Interesting Facts About India 1. India is the world’s largest, oldest, continuous civilization.

2. India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.

3. India is the world’s largest democracy.

4. Varanasi, also known as Benares, was called “the ancient city” when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C.E, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.

5. India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.

6. The World’s first university was established in Takshashila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

7. Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987.

8. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization.

9. Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India’s wealth.

10. The art of Navigation was bornin the river Sindhu 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit ‘Nou’.

11. Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.

12. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European mathematicians.

13. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10″”53(10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera 10″”12(10 to the power of 12).

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14. According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 CE a beautiful lake called Sudarshana was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya’s time.

15. Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.

16. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipment were used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts.

17. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization).

18. The four religions born in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world’s population.

19. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.

20. India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indigenously.

Interesting Facts about India

● India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.

● When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)

● The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.

● The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name 'Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.

● Chess was invented in India.

● Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.

● The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.

● The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.

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● India is the largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.

● The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat'. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e. good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.

● The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after leveling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.

● The largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.

● The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

● Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of Medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.

● India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.

● The Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word 'NAVGATIH'. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.

● Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the Sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. According to his calculation, the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun was 365.258756484 days.

● The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematicians.

● Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus also originated in India.Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e. 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.during the Vedic period.Even today, the largest used number is Terra: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).

● Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world(Source: Gemological Institute of America).

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● The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.

● Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.

● Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.

● India exports software to 90 countries.

● The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.

● Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively.Islam is India's and the world's second largest religion.

● There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.

● The oldest European church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin. They were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively.

● Jews and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D. respectively

● The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century.

● The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.

● Sikhism originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577.

● Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.

● India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.

● His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, runs his government in exile from Dharmashala in northern India.

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● Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.

● Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.

Journey of Indian Post Office

Year — Work1766 — Establishment of first Indian Postal system by Lord Clive in India.1774 — Establishment of first G.P.O. in Kolkata by Warren Hastings.1786 — Establishment of Madras G.P.O.1793 — Establishment of G.P.O. at Mumbai1854 — On October 1, 1854, Indian Post Office was recognised as of national importance and was brought under the authority of Director-General. Year 2004 was celebrated as a 150th year of the Indian Post Office. The establishment of the deptt. of Post Office is to be considered from this very year.1863 — Railway Mail Service (R.M.S.) was started.1873 — Sale of engraving envelopes was started1876 — India started Parcel Postal Unit.1877 — Started of V.P.P.1879 — Post Card was started.1880 — Money-order Service was started.1911 — First airmail was sent from Allahabad to Naini.1935 — Indian Postal Order was started.1972 — Pincode was started.1984 — Postal life insurance was started.1985 — Post and telephone departments were separated.1986 — Speed Post Service was started.1990 — At Mumbai and Chennai, two automatic postal edition Centres were started.1995 — Rural Postal Insurance was started.1996 — Media Postal Service was started.1997 — Business Postal Service was started.1998 — Satellite Postal Service was started.1999 — Data Dak and Express Dak Services were started.2000 — Greeting Post Service was started.2001 — Electronic fund transfer service was started.3rd Jan. 2002 — Track and Tax Service based on internet was started.5th Sep. 2003 — Bill mail Service was started.30th Jan. 2004 — Beginning of E Postal Service.10th Aug. 2004 — Logestice Post Service was started.

● Woman (India and World) who crossed English Channel through Swimming—Arti Shah● Governor—Sarojini Naidu (U. P.)● I. P. S.—Kiran Bedi

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● President of National Congress—Anne Besant● Chairman of the Union Public Service Commission—Rose-William Baithu● Winner of Nobel Prize—Mother Teresa (for peace)● Awardee of Miss World—Reeta Farhia● Awardee of Miss Universe—Sushmita Sen● Mayer—Tara Charian (Madras-1957)● Minister in Central Cabinet—Rajkumari Amrit Kaur● Chief Minister—Sucheta Kriplani● Parliamentrian—Radhabai Subbarayan (1938)● Judge of Supreme Court—Justice Meera Sahaib Fatima Bibi● Chief Justice of High Court—Justice Leela Seth (Himachal Pradesh)● Session Judge of the Counting—Anna Chandi (Kerala)● Mountaineer who climbed (Conquered) the Mt. Everest—Bacchendri Pal● Awardee of Norman Barlog Prize—Dr. Amrita Patil● Literature who was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award—Amrita Pritam (1956)● Honoured with ‘Bharat Ratna’—Indira Gandhi● Awardee of Lenin peace award—Aruna Asaf Ali● Awardee of Jananpith Purshkar—Asha Purna Devi (1976)● Woman who reached ‘Antarctica’—Mahel Musa (1977)● Woman who reached the North Pole—Pritisu Gupta (1993)● Woman who travelled All round the world—Ujjawala Patil (1988) by Boat● Chief Engineer—P. K. Tresia Naguli● Pilot—Flying Officer Sushma Mukhopaddhyaya● Air Lines Pilot—Capt. Durga Banerjee● Commander of Boeing 737 Plane—Capt. Saudamini Deshmukh● Paratrooper of Indian Air Force—Geeta Ghosh● I. A. S.—Auna George Malhotra● First television news broadcaster—Pratima Puri● Participated in mustic programme of U.N.O.—M. S. Subbuluxmi (1966)● Woman participated in Olympic games—Meri Lila Row (1952)● Woman who won the medal in Olympic games—Malleshwari (weight lifting—Sydney)● Woman who won the Gold Medal in Asian games—Kamaljeet Sidhu (1970, 400 metre)● Woman who won the medal in Commonwealth games—Anil Ghiya and Kawal Thakur Singh (woman Doubles Badminton, 1978)● Medal winner in International Athletic Championship—Anju B. George (2003 Paris)● Grandmaster winner in Chess—Bhagiya Sri Thispey (1988)● One hundred wicket taker in International Cricket—Indulgi (1986)● Awardee of Arjun Purskar—N. Lamsden (Hockey, 1961)● Woman who made hat-trick in football—Youlandade-Suza (1978)● Awardee of Ashok Chakra—Neerja Bhanot (Posthumously)● Awardee of Sena Medal—Vimla Devi (1988)● Degree of graduation—Kadambni Ganguly (Bose) and Chandramukhi Bose (Kolkata University, 1883)● Awardee of B. E. degree—Ella-Majumdar (1951)● M.B.B.S. Degree awardee—Vidhumuti Bose and Virginia Mitter (Kolkata Medical College)● First Surgeon—Dr. Prema Mukherjee

