Constitution of India
On January 26, 1950, the Constitution of India came into effect and replaced the Government of India Act, 1935, as the country’s fundamental governing document. This led to India becoming a republic, and consequently this day is celebrated as Republic Day. Due to geographical, historical, and legal considerations, what aspect of the Indian Constitution is a world record?
The world’s longest Constitution
Built in the Italian Gothic style, this building was opened in 1887 to mark 50 years of the Queen. It is one of the busiest buildings in the world with a footfall of around three million people per day. In 1996, it was renamed after the founder of the Maratha Empire and then in 2017, it was again renamed to add a title meaning ‘Emperor’. Which iconic building is this, seen in many Bollywood movies?
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus)
In the late 19th century, when the freedom struggle was still more about ideas than street protests, one man inspired Indians through his pen. A novelist and poet, he is often called the “Sahitya Samrat” (Emperor of Literature) of Bengal. His famous novel Anandamath portrayed the struggle against oppression and infused nationalism into the hearts of millions. Though not a political leader, his literature lit the fire of freedom.
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
This phrase means ‘cherished above all others’. It is used in the King James Bible and in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The phrase originally referred to the operational part of a vital organ in the body. Researchers think that the fruit in the phrase came by as a reference to something globular in shape. What is the phrase?
The apple of my eye
Charles Goodyear was an American chemist, who is credited with inventing the chemical process that made rubber pliable and waterproof. He discovered by accident that adding sulphur under heat gave rubber all the required characteristics. He named the process after the Roman god of fire. What is the process known as?
Vulcanization
The first five words establish who the sovereign authorities of the country are — the ones who grant the government all the power it holds. What are these five words that make us all the authors of the Constitution and empower us to choose our government?
We, the people of India
This heritage site is a collection of monuments dating back to 7 AD on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The monuments include chariots made of stone, cave temples, rock sculptures and the world’s largest open-air rock relief. Built by the Pallava dynasty, the name of the place is attributed to King Narasimhavarman I, who was also known as ‘Mamalla’, i.e., Great Wrestler. Which heritage site is this?
Mahabalipuram
India’s freedom struggle was not just political—it was also cultural and intellectual. A great poet, writer, and philosopher from Bengal gave India its national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, and became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. He renounced his knighthood in protest after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, showing that literature and politics could stand together for justice.
Rabindranath Tagore
This phrase symbolises superficial sympathy. It is a reference to the fact that a certain top-level predator seems to be showing ‘grief’ when actually causing the pain. Scientifically they do this for lubrication as being out of water causes drying out. What phrase is this?
Crocodile Tears
Walter Hunt was an American mechanical engineer, who invented the modern version of an item that had been used by the ancient Greeks. They used a ‘fibula’ to help secure their tunics. Hunt included a clasp that covered the point, and a circular twist to act as a spring. What did he invent in 1849, which now makes millions
Safety Pin
The two copies of the Constitution are preserved in a display case, which was constructed in collaboration with the Getty Conservation Institute, USA, The National Physical Laboratory and the Parliament library. What inert gas is inside the case to ensure the paper doesn’t get affected?
Nitrogen
Rani Ki Vav is a beautiful stepwell located on the banks of the Saraswati river in Gujarat. Believed to have been built in 1083 during the Chalukya dynasty, it was silted over for many years before being re-discovered in the 1940s. It is an inverted temple with seven levels dedicated to the sanctity of water. As of 2018, it has been found on the reverse of an object we see on a daily basis — what object is this?
100 Rs note
In the late 19th century, India’s freedom struggle was still in its early stages. Among the first leaders to challenge British policies was a Parsi intellectual who exposed how Britain was draining India’s wealth through his famous Drain Theory. He was also one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress and became the first Indian to be elected to the British Parliament in 1892, giving Indians a voice in London for the first time.
Dadabhai Naoroji
his phrase comes to us from the ancient Indian game ‘Moksha Patam’. Now known as ‘Snakes & Ladders’, it represented life’s journey of attaining Moksha by doing good or being reborn as a lower form for doing evil. In the worst case, one can slide all the way down. Which phrase comes from this?
Back to square one
Born on January 12, 1879, Ray Harroun was an American race car driver who at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 controversially declined to take along a mechanic as other drivers did. Ray replaced one of the jobs the mechanic did with a small device he mounted on the top of his windshield. What had he invented which helped him win the race, and is now found on all automobiles?
Rearview Mirror
During the Emergency in 1977, the 42nd amendment was enacted when two words were added to the first line of the preamble. The first word refers to achievement of goals in democratic, evolutionary and non-violent means and that wealth should be shared equally by society through distributive justice
Socialist
This town in Uttar Pradesh was founded as the capital of the Mughal Empire by Emperor Akbar in 1571. Excavations proved that the area had been thriving culturally even before that, as statues and exquisite pieces more than a thousand years old were unearthed by the Archaeological Survey of India. Known for the beautiful architecture of buildings such as Buland Darwaza and Jama Masjid, which city is this?
Fatehpur Sikri
When India was moving towards independence, one leader played a crucial role in keeping Hindus and Muslims united. A scholar of Islam, he was fluent in Urdu, Persian, and Arabic and became the youngest President of the Indian National Congress in 1923. Later, as India’s first Education Minister, he laid the foundations of IITs and UGC. His vision was to see India as a secular, modern nation.Which leader became India’s first Education Minister and worked to keep Hindus and Muslims united?
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
Unlike other phrases, we know exactly when this one originated. On December 15, 1956, Horace Logan said this to the crowds at an auditorium in Louisiana. He had to say this to quiet the audience, who expected a certain performer to return to the stage and sing more songs. This is now a catchphrase, which is used to refer to any dramatic exit. Which phrase is this?
Elvis has left the building!
John J. Loud obtained his patent in 1888 for something he invented so that he could write on leather and wood products. The fountain pen that people normally used was useless in both cases. It could not be used for letter-writing and the patent eventually lapsed. What had he invented which we now know in another format?
ball point Pen
There are two copies of the Constitution kept in the library of the Parliament. One is in English and the other in Hindi. With 395 articles, 22 parts and eight schedules it has more than a hundred thousand words. What was the contribution of Prem Behari Narain Raizada to the Constitution?
He wrote it by hand.
On December 10 in 1902, the Aswan Dam was opened in Egypt, but soon, it threatened to submerge key historical structures, including a temple complex on the island of Philae. In the 1960s, UNESCO ran a successful operation to save these structures — if it hadn’t shifted the ancient temples, they would have been lost to the reservoir forever. This became the first heritage site for UNESCO. Which epic river’s power led to this chain of events?
The River Nile
India’s freedom struggle also inspired leaders from regions that later became part of Pakistan. Among them was a Pashtun leader who believed in non-violence just like Gandhi, earning him the nickname “Frontier Gandhi.” He founded the Khudai Khidmatgar (Servants of God) movement and proved that even in the most warlike regions, peace and non-violence could inspire people.
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
This phrase suggests that a person is suffering from insanity. Although made famous by the novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, it is a reference to a disorder that affected a certain professional. In olden days, they used mercury, while working with leather, and its ingestion caused hallucinations. What phrase is this, which refers to the profession?
Mad as a hatter
Johann Döbereiner was a German chemist, who invented the Döbereiner’s lamp. It was a portable device inside which zinc reacts with dilute sulphuric acid to produce hydrogen. On opening a valve, the gas reaches a platinum sponge that on reaction with oxygen ignites the hydrogen. This was one of the earliest examples of what device?
Lighter