Calendar: Treasure (August 2, 2015) Annual: Fill & Download for Free

Fair warning this answer will be fairly longish and a bit meandering. My goal is to provide useful nuggets of information for not just potential interns but also for longer term stays as well as for the plain old curious. A peek as well into the unique NIH culture. Coinciding with its gravy train days, I was at NIH from 1997 to 2009. The longest stretch of my life in one place, I'll start with what I missed most intensely once I left, the library services and the seminars, the latter happily not a permanent loss as I'll explain.The NIH has incomparable biomedical research library services and here's whyThe uninitiated and came-of-age in the internet era may instinctively turn to Google Scholar as their first and last stop for biomedical literature. Poor they, say I. Those lucky enough to have institutional access to Scopus or Web of Science might use it as their go to guide but neither can match PubMed access at NIH. Wait, what? PubMed, that old, clunky, so 20th century has-been of a database? Yes, and here's why. Unlike Google Scholar, PubMed lists only vetted peer-reviewed journals, and unlike Scopus, where access to a full-length article depends on the degree of institutional access, PubMed access at NIH guarantees access to every full length article that can be pulled up by a PubMed search. Here's how.The links below give more information about NLM's Loansome Doc service, who has access to it and how, etc.Loansome Doc Ordering SystemLoansome Doc® Fact SheetThe NIH offers incomparable access to scientific seminarsOn any given (work) day, a veritable who's who in biomedical research and beyond is likely at the NIH campus giving a seminar. The weekly Calendar of Events (the Yellow Sheet) lists all the notable ones. Was called the Yellow Sheet because in the pre-internet era, it would show up in one's physical mail box as a bright yellow sheet with all the seminars for that week listed in black. I recall getting it in my mail box until well into 2005 or thereabouts. Of course, now it's online:Calendar of Events (Yellow Sheet). Searchable by day, week, month but that's not all.There's also the fabulous NIH videocast, NIH VideoCasting and Podcasting. The list of talks with the videocast icon are available for live as well as recorded streaming (see figures below). Very few of these talks are restricted to NIH alone, meaning they're available free of cost to anyone with internet access anywhere in the world. Veritably a priceless scientific resource. Go ahead and check it out. Have a favorite or famous scientist in your field? If they ever visited NIH and gave a seminar that was available on videocast (i.e., in the past 20 years or so), likely you'll find that seminar in the videocast archive, Past Events (as of Nov 21, 2015, listing 8, 080 events). Many are the days I watched a live seminar at my computer in the midst of an assay at the bench. Unfortunately, these days livestreaming for on-campus employees is deemed a luxury because of its cost. With the Great Recession, the NIH gravy train came to a hard and abrupt stop indeed.NIH Interest GroupsSeminars bring us logically to another NIH treasure, the various NIH Interest Groups (IGs), Scientific Interest Groups.Join NIH, get an NIH email account, join the IG(s) of your choice and you'll be signed up to those IGs' emails and listserves.The largest and most important ones like IIG (Immunology Interest Group) sponsor weekly seminars (Wednesdays 4:15PM in Building 10's Lipsett auditorium) where visiting scientists present their latest data or an overview of their field.The IIG also sponsors an annual 3-day retreat, where NIH immunologists present posters and seminars of their work to each other.Interest group listserves are a useful place to post questions about urgent reagent/mouse needs, and find and interact with potential collaborators and/or those with similar research interests.Parking at the NIH, post-9/11 a perennial nightmareTraffic into and out of the NIH is a nightmare. Difficult to conceive but true? Pre-9/11, the campus was open (no silly and useless wall that cost millions of dollars to build), i.e., could just walk onto the campus, and entrance by vehicle into and out of campus required nothing but the NIH ID card. Flash it at the electronic monitor at any of the many entrances, barriers would swing up, just drive in. Heaven, but those days are now tragically long gone. Now, wait endlessly at the three or four manned security gates.As the NIH budget increased year on year from the Clinton era thru' 2005-2006, where else would the excess money go but into constructing more and more multi-million dollar buildings? Result? Parking's at a premium even with all the new multi-level car parks.Speaking of NIH parking lots reminds me of how hierarchy is alive and kicking, yes very much so, even in so-called