CDS Important GK Booklet

https://prepp.in/cds-exam/study-material#english

Table of Content

S.
Content Page No.
No.
1. Famous Books and Authors 2-10
Famous Personalities of India &
2. 11-21
World
3. First in India 22-24
Biggest, Smallest, Lowest,
4. Highest and Largest Things in 25-28
India and the World
List of Indian Cities and Their
5. 29-30
Nicknames
 FAMOUS BOOKS & AUTHORS

Famous Books Authors

1. Transcendence: My Spiritual Experiences with Dr A P J Abdul Kalam
Pramukh Swamiji
2. A Manifesto For Change
3. Advantage India: From Challenge to Opportunity
4. Beyond 2020: A Vision for Tomorrow’s India
5. Pathways to Greatness
1. Two Year Eight Months and Twenty Eight Night Salman Rushdie
2. Joseph Anton (Autobiography)
1. My Favourite Nature Stories Ruskin Bond
2. Death under the Deodars
The Red Sari Javier Moro
Freedom From Exile Dalai Lama
Neither a hawk nor a dove Khurshid M Kasuari
Faces and Places Deepak Nayyar
Indian Parliamentary Diplomacy Meira Kumar
Farishta Kapil Isapuari
Super Economies Raghav Bahal
China: Confucius in the Shadow Poonam Surie
My country My Life L.K.Advani
The Sahara Testaments Tade Ipadeola
Narendra Modi: A Political Biography Andy Marino
My Unforgettable Memories Mamata Banerjee
Rationalised Roman for Kashmiri Dr. R L Bhat
Strictly Personal, Manmohan and Gursharan Daman Singh
The Wrong Enemy: America in Afghanistan, 2001‐ 2014 Carlotta Gall
Lal Bahadur Shastri: Lessons in Leadership Pavan Choudary
Walking With Giants G. Ramachandran
Crusader or Conspirator? Coalgate and other Truths PC Parakh
The Accidental Prime Minister: the making and unmaking Sanjaya Baru
of Manmohan Singh
God of Antarctica Master Yashvardhan Shukla - At the
age of 13
My Years with Rajiv and Sonia R.D.Pradhan
Khushwantnama ‐The Lessons of My Life Khushwant singh

Syntheism – Creating God in The Internet Age Alexander Bard

One Life is Not Enough Natwar singh
The Lives of Others Neel Mukherjee
My Music My Life Pt. Ravi Shankar
I am Malala Malala Yousufzai and Christina Lamb
A Man and A Motorcycle, How Hamid Karzai Came to Bette Dam
Power
True Colours Adam Gilchrist
Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi: An Inside Job? Faraz Ahmad
1. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness Arundhati Roy
2. The God of Small Things
1. Lowland Jhumpa Lahiri
2. Unaccustomed Earth
3. Interpreter of Maladies
And then One Day: A Memoir (Autobiography) Nasiruddin Shah
Truth Always Prevails Sadruddin Hashwani
Playing It My Way Sachin Tendulkar and Boria Mazumder
Final Test: Exit Sachin Tendulkar Dilip D’Souza
Unbreakable (Autobiography) Mary Kom
Enoch, I am a British Indian Sarinder Joshua
Duroch ModiNomics Sameer Kochar
Public Issues Before Parliament Vijay Darda
Water, Peace, and War – Confronting the Global Water Brahma Chellaney Ambedkar
Crisis
Awakening India’s Social Conscience Dr. Narendra Jadhav
Munger through the Ages Late DP Yadav
Akbar – The Aesthete Dr. Indu Anand
Runs in Ruins Sunil Gavaskar
India at Risk Jaswant Singh
The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Man Booker) Richard Flanagan (Australian)
Untold Story of the Indian Public Sector Dr. UD Choubey
Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War and Peace Leon Panetta and Jim Newton
Not Just an Accountant Vinod Rai - Former CAG
Grandmaster Repertoire ‐ 1.e4 vs The French, Caro‐Kann, Parimarjan Negi
and Philidor
A Bend in the river V.S. Naipaul
Dark Star: The Loneliness of Being Rajesh Khanna Gautam Chintamani
1. Making India Awesome Chetan Bhagat
2. Half girlfriend
Iqbal: The Life of a Poet, Philosopher and Politician Allama Muhammad Iqbal
(biography) (Spiritual Father of Pakistan)
50 years of man in space Garik Israelien, Brian May and David
J Eicher
Black Tornado: The Three Sieges of Mumbai 26/11 Sandeep Unnithan
The Election That Changed India Rajdeep Sardesai
1. Dramatic Decade: The Indira Gandhi decade Pranab Mukherjee
2. The Turbulent Years: 1980 – 1996
3. Thoughts and Reflections
Your Dreams Are Mine Now: She Showed him What Love Ravinder Singh
Born Again on the Mountain Arunima Sinha
 1. Flood of Fire Amitav Ghosh
2. The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the
Unthinkable
3. The Ibis Trilogy
30 Women in Power: Their Voices, Their Stories Naina Lal Kidwai
The Courage to Act – A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath Ben S. Bernanke
1. To the Brink and Back: India’s 1991 Story Jairam Ramesh
2. Green Signals: Ecology, Growth, and Democracy in
India
Globalisation, Democratization and Distributive Justice Dr. Mool Chand Sharma
Ramcharitmanas (105-year-old Urdu copy ) Shiv Brat Lal
Mrs Funny Bones Twinkle Khanna
An Autobiography Jawahar Lal Nehru
The Kumbh Mela: Mapping the Ephemeral Megacity Tarun Khanna
R.D. Burman: The Prince of Music Khagesh Dev Burman
Ghosts of Calcutta Sebastian Ortiz
Beyond Doubt: A Dossier on Gandhi’s Assassination Teesta Setalvad
Modi – Incredible emergence of a star (in Chinese Tarun Vijay
language)
Education of Muslims Professor JS Rajput
Sourav Ganguly: Cricket, Captaincy and Controversy Saptarshi Sarkar
Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power & Private Pradeep Baijal
Enterprise
Unbelievable – Delhi to Islamabad Prof. Bhim Singh
Food for All Uma Lele
Family Life Akhil Sharma (Folio Prize 2015)
Editor Unplugged: Media, Magnates, Netas and Me Vinod Mehta
Fragile Frontiers: The Secret History of Mumbai Terror SK Rath
Attacks
Why I Assassinated Gandhi Nathuram Godse and Gopal Godse
Life On My Terms: From the Grassroots to the Corridors of Sharad Pawar (Autobiography)
Power
What Happened to Netaji? Anuj Dhar
Rebooting India: Realizing a Billion Aspirations Nandan Nilekani and Viral Shah
Interlinking of Indian Rivers Radha Kant Bharati
Dreaming Big: My Journey to Connect India Sam Pitroda & David Chanoff
(American author)
Uniki CH Vidyasagar Rao
1. The Mother I Never Knew Sudha Murthy
2. Serpent’s Revenge
1. Scion of Ikshvaku Amish
2. Sita: Warrior of Mithila
3. Shiva the Triology
India Central Asia Relations”: The Economic Dimension Amiya Chandra
Kashmir: The Vajpayee Years AS Dulat and Aditya Sinha
37 Bridges and Other Stories Aamer Hussein (Pakistani Author)
Who Moved My Interest Rate? Duvvuri Subbarao - former RBI
Governor
The Unseen Indira Gandhi KP Mathur
A Life in Diplomacy Maharajakrishna Rasgotra
(former Indian diplomat)
Courage & Commitment: An Autobiography Margaret Alva
MS: A life in Music T.J.S. George
One Part Woman Perumal Murugan
Ace against Odds (Autobiography) Sania Mirza
Beyond NJ 9842: The Siachen Saga Nitin Gokhale
Ringside With Vijender Rudraneil Sengupta
The making of India: The untold story of British Enterprises Kartar Lalvani

