20 amazing facts about India and the world

India:

1.      Only 10% of families in India own a car. If your car is worth more than ₹10 lakh, chances are high that you are among India’s richest 5%. As per Niti Aayog, out of 1000 people, only 22 people in India own a car, while it’s 980 in US, 850 in UK. New Zealand has 774, Australia 740, Canada 662, Japan 591, and China has 164 motor vehicles per 1000 people.

 

2.      Only 8% of Indians have a graduation degree

As per the latest 2011 Census, about 8.15% (98.6 million) of Indians are graduates, with the Union Territories of Chandigarh and Delhi topping the list with 25% and 23% of their population being graduates respectively. Therefore, if you are a graduate, you are among 8% Indians.

 

3.      Every year more than 50,000 Indians die because of snake bites

As per a WHO report, every year more than 10 lakh people in India suffer from snake bites and out of which approximately 50,000 die. Lack of medical facilities in rural India is the main reason of such high fatality figure. The worst thing is that India contributes almost 50% of snake bite deaths in the world.

 

4.      In the year 1750, that’s almost 270 + years back, the literacy rate in the Netherlands was approx 85% and UK, it was 54%, while it’s assumed that in India it was less than 5%. Even today, India’s literacy rate is only 77%. The Bible played an important role in education spreading in Europe and another reason could be rapid industrialization of these countries.

 

5.      Indians live approximately 14 years less than Australians. The approximate life expectancy in India and Australia is 70 years and 84 years respectively. Reason for higher life expectancy in Australia: Better medical care, less pollution and could be less stress.

 

6.      Prayagraj (Allahabad) city has a population of 10 lakhs (1 million) but on February 9, 2013, there were 2 Crore (20 million) people who took holy dip in Ganga river on the occasion of Kumbh Mela. This was the biggest human congregation in the history

 

7.      As of now, India is the 2nd most populous country in the world. During the population census in India, if by mistake 100 crore people are left out, India would still be the 2nd most populous country. India’s current population is estimated to be 140 Crore ( 1.4 billion) followed by the United States with 33 Crore ( 0.33 billion) population.

 

8.      The first General Election conducted in India was in 1920. Only a limited number of persons were granted the right to vote on the basis of certain high qualifications, like, the ownership of property, or payment of income tax, or payment of municipal tax, or the holding of land.

 

9.      Hindi language as a medium of education was first time adopted in India in 1881. Before that, Urdu was used and, much before that, Persian was an educational language in most part of India. Hindi was confined to only Delhi and the Meerut belt. You would hardly find Hindi books which are more than 150 years old. (earlier books are in dialect of Hindi like Awadhi and Braj Bhasha)

 

10.   India was eligible to play the Football World Cup in 1950 as one slot was given to Asia, but the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced that the team would not attend the World Cup, citing "disagreements over team selection, and insufficient practice time." That was the only opportunity India had got in the last 72 years

 

11.   The number of Olympic medals is an indicator of the economic prosperity of a country (few exceptions exist). Countries with higher per capita income are able to spend money on sports infrastructure, training, exposure and incentives. The Indian government spent close to ₹7 crore on the 4-year-training and equipment of Gold medallist Neeraj Chopra (before the Olympics). This includes his more than 1 year overseas training, foreign coach and 40 lakh worth of javelin throwing machine.

 

 

World:

12.   The invention of polythene bag was done with the idea of protecting nature.

The polythene bag, which is proving to be one of biggest ecological challenges, was invented in 1965 with the purpose of saving the planet as scientists were worried about cutting of trees for making paper bags. The one-piece polyethylene shopping bag is patented by the Swedish company Celloplast. Designed by engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin. 

By 2011, 10 lakh (1 million) plastic bags were consumed every minute. Bangladesh was the first country in the world to implement a ban on thin plastic bags in 2002. From July 2022, India has also banned single-use plastic which includes thin polythene bags.

 

13.   Coca Cola was initially used to treat headaches

In May 1886, Coca-Cola was invented by Doctor John Pemberton, a pharmacist in the United States. The drink was originally marketed as a tonic for most common ailments, based on the fact that it contained cocaine from the coca leaf and caffeine-rich extracts of the kola nut. The cocaine was removed from Coca-Cola’s formula in1903. At that point of time, Cocaine was not banned in the US.

 

14.   South Korea is the only country in the world which was an OECD Development Assistance recipient and within 5 decades it became a donor. The OECD is ‘Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’, it is an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade.

