What I learned on the Internet: September 2016

Nehru and Lady Mountbatten, What exactly happened

Jawahar Lal Nehru never wanted to marry and the Mountbattens had an open marriage i.e. they could go out with or date anyone they wanted without asking each other.

Edwina’s and Nehru’s respective troubled marriages brought them close to each other.

I’m going to add text from original letters written amongst these people that will explain things better. To understand what they had between them it is important to understand that none of them was happy with their marriage. Let’s go one by one:

Jawahar Lal & Kamala Nehru

He was sent to Trinity College, Cambridge, England at the age of 17 where he read a lot and became good at things. He made lots of friends from around the world and was influenced by British & western thoughts and learnt to think freely. It soon became clear that his thought were different from his father and that was ok until it came to his marriage.

It was in 1909 that Motilal Nehru wrote in one of his letters about his opinion about getting married to which Jawahar replied “I’m not violently looking forward to the prospect of getting married to anybody.” Although he was in general against marriage he also in a way made it clear that his enthusiasm would be higher to the idea if the girl would be from outside the Kashmiri Brahmin family.

Some of the most bizarre places around the world - In Pictures

Africa

White Desert in Egypt

Black desert in Egypt

Lake Retba, pink lake in Senegal.

The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia.

Some interesting facts about Indian architecture - Quora

A Rashtrakuta King named Krishna I wanted to build a temple which resembles the Mount Kailasha - the abode of Lord Shiva in the 8th century. At that time, the architectural style prevalent was rock cut caves and they were beginning to move towards rock cut monuments.

If you wonder, what is a rock cut monument, look at the famous statue of David. It is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by Italian sculptor, painter, architect, poet Michelangelo.

It is made out of a single marble block like the one given below.

And by Michelangelo working on it like this example.

Similarly, a rock cut monument is something made out of a single stone usually a big boulder - like the Ratha Temples in Mahabalipuram. But the King felt, if he is going to make a temple resembling Mount Kailasha - the abode of Lord Shiva, it can't be small but it had to be proportionately bigger than the ones currently existing in the world.

He needed a single rock big enough to fulfill his dream. So, his architects & sculptors made one by cutting three big trenches in the three sides of the hill. Now they have got a block of stone and they started chiseling it from its top. When they finished it, it became the largest monolithic human built structure of the world measuring 276 X 154 X 107 feet (length X width X height) and it is no wonder it is called the Kailasa Temple. It is in Ellora along with the other Buddhist & Jain monuments. Although technically sculpted out of single rock, Kaliasa Temple is free standing structure with two storyes and consists of a main shrine, sixteen pillared mandapa, a nandimandapa and a gopura, of which the last three are connected by rock bridges.

When I saw it, it was a mind blowing experience to see an entire temple built out of single stone and even a single error in the construction would have resulted in abandoning the whole and starting with a new one. An amazing achievement which I feel impossible to achieve even now.

Five things Americans should not do when visiting the United Kingdom

by James Ballantyne

In Britain we love it when our American friends visit. Avoid making the following mistakes, and all will go smoothly.

1. Make comparisons between the United Kingdom and the United States. Most British people will not care to hear your opinion on what is different, better or worse in the UK than in the US. For the most part, we already know. On average, Brits travel outside their country more than Americans do, so many of us have visited the US multiple times. Those that haven’t will have an idea from American films and TV. We also do not consider that the way things are done in the US is “normal” or a yardstick to compare other places to. In fact, it seems to us that the US is a global outlier when it comes to many things, good and bad. Think about this before uttering anything along the lines of the following phrases to (or within earshot of) your British hosts:

“these British homes are like cute little Hobbit houses”. Do you want to invite the reverse comparison that many American homes are gaudy oversized McMansions that are built like flimsy movie sets and as expensive to heat and cool as a five hundred year old castle?“English beer is weird. Flat and warm”. Perhaps the reason that Coors, Pabst Blue Ribbon or Bud Light are served ice cold and heavily carbonated is to mask their deeply insipid and unpleasant flavours. To successfully sell beer at 50°F without extra carbonation requires it to taste good. And in the temperate climes of the UK, we do not need our drinks to be ice cold.“English power outlets are so different”. Indeed they are. Top marks for your detective skills. Personally I think the British plug is an over-engineered dead-weight which is just waiting for you to step on it without shoes and impale your feet. But remember that the US is a global outlier with its inefficient 110v mains voltage and flimsy plugs that cause sparks to fly alarmingly every time you connect or disconnect them. Neither is very satisfactory - Brazilian plugs are the best. /geek over.

