8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites In India You Need To Visit To Fall In Love With Nature....

India has 35 World Heritage Sites approved by UNESCO which boast of great cultural and natural importance for the country. We are known for having an astonishing variety of flora and fauna that reside here. For the same reason, it is considered heaven for nature enthusiasts and wildlife lovers. So, here are 8 of scenic places from UNESCO's World Heritage Sites situated in India which are known for their natural beauty. Check them out below:

1. Kaziranga National Park, Assam

It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1985 for its unique natural environment.

Situated in the Golaghat and Nagaon district of Assam, Kazinranga National Park is home to two third of the world's population of Indian one-horned rhinoceros along with tigers, elephants, wild water buffaloes, swamp deer and various species of migrating and inhabitant birds. With four different kinds of vegetation, a breathtaking array of flora, diverse fauna and beautiful geographical vicinity, it was included in the list of world heritage sites in the year 1985. 

Source: Group Outing

Source: India Getaways

Source: Shikhar

2. Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan

It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1985 for being a habitat of rare and endangered species.

Formerly known as the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Keoladeo National Park is a domicile for thousands of resident birds and visiting migratory birds such as the rare Siberian crane, the Indian grey hornbill and various types of eagles. For the same reason, it is often regarded as the bird's paradise.

Source: Trip Advisor

Source: Trip Advisor

Source: Wilder Hood

3. Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam

It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1985 for its rich biodiversity, spectacular scenery and natural landscape.

With a splendid scenic sight, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary wraps a vast region of flora and fauna including tiger, pygmy hog, Indian rhinoceros and Indian elephant. Apart from that, it has a range of forested hills, alluvial grasslands and tropical evergreen forests which makes it a perfect place to experience the exquisiteness of nature. It is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam roofed turtle, hispid hare and golden langur among other animals.

Source: Trip Advisor

Source: Trip Advisor

4. Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks, Uttarakhand

It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1988 for its spectacular topographical features and rich diversity of species.

Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Parks are hosts to high diversity and density of flora and fauna with exceptionally beautiful landscape. While the Nanda Devi National Park is home to a large number of threatened mammals, notably snow leopard, Himalayan musk deer, bharal, and blue sheep, the Valley of Flowers National Park is known for its diverse alpine flora.

Source: Trip Advisor

Source: Trip Advisor

Source: W Live News

5. Sundarbans National Park, West Bengal

It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1987 mainly because of its immensely rich mangrove flora and mangrove-associated fauna.

Located in West Bengal, Sunderbans National Park is known to have the world's largest area of mangrove forests with a large number of rare and endangered species living there, such as the Bengal tiger, salt-water crocodile, and fishing cats. Apart from that, this prestigious national park presents a massive range of natural beauty.

Source: Trip Advisor

Source: Easy Travel

Source: Trip Advisor

6. Western Ghats (2012)

It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2012 for its exceptionally high level of biodiversity.

The Western Ghats have thousands of animals and plants with a number of globally threatened species and many undiscovered species living there. In addition to Kaas Plateau, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Periyar Tiger Reserve, there are 22 other places which were added to the World Heritage list in 2012 that are a part of Western Ghats.

Source: The Telegraph

Source: Share Your Essays

Source: Amoghavarsha

7. Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area, Himachal Pradesh

It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2014 for being an outstanding significance for biodiversity conservation.

The Great Himalayan National Park is home to more than 375 fauna and various flora species along with twenty-five types of forest in the area. According to reports, almost 31 mammals, 181 birds, 3 reptiles, 9 amphibians, 11 annelids, 17 mollusks and 127 insects have been identified which live around a range of high alpine peaks, alpine meadows and riverine forests.

Source: WHC UNESCO

8. Khangchendzonga National Park, Sikkim

It was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 2016. It houses the world's third highest peak, Mount Khangchendzonga.

Khangchendzonga National Park is the most recent addition made to the list of World Heritage sites. It includes a unique diversity of plains, valleys, lakes, and glaciers, including the world's third highest peak, Mount Khangchendzonga which adds unparalleled value to the scenic beauty of the park. The vegetation here consists of oaks, fir, birch, maple, and willow with species like musk deer, snow leopards, and wild dogs living here.

Source: WHC UNESCO

Source: Wordpress

Source: India Getaways

Nature at its best!

