Very interesting health information: Various Human Organ's Shape Reflects in Mushroom, Banana, Broccoli, Root Ginger, Cheese, Grapes, Tomatoes & Walnut

This is very interesting health information. MUSHROOM – EAR  MUSHROOM – EAR Slice a mushroom in half and it resembles the shape of the human ear. And guess what? Adding it to your cooking could actually improve your hearing. That’s because mushrooms are one of the few foods in our diet that contain vitamin D. This particular vitamin is important for healthy bones, even the tiny ones in the ear that transmit sound to the brain. BANANA  – DEPRESSION  BANANA (SMILE) – DEPRESSION Cheer yourself up and put a smile on your face by eating a banana. The popular fruit contains a protein called tryptophan. Once it has been digested, tryptophan then gets converted in a chemical neurotransmitter called serotonin. This is one of the most important mood-regulating chemicals in the brain and most anti-depressant drugs work by adjusting levels of serotonin production. Higher levels are associated with better moods. BROCCOLI – CANCER BROCCOLI – CANCER Close-up, the tiny green tips on a broccoli head look like hundreds of cancer cells. Now scientists know this disease-busting veg can play a crucial role in preventing the disease. Last year, a team of researchers at the US National Cancer Institute found just a weekly serving of broccoli was enough to reduce the risk of prostate cancer by 45 per cent. In Britain , prostate cancer kills one man every hour. GINGER – STOMACH GINGER – STOMACH Root ginger, commonly sold in supermarkets, often looks just like the stomach. So it’s interesting that one of its biggest benefits is aiding digestion. The Chinese have been using it for over 2,000 years to calm the stomach and cure nausea, while it is also a popular remedy for motion sickness. But the benefits could go much further. Tests on mice at the University of Minnesota found injecting the chemical that gives ginger its flavour slowed down the growth rate of bowel tumours. CHEESE – BONES CHEESE – BONES A nice ‘holey’ cheese, like Emmenthal, is not just good for your bones, it even resembles their internal structure. And like most cheeses, it is a rich source of calcium, a vital ingredient for strong bones and reducing the risk of osteoporosis later in life. Together with another mineral called phosphate, it provides the main strength in bones but also helps to ‘power’ muscles. Getting enough calcium in the diet during childhood is crucial for strong bones. A study at Columbia University in New York showed teens who increased calcium intake from 800mg a day to 1200mg – equal to an extra two slices of cheddar - boosted their bone density by six per cent. GRAPES – LUNGS GRAPES – LUNGS OUR lungs are made up of branches of ever-smaller airways that finish up with tiny bunches of tissue called alveoli. These structures, which resemble bunches of grapes, allow oxygen to pass from the lungs to the blood stream. One reason that very premature babies struggle to survive is that these alveoli do not begin to form until week 23 or 24 of pregnancy. A diet high in fresh fruit, such as grapes, has been shown to reduce the risk of lung cancer and emphysema. Grape seeds also contain a chemical called proanthocyanidin, which appears to reduce the severity of asthma triggered by allergy. TOMATO – HEART TOMATO – HEART A TOMATO is red and usually has four chambers, just like our heart. Tomatoes are also a great source of lycopene, a plant chemical that reduces the risk of heart disease and several cancers. The Women’s Health Study — an American research programme which tracks the health of 40,000 women — found women with the highest blood levels of lycopene had 30 per cent less heart disease than women who had very little lycopene. Lab experiments have also shown that lycopene helps counter the effect of unhealthy LDL cholesterol. One Canadian study, published in the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine, said there was “convincing evidence’ that lycopene prevented coronary heart disease.   WALNUT – BRAIN WALNUT – BRAIN THE gnarled folds of a walnut mimic the appearance of a human brain - and provide a clue to the benefits. Walnuts are the only nuts which contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. They may also help head off dementia. An American study found that walnut extract broke down the protein-based plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at Tufts University in Boston found walnuts reversed some signs of brain ageing in rats.

Rose Festival; The biggest Rose Show in the country, Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, Asia's largest Rose Garden, Festival of Gardens & trees of medicinal value

Zakir Hussain Rose Garden, is a botanical garden with 50,000 rose-bushes of 1600 different species. Named after India's former president, Zakir Hussain and created in 1967 under the guidance of Dr M.S. Randhawa, Chandigarh's first chief commissioner, the garden has the distinction of being Asia's largest. The garden has not only roses, but also trees of medicinal value. Some of the medicinal plants that can be spotted here are bel, bahera, harar, camphor and yellow gulmohar. The rose plants have been planted in carved-out lawns and flower beds.

Next to city centre, in Sector 16 is situated Zakir Hussain Rose Garden Asia's largest Rose Garden and is spreaded over 30 acres of land. These have been planted beautifully carved out lawns and flowers beds. Like the cultural zone which is just across the road in sector 10,this was also planned by Dr. M.S. Randhawa as his interest in horticulture and fondness for flowers was profuse. Every year, either at the end of February or beginning of March, a big festival known as Rose Festival, is celebrated at this garden. Over 20,000 people visit this festival. It’s one of the great celebrations in the city. There are lots of competitions, cultural celebrations and many other events.

The winning flower from Rose Fest 2006 

 

 

 

 

The biggest Rose Show in the country is held at the famous Rose Garden at Chandigarh. Varieties of magnificent roses are on display during this two-day festival.

The Festival of Gardens popularly known as Rose Festival is celebrated at Rose Garden in the month of February end or beginning of March. This year, The Rose Festival will be Celebrated from 25th to 27th of February. Initially called the Rose Festival it intended to encourage people to stroll through the Rose Garden and enjoy the sight of the blooms.

Each year the festival grew: now it includes performances of music and dance, both classical and folk, flower shows, events for children, exhibitions by local artists, photographers and craftsman and a wide range of amusements. Since 1997 it is known as the Festival of Gardens and is included on the national calendar of festivals. The city pulls out all the stops for this celebration, reminiscent of ancient India's Vasant Utsav in honor of spring.
src:wikipedia/festivals of india

Sunil Gavaskar; one of the greatest opening batsmen in test match history, named India's Best Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1966, the first batsman to score 10,000 runs, the first Indian to score a double century in India against the Caribbeans, Sunil Gavaskar has written four books on cricket – Sunny Days (autobiography), Idols, Runs n' Ruins and One Day Wonders

Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar (born 10 July 1949 in Bombay, Bombay State (now Mumbai, Maharashtra)), is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in test match history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most runs and most centuries scored by any batsman. He held the record of 34 Test centuries for almost two decades before it was broken by Sachin Tendulkar in December 2005.

Gavaskar was widely admired for his technique against fast bowling, with a particularly high average of 65.45 against the West Indies, who possessed a four-pronged fast bowling attack regarded as the most vicious in Test history. His captaincy of the Indian team, however, was less successful. The team at one stage went 31 Test matches without a victory. There were incidents like crowd displeasure at Eden Gardens in Calcutta leading to multiple matches being disrupted, in response to the poor performance of the Indian team. Turbulent performances of the team led to multiple exchanges of captaincy between Gavaskar and Kapil Dev, with one of Gavaskar's sackings coming just six months before Kapil led India to victory at the 1983 Cricket World Cup.

