INDIAN POLITY - IMPORTANT FEATURES

RIVER & THEIR PLACES OF ORIGIN

GANGA : Gangotri (Uttarakhand)

INDUS : Mansarovar (Tibet)

NARMADA : Maikal Hills,Amarkantak (MP)

TAPT/TAPTI : Satpura Range, Betul (MP)

MAHANADI : Nagri Town (Chhattisgarh)

BRAHAMPUTRA : Chemayungdung (Tibet)

SUTLEJ : Mt Kailash (Tibet)

BEAS : Rohtang Pass (Himachal Pradesh)

GODAVARI : Nasik (Maharashtra)

KRISHNA : Mahabaleshwar (Maharashtra)

CAUVERY : Brahmagiri Hills, Coorg (Karnataka)

SABARMATI : Udaipur, Aravalli Hills (Rajasthan)

RAVI : Chamba (Himachal Pradesh)

PENNER : Nandi Hills, Chickballapur (Karnataka)

INDIAN STATES AND IMPORTANT FESTIVALS

Goa

1. Zatra at Cansaulim
2. Feast of St. Francis Xavier
3. Carnival
4. Feast of Immaculate Conception,
5. Goa Liberation Day.

Himachal Pradesh

1. Minjar Mela
2. Jwalamukhi Fair
3. Losar, Himachal Day
4. Rakhadumni: Rakhi

Karnataka

1. Makara Sankranthi,
2. Ugadi
3. Karaga
4. Pattadakal Dance Festival
5. Naga Panchami
6. Feast of St. Philomena
7. Dasahra
8. Urs of Hazrat Khwaja Bande Nawaz Chisti
9. Mahamastakabhisheka (held once every 12 years in veneration of Gomateswara Bahubali at Sravanabelagola)

Kashmir

1. Nav Warih
2. Sont
3. Vaisakhi
4. Jeth Ashtami
5. Mela at hemis Gampa
6. Har Navami
7. Piligrimage to Amarhnath Cave (Chhari Festival)
8. Yargon Tungshak,
9. Guru Tse-Chu,
10. Stok Guru Tsechu,
11. Matho Nagrang,
12. Nagrang,
13. Shab-e-Miraj, Yuru Kabgyat, Hemis Festival, Shachukul Gustor, Zanskar Karsha Gustor, Phyang Tsedup,
14. Urs at Shah Hamadan
15. Kichri Amavasya

Kerala

1. Thye Pangal
2. Vishu
3. Poorum
4. Onam

Maharashtra and Gujarat

1. Gudi Padva
2. Dev Divali
3. Navratri

Orissa

1. Rathyatra (at Puri)
2. Konark Dance Festival,
3. Phagu Dasami,
4. Papanasini Ekadasi,
5. Dola Purnima,
6. Meena Sankranti,
7. Papamochani Ekadasi,
8. Chaitra Amavasya,
9. Rama Navami,
10. Kamada Ekadasi,
11. Pana Sankranti,
12. Baruthini Ekadasi

Punjab and Haryana

1. Lahri
2. Tikka
3. Pracheen Kala Kendra Nritya and Sangeet Sammelan,
4. Baisakhi
5. Guru Parab- Guru Nanak’s Birthday

Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh

1. Gangaru
2. Teej
3. Pushkar Fair
4. Urs at Ajmer
5. Sharif

Tamilnadu

1. Pongal
2. Panguni Uthiram
3. Puthandu (Tamil New Year)
4. Madurai River Festival
5. Kaveri River Festival
6. Festival at Velanganni
7. Karthika Festival
8. Vaikunta Ekadashi

Tripura

1. Karachi Puja
2. Tripureshwari temple festival

Uttar Pradesh

1. Brahmostav
2. Ram Navami
3. Sravana Festival
4. Ban Yatra
5. Kans Ka Mela

Andhra Pradesh  

1. Sankranthi (this is the biggest festival in Andhra Pradesh)
2. Tyagaraja Festival
3. Brahmotsavam
4. Ugadi (New Year)
5. Vaikunta Ekadashi

Telangana

1. Bonalu

Assam and Manippur 

1. Bhogali bihu
2. Bohag Bihu (or Rangali Bihu)
3. Kati Bihu (or Kangali Bihu)
4. Spring Festival of Kanyak Nagas
5. Manipur Ras Lila Festival

Bengal

1. Gangasagar Mela
2. Ramakrishna Utsav
3. Dol Purnima
4. Naba Barsha
5. Dussera (famous in Bengal)

 Bihar

1. Chhath
2. Sarhul
3. Karam

Delhi

1. Christian Mela
2. Sair-i-Gulfaroshan (Phool Walon Ki Sair)
3. Urs at Hazrat Nizam ud din Aulia

Manipur
Chavang Kut.

