Saturday, 8 December 2012

Communication

Cabling and CAT Fights

n today's industry, there is contention over which cables should be laid where, what cable is best for which applications, and what is the best bang for your buck. The reality is, that most enterprises barely pay attention to the kind of cabling that is being laid for their IT network, and are just trusting the technicians to give them what they need. As cabling is the support system for every thing from business services to bring your own device policies to cloud access, it might be an intelligent idea to start paying closer attention.

Cabling has come a long way in the last few decades, when Ethernet standards hit the market. Since then, data rates have grown exponentially and the 10 megabits per second that were seen as amazing in the '80's are now basically obsolete. In 2010, the IEEE 802.3b a committee came out with the new 40 and 100 GbE standards. Due to this overly quick ascension in the need for speed, it is no wonder that most people are a bit daunted by choosing the best cabling for their company.

With the increase in video standards, cloud computing, and bandwidth, the need for faster network speeds can often come down to the cable. Although CAT5e was seen as progressive and adaptable, it really should't be used by any business that wants to have an efficiently working facility for over 5 years. With the massive technological advances, every enterprise that is serious about their network should be using CAT6 cabling or above, unless they want to be ripping out their network cabling and replacing their system in the next few years.

There has also been an argument of late over copper versus fiber. Fiber is seen as a standard in the industry and is used in the main infrastructure and in conferences. It can sometimes provide better performance end points in high-end computing facilities and R&D operations, but it tends to be responsible for a smaller amount of installed ports in a LAN environment. Copper is seen as the better choice from an installer's view, and also when calculating expenses. Copper based interfaces are in the most accessible price range, beating out wireless and optical. And copper tends to have dominance in LANs up to 100 meters that support 10GbE.

When deciding between shielded and unshielded cabling, it's really more a question of the environment and your geographic location. If your cabling will be in a noisy area with a high amounts of electromagnetic activity, then go with shielded cable. Electromagnetic interference generally comes from things like fluorescent lights, air conditioners, photo copiers, generators and compressors. If your enterprise is expanding to another country or region where a shielded or unshielded is more common, you may have to go with the local standard just to get your work completed.

The future of technology is impossible to predict. Tomorrow someone could invent a new system that makes everything we are working with today feel like Etch a Sketches. The best chance any business has for staying in the game is to choose the best infrastructure they can reasonably afford.

For all your structured and network cabling needs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7410108

Computers and Technology

Data Recovery

Taking photographs is a hobby or activity that has captured the interest of millions of people worldwide. While many people study photography and invest in courses and equipment, intending to use them for a successful career of capturing images, others have also learned to become selective in their choice of cameras and would sign up for a variety of courses and workshops so they can take better photos of special events and specific subjects-even if they only wish to enjoy their photos for themselves and share them with friends online or in photo albums.

With so many people carrying cameras during birthday parties, concerts, family vacations, or even during an ordinary walk in the park or a quiet dinner with their spouse at a brand-new restaurant, it can be expected that dozens or hundreds of photographs are stored in the camera's memory card and in phones, computers, and other gadgets. Rather than promptly looking through the photos, organizing which ones to keep and which to delete, and printing the chosen photos right after the event, it is more likely that a person would leave the image files untouched inside the camera or device for a long period, with new photos being added with every new photo opportunity that arises. There is a significant chance that a photo can become deleted, and without a physical printout, the image of a memorable event can be lost forever. It's important to know how to recover deleted photos and prevent the loss of precious memories from taking place.

Photography lovers will be happy to discover that they can use available innovative software to recover deleted photos easily. Deleted pictures in formats such as JPEG, TIFF, BMP, CRW, NEF, and RAW, deleted movie and sound files in AVI, MPEG, MOV, and WAV filetypes, and deleted photos from reformatted memory cards, cameras, SD cards, USB memory sticks, PC disk drives can all be easily recovered using exceptional software designed especially for this purpose.

In order for this software to work better and to increase the chances of recovering an accidentally deleted image file, the most important thing to do is to refrain from saving any more new images files onto the memory card or device. Deleted files still retain a small amount of data which can be used to recover the file, but this data will disappear if new data gets written over it. Taking more new photos using the same camera or opening and closing applications and web surfing on a computer will cause disk activity which increases the risk of losing the data forever.

The deleted photo recovery software is inexpensive and safe to use; it is only designed to read disk or memory card data, ensuring the owner of the gadget that existing files will not be modified or damaged during the recovery process. Any photography enthusiast will be able to retrieve deleted photos from a camera, phone, or computer and preserve memories of special events and ordinary days alike for many more years to come.

For this software to work more effectively and to increase the chances of recovering unintentionally deleted image file, the best thing to do would be to refrain from saving any more new photograph files onto the device or memory card of the device. Deleted files still keep a small amount of data which can be utilized to retrieve the file, but this data will disappear if new data gets written over it. Learn more how to retrieved deleted photos using recovery software.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Johnny_A_Dwain

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Computers and Technology

Microsoft Training Has Never Been Easier

Microsoft Office was first released in 1990 and over the past two decades we've seen the program grow to vast importance. Included in the Office collection is Word, Excel, Power Point, Access and Outlook - to name a few.

