When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked Rakesh Sharma (India's first astronaut) how their country looked from space, he famously replied, "Saare jahan se achcha."It was 53 years ago, on November 21 1963, that a small rocket took off from Thumba on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram, announcing the birth of the modern space age in India. The sleepy palm-fringed village soon came to be known as Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launch Station (TERLS) and later became Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC).
This is the story of the first-ever rocket launch by Indian space scientists, the first milestone in modern India's space odyssey.
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Till 1963, the obscure village of Thumba would not have merited a second look. A quintessential Kerala fishing hamlet with thatched huts, coconut groves and peaceful sea, it was an unlikely setting for a rocket launch station. However, it did have something that caught the interest of Dr Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India's space programme. A small church dedicated to St Mary Magdalene that was located on the Earth's magnetic equator. The magnetic equator is an imaginary line around the planet that connects all the points where a magnetic needle, when freely suspended, is horizontal. It is scientifically important because the magnetic equator is all where the Equatorial Electrojet exists - a stream of electrons whizzing across the sky, about 110-120 km above the Earth’s surface. Sounding rockets, or the first rockets sent out by any space programme, test and study these electrons for research in the fields of physics, astronomy, and meteorology. These rockets are the baby steps taken before the establishment of a full-fledged space programme and Dr Sarabhai felt that Thumba was the best place to launch them. In fact, Thumba's location at 8°32'34" N and 76°51'32" E is ideal for low-altitude, upper atmosphere and ionosphere studies. So, one fine day, Dr Sarabhai and his fellow scientists (including Dr APJ Abdul Kalam) went to Thumba to talk to the then-bishop of Trivandrum who lived in the house adjacent to the church. They were interested in acquiring the church and the nearby land for their first rocket launch. Instead of giving them a definite answer, Reverend Peter Bernard Pereira asked them to attend the Sunday mass that week, where he would put the question to the parishioners. [caption id="attachment_74323" align="aligncenter" width="650"]
The Mary Magdalene Church in Thumba[/caption]
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At the mass, the bishop explained the scientific mission and asked the permission of his congregation to hand over the church to the scientists. In his book Ignited Minds: Unleashing The Power Within India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam has described this particular incident beautifully. Thanks to the Reverend's efforts, permission was granted, the paperwork was done and the villagers relocated to a new village with a brand new church in 100 days flat. The bishop’s home was quickly converted into an office, the church became the workshop, and cattle sheds served as storage houses and laboratories. Undeterred by the little funding and few facilities, a handful of enthusiastic young Indian scientists began assembling their first rocket. [caption id="attachment_74319" align="aligncenter" width="555"]
Rockets being brought on bicycles to Thumba[/caption]
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Carefully selected by Dr Sarabhai, the then-chairman of the national committee on space research, these young scientists and engineers had been trained in sounding rocket assembly and launching at NASA's Wallops Island launching facility in Virginia, United States. The early recruits included former President APJ Abdul Kalam, veteran scientist R Aravamudan. In the initial stages, Thumba had no canteen or facilities of any sort, so the scientists would cycle every day to the railway station at Trivandrum for their breakfast and dinner (they would get their lunch packed). In those days, the only jeep was always busy, so the scientists had to either walk or use a cycle to move within the range. While weekdays would be very busy, the scientist would have nothing much to do during holidays or weekends. So, they would either go to the beaches at Kovalam or Shankumukham or catch an old Hollywood movie at Srikumar theatre.Also Read: Here’s What These Really Cool ISRO Scientists Have to Say about Work, Motivation… And Space!
Back then, even rocket parts and payloads were transported by bullock carts and bicycle to the launch pad. It was in these unassuming settings that India staged its first launch—that of a Nike-Apache rocket supplied by NASA. This is how it happened. [caption id="attachment_74321" align="aligncenter" width="647"]
The Nike-Apache rocket parts being brought to the Thumba launch pad[/caption]
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After six months of labour, on 21 November 1963, India was ready for its very first rocket launch. Many eminent names in science and technology had gathered for the occasion, including Dr Homi Bhabha (the father of Indian nuclear programme) and Dr P R Pirashoty (the founder-director of Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology). The Governor of Kerala was also there along with the district collector and the bishop.
