WHAT GOT YOU HERE WON’T GET YOU  THERE

by Marshall Goldsmith — THE COMPLETE SUMMARY

How Successful People Become Even More Successful

"What Got You Here Won’t Get You There" holds the basic premise that there are a handful of workplace habits that often keep successful people from making the next big leap forward in their career. The author, Marshall Goldsmith, seeks to identify those habits and help you to overcome them so you can make that next big leap in whatever you’re planning to do with your life. While this book has a heavy skew towards management, there is a lot of meat here that applies no matter what you’re doing.

Section One: The Trouble With Success

Whenever someone experiences success in the workplace, they usually get a very positive feeling out of it, and this generally results in a net positive for the person. Their self-esteem goes up and they begin to have more confidence in their abilities. However, this only goes so far: often, when a person has a string of successes, they begin to adopt a handful of beliefs that aren’t necessarily true. They begin to believe that they are more responsible than they actually are for the success of projects and they begin to believe that their value is much higher than reality actually shows.
This is a human failing, one that anyone with some measure of success can fall prey to. This is a dangerous thing to ever believe, even if it happens to be true. It alters your own behavior in a lot of ways and sets you up for failure, not for success.

Section Two: The Twenty Habits That Hold You Back From The Top

This trouble with success often manifests itself in the form of destructive habits in the workplace, of which Goldsmith lists twenty. He lays out very brief summaries of these twenty habits on a single page:
1. Winning too much: The need to win at all costs and in all situations - when it matters, when it doesn’t, and when it’s totally beside the point. 2. Adding too much value: The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion. 3. Passing judgment: The need to rate others and impose our standards on them 4. Making destructive comments: The needless sarcasms and cutting remarks that we think make us sound sharp and witty. 5. Starting with “No,” “But,” or “However”: The overuse of these negative qualifiers which secretly say to everyone, “I’m right. You’re wrong.” 6. Telling the world how smart we are: The need to show people we’re smarter than they think we are. 7. Speaking when angry: Using emotional volatility as a management tool. 8. Neativity, or “Let me explain why that won’t work”: The need to share our negative thoughts even when we weren’t asked. 9. Withholding information: The refusal to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others. 10. Failing to give proper recognition: The inability to praise and reward. 11. Claiming credit that we don’t deserve: The most annoying way to overestimate our contribution to any success. 12. Making excuses: The need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it. 13. Clinging to the past: The need to deflect blame away from ourselves and onto events and people from our past; a subset of blaming everyone else. 14. Playing favorites: Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly. 15. Refusing to express regret: The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit when we’re wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others. 16. Not listening: The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues. 17. Failing to express gratitude: The most basic form of bad manners. 18. Punishing the messenger: The misguided need to attack the innocent who are usually trying to help us. 19. Passing the buck: The need to blame everyone but ourselves. 20. An excessive need to be “me”: Exalting our faults as virtues simply because they’re who we are.

Section Three: How We Can Change For The Better

Goldsmith offers up a seven step plan for fixing these bad behaviors, both individually and as a whole.
Feedback Whenever feedback is given to you in any form, never respond by arguing about it. Instead, write it down and consider it later when your immediate flared passions are calmer. Thank the person for offering their opinion, put the advice aside for a while, and then look at it later with a cool head, and you’ll often find something specific you can improve on. If you want to be proactive about feedback, don’t be afraid to ask for it, but never argue about it.
Apologizing If you realize that you have done something wrong, either very recently or in the past, apologize. Swallow a bit of pride, go up to the person, and just apologize for whatever it is. Likely, you’ll both feel better for it - you’ll lose at least some of the bad feeling and the other person will feel better too (almost always).
Telling the world, or advertising Now that you’ve apologized, what are you going to do to change? The next step is to define the changes you’re going to make and to let everyone know about them, especially the people you’ve apologized to. Apologies don’t mean anything if they’re not coupled with some effort to change.
Listening When someone speaks to you, listen to them. Don’t interrupt them, and try to fully understand what they’re saying before formulating a response. This is always a strong tactic to use when someone is trying to talk to you. If you can’t fully describe and articulate the message someone is trying to deliver to you, your response is guaranteed to be less accurate and thorough than it could be if you listened to the message and to the messenger.
Thanking Whenever someone does something beneficial for you, thank them. Just be sure to take the time to thank everyone who contributes to your success, both directly and in public opportunities when given the chance.
Following up Once you’ve started to really work on these things and started eliminating the bad habits from your life, follow up on them. Wait a few months, then ask the person you’ve apologized to if things are still seeming okay and if you are doing well on your “advertised” plan of attack. Stay diligent yourself, and try to remind yourself often of your goals. Constant follow-up keeps you on task and on focus with anything in your life.
Practicing “feedforward” At this point, you’re making real progress on your negative habits. Now, step back and ask for some future suggestions on where you should go with these changes. Ask someone who you’ve had experience with in the past for two specific things that you can do in the future to help with the behavior(s) you’re working on, listen, thank them, then work on implementing them. Much as feedback talks about the past, “feedforward” talks about the future.

Section Four: Pulling Out the Stops

The final section really focuses heavily on people involved in management. Here, Goldsmith focuses on wider issues within an organization, such as handling these bad habits when they pop up both in superiors and in subordinates. Most of the suggestions here, though, really boil down to one thing: candor with a healthy dollop of honesty.
For starters, if you have subordinates, be very clear to them what’s expected of them specifically from you. Similarly, if you have a new boss, be sure to ask (even repeatedly) what specifically is expected from you. If you see the bad habits mentioned earlier popping up in the office, be candid about it with that person, but don’t let it evolve into whispers and backstabbing.
In short, a healthy organization is one that is open and honest enough to nip problems in the bud. Most major issues become major because the root causes weren’t dealt with quickly and with candor and honesty.

 

 

 

 

Tequila the most misunderstood spirit

Tequila is a misunderstood spirit. You're likely accustomed to seeing it in margaritas, its subtleties masked by large quantities of sugar, or in shot glasses with a salted rim. But you don't really know tequila.

Tequila is a regional specific name for a distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila,  in the highlands  of the north western Mexican state of Jalisco.

What is tequila made from?

All tequila is made from the blue agave plant. To create tequila, jimadores, or agave farmers, harvest agave plants after six to ten years of growth. Once harvested, the jimadores cut away the pencas, or leaves, of the agave to ensure that only the sweetest juices of the heart of the agave, the piña, remain. The agave are then cut into pieces and cooked in masonry ovens until they are soft."

Can tequila be produced outside of Mexico?

Just like Champagne or Cognac in France must be made there to be considered to bear the name, tequila can only be called tequila if it is produced and bottled in Mexico in the state of Jalisco and limited regions in the Mexican states 

 

How can you spot quality tequila?

"Any quality tequila is going to be labeled as 100% Blue Agave. By Mexican law, any product labeled as 100% blue agave must be made and bottled in specific areas in Mexico."

 

How does aging affect tequila?

The process of aging tequila allows it to mellow into a smoother and different taste while capturing the subtle undertones from the wooden barrels each batch is aged in. Depending on the barrels used, and the maturation length, aging can affect the taste of each batch differently."

"For example, a Reposado needs to be aged at least two months according to Mexican law, but Don Julio matures its Reposado for at least eight months, which allows the delicious oak, chocolate, and cinnamon notes to come through and provide a fuller flavor."

 

What's the best way to drink tequila?

"There is not one best way to drink tequila, as it can be enjoyed in many different recipes and forms based on personal preference. The most popular tequila cocktail in America is the classic Margarita, which can be made with tequila, orange liqueur, some fresh-squeezed lime juice over ice."