Microsoft Office is now an essential part of our lives as our jobs now require us to have at least the basic skills in Office. Of course, for those not in school when ICT was added to the curriculum, the world of computers and Microsoft may seem completely alien. However, it's important that you get to grips with the absolute basics of a computer as Microsoft Training online is the best way to learn fast. This should also be something your employer should invest time and money into, the training of staff is essential.

The first beauty of Microsoft Training online is that you can learn from the comfort of your own home. This will eradicate the expense of travelling to different places and will save you money on equipment.

The great thing about online training in general is that you receive individual tuition. There's nothing worse than really not understanding something and being sat amongst people that clearly do, this obviously prevents you from speaking up and hinders your learning.

Microsoft training online will be completely catered to you, if there are parts you are unsure on you're able to go over it as many times as you want. There is also no time frame to your learning, you do everything so that it collaborates with your life and what you feel you can fit in. Microsoft training will be also be done as a video tutorial, this great for you as you can stop it and rewind as many times as you like.

The training will offer your easy access with the opportunity to view your video or information over your smart phone. The great thing about Microsoft training is that it's very visual, if you're sat on a train, lazing in a park or sat in a bar waiting for a friend, each of these offer an opportunity to learn some more.

Microsoft training and online learning has never been easier, simpler and more cost-effective. It's absolutely essential to understand the ins and outs to the programme, it will not only make life easier for you but it will drastically enhance your employability. Learning has never been easier!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Emily_Beckley

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Wednesday, 5 December 2012

History of India

This article is about the history of the Indian subcontinent prior to the partition of India in 1947. For the modern Republic of India, see History of the Republic of India. For Pakistan and Bangladesh, see History of Pakistan and History of Bangladesh.

"Indian history" redirects here. For other uses, see Native American history.

The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago.^[1] TheIndus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from c. 3300 to 1300 BCE in present-day Pakistan and northwest India, was the first major civilization in South Asia.^[2] A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture developed in the Mature Harappan period, from 2600 to 1900 BCE.^[3] This Bronze Age civilization collapsed before the end of the second millennium BCE and was followed by the Iron Age Vedic Civilization, which extended over much of the Indo-Gangetic plain and which witnessed the rise of major polities known as the Mahajanapadas. In one of these kingdoms, Magadha, Mahavira andGautama Buddha were born in the 6th or 5th century BCE and propagated their śramanicphilosophies.

Most of the subcontinent was conquered by the Maurya Empire during the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. It became fragmented, with various parts ruled by numerous Middle kingdoms for the next 1,500 years. This is known as the classical period of Indian history, during which time India has sometimes been estimated to have had the largest economy of the ancient and medieval world, with its huge population generating between one fourth and one third of the world's income up to the 18th century. Much of northern and central India was united in the 4th century CE, and remained so for two centuries, under the Gupta Empire. This period, witnessing a Hindu religious and intellectual resurgence, is known among its admirers as the "Golden Age of India". From this time, and for several centuries afterwards, southern India, under the rule of the Chalukyas, Cholas,Pallavas, and Pandyas, experienced its own golden age. During this period, aspects of Indian civilization, administration, culture, and religion (Hinduism and Buddhism) spread to much of Asia.

Kingdoms in southern India had maritime business links with the Roman Empire from around 77 CE. Muslim rule in the subcontinent began in 8th century CE when the Arab general Muhammad bin Qasim conquered Sindh and Multan in southern Punjab in modern day Pakistan,^[4] setting the stage for several successive invasions from Central Asia between the 10th and 15th centuries CE, leading to the formation of Muslim empires in the Indian subcontinent such as the Delhi Sultanateand the Mughal Empire. Mughal rule came from Central Asia to cover most of the northern parts of the subcontinent. Mughal rulers introduced Central Asian art and architecture to India. In addition to the Mughals and various Rajput kingdoms, several independent Hindu states, such as theVijayanagara Empire, the Maratha Empire, Eastern Ganga Empire and the Ahom Kingdom, flourished contemporaneously in southern, western, eastern and northeastern India respectively. The Mughal Empire suffered a gradual decline in the early 18th century, which provided opportunities for the Afghans, Balochis, Sikhs, and Marathas to exercise control over large areas in the northwest of the subcontinent until the British East India Company gained ascendancy over South Asia.^[5]

Beginning in the mid-18th century and over the next century, large areas of India were annexed by the British East India Company. Dissatisfaction with Company rule led to the Indian Rebellion of 1857, after which the British provinces of India were directly administered by the British Crown and witnessed a period of both rapid development of infrastructure and economic decline. During the first half of the 20th century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the Indian National Congress and later joined by theMuslim League. The subcontinent gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, after the British provinces were partitioned into the dominions of India and Pakistanand the princely states all acceded to one of the new states.

Stone Age India

STONE AGE(7000–3000 BC)

The South Asian Stone Age covers the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods inSouth Asia. Evidence for the most ancient anatomically modern Homo sapiens in South Asia has been found in the cave sites of Batatotalena and Belilena in Sri Lanka.^[1] InMehrgarh, in what is today western Pakistan, the Neolithic begins ca. 7000 and lasts until 3300 BCE and the first beginnings of the Bronze Age. In South India, the Mesolithic lasts until 3000 BCE, and the Neolithic until 1400 BCE, followed by a Megalithictransitional period mostly skipping the Bronze Age. The Iron Age begins roughly simultaneously in North and South India, around 1200 to 1000 BCE (Painted Grey Ware culture, Hallur).

