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8 Moments That Made India Proud In 2013
after South Africa gained independence from apartheid, Nelson Mandela remarked: “We recall the joy and excitement of a nation that had found itself, the collective belief that we had stepped out of our restrictive past and the expectant air of walking into a brighter future.”
Several years later and less than a month since his death, his words echo the sentiments of the Indian scenario today. If 2013 were to be described in one phrase, then that phrase would be ‘a call for change’. Be it politics, social activism or cinema; all the key shapers of a country’s destiny underwent a radical change. Even though 2013 proved to be a year that more often than not made headlines for the wrong reasons– the floods ravaging Uttarakhand, the loss of lives due to dengue, the Supreme Court criminalizing homosexuality and the Centre rejecting CBI’s demand for autonomy; yet what is laudable is that all these acted as stimuli to voice the pent up frustration that consequently led to ‘a call for change’. It’s this change that has given India, moments of pride in 2013-
1. The Rise of the Common Man
This year saw people taking on to the streets to speak up not just for themselves but for others too. Be it the unprecedented turn out for elections in Delhi, people of varied sexualities coming together to protest for the rights of homosexuals, or the increasing number of rape cases being reported; this year witnessed the rage of the common man being productively harnessed to strengthen the spirit of democracy. With rape cases being followed up against stalwarts like Tarun Tejpal and A.K. Ganguly, it was made clear that not even the mighty and powerful are above the laws of the land.
2. The Changing Dynamics of Politics
The political scene in India underwent a revolutionary change that could trace its ancestry only in the Jayaprakash Movement of 1970s. The rise of the Aam Aadmi Party came as a welcome change in an otherwise accountability starved nation. It came to represent a form of governance that was people-oriented. Even though its endurance in Indian politics is still dubious, yet what is of relevance to us are the macro issues that it brought to light, that of accountability and transparency. The success of AAP has shaken the complacency of the existing parties as has become evident through Congress’s frantic efforts to reinvent its image post the realization of the anti-incumbent wave in the country.
3. Indian research makes its presence felt on the world map
The Indian Space Research Organisation gave India ample reasons in 2013 to be proud of its ace institution. As India launched its maiden mission to Mars on 5th December, there flew high with the spacecraft Mangalyaan, the hopes and aspirations of millions of Indians to be one among the few select nations in the world involved in interplanetary missions.
Another heartening news came from the HAL quarters in Bangalore as India’s very own Light Combat Aircraft; Tejas received the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC), thus proving India’s mettle in the field of aeronautics. This state-of-the-art aircraft designed for the Indian Air Force will replace the Russian made Mig-21.
4. The splendour of Sachin
The world took a bow as India’s cricketing legend, Sachin Tendulkar decided to call it a day. From Chris Gayle to Roger Federer, from Michael Carrick to Virender Sehwag, everyone reminisced about the career of his iconic brilliance. His unparalleled records attest to his unmatched prowess. Brian Lara deemed Tendulkar to be synonymous to cricket when he said “if you mention the word boxing, you have to mention Muhammad Ali. When you talk of basketball, you have to mention Michael Jordan. When you speak about cricket, I’d speak of Tendulkar.
5. The Dead End for Convicted politicians:
In what was hailed as a landmark verdict to cleanse polity, the Supreme Court announced that a person who is in police custody will not be allowed to contest elections to legislative bodies. This initiative of the SC found an extension in the cancellation of the Lok Sabha membership of Lalu Prasad, the two-time Chief Minister of Bihar. Later, he was sentenced to a five year term in prison for the fodder scam. These measures have reinforced the belief of people in the judiciary of the world’s largest democracy.
6. (Infra) Structural Advances:
In what is being seen as a welcome step to promote women’s security, the first ever Mahila bank, Bhartiya Mahila Bank was inaugurated in Mumbai on November 19. There are already eight other branches of the bank that have been set up all across the country.
Another infrastructural reform was seen in the field of connectivity. India’s first ever private-funded metro rail system was opened to the public on November 14. The rapid metro connects National Highway-8 and the existing Sikanderpur metro station on the Yellow Line of the Delhi Metro.
7. Revolution in Reel
From the sci-fi thriller, Krish3 to the all commercial, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani; from the biopic, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag to the sexually explicit, Grand Masti; from the critically acclaimed Special 26 to the slapstick comedy, Chennai Express; the variety of genres that did well on the box office kept multiplying in numbers. The success of these films proved to be a testament to the wider acceptability of the Indian audience. Bollywood is witnessing a radical transformation, wherein there are no rigid distinctions between art and commercial cinema. There no longer exist prototypes of blockbusters. You have to be able to entertain in order to sustain.
A similar trend was observed in music. If the success of the album of Aashiqui2 prompts you to think that Indian audiences are reverting to melodies then, think again. From the melodious strains of Aashiqui2 to the cacophonic Badtameez Dil and Lungi Dance, a wide variety of songs ruled the roost this year.
