Tablets - a new revolution

In little over a year, tablets have redefined the tech business and is threatening to pip laptops and PCs as the must-have computing gadget. Sleek, user-friendly and smart, the iPad carved out a market in April 2010. Now Samsung, BlackBerry, etc want a slice of the pie. Excerpts from a Jefferies report on how the tablet revolution is unfolding.



1) Soaring Sales


Demand for tablets will zoom over the next two years. More companies enter the market. But no changes at the top. Apple's innovations seem to be unbeatable.







2) Global Craze


After America, Asia will buy the most tablets this year. Is this the China effect? Mostly yes, but there are enough technophiles in other countries, including India.






3) Riding on Asia


The Chinese want to top the tab-owner list. Rest of Asia-Pacific follows close behind. Expect cheaper local brands to flood markets.


Tablet Purchase Intentions in Surveyed Regions


79% - China

66% - Asia Pacific (excluding China)

50% - Europe

48% - West Asia & Africa

42% - North America


4) Young Love


No surprises here: Most tablets are owned by young pros. But the 55+ generation beat the 45-54 years' age group in being tab-savvy.






5) Pad over PC

In just a year, 30% respondents of a Google survey use tablets as their chief computer. If companies ramp up their functions list, tabs may soon smoke out PCs & laptops in usage.





6) Keeping Time


Tabs are addictive and most users spend over two hours doing different things. Don't ask how they get the time.





7) Pick Me Up

Most users prefer spending time on their tabs than reading books or listening to the radio. But TV and phones are tough to beat.

