Interesting Facts

 

16 April 1853 is an important Milestone in Indian History, when the Railway Passenger Train Ran for the 1st time in India. This Train Crossed 34 km between Mumbai (then Bombay) and Thane. This historic journey was the beginning of the era of modern transportation in India, which had a profound impact on Indian society, economy and culture.

First passenger train travelled from Boribandar station (present Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj terminus) to Thane. This train had three engines - Sahib, Sindh and Sultan. There were 14 cans in the train and there were 400 passengers on board. During this historic journey, the train started its journey with a salute of 21 cannons. The journey completed in about 75 minutes and laid the foundation for the development of Indian Railways.

Railway network in India expanded rapidly, after the successful event of the first train journey. Till the end of 19th century, thousands of kilometers of railway lines were laid in India. This not only improved transport facilities, but also gave new direction to India's economy. Agricultural products, industries and business activities were boosted and helped connect various parts of the country.

Railways brought significant changes in Indian society too. People got the facility of moving from one place to another, increasing cultural and social exchange. People from different fields could meet each other, strengthening unity and integrity. Also, new opportunities for education and employment were arisen.

On 16 April 1853, the first passenger train journey began the era of railways in India, which played an important role in the country's development and progress. This day will always be remembered as an important day in Indian Railway history. The journey was not only the beginning of transport revolution, but it also deeply impacted Indian society and the economy.

#इतिहास #history #historyfacts

Courtesy : Facebook "

Natural Beauty of Swat  

When two Modi haters meet.........

Guess What This Is?

Hint: the picture was taken in 1956. Answer... It's a hard disk drive back in 1956...with 5 MB of storage. In September 1956, IBM launched the 305 RAMAC, the first  'SUPER' computer with a hard disk drive (HDD).  The HDD weighed over a ton and stored a 'whopping' 5 MB  of data. So do you appreciate your iPhone 5 with 32 GB of memory  a little more now?

The link between the two !

 bhama said...

Sir, Very true & interesting presentation by you.

I am struggling day in and day out - to wind/unwind the long unused cassettes with a reynolds pen (with cover) works very well. I am in the process of converting them to MP3 - almost 95 % done. Then I just want to keep two cassettes (wrapped ones)one Sony and one TDK for posterity preservance.

Thanks much for bringing out such nostalgia in very innovative ways!

Srini Rama

March 28, 2012 8:31 AM

  Ksesh43 said...

Brings back a lot of good memories!

I have been struggling to convert my cassttes to MP3 manually on my boombox, but it is slow going- with around 400 of them to convert.
Does anyone know of a professional setup that can do this ?
I would be obliged if you can let me know.
Once I get this done, maybe some of this content can be uploaded to Think Loud.
Thanks

Seshasayee

seshasayee@gmail.com

March 28, 2012 12:59 PM

 

 D.Srinivasan said...

I am also interested in knowing the programme to convert audio caseete to mp3 audio CD and video casettes to video CD.

Shall be thankful if a detailed account is given including what accessories and hardware/software one
should have.
my mail id is: dr.dsrinivasan@gmail.com

Thanks in advance

March 28, 2012 5:30 PM

 

Human Planet

Mr. Bhaskaran Sivaraman sent this interesting link. Please click the link below. Do not miss it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=2HiUMlOz4UQ&vq=large

Hemalatha said...

Dear Sir, YES - Really interesting and should not miss watching it. Thanks to Mr. Bhaskaran and you too. Regards

March 17, 2011 12:04 AM

Lathavijayakumar said...

so nice thanks to you

March 17, 2011 9:46 PM

Try it : you will be surprised

sent by Priya ashok

Janagana mana instead of Mangalam

T. M. Krishna took his rasikas by surprise once again

Jana gana mana

Well-known vocalist T M Krishna concludes his Carnatic concert with the national anthem, leaving some pleasantly surprised, and some with raised eyebrows

Sanak Kumar Athreya

Posted On Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 02:49:05 PM

Well-known vocalist T M Krishna has kicked off a debate by singing the national anthem at the end of his concert with some individual ornamentation. While his Saturday concert at Sri Rama Seva Mandali was studded with the usual classical compositions, the concluding piece was completely unexpected.
After requesting everyone to stand up, he broke out into Jana gana mana, singing it with some raga flourishes.