8. Fashioning new trends
Besides earning recognition as an international pop singer, Priyanka Chopra became the face for Guess, world’s leading brand in fashion. So also, Indian fashionista, Sonam Kapoor became the first Indian to feature in the esteemed global magazine, The Business of Fashion. To add to this list of Indian beauties being acknowledged internationally, Srishti Rana, the second runner-up at the Miss India pageant this year, won the title of Miss Asia Pacific World 2013.
So, as we are on the threshold of 2014, here’s hoping that the achievements next year would far outnumber the ones that made us proud this year. We need more. Many, many more.
55 THINGS THAT MAKE INDIA PROUD
1)The Indian Army : India`s professional standing army of 1.1 million is the second highest in world after China`s. Yet it has kept away from politics.
2)The ISRO Space Program : Since 1975 (with ‘Arybhatta’ launch), it has made INSAT (Indian Satelite System) a household name.
3)The Nuclear Team : Now in the great game, India counts!
4)The Constitution : Formally enforced on 26 Jan 1950. “If democracy is religion, the constitution is the Gita & Quran of sovereign India. Has 84 amendments.
5)The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) : Has build 32, 800 km road network linking Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh & Jammu & Kashmir. Former in 1962 after Indi-China war. Recently dedicated 160 km Manipur (March) – Myanmar (Tamu) road called ‘The Burma Roda’ on Feb 13, 2001.
6)Sewa (The self – Employed Women`s Association) : Founded by Lawyer turned leader from Ahmadabad, Ela Bhatt in 1975, its still a labour union. It safeguards impoverished self employed women, 2 lacs no. in 7 states. It has set up 71 co-operatives of various trades to share expertise, each having 1,000 members. It has a microfinance bank since 1974 that has now 70,000 accounts with 96% repayment rate on its loans! “Self help works”!
7)The Supreme Court : It has given a distinct meaning to the fundamental rights of activities except in 1975-77. Since 80`s, it has expanded the scope of public – interest litigations.
8)The IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) : Ahmedabad`s IIM is toughest in the world to get into, ahead of Harward Business School, Columbia Univ. in course content. Its fifth – after Yale, Hardward, IE & Paris Haunte Etudes Comm. Today these are 6 IIMs – Ahm, Kolkata, Banglore, Lucknow, Indore and Koochikode & clock an average pay Rs. 21 lacs per year.
9)The Udupi Dosa : From Udipi, Karnataka – the birth place of Hindu Sant Madhav Acharya, who set up the Puthing Krishna Math here, one of the 7 centers of Hindu Pilgrims. “Udipi not be a chain, but it is a symbol, even a brand.”
10)The Mumbai Dabbawallas : With efficiency rate of 99.999999, one error six million transactions a Six Sigma rating by Forbes Global, a weekly American business mags, each day 3,500 of them collect, deliver & return back tiffins to 1.5 lacs office goers. Secret : Coding colors & numbers; mistake – 1 in 2 months. Rate : Rs. 140 / tiffin / month only.
11)The Chipko Movements of 70s : Women were the spear heads of it as they were the worst sufferes due to environmental degration. It led the UP Govt. to ban felling of trees in high slopes of Himalaya. It finally led to birth of the Dept. of Environment.
12)India Mark II Hand Pumps : A Sholapur mechanics design brought water round the clock for < Rs. 4,800 in 1975 (today appr. Rs. 10,000) with nearly 30 lakhs units today installed with polypropylene washers & galvanished steel parts to prevent rusting. Today, it`s Mark III & is still very simple. It has been exported to Africa and Latin America.
13)The Check Dams : It reduced irrigation cost to Rs. 5,000 to 8,000 compared to a large dam & canal network that costs > 2 lac to service. Initital investment for these depends on size (Rs. 20,000 to 6 lakh) and can be recovered in 1 – 2 seasons. Also the maintenance skill and finance are nominal. Gujarat kicked off a scheme to build 2,500 check dams. It is now in 6 states. Have you not seen a long cement barrier which is hardly 2 – 3 feet wide running across the whole river? It is a check dam.
14)Free Press : There are 75,000 dailies, 16,000 weecklies & 76,000 fortnightlies in all Indian languages!
15)Amul : Technically, the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union Ltd was setup in 1946 to break the cartel of milk contractors. Today, Operation Flood has India the world`s largest milk producers (> 78 million tones a year).
16)The Jaipur Foot : The Rs. 1,500 per unit which takes 45 min to make one, which lasts for 5 years & allows a person to walk, run & lift weights – has also established centres in Phillipines, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Honduras & Panama. Thanks to human God wood carver Ram Chandra who used Vulcanised rubber & wood & learnt leg anatomy from doctors at Sawai Mansingh Hospital, Jaipur. Dr. Ram Karan Sethi, orthopedic surgeon, was instrumental to popularis it. He won Rotary`s highest award in 2001 for it.