Death of Osama bin Laden The lessons to learn for India by T.V. Rajeswar

Death of Osama bin Laden
The lessons to learn for India
by T.V. Rajeswar

Osama bin Laden’s end at the hands of the Special Forces of the United States in his hideout near Abbottabad in Pakistan has several lessons to learn for India.
Al-Qaida’s carefully planned operations leading to the attack on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, resulting in the death of over 3000 persons, as also targeting of the Pentagon on the same day were the main events for which Osama’s terrorist outfit is remembered. The attack on the World Trade Centre was a shocking experience to the American people and the US establishment alike.
Since then the US had been working out ways and means of hunting down Osama. The Tora Bora mountain area between Afghanistan and Pakistan had been intensely bombed. There was no trace of Osama, and there were many theories of his escape to Afghanistan or beyond. In the nationwide broadcast of Obama on May 2, President Barack Obama told the Americans and others that soon after he assumed office he had directed intensification of the efforts to trace Osama and bring him to justice. CIA chief Leon Panetta intensified his efforts and eventually zeroed in on his whereabouts in the outskirts of Abbottabad , the garrison town of Pakistan, not far from Islamabad. The hideout of Osama was a specially constructed building with tall walls. It had no telephone or Internet connection.
Osama had a couple of couriers through whom he maintained links with the outside world. With the special forces stationed in Pakistan and the drones which operated from there, full coverage of the hideout of Osama was available. The strike was planned between the midnight and 3 a.m. on May 2, and two helicopters with special naval forces called Seals were dispatched and they completed the operations within 40 minutes. Osama himself was shot dead when he reportedly opened fire on the US forces.
As for the lessons to be learnt from the American operations leading to the death of Osama bin Laden, the most important one is to have a clear policy as to how to deal with the principal accused in the concerned case; how to deal with him or them.
But is India in a position to carry out an operation of this type? The answer is regrettably in the negative. India has been the victim of a series of attacks by terrorists and jihadi elements over the years. Among such incidents were the serial blasts carried out in Mumbai in 1993 by the henchmen of Dawood Ibrahim. These attacks were said to be in retaliation for the demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992, and the entire operation in Mumbai was carried out under the direction of the ISI of Pakistan.
Dawood Ibrahim is known to be living in his own palatial quarters in Karachi, which is very much within the knowledge of Pakistan. He frequently visits Dubai and his name is also there on the list of international terrorists put out by the US. To the several demands over the years by India, Pakistan has blandly asserted that Dawood Ibrahim did not live in that country, and India had done nothing beyond making appeals. In a situation like this, what would be the reaction of a country like Israel if it were faced with a similar predicament? It would have sent out an expeditionary force by helicopter or any other means and nabbed or eliminated him.
The next case to be analysed was the attack on Parliament in 2001 by the Jaish-e-Mohammed, founded by Masood Azhar. In December 2001, the Parliament building was attacked resulting in the death of some security men. Among those who were arrested and prosecuted were Afzal Guru, whose death sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court. His execution is pending since his mercy petition to the President of India remains undisposed of. Apart from this, the A.B. Vajpayee government massed troops in the Northern Command in a show of force to Pakistan. It gave the impression that a limited attack against Pakistan as a punitive measure was imminent. However, international pressure came forth, resulting in the return of the amassed troops to their normal locations. Masood Azhar remains active in Pakistan and there is nothing India can do about it.
The attack on Mumbai on Nov 26, 2008, by LeT terrorists was the most serious of them all. Nearly 300 people were killed in this carefully planned attack by the LeT jihadis under the overall direction of the ISI. The evidence provided by David Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana regarding the role of ISI in the attack on Mumbai has been recorded in a Chicago court in the US. Subsequently, the US included the ISI among the terrorist groups operating from Pakistan.
Ajmal Kasab, one of the Mumbai attackers captured alive, was sentenced to death by a Mumbai court after due trial. Several dossiers have been passed on to Pakistan on the case and full evidence had been provided regarding the role played by the ISI . US prosecutors had charged four Pakistanis, including Major Iqbal of the ISI, in connection with the Mumbai terrorist carnage. This list includes ISI commando Ilyas Kashmiri, a retired Pakistan military man, Abdur Rahman, Hashim Sayed and Tahawwur Hussain Rana.
LeT founder Hafiz Saeed remains active in Pakistan. At the last Kashmir Solidarity Day function, an annual feature in Pakistan, Hafiz Saeed spoke in favour of an all-out war against India over Kashmir. He said if even nuclear weapons should be used against India. Saeed has a big establishment at Muridke, on the outskirts of Lahore. In a situation like this, where Pakistan has taken no action against Saeed and other LeT activists who had played active role in the 26/11 attack on Mumbai, does India have any other option apart from pressing for action during periodical meetings between the Secretaries of India and Pakistan and exchange of correspondence between the Foreign Ministers? The answer is regrettably in the negative.
Around 2005, Osama Bin Laden had his mansion constructed on the outskirts of Abbottabad with 18 ft. high walls, and he had prohibited telephone and Internet connections. It is difficult to believe that the Pakistan Army and its ISI did not know of Osama’s hideout in this palatial house during the past five years. The CIA chief said that it was difficult to believe that Osama did not have a supporting system during these five years and that Pakistan was not aware of the same. Pakistan was, therefore, not kept in the loop by the US when Operation Geronimo, as the Osama operation was called, was put into motion. Pakistan was informed only after the operation was over. President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani of Pakistan have since asserted that they did not know where Osama was living.
Taking into account all these factors, the Indian political establishment as well as the security agencies should revise their thinking and be realistic about facing problems which may emerge in the future with Pakistan.
Pakistan continues to assert that Kashmir remains the main problem between India and Pakistan. Pakistan Army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani has gone on record that his approach remains India-centric.
India should be realistic enough to understand that more attacks like the one on 26/11 on Mumbai by jihadi elements under the guidance of the ISI cannot be ruled out, and India should take all steps to anticipate them and take adequate preventive measures.
The writer, a former Governor of UP and West Bengal, was the chief of the Intelligence Bureau

See Our Old Currency

Victoria Portrait Series

The first set of British India notes were the 'Victoria Portrait' Series issued in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 1000. These were unifaced, carried two language panels and were printed on hand-moulded paper manufactured at the Laverstock Paper Mills (Portals). The security features incorporated the watermark (GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, RUPEES, two signatures and wavy lines), the printed signature and the registration of the notes.
   
Rupees Ten                                                    Rupees Hundered  
British India Notes facilitated inter-spatial transfer of funds. As a security precaution, notes were cut in half. One set was sent by post. On confirmation of receipt, the other half was despatched by post.

Half note  
This series remained largely unchanged till the introduction of the 'King's Portrait' series which commenced in 1923.




Green Underprint - Rupees Five Hundred  



Green Underprint - Rupees Five  


Red Underprint - Rupees Fifty  
Small Denomination Notes  

The introduction of small denomination notes in India was essentially in the realm of the exigent. Compulsions of the first World War led to the introduction of paper currency of small denominations. Rupee One was introduced on 30th November, 1917 followed by the exotic Rupees Two and Annas Eight. The issuance of these notes was discontinued on 1st January, 1926 on cost benefit considerations. These notes first carried the portrait of King George V and were the precursors of the 'King's Portrait' Series which were to follow.


