Interesting Facts About India

1. India is the worlds largest, oldest, continuous civilization. 2. India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history. 3. India is the worlds largest democracy. 4. Varanasi, also known as Benares, was called the ancient city when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C.E, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today. 5. India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta. 6. The Worlds first university was established in Takshashila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education. 7. Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987. 8. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization. 9. Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by Indias wealth. 10. The art of Navigation was bornin the river Sindhu 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit Nou. 11. Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days. 12. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European mathematicians. 13. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 1053(10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera 1012(10 to the power of 12).

14. According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 CE a beautiful lake called Sudarshana was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Mauryas time. 15. Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India. 16. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipment were used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts. 17. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization). 18. The four religions born in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the worlds population. 19. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC. 20. India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indigenously.

Interesting Facts about India

India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization) 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. 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 India in 100 B.C. The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.

 India is the largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations. The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat'. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e. good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births. The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after leveling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level. India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world. The largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people. The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of Medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake. The Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word 'NAVGATIH'. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'. Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the Sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. According to his calculation, the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun was 365.258756484 days. The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematicians. Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus also originated in India.Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e. 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.during the Vedic period.Even today, the largest used number is Terra: 10*12(10 to the power of 12). Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world
(Source: Gemological Institute of America).

 The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982. Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries. Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts. India exports software to 90 countries. The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population. Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively. Islam is India's and the world's second largest religion. There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world. The oldest European church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin. They were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively. Jews and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D. respectively The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century. The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday. Sikhism originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577. Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today. India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, runs his

government in exile from Dharmashala in northern India. Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries. Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.

Journey of Indian Post Office

Year Work
1766 Establishment of first Indian Postal system by Lord Clive in India. 1774 Establishment of first G.P.O. in Kolkata by Warren Hastings. 1786 Establishment of Madras G.P.O. 1793 Establishment of G.P.O. at Mumbai 1854 On October 1, 1854, Indian Post Office was recognised as of national importance and was brought under the authority of Director-General. Year 2004 was celebrated as a 150th year of the Indian Post Office. The establishment of the deptt. of Post Office is to be considered from this very year. 1863 Railway Mail Service (R.M.S.) was started. 1873 Sale of engraving envelopes was started 1876 India started Parcel Postal Unit. 1877 Started of V.P.P. 1879 Post Card was started. 1880 Money-order Service was started. 1911 First airmail was sent from Allahabad to Naini. 1935 Indian Postal Order was started. 1972 Pincode was started. 1984 Postal life insurance was started. 1985 Post and telephone departments were separated. 1986 Speed Post Service was started. 1990 At Mumbai and Chennai, two automatic postal edition Centres were started. 1995 Rural Postal Insurance was started. 1996 Media Postal Service was started. 1997 Business Postal Service was started. 1998 Satellite Postal Service was started. 1999 Data Dak and Express Dak Services were started. 2000 Greeting Post Service was started. 2001 Electronic fund transfer service was started. 3rd Jan. 2002 Track and Tax Service based on internet was started. 5th Sep. 2003 Bill mail Service was started. 30th Jan. 2004 Beginning of E Postal Service. 10th Aug. 2004 Logestice Post Service was started. Woman (India and World) who crossed English Channel through SwimmingArti Shah GovernorSarojini Naidu (U. P.) 5

 I. P. S.Kiran Bedi President of National CongressAnne Besant Chairman of the Union Public Service CommissionRose-William Baithu Winner of Nobel PrizeMother Teresa (for peace) Awardee of Miss WorldReeta Farhia Awardee of Miss UniverseSushmita Sen MayerTara Charian (Madras-1957) Minister in Central CabinetRajkumari Amrit Kaur Chief MinisterSucheta Kriplani ParliamentrianRadhabai Subbarayan (1938) Judge of Supreme CourtJustice Meera Sahaib Fatima Bibi Chief Justice of High CourtJustice Leela Seth (Himachal Pradesh) Session Judge of the CountingAnna Chandi (Kerala) Mountaineer who climbed (Conquered) the Mt. EverestBacchendri Pal Awardee of Norman Barlog PrizeDr. Amrita Patil Literature who was awarded the Sahitya Akademi awardAmrita Pritam (1956) Honoured with Bharat RatnaIndira Gandhi Awardee of Lenin peace awardAruna Asaf Ali Awardee of Jananpith PurshkarAsha Purna Devi (1976) Woman who reached AntarcticaMahel Musa (1977) Woman who reached the North PolePritisu Gupta (1993) Woman who travelled All round the worldUjjawala Patil (1988) by Boat Chief EngineerP. K. Tresia Naguli PilotFlying Officer Sushma Mukhopaddhyaya Air Lines PilotCapt. Durga Banerjee Commander of Boeing 737 PlaneCapt. Saudamini Deshmukh Paratrooper of Indian Air ForceGeeta Ghosh I. A. S.Auna George Malhotra First television news broadcasterPratima Puri Participated in mustic programme of U.N.O.M. S. Subbuluxmi (1966) Woman participated in Olympic gamesMeri Lila Row (1952) Woman who won the medal in Olympic gamesMalleshwari (weight liftingSydney) Woman who won the Gold Medal in Asian gamesKamaljeet Sidhu (1970, 400 metre) Woman who won the medal in Commonwealth gamesAnil Ghiya and Kawal Thakur Singh (woman Doubles Badminton, 1978) Medal winner in International Athletic ChampionshipAnju B. George (2003 Paris) Grandmaster winner in ChessBhagiya Sri Thispey (1988) One hundred wicket taker in International CricketIndulgi (1986) Awardee of Arjun PurskarN. Lamsden (Hockey, 1961) Woman who made hat-trick in footballYoulandade-Suza (1978) Awardee of Ashok ChakraNeerja Bhanot (Posthumously) Awardee of Sena MedalVimla Devi (1988) Degree of graduationKadambni Ganguly (Bose) and Chandramukhi Bose (Kolkata University, 1883) Awardee of B. E. degreeElla-Majumdar (1951) M.B.B.S. Degree awardeeVidhumuti Bose and Virginia Mitter (Kolkata Medical College)