17)Yoga : By practicing ‘the kechri mudra’, Devraha Baba, the sage of Vrindavan, is claimed to have lived for 700 years! This 5,000 yr holistic science was noticed in Indus Valley seal of a yogi & later codified by Patanjal in 2nd century B.C.
18)The Indian Cricketers : For Indians, cricket is a religion. Every cricketer who plays for India receives a cap with a number on it, indicating his place in the list of Test Players. Parthieve Patel is No. 244
19)The Indian Joint Family : It is the basic unit of Indian society, it lumbers on unworried, unhurried, taking you with it, sometimes inspite of you.
20)The Indian Railway : It has a network of 1 lakh and 9,000 kms (2nd in world); 7,000 stations; runs 13,000 trains daily, ferries 1 million passengers a day; has the longest tunnel, the highest stations, has 1.2 lac bridges on railways, is the largest railway in the world and is nation`s largest employer – 1.65 million employes. What transports India? Resilence & railways.
21)Mumbai`s Shivaji Park : This 1 sq. km land is home to 8 cricket clubs, 30 playing strips & has minimum 60 daily nets. Since 1925 it has 2 tennis courts, a mini-park for children & a Ganesh Temple which Sachin Tendulkar still vists regularly past midnight. Its metaphor for Indian cricket itself.
22)Lijjat Papad : March 1959 – 7 women from poor families gather on terrace in Mumbai`s Girgaon locality & produce 4 packets of papads on borrowed sum of Rs. 80. Today : Bandra based Shri Mahila Girha Udyog Lijjat Papad is an operation with 60 centres countrywide involving 40,000 women & annual sales of > Rs. 300 crores. Motto : Self Help
23)STD Booths : 2o years ago, making a long distance call was a nightmare – it meant exasperarted shouting, a habbit still imprinted in Indian DNA – it has come to a point where even zero is a number of value : 022.
24) General Election :619 million voters for 1999 GE made Indian elections the largest in the world.
25)Angadia Courier Systems : Since 1925, based entirely on trust & that too mainly amongst diamond traders of Gujarat 60 firms & 5000 plus employees strap on the diamonds & stones or simply carry them in an ordinary bag to courier. It’s as simple as that!
26)Kerela : ‘God`s Own Country’ has ayurveda, Chinese nets, Backwaters & Beaches. It is voted in top 10 destinations as earth`s paradise by National Geography Magazine.
27)Tha Dhaba : Be a Mercedes or a Fiat, the tradition of the stop still endures. Secrets : very tasty food, quick service & unbelievable prices.
28)Indian Advertising : Sheer talent to communicate in a land as diverse as India & as complex as Bharat brings FEVICOL a GOLD Lion at annula Cannes Int. Advt. Awards in June. Most of our advs. have soul.
29)Indian Handicrafts : Be it tribal or Gujarat, it is taken with gurantee. That is it`s tribute.
30)The Bicycle : Don`t sniff derisively, consider this – it takes 20% of cost of running car; its speed : 15-25 km/hr in peak hours; it requires a tenth of parking space. India has 13 million a year & is second to China. But our Hero Cycles are world`s largest makers (nearly 6 million a year).
31)The Sari : It exposes a strategic circumference of skin & there are 100 different ways of wrapping it without any accessory. It`s eternal folds gives elegance & a sensual appeal which is timeless & enduring.
32)Bollywood :300 feature films a year; annual turnover of Rs. 6,000 crore; jobs to 7.2 million people & it gives Indians a chance to forget droughts, power cuts, politicians & lost Cricket Matches. It is a window to our soul.
33)The NRI : 20 million people world wide account for an economic output of about $400 billion (Rs. 19,20,000 crore). They are living tribute to Indian enterprise.
34)Kabadiwalas : One of the most efficient & low key recycling systems in the world, India recycles 60% of its plastic waste (Japan 12%, China 10%) with the help of 1 million kabadiwalas.
35)The Ethnic Chic : The intelligent reinvention is such that it has caught fancy of the world & resuscitated many proud possesors of India which were on the verge of extinction e.g. Santhal Lute.
36)The Indian Beauty : India has won 2 Miss Universe & 3 Miss World titles since 1984. This has permanently changed the perception of women in urban India.
37)The Indian Novel : The new lot : Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Amita Gosh, U. Chatterjee made in Indian Novel in English saleable & Brooker worthy.
38)The Green Revolution : The Green Revolution – Urged by Agriculture minister in 65-67, C. Subramanium, scientist indigenized Mexican wheat & ‘Kalyan Sona’ & ‘Sonalika’ were born. Today, we are self sufficient in foodgrain production (71-47 million tones of wheat last year).