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When the rocket was rolled out on to the launch pad, the sultry air was thick with tension. And almost immediately the things started going awry. As the rocket was being hoisted onto the launcher, the hydraulic crane developed a leak. Somehow, it was manually shifted into position. Next, remote system of the launcher malfunctioned. Once this was fixed, things finally seemed in order. As the alarm sounded to clear the area around the launch pad, the team of scientist held their breath. [caption id="attachment_74318" align="aligncenter" width="537"]
The Nike-Apache rocket being readied for launch[/caption]
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At 6.25 pm, the world was watching as the rocket streaked away into the gathering dusk. Minutes later, a sodium vapour cloud had emerged in the sky high above, tinted orange by the setting sun. India had successfully put its first signature on space. [caption id="attachment_74324" align="aligncenter" width="334"]
India's first successful rocket launch at Thumba[/caption]
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An elated Dr. Sarabhai sent a telegram home saying: "Gee whiz wonderful rocket show." Dr Kalam later remembered how the very next day, Dr Sarabhai had congratulated the happy team and spoken to them about his dream of an Indian satellite launch vehicle. And over the years, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has not only fulfilled the visionary leader's dream, but has also made India’s space programme the envy of the world with its ‘success on a shoestring’. [caption id="attachment_74332" align="aligncenter" width="664"]
Students watching a ROHINI Sounding Rocket Launch at the Thumba Rocket Station[/caption]
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Fifty three years later, Thumba is the hub of all space programmes helmed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre at Thumba has given India launch vehicles, geo-stationary satellites (used for telecommunications, television transmission and weather forecasting) and some of the finest remote sensing satellites. As for the little church that helped India reach for the stars, it now houses a space museum replete with a fascinating array of rockets, satellites and other astronomical equipment. Here's a timeline of ISRO's genesis in the 1960s to today.8 Reasons Why India’s Mars Orbiter Mission Mangalyaan Is The Most Amazing Space Mission In The World
India is doing away with old currency notes of 1000 and 500 rupees.[/caption]
People waiting outside an ATM in Leh[/caption]
Go cashless[/caption]
The Lonar Lake[/caption]
Lonar Lake[/caption]
Ramgarh Crater[/caption]
Dhala Crater[/caption]
A 3D reconstruction of the submerged Shiva crater[/caption]
Put forward by Sankar Chatterjee, a professor at Texas Tech University, the Shiva crater hypothesis seeks to explain how dinosaurs were wiped off the planet’s face. The teardrop-shaped structure of the Shiva crater is believed to consists of the Bombay High and Surat Depression.
According to the theory, a huge asteroid, nearly 40 km in diameter, crashed into the planet off the western coast of India (near Bombay High), creating a vast 500 km wide crater. Temperatures in the area rose rapidly, reaching several thousand degrees Celsius and releasing more energy than the world's entire nuclear arsenal. Soon enough, this energy started devastating the atmosphere, rupturing the thin shell of air, water, soil and surface rock (including that of the Deccan Trap) that nurtures and sustains life. The result was destruction and mass extinction of the dinosaurs.
According to the scientist team behind the theory, the findings that favour this hypotheses are: the vast reserves of fossil fuels, both crude oil and natural gas; rich reserves of iridium and shocked quartz ( extremely rare in the Earth's crust but more common in meteroids) and the lava flood that formed the Deccan Trap. However, the jury is still out on this theory (the search for more definitive evidence is still going on) and the Shiva crater is yet to be recorded on the Earth Impact database. If proven correct, this would be largest crater on earth.
Shaolin Temple, China[/caption]
Monks learning at the Shaolin Temple[/caption]
Harsh Verma[/caption]
Monks of the Shaolin Temple[/caption]
Diya Chalwad with John Abraham[/caption]
India's first Shaolin master, Shifu Kanishka Sharma[/caption]
Dr. Rastogi has been the editor of the Sanskrit-Bhavitavyam, the mouth-piece of the Sabha, since 2005. She says, “Much of the work is now managed by Dr. Veena Ganu, Dr. Sharda Gagde, and Dr. Renuka Karandikar.” (All of them are Sanskrit scholars.)
Dr. Warnekar was in fact the first editor of the magazine, followed by Dr. Keshav Ramachandra Joshi and subsequently Dr. N. R. Varhadpande, all eminent Sanskrit scholars in their own rights. Accordingly, Dr. Rastogi is the fourth editor of the magazine. Born in Vadodara, she acquired her first degree from Wilson College, Mumbai, and went on to receive her doctorate from the University of Jabalpur. After teaching at a college in Umred, she recently settled in Nagpur.
Wholly and solely dedicated to Sanskrit even at the age of 77, Dr. Rastogi is also a renowned Ghazal Lekhika (Ghazal Writer).
One of her stories Katha Ek Kilakasya (Story of a Pin) has been included as part of the curriculum for the First Year undergraduate students of Amravati University. Her poem Namami Rashtradhwajam (Bowing before the National Flag) is a compulsory read for students of Standard X (Maharashtra Board); another story Kim Esha Me Putra? (Is he my son?) is part of the prose for the final year undergraduates of Nagpur University.
