First Indian Nobel Prize winner: Rabindra Nath Tagore was the first
Indian to win Nobel Prize. He won it for literature (Gitanjali) in 1913.

LITERATURE  AT GLANCE

First Indian Nobel Prize winner: Rabindra Nath Tagore was the first
Indian to win Nobel Prize. He won it for literature (Gitanjali) in 1913.

Gunadhya: author of Brihatkatha, ‘Great Story’, a famous collection
of tales, written in Paisachi dialect and regarded as one of the major
classics of Indian literature.

Sangam literature: was written in Tamil , mostly in the form of poetry.
Sangola, Treaty of: By this treaty, the power of the Peshwas in-
creased.

Sindhu: is the river most mentioned in early Vedic literature.

Smriti: is the traditional knowledge and designates almost the entire
body of post-Vedic classical Sanskrit literature. It is often referred to
as sastra, a term applied to any religious or philosophical treatise.
Manu Smriti is the oldest Smriti.

Anandmath: is a novel written by Bankim Chander Chatterjee. The
song Vande Mataram first appeared in Anandmath published in 1882.
It is known as the “Bible of Bengali literature”.

First In Kerala

first governer                         -  b.Ramakrishna Rao
first king of travancore               -  marthanda varma
first english school                   -  mattencherry
first collage                          -  c.m.s. college kottayam(1816)
first printing press                   -  c.m.s.press kottayam
first bank                             -  nedungadi bank
first malayalam movie                  -  vigathakumaran
first sound movie                      -  balan
first news paper                       -  rajya samacharam
first church of jews                   -  mattancherry
first printed malayalam book           -  samkhepa vedartham
first novel in malayalam               -  kundalatha
first chief minister                   -  E.M.S.nampoothiripadu
first women minister                   -  K.R.gauriyamma
first medical college                  -  thiruvanathapuram
first post office                      -  alappuzha
first bird sanctuary                   -  thattekkad
first olypian                          -  suresh babu
first bookerwinner fromkerala          -  arundhathi roy
first jnapith winner from kerala       -  G.sankarakurup
first wild life sactuary               -  periyar
first malayalee who got bharat award   -  P.J.antony
first radio station                    -  thiruvanathapuram
first library                          -  thiruvanathapuram
first malayalee indian president       -  K.R.narayanan
first national park                    -  eravikulam
first women IPS officer                -  sreelekha
first hydroelectric project            -  pallivasal
first speaker                          -  R.sankara narayanan thampi
first kerala chief justice             -  K.T.koshi
first malayalee women who got          -  K.C.elamma
arjuna award                           -
first malayalee governor               -  V.P.menon
first malayalee member of UPSC         -  Dr.K.G.adiyodi
first malayalee who got                -  O.M.nambiar
dhronacharya award                     -
first women vice chancellor            -  jancy james
first president of indian national     -  C.sankaran Nair
congress                               -
first president of kerala sahitya      -  sardar K.M.panicker
academy                                -
first women IAS officer                -  anna malhotra
first women MP                         -  annie mascrine
first women magistrate                 -  omanakkunjamma
first air survice                      -  thiruvanathapuram-mumbai
first electrified town                 -  thiruvananthapuram
the first women who got national       -  saradha
award for best actress
the first person who got vayalar       -  lalithambika antharjanam
award
the first european navigator who       -vasco-da-gama
reached in kerala
the first kerala cricket player who    -tinu yohannan
played in indian cricket team
the first private T.V  channel         -asianet
first cinema studio                    -udhaya studio(allapuzha)
first teak plantation                  -nilambur
first Ltd company                      -punalur paper mill
first actor in a leading role          -K.K.aroor(cinima-balan)
first women governor                   -jyothivenkitachellam
first women high court judje           -jestice anna chandy
first mosque                           -cheraman juma masjid,kodugalloor
first electronic park                  -technopark (thiruvananthapuram)
first jail                             -kozikode(1837)
first malayalam filim got presidents   -chemmeen
goldmedal
first person who got saraswathy        -balamaniyamma
samman
first political drama                  -pattabhakki
first malayalee chief justice of
supreame court                         -justice K.G.balakrishnan

First Elected Ministry of  Kerala  formed in  1957 . It consists 11 members .The names of ministers and their  departments are the following .