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● Deputy Governor of Reserve Bank—K. J. Udesi (2003)● Chairman of NABARD—Ranjana Kumar● D. I. G. (Police)—Kanchan Chaudhry Bhattacharya● Lieutenant General—Punita Arora● Chairman of Indian Air lines—Shushma Chawla● Barrister—Cornonia Sorabji (Allahabad High Court-1923)● Advocate—Regina Guha● Ambassador—Vijayalaxmi Pandit (U.S.S.R.-1947)● Woman who crossed over Gibralter Strait by Swimming—Arati Pradhan● World Record in Powerlifting—Sumita Laha (1989)● Represented the nation in all three games (Cricket, Hockey and Basketball)—Shrin Khushro Kiyasa● First Commercial test Pilot of the world—Capt. Surun Darsi and Capt. Rose Lopar● Pilot of Indian Air Force—Harita Daoel● Twice scaled the Mt. Everest—Santosh Yadav● Ramon Magsaysay Prize awardee—Kiran Bedi● Heroin awarded Dada Sahaib Phalke Prize—Devika Rani Rorik● Youngest woman who scaled the Mt. Everest twice—Decky Dolma● Scientist who was awarded Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award—Ashima Chatterjee● Foreign Secretary—Chokila Ayyar● First Chief Secretary of the Country—Nirmla Buch● First Space traveller—Kalpana Chawla● Joint Director of C.B.I.—Archana Sunder Lingam● Winner of Murti Devi Prize—Pratibha Rai● Woman Contested the Presidential election—Capt. Laxmi Sahgal● Air Vice-Marshal and Air-Marshal in Indian Air Force—P. Bondyopaddhyay● Non-military Police Advisor in U.N.O.—Kiran Bedi● Revenue Secretary—Vinita Rai● Referee in Boxing—Rajia Sabnam● First woman of Indian origin who stayed for the longest time in space—Sunita William

First in India

● Census—1872● Regular Decadal Census—Since 1881● Warship Aircraft Carrier—I. N. S. Vikrant● National Nuclear Power Submarines—I. N. S. Chakra● Football Club—Mohan Bagan–1889● Hydro-electric Project—Shiv Samudram (1902)● Newspaper—Bengal Gazette (James Hikki)● Vernacular Daily—Samachar Darpan● Hindi Newspaper—Udant-Martand● Telegraph Line—Diamond Harbour to Kolkata (1853)● International Telephone Service—Mumbai to London (1851)● Television Centre—New Delhi (1959)● Colour Programme from T.V.—15th August, 1982

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● Silent Film—Raja Harish Chandra● Talky Film—Alam-ara● Satellite—Aryabhatta-19th April, 1975● Atomic underground test—Pokhran (18th May, 1974)● Test tube baby—1986 born baby Harsha● Country made missile—Prithvi (1988)● Antarctica mission—1982 under the leadership Dr. S. Z. Quasim