 First SurgeonDr. Prema Mukherjee Deputy Governor of Reserve BankK. J. Udesi (2003) Chairman of NABARDRanjana Kumar D. I. G. (Police)Kanchan Chaudhry Bhattacharya Lieutenant GeneralPunita Arora Chairman of Indian Air linesShushma Chawla BarristerCornonia Sorabji (Allahabad High Court-1923) AdvocateRegina Guha AmbassadorVijayalaxmi Pandit (U.S.S.R.-1947) Woman who crossed over Gibralter Strait by SwimmingArati Pradhan World Record in PowerliftingSumita Laha (1989) Represented the nation in all three games (Cricket, Hockey and Basketball)Shrin Khushro Kiyasa First Commercial test Pilot of the worldCapt. Surun Darsi and Capt. Rose Lopar Pilot of Indian Air ForceHarita Daoel Twice scaled the Mt. EverestSantosh Yadav Ramon Magsaysay Prize awardeeKiran Bedi Heroin awarded Dada Sahaib Phalke PrizeDevika Rani Rorik Youngest woman who scaled the Mt. Everest twiceDecky Dolma Scientist who was awarded Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar awardAshima Chatterjee Foreign SecretaryChokila Ayyar First Chief Secretary of the CountryNirmla Buch First Space travellerKalpana Chawla Joint Director of C.B.I.Archana Sunder Lingam Winner of Murti Devi PrizePratibha Rai Woman Contested the Presidential electionCapt. Laxmi Sahgal Air Vice-Marshal and Air-Marshal in Indian Air ForceP. Bondyopaddhyay Non-military Police Advisor in U.N.O.Kiran Bedi Revenue SecretaryVinita Rai Referee in BoxingRajia Sabnam First woman of Indian origin who stayed for the longest time in spaceSunita William

First in India
Census1872 Regular Decadal CensusSince 1881 Warship Aircraft CarrierI. N. S. Vikrant National Nuclear Power SubmarinesI. N. S. Chakra Football ClubMohan Bagan1889 Hydro-electric ProjectShiv Samudram (1902) NewspaperBengal Gazette (James Hikki) Vernacular DailySamachar Darpan Hindi NewspaperUdant-Martand Telegraph LineDiamond Harbour to Kolkata (1853) International Telephone ServiceMumbai to London (1851) Television CentreNew Delhi (1959)

 Colour Programme from T.V.15th August, 1982 Silent FilmRaja Harish Chandra Talky FilmAlam-ara SatelliteAryabhatta-19th April, 1975 Atomic underground testPokhran (18th May, 1974) Test tube baby1986 born baby Harsha Country made missilePrithvi (1988) Antarctica mission1982 under the leadership Dr. S. Z. Quasim First Governor-General of Independent IndiaLord Lewis Mountbatten Indian Governor-General of Independent IndiaChakravarti Rajgopalachari Chief of the Indian Armed ForcesGeneral K. M. Carriappa Field MarshallGeneral S. H. F. J. Manekshaw PresidentDr. Rajendra Prasad Vice-PresidentDr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan Prime-MinisterPt. Jawahar Lal Nehru Non-Congress Prime-MinisterAtal Behari Bajpai British Governor-General of BengalWarren-Hastings Space travellerS. Leader-Rakesh Sharma I. C. S.Satendra Nath Tagore Swimmer who crossed over the English channel by swimmingMihir Sen Raman-Magsaysay awardeeAcharya Vinoba Bhave Novel prize winnerRabindra Nath Tagore President of National CongressVyomesh Chand Banerjee Chairman of Lok SabhaG. B. Mavlankar Chief Election CommissionerSukumar Sen Indian Chairman in International CourtJustice Dr. Nagendra Singh Foreigner awardee of Bharat RatnaKhan Abdul Gaffar Khan Leader of the Indian Antarctica MissionDr. Syed Zahuv Quasim Chief Justice of Supreme CourtJustice Hiralal J. Kaniya Awarded with Bharat RatnasDr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, Chakravarti Rajgopalachari, Sir C. B. Raman Posthumally Bharat Ratna AwardeeLal Bahadur Shastri Person awarded Bhartiya-Gyan-Peeth PurskarG. Shankar Kurup (Malayalam1965) Successful Surgeon who transplanted heartDr. P. Venugopal Successful heart transplanted personDevi Ram (1994) President of National Human Rights CommissionJustice Rangnath Mishra Hindi Literature person-awarded Bhartiya Gyan Peeth PurskarSumitra Nandan Pant (1968) Indian who won the World Billiard awardWilson Jans Indian who won the Grammy awardPt. Ravi Shankar Person delivered the Lecture in Hindi in U.N.O. Atal Behari Bajpai (1977) Indian member in British House of Commons Dada Bhai Naoroji (1892) First President of Indian Science CongressSir Asutosh Mukherjee Mountaineer who scaled Mount Everest 8 timesSherpa-Augarita Writer who was awarded Vyas SammanRamvilas Sharma

 Indian Managing Director of World BankGautam Kazi Player awarded Padam BhusanC. K. Naidu Indian players played Davis CupM. Salim and S. M. Jacob (Singles), A. A. Faiyaz and L. S. Dare (Doubles) (1921) Indian player who played the test cricketK. S. Ranjeet Single (from England) Scientist elected for Lok SabhaDr. Meghnad Saha Scientist awarded Ghanshyam Das Birla awardProf. Ashish Datta (1991) Literature who was awarded Murti Devi PurskarC. K. Nagraj Rao (1993) Person, who became High Commission in Great BritainV. K. Krishna-Menon Indian who was awarded the Lenin Peace PrizeDr. Safuddin Kichlu (1952) First Indian who contested the election for British ParliamentLal Mohan Ghose An Indian, appointed the judge of High Court, during the British periodRam Prasad Ram Indian member of Viceroy Executive CouncilSir. S. P. Sinha Chairman of Finance CommissionK. C. Niogi Indian member of American CongressDeleep Singh Bowler who made hat-trick in Test CricketHarbhajan Singh Batsman who made 300 runs in test CricketVirendra Sehwag First Marshal of Indian Air ForceArjan Singh First Indian who individually won the Gold medel in Olympic gamesAbhinav Bindra First Indian who won the Bronze medel in Boxing in Olympic gamesVijendra Kumar

List of World Presidents & Prime Ministers

Afghanistan: President - Hamid Karzai; Capital - Kabul. Algeria: President - Abdelaziz Bouteflika; Prime Minister - Ahmed Ouyahia; CapitalAlgiers. Argentina: President- Ms. Cristina Fernandez Kirchner; Capital- Buenos Aires. Australia: Governor-General- Ms. Quentin Bryce; PRIME MINISTER- Kevin Rudd; Capital (Federal)- Canberra. Austria: President- Heinz Fischer; Chancellor-Werner Faymann, Capital- Vienna. Bahrain: King - Hamad ibn al-Khalifah; Prime Minister - Sheikh Khalifah Sulman alKhalifah; Capital- Manama. Bangladesh: President - Zillur Rahman; PRIME MINISTER - Ms. Sheikh Hasina; CapitalDhaka. Belarus: President- Alexander Lukashenko; Prime Minister - Sergei Sidorsky; Capital- Minsk. Belgium: King - Albert II; Prime Minister-Herman Van Rompuy; Capital- Brussels.