HOMO ERECTUS

Homo erectus lived on the Pothohar Plateau, in upper Punjab, Pakistan along the Soan River (nearby Rawalpindi) during thePleistocene Epoch. Soanian sites are found in the Sivalik region across what are now India, Pakistan and Nepal.^[2]

Biface handaxe and cleaver traditions may have originated in the middle Pleistocene.^[3] The beginning of the use of Acheulian and chopper-chopping tools of lower paleolithic may be dated to approximately the middle Pleistocene

THE COMING OF HOMO SAPIENS

Bhimbetka rock painting, Madhya Pradesh, India.

Analysis of mtDNA dates the immigration of Homo sapiens to South Asia to 70,000 to 50,000 years ago.^[5] An analysis of Y chromosome haplogroups found one man in a village west ofMadurai to be a direct descendant of these migrators.^[6] These populations spread further to Southeast Asia, reaching Australia by 40,000 years ago. Cave sites in Sri Lanka have yielded the earliest record of modern Homo sapiens in South Asia. They were dated to 34,000 years ago. (Kennedy 2000: 180). For finds from the Belan in southern Uttar Pradesh radio carbon data have indicated an age of 18-17kya. Palaeolithic rock art is also well-known.

At the Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka humans lived throughout the Upper Paleolithic (10th to 8th millennia BC), revealing cave paintings dating to ca. 7000 BC; the Sivaliks and the Potwar(Pakistan) region also exhibit many vertebrate fossil remains and paleolithic tools. Chert, jasperand quartzite were often used by humans during this period.

NEOLITHIC

The aceramic Neolithic (Mehrgarh I, Baluchistan, Pakistan, also dubbed "Early Food Producing Era") lasts ca. 7000 - 5500 BC. The ceramic Neolithic lasts up to 3300 BC, blending into theEarly Harappan (Chalcolithic to Early Bronze Age) period. One of the earliest Neolithic sites inIndia is Lahuradewa, at Middle Ganges region, C14 dated around 7th millennium BC.^[7] Recently another site near the confluence of Ganges and Yamuna rivers called Jhusi yielded a C14 dating of 7100 BC for its Neolithic levels.^[8]

In South India the Neolithic began by 3000 BC and lasted until around 1400 BC.South Indian Neolithic is characterized by Ashmounds since 2500 BC in Andhra-Karnataka region, expanded later to Tamil Nadu. Comparative excavations carried out in Adichanallur in Thirunelveli District and in Northern India have provided evidence of a southward migration of the Megalithic culture^[9] The earliest clear evidence of the presence of the megalithic urn burials are those dating from around 1000 BC, which have been discovered at various places in Tamil Nadu, notably atAdichanallur, 24 km from Tirunelveli, where archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India unearthed 12 urns with Tamil Brahmi script on them containing human skulls, skeletons and bones, plus husks, grains of rice, charred rice and Neolithic celts, giving evidence confirming it of the Neolithic period 2800 years ago. This proved that Tirunelveli area has been the abode for human habituation since the Neolithic period about 3,000 years ago. Adhichanallur has been announced as an archaeological site for further excavation and studies.

Please read next Blog for more.............

Bhopal

is the capital of theIndian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Bhopal Districtand Bhopal Division. The city was the capital of the former Bhopal State. Bhopal is known as the City of Lakes^[2] for its various natural as well as artificial lakes and is also one of the greenest cities in India.^[3]

A B-1 class city,^[4] Bhopal houses various institutions and installations of national importance. Some of these include ISRO's Master Control Facility,^[5] the CSIR, AIIMS Bhopal,^[6] National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) AMPRI, MANIT, IISER, SPA,IIFM, BHEL and NLIU. The city attracted international attention after the Bhopal disaster, when a Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide manufacturing plant leaked a mixture of deadly gases including methyl isocyanate on the intervening night of 2 / 3 December 1984, leading to the worst industrial disaster in the history of industrialization and a loss of thousands of lives. Since then, Bhopal has been a center of protests and campaigns which have been joined by people from across the globe.

History

According to folklore, Bhopal is said to have been founded by the king Bhoja of theParamara dynasty (1000–1055 CE), who ruled from his capital at Dhar. This theory states that Bhopal was originally known as Bhojpal after the king and the dam ("pal") constructed by him. No available archaeological evidence, inscriptions or historical texts support the claim about an earlier settlement founded by Bhoja at the same place, although a temple complex constructed by him exists at Bhojpur, which is located 28 km from Bhopal. An alternative theory says that the name of the city was coined from the name of another king called Bhupala (or Bhupal).^[7]^[8] (During theBritish Raj, the railway tickets printed in the city and the signboards on the railway station mentioned the name of the city as "Bhupal" in Hindi-Urdu and "Bhoopal" in English.)