Currently, she is working on the life history of Shridhar Bhaskar Warnekar, a task given to her by the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. She has also been asked by the Sundar Sanskar Va Swadhyaya Mandal, Pune to collect information on the lesser known Upanishads of the country.
“Enough about me,” she says, and the topic drifts to the life of Dr. Warnekar. Dr. Warnekar was born on 31st July, 1918 in Nagpur, in a Marathi family with meagre means of income. Since buying books was a costly affair, he would learn all his lessons by heart. This led to an interest in vocal singing, which he later developed into classical Sangeet to assist his poetic works like Tirtha-Bharatam. His most respected work on the history of the Maratha ruler Shivaji Maharaj (Shrishivarajodayam) won him the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1974. He was also conferred with the title of Pradnya Bharati by Jagadguru Shri Shankaracharya.
Dr. Rastogi says that due to her affinity for Sanskrit, Dr. Warnekar considered her as his own daughter. She then goes on to name some of his exceptional poetic creations: Vivekanandvijayam (The Victory of Swami Vivekananda), Ramkrishnaparamhamsiyam (dealing with the life of Ramkrishna Paramhamsa), and Vatsalyarasayanam (on Vatsalya Rasa, one of the rasas of Indian classical poetry, dance and drama), to name a few.
Our conversation then turns towards the role of the Sanskrit Bhasha Pracharini Sabha in keeping the rich culture of Sanskrit alive. I am told that a number of Vargas (classes) are conducted here free-of-cost, such as those on grammar, the Upanishads, and the Gita. An exam for students of Standards VI to XII is also conducted by the Sabha to demonstrate the importance of Sanskrit grammar. “Around 6,000 students sat for the exam in 2015,” says Dr. Rastogi.
Dr. Chandragupta Warnekar, the eldest son of Dr. Shridhar Warnekar, runs a course on Sanganakiya Sanskrutam (studies dealing with coding a program in Sanskrit). Another noteworthy task taken up by the Sabha is Patheyam, a project to collaborate between science and Sanskrit. Scientists and Sanskrit scholars sit together to design experiments as documented in ancient texts. The group has so far conducted 23 experiments – and also presented the same – at a meet of the Indian Science Congress, where their effort was highly appreciated.
It is getting a bit dark outside and I have exhausted almost all of my questions now. I decide to leave, but only after having a look at the Sabha’s Vachnalaya (library) which has been meticulously maintained.
The weather is pleasant and the road bears a deserted look. On the board at the gate, one reads the name of the weekly once again – Sanskrit-Bhavitavyam, meaning, “We ought to be cultured!”
To find out more about the Sanskrit Bhasha Pracharini Sabha, visit their 
Why should a reader include Somadeva’s classic in his library?
Kathasaritsagara is an intersection of pan-Indian classical ideas meeting local and regional forms. It refrains from being preachy, though it is not completely devoid of a moral intent. Sanskrit verses are replete with wisdom and demand contemplation. For example, “Panko hi nabhasi kshiptaha, ksheptuhu murdhani patati” (“Dirt thrown at the sky, falls on the head of the thrower”).
This monumental work is a must-read for those hunting for stories that contain the flavour of Indian soil. It is our pride, our gift to the world of story-telling.
Get a copy of Sattar’s Tales from the Kathasaritsagara 
. You can also read C.H. Tawney’s 1924 translation of the Kathasaritsagara online, for free, 
A PAN Card sample[/caption]
What is a PAN Card?
The PAN, a 10-digit number, is provided by the Income Tax Department under the supervision of Central Board of Direct Taxes, and is issued as per the rules set by the Income Tax Act, 1961.
PAN Card Application
A new PAN card can be obtained by any individual, business or HUF if they have the relevant documents and do not already posses a PAN card.
The new government process has been simplified, with the introduction of an online application form. Now, it is just a matter of filling in the online form (Form 49A for Indian citizens and Form 49AA for foreign nationals).
