Who are some lesser-known characters of Ramayana?

Kumudvati, Chief Queen of Kusha (son of Shri Ram) was a Naga Princess of Sarayu river and her father was killed by Garuda. Naga King Kumud offered her to Kusha in peace alliance when Kusha had almost annihilated the Nagas when Kumudvati took his golden arm- bracelet mistakenly. Kusha married her and she gave birth to his eight sons and a daughter named Champakmalini. Her son Atithi was heir to the throne and when Kusha died, Kumudvati followed him in death like moonshine follows the moon. Her mention is in Raghuvansh and Ananda Ramayana not in Valmiki Ramayana. She was really beautiful, timid and shy and was a young maiden (kanya) when she married Kusha. Kusha had built Nageshwarnath Temple for her near Sarayu river so that she could worship Lord Shiva.

Champika

Champika was the first wife of Kusha and she had chosen Kusha as her husband in her Swayamvara. She was daughter of Maharaja Bhurikirti, King of the lands East of Ayodhya. Rishi Agastya prophesized about her to Shri Ram that she won't be having any sons but daughters. She eventually gave nine daughters to Kusha and their eldest daughter Hema was married to Prince Chitrangad of Avanti after her Swayamvara and a war after which Chitrangad and his son father Ugrabahu were pardoned by Shri Ram. Her reaction to her husband's marriage with Kumudvati is not mentioned but she seems like to enjoy her previous status as the seniormost Queen (Pattmahishi) despite Kumudvati being Chief Queen (Agramahishi or Mahadevi). She was respected in the royal house. Her sister Sumati was married to Kusha’s twin brother Lava.

Kumbhinasi

Kumbhinasi was daughter of Anala, Kaikesi’s younger sister and Vishvavasu. When she was staying in Antahpura of Ravana in Lanka and she was protected as a sister and enjoyed luxuries but she was daringly abducted by a demon named Madhu when others were not around in the palace. When Ravana got to know about this, he got really angry despite himself abducting many women. He went with his warriors to Madhura (Mathura) to kill him but Kumbhinasi pleaded him to not kill her husband. Then Ravana pardoned Madhu and made him his ally. She was mother of Lavanasura who later was defeated by Shatrughna. Shatrughna named the city Surasena after conquering it and the same land became the birth place of Shri Krishna years later.

There are many other characters in Valmiki Ramayana and other renditions which are lesser known like Mahaparshva, Sushena, Vidyutjhiva (husband of Surpankha), Prahasta, Kabandha, Yupaketu (son of Shatrughna in Ananda Ramayana) , Madansundari (princess of Shivkantipuri with whom Yupaketu did Rakshasa Vivah), Kanjanayana (Naga Princess whom Lava married) , etc.

What are some lesser known/interesting stories in Mahabharata?

 The fiery heroine Draupadi was not without kindness an affection. She was insulted, taunted and driven to the forest by the sons of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari. When, Dusshasana pulled at her saree, Dhritarashtra and Gandhari would not help her. But after the war of Mahabharata, Draupadi looked after Gandhari with respect and affection; she treated her in the same way as she treated Kunti. She had a resolve that would not cool off after thirteen long years of suffering, and also sympathy for Gandhari after all was over.

When Aswathama (son of Dronacharya) who killed the sons of Draupadi, inspite of her great grief at the loss of her children, came to Pandavas, she moved forward and touched his feet and paid him his due respect. Bhima was unable to bear such sorrow and because of this, he was in great emotions which drove him to the point of exhibiting his physical prowess to the world. In fact he was looking at this quality of forbearance of Draupadi as a laughing matter. Bhima was greatly surprised at the peaceful attitude of Draupadi. He thought that the suffering of having lost all her children had driven her to insanity, for, otherwise he was not able to understand how a true mother could show such forbearance when the person who had killed all her children was standing before her. Draupadi was a great woman with exemplary character. When the strong Bhima was preparing to kill Aswathama with his bare hands, would it be possible for a weakling like Draupadi to go and stop Bhima? It was only the purity of her thought that was her strength. Draupadi was such a great woman that in order to protect right conduct, she would even oppose her husbands. But even now, it was Bheema who tried to avenge the death of her sons by uprooting the Shiromani (divine diamond) off the forehead of Ashwathama and thus ending his powers of invincibility.

