What are some bizarre facts about India that seem total lies but are actually true?

What are some bizarre facts about India that seem total lies but are actually true?

Here are 21 some of the most fascinating facts about India-

1. India is the only country to have a "Floating Post Office". It is situated in the Dal Lake, Srinagar. Also, India has the largest postal network with over 1, 55,015 post offices
2. The 2011 Kumbh Mela was the largest gathering of people with over 75 million pilgrims. The gathering was so huge that the crowd was visible from space.
3. Bandra Worli Sealink has steel wires equal to the earth's circumference. It took a total of 2,57,00,000 man hours for completion and also weighs as much as 50,000 African elephants. A true engineering and architectural marvel.
4. At an altitude of 2,444 meters, the Chail Cricket Ground in Chail, Himachal Pradesh, is the highest in the world. It was built in 1893 and is a part of the Chail Military School.
5. Shampoo was invented in India, not the commercial liquid ones but the method by use of herbs. The word 'shampoo' itself has been derived from the Sanskrit word champu, which means to massage.
6. India has won all 5 men's Kabaddi World Cups held till now and have been undefeated throughout these tournaments. The Indian women's team has also won all Kabaddi World Cups held till date.
7. Science day in Switzerland is dedicated to Ex-Indian President, APJ Abdul Kalam. The father of India's missile programme had visited Switzerland back in 2006. Upon his arrival, Switzerland declared May 26th as Science Day.
8. When Dr Rajendra Prasad was appointed the President of India, he only took 50% of his salary, claiming he did not require more than that. Towards the end of his 12-year tenure he only took 25% of his salary. The salary of the President was Rs 10,000 back then.
9. The first rocket in India was transported on a cycle. It was so light and small that it was transported on a bicycle to the Thumba Launching Station in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. 
10. India has a spa just for elephants. Elephants receive baths, massages and even food at the Punnathoor Cotta Elephant Yard Rejuvenation Centre in Kerala.
11. India is the world's second-largest English speaking country. India is second only to the USA when it comes to speaking English with around 125 million people speaking the language, which is only 10% of our population. This is expected to grow by quite a margin in the coming years.
12. Largest number of vegetarians in the world. Be it because of religious reasons or personal choices or both, around 20-40% of Indians are vegetarians, making it the largest vegetarian-friendly country in the world.
13. The world's largest producer of milk. India recently overtook the European Union with production reaching over 132.4m tonnes in 2014.
14. The first country to consume sugar. India was the first country to develop extraction and purifying techniques of sugar. Many visitors from abroad learnt the refining and cultivation of sugar from us.
15. The human calculator- Shakuntla Devi. She was given this title after she demonstrated the calculation of two 13 digit numbers: 7,686,369,774,870 × 2,465,099,745,779 which were picked at random. She answered correctly within 28 seconds.
16. Rabindranath Tagore also wrote the national anthem for Bangladesh. He is credited not only for writing the Indian national anthem,  Jana Gana Mana,but the Bangladeshi national anthem,  Amar Sonar Bangla, as well.
17. Dhyan Chand was offered German citizenship. After defeating Germany 8-1 in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Major Dhyan Chand, the wizard of hockey, was summoned by Hitler. He was promised German citizenship, a high post in the German military and the chance to play for the German national side. Dhyan Chand however declined the offer.
18. Freddie Mercury and Ben Kingsley are both of Indian descent. Freddie Mercury, the legendary singer of the rock band 'Queen' was born a Parsi with the name Farrokh Bulsara while the famous Oscar winning Hollywood star Ben Kingsley was born Krishna Pandit Bhanji.
19. Diamonds were first mined in India. Initially, diamonds were only found in the alluvial deposits in Guntur and Krishna District of the Krishna River Delta. Until diamonds were found in Brazil during the 18th century, India led the world in diamond production.
20. A special polling station is set up for a lone voter in the middle of Gir Forest. Mahant Bharatdas Darshandas has been voting since 2004 and during every election since then, a special polling booth is set up exclusively for him as he is the only voter from Banej in Gir forest.
21. Snakes and Ladders originated in India. Earlier known as Moksha Patamu, the game was initially invented as a moral lesson about karma to be taught to children. It was later commercialized and has become one of the most popular board games in the world.

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