Blood on my Hands: Confessions of Staged Encounter Kishlay Bhattacharjee

Shashi Kapoor - the Householder, the Star Aseem Chhabra
The Kiss of Life Emraan Hashmi
Anything But Khamosh: The Shatrughan Sinha Biography Bharathi S Pradhan
A State in Denial BG Verghese
No Time to Pause Pavithra Ramesh
Param Vir: A War Diary Manju Lodha
Hindutva or Hind Swaraj U.R. Ananthamurthy
Flying in High Winds: A Memoir K. Mishra
Alphabet Soup for Lovers Anita Nair
The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler James Cross Giblin
The Story of Kashmir through the Ages Arjan Nath Chaku
Framed As a Terrorist: My 14-Year Old Struggle to Prove Mohammad Aamir Khan
My Innocence

Standing Guard— A year in Opposition”? P Chidambaram

Gandhi: An Illustrated Biography Pramod Kapoor
That Long Silence Shashi Deshpande
Fixed! Cash and Corruption in Cricket Shantanu Guha Ray
Standing On An Apple Box Aishwarya Dhanush
Who was Shivaji? Govind Pansare
The Z Factor Subhash Chandra
The Birds of Banni Grassland – Gujarat Institute of Desert Narendra Modi (Prime Minister)
Ecology
Age of Anger: A history of the Present Pankaj Mishra
Son of Thundercloud Easterine Kire
Lincoln in the Bardo George Saunders - Booker 2017
Inside Parliament: Views from the front row Derek O’Brien
The Sellout Paul Beatty - Booker 2016
A brief history of Seven killings Marlon James - Booker 2015
A horse walks into a bar David Grossman - Man
Booker International
Selection Day Aravind Adiga
1. An Era of Darkness: The British Empire in India Shashi Tharoor
2. India Shastra: Reflections of the Nation in our time
1. Democrats and Dissenters Ramachandra Guha
2. Gandhi before India
I Do What I Do Raghuram Rajan
Indira: India’s most powerful Prime Minister Sagarika Ghose
1. Why Growth Matters Jagadish Bhagawati
2. India’s Tryst with Destiny
An Uncertain Glory: India and its contradictions Amartya Sen and Jean Dreze
The Country of First Boys Amartya Sen
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series Rick Riordan
The Girl on the Train Paula Hawkins
Fifty Shades Series E.L. James
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney
And the Mountains Echoed Khaled Hosseini
War and Peace Leo Tolstoy
Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain
Alice in Wonderland Lewis Carrol
Agni Veena Kazi Nasrul Islam
Ancient Mariner Coleridge
Animal Farm George Orwell
Arms and the Man G.B. Shaw
Ben Hur Lewis Wallace
Around the World in eighty days Jules Verne

