Cleanest Village in India - Asia too

Mawlynnong is a village located 90 km from Shillong, along the India-Bangladesh border in the East Khasi Hills district of the Meghalaya state, India. Mawlynnong is famous for its matrilineal society as well as having been dubbed Asia's cleanest village.

It comes under the Pynursla community development block and Vidhan Sabha (legislative assembly) constituency.

As of June 2015 it had 500 residents.As of 2011, there are about 82 households. As of 2014, there are about 95 households in Mawlynnong.The literacy rate is 100%. Agriculture is the chief occupation of the local population, with betel nut being the main crop. The people residing in the community are Khasi people.

As is the tradition of the Khasi people, in Mawlynnong property and wealth are passed from the mother to the youngest of her daughters, who also keeps the mother's surname.

Mawlynnong is known for its cleanliness. The waste is collected in the dustbins made of bamboo, directed to a pit and then used as manure. The travel magazine Discover India declared the village as the cleanest in Asia in 2003, and the cleanest in India in 2005. The phrase has since caught on. Moasunep Kichu's documentary on the village, for instance, is called Asia's Cleanest Village.

It has a toilet in every house. There are bamboo waste baskets on each road to ensure that there is no littering. Children as young as four learn at school to keep their surroundings clean.

Cleanliness as a way of life came to Mawlynnong, a village of 503, long before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his Swachh Bharat or clean India campaign. The village cherishes the title of "Asia's cleanest village" given to it by India Discovery Magazine in 2003.

By 2007, the village had eradicated the practice of open defecation, with toilets built for each of its 91 households under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan.

"This village is clean from my childhood. We heard it was so even during our grandmother's days. Keeping it clean is the responsibility of each and every one," says Remdor Khongphosrem, a resident.

Littering even by the very young is frowned upon and if any among the 200-odd tourists who visit the village every day are found to throw things on the streets, they are issued stern warnings. The number of tourists that visit Mawlynnong has gone up after the India Discovery report.

Another resident Sumar says proudly, "All over the world people know us as the cleanest village so people come here."

One of them, Karlin from Germany, has been camping in the village for the last 11 weeks. She is here on a photography assignment after discovering Mawlynnong on the internet.

"I have met lots of friends in Mawlynnong. I have seen so many Indian villages, but compared to others, it is very clean and the gardens are unique. Everyone takes care of nature, that is the main thing about Mawlynnong. It is a paradise for me," Karlin says.

The villagers are confident that Mawlynnong will continue to live up to its pristine reputation. In the village's three schools, the next generation is already learning how to keep it in the record books for the right reasons.

All the credit for this cleanliness goes too the fellow villagers and their community. They are not dependent on anyone for aid. They feel responsible and do their duties with full dedication and determination. And you can see the results. All walkways are decorated with flower vines. Beautiful orchid are everywhere on trees adding colors. You literally have to re-think if its a village or a botanical garden you are in.

Mawlynnong, located about 90 km from Shillong and 92 kms from Cherrapunjee, can be reached by road The nearest airport is the Shillong Airport in Meghalaya. The best way to reach Mawlynnong is by road.

For more details you can go to this link http://www.mawlynnong.com/

India's first and only Paraplegic Confident Woman

Deepa Malik :-

"Life is a festival, celebrate it every day"

“If you felt things stopped you, try a wheel chair’ We have heard stories of individuals who have triumphed against all odds but Deepa is a cut above the rest.

She is the first paraplegic, Indian woman biker, swimmer, car rallyist, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and a restaurateur. Her three spinal tumour surgeries and the 183 stitches between shoulder blades sound insignificant compared to her achievements - national and international awards and a mention in record books.

Deepa Malik (born 30 September 1970) ,has won numerous accolades for her participation in various adventure sports. Whether it is swimming against the strong Yamuna current, or riding a special bike or even taking a shot at the Paralympic Games, she has done it all. She has won bronze medal in Women's Javelin Throw. She has got nominated in Limca Book of Records for her swimming records.