Draupadi maintained the reputation of her husbands, her parents and parents-in-law. She wanted her parents to be proud of her, she wanted her children to feel that they are the children of a great mother, she wanted her husbands to feel that they were married to a great woman and she wanted her parents-in-law to be proud of her and she wanted to please them. Draupadi herself was always behaving in a manner in which she maintained the reputation of her family and her kingdom.

[ Ultimately, the fact that Draupadi stands quite apart from her five husbands is brought tellingly home when not even Sahadeva of whom she took care with maternal solicitude, nor her favourite Arjuna - tarries by her side when she falls and lies dying husbanded yet unprotected, on the Himalayan slopes ] during their journey to heaven - the Mahaprasthana. It is said, however, in some analyses of the Mahabharata, that only Bheema, at such a juncture tried to save her from her fall from the cliffs by extending an unsuccessful hand to catch her. He failed and Draupadi fell to the ground below and was dying a painful death when Bheema came to her side, consoled her and remained by her side till she eventually died. During these last moments, it is said, Draupadi realized the futility of her undying love for Arjuna and felt the selfless and unconditional love and support that Bheema had provided her at each moment in her life and repented the fact that she could never reciprocate the love of Bheema in equal terms.

What are some lesser known facts about the Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar?

 Not many know this, but Manoj Kumar, as iconic as he was as an actor, was an even more brilliant director, at least that's what I think.

Manoj Kumar with Dilip Kumar in Kranti (1981)

He made huge hit films that were loved by critics and did great business. Many of those films also had him as the hero 👇🏻

He started as 'poor man's Dilip Kumar' but became one of the finest actor directors of the masala era. He brought Dilip Kumar out of retirement with the blockbuster Kranti and revived Dilip’s career.

Jai Hind was his final film. It starred his son Kunal Goswami, Rishi Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, and Manisha Koirala in lead roles. The movie was cringe worthy with terrible production quality.

Manoj Kumar's films were mostly about patriotism, and he showed it in a grand and impressive style.

Manoj Kumar's signature style was hand on the mouth pose

Which was shown in a trolling way in Om Shanti Om, Manoj got very upset and he filed a case against it…

What are some lesser known facts about Israel?

 Israel is the only nation to resurrect a dead language, holds the world record for milk production despite being a desert, and solved a global pediatric crisis using a baby snack.

Peanut allergies are practically non-existent in Israel, and the reason is a ubiquitous, peanut-butter-flavored puffed corn snack called Bamba. Israeli parents typically feed Bamba to infants as soon as they can chew solid food. For years, pediatric guidelines worldwide advised keeping peanuts away from babies. However, researchers noticed that children in the UK had peanut allergy rates ten times higher than children of similar ancestry in Israel. This led to the 2015 LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut Allergy) study, which proved that early, consistent exposure to peanuts prevents the allergy from developing, prompting a global reversal in pediatric health recommendations.

Geographically, the country forms a narrow land bridge connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa, making it one of the most crowded bird highways on the planet. Twice a year, an estimated 500 million birds—including massive flocks of storks, pelicans, and birds of prey—funnel through this airspace to avoid flying over the Mediterranean Sea. The Hula Valley in northern Israel serves as a critical pit stop, where hundreds of thousands of migrating cranes descend to rest and feed before crossing the Sahara Desert.

Hundreds of common cranes gather to feed in the Hula Valley during their winter migration. Photo by מינוזיג is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The linguistic resurrection centers on Hebrew. For nearly two millennia, it was strictly a liturgical and scholarly language, similar to Latin. It had no native speakers and lacked the vocabulary for modern life. In the late 19th century, driven by the efforts of lexicographer Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, the language was reconstructed and adapted for everyday use. Today, it is the native tongue of millions of people, marking the only time an unspoken language has been brought back to life as a national vernacular.