 Bhutan: King - Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk; Prime Minister-Jigmi Y. Thinley; Capital Thimphu Bolivia: President- Evo Morales; Capital La Paz. Brazil: President- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva; Capital - Brasilia. Bulgaria: President - Georgi Purvanov; Prime Minister - Boyko Borisov; CapitalSofia. Cambodia: King - Norodom Sihamoni; Prime Minister - Hun Sen; Capital Phnom Penh. Canada: Governor-General Ms. Michaelle Jean; PRIME MINISTER - Stephen Harper; Capital- Ottawa. Chile: President - Ms. Sebastian Pinera; Capital - Santiago. China: President- Hu Jintao; Prime Minister-Wen Jiabao; Capital- Beijing. Colombia: President- Alvaro Uribe Velez; Capital - Bogota. Croatia: President - Stjepan Mesic; Prime Minister -Dr. Ivo Sanader; Capital-Zagreb. Cuba: President- Raul Castro; Capital -Havana. Czech Republic: President- Vaclav Klaus; Prime Minister -Jan Fischer; Capital-Prague. Denmark: Queen - Margrethe II; Prime Minister- Lars Lokke Rasmussen; Capital Copenhagen. Egypt: President - Hosni Mubarak; Prime Minister - Ahmed Najief; Capital-Cairo. Finland: President - Ms. Tarja Halonen; Prime Minister - Matti Vanhanen; Capital-Helsinki. France: President- Nicolas Sarkozy; Prime Minister - Francois Fillon; Capital- Paris. Germany: President - Horst Koehler; Chancellor - Ms. Angela Merkel; Capital-Berlin. Guyana: President - Bharrat Jagdeo; Prime Minister - Samuel Hinds; Capital- Georgetown. Greece: President Karolos Papoulias; Prime Minister George Papandreou; Capital Athens. Hungary: President- Laszlo Solyom; PRIME MINISTER - Gordon Bajnai; Capital- Budapest.

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 Indonesia: President - Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; Capital- Jakarta. Iran: President - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; Capital- Teheran. Iraq: President -Jalai Talabani; Prime Minister - Nuri al-Maliki, Capital- Baghdad. Ireland: President- Ms. Mary McAleese; Prime Minister - Brian Cowen, Capital- Dublin. Israel: President - Shimon Peres; PRIME MINISTER - Benjamin Netanyahu; CapitalJerusalem. Italy: President - Georgio Napolitano; Prime Minister- Silvio Berlusconi; Capital- Rome. Japan: Emperor- Akihito; Prime Minister: Naoto Kan; Capital- Tokyo. Jordan: King - Abdullah II; Prime Minister-Nader al-Dahabi; Capital- Amman. Kazakhstan: President - Nursultan A. Nazarbayev; Prime Minister Karim Masimov; Capital- Astana. Kenya: President - Mwai Kibaki; Prime Minister - Raila Odinga; Capital - Nairobi. Korea, North: President Marshal Kim Jong II; Prime Minister Hong Song Nam; Capital- Pyongyang. Korea, South: President-, Lee Myung-Bak; Prime Minister - Chung Un-chan; Capital Seoul. Kuwait: Emir - Sheikh Sabah ai-Ahmad al-Sabah; Capital - Kuwait. Kyrgyzstan: President (Interim) Kurmanbek Bakiyey; Prime Minister - Daniyar Usenov Capital - Bishkek. Madagascar: President - Andy Rajoelina; Prime Minister - Eugene Mangalaza; CapitalAntananarivo. Malaysia: King - T. S. S. Syed Putra Jamalullail; Prime Minister- Najib Tun Razak; CapitalKuala Lumpur. Maldives: President - Mohammed "Anni" Nasheed; Capital - Male. Mauritius: President - Anerood Jugnauth; Prime Minister - Navinchandra Ramgoolam; Capital - Port Louis. Mongolia: President - Nambaryn Enkhbayar; Prime Minister - Sukhbaatar Batblod; Capital Ulan Bator.

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 Montenegro: President - Filip Vujanovic; Prime Minister-Milo Dukanovic; Capital Podgorica Morocco: King - Mohammed VI; Prime Minister - Abbas El Fassi; Capital - Rabat. Myanmar (Burma) : Head of Govt. : Gen. Than Shwe; Capital - Nyapidaw. Nepal: President - Dr. Ram Baran Yadav; Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal; Capital -Kathmandu. Netherlands: Queen - Beatrix; Capital-Amsterdam. New Zealand: Governor-General Anand Satyanand; PrimeMinister - John Key; CapitalWellington. Nigeria: President - Goodluck Jonathan; Capital - Abuja. Norway: King - Harald V; Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg; Capital - Oslo. Pakistan: President - Asif Ali Zardari; Prime Minister - Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani; Capital -Islamabad. . Panama: President - Ricardo Martenelli; Capital - Panama City. Paraguay: President - Fernando Lugo; Capital Asuncion Peru: President - Alan Garcia; Prime Minister -Javier Velasquez; Capital- Lima. Philippines: President - Ms. Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo; Capital - Manila. Poland: President - Lech Kaczynski; Prime Minister- Donald Tusk; Capital- Warsaw. Portugal: President - Amibal Cavaco Silva; Prime Minister - Jose Socrates; CapitalLisbon. Romania: President - Traian Basecue; Prime Minister - Emil Boc; Capital - Bucharest. Russia: President - Dmitry Medvedev; Prime Minister - Vladimir Putin; Capital - Moscow. Rwanda: President - Paul Kagame; Prime Minister - Bernard Makuza; Capital -Kigali. Saudi Arabia : King - Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud; Capital- Riyadh. Serbia: President - Boris Tadic; Prime Minister - Mirko Cvetkovic; Capital - Belgrade.

