Useless Facts on India....

This started off as a blog on my visions, random thoughts, notes and observations, and experiences in Delhi so far. I finished it then stupidly lost half of it so this is half of what I wrote ... I'll rewrite the other stuff when I get an hour or so to myself AND some inspiration, in the meantime here's some Useless Information on India:

• Approximately 700 words in the Oxford English dictionary find their roots in some of the most ancient and notable Indian languages like Sanskrit, Hindi and Tamil. Such as:

SHAMPOO!

ok well these are shampoo ads but the world wouldn't have had them without the Hindi word "champo"

• atoll, avatar, bandana, bangle, bungalow, calico, chit, cash, catamaran, cumberbund, juggernaut, khaki, musk, loot, mango, polo, pundit, pyjamas, sentry, shampoo, verandah .. feel free to made additions.

• Approximately 3 billion movie tickets are sold in India every year.

• The only country in the world that has a Bill of Rights for Cows is India.

• Bananas were discovered by Alexander the Great in 327 B.C. when he conquered India.
• India has the most post offices in the world and therefore the most light fingered postal workers!
• India's movie industry, Bollywood, is the largest in the world producing over eight hundred movies a year.

• Barbie's boyfriend Ken was not sold in India until recently because it clashed with the concept of the traditional arranged marriage.
• Arabic numerals are not Arabic; they were invented in India.

• India never invaded any country in her last 100,000 years of history.

Chess was invented in India.

• Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus AND the number system originated in India.
• The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.
• India is roughly 1/3 the size of the US, 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.

• 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.

Christopher Columbus (no he's not Indian .. silly) was attracted by India's wealth, came looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.

• Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus, value of pi, the number system, zero & the decimal system ... yup .... all originated or were invented in India.

Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world (like the famous 105 carat Koh I Noor diamond)

• India has both the highest bridge and cricket ground in the world
  

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

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.