Hello Runner!
As you know, our Run4aChild Summer Challenge called Asha is focused on India.
India is a very diverse and large country with a lot of different ethnicities, cultures, religions and languages. It is one of the biggest countries in the world and the second most populated.
Today, we brought you some curiosities for you to learn a bit more about this amazing country.
Did you know that:
1 – Cows are considered sacred in India. In India, cows are protected by their own set of rules and laws in the Constitution. Killing a cow a crime.
2 – India is the home of a mysterious skeleton lake. The glacial Lake Roopkund (located in the Himalayas) is famous for the human skeletons found in the lake and surrounding areas.
3 – India was the first country to mine diamonds. The original diamonds were first found in the Krishna River Delta and from the 4th century BC for around 1,000 years, India was the only source of diamonds in the world.
4 – Hinduism is the oldest religion in the world, and it’s not a true polytheism. Hinduism is considered the oldest religion in the world, with documents dating back as early as 5,500 BCE. It is currently the 3rd largest religion in the world, serving more than 1 billion people. When it comes to gods, Hinduism is not a pure polytheism. Hindus believe in one god, Brahma, who is manifested in thousands of other gods. 2 other gods make up the Trimurti. Brahma is the creator of the universe, Vishnu is the preserver of the universe, and Shiva destroys the world to recreate it. Each Hindu decides which god they worship.
5 – India has 22 recognized languages. The 2 most spoken official languages in India are Hindi and English, however other most spoken are Santali, Kashmiri, Bengali, Tamil, and Urdu. Interesting fact is that apart from the USA, India has the world’s second-largest population of English speakers.
6 – Tea (chai) is the national beverage of India. Indians love tea and they have it with milk and spices! Chai is served throughout the day and with meals. India is also the second-largest producer of tea in the world, with the first being China.
7 – Around 70% of the world’s spices come from India. India is the largest producer of spices in the world. The most exported spices include turmeric, cumin, saffron, and chilli powder.
8 – Chess was invented in India. Early forms of chess originated in India around the 6th century AD. The chaturanga was a popular four-player war game that prefigured several key aspects of modern chess.
9 – Superstar Freddie Mercury is of Indian origin. In 1946, Farrokh Bulsara was born to Indian-Parsi parents on the island of Zanzibar. He then attended British-style boarding schools in India where he grew up and began using the name Freddie.
10 – India has the highest population of vegetarians. Around 30% of India’s population follow a strict vegetarian diet while the rest mainly eat fish and no land animals. Vegetarianism is so important and a part of the culture that even western food chains like McDonalds and KFC provide a vegetarian menu.
Are you close enough to become an expert about India? We hope you are excited and even more motivated to run in our Asha Challenge!!
Don’t forget that this time. you are running to help Indian children. You are running for a major cause! Just a little reminder, if you haven’t seen our video yet, check it out here and KEEP RUNNING!
Run4aChild Team