In the early 18th century, Bhopal was a small village in the local Gond kingdom. The modern Bhopal city was established by Dost Mohammad Khan (1672–1728), an Afghan soldier in the Mughal army.^[9] After the death of the emperor Aurangzeb, Khan started providing mercenary services to several local chieftains in the politically unstable Malwa region. In 1709, he took on the lease of Berasia estate, and later annexed several territories in the region to establish the Bhopal State.^[10] Khan received the territory of Bhopal from the Gond queen Rani Kamlapati in lieu of payment for mercenary services, and usurped her kingdom after her death.^[11]

Country	India
State	Madhya Pradesh
District	Bhopal
Government
• Body	Bhopal Municipal Corporation
• Mayor	Krishna Gaur (BJP)
• Municipal Commissioner	Rajnish Shrivastava
Area
• Total	697.24 km²(269.21 sq mi)
Elevation	427 m (1,401 ft)
Population (2011)^[1]
• Total	1,795,648
• Density	2,575/km² (6,670/sq mi)
Demonym	Bhopali
Languages
• Official	Hindi
• Other	Urdu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Pincode	462001 to 462050
Telephone	+91755
Vehicle registration	MP-04-
Website	bhopalmunicipal.com

During the early 1720s, Dost Mohammad Khan transformed the village of Bhopal into a fortified city, and acquired the title of Nawab.^[12] Khan's support to the Sayyid Brothersearned him the enmity of the rival Mughal nobleman Nizam-ul-Mulk, who invaded Bhopal in March 1724, forcing Khan to cede much of his territory.^[13] Dost Mohammad Khan and his Pathan associates brought the Islamic influence on the culture and architecture of Bhopal, the ruins of which can be found at Islamnagar near Bhopal. After Khan's death in 1728, the Bhopal state remained under the influence of the Nizam. The state also paid tribute to the Marathas, who defeated the Mughals at theBattle of Bhopal in 1737.

Nawab Faiz Muhammed Khan (1742–1777) moved the capital from Islamnagar to Bhopal. The state became a British protectorate in 1818. Between 1819 and 1926, it was ruled by four women – Begums – unique in the royalty of those days. Qudsia Begum was the first woman ruler, who was succeeded by her only daughter Sikandar Begum, who in turn was succeeded by her only daughter, Shahjehan Begum. Sultan Jahan Begum was the last woman ruler, who after 25 years of rule, abdicated in favour of her son, Hamidullah Khan. The rule of Begums gave the city its waterworks, railways, a postal system and a municipality constituted in 1907.^[14]

Bhopal was the second largest Muslim state in pre-independence India after Hyderabad. After the independence of India in 1947, the last Nawab expressed his wish to retain Bhopal as a separate unit in March 1948. Agitations against the Nawab broke out in December 1948, leading to the arrest of prominent leaders including Shankar Dayal Sharma. Later, the political detainees were released, and the Nawab signed the agreement for Bhopal's merger with the Union of India on 30 April 1949.^[15]

The Bhopal state was taken over by the Union Government of India on 1 June 1949. Sindhi refugees from Pakistan were accommodated in Bairagarh, a western suburb of Bhopal (now renamed to Sant Hirdaram Nagar). According to the States Reorganization Act of 1956, the Bhopal state was integrated into the state of Madhya Pradesh, and Bhopal was declared as its capital. The population of the city rose rapidly thereafter.

Bhopal disaster

On 3 December 1984, a Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant in Bhopal leaked around 32 tons of toxic gases, including methyl isocyanate gas which led to the worst industrial disaster to date. The official death toll was initially recorded around 5,000. Many figures suggest that 18,000 died within two weeks, and it is estimated that around 8,000 have died since then of gas-poisoning-related diseases.^[16] TheGreenpeace organization cites a total casualty figure of 20,000 as its own conservative estimate. Many more were rendered sick and have been facing chronic health problems such as psychological and neurological disabilities, blindness, skin, vision and breathing disorders^[17] and the newborn children still suffer from serious birth defects, even after generations.^[18]^[19] The soil and ground water near the factory site has been contaminated by the toxic wastes and other chemicals still leaking out from the factory.^[19]^[20]^[21] The Indian government, however, maintains that no such pollution has taken place or that any such toxins are even present at the site.^[22] The Bhopal disaster is often cited as the world's worst industrial disaster.^[16]^[23]^[24] December 3 is annually observed as the official day of mourning, and every year, all government offices in Bhopal remain closed on this day.

The Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) plant was established in 1969 in the Eastern part of the City. Fifty-one per cent of it was owned by Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) and 49% by Indian authorities. The design of the Methyl isocyanate (MIC) plant, following government regulations, was "Indianized" by UCIL engineers to maximise the use of indigenous materials and products. Mumbai-based Humphreys and Glasgow Consultants Pvt. Ltd., were the main consultants, Larsen & Toubro fabricated the MIC storage tanks, and Taylor of India Ltd. provided the instrumentation.^[25] Producing carbaryl pesticide (trade mark Sevin). MIC, an intermediate in carbaryl manufacture, was also used, and in 1979 a plant for producing MIC was added to the site.^[16]

On the night of 3 December 1984, large amounts of water entered the chemical storage tank E610, which contained about 40 tonnes of methyl isocyanate. The resulting reaction increased the temperature of the liquid inside the tank to 200 °C (400 °F). As a result, a large volume of mixed toxic gases leaked from the MIC containing tank, forcing the emergency release of pressure. Consequently there was massive panic among common people as they woke up in a cloud of noxious gases that burned their lungs. About nine thousand people died immediately, and many more were trampled under others who were fleeing.