39)Ayurveda : 60 uses of neem tree. Ever imagined? That`s Ayurveda since 5,000 years.
40)Mid-Day Meal Scheme : From July 1, 1982, Chief Minister MGR fed 6-8 million poor TN children one 400 calaroie meal every day at 52,000 centres (mostly schools) costing Rs. 15 crore a year. All scoffed at & grumbled. But the response : astounding. Parents made sure that the children go to school. It saw TN`s population growth rate fall dramatically. Its now just 1%.
41)Indian Spiritualism : India attracts spiritual travelers of the world & its own too. It is not maya or illusion. Its real. For peace, it is home.
42)Sulabh Souchalaya : Sulabh International, a NGO is Delhi-based & has helped set up 75 lakh units in India – earning a commission for each toilet system sold & maintains 5,000 payer – use public toilet & bath complexes in India in cities. Just consider this : Only 1% of rural & 20% of urban population has access to sanitary facilities.
43)Vividh Bharati : 30 uninterrupted years for 14 hours a day from almost 200 stations, with population coverage of 97%. It is ahead of FM radio, DD & Cable TV & that too for a maximum Rs. 200 radio which is portable & can be taken anywhere.
44)Kokatta Metro : This 16.45 km strech can be covered in 32 min & took 15 years to make when it was agreed in 1973 for Rs. 1800 crore. It is a showcase of cleanliness & success amid filth & chaos in Kolkatta.
45)IITs : 7 IITs – Kharagpur (the first one in 1951) Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kanpur, Guwhati & Roorkee. Conceived by PM Nehru, produce about 2,000 grduates a year.
46)Jugaad (Real Hidi ‘Jugaad’) : Indian innovativeness – a bicycle wheel run on the roof top is a TV antenna, ‘Maruta’, a Punjab rural transport vehicle fashioned from a pump, wood plants, cannibalized stearing, tyres & other junk; making lassi in liters in a modified washing machines; kitchen knives sharpened for decades by on grind wheels powered by pedaling a stationary bicycle & dosa mix in churned by a motarised pestle in households & restaurants.
47)Mumbai`s Transport : Probably the only city in the world with ‘the city centre’ actually lodged at southern tip & the suburban at the other end, rush hour is a unidirectional frenzy. But the 3,380 BEST buses, > 1 lakh taxis & > 50,000 Autos & the ‘local’ – the network of 162 suburban network & carrying passangers 4 times their capacity & also boasting of a ‘ladies only’ train, epitomizes the city`s spirit.
48)The Curry : The curry, tikka masalas & the dal makhani – do we have to prove that it is Indian? But casual cooking has curry in trouble today : 2 Japenese patent agencies have an application pending that could give then exclusive rights to the general process of making it.
49)The Silent Valley : So called due to near absence of omnipresent crickets that provide the background hum in most tropical forests in India, this valley is one of the richest in fauna & flora & is in the Western Ghats in Kerela. It is in top 10 biodiversity spots in world.
50)Infotech Revolution : It made global corporation move their backroom operations to India & Indians. NASSCOM projects $60 BILLION or so in software exports by 2008, more than India`s total exports today.
51)Indian Post : Consider : it is the largest in the world, with 1.5 lakh post offices (even in centre of Thar desert); with 1 > million money orders a month; with postal banking system effectively the biggest small savings institution in the country; with over 25 lakhs postal life insurance policies but with the festival ‘baksheesh’ included.
52)Nehru Jacket : Sean Connery, the original Bond was in it in Dr. No & comedian Mike Myers sported it in Austin Powers. Even Nelson Mandela & Tony Blair are fond of it.
53)Tirumala Devasthanam : India`s richest Hindu temple with income of nearly Rs. 500 crore a year, attracting an average 45,000 devotees on a learn day & nearly 2 lakhs on New Yearly Day also symbolizes superb management & crowd control.
54)Darjeeling tea : ‘India`s Champagne’ started 150 years ago by a British Civil Surgeon, Dr. Archibald Campbell in his garden at Beechwood, Darjeeling, 7000ft above sea. Today, there are 86 gardens over 19,000 hectores with 15,000 employees & 11 million kg a year production. A kilo of this tea from Castleton Estate fetched highest price of Rs. 15,000 at Kolkatta auctions in 1989. Now, the Darjeeling Planter`s Association gurads it by marking premium tea with special logo.
55)Unity in Diversity : 18 major languages; 29 major festivals; 6,400 castes & subcastes; 7 union territories; 28 states; 6 major religions; 1,600 minor languages & dialects; 52 major tribes; 6 major ethnic group – 1 country.