Some thought concluding with the national anthem was a gimmick to earn a standing ovation. Music circles are agog with questions. Is it acceptable to present the national anthem in a classical concert? And, on the other hand, what stops a singer from singing the national anthem? And if a classical musician is given the freedom to interpret the national anthem his way, shouldn't similar liberty be granted to folk, rap and rock musicians?

Many opinions came up. Pavan Duggal, Supreme Court advocate, said, Nobody can use the national anthem for commercial benefit. Singing it as an item in a ticketed concert, recording it for a commercial music CD, or making a ringtone is unwelcome.

Two years ago, N R Narayana Murthy, chief mentor of Infosys, was pushed into a controversy for playing an instrumental version of the national anthem.

There are many patriotic songs in the Carnatic music repertoire. The national anthem must be sung on occasions of national importance and not for entertainment, said Raghavan, a Carnatic music aficionado.

At the Saturday concert at Rama Seva Mandali in Chamarajpet, senior citizens were uncomfortable about standing up for the song.

Legal angles

Lawyer Arun Mani quotes the guidelines for playing the national anthem. "It is okay to be seated when the anthem is played as a part of a programme, documentary or movie, but it is important that decorum be maintained," he said.

Legally speaking, if a public interest case is filed against dishonouring the national anthem, the judge would have to estimate the damage and impose a punishment which could be up to three years of imprisonment or a fine or both, said Radha Harihar, corporate lawyer.

The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act will not apply in this instance, and moreover, the Ministry of Home affairs has left it to the good sense of the people not to indulge in indiscriminate singing or playing of the anthem.

Constitutional expert B V Acharya said not singing the national anthem in the official tune would be `improper,' even if it did may not amount to an offence.

"So long as there is no disrespect shown, singing the national anthem in any context is not an offence. But changing the tune is wrong and not befitting," he said.

When the Vande Mataram tune was changed by A R Rahman, Acharya was upset because he had heard the older tune for a long time.

"Now we are used to the new tune. But when it comes to the national anthem, no one can change the tune," he said.
He conceded Krishna's intention was good, but said he should not set a precedent for others to meddle with the national anthem.

Mandali takeVaradarajan, secretary of Sri Rama Seva Mandali, confirmed Krishna had sung the national anthem.

"At the end of each programme a concluding number called the Pavamana is performed. This was the first time the national anthem was sung as the Pavamana. It was the same tune and he did not make any change or leave out anything. The bhaava (emotion) was the same, but he made minor improvisations on the raaga," he told Bangalore Mirror.

`Spirit of nationalism'T M Krishna justified singing Jana gana mana, and said, "The rendition was purely an expression of the spirit of nationalism. "

He said he was unaware of any law that prohibits the singing of the national anthem at classical concerts. About the style, he said, "In the version recently popularised by A R Rahman, many artists have performed the national anthem, and one can clearly see the artist in each rendition... similarly, I have not altered the tune, but you can find the musician T M Krishna in my rendition."

He said the performance showed his "deep respect" for the national anthem.
Inputs from Bangalore Mirror Bureau

Are we also not "Aam aadmi "?

A thought provoking posting by Ms. Sivapriya krishnan in her blog was very appealing to me. She is a multifaceted personality. Sivapriya Krishnan is  an MBA with a wide corporate experience in blue chip companies for 20 years with Marketing and Branding being the specialisation and is also a visiting faculty in business schools. She is ardent and passionate about Carnatic Music and is a singer,student and writer on that subject. In addition to this she holds an MA in Music from the Madras University and is a Certified Professional Coach for Human Resource Development and Training from Results Coaching (Franklin Covey partner) Her writing about "Iyengars" was very interesting. ( I will publish it next ) So I am publishing this to the benefit of my readers.

