Dada Saheb Phalke Award__

What is Dada Saheb Phalke Award?

Dada Saheb Phalke Award, instituted by the Government of India in 1969, is awarded to outstanding actors, playback singers, music composers or directors associated with the world of cinema for their lifetime achievement in their respective fields. The award is named after Dada Saheb Phalke (1870-1944), the first Indian to make silent movies, hailed as the father of Indian Cinema. His silent film Raja Harishchandra was released on May 13, 1913.

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The first recipient of Dada Saheb Phalke Award was the veteran actress Devika Rani and the latest awardee was the director of Malayalam cinema, Adoor Gopalakrishnan. Some of the other prominent awardees have been Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Shivaji Ganesan, Satyajit Ray, V. Shanta Ram, Nagi Reddy and Lata Mangeshkar, to mention a few.

World's Fastest Train__

Which is the world's fastest train?

France is the world leader in rail transport technology. The flagship of French rail technology is the TGV or Train a Grande Vitesse ("High Speed Train"), the world's fastest train. TGVs regularly run at 300 km/hr in normal service on some lines. And even this high speed is well below TGV's limits; the TGV holds world record for speed on rails of 515.3 km/hr or roughly half the speed of the sound.

Rann of Kutch__

What is Rann of Kutch?

The Rann of Kutch is a seasonally marshy region located in the Thar Desert in Gujarat, bordering the Sind region in Pakistan. It covers some 10,000 sq.miles between the Gulf of Kutch and the mouth of the River Indus in southern Pakistan. The luni river that originates in Rajasthan empties into the northeast corner of the Rann.

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During monsoon the flat desert of salty clay and mudflats averaging 15 metres above the sea level, fill with standing waters, interspersed with sandy islets of thorny scrub. It acts as a breeding ground for some of the largest flocks of Greater and Lesser flamingoes. The Rann is also famous for the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary. The Little Rann of Kutch is home to the last of the three species of Asiatic Wild Ass that can be seen along with wolves, foxes, jackals, chinkara gazelles, nilgai antelope and blackbucks.

Blood Clot?

How does the blood clot?

Clotting is a natural phenomenon tht checks excessive loss of blood in case of injury. Clotting takes place whenever the tissue is injured. There are three types of cells in our blood - red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. It is these platelets that help in forming clots to stop bleeding. The platelets gather at the site of the injured cell and prevent the red blood vessels from flowing out. They form a plug across the opening and release chemicals that convert liquid blood protein fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin. Fibrin forms a mesh of thread like fibres that trap platelets and other blood cells, thereby forming a clot.

Fringe Benefit Tax__

What is Fringe Benefit Tax?

Fringe Benefit Tax is a tax on benefits that the employee receive as a result of their employment, including those benefits provided through someone other than an employer.