THIS IS INDIA.
attribution 55 THINGS THAT MAKE INDIA PROUD!!! - Self Employed
after South Africa gained independence from apartheid, Nelson Mandela remarked: “We recall the joy and excitement of a nation that had found itself, the collective belief that we had stepped out of our restrictive past and the expectant air of walking into a brighter future.”
Several years later and less than a month since his death, his words echo the sentiments of the Indian scenario today. If 2013 were to be described in one phrase, then that phrase would be ‘a call for change’. Be it politics, social activism or cinema; all the key shapers of a country’s destiny underwent a radical change. Even though 2013 proved to be a year that more often than not made headlines for the wrong reasons– the floods ravaging Uttarakhand, the loss of lives due to dengue, the Supreme Court criminalizing homosexuality and the Centre rejecting CBI’s demand for autonomy; yet what is laudable is that all these acted as stimuli to voice the pent up frustration that consequently led to ‘a call for change’. It’s this change that has given India, moments of pride in 2013-
1. The Rise of the Common Man
This year saw people taking on to the streets to speak up not just for themselves but for others too. Be it the unprecedented turn out for elections in Delhi, people of varied sexualities coming together to protest for the rights of homosexuals, or the increasing number of rape cases being reported; this year witnessed the rage of the common man being productively harnessed to strengthen the spirit of democracy. With rape cases being followed up against stalwarts like Tarun Tejpal and A.K. Ganguly, it was made clear that not even the mighty and powerful are above the laws of the land.
2. The Changing Dynamics of Politics
The political scene in India underwent a revolutionary change that could trace its ancestry only in the Jayaprakash Movement of 1970s. The rise of the Aam Aadmi Party came as a welcome change in an otherwise accountability starved nation. It came to represent a form of governance that was people-oriented. Even though its endurance in Indian politics is still dubious, yet what is of relevance to us are the macro issues that it brought to light, that of accountability and transparency. The success of AAP has shaken the complacency of the existing parties as has become evident through Congress’s frantic efforts to reinvent its image post the realization of the anti-incumbent wave in the country.
3. Indian research makes its presence felt on the world map
The Indian Space Research Organisation gave India ample reasons in 2013 to be proud of its ace institution. As India launched its maiden mission to Mars on 5th December, there flew high with the spacecraft Mangalyaan, the hopes and aspirations of millions of Indians to be one among the few select nations in the world involved in interplanetary missions.
Another heartening news came from the HAL quarters in Bangalore as India’s very own Light Combat Aircraft; Tejas received the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC), thus proving India’s mettle in the field of aeronautics. This state-of-the-art aircraft designed for the Indian Air Force will replace the Russian made Mig-21.
4. The splendour of Sachin
The world took a bow as India’s cricketing legend, Sachin Tendulkar decided to call it a day. From Chris Gayle to Roger Federer, from Michael Carrick to Virender Sehwag, everyone reminisced about the career of his iconic brilliance. His unparalleled records attest to his unmatched prowess. Brian Lara deemed Tendulkar to be synonymous to cricket when he said “if you mention the word boxing, you have to mention Muhammad Ali. When you talk of basketball, you have to mention Michael Jordan. When you speak about cricket, I’d speak of Tendulkar.
5. The Dead End for Convicted politicians:
In what was hailed as a landmark verdict to cleanse polity, the Supreme Court announced that a person who is in police custody will not be allowed to contest elections to legislative bodies. This initiative of the SC found an extension in the cancellation of the Lok Sabha membership of Lalu Prasad, the two-time Chief Minister of Bihar. Later, he was sentenced to a five year term in prison for the fodder scam. These measures have reinforced the belief of people in the judiciary of the world’s largest democracy.
6. (Infra) Structural Advances:
In what is being seen as a welcome step to promote women’s security, the first ever Mahila bank, Bhartiya Mahila Bank was inaugurated in Mumbai on November 19. There are already eight other branches of the bank that have been set up all across the country.
Another infrastructural reform was seen in the field of connectivity. India’s first ever private-funded metro rail system was opened to the public on November 14. The rapid metro connects National Highway-8 and the existing Sikanderpur metro station on the Yellow Line of the Delhi Metro.
7. Revolution in Reel
From the sci-fi thriller, Krish3 to the all commercial, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani; from the biopic, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag to the sexually explicit, Grand Masti; from the critically acclaimed Special 26 to the slapstick comedy, Chennai Express; the variety of genres that did well on the box office kept multiplying in numbers. The success of these films proved to be a testament to the wider acceptability of the Indian audience. Bollywood is witnessing a radical transformation, wherein there are no rigid distinctions between art and commercial cinema. There no longer exist prototypes of blockbusters. You have to be able to entertain in order to sustain.
A similar trend was observed in music. If the success of the album of Aashiqui2 prompts you to think that Indian audiences are reverting to melodies then, think again. From the melodious strains of Aashiqui2 to the cacophonic Badtameez Dil and Lungi Dance, a wide variety of songs ruled the roost this year.
