Monday, March 7, 2016

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
2016President, Francois HollandeFrance
2015President, Barack Obama
(First U.S. President to be invited)
USA
2014Prime Minister, Shinzo AbeJapan
2013King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel WangchuckBhutan
2012Prime minister, Yingluck ShinawatraThailand
2011President, Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoIndonesia
2010President, Lee Myung BakRepublic of Korea
2009President, Nursultan NazarbayevKazakhstan
2008President, Nicolas SarkozyFrance
2007President, Vladimir PutinRussia
2006King, Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-SaudSaudi Arabia
2005King, Jigme Singye WangchuckBhutan
2004President, Luiz Inacio Lula da SilvaBrazil
2003President, Mohammed KhatamiIran
2002President, Cassam UteemMauritius
2001President, Abdelaziz BouteflikaAlgeria
2000President, Olusegun ObasanjoNigeria
1999King, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah DevNepal
1998President, Jacques ChiracFrance
1997Prime Minister, Basdeo PandayTrinidad and Tobago
1996President, Dr. Fernando Henrique CardosoBrazil
1995President, Nelson MandelaSouth Africa
1994Prime Minister, Goh Chok TongSingapore
1993Prime Minister, John MajorUnited Kingdom
1992President, Mário SoaresPortugal
1991President, Maumoon Abdul GayoomMaldives
1990Prime Minister, Anerood JugnauthMauritius
1989General Secretary, Nguyen Van LinhVietnam
1988President, Junius JayewardeneSri Lanka
1987President, Alan GarciaPeru
1986Prime Minister, Andreas PapandreouGreece
1985President, Raúl AlfonsínArgentina
1984King, Jigme Singye WangchuckBhutan
1983President, Shehu ShagariNigeria
1982King, Juan Carlos ISpain
1981President, Jose Lopez PortilloMexico
1980President, Valéry Giscard d’EstaingFrance
1979Prime Minister, Malcolm FraserAustralia
1978President, Patrick HilleryIreland
1977First Secretary, Edward GierekPoland
1976Prime Minister, Jacques ChiracFrance
1975President, Kenneth KaundaZambia
1974President, Josip Broz TitoYugoslavia
Prime Minister, Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias BandaranaikeSri Lanka
1973President, Mobutu Sese SekoZaire
1972Prime Minister, Seewoosagur RamgoolamMauritius
1971President, Julius NyerereTanzania
1969Prime Minister, Todor ZhivkovBulgaria
1968Prime Minister, Alexei KosyginSoviet Union
President, Josip Broz TitoYugoslavia
1965Food and Agriculture Minister, Rana Abdul HamidPakistan
1963King, Norodom SihanoukCambodia
1961Queen, Elizabeth IIUnited Kingdom
1960President, Kliment VoroshilovSoviet Union
1958Marshall Ye JianyingPeople’s Republic of China
1955Governor General, Malik Ghulam Muhammad
(First guest for parade at Rajpath)
Pakistan
1954King, Jigme Dorji WangchuckBhutan
1950President, SukarnoIndonesia

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)

FIRST 20 SMART CITIES IN INDIA

Union Government has declared the names of latest 98 cities for its ambitious Smart Cities Project.
RanksSmart CitiesState
1BhubaneswarOdisha
2PuneMaharashtra
3JaipurRajasthan
4SuratGujarat
5KochiKerala
6AhmedabadGujarat
7JabalpurMadhya Pradesh
8VisakhapatnamAndhra Pradesh
9SolapurMaharashtra
10DavangereKarnataka
11IndoreMadhya Pradesh
12New Delhi Municipal CorporationNew Delhi
13CoimbatoreTamil Nadu
14KakinadaAndhra Pradesh
15BelagaviKarnataka
16UdaipurRajasthan
17GuwahatiAssam
18ChennaiTamil Nadu
19LudhianaPunjab
20BhopalMadhya Pradesh
Facts on Smart Cities:
  • Thirteen of them are in the WHO list of the 20 most polluted cities in the world.
  • None of the cities are from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. On the other hand, some states have two or more nominees – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
  • The cities not named today will be asked to get their act together, focus on deficiencies and prepare for Round 2 of announcements in April.
  • The prime minister had described Smart Cities as those with “very high quality of life comparable with any developed European city”.