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Why has the RBI withdrawn Rs. 2000 notes?

The Reserve Bank of India recently announced its decision to withdraw the Rs. 2000 notes from circulation. The public has been advised to deposit and/or exchange these banknotes on or before September 30. These notes were introduced in November 2016 as part of demonetisation. Let us know more about demonetisation.

Demonetisation

On November 8, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the demonetisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000. The move was made to prevent the accumulation and circulation of black money in the country.

The sudden decision to ban these notes caused anxiety and panic among the public. Banks and ATMS witnessed huge queues with people waiting for several hours to exchange / get their cash.

The case of Rs. 2000 notes

The Rs. 2000 notes were introduced in 2016 to meet the currency requirement after Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes were withdrawn. The printing of Rs. 2000 notes was stopped in 2018-2019 once there were enough notes of other denominations. Recently, the RBI announced that in pursuance of the Clean Note Policy, the Rs. 2000 notes will be withdrawn from circulation.

There is a difference between demonetisation and withdrawal of currency. While demonetisation is the process of removing a monetary unit’s legally accepted status, withdrawing a currency from circulation does not affect their legal tender status. This means that while Rs. 2000 will be valid for use in business and exchange transactions, the notes will be set aside when they arrive at banks to be deposited in the RBI and will no longer be distributed to the general public.

Clean Note Policy

The Clean Note Policy, first announced in 1999, seeks to provide citizens high-quality currency notes and coins with better security features, while removing worn-out notes from circulation. For instance, on Rs. 2000 notes, the security features include readable and windowed security thread alternately visible on the obverse with the inscriptions ‘Bharat (in Hindi), ‘2000’, and ‘RBI’.

In 2018, a new Clean Note Policy was announced to make digital payments more secure.

In 2005, the RBI withdrew all banknotes issued before 2005 from circulation, as they had fewer security features than banknotes printed after 2005. The notes issued before 2005 do not have on them the year of printing on the reverse side.

In 2002, the RBI inaugurated Currency Verification and Processing (CVPS) Machines for checking numerical accuracy and genuineness of the currency notes.

The CVPS system is capable of processing 50,000 – 60,000 soiled notes per hour. The system, along with the Shredding and Briquetting System for destruction of soiled notes, helps faster withdrawal of soiled and mutilated notes from the market. These machines are installed at both regional and zonal RBI offices.

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What is cryonics? Why is it in the news?

Cryonics has been making headlines with a number of big names evincing interest in signing up to be cryopreserved after their death. Sounds like something straight out of a science fiction? Well, let’s take a peek into the evolving world of cryonics or cryopreservation.

The term ‘cryonics’ is derived from Greek kryos meaning ‘cold’. Cryonics or cryopreservation is the practice of storing biological material at extremely low temperatures. It involves freezing at ultra-low temperatures (that is below -196 degrees C) in the hope that revival may be possible in the future. At present, cryonics is just a blend of science and speculation (as revival is not guaranteed).

When someone who has consented to be cryonically preserved dies, their body is cooled by a team of technicians. Then it is carried to a cryonics facility where organ preservation solutions are used. The concept of cryopreservation evolved in the 1960s. Robert Chester Wilson Ettinger, a physics professor, is widely regarded as the father of the cryonics movement. It was he who put forth the idea of cryopreservation in his book “The Prospect of Immortality” in 1962. The book captivated the imagination of people and made Ettinger hugely popular. Ettinger went on to found the Cryonics Institute, a non-profit organisation, in Detroit, Michigan, in 1976 and served as its president till 2003. In 2012, Ettinger died aged 92, and his body has been in cryonic suspension since.

Adherents believe that along with advancements in medical and technological fields cryopreservation can revive life, repair damage, and reverse disease and ageing. However, critics look at cryonics with scepticism and also raise ethical questions because the whole process is against nature.

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What does Hawking’s final theory reveal about the origin of time?

In 1998, physicist Stephen Hawking asked Belgian cosmologist Thomas Hertog to work with him to develop “a new quantum theory of the Big Bang”. What started as a doctoral project for Hertog turned into an intense collaboration that continued until Hawking’s death in 2018. Their answers to the question of how the Big Bang created conditions so perfect for life is what makes the recent book On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory.