8. Fashioning new trends
Besides earning recognition as an international pop singer, Priyanka Chopra became the face for Guess, world’s leading brand in fashion. So also, Indian fashionista, Sonam Kapoor became the first Indian to feature in the esteemed global magazine, The Business of Fashion. To add to this list of Indian beauties being acknowledged internationally, Srishti Rana, the second runner-up at the Miss India pageant this year, won the title of Miss Asia Pacific World 2013.
So, as we are on the threshold of 2014, here’s hoping that the achievements next year would far outnumber the ones that made us proud this year. We need more. Many, many more.
55 THINGS THAT MAKE INDIA PROUD
1)The Indian Army : India`s professional standing army of 1.1 million is the second highest in world after China`s. Yet it has kept away from politics.
2)The ISRO Space Program : Since 1975 (with ‘Arybhatta’ launch), it has made INSAT (Indian Satelite System) a household name.
3)The Nuclear Team : Now in the great game, India counts!
4)The Constitution : Formally enforced on 26 Jan 1950. “If democracy is religion, the constitution is the Gita & Quran of sovereign India. Has 84 amendments.
5)The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) : Has build 32, 800 km road network linking Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh & Jammu & Kashmir. Former in 1962 after Indi-China war. Recently dedicated 160 km Manipur (March) – Myanmar (Tamu) road called ‘The Burma Roda’ on Feb 13, 2001.
6)Sewa (The self – Employed Women`s Association) : Founded by Lawyer turned leader from Ahmadabad, Ela Bhatt in 1975, its still a labour union. It safeguards impoverished self employed women, 2 lacs no. in 7 states. It has set up 71 co-operatives of various trades to share expertise, each having 1,000 members. It has a microfinance bank since 1974 that has now 70,000 accounts with 96% repayment rate on its loans! “Self help works”!
7)The Supreme Court : It has given a distinct meaning to the fundamental rights of activities except in 1975-77. Since 80`s, it has expanded the scope of public – interest litigations.
8)The IIMs (Indian Institute of Management) : Ahmedabad`s IIM is toughest in the world to get into, ahead of Harward Business School, Columbia Univ. in course content. Its fifth – after Yale, Hardward, IE & Paris Haunte Etudes Comm. Today these are 6 IIMs – Ahm, Kolkata, Banglore, Lucknow, Indore and Koochikode & clock an average pay Rs. 21 lacs per year.
9)The Udupi Dosa : From Udipi, Karnataka – the birth place of Hindu Sant Madhav Acharya, who set up the Puthing Krishna Math here, one of the 7 centers of Hindu Pilgrims. “Udipi not be a chain, but it is a symbol, even a brand.”
10)The Mumbai Dabbawallas : With efficiency rate of 99.999999, one error six million transactions a Six Sigma rating by Forbes Global, a weekly American business mags, each day 3,500 of them collect, deliver & return back tiffins to 1.5 lacs office goers. Secret : Coding colors & numbers; mistake – 1 in 2 months. Rate : Rs. 140 / tiffin / month only.
11)The Chipko Movements of 70s : Women were the spear heads of it as they were the worst sufferes due to environmental degration. It led the UP Govt. to ban felling of trees in high slopes of Himalaya. It finally led to birth of the Dept. of Environment.
12)India Mark II Hand Pumps : A Sholapur mechanics design brought water round the clock for < Rs. 4,800 in 1975 (today appr. Rs. 10,000) with nearly 30 lakhs units today installed with polypropylene washers & galvanished steel parts to prevent rusting. Today, it`s Mark III & is still very simple. It has been exported to Africa and Latin America.
13)The Check Dams : It reduced irrigation cost to Rs. 5,000 to 8,000 compared to a large dam & canal network that costs > 2 lac to service. Initital investment for these depends on size (Rs. 20,000 to 6 lakh) and can be recovered in 1 – 2 seasons. Also the maintenance skill and finance are nominal. Gujarat kicked off a scheme to build 2,500 check dams. It is now in 6 states. Have you not seen a long cement barrier which is hardly 2 – 3 feet wide running across the whole river? It is a check dam.
14)Free Press : There are 75,000 dailies, 16,000 weecklies & 76,000 fortnightlies in all Indian languages!
15)Amul : Technically, the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union Ltd was setup in 1946 to break the cartel of milk contractors. Today, Operation Flood has India the world`s largest milk producers (> 78 million tones a year).
16)The Jaipur Foot : The Rs. 1,500 per unit which takes 45 min to make one, which lasts for 5 years & allows a person to walk, run & lift weights – has also established centres in Phillipines, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Honduras & Panama. Thanks to human God wood carver Ram Chandra who used Vulcanised rubber & wood & learnt leg anatomy from doctors at Sawai Mansingh Hospital, Jaipur. Dr. Ram Karan Sethi, orthopedic surgeon, was instrumental to popularis it. He won Rotary`s highest award in 2001 for it.