egalitarian US.From the parking office in Building 31, everyone who works at NIH can get a parking permit to hang off of the rearview mirror.The parking permits are in different colors, Red, Black, Orange or Green.Red are for important staff, i.e., PIs (Principal Investigators) and above.Black are for NIH staff, Orange for NIH contractors, and Green for CP (Car Pool).NIH Parking spots are not just designated for handicapped but there are also Red and CP spots.Only those with Red parking stickers can park in Red parking spots.CP spots are the source of many mirthful memories for me. There were a lot more CP parking spots than people with CP parking permits. Everyday this would lead to a most comical situation. CP spots unoccupied after 9:30AM were fair game for everyone else. So for example, the employee parking lot in front of Building 4 where I worked would fill up around 9AM with general parking permit staffers (Black/Orange) who'd park in CP spots and just sit in their cars until 9:30 AM. Why? As long as the cars were occupied, no parking ticket could be issued to them. Every so often, campus police would drive in and hound them out, and they'd just drive around campus and come back in by 9:30 to park in the now-open CP spots. Ah, the bureaucratic quirks of a US federal government agency.Visitors need to park in designated Visitor parking lots.The one place sure to have available spots anytime of the day? The open-plan one at the South end, Lot 41 (see figure below).More parking info here: Parking InformationTaking the metro? Get metro passes or a Metro SmarTrip card at the parking counter in Building 31. Yes, NIH subsidizes metro travel for its employees. Get your metro pass quota for the month and you don't have to pay for metro travel in the DC metro system. In 2009, this amounted to ~$130 of metro travel per month. Apply, Recertify, Modify or Terminate your NIH Transhare MembershipCan't get both the Metro pass and parking permit. Only one or the other.The NIH Tunnel, a surrealistic subterranean workplaceMention of lot 41 of course brings me to one of most intriguing and helpful quirks of the NIH Bethesda campus, 'The Tunnel' (see figure below). Starting in Building 14 in front of lot 41, it stretches ~1 mile, all underground, all the way north to Building 10 (the Clinical Center), feeding a vast network of building maintenance offices for all the buildings above. Why I found it so interesting? Such a vast subterranean workplace for the hundreds of building engineers and technicians maintaining these buildings, all built in the Cold War heyday of nuclear holocaust fears and distinctly imprinted as such.I often parked in Lot 41 for two reasons, one, the long subterranean walk was damn good exercise, an ~ 1mile-long uninterrupted tunnel available come rain, sleet, snow or shine, and two, all my experimental mice were housed in Building 14 so I could go in, pick up the mice I needed for my experiment that day, walk to my lab with my boxed mice, and immediately get started with my experiment for the day.Building 13, the regrettably lost, unforgivably unlamented way of doing artisanal craftsperson-like scienceBack when there was still an artisanal craftsperson-like touch to science, Building 13 supplied NIH the workforce necessary for such efforts. Custom-made lab equipment, maintenance, what have you, there was a dedicated cadre of talented NIH personnel who could jerry-rig what one sought. Sadly, in the 21st century as folks retired and budgets shrank, NIH also lost this distinct artisanal craftsperson approach to biomedical scientific research, and now Building 13's workforce is mostly gutted, a sad shadow of its former glory.Brief MiscellanyKeep in mind that in post-9/11 NIH, even the NIH ID gives after-hours access only to those building(s) a person is authorized to enter. Since Buildings 10, the Clinical Center, and 31, which houses the NIH Federal Credit Union and the R&W (Research & Welfare) office, are so central to NIH life, all NIH personnel have access to them.The R&W gives discounted/subsidized tickets to all kinds of DC area sports and entertainment events. Also both 10 and 31 have gift shops.National Institutes of Health, the annual NIH Research Festival used to be held in the Natcher building across from NLM, now held in Building 10, the Clinical Center. An opportunity for NIH graduate students and post-docs to present their work to peers and experts.During the Festival, biomedical research vendors from all over set up stalls in the Building 10 parking lot. Great time to get an overview on the latest and greatest in commercial research supplies and technologies, and of course, all kinds of freebies.There's also a Summer Poster Presentation where summer students get to present their work.Office of Intramural Training & Education at the National Institutes of Health, the OITE (Office of Intramural Training and