Monday, March 1, 2010
Budget 2010 and " AAM AADMI"
.............................. By Sivapriya Krishnan

The finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and the rest of the hoi polloi sitting in discussion with Prannoy Roy, the other day at the NDTV Budget discussion,were raving about the excellent fiscal measures and the pivotal role that the government is playing in agriculture, FDI etc etc. Alongside Pranabji also said that the budget has been made keeping in mind the " AAM AADMI".

In defining this "aam aadmi" the government and the economic hoi polloi definitely seem to have a disconnect with actual ground reality. Who in their view is this person? Looks like they are still in the hunt for this so called "mythical underdog" !!

AAM AADMI is the not the one below or just above the poverty line, as the government still thinks. AAM AADMI is not just the one still on the road, daily wage earners and the like.

AAMAADMI's are also People travelling by two wheelers or small and medium cars, people who work 24x7 for their roti , kapda, makaan and EMI ( for House and vehicles ) , save for their sons education, save for their daughters education and prestigious affair called marriage ( these girls give a double hit!!), be they "blue collared" or "white collared" , each according to his merit and desire, ..... are all
"aam aadmi.(s)" ..... ' the janata' !!

This aamaadmi has no great political or socialite clout, still believes in rooted middle class family values, earns his holidays and does not get the time to use it, uses his skill and qualification to do his job, is in the constant fear of being thrown out of his job at any point in time, also gets thrown out at times and seeks fresh jobs, sinks into loans for house or has to pay hefty advances and rentals for a cubhole of a house , pays EMI's for ACs, fridge, microwave , washing machine , battles with heavy medical bills for the family and extended family ........ ooPhs .... but yet , he or she goes about the task like a true "Karma Yogi" with the hope of seeing light at the end of the dark tunnel which grows and grows ........!

Dal from 30-70-120 rs., oil from 60-190 rs., sugar from 15- 25- 50 rs., petrol well above 60rs., onions from 8- 15- 24 rs., potatoes well above 30rs., tomatoes 25-30rs., all in a span of a year and a half, Mr.Finance and Prime Minister ;
: are these not some basic indicators of the injury done to the aamaadmi's pocket or is it some strange bullet from no where?

To top this list, from this budget onwards, the prices of all consumer household durables have gone up. Cars are costlier, petrol even more costlier, food costliest, thereby creating that spiralling web of inflation around this "aamaadmi" as a noose around his neck, who is already into a debt trap, in which he/she can neither live peacefully nor die peacefully !!! ( akin to the Don Loin's joke of liquid oxygen !! -liquid use' jeene nahin dega, oxygen use' marne nahin dega).

These days even death is very costly, considering the cost of a funeral and the rites thereof !!

And here we have our esteemeed PM making statements on pricing in the hallowed portals of world meets and summits like the one below :
.....................................................................................
Quote : made by The PM, from todays papers:
Any increase in prices does hurt some section of people, but we have to take a long term view. We cannot save people from inflation if we follow all along populist fiscal policies,' Manmohan Singh said. He was speaking to the media Monday on board the special aircraft that brought him back to New Delhi from his three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia.

'The direct effect of the increase in fuel prices on wholesale prices will be no more than 0.4 percent,' he said.

'There is some escalation (in prices) but my hope is that now that the new rabi (winter) crop coming into the market, prices that have caused a great degree of concern like those of wheat, sugar, oilseeds, pulses will see some moderation and that the economy has the capacity to absorb this hike in oil prices without setting in motion any inflationary spiral.'
........................................................................................................................................................................

With all agricultural tax holidays, subsidies and so on, we only see more marginalisaion of farmers and farmer suicides !! Farm land is slowly vanishing and turning into industrial estates. Farmers' sons dont farm; they choose to work as cheap daily or contractual labour for the Hyundais, Nokias and the SaintGobains of the country !! We shamelessly import grains and sugar to feed our own Indian souls. So much for a country which claims to be 70-80% agricultural !!