Puducherry 
International Yoga festival.

Uttaranchal 

1. Magh Mela
2. Uttarayani Mela
3. International Yoga Week

AWARDS AND THEIR RELATED FIELDS

Bharat Ratna: It is the highest civilian award of the India. The award was given for outstanding achievements in the arts, literature, science and public services  but the government expanded the criteria to include "any field of human endeavor". The number of annual awards is restricted to a maximum of three in a particular year.

Nobel Prize: The Nobel Prize is widely regarded as the most prestigious award available in the fields of literature, medicine, physics, chemistry, peace, and economics.

Oscar Award: The Academy Awards, or "Oscars", is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements in the United States film industry as assessed by the Academy's voting membership. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a statuette, officially called the Academy Award of Merit, which has become commonly known by its nickname "Oscar". The awards, first presented in 1929.

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award: The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, mathematics, medicine and Physics.

Kalinga Prize: The Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science is an award given by UNESCO for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people.

Pulitzer Prize: Journalism; The Pulitzer Prize is an award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States.

Abel Prize: Mathematics; The Abel Prize is an international prize awarded annually by the Government of Norway to one or more outstanding mathematicians.

Grammy Award: Music; A Grammy Award, or Grammy, is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry.

Stirling Prize: Architecture; The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture.

Aga Khan Award: Architecture; The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Islamic societies in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community development and improvement. 

Pritzker Prize: Architecture; The Pritzker Architecture Prize is awarded annually "to honor a living architect.

Bihari Puraskar: Literature; Bihari Puraskar is a literary award instituted by K. K. Birla Foundation. The award is named after the famous Hindi poet Bihari and is awarded to an outstanding work published in Hindi or Rajasthani by a Rajasthani writer.

Moorti Devi Award: Literature; The Moortidevi Award is an annual literary award in India presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith organization for a work which emphasizes Indian philosophy and culture.

Booker Prize: Literature; It is an annual award for the best original novel, written in the English language, and published in the UK literary award

Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Cinema/Films; The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Saraswati Samman: Literature; The award was instituted in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation. It is an annual award given for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any 22 Indian languages.

Jnanpith award: Literature; The award was instituted in 1961 and it is It is presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, a trust founded by the Sahu Jain family, the publishers of the newspaper The Times of India. It is an annual award given for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any 22 Indian languages.

Vyas Samman: Literature; Vyas Samman is awarded annually by the K.K. Birla Foundation in recognition of the Hindi literary work published in past 10 years.

Arjuna Award: outstanding performance from the sportspersons in sports and games.

Dronacharya Award: eminent coaches of any particular sport .

Dhyan Chand Award: The award that is given to the veteran sportspersons of India for their lifetime achievement in their respective field of sport is named as the Dhyan Chand Award for Life Time Achievement in Sports and Games.

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award: The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is the highest honour bestowed to a sportsperson for his/her achievements in India.

GOVT. OFFICIAL RESIDENCES

 1. » American President - White House

2. » Brazil President - Alvorada
3. » Britain Prime Minister - 10, Downing Street
4. » Canada Prime Minister - 24 Sussex Drive
5. » French President - Elysee Palace
6. » Germany President - Bellevue Palace
7. » Indian President - Rashtrapathi Bhavan
8. » Indian Prime Minister - No. 7, Race Course Road
9. » India Governor’s - Raj Bhavan
10. » King & Queen of Britain - Bekkingham Palace
11. » Kongo President - Marbil Palace
12. » Nepal King - Narayan Hithi Palace
13. » Pakistan President - Ivane Sadan
14. » Pope - Vatican Palace
15. » Russia President - Kremlin
16. » Spain King - Royal Palace
17. » South Korean President -Blue House
18. » Srilankan President -Temple Trees.....

