List of Firsts in India - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

4/7/2014 List of firsts in India - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_firsts_in_India 1/14

List of firsts in IndiaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of firsts in India.

Contents

1 Architecture2 Awards and titles

2.1 Nobel Prize3 Defence (in the Republic of India)4 Economy5 Exploration6 Film, TV and entertainment7 Governance8 Science

8.1 Medical science9 Sport

9.1 Olympics9.2 Chess9.3 Tennis9.4 Cricket

10 Women11 Places12 Transport13 Others14 References

Architecture

First Islamic (tomb) in India: (http://Sultan%20Ghari)Sultan Ghari Sultan Ghari(Hindi: , Urdu: ), built in 1231 CE for Prince Nasir ud, eldest son of Iltumish.

First true dome: Alai Darwaza, Qutb complex, Delhi, built in 1311 CE, by first Khilji Sultan ofDelhi, Ala-ud-din Khilji.First true arch: Balban's tomb, Mehrauli Archeological Park, Delhi, built c. 1287 CE, byGhiyas ud din Balban of Mamluk dynasty.First garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, also the first with Persian double-dome:Humayun's Tomb, Delhi, built 1562-1571 CE.First Mosque in India: Cheraman Juma Masjid Kodungallur (Kerala), built 629-630 A.D byMalik ibn Deenar, an Arab trader on the order of Chera ruler Cheraman Perumal (Tajjudin

after conversion to Islam)[1][2]

Awards and titles

Mr. Universe: Manohar Aich in 1952Miss World: Reita Faria in 1966. (She was also the first Asian to win the title.)



Miss Asia Pacific: Zeenat Aman in 1970International Teen Princess: Radha Bartake in 1974Miss Teenage Intercontinental: Elizabeth Anita Reddi in 1978World Miss University: Priyadarshini Pradhan in 1989Miss Universe: Sushmita Sen in 1994Miss India Worldwide: Karminder Kaur Virk in 1994.Miss Intercontinental Pageant: Lara Dutta in 1997.Mr. International: Aryan Vaid in 2000Manhunt International: Rajeev Singh in 2001Miss Tourism International: Candice Pinto in 2001Mrs. World: Aditi Gowitrikar in 2001Miss Tourism World : Payal Rohatgi in 2002Miss Tourism Queen International: Zabina Abdul Rashid Khan in 2004Miss World Tourism : Sonal Chauhan in 2005.Miss Tourism: Priyanka Shah in 2007Miss Earth: Nicole Faria in 2010Miss Tourism Queen Of The Year International: Urvashi Rautela in 2011Miss Asia Pacific World: Himangini Singh Yadu in 2012Mister United Nations : Rahul Vyas in 2013First Indian to win any literary award (the Newbery Medal) in the United States, in 1927 forGay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon: Dhan Gopal MukerjiNirad C. Chaudhuri, first Indian to win a major non-fiction award, the Duff Cooper Prize in theUnited Kingdom, in 1966 for The Continent of CirceMan Booker Prize: Arundhati Roy for her novel "The God of Small Things" in the year 1997.Bhaswati Bhattacharya was the first Indian to speak as Orator at the Harvard University, in

the Commencement Exercises in 1993.[3]

Bharat Ratna: Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, C. Rajagopalachari, and C. V. Raman in 1954Padma Vibhushan: Satyendra Nath Bose, Nand Lal Bose, Zakir Hussain, BalasahebGangadhar Kher, Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, V. K. Krishna Menon in 1954

Commandeur of the Order of Arts and Letters: Mrinal Sen[4]

Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters: Sivaji GanesanDadasaheb Phalke Award: Devika Rani in 1969Ashoka Chakra Award to a civilian: D.K. Jatar (posthumous) and M.C Dixit, captain and co-captain respectively, of the sabotaged plane Kashmir Princess, for "most conspicuousbravery, daring and self-sacrifice"Magsaysay Award: Vinoba Bhave, 1958Stalin Peace Prize (now known as Lenin Peace Prize) in 1952-Saifuddin KitchlewOscar for Lifetime Achievement - Satyajit RayNishan-e-Pakistan: Morarji Desai, 1990

Nobel Prize

Nobel Prize in Literature: Rabindranath Tagore in 1913. He was also the first Asian to winthe prize.Nobel Prize in Physics: C. V. Raman in 1930.Nobel Prize in Medicine: Har Gobind Khorana in 1968 (US citizen of Indian origin)Nobel Peace Prize: Mother Teresa of Calcutta in 1979 (Indian citizen of Albanian origin)Nobel Prize in Physics: Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar in 1983 (US citizen of Indian origin)Nobel Prize in Economics: Amartya Sen in 1998Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Venkatraman Ramakrishnan in 2009 (USA citizen of Indian origin)



Defence (in the Republic of India)