As the industrialist Mr.Narayanamoorthy the other day told NDTV , India shining will only be on that day, when every Indian has access to decent living , affordable food , education, medical facilities and jobs well his or her worth. Do we see this shining star in the near horizon?

U know what? Toy Balloons will cost less this year !! Anybody for a joy ride with gas balloons ? ........?

Interesting facts

Walking fast

Unlike when we swing our hands while walking, why are we not able to walk fast with our arms folded?

G. SATHYAGIRIRAJAN

Thiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu

It is an interesting phenomena that every of our muscles are controlled by nervous system for its function, described as ‘movement order’ from the brain. These are carried away from the brain from a place called ‘Motor Organization Cortex.’

This flow of impulses are modulated or regulated by various subordinate systems, just like a powerful water fall is regulated by various blockades of mountain on its way. These are extrapyramidal system, cerebellar system, and various other inhibitory or break pathways.

They ultimately end in spinal cord neurons, gets relayed there and as a final common pathway end in muscle receptors. The contracting muscle position is relayed to the brain as a ‘feed back’ through an organ called tendon organ of Golgi, which informs the brain about the stage and state of contraction.

During normal process of walking, this phenomenon is constantly happening. But in situations where when there is artificial stretching or contraction happens in the body, as we fold the hands tightly or grip the fingers, or hand tightly these impulses are generated from the tightening muscles to the brain that some part of the body is undergoing over stretch or contraction.

This information from the muscles in the hands warns the brain that the muscles are overcontracting. Thereafter the ‘power of movement’ from the brain, will try to reduce in order to protect the over contracting muscles. This effect is volleyed over to lower limbs also, and therefore the speed of walking is reduced.

This is a reflex phenomena of nervous system, rather a protective mechanism.

This phenomenon is called reinforcement of muscle contraction.

DR. V. NAGARAJAN
PROFESSOR EMERITUS IN NEUROSCIENCES
TAMIL NADU DR MGR MEDICAL UNIVE

nag9999@gmail.com

Courtesy The Hindu

Interesting facts

Endurance

At age 22 – He failed in business
At age 23 – He ran for the Legislature and was defeated
At age 24 – He failed in business, once again
At age 25 – He finally was elected to the Legislature

but then…

At age 29 – He was defeated for Speaker of the House
At age 34 – He was defeated for Congress
At age 39 – He lost another bid for Congress
At age 46 – He was defeated for the Senate
At age 47 – He was defeated for Vice President
At age 49 – He was again defeated for the Senate

however…

At age 51 – He was elected President of the United States

He was…

Abraham Lincoln

Nations with highest per capita income

India
July 24, 2008
India's per capita income is almost Rs 40,000 ($950) per year, according to the latest figures released by the World Bank.
This has been calculated using the World Bank Atlas method that employs official exchange rates for conversion.
India's per capita income has more than doubled from $460 in 2000-01 to $950 in 2007 due to strong economic growth.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram had recently stated that India's per capita income could double every 9 years. By 2016-17, the country's per capita would be at $2,000; and by 2025, per capita would be $4,000 if India grows at 9 per cent.
At $950 per capita income per year, India ranks a poor 160th in the world.
According to the World Bank categories: Nations with per capita income (PCI) less than $935 are 'low income;' nations with PCI from $936 to $3,705 are 'lower middle income;' those with PCI from $3,706 to $11,455 are 'upper middle income;' and those with PCI from $11,456 or more are 'high income.'
So which are the world's richest nations, or people, in terms of per capita income? And where do India's neighbours like China and Pakistan stand?

