometers. In all there are 383 villages of which 233 are in North Goa district and 150 in South Goa district. As per the 2001 census, there are 44 towns of which 14 are Municipalities and remaining are census towns.

India is the richest country in the world

Do you know that India is the richest country in the world!Right now, India is the richest country in the world!Wondering how? It's really amazing.It's due to Mr. G Vaidyaraj, who donated all his wealth, about which heactually did not know. He is a descendent of Raja Krishnadev Raya fromMysore district.For the last 300 years or so, three stones were worshipped in his house.But nobody tried to see what it was, except this person, who is a lawyer byprofession.One day, when there was nobody in his house, he took the stone out to seewhat it was that they worship. Due to the dust deposited on it, from manymany years, it looked only like a simple stone. But when he touched it,some portion of the stone was cleansed. And he saw a bright ray of light.He saw something which attracted his attention. And he was amazed when hecleaned all of them.The whole room was filled with light. He discovered they were diamonds ofabout 4600 carats each. He informed the Govt. of India and the news iscensored with its security. It's now deposited in a Swiss Bank. The cost ofsingle diamond exceeds the GDP of USA + UK. India can buy virtually 7developing nations.Even World Bank does not have enough money to buy it. One diamond coststhrice the debt of World Bank over India . One such diamond can buy 10 BillGates to you. And the World Bank has proposed the Indian Govt. that it canpay India in Installment if it wishes to do so. India's GDP is 34.25billion dollars.Bill Gates' property is 95 billion dollars approximate so that is the way"nature changes". Our Prime Minister has refused to sell it. He said itwill be sold or mortgaged for credit when we need it. Otherwise right nowwe have no problems. You can go through Times of India with a small columnon it a week ago. Star TV presented a 115 minute documentary on it about 15days ago. The Hindu with its half page article in it. After that it wascensored as classified.Another good news is that in the Desert of Thar a deposit of Oil andNatural gas have been found. This stores what Kuwait has in its stomach.India can go with this ONGC energy reserve with another 30 years. Andmoreover it! can export it to other counties. It's incredible!! But true.An Indian boy in his 12th standard has disproved Einstein's "Theory ofRelativity". Shocked?Read on... Sudarshan Reddy has theoretically proven the existence of asub-atomic particle, which can travel at speed greater than that of light,thereby challenging one of the fundamental postulates of the "Theory ofRelativity".In his recent research paper submitted to the Institute of Advanced Physics(IAP) at Trieste ( Italy ), Sudarshan has proved the existence of a classof sub-atomic particles called "leptons",which can travel faster thanlight.The international physics community is shocked by this discovery.Dr.Massimo Martelli, President of the IAP has this to say about the papersubmitted by Sudarshan. "After long, careful and critical analysis, I canconfidently say that Sudarshan's research papers show tremendous leap inour understanding of physics.His investigation mounts up on "leptons". His work builds substantially onthe work of Einstein and others in the field of relativity."When physicists from Princeton University tried to measure Sudarshan's IQwith an IQ-meter (at the American Embassy in Delhi ), the meter broke down.Sudarshan,incidentally, is the brother of Madhu Reddy, the Indian whiz kidwho developed an operating system superior to Microsoft Windows. We shouldall be very proud of these boys.

India's Latest Nuclear Missile Ready For Launch

by Staff WritersNew Delhi, India (AFP) Feb 03, 2006India on Friday announced it had completed all tests and was ready to deploy its latest nuclear-tipped missile, capable of striking targets at a distance of 3,000 kilometres (1,860 miles).
"All technical parameters for the launch of the missile have been completed," M. Natarajan announced at a news conference in New Delhi.
"We are ready for the launch today... it is now for political leadership to give the nod," Natarajan said of the Indian-built missile codenamed Agni-111 (Fire).
Agni-III is the longest range missile of its type and can carry a one-tonne conventional or nuclear warhead.
Source: Agence France-Presse