17)Yoga : By practicing ‘the kechri mudra’, Devraha Baba, the sage of Vrindavan, is claimed to have lived for 700 years! This 5,000 yr holistic science was noticed in Indus Valley seal of a yogi & later codified by Patanjal in 2nd century B.C.
18)The Indian Cricketers : For Indians, cricket is a religion. Every cricketer who plays for India receives a cap with a number on it, indicating his place in the list of Test Players. Parthieve Patel is No. 244
19)The Indian Joint Family : It is the basic unit of Indian society, it lumbers on unworried, unhurried, taking you with it, sometimes inspite of you.
20)The Indian Railway : It has a network of 1 lakh and 9,000 kms (2nd in world); 7,000 stations; runs 13,000 trains daily, ferries 1 million passengers a day; has the longest tunnel, the highest stations, has 1.2 lac bridges on railways, is the largest railway in the world and is nation`s largest employer – 1.65 million employes. What transports India? Resilence & railways.
21)Mumbai`s Shivaji Park : This 1 sq. km land is home to 8 cricket clubs, 30 playing strips & has minimum 60 daily nets. Since 1925 it has 2 tennis courts, a mini-park for children & a Ganesh Temple which Sachin Tendulkar still vists regularly past midnight. Its metaphor for Indian cricket itself.
22)Lijjat Papad : March 1959 – 7 women from poor families gather on terrace in Mumbai`s Girgaon locality & produce 4 packets of papads on borrowed sum of Rs. 80. Today : Bandra based Shri Mahila Girha Udyog Lijjat Papad is an operation with 60 centres countrywide involving 40,000 women & annual sales of > Rs. 300 crores. Motto : Self Help
23)STD Booths : 2o years ago, making a long distance call was a nightmare – it meant exasperarted shouting, a habbit still imprinted in Indian DNA – it has come to a point where even zero is a number of value : 022.
24) General Election :619 million voters for 1999 GE made Indian elections the largest in the world.
25)Angadia Courier Systems : Since 1925, based entirely on trust & that too mainly amongst diamond traders of Gujarat 60 firms & 5000 plus employees strap on the diamonds & stones or simply carry them in an ordinary bag to courier. It’s as simple as that!
26)Kerela : ‘God`s Own Country’ has ayurveda, Chinese nets, Backwaters & Beaches. It is voted in top 10 destinations as earth`s paradise by National Geography Magazine.
27)Tha Dhaba : Be a Mercedes or a Fiat, the tradition of the stop still endures. Secrets : very tasty food, quick service & unbelievable prices.
28)Indian Advertising : Sheer talent to communicate in a land as diverse as India & as complex as Bharat brings FEVICOL a GOLD Lion at annula Cannes Int. Advt. Awards in June. Most of our advs. have soul.
29)Indian Handicrafts : Be it tribal or Gujarat, it is taken with gurantee. That is it`s tribute.
30)The Bicycle : Don`t sniff derisively, consider this – it takes 20% of cost of running car; its speed : 15-25 km/hr in peak hours; it requires a tenth of parking space. India has 13 million a year & is second to China. But our Hero Cycles are world`s largest makers (nearly 6 million a year).
31)The Sari : It exposes a strategic circumference of skin & there are 100 different ways of wrapping it without any accessory. It`s eternal folds gives elegance & a sensual appeal which is timeless & enduring.
32)Bollywood :300 feature films a year; annual turnover of Rs. 6,000 crore; jobs to 7.2 million people & it gives Indians a chance to forget droughts, power cuts, politicians & lost Cricket Matches. It is a window to our soul.
33)The NRI : 20 million people world wide account for an economic output of about $400 billion (Rs. 19,20,000 crore). They are living tribute to Indian enterprise.
34)Kabadiwalas : One of the most efficient & low key recycling systems in the world, India recycles 60% of its plastic waste (Japan 12%, China 10%) with the help of 1 million kabadiwalas.
35)The Ethnic Chic : The intelligent reinvention is such that it has caught fancy of the world & resuscitated many proud possesors of India which were on the verge of extinction e.g. Santhal Lute.
36)The Indian Beauty : India has won 2 Miss Universe & 3 Miss World titles since 1984. This has permanently changed the perception of women in urban India.
37)The Indian Novel : The new lot : Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, Vikram Seth, Amita Gosh, U. Chatterjee made in Indian Novel in English saleable & Brooker worthy.
38)The Green Revolution : The Green Revolution – Urged by Agriculture minister in 65-67, C. Subramanium, scientist indigenized Mexican wheat & ‘Kalyan Sona’ & ‘Sonalika’ were born. Today, we are self sufficient in foodgrain production (71-47 million tones of wheat last year).