Growing up in Mumbai, Gavaskar was named India's Best Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 1966. After scoring 246*, 222 and 85 in school cricket in his final year of secondary education, before striking a century against the touring London schoolboys. He made his first-class debut for Vazir Sultan Colts XI against an XI from Dungarpur, in 1966/67, but remained in Bombay's Ranji Trophy squad for two further years without playing a match. He made his debut in the 1968/69 season against Karnataka, but made a duck and was the subject of derisive claims that his selection was due to the presence of his uncle Madhav Mantri, a former Indian Test wicketkeeper on Bombay's selection committee. He responded with 114 against Rajasthan in his second match, and two further consecutive centuries saw him selected in the 1970/71 Indian team to tour the West Indies. He is the first batsman to score 10,000 runs.

A diminutive player, Gavaskar stood at just 165 cm. After missing the First Test due to an infected fingernail, Gavaskar scored 61 and 67 not out in the second Test in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, hitting the winning runs which gave India its first ever win over the West Indies. He followed this with his first century, 116 and 64* in the Third Test in Georgetown, Guyana, and 1 and 117* in the Fourth Test in Bridgetown, Barbados. He returned to Trinidad for the fifth Test and scored 124 and 220 to help India to its first ever series victory over the West Indies, and the only one until 2006. His performance in the Test made him the second player after Doug Walters to score a century and double century in the same match. He also became the first Indian to make four centuries in one Test series, the second Indian after Vijay Hazare to score two centuries in the same Test, and the third after Hazare and Polly Umrigar to score centuries in three consecutive innings. He was the first Indian to aggregate more than 700 runs in a series, and this 774 runs at 154.80 remains the most runs scored in a debut series by any batsman. Trinidad Calypso singer Lord Relator (Willard Harris) wrote a song in Gavaskar's honour.

Gavaskar’s arrival in England in 1971 for a three Test series generated substantial publicity in light of his debut series. He was unable to maintain his performance, making only two half centuries. He was involved in controversy when taking a quick single from the bowling of John Snow. They collided and Gavaskar fell over. Snow was suspended. Gavaskar’s 144 runs at the low average of 24, led some to question Gavaskar’s worthiness in international cricket.

In 1972–73, England toured India for a five Test series, Gavaskar’s first on home soil. He was ineffective in the first three Tests, accumulating only sixty runs in five innings as India took a 2–1 lead. He scored some runs in the final two Tests which India drew to complete consecutive series wins over England. His first home series was largely disappointing, aggregating 224 runs at 24.89. His English critics were placated when India returned in 1974 and Gavaskar scored 101 and 58 in the First Test at Old Trafford. He managed 227 runs at 37.83 as India were whitewashed 3–0.

Gavaskar’s 1974–75 Indian was interrupted, playing in only the First and Fifth and final Test of the series against the West Indies. He scored 108 runs at 27, with an 86 at Mumbai the closest the Indian public got to seeing a century. The Test was the start of a world record streak of 106 Test appearances.

The 1975–76 season saw three and four Test tours of New Zealand and the West Indies respectively. Gavaskar led India in a Test for the first time in January 1976 against New Zealand during the First Test in Auckland when regular captain Bishen Bedi was suffering from a leg injury. Standing in despite having scored only 703 runs at 28.12 since his debut series, Gavaskar rewarded the selectors with 116 and 35*. As a result, India secured an eight wicket victory. He ended the series with 266 runs at 66.33. On the West Indian leg of the tour, Gavaskar scored consecutive centuries of 156 and 102 in the Second and Third Tests, both in Port of Spain, Trinidad. These were his third and fourth centuries at the grounds. In the Third Test, his 102 helped India post 4/406 to set a world record for the highest winning fourth innings score. The Indians’ mastery of the Caribbean spinners on a turning track reportedly led West Indian captain Clive Lloyd to vow that he would rely on pace alone in future Tests. Gavaskar totalled 390 runs at 55.71 for the series.

Gavaskar was not to score a century on home soil until November 1976. In an eight Test summer, three and five against New Zealand and England respectively, Gavaskar scored centuries in the first and last Tests of the season. The first was 119 in front of his home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in Bombay, helping India to a victory. Gavaskar scored another half century in the Second Test to end the series with 259 at 43.16. In the First Test against England at Delhi, he was mobbed upon becoming the first Indian to reach 1000 Test runs a calendar year. A steady series saw him finish with 394 runs at 39.4 with a century coming in Fifth Test at Mumbai and two half centuries.

In 1977–78 he toured Australia, scoring three consecutive Test centuries (113, 127, 118) in the second innings of the first three Tests at Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne respectively. India won the third but lost the earlier two. He finished the Five Test series with 450 runs at 50, failing twice as India lost the final Test and the series 3–2.

1978–79 saw India tour Pakistan for the first series between the arch rivals for 17 years. For the first time Gavaskar faced Pakistani captain and pace spearhead Imran Khan, who described him as “The most compact batsman I’ve bowled to.” Gavaskar scored 89 in the First Test and 97 in the Second, which India drew and lost respectively. Gavaskar saved his best for the Third Test in Karachi, scoring 111 and 137 in the Third, but was unable to prevent a defeat and series loss. His twin centuries made him the first Indian to score two centuries in one Test on two occasions, and saw him pass Umrigar as India’s leading Test runscorer. Gavaskar had finished the series with 447 runs at 89.40.

Gavaskar was captain of the Indian team on several occasions in the late 1970s and early 1980s, although his record is less impressive. Often equipped with unpenetrative bowling attacks he tended to use conservative tactics which resulted in a large number of draws. During his tenure Kapil Dev emerged as a leading pace bowler for the country. He captained India to nine victories and eight losses, but most of the games were drawn, 30.

His first series in charge was a West Indian visit to India for a six Test series. Gavaskar’s several large centuries contrasted with several failures. His 205 in the First Test in Bombay made him the first Indian to score a double century in India against the Caribbeans. He added a further 73 in the second innings of a high scoring draw. After failing to score in the Second Test, he scored 107 and 182 not out in the Third Test at Calcutta, another high scoring draw. This made him the first player in Test history to achieve centuries in both innings of a Test three times. He managed only 4 and 1 in the Fourth Test in Madras as India forced the only win of the series. He posted a fourth century for the series, scoring 120 in the Fifth Test at Delhi, becoming the first Indian to pass 4000 Test runs. He aggregated 732 runs at 91.50 for the series, securing India a 1–0 win in his first series as captain.

Despite this, he was stripped of the captaincy when India toured England in 1979 for a four Test tour. The official reason given was that Srinivas Venkataraghavan was preferred due to his superior experience on English soil, but most observers believed that Gavaskar was punished because he was believed to be considering defecting to World Series Cricket. He started consistently, scoring four half centuries in five innings of the first three Tests. It was in the Fourth Test at The Oval that he produced his finest innings on English soil. India were 1–0 down needed to reach a world record target of 438 to square the series. They reached 76/0 at stumps on the fourth day. Led by Gavaskar, India made steady progress to be 328/1 with 20 overs remaining on the final day with a record breaking victory still possible. An Ian Botham lead fightback saw Gavaskar removed, with India still needing 49 runs from 46 balls. With three balls left in the match, all four results were possible. India ended nine runs short with two wickets in hand when stumps were drawn. According to Sanjay Manjrekar, it was “Vintage Gavaskar, playing swing bowling to perfection, taking his time initially and then opening up. Nothing in the air, everything copybook.” He ended the series with 542 runs at 77.42 and was named as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year.