Finally, the country's world-record milk yield comes down to heavily optimized, data-driven farming. Instead of relying on lush green pastures, Israeli Holstein cows live in specialized enclosures equipped with large misting and fan systems to eliminate heat stress. Their feed, health, and milk output are continuously monitored by computers, allowing them to out-produce dairy herds in the United States and Europe.

What are some amazing and lesser known stats or facts about Sachin Tendulkar?

 I bet you are not aware of most of the facts because they are not available anywhere online. I have extracted this information from his biography Playing it My way.

When Sachin Tendulkar was scolded for the innings that made him famous- Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli became overnight sensation for their record breaking partnership of 664 runs in the Harry Sheild Cup. Sachin Tendulkar scored 326* and Vinod Kamble scored 349* not out and played till the lunch of second day. But Sachin’s coach Ramakant Achrekar wanted them to declare their innings in the morning itself after both the players completed their double centuries. He sent his assistant to inform the same to the two players but they ignored the advice and continued batting. When they were going out during lunch the assistant told them that they are in big trouble. Sachin decided to declare the innings but Kambli asked him not to do it because he was playing at 349* and wanted to complete his 350. So Sachin telephones hos coach to ask him and Achrekar asked him - “How many wickets have you people taken”? Sachin told them we haven't declared yet. Then he said Kambli wants to ask something and handed him the phone. But Kambli was so scare of Achrekar that he didn't came on call and they decided to declare. After the end of match which they won, Achrekar called a meeting where they read out the list of indiscipline by both these batsman including Kambli flying kite in the middle of the match on the ground!!

Sachin Tendulkar had a habit of taking and giving challenges and not just about Cricket -

Since childhood Sachin was a prankster who used to play pranks on his neighbours like throwing water on strangers or plucking mangoes on Sunday afternoons. He was adamant to get a new bicycle as all his friends had one. His father got him one but he got into an accident just a few hours after getting his bicycle. So after a few days he got injured again while wicket-keeping and he didn't had money to take a taxi or go to hospital so he walked down home with blood coming out of his face. After these incidents he started riding bicycle slowly and almost stopped wicket-keeping in cricket.

During 1992 World Cup in Australia, Sachin Tendulkar with his othe teammates challenges Venkatapati Raju to pull the moustache of Merve Hughes (Raju was lean and thin and Merve Hughes was ill tempered and big in size). Everybody thought Raju will get a good thrashing but Raju managed to pull the moustache and escaped unarmed which mad him a hero.

During the India England series 2002 he took up a major eating challenge at West Yorkshire. One of his friend suggested visiting the famous Harry Ramsden’s, in Guiseley in West Yorkshire. This restaurant, served great fish and chips and Ajit Agarkar and Sachin decided to try out the fare. There was one item on the menu titled Harry’s Challenge, whichinvited the customer to eat a giant portion of fish, either cod or haddock, served with chips, bread and butter and two other side dishes. If successful, the head chef would personally sign a certificate for the customer. Since Sachin had always been a big eater, so he decided to take on the challenge. He managed the giant portion of fish fairly comfortably and also polished off the salad and other side dishes served. The only thing he did not eat was the chips, which he thought might be just a little too fattening. Impressed with his performance, the chef signed the Harry’s Challenge certificate.

Music Lover- Sachin Tendulkar was named after the great music director Sachin Dev Burman. The whole Tendulkar family was fond of music. And Sachin was particularly a big fan of Pankaj Udhas. At one point he sent his brother Nitin to Dubai to get the latest album of Pankaj Udhas and waited till midnight to get hold of the casette. Also interestingly when the Indian team went to play Pakistan in the semi-final of World Cup 2011, he asked his teammates if they have the song “Bade Acche Lagte hai” on their iPod. Then he uploaded the song on his iPod and listened to that one song for the next few days on loop to ease his nerves. He also considers O paalanhare as his favourite song at times of adversity.

