Hello, I’m Het Patel.
Welcome to India where you’ll see soda being used as a pesticide, ids for cows, the world’s most expensive house and so much more.
19 strange facts about this country of major religions, seasons and spices that will show you, an India from a completely different side.
1. Six seasons in a year
According to the Hindu calendar, there are six seasons the familiar summer fall winter and spring seasons as well as the monsoon season and winter’s eve season.
Spring is called the king of seasons and it’s a good time to visit India, if you want to see some holy celebrations.
The nicest time of year in terms of weather is probably winter’s eve season.
This is when diwali the most important hindu festival takes place.
2. A specific head gesture for agreeing
Instead of nodding up and down like we’re used to Indians bobble their heads from side to side in agreement.
This gesture is so unique to the culture that it’s even known as the indian head shake
depending on the context it’s something between okay and i understand it can also be a substitute for thank you in any case it’s always affirmative
3. Extremely polluted air in major cities
Of course a lot of big cities all over the world have air pollution but it’s on a whole other level in India.
Factory emissions and car exhausts cause smog which makes breathing difficult for both citizens and visitors.
There just one day in Delhi is equal to smoking about 50 cigarettes.
Fortunately, the government is working on solving the problem.
They’re improving emission monitoring and have started rating plants according to pollution levels.
4. All the world’s major religions
Although 80 percent of Indians practice Hinduism this country includes all the world’s major religions plus more
You’ll meet followers of Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Judaism, Buddhism, Jainism, and lots of smaller indigenous faiths all in one place.
5. Home to the biggest family in the world
The world’s biggest family lives in India’s batwang village zionna china has 39 wives, 94 kids, and over 40 grandchildren and his family just keeps growing they all live together in a 100 room house.
A regular family dinner for them consists of 30 chickens, 132 pounds of potatoes and 220 pounds of rice.
The 72-year-old head of the family explains that all his wives actually asked him to marry them and he just couldn’t say no and he plans to keep expanding the family now that’s what I call extended family.
8. The second-largest English-speaking country in the world
When you think of English-speaking countries, do you immediately bring to mind the USA, the UK, Canada, and Australia?
Well next time don’t forget about india.
Second only to the USA.
India has around 125 million English speakers and that’s only ten percent of their population.
7. Policemen are paid for having mustaches
Indian police officers get a bonus if they have a mustache
Apparently the idea is that mustaches make men more reputable and manly.
It’s an essential feature of Indian folklore.
The difference in pay rate is actually only 30 rupees which is about 50 cents but that adds up over time.
8. Cows carry id
In the Indian state of West Bengal every cow is given its own photo id card.
this is done to prevent cow smuggling to Bangladesh which is right across the border.
The government of India wants to expand this project across the entire country and actually plans to invest 7.8 million dollars in giving the nation’s cows a 12-digit identity number each
this will be done to monitor vaccination and breeding cycles and would double the dairy sector’s income by 2022.
9. Spices galore
75% of all spices on the world market are produced in India making it the world’s leader in spice production.
It exports 180 kinds of spices over 160 countries.
Spices are so powerful here that one of them is even used as a non-toxic weapon.
The military considers butt Jolokia or ghost pepper great for making tear gas-like hand grenades.
10. Low divorce rate
Only one marriage out of a hundred ends in divorce in india.
What’s their secret to such marital stability?
Most people believe this has to do with religion.
Marriage here is a holy union not an official agreement.
Arranged marriages might also be a factor the families often choose the best life partner for their child.
Married couples don’t want to dishonor their families with a divorce.
11. Pre-wedding detectives
To make sure their children will have a happily ever after marriage.
Some Indian families hire private detectives to investigate the prospective bride or groom.
Their financial situation, bad habits like drinking or smoking previous relationships and personality are the main things the detectives are hired to check out.
12. Home of the love commandos
In India, there’s a group called the love commandos.
It’s a non-profit that supports couples from different castes and is being harassed and even killed for the controversial inter-cast relationship.
Journalists, lawyers, human rights activists, and businessmen work as volunteers to give these oppressed lovers shelter legal advice and protection,
13. No locks, no worries
Shani Shingnapur is a temple town in Maharashtra, where residents have no doors or locks in their houses or shops.
They believe their property is under the protection of lord shani.
So any burglar will be punished by turning blind and anyone who’s dishonest will get seven years of bad luck.
Even the bank doesn’t have a regular lock on it.
instead, there’s a glass panel with a remote-controlled electromagnetic lock almost impossible to see.
14. An innovative way to use soda
Indian farmers use coca-cola and Pepsi instead of expensive pesticides to protect their crops.
The manufacturers of these beverages deny this fact of course but agricultural scientists confirm that carbohydrates and sugar actually improve plants immunity to pests.
Think about that next time you reach for one of these drinks.
15. Gold-clad housewives
Indian housewives own 11% of the world’s gold that’s more than the combined stocks of the US, Switzerland, Germany, and the international monetary fund.
That means they actually have over 18 000 tons of gold worth more than 950 billion dollars.
They call it perceived wealth and refuse to give it up even in times of crisis.
16. Skyscraper home
Business tycoon Mukesh Ambani is the richest man in the country and his Mumbai residence is the most expensive house in the world worth around 2 billion dollars.
This 27 story skyscraper called Antilla is occupied by the Ambani family and their 600 person staff who take care of the property around the clock.
There’s a 50-seat home theater, parking lots for 160 cars, a spa, a gym, three helipads and we’d be here all day naming all the extravagant luxuries this family’s skyscrapers house includes.
17. The monkey menace
Delhi faces a real problem with an overpopulation of monkeys roaming the city.
They cause chaos in the metro and in front of government buildings and are even known to attack people.
To solve this problem monkey handlers are hired to train and take care of a fierce-looking langer to scare them off.
18. The mystery of sentinel island
India controls sentinel island in the bay of bengal.
A territory that remains virtually untouched by modern civilization.
The island is perhaps the hardest place in the world to visit.
The Sentinelese are a hunter-gatherer society that doesn’t welcome outsiders and basically kill anyone who gets too close to their lance.
Things remain here today exactly how they were thousands of years ago.
19. The land of great inventions
India is the homeland of chess.
The indigenous name of this game is chaturanga meaning four divisions of an army namely elephant chariots cavalry and infantry.
Chess isn’t the only thing invented in India.
We can also thank the bright minds of this country for cataract surgery, wireless communication, fiber optics, metallurgy, cotton cultivation, and everyday items such as buttons, rulers, weight scales, flush, toilets, and even shampoo.
Which of these facts surprised you the most? Tell us in the comments section.