Gavaskar was restored to the captaincy for the gruelling 1979–80 season, with six Test home series against both Australia and Pakistan. The first two Tests against Australia were high scoring draws where only 45 wickets fell, with India taking a first innings lead in both after making scores over 400. India broke through for a 153 run win in the Third Test at Kanpur, where Gavaskar scored 76. He made 115 in the Fourth Test in Delhi, where India were unable to convert a 212 run first innings lead, resulting in a draw. After another stalemate in the Fifth Test, Gavaskar scored 123 in the Sixth Test in Bombay, where Australia collapsed by an innings after India posted their fourth first innings in excess of 400 for the series. The series against Pakistan was similarly high scoring, with four draws, three of which did not reach the fourth innings. India won the Third and Fifth Tests in Bombay and Madras. At Madras, he made 166 in the first innings and was unbeaten on 29 when India brought up the winning runs. Having secured the series 2–0, Gavaskar was stepped down as captain for the drawn Sixth Test. This occurred because Gavaskar had refused to tour the West Indies for another series immediately afterwards, asking for a rest. As a result, Gundappa Viswanath was appointed so that he could prepare his leadership skills for the tour. In the end the tour did not go ahead as the West Indian board were not interested in a team without Gavaskar. The season ended with a one off Test against England in Mumbai, which India lost. In the 13 Tests that season, he made 1027 runs at 51.35 with three centuries and four half centuries. This ended a 14 month span in which Gavaskar played in 22 Tests and the 1979 Cricket World Cup. In the time, he scored 2301 Test runs including eight centuries.

The 1980–81 season saw Gavaskar returned as captain for the Australasian tour, but it was to be the start of an unhappy reign for Gavaskar and India. He managed only 118 runs at 19.66 in the three Tests against Australia, but his impact in Australia was a controversial incident. At the Melbourne Cricket Ground, when Gavaskar was given out by the Australian umpire Rex Whitehead, he ordered his fellow opener Chetan Chauhan off the field. Instead of abandoning the match, the Indian manager, SK Durani persuaded Chauhan to return to the match which India went on to win by 59 runs as Australia collapsed to 83 in their second innings. India drew the series 1–1 but the following three Test series in New Zealand were to signal the start of a barren run of 19 Tests under Gavaskar of which India were to win only one and lose five. India lost to New Zealand 1–0, with Gavaskar managing 126 runs at 25.2. He finished the Oceania tour with 244 runs at 22.18, with only two half centuries, making little impact.

The 1981–82 Indian season saw a hard-fought 1–0 series win over England in six Tests. India took the First Test in Mumbai, before five consecutive draws resulted, four of which did not even reach the fourth innings. Gavaskar made 172 in the Second Test at Bangalore and reached a half century on three further occasions to compile 500 runs at 62.5. India reciprocated England’s visit in 1982 for a three Test series, which was lost 1–0. Gavaskar made 74 runs at 24.66 but was unable to bat in the Third Test.

The 1982–83 subcontinental season started well for Gavaskar on an individual note, as he made 155 in a one off Test against Sri Lanka in Madras. It was the first Test between the two nations, with Sri Lankan having only recently been awarded Test status. Despite this, India were unable to finish off their novice opponents, the draw heralding a start of a winless summer. India played in twelve Tests, losing five and drawing seven. The first series was a six Test tour to Pakistan. India started well enough, drawing the First Test in Lahore, with Gavaskar scoring 83. Pakistan then defeated India in three consecutive matches. In the Third Test in Faisalabad, Gavaskar managed an unbeaten 127 in the second innings to force Pakistan into a run chase, but the other two losses were substantial, both by an innings. Despite holding on for draws in the last two Tests, Gavaskar was replaced by Kapil Dev as captain after the 3–0 loss. Despite his team’s difficulties, Gavaskar remained productive with 434 runs at 47.18 with a century and three half centuries. Gavaskar went on to the West Indies for a five Test tour purely as a batsman, but could not reproduce the form that he had shown in the Caribbean in 1971 and 1976. He managed only 240 runs at 30, as India were crushed 2–0 by the world champions. Apart from an unbeaten 147 in the drawn Third Test in Georgetown, Guyana, his next best effort was 32.

The 1983–84 season started with a home series against Pakistan, with all three matches being drawn. Gavaskar scored an unbeaten 103 in the First Test in Bangalore, and made two further half centuries to total 264 runs at avg. of 66. This was followed by a six Test series against the touring West Indies at the height of their powers. The First Test was held in Kanpur and India were crushed by an innings. Gavaskar had his bat knocked out of his hand by a hostile delivery from Malcolm Marshall before being dismissed. In the Second Test in Delhi, Gavaskar delivered his riposte to Marshall, hooking him for a consecutive four and six to start his innings. Gavaskar, unwilling to be dictated to by the Caribbean pacemen, hooked the short pitched barrage relentlessly, reaching his half century in 37 balls. He then went on to score 121, his 29th Test century in 94 balls, equalling Don Bradman’s world record. He also passed 8000 Test runs in the innings, and was personally honoured by Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India at the ground. The match was drawn. Gavaskar’s 90 in the Third Test at Ahmedabad saw him pass Geoff Boycott’s Test world record of 8114 career runs was insufficient to prevent another defeat. During the Fifth Test in the series, India were defeated by an innings at Calcutta to concede a 3–0 series lead. India had won only one of their 32 most recent Tests and none of their last 28. The Bengali crowd singled out the Marathi Gavaskar, who had made a golden duck and 20. Angry spectators pelted objects onto the playing arena and clashed with police, before stoning the team bus. In the Sixth Test in Madras, he compiled his 30th Test century, with an unbeaten 236 which was the highest Test score by an Indian. It was his 13th Test century and third double century against the West Indies. He had aggregated 505 at 50.50 for the series.

With India having failed to win for 29 successive Tests, Kapil was sacked as captain and Gavaskar resumed leadership at the start of the 1984–85 season. The two Test tour of Pakistan resulted in two further draws, with Gavaskar compiling 120 runs at 40. The First Test against England in Bombay saw India break through for its first Test victory in 32 matches. It proved to be a false dawn, with England squaring the series 1–1 in Delhi before another controversial Third Test at Eden Gardens in Calcutta. The hostile crowd watched as India batted for over two days to reach 7/437 after 203 overs. Angry with the slow pace of India’s innings, the crowd chanted “Gavaskar down! Gavaskar out!” blaming him for India’ performance. The local police chief reportedly asked Gavaskar to declare to placate the angry crowd. When Gavaskar led his team onto the field, he was pelted with fruit. Gavaskar vowed never to play at Eden Gardens again, and duly withdrew from the team for India’s next fixture at the Bengali capital two years later, ending his record of 106 consecutive Tests. The match was drawn, but India conceded the series after losing the Fourth. The series ended 1–2, and with a poor display of 140 runs at 17.5, Gavaskar resigned, although he had already announced his into to relinquish the leadership before the series. The change of captain improved the form of neither Gavaskar nor India as they toured Sri Lanka for a three Test series. India were embarrassed 1–0 by the Test minnows, with Gavaskar managing only 186 runs at 37.2.