Malik is not an ordinary person. She is a paraplegic, paralysed from waist down, but that has not stopped the 41-year-old from taking up challenges. Wife of a retired Cavalier Col, Mother of two adult daughters, an international sports person & medalist, first paraplegic woman biker and a car rallyist with a difference and FIRST sportswoman to represent the country at international level in her category of disability { F-53 }. in fact, turned adversities into opportunity and success.

Deepa Malik was diagnosed with spinal tumor 12 years ago and in August 2012, she received the Arjuna award from the president of India for her achievements in track and field. It was a tough time for Malik family. Her husband Bikram Singh Malik was fighting the Kargil war and at home Deepa was struggling with her tumors. Finally the family won both the war. India won Kargil.

But the journey till here wasn’t easy. It never is. But she did it.

Braving her life with chest below paralysis, she had to undergo  three spinal tumor surgeries which required 183 stitches between her shoulder blades for past 14 yrs. She survived the tumor but was left paralyzed from waist down. Like all of us she had two choices – one to lead a life indulged in self pity and the other to turn adversities into opportunities. She chose the latter.

Deepa also runs a successful restaurant by the name Dee’s Place in Ahmed Nagar, where the family is settled. She is very active in adventures sports. She is associated with Himalayan Motorsports Association (H.M.A.) and Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (F.M.S.C.I.). A lesson for all able and disables, she has done 8 days 1700 k.m. drive in minus degree temperatures. Even on an altitude of 18000 feet with oxygen shortage, she was able to sustain it all. It was - Raid De Himalaya. This journey covers many difficult paths including remote Himalayas, Leh, Shimla and Jammu.

She took to sports at the age of 36. She ran a catering and restaurant business for seven years but had to close it down after she decided to train for the Commonwealth and Asian Games in 2010.

Deepa battled the odds to win laurels in para-athletics. She won two gold medals (javelin and discus) at the Malaysian Open athletics championship in April and achieved a world ranking of No.3.

Her name is registered twice in the Limca Book of Records: for crossing a 1-km stretch of the Yamuna River against the current in 2008 and covering 58 kms by riding a special bike this year.

Her tally of medals is impressive – two new Asian records at the World Games at Sharjah in December last year and two bronze medals including a silver medal at the World athletics championship at Christchurch, New Zealand, apart from a bronze medal at the Para – Asian games held in China earlier. At the national and state level, Deepa has notched 39 golds, four silver and two bronze medals.

In an interview to DNIS, she talked about her life after the disability. Here are a few excerpts :

“When I started life afresh on a wheelchair after spinal cord damage, I had to undergo serious physiotherapy. When I interacted with people like myself, I realized they all felt a lack of direction. Most people think that life is restricted due to paralysis. For women, it is worse! Lucky to have full family back up and education on my side, I decided to give hope to those who were paralyzed.

I started doing various outdoor activities. I call myself to be on this mission – ‘Ability beyond Disability’. My aim is to change the stereotypical image of wheelchair users that people generally have and sensitize society toward my type of disability. The media is the best way to reach out to maximum people. Coverage of the activities I do help in convincing paraplegics at motivational workshops that a ‘normal’ life is possible even on a wheelchair!

It was pretty depressing in the beginning but the love and support of my family made the process easy for me. The acceptance of your disability by your near and dear ones can make a lot of contribution to ones confidence.

It made me look at life from a new window. I learned everything all over again, right from turning into a bed to sit, from having a bath to changing clothes. But the biggest challenge I faced was timing my bladder and water intake.

The things which I had taken for granted when I was not disabled, now seemed like big hurdles. A step just six inches high could actually restrict my accessibility, the same step that I possibly never ever noticed before! Disability brought my life into focus. I started a restaurant supporting the education of a few children, set out on a mission to motivate people like me with the help of my activities. In short I learnt to give back to society and realized the true sense of living. “

It is very rightly said that disability is only in our thoughts.People like Deepa make us realize that we are restricted only by our notion of our capabilities and limits. Hope she is successful in her mission. Hats off to her!

