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Chandigarh is the capital of Punjab and Haryana. This city/UT has set a benchmark for how livable a city should be, especially in India. It is known for its orderly infrastructures and clean roads. Even though it cannot be compared to the metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai, it is one of the best cities to breathe in. It was the first city to be planned and designed after independence. There is also a temple here called “Chandi Devi Mandir”, after which Chandigarh has been named. In fact, there are a lot of facts to know about this place. Let’s dig in.
Modern Architecture
Chandigarh was designed by a famous French architect, Le Corbusier. He took the plans earlier made by a Polish architect Maciej Nowicki and the American planner Albert Mayer and converted them as per his master plan. It has a French design, and there are no statues in any of the parks or roundabouts.
The Tricity
The metropolitan towns of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula together are known as the Tricity. They all are neighbouring towns.
No Sector-13
There was no Sector 13 in Chandigarh and Panchkula. The reason was that 13 is an unlucky and inauspicious number. But in the year 2020, Manimajra was declared as “Sector-13”. A total of 8 areas have been added under this sector.
Open Hand Emblem
The city welcomes you with its ‘Open Hand’ emblem. It looks like a flying bird. It is a monumental structure, which was started by Le Corbusier but was finished 20 years after his death in 1985. This is Chandigarh’s official emblem. It stands for the message of ‘the hand to give and the hand to take; peace and prosperity, and the unity of mankind’. It has a height of about 26 metres and weighs 50 tons. The most interesting thing about this monument is that it rotates in the wind.
Remnants of Harappan Civilisation
Close to 5000 years ago, the people of the Harappan Civilisation used to reside in an area in Chandigarh. Sanghol is a village in Chandigarh where the remnants of this civilisation can be found. Sanghol is 43 kilometres away from Chandigarh and is recognised as an archaeological site. Some ancient Buddhist stupas have also been excavated from here.
Chandi Devi Mandir
Chandigarh got its name from the temple of ‘Chandi Devi Mandir’. It is a temple which is dedicated to Chandika (an avatar of Goddess Durga), the goddess of power. It is located along the Shivalik hills. It is only 15 kilometres away from Chandigarh and is an ideal tourist spot for the people who pray. There are other Hindu deities also, like Lord Rama, Shri Radha-Krishna, Lord Shiva, and Hanuman. It is a must-visit place if you are going to Chandigarh.
Greenest City of India
Chandigarh is referred to as the ‘Greenest City of India’. The main aspect of Le Corbusier’s city design was tree plantation. For this, there are about 22 types of trees and 26 species of flowers all around the city. There is almost no deforestation done here. The urban infrastructure with such protected greenery makes it one of the top greenest cities in India.
Pensioner’s Paradise
Chandigarh has been bestowed with the name of “Pensioner’s Paradise”. The reason being the city hosts three governments (Chandigarh Administration, Punjab government and Haryana government). Thus there are a lot of government officials here who are either working or retired.
Highways and Roundabouts
One of the most surprising facts about Chandigarh is, as per the UT administration records, every major road/street in the city is either a state highway or a national highway! Chandigarh also has several roundabouts which are supposedly there to help ease the traffic. If you visit there, you will find round gardens at regular intervals. These roundabouts add to the beauty of the city and give it a distinct look.
Cycle Friendly
Chandigarh has a lot of cycle tracks that are not found in most parts of India. They took this step to make cycle tracks for cyclists because, in 2015-16, almost 240 cyclists had lost their lives. The UT currently has 200km of cycling track. They recently have also prepared a Cycling Policy in order to attract people towards cycling. This might play a role in less use of cars or bikes. A range of incentives, such as half-day leave, monetary benefits, etc., has been planned as per this policy.
Climate change
One of the negative sides to Chandigarh is the fluctuating climate. It has a humid subtropical climate. The summers are unbearably harsh, and the rains are scattered. The winters are mild here. In fact, the best time to visit this city is Autumn. The trees around the city mostly cover themselves with brown/orange coloured leaves. It gives the city a new life.
Largest Rose Garden
Asia’s largest Rose Garden, Zakir Gulaab Baag, is in Chandigarh. It has around 50,000 rose bushes of 1600 types of species spread over 30 acres of land. This garden was named after Zakir Hussain, India’s former President. Every year, the Rose festival is celebrated here either at the end of February or at the beginning of March.