In 1985–86, India toured Australia, playing against a team in a poor form slump. India were unable to capitalise as all three Tests were drawn, but Gavaskar did. He scored an unbeaten 166 in the First Test in Adelaide and 172 in the Third Test in Sydney, ending the series with 352 runs at 117.33. A three Test tour of England saw him score only 185 runs at 30.83, which India won 2–0 despite his unproductivity. In 1986–87, Gavaskar’s final season in Test cricket, India faced a long season of eleven home Tests. Against a team as the worst to leave Australian shores, Gavaskar made 90 in the second innings of the First Test in Madras, giving India a chance of reach the target of 348, which ended in a tie. He scored 103 in the Third Test in Bombay to end the series with 205 runs at 51.66. The First Test against Sri Lanka in Kanpur saw Gavaskar’s 34th and final Test century of 176. He scored 74 and 5 in the next two Tests as India won the three match series 2–0. The five Test series against arch enemies Pakistan was to be his last. Gavaskar scored 91 in the drawn First Test in Madras before withdrawing from the Second Test in Calcutta as he had promised. In the Fourth Test in Ahmedabad, Gavaskar’s 63 made him the first batsman to pass 10,000 runs. With the teams locked 0–0 leading into the final Test in Bangalore, there was to be no fairytale. Gavaskar was dismissed for 96 in the second innings as India were bowled out to give Pakistan a 1–0 series win.

Gavaskar was also a fine slip fielder and his safe catching in the slips helped him become the first Indian (excluding wicket-keepers) to take over a hundred catches in Test matches. In one ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah in 1985, he took four catches and helped India defend a small total of 125. Early in his Test career, when India rarely used pace bowlers, Gavaskar also opened the bowling for a short spell on occasions if only one pace bowler was playing, before a three-pronged spin attack took over. The only wicket claimed by him is that of Pakistani Zaheer Abbas in 1978–79.

While Gavaskar could not be described as an attacking batsman, he had the ability of keeping the scoreboard ticking with unique shots such as the "late flick". His focus of technical correctness over flair meant that his style of play was usually less suited to the shorter form of the game, at which he had less success. His renowned 36 not out in the 1975 World Cup, carrying his bat through the full 60 overs against England, lead Indian supporters to storm the field and confront him. Gavaskar almost went through his career without scoring a one-day century. He managed his first (and only ODI century) in the 1987 World Cup, when he hit 103 not out against New Zealand in his penultimate ODI innings at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground, Nagpur.

Gavaskar has also been awarded the Padma Bhushan. In December 1994 he was appointed the Sheriff of Mumbai, an honorary post, for a year. After retirement, he has been a popular, if sometimes controversial commentator, both on TV and in print. He has written four books on cricket – Sunny Days (autobiography), Idols, Runs n' Ruins and One Day Wonders. He also served as an advisor to the India national cricket team during the home series against Australia in 2004. He was the Chairman of the ICC cricket committee till the time he was forced to choose between commenting and being on the committee. He left the committee to continue his career as a broadcaster.

His son Rohan is also a cricketer who plays at the national level in the Ranji Trophy. He has played some One Day Internationals for India, but could not cement his spot in the team.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been instituted in his (co-)honour.

Gavaskar also tried his hand at acting on the silver screen. He played the lead role in the Marathi movie "Premachi Saavli". The movie did not receive much appreciation though. After many years he appeared in a guest role in a Hindi movie "Maalamal". He has sung a Marathi song "Ya Duniyemadhye Thambayaala Vel Konala" which was written by noted Marathi lyricist Shantaram Nandgaonkar. The song depicted the similarities between a cricket match and real life. It had become popular.

In a notorious ODI performance in 1975, he opened the batting and managed just 36 (not out) off 174 balls (scoring just one four). Replying to England's 334 from 60 overs, India managed only 132 for 3 from the 60 overs. It was alleged that Gavaskar deliberately performed poorly in that match, due to his annoyance with the promotion of Srinivas Venkataraghavan to captaincy. He later claimed that he could not adjust to the pace of the game.

Recently, he has been involved in a string of controversies as an ICC official. He has been criticised for supporting changes in cricket rules that tend to favour batsmen. In addition, his role as the chief selector for ICC World XI also came under criticism due to some controversial selections, which resulted in one sided matches against the ICC World Champion, Australia.

On 25 March 2008, Malcolm Speed, ICC chief executive, told Gavaskar "very clearly", during a meeting between the two at Dubai, that he would have to quit his post at the ICC if he failed to give up his job of commentator and newspaper columnist, in which capacity he has frequently criticised his employers and levelled serious accusations of racism. He sparked especial controversy in early 2008 for his comments on the contentious Sydney Test Match: "Millions of Indians want to know if it [match referee Mike Procter's verdict against Harbhajan Singh] was a 'white man' taking the 'white man's' word against that of the 'brown man'. Quite simply, if there was no audio evidence, nor did the officials hear anything, then the charge did not stand." Australian writer Gideon Haigh subsequently pointed out that, if Gavaskar genuinely believed this, "then he should almost certainly resign, for if the ICC is a bastion of 'white man's justice', Gavaskar bears some of the blame for having failed to change it."

Sunil is married to Marshneil Gavaskar, daughter of a leather industrialist in Kanpur. They have a son Rohan. Sunil Gavaskar also played a heroic role in the 1993 Bombay Riots, where he sheltered a Muslim family. He also shielded victims with his body, saying "first you have to hit me" to the rioters.src;wikipedia

Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, The post of Chief Minister, the formation of the state of Rajasthan, a list of Chief Ministers of Rajasthan till date, their respective working periods & Political Parties

Chief Minister is the head of government of the Indian region of Rajasthan. The current incumbent is Ashok Gehlot who took up the position in 2008.

The post of Chief Minister stretches back to 1948 following the formation of the state of Rajasthan.


