Feel the divine serenity and peace @ Christ Church, Shimla...

 

• Christ Church, Shimla, is the second oldest church in North India, after St John's Church in Meerut.
• The church, which took 11 long years to complete, stands as a reminder of the British colonization in India. 
• It is built in the Neo-Gothic style in 1857 to serve the largely Anglican British community in what was formerly called Simla.
•  Christ Church which is situated on The Ridge, literally glows when it is lighted up at night while in winters, it dons the look of a magnificent castle.  
•  It stands out as one of the prominent landmarks of Shimla and its silhouette is visible for many kilometres around the vicinity of Shimla city.
• Christ Church was designed by Colonel J. T. Boileau in 1844, and the cornerstone was laid on 9 September 1844 by Bishop Daniel Wilson, Bishop of Calcutta.
  
  
  
• The clock adorning Christ Church was donated by Colonel Dumbleton in 1860. The porch was added in 1873. A British manufactured pipe-organ was installed in 1899 which was extensively renovated in 1932. The pipe-organ is the largest in the Indian subcontinent.
• Christ Church continues to be well maintained and is in relatively good condition. The clock's original mechanical mechanism has more recently been replaced with an electrical equivalent. However, currently whilst all 4 faces of the clock remain in synchronization they rarely reflect the correct time.
• The church contains five fine stained glass windows. One each representing the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity, Fortitude, Patience, and Humility. 
• Among the church's holdings are a great collection of books and ancient scriptures.
• If you’re looking to spend some ME time amid peace and spirituality, Christ Church in Shimla can be the right place.
• This majestic church has appeared in a number of famous Bollywood movies, such as Black and 3 Idiots.
• The Church makes Shimla a popular tourist attraction that people love to visit.

Witness the glorious Sunset at the inevitable Shaily's Peak...

• Located 23 km away from Naldehra near Mahakali Lake, the Shaily's Peak is one of the most beautiful attractions in Shimla. 8 km steep course from Khatnol (the base) to the peak attracts countless adventure seekers every year. Dense forests and rocky trails adorn this peak.
• Perched at an altitude of 9,423 feet, the Shaily's Peak is one of the most beautiful trekking destinations near Shimla. The peak provides a 360 degree magnificent view of Shimla, Mashobra, Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda. It looks exceptionally stunning during the sunrise and the sunset which makes it a perfect destination for trekkers and adventure seekers.
  
  
  
• Tourists can also ride horses or rent a motorcycle to reach Shaily peak which offers an enchanting view of Himalayan Hills.
• There is a temple at the top dedicated to Bhima Kali, a goddess, who is highly revered by locals.
•  Don’t miss your chance to witness the glory of heaven on earth on your next visit to Shimla.

Naldehra - a lesser known hill station of Himachal Pradesh

• Among the myriad hamlets of Himachal Pradesh is Naldehra, a town tucked just 22kms away from the hustle-bustle of the well renowned hill station, Shimla.
• Naldehra is the kingdom of heaven for nature lovers and adventure seekers. It is a perfect place where you can relax and unwind yourself amidst the gorgeous terrain.
• About an hour’s drive from the main city, Naldehra is everything that Simla is not – serene, green and ever so fascinating.
• The most famous attraction at Naldhera is a grand 18-hole golf course perched at an altitude of 2,200 meters. It is one of the oldest and most scenic course in the country.
• Historical facts state that this hill station was discovered by Lord Curzon, a Viceroy of the erstwhile British Raj. Impressed by it's beautiful natural surroundings, he decided to make a golf course in this hill station. 
• Tourists can try their hand at the sport by paying a nominal daily green fee that ranges between Rs 250 to Rs 500.
  
  
  
• A heaven for tourist, Naldehra has derived its name from the two words, Nag and Dehra, meaning the Abode of the King of Snakes. 
• Naldehra hill station offers long leisurely walks amidst the pines and deodars.
•  Just 7 kms and a short 20-minutes drive from Naldhera is the apple orchards of Mashobra’s Regional Horticultural Research Station. 
• The centre has about 170 varieties of apple trees.
• Apart from the 18-hole golf course, the place is also known for its fairs. One of them is the Sipi Fair, which is held here in June every year. Another popular fair is the ‘Jotton Ka Mela’, also known for its bull fights, which takes place in October every year.
• Naldhera is considered as a year round holiday destination and a weekend getaway ex-Chandigarh / Delhi.

Interesting Facts about Jakhoo temple, Shimla...

 

• Jakhoo Temple is an ancient temple in Shimla, dedicated to the Hindu deity Hanuman. It is situated on Jakhoo Hill, Shimla's highest peak.
• 2km from Shimla, at a height of 8,000ft, Jakhoo Hill is the highest peak in the city and has views of the city and of the snow-capped Himalayas. The landscape all around is a feast to every tourist eyes.
• This ancient temple was built by a sage named Yaaku.
• The temple has been built around the place that is supposed to have the footprints of Hanuman.
• According to the Ramayana, Hanuman stopped at the location to rest while searching for the Sanjivani Booti to revive Lakshmana.
  