President of Indian Republic: Dr Rajendra PrasadVice President of Indian Republic: Dr. Sarvepalli RadhakrishnanDefence Minister of India: Baldev SinghCommander-in-Chief of Free India: General Sir Roy BucherIndian Commander-in-Chief of Free India: General Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, 1949Chief of Air Staff: Air Marshal Sir Thomas ElmhirstIndian Chief of Staff: General Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, 1947Commander-in-Chief, IAF: Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee, 1954Chief of Naval Staff: Vice Admiral R D KatariCosmonaut: Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma, 1984Field Marshal: Sam Manekshaw, 1973First Parsi Army Chief: Field Marshal Sam ManekshawFirst Parsi Navy Chief: Admiral J L CursetjiFirst Parsi Air Force Chief: Air Marshal Aspy EngineerFirst Christian Army Chief: General Sunith Francis RodriguesFirst Christian Navy Chief: Admiral Ronald Lynsdale PereiraFirst Christian Air Force Chief: Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar BrowneFirst Sikh Army Chief: General Joginder Jaswant SinghFirst Sikh Air Force Chief: Air Marshal Arjan SinghFirst Muslim Air Force Chief: Air Marshal Idris Hasan LatifFirst female officer to be court martialled: Anjali Gupta

First female jawan in the Army: Sapper Shanti Tigga[5]

First Param Vir Chakra Winner: Major Som Nath Sharma

Economy

First power in India with Soviet Collaboration: Neyveli Lignite Corporation in 1962.[6]

First central PSU to be privatized: Modern Food Industries in January 2000

Exploration

Person to fly in a balloon and land in a parachute: Ram Chandra ChatterjeePerson to reach the South Pole: Col Jatinder Kumar BajajWoman to scale Mount Everest: Bachendri Pal on 23 May 1984. She was the 5th woman inthe world to scale the peak.Woman to reach South Pole: Reena Kaushal DharmshaktuPerson to reach the North Pole: Jagannathan Srinivasaraghavan on April 23, 1985.Person to have walked across Gobi desert: Sucheta Kadethankar

Film, TV and entertainment

First Film to be exhibited in India on 7 July 1896, with the Lumiere Brothers'

Cinematography, unveiling six silent short films at the Watson's Hotel in Bombay, viz., Entry

of Cinematographe, The Sea Bath, Arrival of a Train, A Demolition, Ladies & Soldiers onWheels and Leaving the Factory.

First silent film to be made in India: Raja Harishchandra, 1913 by Dadasaheb Phalke.



First Tamil silent film: Keechaka Vadham (1918), produced and directed by R. NatarajaMudaliar.

First actress of Indian cinema: Durgabai Kamat in Mohini Bhasmasur (1913), second

movie of Phalke[7][8]

First Bengali film maker: Hiralal SenFirst Bengali talkie: Dena Paona (1931)Dadasaheb Phalke Award: Devika Rani (1969)First Government award for films: Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards(1937)First Punjabi film made in the city: KolkataFirst Indian filmmaker to get Bharat Ratna: Satyajit Ray (1992)

Sound film: Alam Ara (1931) directed by Ardeshir Irani,[9] 1931, First Talkie actress:ZubeidaColour film: Kisan Kanya (1937), directed by Moti B. Gidvani.

Film to be banned: Neel Akasher Neechey, (1959) (Directed by-Mrinal Sen) .[10]

Cinemascope film: Kaagaz Ke Phool(Directed by -Gurudutt) (1959)[11][12]

Oscar for Lifetime Achievement: Satyajit Ray (1992)

Film to attract International critical attention: Pather Panchali, (1955) won eleven awards.

Oscar winner: Bhanu Athaiya for Best Costume Design for Gandhi (film) in 1982Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film: Mother India, 1957

Music director to win an Oscar and first double Oscar winner-Mr. A. R. Rahman for Slumdog

Millionaire, 22 February 2009.Sound engineer to win an Oscar: Resul Pookutty for Slumdog Millionaire, 22 February2009Palme d'Or at 1946 Cannes Film Festival: Neecha Nagar, directed by Chetan Anand

National Film Award for cinema: Shyamchi Aai, 1954

Colorized film: Mughal-e-Azam in 2004 (the original black-and-white version was releasedin 1960)

Sponsored TV serial: Hum Log, started on 7 July 1984, was also the first soap opera ofIndia, ran for 156 episodes

Guinness Book of World Records in the category, Fewest actors in a narrative film:

Yaadein (1964) directed and acted by Sunil Dutt[13]

Actor to enact 10 roles: Kamal HaasanActress to enact 10 roles = Priyanka Chopra plays 12 different characters in Bollywood film-"What's Your Raashee?"3-D film: My Dear Kuttichathan, a Malayalam film, produced in 1984, dubbed in Hindi as

Chhota Chetan.