S.No.  Name                                        Took Office                   Left Office Party

1        Heera Lal Shastri                     7 April 1949                   5 January 1951 

           Indian National Congress
2        C S Venkatachari                     6 January 1951             25 April 1951 

           Indian National Congress
3        Jai Narayan Vyas                    26 April 1951                 3 March 1952 

           Indian National Congress
4        Tika Ram Paliwal                     3 March 1952               31 October 1952 

           Indian National Congress
5        Jai Narayan Vyas [2]               1 November 1952        12 November 1954 

          Indian National Congress
6        Mohan Lal Sukhadia               13 November 1954      11 April 1957 

          Indian National Congress
7        Mohan Lal Sukhadia [2]           11 April 1957               11 March 1962 

          Indian National Congress
8        Mohan Lal Sukhadia [3]             12 March 1962          13 March 1967 

          Indian National Congress
9        Mohan Lal Sukhadia [4]            26 April 1967              9 July 1971 

          Indian National Congress
10      Barkatullah Khan                       9 July 1971                 11 August 1973 

          Indian National Congress
11      Hari Dev Joshi                         11 August 1973          29 April 1977 

          Indian National Congress
12      Bhairon Singh Shekhawat       22 June 1977             16 February 1980 

          Janata Party
13      Jagannath Pahadia                  6 June 1980               13 July 1981 

           Indian National Congress
14      Shiv Charan Mathur                 14 July 1981                23 February 1985 

          Indian National Congress
15      Hira Lal Devpura                      23 February 1985      10 March 1985 

          Indian National Congress
16      Hari Dev Joshi [2]                    10 March 1985            20 January 1988 

          Indian National Congress
17     Shiv Charan Mathur [2]             20 January 1988         4 December 1989 

          Indian National Congress
18      Hari Dev Joshi [3]                     4 December 1989       4 March 1990 

          Indian National Congress
19     Bhairon Singh Shekhawat [2]    4 March 1990           15 December 1992 

         Bharatiya Janata Party
20     Bhairon Singh Shekhawat [3]    15 December 1992      29 November 1998

         Bharatiya Janata Party
21    Ashok Gehlot                            1 December 1998     8 December 2003 

        Indian National Congress
22   Vasundhara Raje Scindia            8 December 2003     11 December 2008

        Bharatiya  Janata Party
23   Ashok Gehlot [2]                          12 December 2008                Incumbent 

        Indian National Congress


Key: 

INC~Indian National Congress 

JP~Janata Party 

BJP~Bharatiya Janata Party
src:wikipedia

INDIA's Very Important & Usefull Toll Free Telephone Numbers, List of various Airlines, Banks, Automobiles, Computers/ IT, Indian Railways, Couriers/ Packers & Movers, Home Appliances, Investments/ Finances, Tours & Travels, Healthcare Services, Insurance Companies, Hotels & Reservations, Teleshopping & Marketing, Cell Phones and Domino's Pizza

•  Airlines
•  
• Indian Airlines -                     1800 180 1407
• 
  
• Jet Airways -                         1800 22 5522
• 
  
• SpiceJet -                              1800 180 3333
• 
  
• Air India --                            1800 22 7722
• 
  
• KingFisher -                          1800 180 0101
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Banks
• 
  
• ABN AMRO -                      1800 11 2224
• 
  
• Canara Bank -                       1800 44 6000
• 
  
• Citibank -                              1800 44 2265
• 
  
• Corporatin Bank -                 1800 443 555
• 
  
• Development Credit Bank -   1800 225 769
• 
  
• HDFC Bank -                       1800 227 227
• 
  
• ICICI Bank -                        1800 333 499
• 
  
• ICICI Bank NRI -                1800 22 4848
• 
  
• IDBI Bank -                         1800 11 6999
• 
  
• Indian Bank -                        1800 425 1400
• 
  
• ING Vysya -                         1800 44 9900
• 
  
• Kotak Mahindra Bank -        1800 22 6022
• 
  
• Lord Krishna Bank -             1800 11 2300
• 
  
• Punjab National Bank -         1800 122 222
• 
  
• State Bank of India -            1800 44 1955
• 
  
• Syndicate Bank -                  1800 44 6655
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Automobiles
• 
  
• Mahindra Scorpio -             1800 22 6006
• 
  
• Maruti -                              1800 111 515
• 
  
• Tata Motors -                     1800 22 5552
• 
  
• Windshield Experts -          1800 11 3636
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Computers/ IT
• 
  
• Adrenalin -                        1800 444 445
• 
  
• AMD -                             1800 425 6664
• Apple Computers -           1800 444 683
• 
  
• Canon -                            1800 333 366
• 
  
• Cisco Systems -                1800 221 777
• 
  
• Compaq - HP -                 1800 444 999
• 
  
• Data One Broadband -      1800 424 1800
• 
  
• Dell -                                1800 444 026
• 
  
• Epson -                            1800 44 0011
• 
  
• ESys -                              3970 0011
• 
  
• Genesis Tally Academy -  1800 444 888
• 
  
• HCL -                             1800 180 8080
• 
  
• IBM -                             1800 443 333
• 
  
• Lexmark -                       1800 22 4477
• 
  
• Marshal's Point -             1800 33 4488
• 
  
• Microsoft -                     1800 111 100
• 
  
• Microsoft Virus Update- 1901 333 334
• 
  
• Seagate -                        1800 180 1104
• 
  
• Symantec -                     1800 44 5533
• 
  
• TVS Electronics -           1800 444 566
• 
  
• WeP Peripherals -           1800 44 6446
• 
  
• Wipro -                          1800 333 312
• 
  
• Xerox -                          1800 180 1225
• 
  
• Zenith -                          1800 222 004
• 
  
• Indian Railway

• Indian Railway General Enquiry                   131
• 
  
• Indian Railway Central Enquiry                    131
• 
  
• Indian Railway Reservation                          131
• 
  
• Indian Railway Railway Reservation Enquiry 1345,1335,1330
• 
  
• Indian Railway Centralised Railway Enquiry 1330/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Couriers/ Packers & amp; Movers
• 
  
• ABT Courier -                                   1800 44 8585
• 
  
• AFL Wizz -                                       1800 22 9696
• 
  
• Agarwal Packers & Movers -    1800 11 4321
• 
  
• Associated Packers P Ltd -               1800 21 4560
• 
  
• DHL-                                               1800 111 345
• 
  
• FedEx-                                             1800 22 6161
• 
  
• Goel Packers & Movers -         1800 11 3456
• 
  
• UPS -                                              1800 22 7171
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Home Appliances
• 
  
• Aiwa/ Sony -                             1800 11 1188
• 
  
• Anchor Switches -                     1800 22 7979
• 
  
• Blue Star -                                 1800 22 2200
• 
  
• Bose Audio -                             1800 11 2673
• 
  
• Bru Coffee Vending Machines - 1800 44 7171
• 
  
• Daikin Air Conditioners -           1800 444 222
• 
  
• DishTV -                                   1800 12 3474
• 
  
• Faber Chimneys -                      1800 21 4595
• 
  
• Godrej -                                    1800 22 5511
• 
  
• Grundfos Pumps -                     1800 33 4555
• 
  
• LG -                                         1901 180 9999
• 
  
• Philips -                                    1800 22 4422
• 
  
• Samsung -                                1800 113 444
• 
  
• Sanyo -                                    1800 11 0101
• 
  
• Voltas -                                    1800 33 4546
• 
  
• WorldSpace Satellite Radio -    1800 44 5432
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Investments/ Finance
• 
  
• 
  
• CAMS -                                   1800 44 2267
• 
  
• Chola Mutual Fund -                 1800 22 2300
• 
  
• Easy IPO's -                             3030 5757
• 
  
• Fidelity Investments -                1800 180 8000
• 
  
• Franklin Templeton Fund -        1800 425 4255
• 
  
• J M Morgan Stanley -              1800 22 0004
• 
  
• Kotak Mutual Fund -               1800 222 626
• 
  
• LIC Housing Finance -             1800 44 0005
• 
  
• SBI Mutual Fund -                   1800 22 3040
• 
  
• Sharekhan -                             1800 22 7500
• 
  
• Tata Mutual Fund -                  1800 22 0101
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Tour & Travels
• 
  