E.M.S.namboothiripaddu  :  Chief minister
C.achudhamenon          :  finance
joseph mundasseri       :  education
V.R.krishnaYYAR         :  LAW,electricity
K.C.george              :  food,forest
K.R.gauri               :  revenue,excise
P.K.chathan master      :  local administration
K.P.gopalan             :  industry
T.V.thomas              :  labour,transport
Dr.A.R.menon            :  health
T.A.majeed              :  public works

VITAMINS

The Vitamins are necessary auxiliaries in metabolism. They combine with specific proteins, as parts of various oxidative enzyme systems which are concerned with the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, and fat in the body. Thus, they are intimately involved in the mechanism which releases energy, carbon dioxide and water as the end products of metabolism.
Vitamins can be broadly divided into Fat Soluble and Water Soluble Vitamins. Vitamins A  D   E  and  K are fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamins B ( B1  B2   B6  B12 ) and C are water-soluble.

Vitamin – A      Retinol
Main Metabolic Function     Essential for normal growth and development.
For normal function of epithelical cells and normal development of teeth and bones.
Prevents Night blindness.
Deficiency – Effects     Retarded growth.
Reduced resistance to infection.
Abnormal function of gastrointestinal, and respiratory tracts due to altered epithelial membranes.
Interferes with production of “night purple”.
Available     Milk, Egg yolk, Ghee, Butter, Carrots, Tomatoes, Leafy and Yellow vegetables, Cod liver oil and Fresh fruits.
Nature     Fat-Soluble

Vitamin – B2      Riboflavin
Main Metabolic Function     Needed in formation of certain enzymes and in cellular oxidation.
Prevents inflammation of oral mucous membranes and the tongue.
Deficiency – Effects     Impaired growth, lassitude and weakness.
Causes cheillosis or glossittis.
May result in Photophobia and cataracts.
Available     Peas, Beans and Cereals.
Nature     Water-Soluble

Vitamin – B6      Pyridoxine
Main Metabolic Function     Acts as do other B vitamins.
To break down protein, carbohydrate and fat.
Acts as a catalyst in the formation of niacin from tryptophan.
Deficiency – Effects     Increased irritability, convulsions and peripheral neuritis.
Anorexia, nausea and vomiting.
Available     Peas, Beans and Cereals.
Nature     Water-Soluble

Thiamin
Main Metabolic Function     An important aid in carbohydrate metabolism.
Needed for Proper functioning of the digestive tract and nervous system.
Beriberi.
Loss of muscle.
Deficiency – Effects     Loss of appetite.
Impaired digestion of starches and sugars.
Various nervous disorder coordination.
Available     Peas, Beans and Cereals.
Nature     Water-Soluble

Vitamin – B12      Cyanocobalamin
Main Metabolic Function     Essential for development of red blood cells.
Required for maintenance of skin, nerve tissues, bone and muscles.
Deficiency – Effects     Results in pernicious anaemia.
Weakness, fatigue, sore and cracked lips.
Available     Peas, Beans and Cereals.
Nature     Water-Soluble

Vitamin – C      Ascorbic Acid
Main Metabolic Function     Needed for form the cementing substance, collagen, in various tissues (skin, dentine, cartilage and bone matrix).
Assists in woundhealing and bone fractures.
Deficiency – Effects     Lowered resistance to infections.
Susceptibility to dental cavities, pyotthea and bleeding gums.
Delayed wound healing.
Specific treatment for Scurvy.
Available     Fresh vegetables, Lemon, Orange, Tomatoes, Cabbage , Turnip and Lettuce (Beetroot).
Nature     Water-Soluble

Cholecalciferol
Main Metabolic Function     Requlates absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestinal tract.
Affords antiachitic activity.
Deficiency – Effects     Interferes with utilisation of calcium and phosphorus in bone and teeth formation.
Development of bone disease, rickets and caries.
Available     Butter, Milk, Ghee, Cod liver oil, Yolk of Eggs and also in Sunrays.
Nature     Fat-Soluble