In their quest to rethink cosmology from an observers perspective, they had to adopt the strange rules of quantum mechanics that govern the micro-world of atoms and particles. A property called superposition in quantum mechanics suggests that particles can be in several positions at the same time. Only when observed does it randomly pick a specific location. In addition, quantum mechanics also involves random jumps and fluctuations.

Quantum universe

In a quantum universe, therefore, the past and the future emerge from a number of possibilities by continuous observations. These refer to not just the observations done by us human beings, but even the environment or a single particle can “observe”. All other possibilities become irrelevant once something has been observed.

Hawking and Hertog discovered that looking back at the earliest stages of the universe through a quantum lens gave it a more Darwinian flavour of variation and selection. In this deeper level of meta-evolution, even the laws of physics change and evolve in sync with the universe that is taking shape.

Laws evolve

While cosmologists usually start by assuming initial conditions and the laws that existed at the time of the Big Bang, Hawking and Hertog suggest that the laws themselves are a result of evolution. This means that the specific set of physical laws that govern our universe can only be understood in retrospect.

When reasoning back in time, therefore, evolution focussed towards greater simplicity and lesser structure continues all the way. This forms the crux of their hypothesis, meaning that ultimately even time and physical laws would fade away.

The study of the origin of the universe over the last 100 years or so has been against the backdrop of immutable laws of nature. Hawking and Hertog suggest that it isn’t these laws themselves, but their ability to transmute that dictates terms. If future cosmological observations find evidence of this, Hawking’s final theory might well be his greatest scientific legacy.

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Who discovered petroleum jelly?

On June 4, 1872, American chemist Robert Chesebrough was granted a patent titled “Improvement in products from petroleum”. Chesebrough mentioned the name with which he marketed petroleum jelly in this patent, which is now a brand name.

Whenever you had minor skin scrapes and burns, or just had to moisturise your face, hands, or other parts of the body, chances are that you probably used petroleum jelly. Yes, the folks around you or the elders at home probably referred to it with its brand name, but if you look at what it is made of, you will realise that it is petroleum jelly.

For one-and-a-half centuries now, petroleum jelly has played a pivotal part in skincare, be it to help with skin moisturising or healing. Also called petrolatum, petroleum jelly is a mixture of mineral oils and waxes that forms a semisolid jelly-like substance. Ever since American chemist Robert Augustus Chesebrough discovered it in the 19th Century, the product hasn’t changed much.

His job turns obsolete        

A British-born American chemist, Chesebrough owed his discovery to serendipity. He began his career as a chemist distilling kerosene from the oil of sperm whales. This role, however, soon turned obsolete with the discovery of petroleum in Titusville, Pennsylvania.

Now jobless, Chesebrough decided to travel to Titusville. He decided to research the new fuel to see what new materials might be created from it. Strolling around the oil field, Chesebrough came across something called rod wax, also known as petroleum jelly.

A byproduct of oil drilling, the jelly-like substance was cleaned off from the pumping equipment often. The workers told Chesebrough that it was largely a nuisance, except for one particular use. When someone had a cut or a burn, rubbing the wax on the injured area not only reduced the pain, but also allowed the injury to heal quickly.

Refines the process

Chesebrough set off back to his chemistry lab in Brooklyn with a batch of rod wax. He began experimenting and refining the process by which the wax was generated in order to come up with a solution that healed and protected the skin.

He spent the following years perfecting the technique of extracting a colourless, odourless form of petroleum jelly. By 1865, Chesebrough patented his purification method. This marked the beginning of triple-distilled petroleum jelly products, which remains the norm till this day.

By 1870, Chesebrough began distributing this pure petroleum jelly under the brand name Vaseline. He opened a factory in Brooklyn that same year and even promoted his “miracle” product by touring the entire State in a horse-driven carriage.

On June 4, 1872, Chesebrough received U.S. patent 127568A titled “Improvement in products from petroleum”. In this, Chesebrough mentions that he has “invented a new and useful Product from Petroleum, which I have named Vaseline”.

Even before Chesebrough started to sell his petroleum jelly, he had tested it on himself for his own cuts and burns. Despite his firm belief in the product and its efficacy, Chesebrough was still unable to sell these to drug stores.