• Club Mahindra Holidays -      1800 33 4539
• 
  
• Cox & Kings -               1800 22 1235
• 
  
• God TV Tours -                     1800 442 777
• 
  
• Kerala Tourism -                    1800 444 747
• 
  
• Kumarakom Lake Resort -    1800 44 5030
• 
  
• Raj Travels & Tours -     1800 22 9900
• 
  
• Sita Tours -                            1800 111 911
• 
  
• SOTC Tours -                        1800 22 3344
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Healthcare
• 
  
• 
  
• Best on Health -                    1800 11 8899
• 
  
• Dr Batras -                           1800 11 6767
• 
  
• GlaxoSmithKline -                1800 22 8797
• 
  
• Johnson & Johnson -    1800 22 8111
• 
  
• Kaya Skin Clinic -                1800 22 5292
• 
  
• LifeCell -                              1800 44 5323
• 
  
• Manmar Technologies -         1800 33 4420
• 
  
• Pfizer -                                 1800 442 442
• 
  
• Roche Accu-Chek -             1800 11 45 46
• 
  
• Rudraksha -                         1800 21 4708
• 
  
• Varilux Lenses -                   1800 44 8383
• 
  
• VLCC -                              1800 33 1262
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Insurance
• 
  
• 
  
• AMP Sanmar -                           1800 44 2200
• 
  
• Aviva -                                        1800 33 2244
• 
  
• Bajaj Allianz -                             1800 22 5858
• 
  
• Chola MS General Insurance -    1800 44 5544
• 
  
• HDFC Standard Life -                1800 227 227
• 
  
• LIC -                                         1800 33 4433
• 
  
• Max New York Life -                1800 33 5577
• 
  
• Royal Sundaram -                      1800 33 8899
• 
  
• SBI Life Insurance -                  1800 22 9090
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Hotel & Reservations
• 
  
• 
  
• GRT Grand -                             1800 44 5500
• 
  
• InterContinental Hotels Group - 1800 111 000
• 
  
• Marriott -                                  1800 22 0044
• 
  
• Sarovar Park Plaza -                   1800 111 222
• 
  
• Taj Holidays -                             1800 111 825
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Teleshopping
• 
  
• Asian Sky Shop -                      1800 22 1800
• 
  
• Jaipan Teleshoppe -                   1800 11 5225
• 
  
• Tele Brands -                             1800 11 8000
• 
  
• VMI Teleshopping -                   1800 447 777
• 
  
• WWS Teleshopping -                1800 220 777
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Others
• 
  
• 
  
• Domino's Pizza -                        1800 111 123
• 
  
• *
• 
  
• Cell Phones
• 
  
• BenQ -                                    1800 22 08 08
• 
  
• Bird CellPhones -                    1800 11 7700
• 
  
• Motorola MotoAssist -            1800 11 1211
• 
  
• Nokia -                                   3030 3838
• 
  
• Sony Ericsson -                       3901 1111

Leap year or Intercalary or Bissextile year, Gregorian calendar, Leap day, Julian, Coptic and Ethiopian calendars, Revised Julian calendar, Chinese calendar, Hebrew calendar, Islamic calendar, Calendars with leap years synchronized with Gregorian, Hindu calendar, Iranian calendar, leapling or a leaper

A leap year or intercalary or bissextile year is a year, containing one extra day or, in the case of lunisolar calendars, a month, In order to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year. Because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days, a calendar that had the same number of days in each year would, over time, drift with respect to the event it was supposed to track. By occasionally inserting or intercalating an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected. A year that is not a leap year is called a common year.

For example, in the Gregorian calendar, a common solar calendar, February in a leap year has 29 days instead of the usual 28, so the year lasts 366 days instead of the usual 365. Similarly, in the Hebrew calendar, a lunisolar calendar, a 13th lunar month is added seven times every 19 years to the twelve lunar months in its common years to keep its calendar year from drifting through the seasons too rapidly.

In the Gregorian calendar, the current standard calendar in most of the world, most years that are evenly divisible by 4 are leap years. In each leap year, the month of February has 29 days instead of 28. Adding an extra day to the calendar every four years compensates for the fact that a period of 365 days is shorter than a solar year by almost 6 hours.

However, some exceptions to this rule are required since the duration of a solar year is slightly less than 365.25 days. Years that are evenly divisible by 100 are not leap years, unless they are also evenly divisible by 400, in which case they are leap years. For example, 1600 and 2000 were leap years, but 1700, 1800 and 1900 were not. Similarly, 2100, 2200, 2300, 2500, 2600, 2700, 2900 and 3000 will not be leap years, but 2400 and 2800 will be. By this rule, the average number of days per year will be 365 + 1/4 − 1/100 + 1/400 = 365.2425, which is 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes, and 12 seconds. The Gregorian calendar was designed to keep the vernal equinox on or close to March 21, so that the date of Easter, celebrated on the Sunday after the 14th day of the Moon-i.e. a full moon- that falls on or after March 21 remains correct with respect to the vernal equinox. The vernal equinox year is about 365.242374 days long and increasing.

The marginal difference of 0.000125 days between the Gregorian calendar average year and the actual year means that, in around 8,000 years, the calendar will be about one day behind where it is now. But in 8,000 years, the length of the vernal equinox year will have changed by an amount that cannot be accurately predicted. Therefore, the current Gregorian calendar suffices for practical purposes, and the correction suggested by John Herschel of making 4000 a non-leap year will probably not be necessary.

February 29 is a date that usually occurs every four years, and is called leap day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365 days.

The Gregorian calendar is a modification of the Julian calendar first used by the Romans. The Roman calendar originated as a lunisolar calendar and named many of its days after the syzygies of the moon: the new moon and the full moon Idus or ides. The Nonae or nones was not the first quarter moon but was exactly one nundinae or Roman market week of nine days before the ides, inclusively counting the ides as the first of those nine days. In 1825, Ideler believed that the lunisolar calendar was abandoned about 450 BC by the decemvirs, who implemented the Roman Republican calendar, used until 46 BC. The days of these calendars were counted down inclusively to the next named day, so February 24 was ante diem sextum Kalendas Martii "the sixth day before the calends of March" often abbreviated a. d. VI Kal. Mar. The Romans counted days inclusively in their calendars, so this was actually the fifth day before March 1 when counted in the modern exclusive manner not including the starting day.

The Republican calendar's intercalary month was inserted on the first or second day after the Terminalia. The remaining days of Februarius were dropped. This intercalary month, named Intercalaris or Mercedonius, contained 27 days. The religious festivals that were normally celebrated in the last five days of February were moved to the last five days of Intercalaris. Because only 22 or 23 days were effectively added, not a full lunation, the calends and ides of the Roman Republican calendar were no longer associated with the new moon and full moon.