70 mm film: Around the World, a Hindi film, starring Raj Kapoor and Rajshree in 1967Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) - Director: Mrinal Sen (1985);Actor: Sivaji Ganesan (1995); Actress: Sharmila Tagore(2004)

Hindi film screened at the United Nations: Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 10 November2006,directed by Rajkumar HiraniFirst Bhojpuri feature film to be featured in the Indian Panorama section at the International

Film Festival of India: Deswa (2011)[14]

First music record was recorded by Gauhar Jaan[15] singing a khayal in Raag Jogiya,[16]

recorded on 2 November 1902, by Fred Gaisberg, assistant to Emile Berliner, the father of

Gramophone record.[17]

Governance



President of the Indian National Congress: Womesh Chandra Bannerjee, 1885President of the Indian National Congress of independent India: Acharya Kripalani, tillNovember 1947President: Rajendra Prasad (19501962)First Woman President: Pratibha Patil (20072012)The first Chief Election Commissioner : Sukumar SenIndustries and Supplies Minister: Shyama Prasad MukherjeeThe first person to resign from the Central Cabinet: Shyama Prasad MukherjeeVice-President: Sarvepalli RadhakrishnanPrime Minister: Jawaharlal Nehru (194764). India held its first constitutional elections in1952 after which he was re-elected.Deputy Prime Minister: Vallabhbhai Patel (19471950)Law Minister of India: B. R. AmbedkarLeader of Opposition: A. K. GopalanPrime Minister to be voted out of office: Indira Gandhi (1977), when the Indian NationalCongress lost to the Janata PartyNon-Congress government: Janata Party, with Morarji Desai as the Prime Minister (19771980)Non-Congress State government with Majority by a single party: E. M. S. Namboodiripad ofCPI, Kerala 1957Prime Minister to lead a minority government for a full term (five years): P. V. NarasimhaRao, 21 June 1991 16 May 1996Person outside the Nehru-Gandhi family to serve as Prime Minister for a full term (fiveyears): P. V. Narasimha Rao, 21 June 1991 16 May 1996Prime Minister from South India: P. V. Narasimha Rao, 1991, H.D.Deve Gowda

Women Railway Minister of India: Mamata Banerjee[18]

The first Viceroy of India: Lord Canning, 1858Governor-General of India: Warren Hastings, 1773Governor-General of Independent India: Lord Mountbatten, 1947Indian Governor-General of Indian Union: C Rajagopalachari, 1948Chief Justice of India: H. J. Kania (19471951)First Sikh Prime Minister: Manmohan Singh (2004present)First Muslim President: Zakir Hussain (19671969)First Sikh President: Giani Zail SinghFirst Chief Minister of West Bengal: Dr. Prafulla Chandra GhoshIndian ICS Officer: Satyendranath Tagore, 1863Speaker of Lok Sabha: G.V. Mavlankar (19521956)Finance Minister of Independent India: R.K. Shanmukhan Chetty (19471949), for otherssee First Indian CabinetPresentation of First Budget after India's Independence: R. K. Shanmukhan Chetty on 26November 1947

First Home Minister of India: Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel[19]

First Indian President to die in Office: Dr Zakir Hussain, 3 May 1969First Chief Minister to die in Office: C.N.Annadurai, Tamil NaduFirst Indian Prime Minister to resign from office: Morarji Desai, 1979First woman Cabinet Minister in India: Rajkumari Amrit KaurFirst woman Minister in India: Vijaya Lakshmi PanditFirst woman Chief Minister: Sucheta KriplaniFirst woman Governor of a State: Sarojini Naidu (Governor of Uttar Pradesh, 194749)First female Home Minister: Sabitha Indra Reddy in Andhra Pradesh Govt.First woman Speaker of the Lok Sabha: Meira Kumar



First woman Finance Minister of State Government in India: Dr Upinderjit Kaur, in PunjabGovt.

Science

The first president of the inaugural session of the Indian Science Congress: Sir AshutoshMukherjee in 1914

Hydroelectric plant: Sidrapong near Darjeeling, commissioned in 1897,[20] followed by the

Gaganachukki waterfall of the Sivasamudram Falls, Mysore Kingdom, built in 1902.[21]

Place to get electricity: Darjeeling in 1897, followed by Calcutta (now Kolkata)[22][23] in 1898and Kolar Gold Fields in 1902.Man in space: Rakesh Sharma aboard Soyuz T-11, on 3 April 1984. He was the 138th manin space worldwide.Woman in space: Kalpana Chawla aboard Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87, on 19November 1997. She was a naturalized United States citizen, and represented the USduring the event.Test-tube baby: Durga Agarwal, born 1978Scientific Expedition to Antarctica: 1981Nuclear Reactor: Apsara, Mumbai, MaharashtraFirst Genetically Modified Food Product in India: Bt. Egg plant Hybrid (Bt. -- Baciliusthuringiensis)Satellite: Aryabhata, launched on 19 April 1975Satellite dedicated exclusively for educational services: EDUSAT