Masthead image source: The Telegraph

13 Thoughts Every Man Has When He Is Just About To Lose His Beard!

“Man... I need to shave.”,

He said looking at his bearded face in the mirror. He had spent months cultivating his glorious mane to perfection. But suddenly, today, he looked at himself and realized that underneath all that glory, his face may be begging to come out. Little did he know that his mind will be clouded with endless thoughts from the moment he picks up his razor.

source

*Stares at his bearded face in the mirror for an hour as mind begins to wander*

1. I still remember that day two months ago when I stopped shaving.

2. I think I can be a beard model now. They have beard models, right? 

3. But will anyone even recognize me? I mean, they all look the same.

4. Plus, I haven’t felt a cool breeze on my face in a really long time.

5. Anyway, my girlfriend is one lucky girl to have this face in her life. But can she even see it?

6. Everyone keeps using my beard as a subject of conversation

7. And, you know, it IS getting incredibly difficult to manage.

8. Come to think about it, I did really enjoy shaving when it was part of my everyday morning routine. Mornings felt fresh and smooth! 

9. Ok, you know what. It’ time. Today is the day. C'mon, I can do this...

10.  Besides, I don't really need to shave my entire face.

*Shaves cheeks; keeps just a french beard* 

11. Wow, Classy! I didn't think I'd look this cool!

12. Next time, some other look!

Source: urbangyal.com

13. Watch out ladies, there’s a new hottie in town!

Source

And the very next day, he walked the walk of pride among his friends and colleagues. With every compliment, he became more and more sure that beards may be cool and manly but shaving has its own place in a man’s life.

Feature image source: TheOdysseyOnline

People Confessing The Rudest Things They’ve Done Will Make You Think Twice Before Acting On Impulse

Everyone loves people who are polite and well behaved. While most of us realize the importance of being nice and patient, we all have times when we lose our cool and end up saying or doing things impulsively that we regret later. Deep down, our heart knows that we were mean and whatever we did in a fit of anger could have been avoided. But sometimes either we don't have the courage to apologise, or it's too late to say sorry.

People on Quora confessed the rudest things they have ever done and the answers will make you think twice before acting on impulse.  

1. This was a few years ago, right after I completed my post-graduation. I was a bachelor, living alone in an apartment close to my office. 

Quite naturally, it became the meeting hub every Friday. About a year after I joined, a girl joined our team. So, for the next party at my house, she was invited too. There we were, all of us, sitting in my drawing room, doing what we always did. Then, I lit a cigarette.

To her credit, she calmly said, ​"T​hat was uncalled for​,​" and sat there silently. She probably understood that this wasn't the real me.​ I knew what I ​did was plain horrible. I couldn't understand what had happened to me in that moment. I apologised to her​ ​later in the evening. That girl is now my wife.
- Ketan Bhatia

2. My heart still aches from the thing that I did. I was in school back then. It was 7th grade.

Seven years later​, ​I met with an accident which fractured my right shoulder and foot and ​I ​was ​left ​incapacitated. I couldn't keep myself clean and had become super needy. It was ​then ​that I understood her pain. I recovered but the pain still lingers. I wish I ​​​could apologise to her​ but I don't know where she is.
- Aishwarya Sharma

3. In a zoo ​in Sikkim, they keep most of the animals inside a huge moat. You get to see ​them from a height; there are no bars or fences. 

So, I was busy looking at the jackal who was sleeping in peace when this man came and emptied his water bottle on the poor anim​​al while his entire family chuckled​.​ I had a bottle in my hands​. ​I have quick reflexes​ and don't like the sounds of a crying animal ​so ​I did the deed.

- Charu Joshi

4. I had a former co-worker friend me on Facebook. When I worked with her, I was 35 and she was a sweet, very beautiful 17-year-old girl who would ask me questions about life, ask me for advice​. 

​I became ​like ​​a big brother/dad figure​ to her​. But after I left that job, we just didn’t talk again until she contacted me on Facebook, probably five years later. Anybody ​who knows me knows that I’m a sarcastic goofball, and this is especially apparent on Facebook. So, one day, her boyfriend took a series of photographs of her frolicking in the sunshine and she changed her profile picture to be one of her with the sun behind her head, creating a really cool kaleidoscope effect.

She responded, very angrily: “THAT’S BECAUSE I HAD A STROKE, ASSHOLE”. I was so extremely confused by this, so I went through her Facebook history and found that yes, just a few months after I left my job with her, she had suffered a massive stroke ​that ​permanently affected​ ​the left-side of her body; her smiles would be forever lopsided and droopy. I was so apologetic and explained that I didn’t know, but it was too late. No matter what I said, she wasn’t listening, and I lost a friend, not just on Facebook, but a real friend. I still feel like such an incredible asshole for that one.
- Garrett Murphy

5. When I was in 7th standard​, ​we faced a huge loss in our family business. Even managing day​-to​-​day expenses became very difficult. 