Proude to be Indian(Indian STD)

An American decided to write a book about famous churches around the world. So he bought a plane ticket and took a trip to China. On his first day he was inside a church taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read "$10,000 per call". The American, being intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for. The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 you could talk to God. The American thanked the priest and went along his way. Next stop was in Japan. There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone with the same sign under it. He wondered if this was the same kind of telephone he saw in China and he asked a nearby nun what its purpose was. She told him that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000 he could talk to God. "O.K., thank you," said the American. He then traveled to Pakistan, Srilanka, Russia, Germany and France. In every church he saw the same golden telephone with the same "$10,000 per call" sign under it.
The American, upon leaving Vermont decided to travel to India to see if Indians had the same phone. He arrived in India, and again, in the first church he entered, there was the same golden telephone, but this time the sign under it read "One Rupee per call." The American was surprised so he asked the priest about the sign. "Father, I've traveled all over World and I've seen this same golden telephone in many churches. I'm told that it is a direct line to Heaven, but everywhere the price was $10,000 per call. Why is it so cheap here?" The priest smiled and answered, "You're in India now, son - it's a local call".

Indian Scientist

Shaleen Haralalka was a 12th standard student of St. John'r High School at Kota in Rajasthan when he developed equipment that can destroy landmines.He is among the four youngest Indian to be awarded a British Council scholarship to attend the two week internatinal science forum in London.

India has the second largest pool of scientists and engineers in the world.

Ten most admired Indians

According to a poll conducted by "The WEEK" in 2000 the list of most admiring Indians are :

1.A.B.Vajpayee
2.Lata Mageshkar
3.Sachin Tendulkar
4.Amitabh Bachchan
5.Kiran Bedi
6.Chandra Babu Naidu
7.Aishwarya Rai
8.APJ Abul Kalam
9.Saurav Ganguly
10.Amartya Sen

Look 30% are women


Poll methodology
Step 1: A list of 100 eminent Indians was collated jointly by The Week and market research and opinion polling agency TNS Mode.

Step 2: The list was given to 1047 persons in 6 cities, asking them to sort the names into four categories: people they admired a lot, people they admired somewhat, people they did not admire, and people they did not know. And then rank the top 10 from those whom they admired.

Step 3: The ranks were given a score, the topmost being 10. A mean rank score was computed for each contender. Based on the mean rank score, the 10 most admired Indians were shortlisted.

Great Son of India

Dhyan Chand

His quicksilver agility on the field as a centre-forward and captain of the Indian hockey team became legendary. It earned him the name 'hockey wizard'. Such was Dhyan Chand's reputation, that people thought he used a special hockey stick. Olympic officials in Holland took it apart to see if there was a magnet inside. In Japan, they decided he used some sort of super glue. German dictator Adolf Hitler offered to buy Dhyan Chand's hockey stick. A Vienna sports club has a statue of Dhyan Chand depicting him with four arms holding four hockey sticks!Dhyan Chand was a member of the Indian hockey team which won a gold medal in its first appearance in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. He played a stellar role in its win in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. In the 1936 Berlin Games, Dhyan Chand was the captain and led India to victory over Germany in the final. Out of the 338 goals scored by the Indians in 37 matches in 1932, Dhyan Chand contributed an astounding 133! In 1947, at the age of 42, and semi-retired, he accompanied a young Indian team to East Africa and scored 61 goals in 22 games!A team-member, Olympic gold medallist Keshav Dutt says,"Dhyan Chand knew where each player was without having to look. It was almost psychic." Another team-mate Gurbux Singh recounts how even in 1959, when he was way past his best, no Indian player could win the ball in a bully-off with Dhyan Chand.India issued a stamp in his honour in 1980.