 

15.   British Colombia doesn’t belong to either Britain or Colombia. It’s a province of Canada. Earlier some of it’s part was called “Columbia”, after the Columbia River, other part was called “New Caledonia” .To avoid confusion with Colombia in South America and the island of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean, Queen Victoria named the area British Columbia when it became a British colony in 1858. In 1871, British Colombia became a province of Canada.

 

16.   Singapore was merged with Malaysia in 1963. Malaysia got rid of Singapore after 2 years due to widespread poverty in Singapore and ethnic issues.

 

17.   How many countries are in the world might be a simple question, but the answer is quite complicated. As per the United Nations, the count is 195, the US recognises 196, Wikipedia says 206, while as per FIFA there are 211 member countries. The reason for such a difference in count is that many claim they are independent, but there is no consensus.

 

18.   There are approximately 170 Crore (1.7 billion) websites created in the last 20 years but only 10% are active.

 

19.   In the United States, during a job interview, it’s illegal to ask national origin, citizenship, age, marital status, disabilities, arrest and conviction record, race, gender, or pregnancy status. This is done to avoid any discrimination.

 

20.   After any aircraft crash, you might hear that a black box is being searched to know the reason of the accident. By the way, the black box is orange in color.

 

 

Facts compiled by Manoj Tripathi, Author of bestseller non-fiction book “Power of Ignored Skills”

Disclaimer: This article is personal view of the author. Data is approximation and needs authentication.

https://www.amazon.in/Power-Ignored-Skills-Change-decide/dp/1649518773

https://www.flipkart.com/power-ignored-skills/p/itmd7870eb3ba6d3

Source of Information:

1.       https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/passenger-vehicle/cars/india-has-22-cars-per-1000-individuals-amitabh-kant/67059021

2.       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_education_in_India

3.       https://elifesciences.org/articles/54076

4.       https://ourworldindata.org/literacy

5.       https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/

6.       https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/mauni-amavasya-the-biggest-bathing-day-at-mahakumbh-153785-2013-02-11

7.       https://www.worldometers.info/world-population

8.       https://www.sahapedia.org/how-india-votes-history-elections-during-british-rule

9.       https://www.indiatvnews.com/lifestyle/news/hindi-diwas-2022-interesting-facts-about-hindi-language-you-should-know-2022-09-13-808015

10.    https://www.indiatimes.com/sports/kick-off/why-did-india-withdraw-from-the-1950-world-cup-no-it-wasn-t-because-they-had-to-wear-shoes-258199.html

11.    https://thebridge.in/athletics/crore-spend-government-neeraj-chopra-credit-due-24303

12.    https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/birth-ban-history-plastic-shopping-bag#:~:text=Seeing%20its%20potential%2C%20it%20was,military%20during%20World%20War%20II.&text=1965%20%E2%80%93%20The%20one%2Dpiece%20polyethylene,cloth%20and%20plastic%20in%20Europe.

13.    https://market.us/statistics/food-and-beverage-companies/coca-cola-company/

14.    https://blogs.worldbank.org/eastasiapacific/aid-recipient-donor-korea-inspirational-development-path

15.    https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/provincial-territorial-symbols-canada/british-columbia.html

16.    https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/history/events/dc1efe7a-8159-40b2-9244-cdb078755013#:~:text=On%209%20August%201965%2C%20Singapore,in%20July%20and%20September%201964.

17.    https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/how-many-countries-are-there-in-the-world.html

18.    https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/09/chart-of-the-day-how-many-websites-are-there/#:~:text=The%2020%20years%20that%20followed,million%20of%20them%20are%20active.

19.    https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/interviewandemploymentapplicationquestions.aspx

20.    https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/magazine/who-made-that-black-box.html#:~:text=Let's%20get%20one%20thing%20clear,gizmo%20called%20the%20Red%20Egg.

Why SUVs have become so popular?

After reading the headline of this article, most of you might have the feeling that you know the answer. This being a generic topic, plenty of answers are available on the internet. Something which readers believe that they know, and already there are many answers available given me hints that there is no reason to write on this topic. I decided to challenge myself to come up with more logical reasons behind the growing popularity of SUVs. I did some research and am glad to share my findings in this article.

Sports Utility Vehicle (SUVs) origins can be traced to the mid-1930s; that’s nearly half a century after the invention of the modern automobile. SUVs were meant to be driven in rough road conditions and it gained popularity among masses who lived far in the country side, where paved roads were nearly absent. Just before World War 2, SUVs demand increased by the military due to its rugged appeal. However, a downside of SUVs was its uncomfortable ride. But as a matter of fact, SUVs were not meant for luxury & comfort and practicality was the main focus.