39)Ayurveda : 60 uses of neem tree. Ever imagined? That`s Ayurveda since 5,000 years.
40)Mid-Day Meal Scheme : From July 1, 1982, Chief Minister MGR fed 6-8 million poor TN children one 400 calaroie meal every day at 52,000 centres (mostly schools) costing Rs. 15 crore a year. All scoffed at & grumbled. But the response : astounding. Parents made sure that the children go to school. It saw TN`s population growth rate fall dramatically. Its now just 1%.
41)Indian Spiritualism : India attracts spiritual travelers of the world & its own too. It is not maya or illusion. Its real. For peace, it is home.
42)Sulabh Souchalaya : Sulabh International, a NGO is Delhi-based & has helped set up 75 lakh units in India – earning a commission for each toilet system sold & maintains 5,000 payer – use public toilet & bath complexes in India in cities. Just consider this : Only 1% of rural & 20% of urban population has access to sanitary facilities.
43)Vividh Bharati : 30 uninterrupted years for 14 hours a day from almost 200 stations, with population coverage of 97%. It is ahead of FM radio, DD & Cable TV & that too for a maximum Rs. 200 radio which is portable & can be taken anywhere.
44)Kokatta Metro : This 16.45 km strech can be covered in 32 min & took 15 years to make when it was agreed in 1973 for Rs. 1800 crore. It is a showcase of cleanliness & success amid filth & chaos in Kolkatta.
45)IITs : 7 IITs – Kharagpur (the first one in 1951) Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Kanpur, Guwhati & Roorkee. Conceived by PM Nehru, produce about 2,000 grduates a year.
46)Jugaad (Real Hidi ‘Jugaad’) : Indian innovativeness – a bicycle wheel run on the roof top is a TV antenna, ‘Maruta’, a Punjab rural transport vehicle fashioned from a pump, wood plants, cannibalized stearing, tyres & other junk; making lassi in liters in a modified washing machines; kitchen knives sharpened for decades by on grind wheels powered by pedaling a stationary bicycle & dosa mix in churned by a motarised pestle in households & restaurants.
47)Mumbai`s Transport : Probably the only city in the world with ‘the city centre’ actually lodged at southern tip & the suburban at the other end, rush hour is a unidirectional frenzy. But the 3,380 BEST buses, > 1 lakh taxis & > 50,000 Autos & the ‘local’ – the network of 162 suburban network & carrying passangers 4 times their capacity & also boasting of a ‘ladies only’ train, epitomizes the city`s spirit.
48)The Curry : The curry, tikka masalas & the dal makhani – do we have to prove that it is Indian? But casual cooking has curry in trouble today : 2 Japenese patent agencies have an application pending that could give then exclusive rights to the general process of making it.
49)The Silent Valley : So called due to near absence of omnipresent crickets that provide the background hum in most tropical forests in India, this valley is one of the richest in fauna & flora & is in the Western Ghats in Kerela. It is in top 10 biodiversity spots in world.
50)Infotech Revolution : It made global corporation move their backroom operations to India & Indians. NASSCOM projects $60 BILLION or so in software exports by 2008, more than India`s total exports today.
51)Indian Post : Consider : it is the largest in the world, with 1.5 lakh post offices (even in centre of Thar desert); with 1 > million money orders a month; with postal banking system effectively the biggest small savings institution in the country; with over 25 lakhs postal life insurance policies but with the festival ‘baksheesh’ included.
52)Nehru Jacket : Sean Connery, the original Bond was in it in Dr. No & comedian Mike Myers sported it in Austin Powers. Even Nelson Mandela & Tony Blair are fond of it.
53)Tirumala Devasthanam : India`s richest Hindu temple with income of nearly Rs. 500 crore a year, attracting an average 45,000 devotees on a learn day & nearly 2 lakhs on New Yearly Day also symbolizes superb management & crowd control.
54)Darjeeling tea : ‘India`s Champagne’ started 150 years ago by a British Civil Surgeon, Dr. Archibald Campbell in his garden at Beechwood, Darjeeling, 7000ft above sea. Today, there are 86 gardens over 19,000 hectores with 15,000 employees & 11 million kg a year production. A kilo of this tea from Castleton Estate fetched highest price of Rs. 15,000 at Kolkatta auctions in 1989. Now, the Darjeeling Planter`s Association gurads it by marking premium tea with special logo.
55)Unity in Diversity : 18 major languages; 29 major festivals; 6,400 castes & subcastes; 7 union territories; 28 states; 6 major religions; 1,600 minor languages & dialects; 52 major tribes; 6 major ethnic group – 1 country.
THIS IS INDIA.
attribution 55 THINGS THAT MAKE INDIA PROUD!!! - Self Employed
