Why 'The Mona Lisa' is so Famous?

The worlds' famous smirk of The Mona Lisa, possibly the only woman in the history who has been stared at by millions without blinking once. She is googled more than your last crush, visited more than your neighborhood grocery store and, written about so much that even she might roll her mysterious eyes (if she could). But what makes her that famous? Sure she is gorgeous but lets be honest - so are cat videos and they don't live in bulletproof glass. So lets rewind to the renaissance and spill the paint...

Are You a Beach Person or a Mountain Person?

Yea, yea, yea, as far as it goes and you are into traveling, you must have come across this inevitable question "Are you a beach person or a mountain person?". Well, we always pick a side as our mind wanders through all the timeless memories we may have created during all those vacations we had. We all have our own preference, our own likeliness to certain kind of holiday we look forward to. 

Well, if you are not living under a rock, you must be knowing that it is not just a regular question, the answer to it reflects about person's nature as per the study in the Journal of Research in Personality, extroverts prefer the beach to the mountains, while introverts prefer the opposite. It reflects the personality of a person, instinct of a person. But does it actually?

Warley Museum: The 'World's Smallest Museum'

Source: SWNS.com 

A telephone booth which was not being used anymore has been turned into 'world's smallest museum'. Yes, you read that right, a telephone booth. Located in Warley, Yorkshire, the booth was “adopted” from British Telecommunications (BT) by the town association of Warley and filled with the local historical artifacts. The exhibit includes old photographs, glass etchings, and personal items such as antique fashion pieces and jewelry.

Here is Why Flights take Longer than they did 50 Years ago

Ever feel like airplanes are dragging their wings these days? Well, you’re not wrong. Believe it or not, modern flights often take longer than they did decades ago - even though we now have shinier planes, fancy engines, and more Wi-Fi to distract us.

Take this for an example - back in 1973, you could zip from New York City to Houston in about 2 hours and 37 minutes. Today? You’re looking at a leisurely 3 hours and 50 minutes. That’s almost enough time to re-watch The Lion King, twice (with snacks).

So why the slowdown? The culprit is fuel efficiency. Yes, airlines figured out that if they fly slower, they burn less fuel—and save millions. Between 2002 and 2012, fuel prices skyrocketed from about $0.70 to over $3 per gallon. To cope, JetBlue once admitted in 2008 that by adding just two extra minutes to each flight, they saved a casual $13.6 million a year. That’s a lot of peanuts and pretzels.

And they don’t stop there. To squeeze out even more savings, airlines are obsessed with making planes lighter. Translation: your suitcase gets slapped with “excess baggage fees” faster than you can say carry-on only.

Oh, and here’s a fun trick airlines play: something called “Block Padding.” This is when they pad the official flight time with extra minutes so that - even if they’re late, they can still proudly announce they arrived “on time.” So, next time the captain tells you, “Good news folks, we’re landing ahead of schedule,” don’t break into applause. Chances are, the schedule was just stretched like yoga pants after Thanksgiving dinner.

The Journey of a Traveler

I often wonder how much time was spent in traveling mere centuries ago when the road of the traveler was hard. No flights, no high speed trains and the most prevalent medium to travel was ships. People spent a fortune and even in some cases, they spent their all earnings to just see what the world looks like. They spent days and weeks in traveling from state to state and even months in reaching from one country to another, some for leisure, some for business and others for just curiosity and amusement, from the stories they heard from people returning from The Great Voyage. In fact, many case, people did not even return from their great journeys, some due to will and others due to illness. Well, that era was different and so were the people. They had patience to travel and that was no less than the adventure for them.

5 Things to Do Before you Say Bye!

Goodbyes are always hard. No matter how strong you are, there is always an emotional chemical somewhere hidden in the corner of your heart that makes it bit difficult to say Good bye to your favorite place. Even a slightest thought of you not being visiting the place again makes you want to capture every single moment of the vacation which will bring smile on your face later.

