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Dogs are a man's best friend? A man is a man's worst enemy? All lies! A
man's worst and best friend is actually, yes, pee. Think about it. It
can extract you from painfully embarrassing situations, give you extra
time to 'figure out' an answer during the exam, also just automatically
keeps your insides healthy. Having said that, it will also inflict a lot
of discomfort when you are attending that very serious meeting, or
while you are travelling or when you are all warm and snuggly inside a
blanket and the movie has reached the climax. Basically it all depends
on the situation, really.
If these arguments do not convince you then just trust the Romans. They
had an unhealthy obsession with pee. They loved pee - not 'to pee' -
just the thing itself. It was all quite bizarre.
So, we have collected a few facts about mankind's best frenemy because
keep your friends close and enemies closer and all that. (Also because
what was up with the Romans?!)
1. A person pees seven times on an average. If one pees more frequently
or lesser than that, it is not something to really worry about.
2. An average healthy person's peeing lasts for about 7 seconds. If one
feels the urgent need to pee and the peeing lasts for only 2 seconds or
so, one might be suffering from an infection.
5. The body only retains the essential products, the unwanted by-products leave the body as urine and stool.
6. The colour of your pee is indicative of your health. If it is clear
then you are well hydrated, maybe even more than necessary; if it is
pale yellow then you are hydrated enough; if dark yellow then less
hydrated; If it is brown then it could be a serious liver infection; if
red or pink then there is fresh blood in your urine.
9. Diabetes is known as 'madhumeha' in Hindi, which roughly translates
to 'honey urine'. Indian physicians Sushruta and Charaka were probably
the first to distinguish Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. It was in circa
400-500 CE.
10. There is a condition called oliguria, where you don't pee enough.
15. Bear Grylls is an expert survivor, who is also famous for drinking
his pee. Closer to home, we had Morarji Desai who was a practitioner of
urine therapy that involves using urine in many cosmetic and medicinal
therapies and drinking of one's own urine.
16. Unlike what a lot of people might believe, if one is lost in the
wilderness with no water in hand, it is not advisable to drink one's
urine because it contains a high amount of salt and that accelerates
dehydration.
18. The medieval textile used urine extensively. In Elizabethan
England, stale pee was used to dye fabrics. The Romans also used urine
to tan leather and bleach wool and linen.
21. The Roman emperor Nero levied urine tax. Urine was
so precious that
merchants went from door to door buying pee. Nero saw the opportunity
and took it. He levied a tax which added to the imperial treasury.
22. If you emerge from a public pool smelling like 'chlorine' then it
probably means that it is the smell of chloramine mixed with human pee.
The stronger the 'chlorine' stench, the dirtier the pool.
23. Stress Urinary Incontinence - when you leak pee when you laugh,
sneeze or exercise. "I laughed so hard, I peed" is a very valid
expression.
24. During the
World War 1, Canadian soldiers
soaked up socks or handkerchiefs in their own urine and tied them
around their faces, as gas masks. The ammonia in urine neutralised the
chlorine and the water dissolved it, enabling the soldiers to breathe.
27. A company called E3 Technologies uses urine to create power. They
use urine to create hydrogen while doing away with the ammonia so that
it is not released into air.
28. There is something called 'morning pee', which is highly acidic.
The body secretes acids while sleeping, which leaves the body as waste
during the morning pee. And as the day progresses the pee becomes
gradually more basic.
30. Unlike what a lot of people believe, the first time a baby pees is
not after its birth but when it is in the womb. It starts peeing into
the amniotic fluid.
Many of you, who
are reading this and were born in the 90s and before, would remember the
time when Indian currency only featured the eminent ‘Ashoka Pillar’;
both on the note and the coins. In the year 1996, the RBI replaced all
currencies (notes featuring Ashoka Pillar) and replaced them with the
ones featuring the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi.
Indian currency history
Back then, with
emotions and respect overflowing, not many could question the decision
or to say, sought an explanation behind this decision. But, recently a
Quora user kicked-off a debate, asking why only Gandhi’s face features
on every Indian currency, whereas there are several other equally
imminent freedom fighters?
Gandhiji was picked as the symbolism
The debate saw a
lot of individuals pouring in their wild guesses; while some hinted that
the worldwide acclamation for the film ‘Gandhi’ is the reason behind
it, a few others cited that due to the rich diversity of the country,
Gandhiji was picked as the symbolism.
Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank
of India explains that unlike the previous currencies, which had only
inanimate objects that could be easily forfeit; the current ones would
be hard to forge.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Lok Sabha
Back in 2014,
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a written reply to the Lok Sabha had
said, “A Reserve Bank of India (RBI) panel has decided against the
inclusion of any other national leader's image on banknotes saying that
no other personality could better represent the ethos of the country
than Mahatma Gandhi." (Quote Courtesy: Economic Times)
Oldest Indian currency
This explanation
was provided after a few in the Parliament demanded that other eminent
leaders and personalities must also feature on national currency front.
The decision came after certain segment of individuals protested
against the discontinuation of currency notes of Rs. 20 (featuring the
wheel of Konark Temple, Odisha), Rs. 1000 (Brihadeeswara Temple of
Tanjore)Rs. 5000 (featuring the Gateway of India.)