At one point my parents had to choose between the school fee​ ​and the house rent. So we moved to a small unit house from a huge 3 bedroom individual house. I didn’t want my friends to know that we got downgraded so I ensured to keep them away from my new house. One day​, ​we received a letter from our school about the upcoming 3​-day​ ​educational tour to Bangalore. The tour fee was ​₹1000 per person and a particular date was mentioned as ​the ​last date to pay the fee.

In my school only cool & rich kids ​would ​pay and go for tour​s​ and since 5th standard​, ​I ​had never missed the school tour. I knew I was not that rich kid anymore but with no second thought​s, ​I threw a tantrum. Dad gave in and asked me a week’s time to arrange the money. I was all excited and made plans with fellow cool kids. Dad called me the day before the last date. According to me​, ​he ​was going to give me the money. But my dad kissed my forehead, brushed my hair and said in a broken voice that he tried his best but he couldn’t arrange the money. Till then I never knew I can shout that much. 

I didn’t wait for his reply. I took my bag and went to the bus stop to board the school bus. To my surprise when I returned home dad gave me ​₹1000 for the tour. He kissed me as always and spoke to me like nothing happened.
I was emotionless; I never apologized to my dad but i didn't go ​for the tour. I still wipe a drop of tear every time I remember this.
- Sharmila Ashraf

​

6. During my first year in college, I was sitting at a little outdoor coffee shop on campus. It was a nice, sunny day, and the patio was packed with people.

In the distance I noticed a young blind woman working her way among the human traffic flow. She ​was using a cane​ ​to navigate along the edge of the path at a steady pace. As she made her way along the railing of the shop and past my table, I glanced over my shoulder to view her road ahead.
And then I saw it. A large tree was on the edge of the path​. Its old branches had long since grown out in every direction. One particular branch, on its heavenwardly ascent, cut an angle into the avenue. It only intersected the path at ​a ​head height for a few feet, an easy obstruction to duck aside or avoid on such a wide lane. I froze.

I was scared of seeming like a crazy person shouting to a blind woman. I didn't want to stand out. So I did nothing. And of course, only aware ​of the dangers on the ground with her cane, she hit her head on the low branch. She hit it hard. I could hear it. I still hear it. I sat and watched her suffer pain, because I was afraid to stand up and stand out to do the right thing. ​That event changed my life. I'd always tried to be a good person, helpful and courteous. But I failed that day for no reason other than some ridiculous notion of peer acceptance.
- Kevin Flint

​

7. It was show-and-tell in 5th grade.

The class was completely silent. It was apparent to me that I had hurt George. I felt dreadful. I quietly sat down. This has bothered me all my life. Finally, just now, thanks to Quora, I have confessed publicly.
- Richard Muller

​

8. I was leaving my hometown for one of the biggest cities in the world, Mumbai. I was going to start my career in software engineering. 

I was yet to own a nice formal shirt. It was the day before I left and my mother wanted to take me shopping​.​ We were a modest, middle​-​class family and we had a fixed budget for everything. I still remember my mother had ₹2000 in her handbag to buy me a shirt and groceries for the next two weeks. She took me to an expensive-looking showroom, but before entering​, ​I stopped and said that the shop seemed too expensive to find anything that would fit our budget: about ₹.500. She still insisted on going in and browsing the shelves.
To my horror​, ​the starting price was ₹1000​ - ​twice our budget! I quickly glanced at my mother which was a cue to leave, however, she insisted on buying something. After a lot of persuasion​, ​she forced me into buying a beautiful shirt for ₹1200. All this while I knew that this would leave her short on the budget for the groceries, but I couldn't say anything while we were still in the shop.

Tiny drops of tears rolled out from her eyes. But I was careless and furious. We came home with nothing more said. It has been 6 years since and in retrospect, I realize that it was one of the biggest mistakes I ever made and there is nothing I can do to undo that. My mother has long forgiven me for that day but I still feel bad for how I acted. I now know that when parents have to show their love, money is the last thing they would think of.
I still wear that white formal shirt to office sometimes and it has still not lost its shine.
- Sunny Mishra

​
9.​

From that day, they called me only once or twice a week. For some days, I enjoyed my freedom. But then, I realized what I did. They stopped calling me everyday thinking that it disturb​ed me. I was also not strong enough to say sorry to them. I regretted what I said.
Now I talk with them everyday. After all, our parents always forgive us.
- Anonymous

10. ​ I was going to college at the time, parking was always torture. Around 3,000 spots for 10,000 students kind of deal. So, I was always prepared for an all out parking war. One day, I went grocery shopping with some cousins.