Successfully indigenous launch vehicle: SLV-3Prospective space tourist: Santhosh George Kulangara, proposed in 2009 aboard VirginGalacticCloned Animal: Bhass, sampuraIn 1850, the first experimental electric telegraph line was started between Kolkata andDiamond Harbor. In 1851, it was opened for the use of the British East India Company1854: Telegraph service opened to the PublicFirst telephone exchange: On 28 January 1882, Major E. Baring, Member of the GovernorGeneral of India's Council declared open the Telephone Exchanges in Calcutta, Bombayand Madras. The exchange in Calcutta named the "Central Exchange", was opened at thirdfloor of the building at 7, Council House Street, with a total of 93 subscribers. Later that year,Bombay also witnessed the opening of a telephone exchange.1902 - First wireless telegraph station established between Sagar Islands and Sandheads.1907 - First Central Battery of telephones introduced in Kanpur.1913-1914 - First Automatic Exchange installed in Shimla.1927 - Radio-telegraph system between the UK and India, with Imperial Wireless Chainbeam stations at Khadki and Daund. Inaugurated by Lord Irwin on 23 July by exchanginggreetings with King George V.1933 - Radiotelephone system inaugurated between the UK and India.1953 - 12 channel carrier system introduced.1960 - First subscriber trunk dialing route commissioned between Lucknow and Kanpur.1975 - First PCM system commissioned between Mumbai City and Andheri telephoneexchanges.1976 - First digital microwave junction introduced.1979 - First optical fibre system for local junction commissioned at Pune.1980 - First satellite earth station for domestic communications established atSecunderabad, A.P.



1983 - First analog Stored Program Control exchange for trunk lines commissioned atMumbai.1984 - First Underground Metro Railways System at Calcutta.1984 - C-DOT established for indigenous development and production of digital exchanges.1990 - First technology park in India, Technopark, Trivandrum was launched1995 - First mobile telephone service started on non-commercial basis on 15 August 1995in Delhi.

Medical science

First Graduate in Medicine: Surjo Kumar ChakrabortyFirst Ever Rhinoplasty noted in world/India: Over Ksatji a British soldier by a Kumhar Vaidya.First physician in India and second in the world to perform the In vitro fertilization: SubhashMukhopadhyay.

Sport

Indian to swim across the English Channel: Mihir Sen, 1958.Woman to swim across the English Channel: Arati Saha, 1959Formula One racer: Narain KarthikeyanFormula One team: Force India F1A1 GP race victory: Narain Karthikeyan, Zhuhai, China, 2007Person to equal world record in Archery: Limba Ram, 1992Person to walk across the Mongolian Gobi Desert: Sucheta Kadethankar who achieved thefeat in 51 days, 11 hours and 40 minutes in 2011.Ashish Kumar, first Indian to win a medal in both Asian games(November 12 to 27November 2010, Guangzhou(China)) and Commonwealth games(Delhi, India, from 3 to 14October 2010). He won Bronze medal in both games.Shiva Keshavan, first Indian to win 2 Gold Medals for India in Winter sports at the Asia Cupin Japan in 2011 and 2012. The Asian Champion is also a 4 time Olympian and has set thenew Asian speed record on ice at 134.3 kmph and track record a 49.590 seconds.Sushil Kumar (wrestler) is the first Indian to win back to back Olympic medals (Bronze andSilver in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics respectively)

Olympics

Olympic team medal: Gold in Field Hockey, Amsterdam, beating the Netherlands in theFinals.Individual medal (in British India): Two Silver medals by Norman Pritchard in 200 metres and200 metres hurdles at the 1900 Summer Olympics, Paris. (This is disputed however. TheIOC claims he participated for India. The IAAF records him as participant for Great Britain.)Individual medal: Bronze by K. D. Jadhav for Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics inHelsinki.Medal in Tennis: Leander Paes at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.Individual medal by a woman: Bronze by Karnam Malleswari for weightlifting 54 kg class, atthe 2000 Summer Olympics Sydney.Individual Gold medal: Abhinav Bindra in the 10 m Air Rifle event at the 2008 SummerOlympics in Beijing.Individual Silver medal (Independent India): Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in the Men'sDouble Trap event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.



Medal in boxing: Vijender Kumar in the Beijing Olympics 2008.Medal in Badminton: Saina Nehwal, winning bronze in the London Olympics 2012Medal in wrestling: Sushil Kumar, winning a Bronze in the Beijing Olympics 2008 and aSilver in the London Olympics 2012Medal in boxing: MC Mary Kom, winning bronze in the London Olympics 2012Medal in wrestling: Yogeshwar Dutt, winning a bronze in the London Olympics 2012

Chess

Chess Grandmaster: Male - Viswanathan Anand, 1988.Female - Koneru Humpy - 2002 - She was also the youngest woman to become agrandmaster at 15 years old. (Hou Yifan of China is the youngest woman to become agrandmaster, at 14 years and 6 months.)

Tennis

Grand Slam title: Mahesh Bhupathi (partnering with Japanese Rika Hiraki) in the MixedDoubles category of the 1997 French Open.Woman to win a match in a Grand Slam event: Nirupama Vaidyanathan beat Italian GloriaPizzichini in the first round of the 1998 Australian OpenWoman to reach 4th round (highest as of 2009) of a Grand Slam singles event: Sania Mirzain the Singles category of the 2005 US Open.Woman to win a Grand Slam title: Sania Mirza (partnering with Mahesh Bhupathi) in theMixed Doubles category of the 2009 Australian Open.Grand Slam junior title: Ramanathan Krishnan in the Singles category of the 1954Wimbledon Championship.Grand Slam junior title by a woman: Sania Mirza (partnering with Russian Alisa Kleybanova)in the Doubles category of the 2003 Wimbledon Championships.Yuki Bhambri became the first Indian to win the Singles in the Junior Australian Open, whenhe defeated the Greek Alexandros-Ferdinandos Georgoudas in the final 63, 61 in theFinals in 2009.

Cricket

First Cricket Club in India: Calcutta now Kolkata (1792) Calcutta cricket clubFirst test match played in India: India v/s England in Eden Gardens,(Calcutta) (result draw)(5-8 Jan 1934)First Indian Captain and the third in history to have led his team to victory after beingenforced to follow on - against Steve Waugh's Australia in 2001-02: Sourav GangulyFirst Cricket Stadium: Eden Gardens in KolkataFirst Test Victory: Against England At MadrasCricket tournament: The Bombay Triangular (19051911) which later became the BombayQuadrangular (19121936)First Indian Captain to win more than 21 test matches as a captain: Mahendra Singh DhoniTest match: Against England at Lord's, 25 June 1932Captain in Tests: C. K. Nayudu for the 1932 tour of England.ODI captain: Ajit Wadekar.Cricketer to score a century in a Test match: Lala Amarnath, 118 against England inDecember 1933 at Bombay Gymkhana grounds.First Indian to score the highest runs in a World Cup: Sourav Ganguly 183 runs V/S SriLanka in 1999 World Cup Cricket.



Cricketer to score a double century in a Test match: Polly Umrigar, 223 against NewZealand at Hyderabad in 1955-56Cricketer to score a triple century in a Test match: Virender Sehwag, 309 against Pakistanin Multan in 2004.Indian to score an ODI century: Kapil Dev, 175* against Zimbabwe in the 1983 CricketWorld Cup.Indian to score an ODI double century is Sachin Tendulkar, 200* against South Africa atGwalior, 24 February 2010 (he was the first in the World to achieve this feat).Hat-trick in an ODI: Chetan Sharma against New Zealand in 1987.First World Cup Runners up captain: Sourav Ganguly (2003)World Cup: At the 1983 World Cup when India beat West Indies in the Finals Under thecaptaincy of Kapil DevBatsman to complete 10,000 runs in Tests: Sunil Gavaskar (he was the first in the World toachieve this feat)Batsman to complete 10,000 runs in ODIs: Sachin Tendulkar (he was the first in the World toachieve this feat)Winner of the first T20 World Cup: India (in 2007).Cricketer to score 100 centuries in Test and ODIs combined: Sachin Tendulkar (he was thefirst in the World to achieve this feat)First bowler to take all 10 wickets in an innings: Anil Kumble (against Pakistan)First batsman to score 50 centuries in Test Cricket: Sachin TendulkarFirst woman to score a double hundred in Test cricket: Mithali Raj [214* against NewZealand at Wellington, 2004] (she was first in the world to achieve this feat)First Indian to score a T20 century: at Suresh Raina vs South Africa.Six sixes in an Over: Yuvraj Singh in a T20 match vs England.First Nation to win a World Cup Finale on its home ground: India (ICC 2011 Cricket WorldCup) Final held at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.Fastest Fifty in a T20I: 50 runs of 12 balls by Yuvraj Singh (vs England in the Inaugural WorldT20 Championship held in South Africa, 2007)

Women

First women's court in India: Malda, West Bengal (24/1/2013)[24]

Graduates: Kadambini Ganguly and Chandramukhi Basu, 1883The first woman Honours Graduate: Kamini Roy, 1886Head of an Undergraduate Academic Institution: Chandramukhi Basu, 1888The first woman Director General of Police: Kanchan Chaudhary BhattacharyaHonours Graduate: Kamini Roy (1886)The first woman to receive Nobel Prize: Mother Teresa of CalcuttaWoman Railway Minister of India: Mamata BanerjeeWoman to become Railway Minister of India twice in her tenure: Mamata BanerjeeWoman to become Railway Minister of India in two different Governments (NDA &UPA) :Mamata BanerjeeWoman to be the Chairperson of State Bank of India:Arundhati BhattacharyaCourt martialled: Anjali Gupta in 2005Lawyer: Cornelia Sorabjee (1892) also the first female graduate from Bombay University,and the first woman in the world to read law at Oxford.