  
  
• The intricate carvings and paintings on the walls of this religious edifice testify the expertise of architects and artisans.
• A giant 108-feet-high idol of Hanuman was unveiled at Jakhoo Hanuman Temple on 4th Nov 2010. 
• Since it is the temple of the monkey God, you will find monkeys roaming around freely.
• The cost of construction was Rs 1.5 Crores and the public unveiling was officiated by Abhishek Bachchan.  
• The temple is accessible by foot, pony, taxi or ropeway and is one of the main attraction for tourists visiting Shimla. 

Freewheelers Emergency Voluntary Service ...Lesser known facts !!

•  Freewheelers Emergency Voluntary Service is a registered charity that provides a free out-of-hours motorcycle courier service to hospitals, clinics and residential psychiatric or geriatric homes in the South West of England.
• Their slogan "Riding for Life" describes their operation perfectly.
• They ride to play their part in saving peoples lives and to save the NHS money that would otherwise be wasted on taxis or expensive couriers, but more than anything else they ride because they love it.
• In 2008, in recognition of their dedicated work they were given The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service which is the highest honour that a voluntary group can receive.
  
  
  
• Their service is provided by volunteers and they depend entirely on public sponsorship and donations.
• They ran a 24/7 service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• They choose to use specially adapted motorcycles to give them the maximum flexibility and the best response time. Their bikes are fitted with a rack so that they can carry the largest insulated box with ease. Bikes are also fitted with blue lights and sirens so that deliveries classified as an emergency can be delivered safely and quickly. This enables riders to make safe progress through congested traffic more effectively.
• Their riders are a hardy bunch that operate in all but the very worst weather.
• All deliveries are closely tracked. Riders must notify the on-duty co-coordinator when a delivery is completed. 
• They transport urgently required PPE and Medical kit,blood for transfusion, platelets, tissue samples for pathological & microbiological analysis, drugs, patient notes, medical equipments,X-rays, breast milk, and other medical supplies. They have also carried more unusual items such as antivenom and artificial limbs. 
• During COVID-19 they also have additional riders available using their own bikes to help with transportation. 

" PULSE " @ AIIMS, New Delhi Interesting Facts...

 

• 'PULSE' is South-East Asia's largest socio-cultural literary sports festival organized at AIIMS, New Delhi every year. 
• Pulse has a history of 47 glorious years and is one of the biggest and most awaited event in the calendar of a medical student in India as well as surrounding SAARC countries.
• A plethora of cultural, literary, fine arts, and sports competitions feature as part of this mega event. 
• The aim of 'Pulse' is to promote intellectual and cultural exchange among the young medical fraternity. The festival has grown by leaps and bounds over the years and presently about 40,000 students from 700 colleges participate and compete in 200 events and enjoy 7 days of this extravaganza.
  
  
  
•  Pulse also enjoys a lot of publicity (print, electronic, and web-based) throughout the 7 days of the fest.
• It is organized in September by the AIIMS student union who tries to make this event as one of the most memorable days of each participant's life.
• Events ranging from Pop Night, Rock Night, Laughter Night, Hasya Kavi Sammelan, Classical Night, Socio-Cultural Competitions, Sports Competitions, etc keep the audiences engaged for 7 consecutive days. Stalls of food items and various other local attractions also add to the Carnival atmosphere.
• The Femina Miss India auditions most often take place within the festival.
• Registration is required for participants from outside Delhi. Once registered, the delegates are provided accommodation and transportation at a nominal cost for the seven days.
• Participants in medical colleges from even the farthest corners of India eagerly await the invitation to Pulse.
• Pulse holds high class due to quality of participation as well as the judges. The best people in their fields available are invited to be the judge for the respective fields. Many of them are national level celebrities.
• Every evening on all seven days there is one mega event in addition to the regular competitive events. The central Foyer in front of the Jawaharlal Nehru Auditorium - the heart of pulse activities - is generally decorated with a huge "rangoli" which stays for seven days.
• Pulse takes place by the coordinated efforts of the students at AIIMS. Preparations for which starts more than 6 months before the event. Team leaders are elected for different activities (like finance, conduction, internal publicity, external publicity, security, general arrangements, transport, central reception, accommodation, etc). These teams are under a Chief Co-ordinator and act in coordination with the teams under the Social & Cultural, Literary and Sports Secretaries (members of the Students Union, AIIMS) who host the competitive events. They all receive materials and instruction from the previous years' teams for the same activities, some of which are more than three decades of heritage. 
• The most laudable part is that AIIMS students take pride in executing most of these activities with the least hired professional help despite the small size of its student population. This is possible due to the high motivation and cooperation of all members of  the AIIMS community to let Pulse go on at its best.

Melodious facts about song "Tumhare siva..." from the movie 'Tum Bin'

• Tum Bin is a 2001 Indian romantic drama film written and directed by Anubhav Sinha and produced by Bhushan Kumar.
• The film stars Priyanshu Chatterjee, Sandali Sinha, Himanshu Malik, and Raqesh Vashishth in leading roles.
• The music is composed by Nikhil-Vinay, with lyrics penned by Faaiz Anwar.
• The film was remade in Telugu as Ela Cheppanu (2003) starring Tarun and Shriya Saran.
  