Rupee One - Obverse


Rupee One -Reverse


Rupees Two and Annas Eight - Obverse
King's Portrait Series  

Regular issues of this Series carrying the portrait of George V were introduced in May, 1923 on a Ten Rupee Note. The King's Portrait Motif continued as an integral feature of all Paper Money issues of British India. Government of India continued to issue currency notes till 1935 when the Reserve Bank of India took over the functions of the Controller of Currency. These notes were issued in denominations of Rs 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, 10,000.



Rupees Fifty  


Rupees One Thousand


Rupees Ten Thousand  


the Bank's issues to January 1938 when the first Five Rupee note was issued bearing the portrait of George VI.


Rupees Five - First Note issued by Reserve Bank of India


This was followed by Rs 10 in February, Rs 100 in March and Rs 1,000 and Rs 10,000 in June 1938.

Rupees One Hundred


Rupees One Thousand  


Rupees Ten Thousand  


In August 1940, the one-rupee note was reintroduced, once again as a war time measure, as a Government note with the status of a rupee coin,


Rupee One Obverse


Rupee One Reverse


Rupees Two  


As an added security feature, the security thread was introduced for the first time in India.

George VI Profile  



George VI Frontal

The George VI series continued till 1947 and thereafter as a frozen series till 1950 when post independence notes were issued.

Census of India 2011 Highlights

The population of the country as per the provisional figures of Census 2011 is 1210.19 million of which 623.72 million (51.54%) are males and 586.46 million (48.46%) are females. The provisional figures of Census 2011 were released in New Delhi today by Union Home Secretary Shri G.K.Pillai and RGI Shri C. Chandramouli.

The major highlights of the Census 2011 (Provisional figures) are as under ;-

The population of India has increased by more than 181 million during the decade 2001-2011.

Percentage growth in 2001-2011 is 17.64; males 17.19 and females 18.12.

2001-2011 is the first decade (with the exception of 1911-1921) which has actually added lesser population compared to the previous decade.

Uttar Pradesh (199.5 million) is the most populous State in the country followed by Maharashtra with 112 million.

The percentage decadal growth rates of the six most populous States have declined during 2001-2011 compared to 1991-2001:

- Uttar Pradesh (25.85% to 20.09%)

- Maharashtra (22.73% to 15.99%)

- Bihar (28.62% to 25.07%)

- West Bengal (17.77 % to 13.93%)

- Andhra Pradesh (14.59% to 11.10%)

- Madhya Pradesh (24.26% to 20.30%)

· During 2001-2011, as many as 25 States/UTs with a share of about 85% of the country’s population registered an annual growth rate of less than 2% as compared to, 15 States/UTs with a share of about 42% during the period 1991-2001.

15 States/UTs have grown by less than 1.5 per cent per annum during 2001-2011, while the number of such States/UTs was only 4 during the previous decade.

The total number of children in the age-group 0-6 is 158.8 million (-5 million since 2001)

Twenty States and Union Territories now have over one million children in the age group 0-6 years. On the other extreme, there are five States and Union Territories in the country that are yet to reach the one hundred thousand mark.

Uttar Pradesh (29.7 million), Bihar (18.6 million), Maharashtra (12.8 million), Madhya Pradesh (10.5 million) and Rajasthan (10.5 million) constitute 52% children in the age group of 0-6 years.

Population (0-6 years) 2001-2011 registered minus (-)3.08 percent growth with minus (-)2.42 for males and –3.80 for females.

The proportion of Child Population in the age group of 0-6 years to total population is 13.1 percent while the corresponding figure in 2001 was 15.9 percent. The decline has been to the extent of 2.8 points.

Overall sex ratio at the national level has increased by 7 points to reach 940 at Census 2011 as against 933 in Census 2001. This is the highest sex ratio recorded since Census 1971 and a shade lower than 1961. Increase in sex ratio is observed in 29 States/UTs.

Three major States (J&K, Bihar & Gujarat) have shown decline in sex ratio as compared to Census 2001.

Kerala with 1084 has the highest sex ratio followed by Puducherry with 1038, Daman & Diu has the lowest sex ratio of 618.