Vitamin – E      Tocopherols
Main Metabolic Function     Protects tissues, cell membranes and Vitamin A against peroxidation.
Helps strengthen red blood cells.
Deficiency – Effects     Decreased red blood cell resistance to rupture.
Available     Germinating Wheat.
Nature     Fat-Soluble

Vitamin – K      Phytomenadione
Main Metabolic Function     Essential for formation of normal amounts of prothrombin and blood coagulation.
Deficiency – Effects     diminished blood clotting time.
Increased incidence of hemorrhages.
Available     Fish, Wheat and Oats.
Nature     Fat-Soluble

Abdul Ghaffar Khan: He was popularly known as ‘Frontier Gandhi’.

Refer Red Shirts and also under Civil Disobedience Movement.

Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan: lived during the reign of Akbar. He
translated Babar’s Memoirs from Turki to Persian.

Abdur Razzaq: was a Persian traveller who visited Vijayanagar during
the reign of Deva Raya II (1425-46).

Abdussamad: He was honoured with the award of “zari-qalam” by
Akbar.

Abhinav Bharat Society: It was a secret terrorist organisation formed
by V.D. Savarkar.

Abhiras: were an immigrant non-Aryan tribe of ancient India. They
were Central Asian nomads of Scythian stock.

Acharya Narendra Dev: was a prominent leader of the Congress So-
cialist Party.

Agha Khan: He ia known to have led the deputation of Muslim leaders

Agha Khan: He ia known to have led the deputation of Muslim leaders
to the Viceroy, Lord Minto II, in 1906, seeking separate electorates for
Muslims in any representative system which might be introduced.

Ahmad Shah Abdali: The invasion of Ahmed Shah Abdali in the third
battle of Panipat in 1761, gave a death blow to the political fortunes
of Marhattas.

Ahmadnagar: is associated with Nizam Shahi.

Ahmedabad city: on the left bank of the Sabarmati river, was built by
Ahmad Shah.

Aihole : in Karnataka contains chief sites of Chalukyan architecture.
Aihole inscription gives information regarding Pulakesin-II.

Ajanta Paintings: depict scenes from the Jataka stories which form
the main theme of these paintings.

Ajivika : Ajivika sect was founded by Gosala Maskriputra who flour-
ished during the Mauryan period and had lived with Mahavira for six
years and subsequently left him and became the leader of the Ajivika
sect.

Akbar: He was not influenced by earlier rulers so far as religious tol-
erance was concerned.

Akbarnama: It was written by Abul Fazl, the celebrated Mughal court
poet and councillor of Akbar.

Akot: is a town, about 42 km from Akola, from where a stone idol of
Lord Adinath, the first Jain Teerthankar, was found in 1993.

Ala-ud-din Khilji: He introduced price control covering almost the en-
tire market. Grain was rationed and the price fixed.

Khalsah (crown land) increased considerably under Ala-ud-din Khilji.
According to historian V.A. Smith, “Ala-ud-din Khilji introduced eco-
nomic policy to check Mongol invaders”.

‘Iqta’ , a land-grant system, was introduced by him.
He challenged the authority of ‘Khalifa’.

Copper coins were started by him. Jaziya tax was collected from non-
Muslims during his reign.

He sent Malik Kafur to Deccan for conquest.

Alberuni: He was a celebrated Muslim historian who visited India in
company with the armies of Mahmud of Ghazni. He was also a San-
skrit scholar. He wrote ‘Tahqiq-i-Hind’

Alexander: invaded India in 326 B.C.

Alfonso-de-Albuquerque: was the real founder of the Portuguese Em-
pire in India. He was the first governor of Portuguese possessions in
the East. He conquered Goa in 1510 and made it his capital. He died
in 1515.

Aligarh Muslim University: was founded by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.