What are some lesser known facts about Subramanian Swamy?

 1. Subramanian Swamy is an Economist, Professor, Politician, Author & Mathematician

2. Swamy completed his Graduation from Hindu College under University of Delhi.

Swamy earned his Bachelor’s Honours degree in Mathematics and finished 3rd in Delhi University.

3. Completed his Master’s Degree in Statistics from Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata

4. Received a PhD in Economics from Harvard University at the age of 27.

5. While studying at Harvard, Swamy worked as an Assistant Economics Affairs Officer at United Nations Secretariat in New York

6. Married Roxna in 1966, an Indian Parsi who he met while studying at Harvard.

7. Swamy became Associate Professor at Harvard in 1969 just 4 years after obtaining his PhD

8. At the same time, Swamy received an invition from Amartya Sen to join Delhi School of Economics

Swamy accepted the offer and travelled to India but the appointment was cancelled for various reasons.

9. Later Swamy moved to IIT Delhi as a full time Mathematical Economics Professor

10. In 1970 , India’s only Woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called Swamy as ‘Santa Claus with Unrealistic Ideas’

With this comment Swamy was expelled from the IIT. Subramanian Swamy sued IIT Delhi for his wrongful dismissal in 1973 .He won the case in 1991 , joined the institution worked only for a day before resigning from IIT Delhi.

11. Swamy started his political career in 1974 after being expelled from IIT

12. Between 1974 to 1999, Swamy was elected 5 times to the Parliament

He was elected as a member of Lok Sabha 3 times, twice from Mumbai North East and once from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. He was elected as a member of Rajya Sabha 2 times from Uttar Pradesh.

13. Swamy (Opposition Party Member) was perhaps the first person to be given a Cabinet Rank by the Ruling Party.

Subramanian Swamy was appointed as Chairman of Commission on Labour Standards and International Trade by PV Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister of India in 1994.

14. Swamy dared the Emergency & flew to America after attending the Parliament session despite the Arrest Warrant against him

15. Swamy co-authored a Paper on theory of Index numbers with the 1st American who won Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.

He worked with Paul Samuelson on the theory of Index numbers.

16. Swamy learnt Chinese in just 3 months, He also wrote a book on Economic Growth of China & India.

Chinese is considered as the toughest language to learn. He became an expert on Chinese economy.

17. Swamy’s Blueprint on Economic Reforms in India was later carried by Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister in 1991.

He is also known as Brian Child of Indian Economic Reforms.

18. Swamy played a crucial role in exposing 2G Scam

19. He was responsible for re-opening the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage route to Indians

Subramanian Swamy’s meeting with paramount leader of China Deng Xiaoping was successful in re-opening the pilgrimage route.

20. It is widely rumoured that Swamy’s Letter to then President APJ Abdul Kalam has costed the PM post to Sonia Gandhi

21. He filed cases against many eminent people.

• National Herald case against the Gandhi family
• 2G Spectrum case
• Hashimpura massacre
• Complaint against Jayalalitha
• Phone tapping Allegations
• Nataraja Temple case and many more

What are some lesser-known sights to see when visiting the Mysore Palace?

 Normally tourists just visit Mysuru palace and the museum behind it. There are many temples inside the palace premises and each temple has a story behind it.

• Sri Lakshmiramana Swami Temple – Oldest temple in the city. Located towards the western part of the fort, inside the Palace. An inscription found in Cole’s Gardens (present day Bannimantap) registers a Grant for God Lakshmiramana in 1499 AD. According to the annals of the Mysuru Royal Family, a half blind Brahim was cured his blindness around the year 1599 at the interposition of Raja Wadiyar. The temple is also important as all the religious ceremonies in connection with coronation of child Raja Krishnaraja Wadiyar III were held in this temple on June 30, 1799.