Member of the working group in the formulation twelfth five year plan {2012-2017} on sports and physical education as nominated by the planning commision hrd division on behalf of sports ministry.

• Holds An Official IPC Asian Record In Javelin F-53 Category
• Holds All Three National Records In Throws {Discuss, Javelin, Shot-put} In F-53 Category
• Holds All Three National Records In S-1 Swimming Category {Back Stroke, Breast Stroke, Free Style }
• World Ranking 2010-12 – 2nd Shot-put, 3rd -Discus, 3rd Javelin
• Asian Ranking 2010-12 – 1st In All Three Throws

SPEECH TOPICS

- Inspiration

- Self belief

- Persistance

- Courage

- Motivation

- Adventure

- Change

On August 29, 2012 she was presented with the prestigious Arjuna Award at the age of 42 years (oldest athlete to ever receive the award for active sports) by Honorable President, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee. This award represents in a nutshell, all the laurels won by her in her illustrious sports career so far. These achievements are detailed as follows-

Total no of medals at various games 

[NATIONAL/STATE] – 44- GOLDS, 5 SILVER, 2 BRONZE

INTERNATIONAL LEVEL MEDALS-11

RECORDS AND RANKINGS IN SPORTS-

THREE LIMCA RECORDS

MOTOR SPORTS ACHIEVEMENTS

WORK EXPERIENCE IN IMPARTING MOTIVATIONAL TRAINING

{LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY ENGLISH & HINDI}

Chenab Rail Arch Bridge, India, worlds tallest under construction

The Chenab Bridge is an under-construction rail arch bridge, which spans the Chenab River between Bakkal and Kauri, in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), in India.

When completed, the bridge will be 1,315 m (4,314 ft) long, with a 480 m (1,570 ft) trussed arch span, 359 m (1,178 ft) above the river Chenab and a 650 m (2,130 ft) long viaduct on the Kauri side. Once completed, it will be the tallest rail bridge in the world.
 
The INR5.12bn ($92m) bridge is a part of Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Line (JUSBRL) project being undertaken by the Ministry of Indian Railways. The bridge will include a 14m-wide dual carriageway and a 1.2m-wide central verge.

The bridge is part of several bridges and tunnels which makes up the Katra-Laole Section of the JUSBRL Project in Jammu and Kashmir. Another, smaller, arch bridge in the link will be the 657 m (2,156 ft) long, 189 m (620 ft) high Anji Khad bridge between Katra and Reasiover the Raavi river.

The Chenab Bridge was originally scheduled to be completed in December 2009.However, in September 2008 it was announced that the Chenab bridge had been cancelled due to fears over its stability and safety.Work on the bridge restarted in 2010 and once construction is completed in 2015 the Chenab Bridge is expected to be the world's highest rail bridge.

The project is expected to be finished by March 2016 and will have a lifespan of 120 years. It will contribute to the economic development of the state and help in providing better transportation accessibility within the state and the country.

For more details see at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenab_Bridge

World's one of the most learned man

Dr. Hardial Singh Sainbhy from Jagroan, Punjab is generally acknowledged as the person in the world with the most non-honorary degrees.

With a total of 35 degrees to his credit, Dr. Sainbhy is one of the most degreed people in the world. This Indian super student has degrees in a wide array of subjects, holding impressive 15 masters degrees, five post-graduate diplomas, a bachelor of law, AMIE and AMSIE certification, and numerous bachelor’s degrees. Sainbhy has spent most of his life in a college classroom and plans to keep earning degrees for as long as he’s able to attend classes.

The determined Dr. Sainbhy has stolen the meaning of both of the men’s lives above as well as depressed people who never finished high school the world over. With over 35 degrees to his name collecting dust for him on a wall somewhere, the good doctor has spent the vast majority of his life in a classroom somewhere.

This man’s very existence is enough to depress computers and Wikipedia since he’s amassed, among others:
 
a) 15 masters degrees
b) five post-graduate diplomas
c) a bachelor of law
d) several bachelor’s degrees

As inspiring as all of this learning might be, I’d still rather hang out with Hawking and Einstein who have and had around one degree each and turned out to be a lot more useful to science.
Before joining IAS in 1962, Shri Hardial Singh worked as a Lecturer in Political Science from January 59 to June 62 in Ramgarhia College, Phagwara. In the IAS, important posts held by him in Punjab were that of

Managing Director, Punjab Agro-Industries Corporation, 
Deputy Commissioner, Patiala, 
Director of Industries, 
Director of Industrial Training, 
Secretary to the Government for the Departments of PWD, 
Public Health, 
Architecture, 
Technical Education, 
Health and Medical Education, 
Local Government and Urban Development, 
School and Higher Education, 
Culture, 
Sports, etc.

AS Financial Commissioner and Secretary to the Government, he also served as Financial Commissioner, Revenue and Rehabilitation. He retired in the year 1994 in the rank of Chief Secretary as a Presiding Officer of Schools and Colleges Tribunals. He served the people of Punjab with utmost dedication and honesty in whatever position he held in the Punjab Government.

S. Hardial Singh was most fortunate in having received Grace from Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji on 5th December, 1975 after he had taken Khande dee Pahul from Panj Piaraas at Anandpur Sahib on Baisakhi Day in 1975. Though since childhood, he was a student of Gurbani as having been born in the well-known family of Guru Ghar De Kirtanees, but after having received Grace, he became a serious Devotee of Satgurus, Gurbani and Gurmat Bhagtee. 

In 1983, he was made the Founder President of Sarab Rog Ka Aukhad Naam Mission as he was spreading the message of Divine Name and Gurbani for eradication of sorrows and ailments. Since 1983, under his leadership and guidance, Sarab Rog Ka Aukhad Naam Mission has been holding camps in India and from 1993 onwards in India and abroad for healing sick persons by Divine Name and Gurbani without giving any drugs. This programme has gained great respect and popularity amongst Sikhs in India and abroad. 

Shri Hardial Singh is also the Chairperson of Sri Guru Amardas Charitable Trust which has set up Sri Guru Amardas Sehat and Simran kender in Kapurthala District for popularizing the Gurmat methods of meditation and Bhagti which are different, distinctive and very effective for rapid advancement on the path of Self-realization and also for removal of sorrows, ailments and obstacles. for more detail www.gurnanakhealing.com

http://www.edgalaxy.com/journal/2011/12/4/the-10-most-educated-people-on-the-planet.html

World's Richest God Thirumala Thirupathi Balaji Temple

The richest shrine in India, perhaps even the world, the Balaji temple in Tirumala is an abode of abundant wealth. No doubt, he's one of the world's richest god and going by the number of pilgrims visiting his abode, he could arguably be the most powerful one too. The value of his worldly possessions seems to be almost half of the Andhra Pradesh budget of Rs 1 lakh crore. And the onus of protecting his worldly possessions rests with the trust manning his abode.

The ancient and sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara is located on the seventh peak, Venkatachala (Venkata Hill) of the sacred Seshachalam ranges and lies on the southern banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini.

It is by the Lord’s presidency over Venkatachala, that he has received the appellation, Venkateswara (Lord of the Venkata Hill). He is also popularly known as " Lord of the Seven Hills ".

The temple of Sri Venkateswara has acquired unique sanctity in Indian religious lore. The Sastras, Puranas, Sthala Mahatyams and Alwar hymns unequivocally declare that, in the Kali Yuga, one can attain mukti, only by worshipping Venkata Nayaka or Sri Venkateswara.