Outside Mexico, a single shot of tequila is often served with salt and a slice of lime. This is called tequila cruda and is sometimes referred to as "training wheels", "lick-sip-suck", or "lick-shoot-suck" (referring to the way in which the combination of ingredients is imbibed). The drinkers moisten the back of their hands below the index finger (usually by licking) and pour on the salt. Then the salt is licked off the hand, the tequila is drunk, and the fruit slice is quickly bitten.

 

Trappist beer

Trappist beer is brewed by Trappist breweries. Ten monasteries — six in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, one in Austria and one in the United States — currently brew beer and sell it as Authentic Trappist Product.

    

In 1997, eight Trappist abbeys—six from Belgium (Orval, Chimay, Westvleteren, Rochefort, Westmalle and Achel), one from the Netherlands (Koningshoeven) and one from Germany (Mariawald) – founded the International Trappist Association (ITA) to prevent non-Trappist commercial companies from abusing the Trappist name. This private association created a logo that is assigned to goods (cheese, beer, wine, etc.) that respect precise production criteria. For the beers, these criteria are the following:

1. The beer must be brewed within the walls of a Trappist abbey, by or under control of Trappist monks.
2. The brewery, the choices of brewing, and the commercial orientations must obviously depend on the monastic community.
3. The economic purpose of the brewery must be directed toward assistance and not toward financial profit.

This association has a legal standing, and its logo gives to the consumer some information and guarantees about the produce.

 Monastery brewhouses, from different religious orders, have existed across Europe since the Middle Ages. From the very beginning, beer was brewed in French Cistercian monasteries following the Strict Observance. For example, the monastery of La Trappe in Soligny already had its own brewery in 1685. Breweries were later introduced in monasteries of other countries as the Trappist order spread from France into the rest of Europe. The Trappists, like many other religious people, originally brewed beer to feed the community, in a perspective of self-sufficiency. Nowadays, Trappist breweries also brew beer to fund their works and charitable causes. Many of the Trappist monasteries and breweries were destroyed during the French Revolution and the World Wars. Among the monastic breweries, the Trappists were certainly the most active brewers.

The Top 5 Most Expensive Whiskies In World

Macallan 1946 – $460,000

 

This bottle of single malt whiskey in a LaliqueCire Perdue decanter was sold in 2010 at an auction, with the proceeds going to charity. This whiskey is unusual in that it was made with peated malt because of the then-prohibitive prices of coal that shot up because of World War II. This is a classic Macallan and one of the best ever released.

 

Glenfiddich Janet Sheed Roberts Reserve 1955 – $94,000

 

Glenfiddich had a barrel of Scotch whiskey that has been aging since New Year’s Eve of 1955. When Janet Sheed Roberts, the granddaughter of Glenfiddich’s founder William Grant, passed away at the ripe old age of 110, the company decided to honor her by making 15 bottles from the said barrel. Four were kept by the family while the rest were auctioned off. A whiskey connoisseur from Atlanta bought one of them for $94,000. The whiskey has been acclaimed for its floral, fruity and sweet taste.

Macallan 1926 – $75,000

This is the oldest in the Fine and Rare collection of Macallan. It was distilled in 1926 and bottled only in 1986. Only 40 bottles were produced. The single malt blend is dry and concentrated as no water has been added. The color reflects that of the old barrel. A businessman from South Korea bought this bottle in 2005.

Dalmore 62 Single Highland Malt Scotch Matheson – $58,000

This is a blend of four single malt whiskies that were distilled in different years. Only 12 bottles were made in 1942, each of which was given names unique but relevant to the Dalmore Estate. The most expensive was the Matheson, named after Alexander Matheson, the owner of the estate. An anonymous buyer bought this in 2005. He quicly opened it and finished it with five of his closest friends.

Glenfiddich 1937 – $20,000

This is from the Rare Collection of Glenfiddich. It was distilled in 1937 in the company’s plant in Scotland. Left to age gracefully, the barrel was then opened and the whiskey was bottled in 2001. Only 61 bottles were made. The whiskey is said to have a rich walnut color, though it has hints of cedar, cinnamon, cloves and toffee. The bottle was bought at a charity auction in New York in 2006.

 

 

 

Wine- the making

Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes and ending with bottling the finished wine.

Winemaking can be divided into two general categories: still wine production (without carbonation) and sparkling wine production (with carbonation).

The science of wine and winemaking is known as oenology (in American English, enology).

After the harvest, the grapes are crushed and allowed to ferment. Red wine is made from the must (pulp) of red or black grapes that undergo fermentation together with the grape skins, while white wine is usually made by fermenting juice pressed from white grapes, but can also be made from must extracted from red grapes with minimal contact with the grapes' skins. Rosé wines are made from red grapes where the juice is allowed to stay in contact with the dark skins long enough to pick up a pinkish color, but little of the tannins contained in the skins.

Harvesting and destemming

Harvest is the picking of the grapes and in many ways the first step in wine production. Grapes are either harvested mechanically or by hand. The decision to harvest grapes is typically made by the winemaker and informed by the level of sugar (called °Brix), acid (TA or Titratable Acidity as expressed by tartaric acid equivalents) and pH of the grapes. Other considerations include phenological ripeness, berry flavor, tannin development (seed colour and taste). Overall disposition of the grapevine and weather forecasts are taken into account.

Destemming is the process of separating stems from the grapes. Depending on the winemaking procedure, this process may be undertaken before crushing with the purpose of lowering the development of tannins and vegetal flavors in the resulting wine. Single berry harvesting, like what is done with some German Trockenbeerenauslese, avoids this step altogether with the grapes being individually selected.

Crushing and primary fermentation

Crushing is the process of gently squeezing the berries and breaking the skins to start to liberate the contents of the berries. Desteming is the process of removing the grapes from the rachis (the stem which holds the grapes). In traditional and smaller-scale wine making, the harvested grapes are sometimes crushed by trampling them barefoot or by the use of inexpensive small scale crushers. These can also destem at the same time. However, in larger wineries, a mechanical crusher/destemmer is used. The decision about desteming is different for red and white wine making. Generally when making white wine the fruit is only crushed, the stems are then placed in the press with the berries.

Crushed grapes leaving the crusher.

Most red wines derive their color from grape skins (the exception being varieties or hybrids of non-vinifera vines which contain juice pigmented with the dark Malvidin 3,5-diglucoside anthocyanin) and therefore contact between the juice and skins is essential for color extraction. Red wines are produced by destemming and crushing the grapes into a tank and leaving the skins in contact with the juice throughout the fermentation (maceration). It is possible to produce white (colorless) wines from red grapes by the fastidious pressing of uncrushed fruit. This minimizes contact between grape juice and skins (as in the making of Blanc de noirs sparkling wine, which is derived from Pinot noir, a red vinifera grape.)

Pressing

Ancient winepress in Palestine with the pressing area in the center and the collection vat off to the bottom left.

Pressing is the act of applying pressure to grapes or pomace in order to separate juice or wine from grapes and grape skins. Pressing is not always a necessary act in winemaking; if grapes are crushed there is a considerable amount of juice immediately liberated (called free-run juice) that can be used for vinification. Typically this free-run juice is of a higher quality than the press juice. However, most wineries do use presses in order to increase their production (gallons) per ton, as pressed juice can represent between 15%-30% of the total juice volume from the grape.

Presses act by positioning the grape skins or whole grape clusters between a rigid surface and a moveable surface and slowly decrease the volume between the two surfaces. Modern presses are able to follow a pressing program which dictates the duration and pressure at each press cycle, usually ramping from 0 Bar to 2.0 Bar. Sometimes winemakers choose pressures at which they wish to separate the streams of pressed juice, which is called making "press cuts." As the pressure increases on the grape skins so too increase the amount of tannin extracted into the juice, often rendering the pressed juice excessively tannic or harsh. Because of the location of grape juice constituents in the berry (water and acid are found primarily in the mesocarp or pulp, whereas tannins are found primarily in the pericarp, or skin, and seeds), pressed juice or wine tends to be lower in acidity with a higher pH than the free-run juice.

