FIRST MAN ON WORLD'S HIGHEST PEAK

Sherpa Tenzing Norgay of Darjeeling, India, along with Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand became the first human being to set foot on the coveted peak of Mount Everest (8843.4 metres or 29029 feet), the highest peak on earth.

No one knew if the top of Everest could ever be reached until May 29, 1953 when Tenzing and Hillary plodded their way to the summit from their high camp at 28,000 feet. It was the ninth British expedition for Mount Everest, led by John Hunt. This was the expedition's camp #9, 1,000 feet from the summit and situated some 2,000 feet higher than today's highest camp for climbers on the same route. Today, climbers set up only 4 camps on the mountain, because Base Camp is positioned much higher than it was in the early days.

Over a period of nearly twenty years, he had made himself a part of every expedition that set out to put a man on the top of Mt. Everest. He had climbed as a lowly porter and as a respected member of the climbing team. He had accompanied large, confident armies (such as the 1936 and 1953 British Everest Expeditions) on their way to the summit, but he had also gone to the mountain with a solitary climber, Earl Denman, in 1947, on the chance that even this might give him an opportunity to get to the top. By 1953, he had probably spent more time on Mt. Everest than any other human being - and had come closer to its summit. Only months before his successful climb with Edmund Hillary, he and Raymond Lambert of the 1952 Swiss expedition, had come within 1,000 feet of the summit -- the highest point that anyone had reached until then. Unlike most of his fellow Sherpas of the time for whom, by and large, climbing was just a challenging way of making a living, Tenzing desperately wanted to get to the summit of Mt. Everest and devoted most of his life to this goal. "For in my heart," he once said, "I needed to go . . . the pull of Everest was stronger for me than any force on earth."

Tenzing's victory over mount Everest was also a symbolic recognisation for the emerging identity a country which has acquired freedom just a few years back after centuries of domination by foreign rulers.

1ST 25 POSTS OF INDIAN WORLD RECORDS

This is to mark the quarter century, i.e. the twenty fifth post of my popular blog, Indian World Records. Wow! So many records from India! Many more to come. Here you can find the links of all the previous 24 posts about the world records from India.

1. WORLD'S HOTTEST CHILLIE

The Bhut Jolokia Chillie from India has been named the world's hottest pepper by the Guinness Book of World Records, reaching to an astounding ......... MORE

2. WORLD'S LONGEST MOUSTACHE

The longest recorded moustache belongs to Bajansinh Juwansinh Gurjar of Ahmedabad, India. It had not been cut .............. MORE

3. WORLD'S FASTEST CRUISE MISSILE

World's fastest and the deadliest cruise missile is the Brahmos. Developed by BrahMos Corporation, a joint venture between India and Russia ........... MORE

4. WORLD'S LARGEST DELTA

The Ganga (Ganges) and the Brahmaputra delta basin in West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh is the largest in the world. It covers an area of 75000 square kilometres. The enormous delta of the Ganges-Brahmaputra River is the lifeblood for one of the largest populations ............. MORE

5. GREATEST MOUNTAIN RANGE

Himalayas - meaning: Abode of the Snows, is the greatest mountain range of the world. Together, the Himalaya mountain system is the planet's highest and home to the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest. The Himalayan system has over 100 separate mountains exceeding 7,200 meters. No where on Earth .......... MORE

6. FASTEST HUMAN COMPUTER

Shakuntala Devi is a calculating prodigy who was born on November 4, 1939 in Bangalore, India. Shakuntala Devi is popularly known as a 'Human Computer' because of her extraordinary talents in solving complex mathematical problems without any mechanical aid. Manifested with an extraordinary ......... MORE

7. WORLD'S LARGEST CROCODILE

The Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the largest of all living reptiles. It is found in suitable habitats throughout Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. The Bhitarkanika Park on the Orissa coast, India has achieved the rare distinction of housing the world's largest estuarine or salt water crocodile ......... MORE

8. LARGEST MANGROVE FOREST

The Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest in the world. A UNESCO World Heritage Site (awarded in ’97) , Sundarban is a vast area covering 4262 square kms in India alone, with a larger portion in Bangladesh. 2585 sq. kms of the Indian Sundarban forms the largest Tiger Reserve and National Park ........ MORE