● First Governor-General of Independent India—Lord Lewis Mountbatten● Indian Governor-General of Independent India—Chakravarti Rajgopalachari● Chief of the Indian Armed Forces—General K. M. Carriappa● Field Marshall—General S. H. F. J. Manekshaw● President—Dr. Rajendra Prasad● Vice-President—Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan● Prime-Minister—Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru● Non-Congress Prime-Minister—Atal Behari Bajpai● British Governor-General of Bengal—Warren-Hastings● Space traveller—S. Leader-Rakesh Sharma● I. C. S.—Satendra Nath Tagore● Swimmer who crossed over the English channel by swimming—Mihir Sen● Raman-Magsaysay awardee—Acharya Vinoba Bhave● Novel prize winner—Rabindra Nath Tagore● President of National Congress—Vyomesh Chand Banerjee● Chairman of Lok Sabha—G. B. Mavlankar● Chief Election Commissioner—Sukumar Sen● Indian Chairman in International Court—Justice Dr. Nagendra Singh● Foreigner awardee of Bharat Ratna—Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan● Leader of the Indian Antarctica Mission—Dr. Syed Zahuv Quasim● Chief Justice of Supreme Court—Justice Hiralal J. Kaniya● Awarded with ‘Bharat Ratnas’—Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, Chakravarti Rajgopalachari, Sir C. B. Raman● Posthumally Bharat Ratna Awardee—Lal Bahadur Shastri● Person awarded Bhartiya-Gyan-Peeth Purskar—G. Shankar Kurup (Malayalam–1965)● Successful Surgeon who transplanted heart—Dr. P. Venugopal● Successful heart transplanted person—Devi Ram (1994)● President of National Human Rights Commission—Justice Rangnath Mishra● Hindi Literature person-awarded Bhartiya Gyan Peeth Purskar—Sumitra Nandan Pant (1968)● Indian who won the World Billiard award—Wilson Jans● Indian who won the Grammy award—Pt. Ravi Shankar● Person delivered the Lecture in Hindi in U.N.O.— Atal Behari Bajpai (1977)● Indian member in British House of Commons— Dada Bhai Naoroji (1892)● First President of Indian Science Congress—Sir Asutosh Mukherjee● Mountaineer who scaled Mount Everest 8 times—Sherpa-Augarita● Writer who was awarded ‘Vyas Samman’—Ramvilas Sharma● Indian Managing Director of World Bank—Gautam Kazi

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● Player awarded ‘Padam Bhusan’—C. K. Naidu● Indian players played Davis Cup—M. Salim and S. M. Jacob (Singles), A. A. Faiyaz and L. S. Dare (Doubles) (1921)● Indian player who played the test cricket—K. S. Ranjeet Single (from England)● Scientist elected for Lok Sabha—Dr. Meghnad Saha● Scientist awarded Ghanshyam Das Birla award—Prof. Ashish Datta (1991)● Literature who was awarded Murti Devi Purskar—C. K. Nagraj Rao (1993)● Person, who became High Commission in Great Britain—V. K. Krishna-Menon● Indian who was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize—Dr. Safuddin Kichlu (1952)● First Indian who contested the election for British Parliament—Lal Mohan Ghose● An Indian, appointed the judge of High Court, during the British period—Ram Prasad Ram● Indian member of Viceroy Executive Council—Sir. S. P. Sinha● Chairman of Finance Commission—K. C. Niogi● Indian member of American Congress—Deleep Singh● Bowler who made hat-trick in Test Cricket—Harbhajan Singh● Batsman who made 300 runs in test Cricket—Virendra Sehwag● First Marshal of Indian Air Force—Arjan Singh● First Indian who individually won the Gold medel in Olympic games—Abhinav Bindra● First Indian who won the Bronze medel in Boxing in Olympic games—Vijendra Kumar

List of World Presidents & Prime Ministers

● Afghanistan: President - Hamid Karzai; Capital - Kabul.

● Algeria: President - Abdelaziz Bouteflika; Prime Minister - Ahmed Ouyahia; Capital-Algiers.

● Argentina: President- Ms. Cristina Fernandez Kirchner; Capital- Buenos Aires.

● Australia: Governor-General- Ms. Quentin Bryce; PRIME MINISTER- Kevin Rudd; Capital (Federal)- Canberra.

● Austria: President- Heinz Fischer; Chancellor-Werner Faymann, Capital- Vienna.

● Bahrain: King - Hamad ibn al-Khalifah; Prime Minister - Sheikh Khalifah Sulman al-Khalifah; Capital- Manama.

● Bangladesh: President - Zillur Rahman; PRIME MINISTER - Ms. Sheikh Hasina; Capital- Dhaka.

● Belarus: President- Alexander Lukashenko; Prime Minister - Sergei Sidorsky; Capital- Minsk.

● Belgium: King - Albert II; Prime Minister-Herman Van Rompuy; Capital- Brussels.

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● Bhutan: King - Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk; Prime Minister-Jigmi Y. Thinley;Capital – Thimphu

● Bolivia: President- Evo Morales; Capital – La Paz.

● Brazil: President- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva; Capital - Brasilia.

● Bulgaria: President - Georgi Purvanov; Prime Minister - Boyko Borisov; Capital-Sofia.

● Cambodia: King - Norodom Sihamoni; Prime Minister - Hun Sen; Capital – Phnom Penh.

● Canada: Governor-General Ms. Michaelle Jean; PRIME MINISTER - Stephen Harper; Capital- Ottawa.

● Chile: President - Ms. Sebastian Pinera; Capital - Santiago.

● China: President- Hu Jintao; Prime Minister-Wen Jiabao; Capital- Beijing.

● Colombia: President- Alvaro Uribe Velez; Capital - Bogota.

● Croatia: President - Stjepan Mesic; Prime Minister -Dr. Ivo Sanader; Capital-Zagreb.

● Cuba: President- Raul Castro; Capital -Havana.

● Czech Republic: President- Vaclav Klaus; Prime Minister -Jan Fischer; Capital-Prague.