The Julian calendar, which was developed in 46 BC by Julius Caesar, and became effective in 45 BC, distributed an extra ten days among the months of the Roman Republican calendar. Caesar also replaced the intercalary month by a single intercalary day, located where the intercalary month used to be. To create the intercalary day, the existing ante diem sextum Kalendas Martii (February 24) was doubled, producing ante diem bis sextum Kalendas Martii. Hence, the year containing the doubled day was a bissextile (bis sextum, "twice sixth") year. For legal purposes, the two days of the bis sextum were considered to be a single day, with the second half being intercalated, but common practice by 238, when Censorinus wrote, was that the intercalary day was followed by the last five days of February, a. d. VI, V, IV, III and pridie Kal. Mar. (which would be those days numbered 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 from the beginning of February in a common year), i.e. the intercalated day was the first half of the doubled day. All later writers, including Macrobius about 430, Bede in 725, and other medieval computists (calculators of Easter), continued to state that the bissextum (bissextile day) occurred before the last five days of February.

Until 1970, the Roman Catholic Church always celebrated the feast of Saint Matthias on a. d. VI Kal. Mar., so if the days were numbered from the beginning of the month, it was named February 24 in common years, but the presence of the bissextum in a bissextile year immediately before a. d. VI Kal. Mar. shifted the latter day to February 25 in leap years, with the Vigil of St. Matthias shifting from February 23 to the leap day of February 24. This shift did not take place in pre-Reformation Norway and Iceland; Pope Alexander III ruled that either practice was lawful. Other feasts normally falling on February 25–28 in common years are also shifted to the following day in a leap year although they would be on the same day according to the Roman notation. The practice is still observed by those who use the older calendars.

The Julian calendar adds an extra day to February in years evenly divisible by four.

The Coptic calendar and Ethiopian calendar also add an extra day to the end of the year once every four years before a Julian 29-day February.

This rule gives an average year length of 365.25 days. However, it is 11 minutes longer than a vernal equinox year. This means that the vernal equinox moves a day earlier in the calendar about every 131 years.

The Revised Julian calendar adds an extra day to February in years divisible by four, except for years divisible by 100 that do not leave a remainder of 200 or 600 when divided by 900. This rule agrees with the rule for the Gregorian calendar until 2799. The first year that dates in the Revised Julian calendar will not agree with those in the Gregorian calendar will be 2800, because it will be a leap year in the Gregorian calendar but not in the Revised Julian calendar.

This rule gives an average year length of 365.242222… days. This is a very good approximation to the mean tropical year, but because the vernal equinox year is slightly longer, the Revised Julian calendar does not do as good a job as the Gregorian calendar of keeping the vernal equinox on or close to March 21.

The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, so a leap year has an extra month, often called an embolismic month after the Greek word for it. In the Chinese calendar the leap month is added according to a complicated rule, which ensures that month 11 is always the month that contains the northern winter solstice. The intercalary month takes the same number as the preceding month; for example, if it follows the second month then it is simply called "leap second month"

The Hebrew calendar is also lunisolar with an embolismic month. This extra month is called Adar Alef (first Adar) and is added before Adar, which then becomes Adar Bet (second Adar). According to the Metonic cycle, this is done seven times every nineteen years specifically, in years 3, 6, 8, 11, 14, 17, and 19. This is to ensure that Pesah (Passover) is always in the spring as required by the Torah (Pentateuch) in many verses relating to Pesah.

In addition, the Hebrew calendar has postponement rules that postpone the start of the year by one or two days. These postponement rules reduce the number of different combinations of year length and starting days of the week from 28 to 14, and regulate the location of certain religious holidays in relation to the Sabbath. In particular, the first day of the Hebrew year can never be Sunday, Wednesday or Friday. This rule is known in Hebrew as "lo adu rosh", i.e. "Rosh [ha-Shanah, first day of the year] is not Sunday, Wednesday or Friday" as the Hebrew word adu is written by three Hebrew letters signifying Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Accordingly, the first day of Pesah (Passover) is never Monday, Wednesday or Friday. This rule is known in Hebrew as "lo badu Pesah", which has a double meaning- "Pesah is not a legend", but also "Pesah is not Monday, Wednesday or Friday" as the Hebrew word badu is written by three Hebrew letters signifying Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

One reason for this rule is that Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Hebrew calendar and the tenth day of the Hebrew year, now must never be adjacent to the weekly Sabbath which is Saturday, i.e. it must never fall on Friday or Sunday, in order not to have two adjacent Sabbath days. Ironically, if the belief that man was created on Rosh Hashanah and on Friday are both correct, then the Yom Kippur of that year would have been on a Sunday. However, Yom Kippur can still be on Saturday.

Years consisting of 12 months have between 353 and 355 days. In a k'sidra ("in order") 354-day year, months have alternating 30 and 29 day lengths. In a chaser ("lacking") year, the month of Kislev is reduced to 29 days. In a malei "filled" year, the month of Cheshvan is increased to 30 days. 13-month years follow the same pattern, with the addition of the 30-day Adar Alef, giving them between 383 and 385 days.

The observed and calculated versions of the Islamic calendar do not have regular leap days, even though both have lunar months containing 29 or 30 days each in no apparent order. However, the tabular Islamic calendar used by Islamic astronomers during the Middle Ages and still used by some Muslims does have a regular leap day added to the last month of the lunar year in 11 years of a 30-year cycle.

Leap months in the Islamic calendar were prohibited in year 10 AH or 632 CE, both in Muhammad's Farewell Sermon and in two verses of the Qur'an revealed in year 10 AH:

''The number of months with Allah has been twelve months by Allah's ordinance since the day He created the heavens and the earth. Of these four are known as sacred; That is the straight usage, so do not wrong yourselves therein, and fight those who go astray collectively as they fight against you collectively. But know that Allah is with those who are pious.Verily the transposing of a prohibited month is an addition to Unbelief: The Unbelievers are led to wrong thereby: for they make it lawful one year, and forbidden another year, of months forbidden by Allah and make such forbidden ones lawful. The evil of their course seems pleasing to them. But Allah guideth not those who reject Faith.'' (Qur'an 9:36-37)

In the Hindu calendar, which is a lunisolar calendar, the embolismic month is called adhika maasa, the extra month. It is the month in which the sun is in the same sign of the stellar zodiac on two consecutive dark moons. Adhika maasa occurs once every two or three years, compensating for the approximately eleven fewer days per year in twelve lunar months than the solar calendar. Thus, Hindu festivals tend to occur within a given span of the Gregorian calendar. For example: the No Moon during Diwali festival tends to occur between October 22 and November 15. Buddhist calendars in several related forms each a simplified version of the Hindu calendar are used on mainland Southeast Asia in the countries of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar formerly Burma and Sri Lanka.

The Hindu Calendar also known as Vikram Samvat is used in Nepal as National Calendar. All the official work is done based on this calendar. The calendar followed in some parts of South India mainly in Tamil Nadu is solar. It has a leap year every four years.

A person born on February 29 may be called a "leapling" or a "leaper". In common years they usually celebrate their birthdays on February 28 or March 1. For legal purposes, legal birthdays depend on how local laws count time intervals. For example, in Taiwan, in common years, the legal birthday of a leapling is February 28, so a Taiwanese leapling born on February 29, 2000, legally reaches 18 years old on February 28, 2018.