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 Singapore: President - S. R. Nathan; PRIME MINISTER - Lee Hsien Loong; Capital Singapore. Slovakia: President - Ivan Gasparovic; Prime Minister - Robert Fico; Capital-Bratislava. South Africa : President- Jacob Zuma; Capital-Cape Town (Legislative) and Tshwane (Formerly Pretoria) (Administrative). Spain: King - Juan Carlos I; Prime Minister-Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero; Capital -Madrid. Sri Lanka: President - Mahinda Rajapaksa; Prime Minister - D.M. Jayaratne; Capital- Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (Colombo). Sudan: President - Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir; Capital - Khartoum. Sweden: King - Carl XVI Gustaf; PRIME MINISTER Fredrik Reinfeldt; Capital Stockholm. Switzerland: President - Hans-Rudolf Merz; Capital Berne Syria: President - Bashar Al-Assad; Prime Minister - Muhammad Naji al-Otari; CapitalDamascus. Taiwan: President - Ma Ying-jeou; Prime Minister -Wu Den-yih; Capital Taipei. Turkey: President - Abdullah Gul; Prime Minister - Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Capital- Ankara. Ukraine: President - Victor Yushchenko; Prime Minister- Mykola Azarov; Capital- Kiev. United Arab Emirates: Prime Minister- Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum; Capital- Abu Dhabi. United Kingdom: Queen - Elizabeth II; Prime Minister - Gordon Brown; Capital - London. United States of America: President Barack Obama; Secretary of State -Ms. Hillary Clinton; Capital- Washington, D.C. Uzbekistan: President - Islam A. Karimov; Prime Minister - Shavkat Mirziyayev; CapitalTashkent. Venezuela: President - Hugo Chavez Frias; Capital - Caracas. Vietnam: President - Nguyen Minh Triet; Prime Minister - Nguyen Tan Dung; CapitalHanoi.

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 Zimbabwe: President - Robert G. Mugabe; PRIME MINISTER - Morgan Tsvangirai; CapitalHarare.

Heads of Important Offices in India

Dr. Manmohan Singh: Chairman, Planning Commission. Ms. Meira Kumar: Speaker, Lok Sabha. Mohammad Hamid Ansari: Chairman, Rajya Sabha. Mr. K. Rahman Khan: Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha. Mr. Gopinath Munde: Deputy Speaker, Lok Sabha. Ms. Sushma Swaraj : Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha). Mr. Arun Jaitley: Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha). Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia: Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission. Mr. Navin Chawla: Chief Election Commissioner Mr. V. S. Sampath : Election Commissioner. Mr. S. Y. Qiuaishi : Election Commissioner. Mr. Vinod Rai : Comptroller and Auditor-General of India. Mr. K. M. Chandrasekhar: Cabinet Secretary. Mr. T. K. A. Nair : Principal Secretary to Prime Minister. Mr. Justice S. Ratnavel Pandian: Chairman, National Commission for Backward Classes. Ms. Shanta Sinha: Chairperson, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Dr. Buta Singh: Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes Ms. Urmila Singh: Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes. Prof. D. P. Agrawal: Chairman, UPSC. Dr. M. S. Swaminathan : Chairman, National Commission on Farmers. Mr. Shiv Shankar Menon: National Security Adviser and Special Adviser to PM (Internal Security). Mr. S. C. Sinha : Director-General, National Investigation Agency (NIA). Mr. S. S. Khurana: Chairman, Railway Board. Mr. Vivek Kumar Agnihotri: Secretary-General, Rajya Sabha Mr. P. D. T. Achary : Secretary-General, Lok Sabha. Mr. Rajiv Mathur: Director, IB. Mr. Ashwani Kumar: Director, CBI. Mr. K. C. Verma: Director, Research and Analysis Wing. Mr. N .P. S. Aulakh: Director-General, NSG. Mr. Vikram Srivastava : Director-General, CRPF. Mr. Raman Srivastava : Director-General, Border Security Force (BSF). Mr. Niraj Ranjan Das : Director-General, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). Mr. Ranjit Sinha : Director-General, Railway Protection Force. Mr. R. K. Bhatia : Director-General, Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Mr. M. V. Krishna Rao : Director-General, Sashastra Seema Bal. Vice-Admiral Anil Chopra: Director-General, Coast Guard. Lt. Gen. Avtar Singh: Director-General, Defence Intelligence Agency.

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 Mr. Sukhadeo Thorat : Chairman, UGC. Mr. M. Natarajan : Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and Secretary, Defence Research & Development Organisation. Dr. R. Chidambaram : Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government. Mr. K. Radhakrishnan: Chairman, Space Commission and ISRO. Mr. Srikumar Banerjee : Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Dept. of Atomic Energy. Mr. N. K. Raghupathy : Chairman, SSC. Mr. Justice (Retd.) B. N. Kirpal: Chairman, National Forest Commission. Dr. Amrita Patel: Chairperson, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Lt. Gen. M. C. Badhani : Director-General, Border Roads Organisation. Dr. Vishwa Mohan Katoch : Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research. Mr. C. Chandramouli : Registrar-General of India and Census Commissioner. Mr. P. V. Reddy : Chairman, Law Commission. Mr. Duvvuri Subbarao : Governor, RBI. Mr. Justice G. N. Ray: Chairman, Press Council of India. Mr. Subroto Chattopadhyay : Chairman, Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). Mr. S. S. N. Moorthy : Chairperson, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Mr. A. K. Singh: Chairman, Central Board of Excise & Customs. Justice Arijit Pasayat : Chairperson, Competition Appellate Tribunal Mr. S. K. Garg : CMD, NHPC. Mr. R. S. Sharma: CMD, ONGC. Mr. U. D. Choubey : CMD, GAIL. Mr. S. Behuria : Chairman, IOC. Mr. N. M. Borah: CMD, Oil India Ltd. Mr. Ashok Ganguly: Chairman, CBSE. Mr. C. B. Bhave: Chairman, Securities & Exchange Board of India. Mr. U. C. Sarangi: Chairman, NABARD. Mr. O. P. Bhat : Chairman, SBI. Mr. V. P. Shetty : Chairman, IDBI. Mr. S. Balasubramanian : Chairman, Company Law Board. Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri : India's Permanent Representative to UN. Mr. T. S. Vijayan : Chairman, LIC Mr. A. K. Bajaj : Chairman, Central Water Commission. Ms. Girija Vyas : Chairperson, National Commission for Women. Dr. Vijay L. Kelkar: Chairman, 13th Finance Commission. Prof. Suresh D. Tendulkar : Chairman, National Statistical Commission. Ms. Shafmila Tagore : Chairperson, Central Board of Film Certification. Dr. Gautam Sengupta : Director-General, Archaeological Survey of India. Mr. Rajan Bharti Mittal : President, FICCI. Mr. J. S. Sarma: Chairman, TRAI Mr. R. N. Das : Director, Enforcement Directorate. Mr. Yogesh Agarwal : Chairman, Pension Fund Regulatory & Development Authority. Mr. Pratyush Sinha: Central Vigilance Commissioner. Dr. Ratan Kumar Sinha : Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Mr. Wajahat Habibullah : Information Commissioner.

