Bula readers, this week Fiji-wide, many people celebrated the 76th year of Independence from British rule for India, and interestingly this independence began a domino effect where many other British Colonies became independent and moved towards a system of self-governance, this of course includes our own beloved Fiji.
My father and mother were both in school in Suva and Lautoka, respectively, when independence was granted to India on August 15, 1947, and Fiji followed the path to independence on October 10, 1970.
Maybe one of the reasons my parents cherish their right to vote was the fact, that for so many years they were denied this basic human right that every citizen should be entitled to.
The freedom to this fundamental right was ripped away again from the people of Fiji as recently as 2006 after our latest coup and no one was given the right to exercise their fundamental right to vote again for eight long years until 2014.
This was a very sad chapter in our history, which should never be repeated again, as every citizen should be given the right to vote and also encouraged to vote and express their opinions through the ballot box regardless of their independent views, collective views, creed, caste or religious views, that is called democracy.
India has proudly led the way as the largest democracy in the world, with approximately 912,000,000 million people eligible to vote and voter turnout was estimated between 67 per cent to 70 per cent the highest ever participation by voters.
What a truly amazing feat to conduct elections for so many of its citizens, considering the voting population is over 912 million and here in Fiji a total voter registration of only a few hundred thousand which is the size of a large village or small town in India.
I would hope these statistics encourage our own eligible voters to register to vote and make that difference and have your say for whoever, or whatever you want to vote for, as it is your democratic right.
Being the largest democracy in the world is just one of the many amazing feats that India has achieved before, during and after independence, so I thought it timely to list 12 interesting facts you may not be aware of, about this vast and majestical country sometimes known fondly as Incredible India.
1. India has the wettest inhabited place on Earth
Meghalaya Village has won the Guinness world record title for the wettest place on Earth, with about 11,873 millilitres of rain annually.
The monsoon season lasts six months, this makes our own Suva weather look very favourable indeed.
2. You can drive on the world’s highest motorable road
At over 19,300 feet, the Ladakh road is the highest motorable road in the world.
This is one chilly ride, so winter clothing is strongly recommended.
3. India was the first country to mine diamonds
From the 4th century BC for around 1000 years, India was the only source of diamonds in the world.
The original diamonds were found in the Krishna River Delta.
14 centuries’ later, more diamond deposits were discovered in Brazil and South Africa, adding to the global market of diamonds.
4. India has the highest population of vegetarians
It’s estimated that between 20 per cent to 30 per cent of India’s population follow a strict vegetarian diet, while many others will only consume fish and no land animals.
This figure appears to be dropping with the introduction of fast-food restaurants and other meat-related cuisine.
5. A huge amount of public holidays
In 2019, India recorded 26 official holidays, including Independence Day, Deepavali, Holi, and Christmas.
The wide range of celebrations come from the fact that so many different cultural groups are blended in the Indian population, which goes to show unity in diversity in motion.
6. Tea is the national beverage of India
It’s no secret that Indians love tea; the beverage is served throughout the day and with meals in every household.
India is the second-largest producer of tea in the world, so if you are a tea lover India might be the place to visit.
7. Around 70 per cent of the world’s spices come from India
India is by far the largest producer of spices in the world, these are shipped across continents to restaurants and kitchens worldwide.
Some of the best-known spices are turmeric, cumin, saffron, and chilli powder.
Even in Fiji you can guarantee some of your spices are sourced from India.
8. The Amritsar Golden Temple serves free meals for thousands daily
The Amritsar Golden Temple is one of the most dazzling architectural monuments in India, but it is also a site of generosity and compassion.
This Sikh temple is open to people of all religions.
Every day, it serves a simple vegetarian meal, often to over fifty thousand people.
What’s even more impressive is that almost all the ingredients are donated.
9. India was the first country to refine and consume sugar
India was the first place where sugar was extracted and refined, and once it became popular sugar production quickly spread around the world and even today sugar production and refining can be a very lucrative and
profitable business if managed well.
10. Shampoo originated in India
The word “shampoo” comes from the Sanskrit word “champu,” which means “to massage.”
Ground herbs mixed with water were the very first form of shampoo.
Not until later, when the idea caught on were commercial bottles produced.
This regrettably wouldn’t be much good for me as I have only ever used bath soap to wash my hair, plus there isn’t much hair to wash anyway.
11. The country is third in the world for billionaires
India now has over 150 billionaires and growing – ranking the country third in the world for billionaires.
12. Bollywood shines on the world stage
Bollywood is the world’s largest producer of films, surpassing even Hollywood.
On average, Bollywood produces between 1500-2000 feature films a year.
To add to this statement, the general consensus is that Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is now one of the highest-paid actors of all time amassing almost $US1billion throughout his long and distinguished career.
Finally, I do hope you enjoyed these 12 interesting facts about Incredible India and the Indian community at large, do take care and be safe until next week.
Dhanyavad.
• AJAY BHAI AMRIT is a founding member of The People’s Alliance party and is also a freelance writer. The views expressed in this article are his and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.