Theories for how the water entered the chemical storage tank differ. At that time, workers at the plant were cleaning out some chemical pipes with water, and some authorities claim that because of bad maintenance and leaking valves, it was possible for the water to leak into the tank E610. The Union Carbide Corp. maintains that this was not possible, and that the disaster was an act of sabotage by a "disgruntled worker" who introduced water directly into the tank. Much speculation arose in the aftermath, since the government of India and the Union Carbide Corp. did not release the results of their own investigations.^[16] A recently published highly researched book, entitled "The Black Box of Bhopal", which has also appended several original documents not scrutinized before, presents a more complete picture about the events on the morning of 3 December 1984, the various investigations and the litigation that followed. It discredits the unproven allegations of the government sponsored CSIRReport of 1985. ^[26]

The deciding factors that contributed to the disaster included:^[16]

The chemical plant's poorly chosen location—located near a densely populated west city area, instead of the other side of Bhopal City where the company had been offered land.
Using hazardous ingredient chemicals (methyl isocyanate) instead of less dangerous ones
Storing these chemicals in large tanks instead of several smaller storage tanks.
Possible corrosion of the metals in the pipelines
Poor maintenance at the chemical plant
Failure of several safety systems, which were not in operation at the time.
Deficient staffing policies, such as in the number of employees hired and their training for working with dangerous chemicals.
Negligence on the part of the Union Carbide India, Ltd., and the Governments of India and the state of Madhya Pradesh.

Geography

Bhopal has an average elevation of 500m metres (1401 ft). Bhopal is located in the central part of India, and is just north of the upper limit of the Vindhya mountain ranges. Located on the Malwa plateau, it is higher than the north Indian plains and the land rises towards the Vindhya Range to the south. The city has uneven elevation and has small hills within its boundaries. The major hills in Bhopal comprise of Idgah hills and Shyamala hills in the northern region and Arera hills in the central region.

According to current master plan, the municipality covers 697 square kilometres It has two very beautiful big lakes, collectively known as the Bhoj Wetland. These lakes are the Upper Lake (now renamed to Bhojtal) and the Lower Lake. Locally these are known as the Bada Talab and Chota Talab respectively. The catchment area of the Upper Lake is 360 km² while that of the Lower Lake is 9.6 km². The Upper Lake drains into the Kolar River. The Van Vihar National Park is a national park situated besides the Upper Lake.

Climate

Bhopal has a humid subtropical climate, with cool, dry winters, a hot summer and a humid monsoon season. Summers start in late March and go on till mid-June, the average temperature being around 30 °C (86 °F), with the peak of summer in May, when the highs regularly exceed 40 °C (104 °F). The monsoon starts in late June and ends in late September. These months see about 40 inches (1020 mm) of precipitation, frequent thunderstorms and flooding. The average temperature is around 25 °C (77 °F) and the humidity is quite high. Temperatures rise again up to late October when winter starts, which lasts up to early March. Winters in Bhopal are cool, sunny and comfortable, with average daily temperatures around 16 °C (61°F) and little or no rain. The winter peaks in January when temperatures may drop close to freezing on some nights. Lowest temperature ever recorded was 0.3C. Total annual rainfall is about 1146 mm (46 inches).

Economy

The Govindpura industrial area has 1044 small- and medium-scale industries involved in various kinds of production activities.

Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, the largest engineering and manufacturing enterprise in India, has a unit in Bhopal. It occupies a large area in the Eastern Part of the city and maintains a suburb named after it. A majority of the residents of the BHEL Suburb are employed by the unit.

The major industries in the old city are electrical goods, medicinal, cotton, chemicals and jewelry. Other industries include cotton and flour milling, cloth weaving and painting, as well as making matches, sealing wax, and sporting equipment.^[27] The residents of Bhopal also engage in large retail businesses. Handicrafts, like zardozi and batua (a small string purse, usually used with Indian traditional dresses) are some of the products of the Old City.^[28] In addition, there are also a large number of garages in the Old City which specialise in automobile conversion. These garages produce custom-modified and tuned cars, SUVs and motorbikes.

Bhopal is also home to the DB Corp, informally called the Bhaskar Group (after its major publication Dainik Bhaskar), a Rs. 1700 crore (Rs. 17 billion) business conglomerate with strong presence in media. Its head office is located in Maharana Pratap Nagar. Manjul Publishing House, located in the old city, is a major publishing house made famous by the translation of the Harry Potter series of novels into Hindi.^[29]

Mandideep is an industrial suburb of Bhopal. It is located to the South of the city on the NH 12. Mandideep's total exports are worth some 2,300 crore rupees ($500m; £300m) per year, making it the largest industrial area in Madhya Pradesh. The town is home to Hindustan Electo Graphite (HEG), owning the largest graphite electrode plant in the world and is the largest industrial company in the entire state. Hindustan Electro Graphite (HEG) and Lupin Laboratories ltd. are the dominant companies in the suburb, each exports worth around 900 crore rupees.^[30] Apart from that, Mandideep also houses the manufacturing plant of Makson group of company, Eicher Tractors for the oldest tractor manufacturers in India.

Education

There are more than 550 state government sponsored schools and affiliated to the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) located within the city limits. In addition, there are four Kendriya Vidyalayas in the city affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education(CBSE). The city is also served by numerous other private schools affiliated to either CBSE or MPBSE. Some schools are also affiliated to National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) andICSE Board, Institution Of Secondary Distance Education (ISDE) or Private Non-Governmental Board of School Education.

Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya, established in 1998, is a multi-campus affiliating university located in Bhopal. It has campuses and affiliated colleges in Bhopal and other major cities of Madhya Pradesh. 217 engineering colleges, 95 pharmacy colleges, 88 MCA colleges, 4 architecture colleges and 85 polytechnic institutions are affiliated to it. UIT RGPV, an engineering institution established in 1986 as the Government Engineering College was granted autonomous status in 2010. Other universities include the Rajiv Gandhi Technical University, the Barkatullah University, the Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University (for distance education), the Sikkim Manipal University of Distance Education and the Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and SNGGPG college.

Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), established in 1960, is the premier institute for technology in the city and has been categorized by the Government of India as an Institute of National Importance. There are several other public and private engineering schools (numbering almost 90) located in and around the city.

Railways

Habibganj railway station

Bhopal lies in the West Central Railway Zone. Considering both North-South and East-West train routes, it is one of the best connected city in India. It houses the Divisional Railway Managers (DRM) head office under Central railways. Following are the railway stations in Bhopal:

Bhopal Junction Railway Station^[37] is the largest and most important railway station in the city. Being on the main North-South line, it is connected by rail to all parts of the country except North-Eastern states. More than 150 daily trains have stoppages in Bhopal.^[37]
Habibganj Railway Station^[37] is a major and the most developed station of Bhopal. It holds the distinction of being the first ISO 9000:2001 certified railway station in India.
Misrod Railway Station^[37] is located in the Misrod suburb of the city.
Mandideep Railway Station^[37] is located in the industrial town of Mandideep.
Sukhsewanagar
Bairagarh^[37] is located in the north-western Bairagarh suburb.

[edit]Airport

Gandhi Medical College

The National Institute of Technical Teachers' Training and Research (NITTTR), established by Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India in 1966 as TTTI, is also located in Bhopal. It offers M. Tech., Ph.D.,MBA and Training courses. Other Central Government-run institutes in the city include Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) and School of Planning and Architecture(SPA, established 2008).^[31]

Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal is the city's oldest and most prominent medical college and is associated with Hamidia Hospital, Sultania Zanana Hospital, Kamla Nehru Hospital. The medical college is affiliated to the Barkatullah University. The hospital and the college played a crucial role in emergency response and care after the Bhopal Disaster. Barkatullah University gives affiliation to renowned colleges like Bhopal School of Social Sciences, Institute for Excellence in Higher Education (IEHE), Rajiv Gandhi College, Etc.

Other prominent educational institutes include the Indian Institute of Forest Management, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), the National Judicial Academy (for training judges) and theNational Law Institute University, one of the premier law schools in India. Other city institutes of learning that offer a diploma in education are the Regional Institute of Education (RIE) of Bhopal, a constituent unit of the National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) and the Digdarshika Institute of Rehabilitation and Research, a non-profit and educational organization serving the health sector.

Government and politics

Bhopal is the capital city of Madhya Pradesh. It houses the State Legislative Assembly, or theVidhan Sabha, which seats 230 members of Legislative Assembly. The twelfth (and current) Vidhan Sabha was elected in May 2008.^[32] As of April 2012, the party in the majority in Vidhan Sabha is Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is led by Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan. Bhopal district elects seven seats to the Assembly.

The administration of Bhopal city is handled by Bhopal Municipal Corporation, also known as BMC. The total area under BMC is 285 km². The city is divided into 66 wards. Each ward elects a corporator. The winning party elects a council of members, who are responsible for various departments. The council members chose the Mayor among themselves. At present, there are ten members in the council. The Commissioner of Bhopal is the highest officer of Municipal Corporate Office, which is responsible for the departments of public works, revenue and tax, water supply, planning and development, fire brigade, health and sanitation, finance and accounts etc. The current Municipal Commissioner of Bhopal is Shri Manish Singh, while the current Mayor is Shrimati Krishna Gaur.

Transportation

Local transport

Bhopal has been a railroad and highway transportation hub for a long time. Bhopal has its own city bus service: Bhopal City Link Limited, which operates larger Star Buses, which are under GPS navigation and smaller Metro Buses. In addition, around 600 mini-buses are run by private operators. Metro or Radio Taxis and auto-rickshaws are another major means of transport. In some parts in the old as well as new city, the new Tata Magic Vans are running successfully and have replaced the older and bigger diesel rickshaws — known as "Bhat" in year 2010.

Bhopal also has a "Bus Rapid Transit System", which became functional from the year 2011

Road

National Highway 12 passes through Bhopal which connects it to Jabalpur in the East and Jaipur in the West. National Highway 86connects Bhopal to Sagar in the East to Dewas in the West. State Highway 17 connects the city with Indore.Apart from the long distance services, there are many services to nearby places within the state. There are number of daily buses to Indore, Ujjain, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Khajuraho, Sanchi, Pachmarhi, Vidisha and Berasia in Madhya Pradesh. There are also daily buses to Ahmedabad, Jodhpur, Kota, Nagpur, Jaipur, Shirdi, Pune, Akola, Amravati, Jalgaon, Vadodara, Surat and Nashik. An interstate bus terminus is located near the Habibganj station.^[35] Another terminus called the Kushabhau Thakre Inter State Bus Terminal was inaugurated in 2011.