9. LONGEST SAREE

Kumaran Silks of Chennai, Tamil Nadu has created a 2007 feet (685 metres) long saree, which was acclaimed as the world's longest sari by the Guiness book of records in the year 2007. It was created exclusively for adorning the presiding deity of Parshwa Padmavathi Jain Temple of ......... MORE

10. YOUNGEST FILM DIRECTOR

In November 2006, Kishan Srikanth was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest person to direct a professional feature film. He replaces Sydney Ling, who was thirteen in 1973 when he directed the Dutch film Lex ........... MORE

11. HIGHEST FLYING BIRD

The Bar Headed Goose (Anser indicus) is recorded to have flown to an amazing height of 10175 m (33,382 feet). Thus they can easily cross the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest which has an altitude of 8,848 m (29,028 feet). This highest flier goose breeds in ......... MORE

12. FASTEST BIRD

Falcon species Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) found worldwide and historically also known as "Duck Hawk", Black Shaheen and Indian Shaheen. Peregrines are large sized falcons, 13 – 19 in. (33 – 48 cm) long and grey above, with black-barred whitish underparts. About seventeen subspecies are recognized ........ MORE

13. LARGEST HINDU TEMPLE

The Akshardham temple in New Delhi has been awarded the Guiness record for being the world's largest Hindu temple. The mammoth temple is spread over expansive lawns covering an area of 86,342 square feet. It is 356 feet long, 316 feet wide and 141 feet high. It was inaugurated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj of Bochasanwasi Shri Akshardham Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) ........ MORE

14. LARGEST SELLING MOTORCYCLE

Hero Honda's Splendor is the world's largest selling motorcycle. Its 2 plants are in Dharuhera and Gurgaon, both in India. Third plant at Haridwar, Uttranchal is also under commissioning stage & will start production by April, 2008.
Hero Honda Motors Limited, based in Delhi, India, is the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles1. It sold 3 million bikes in the year 2005-2006 ........ MORE

15. LONGEST EAR HAIR

Radhakant Bajpai of Naya Ganj, Uttar Pradesh, India, has been recognized by Guinness World Records as having the world’s longest ear hair.The tufts coming out of the man’s ears measured an incredible 13.2 cm (5.19 in) ........ MORE

16. LARGEST VEGETARIAN POPULATION

About 20% Indians are strict vegetarians. With a population of more than 100 crore (10 billion) the vegetarian population is more than 20 crore (2 billion). There are 744 vegetarian communities. There are 744 vegetarian communities comprising 16% of the population, prominent among them being, Jains and Vaishnavas. Large parts of population ........ MORE

17. LARGEST MOTH

The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and
subtropical forests of Southeast Asia, southern China, India, the Malay archipelago, Thailand to Indonesia.
These moths are considered the largest in the world in terms of total wing surface area (upwards of 400 square cm. or 65 square inches). Their wingspans are also ........ MORE

18. WORLD'S LONGEST VENOMOUS SNAKE

The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world's longest venomous snake, growing to a length of 5.7 m (18.5 ft) and a weight of up to 9 kg (20 lbs). This species is quite widespread, ranging throughout south-eastern Asia and into India. In India, it is mainly found near the foothills of the Himalayas. Its genus name ........ MORE

19. WORLD'S FASTEST FISH

The fastest swimming fish on earth are the sailfish, reaching speeds of up to 110 km/h (68 mph), which is the highest speed reliably reported in a fish.Sailfish are two species of fishes in the genus Istiophorus, living in warmer sections of all the oceans of the world, including the seas of India. They are blue to gray ........ MORE

20. WORLD'S SMALLEST PIG

The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is the world’s smallest wild pig standing about 25-30 cm from the ground, and was once common across India, Nepal and Bhutan. However, by the 1960s, this mammal was believed to be extinct.
This pig was ........ MORE