Allahabad Pillar inscription: provides us useful information about
Samudragupta.
Amarasimha: was one of the nine gems in the court of the legendary
Vikramaditya. His work Amarkosha occupies a dominant position in
Sanskrit lexicography.

Amir Khusrau: (1255-1325) wrote prose and poetic works in Persian,
Hindi, and Arabic. Surnamed as the “Parrot of India”, he was a con-
temporary of Sultan Balban.

Amri Culture: flourished in Baluchistan.
Amritsar city: was founded by Guru Ram Dass in 1577. The place for
Amritsar was given to Guru Ram Dass by the Mughal Emperor Akbar.

Angkor Vat: a ruined city in Kampuchia (Cambodia) where beautiful
specimens of ancient Indian art and culture are found. Here Indian expertise has been used in archaeological restoration of the monuments.

Anglo-Mysore War, Third: was fought between the English under
Cornwallis and Tipu Sultan in 1790-92. Tipu Sultan had to submit and
was compelled to sign the Treaty of Seringapattam.

Anushilan Samiti: was formed by Sri Aurobindo Ghosh.

Apabhramsa: This t erm was used in medieval Sanskrit texts to de-
note early forms of some of the modern Indian languages.

Apastamba: is named after a native of Andhra, whose rules are ob-
served mainly in Andhra state; his sutras are based on a Black Yajur-
veda of South India.

Arjun Dev, Guru: He was the fifth Guru of the Sikhs. He was put to
death by the Mughal emperor Jehangir. He is associated with Adi
Granth.

Arsha: “rishi-like” marriage current only among priestly families. A
cow or a bull is given as a token bride-price.

Arthasastra: by Kautilya or Chanakya is a compendium of almost all
the ancient works on artha (economics). The text was discovered only
in 1905. It is divided into fifteen books treating of a variety of political
topics.As per Arthasastra, permanent peace is not possible.

Arya Samaj: was founded by Dayanand Saraswati. It opposed idola-
try; encouraged conversion to Hinduism and condemned casteism.

Aryabhatta: (476-520 A.D.) after whom India’s first scientific satellite
has been named, was a great Indian astronomer and mathematician.
He was a contemporary of Chandra Gupta-II.
He was the first Indian scholar who treated Mathematics as a distinct
subject and pointed out the importance of “Zero”. He is also credited
with the invention of Algebra.

Aryans: Aryans originally came from Central Asia. Cattle-rearing was
their main occupation. For them, cow was the measure of value and
an object of veneration.

Aryans and Non-Aryans: We acquire the knowledge of the battle be-
tween the Aryans and the non-Aryans from Vedas

Asanga: was a Buddhist philosopher. He was the originator of Bud-
dhist Yogachara idealism.

Ashoka, the Great: (264-228 B.C.) Indian Emperor, grandson of
Chandragupta. He denounced war, embraced and preached Bud-
dhism after the bloody battle of Kalinga.
The mighty empire of the Mauryans began to decline after the death
of Ashoka.

Ashokan inscriptions: were first deciphered in 1837 by James Prin-
sep, a civil servant in the employ of the East India Company in Ben-
gal. These Ashokan Inscriptions were engraved in Brahmi script in
Prakrit language.

In Rock Edict-I, Ashoka forbids the slaughter and sacrifice of animals.

In Rock Edict-II, the Pandyas, the Keralaputras and the Satyaputras
are mentioned as Ashoka’s neighbouring powers.
In his inscriptions at Maski and Gujarra, Ashoka has been metioned
by name.
In Junagarh inscription, Ashoka and Chandragupta Maurya have
been mentioned together.
Ashta Pradhan: A council of ministers which helped Shivaji in dis-
charge of State Affairs.

Ashtadhyaya:was written by Panini.

Ashtapradhan: was the Council of Ministers during the reign of Shiv-
aji.