Great Son of India

Amitabh Bachchan born 11-10-1942 is a renowned Indian film actor, popular mostly in the India and the Middle East. Bachchan's acting career began in 1969, reaching heights in the mid 70-80s. After withdrawing from acting career, Bachchan returned in 2000 as the host of the television show Kaun Banega Crorepati . He is presently active in the Indian film industry.
Bachchan was also a member of Indian Parliament (MP), being elected in 1984 from Allahabad. His political career was short lived as he resigned from this post after only 3 years.

Amitabh's 10 Best Dialogues:
10. Kaalia
"Hum jaha pe khade ho jaate hein , line wahin se shuru hoti hai."
9. Trishul
"Sahi baat ko sahi waqt pe kiya jaye to uska maza hi kuch aur hai, aur main sahi waqt ka intezaar karta hoon."
8.Satte Pe Satta
"Chain kuli ki, main kuli ki chain! Chain kuli ki, main kuli ki chain! Chain kuli ki, main kuli ki chain!"
7.Chupke Chupke
"Jis tarah gobhi ka phool phool hokar bhi phool nahi hota, waise hi gainde ka phool bhi phool hokar phool nahi hota."
6.Zanjee
"Yeh tumhare baap ka ghar nahin, police station hai! Is liye sidhi tarah khade raho!"
5. Agneepath
"Pura naam, Vijay Dinanath Chauhan. Baap ka naam, Dinanath Chauhan; Maa ka naam, Suhasini Chauhan, gaon Mandwa; umar chhattis saal..."

4.Namak Halal
"I can talk English, I can walk English, I can laugh English because English is a very phunny language."

3.Shahenshah
"Rishte me to hum tumhare baap lagte hain , naam hai Shahenshah."
2. Deewar
"Haan, main sign karoonga, lekin pehle us aadmi ka sign le ke aao, jisne mera baap ko chor kaha tha ; pehle us aadmi ka sign le ke aao jisne meri maa ko gali deke naukri se nikal diya tha; pehle us aadmi ka sign le ke aao jisne mere haath pe ye ('mera baap chor hai') leekh diya tha. Uske baad... Uske baad, mere bhai, tu jo kahega us par main sign karoonga."
1.Sholay
"Tumhara naam kya hai, Basanti?"

Proud to be Indian (India in USA)

According to a survey

38% of doctors in USA are Indians.
12% scientists in USA are Indians.
36% of NASA scientists are Indians.
34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
28% of IBM employees are Indians.
17% of INTEL scientists are Indians.
13% of XEROX employees are Indians.

We can rule the world any time .....

India Pakistan Wars

The first test for the Indian armed forces came shortly after independence with the first Indo-Pakistani conflict (1947-48). The military was called upon to defend the borders of the state of Jammu and Kashmir when tribals--principally Pathans--attacked from the northwest reaches of Kashmir on October 22, 1947. India's 161st Infantry Brigade was deployed and thwarted the advance of the tribal forces. In early November 1947, the 161st counterattacked and successfully broke through the enemy defenses. Despite early successes, the Indian army suffered a setback in December because of logistical problems. The problems enabled the forces of Azad Kashmir (Free Kashmir, as the part of Kashmir under Pakistani control is called) to take the initiative and force the Indian troops to retreat from the border areas. In the spring of 1948, the Indian side mounted another offensive to retake some of the ground that it had lost. No doubt fearing that the war might move into Pakistan proper, regular units of the Pakistani army became more actively involved. As the conflict escalated, the Indian leadership was quick to recognize that the war could not be brought to a close unless Pakistani support for the Azad Kashmir forces could be stopped. Accordingly, on the advice of Governor General Earl Louis Mountbatten (Britain's last viceroy in India in 1947 and governor general of India, 1947-48), the Indian government sought United Nations (UN) mediation of the conflict on December 31, 1947. There was some opposition to this move within the cabinet by those who did not agree with referring the Kashmir dispute to the UN. The UN mediation process brought the war to a close on January 1, 1949. In all, 1,500 soldiers died on each side during the war.