All Brits live in places like this. Or this.

2. Describe things as “quaint”. We Brits often hear visitors from the United States make observations like “villages in the Cotswolds are so quaint” or “London pubs are so quaint”. While we know that this is done with the best of intentions, it may nevertheless irritate your British hosts and make you seem a little ignorant. Why? Well let’s take a look at the definition of the word quaint from the Oxford dictionary - “Attractively unusual or old-fashioned.” Sounds like a pretty legit compliment, right? Errr.. not really. Let’s take the two parts of that definition in turn:

“Attractively unusual”. Describing something as unusual in a place where it is the norm is not very smart. Telling a British person that pubs or historic villages are unusual is like telling an American that cars or malls are unusual. The fact that “quaint” implies not just unusual but attractivelyunusual does not make up for this.“Old-fashioned”. This part is even worse. To a British ear, describing something as old-fashioned is like saying it is outdated, with the implication that it is backward. Imagine a visitor from Europe to a part of the US with a high rate of gun ownership remarking that it is so “quaint” and “old-fashioned” that people still own guns there. Imagine the reaction.

3. Equate England, Britain and the United Kingdom.

This can be forgiven as the reality is far from straightforward. But, nevertheless, as a visitor you should make the effort to realise that these are three entirely different things. Best to say that you are visiting the UK, since this is the sovereign country. Do not, under any circumstances, refer to Welsh, Scottish or Northern Irish people as “English”.

All clear now? If not, click here.

4. Pronounce place names incorrectly. Yes, it is true that many British place names are pronounced in a way that bears little relation to their spelling or the way their namesakes in the US are pronounced. Yes, this might seem strange or illogical (it’s what comes from spoken and written languages evolving somewhat separately). But please pay attention - it will improve your visit if you get the hang of it.

In the UK, Birmingham is not pronounced “bur-ming-HAM” but rather “BER-ming-um” (and, in general, “ham” in place names is almost always pronounced “um”). Leicester is not pronounced “lay-CES-tur” but rather “LES-ter”. Oxford is not pronounced “ox-FORD” but rather “OX-fud”. Glasgow is not pronounced “glaaz-GOW” but rather “GLAZ-goh” or “GLAZ-geh”. The list goes on.

This is not just a question of different accents. Pronouncing place names differently from the residents of those places could render you unintelligible, make people conclude that you are dumb or, worse, make you a target of the darker side of British humour.

How? Well, let’s imagine the following scenario: You are in Leicestershire, England and ask someone for directions to Loughborough where you are meeting a friend arriving by train. You say “Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me how to get to the railroad station in Lao-bo-ROH?”. The initial reaction is likely to be one of a blank look of incomprehension. People in that area will likely need a minute or two to realise that you are talking about “LUFF-bruh”. The fact that you referred to a British railway as a “railroad” could serve to further amuse or confuse. Once any confusion is cleared up, most Brits will help you with accurate directions. But some will conclude that you are ignorant and likely gullible (an all too common, if generally unfair, perception of American tourists in the UK, and one that you will probably not wish to encourage) and either be condescending or, worse, misdirect you for their own amusement.

5. Attempt to imitate an accent from any part of the UK. I know I just told you to try to pronounce place names the same way as locals. You should. And if you ever refer to the 1970s British comedy collective “Monty Python” be sure to pronounce it as they would (“PIE-thun” not “pie-THON”). But exercise extreme caution if you are tempted to try to imitate any UK accent in its entirety. If you succeed, go directly to Hollywood, because you will have pulled off a feat that celebrity actors routinely fail to do. But beware - if you attempt this, it is much more likely that people will laugh at you rather than with you.