Immediately, I felt horrible. I saw him park at one of the spots furthest from the grocery store. When we were getting out of the car and walking into the grocery store- I saw him get out and he was limping to the store, obviously, old and disabled. My heart fell to the floor and I couldn't believe that I acted like that. I spent many a nights crying about this incident. After that horrible incident, my road rage went away completely. It taught me one of the biggest lessons in life. Be mindful. Be respectful. Be nice.
-Zareena Anwar

15 Iconic Scenes From Famous Movies You Never Realised Were Extremely Difficult To Shoot

Every once in a while comes a movie scene, where the audience can't take their eyes off the screen because of the sheer imagination behind it. And then as we dig in to how the scene was finally accomplished, we only have more respect for the filmmaker, editor and the cinematographer. These may look simple or not, but just the sheer visual quality adds so much to the film.

Here are 15 such complex sequences which were executed to perfection by our favourite filmmakers: 

1. Inception - Hallway sequence

Christopher Nolan and team actually set up a rotating hallway to give the illusion to the audience that Joseph Gordon Levitt was climbing the walls, ceiling in zero gravity.
Joseph Gordon Levitt was more than game for Christopher Nolan's vision of filming a zero-gravity sequence in the second level of a dream, as he volunteered to wear a harness and jump around in a set called the rotating hallway. Known for his use of practical effects, Nolan didn't want to leave the sequence at the mercy of VFX, and hence decided to film it in this created hallway, as JGL fights Cillian Murphy's subconscious security while all of them are airborne. Watch the scene here.

2. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - Burj Khalifa sequence

Tom Cruise outdid his previous stunts from the Mission Impossible movies, as he scaled the world's tallest building with a pair of sticky gloves.
Cruise is Hollywood's most famous action star and not without reason. Making the fourth installment of his Mission Impossible series, the then 50-year-old actor took the challenge of hanging out at the Burj Khalifa, literally. He scaled up the world's tallest building using nothing but a safety harness (which is invisible in the final cut), and makes it look so believable that your heart was pumping much more blood than usual. Watch the scene here.

3. 2001: A Space Odyssey - Centrifugal set

Stanley Kubrick's centrifugal set remains one of the most mind-boggling sequences ever achieved on film. Never mind it was done in 1968!
Stanley Kubrick has fascinated nerds for over five decades with the beauty with which he pulled off making this scene. The scene sees an astronaut running across the circumference of the aircraft. There are umpteen blogs on how Kubrick championed this illusion, those interested should read up. Everyone still marvels at how neatly edited it is, maintaining perfect acceleration, inviting theories that he moved the cameras at the exact same speed the astronaut was running. Watch the scene here.

4. Casino Royale - The sinking house

Martin Campbell's Bond film saw the crew build an expansive set only to sink it in the climax of Casino Royale into the canals of Venice.
Casino Royale was in many ways the reinvention of Britain's cheesiest spy, and there was great emphasis on rooting it in real blood and sweat. Director Martin Campbell did exactly that in the climax of the film, as he built an entire building in the canals of Venice and sank it. It looks extremely difficult to pull off as Bond has to beat a bunch of guys in a building about to fall apart in 5 minutes and under. Watch the scene here.

5. X Men: Days of the Future Past - The Quicksilver sequence

Bryan Singer stamped his authority on the X Men franchise with this one scene, reminding fans why they had missed this brilliant director.
Even though it's high on CGI, the Quicksilver sequence in X Men: Days of Future Past is quite possibly the most memorable scene of the film. Quite unanimously, the audience sat back and marveled at the genius of Bryan Singer - as our superhero who can move at a speed faster than light, plugs in his earphones, runs around the room, changes the direction of pistols, and gets something to eat, all this in the split second before a shootout ensues. Quite brilliant. Watch the scene here.

6. Jason Bourne - Las Vegas car scene

Director Paul Greengrass shut down the Las Vegas strip and got a SWAT truck to plow all cars in its way, as it tore down the road.
Jason Bourne's latest installment might have received mixed reviews, but the one sequence in the climax which made everyone sit up with concern was the chase involving Matt Damon and Vincent Cassel's character where the latter is in a SWAT truck which *literally* plows cars off the road. Stunt co-ordinator Gary Powell knows the exact number of cars that got blown up to get this sequence right - 170. Talk about perfection. Watch the scene here.