Railways

Habibganj railway station

Bhopal Junction Railway Station^[37] is the largest and most important railway station in the city. Being on the main North-South line, it is connected by rail to all parts of the country except North-Eastern states. More than 150 daily trains have stoppages in Bhopal.^[37]
Habibganj Railway Station^[37] is a major and the most developed station of Bhopal. It holds the distinction of being the first ISO 9000:2001 certified railway station in India.
Misrod Railway Station^[37] is located in the Misrod suburb of the city.
Mandideep Railway Station^[37] is located in the industrial town of Mandideep.
Sukhsewanagar
Bairagarh^[37] is located in the north-western Bairagarh suburb.

Airport

The Raja Bhoj Airport is located near the satellite suburb Bairagarh and has flights to most major cities in India.^[38]^[39]

There are three routes ways to reach the airport: (1) Via Bairagarh, (2) Via Panchvati, (3) Via Gandhi nagar road (N.H 12). From within the city, VIP road, a four lane road connects with the airport.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census the population of the Bhopal city is about 1,795,648.^[1] The population of Bhopal district stands at 2,368,145. It has nearly 56% Hindus and 40% Muslims, while 2-4%

Religion in Bhopal
Religion			Percent
Hindus			56%
Muslims			40%
Jains			2%
Others†			1.50%
Christians			.50%
Distribution of religions †Includes Sikhs (1%), Buddhists (<0.5%).

include Christians, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs.

The chief languages are Hindi-Urdu and English. In the princely state of Bhopal,Persian was the court language until nineteenth century. The common street dialect spoken in Bhopal, especially in older regions of the city is termed as "Bhopali" and is the subject of comedy in Bollywood movies. An example of the language is used by actor Jagdeep in the film Sholay and Arshad Warsi in the film Ishqiya.

Temples and mosques

Lakshmi Narayan Temple situated to the south of the Lower Lake, is a temple devoted toVishnu and his mythological consort Laxmi constructed by Birla, called Birla Mandir.

Kalighat Bhopal, the beautiful Lower Lake side is the temple of Dakshin Kali, was founded by Shri Shiv Narayan Singh Bagwar with the blessings of Goddess Kali on Shrawan Shukl Ekadashi V.S.2024 - 3 September 1968. Bagwar is the Founder Chairman of Shree Kalika Mandir Dharmarth Nyas, Kalighat, Bhopal registered on 7 October 1976. The temple has become a place where the wishes of everyone is fulfilled. All religious communities across the Country are visiting temple and making their life happier by the blessings of Goddess Maa Kalika. It has been a center point amongst devotees of Sakti and has emerged as Kalika Shakti Peeth, over a period of time. A religious place of great significance for devotees across all segments, all over the country and abroad, by prolong dedicated services of Shree Shree 1008 Shree Kalikacharya, Shree Kalika Peethadheesh, Shree Shiv Narayan Singh Bagwar, Anantananda Maharaj.

Gufa Mandir Gufa Mandir is situated seven kilometres away from Bhopal, Lalghati - Narsingh Road. Sant Narayan Dasji Maharaj established a Shiv Temple in the Cave, hence, called as Gufa Mandir. Lateron, developed the forest area as Sanskrit Vidhyalaya and Hanuman Temple etc..

Manua Bhan Ki Tekri. An annual fair is held on Kartik Purnima at (Mahavir Giri), a Jainpilgrimage center located around seven kilometres away from Bhopal.

Taj-ul-Masajid, one of the largest mosques in Asia.

Bhopal has many mosques including Taj-ul-Masajid (one of the largest mosques in Asia^[40]), Dhai Seedi ki Masjid (one of the smallest mosques in Asia^[41]), Jama Masjid (built by Qudsia Begum in 1837). A three-day Iztima-Muslim dhaarmik sammelan or Muslim religious assembly (religious congregation) used to be held in the precincts of the Taj-ul-Masjid annually. It draws scores at Muslim pilgrims from all parts of India. It has now been shifted outside the city limits.Moti Masjid (built by Sikander Begum in 1860).

Some of the major historical buildings in Bhopal include Shaukat Mahal (a mixture of Indo-Islamic and European styles of architecture), Gohar Mahal (built by Qudsia Begum, fusion of Hindu and Mughal architecture), Sadar Manzil (used by the Begums for public audience, now used as the head office of the Municipal Corporation) and Purana Qila (part of the 300-year-old fort of Queen Kamalapati, situated in Kamla Park, which separates Upper Lake from Lower lake).

Culture

Bhopal has an extensive culture of paan eating. Paan (betel leaf) is a preparation with a betel leaf topped with variety of seasonings, the most common being chuna, kattha and supari(nut). Bhopalites treat paan preparation as a science and an art, which is perfected among the streets of Bhopal, a tradition passed down generations. The paans in Bhopal are wide in variety and innovations.^[42]

Bhopali dishes and food in Bhopal are comparatively mild, less spicy and unique in taste. Local and individual variations of various popular snacks and foods can be found selling around the city . Bhopali food has a large variety of non-vegetarian dishes, including Bhopali Murgh Rezala, Paneer Rezala, Bhopali Gosht Korma, Murgh Hara Masala Rice, Murgh Nizami etc.^[43]

Diwali is celebrated with equal pomp and glory as Eid. Gifts and sweets are exchanged and donation are made to the poor. Diwali is celebrated by worshiping the wealth goddess Lakshmi. Later that night, firecrackers are burst in the open by young and old. Eid is special to the city as all the Hindus take time out to visit their Muslim friends and greet them and get treated with delicacies, the specialty of the day being sweet sewaiya. Bhopali culture is such that both Hindus and Muslims visit each other on their respective festivals to greet and exchange sweets. During Ganesh puja and Durga Puja (Navratras), idols of Ganesh and Durga are established injhankis throughout the city. People throng to offer prayers to their deities. At the end of Navratras, on the day of Vijayadashami (orDussehra), huge effigies of Ravan are burnt in different parts of the city. Some of them are organized by the local administration and stand as tall as 60 feet (18 m).