Research) in Building 2 is the place to get this kind of info.I often joke that if I ever became homeless, I'd make my way into Building 10, the Clinical Center, arguably the largest brick building in the world. So many nooks and crannies, a person could live there for decades with no one the wiser.Food at the NIHIronically for the world's premier biomedical research institute, food at the NIH is for the most part overpriced crap.Cafeterias (see figure above) are in Building 10 (the Clinical Center, 2 of them), 31, 1 and 12, plus a Starbucks (closes at 4PM) in the vast Building 10 lobby.The best food? In Building 1 where else. After all, that's where many, if not all, Institute Directors plus the NIH Director work. Again, class and hierarchy are very much alive and kicking in the US, at least going by the NIH.The Building 10 basement 1 cafeteria's salad bar is better than the one in 31 but both are flagrantly overpriced!The Building 10 2nd floor cafeteria is the only one open until 8PM.The NIH storeEvery lab at the NIH gets a spending card to use at the NIH store to buy lab and office supplies.During its heyday, there were 2 such stores, one each in Buildings 35 and 10. The Building 35 one shut doors sometime in 2005-2006.The NIH store offersAll kinds of office supplies, especially the distinctive lab notebooks with the embossed NIH logo.All kinds of lab consumables (pipettes, flasks, culture plates, etc), and reagents (PCR kits, dyes, etc.).All these purchases come off of the budget of the lab/office the employee/contractor works in.All this, of course, in addition to ordering online through the procurement system and getting supplies delivered to the lab/office.Finding people at the NIH: Use NED(NIH Enterprise Directory; see figure below), NIH Enterprise Directory (NED)The NIH budgetPIs at the NIH famously get to play permanently (sort of) in the sand box. No grants to write, plus an annual lab budget that typically runs into a few million dollars per lab (most of it gets spent on procuring, breeding and housing research mice).One of the funniest quirks about the NIH is control not through money but through space.The US government FY (Financial Year) runs from October to October.Come September, there'd be about a 3 to 4 week period when nothing could be ordered while the administrators worked on the budget reconciliation.So around July-August, labs would start ordering and stockpiling the supplies they needed to get thorough until October.The budget was also on a use-it-or-lose-it basis, i.e., unspent money at year-end meant less money the next year.This meant that around July-August, labs would estimate how much money was still left in the lab budget.Too much? Go on a spending spree but fast, ordering big ticket items like Taqman machines, DNA sequencers and the like!Yes, Christmas at NIH is in August.So there you have it, an extremely brief summary of what NIH is like from the inside.For someone headed to the NLM, meeting/listening to Eugene Koonin should definitely be on their to-do list. And if you meet Sameer Antani, this ex-NIHer Quoran says hi.Thanks for the A2A, Kritika Gupta.

Yeah! Why not…Here’s a list of facts about India that may make you go: “Wow! Didn’t know that!”Indian history, mythology, culture, geography – are you an expert? Here are some lesser know facts about the country that may blow even the most knowledgeable minds away..floating post officeIndia has the largest postal network in the world with over 1, 55,015 post offices.A single post office on an average serves a population of 7,175 people. The floating post office in Dal Lake, Srinagar, was inaugurated in August 2011.Floating Post Office-Amazing Facts About India. Kumbh Mela gathering visible from spaceThe 2011 Kumbh Mela was the largest gathering of people with over 75 million pilgrims. The gathering was so huge that the crowd was visible from space.Kumb Mela-Amazing Facts About India. The wettest inhabited place in the worldMawsynram, a village on the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, receives the highest recorded average rainfall in the world. Cherrapunji, also a part of Meghalaya, holds the record for the most rainfall in the calendar year of 1861.Highest Rainfall-Amazing Facts About India. Bandra Worli Sealink has steel wires equal to the earth's circumferenceIt took a total of 2,57,00,000 man hours for completion and also weighs as much as 50,000 African elephants. A true engineering and architectural marvel.Bandra Sealink-Amazing Facts About India. The highest cricket ground in the worldAt an altitude of 2,444 meters, the Chail Cricket Ground in Chail, Himachal Pradesh, is the highest in the world. It was built in 1893 and is a part of the Chail Military School.Highest Cricket Ground-Amazing Facts About India. Shampooing is an Indian conceptShampoo was invented in India, not the commercial liquid ones but the method by use of