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 Mr. Suresh Kalmadi : President, Indian Olympic Association. Prof. Krishan Kumar: Director, NCERT. Mr. Hari S. Bhartia : President, CII. Mr. Sam Pitroda : Chairman, National Knowledge Commission. Ms. Mrinal Pande : Chairman, Prasar Bharti Board. Mr. Ratan Tata : Chairman, Investment Commission. Mr. Harsh Manglik : Chairman, NASSCOM. Mr. Swati Piramal: President, ASSOCHAM. Mr. Om Puri : Chairman, National Film Development Corporation. Mr. Ravindra Kumar: Chairman, United News of India. Mr. N. Ravi : Chairman, PTI. Mr. Hormusji N. Cama: President, Indian Newspaper Society. Justice K. G. Balakrishnan : Chairperson, National Human Right Commission (NHRC)

Heads of Important Offices (World)

Ban Ki-moon : Secretary-General, United Nations Organisation.

Ms. Asha-Rose Migiro : First Deputy Secretary-General, UN. Robert Zoellick : President, World Bank. Dominic Strauss-Kahn: Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Irina Bokova: Director-General-UNESCO. Dr. Margaret Chan: Director-General, WHO. Jacques Diouf: Director-General, Food and Agricultural Organisation. Juan Somavia : Director-General, International Labour Organisation. Ann M. Veneman: Executive Director, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). Antonio Guterres : UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi : Secretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Angel Gurria : Secretary-General, Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Ms. Rosalyn Higgins: President, International Court of Justice. Haruhiko Kuroda: President, Asian Development Bank. Donald Kaberuka : President, African Development Bank. Jacques Rogge: President, International Olympic Committee. Kamalesh Sharma: Secretary-General, Commonwealth. . Muammar Qaddafi : Chairman, African Union. Pascal Lamy : Director-General, WTO. Ms. Navanethan Pillay : High Commissioner, UN High Commission for Human Rights. 16

 Jerzy Buzek : President, European Union David Morgan: President, International Cricket Council. Raul Castro: Secretary-General, Non-Aligned Movement. Jose Manuel Durao Barroso: President, European Commission. Kandeh K. Yumkella : Director-General, UNIDO. Abdul-Rahman bin Hamad Al-Attiyah: Secretary-General, Gulf Co-operation Council. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu : Secretary-General, Organisation of Islamic Conference. Abdallah Salem el-Badri: Secretary-General, Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Jose Miguel Insulza Salinas: Secretary-General, Organisation of American States. Hifikepunye Pohamba : President, South-West African People's Organisation (SWAPO). Mr. Yukiya Amano : Director- General, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Jaap de Hoop Scheffer: Secretary-General, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Dr. Abdul Waheed Khan: Director, Commonwealth of Learning. Hashim Abdul Halim : Chairman, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. Ms. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid : Executive Director, UNFPA. Dr. Surin Pitsuwan : Secretary-General, ASEAN. Q. A. M. A. Rahim : Secretary-General, SAARC Lamine Diack : President, International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF). Michael Griffin : Chief of NASA (USA). Ms. Irene Zubaida Khan: Secretary-General, Amnesty International.

Governors and Chief Ministers of States (India)

Capitals, Governors and Chief Ministers of States States

(1) Andhra Pradesh (2) Arunachal Pradesh (3) Assam (4) Bihar (5) Chhattisgarh (6) Goa (7) Gujarat (8) Haryana

Capitals
Hyderabad Itanagar Dispur Patna Raipur Panaji Gandhinagar Chandigarh

Governors

Chief Ministers

Mr. E.S.L.Narasimhan Sri. K. Rosaiah Gen. (Retd.) J. J. Singh Mr. Dorjee Khandu Mr. J. B. Patnaik Mr. Shekhar Dutt Mr. S. S. Sidhu Dr. Kamla Mr. Jagannath Pahadia Mr. Tarun Gogoi Dr. Raman Singh Mr. Digambar V. Kamat Mr. Narendra Modi Mr. Bhupinder S. Hooda

Mr. Devanand Konwar Mr. Nitish Kumar

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(9) Himachal Pradesh (10) Jammu and Kashmir (11) Jharkhand (12) Karnataka (13) Kerala (14) Madhya Pradesh (16) Manipur (17) Meghalaya (18) Mizoram (19) Nagaland (20) Orissa (21) Punjab (22) Rajasthan (23) Sikkim (24) Tamil Nadu (25) Tripura

Shimla

Ms. Urmilaben Patel

Mr. Prem Kumar Dhumal Mr. Omar Abdullah Mr. Shibu Soren Mr. V. S. Achuthanandan Mr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan Mr.Okram Ibobi Singh

Srinagar (Summer) Jammu Mr. N. N. Vohra (Winter) Ranchi Bengaluru Thiruvananthapuram Bhopal Mr. M. O. H. Farook Mr. Ramkrishna S. Gavai Mr. Rameshwar Thakur

Mr. Hans Raj Bhardwaj Mr. B. S. Yeddyurappa

(15) Maharashtra Mumbai Imphal Shillong Aizawl Kohima Bhubaneswar Chandigarh Jaipur Gangtok Chennai Agartala