Though handy cameras in phones and digital cameras have enabled us to capture as much pictures as we can but maybe that's not enough.. maybe we need something more....

World's Shortest Commercial Flight!

If you thought your last flight was short, wait till you hear this: the world’s shortest commercial flight takes place between two Orkney Islands in Scotland - Westray and Papa Westray. They’re separated by a mere 1.7 miles, which is basically the same distance your dog drags you on a “quick” walk.

This legendary route is operated by Loganair, and while the official duration is two minutes, with a helpful tailwind you can touch down in just 47 seconds. Yes, that’s less than the time it takes to microwave popcorn.

Patiala Peg: How a Maharaja’s Bet Created a Legend

Punjab has always fascinated me - its history, its food, and the sheer amount of love its people pour into everything (including the size of their meal portions). Recently, I found myself in Punjab wandering through Chandigarh, Jalandhar, and eventually to the shimmering Golden Temple in Amritsar. Along the way, I collected stories from locals - some unforgettable, some… well, let’s just say the lassi was stronger than my memory. But one story stuck with me forever—the legend of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala.

Christmas in London

Trafalgar Square

I was lucky to be in London during Christmas season. Enjoying all the festive lights, decorations, delicacies, parties, sales and most important, less work in office.

Instead of coming home after work, I usually wandered in the streets of London carrying my camera to capture amazing memories forever. I hope you cherish them as I do.

Science Museum, London - Step into the World of Inventions

Ever wondered what it would feel like to step into the lab of some great inventor? A place where once a great scientist worked, experimented, failed, succeeded and most important, invented the things which reshaped the world.

Wouldn't it be a breathtaking experience to see his very own table where he must have spent sleepless nights to benefit the world where we live in; his tools which contributed to bring the world's greatest Industrial revolution?

An inventor who developed the concept of horsepower and the SI unit of power, the watt, was named after him. An inventor whose improvements to the steam engine converted it from a prime mover of marginal efficiency into the mechanical workhorse of the Industrial Revolution. If you are still wondering who I am talking about, without much secret, I am talking about James Watt.

I am British Summer

Lying on the beach, sun tan, barbecues, long walks along the river Thames, sitting under the sun having a beer or a glass of wine, playing football..... yes, This is British summer.

For a nation with little sunshine, summer is no less than a celebration and sets everyone in a holiday mood. Tourists and other hangout places are usually occupied specially on weekends as everyone wants to get out of their lovely homes to feel the sunshine.

Though sun is not kind every day, there are cold days too which will force you to grab a jacket. On such days even if sun comes out for just a while, people don't want to miss it and get out and to experience the sunshine. I remember when a few days ago the sun came out for just five minutes, my neighbors rushed outside to their lawn to have a glass of wine.

The summer holds something for everyone, be it gardeners, photographers, foodies, travelers as the atmosphere becomes really vibrant and versatile.

What are you waiting for? British summer awaits you. Come, experience it.

Are We There yet?

Whenever you plan a trip with friends or office colleagues or with family members, there is always one person who keeps bugging you while you are on your way to the destination by continuously asking "Are we there?". They irritate so much that you feel like saying "yes we are here but, we just love to sit in the car and circle around our destination". Of course we are not there yet.

They will keep poking you with same question again and again at different intervals. Sometimes, you just wish to stop the car and tell them "Yea, here we are" and as soon as they get off the car, drive away and continue to your destination.

As someone wise has said that travel is more than having a destination in mind, more than reaching to a destination. I wish, everyone could think like that and enjoy the joy of traveling. The roads are more fun than the actual destination, music and wheels, the views, the road side restaurants, fresh air... what else do you need? It is a perfect way to discover yourself, to rejuvenate, to lose your tensions. 

When you feel tired, just stop aside while driving and relax for a while, watching fresh farms, cool breeze. I am sure you will fall in love with it.

