India is a great nation and many fact are associated with it. However not all of them are true. Indians and non Indians have many misbeliefs about India. In this story , we have figured out the greatest of misbeliefs people have about India.
1. Mahatma Gandhi is officially recognized as the father of the nation of India.
Everyone knows that Mahatma Gandhi is recognized as Father of the Nation of India. However, there is no official order about this. The constitution of India does not allow the title “Father Of Nation” to be conferred on any Individual.
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2. Hindi is India’s national language.
“The national language or Rashtra Bhasha of India is Hindi” is one such more misbelief. Gujarat High Court has clarified while hearing a petition that Hindi is not the officially recognized national language but many people have accepted it as their primary language.
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3. Hockey is the national sport of India.
Many Indians believe Hockey to be the national sport of India but in an RTI filed by the government of India, it was reported that Hockey or any other sports is not officially recognized as the national sports.
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4. India or Indian kingdoms have never invaded any country in history
You might have heard many a times people saying or written at many places that India or any of its kingdoms have never invaded any country in the history. However, research has shown that this is not a fact.
# Nagaland & Andamans that currently part of India, were foreign countries to India 300 years ago.
# South Indian kings have frequently invaded Sri Lanka –http://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Anc…
# Punjab king Ranjit Singh defeated and captured parts of Afghan territory in early 19th century – http://en.wikipedia.org/w
iki/Ran…
# Emperor Ashoka sent emissaries to the rest of Asia in an effort to convert them to India’s path of Buddhism.
# India fought Nepal and took over some of their territories such as Shimla and Darjeeling. Many Nepalis still resent that and hate Indians for that.http://en.wikipedia.org/w
iki/Sug…
# One of the greatest Indian kings Raja Chola invaded and ruled vast parts of South East Asia – Source
5. Prostitution is illegal in India.
Many Indians believe that prostitution is illegal in India. Few people have also demanded that it be made legal in India so that it can be organized in a proper way. However, there is no law concluding sale of sexual services for money as illegal. But the law does prohibit certain activities connected with the prostitution such as pimping, trafficking, brothel keeping and soliciting for sex.
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6. 26th January, 15th August and 2nd October are recognized national holidays.
Indians celebrate 15th August(Independence Day), 26th January(Republic Day) and 2nd October(Gandhi Jayanti) as national holidays, but no such formal orders have been passed that declare them as national holidays.
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7. Samosa in an Indian recipe
Samosa might probably be the most known and loved food of India. It is also associated with culture of India. People believe that Samosa is an Indian recipe but it is not. Samosa traveled to India with the Mughals in the 14th century through Central Asia where it is called “Sambusak”.
8. The name Hindustan is derived from word Hindu.
One of the biggest misconception about India is that most people think that the word ‘Hindustan’ comes from the word Hindu (religion) and means – The land of Hindus. This is completely false. The term Hindustan was coined by the Arabs. The term ‘ Hindustan’ is derived from the word ‘ Industan‘ meaning the land beyond the river Indu or now more popularly known as Indus.
9. Indian Railways is the biggest employer in the world.
Many people believe that Indian Railways is the biggest employer of the globe. However, Indian Railways is NOT the biggest employer in the World. It is only the ninth biggest employer in the World. The biggest is the US Government Defense Department. McDonald’s and Walmart employ more people than the Indian Railways.
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10. Dowry is a tradition originated in India.
Many people believe that Dowry is an Indian tradition. It is also treated as a stigma associated with Indian Society. But it is interesting to know that Dowry is not an Indian traditions but an European Tradition. It came to India as Europeans invaded India. One of the most prominent example of dowry is that Mumbai was given as dowry by Portuguese to Britishers in 1661 when Charles II of England and Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal got married.
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