A Perfect Reply To Nawaz Sharif On His UNGA Speech

A Perfect Reply To Nawaz Sharif On His UNGA Speech: Hum Kya Yahan Pagal Baithe Hai?

With that green tie, black suit, golden specs, shiny forehead and irrational mind, Nawaz Sharif rocked, surprised and mocked the UNGA with his speech. A speech so well formed that he should be the 2nd person to be given a Nobel Peace Prize for delivering a speech (1st being Obama).

Following are a few paras of the crap said by Wazir-e-Alam of Pakistan, and my befitting reply to him:

“Turmoil is intensifying in the Middle East. International efforts to defeat Daesh are therefore urgent. For this, it is essential to reconcile the divergent objectives and priorities of regional and external powers.”

Before talking about ISIS why don’t you have a look inside your own hut. You talk about defeating ISIS, but what about Taliban, Jammat e Islam, Lashkar, Zarb-e-Azb, Al-Qaeda, etc, which are still actively being nurtured within the territory of the Islamic State of Pakistan.

“After decades of strong growth, the world economy has reached a plateau. Despite this adverse international economic environment, my government has, in three short years, moved the country towards robust growth.”

Growth? Dafuq? You have a total debt of 72978 million USD at present. You represent 0.44% of the world economy. Your average growth rate went from some 5% to some 4%. What a robust growth. Clearly, vocabulary is not one of your fortes.

“Pakistan wants peace with India. I have gone the extra mile to achieve this, repeatedly offering a dialogue to address all outstanding issues.

But India has posed unacceptable preconditions to engage in a dialogue. Let us be clear: talks are no favor to Pakistan. Talks are in the interest of both countries. They are essential to resolve our differences, especially the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and to avert the danger of any escalation.”

If your extra mile means committing ceasefire then let it be. India being a preacher of democracy has posed such dictatorial preconditions to Pakistan. Pre conditions such as “No involvement of Separatists in talks” and “Pakistan should not engage in talks with separatists (who are potential terrorists)”

And what kind of resolution Pakistan wants is beyond my understanding. I know it’s hard but I have to hand it down to you: Kashmir has never been Pakistan’s.

Did it hurt? It should.

“Burhan Wani, the young leader murdered by Indian forces, has emerged as the symbol of the latest Kashmiri Intifada, a popular and peaceful freedom movement, led by Kashmiris, young and old, men and women, armed only with an undying faith in the legitimacy of their cause, and a hunger for freedom in their hearts.”

If by peaceful you mean shooting army personals, then you seriously need to get your degrees rectified once. Burwan Wani was a militant, a separatist, a terrorist indeed. Gulp this fact and live your life freely in Pakistan. (Sorry, freely and Pakistan are antonyms)

“Pakistan fully supports the demand of the Kashmiri people for self-determination, as promised to them by several Security Council resolutions. Their struggle is a legitimate one for liberation from alien occupation.”

Pakistan first needs to fully or even partially support the demands of its own people. Thousands of human rights violations happen in Lahore and Islamabad but all Pakistan is able to see is Kashmir, which is in India. What ya smokin’ mate?

“Today, from this rostrum, I would also like to reiterate our offer to India to enter into a serious and sustained dialogue for the peaceful resolution of all outstanding disputes, especially Jammu and Kashmir.”

What a subtle way to say that you weren’t serious earlier. Well done Nawaz, very Shareef.

“Judged on the basis of objective criteria, and without discrimination, Pakistan is fully eligible for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group.”

Aur hum toh yha Ch*tiya Baithe hai na

“Pakistan has a vital stake in ending conflicts, fostering peace, fighting terrorism, strengthening democracy, promoting human rights, generating global growth and overcoming the challenges of environmental degradation.”

So many typos in his speech. It should be: Pakistan has a vital stake in NOT ending conflicts, NOT fostering peace, NOT fighting terrorism, NOT strengthening democracy, NOT promoting human right, NOT generating global growth and NOT overcoming challenges of environmental degradation.