Mr. K. Sankaranarayan Mr. Ashok Chavan Mr. Gurbachan Jagat Lt Gen. (Retd.) M M. Lakhera Mr. Nikhil Kumar Mr. M. C. Bhandare Mr. Shivraj V. Patil Ms. Prabha Rau Mr. Balmiki Prasad Singh Mr. S. S. Barnala Mr. D. Y. Patil Ms. Margaret Alva Mr. B. L. Joshi Mr. M. K. Narayanan Mr. R. S. Mooshahary Mr. D. D. Lapang Mr.Lalthanhawla Mr. Neiphiu Rio Mr. Naveen Patnaik Mr. Parkash Singh Badal Mr. Ashok Gehlot Mr. Pawan Chamling Mr. M. Karunanidhi Mr. Manik Sarkar Mr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Ms. Mayawati Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

(26) Uttarakhand Dehradun (27) Uttar Pradesh Lucknow (28) West Bengal Kolkata

Heads of National and UnionTerritories

Capitals, Lt. Governors/Administrators and Chief Ministers of National/Union Territories

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Territories (1) Delhi (2) Andaman and Nicobar Islands (3) Chandigarh (4) Dadra and Nagar Haveli (5) Daman and Diu (6) Lakshadweep (7) Puducherry

Capital Delhi Port Blair

Lt. Governor/Administrators Chief Minister Mr. Tejendra Khanna Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Bhopinder Singh Mr. Satya Gopal Mr. Satya Gopal Mr. J. K. Dadoo Mr. V. Vaithilingam Ms. Sheila Dikshit

Chandigarh Mr. Shivraj V. Patil Silvassa Daman Kavaratti

Puducherry Mr. Iqbal Singh

Cabinet Ministers of India 2010 (Latest)

Council of Ministers Cabinet Ministers

Dr. Manmohan Singh: Prime Minister and also in-charge of the Ministries/Departments not specifically allocated to the charge of any Minister viz.: (i) Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions; (ii) Ministry of Planning; (iii) Department of Atomic Energy; (iv) Department of Space and; (v) Ministry of Culture Mr. Pranab Mukherjee: Finance Mr. Sharad Pawar: Agriculture; Food & Civil Supplies; Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution Mr. A. K. Antony: Defence Mr. P. Chidambaram : Home Affairs Ms. Mamata Banerjee: Railways Mr. S. M. Krishna: External Affairs Mr: Ghulam Nabi Azad : Health and Family Welfare Mr. Sushil Kumar Shinde : Power Mr. M. Veerappa Moily: Law and Justice Mr. S. Jaipal Reddy: Urban Development Mr. Kamal Nath : Road Transport and Highways Mr. Vayalar Ravi : Overseas Indian Affairs Mr. Murli Deora : Petroleum and Natural Gas Mr. Kapil Sibal : Human Resource Development . Ms. Ambika Soni : Information and Broadcasting Mr. B. K. Handique : Mines; Development of North Eastern Region Mr. Anand Sharma: Commerce and Industry Mr. Virbhadra Singh: Steel

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Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh : Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Mr. C. P. Joshi: Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Kumari Selja: Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation; Tourism Mr. Subodh Kant Sahay : Food Processing Industries Dr. M. S. Gill : Youth Affairs and Sports Mr. G. K. Vasan : Shipping Mr. Dayanidhi Maran: Textiles Dr. Farooq Abdullah: New and Renewable Energy Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge : Labour and Employment Mr. Pawan K. Bansal: Parliamentary Affairs; Water Resources Development Mr. Mukul Wasnik : Social Justice and Empowerment Mr. Kantilal Bhuna : Tribal Affairs Mr. M. K. Azhagiri : Chemicals and Fertilizers Mr. A. Raja: Communications and Information Technology

Ministers of State
(Independent Charge) Mr. Praful Patel: Civil Aviation Mr. Prithviraj Chavan : Science & Technology; Earth Sciences; Prime Minister's Office; Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions; and Parliamentary Affairs Mr. Sriprakash Jaiswal : Coal; Statistics and Programme Implementation Mr. Salman Khursheed : Corporate Affaits and Minority Affairs Mr. Dinsha J. Patel: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Ms. Krishna Tirath : Women and Child Development Mr. Jairam Ramesh : Environment and Fotests

Ministers of State
Mr. Srikant Jena : Chemicals and Fertilizers Mr. E. Ahamed : Railways Ms. Mullappally Ramachandran : Home Affairs Mr. V. Narayanasamy : Planning and Parliamentary Affairs Mr. Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia : Commerce and Industrv Ms. D. Purandeswari : Human Resource Development Mr. K. H. Muniyappa : Railways Mr. Ajay Maken : Home Affaits Ms. Panabaka Lakshmi : Textiles Mr. Namo Narain Meena : Finance Mr. M. M. Pallam Raju : Defence Mr. Saugata Ray: Urban Development Mr. S. S. Palanimanickam : Finance Mr. Jitin Prasada: Petroleum and Natural Gas Mr. A. Sai Prathap : Steel Ms. Preneet Kaur : External Affairs Mr. Gurdas Kamat : Communications and Information Technology Mr. Harish Rawat : Labour and Employment Prof. K.V. Thomas: Agriculture; Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution 20

Mr. Bharatsinh Solanki : Power Mr. Mahadev S. Khandela : Road Transport and Highways Mr. Dinesh Trivedi: Health and Family Welfare Mr. Sisir Adhikari : Rural Development Mr. Sultan Ahmed: Tourism Mr. Mukul Roy: Shipping Mr. Mohan Jatua : Information and Broadcasting Mr. D. Napoleon: Social Justice and Empowerment Dr. S. Jagathrakshakan : Information and Broadcasting Mr. S. Gandhiselvan : Health and Family Welfare . Mr. Tusharbhai Chaudhary: Tribal Affairs Mr. Sachin Pilot: Communications and Information Technology Mr. Arun Yadav : Youth Affairs and Sports Mr. Pratik Prakashbapu Patil : Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Mr. R. P. N. Singh: Road Transport and Highways Mr. Shashi Tharoor : External Affairs Mr. Vincent Pala : Water Resources Mr. Pradeep Jain : Rural Development Ms. Agatha Sangma : Rural Development

Books and Authors In News

The Tales of Beedle the Bard By J. K. Rowling

1. India and ChinaA Thousand Years of Cultural Relations By Probodh Chandra Bagchi 2. Maqbool Fida Hussain By K. Bikram Singh 3. Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2008 Sustaining Growth and Sharing Prosperity 4. The Audacity of Hope : Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream By Barack Obama 5. Glimpses of Indian Agriculture By Macro and Micro Aspects; Edited by R. S. Deshpande, Vijai Paul Sharma, R.P.S. Malik, Brajesh Jha, S.A. Ansari 6. I shall Never Ask for Pardon A Memoir of Pandurang Khankhoje : Savitri Sawhney