The benefits acquired by a piligrimage to Venkatachala are mentioned in the Rig Veda and Asthadasa Puranas. In these epics, Sri Venkateswara is described as the great "Bestower of Boons". There are several legends associated with the manifestation of the Lord of Tirumala.

The temple has its origins in Vaishnavism, an ancient sect which advocates the principles of equality and love, and prohibits animal sacrifice.

The sanctum sanctorum of Tirumala Temple houses the awe-inspiring seven-feet idol of Lord Venkateswara which has been attracting millions and millions of unending devotees across the universe since several centuries.

According to a centuries-old belief, Kubera, the Hindu god of wealth, gave a huge amount as a loan to Balaji or Venkateswara Swamy when he was marrying goddess Padmavathi. Balaji promised Kubera that in return, the offerings made by his devotees would go to him. If one were to estimate the wealth of Balaji in Tirumala, it would not be wrong to conclude that all the sues have not only been paid in full, but in far excess as well.

Every day close to 70,000 devotees or even more visit Tirupati Balaji temple. Even a rough estimation of the assets or properties of Lord Balaji put the total value at anywhere between Rs 75,000 crore and Rs 1,00,000 crore. This includes fixed assets like lands, buildings, jewellery and Hundi collections and donations.
 
Every year, more than 1.80 crore devotees offer money and gold to make Tirumala the richest Hindu shrine. This year ( 2009 ), the temple's earnings have already crossed Rs 900 crore. Last year ( 2008 ), it was Rs 675 crore.
 
Total collections from Hundi offerings alone are Rs 360 crore till now, while Rs 226 crore accrues annually from bank deposits. "Even eight years ago, we used to clear the Hundi only once or twice in a day. Now we have to do it at least 10 times in a day," says Deekshitulu.
In many cases, the donantions are unusually generous. Karnataka minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, for instance, had offered a diamond-studded crown worth Rs 42 crore to the God          6 years back. 
   
The Hindu scriptures say the idol of Balaji emerged here on its own. Vijayanagar King Krishna Devaraya built two prakarams or outer walls to the shrine. He visited the temple whenever he had to wage a war. And everytime he won a war, he attributed his success to the blessings of Balaji.
 
The 9th century temple is the jewel in the crown of Hinduism. Lying 3,200 feet above sea level and having an area of about 10.33 square miles, it is the world's most active religious destination attracting more than 55,000 to 75,000 pilgrims from all over the world every day.
"Before the 90s, a majority of the devotees were from the southern states. Now because of globalization, devotees come from all over," says Dr A.V. Ramama Deekshitulu, the chief priest of the temple.
 
Comprising the lion's share of the wealth are the jewellery and the fixed assets. Interestingly, several medieval Muslim rulers and Christian colonial rulers have made rich donations in this respect. For instance, Mughal ruler Shahjahan donated an eight-layered gold chain that weighs over 100 kg. Jehangir too donated gold ornaments studded with valuable stones. Later, King George and Queen Victoria also donated several gold ornaments embossing their names on them.
 
"Traditionally, we have been using these ornaments during annual Brahmotsavams every year," says Seshadri Swamy, the Par Pattedar (Custodian of Jewellery) of the Devasthanam.
 
According to sources in the Finance Department, the value of the gold ornaments donated by King george and Queen Victoria could be more than Rs 30,000 crore. There are five diamond crowns for the lord. And there are already two sets of gold ornaments adorn the idol from top to toe.
 
Although the Devasthanam does not accept silver ornaments, devotees still drop hundreds of kilos of silver in the Hundi every year, says Seshadri.

The Gold and Diamond Treasury of the Lord is getting fuller by the day. "More than Rs 10 crore worth of jewellery gets added up every year," says Anitha Shah Aakella, the financial advisor and chief accounts officer of the Devasthanam. "We get various types of jewellery, even from designers from all over the country," says Shah.

Not less than 100 Niluvu Dopidees take place every day. Niluvu Dopidee is a ritual in which devotees giving away all the ornaments on their body at the Hundi. Devotees promise to the lord that they would drop all their ornaments in the Hundi if their wishes are fulfilled. It was said that both Jaya Bachchan and Tinu Ambani offered the Niluvu Dopidee to the Lord. Amitabh Bachchan offered Rs 11 crore worth of ornaments when he recovered from his illness.
 
Interestingly, all the assets are in the name of lord Balaji only. Even the Tirumala belongs to Balaji. Since centuries, devotees have been donating valuable land to Balaji. They simply drop land documents in the Hundi. Officials of Hundi keep them safely in the lockers. Some devotees have donated hundreds of acres of their land, an assessment of which is not possible. "One life time is not enough to put the documents in order, let alone assessing the value of lands," says A.P.V.N. Sarma, the executive officer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. "We have sold out some of the lands which were in far off places and deposited the money in banks. But we have not completed the task of documenting all these papers," he added.

According to Devasthanam sources, the value of the few known and identified lands is worth more than Rs 10,000 crore.
 
Assets for this Lord :

To protect this asset, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam ( TTD) board has decided to buy insurance cover on the jewellery of Lord Venkateswara, valued at around Rs 52,000 crore. The decision will throw open the country's biggest gold insurance market. "No single insurance company can underwrite such a risk on its own books...," said a senior official of a large non-life firm.

The board is looking at partnering a state-owned general insurance firm for insuring these assets. The insurer who gets the mandate will have to strike a reinsurance deal with an international reinsurer.

The temple owns about 20 tonnes of gold and diamond jewellery and some of them date back to the 12th century. "We have decided to take insurance cover for these valuable assets. Considering that some of these jewellery come under antique category, it will be insured based on its historical value. Currently, we are in the process of assessing the exact value at which these assets can be insured and we have an in-house team looking into it. Only after the completion of the valuation process we can go for an insurance cover and then we will decide on the formalities for selecting the insurance company,'' said a TTD official.

Despite TTD's efforts, insuring the wealth of Tirupati Balaji seems to be a mammoth task, and has remained an unfulfilled wish. Insurance experts say the premium can be quite high considering the risks involved and antique characteristics of the assets.

Arriving at antique value of jewellery can be a huge challenge for TTD as they need to have documentation to prove historical significance. Insurers say if all the gold is in one place it would require reinsurance support and this might call for survey's.

Tough to put figure

TTD is still at a stage where it is trying to estimate the value and would only then hold discussions for a cover. Usually government departments proceed on their insurance plans by issuing an RFP (request for proposals) followed by submission of bids.

Though TTD is yet to come out with exact valuation of the assets to be insured, preliminary data shows it could be over $10 billion. This can be considered as the largest in terms of assets in a single location, considering that over 80% of the valuable assets belong to the sacred temple of Sri Venkateswara located on the seventh peak, Venkatachala (Venkata Hill) of the Tirupati Hill. TTD maintains 12 temples and their sub-shrines.

Till now, ONGC with assets spread in several locations, has the largest insurance cover of $26 billion. The TTD keeps all its money in SBI, Andhra and Vijaya Banks.
 
To know more see at http://tirumala-tirupati.com/tirumala/

Kanchi Maha Swamy Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal

Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal (Tamil: சந்திரசேகரேந்திர சரஸ்வதி சுவாமிகள்) (May 20, 1894 – January 8, 1994) or the Sage of Kanchi was the 68th Jagadguru in the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham.

He is usually referred to as Paramacharya, Mahaswami or Maha Periyavaal. Mahaswami was born on 20 May 1894, under Anuradha nakshatra according to the Hindu calendar, into a Kannadiga Smartha Hoysala Karnataka Brahmin family in Viluppuram, South Arcot District, Tamil Nadu as Swaminatha.

He was the second son of Subramanya Sastri, a District Education Officer. The child was named Swaminatha, after the family deity, Lord Swaminatha of Swamimalai, near Kumbakonam.