Let us look at the steps involved in the procedure:
a. The NSDL, as mentioned earlier, has built an 
b. When you enter these details, you will be given a token number. If, for any reason, you are unable to complete the form in one go, you will need to enter this number to continue from where you left off. The number is also e-mailed to your registered e-mail ID.
c. Now you start with the application by selecting whether you will be submitting your documents physically or digitally, through a valid digital signature certificate (Aadhar Card is essential).
d. The form now takes just three minutes to complete. All you need to do is enter your parents’ names and dates of birth and select how you are earning your income (salaried, business, etc). You also need to enter your address and, finally, the documents you will be sending in (select from the lists available).
e. Once this is done, you will have to make a payment of Rs. 107, which will generate an ‘Acknowledgement Receipt’. You must attach the identity and address proofs that you have mentioned in the form with this receipt, and send them to the Income Tax Department. Two coloured photographs also need to be sent in. Mention ‘Application for PAN (Acknowledgement Number)’ on the envelope.
f. The process is only deemed complete when the proofs are sent to the Department at Income Tax PAN Services Unit, NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Ltd., 5th Floor, Mantri Sterling, Plot no. 341, Survey no. 997/8, Model Colony, Near Deep Bungalow Chowk, Pune. – 411016.
g. The income tax department will verify the details, check the documents, and if found relevant, will send the PAN card to the address mentioned in the application form within three weeks. In case it does not arrive within this time period, you can always 
Should I lodge a complaint?
If your PAN has been stolen, you should lodge a complaint as it could be used fraudulently. Once you receive your copy of this complaint, you should attach it with your application for a new PAN card along with the other documents.
PAN for Non-Individuals
NGOs, corporates, and partnerships must all apply for PAN cards too. The procedure for the application, and even the cost, is the same; however, organisations need to submit different documents. Whereas an individual would submit personal documents, companies must submit a copy of their Certificate of Incorporation and LLPs must submit a copy of the LLP Agreement.
The Great Bath, Mohenjo-daro (Source: 
Source: 
Framing the Indian Constitution[/caption]
The Union Government of the Republic of India has 22 regional languages and English as official languages, as recognised by Article 343/1 of the Indian Constitution. In the context of this video, we should understand “National Language” and “official language” as two intentionally separate legal categories. In less than three minutes, this video dives into the Constitution of India and our history to bring out the truth of what really is our national language. The animated video explores why we have so many official languages, and why there is no one national language.
To see more videos like this, check out Mypromovideos’s 
The Shakuntala Express[/caption]
Shakuntala Express[/caption]
Old lever from GIPR. Made by McKenzie & Holland, Worcester, England.[/caption]
Narrow gauge Shakuntala passenger train to Yavatmal at the curve near Murtazapur.[/caption]
Shakuntala Express at Achalpur station[/caption]
Foreigners trying golgappa (pani puri) in Chandni Chowk, Delhi[/caption]
Eating with your hands[/caption]
Chai has always been a big part of my life. Way back in the days when I was studying MBA at Harvard Business School, I was certain that if I were to become an entrepreneur, I’d venture into the consumer brands segment. But, what the brand offering would be wasn’t something I had narrowed on. I returned to India and began working with a technology company. The thought of setting up my own venture hadn’t left me. At my work place, I’d often observe how everyone was particular about their tea breaks. It was fascinating to watch groups of people leaving office premises to have chai at a shanty tea shop. It was a daily routine and I realised that most of the fancy large tech parks didn’t have tea joints. That’s how I decided to look into the world of chai. Consequently, I resigned as the country manager of the company I was with at that time, and Chai Point’s first pilot micro hub was set up in April 2010 in Bengaluru.
We were ambitious, still are! Our vision for Chai Point, right from the start was to be an omni channel company, reaching out to customers across mediums, online, offline or mobile. The 100 outlets mark is no indication of our maturity, we have millions of more people to cater too.
Chai Point is targeted towards working professionals who are comfortable with technology and love the age-old experience of a cup of chai. Given that every working professional in India relies on nondescript roadside stalls with questionable water supply and quality of ingredients for their daily fix of tea, with Chai Point we decided to modernise the tea drinking experience. We had to ensure that the outlet design was modern, pricing was real and the quality superior, all this driven by technology. For instance, all our stores are PayTM enabled for the convenience of our customers. Our corporate dispensers are IoT enabled, which allows us to preempt a problem and resolve it in time. Our tagline reads, “India Runs On Chai”, and we want to be accessible to anyone who wants to drink chai.
We believe in being responsible towards how we contribute to waste management and the relative environment in which we operate. Customers tend to reward brands that are sensitive towards the environment. Chai Point’s delivery fleet consists of over 60 all-electric scooters, as part of an initiative to save fuel and contribute positively to keeping air pollution levels low.
That apart, we are working on a bio-degradable material for cups. One of the low-cost measures that has had a high impact, is installing a tap insert on every water tap across Chai Point outlets. This has reduced the consumption of water by 40%. We have an internal tracking mechanism that helps us keep a tab on how sensitive we have grown with each quarter of the financial year.