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7. The Morbid Age : Britain between the Wars By Richard Overy Allen Lane 8. The Crisis of Islamic Civilization By Ali A. Allawi 9. Open Veins of Latin America : Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent By Eduardo Galeano 10. If Cricket is a Religion, Sachin is Guide By Vijay Santhanam & Shyam Balasubramanium 11. The Ultimate Gift By Jim Stovall 12. The Miracle of Democracy : Indias Amazing Journey By T. S. Krishnamurthy 13. Indias Energy Security Edited by Ligia Noronha and Anant Sudarshan 14. The Judiciary and Governance in India By Madhav Godbole 15. The Tales of Beedle the Bard By J. K. Rowling 16. The Private Patient A novel by P. D. James Penguine 17. No Other WorldSelected Poems By Kunwar Narain 18. The 24 7 Marriage : Smart Strategies For Good Beginnings By Dr. Vijay Nagaswami 19. The Idea of Justice By Dr. Amartya Sen 20. Arguments for a Better World : Essays in Honour of Amartya Sen By Kaushik Basu and Ravi Kanbur 21. Globalisation and Development By Sundanda Sen 22. The Politics of Extremism in South Asia

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By Deepa M. Ollapally 23. Rising India and Indian Communities in East Asia Edited by K. Kesavapany, A. Mani and P. Ramasamy 24. The Three Trillion Dollar War : The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict By Joseph Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilms 25. Arjun SinghEk Sahayatri Itihas Ka By Ram Sharan Joshi 26. Politics of InclusionCaster, Minorities and Affirmative Action By Zoya Hasan 27. Bold EndeavorsHow Our Government Built America, and Why It Must Rebuild Now By Felix Rohatyn 28. Imaging IndiaIdeas for a New Century Nandan Nilekani 29. Daughters of Shame By Jasvinder Sanghera Imprint Hodder, Gurgaon 30. Celebrating India : Reflections on Eminent Indian Muslims (18572007) By Meher Fatima Hussain 31. The Myth of Judicial Activism : Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions Kermit Roosevelt III 32. EU-India Relations A Critique : Edited by Shazia Aziz Wulbers 33. The Age of the Unthinkable : Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises us and What we can do About It By Joshua Cooper Rawa 34. Macroeconomics of Post-Reforms India, Vol. I Money and Finance in the Indian Economy, Vol. II By Mihir Rakshit 35. Out of Steppe : The Lost People of Central Asia By Daniel Metcalfe 36. The Winter Vault By Anne Michaels Knopf

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37. Democracy and Human Development in India By Naresh Gupta 38. Lords of Finance : 1929, The Great Depression and The Bankers Who Broke the World By Liaquat Ahmed 39. Accelerating Growth and Job Creation in South Asia Edited by Ejaz Ghani and Sadiq Ahmed 40. India and PakistanSocial, Political and Military Perspective By Rajkumar Singh 41. Kissinger : 1973, The Crucial Year By Alistair Home, Simon and Schuster 42. The Great Divide Edited by Ira Pande Harper Collins 43. Taliban : Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamen-talism in Central Asia By Ahmed Rashid 44. India and the Global Financial Crisis Y. V. Reddy

Famous Books and Authors List

A Bunch of Old Letters : Jawaharlal Nehru Adventures of Sherlock Holmes : Arthur Conan Doyle Adhe Adhure : Mohan Rakesh A Week with Gandhi : Louis Fischer A China Passage : J.K. Galbraith Aesops Fables : Aesop A Farewell to Arms : Ernest Hemingway A Midsummer Nights Dream : William Shakespeare A Million Mutinies, Now : V.S. Naipal An iron Will : Swett Marden A Pair of Blue Eyes : Thomas Hardy A Passage to India : E.M. Forster A Prisoners Scrapbook : L.K. Advani A Season of Ghosts : Ruskin Bond A Suitable Boy : Vikram Seth A Tale of Two Cities : Charles Dickens A Village by the Sea : Anita Desai A Voice for Freedom : Nayantara Sehgal

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 Aenied : Virgil Against the Tide : Minoo Masani Age of Reason : Jean Paul Sartre A Dangerous Place : Daniel Patrik Moyihan A Haunted House : Virginia Woolf Agni Veena : Kazi Nazrul Islam Amar Kosha : Amar Singh Anand Math : Bankim Chandra Chatterje A Story of History : Arnold Toynbee Avanti Sundari : Dandi Autobiography : Jawaharlal Nehru As You Like It : W. Shakespeare Between the Lines : Kuldeep Nayyar Bhagwad Gita : Maharshi Ved Vyas Black Wednesday : Promila Kalhan Bubble : Mulk Raj Anand Buddha Charitam : Ashvaghosh Bal Gitayan : D.P. Maheshwari Bitter Sweet : Noel Coward Blind Beauty : Boris Pasternak Broken Wings : Sarojini Naidu Canterbury Tales : Chaucer Chidambara : Sumitra Nandan Pant Chitralekha : Bhagwati Charan Verma City of Joy : Dominique Lapierre Confessions of a Lover : Mulk Raj Anand Comedy of Errors : Shakespeare Communist Manifesto : Karl Marx Comus : John Milton Confidential Clerk : T.S. Eliot Coolie : Mulk Raj Anand Count of Monte Cristo : Alexander Dumas Childe Harold : Lord Byron Chittirappavai : P.V. Akhilandam Degeneration of India : T.N. Seshan Devdas : Sharat Chandra Divine Comedy : Dante Discovery of India : Jawaharlal Nehru Don Ouixote : Cervantes Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde : R.L. Stevenson Dash Kumar Charitam : Dandi Dark Room, The : R.K. Narayan Debacle : Emile Zola Diana, The True Story : A. Morton