• Sri Shweta Varahaswamy Temple - located beside the south gate. It’s constructed in the famous style of the great Hoysala Empire, which controlled most of Karnataka from the tenth until the fourteenth centuries.

• Sri Trinayaneshvara Swami Temple – Ancient temple which existed even before the time of Raja Wadiyar, located outside the Original Mysuru fort, on the bank of Devaraya Sagar (Doddakere). It was during the time of Kanthirava Narasaraja Wadiyar and his successor Dodda Devaraja Wadiyar that the fort was enlarged and the Trinayaneshvara temple came within the fort.

• Sri Prasanna Krishanswami temple – The Mysuru dynasty claims its descent from Yadu Vamsa (Yadu Race) founded by Sri Krishna of Mahabharata. Therefore, Krishnaraja Wadiyar III felt sad that there was no temple dedicated to Krishna. To fulfil this , he started the construction of Sri Prasanna Krishna Temple in 1825 and according to inscription, it was completed in 1829.

• Kille Venkatramana Swamy Temple – During the time of Tipu, the Mysuru family was still in Srirangapatna. Queen Lakshmammanni, wife of Krishnaraja Wadiyar II was deeply worried about the dynasty and its future. Then lord Venkataramana is said to have appeared in her dream, and directed her that his statue which is in Balamuri (a place on the banks of Cauvery river) should be consecrated in Mysuru. By this pious act, her dynasty would get salvation. She therefore, proceeded to Balamuri without the knowledge of the Sultan and brought the image of Venkataramana, consecrated it in the temple, and offered continuous worship. This is said to have helped the family and after the fall of Tippu, the Kingdom was restored to the Wadiyar dynasty.

• Sri Bhuvaneshwari Temple – located on northern side of the Palace Fort corresponding to the Varahaswamy temple in the south, thus providing a symmetrical structure in the fort complex. Constructed by Sri Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar in the year 1951. One of the important objects in the temple is a copper Surya Mandala which is said to have been transferred from the Palace to this temple by His Highness Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar.

• Sri Gayatri Temple – located in the south-east corner of the fort directly corresponding to the Trinayaneshara swamy temple constructed by Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar in 1953. Three shrines dedicated to Savithri, Gayathri and Saraswathi.

• Mahalakshmi Temple

Which are lesser known facts of Yuzi Chahal?

 Yuzvendra Chahal, who represents Haryana in Ranji Trophy, is the only player to represent India in chess and cricket. In fact, his name is listed in World Chess Federation’s official site.

He first played in the IPL for Mumbai Indians in 2011. Harbhajan Singh was the team’s main spinner then, but Chahal claimed 2 for 9 in Mumbai's Champions League T20 victory the same year

He was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2016 IPL season, representing Royal Challengers Bangalore. He finished with a handsome haul of 21 wickets as RCB reached the final of the competition.

He was man of the match in his very second ODI, claiming three for 25 runs against Zimbabwe at Harare in June 2016 as India won by eight wickets. The game is remembered for Chahal bowling a seam-up delivery at 109 km/h.

In the third T20 against England on February 1, 2017, he became the first Indian bowler to claim a five-wicket haul in T20 internationals.

What are some lesser-known facts about movie stars?

 Here are some lesser-known facts about some of our beloved movie stars -

• Nicolas Cage received $20 million in 1998 for his role as Superman in Tim Burton's Superman Lives - but that film was never made.

• Jim Carrey was Disney's first choice for the role of Captain Jack Sparrow. Unfortunately, production on Pirates of the Caribbean and Bruce Almighty was taking place at the same time.

• Before playing Katniss in The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence was the voice actress for Bella in Twilight.

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• Robert Downey Jr. was once arrested after driving naked in his Porsche and carrying cocaine, heroin and a .357 Magnum.

• At the age of 37, Jack Nicholson discovered that the woman he had always thought was his sister was actually his mother.