Photojournalist: Homai Vyarawalla (1913)[8]

Doctorate of Science: Asima Chatterjee (1944)Chief Justice of a High Court (Himachal Pradesh): Leila Seth, 1991



The first woman Air Vice Marshal: P. BandopadhyayaSupreme Court judge: Justice M. Fathima BeeviHigh Court Judge: Anna ChandyWoman President of the United Nations General Assembly: Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, 1953Physician: Kadambini Ganguly, 1886Airline Pilot: Durba BanerjeeIn space: Kalpana Chawla aboard Space Shuttle Columbia flight STS-87, on 19 November1997. She was a naturalized United States citizen, and represented the US during the event.Nobel Prize winner: Mother Teresa of calcutta in 1979 (Albanian born Indian citizen)The first Indian woman to sit in civil services exam, to join IFS, to be a diplomat, to becomethe ambassador/High commissioner (She also to sue the Indian government for genderbias): Muthamma Chonira.The first woman to cross English Channel: Aarti SahaMonarch of Delhi Sultanate: Razia Sultan (12051240) of Mamluk Sultanate (Delhi)Prime Minister: Indira Gandhi, 1966Minister in a government: Rajkumari Amrit Kaur in the Ministry of HealthChief Minister of a State: Sucheta Kripalani, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, 19631967Governor: Sarojini Naidu, Governor of Uttar Pradesh, 19471949Central Minister (in pre-independent India): Vijayalakshmi Pandit, minister of local self-government and public health, 1937Speaker of the Lok Sabha: Meira KumarAsha Pande, first Indian woman to be the member of Legion of HonourAnjali Gopalan, first Tamil woman member of the royal French Legion of Honour.Indian National Congress President: Annie BesantPresident: Pratibha Patil, 2007IPS Officer Kiran BediAsian Games gold medal winner: Kamlijit SandhuThe first Indian woman to climb Mount Everest: Bachendri Pal, 1984Chess Grandmaster: Koneru Humpy, 2002. She was also the youngest woman in the worldto become a grandmaster at 15 years old.To win 1st round match in a Grand Slam event: Nirupama Vaidyanathan beat Italian GloriaPizzichini in the first round of the 1998 Australian OpenTo reach 4th round (highest as of 2008) of a Grand Slam event: Sania Mirza in the Singlescategory of the 2005 US Open.Grand Slam junior title: Sania Mirza (partnering with Russian Alisa Kleybanova) in theDoubles category of the 2003 Wimbledon Championships.State Finance Minister: Dr Upinderjit Kaur, in Punjab: October, 2010

Paris Brest Paris Cycling Event: Divya Tate (44): August, 2011[25]

The first Indian woman pilot: Harita Kaur Deol becomes the first Indian woman pilot in theIndian Air Force (IAF), on a solo flight in 1994.

To Cross Gobi Desert: Sucheta Kadethankar (33): 2011[26]

First Indian woman to reach the final of an Olympic event Pilavullakandi ThekkeparambilUsha, popularly known as P. T. Ushafirst woman IAS officer:Anna Rajan George(b1927)kerela qualified in 1950 sub divisionalofficer in Tamil Nadu 1951First and youngest Indian female Ultramarathoner (23yrs) to run a 100 Mile Race(Himalayas)Priya Darshini (October, 2007)First Indian Women to win Magasasay Award: Kamladevi Chattopadhyay

Places



First partition of Indian state: BengalDistrict to achieve 100% literacy rate: Ernakulam district, Kerala, 1990City/town to achieve 100% literacy rate: Kottayam, Kerala, 1989District to achieve 100% literacy rate and lowest population growth rate: Pathanamthittadistrict, KeralaDistrict to be polio-free: Pathanamthitta district, KeralaDistrict to achieve tobacco free: Kottayam district, Kerala, 27 September 2008District to become India's 'total electrified district': Palakkad, Kerala, 2011City to have an e-court: Ahmedabad, 8 February 2009

Transport

First (Metro) rail to become Zone of Indian Railways: Kolkata Metro as the (17Th Zonal

Headquarter) (30-12-2010)[27]

First and the only Indian (Metro) rail under Indian Railways: Kolkata MetroFirst Passenger Train: between Mumbai and Thane on 16 April 1853First suburban railway line: Mumbai Suburban Railway in 1857First rapid transit (Metro) rail: Kolkata Metro in 1984First Motorcar: in 1897, Mr Forster of Crompton GreavesFirst Motorcar in regular use: Francis Spring, Chennai in 1901.First Indians to own a motor car: Jamshedji Tata and Rustom Cama, a Parsi Lawyer in1901.First competitive event: Delhi - Bombay trials in 1905 at the behest of Lord Curzon andMotor Union of Western India to test the suitability of the Automobile for Indian roads and tofacilitate interaction between the fledging Automobile Industry and prospective Indian

clients[28][29][30][31][32]

Oldest surviving and running cars in India: De Dion Bouton 1904, Rover 1905First woman to drive a car in India: Suzanne RD Tata 1905First Motor Taxi: Mumbai, 1911First largescale import of motor cars: Relatively large contingent of motorcars imported for

the Delhi Darbar held in 1911 to mark the arrival of King George V[33]