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 Deserted Village : Goldsmith Distant Drums : Manohar Malgaonkar Emma : Jane Austen Ends and Means : Aldous Huxley Essays of Elia : Charles Lamb Emperor Jones, The : Eugene O Neill Essays on Gita : Sri Aurbindo Ghosh Every Man a King : Swett Marden Father and Sons : Ivan Turganev Faust : Goethe For Whom the Bell Tolls : Ernest Hemingway Flames from the Ashes : P.D. Tandon Friends, Not Masters : Ayub Khan Gathering Storm : Winston Churchill Geet Govind : Jaya Dev Ghasiram Kotwal : Vijay Tendulkar Gitanjali : R.N. Tagore Gita Rahasya : Bal Gangadhar Tilak Glimpses of World History : J.L. Nehru : Godan : Premchand God Father, The : Mario Puzo Grapes of Wrath : John Steinbeck Great Tragedy : Z.A. Bhutto Guide, The : R.K. Narayan Hamlet : William Shakespeare Harsha Charit : Bana Bhatt Heat and Dust : Ruth Prawar Jhabwala Himalayan Blunders : Brig. J.P. Dalvi House Divided : Pearl S. Buck Idle Hours : R.K. Laxman Idols : Sunil Gavaskar Idylls of the King : Lord, Alfred Tennyson If I am Assassinated : Z.A. Bhutto Isabela : Keats Illiad : Homer Inside the C.B.I. : Joginder Singh India Divided : Rajendra Prasad India Wins Freedom : Maulana Azad Indian War of Independence : V.D. Savarkar Jean Christopher : Romian Rolland Judgement, The : Kuldip Nayyar Julius Caesar : William Shakespeare Jurassic Park : Michael Chrichton Kadambari : Bana Bhatt Kagaz Te Kanwas : Amrita Pritam Kamayani : Jay Shankar Prasad

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 Kamasutra : S.H. Vatsayayan Kaya Kulp : Premchand King Lear : W. Shakespeare Lajja : Tasleem Nasreen Lady Chhatterleys Lover : D.H. Lawrence Leaves of Grass : Walt Whitman Life Divine : Sri Aurbindo Living History : Hillary Rodham Clinton Living with Honour : Shiv Khera Lolita : Vladimir Nobokov Long Walk to Freedom : Nelson Mandela Less Miserable : Victor Hugo Macbeth : Shakespeare Madhushala : Harivansh Rai Bachchan Mahabharata : Maharshi Ved Vyas Major Barbara : G.B. Shaw Malti Madhav : Bhavbhuti Malvikagnimitra : Kalidas Man and Superman : G.B. Shaw Meghdoot : Kalidas Men Who Killed Gandhi : Manohar Magaonkar Merchant of Venice : Shakespeare Middle March : George Eliot Midnight Children : Salman Rushdie Mother : Maxim Gorky Mudra Rakshasa : Vishakha Datt Murder in the Cathedral : T.S. Eliot My Experiments with Truth : Gandhi Nana : Emile Zola Natya Shastra : Bharat Muni Netaji Dead or Alive : Samar Guha Nine Days Wonder : John Mansfield Ninteen Eighty Four : George Orwell O Jeruselam : L. Collins & D. Lapierre Odyssey : Homer Old Man and the Sea : Ernest Hemingway Of Human Bondage : Somerset Maugham Our India : Minoo Masani Out of Dust : F.D. Karaka On Contradiction : Mao-Tse-Tung Pakistan, The Gathering Storm : Behazir Bhutto Panchatantra : Vishnu Sharma Pather Panchali : Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyaya Peace has no Alternative : Mikhail Gorbachev Pickwick Papers : Charles Dickens Pilgrims Progress : John Bunyan

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 Prathma Pratishruti : Ashapoorna Devi Price and Prejudice : Jane Austin Prince : Machiaveli Peter Pan : J.M. Barrie Principia : Isaac Newton Raghuvansha : Kalidasa Rajtaringini : Kalhan Ram Charit Manas : Tulsidas Ramayana : Valmiki Rangbhoomi : Premchand Ratnavali : Harshavardhan Robaiyat : Omar Khayyam Robinson Crusoe : Daniel Defoe Rugby Chapel : Mathew Arnold Saket : Maithili Sharan Gupta Satanic Verses : Salman Rushdie Satyarth Prakash : Swami Dayanand Shakuntalam : Kalidas Shahnama : Firdausi Social Contract : Rousseau : Sursagar : Surdas Sakharam Binder : Vijay Tendulkar Testament of Beauty : Robert Bridges The Blind Assassin : Margaret Atwood The Emperors New Suit : Hans Chrishtian Anderson Three Musketeers : Alexander Dumas The Otherness of Self : Feroz Varun Gandhi The Elephant Paradigm : Gurcharan Das The Affluent Society : J.K. Galbraith The God of Small Things : Arundhati Roy : The Inheritance of Loss : Anita Desai The Legacy of Nehru : K. Natwar Singh Tom Jones : Henry Fielding Treasure Island : R.L. Stevenson Trail of Jesus : John Masefield Uncle Toms Cabin : Mrs. Haraiet Stowe Unhappy India : Lajpat Rai Utopia : Tomas Moor Unto The Last : John Ruskin Untold Story : B.M. Kaul Urvashi : Ram Dhari Singh Dinkar Uttara Ram Charita : Bhav Bhuti Universe Around Us : James Jeans Vanity Fair : Thackeray Victim, The : Saul Bellow Village, The : Mulk Raj Anand

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 Vinay Patrika : Tulsidas Voskresenia : Leo Tolstoy War and Peace : Tolstoy Wealth of Nations : Adam Smith We Indians : Khushwant Singh Waiting for God : Thomas Becket Wings of Fire : Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Yama : Mahadevi Verma Yashodhara : Maithili Sharan Gupta Zulfi, My Friend : Piloo Mody Zhivago, Dr. : Boris Pasternak

List of winners at the 82nd annual Academy Awards:

Motion Picture: The Hurt Locker. Actor: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart. Actress: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side. Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds. Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire. Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker. Foreign Film: El Secreto de Sus Ojos, Argentina. Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire. Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker. Animated Feature Film: Up. Art Direction: Avatar. Cinematography: Avatar. Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker. Sound Editing: "The Hurt Locker." Original Score: Up, Michael Giacchino.

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 Original Song: The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart) from Crazy Heart, Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett. Costume: The Young Victoria. Documentary Feature: The Cove. Documentary (short subject): Music by Prudence. Film Editing: The Hurt Locker. Makeup: Star Trek. Animated Short Film: Logorama. Live Action Short Film: The New Tenants. Visual Effects: Avatar.

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