“Thank You, Mr. President”

No. Thank you for shutting the hell up.

In conclusion I would like to say that ignorance is the best way to avoid an altercation but when it comes to International disputes, it is not. Pakistan could either accept its fate or wait for some one else to make them realize the truth.

That’s all I got from Nawaz Sharif’s UNGA speech.

Speech taken from: Hindustan Times.

Image Source: DNA India

*This was originally published on EconomyDecoded*

A road in France, disappears twice a day!

A road in France, disappears twice a day!

Yes, you read it right!

Passage Du Gois is a road that connects theGulf of Burnёf with the island of Noirmoutier in France.

Due to the rising tide, you can only drive along it for a few hours before it gets flooded.

The rest of the time it’s hidden 13 ft beneath the waves. In 1701, the natural passage connecting the mainland to the island of Noirmoutier was first indicated on a map.

Around 1840, a regular service began to be provided by car or on horseback. Today, the road is around 2.58 miles long.The seemingly ordinary road is in fact extremely dangerous. On both sides of the road there are special panels, which will tell you if the road is passable or not. And yet every year many adventurous travelers get trapped in the rapidly rising waters as the tide comes in.

For those caught between the tides, elevated rescue towers are located all along the Passage Du Gois. A person can climb these towers and wait until they are rescued or until the tide goes down again.

Worth the bucket list!

Source : Bright Side

Fun fact - Curious case of those missing days in September 1752

If you google “Calendar of September 1752”, this is what pops up…

Anything weird?

Yep! Too weird to go unnoticed!

There are 11 days missing from the month!And no it’s not a joke, 11 days are actually missing from the month of September, 1752.

Here’s the explanation:

September 1752 was the month during which the English shifted from the Roman Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.

Now, a Julian year was 11 days longer than the Gregorian one. So, the King of England ordered11 days to be wiped off the face of that particular month.

Consequently, the workers worked for 11 days less that month but got the payment for the full month. That’s how the concept of “paid leave” was born. Aha! All hail the King!!!

The fun doesn’t end here, in the Roman Julian calendar April used to be the first month of the year, but the Gregorian one observed January as the first month. Even after the shifting to the Gregorian version, many people refused to give up old traditions and continued celebrating 1st April as the New Year’s Day. When simple orders didn’t work, the king finally issued a royal dictum; which stated:

Those who celebrated 111st April as New Year’s day would be labelled as fools.

From then on, 1st April became April Fool’s day.

History is really awesome!

Source:

The-curious-case-of-eleven-11-missing April Fools' Day: Origin and History Calendars, a story of mistakes

Hope this was fun.

Some beautiful places in India [Pictures]

PRASHAR LAKE, HIMACHAL

2. ALLEPPEY, KERELA

3. JAL MAHAL, JAIPUR

4. SIKKIM

5. HYDERABAD

6. KUMBHALGARH FORT

7. RANN OF KUTCH

8. AJANTA CAVES

9. MAHABALESHWAR

10.GANDIKOTA CANYON

11. TEA FIELDS,DARJEELING

12.Kram Liat Prah Cave, Meghalaya

13.Yumthang Valley, Sikkim

14. Key Gompa, Himachal Pradesh

15. DEODAR FORESTS, HIMACHAL.

16.Matheran, near Mumbai

17.Belum caves

18. RAMESHWARAM

19. SAND DUNES, JAISALMER

20. Nohkalikhali Falls, Cherrapunji

21. Key Gompa, Himachal Pradesh

22. SHOLA FOREST NILGIRI

23. KARNATAKA

24. LAKSHADWEEP

25. DALHOUSIE

Inception Village - Bourton-on-the-water in Gloucestershire, England

Inception Village - Bourton-on-the-water in Gloucestershire, England

The village inside a village inside a village inside a village inside a village. It is so beautiful that in 1937, local craftsmen decided to build a 1:9 scale replica of the village inside the village, which looks like this: