Saturday 30 August 2014

Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir

There exists a constitution of Jammu and Kashmir that was approved and adopted on November 17, 1956 and came into effect on January 26, 1957. For the information of all those actors who have been trying to go that extra mile to embarrass the government of India under the ruse of “independence”, “azadi”, “Indian imperialism”, “Islam in danger in India”, “unity with Pakistan” and other catchy slogans, one can present Section 3 of the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir, 1957: “The State of Jammu & Kashmir is and shall be an integral part of the Union of India”. Section 4 further stipulates, “The territory of the State shall comprise all the territories which on the 15th day of August, 1947, were under the sovereignty or suzerainty of the Ruler of the State” thereby explicitly implying the illegal, illegitimate and mala fide act of occupation of the northern territories like Hunza or Gilgit by Pakistan.
The real bombshell for Pakistan, however, is Section 48: “Notwithstanding anything contained in section 47” — which defines composition of the legislative assembly — “until the area of the State under the occupations of Pakistan ceases to be so occupied and the people residing in that area elect their representatives (a) twenty-four seats in the Legislative Assembly shall remain vacant and shall not be taken into account for reckoning the total member-ship of the Assembly; and (b) the said area shall be excluded in delimiting the territorial Constituencies Under Section 47.”
And how does the preamble to the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir read? “We, the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir, having solemnly resolved, in the pursuance of the accession of this State to India which took place on the twenty sixth day of October, 1947, to further define the existing relationship of the State with the Union of India as an integral part thereof, and to secure to ourselves — Justice... Liberty... Equality... Fraternity... and the unity of the Nation”. The Jammu and Kashmir constitution is a written document containing 158 sections and seven schedules, and the legislature of Jammu and Kashmir is debarred from considering any amendment to the constitution that may affect the state’s accession to India.
Being one of the 29 states of the Union of India, the Pakistani envoy’s current rendezvous with some of the separatists in New Delhi is nothing short of brazen meddling in India’s internal affairs. It is also surprising that our learned track II actors have failed to take note of the law of the land and point it out to the Indian rulers of the day for the past several years. Seen in this light, can one criticize the action of the present government in cancelling the Indo-Pak talks? The law says New Delhi is right. However, there also exists Indian emotion without Chinese erudition.



The Official Residence of the President of India

The History of te Official Residence of the President of India!!!
Residence of President of India Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi. A palace with 340 rooms - used by the President of India


nidokidos.org

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The Rashtrapati Bhavan is one of India's best architectural marvels. A magnificent four-storeyed mansion, it has a floor area of 200,000 square feet. It was built by using 700 million bricks and three million cubic feet of stone.
nidokidos.org
The cost of building this architectural wonder escalated to Rs 12.8 million, much higher than the projected cost. The building along with the Mughal Garden and the staff quarters together coast a whopping Rs 14 million at that time. At the present rates, its value would runs into thousands of crores. The building was scheduled to be completed in four years. However, it took 17 years to complete this magnificent building.

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Edwin Lutyens was the chief architect of this impressive residence and Hugh Keeling was the chief engineer. The most prominent and distinguishing aspect of Rashtrapati Bhavan is its dome which is superimposed on its structure. Indian contractor Haroun-al-Rashid did most of the work of the main building and the forecourt was built by Sujan Singh and his son Sobha Singh.
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The British decided to build a palatial residence in New Delhi for their Viceroy. They wanted 'an empire in stone' to establish their colonial footprint in the Indian soil. It is interesting to note that the building which was scheduled to be completed in four years took seventeen years and on the eighteenth year of its completion India became independent.
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After independence when C Rajagopalachari assumed the office as the first Governor General of India, he refused to stay in the Ashoka Suite used by the British Viceroy terming it as too luxurious. He preferred to stay in one of the guestrooms. The tradition was followed by successive presidents.

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On 26 January 1950, when Dr Rajendra Prasad became the first President of India, the building was renamed, Rashtrapati Bhavan - the President's House.

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The sprawling edifice has 74 lobbies and galleries, one and a half miles of corridors, 18 staircases and 37 fountains. The building was made with materials from India. Only the Italian marble was imported for the flooring. Steel is hardly used in the building. .

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The luxurious apartments that were used by the British Viceroy were converted into a guest wing where the Heads of State of other countries stay during their visit to India.
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An interesting feature of the architecture of the Rashtrapati Bhavan is the fusion of Indian and European designs. Temple bells, which are part of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions have been perfectly blended with the Hellenic style architecture. The idea to design bells in the pillars of Rashtrapati Bhavan came from a Jain temple at Moodabidri in Karnataka.
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The highlight of the building is Chhajja. These are stone slabs which are fixed below the roof of a building and are designed for the purposes of preventing the sunrays from falling on the windows and protecting the walls from the rains. Chhatris adorn the rooftop of the building.
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Jaalis are also of typical Indian designs, which add beauty to the architecture of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. These are the stone slabs containing lot of perforations, designed with delicate floral and geometric patterns.
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The chhajjas, chhatris and jaalis give building a historic look. In some of the jaalis, Lutyens used European styles to enhance their beauty and utility.