● Denmark: Queen - Margrethe II; Prime Minister- Lars Lokke Rasmussen; Capital - Copenhagen.

● Egypt: President - Hosni Mubarak; Prime Minister - Ahmed Najief; Capital-Cairo.

● Finland: President - Ms. Tarja Halonen; Prime Minister - Matti Vanhanen; Capital-Helsinki.

● France: President- Nicolas Sarkozy; Prime Minister - Francois Fillon; Capital- Paris.

● Germany: President - Horst Koehler; Chancellor - Ms. Angela Merkel; Capital-Berlin.

● Guyana: President - Bharrat Jagdeo; Prime Minister - Samuel Hinds; Capital- Georgetown.

● Greece: President – Karolos Papoulias; Prime Minister – George Papandreou; Capital - Athens.

● Hungary: President- Laszlo Solyom; PRIME MINISTER - Gordon Bajnai; Capital- Budapest.

● Indonesia: President - Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono; Capital- Jakarta.

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● Iran: President - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; Capital- Teheran.

● Iraq: President -Jalai Talabani; Prime Minister - Nuri al-Maliki, Capital- Baghdad.

● Ireland: President- Ms. Mary McAleese; Prime Minister - Brian Cowen, Capital- Dublin.

● Israel: President - Shimon Peres; PRIME MINISTER - Benjamin Netanyahu; Capital- Jerusalem.

● Italy: President - Georgio Napolitano; Prime Minister- Silvio Berlusconi; Capital- Rome.

● Japan: Emperor- Akihito; Prime Minister: Naoto Kan; Capital- Tokyo.

● Jordan: King - Abdullah II; Prime Minister-Nader al-Dahabi; Capital- Amman.

● Kazakhstan: President - Nursultan A. Nazarbayev; Prime Minister – Karim Masimov; Capital- Astana.

● Kenya: President - Mwai Kibaki; Prime Minister - Raila Odinga; Capital - Nairobi.

● Korea, North: President – Marshal Kim Jong II; Prime Minister – Hong Song Nam;Capital- Pyongyang.

● Korea, South: President-, Lee Myung-Bak; Prime Minister - Chung Un-chan; Capital -Seoul.

● Kuwait: Emir - Sheikh Sabah ai-Ahmad al-Sabah; Capital - Kuwait.

● Kyrgyzstan: President (Interim) – Kurmanbek Bakiyey; Prime Minister - Daniyar UsenovCapital - Bishkek.

● Madagascar: President - Andy Rajoelina; Prime Minister - Eugene Mangalaza; Capital-Antananarivo.

● Malaysia: King - T. S. S. Syed Putra Jamalullail; Prime Minister- Najib Tun Razak; Capital-Kuala Lumpur.

● Maldives: President - Mohammed "Anni" Nasheed; Capital - Male.

● Mauritius: President - Anerood Jugnauth; Prime Minister - Navinchandra Ramgoolam; Capital - Port Louis.

● Mongolia: President - Nambaryn Enkhbayar; Prime Minister - Sukhbaatar Batblod; Capital - Ulan Bator.

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● Montenegro: President - Filip Vujanovic; Prime Minister-Milo Dukanovic; Capital – Podgorica

● Morocco: King - Mohammed VI; Prime Minister - Abbas El Fassi; Capital - Rabat.

● Myanmar (Burma) : Head of Govt. : Gen. Than Shwe; Capital - Nyapidaw.

● Nepal: President - Dr. Ram Baran Yadav; Prime Minister – Madhav Kumar Nepal; Capital -Kathmandu.

● Netherlands: Queen - Beatrix; Capital-Amsterdam.

● New Zealand: Governor-General – Anand Satyanand; PrimeMinister - John Key; Capital-Wellington.

● Nigeria: President - Goodluck Jonathan; Capital - Abuja.

● Norway: King - Harald V; Prime Minister – Jens Stoltenberg; Capital - Oslo.

● Pakistan: President - Asif Ali Zardari; Prime Minister - Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani; Capital -Islamabad. .

● Panama: President - Ricardo Martenelli; Capital - Panama City.

● Paraguay: President - Fernando Lugo; Capital – Asuncion

● Peru: President - Alan Garcia; Prime Minister -Javier Velasquez; Capital- Lima.

● Philippines: President - Ms. Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo; Capital - Manila.

● Poland: President - Lech Kaczynski; Prime Minister- Donald Tusk; Capital- Warsaw.

● Portugal: President - Amibal Cavaco Silva; Prime Minister - Jose Socrates; Capital-Lisbon.

● Romania: President - Traian Basecue; Prime Minister - Emil Boc; Capital - Bucharest.

● Russia: President - Dmitry Medvedev; Prime Minister - Vladimir Putin; Capital - Moscow.

● Rwanda: President - Paul Kagame; Prime Minister - Bernard Makuza; Capital -Kigali.

● Saudi Arabia : King - Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al Saud; Capital- Riyadh.

● Serbia: President - Boris Tadic; Prime Minister - Mirko Cvetkovic; Capital - Belgrade.

● Singapore: President - S. R. Nathan; PRIME MINISTER - Lee Hsien Loong; Capital -

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Singapore.

● Slovakia: President - Ivan Gasparovic; Prime Minister - Robert Fico; Capital-Bratislava.