Republic Day chief guests

Year	Name of the Guest	Country
2016	President, Francois Hollande	France
2015	President, Barack Obama (First U.S. President to be invited)	USA
2014	Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe	Japan
2013	King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck	Bhutan
2012	Prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra	Thailand
2011	President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono	Indonesia
2010	President, Lee Myung Bak	Republic of Korea
2009	President, Nursultan Nazarbayev	Kazakhstan
2008	President, Nicolas Sarkozy	France
2007	President, Vladimir Putin	Russia
2006	King, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud	Saudi Arabia
2005	King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck	Bhutan
2004	President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva	Brazil
2003	President, Mohammed Khatami	Iran
2002	President, Cassam Uteem	Mauritius
2001	President, Abdelaziz Bouteflika	Algeria
2000	President, Olusegun Obasanjo	Nigeria
1999	King, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev	Nepal
1998	President, Jacques Chirac	France
1997	Prime Minister, Basdeo Panday	Trinidad and Tobago
1996	President, Dr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso	Brazil
1995	President, Nelson Mandela	South Africa
1994	Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong	Singapore
1993	Prime Minister, John Major	United Kingdom
1992	President, Mário Soares	Portugal
1991	President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom	Maldives
1990	Prime Minister, Anerood Jugnauth	Mauritius
1989	General Secretary, Nguyen Van Linh	Vietnam
1988	President, Junius Jayewardene	Sri Lanka
1987	President, Alan Garcia	Peru
1986	Prime Minister, Andreas Papandreou	Greece
1985	President, Raúl Alfonsín	Argentina
1984	King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck	Bhutan
1983	President, Shehu Shagari	Nigeria
1982	King, Juan Carlos I	Spain
1981	President, Jose Lopez Portillo	Mexico
1980	President, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing	France
1979	Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser	Australia
1978	President, Patrick Hillery	Ireland
1977	First Secretary, Edward Gierek	Poland
1976	Prime Minister, Jacques Chirac	France
1975	President, Kenneth Kaunda	Zambia
1974	President, Josip Broz Tito	Yugoslavia
	Prime Minister, Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike	Sri Lanka
1973	President, Mobutu Sese Seko	Zaire
1972	Prime Minister, Seewoosagur Ramgoolam	Mauritius
1971	President, Julius Nyerere	Tanzania
1969	Prime Minister, Todor Zhivkov	Bulgaria
1968	Prime Minister, Alexei Kosygin	Soviet Union
	President, Josip Broz Tito	Yugoslavia
1965	Food and Agriculture Minister, Rana Abdul Hamid	Pakistan
1963	King, Norodom Sihanouk	Cambodia
1961	Queen, Elizabeth II	United Kingdom
1960	President, Kliment Voroshilov	Soviet Union
1958	Marshall Ye Jianying	People’s Republic of China
1955	Governor General, Malik Ghulam Muhammad (First guest for parade at Rajpath)	Pakistan
1954	King, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck	Bhutan
1950	President, Sukarno	Indonesia

FIRST IN INDIA- FULLY UPDATED LIST

● British Governor-General : Warren Hastings
● British Governor-General of Independent India : Lord Mountbatten

● Justice of India : Hiralal J. Kania
● Comander-in-Chief of Free India : General K. M. Cariappa
● Chief of Air Staff : Air Marshal Sir Thomas Elmhirst
● Indian Air Chief : Air Marshal S. Mukherjee
● Chief of Army Staff : General M. Rajendra Singh
● Chief of Naval Staff : Vice-Admiral R. D. Katari
● Consmonaut : Sqn. Ldr. Rakesh Sharma
● Emperor of Mughal Dynasty in India : Babar
● Field Marshal : SPFJ Manekshaw
● Governor-General of Indian Union : C. Rajgopalachari
● Indian to get an Oscar : Bhanu Athaiya
● Indian to Reach the South Pole : Col. I. K. Bajaj
● Indian ICS Officer : Satyendra Nath Tagore
● Indian Member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council : Sir S. P. Sinha
● Indian Man to Swim Across the English Channel : Mihir Sen
● Indian Woman to Swim Across the English Channel : Miss Aarti Saha
● Indian Woman to Swim Across the Strait of Gibraltar : Aarti Pradhan
● Man to Climb Mount Everest : Sherpa Tenzing
● Man to Climb Mount Everest without Oxygen : Phu Dorjee
● Man to Climb Mount Everest twice : Nawang Gombu
● Muslim Woman to sit on the throne of Delhi : Razia Sultana
● Nobel Prize Winner : Rabindra Nath Tagore
● President of the Indian National Congress : W. C. Banerjee
● Woman President of the Indian National Congress : Annie Besant
● President to Die in Office : Dr. Zakir Hussain
● Prime Minister to Lose an Election : Indira Gandhi
● Prime Minister to Resign from Office : Morarji Desai
.
● Deputy Prime Minister : Vallabhbhai Patel
● Talkie Film : Alam Ara (1931)
● Test-tube Baby : Indira (Baby Harsha)
● Viceroy : Lord Canning
● Woman Central Minister : Rajkumari Amrit Kaur
● Woman Chief Minister of a State : Mrs. Sucheta Kripalani
● Woman Governor : Mrs. Sarojini Naidu
● Woman Minister : Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit
● Woman to Climb the Mt. Everest: Bachendri Pal
● Woman Prime Minister : Mrs. Indira Gandhi
● Woman Speaker of a State Assembly : Mrs. Shanno Devi
● Woman Airline Pilot : Durba Banerjee
● Woman to Win an Asiad Gold : Kamaljit Sandhu
● Woman Judge of the Supreme Court : Fathima Beevi
● Woman IPS Officer : Kiran Bedi
.
● Indian in the British Parliament: Dadabhai Naoroji
● Indian to win Miss Universe Title : Ms Sushmita Sen
● Indian Woman Congress President : Sarojini Naidu (1925)
● Woman President of UN General Assembly : Vijayalakshmi Pandit (1953)
● Woman to Win the Nobel Prize : Mother Teresa (1979)
● Woman to become ‘Miss World : Reeta Faria
● Speaker, Lok Sabha : G. V. Manavalankar (1952-57)
● Chairman Rajya Sabha : S. V. Krishnamoorthy (1952)
● Indian to Pass ICS : Surendra Nath Banerji (1869)
● Indian Pilot : JRD Tata (1929)
● To Reach Antarctica : Lt. Ram Charan (1960)
● Vernacular Daily : Kolkata (1727)
● Telegraph Line Installed : Calcutta to Diamond Harber (1853)
● Silent Movie : Raja Harish Chandra by Dada Saheb Phalke (1913)
● Coloured Cinemascope Film : Pyar ki Pyas (1961)
● Satellite launched : Aryabhatta (1975)
● Indigenously built satellite : Aryabhatta (1975)
● Atomic device exploded at : Pokharan in Rajasthan (1974)
● Large-scale Nuclear Reactor : Apsara (1956)
● Indigenously designed and built missile : Prithvi (1988)
● Member of the Dalit Community to become the President of India : K. R. Narayanan
● DNA typing forensic Laboratory set-up at : Kolkata
● Electric Train started between : Ludhiana and New Delhi
.
● Science City was inaugurated in : Kolkata
● Actress of Indian Cinema : Kamalabai Gokhale
● Woman Pilot of IAF : Harita Deol
● Solar Thermal Parabolic Trough Power Station was established at : Mathania (Rajasthan)
● Indian writer to win the Booker Prize : Arundhati Roy
● Musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna : M. S. Subbulakshmi
● Indian Woman to go into Space : Kalpana Chawla
● Chairman of the Prasar Bharati Board : Nikhil Chakravarthy
● Indian Institution to be awarded Gandhi Peace Prize : Ramakrishna Mission
● Solar city is developed at : Anandpur Sahib
● Woman to win an Olympic medal : Karnam Malleswari
● Woman Foreign Secretary of India : Chokila Iyer
● Indian to win World Billiards Trophy : Wilson Jones
● Indian Grand Master (in Chess) : Vishwanathan Anand
● Chinese pilgrim to visit India : Fahien
● European invader on India soil : Alexender, the great
● Indian to win World Chess Championship : Vishwanathan Anand
● Women Air Vice Marshal : P. Bandopadhyaya
● Lady Cadet of Indian Army : Priya Jhingan
● First Indian to win a medal in the world Athletic Championship : Anju B. George (2003)
● Triple Century Maker in Test Cricket : Virendra Sahwag (2004)
● Hitter of 5 Double Centuries : Rahul Dravid (2004)
● Woman DGP : Kanchan Chaudhury
● Medal winner in Olympic Games : Rajyawardhan Singh Rathore.
.
● Asian Tennis Champion, WTA champion, Third round winner in Grand Slam Tournament, Grand slam tournament winner Match winner in U.S. open, Youngest awardee of Padamshree : Sania Mirza
● Formula-1 Car Racer : Narayan Kartikeyan
● Indian to be awarded ‘Srilanka Ratn’ : N. Ram
● Woman Commanded the annual passing out parade : Wahida Prizm (2006).
● Five hundred wicket taker in Test cricket: Anil Kumble (2006)
● To the ski to the North Pole : Ajeet Bajaj (2006)
● First Air Chief to to Sky dive : Air Chief S. P. Tyagi (2006)
● First Indian Woman to win a Badminton Grand Prix : Saina Nehwal (2006)
● First President to make sortie in a combat aircraft : Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (2006)..
.
● First Women President : Pratibha Patil (2007)
● First Indian to win Gold Medal in Olympics in individual Event : Abhinav Bindra (2008)
● First Woman Pilot of Fighter Plane : Suman Sharma
● World Cup (Jr.) Badminton, Indonesian Open Winner (Woman) : Saina Nehwal (2009)(facebook/cnaonweb)
● Woman Speaker Lok Sabha : Ms. Meira Kumar (2009)
● Two Oscar Award Winner : A. R. Rehman (2009)
● Khel Ratna, Arjun and Dronacharya Award : P. Gopi Chand (2009)
● Indian Woman to reach the South Pole : Reena Kaushal (2009)