[Answers] Satyameva Jayate

Welcome Folks,
We present the answers to our India Quiz - 'Satyameva Jayate'. We hope you had as much fun answering the quiz as we enjoyed setting it. Here's capping off our yatra with the answers. Enjoy :)


1. Rakhi

While researching for this question, we came across an incredible & hardly believable story which sent our ‘apocryphal-bells’ all berserk. The story, however, was too good to be skipped :) So, here goes …

Alexander’s wife was accompanying him on his march to India when she hears of a local custom where-in protective bands (rakhi) are tied around wrists. She ties one on Alexander’s wrist. When Alexander is fighting Porus (Raja Puru), he is about to be killed by Puru when the Raja notices the Rakhi on his hand and spares him. Alexander regroups to beat Raja Puru and as a gesture lets him go alive. Wah, Wah !! Bollywood?

2. Sairaj Bahutule

Apparently, he had to coax his bowlers to return the next day. Not many were brave enough to face the continued onslaught. Checkout the scorecard at http://www.cricinfo.com/database/ARCHIVE/1980S/1987-88/IND_LOCAL/OTHERS/HARIS/SV_SXHS_LHSCT_23-25FEB1988.html

3. Swastika

We were planning on inserting a European connect but that would’ve turned this into a sitter. One of the oldest known symbols, Swastika shaped ornaments have been found dating way back to the Neolithic period.

4. Dharmendra/Sanjeev Kumar

The movie was Sholay :) Dharmendra was in love with Hema Malini and so was Sanjeev Kumar. Dharmendra was first set up to play the role of Thakur Baldev Singh and the roles were then switched, as we now know.

5. Gurkha(s)

History contends that this tenacious race blocked the first Islamic advance to the India Sub-continent in the 8th century. They stopped the Muslims from invading Afghanistan (Ghandhara -> Kandahar) which was Hindu/Buddhist at the time. The British recruited heavily from this race for their colonial army and the Gurkha Regiment, to this day, is known for its bravery.

6. Paan

This turned out to be the sitter of the quiz. Another interesting answer, we received, was, Gulab Jamun :) Paan is also talked about as the only Mughal addition to Hindu cuisine. We couldn’t verify this piece of trivia, though.

7. Saare Jahan Se Achcha (The Prof. was Mohd. Iqbal)

Side Trivia – Rakesh Sharma, India’s first Cosmonaut, employed the first line of this song to describe to India Gandhi how India appeared from Outer Space.

8. The Hare-Krishna Mantra

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare

9. Digboi

The city has classic etymological origins. British Engineers kept repeating the phrase ‘Dig, boy! Dig’ to encourage the workers who turned it into a working chant and the eventual name of the city.

10. The Great Indian Rope Trick

Over the years, various theories (Mass Hypnosis, Levitation) have been floated to explain the trick but none have been widely accepted. In a research, it was found out that the timelag between credible truncated versions of the trick was about 3-4 years while for the most complex descriptions, it ranged from about 20-40 years - which makes skeptics believe, the story and myth had been embellished over the years. And that the trick did not involve vanishing of the subject. So, we continue to muse - Did the great Indian rope trick really exist?