Child sex ratio (0-6 years) is 914. Increasing trend in the child sex ratio (0-6) seen in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram and A&N Islands. In all remaining 27 States/UTs, the child sex ratio show decline over Census 2001.

Mizoram has the highest child sex ratio (0-6 years) of 971 followed by Meghalaya with 970. Haryana is at the bottom with ratio of 830 followed by Punjab with 846.

Literacy rate has gone up from 64.83 per cent in 2001 to 74.04 per cent in 2011 showing an increase of 9.21 percentage points.

Percentage growth in literacy during 2001-2011 is 38.82; males : 31.98% & females : 49.10%.

Literates constitute 74 per cent of the total population aged seven and above and illiterates form 26 per cent.

Telugu Names of Relations and Family Members

List of Telugu names of relations and family members from English

Here is a list of Telugu names of relations and family members from English. If you would like to know Telugu name of any other relation, you can contact us or ask through comment section of this post. We will love to hear from you if you would like to provide you feedback in making these tutorials more interesting or better.

 

Telugu Names of Relations:

Mother	తల్లి
Father	తండ్రి
Grand Mother	అవ్వ
Grand Father	తాత
Son	కుమారుడు
Elder Sister	అక్క
Younger Sister	చెల్లెలు
Elder Brother	అన్న
Younger Brother	తమ్మడు
Uncle	మేనమామ
Aunt	మేనత్త
Wife	భార్య
Husband	భర్త
Daughter-in-law	కోడలు
Son-in-law	అల్లుడు
Mother-in-law	అత్త
Father-in-law	మామ

London 2012 Olympics Logo

The first logo was created while bidding (by Kino Design) while the rest of the logos are final versions of the logo for Olympics 2012 to be held in London.
The standard colors in which the logo is released are orange, green, magenta and blue. This same logo will be used for both the 2012 Olympic games and the Paralympic games.

Although the logo represents the number 2012, the year in which the London Olympics will be held, Iran is saying that the logo is racist as it looks like the word Zion. The issue is unresolved at the time of writing.


All the versions of the London 2012 Olympics Logo are displayed below...

Indian cities/places and respective epithets

1. Golden City - Jaisalmer.

2. Deccan queen - Pune.

3. City of seven islands - Mumbai.

4. Queen of Arabian Sea - Cochin.

5. Queen of Mountains - Mussoorie.

6. Space City - Bangalore.
 
7. Garden city of India - Bangalore.

8. Silicon valley of India - Bangalore.

9. Electronic city of India - Bangalore.

10. Pink city - Jaipur.

11. Sacred river - Ganga.

12. Sorrow of Bengal - Damodar river
.
13.Sorrow of Bihar - Kosi river.

14. Gateway of India - Mumbai

15. Hollywood of India - Mumbai.

16. Blue mountains - Nilgiris.

17. City of castles - Kolkata.

18. City of buildings - Kolkata.

19. City of lakes - Srinagar.

20. City of festivals - Madurai.

21. City of Nawabs - Lucknow.

22. City of temples - Varanasi.

23. City of Rallies - Delhi.

24. City of weavers - Panipat.

25. Steel city of India - Jamshedpur.

26. Venice of the east - cochin.

27. Manchester of India/east - Ahmedabad.

26. Manchester of the north - Kanpur.

27. Manchester of the south - Coimbatore.

28. Pittsburg of India - Jameshedpur.

29. Boston of India - Ahmedabad.

30. Garden of spices of India - Kerala.

31. Abode of the God - Prayag.

32. Twin cities - Hyderabad-Sikanderabad.

33. Old Ganga - Godavari.

34. Dakshin Ganga - Godavari.

35. Egg bowls of Asia - Andhra Pradesh.

36. Soya region - Madhya Pradesh.

37. Sun city - Jodhpur.

38. Pearl city - Tuticotir (TN)

39. Temple city - Bhubaneshwar.

40. Bangle city - Hyderabad.

41. White city - Udaipur.

42. Diamond city - Surat.

43. Sandalwood city - Mysore.
44. Orange city - Nagpur.

45. Egg city - Namakkal. (TN).

46. Lake city - Udaipur.

47. City of dawn - Auroville (Puducherry).

48. City of blood - Tezpur. (Assam, Teza in sanskrit means blood).

49. City of golden temple - Amritsar.

50. Silk city - Bhoodhan Pochampally (Andhra Pradesh).