Pigeage

Pigeage is a French winemaking term for the traditional stomping of grapes in open fermentation tanks. To make certain types of wine, grapes are put through a crusher and then poured into open fermentation tanks. Once fermentation begins, the grape skins are pushed to the surface by carbon dioxide gases released in the fermentation process. This layer of skins and other solids is known as the cap. As the skins are the source of the tannins, the cap needs to be mixed through the liquid each day, or "punched," which traditionally is done by stomping through the vat.

Secondary fermentation and bulk aging

During the secondary fermentation and aging process, which takes three(3) to six(6) months, the fermentation continues very slowly. The wine is kept under an airlock to protect the wine from oxidation. Proteins from the grape are broken down and the remaining yeast cells and other fine particles from the grapes are allowed to settle. Potassium bitartrate will also precipitate, a process which can be enhanced by cold stabilization to prevent the appearance of (harmless) tartrate crystals after bottling. The result of these processes is that the originally cloudy wine becomes clear. The wine can be racked during this process to remove the lees.

Malolactic fermentation

Malolactic fermentation is carried out by bacteria which metabolize malic acid and produce lactic acid and carbon dioxide. The resultant wine is softer in taste and has greater complexity. The process is used in most red wines and is discretionary for white wines.

Preservatives

The most common preservative used in wine making is sulfur dioxide. Another useful preservative is potassium sulphate.

Sulfur dioxide has two primary actions, firstly it is an anti microbial agent and secondly an anti oxidant. In the making of white wine it can be added prior to fermentation and immediately after alcoholic fermentation is complete.

 Filtration

Filtration in wine making is used to accomplish two objectives, clarification and microbial stabilization. In clarification, large particles that affect the visual appearance of the wine are removed. In microbial stabilization, organisms that affect the stability of the wine are removed therefore reducing the likelihood of re-fermentation or spoilage.

Bottling

A final dose of sulfide is added to help preserve the wine and prevent unwanted fermentation in the bottle. The wine bottles then are traditionally sealed with a cork, although alternative wine closures such as synthetic corks and screw caps, which are less subject to cork taint, are becoming increasingly popular

Modern electronic gadgets in hotels

Modern electronic gadgets in hotels

Modern hotels are almost always equipped with electronic devices designed for everyday use. Traditional accommodations were furnished with basic furniture pieces such as a bed, a study table, a stool, and a lamp, among others. Today, rooms and suites are furnished with television and video players, as well as refrigerator, microwave, oven, and dishwasher. With the availability of these equipment pieces, it is easy for a tourist to have a memorable holiday escapade. Electronic devices, among other advanced tools, allow families to enjoy a wonderful time at a historic island while staying in a self-catering accommodation like a cottage or an apartment. Although guests generally desire luxury, they also have high regard for budget and value. Hence, to maximize their travelling budget, they hire a self-catering accommodation at a high-star establishment, but try to save on food catering costs by preparing their own meals. Staying at a self-catering cottage or apartment can be a fantastic experience, encouraging travelers to explore the locality out of the need to shop for their own provision.

Until now, there is a handful of accommodation that features traditional means of living for those with appetite for simpler things. However, the adaptation of consumer electronics into a hospitality establishment is largely a must. Even historic structures like ancient castles converted into hotels display several pieces of modern gizmos that make travelling life more comfortable and convenient. This is because a large part of the tour-loving population opts for extravagance. Many of them toil hard for a couple of months to save some amount for a lavish vacation. Others are financially blessed and can readily cash out for all types of luxuries they desire.

) High definition televisions (HDTVs) are the focal point of every hotel room and there are a huge variety of models for hoteliers to choose from to suit differing room sizes and budgets.  They should provide a range of high quality HD channels to reflect the needs of guests and most major suppliers including Samsung and LG, for example, offer a range to suit all requirements and budgets.

2) High speed internet access (wired and Wi-Fi) in hotel rooms is a must for any business traveler and now many leisure travelers too. Almost all hotels now provide internet access, but the main challenge for hoteliers is offering guests the same level of broadband service in a hotel room as they receive at home, in terms of speed, reliability and security. One way of doing this is by offering a tiered bandwidth service, i.e. pricing the broadband service according to usage, where those who use less bandwidth pay a smaller fee than those who require more. This will also allow hoteliers to control the amount of bandwidth available to each guest and deliver a fairer and more reliable service.

3) MP3 docking station and alarm clock are two essential gadgets for many travelers.  Apple has sold over 100 million iPods and many travelers use them to listen to favourite songs, watch movies, or view family photos, so any docking station that couples as an alarm clock should be at the top of any hotelier’s list for in-room gadgets. Alternatively, most in-room televisions also double up as an alarm clock.

4) Convenient power sources – Sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many times hotel guests have to dive under a desk to access power sockets to connect and charge their laptop and mobile.  Another option is for hoteliers to provide a connectivity panel which enables content from a laptop, digital camera or MP3 to be viewed/listened to via the television so they don’t have to keep recharging their batteries.

5) Mirror televisions are more commonly found in bathrooms, saunas and swimming pools at luxurious hotels.  They are equipped with high definition technology, digital tuners and touch screen functionality.  In fact, there were some impressive Mirror TVs being demonstrated at the recent CES in Las Vegas.

6) Lighting and climate control may not seem at first an advanced piece of technology, but allowing guests to set these remotely to suit their changing moods, whether they’re just waking up, working, or relaxing is becoming an important feature of a hotel room. West End hotel, St Martins Lane, is a good example of mood lighting and The Peninsula Shanghai has weather gauges on its in-room control panel, allowing guests to decide if they should put on an extra layer before heading outside.

7) RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) door lock for keyless entry to a hotel room and other areas of the hotel is becoming more popular in hotels across the world.  In addition to this, new technology has been developed to allow guests to use any brand of mobile phone to gain access to their hotel room, so they don’t have to worry about their keys at all.  Face recognition key locks and LCD screens connected to a digital camera to let guests know instantly who’s outside their door could also be an intriguing guest security proposition for future new build properties.

8 ) Energy management systems which adjust the temperature and lights in a hotel room upon detection that the room is empty and an air-powered hair dryer to help save water and energy usage are interesting concepts. A combination of energy-efficient air conditioning, a rainwater harvesting system and low energy lighting can reduce a hotel’s carbon footprint by 75 per cent compared to the average establishment.

9) Guest sensors have been fitted in Hotel 1000 in Seattle that monitor when a guest enters and leaves so that lights and other technology in the room can be switched on and off accordingly.  In addition, The Upper House in Hong Kong uses infrared signals to allow housekeeping staff to tell if the room is occupied by pressing a button.

10) And, finally, technology to rotate a Croatian hotel once every day is being explored to give every guest a sea view during their stay. Not viable for every hotel, but boy would it help you stand out from the crowd.

I Pad? Check. Bluetooth headset? Check. Computerized shower? Er…really?
For the geek on the go, the 3G age offers no end of gadgets goodness. But what about the geek on the stay? What about, in short, tech hotels?
Even if you’re not a geek (and lord knows, if you’re reading this, we really can’t tell), you’ve probably often wondered what it might be like to stay at the hotel of the future. It might look something like this:

Or it might be just a regular-looking hotel that happens to be decked out with some really nifty tech features. While we were hard-pressed to find any levitating robots serving guests cocktails in bed (and believe us, we waited in bed for a long time), we did find that even (especially?) some of the most mundane elements of a hotel stay were subject to modernization.
Here, in no particular order, is a look at some of those features, and where you can find them.