herbs. The word 'shampoo' itself has been derived from the Sanskrit word champu, which means to massage.Shampooing is an Indian concept-Amazing Facts About India. The Indian national Kabaddi team has won all World CupsIndia has won all 5 men's Kabaddi World Cups held till now and have been undefeated throughout these tournaments. The Indian women's team has also won all Kabaddi World Cups held till date.. Kumbh Mela Gathering Visible from SpaceThe Kumbh Mela is a spiritual event held once in 12 years in Northern India. In 2011, this religious gathering was so huge that it was visible in space through a satellite. It attracted over 70 million people.Indian national Kabaddi team-Amazing Facts About India. Water on the moon was discovered by IndiaIn September 2009, India's ISRO Chandrayaan- 1 using its Moon Mineralogy Mapper detected water on the moon for the first time.Water on Mars-Amazing Facts About India. Science day in Switzerland is dedicated to Ex-Indian President, APJ Abdul KalamThe father of India's missile programme had visited Switzerland back in 2006. Upon his arrival, Switzerland declared May 26th as Science Day.A P J Abdul kalam-Amazing Facts About India. India's first President only took 50% of his salaryWhen Dr Rajendra Prasad was appointed the President of India, he only took 50% of his salary, claiming 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..Not Just A DrinkFarmers in India have found success with using Pepsi and Coca-Cola as a pesticide. Coca-Cola and Pepsi both vehemently deny the effectiveness of using their products as pesticides, stating that there is absolutely nothing in their products that should kill pests. Still, farmers in India disagree, and they claim that cola has been equally effective as traditional pesticides, while cutting costs by 80%. The farmers also claim that the sugar content keeps soils rich. One explanation as to why this may work (theoretical and thus far unproven) is that the cola attracts ants that kill and deter other pests..Powerhouse of ProductionIndia is a top producer of dried beans, bananas, tea and milk..The Silk Road LivesOver 70% of the world’s spices come from India. Top spice exports include ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, pepper, cardamom, chilli, celery, fennel, fenugreek, ajwain, dill seed, garlic, tamarind, clove, and nutmeg among others..A Place For PeopleDespite being 1/3 of the size of the United States, India boasts a population of 1,166,079,217 people, making it home to 17% of the world’s population..Say WhatIndia boasts having more mobile phones than toilets. Over 53% of homes in India do not have a toilet. Some things in life cannot be replaced by an app..Tea Time CallsIndia enjoys drinking tea, as it is the national beverage of choice. Chai tea is a special blend of tea developed in India, valued for its aromatic spices, and is enjoyed with sugar and milk..A Reason For A SeasonIndia experiences six distinct seasons. They are Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Summer Monsoon, and Winter Monsoon.. The Mighty FigIndia’s national tree is the fig, or banyan. This tree is a symbol of immortality and found in many mythical stories.. Capture The Con ManA man was sentenced to 113 years in prison, but managed to escape on 9 different occasions. His crime? The criminal reportedly sold the “Taj Mahal” and other historic sites..No Naughty BusinessThe Kama Sutra is an Indian Hindu text that is all about enhancing sexual pleasure, but most people don’t realize that there’s an Indian law that makes sex toys illegal in India. Allegedly, one of the primary concerns is the ways these products are sold, showing suggestive pictures and graphic descriptions. That said, current Indian law states that anyone who sells or has possession of obscene books, pamphlets, papers, drawings, paintings, or obscene objects can be punished with imprisonment and/or fines. Suspicious body massage wands will be confiscated..A World Of TreasureIndian housewives own more gold than the reserves of the IMF, United States, Germany, and Switzerland combined. The amount of gold owned by Indian ladies is 11% of the world’s gold. This is because Indians have historically (and still do) invested heavily in gold, which is constantly in demand in India and can easily be exchanged for currency..Shake Over SmokeIn India, many people enjoy marijuana in the form of a milkshake versus smoking the plant..Saving WaterA man in India used water-preservation techniques to bring water back to over 1,000 villages by bringing 5 rivers back to life.. Not Just A RingMany Indians prefer an arranged marriage, and only 1 out of 10 marriages end in divorce. India has one of the lowest divorce rates on the planet.. The Open RoadIndia has the largest network of roadways, with over 1.9 million miles of roads across the country..No Police NeededFor over 400 years, the village of Shani