Daredevil marketing

Things changed, however, when he demonstrated his “wonder jelly” in an extreme fashion. Chesebrough started to burn his skin with acid or an open flame in front of the gathered audience, before dabbing the clear jelly on his injuries. He would then demonstrate his past injuries, healed, he would claim, by his “miracle” product. He also gave out free samples to further increase demand.

Chesebrough’s daredevil acts worked as a tin of his product was being sold every minute in the U.S. by 1874. They continue to work till this day as the brand name he coined is now a household name, used to refer to pure petroleum jelly itself rather than just the product.

But then, Chesebrough’s belief in the product was so sound that he actually ate a spoonful of it every day until his death aged 96, according to Ripley’s Believe It or Not! The next time you use the product, be sure to tell the tale to those around you, but please don’t take it to your mouth!

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What are the terms which start from Green?

Green Resolution

From the 1940s to 1970s, a series of measures were taken to increase farm production all over the world. Selection of high-yielding crops, modern irrigation methods, synthetic fertilizers, etc. revolutionised agriculture, benefitting the developing world in particular. It was Norman Borlaug (in pic), the American agronomist and Nobel laureate, who started the initiative that came to be known as the Green Revolution. The movement saved billions of lives from starvation. India became self-sufficient with efforts led by M.S. Swaminathan and enthusiastic participation from farmers.

Green bomber

It is a worm of the deep ocean. When it senses a threat to itself, it releases tiny balloon-like sacs into the water. The sacs or ‘bombs’, which are thought to be modified gill parts glow a brilliant green when ejected. They help distract the predator and enable the worm to escape. Scientifically known as Swima bombiviridis (Latin for swimming green bomber), it has the ability to regenerate these body parts.

Greenhouse

A greenhouse is a glass or plastic enclosure used for growing plants. To maintain ideal conditions for the plants to grow, greenhouses are equipped with climate control facilities such as a ventilation system to let off excess heat, a heating system to warm the interior in case of inadequate sunlight and a plumbing system to water the plants.

The Eden Project in Cornwall, the U.K. is the world’s largest greenhouse. This popular tourist attraction is home to more than 1,00,000 plants belonging to over 5,000 different species.

Greenland

It is the largest island in the world with a surface area of 2.17 million sq. km. As Greenland is geographically close to North America, it is considered a part of that continent. It is an autonomous province of Denmark. Norwegian Vikings are said to have discovered the island in AD. 875. Eric the Red, a Viking who was exiled from Iceland for murder, was the first to land here. He named it Greenland to attract more settlers. A glacier covers 85 % of Greenland. It is the largest glacier outside Antarctica.

Green tea

It refers to the tea made from unfermented leaves. Pale in colour, it is said to contain high levels of antioxidants and vitamins and is very popular in China and Japan. It is also gaining popularity in other parts of the world, including India.

Green Card

It is an informal name for an identity card proclaiming permanent residency issued by the U.S. government to immigrants.

Green Goblin

Spiderman’s worst foe, the famous Green Goblin (aka Noogleof the word. One says it used to be called the scene room where props were located and that, over a period of time, it changed to green room. Another says the first such room was painted in green, and so the name stuck.

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What are the terms which start from ‘Pink’?

Pink noise

The pink noise is a steady background sound. They help calm one and filter out distracting noises such as people talking or the sound of cars. It uses a consistent frequency or pitch. This can also be defined as random noise having equal energy per octave, and thereby having more low-frequency components. Hence most people perceive it as being even or flat. Pink noise is often used to test Loudspeakers.

Pink city

The city of Jaipur is the most colourful city in Iulia. It is fondly called the ‘Pink City’ due to the colour scheme of its buildings: a shade of pink. The city acquired its pink colour during the reign of Maharaja Ram Singh. Back in 1876, the king had the city painted pink, a colour associated with hospitality to welcome the Prince of Wales (later King Edward II) to the city. Ever since then, Pink City gets a fresh coat of paint every 10 years.

Pink slip

The termination notice given to an employee is known as the pink slip. It was originally an American practice to attach a note of discharge along with the pay envelope given to an employee. The Oxford dictionary included the word in 1915.

Pink-headed duck

An elusive bird, the Pink-headed duck is a large diving duck that is believed to be extinct since the 1950s. The species was found in India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The duck was hunted for its unusual plumage. It had a long slender neck, a dark body, a peaked pink head and a pink bill. It lived in marshlands and built its nest in high grass. It is said to have eaten water plants and molluscs. The last confirmed sighting was in 1949.

