So here’s a fun riddle for you we’re in the world our wedding rings worn on the toe? And people surf bulls Instead of waves now it’s not New Jersey.
Folks it’s India and it’s a place full of odd customs and curiosities you probably didn’t know about and guess what today’s your lucky day I’m going to tell you about it.
#1: The quirks of Indian English
Now India is one of the largest English-speaking countries in the world second only to the US. But in a country with around 880 spoken languages only 22 of which are even officially recognized.
It’s no wonder Indian English may sometimes tickle your ear in a strange way for instance if a person starts talking to you with a weird yaar sound.
Don’t worry that’s just the Indian way to say hey dude. Indians would probably ask your name with the phrase. What’s your good name and no that doesn’t mean you have some kind of a bad name.
That you somehow earned it’s just a way of being polite. And when an Indian person finally starts addressing you by your first name they may add Ji to the end to show how much they respect you.
#2: Beautifully adorned toes in India
When two loving hearts decide to marry each other the groom must put a wedding ring on his bride’s toe.
Yep, that’s the custom these wedding rings are called bicha. And every bride wears them on both her second toes as a sign of her married State.
There are other kinds of Touring’s in India too some men wear them on their big toes in a belief that it’ll boost their strength and vigor Indians are famous for their love of gold.
But toe rings are mostly made of silver because it’s inappropriate to wear gold below the waist number.
#3: Unbreakable promises
Most people in India believe that a spoken-word has immense power within it. And if you break a promise you’ll enrage spirits.
And deities the most powerful promise is the promise of a mother so if an Indian person swears by this.
Then you better believe them if you don’t want to come off as really rude number.
#4: The birthplace of plastic surgery
Among India’s most sacred texts there’s one that baffles surgeons and medical experts to this day it’s called the Sushruta Samhita.
And it’s a fundamental part of the Indian practice of Ayurveda. It was written by the ancient Indian surgeon Sushruta somewhere between 1000 BCE and 500 BCE.
The text describes tons of unbelievably complex surgical procedures. But the most fascinating thing is that it proves that India is probably the birthplace of all plastic surgery.
#5: Twice the Hollywood
India’s Bollywood is the largest film industry in the world.
No not Hollywood Bollywood produces about 1,200 films every year that’s twice the amount that Hollywood puts out. And if you want to start an acting career in India, You better learn how to sing and dance.
Since most of the movies produce there are musicals this passion for music stems from a deep appreciation for Indian traditional dance and folklore.
Also, it’s no secret that Bollywood was inspired by Hollywood works from the 1920s to 1950s.
Many of which were musicals Bollywood got its be from Bombay. The city where most Indian films are produced which of course changed its name to Mumbai in 1995.
#6: Shampoo has Indian roots
Well, that comes as no surprise since shampooing itself originates in India. The original word chompoo means massage. And was initially used to describe the process of hair strengthening with herbs common in India.
But India has good reason to pay so much attention to their locks. The country sells over 20 billion dollars worth of hair in a single month such amounts are second only to China.
But even this hair selling giant mixes its product with Indian hair for better quality.
#7: Serious wildlife
Conservation India gets a lot of criticism for its pollution problem. Which there’s no denying that it’s a serious one. But that doesn’t say anything about Indian people’s attitude towards wildlife.
There are 104 national parks in India. With over 15,000 square miles of overall coverage, some of the rarest animals on earth inhabit these parks like the bizarre-looking purple frog, the smallest pig in the world the pygmy hog and the largest living bat the Indian flying fox these endangered species are in severe need of protection.
And India has proven itself very capable of wildlife conservation. Just take the country’s national symbol as an example, in 2010 there were only between 1700.
And 1900 Bengal tigers left in the world but those numbers are now up to around 2,200.
The Bengal tiger is still considered endangered even though it’s the biggest tiger species in terms of numbers. So you can imagine how grave the situation is for its cousins elsewhere.