Shingnapur, India had no crime. Residents didn’t need locks, or even doors until 2010. The villagers believe that criminals face a Sade Saati (a period of seven-and-a-half years of bad luck). In 2011, expensive gold ornaments kept in an unlocked cupboard disappeared from the house of a temple trustee. Following these crimes, other incidents of petty theft were reported, prompting requests for added security and policing.. Milk Baths For GodsIn India, snakes are revered and still worshiped as deities. In fact, this isn’t unique to India; Nag Panchami is a traditional worship of snakes or serpents practiced by Hindus throughout India, Nepal and other countries. One common ritual involves Women bathing snakes in milk as an offering..Freedom To MarryIn India, sometimes marriages between humans and animals take place for various reasons. An Indian man married a dog for atonement, and a woman who claimed she fell in love with a snake married the creature in 2006.. How Do You Say ItIndia boasts a lot of languages, with 122 major languages and 1599 other languages. Most Indian people speak two or more languages.. Varanasi - One of The Oldest Inhabited Places of the WorldSituated on the banks of river Ganges and represented in the Parliament by the country's PM Narendra Modi, the holy city of Benares is at least 3000 years old. According to Hindu Mythology, Lord Shiva found this city 5000 years ago.. Lonar Lake in Maharashtra - Formed by a MeteorA 4-hour drive from Aurangabad and doubling as Maharashtra's best-kept secret, this lake was formed by a plummeting meteor about 52,000 years ago. Travel enthusiasts must not miss this astronomical marvel and the temples around it.. The Highest Cricket Ground in the WorldIndia is a cricket loving nation. It's only natural for it to also feature the highest cricket ground in the world recorded by the Guinness Book. It is situated at a level of 2,144 metres above sea level in Chail, Himachal Pradesh.. The Largest Number of Vegetarians in the WorldAre you a vegetarian? You will fit right in here. With the majority of the population following Hinduism, around 29%-40% of the people are vegetarians.First Rocket of India Transported by a CycleIn 1963, ISRO launched its first-ever rocket from a church in Thumba, on the outskirts of modern-day Trivandrum. The said rocket was transported on a bicycle. The launching pad later came to be known as Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC).. World's Largest Milk ProducerLove milk and milk products? Here's an interesting fact for you. Reaching over 155.5 million tonnes in 2015, India is the largest milk producing country in the world.. The Temple of RatsIt happens only in India! The Karni Mata Temple in Rajasthan is home to thousands of rats whom pilgrims consider to be their ancestors and worship, making it one of the strangest attractions of India.. Roopkund - The Skeleton LakeLocally known as the mystery lake or the skeleton lake, Uttarakhand's Roopkund is infamous for hundreds of human skeletons found at the bottom of the lake and in the surrounding areas.. World's First Hospital TrainLiving true to its name, The Lifeline Express a.k.a the Jeevan Rekha Express is the world's first hospital train taking its services ranging from surgeries to cancer treatment to remote villages.. Samosas, the much-loved Indian snack, are banned in Somalia.Somalians believe that the shape of the samosa looks like the Christian Holy Trinity.. The Nobel Peace Prize was withdrawn in 1948. It was supposed to go to Mahatma Gandhi but his assassination resulted in the title being left unassigned as a tribute to the leader.. World's Highest Rail BridgeAbout 35 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower, the arch-shaped Chenab bridge in Jammu and Kashmir is the world's tallest rail bridge. It stands at a height of 1,178 feet over the river Chenab.. The Number of People Travelling in the Indian Railways Every Day is Equal to the Population of AustraliaConnecting more than 7,172 stations, the Indian Railways is the largest rail network in Asia carrying over 23 million passengers daily in 12,617 trains.. Most Visited Place in the WorldAwarded by the World Book of Records, the Golden Temple of Amritsar is the most visited place in the world with over one lakh devotees flocking at the shrine every single day.. 300,000 Mosques in IndiaWith 14.2% of the country's population being from the Muslim community, India happens to have the most number of mosques in the world. Some of the famous ones being Jama Masjid (New Delhi), Mecca Masjid (Hyderabad), Taj-Ul-Masjid(Bhopal), etc.. Benny Prasad: Fastest Man to Have Travelled Around the World in 6.5 yearsAlso, the first to have designed the world's first bongo guitar, this instrumental guitarist from India holds a world record for having travelled 257 countries in 6 years, 6 months and 22 days. Travel goals much?. The Number