Swaminatha began his early education at the Arcot American Mission High School at Tindivanam, where his father was working. He was an exceptional student and excelled in several subjects. In 1905, his parents performed his Upanayanam, a Vedic ceremony which qualifies a Brahmin boy to begin his Vedic studies under an accomplished teacher.
 
His brother was Sadasiva shastrigal, popularly known as Sivan Sir. Sadasiva Sastri was born on 3.10.1903 in Viluppuram, South Arcot District, Tamil Nadu.He has written a magnum opus based on Hindu philosophy in a Tamil book titled "Yeni Padigalil Mandargal". He attained videha mukthi in 1994. 

An embodiment of simplicity, Śrī Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Mahāswāmiji, 68th pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, adorned the Peetam for 87 years from February 1907, when he was just 13. 

He travelled across the country mostly on foot, in keeping with the Math's tradition, meeting people and showering his blessings. His erudition and compassion endeared him to everyone, irrespective of class, creed and nationality. His foremost vision was the preservation of the Vedas, tradition and Dharma.

Taking one meal a day and sleeping in makeshift rooms, cowsheds and withered palanquins, he advocated simplicity and shunned extravagance. His exposition of the Vedanta, our sastras, agamas, puranas and epics appealed to scholars and laymen alike. They were very simple in language but rich in appeal and content. He was a great humanitarian, deep in his heart. He attained mahasamadhi in January 1994 at Kanchipuram. 

The renowned Muruga bhaktar Kripānanda Variar composed this eulogy of the late Maha Swamiji.

For more details see at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrashekarendra_Saraswati 

Highly Qualified Politician of India

The record for most qualified person in India was held by a politician Dr. Shrikant Jichkar
who was born into a Marathi- ( Kunbi - September 14, 1954 – June 2, 2004) family of wealthy farmers in Aajangaon near Katol in Nagpur district, Maharashtra, India, was an Indian politician of the Indian National Congress party.

He held numerous academic degrees and is hence well known as "the most qualified person" of India and is noted likewise in Limca Book of Records.  

He holds the Limca Book of Records for the most qualified person in the country. Began as a Medical Doctor (MBBS and MD) he did his Law (LL.B.) with Post-graduation in International Law (LL.M.) and his Masters in Business Administration (DBM and MBA) and in Journalism (B.Journ).

He did his Masters in ten subjects. M.A. (Public Administration ; M.A. (Sociology) ; M.A. (Economics); M.A. (Sanskrit); M.A. (History); M.A.(English Literature); M.A. (Philosophy); M.A. (Political Science) ; M.A. (Ancient Indian History,Culture and Archaeology); M.A (Psychology).

He got his D. Litt (Doctor of Letters) in Sanskrit, the highest of any Degree in a University. Most of his Degrees are with First Merit and he has obtained 20 degrees and won 28 Gold Medals.

Between 1973 and 1990 he has written 42 University Examinations, every summer and every winter. In 1978 he wrote the IPS (Indian Police Service) examination and got into it, resigned, wrote the prestigious IAS (Indian Administrative Services) examination in 1980 and got into it, resigning in four months to contest his first general election.

In 1980 he was elected to Maharashtra Legislative Assemble becoming the youngest MLA in the country at 25 and subsequently became a very powerful government Minister holding 14 portfolios at a time. He had one of the biggest personal libraries in India with 52,000 books.

Jichkar was also an academician, painter, professional photographer, and stage actor and active ham radio operator. He has been member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (1982–85), Maharashtra Legislative Council (1986–92) and served as Minister of State, Government of Maharashtra. He was also a member of Rajya Sabha (1992–98). He joined I.P.S. in 1978 and I.A.S. in 1980. 

On June 2, 2004,evening, he succumbed to the injuries sustained after his car, a Mitsubishi Lancer slammed into an oncoming bus at Dhamana Shivar on National Highway 6, about 40 kilometres west of Nagpur. 

Till now this record is never broken by none. For more details see at 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrikant_Jichkar