1. Cell-phone-operated door locks and retinal scans

Step 1 of any hotel visit is actually getting into your room, and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is all the rage these days. What do you get when you put these two pieces of information together? Doors you can open with your cell phone, of course! (Of course.) If you’re prone to losing your keys, cards, or other stuff entrusted to you on pain of looking stupid, RFID door locks could be just what you need.
This method of gaining entry to your hotel quarters is becoming increasingly popular, showing up in such establishments as aloft Lexington in Virginia, where you can also skip check-in this way (they SMS you your room number, and you just walk in like you live there. Maybe you do. You lucky duck.)
Some places—like Boston boutique hotel Nine Zero—even have what would likely come to mind first if someone said “tech hotel”: retinal scans. Yep, the door just looks you in the eye and lets you in. Unless you’re the wrong guy. Then it shoots you with targeted lasers and summons android French maids to dispose of the body. So make sure you’ve got the right room.
(We are, of course, kidding about that last part; there are no French maids in Boston. But really, do make sure you’ve got the right room.)

2. Personalized room controls

Once you’ve made it into the room unscathed, you’ll probably want to turn on lights, open curtains, control the temperature, flip on the TV, and make phone calls. Yes, you’re a demanding one. Fortunately, tech hotels can handle your prima donna attitude. The City Center in Las Vegas, for instance, offers a complex system of automated room controls, tailored to the desires of each guest, that go into effect as the occupant approaches the room from outside: Lights, curtains, TV channels, climate control, and music are programmed to fit your needs.
Other hotels might not be as snazzy, but quite a few offer a “master remote” that controls all of the above from one little console. Okay, sure, you have to press buttons. Life’s tough sometimes. Hey, maybe you can train your poodle to do it for you.

3. Guest sensors

So you’ve got your room just the way you want it—not too hot, cold, bright, dim, or on fire. But at some point, you’re going to want to leave. Or come back. In such cases, it’s useful to have a guest sensor.
Hotel 1000 in Seattle, Washington, has one of these spiffy gadgets, which do just what they say they do: sense when guests enter or leave a room, and adjust the room settings accordingly to save energy. Since it can tell when there’s nobody there, it can also inform hotel staff of good times to change the sheets, vacuum the floors, or spit in the coffee-maker if you’re a lousy tipper.

4. Cisco TelePresence rooms

Want to see your business colleagues across the globe in real time on life-size screens? No? Oh.
Well, if you change your mind, a number of different hotels, including the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers and the Westin Los Angeles Airport, now offer Cisco TelePresence rooms, which let you do exactly that. It’s almost like being there in person. Only you don’t know if anybody’s wearing pants.

5. Camcorders

Just because the cell phone you used to open the door has video capability, it doesn’t mean you have to waste your own batteries. Several Rosewood Hotels boast Flip UltraHD Camcorders in the rooms, and they’ll even upload your stuff for you when you leave. Goodbye, having to “rent” a camcorder from Sears (oh, that 90-day returns policy…); hello, using hotel property.

6. Green exercise bikes that get you free food

This one’s new. It turns out that the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Denmark offers meal vouchers to guests who spend about 15 minutes on an exercise bike—that powers the hotel. Apparently, busting your buns on the pedals can generate about 10 watt hours of electricity, and that’s good enough for the hotel to give you $36 worth of food (“Thank you, ma’am, your contribution is keeping the pool heated. Please stuff your face as a token of our appreciation”). That’s pretty awesome—you get to lose weight, then gain some of it back, then burn it off again, all while maintaining the environment and the lighting levels in your room.

7. Wii, Guitar Hero, and other video game madness!

Yes, geeks need their video games, and they are relentless. And the rest of humanity? They like video games, too. So a Nintendo Wii is a bare minimum at hotels these days, and if you can get in a Guitar Hero and Rock Band setup and massive gaming screens, like in Chicago’s Hotel Sax, you have officially earned your geek-tel title. Having a Wii handy also opens the door to all kinds of terrible puns—and really, isn’t gaming all about imagination?

8. Mirrors that do cool stuff

When you shave half-naked in your hotel bathroom, it’s just you and your reflection. But now, it can be you, your reflection, and Katie Couric! TV mirrors are getting pretty mainstream in hotels, such as The Flamingo in Las Vegas, and while they’re a pretty simple idea—a two-way mirror with an LCD TV behind it—they look awfully funky. And even though your mother probably told you not to smudge up the mirror with your fingerprints, many of these are equipped with touch-screen technology. So yes, you can touch it. We won’t tell (snicker).
Speaking of mothers, you also have a good example of necessity begetting invention in the ever-useful defogging mirrors. Anyone who’s had to stand there smudging the mirror in vain while trying not to slice their ear off with the electric razor or burn their towels with the inextinguishable hair-dryer will appreciate a mirror that does just what it’s supposed to: show you your face. Or anything else you, ah…feel like looking at.

9. Rotating rooms

Croatia. It’s what nobody would think of if you asked about technology kings of the world—unless, of course, they’ve heard about the rotating hotel rooms at the Solta Island resort, which give everybody a view of the Adriatic Sea for at least some part of the day. It’s no Gravitron—you won’t stick to the walls or anything—but you will rotate with the building 1.3 times daily, and you’ll definitely get your money’s worth if you came for the view.

10. Mini pop-up hotel

Welcome to the hotel that’s on the go more than you are: a sleek, metallic Airstream caravan with all the trimmings (http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/worlds-smallest-pop-up-hotel-to-visit-london-01-03-2010/). Yes, this displaced mini-hotel is so modern it’s postmodern, and it came to London last March so people could fight tooth and nail to win a place inside. It’s only 29 ft. x 7 ft., so there isn’t much room, but it does contain a flat-screen TV, sound system, and a devoted staff of real people, among other luxuries.

First in India (Miscellaneous)

First in India (Miscellaneous)

• Earliest school of medicine known to humans: Ayurveda
• First Air Force in Asia to fly jets: Indian Air Force (1948)
• First Book in any Indian Language: It was printed in 1578 in Tamil.
• First Census in India: 1901
• First Cinema House in India: It was built by J.F.Madan in 1907 in Calcutta.
• First complete Technicolor film: Jhansi Ki Rani (1953)
• First Constitutional Amendment: 1950
• First country-wide agricultural census: 1970-71
• First English Newspaper in India: Bengal Gazette printed in 1790 by James Augustus in Calcutta.