Bharat Bhawan, a big center for theatre, music, arts and other cultural activities.

Bharat Bhavan is the main cultural centre of the city and of the most important cultural centers of India. It has an art gallery, an open-air amphitheatre facing the Upper Lake, two other theatres and a tribal museum.

Parol: Himalayan Village gate reconstruted as entrance gate at IGRMS, Bhopal

Bhopal Ijtema, an annual world preachers congregation, is held at Ghasipura 11 km from Bhopal. Jamaats from all over the world gatherhere for 3 days, to learn about Islamic way of life and to talk about peace and humanity. Around a Million people gather on the final day prayer.^[44]

The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), an autonomous organization of Govt. of India, Ministry of Culture is dedicated to the depiction of story of mankind in time and space. The Sangrahalaya is involved in generating a new museum movement in India, with open, freewheeling, flexible plan, to demonstrate the simultaneous validity of human cultures and the plurality of alternatives for human articulation. The innovative aspects of the Organisation are its open air and indoor exhibitions, built with active involvement of traditional artisans and experts drawn from different community groups, and the Education, Outreach and Salvage activities for revitalisatin of vanishing but valuable cultural traditions. The headquarters of the IGRMS is located in Bhopal (M.P.) while a regional centre is functioning from Heritage building Wellington House, Mysore (Karnataka). It showcases the tribal culture of various regions and various examples of tribal art and architecture. Every year in January/February, it hosts potters' workshops, folk music and dance events and open-air plays. Tribals also demonstrate their skills in painting, weaving, and the fashioning of bell metal into works of art.

Popular holiday spots around Bhopal include Delawadi, a picturesque picnic spot and Islamnagar which was the palace of Bhopal's Afghan rulers. Located at around 40 km from Bhopal is Bhimbetka, a World Heritage Site which has one of the largest collections of prehistoric paintings and rocks, some of which date back more than 10,000 years. The Bhojeshwar or Shiva temple in Bhojpur holds great religious importance and is famous for a massive Shivalingam, which is the largest in India. Anglers can head about 10 kilometres from the city to Hathaikheda, which is a popular fishing zone. Sanchi, a site famous for Buddhist monuments and temples dating back several centuries is located at 50 km from the city.

Media

Electronic media

Presently the city has 5 Private Radio stations in Bhopal apart from Vividh Bharti viz. BIG FM 92.7, 94.3 My FM Jiyo Dil Se, Radio Mirchi 98.3, Red FM 93.5 and 90.4 MHz Radio Popcorn.

AIR Bhopal (Akashvani Bhopal) transmits on Medium Wave 1593 kHz via a 10 kW transmitter. It also simulcasts in Shortwave via a 50 kW transmitter at the following times and frequencies:

4810 kHz: 0025-0215 UTC
7430 kHz: 0225-0447 (Sun 0531/0631) UTC
7430 kHz: 0630/0700-0931 (Sun 0700-1031) UTC
4810 kHz: 1130-1742 UTC

Government-run FM channels:

103.5 MHz AIR Vividh Bharati (6 kW power)
105.0 MHz Gyan Vani (10 kW power)

Private & Commercial FM channels:

92.7 MHz Big 92.7 FM
93.5 MHz Red FM
94.3 MHz My FM
98.3 MHz Radio Mirchi
90.4 MHz Radio Popcorn (50W power) (RKDF Institute of Science & Technology)

Bhopal has its own Radio and Television stations (All India Radio and Doordarshan respectively). Local Television networks include Digi Networks and BTV(Bhaskar TV). Besides, three regional satellite channels operate from Bhopal, namely ETV Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Sahara Madhya Pradesh and Sadhana News.

Print media

Various Hindi and English newspapers are published from Bhopal. The Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Pioneer (Indian newspaper), Youth Engine, The Hitavada, etc. are the main English dailies and weekly published from the city while Dainik Bhaskar, Raj Express, Nava Bharat, Nai Dunia, Dainik Jagran, Patrika, BPN Times, Peoples Samachar etc. are the main Hindi dailies published from here.

Places of interest

Upper Lake : The largest artificial lake in Asia.

Shahpura lake

Sair sapata :suspension bridge at bhadbhada road

Kalika Mandir, Kalighat, Lower Lake (Bhopal)

Van Vihar National Park : A zoological park with the status of a national park, it is situated south of the Upper Lake.

New Market: A shopping and commercial zone in the city housing a number of eateries, restaurants, cloth shops and showrooms, bakeries, mobile stores etc.

Taj-ul-Masajid : It is one of the largest mosque in Asia and is also used as a madrasah

Aquarium Building

Manav sanghralay

Regional Science Centre, Bhopal, primarily aimed at students

Kerwa Dam : It is a scenic dam located in the outskirts of Bhopal.

Lal Parade Ground: The independence day and republic day parade are held in this ground. It is also the venue of large gatherings.

Museum of Natural History

Manuabhan ki tekri : A Jain temple, situated on a hill cliff.