  
  
• The film earned ₹8.28 crore at the box office.
• "Tumhare Siva" song was composed by Nikhil Vinay and was a chart-busters in 2001.
• Udit Narayan and Anuradha Paudwal provided the playbacks to this song.
• According to the Indian trade website Box Office India, with around 20,00,000 units sold, this film's soundtrack album was the year's ninth highest-selling. 

Piping hot facts about Cafe Coffee Day (CCD)...a lot can happen over a coffee!!

• Café Coffee Day, a part of Coffee Day Global Limited, is India’s favourite hangout for coffee and conversations. Popularly known as CCD.
• CCD is a “hangout” spot where the youth meet, make conversations, and have a whole lot of fun over steaming cups of great coffee.
• Coffee Day serves 1.6 billion cups of coffee annually in six countries. 
  
  
  
• CCD opened the first cafe in 1996 at Brigade Road in Bangalore. 
• CCD is also present in Austria, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Nepal, and Egypt.
• In June 2010, CCD acquired Café Emporio, a café chain from the Czech Republic. 
• Currently, the company has 750 café outlets in over 243 cities in India. 
• The  CCD Lounge Offers a wide range of Food & Beverages including complete meals too. 
• The CCD Square showcases a boutique of brewing systems and coffee beans from around the world for the absolute connoisseur and the well-traveled. 
• At CCD Value Express you can have a nice cup of coffee on-the-go!
• Coffee Day Exports is one of the largest exporters of green coffee in India, since 1999.
• CCD has received a UTZ Certification for responsibly growing coffee.
• Coffee Day Hotels & Resorts was formed as a subsidiary of Coffee Day Global Limited, the Chikmagalur resort of The Serai was the first such setup open. The philosophy was single-minded - to open exclusive retreats in the quietest corners of the country and to offer an experience drenched in luxury and understated elegance. It is a place where one would come to be pampered like nowhere else. The concept was so appreciated that they took these resorts to other reclusive niches – to Bandipur and Kabini.
• Cafe Coffee Day is exploring a transition from being just a hangout for the youth to a shopping platform for daily essentials to widen its customer base and increase footfall. CCD has piloted the retail format at one of its Bengaluru outlets by partnering with Coffee Day Essentials, a joint venture between Coffee Day Global Ltd and Japanese firm Impact HD.
• A Day before yesterday, Malavika Hegde-Wife of founder V.G.Siddhartha took over the position of CEO after the suicide of her husband due to financial troubles last year.

Interesting facts about Somerset, England

•  Somerset is a county in South West England with an area of 4,171 square kilometres.
• Somerset is the most beautiful place in England. 48% of the population here live in the Rural areas. 
• Somerset's county town is Taunton. It was the first town in the country to be lit permanently by electric street lighting in 1881.
• Somerset is a county of rolling hills and large flat expanses of land.
  
  
  
• Somerset is famous for apples, cider and cricket. There are more than 400 different varieties of cider apples grown in the area.
• The distance between London and Somerset is around 250kms by road.
• The West Somerset Railway is the longest preserved steam railway in the country. 
• The only time in first-class cricket, anywhere in the world, that a bowler has not conceded a single run in his allotted overs happened in Yeovil. Brian Langford completed his eight overs for no runs whilst playing for Somerset against Essex in the Player’s County League at Johnson Park in 1969.
•  Glastonbury- a festival in Somerset, is now the largest performing arts festival in the world. 
• Somerset has the oldest prison in England. Shepton Mallet prison opened in 1610 and was open for over 400 years before closing in 2013.
• Somerset has the largest gorge in Britain. Cheddar Gorge stands at around 500 feet!
• Somerset has the oldest working bridge in Britain. The Tarr Steps near Winsford is thought to date back to 1000 BC!

Lesser known facts about AIIMS, New Delhi

 1. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi is a medical school, hospital, and public medical research university. 

2. The institute is ranked no.1 in India, ranked no.1 in South Asia, and 231 in the world in the category of Life Sciences and Medicine.

3. It operates autonomously under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and is governed by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Act, 1956.

4. Originally proposed by the then Prime Minister of India Jawahar Lal Nehru for establishment in Calcutta, it was established in New Delhi following the refusal of Chief Minister of West Bengal Bidhan Chandra Roy.

5.The foundation stone of AIIMS Delhi was laid in 1952.

6. AIIMS is the first Indian center to perform a successful cardiac transplant. The surgery was performed by P Venugopal, the ex-director of AIIMS in 1994.

7. AIIMS has India's first and only minimally invasive surgery training center, under collaboration with Germany.

8. AIIMS is an advanced center of stem cell therapy in India.

9. AIIMS is a pioneer of robotic surgeries in India.

10. The first in-vitro fertilization facility in the public sector set up was at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences in February 2008.

11. AIIMS motto is "The body is indeed the primary instrument of dharma." 

12. AIIMS is the dream destination for medical aspirants as it provides many more things as compared to other private or small medical colleges like-

 1. Great infrastructure

2. Minimal cost of education

3. Super-specialty courses available.