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India is the world's biggest producer and consumer of mangoes. More than 40% of the world's annual output of mangoes comes from India, far ahead of the competition from China and Thailand. Mango is the national fruit of India, Pakistan and the Philippines, and the national tree of Bangladesh.

Making a presentation on "India’s export of table grapes to European Union" to leading British importers at the India House, Dave said the country also topped in the production of bananas with 10,200,000 tonnes as against world production of 58,618,000 tonnes, constituting 17.4 per cent of the whole.

C. Phunsog, minister (Economics) in the Indian high commission presided over the meeting. Dave informed that India ranked 13th in production of grapes with 1,200,000 tonnes last year as against the world’s production of 57,397,000 tonnes.

India had taken adequate measures to ensure prescribed pesticide residual limits in grapes produced by it, following an alert issued by the European Community last year, he said. India came second as regards production of all fruits, next only to Brazil. In the category of major vegetables, India topped in the production of cauliflower in the world with 4,800,000 tonnes as against world’s production of 12,725,000 tonnes in 2002-03, he said.

Credit : The Economics Times

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Rabindranath Tagore is credited not only with writing the Indian national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, but the Bangladeshi national anthem, Amar Sonar Bangla, as well.

The Bard of Bengal is also the author of the Indian national anthem “Jana Gana Mana”. “Amar Shonar Bangla” was written by Tagore in 1905 as an ode to Mother Bengal, immediately after Bengal’s first partition. Later, during the Bangladesh Liberation War, the first 10 lines of the song were adopted as the country’s national anthem in 1971.

'Jana Gana Mana', originally written as ''Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata'' in Bengali, was adopted as India’s national anthem on January 24, 1950.

The two national anthems have unknowingly connected the people of two countries in several instances — the majority of them being cricket matches between the two countries. Be it World T20 in 2016 or the 2019 World Cup, the cricket fans of the two countries have rejoiced in the lyrics and melody of the two national anthems, composed by Tagore.

Bangladesh’s national anthem was written with the hope of rekindling the spirit of unity and love between the people divided by a politically-motivated border. The song aimed to invoke the public consciousness against the communal political divide and bring back the unified spirit of Bengal.

The song was first heard in the periodical musical journal Shongeet Biggnan Probeshika in September 1905 when Tagore’s niece, Indira Devi, hurriedly jotted down the musical notation of the song as Rabindranath Tagore hummed the anthem.

“Jana Gana Mann” and “Amar Shonar Bangla” have received equal love as Tagore’s blissful creations from the people on the two sides of the borders.

Credit : Wio News 

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The Guinness World Record for the largest human national flag involved 43,830 Indians and was achieved by Rotary International at the YMCA Grounds Nandanam in Chennai on 7 December 2014.

The event saw about 1.5 lakh volunteers, mainly youth, turn up for the event at YMCA Grounds here even as 50,000 of them formed the tricolour, Governor of Rotary 3230, organiser of the ‘My Flag My India’ campaign, ISAK Nazar, told reporters here.

The event saw about 1.5 lakh volunteers, mainly youth, turn up for the event at YMCA Grounds here even as 50,000 of them formed the tricolour, Governor of Rotary 3230, organiser of the ‘My Flag My India’ campaign, ISAK Nazar, told reporters here.

Credit : The Hindu

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The Khadi Development and Village Industries Commission has certified the khadi unit of Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha as the sole manufacturer and supplier of the Indian flag. There are 100 specialist spinners and 100 weavers employed in making the flag. The cloth is sourced from KKGSS's unit in Bagalkot and divided into three lots, each of which is dyed with one of the three colours in the Indian flag. The cloth is then cut in the required size and shape and the blue chakra with 24 equally spaced spokes is printed on the white cloth. Finally, the three pieces are stitched together to make the Indian flag.

KKGSS was founded on November 1, 1957, by a group of Gandhians who came together to create a federation for the growth of khadi and other village industries in the region. Venkatesh T Magadi and Sriranga Kamat were chosen as the first Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively.