• First Film Centre: Nandan. Located in Calcutta, it was inaugurated in September 1985.
• First Film with an all-female cast: Marathi Film Bindhast, directed by Chandrakant Kulkarni.
• First Five-Year Plan: Started in 1951
• First General Elections: They were held in 1952.
• First hydroelectric project in India: Shivasamudram, across the River Kaveri in 1902
• First Indian state to set up a women’s court: Andhra Pradesh
• First international co-production: Nala Damayanti (1921) made in collaboration with Italy.
• First Marine National Park: Jamnagar
• First Moonlit Animal House in Asia: Located in the Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad.
• First Navodaya School: Navegaon-Khairi in Nagpur
• First Postage Stamp: It was issued in India in 1852 at Karachi.
• First Printing Press: It was set up in Goa in 1556 by the Portuguese.
• First Railway Line: It was opened on April 16, 1853 between Bombay and Thane.
• First Rupee in India: It was minted during the reign of Sher Shah Suri in 1542.
• First ship built in India: Jala Usha built by Vishakapatnam Shipyard was commissioned in 1948.
• First silent feature film in India: Pundalik made in 1912 by N.G. Chitre and R.G. Torney. It was half British in its make.
• First solar crematorium: It is proposed to be set up in Valsad, Gujarat.
• First Solar Energy Centre: Gwalpahar, Gurgaon, Haryana
• First song-less film: JBH Wadia's Naujawan (1937).
• First south Indian film to be released in Korea: Tamil Film Muthu Maharaja (June, 2000)
• First Talkie Film: Alam Ara (1931)
• First Telefilm: Satyajit Ray's Sadgati (telecast on Doordarshan in April 1981)
• First Telegraph Line: It was laid between Calcutta and Agra in 1854. This line was 1280 km long. It was extended up to Lahore in 1857.
• First Telephone system: It was started in 1881 from Calcutta.
• First Television Reception Centre: Arvi, located in Maharashtra
• First veterinary college: Opened in Parel in Bombay in 1885. It is still in existence and is the oldest veterinary college in Asia.
• First Wind farm: Mandvi, Kutch in Gujarat
• Highest Airfield in the world: Thoise, Ladakh
• Highest road in India: Khardung La Pass
• India’s first Antartica expedition: January 11, 1982
• India’s first Satellite: Aryabhatta, April 19, 1975
• India's first colour film: Prabhat's Sairandhri, which was processed and printed in Germany in 1933.
• India's first fully indigenous silent feature film: Raja Harishchandra produced by Dada Saheb Phalke on May 3, 1913.
• India's first indigenously built missile destroyer: INS 'Delhi' (commissioned on November 15, 1997 at Mumbai).
• India's first indigenously built submarine: INS 'Shakti' (commissioned on February 7, 1992)
• India's first indigenously made colour film: Ardashir Irani’s Kisan Kanya made in 1937.
• India's first manufacturer of light bulbs and electrical equipment: Bengal Lamps, Calcutta (1933)
• India's First Oil well: Digboi (1890)
• India's first radio programme: This was broadcast privately with a 40w transmitter by the Madras Presidency Club Radio in 1924.
• India's largest inland lake: Lake Chilika, Orissa
• Largest circulated multi-edition daily in India: Roudramukhi Swar in Hindi (12,92,277 copies in 1997).
• Largest circulated periodical in India: Malayala Manorama (11,27,414 copies)
• Largest circulated single edition newspaper in India: Hindustan Times from Delhi (5,40,919 copies in 1997).
• Largest Nandi in India: Nandi of the Leepakshi Temple at Andhra Pradesh
• Largest Stupa in India: Mahachaitya Stupa, Amravati, Andhra Pradesh
• Oldest era in the world: Hindu Era
• Oldest para-military force in India: Assam Rifles (1835) in Shillong
• Only Place in the world where a Brahmat Temple is found: Pushkar in Rajasthan
• Shortest era in the world: Christian Era
• State with the highest % of Scheduled Castes to total population: Punjab (28.31% - 1991 Census)
• State with the highest% of Scheduled tribes to total population: Mizoram (94.75%)
• State with the largest number of Scheduled Castes: Uttar Pradesh (29.276 million - 1991 Census)
• State with the largest number of Scheduled Tribes: Madhya Pradesh (15.399 million - 1991 Census)
• State with the largest number of towns: Uttar Pradesh (704)
• State with the largest number of villages: Uttar Pradesh (1,12,803 - 1991 Census)
• State with the least number of towns: Nagaland (7)
• State with the lowest % of Scheduled tribes to total population: Uttar Pradesh (0.21%)
• State with the lowest number of Scheduled Castes: Mizoram (1000 - 1991 Census)
• State with the lowest number of Scheduled Tribes: Sikkim (91,000)
• State with the lowest number of villages: Goa (360 - 1991 Census)
• World's First University: Taxila (700 B.C.)
• World's highest STD/PCO facilities: Siachen glacier (established in November 1997)
• World's largest school: The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes City Montessori School in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, as the world's largest school with 23,000 students on its rolls.
• Youngest para-military force in India: Coast Guard (1978)

1. India is the seventh largest country in the world in terms of area.

2. Indian mainland extends between latitudes 8 degree 4' and 37 degree 6' north, longitudes 68 degree 7' and 97 degree 25' east and measures about 3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes.

3. India has land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands and Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.

4. Countries having common border with India are: Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.

5. Aravalli, Vindhya, Satpura, Maikala and Ajanta are prominent hill ranges that lie between the Peninsular India and the plains of Ganga.

6. The Eastern and Western Ghats meet at the southern part of the Indian Peninsula which is formed by the Nilgiri Hills. .

7. Ghagra, Gomti, Gandak, Kosi and Yamuna are the major Himalayan rivers that join the Ganga. Chambal, Betwa and Sone are major rivers flowing north from central India that join Yamuna/Ganga.

8. After Ganga, Godavari has the second largest basin covering 10 per cent of the area of India. Next to it is Krishna, followed by the Mahanadi basin.

9. The climate of India can be described as Tropical monsoon type.

10. India is in tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity.

11. Botanical Survey of India, (BSI), Kolkata is the nodal agency that is studying the flora of the country. BSI brings out an inventory of the endangered plants in the form of a publication titled "Red Data Book".

12. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata and its 16 regional stations are responsible for surveying the faunal resources of India.

13. India has a great variety of fauna, numbering 89,451 species.

14. The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on July 22,1947.

15. The State emblem of India is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capitol of Ashoka. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the Capitol is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dizaram Chakra). There are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion, separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus.

16. In the State emblem, adopted on January 26,1950, only three lions are visible. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The words, Satyameva Jayate, from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning 'truth alone triumphs', are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagiri script.

17. The song Jana-gana-mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly, as the National Anthem of India, on January 24, 1950. It was first sung on December 27, 1911, at the Calcutta session of Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem.

18. The national calendar of India is based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month. A normal year of 365 days was adopted from March 22, 1957, along with the Gregorian Calendar for the following purposes: (1) Gazette of India; (2) news broadcast by All India Radio; (3) calendars issued by Government of India; and (4) Government communications addressed to the members of the public.

19. Agriculture sector of India contributes 25 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and about 70 per cent of the population is dependent on it.

20. There are three main crop seasons in India, namely, kharif, rabi and summer.'

21. Major kharif crops are: rice, jowar, bajra, maize, cotton, sugarcane, soyabean, and groundnut.

22. Major rabi crops are: wheat, barley, gram, linseed, rapeseed, and mustard. Rice, maize and groundnut are grown in summer season also.

23. In Indian agriculture, oilseeds are next to food grains in area coverage, production and value. India is,one of the largest oilseeds growing countries, contributing about 15 per cent to the acreage under oilseeds in the world.

24. The Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, set up a Technology Mission on Oilseeds in May 1986 with the objective to increase the production of oilseeds, reduce the import of edible oils and to achieve self-sufficiency in edible oils.

25. India is the third largest producer and consumer of fertilizers in the world, after China and USA. It contributes to 9.5 per cent of world production and 10.6 per cent of world consumption of NPK nutrients, but sustains one-sixth of the world population.

26. The National Biofertiliser Development Centre is located at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Its six regional centres are located at .labalpur, Nagpur, Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Hissar and Imphal.

27. The Central Fertiliser Quality Control and Training Institute is located in Faridabad, Haryana. Its three regional centres are located at Mumbai, Chennai and Kalyani.

28. India accounts for about 10 per cent of the production of fruits in the world.

29. Mango is the most important fruit produced in India, covering about 39 per cent of the total area used for fruit production and accounting for 23 per cent of total fruit production of India.

30. India occupies first position in the total production of banana in the world.

31. India is next only to China in the area and production of vegetables. India contributes about 13 per cent of the world vegetable production and occupies first position in production of cauliflowers, second in onion and third in cabbage in the world.

32. India is the largest producer, processor, consumer and exporter of cashew nut in the world. India produces 45 per cent of the global production of cashew.

33. The Centrally-sponsored scheme of soil conservation in the catchments of River Valley Project (RVP) was started in the third Five-year Plan. Another scheme of FloodProne Rivers (FPR) was started in the sixth Plan. Both the schemes were clubbed during the ninth Plan and further subsumed under Macro Management Mode in November 2000.

34. The Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) is located in Jodhpur.

35. Seed sector in India consists of two national level corporations: National Seed Corporation (NSC) and State Farm Corporation of India (SFCI). The Seeds Act, 1966 provides for the legislative framework for regulation of quality of seeds sold in India.

36. The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC) launched a Central Sector Scheme during the ninth Plan to make available seeds for any contingent situation arising out of natural calamity.

37. Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI) advises the Central and State governments on agricultural marketing policies and programmes. It is located in Faridabad, Haryana.

38. The National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM) is located in Jaipur.

39. Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institutes are located at Budni (Madhya Pradesh), Hissar (Haryana), Garladinne (Andhra Pradesh) and Biswanath Chariali (Assam).

40. India accounts for 57 per cent of the world's buffalo population and 15 per cent of the cattle population. India possesses 27 acknowledged indigenous breeds of cattle and 7 breeds of buffaloes.

41. The present availability of animal protein in an Indian diet is 10 gm per person per day, as against a world average of 25 gm.

42. India is the largest producer of milk in the world and ranks fifth in egg production.

43. Central Sheep Breeding Farm is located in Hissar.

44. Reishi or Ling Zhi is a medicinal mushroom which has been successfully grown in India.

45. For rehabilitation of calcareous soils Tamarix articulate, Acadia nilotica, Prosopis Juliflora, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Acacia tortills, Cassia siamea and Feronia limonia have been found promising for plantation with furrow planting methods in arid and semi-arid regions. Salvadora persica proved the ideal species for soil and water management in saline black soils.

46. Karzat 4, Indryani, Panvel 2, Palgarh 1 and 2 are names of various rice varieties sown in India.

47. Kankrej, Ponwar, Gangatiri and Kherigah are names of various cattle breeds in India.

48. Jalauni, Kheri, Mandya, Hassan and Mecheri are names of various sheep breeds of India.

49. C-ELISA is an indigenously developed kit for rinderpest which has been validated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.

50. Feedbase-2001 is a data base that provides information on feed resources and feed balance sheet.

51. Okara is a by-product of soymilk.

52. Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan is located in Almora, Uttaranchal.

53. The Lalit Kala Academy (National Academy of Fine Arts) is located in New Delhi. It has regional centres, called Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendras, located at Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Garhi(New Delhi) and Bhubaneswar.

54. Bharata Natyam is a dance form of Tamil Nadu. Kathakali is a dance form of Kerala. Kathak is a classical dance form revitalised as a result of Mughal influence on Indian culture. Manipuri is a dance form of Manipur, while Kuchipudi owes its origin to Andhra Pradesh. Odissi, once practised as temple dance, has its origins in Orissa.

55. Kathak Kendra, Delhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal, are training institutes run by Sangeet Natak Academy, the National Academy of. Music, Dance and Drama. The Academy also supports training programmes in Chhau dance of Mayurbhanj and Seraikella, as also Koodiyattam of Kerala.

56. The National School of Drama (NSD) is one of the foremost theatre institutions in the world and the only one of its kind in India. It was set up by Sangeet Natak Academy in 1959 and in 1975 it became an autonomous organization.

57. The Theatre-in education Company (renamed as Sanskar Rang Toli was founded by NSD in 1989. Since 1998, NSD has organized National Theatre Festival for Children, christened Jashne Bachpan, every year.

58. The first-ever National Theatre Festival, christened Bharat Rang Mahotsav, was held in March-April, 1999 to commemorate the 50th year of India's Independence.

59. Sahitya Academy has its Head Office in New Delhi. Besides, it has four offices in Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. It also has four translation centres at Bangalore, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kolkata, besides a project office at Vadodra for promotion of oral and tribal literature and an Archives of Indian literature. It also maintains a multilingual library at New Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata, stocking books in over 25 languages.

60. The highest honour conferred by Sahitya Academy on a writer is by electing him/her its Fellow. The honour is limited to 21 at any given moment.

61. The Sahitya Academy holds a 'Festival of Letters' every year, usually in February.

62. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) functions as an attached office of the Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

63. The National Museum was established on August 15, 1949 in the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.It was formally inaugurated on December 18, 1960 on its present premises.

64. The National Council of Science Museums is located in Kolkata.

65. The Allahabad Museum is famous for its collection of Bharhut, Bhumara and Jamsot sculptors and for the terracotta from Kausumbi, Bhita, Jhusi, Patliputra, Sarnath, Rajghat and Ahichhatra. The Museum also has paraphernalia and family heirlooms of Nehrus, including manuscripts of' An Autobiography' by J.L. Nehru.

66. The National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC) is located in Lucknow.

67. The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) was founded in 1954 to promote and develop contemporary Indian Art.

68. The National Archives of India (NAI), New Delhi, known until independence as Imperial Record Department, was originally established in Kolkata in March 1891. It is the official custodian of all non-current records of permanent / value to the government of India and its predecessor bodies. It has a regional office at Bhopal and three record centres at Bhubaneswar, ]aipur and Pondicherry.

69. Marine Archeology Centre has been established in the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. Major exploration are being undertaken in the waters of ancient Dwarka, Poompuhar waters (Tamil Nadu) and around Lakshadweep.

70. National Library, Kolkata serves as a permanent repository of all reading and information material produced in India, as well.as printed material written by Indians and concerning India written by foreigners, wherever published and in whatever language.

71. Under the Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act, 1954, four libraries-National Library, Kolkata, Central Library, Mumbai, Connemara Public Library, Chennai, and Delhi Public Library, Delhi-are entitled to receive a copy of new books and magazines published in the counuy.

72. Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna has a rich collection of over 20,000 'Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Pali and Sanskrit manuscripts.

73. The Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswati Mahal (TMSSM) Library, Thanjavur is one of the few medieval libraries that exist in the world.

74. The Rampur Raza Library, housed in Hamid Manzil in the fort of Rampur, is a treasure house of Indo Islamic learning and art.

75. Asiatic Society in Kolkata was founded by Sir William Jones in 1784, with the objective of inquiring into the history, science, arts and literature of Asia.

76. The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies is located in Varanasi. It was established with the objective of preservation of Tibetan culture and tradition, restoration of ancient Indian literature preserved in Tibetan language and to provide higher education in Buddhist studies.

77. The Central Institute of Buddhist Studies is located, in Leh.

78. The Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology is located in Sikkim. It has done significant work in promoting research in CHHO (Tibetan for Dharma).

79. Anthropological Survey of India is located in Kolkata.

80. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sanghrahalaya (National Museum of Mankind) is located in Bhopal. It is dedicated to the depiction of an integrated story of humankind in global perspective, with special focus on India.

81. The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) has its headquarters in New Delhi and two regional Centres at Udaipur and Hyderabad.

82. With the aim of projecting in India cultural kinships transcending territorial boundaries, seven zonal cultural centres have been established at Patiala, Kolkata, Thanjavur, Udaipur, Allahabad, Dimapur and Nagpur.

83. Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is a premier national institute engaged in the pursuit of knowledge on arts and culture. It is also the nodal agency for the setting up of a national data bank on arts, humanities and cultural heritage.

84. Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti has been set up primarily to maintain and look after the national memorial where Gandhiji was assassinated, now called Gandhi Smriti, and a permanent photo exhibition at Rajghat, called Gandhi Darshan.

85. The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) is responsible for formulation and maintenance of statistical standards, work pertaining to national accounts, industrial statistics, consumer price indices, conduct of economic census and surveys and liaising with international agencies in statistical matters. It is located in New Delhi.

86. National income is defined as the sum of incomes accruing to factors of production, supplied by normal residents of the country before deduction of direct taxes. It is equal to net national product at factor-cost.

87. The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) has been set up to conduct large scale surveys to meet the data needs of India as also for the estimation of national income and other aggregates. It has four divisions: (i) Survey Design and Research Division (SDRD), with headquarters in Kolkata; (ii) Field Operations Division (FOD) having its headquarters in Delhi; (iii) Data Processing Division (DPD) with headquarters in Kolkata; and (iv) Coordination and Publication Division (CPD), located in Delhi.

88. Summary results of NSSO surveys are published in the biannual technical journal Sarvekshana.

89. India has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.02 million sq km. The EEZ provides India with more than 60 per cent of its oil and gas production and fishing valued at $ 1.15 billion.