21. WORLD'S LARGEST SQUIRREL

The largest squirrel in the world is the Indian giant squirrel (ratufa indica) sometimes known as the Malabar giant squirrel, it can grow to three feet in length, with only the tail measuring up to 2ft. in length. This species is found in southeast Asia, and parts of Nepal.The species is endemic to deciduous, mixed deciduous, and moist evergreen forests of peninsular India, reaching as far north as the Satpura hill range of Madhya ........ MORE

22. WORLD'S LONGEST NAILS

Shridhar Chillal from Pune, near Bombay, holds the world record for the longest fingernails on a single hand. On 8 July 1998 the nails on his left hand were measured on the television show Guinness World Records ........ MORE

23. WORLD'S DEADLIEST KILLER

The world's deadliest human killer is the mosquito. No, mosquito does not kill humans directly, but act as a vector agent that carries disease-causing viruses and parasites from person to person without catching the disease themselves. Female mosquitoes ........ MORE

24. WORLD'S LARGEST EMPLOYER

Indian Railways (abbreviated as IR) is the world's largest commercial or utility employer,
with more than 1.6 million employees.

The railways traverse the length and breadth of the country; the routes cover a total length
of 63,465 km with more than 7,000 stations. As of 2005, IR owned a total of ........ MORE

25. 1ST 25 POSTS OF INDIAN WORLD RECORDS

This is to mark the silver jubilee, i.e. the twenty fifth post of my popular blog ........ (This is the same post you are reading now.)

WORLD'S LARGEST EMPLOYER

Indian Railways (abbreviated as IR) is the world's largest commercial or utility employer,
with more than 1.6 million employees.

The railways traverse the length and breadth of the country; the routes cover a total length
of 63,465 km with more than 7,000 stations. As of 2005, IR owned a total of 222,379 wagons,
42,125 coaches and 7910 locomotives and ran a total of 14,444 trains daily, including about 8,702 passenger trains. All these make it the world's largest railway network. There are more than five billion passenger journeys on the railways each year.

Railways were first introduced to India in 1853 by the British colonial rulers. In modern India, Indian Railways is a Department of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Railways, and is tasked with operating the rail network in India. The Ministry is headed by a cabinet rank Railways Minister, while the Department is managed by the Railway Board. Indian Railways is not a private corporate body; however, of late IR has adopted a corporate management style.

WORLD'S DEADLIEST KILLER

The world's deadliest human killer is the mosquito. No, mosquito does not kill humans directly, but act as a vector agent that carries disease-causing viruses and parasites from person to person without catching the disease themselves. Female mosquitoes suck blood from people and other animals as part of their eating and breeding habits. When a mosquito bites, she also injects saliva and anti-coagulants into the blood which may also contain disease-causing viruses or other parasites. Tropical countries like india are their favourite hunting grounds.

Mosquitoes are insects which make up the family Culicidae. They have a pair of scaled wings , a pair of halteres, a slender body, and long legs. The females of most mosquito species suck blood (hematophagy) from other animals, which has made them the most deadly disease vectors known to man, killing millions of people over thousands of years and continuing to kill millions per year by the spread of diseases.
Mosquitoes hunt their host by detecting CO2 being breathed out from a distance. When they get closer they can also pick up on the infrared heat being emitted which identifies the host as a warm blooded animal.

Both male and female mosquitoes are nectar feeders, but the female of many species is also capable of haematophagy (drinking blood). Females do not require blood for survival, but they do need supplemental substances (like protein and iron) for the development and laying of their eggs. Prior to and during blood feeding, they inject saliva.
The mosquito genus Anopheles carries the malaria parasite plasmodium. Worldwide, malaria is a leading cause of premature mortality, particularly in children under the age of five, with around 5.3 million deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Some species of mosquito can carry the filariasis worm, a parasite that causes a disfiguring condition (often referred to as elephantiasis) characterized by a great swelling of several parts of the body; worldwide, around 40 million people are living with a filariasis disability. The viral diseases yellow fever and dengue fever are transmitted mostly by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Other viral diseases like epidemic polyarthritis, Rift Valley fever, Ross River Fever, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile virus (WNV), Japanese encephalitis, La Crosse encephalitis and several other encephalitis type diseases are carried by several different mosquitoes. Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) and Western equine encephalitis (WEE) occurs in the United States where it causes disease in humans, horses, and some bird species.