Conclusion
Chandigarh is truly a splendid city in the foothills of the Shivalik Hills. No doubt, many consider it the dream city to live in. The lush green surroundings, the roundabouts, and the cycle-friendly roads are some of the things which will make you fall in love with this place. Thanks to Le Corbusier’s master plan, this city has become the epitome of cleanliness and greenery. One should visit this city and cherish the amalgamation of modernity and greenery with their own eyes.
General awareness is the process of learning about a certain subject relevant to a society’s culture, civilization, community, or a country’s social interests; this important knowledge can also take the shape of cultural knowledge. Every area of human existence is related to general awareness, and it may even be part of academic study. This knowledge can be extremely beneficial to an individual or a community. A general understanding of art, discovery, athletics, politics, culture, film, medicine, and history are all examples of what comes under general awareness.
Almost every area of human existence is covered by general awareness, including clothing, family, physical health, and aspects of entertainment, arts, and sciences. General awareness is an important feature of human life since it allows us to be aware of many things that are going on around us. General awareness aids in making future decisions, vacation planning, and having the correct understanding of the things and situations around us.
Importance of General Knowledge
Common sense is a valuable asset that aids our personal and intellectual development. It both narrows our perspective of the world and helps us better grasp events. It also examines them. Common sense is mostly used to determine what has to be done or what is occurring. The importance of general knowledge in our life is described below.
1. Better Grades
General knowledge assists any student in increasing their academic knowledge by providing proper knowledge of various types of events and useful events from the past, through which students can gain a comprehensive understanding of basic facts. This knowledge also assists students in successfully participating in various quiz and debate competitions. General knowledge also assists students in obtaining high marks in competitive entrance exams.
2. Making Better Decisions
General knowledge helps to keep us connected and up to date with every part of the world. Aside from that, it aids in our ability to have a positive social impact. It also aids in making important life decisions and deciding on career options. Common sense is useful in providing accurate information about various options and requirements.
3. Interaction
General knowledge promotes effective interaction between people of different cultures by providing a good understanding of diverse cultures and societies. It also makes it easier for people from diverse communities to acclimate, which is only feasible with prior knowledge of the culture and region. Common sense about diverse cultural etiquettes is very beneficial, making interacting with different individuals easy and pleasant.
4. Improving Public Speaking Abilities
General knowledge is needed to boost public speaking abilities; it provides great control over current events, which instil confidence in public speaking. This is only achievable with adequate knowledge and vocabulary. It also makes it easier for students to pick up new topics and talk about them, allowing them to share intriguing facts.
Difference Between General Awareness and General Studies
Competitive examinations see a variety of specific syllabi regarding job profiles, which are mainly made for conducting examinations. There is also a section of General Knowledge and General Awareness in these exams. Both the scope and meaning of these two words are different, which needs to be explained here.
The following is the difference between general awareness and general studies.
The term “general awareness” refers to people’s understanding of what is going on in the world in the present, that is, the events of day-to-day life during a period of 3 to 6 months. This number of months might be taken into consideration when planning. On the other hand, general studies is a study of all the subjects you’ve studied since elementary school.
General studies refers to wide, general, universal understanding gained through experience or education that aids in the transmission of knowledge and skills. It also aids in the dissemination of extensive or general information. This can be accomplished by considerable training and a focus on a single media.
General awareness primarily gives comprehensive knowledge on a certain situation or development; however, it is limited to regular happenings in the news around the world and has no bearing on historical events. National matters, international affairs, bilateral affairs, sports, people in the news, places in the news, and recent events in the banking sector are all covered under general awareness.
Difference Between General awareness and General Intelligence
General intelligence is a construct that consists of a variety of cognitive talents. These skills enable people to learn new things and solve issues. This broad mental capacity underpins specialised mental abilities in domains like spatial, numerical, mechanical, and verbal abilities. Artificial general intelligence (AGI) refers to an intelligent person’s potential ability to comprehend or learn any intellectual endeavour that a human can. It is a key goal of certain artificial intelligence research, as well as a popular topic in science fiction and futurology.
General awareness refers to being aware of current events. General awareness is simply concerned with the daily news from across the world and has little to do with historical occurrences. Many competitive exams use the word “current affairs” to refer to broad awareness.
Conclusion
For today’s comprehensive education, it is very important to have general awareness, whose importance is being seen mainly in the field of scientific and technical education. General awareness is necessary for all, which helps in personal prosperity. General awareness has different meanings for different elements, such as garden planning, chequebook addition, subtraction, cooking, and art comprehension,and has special use of general awareness, which helps the students to grow on the academic front.