Soon after its establishment, about 58 institutions around Karnataka were brought under the aegis of the KKGSS and the federation started functioning with Hubli as the head office. The head office is spread across 17 acres and along with the manufacturing facilities, it also houses a training college to train students in textile chemistry.

Even though the production of khadi began in the year 1982, the flag manufacturing unit only started operations in 2004.

The founders fought for the flag facility to be established at the KKGSS for the benefit of the economically-backward classes who lived around the area. Today, over 100 specialist spinners and weavers are employed in making the flag, says Nagaveni Kalwad, Manager-Flag Section, KKGSS.

Credit : SMB Story

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Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India (1950-1962), only took 50% of his salary, saying he did not require more than that. Towards the end of his 12-year tenure he only took 25% of his salary. The salary of the President was Rs 10,000 back then. He is the only Indian president to serve two full terms.

In 1950, when Dr Rajendra Prasad became the first President of the country, he also hesitated to stay in the wide Viceroy's House.

With the entry of Rajendra Prasad in this building, its name was changed to Rashtrapati Bhavan. Rashtrapati Bhavan of the country is still in the President House with the largest campus in the world. The salary of the President was Rs 10,000 per month at that time. Rajendra Prasad accepted to take only 50 percent, and used to give the remaining amount to the government fund. As a President, Dr Rajendra Prasad started deducting more from his salary in subsequent years. After that, he used to take only 25 percent of his salary. He did many philanthropic works.

Credit : News Track

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The Baobab tree can hold up to 120,000 litres of water in its trunk: There are nine species of Baobab; six in Madagascar, two in mainland Africa and one in Australia. The trees reach heights of 98 feet and trunk diameters of 36 feet. The Baobab is known as the ‘tree of life’ as every part is valuable – the bark is used to make rope and clothing, the seeds used to make cosmetic oils, the leaves are edible, the trunk provides shelter and stores water, and the fruit, known as ‘monkey bread’, is a rich source of vitamin C. the Baobab is the national tree of Madagascar.

The single Australian baobab species, A. gregorii, called boab, or bottle tree, is found throughout the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Reaching heights of about 12 metres (39 feet), the tree features the characteristically swollen trunk of the genus and bears compound leaves that are completely shed during drought periods. The white flowers are large, perfumed, and pollinated by hawk moths. Although that species was once presumed to be a remnant left behind when the Gondwana landmass broke apart 180 million years ago, the fact that the boab has not evolved to be markedly different from other baobabs suggests a much younger age for the species and that the boab originally came to Australia by long-distance seed dispersal from Africa.

All baobab species are extensively used by local peoples. Many species have edible leaves and fruits and are important for a number of herbal remedies. A strong fibre from the bark is used for rope and cloth in many places, and the trees supply raw materials for hunting and fishing tools. Naturally hollow or excavated trunks often serve as water reserves or temporary shelters and have even been used as prisons, burial sites, and stables. The trees are culturally and religiously important in many areas.

Credit : Britannica

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The Pentagon is the world’s largest office building. It is located in Arlington, Virginia, it is home to the U.S. Department of Defence. The 6.6 million square foot structure covers 34 acres and has 16 parking lots. Around 23,000 military and civilian employees work in the five-sided building; each side is 921 feet long. The 5-storeyed building has 17.5 miles of corridors. The central five-acre pentagonal plaza is nicknamed “ground zero” on the presumption that it would be a prime target in a nuclear war. The Pentagon has six postal codes; the Secretary of Defence, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the four service branches each have their own code.

At its completion at a cost of $83 million in January 1943, the Pentagon was the world’s largest office building, covering 29 acres (12 hectares)—including a 5-acre (2-hectare) central court—and containing roughly 3,700,000 square feet (344,000 square metres) of usable floor space for approximately 25,000 people. Plans to convert the building to a hospital or some other peacetime facility after the war were abandoned with the rapid onset of the Cold War, which required a high degree of military preparedness. The Pentagon remains one of the world’s largest office buildings.