of People Travelling in the Indian Railways Every Day is Equal to the Population of AustraliaConnecting more than 7,172 stations, the Indian Railways is the largest rail network in Asia carrying over 23 million passengers daily in 12,617 trains.. Biggest Family in the WorldLiving in his 100-room mansion in Baktawng village of Mizoram, Mr Ziona Chana is the head of the world's biggest family consisting of 181 members. He has 39 wives, 94 children, 14 daughters-in-law and 33 grandchildren.. India FirstsA plethora of objects and concepts originated in India starting from the game of snakes and ladders to chess a.k.a Chaturanga, buttons, shampooing, the number pi, diamond mining, zero, algebra, trigonometry along with the finding of the presence of water on the moon. Interesting fact to know about India. Isn't it?. Madhopatti - Officer's Village of IndiaA small village in the Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, Madhopatti has created history by producing the most number of IAS officers. With about 75 households, it has given 47 officers to Indian administration. Not just that, many from the same village have made their careers by joining prestigious organisations like ISRO, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and World Bank.. Tulsi Shyam - The hills that Defy GravityImagine if your car when left in free gear, starts rolling up a hill against the gravitational pull. Freaky, right? This strange phenomenon is indeed a reality at a road stretch near Tulsi Shyam in Amreli district, Gujarat..ReligionAll major religions are present in India. The Indians tend to be quite a little sensitive in this genre. Thus, it is better to keep your opinions to yourself. If you see a temple for rats, just go with it. If you find people feeding snakes with milk, just watch and enjoy the scene. Every religion is celebrated and enjoyed in a respectful way and it is the basis of the diverse culture in India..CuisineDo you know that Indian cuisine has more than 140 types of desserts? Every state has its own cuisine. In some cases, each region of the state has its style of menu. Thus, if you are looking for a food-based vacation, India is more than welcoming with banana leaf plate and rich-ghee flavored cooking. Are you planning to take some of these flavors back to home? Do not worry; India has the largest spice market of the world..Elephant RideHave you heard the stereotype of Indians riding on elephants? We have a news for you. It is half-true. Elephant is a symbol of pride and royalty. You can find spa for elephants, where you can bath, feed, play and enjoy with elephants. Do you know that these elephants even get soothing massages?.Symbol of DanceEach state has a dance as an icon. These traditional dance and music styles are the backbones of the land. If you are visiting historic and cultural regions like Jaipur, Delhi, Mahabalipuram and others, you can find cultural performances..Indian RailwaysWith the large population moving around the city for business, career, education and others, road is not enough. A huge chunk of the population uses railways every day. Around 12,617 trains run carrying more than 23 million people every day (Source:). If you want to enjoy the raw culture of the land, take a local train ride in any of the metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and others. If you are up for a luxury vacation, try to ride the luxury Trains India..FashionIf you are looking for the apt souvenir, the fashion is the right genre. Where else to buy fashion other than the land that invented buttons. Are you looking for iconic souvenirs? Benaras silk of Varanasi, Kalamkari, Kanchipuram silk saree, traditional sandal dress of Kerala and so on are waiting for you in India.Let's start counting…India Facts1India’s government is a federal parliamentary constitutional republic. They have a President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the House and Chief Justice.2India is the 7th largest country in the world and has over 3 million square kilometers of land, but only 9.6% of their land is occupied by water.3India has the 10th highest GDP in the nation with $1.947 trillion; however, their per capita GDP is ranked 140th in the world and is only $1,592.4In 1991, India adopted a market based economy and has since become one of the fastest growing economies in the world.5India’s army is the third largest in the world, and they have been ranked as the seventh best armies in the world.6The country has 28 states and 7 territories and is home to many different cultures and ethnic groups.7India’s official name is the Republic of India.8India is a part of the Asian continent, along with China, Japan and many other countries.9It is estimated that over 850 languages are spoken in India on a daily basis, and that there are over 1600 languages total that are known in the country.10India experiences Monsoon season