Baburnama Babur
Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy
Arthashastra Kautilya
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
Anand Math Bankimchandra Chattopadhyay

Le Contract Social Jean Jacques Rousseau

Mein Kampf Adolf Hitler

Gulliver’s Travels Jonathan Swift

The Vicar of Wakefield Oliver Goldsmith

A Dangerous place D.P. Moynihan

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Edward Gibbon

1. Ain-i-Akbari
Abul Fazal
2. Akbar-Nama
Time Machine H.G. Wells

The Lady of the Last Minstrel Sir Walter Scott

A passage to India E.M. Forster

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle

The Moon and Sixpence Somerset Maughan

1. Raghuvamsa
2. Avigyan Sakuntalam Kalidas
3. Shakuntala
Far from the Madding Crowd Thomas Hardy

Discovery of India Jawaharlal Nehru

Pilgrim’s Progress: From This World to That Which Is to John Bunyan

Come
My Experiments with Truth Mahatma Gandhi

1. The Merchant of Venice

Shakespeare
2. Antony and Cleopatra
1. A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens
2. David Copperfield
1. Geetanjali
Rabindra Nath Tagore
2. Chitra
3. Bisarjan
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Utopia Sir Thomas Moor
Origin of Species Charles Darwin
Crime and Punishment Dostoevsky
Das Kapital Karl Marx
Count of Monte Cristo Alexander Dumas
Canterbury Tales Chaucer
Divine Comedy Dante
The Wild Iris Louis Gluck
 FAMOUS PERSONALITIES OF INDIA & WORLD

S.No. Personalities Remarks

● Father of the nation (India).

● Gopal Krishna Gokhale is considered the
political guru of Mahatma Gandhi.
● In 9th January 1915 Mahatma Gandhi
returned to India from South Africa (January
9 is observed as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas).
● October 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi
is internationally observed as Non-violence
Day.
● Gandhiji was president of Indian National
Congress in 1924 at the Belgaum session of
Indian National Congress.
● Rabindranath Tagore called Gandhiji as
“Mahatma”.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2
● Cripps Mission (1942) was called as “Post
1 October 1869 – 30 January
Dated Cheque” by Gandhiji.
1948)
● The Story of My Experiments with Truth is
the autobiography of Gandhiji.
● Gandhi was thrown out of the train at
Pietermaritzburg station in South Africa.
● Mahatma Gandhi was arrested by the British
Government first time at Sabarmati on 10
March 1922 and sentenced to six-year jail for
sedition.
● Mahatma Gandhi was nominated 5 times for
the Nobel Peace Prize.
● One of his famous quotes is “My Life is My
Message.”
● Raj Ghat Memorial is dedicated to Mahatma
Gandhi in New Delhi.
 ● Netaji is known as beacon of light of Asia.
● The title of “Father of the Nation” was given to
the Mahatma Gandhi by Subhash Chandra
Bose.
Subhash Chandra Bose ● ‘Dilli Chalo’ was a famous slogan of Subhash
2 (23 January 1897 – 18 August Chandra Bose.
1945) ● Book 'The Indian Struggle' was written by
Netaji.
● Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was re-elected
the President of INC at the Tripuri Session in
1939 by defeating Pattabhi Sitaramayya.

● First Deputy Prime Minister of India.

● First home minister of India.
● Birthday of Vallabhbhai Patel is celebrated by as
Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day.
● He is known as ‘Indian Bismarck’. He is also
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel known as ‘The Iron Man of India’.
3 (31 October 1875 - 15 December ● Mahatma Gandhi gave the title “Sardar” to
1950) Vallabhbhai Patel.
● Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel said that “I know Only
One Culture that is Agriculture”.
● ‘The Statue of Unity’ is located in the Indian
state of Gujarat. It is dedicated to Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel.

● Chairman of drafting committee.

● Father of Indian Constitution.
4 BR Ambedkar ● He received Bharat Ratna in 1990.
● Only Indian leader participate all the round
table conferences.

● Rajendra Prasad was the first President of

independent India.
5 Dr. Rajendra Prasad
● Dr. Rajendra Prasad was First elected
president of the Constituent Assembly.
● First prime minister of independent India.
● In 1955 Nehru received Bharat Ratna award.
● Motilal Nehru is the father Of Jawaharlal
Nehru.
Jawaharlal Nehru
● 'An Autobiography' is autobiography of
6 (14 November 1889 – 27 May
Jawaharlal Nehru.
1964)
● "Discovery of India" is written by Jawaharlal
Nehru.
● He Initiated Non-Aligned Movement.
● Shantivan Memorial is dedicated to
 Jawaharlal Nehru in New Delhi.
● Rajagopalachari was the last Governor-
7 C. Rajagopalachari General of India.
● He received the Bharat Ratna award in 1954.

● Lal Bahadur Shastri served as the second

Prime Minister of India.
● Lal Bahadur Shastri also known as Man of
8 Lal bahadur shastri Peace.
● Lal Bahadur Shastri signed the Tashkent
Agreement with Ayub Khan for a ceasefire
between India and Pakistan.

● He served as the first Vice President of India

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
and the second President of India.
9 (5 September 1888 – 17 April ● His birthday has been celebrated in India as
Teachers Day.
1975)
● He was awarded a Bharat Ratna in 1954.

● Grand Old Man of India.

● Book "Poverty and Un-British Rule in India" is
written by Dadabhai Naoroji.
10 Dadabhai Naoroji ● Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Indian who
calculated the national Income.
● Dadabhai Naoroji was the first Indian elected to
British parliament.

● Vijayalakshmi Pandit was the first women

11 Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit minister of an Indian state (UP) and the first
woman to become president of the UN General
Assembly.
● Sarojini Naidu was the first woman governor of
India.
● Sarojini Naidu was known as Nightingale of
12 Sarojini Naidu
India.
● She was the first Indian woman president of
Indian National Congress.

13 Sucheta Kriplani ● She was India's first woman Chief Minister,

serving Chief Minister of the Uttar Pradesh.

● She was the first and only female Prime

15 Indira Gandhi Minister of India.
● She received the Bharat Ratna in 1971.
 ● He belong to Bengal
16 Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
● Author of Vande Mataram

● Indian National Anthem written by

Rabindranath Tagore.
● Rabindranath Tagore received Nobel Prize for
Literature in 1913 (For Gitanjali).
17 Rabindranath Tagore
● He surrendered the knighthood as a protest
against Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
● Visvabharati university was founded by
Rabindranath Tagore.

● He was Prime Minister of Britain at the time

18 Clement Richard Attlee of Indian independence.
● Leader of the Labour Party.

● He was a served as President of South Africa

from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first
black head of state.
● He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Nelson Mandela
19 ● He received the Bharat Ratna in 1990.
(18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013)
● The most famous saying by Nelson Mandela
is that ‘Education is the most powerful
weapon that you can use to change the
world.’

● Abdul Ghaffar khan known as Frontier

Gandhi.
20 Abdul Ghaffar khan ● He is also known as Badshah Khan.
● In 1987 he was the first person who won
Bharat Ratna without being a non-Indian.

● Father of Malaysia.
21 Tunku Abdul Rahman
● First prime minister of Malaysia.

● Abraham Lincoln served as the 16th president

Abraham Lincoln of the United States.
22 (February 12, 1809 – April 15, ● Abolished slavery.
1865) ● One of the four presidents who have been
assassinated.

Abu Bakr
23 ● Abu Bakr was the first caliph
(573 AD-634 AD)
 ● He was one of the Navratnas in the court of
24 Abul fazal Akbar.
● Author of Akbarnama.

● Adolf Hitler was a leader of the Nazi Party.

● “Mein Kampf” (My Struggle) is an
Adolf Hitler autobiography of Adolf Hitler.
25
(20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) ● Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo) was the
official secret police of Nazi Germany.
● He became chancellor of Germany in 1933.

● He was Popularly known as the Desert Fox.

26 Gen. Erwin Rommel ● He served as field marshal in the Wehrmacht
of Nazi Germany During World War II.
● He was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation
27 Yasser Arafat Organization.
● Yasser Arafat received Nobel Prize in 1994.
● Sri Aurobindo was an Indian philosopher
freedom fighter.
28 Aurobindo Ghosh
● Author of the Books ‘Essays on the Gita’ and
‘The Life Divine’.

● Aristotle was a Greek philosopher.

● Father of Western Philosophy.
29 Aristotle ● Teacher of Alexander the Great.
● One of his famous quotes is “Poverty is the
parent of revolution and crime.”

● Aryabhata was Indian mathematician-

astronomer.
30 Aryabhatta
● Aryabhatta adorned the court of Gupta ruler
Chandragupta Vikramaditya.

● Banabhatta, the author of Harshacharita and

31 Banabhatta
Kadambari, was a court poet of Harsha.

● Ashoka the Great, was an Indian emperor of

the Maurya Dynasty.
● Ashoka fought the Kalinga War in 261 BC.
32 Ashoka the Great
● Ashoka held the third Buddhist council at his
capital Pataliputra in 250 BC.
● Ashoka is son of Bindusara.

● Alexander the Great, was a king of the

33 Alexander the Great ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon.
● In 326 BC, Alexander invaded India.
 ● Founder of Mughal empire in India.
● He defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the First Battle of
34 Babur
Panipat (1526) and established the Mughal
Empire in India.

● Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman was an

Indian physicist.
● C.V. Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize in
35 CV Raman
1930 for Physics (For Discovery of the Raman
effect).
● He was awarded a Bharat Ratna in 1954.
● Albert Einstein born in 1879 at Ulm,
Germany.
● Albert Einstein won Nobel Prize for Physics
(especially for Explanation of photoelectric
effect) in 1921.
36 Albert Einstein
● Albert Einstein formulated his special theory
of relativity (E = mc^2) in 1905.
● The year 2005 was named the “World Year of
Physics” in recognition of the 100th
anniversary of Einstein publications.

● Alexander Graham Bell invented telephone in

37 Alexander Graham Bell 1876.
● Alexander Graham Bell was a Scottish-born
scientist.

● Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin

38 Alexander Fleming (antibiotics) in 1928.
● Sir Alexander was a Scottish biologist Nobel
Prize for medicine in 1945.

● Sir Frederick Banting was a Canadian medical

scientist.
39 Frederick Banting ● Insulin was discovered by Sir Frederick Banting.
● Nobel Prize for medicine in 1923 (for the
discovery of insulin)

● Andre-Marie Ampère was a French physicist

40 Andre Marie ampere and mathematician.
● Formulated Ampere's Law of
electromagnetism.
 ● Archimedes was a Greek mathematician,
physicist, inventor, and astronomer.
41 Archimedes ● Principle of buoyancy (Law of floating).
● Discovered the laws of levers and pulleys.
● The concept of ‘the center of gravity’.

42 Srinivasa Ramanujan ● Srinivasa Ramanujan was an Indian

mathematician.
 ● Amartya Sen is an Indian economist and
philosopher.
43 Amartya Sen ● He received the Nobel Prize in Economic
Sciences in 1998 for his contribution to
welfare economics.
44 MS Swaminathan ● Father of Green Revolution in India

● Stephen William born in Oxford, United

Kingdom.
45 Stephen William ● 'A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang
to Black Holes' is a popular science book on
cosmology written by Stephen William.

46 Tim Berners-Lee ● Inventor of the World Wide Web.

● Bachendri Pal is an Indian mountaineer.

47 Bachendri pal ● First Indian woman to reach the summit of
Mount Everest in 1984.

● Sachin Tendulkar is a former Indian cricketer

and a former captain of the Indian national
team.
● Tendulkar played his 200th Test match
against West Indies.
48 Sachin Tendulkar
● Tendulkar is the first batsman to score 200 in
ODI cricket.
● He received Bharat Ratna in 2014.
● ‘Playing It My Way’ is the autobiography of
Sachin Tendulkar.

● Dipa Karmakar is an Indian gymnast.

49 Dipa Karmakar ● She is the first Indian to win gold at
gymnastics world challenge.
● Kapil Dev is a former Indian cricketer.
● He captained the Indian cricket team that
won the 1983 Cricket World Cup.
50 Kapil Dev
● Kapil Dev has written Three autobiographies:
'By God's Decree' (1985), 'Cricket My Style'
(1987), and 'Straight From The Heart' (2004).

51 ● He was the first Indian to swim across English

Mihir Sen
Channel.

52 Milkha Singh ● Milkha Singh also known as The Flying Sikh.

● Indian track-and-field athlete.
 ● Rakesh Sharma was the first Indian to go into
53 Rakesh Sharma space.
● Rakesh Sharma flew aboard a Soyuz T11
spacecraft on 1984.

● Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama discovered

a sea route to India.
54 Vasco da Gama ● In 1498 CE Vasco da Gama reached Calicut
where he was cordially received by King
Zamorin the ruler of Calicut.

● Satyajit Ray was an Indian filmmaker,

screenwriter, music composer, graphic artist,
55 Satyajit Ray lyricist and author.
● Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1984)
● Bharat Ratna (1992)
● Honorary Academy Award in 1992

● Lata Mangeshkar is an Indian playback singer.

● Melody queen of India.
56 Lata Mangeshkar ● The Dadasaheb Phalke Award was bestowed on
her in 1989.
● She received the Bharat Ratna in 2001.

● Bhanu Athaiya is an Indian costume designer.

57 Bhanu Athaiya ● Bhanu Athaiya was the first Indian to win an
Academy Award in 1983.

58 Reita Faria Powell ● Reita Faria Powell was the first Indian woman
won the Miss World title in 1966.

● Hanaoka Seishu was a Japanese surgeon.

59 Hanaoka Seishu ● Seishu Hanaoka performed the first successful
surgical treatment of breast cancer under
general anesthesia in the world.

● Chancellor of Austria (since 2020).

60 Sebastian Kurz ● Sebastian Kurz is the youngest head of
government in the world.

● Prime Minister of Finland (since 2019).

61 Sanna Marin ● She became the youngest female prime
minister in the world.
 ● Narendra Modi is serving as the 14th and
current Prime Minister of India since 2014.
62 Narendra Modi ● Member of Parliament for Varanasi.
● He was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001
to 2014.

● Nita Mukesh Ambani is an Indian

philanthropist.
● Nita Ambani becomes first Indian trustee of
63 Nita Ambani New York's Metropolitan Museum.
● She was the first Indian woman to become a
member of the International Olympic
Committee.

64 Radha Krishna Mathur ● Radha Krishna Mathur is the first Lieutenant

Governor of the union territory of Ladakh.

65 N.V.Ramana ● N.V.Ramana is the 48th and current Chief

Justice of India.
66 Bipin Rawat ● First Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of India.

● Indian Air Force's Wing Commander Shaliza

67 Shaliza Dhami Dhami was the first female officer in the
country to become the Flight Commander of a
flying unit.

● She was the first combat pilot along with two

68 Avani chaturvedi of her cohorts, Mohana Singh, and Bhawana
Kanth.

● Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee is an Indian- American

69 Abhijit Banerjee economist.
● Abhijit Banerjee was awarded the Nobel Prize
in Economics in 2019.

● Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist for

female education.
70 Malala Yousafzai ● She was the co-recipient of the Nobel Peace
Prize (2014), along with Kailash Satyarthi of
India.

● APJ Abdul Kalam was an Indian aerospace

71 A. P. J. Abdul Kalam scientist.
● He Served as the 11th President of India.
● He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1997.

72 Pranab Mukherjee ● He Served as the 13th President of India.

● He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2019.
73 Ram Nath Kovind ● Ram Nath Kovind is currently serving as the
14th President of India.

● Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, commonly known as

Mother Teresa.
74 Mother Teresa ● In 1979 Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize.
● She was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1980.

● He Was an Indian musician and a composer

of Hindustani classical music.
● He was the best known proponent of the
75 Pandit Ravi Shankar sitar.
● Ravi Shankar was awarded the Bharat Ratna
in 1999.
● Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1992.

● Bhupen Hazarika was an Indian playback

singer, musician, poet and film maker from
Assam.
76 Bhupen Hazarika ● Bhupen Hazarika was awarded the Bharat
Ratna in 2019.
● The Dadasaheb Phalke Award was
bestowed on him in 1992.

● He is regarded as the Father of the Indian

Space Program.
77 Vikram Sarabhai
● He was honoured with Padma Bhushan in
1966 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1972.

● He is known as the father of the Indian

Nuclear Programme.
● Bhabha was awarded the Adams Prize in
78 Homi Jehangir Bhabha
1942 and Padma Bhushan in 1954.
● He was nominated for the Nobel Prize for
Physics in 1951 and 1953–1956.
 FIRST IN INDIA
Science & Technology
First hydroelectric plant Sidrapong (Darjeeling)
First Man in Space Rakesh Sharma
First Nuclear Reactor Apsara (Maharashtra)
First satellite Aryabhatta
First successfully indigenous launch vehicle SLV-3
First genetically modified food product in India Bt. Eggplant Hybrid [Banned]
First to pass the examination of the Indian Medical Service (IMS) Surjo Kumar Chakroborty
First Indian to be appointed as the deputy director-general of
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan
programmes (DDP) of the World Health Organization (WHO)
First satellite earth station for domestic communications Secunderabad
First Indian to get Nobel Prize in Physics C.V Raman

Governance
First President of India Dr. Rajendra Prasad
First Vice-President of India Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
First President of Indian National Congress Womesh Chandra Bannerjee
First Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru
First Chief Election Commissioner of India Sukumar Sen
First Viceroy of India Lord Canning
First Governor-General of India Lord William Bentinck
First Chief Justice of India H.J Kania
First Speaker of Lok Sabha G. V. Mavlankar
First Home Minister of India Sardar Vallabhai Patel
First Chairperson of Lokpal of India Pinaki Chandra Ghose

Defence
First Defence Minister of India Baldev Singh Chokkar
Kodandera Madappa
First Commander-in-Chief of Free India
Cariappa
First Commander-in-Chief, Indian Air Force Subroto Mukherjee
First Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw
First Param Vir Chakra Winner Major Somnath Sharma
First female Jawan in the Army Shanti Tigga
First Indian woman to fly fighter aircraft without co-pilot IAF Officer Avani Chaturvedi
First cosmonaut Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma
First woman in the Indian Army awarded the coveted ‘Sword of
Divya Ajith Kumar
Honour’ prize

Sports
Gold in Field Hockey (1928,
First Olympics Team Medal
Summer Olympics)
First Indian woman wrestler to win an Asian gold medal Navjot Kaur
First Indian woman badminton player to win an Asian Games
Saina Nehwal
medal
First Indian woman to win a medal at Asian Games Santhi Soundarajan
First person to win the international bronze medal in skiing Aanchal Thakur
First Woman to Win an Olympic Silver Medal P. V. Sindhu in Badminton
Nora Polley, 1924 Summer
First female to represent India at the Summer Olympics
Olympics
Abhinav Bindra, 2008
First Individual Gold Medal won by
Summer Olympics in Beijing
Sakshi Malik won Bronze in
First Woman to Win a Medal in Wrestling
the 2016 Summer Olympics

Architecture
First temple constructed from a single rock Kailasa temple at Ellora
First church in India St. Thomas Church, Palayoor
Cheraman Juma Mosque in
First mosque in India
Methala
First dam in India Kallanai Dam
Brihadeeswarar Temple,
First Indian temple with many interconnected structures
Tamil Nadu
Miscellaneous
First Indian to win Nobel Prize Rabindranath Tagore
Lord William Bentinck (1833-
First British Governor General of India
1835)
Lord Warren Hasting (1774-
First British Governor General of Bengal
1885)
First British Viceroy of India Lord Canning
First Governor General of free India Lord Mountbatten
First Indian to be Governor General of free India C. Rajgopalachari
The first man who introduced printing press in India James Hicky (Bengal Gazette)
The First Indian to join the I.C.S Satyendra Nath Tagore
First Indian to receive Bharat Ratna award Dr Radhakrishnan
First Indian to cross the English Channel Mihir Sen
The first Speaker of the Lok Sabha Ganesh Vasudeva Mavalankar
First Education Minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad
First Home Minister of India Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel
First person to receive Magsaysay Award Acharya Vinoba Bhave
First person of Indian origin to receive Nobel Prize in Medicine Hargovind Khurana
First person to receive Stalin Prize Saifuddin Kitchlu
First person to receive Nobel Prize in Economics Amartya Sen
First Indian woman judge in Supreme Court Meera Sahib Fatima Bibi
First Indian woman Governor of a state in free India Sarojini Naidu
First Indian woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
First Indian woman President of United Nations General
Vijay Laxmi Pandit
Assembly
First Indian woman Olympic Medal Winner Karnam Malleswari, 2000
First Indian woman to win Gold Medal in Asian Games Kamlijit Sandhu
First Indian woman Lawyer Cornelia Sorabjee
Ashapoorna Devi (For her
First woman to receive Jnanpith Award from India novel ‘Pratham Pratisruti ‘in
1965)
First Indian woman to receive Ashoka Chakra Neerja Bhanot
First woman to cross the English Channel from India Aarti Saha
First Indian woman to receive Nobel Prize Mother Teresa
First Indian woman to receive Bharat Ratna Indira Gandhi
First Indian woman pilot in Indian Air Force Harita Kaur Dayal
 BIGGEST, SMALLEST, LOWEST, HIGHEST & LARGEST THINGS IN
INDIA & WORLD
For India
Biggest Cave temple in India Kailasa Temple (Cave 16), Ellora Caves
Biggest Mosque in India Jama Masjid at Delhi
Motera Stadium or Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
Largest Cricket Stadium in India
Stadium
Deepest River Valley Bhagirathi and Alaknanda
Densest Populated State West Bengal
Gatimaan Express running between Delhi and
Fastest Train in India
Agra
Highest Airport in India Kushok Bakula Rimpochee Airport in Leh
Highest Award in India Bharat Ratna (Highest Civilian Award)
Highest Battle Field in India Siachen Glaciers (World’s highest Battlefield)
Highest Dam Tehri Dam (260.5 m)
Highest Gallantry Award Param Vir Chakra
Highest Gateway in India Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri
Highest Lake in India Deo Tal Lake
Highest Peak Karakoram-2 of K-2(8,611 meters)
Highest Railway Station in India Ghum railway station
Highest Rainfall (State) Mawsynram (Meghalaya)
Road connecting villages of Chisumle and
Highest Motorable Road
Demchok which are nearly 230 km from Leh
Highest Tower in India Qutab Minar at Delhi
Highest Waterfall in India Kunchikal falls (Karnataka)
Longest Cave Krem Liat Prah, Meghalaya
Medak Cathedral under the Church of South
Biggest Cathedral
India
Largest Delta Ganges Delta
Largest Desert in India Thar
Largest District Kutch district
Largest Dome in India Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur
Largest Fresh Water Lake Wular Lake
Largest Gurudwara in India Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), Amritsar
Vembanad Lake, Kerala (bordered by Alappuzha,
Longest Lake
Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts)
Largest Lake (Saline Water) Chilika Lake, Odisha
Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, the reservoir of
Biggest Man-Made Lake Rihand Dam, located in Pipri, Sonbhadra District,
Uttar Pradesh.
Largest Museum in India India Museum at Kolkata
Largest Planetarium in India Birla Planetarium
Largest Populated City Mumbai
Largest Port Mumbai (By Size & Shipping Traffic)
Largest Public Sector Bank State Bank of India
Largest River Island Majuli
Largest River without Delta Narmada
Largest State (Area) Rajasthan
Largest State (Population) Uttar Pradesh
Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park, Tirupati,
Largest Zoo
Andhra Pradesh
Longest Beach in India Marina Beach, Chennai
Longest Canal in India Indira Gandhi Canal or Rajasthan Canal
Longest Cantilever Span bridge Howrah Bridge
Longest Dam (Earthen) Hirakud Dam
Between Cherlopali and Rapuru Railway stations
Longest Electrified Railway Tunnel
(6.7 km) (Andhra Pradesh)
NH-44 (previously known as NH-7) from Srinagar
to Kanyakumari, NH 44 came into existence by
Longest Highway merging the previous 7 differently numbered
national highways. It passes through 11 different
states.
Longest Railway Platform Gorakhpur Railway Station
From Assam to Kanyakumari (Dibrugarh –
Longest Railway Route
Kanyakumari Vivek Express)
Dhola-Sadiya Bridge (Also known as
Bhupen-Hazarika Setu) connecting Assam and
Longest River Bridge (Over Water)
Arunachal Pradesh. The length of the bridge is
9.15 km.
Longest River in India The Ganges
Longest Tributary river of India Yamuna
Longest Tunnel in India (Highway) Atal tunnel
Oldest Church in India St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, Tamil Nadu
Smallest State (Area) Goa
Smallest State (Population) Sikkim
Largest Area Under Forest Cover (State) Madhya Pradesh
State with the longest coastline Gujarat
State with the longest coastline in South India Andhra Pradesh
Tallest Statue Statue of Unity

