Easy like Sunday morning

Found/ made in India

August 19, 2017 04:00 pm | Updated 04:00 pm IST

Pioneering technology.

Pioneering technology.

1. This gentleman was born in what is now Uttarakhand in 1857. He wanted to become a writer but his father enrolled him in a medical college in London. He spent most of his time there writing poems and plays. After graduating, he became a surgeon on a ship. In 1883, he was posted in Bangalore when he noticed that by limiting access to water he could control a mosquito population. Exactly 120 years ago on August 20, 1897, he discovered something in a mosquito. This led to him becoming the first Nobel Laureate born outside of Europe. Who was this doctor and which disease’s vector had he discovered?

2. Sake Dean Mahomed was a Bengali Anglo-Indian traveller who introduced South Asian cuisine to Europe. He also introduced a particular practice in the public steam baths which gives its name to a product. This product was first used in India and the name for it is derived from a Hindi word which means ‘to knead’ or ‘to soothe’. This practice supposedly cured diseases and gave immense relief to the patrons. Its success allowed him to even do the practice on King George IV. What is this product?

3. Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the outermost layer of the white part of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelid. The most common infectious causes are viral followed by bacterial and it easily spreads between people. In the early 1950s the adenovirus responsible for it was supposed to have been discovered at the Government Ophthalmic Hospital in Egmore, Chennai, which is the second oldest Ophthalmic hospital in the world. This led to this disease getting a particular term. What is this common name for Conjunctivitis?

4. This fibre is finer, stronger, lighter, softer, and approximately three times more insulating than sheep wool. This wool can only be called so if taken from the goat species ‘Capra hircus laniger’. China has the largest population of these goats and hence the market leader in this wool. What wool is this which has a geographical etymology?

5. Woad is a plant from the tinctoria family that was used in Europe to produce a blue dye. Then in the mid 1660s, the East India Company began importing from India a certain dye made from another plant. This dye was cheaper to produce and copious quantities made it to England. Around the same time, Isaac Newton shone a white light through a Prism and discovered a spectrum of colours. Seeing only six, he decided to add one more because of his belief that seven was a perfect number. What did he add that directly made the dye a valuable commodity?

6. In 1801, the Royal Woolwich Arsenal started a military rocket R&D programme based on incendiary rockets they had found after a war with a South Indian ruler. Following their study, the first Congreve rockets were made, which the British used in the Napoleonic wars. In 1814, these rockets were used in the Battle of Baltimore against American defenders. The American National Anthem was written as a direct consequence of this battle and the line “And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air” is in reference to these rockets. Which Indian rulers pioneering use of this technology inspired all this?

7. This game originated in India in the 19th century where it was known as Moksha Patam, and emphasised the role of karma. The original moral lesson of the game was that a person could attain moksha (salvation) through good deeds, whereas evil deeds would cause rebirth as a lower form of life. The phrase “back to square one” mostly likely originated from the game. Identify the game.

8. This colour has been the colour of choice for military personnel since the early 1900s. The British realised the impracticality of using their traditional scarlet coat and were looking for alternatives. They discovered it when some Indian troops who helped them in the 1867 Abyssinian campaign were wearing it. The word literally means ‘soil-coloured’ in Urdu. What is this colour which became the first ever wide-spread military camouflage uniform?

9. The greater one-horned rhinoceros ( Rhinoceros unicornis ) is an endangered animal found only in India. Once found all over the Indo-gangetic Plain, currently there are only around 3,500 of these lovely animals found in an area less than 20,000 square kilometres. Since 1996, however, it has featured prominently in an item where it is one of the most common found. Where would you have seen a representation of this beautiful animal most recently?

10. These natural wonders have been explored since history of man began, but still remain some of the most mysterious things on the planet. We know more about the Solar System then we do about these. Of the five currently present on Earth, only one is named after a country. Ours. What entity is this? (It also happens to be the name of one of the Quizmaster’s favourite bands!)

Answers

1. Ronald Ross discovered malaria parasites in Anopheles mosquito

2. Shampoo from the Hindi word ‘chāmpo’

3. Madras Eye

4. Cashmere wool

5. Indigo

6. Tipu Sultan and his Mysorean Rockets

7. Snakes and Ladders

8. Khaki

9. On the back of a 10 rupee note

10. Indian Ocean

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