each year. During this time, India receives large amounts of rain that can cause flooding.11Cricket is a thriving sport in India, and many Indian children love to play the game with their families. The country won the Cricket World Cup in 2011.12The British ruled India from 1858 until 1947. Since gaining its independence from the United Kingdom, India has become an autonomous country.13The Bengal Tiger is India’s official national symbol.14Indians believe that cows are sacred due to their religious beliefs; therefore cows can often be found wandering the streets.15India is home to over one million millionaires; however a large part of the country still lives on less than two dollars per day16Indian widows are often considered to be bad luck. Some Indians believe this so strongly, that they won’t invite widows to any of their social events.17India has the largest postal service in the world. Its postal network contains over 150,000 post offices, yet it is also considered one of the slowest postal networks in the world.18India is home to all of the major world religions. Every major world religion is practiced in the country, bringing diversity to the country.19Even though cows are considered to be sacred, Indians still use cows for milk. They are the largest dairy producers in the world.20Wasting food in India is considered to be a horrible sin, and is looked down upon in society.21There are six recognized weather seasons in India: summer, fall, winter, spring, summer monsoon, winter monsoon.22India produces the most tea in the world, and is the largest exporter of the product.23The Taj Mahal in India was built by a Mughal Emperor in the sixteenth century for his wife. The legend of the magnificent building states that once the builders were finished, their hands were cut off in order to prevent them from ever building anything that was more beautiful than the Taj Mahal. Today, it is a thriving tourist attraction that draws crowds every day of the year.24Diwali is a festival that is celebrated by Hindus in India every year. It signifies the beginning of the new Hindu year, and is also known as the festival of lights. For five days each year, Hindus light candles, lamps, and set off fireworks to represent how good has succeeded over evil.25Holi is an Indian festival that also celebrates the victory of good over evil. It is a two day festival that is colloquially known as the Festival of Colors. During Holi, people throw colored powder at each other and have many parties.26During weddings, Indians decorate the event with marigold flowers. These flowers represent happiness and good fortune.27India has the largest population of vegetarians in the world.28The first university was set up in Takshilla in 700 BC.29This country is the largest buyer of gold in the entire world.30India is considered to be the largest democracy and also has the highest voter turnout.31The game of chess was invented in India. In ancient times, it was known as Chaturanga.32Research has shown the surgeries were performed in India as far back as 3,000 years ago.33The Ganges Plain is the most populous region in the country.34It has been predicted that India may surpass China in terms of population by the year 2030.35Over 80% of Indians practice the religion of Hindu.36India is home to the one of the world's largest Muslim population.37Three of the world's top ten megacities are located in India.38There are more deaths on the roads of India than any other country in the world.39India is both the largest producer and consumer of mangoes.40India has the most mosques in the world.41The air of New Delhi, India is the most polluted in the world.42The second largest airport in the world is located in New Delhi.43Mawsynram gets over 400 inches of rain annually.44India is home to a man with 39 wives and 94 children.45India celebrates Children's Day on November 14. It is exactly nine months after Valentine's Day.46Seventy percent of the spices in the world come from India.47India's currency has braille on it for the blind.48Some women, after marriage, wear a Bichiya. It is a ring with a chain that is worn on the foot.49It is predicted that India will be the world's youngest country by 2020, with the median age being 29 years.50The country exports over $400 million worth of hair each year.India is a thriving country that has proven itself to be a major contributor to the international economy. Since gaining its independence it has exploded onto the international world and has become the number one producer of many goods and services. The country is to over one billion people, and each year their population grows exponentially. It is a very interesting country that is home to a grandiose diversity of cultures and religions that would be educational for any tourist who is thinking about visiting this beautiful country.Thankyou,please give me your precious upvote and follow me…