Constructed of steel and reinforced concrete with some limestone facing, the structure has five floors, excluding its mezzanine and basement. It consists of five concentric pentagons, or “rings,” with 10 spokelike corridors connecting the whole. There are 17.5 miles (28 km) of corridors, but, because of its innovative construction, it is possible to walk between any two points within the building in approximately seven minutes. Several libraries serve as research facilities for the military, and these repositories subscribe to more than 1,700 periodicals in a wide variety of languages. Two cafeterias, a dining room, and seven snack bars are also located on the premises. There are 67 acres (27 hectares) of parking lots, which can accommodate about 8,700 automobiles. Bus and taxi terminals are located beneath a huge concourse containing a shopping centre for Pentagon employees. The Washington Metro subway also serves the facility, and a heliport was added in 1956.

In 2001, on the 60th anniversary of the Pentagon’s groundbreaking, five terrorists hijacked a commercial airliner and piloted it into the building during the September 11 attacks. Part of the southwest side of the building was destroyed, and 189 people, including the terrorists, were killed. The damage was largely repaired within a year.

Credit : Britannica 

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According to Ookla's Speedtest Global Index, Norway has the fastest mobile internet in the world at an average speed of 55.72 Mbps. The Netherlands (48.3 Mbps) and Hungary (46.72 Mbps) are ranked number two and three on the list of the world's fastest mobile networks.

Norway's telecoms giants have invested billions of kroner in 4G technology over the last few years, an investment that seems to have paid off. At the end of last month, Telenor mobiles enjoyed an average download speed of 58.6 Mbps. Cellphones from Telenor's rival Telia had an average speed of 45.9 Mbps.

Scandinavia is a hotspot for mobile internet both in terms of infrastructure and mobile payment functionality. Swedish mining operators were experimenting with 5G technology back in 2015. A project designed to improve productivity and safety in a traditionally dangerous environment saw a development system of new and existing technologies used to remotely control a Volvo truck within the mine. Mobile payment technology is catching on fast as the Nordic countries move towards a cashless society.

The service also measures static broadband speed but Norway fails to make the top ten in the latest rankings. Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong, Iceland and Romania top the list. Norway's Scandinavian neighbours Sweden lie 8th in the rankings, with an average download speed of 73.66 Mbps.

Credit : Life in Norway 

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Sudan is the last male northern white rhinoceros in the world. Sudan lives at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya along with his daughter Najin and granddaughter Fatu - the last two female white rhinos in the world. Northern White Rhinoceroses are guarded twenty four hours a day at the Conservancy to protect them from poaching, which is a major problem for rhinos. The protection includes horn-imbedded transmitters, watchtowers, fences, drones, guard dogs and trained armed guards around the clock.

Sudan was born in Shambe, in what is today, South Sudan in 1973 and is believed to be the last northern white rhino born in the wild. In 1976, he was taken to Dvur Kralove Zoo in then Czechoslovakia, where he grew to be 6 feet tall and a whopping 5,000 lbs (roughly the weight of a midsize car) and fathered two daughters. 

In 2009, after the northern white rhino was declared extinct in the wild, four rhinos including Sudan, his daughter Najin, and his granddaughter Fatu were transferred back to their native African habitat. Conservationists hoped that the natural Kenyan environment of the Ol Pejeta Conservancy would encourage breeding among the rhinos, but within several years, veterinarians came to the conclusion that natural reproduction would most likely not be possible.

Yet there is still hope, as scientists work to develop in vitro fertilization techniques to save the subspecies from the brink of extinction. For now, Sudan’s legacy rests with Najin and Fatu, the world’s final two northern white rhinoceros.

Credit : Google

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The scientific study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags is called vexillology. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum ('flag') and the Greek logia ('study'). A person who studies flags is a vexillologist; vexillography is the art of designing flags; one who does so is a vexillographer; an admirer of flags is a vexillophile.

Vexillologists worldwide meet every two years at the International Congress of Vexillology (ICV).

The first ICV took place in Muiderberg (The Netherlands) in 1965.

Since 1969 the congress has been held under the auspices of the International Federation of Vexillological Assocations (FIAV).

The Flag Institute has hosted the ICV on three occasions: ICV5 (London, 1973), ICV19 (York, 2001) and ICV27 (London, 2017).

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