WORLD'S LONGEST NAILS

Shridhar Chillal from Pune, near Bombay, holds the world record for the longest fingernails on a single hand. On 8 July 1998 the nails on his left hand were measured on the television show Guinness World Records : Primetime and found to have a total length of a staggering 6.15 m (20 ft 2.25 in). Since then, for the last 20 years, he has been a permanent fixture in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the world's longest nails. He does not grow the nails on his right hand.

Although Chillal is quite proud of his record breaking nails, he has had increasing difficulties with their weight, which has already caused his left fingers to become forever disfigured (and more or less useless). Due to nerve damage caused from the nails' immense weight, Chillal is permanently deaf in the left ear.

Sridhar, a retired Indian photographer who has grown his fingernails for almost half a century, has cut his fingernails in the year 2000 is calling it quits and will auction them off to the highest bidder. He and is expecting to sell them for $200,000, preferably to a museum or some other form of secured place.

WORLD'S LARGEST SQUIRREL

The largest squirrel in the world is the Indian giant squirrel (ratufa indica) sometimes known as the Malabar giant squirrel, it can grow to three feet in length, with only the tail measuring up to 2ft. in length. This species is found in southeast Asia, and parts of Nepal.The species is endemic to deciduous, mixed deciduous, and moist evergreen forests of peninsular India, reaching as far north as the Satpura hill range of Madhya Pradesh approx. 22° N).


The Ratufa indica has a conspicuous bipartite (and sometimes tripartite) colouring pattern. The colours involved can be creamy, beiige, buff, tan, rust, brown, or even a dark seal brown. The underparts and the front legs are usually cream coloured, the head can be brown or beige, however there is a distinctive white spot between the ears. Seven different geographical races, each distinctive in the colouration of its upper-parts, have been identified. Among these are the buff and tan Ratufa indica dealbata of the tropical moist deciduous forests of the Surat Dangs; the seal brown, tan, and beige (and darkest) Ratufa indica maxima of the tropical wet evergreen forest of Malabar; the dark brown, tan and beige (and largest), Ratufa indica bengalensis of the tropical semi-evergreen forests east of the Brahmagiri mountains in Coorg extending up to the Bay of Bengal coast of Orissa; and the rust and buff Ratufa indica centralis of the tropical dry deciduous forests of Central India, near Hoshangabad.
The Indian giant squirrel is an upper-canopy dwelling species, which rarely leaves the trees, and requires tall profusely branched trees for the construction of nests. It travels from tree to tree taking amazing leaps with limbs outspread, jumps of up to 6 m (19.69 ft). The long bushy tail helps in balancing their body on the trees. It is an active agile animal, mostly active during the early mornings and evenings. When in danger, the Ratufa indica often freezes or flattens itself against the tree trunk, instead of fleeing. Its main predators are the birds of prey and the leopard.

WORLD'S SMALLEST PIG

The pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) is the world’s smallest wild pig standing about 25-30 cm from the ground, and was once common across India, Nepal and Bhutan. However, by the 1960s, this mammal was believed to be extinct.
This pig was previously spread across India, Nepal, and Bhutan but now found only in Assam, India. The current world population is about 150 individuals or fewer. Recent conservation measures have increased the prospect of survival in the wild of this critically endangered species.
A total of 16 pygmy hogs, which is one of the most endangered mammals in the world, would soon be relocated in the grasslands of Sonai Rupai wildlife sanctuary.

The pygmy hogs were bred at the Guwahati-based Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) research and breeding centre at Basistha near Guwahati, Assam before being transferred to a specially constructed pre-release facility in Potasali near the Nameri National Park.
The PHCP is a collaborative project of Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, World Conservation Union’s Pigs, Peccaries and Hippos Specialist Group (PPHSG), Assam Forest Department and the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
About 75 pygmy hogs were bred at PHCP from six wild pygmy hogs brought from Manas National Park in 1996.