Non-human objects on Indian currency
It was decided
that as non-humans symbols like the above lead to such regional
controversies, it would be better that the national currency bore an
image that would be well-respected by the nation as a whole.
Father of the nation
And, with every
region having their own famous freedom fighter and every religion having
a sacred name, it would be difficult to satisfy each and everyone and
keep them united, hence, Mahatma Gandhi being the ‘Father of the nation’
was decided to be featured on the currency note.
How was the current photo of Gandhiji selected?
You’ll be
surprised to know that the chosen portrait of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
is not a caricature, after all. Yes, this is a real image of Gandhiji
smiling, which was captured when he visited Lord Fredrick Pethick
Lawrence to then Viceroy’s house (presently Rashtrapati Bhavan).
Famous Gandhi photo on Indian rupee
This particular
moment was captured by an unknown photographer, back in 1946; one year
from India’s Independence. Much later the face of Mahatma Gandhi was
cropped and featured on the present Indian Currency.
Ever uttered the name of your city and thought of how unique and desi
it sounds? But for all their feels, they happen to be not as unique as
you'd want them to be. There happens to be a Delhi not located in India,
along with many other such cities that share their names with us but
are located in another part of the world. That takes 'a home away from
home' to the next level.
Here a few cities that share their names with their counterparts abroad
1. Delhi, India/Delhi, United States
There
also happens to be one in Ontario, Canada and is spelled as Del-high,
but the capital city of India and the town in the United States share
the same name and pronunciation.
2. Kochi, Kerala/Kochi, Japan
Kochi
in India is the capital of Ernakulam. It has a namesake in Japan that's
quite a tourist attraction. What these two cities hold on a common
ground, other than their names, is their love for seafood.
3. Patna, Bihar/Patna, Scotland
The
Patna in Scotland was a name inspired by the capital city of Bihar.
William Fullarton, the guy who established the village in Scotland, was
born to a father who served the East India Company. Some love he'd have
had for Patna!
4. Calcutta, West Bengal/ Calcutta, United States
Calcutta
was established as a coal town in the year 1870 and has not many
inhabitants still. Whereas the Calcutta (now Kolkata) in India is a city
that merges everything unique and beautiful.
5. Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh/Lucknow, United States
Lucknow
or Castle in the Clouds, United States is a sixteen-room and 5,500-acre
mountain estate mansion whose Indian namesake holds the glorious past
of being home to actual royalty.
6. Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh/ Hyderabad, Pakistan
The
town in India was named after a nautch who was the city founder's
favourite; the one in Pakistan is named after Haider Ali, a cousin of
Prophet Muhammad. Both the cities share a rich history of a royal past.
7. Salem, Tamil Nadu/Salem, United States
The
ancient city of Salem in India finds mentions in 1st and 2nd-century
inscriptions, whereas the one in the U.S. is Hebrew for the word
'peace'.
8. Baroda, Gujarat/ Baroda, United States
Baroda
in India holds the legacy of mouthwatering Navratra snacks. Michael
Houser was the man who built the 1.7 square kilometre village in the
United States, wanted to name it Pomona, but realising that it's been
taken, changed the name to Baroda-suggested by C.H. Pindar. It was
Pindar's birthplace in India.
9. Thane, Maharashtra/Thane, Australia
Thane
in India has the most beautiful beach scenes you could imagine. The one
in Australia is a city away from the big cities and how it got the name
remains unknown.
10. Indore, Madhya Pradesh/Indore, United States
The
one in Madhya Pradesh boasts of a glorious past. Indore, West Virgina
was inspired by the Hebrew word Endore which means spring and/or
settlement.
11. Dhaka, Bihar/ Dhaka, Bangladesh
Dhaka,
then part of East Pakistan and now the capital of Bangladesh has a rich
history and often features as a painful reminder of the partition in
various written works. The place with the same name in Bihar holds the
importance of being a Vidhan Sabha constituency.
12. Bali, Rajasthan/Bali, Indonesia
Bali
is a small town of Pali district in Rajasthan. Bali, Indonesia needs no
introduction. It's a tourist destination for all those who love to
lounge by the sea.
13. Faridkot, Punjab/ Faridkot, Pakistan
Faridkot
happens to be one of the 22 districts in the state of Punjab in India.
The one in Pakistan is a small village which recently became infamous
for being home to Ajmal Kasab, one of the terrorists caught for the
Mumbai attacks.
What was the feeling when you met another person with
your or your best friend's name? This kind of matches up to the same,
don't you think?
The 90s have their nostalgia, the 70s had its
disco era. However, it's the 80s that have been lost over the course of
time. For most of us, there isn't anything concrete to associate with
the 80s. A crying shame indeed, considering that the 80s had
eccentricities of its own.
Don't believe us? Allow these photographic evidence to convince you. Check 'em out.
1. When Jeetendra forgot what he was doing halfway through picking Sridevi up.
2. When Govinda and Kimi Katkar weirdly managed to bring DC and Marvel comics together.