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The Durbar Hall, Ashoka Hall, Marble Hall, North Drawing Room, Nalanda Suite are famous for its aesthetics and grandeur. The Yellow Drawing Room is used for smaller state functions like swearing-in of Comptroller and Auditor General, Chief Election Commissioner and induction of a solitary Minister in the Union Council of Ministers.
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The lavish Banquet Hall can accommodate 104 persons. The Ashoka Hall gives the feel of a large jewel box. It was originally built as the State Ballroom. It has a wooden floor, a central dance space, and three vestibules.
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Unlike most halls and chambers in Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Ashoka Hall has a painted ceiling. The painting is in the Persian style. The main painting on the roof depicts a royal hunting expedition while those towards the corners show scenes from court life. The painting done on leather was commissioned by Lady Willingdon when her husband was the Viceroy.
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The North Drawing Room is used for receiving visiting heads of state. Two striking paintings are - The Transfer of power on August 14 by S N Goshal and swearing-in ceremony of First Indian Governor General.

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The Rashtrapati Bhavan has a museum with autographed photographs of several heads of states. The gifts received by the President during visits abroad or in India and from visiting heads of state at New Delhi are exhibited here
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Leaving a trail of the imperialist past are Statues of King George V and Queen Mary, oil portraits of former viceroys and governors General, the silver chair for the Queen, the brass replica of British Crown.

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The Durbar Hall has a 2-ton chandelier hanging from a height of 33 meters. This room was called the Throne Room during the British era. There were 2 separate thrones for the Viceroy and Vicereine, which have now been replaced by a simple chair for the President. The hall is used for state functions.
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The Mughal Gardens spread across 13 acres is a blend of Mughal and British styles. The Mughal Gardens are open to the public in February-March every year
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Two channels running north to south and two running east to west divide this garden into a grid of squares.

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There are six lotus shaped fountains. The fountains add to the beauty of the tranquil surroundings, rising up to a height of 12 feet. A nature trail has been developed in the President's Estate to create awareness about the environment. The trail is open for visitors on Saturdays.
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The garden has a variety of exotic flowers and roses. The Rashtrapati Bhavan also has nine tennis courts, a polo ground, a 14-hole golf course and a cricket field.

Film on Rashtrapati Bhavan
These are inhouse videos developed in Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, India.
Click here to watch this video

Wednesday 27 August 2014

Architecture In Famous Sikh Gurudwaras:

Architecture In Famous Sikh Gurudwaras:
Powerful image at sunrise of the Harmandir Sahib, the most beautiful place
on earth.


Gurudwara Dera Sahib, Lahore (1563 - 1606) was built by Maharaja Ranjit
Singh in memory of the fifth Guru, Shri Guru Arjan dev ji. This was the site
of Shri Guru Arjan dev ji's martyrdom.


Gurdwara Sahib San Jose, California. It is the largest Gurdwara in North
America, its diwan hall can seat around 3000 people


Guru Nanak Gurudwara, Woolgoolga (New South Wales), the first purpose-built
gurudwara in Australia.


Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib, Mehdiana (India). Shri Guru Gobind Singh Ji came
here while traveling across the Malwa region. Its grounds, stretching over
25 acres, are home to many monuments and statues depicting scenes of Sikh
history under the Mughal rule.


Guru Nanak came to this place in 1574 with his disciple Bhai Mardana, Bhai
Mardana and several followers were hungry and tired after their travels
however there was nowhere to cook the food. Guru Nanak Dev ji commanded Bhai
Mardana to lift a rock revealing a hot spring which was used to cook all
their food. Manikaran Sahib Gurudwara sits at this place and the hot spring
continues to provide steaming water to this date.


At a time, the very thought of building a Gurudwara in the heart of an
Islamic state was considered nothing short of an Arabian mirage. This
inconceivable thought became reality in 2012 when the Guru Nanak Darbar rose
from the sands of Dubai, making it the first 'official' Sikh temple in the
whole of Gulf.


Gurudwara Patalpuri Sahib, Kiratpur. In 1644, Shri Guru Hargobind ji was
cremated here, as was Shri Guru Har Rai ji in 1661. The ashes of Shri Guru
Harkrishan ji were brought here from Delhi and immersed in 1664.


Gurudwara Saragarhi, Firozpur. This gurudwara was built to honour the
unparalleled bravery demonstrated by 21 Sikh soldiers on September 12, 1897,
while fighting against a 10,000 strong enemy force in the battle of
Saragarhi. The memorial Gurudwara, surrounded by several cannons, has the
names of the 21 brave soldiers inscribed on its walls. It was built by the
army with salvaged stones from the attacked Saragarhi post.


Gurudwara Panja Sahib is situated in Hasan Abdal (Pakistan). This Gurudwara
marks the spot where Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Bhai Mardana Ji stopped on
their travels and started reciting Kirtan which annoyed a local saint, Wali
Qandhari. An altercation eventually resulted in a boulder being flung at the
Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who stopped it with his outstretched hand, remaining
completely unharmed. Upon seeing the Guru's power, Wali Qandhari's pride was
broken and he became a devoted follower of the Guru.


El Sobrante Gurudwara Sahib lies on a hilltop of the El Sobrante Valley,
about twenty five miles north of San Francisco (USA). It was built in the
late 1970s as more and more Sikhs immigrated to San Francisco's Bay Area.
California has one of the largest Sikh populations in the USA.

http://www.samtsai.com/nanaksar-gurdwara-gursikh-temple-edmonton.html

Gurdwara Nanaksar, Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). The floor of its langar hall
is made of marble and granite, all salvaged from demolished Edmonton-area
buildings.


Monday 25 August 2014

25 of the Biggest Mistakes Ever Made...

25 of the Biggest Mistakes Ever Made...

Mistakes are always made. After all, we're only human. It doesn't matter how hard we try, mistakes will forever be part of our history. But who made the biggest mistakes? Which mistakes cost money, lives and reputation? Here are 25 human errors that have not only been colossal ones to make, but some have actually changed history as we know it.
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
huge mistakes
Source: Frederick T.