7. Lakshya - Rock climbing sequence

Farhan Akhtar managed the impossible by filming the highest crane shot at 18000 feet in his sophomore effort, Lakshya.
Lakshya might not have been a commercial success, but has been revived partially by a cult following 12 years after it released. One of the most amazing sequences in the film remains the rock climbing scene in the climax where Farhan Akhtar and cinematographer Christopher Popps made it look like they had attempted the most historic crane-shot at 18000 ft, when in fact they built a six floor-high 'fake ridge' which the 'soldiers' climbed. It was amazing at how convincing they made it look. Watch the scene here.

8. The Revenant - Horse-riding sequence

Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu composed one of the most complex action sequences with the help of Leonardo DiCaprio and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubeszki.
It's insane how The Revenant looks like it all takes place in one long sequence even though the director, cinematographer and editor are cheating the audience with their extensively rehearsed long takes. One such take shows Leonardo DiCaprio rescue a girl, shoot French soldiers, flee the spot and then fall down the cliff on horseback. Innaritu and Lubeszki make it look seamless. Watch the scene here.

9. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 - The Bride vs Crazy 88

Quentin Tarantino relishes his dream of a blood-bath in the climax of Kill Bill Vol. 1 as the Bride takes on O-Ren's more than able 88 sidekicks.
Tarantino doesn't know how to take half-measures, much to the liking of his fans as he choreographed a near 10 minute sequence of the film's leading lady taking on her opponent and before that her 88 sidekicks who are master assassins themselves. Quentin Tarantino goes fully indulgent as our leading lady goes about wielding her sword slicing, chopping and blood showers which ensue. Watch the scene here.

10. Birdman - The Times Square scene

Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu's Oscar-winning film was one of the most claustrophobic movies of the year mirroring its characters, surrounded by their own demons.
Birdman was almost entirely filmed within the confines of the backstage as the camera navigated its way from the stage, to the corridors following characters almost magically coming into position, as a character enters a room and starts talking to a second person. This Times Square scene displays the sheer genius of Emmanuel Lubeszki. Watch the scene here.

11. Mad Max Fury Road - Chasing Furiosa

George Miller's post-apocalyptic chase movie shows one of the most intricately designed chase sequence which involves never before seen vehicles and desert terrain.
The fourth installment and as some said the franchise reboot, Mad Max: Fury Road was around 16 years into development before it finally got made and released. The sequence used more than 75 heavily customised vehicles to give extra power to them. The beauty of the sequence was its exquisite editing by Miller's wife Margaret Sixel who had to choose from more than 500 hours of footage to stitch together the best version of the film. Pretty mind-boggling. Watch the scene here.

12. The Matrix - The lobby sequence

The Wachowski twins filmed this sequence where Neo, Trinity go to save Morpheus. And this scene made The Matrix the coolest action movie of its time.
The Matrix's lobby sequence had plenty of special effects, but something that took the cake in this scene were the practical effects and the beautifully choreographed action. Both Neo and Trinity are almost superhuman as they round about a building full of FBI officers and manage to make their way in. Watch the scene here.

13. Spectre - Opening sequence

Sam Mendes getting an encore as a Bond director was historic, and he shows us why in Spectre's opening sequence in New Mexico City.
Possibly the only thing likable about the latest Bond film, director Sam Mendes and cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema designed an expansive set for the Day of the Dead parade in New Mexico City, where in a single tracking shot we follow Bond make his way through it, follow a leader of an arms organisation and then Bond calmly walks along the ledge of adjacent buildings to close in on his target. The first four and a half minutes are riveting only to be concluded with an inverted helicopter. Watch the scene here.

14. Oldboy - Hammer sequence

South Korean revenge drama Oldboy had one of the most iconic sequences where the protagonist using a single hammers finds his way through a corridor of people.
Park Chan-Wook's revenge drama sees Choi Min-sik wade his way through a corridor full of assassins to get inside a building. The scene takes place within the confines of a corridor and that's why it's interesting how the director films it like a video game where the player has to get from point A to point B with obstacles in between. Watch the scene here.

15. Terminator 2: Judgement Day - Chase sequence

James Cameron films one of the most audacious chase sequences starring Arnold Schwarznegger as he rescues a teenage John Connor.
T2, as the sequel is fondly known among fans had one the most audacious chase sequences for its times. As one Terminator tried to kill the hope of humanity: John Connor, another tries to save him. The former is in a truck, while the latter is on a bike. And seeing Arnie save John, is quite easily still the best sequence of the franchise and in 90s action movies. Watch the scene here.

Here's to many more amazing set pieces. Cheers!