Liechtenstein

Strange, as it might seem, the World Bank ranks nations, sometimes without giving their actual per capita income. No explanation is given by the World Bank, other than a footnote that says: �2007 data not available; ranking is approximate.'
However, information gleaned from other sources bears out the World Bank ranking.
So the nation with the highest per capita income in the world is Liechtenstein, a small country bordering Switzerland and Austria. Liechtenstein's per capita income is about $80,000 per annum.
The principality has an industrialised economy, with banking and financial services being the mainstay. Tourism too is a major revenue earner for the nation.
The personal income tax rates in Liechtenstein too are exceedingly low: basic income tax rate is 1.2 per cent on income up to 200,000 Swiss Francs, and maximum is 5 per cent on income over 2 million Swiss Francs a year.

2. Bermuda

Bermuda is tourist's delight, located in the North Atlantic Ocean.
Bermuda's per capita income is almost 50 per cent more than that of the United States. The tiny island nation's per capita income stands at just above $78,000. It has the second highest PCI in the world.
Bermuda is a major financial centre and is particularly attractive because of its low taxation rates. Financial services is the nation's largest industry, followed by tourism.

Norway

Norway's per capita income stands at $76,450, which is the third highest in the world.
Norway has a mixed economy consisting of state-owned businesses and a robust free market. It's a high developed and industrialized state. Fishing, petroleum, hydel power, minerals contribute heavily to the nation's GDP.

Luxembourg

Luxembourg's per capita income is at $75,880. That makes it the world's fourth highest PCI.
Luxembourg is located in Europe and is bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany.
The nation has highly developed industrial and financial sectors.

Qatar

The per capita income of Qataris is $60,000, the fifth highest in the world.
Qatar is an Arab emirate located in the Persian Gulf.
The nation's economy mainly depends on its huge oil and natural gas reserves. There is no income tax in Qatar.

Switzerland

The Swiss enjoy a financially comfortable life, with a per capita income of $59,880. Switzerland ranks sixth in the World Bank's per capita income rankings.
Switzerland, a truly capitalist economy, has many giant banks and multinational corporations. It also has highly developed industries in sectors like pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machine parts, electronics, precision instruments, banking, tourism, etc. Dairy farming too is an age old industry in Switzerland. It has very low tax rates.


Denmark

Denmark's per capita income is at $54,910. According to World Bank rankings, it is the world's seventh highest PCI.
Denmark has a highly industrialised economy, with robust agricultural and corporate sectors. Despite being one of the most competitive nations, the nation has a very weak financial regulatory system. Also, its labour laws are very lax and tilted heavily in favour of the employers.

Iceland

At $54,100, the per capita income of Iceland is the world's eighth highest.
Iceland has a very healthy power sector which helps it be a highly industrialised country. Apart from manufacturing, the nation is also taking big strides in the fields of software generation, biotechnology, tourism, and financial services.

Cayman Islands

The per capita income of Cayman Islands is more than $48,140 and less than $54,100, as per World Bank figures. It has the 11th highest PCI in the world. At number 9 is Channel Islands and in the 10th spot is Andorra.
The Cayman Islands are situated in the Caribbean Sea. It is a major financial centre and also one of the world's best known tax havens.
The nation's economic mainstays are tourism and financial services.





United States of America

America's per capita income is $46,040. It's the 15th-highest in the world.
The United States is mostly a capitalist economy, with huge mineral and oil reserves, apart from fantastic infrastructure, skilled work force, and the highest number of the world's largest corporations.
The country has highly developed sectors, like banking, financial services, automobile, agriculture, manufacturing, energy, etc.

China

China's per capita income is $2,360. It ranks 132nd in the world.
China is the world's second largest economy, with its GDP standing at slightly more than $7 trillion. India, by comparison, touched the $1-trillion mark in 2007.
China, the world's factory, has a highly developed manufacturing sector. It has a huge market which acts as a magnet for big multinationals who pour in billions of dollars into the economy to grab a chunk of the massive Chinese market.
The country also has a very well developed telecommunications market, apart from robust agricultural and industrial sectors.

Pakistan

Pakistan's per capita income is at $870. It ranks 163rd in the world.
For the past few years, India's neighbour has been growing at an impressive rate of about 7 per cent. Its economy mainly comprises agriculture, services, telecommunications, software, automotives, textiles, etc.