90. The Army War College, earlier known as College of Combat, is located in Mhow.

91. The Infantry School, Mhow is the largest and oldest military training centre of Indian Army. This institute also trains the National Shooting team, under the aegis of Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU).

92. The Institute of Defence Management is located in Secunderabad.

93. The Defence Services Staff College is located in Wellington. It imparts training to middle level officers (Major and equivalent) of Army, Air Force and Navy.

94. The High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) is located in Gulmarg.

95. The National Defence College is located in Delhi. It is the only institute of India that imparts knowledge on all aspects of national security and strategy.

96. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, located in Hyderabad, was incorporated with the primary objective of ushering in self-reliance in special metals and alloys for strategic sectors like Defence, Space and Atomic energy.

97. The 86th Constitution Amendment Act, 2002, makes elementary education a Fundamental Right for children in the age-group of 6-14 years.

98. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme evolved I from the recommendations of the State Education Ministers' Conference held in October 1998. The main goals of SSA are: (a) All 6-14 age children complete five-year primary education by 2007; (b) Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010; (c) Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life; and (d) Universal retention by 2010.

99. The National programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education is commonly known as Mid Day Meal Scheme. It was launched in August 1995.

100. Operation Blackboard was launched in 1987 with the aim of improving human and physical resources available in primary schools of India.

101. Janshala Programme is a collaborative effort of the government of India, and five UN agencies-UNDP, UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF and UNFPA-to provide programme support to the ongoing efforts towards achieving Universal Elementary Education (UEE).

102. The National Council for Teacher Education was established by an Act of the Parliament in August 1995.

103. The University Grants Commission (UGC) serves as a coordinating body between the Union and State governments and the institutions of higher learning.

104. The National Literacy Mission (NLM) aims to attain a sustainable threshold level of 75 per cent literacy by 2007, by imparting functional literacy to non-literates in the age-group of 15-35 years.

105. The Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages is located in Hyderabad.

106. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system was introduced in India in 1985 by the Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Agency for ISBN. ISBN is a unique international publisher's identifier number.

107. Administering the Copyright Act, 1957 is the responsibility of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Secondary and Higher Education.

108. The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) was the first multipurpose river valley project to be undertaken after Independence. It was set up in July 1948.

109. The National Power Training Institute (NPTI) is located at Faridabad.

110. The Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) has its headquarters located at Bangalore. Other units are located at Bhopal, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Ghaziabad, Thiruvanthapuram and Raichur.

111. The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is the nodal agency to promote efficient use of energy and its conservation in all sectors of economy of India.

112. Coal is the main source of energy in India and account for about 67 per cent of India's commercial requirement.

113. The coal reserves of India, as on January 1, 2003 were 2,40,748 million tonnes.

114. The Botanical Survey of India and the Zoological Survey of India both have their headquarters in Kolkata.

115. The Forest Survey of India has its headquarters in Dehradun and has four regional offices at Bangalore, Kolkata, Nagpur and Shimla.

116. Biosphere reserves are multi-purpose protected areas to preserve the genetic diversity in representative ecosystem. 13 Biosphere reserves have been set up in India. These are: Nilgiri, Nanda Devi, Nokrek, Great Nicobar, Gulf of Mannar, Manas, Sundebans, Similipal, Dibru, Daikhowa, Dehong Deband, Pachmarhi, Kanchunjunga and Agasthyamalai. Out of these, Nilgiri, Sunderbans and Gulf of Mannar have been recognized on World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO.

117. India is one of the 12 mega-biodiversity countries of the world.

118. The forest cover of India constitutes 20.55 per cent of its geographical area. Of this, dense forest constitutes 12.68 per cent and open forest 7.87 per cent. The mangrove cover occupies 0.14 per cent of geographical area. The total tree/forest cover is estimated as 81,472 sq km or about 2.48 per cent of the country.

119. G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development is located at Kosi-Katarmal, Almora, Uttaranchal.

120. The Environmental Information System (ENVIS) network brings out a quarterly journal, Paryavaran Abstracts, which contains information about environmental research in the Indian context.

121. The ENVIS has been designated as National Focal Point (NFP) and Regional Service Centre (RSC) for South Asia sub-regional countries by INFOTERRA (a global information system on environment) of UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

122. The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) consists of nine main divisions, namely, (i) Economic; (ii) Banking; (iii) Insurance; (iv) Budget; (v) Foreign Trade and Investment; (vi) External Finance; (vii) Capital market; (viii) Fund Bank; and (ix) Currency and Coinage.

123. All revenues received, loans raised and money received in repayment of loans by the Union government form the Consolidated Fund of India. No money can be withdrawn from this Fund except under the authority of an Act of Parliament.

124. The Indian Constitution provides for the establishment of a Consolidated Fund, a Public Account and a Contingency Fund for each State.

125. The first bank of limited liability, managed by Indians, was Oudh Commercial Bank. It was founded in 1881. Punjab National Bank was established in 1894.

126. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was established under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 on April 1, 1935 and nationalized on January 1,1949.

127. RBI is the sole authority for issue of currency notes in India, other than one-rupee coins and subsidiary coins and notes.

128. India ranks third in the world, after China and USA, in terms of production of coal.

129. The three important gold fields of India are: Kolar (Karnataka), Hutti in Raichur district (Karnataka) and Ramgiri in Anantapur district (Andhra Pradesh).

130. Mains reserves of Tungsten are located at Degana, Rajasthan.

131. The Mangampet deposits, occurring in Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh is the single largest deposit of Barytes in the world.

132. The main diamond-bearing areas in India are Panna belt in Madhya Pradesh, Munimadugu-Banganapalle conglomerate in Kurnool district, Wajrakarur Kimberlite pipe in Anantapur district and Krishna river basin in Andhra Pradesh.

133. Orissa is a major producer of Graphite in India.

134. Judges of the Supreme Court of India hold office until they attain the age of 65 years. Judges of the High Court hold office until they attain the age of 62 years.

135. The National Judicial Academy is located in Bhopal with its registered office in New Delhi.

136. V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, Noida, is an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Labour. It is engaged in research pertaining to labour and training of labour administrators, trade unions, public sector managers and other government functionaries concerned with labour.

137. The first radio programme was broadcast in India in 1923 by the Radio Club of Bombay.

138. All India Radio (AIR) operates on motto Bahujana Hitaya; Bahujana Sukhya (to promote the happiness and welfare of the masses through information, education and entertainment.

139. Cyan Darshan is the educational channel run by Doordarshan.

140. Press Trust of India (PTI) is India's largest news agency.

141. United News of India (UNI) became the first agency in India to launch a full-fledged Hindi wire service Univarta in 1982. In early 1990s, it launched the first-ever wire service in Urdu.

142. The Press Council of India has been established under the Act of Parliament for the purpose of preserving the freedom of the press, and of maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India.

143. India has one of the largest road networks in the world, aggregating to about 3.3 million kilometres.

144. Golden Quadrilateral comprises of National Highways connecting the four metro cities.

145. Shipping Corporation of India Limited (SCI) is the biggest shipping line of India.

146. Indian Institute of Maritime Studies (IIMS) is located in Mumbai.

147. India has 12 major ports and about 184 other ports.

148. Mumbai, Nhava Sheva, Kandla, Mormugao, New Mangalore and Cochin are the major ports on west coast.

149. Kolkata/Haldia, Para dip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin are major ports on the east coast.

150. Command Area Development (CAD) Programme was launched in 1974-75 with main objective of improving the utilization of created irrigation potential and optimizing agriculture production and productivity from irrigated lands on sustainable bases.