Incredible India! Indeed

Incredible India

While I continue to explore length and breadth of India, I met an interesting man who inspired me to write this post. He helped me to rediscover India with a different perspective, with its great history. He told me few interesting facts which  made me dig further to awaken to the below amazing facts about India.

• India is world's oldest, largest and continuous civilization.
• Number Zero was invented in India by Aryabhatta.
• Plastic Surgery was first performed in India by Acharya Sushrut in 600BCE.
• Nagarjuna was world's first wizard of Chemical Science which has its roots in 100BCE.
• When most of the cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization).
• Sanskrit is mother of all the European Languages. Matra in Sanskrit becomes mother in English, bhatra becomes brother, trikonamiti becomes trigonometry.  Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magazine July 1987.
• Nalanda university, located in Bihar, India, was one of the world's first residential universities. The great library of Nalanda University was so vast that it is reported to have burned for three months after the invaders set fire to it.
• Chess was invented in India.
• India has largest pool of scientists, doctors and engineers in the world.
• India is largest English speaking nation. 
• According to Tom Standage of The Economist, India currently has daily newspaper circulation of 110 million copies which get published in 21 different languages.
• India is the only country other than US and Japan, who has built a super computer indeigenously.
• The Baily Bridge is the greatest elevation in the world. It is is located in the Himalayan mountains, in the Ladakh Valley in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
• Yoga has its origin in India and is existed for more than 5000 years.
• India was one of the richest countries until the British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
• Acharya Kanad was the pioneer expounder of realism, law of causation and the atomic theory nearly 2500 years before John Dalton.
• Acharya Charak has been crowned as the Father of Medicine
• Martial Arts was first originated in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.
• Kumbh mela is considered to be world's largest peaceful gathering with over 100 million people visiting in 2013.

Incredible India, isn't it?

Oh! Here Comes the Toll Road

Flickr

No matter where you go, there they are! I can not even remember a single road trip where I have not paid toll tax. 

Well, toll roads are common all over the world and the concept is not just few years old. They are privately or publicly built roads for which the user of the road pays a toll tax for the cost of the road construction and the maintenance without burdening non-users of the road. 

Did you know that toll roads are 2700 years old? In India, the Arthasastra notes the use of tolls before the 4th century BC. Under the regime of Ashurbanipal, travelers paid toll taxes for using Susa–Babylon highway. Few Germanic tribes used to charge toll from travelers across mountain passes. Tolls were also used in Roman empire in 14th and 15th century.

Here is another interesting fact that toll taxes were also charged for the use of river as well. In 14th century, Castle Loevestein in the Netherlands, was built at a strategic point where two rivers met, and charged toll on the boats sailing along the river.

With all due respect to the history of toll tax, I hope it can be eliminated specially where it leads to long traffic queues to save time and gas.

Did you like this trivia about Toll roads?

Earth Day

Earth day, celebrated every year since 1970 on April, 22 worldwide in more than 192 countries to demonstrate support for environmental protection. 

Save Environment, Save Earth.

Just a "Kos" Away!

Kos kos par badle paani, char kos par vani. I am sure, everyone has heard this famous Hindi maxim. But, do you know how the usage of "Kos" came into the picture? Here is an interesting fact about its evolution. The term Kos slipped into common usage as an abbreviation of "Kos Minars". These were the tall pillars erected as milestones during the Mughal empire in India. The traveling caravans of olden times used them to mark their route and distance. The distance between the two Kos Minars was one Kos. Though it is not used as commonly as kilometers or miles to measure distance, but it is still used as a common indicator of large distances. 

India's First Highway - The Grand Trunk Road

The Grand Trunk Road

In the 16th century, Sher Shah Suri, the Pashtun emperor of Northern India, built a major road running across the Gangetic plain. It was known as "Sadak-e-Azam" and it served as an administrative link to the remote provinces of his vast empire. Over the centuries, various rulers added to the expanse of this road, till it expanded to Kabul, to Multan and to Bangladesh. Later it was renamed by Britishers as "The Grand Trunk Road". Connecting many cities with various National Highways under the part of Golden Quadrilateral project.