If a period fixed by weeks, months, and years does not commence from the beginning of a week, month, or year, it ends with the ending of the day which precedes the day of the last week, month, or year which corresponds to that on which it began to commence. But if there is no corresponding day in the last month, the period ends with the ending of the last day of the last month. In some situations, March 1 is used as the birthday in a non-leap year since it is the day following February 28.

Technically, a leapling will have fewer birthdays than their age in years. This phenomenon is exploited when a person claims to be only a quarter of their actual age, by counting their leap-year birthdays only. In Gilbert and Sullivan's 1879 comic opera The Pirates of Penzance, Frederic the pirate apprentice discovers that he is bound to serve the pirates until his 21st birthday rather than until his 21st year.src:wikipedia

The Most Powerful women Entrepreneurs in India; Indra Nooyi, Sonia Gandhi, Lalita Gupte & Kalpana Morparia, Vidya Manohar Chhabria, Anu Aga, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Simone Tata, Indu Jain, Priya Paul, Sulajja Firodia Motwani & Neelam Dhawan

The educated women do not want to limit their lives in the four walls of the house. They demand equal respect from their partners. However, Indian women have to go a long way to achieve equal rights and position because traditions are deep rooted in Indian society.

Despite all the social hurdles, many women have become successful in their works. Recently, Forbes, one of the famous international business magazines, has published a list of most powerful women in various fields such as, politics, business. Indian women were also included in the list. Here are the names:

Indra Nooyi- 4th position- Chief Executive—designate, Pepsi Co.

Indra Nooyi

This Madras born woman was a straight “A” student in her school. Nooyi did her bachelors from Madras Christian College and MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. Nooyi then went to USA and attended Yale University. From Yale, she obtained degree on management. This brilliant corporate woman started her career in Boston Consulting Group and moved on to Motorola and Asea Brown Boveri. She joined Pepsi Co. in 1994. She turned the company into a bold risk taker. In 1998, Pepsi acquired Tropicana. In 1997, Pepsi started its own fast food chain. In 2001, she became President of Pepsi Cola. Wall Street Journal included her name in their top 50 women to watch in 2005. Fortune magazine declared her 11th most powerful women in business.

Sonia Gandhi-13th position—President, Congress Party

Sonia Gandhi

She was born in Italy and had a normal upbringing. In 1964, she went to Cambridge to study English and met Rajiv Gandhi. The two fell in love and got married in 1968. Sonia’s entrance into politics was accidental. In 1991, after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, she was approached by the Congress Party leaders but she refused. She finally joined politics in 1998 by taking over the charge of Congress Party. Her opponents tried to ruin her image by labeling her as a foreigner, but with her timely decision to give up the position of Prime minister to Dr. Manmohan Singh, after winning the general election of 2004, she outmatched her opponents.

Lalita Gupte & Kalpana Morparia—93rd position—Joint Managing Directors, ICICI Bank

Kalpana Morparia and Lalita Gupte are Joint Managing Directors of ICIC Bank, the second largest bank of India. Lalita Gupte holds a Master’s Degree in Management Studies from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies. She joined ICIC Bank in 1971. Her reason behind success is her supportive family. She got great support from her husband and in laws.

Ms. Kalpana Morparia is a graduate in law from Mumbai University. She joined ICIC in 1975 as a senior legal officer. In 1996, she became General Manager. She became Executive Director in 2001. In 1999, for her contribution in Finance and Banking sector in India, Indian Merchants' Chamber awarded her.

Vidya Manohar Chhabria—95th position—Chairman, Jumbo Group

Vidya Manohar Chhabria

The wife of late Manohar Rajaram Chhabria, is now leading Jumbo Group, a Dubai based $1.5 billion business conglomerate. She became chairperson of the company after the death of her husband in 2002. She runs the business with the help of her three daughters. She was ranked 38th most powerful women by the Fortune magazine in 2003.

Anu Aga- Chairperson (former) Thermax Group

Anu Aga

Like Vidya Manohar Chabaria, this woman also became the Chairperson of Thermax Engineering after the death of her husband Rohinton Aga. The company’s condition was critical at that time. Its share price dipped to Rs. 36 from Rs. 400. Anu Aga, the then Director of Human Resource, Thermax, was compelled to take charge of the company. In order to make the company profitable, she brought a consultant from abroad and restructured the company. The strategy worked and the company saw profit again. She stepped down from the post of chairperson in 2004. Now, she spends most of her time in social activities. Bombay Management Association awarded her Management Woman Achiever of the Year Award 2002-2003.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw—Biocon

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw

She is the first female master brewer and the richest woman in India. Her father was a master brewer and he encouraged her to get into this profession. Shaw obtained her Honors degree in Zoology from Bangalore University. Then she went to Ballarat University to study brewery. Her first job was in Carlton & United Beverages in 1974, as a trainee brewer. She started her firm Biocon India in 1978 in her garage. When she applied for loan to the banks, she was turned down. At that time, biotechnology was not known in India and she was a female and her company did not have much assets. With her hard work and determination she overcome all these obstacles and turned Biocon into the biggest biopharmaceutical firm in India.

Simone Tata—Managing Director (former) Lakme

Simone Tata

With her visions, she changed a small unknown cosmetics company, one of the subsidiaries of Tata Oil Mills, into one of the leading cosmetic companies of India. Lakme changed the face of Indian fashion and cosmetics forever. For her success, Simone N. Tata is also known as Cosmetic Czarina of India. Simone joined Lakme in 1961 and became Chairperson in 1982. The company is now sold to Hindustan Liver. Simone is now heading Trent Limited another subsidiary of the Tata Company.

Indu Jain- Chairperson (former) The Times Group

Indu Jain

Indu Jain has many identities: spiritualist, entrepreneur, humanist, educationalist, great lover of art and culture. She was the Chairman of the The Times Group, the biggest and the most powerful media house in India. The company was bought from a British group. Now, her two sons Samir and Vineet are running the company. Among the major products of the company, The Times of India, the largest selling English daily newspaper of the world. In 2000, Jain delivered speech at the Millenium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders.

Priya Paul—Apeejay Surrendra Group

Priya Paul finished her Bachelor’s in Economics from USA. She got into her family business at the age of 24 after her father Surrendra Paul was assassinated in 1990. Appeejay Surrendra Group has several subsidiaries such as, tea, hotel, shipping, retail, real estate and financial services. At present, Priya is the Chairperson of Appeejay Park Hotels.

Sulajja Firodia Motwani- Kinetic Motor

Sulajja Firodia Motwani

This beautiful woman is the Joint Managing Director of Kinetic, and the Managing Director of Kinetic Finance. Her grandfather founded this company. He was a very well known figure in the Indian auto industry. Sulajja did her MBA in America. Later, she worked in Barra International, a California based investment consultancy firm, for four years and then returned to India and joined her family business. She travels a lot around India and likes to deal face to face with people. This is how she tries to understand the market in her country.

Neelam Dhawan—Managing Director, Microsoft India

Neelam Dhawan

She has become a pioneering figure in the IT industry of India. Neelam Dhawan has been working in the Indian IT field for the last twenty two years. She is the new Managing Director of Microsoft India. Before coming to Microsoft, she worked in all the top IT companies in India such as HP, IBM and HCL.