First registration scheme for motor vehicles in India: 1912Arrival of mass production technology makes the Automobile a practical means of transportby the 1920s and most British officers had carsFirst Assembly of motor cars: General Motors sets up the first assembly unit to assemblecars from imported parts in 1928. The National Series AB sedan is produced.First manufacture of motor cars: Hindustan Motors begins production of cars in 1942.Premier automobiles and Standard Motors setup. Technology stagnates as a result ofeconomic autarky as India is isolated from the rest of the worldFirst act leading to liberalization of the Auto sector: Maruti 800 launched in 1983 and theautomotive industry is progressively liberalizedFirst fully indegenous passenger car developed in India: Tata Indica, launched in 1998First expressway: Mumbai - Pune Expressway in 2000,First major acquisition of a foreign company by an Indian company: Tata Motors acquiresJaguar and Land Rover in 2007. Mahindra Automotive emerges as the top bidder forSsangYong Motor Company in 2010.

First aeroplane in India: Maharaja of Patiala, 1910[34]

Domestic commercial aviation is born in India in 1911 when on 18 February, Henri Piquet,flying a Humber biplane, carries mall from Allahabad to Naini Junction, some six miles away.1927: India's first airline, Imperial Airways, extends its Empire Routes to India, connecting



India with the outside world for the first time through an air network. A de Havilland Herculesflies the Cairo-Basra-Karachi-Jodhpur-Delhi route. It is also the first domestic passengerflight to be operated in India. Passengers could be for the first time fly from Karachi toJodhpur and to Delhi on Imperial Airways.On 10 February 1929, J. R. D. Tata is awarded India's first pilot licence, Pilot Licence No.1by Federation Aeronotique International signed by Sir Victor Sasoon on behalf of the AeroClub of India and Burma.1932: Urmila K Parikh becomes the first woman to get a pilot licence when she is given an alicence by the Aero Club of India and Burma.1932: J. R. D. Tata launches India's first scheduled airline, Tata Airlines, by piloting the firstflight himself from Karachi to Bombay via Ahmedabad on a single-engine Puss Moth with aload of airmail.

Others

The first Indian to cross English Channel: Mihir Sen[35]

The first Indian Air Chief Marshal: S. MukherjeeFirst Post Office Opened in India: Kolkata (1727)First telegraph message: On November 5, 1850, between Calcutta (now Kolkata) and

Diamond Harbour, a distance of about 50 km.[36]

Wax statue of a living Indian: Mahatma Gandhi at Madame Tussaud's in 1939.Newspaper: Hicky's Bengal Gazette started in 1780.Hindi Newspaper: Udant Martand on May 30, 1826; published and edited by Jugal Kishore

Shukla from Calcutta.[37]

Exclusive Internet magazine: Bharat Samachar[citation needed]

Miss India to participate in Miss Universe: Indrani Rahman in the Miss Universe 1952Pageant at Long Beach, CaliforniaIndias First woman Merchant Navy Officer: Sonali BanerjeeFirst Lady Teacher: Savitribai PhuleFirst Lady Doctor: Anandibai JoshiFirst lady tennis sports: Saniya mirza

The first record holder in the field of development of eco-innovation: Shripad Vaidya[38]

13 Jun 2010 Vaidya is the first Nagpurian to get two Limca records within a year in ... as the firstrecord holder in the field of development of eco-innovation.

World's first hand written needle book: Madhushala[39]

Writer of world's first hand written needle book (Madhushala): Piyush Goel[40]

First Disabled Friendly Bank ATM by Union Bank of India[41]

References

1. ^ A mosque from a Hindu king; Travelogue; News from India, News for Tourists and Travellers, IndiaTravel Times, India News, India News Times, Indian News, Travel News, Travel, ...(http://www.indiatraveltimes.com/travelogue/mosque.html)

2. ^ Randhathani, Hussainhttp://web.archive.org/web/20060622220846/http://jaihoon.com/watan/indarbmappilacommunity.htm

3. ^ Harvard Commencement 1993 - Bhaswati Bhattacharya's Oration - YouTube(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdEawXyyho4)



4. ^ The International Who's Who 2004 (http://books.google.com/books?id=sR4Ch1dMe8IC&pg=PA1518&lpg=PA1518&dq=%22Ordre+des+Arts+et+des+Lettres%22+Mrinal&source=bl&ots=39Nhg41VwW&sig=3mELmefU47VO5CI6MH_Qosf2lPE&hl=en&ei=oxZqS9iVCYyRtgeM7ISdDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CBcQ6AEwCDgK#v=onepage&q=%22Ordre%20des%20Arts%20et%20des%20Lettres%22%20Mrinal&f=false)

5. ^ Indian Army Welcomes Its First Woman Jawan, Mother Of 2(http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_indian-army-welcomes-its-first-woman-jawan-mother-of-2_1594169)

6. ^ "Thermal Plants" (http://www.nlcindia.com/index.php?file_name=about_01e). Neyveli LigniteCorporation. Retrieved 11 Jan 2012.