● South Africa : President- Jacob Zuma; Capital-Cape Town (Legislative) and Tshwane(Formerly Pretoria) (Administrative).

● Spain: King - Juan Carlos I; Prime Minister-Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero; Capital -Madrid.

● Sri Lanka: President - Mahinda Rajapaksa; Prime Minister - – D.M. Jayaratne; Capital- Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (Colombo).

● Sudan: President - Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir; Capital - Khartoum.

● Sweden: King - Carl XVI Gustaf; PRIME MINISTER – Fredrik Reinfeldt; Capital - Stockholm.

● Switzerland: President - Hans-Rudolf Merz; Capital – Berne

● Syria: President - Bashar Al-Assad; Prime Minister - Muhammad Naji al-Otari; Capital- Damascus.

● Taiwan: President - Ma Ying-jeou; Prime Minister -Wu Den-yih; Capital – Taipei.

● Turkey: President - Abdullah Gul; Prime Minister - Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Capital- Ankara.

● Ukraine: President - Victor Yushchenko; Prime Minister- Mykola Azarov; Capital- Kiev.

● United Arab Emirates: Prime Minister- Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum;Capital- Abu Dhabi.

● United Kingdom: Queen - Elizabeth II; Prime Minister - Gordon Brown; Capital - London.

● United States of America: President – Barack Obama; Secretary of State -Ms. Hillary Clinton; Capital- Washington, D.C.

● Uzbekistan: President - Islam A. Karimov; Prime Minister - Shavkat Mirziyayev; Capital- Tashkent.

● Venezuela: President - Hugo Chavez Frias; Capital - Caracas.

● Vietnam: President - Nguyen Minh Triet; Prime Minister - Nguyen Tan Dung; Capital-Hanoi.

● Zimbabwe: President - Robert G. Mugabe; PRIME MINISTER - Morgan Tsvangirai; Capital- Harare.

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Heads of Important Offices in India

● Dr. Manmohan Singh: Chairman, Planning Commission.● Ms. Meira Kumar: Speaker, Lok Sabha.● Mohammad Hamid Ansari: Chairman, Rajya Sabha.● Mr. K. Rahman Khan: Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha.● Mr. Gopinath Munde: Deputy Speaker, Lok Sabha.● Ms. Sushma Swaraj : Leader of Opposition (Lok Sabha).● Mr. Arun Jaitley: Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha).● Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia: Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission.● Mr. Navin Chawla: Chief Election Commissioner● Mr. V. S. Sampath : Election Commissioner.

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

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

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

Heads of Important Offices (World)

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

● Ms. Asha-Rose Migiro : First Deputy Secretary-General, UN.● Robert Zoellick : President, World Bank.● Dominic Strauss-Kahn: Managing Director, International Monetary Fund (IMF).● Irina Bokova: Director-General-UNESCO.● Dr. Margaret Chan: Director-General, WHO.

● Jacques Diouf: Director-General, Food and Agricultural Organisation.● Juan Somavia : Director-General, International Labour Organisation.● Ann M. Veneman: Executive Director, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).● Antonio Guterres : UN High Commissioner for Refugees.● Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi : Secretary-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).● Angel Gurria : Secretary-General, Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).● Ms. Rosalyn Higgins: President, International Court of Justice.● Haruhiko Kuroda: President, Asian Development Bank.● Donald Kaberuka : President, African Development Bank.● Jacques Rogge: President, International Olympic Committee.● Kamalesh Sharma: Secretary-General, Commonwealth. .● Muammar Qaddafi : Chairman, African Union.● Pascal Lamy : Director-General, WTO.● Ms. Navanethan Pillay : High Commissioner, UN High Commission for Human Rights. ● Jerzy Buzek : President, European Union● David Morgan: President, International Cricket Council.

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

Governors and Chief Ministers of States (India)

Capitals, Governors and Chief Ministers of States

States Capitals Governors Chief Ministers(1) Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad Mr. E.S.L.Narasimhan Sri. K. Rosaiah

(2) Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar Gen. (Retd.) J. J. Singh Mr. Dorjee Khandu

(3) Assam Dispur Mr. J. B. Patnaik Mr. Tarun Gogoi

(4) Bihar Patna Mr. Devanand Konwar Mr. Nitish Kumar

(5) Chhattisgarh Raipur Mr. Shekhar Dutt Dr. Raman Singh

(6) Goa Panaji Mr. S. S. SidhuMr. Digambar V. Kamat

(7) Gujarat Gandhinagar Dr. Kamla Mr. Narendra Modi

(8) Haryana Chandigarh Mr. Jagannath PahadiaMr. Bhupinder S. Hooda

(9) Himachal Shimla Ms. Urmilaben Patel Mr. Prem Kumar

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Pradesh Dhumal

(10) Jammu and Kashmir

Srinagar (Summer) Jammu (Winter)

Mr. N. N. Vohra Mr. Omar Abdullah

(11) Jharkhand Ranchi Mr. M. O. H. Farook Mr. Shibu Soren

(12) Karnataka Bengaluru Mr. Hans Raj BhardwajMr. B. S. Yeddyurappa

(13) Kerala ThiruvananthapuramMr. Ramkrishna S. Gavai

Mr. V. S. Achuthanandan

(14) Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal Mr. Rameshwar ThakurMr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan

(15) Maharashtra Mumbai Mr. K. Sankaranarayan Mr. Ashok Chavan

(16) Manipur Imphal Mr. Gurbachan Jagat Mr.Okram Ibobi Singh

(17) Meghalaya Shillong Mr. R. S. Mooshahary Mr. D. D. Lapang

(18) Mizoram AizawlLt Gen. (Retd.) M M. Lakhera

Mr.Lalthanhawla

(19) Nagaland Kohima Mr. Nikhil Kumar Mr. Neiphiu Rio

(20) Orissa Bhubaneswar Mr. M. C. Bhandare Mr. Naveen Patnaik

(21) Punjab Chandigarh Mr. Shivraj V. PatilMr. Parkash Singh Badal

(22) Rajasthan Jaipur Ms. Prabha Rau Mr. Ashok Gehlot

(23) Sikkim GangtokMr. Balmiki Prasad Singh

Mr. Pawan Chamling

(24) Tamil Nadu Chennai Mr. S. S. Barnala Mr. M. Karunanidhi

(25) Tripura Agartala Mr. D. Y. Patil Mr. Manik Sarkar

(26) Uttarakhand Dehradun Ms. Margaret Alva Mr. Ramesh Pokhriyal

(27) Uttar Pradesh Lucknow Mr. B. L. Joshi Ms. Mayawati

(28) West Bengal Kolkata Mr. M. K. NarayananMr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Heads of National and UnionTerritories

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

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Territories Capital Lt. Governor/Administrators Chief Minister

(1) Delhi Delhi Mr. Tejendra Khanna Ms. Sheila Dikshit

(2) Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Port BlairLt. Gen. (Retd.) Bhopinder Singh

(3) Chandigarh Chandigarh Mr. Shivraj V. Patil

(4) Dadra and Nagar Haveli Silvassa Mr. Satya Gopal

(5) Daman and Diu Daman Mr. Satya Gopal

(6) Lakshadweep Kavaratti Mr. J. K. Dadoo

(7) Puducherry Puducherry Mr. Iqbal SinghMr. V. Vaithilingam

Cabinet Ministers of India 2010 (Latest)

Council of Ministers

Cabinet MinistersDr. Manmohan Singh: Prime Minister and also in-charge of the Ministries/Departments not specifically allocated to the charge of any Minister viz.: (i) Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions; (ii) Ministry of Planning; (iii) Department of Atomic Energy; (iv) Department of Space and; (v) Ministry of CultureMr. Pranab Mukherjee: FinanceMr. Sharad Pawar: Agriculture; Food & Civil Supplies; Consumer Affairs & Public DistributionMr. A. K. Antony: DefenceMr. P. Chidambaram : Home AffairsMs. Mamata Banerjee: RailwaysMr. S. M. Krishna: External AffairsMr: Ghulam Nabi Azad : Health and Family WelfareMr. Sushil Kumar Shinde : PowerMr. M. Veerappa Moily: Law and JusticeMr. S. Jaipal Reddy: Urban Development

Mr. Kamal Nath : Road Transport and HighwaysMr. Vayalar Ravi : Overseas Indian AffairsMr. Murli Deora : Petroleum and Natural GasMr. Kapil Sibal : Human Resource Development .Ms. Ambika Soni : Information and BroadcastingMr. B. K. Handique : Mines; Development of North Eastern RegionMr. Anand Sharma: Commerce and IndustryMr. Virbhadra Singh: Steel

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Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh : Heavy Industries and Public EnterprisesMr. C. P. Joshi: Rural Development and Panchayati RajKumari Selja: Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation; TourismMr. Subodh Kant Sahay : Food Processing IndustriesDr. M. S. Gill : Youth Affairs and SportsMr. G. K. Vasan : ShippingMr. Dayanidhi Maran: TextilesDr. Farooq Abdullah: New and Renewable EnergyMr. Mallikarjun Kharge : Labour and EmploymentMr. Pawan K. Bansal: Parliamentary Affairs; Water Resources DevelopmentMr. Mukul Wasnik : Social Justice and EmpowermentMr. Kantilal Bhuna : Tribal AffairsMr. M. K. Azhagiri : Chemicals and FertilizersMr. A. Raja: Communications and Information Technology

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

Ministers of StateMr. Srikant Jena : Chemicals and FertilizersMr. E. Ahamed : RailwaysMs. Mullappally Ramachandran : Home AffairsMr. V. Narayanasamy : Planning and Parliamentary AffairsMr. Jyotiraditya Madhavrao Scindia : Commerce and IndustrvMs. D. Purandeswari : Human Resource DevelopmentMr. K. H. Muniyappa : RailwaysMr. Ajay Maken : Home AffaitsMs. Panabaka Lakshmi : TextilesMr. Namo Narain Meena : FinanceMr. M. M. Pallam Raju : DefenceMr. Saugata Ray: Urban DevelopmentMr. S. S. Palanimanickam : FinanceMr. Jitin Prasada: Petroleum and Natural GasMr. A. Sai Prathap : SteelMs. Preneet Kaur : External AffairsMr. Gurdas Kamat : Communications and Information TechnologyMr. Harish Rawat : Labour and EmploymentProf. K.V. Thomas: Agriculture; Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