For World
What/Which is Name/Location
The Biggest Airport King Khalid International Airport (Saudi Arabia)
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
The Busiest Airport (by passenger traffic)
(Georgia, USA)
The Largest Creature Blue Whale
The Largest (Hot) Desert Sahara Desert (North Africa)
The Tallest Dam Jinping-I Dam (China)
The Largest Island Greenland
The Largest Temple Angkor Wat(Angkor, Cambodia)
The Highest Railway Station Tanggula Railway Station (Amdo County, Tibet)
The Busiest (passenger) Railway Station Shinjuku R. Station(Tokyo, Japan)
The Largest Railway Station (by platforms) Grand Central Terminal (New York City, USA)
The Tallest Railway Station (Building) Nagoya Station (Japan)
Rungrado 1st of May Stadium (Pyongyang,
The Largest Stadium
North Korea)
The Longest Epic Mahabharata
The Longest Mountain Range Andres (S. America)
Pan-American Highway (Covering North,
The Longest (Road) Highway
Central, & South America)
The Heaviest Terrestrial (on land) Animal African Bush Elephant
The Heaviest Living Reptile (also the largest
Saltwater Crocodile
living reptile)
The Heaviest Living Bird Common Ostrich
The Tallest Animal Giraffe
The fastest flying bird Peregrine Falcon
The Tallest Building Burj Khalifa (Dubai, UAE)
The Highest Settlement La Rinconada (Peru)
The Northernmost City (with more than
Norilsk (Russia)
100,000 inhabitants)
The southernmost City Ushuaia (Argentina)
The Highest Mt. Peak Mount Everest (Himalayan Range)(Nepal)
The Highest (navigable) Lake Lake Titicaca (on the border of Bolivia and Peru)
Dead Sea (on the border of West Bank, Israel
The Lowest Lake
and Jordan
Deepest Lake Baikal (Russia)
Lake Superior (on the border of the USA &
The Largest Fresh Water Lake (by surface area)
Canada)
The Largest Gulf Mexico Gulf (Atlantic Ocean)
The Deepest River Gorge Kali Gandaki Gorge or Andha Galchi (Nepal)
The Longest River Nile (North Africa)
The Longest River (by volume water) Amazon River (South America)
The Highest Waterfall Angel Falls (Venezuela)
Hottest Place in the World Azizia (Libya, Africa)
Driest Place in the World Iqique (In Atacama Desert, Chile)
Coldest Place (Habitated) Verkhoyank (Siberia)
Biggest Palace Vatican (Italy)
Biggest Country (Area) Russia
Biggest City (Area) Mount Isa, Australia
Tallest Building Burj, Dubai (UAE)
Largest River Amazon (South America)
Largest Peninsula Arabia
Largest Park Yellow Stone National Park (U.S.A.)
Largest Museum British Museum, London
Largest Island Greenland
Largest Lake (Artificial) Lake Mead (Boulder Dam)
Largest Dome Astrodome, in Houston (U.S.A.)
Largest Diamond The Cullinan
Largest Dam Grand Coulee Dam (U.S.A.)
Largest Desert (Asia) Gobi
Largest Desert (World) Sahara (Africa)
Largest City in Population Tokyo
Longest Railway Station (World) Grand Central Terminal, Chicago (U.S.A.)
Longest Railway (World) Trans-Siberian railway
Longest river (World) Nile
 List of Indian Cities and their Nicknames

Name of Cities Nicknames of the Cities

Bengaluru (Karnataka) 1. Silicon Valley of India
2. Space City
3. Science city of India
4. Garden City of India
Bhagalpur (Bihar) Silk City
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) 1. Detroit of Asia
2. Automobile Capital of India
3. Gate Way Of South India
4. India's health capital
5. Electronic Manufacturing Hub in India
6. Banking Capital of India
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) Manchester of South India
Dibrugarh (Assam) Tea City of India
Hyderabad (Telangana) City of Pearls
Jaipur (Rajasthan) Pink City
Jamshedpur (Jharkhand) Steel City of India
Kolkata (West Bengal) City of Joy
Kolhapur (Maharashtra) City of Wrestlers
Kollam (Kerala) Cashew Capital of the World
Kochi (Kerala) Queen of Arabian Sea
Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh) The Gateway of Rayalaseems
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) City of Nawab
Madurai (Tamil Nadu) 1. City of Festivals
2. Temple city
3. Athens of the East
Mangalore (Karnataka) 1. Cradle Of Indian Banking
2. Gateway Of Karnataka
3. Rome Of The East
4. Petrochemical capital of South India
5. Ice cream capital of India
6. Jewel of the West Coast
7. City of cuisines
Mumbai (Maharashtra) 1. City of Seven Islands
2. Gateway of India
3. Hollywood of India
 4. Maximum City
Mussoorie (Uttarakhand) Queen of the Mountains
Muzaffarpur (Bihar) The Land of Leechi
Nagpur (Maharashtra) 1. Orange City
2. Tiger Capital
Akola (Maharashtra) The Cotton City
Patiala (Punjab) Royal City
Panipat (Haryana) City of Weavers
Pondicherry (Puducherry) Paris of the East
Pune (Maharashtra) 1. Oxford of the East
2. Queen of Deccan
Siliguri (West Bengal) Gateway to the Dooars
Surat (Gujarat) Diamond City
Tezpur (Assam) City of Blood
Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu) 1. Oxford city of south India
2. Halwa city of India
3. City of paddy fields
Thoothukudi (Tamil Nadu) Pearl City
Udaipur (Rajasthan) 1. White City
2. City of Lakes
3. Venice of the East
Trivandrum (Kerala) Evergreen City of India
Vadodara (Gujarat) 1. Banyan City
2. Cultural Capital of Gujarat/ Sanskari Nagari
3. Power Equipment Manufacturing Hub of India
4. Pensioners' City