Today, the Grand Trunk Road remains a continuum that covers a distance of over 2,500 kilometers (1,600 mi). From its origin at Chittagong, it traverses to Sonargaon in the Narayanganj District of central Bangladesh, it reaches India, passing through Howrah, Bardhaman, Panagarh , Durgapur, Asansol, Dhanbad, Aurangabad, Dehri-on-sone, Sasaram, Mohania, Mughalsarai, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Kalianpur, Kannauj, Etah, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Delhi, Panipat, Karnal, Ambala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar. Within India, the major portion of the road – the stretch between Howrah to Kanpur is National Highway-2 (NH-2) and Kanpur to Delhi, which is known as National Highway-91 (NH-91), and between Delhi and Wagah, at the border with Pakistan, is known as National Highway-1 (NH-1). From the Pakistan border, the Grand Trunk Road (part of the NH-5) continues north through Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Attock District, Nowshera, Peshawar and Landi Kotal. Then it enters Afghanistan through the Khyber pass and continues west through Jalalabad, Surobi and ends at Kabul, a large part of the Afghan's Grand Trunk Road is today part of the Jalalabad-Kabul Road.

Grand, isn't it?

7 Adventure Sports You Must Try

Scuba Diving

I would be lying if I say that I have any wish list or things-to-do list. Trust me, I never had one. I like being spontaneous and believe me, it is adventurous too. It is not that I do not plan at all, but I like the other way around. But this time, I really thought about the places and things which I want to do in life. Things that I believe are must to experience at least once in a lifetime. Here’s the list which I am going to follow and achieve (or at least try to achieve).

Only in Delhi

Lotus Temple

Most people take their own cities for granted and I was no different until few days ago. Born and bred in Delhi and yet was unaware of it's great history. If you are expecting me to tell you the history of Delhi here, you are at the wrong place. This post isn't about the past, it is about the present. It is about the small things that will make you fall in love with Delhi. It is about the people, it is about the experience.

Not so long ago, on a Sunday morning, I was traveling in Metro and I saw a man in his late 30s (not very well dressed) traveling along with his six or seven year old son. He was answering all his son's questions about whatever he could see outside the metro's window. I still remember the joy on that kid's face looking outside. Besides a great transportation mode, I never expected Delhi metro to be beneficial like this and help a dad to bring a smile on his son's face.

I remember when my car broke down in mid way and I was waiting for the car helpline, meanwhile a tempo driver pulled along and helped me to get started and when I tried to pay the driver for his efforts, he refused and left with a smile. Well, I never expected that, at-least not in Delhi. It changed my perspective totally.

A city which is as modern as it is traditional, where beliefs and facts go hand in hand. Where historical monuments stand with pride along with high rise buildings.

A city where so many cultures exists together and all festivals are celebrated with joy and fun.  A city which looks lively each day. A city which has accommodated many cities in itself. Well, where else can it happen? Only in Delhi.

Horn OK Please

          

"Horn OK Please"  Did you know that this phrase was not always a mere decorative whim of Indian truck drivers. It originated as a serious cautionary indication during the World war II. Kerosene fueled trucks were used then for movement of troops. Highly unstable in nature, Kerosene would cause the trucks to explode, at the slightest accident, hence it was painted on them, "Horn Please, On Kerosene".

You must have also witnessed another famous phrase "OK TATA BYE BYE". The theory behind this phrase is that as most of the Indian trucks are manufactured by TATA, and the word TATA is also synonym to Bye. Wishing someone Goodbye, one commonly says OK Tata.  

However, I still do not know why some quotes are written behind the Indian trucks. In some trucks, they are written in a very colorful and innovative way. Someone told me that they are written to entertain and to relax the stressed drivers. What do you think?