7. ^ Riya Chakravarty (May 3, 2013). "Indian cinema@100: First women on screen: Durgabai Kamatand her daughter Kamlabai Ghokhle" (http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/indian-cinema-100-40-firsts-in-indian-cinema-362362). NDTV. Retrieved May 9, 2013.

8. ^a b "Vikram Gokhale has an illustrious family lineage"(http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-23/did-you-know-/32605578_1_lineage-artiste-durgabai-kamat). The Times of India. Jan 23, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.

9. ^ Gokulsing, K.; Wimal Dissanayake (2004). Indian popular cinema: a narrative of cultural change(http://books.google.co.in/books?id=_plssuFIar8C&pg=PA24&dq=Ayodhyecha+Raja+1932&cd=10#v=onepage&q=Ayodhyecha%20Raja%201932&f=false). Trentham Books. p. 24. ISBN 1-85856-329-1.

10. ^ "The cinema of bad light" (http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-cinema-of-bad-light/831422/0).Indian Express. 13 August 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-29.

11. ^ First movies (http://www.indiamarks.com/guide/The-First-movies/242/)12. ^ First Indian Cinemascope Film (http://www.thecolorsofindia.com/interesting-facts/cinema/first-

indian-cinemascope-film.html)13. ^ "Kannada film in Guinness" (http://www.hindu.com/2005/07/15/stories/2005071504440600.htm).

Online Edition of The Hindu, dated 2005-07-15 (Chennai, India: The Hindu). 15 July 2005.14. ^ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-10-19/news-interviews/34556731_1_jimmy-r-

jagtiani-deswa-neetu-chandra15. ^ Saregamas online store (http://www.livemint.com/2007/12/09235905/Saregama8217s-online-

store.html) www.livemint.com Wall Street Journal, 10 December 2007.16. ^ Rebuilding a 100 years of priceless recordings (http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?

newsid=201610) The Indian Express, 17 September 2006.17. ^ 'First dancing girl, Calcutta' (http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/gauhar.htm)18. ^ http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000226/main2.htm#419. ^ First in India (http://www.facts-about-india.com/First-in-India.html)20. ^ Sidrapong Hydel Power Station (http://wbpower.nic.in/sidra.htm)21. ^ History - KPTCL (http://www.kptcl.com/kptclhistory.htm)22. ^ Companies that have survived 100 years in India - Business Today - Business News

(http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/companies-that-have-completed-100-years-in-india/1/16503.html)

23. ^ CESC is among the country's most efficient utilities - Business Today(http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/cesc-among-100-year-old-indian-companies/1/16491.html)

24. ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Malda-gets-Indias-first-womens-court/articleshow/18158507.cms

25. ^ First Indian woman to qualify for Paris cycling event - Indian Express(http://www.indianexpress.com/news/first-indian-woman-to-qualify-for-paris-cycling-event/829672/)

26. ^ "Pune's Sucheta becomes first Indian woman to cross Gobi desert"(http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-07-30/news/29833274_1_gobi-desert-expedition-sand). The Times Of India. 30 July 2011.

27. ^ http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-12-29/india/28264643_1_metro-railway-kolkata-metro-foundation-stone

28. ^ :: The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India :: (http://www.fmsci.in/main/history.html)29. ^ The Motor (http://books.google.com/?

id=WnrVAAAAMAAJ&q=delhi+bombay+trials+1905&dq=delhi+bombay+trials+1905). 1904.30. ^ Papers Past Star 11 Paengawhwh 1905 MOTORING

(http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=TS19050411.2.4&l=mi&e=-------10--1----2-all)

31. ^ http://dawn.com.pk/weekly/books/archive/040425/books1.htm32. ^ Papers Past Poverty Bay Herald 22 November 1904 ALPINE ACCIDENTS

(http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=PBH19041122.2.28)



33. ^ Delhi Durbar, India 1911 (http://www.standardregister.co.uk/id13.html)34. ^ /http://ashwinnaik.com/blog/?p=3635. ^ http://www.facts-about-india.com/First-in-India.php36. ^ "Dot, dash, full stop: Telegram service ends July 15" (http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bsnl-

to-shut-down-telegram-services-from-june-15/article4806921.ece). The Hindu. June 12, 2013.Retrieved 13 June 2013.

37. ^ Hena Naqvi (2007). Journalism And Mass Communication (http://books.google.com/books?id=0aFH2KFhFOkC&pg=PA42). Upkar Prakashan. p. 42. ISBN 978-81-7482-108-9.

38. ^ Environmentalist-poet eyes Guinness record - Times Of India articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com Collections Guinness

39. ^ http://www.worldrecordsindia.com/?s=World+First+needle+book+Book+40. ^ http://cityplus.jagran.com/city-news/reviving-great-words-unconventionally_1342766298.html41. ^ http://www.worldrecordsindia.com/2012/09/first-disabled-friendly-bank-atm/

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