For the next 5-6 decades, the SUV’s share globally was in low single digit percentages. In the year 2000, SUV’s share in sales was just 3.7% in Europe, while now it has crossed 40%. In United States, SUVs had share of approx. 20% in the year 2000 which jumped to over 50% last year. Similar trends are visible across India as well. Last year, SUVs contributed close to 40% of passenger car sales in India.

So the question arises what is the reason for this exponential increase in SUV sales and popularity.

Before going in detail on why SUVs gained popularity, let’s understand why SUV sales were so low just a couple of decades back. SUVs had some drawbacks like:

1. SUVs had higher noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) levels than sedans

2. Poor build quality of SUV contributed to body noise (after some years of usage) 

3. Suspension was not so good, and having a higher center of gravity meant that comfort was less with high body roll

4. Boxy shape not liked by all

5. Bigger in size and low aerodynamics led to higher fuel consumption

6. Being bigger in size, maneuvering within the city was difficult

7. SUVs were considered for rough road usage; hence 4-wheel drive transmission was essential, which used to increase the cost

Sedan was considered as executive class. Not many luxury SUVs were available back then. So what changed in last few decades that favored SUVs? There are multiple reasons, let me try to explain.

In order to reduce oil consumption, United States introduced Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) and made it stringent in the mid-1980s, CAFE norms mandated car manufacturers to ensure certain fuel economy. SUVs were categorized as light trucks; hence SUVs got exemption from passenger car CAFE norms. Many car manufacturers took advantage of this exemption and started focusing on SUVs. In United States, fuel prices were quite low and stable in the 80s and 90s; hence low fuel economy of SUVs was not a pain point for US customers. The success of SUVs in United States was noticed by the world, but initially it was thought that its United States specific phenomenon.

In the late 1980s, automobile technology improved remarkably.  A few examples of where SUVs benefited due to improved technology:

• Better suspension reduced body-roll and provided more comfort

• Better build quality, hence no more body squeaking noise after getting older

• Diesel engines became smoother hence, lower noise and vibration

• Features like Reversing camera and sensors made parking easy

• Electric power steering made maneuverability easy

• Most of SUVs had Ladder frame chassis while Sedan had Monocoque chassis. Later on engineers adopted Monocoque in SUVs which made it lighter. To get better fuel economy, many SUVs launched with curve shape (Aerodynamic). All these changes helped to improve fuel economy at the same time those who were not liking boxy shape of SUV had alternative.

After these technological improvements, people gravitated towards SUVs more than earlier. Once they started using it, found the below mentioned edge over sedan (Of course most of them were existing before technological improvements but after improvements, the positives tilted towards SUVs :

• Higher seating position of SUV offers better visibility and sense of control to the person in driving seat

• SUVs offer better road presence thus give macho feeling to user

• Higher ground clearance help to deal with speed breaker and potholes

• Bigger tires of SUVs help to deal with rough roads

• SUVs gives impression of being safer with respect to Sedan

• SUV offers more cabin and cargo space than Sedan

• SUVs are more suitable for tall people (better headroom)

• SUV offer ease of Ingress and egress for all age group

• Many SUVs offer 7 seating option hence suitable for bigger families

Apart from technological improvements, what has helped SUVs to grain traction is growing wealth. The GDP of the world increased from approx. $34 trillion to approx. $90 trillion in the period of year 2000 to 2020. In many parts of the world, the share of young customers has increased. They preferred SUVs because of the reason mentioned above. Another thing which helped SUV sales is consumers attempting to try something new. Those who were using Sedan, Hatchback and Vans wanted to new body type; hence SUVs offered the alternative.

Recently, concept of urban SUV developed (without 4 wheel drive) which is cost effective. Customers who used SUVs for long drives boasted about its comfort; thus positive word of mouth helped SUV sales. We know ‘Success brings success’, the same is applicable on SUVs too. Popularity of SUVs helped to get better resales value, which further helps demand for new SUVs.

Car manufacturers rushed to manufacture SUVs and launched them into the affordable price segment. More choice of SUVs helped all segments of customers. Its win- win situation for all stakeholders.

Of course, Sedan and the hatchback have their own set of advantages, but the purpose of this article is not to compare but to put across the reason for the SUV’s surge in sales.

A few decades back, what was considered as product for specific usage has now emerged as the first choice of most. In my opinion, the dominance of SUV would continue for the coming few decades and then something new would emerge.

Hope I was able to explain that there are multiple reasons behind success of SUVs.

Manoj Tripathi 

Author of bestselling non-fiction book "Power of Ignored Skills"

(Disclaimer: The article is the personal view of the author. Data is an approximation to make readers understand the logic)

Source of information: JATO Dynamics, World Bank and Wikipedia