Ashvaghosha: was the spiritual adviser of Kanishka (the Kushan em-
peror) who took a leading part in the Fourth Buddhist Council at Sri-
nagar which was presided by Vasumitra.
He was a renowned Mahayana Sanskrit scholar and author of Saripu-
tra-prakarana.
He was the greatest literary figure of Kanishka’s court.
Asiatic Society: Of Calcutta, was founded in 1784 by Sir William
Jones to enquire into history, antiquities, arts, science and literature
of Asia.
Asura: named after the Asuras, is marriage by sale of the bride. The
Asura marriage was condemned by Manu and the law books as im-
moral.
Atharva Veda: deals with charms and spells to ward off evils and dis-
ease.

Atharvaveda: Principles and poractice of medical science can be
traced back to Atharvaveda.

Attlee, Clement : was the Prime Minister of England at the time of
grant of independence to India in 1947.

Aurangzeb : was the third son of Shah Jahan, who ruled as Mughal
Emperor (1658-1707). He levied higher trade duties on Hindu traders
in 1679. He re-imposed Jaziya. He is known for his ruinous Deccan
policy. He made a serious mistake in conquering the Muslim king-
doms of Bijapur and Golkonda in the Deccan. Had he befriended
them, these states could have served as a check upon the Marathas.

Ayas: This term in Rid Veda means iron.

Name                                                                    Place                                   State
Chandraprabha Sanctuary                         Varanasi                       Uttar Pradesh
Dachigam Sanctuary                                      Srinagar                      Jammu & Kashmir
Ghana Bird Sanctuary                                   Bharatpur                    Rajasthan
Ghatprabha Bird Sanctuary                       Belgaum                        Karnataka
Jaldapara Sanctuary                                     Jalpaiguri                      West Bengal
Kutree Game Sanctuary                               Bestar                             Madhya Pradesh
Manas Tigar Sanctuary                                 Barpeta                         Assam
Melapattu Bird Sanctuary                            Nellor                             Andra Pradesh
Mudumalai Sanctuary                                   Nilgiris                           Tamil Nadu
Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctury                           Ahmedabad                 Gujarat
Palamau Tiger Sanctuary                              Daltonganj                     Bihar
Periyar Sanctuary                                             Idduki                            Kerala
Ranganthittoo Bird Sanctuary                    Sawai Madhopur         Rajasthan
Ranthambhor Tiger Sanctuary                   Sawai Madhopur        Rajasthan
Similipal Tiger Sanctuary                              Mayurbhanj                  Orissa
Sultanpur Lake Bird Sanctuary                  Gurgaon                           Haryana
Sunderbans Tiger Sanctuary                       24-Parganas                  West Bengal

Pager: A Pager is a electronic device with FM radio receiver  which is useful for communication purpose.  Paging service has now popular with the introduction of statelite base stations.

A pager (sometimes called a beeper) is a simple personal telecommunications device for short messages. A one-way numeric pager can only receive a message consisting of a few digits, typically a phone number that the user is then expected to call. Alphanumeric pagers are available, as well as two-way pagers that have the ability to send and receive email , numeric pages, and SMS messages.

Paging was invented by Multitone Electronics in 1956 at St Thomas’ Hospital in London to alert doctors attending emergencies. Over subsequent decades, paging has evolved in technological sophistication.

Subhash Chandra Boss
Bose, Subhash Chandra : better known as Netaji of Azad Hind Fauj
(Indian National Army,INA), was a powerful nationalist
leader and was also once elected President of the Indian National
Congress. He gained much prominence for organising INA during
world war II.
In his speech, while inaugurating the Azad Hind Fauj in Singapore, he
gave a stirring call to his soldiers &endash; “Give me blood and I shall
give you freeedom”.
Rightly called the Beacon of light of Asia, he was the first to address
Mahatma Gandhi as Father of the Nation.
In a message to Gandhiji, in a broadcast from Azad Hind Radio, Ran-
goon, on July 8, 1944, he said&endash; “Father of our Nation! In this
holy war of India’s liberation, we ask you for your blessings and good
wishes”.
Mahatma Gandhi described him as Patriot of Patriots
The ashes of Subhash Chandra Bose are kept in Renkoji temple in
Tokyo.

Independence of India League was founded by the radical wing of
the Congress Party in opposition to the Home Rule Movement.
India State Peoples Conference was formed in 1927.