Rava idli & WWII, Einstein in Kerala, the Visa God | #77
Also, the Indian Actor in Squid Game
Hello
Here’s an interesting question - What’s common to Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Punjab, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Chandigarh, Pondicherry, Lakshadweep, and Andaman and Nicobar?
Here’s the answer - They were all founded on November 1st (which also happens to be Aishwarya Rai’s birthday). Before India became the union of 28 states and 9 Union Territories as we know today, it was a rather disjointed group of 565 princely states and 17 provinces. Through the years, the map of India has been reorganized a fair number of times, always in a state of change. In this week's special issue, we share a little somethin’-somethin’ about these Indian States.
Things we learnt this week 🤓
Tamil Nadu, 1956 - While India was largely unscathed by the first World War, Chennai remains the only Indian city to have been on the receiving end of an assault by SMS Emden, the German ship that rendered an enduring blow to the Madras (as it was known then) shore. The warship has even made it to Tamil parlance. A person ready to face any challenge is referred to as “an emden” in Chennai.
PC: The Better India Andhra Pradesh, 1956 - If you’re having trouble getting a Visa you might want to swing by Osman Sagar lake in Rangareddy District of what is now Telengana. The Chilkur Balaji Temple, popularly known as "Visa Balaji Temple'', is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Balaji that attracts thousands of Visa aspirants who vow to circle the temple 108 time in return for their wish being granted. Does it work for IRCTC ticket also? Asking for a friend.
accepts Visa payments for visa Kerala, 1956 - Kerala is known for its high literacy rates in the state. Back in 1937 when Travancore University (now called Kerala University) was established, Sir CP Ramaswamy Iyer, allegedly invited Albert Einstein, to be its first Vice-Chancellor. He declined it in favour of Princeton University in the US. The historian Prof A Sreedhara Menon, in his book Triumph and Tragedy in Travancore: Annals of Sir CPs Sixteen Years has even mentioned Einstein being offered the role with a monthly salary of Rs 6,000. It’s all relative after all.
Madhya Pradesh, 1956 - The state known as the Heart of India influenced the classic work of Rudyard Kipling - The Jungle Book. He drew inspiration from the surroundings of the Pench Tiger Reserve to create the iconic jungle. The Seeonee Forest where Mowgli grew up among wolves, is based on the Seoni region of Madhya Pradesh. The state also organised a Mowgli Festival for school children every year in an effort to spread awareness about wildlife and nature conservation.
Chhattisgarh, 2000- Among the many tourist attractions in Chhattisgarh is a place known as Jaljali in Mainpat in the Surguja District where one can replicate an earthquake just by jumping on the land. The science behind the shaky area is soil liquefaction but people prefer to just called it the ‘bouncing land’.
Karnataka, 1973 - We started with a story about World War I so here’s one about its blockbuster sequel and how it lead to the invention of the rava idly. During WWII there was a shortage of rice supply in India which directly affected the production of idlis. Necessity then birthed the innovation that led to the popular restaurant chain Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR) of Bangalore using Semolina instead of rice and the rest is well, a great breakfast item.
IWTK Recommendations 💌
If you think your college prof lectured for too long, here’s a true story for some perspective
Everyone is talking about Squid Game and rightly so. Here’s the interesting story of the Indian actor who appears on the show.
Only in India 🇮🇳
From speeding up, to changing lanes to abandoning vehicles, we’ve seen people do desperate things to escape the police. But the story of Sachin Rawal is miles ahead of a typical run-in with the police. The man was either extremely brave or superbly stupid to abduct an on-duty police officer, in an attempt to get away with an allegedly stolen car. GTA IRL it would seem.
Quiz Alert 🔎
Take part in our Halloween edition of the Kyun & A Quiz hosted by India Wants to Know this Saturday.
The top 6 from the Preliminary round will be fighting it out in the Finals on Sunday exclusively on Clubhouse hosted by Kumar Varun! The best part is that the tickets for Prelims are absolutely FREE and everybody is welcome! #squadghouls
No Tricks but we definitely have Treats for the winners -The Top 3 get a cash prize of 7000, 3000 and 1000.
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