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Mr. Bharatsinh Solanki : PowerMr. Mahadev S. Khandela : Road Transport and HighwaysMr. Dinesh Trivedi: Health and Family WelfareMr. Sisir Adhikari : Rural DevelopmentMr. Sultan Ahmed: TourismMr. Mukul Roy: ShippingMr. Mohan Jatua : Information and BroadcastingMr. D. Napoleon: Social Justice and EmpowermentDr. S. Jagathrakshakan : Information and BroadcastingMr. S. Gandhiselvan : Health and Family Welfare .Mr. Tusharbhai Chaudhary: Tribal AffairsMr. Sachin Pilot: Communications and Information TechnologyMr. Arun Yadav : Youth Affairs and SportsMr. Pratik Prakashbapu Patil : Heavy Industries and Public EnterprisesMr. R. P. N. Singh: Road Transport and HighwaysMr. Shashi Tharoor : External AffairsMr. Vincent Pala : Water ResourcesMr. Pradeep Jain : Rural DevelopmentMs. Agatha Sangma : Rural Development

Books and Authors In News

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

1. India and China—A Thousand Years of Cultural Relations—By Probodh Chandra Bagchi

2. Maqbool Fida Hussain—By K. Bikram Singh

3. Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2008—Sustaining Growth and Sharing Prosperity

4. The Audacity of Hope : Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream—By Barack Obama

5. Glimpses of Indian Agriculture—By Macro and Micro Aspects; Edited by R. S. Deshpande, Vijai Paul Sharma, R.P.S. Malik, Brajesh Jha, S.A. Ansari

6. I shall Never Ask for Pardon—A Memoir of Pandurang Khankhoje : Savitri Sawhney

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7. The Morbid Age : Britain between the Wars—By Richard Overy Allen Lane

8. The Crisis of Islamic Civilization—By Ali A. Allawi

9. Open Veins of Latin America : Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent—By Eduardo Galeano

10. If Cricket is a Religion, Sachin is Guide—By Vijay Santhanam & Shyam Balasubramanium

11. The Ultimate Gift—By Jim Stovall

12. The Miracle of Democracy : India’s Amazing Journey—By T. S. Krishnamurthy

13. India’s Energy Security—Edited by Ligia Noronha and Anant Sudarshan

14. The Judiciary and Governance in India—By Madhav Godbole

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

16. The Private Patient—A novel by P. D. James Penguine

17. No Other World—Selected Poems—By Kunwar Narain

18. The 24 ×7 Marriage : Smart Strategies For Good Beginnings—By Dr. Vijay Nagaswami

19. The Idea of Justice—By Dr. Amartya Sen

20. Arguments for a Better World : Essays in Honour of Amartya Sen—By Kaushik Basu and Ravi Kanbur

21. Globalisation and Development—By Sundanda Sen

22. The Politics of Extremism in South Asia

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—By Deepa M. Ollapally

23. Rising India and Indian Communities in East Asia—Edited by K. Kesavapany, A. Mani and P. Ramasamy

24. The Three Trillion Dollar War : The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict—By Joseph Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilms

25. Arjun Singh—Ek Sahayatri Itihas Ka—By Ram Sharan Joshi

26. Politics of Inclusion—Caster, Minorities and Affirmative Action—By Zoya Hasan

27. Bold Endeavors—How Our Government Built America, and Why It Must Rebuild Now—By Felix Rohatyn

28. Imaging India—Ideas for a New Century—Nandan Nilekani

29. Daughters of Shame—By Jasvinder Sanghera Imprint Hodder, Gurgaon

30. Celebrating India : Reflections on Eminent Indian Muslims (1857–2007)—By Meher Fatima Hussain

31. The Myth of Judicial Activism : Making Sense of Supreme Court Decisions—Kermit Roosevelt III

32. EU-India Relations—A Critique : Edited by Shazia Aziz Wulbers

33. The Age of the Unthinkable : Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises us and What we can do About It—By Joshua Cooper Rawa

34. Macroeconomics of Post-Reforms India, Vol. I Money and Finance in the Indian Economy, Vol. II—By Mihir Rakshit

35. Out of Steppe : The Lost People of Central Asia—By Daniel Metcalfe

36. The Winter Vault—By Anne Michaels Knopf

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37. Democracy and Human Development in India—By Naresh Gupta

38. Lords of Finance : 1929, The Great Depression and The Bankers Who Broke the World—By Liaquat Ahmed

39. Accelerating Growth and Job Creation in South Asia—Edited by Ejaz Ghani and Sadiq Ahmed

40. India and Pakistan—Social, Political and Military Perspective—By Rajkumar Singh

41. Kissinger : 1973, The Crucial Year—By Alistair Home, Simon and Schuster

42. The Great Divide—Edited by Ira Pande Harper Collins

43. Taliban : Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamen-talism in Central Asia—By Ahmed Rashid

44. India and the Global Financial Crisis—Y. V. Reddy

Famous Books and Authors List

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

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● Aenied : Virgil● Against the Tide : Minoo Masani● Age of Reason : Jean Paul Sartre● A Dangerous Place : Daniel Patrik Moyihan● A Haunted House : Virginia Woolf● Agni Veena : Kazi Nazrul Islam● Amar Kosha : Amar Singh● Anand Math : Bankim Chandra Chatterje● A Story of History : Arnold Toynbee● Avanti Sundari : Dandi● Autobiography : Jawaharlal Nehru● As You Like It : W. Shakespeare

● Between the Lines : Kuldeep Nayyar● Bhagwad Gita : Maharshi Ved Vyas● Black Wednesday : Promila Kalhan● Bubble : Mulk Raj Anand● Buddha Charitam : Ashvaghosh● Bal Gitayan : D.P. Maheshwari● Bitter Sweet : Noel Coward● Blind Beauty : Boris Pasternak● Broken Wings : Sarojini Naidu● Canterbury Tales : Chaucer● Chidambara : Sumitra Nandan Pant● Chitralekha : Bhagwati Charan Verma● City of Joy : Dominique Lapierre● Confessions of a Lover : Mulk Raj Anand● Comedy of Errors : Shakespeare● Communist Manifesto : Karl Marx● Comus : John Milton● Confidential Clerk : T.S. Eliot● Coolie : Mulk Raj Anand● Count of Monte Cristo : Alexander Dumas● Childe Harold : Lord Byron● Chittirappavai : P.V. Akhilandam● Degeneration of India : T.N. Seshan● Devdas : Sharat Chandra● Divine Comedy : Dante● Discovery of India : Jawaharlal Nehru● Don Ouixote : Cervantes● Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde : R.L. Stevenson● Dash Kumar Charitam : Dandi● Dark Room, The : R.K. Narayan● Debacle : Emile Zola● Diana, The True Story : A. Morton

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

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● Kamasutra : S.H. Vatsayayan● Kaya Kulp : Premchand● King Lear : W. Shakespeare ● Lajja : Tasleem Nasreen● Lady Chhatterley’s Lover : D.H. Lawrence● Leaves of Grass : Walt Whitman● Life Divine : Sri Aurbindo● Living History : Hillary Rodham Clinton● Living with Honour : Shiv Khera● Lolita : Vladimir Nobokov● Long Walk to Freedom : Nelson Mandela● Less Miserable : Victor Hugo● Macbeth : Shakespeare● Madhushala : Harivansh Rai ‘Bachchan’● Mahabharata : Maharshi Ved Vyas● Major Barbara : G.B. Shaw● Malti Madhav : Bhavbhuti● Malvikagnimitra : Kalidas● Man and Superman : G.B. Shaw● Meghdoot : Kalidas● Men Who Killed Gandhi : Manohar Magaonkar● Merchant of Venice : Shakespeare● Middle March : George Eliot● Midnight Children : Salman Rushdie● Mother : Maxim Gorky● Mudra Rakshasa : Vishakha Datt● Murder in the Cathedral : T.S. Eliot● My Experiments with Truth : Gandhi● Nana : Emile Zola● Natya Shastra : Bharat Muni● Netaji Dead or Alive : Samar Guha● Nine Days’ Wonder : John Mansfield● Ninteen Eighty Four : George Orwell● O’ Jeruselam : L. Collins & D. Lapierre● Odyssey : Homer● Old Man and the Sea : Ernest Hemingway● Of Human Bondage : Somerset Maugham● Our India : Minoo Masani● Out of Dust : F.D. Karaka● On Contradiction : Mao-Tse-Tung● Pakistan, The Gathering Storm : Behazir Bhutto● Panchatantra : Vishnu Sharma● Pather Panchali : Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyaya● Peace has no Alternative : Mikhail Gorbachev● Pickwick Papers : Charles Dickens● Pilgrim’s Progress : John Bunyan

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

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

List of winners at the 82nd annual Academy Awards:• Motion Picture: ‘The Hurt Locker.’

• Actor: Jeff Bridges, ‘Crazy Heart.’

• Actress: Sandra Bullock, ‘The Blind Side.’

• Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, ‘Inglourious Basterds.

• Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, ‘Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire.’

• Director: Kathryn Bigelow, ‘The Hurt Locker.’

• Foreign Film: ‘El Secreto de Sus Ojos,’ Argentina.

• Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, ‘Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire.’

• Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, ‘The Hurt Locker.’

• Animated Feature Film: ‘Up.’

• Art Direction: ‘Avatar.’

• Cinematography: ‘Avatar.’

• Sound Mixing: ‘The Hurt Locker.’

• Sound Editing: "The Hurt Locker."

• Original Score: ‘Up,’ Michael Giacchino.

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• Original Song: ‘The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)’ from ‘Crazy Heart,’ Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett.

• Costume: ‘The Young Victoria.’

• Documentary Feature: ‘The Cove.’

• Documentary (short subject): ‘Music by Prudence.’

• Film Editing: ‘The Hurt Locker.’

• Makeup: ‘Star Trek.’

• Animated Short Film: ‘Logorama.’

• Live Action Short Film: ‘The New Tenants.’

• Visual Effects: ‘Avatar.’

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