• First Woman President of India : Pratibha Patil
• Delhi’s First Mayor: Aruna Asaf Ali (1958)
• Delhi's First woman chief secretary: Shailja Chandra
• Fastest Asian to swim across the English Channel: Anita Sood
• First all-women crew to fly an air Force Chetak Helicopter: Flight Cadets Cheryl Dutta and Simran Sodhi of IAF (December, 1995).
• First Asian woman magistrate appointed in United Kingdom: Kantha Talwar
• First Asian woman mayor in United Kingdom: Lata Patel
• First Indian woman President of Indian National Congress: Sarojini Naidu (1925)


• First Indian woman producer and director: Fatima Begum, who produced and directed Bulbul-e-Parastan in 1926.
• First Indian woman to become Miss Universe: Sushmita Sen (1994)
• First Indian woman to become Miss World: Reita Faria (1966)
• First Indian woman to climb Mt. Everest: Bachendri Pal
• First Indian Woman to go in space: Kalpana Chawla
• First woman to head any Wakf board in India : Bader Sayeed (TN Wakf Board)
• First Indian woman to reach the final of an Olympic event: P.T.Usha
• First Indian woman to win a medal in an Olympic event: Karnam Malleshwari (bronze medal, Sydney Olympics)
• First Indian woman boxer to win an international event : M.C.Merykom
• First Indian woman to swim across the English Channel: Arati Saha
• First Miss Universe of the new millennium: Lara Dutta
• First woman Ambassador from India: Vijay Lakshmi Pandit (to USSR from 1947-49)
• First woman Central Minister: Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
• First woman chief justice of a High Court: Leila Seth (CJ of Himachal Pradesh, 1991)
• First woman Chief Minister of an Indian state: Sucheta Kriplani (Uttar Pradesh from 1963-1967)
• First woman film star to be a member of Rajya Sabha: Nargis Dutt
• First woman Governor of an Indian state: Sarojini Naidu (Uttar Pradesh from 1947-1948)
• First woman Governor of Tamil Nadu: Justice M. Fatima Beevi (1997)
• First woman IPS Officer of India: Kiran Bedi
• First woman Judge of the Supreme Court: Justice M. Fatima Beevi (1989)
• First woman judicial officer: Anna Chandy, who was appointed munsif in the Travancore state in 1937.
• First woman Minister of an Indian state: Vijay Lakshmi Pandit (Uttar Pradesh)
• First woman officer of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to be promoted to the rank of air commodore: 55-year old Padma Bandhopadhyay who was commissioned to the IAF in 1968.
• First woman President of Indian National Congress: Annie Besant (1917)
• First woman President of UN General Assembly: Vijay Lakshmi Pandit (1953-54)
• First woman Prime Minister of India: Late Indira Gandhi (1966-1977 and 1980-1984).
• First woman Speaker of an Indian state: Shano Devi
• First woman Speaker of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly :Kavali Prathibha Bharati
• First woman winner of the Bharat Ratna: Indira Gandhi (1971)
• Grandma Madonna from India: Asha Bhonsle
• India's first commercial pilot: Durba Banerjee (1966, Indian Airlines)
• India's first Test-Tube Baby: Kruti Parekh
• India's first woman railway driver: Surekha Yadao
• India's first woman tabla maestro : Dr Aban Mistry
• India's officially recognized billionth citizen: Astha (She was born on May 11,2000 at New Delhi).
• World's first woman Airbus pilot: Durba Banerjee
• Youngest Indian to swim across the English Channel: Arati Pradhan

• First American President to visit India: Dwight David Eisenhower
• First Asian to be elected president of Britain's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP): Lord Navnit Dholakia
• First Asian to head a British university: Lord Swaraj Paul (when he was elected Chancellor of the Wolverhampton University on May 9, 2000)
• First British Prime Minister to visit India: Harold Macmillan
• First Chairman of the University Grants Commission: S.S.Bhatnagar
• First Chief Election Commissioner of India: Sukumar Sen (21.3.1950 to 19.12.1958)
• First Chief Justice of India: Harilal J.Kania (26.1.1950-6.11.1951)
• First Chief Minister of the tri-lingual Bombay Presidency: B.G.Kher
• First Chief of Air Staff: Air Marshall Sir Thomas Elmherst (1947-1950)


• First Chief of Army Staff: Gen. Maharaj Rajendra Sinhji (1.4.1955 to 14.5.1955)
• First Commander-in-Chief: Gen.Sir Roy Bucher (1.1.1948 - 14.1.1949)
• First Dalit Lok Sabha Speaker: G M C Balayogi
• First Defence Minister of Independent India: Sardar Baldev Singh
• First Deputy Prime Minister of India: Sardar Vallabhai Patel
• First Director General of ICAR: B.P.Pal
• First Eunuch to be elected as a Mayor of an Indian city: Kamla Jaan, who elected Mayor of Katni city in Madhya Pradesh in January 2000.
• First Eunuch to get elected to a state legislature: Shabnam Mausi, won the Sohagpur Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh in the February 2000 elections.
• First European to invade India: Alexander
• First Field Marshal: Gen. S.H.F.J. Manekshaw
• First fighter pilot to win the Param Vir Chakra: Flying Officer Nirmaljeet Singh Sekhon (posthumous) for IAF in 1971 Indo-Pak conflict.
• First Foreign Secretary of Free India: K.P.S.Menon
• First Governor-General of Independent India: Lord Mountbatten
• First Indian bowler to get a hattrick in Test cricket: Harbhajan Singh
• First Indian Chief of Air Staff: Air Marshal Subroto Mukherjee (April 1, 1954).
• First Indian Chief of Naval Staff: Vice Admiral R.D.Katari (1958-1962).
• First Indian Governor-General of India: C.Rajagopalachari
• First Indian to be awarded with the 'Victoria Cross': Khuda Dad Khan (for Gallantry in Belgium during the first World War)
• First Indian to be elected a member of British Parliament: Dadabhoi Naoroji
• First Indian to be elected to the US House of Representatives: Dilip Singh Saund
• First Indian to go in space: Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma. He went in the Soyuz 7-II Spacecraft on April 3, 1984 and returned on April 11, 1984.
• First Indian to hoist the National Flag over the North Pole: Squadron Leader Sanjay Thapar.
• First Indian to record a song on a gramophone disc: Sashi Mukhi of Classic Theatres, Calcutta (1902)
• First Indian to swim across the English Channel: Mihir Sen
• First Indian to win an Olympic Bronze: Khashaba Jadhav (wresting; 1952, Helsinki Olympics)
• First Indian to win the All England Open Badminton Tournament: Pullela Gopi Chand (March 11,2001)
• First Indian to win the World Billiards Championship: Wison Jones
• First Jnanpith Award Winner: G.Sankara Kurup (1965), for his work ‘Ottakkuzhal’ in Malyalam.
• First Minister without Portfolio: N.Gopalswami Ayengar in Jawaharlal Nehru's Cabinet. He, however, went on to become the Minister of Defence.
• First Photographer in India: Raja Deendayal
• First President of India: Dr Rajendra Prasad (1950-1962)
• First President of the Indian Union of Civil Liberties: Rabindranath Tagore (1930s).
• First Prime Minister of India: Jawaharlal Nehru (1947-1964)
• First Prime Minister to win a popular entertainment award: Atal Behari Vajpayee (when he won the Screen-Videocon "Best Lyricist" prize in the non-film music category for his collection of poems titled "Nayi Disha" in February 2000).
• First Secretary-General of South-South Commission: Dr Manmohan Singh
• First Surveyor General of India: Sir George Everest
• First Vice-President of India: Dr S.Radhakrishnan (1952-1962)
• First Winner of Param Vir Chakra: Maj.Somnath Sharma (posthumously) in November, 1947
• India's first Test-tube baby: Harsha (born on August 6, 1986).
• Indian Johann Sebastian Bach: Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
• India's longest serving Chief Minister : Jyoti Basu
• Only Army Chief to be awarded with Maha Vir Chakra twice: Late Gen. A.S.Vaidya