News Letter-9

In Focus

Chilkur Balaji, The God of Visa

If you are applying for US Visa, you cannot miss to pay visit to Chilkur Balaji Temple in Hyderabad.

This temple is also popularly known as "Visa Balaji temple". Apparently the temple is known for fulfilling devotees' wishes to get a visa for going overseas. Chilkur Balaji is also known for being one of the very few temples in India without any hundi or donation box, preaching only the devoutness in one's nature.

Usually the devotees follow a common pattern. They offer 11 "pradakshinas" (action of walking clockwise round a person or deity as a mark of respect) and their prayers to the deity. Once the wish is granted, they take 108 pradakshinas of the temple to show their gratitude and thank the God.

The rounds are done amid the chanting of mantras and religious yet lively talks of the highly educated priests, who speak and motivate devotees in English and Telugu. This temple is known for its positive and peaceful atmosphere, away from the commercialized touch.

It is approximated that about 75,000 to 1 lakh devotees visit Chilkur balaji temple of Hyderabad every week. Although it is visited by hordes of devotees throughout the year, the number of visitors increases by many folds during the occasion of Anakota, Brahmotsavams and Poolangi.

In Story

Interesting Facts

India is a fascinating country with its cultures, traditions, and gods and also one of the biggest and fastest growing economies in the world. It is a land of plenty when you look at the ecology and geography, it has everything from a desert to vast forests, snowy mountains to great plains to beautiful sandy beaches and not to forget the big and small rivers and lakes which make India a wholesome country.

So here are some facts that will blow your mind about the biggest democracy in the world.

The longest road networks: India has 4.7 million kilometers in length, one of the longest road networks in the world. It is said that the road network is so long that it can run around the globe 117 times, while the world’s circumference is 40,000 kilometers.

Hair exports: Did you know that India exports hair? India exports about $415 million worth of hair. This is possible because in India about 40,000 dev otes offer their hair every day in temples.

A land of billionaires: India stands at position 3 after USA and China in the number of billionaires in the country.

The Kumbh Mela is the largest gathering in the world, of millions of people on the banks of sacred rivers. The congregation of people is so huge that the crowd is visible from space.

World's second-largest English-speaking country: India is second only to the USA when it comes to speaking English with around 125 million people speaking the language, which is only 10% of our population.

UNSUNG HEROES

Sometimes people do the strangest things, so out of the ordinary, that we can only call them odd-inary!

The World's longest Moustache

Ram Singh Chauhan (58), a resident of Jaipur, holds the world record of the world's longest moustache. The length of his Moustache is 14 feet. Ram Singh has been raising his moustache from the past 32 years.

Nose Typing

Khurshid Hussain of Hyderabad has made Guinness World Record by typing fastest with his nose in the world. Khurshid has typed 103 characters in 47 seconds.

INTER ACTIVITY

Can you find the baby in this image

FIND THE DIFFERENCES

Spot 6 Differences in This Picture

BRAIN TEASERS

In Formation

HIDDEN GEMS OF INDIA

Siju Caves, Meghalaya

The gentle ticking sound of the watch echoes itself in the mystic Siju caves of the Meghalayan plateau.

The limestone caves of Siju, in Meghalaya are world famous limestone caves carved by the grand river network inplay of the Simsang river. The nearly 1km long Siju Caves are deemed as India's third longest cave network.

Located in Baghmara of South Garo Hills district in the state of Meghalaya, these caves are filled with amazing limestone formations and include unexplored secret chambers with unknown labyrinths. An important tourist attraction of the Siju caves is the Princess Di's chamber. It is essentially a limestone chamber decorated with artistic development of stalagmites & stalactites and garnished with a local legend.

Siju is a very deep cave enclosed in complete darkness which is sure to leave you in an awe and are must have experience for anyone who likes adventure and is looking for something refreshing.

RECIPE

KARONDA JAM

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes

INGRIDIENTS:

250 gm karonda deseeded
250 gm sugar
2 cup boiling water

PREPARATION:

Step 1:- Boil the karondas for 5-10 minutes on medium flame till it is soft and pulpy.

Step 2:- Sieve them and make a pulp of the fruit.

Step 3:- In a saucepan, pour the pulp and mix sugar. Cook the mixture on low flame for about 10 minutes.

Step 4:- Once the jam is cooked, let it cool at room temperature and transfer it in a jar.

Step 5:- Serve chilled.

FRUIT

KARONDA
Scientific name - Carissa carandas

Recognized by different names in different places, it is most commonly known as 'Karonda'. Native to the subcontinent it thrives in a wide range of soils, temperatures and is a hardy and drought-tolerant plant. Karonda takes tough conditions and prospers, producing a thickly growing shrub with starbursts of pinkish-white flowers. It shows its toughness too in its thorns that make it hard to get the fruit. Karonda has a very high concentration of iron, which along with high Vitamin C levels makes it a very healthy fruit.

HEALTH BENIFITS:

The fruit of Karonda is an astringent, antiscorbutic and acts as a remedy for biliousness i.e. bad digestion, stomach pain and constipation.
It is a great cure for anaemia and is also used to treat skin conditions.
Traditionally, it has been used to treat anorexia and insanity.
Its leaf decoction is used to treat fever, diarrhoea, and earache.
The roots serve as a stomachic, an anthelmintic medicine for itches and also as insect repellents.

IN ENGLISH

"Acorn"

Chances are, you've never heard of eggcorns. But once you know what they are, you'll start noticing them everywhere.

An eggcorn is a special kind of malapropism that makes a certain amount of sense. The word "eggcorn" is itself an eggcorn of "acorn" because an acorn is shaped something like an egg.

Other examples include:

Old-timers' disease instead of Alzheimer's disease
Feeble position instead of fetal position
Self phone instead of cell phone
Internally grateful instead of eternally grateful
Rebel rouser instead of rabble rouser
Cold slaw instead of cole slaw

Can you think of any eggcorns that you use or have noticed?

ANSWERS

Find the baby in this image

FIND THE DIFFERENCES

BRAIN TEASERS

Savvy:

Robert Ripley

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