Pink dolphin

The most popular of river dolphins found in the Amazon river, the Pink dolphin is a very intelligent, friendly and social creature. They eat crabfish, river fish and even turtles. They can turn their heads 180 degrees. An endangered species, it is being threatened by the increase in river traffic and pollution.

Pink eye

A viral infection of the inner lining of the eyelids and the white of the eye, Conjunctivitis is a very contagious disease. Also called Pink eye, you get conjunctivitis when the conjunctiva gets irritated because of allergies or infection. The thin dear tissue that lies over the white part of the eye is called the conjunctiva. The affected person has watery, itchy eyes and develops sensitivity to light. The disease can spread easily through direct contact with eye by eyes or by sneezing or coughing.

Pink Panther

A series of comedy films, the Pink Panther features an inept police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseaus. It was originally played by Peter Sellers and more recently by Steve Martin. The Pink Panther is a large pink diamond which is so called because a flaw in its centre resembles the image of a panther. The films gave birth to the Pink Panther animated character which has its own series of cartoons.  The first of those series, The Pink Phink, won the 1964 Academy award for Best Animated Short film.

Pink Floyd

An English rock band formed in London in 1965, Pink Floyd is considered the greatest progressive rock hand of all time. With their highly philosophical lyrics, extended compositions and unique sonic experimentations they created a niche for themselves in the music industry. Their albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975). Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979) are very popular. The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. These albums along with Wish You Were Here are among the best-selling albums.

Pink

The stage name of an American singer-actress Alecia Beth Moore, Pink has won several Grammy and MTV Video Music Awards. She is hailed for ‘a strong signature voice and a literally acrobatic ability on stage’. ‘Lady Marmalade’, ‘Get the Party Started’ and Trouble’ are some of her most popular songs.

Pink chocolate

You have heard about dark and white chocolate. But what is pink chocolate? Also known as ruby chocolate, pink chocolate was launched by Swiss cocoa giant Barry Callebaut in 2017. This chocolate has a reddish-pink hue and a fruity berry-like flavour. It’s not as sweet as milk chocolate. It has no food colour or berry flavour added to it. Its pink colour comes from a powder extracted during the processing and is claimed to be the first new natural colour for chocolate since Swiss food company Nestle introduced white chocolate more than 80 years ago. Pink chocolate is made from the Ruby cocoa bean, a new type of cocoa bean discovered by Barry Callebaut. These beans are found in different regions of the world including Brazil, Ecuador and the Ivory Coast in Africa. They’re completely natural and not genetically modified. Its unique attributes were unlocked through an innovative process that took 13 years to develop.

Pink lake

Picture this. A lake that is pink in colour. Lake Hillier in Middle Island, in the Recherche Archipelago off Australia’s south coast, has water that resembles a strawberry milkshake. It is a shallow lake with brilliant pink water that is nearly opaque and highly salty. It is about 1.6 km long and about a third as wide. At first, it was thought that the algae that grow in the Lake were responsible for creating the pink colour. But now that this theory has been disproved. Why the lake has pink water remains a mystery.

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What are the terms which start from Yellow?

Yellow journalism

Yellow journalism refers to sensational and dramatic news stories, often manufactured to attract readership. The trend was started by media barons Joseph Pulitzer (New York World) and William Randolph Hearst (New York Journal) in the 1890s. The term derives from the comic character the Yellow Kid featured in the New York World comic called Hogan’s Alley. These yellow journals had a major role to play in the Spanish-American war fuelling public passion with sensational headlines and reports.

Yellow card

In football a yellow card raised by a referee indicates that the player in question has committed a foul and is being cautioned.

Yellow flag

In motor racing, when a solid yellow flag is waved it indicates that there is danger ahead and that the vehicles may have to stop.

Yellow fever

It is a viral disease spread by certain mosquitoes. When the mosquito bites a human being the virus enters the body. It damages the liver and kidneys and many body tissues. As a result, the liver cannot function properly, urine output is reduced and yellow bile pigments collect in the skin. These pigments turn the skin yellow and hence the name yellow fever.

It was Carlos Finlay, a Cuban doctor, who discovered that a certain mosquito transmitted the disease, and Max Theiler, a South African doctor, developed a vaccine in 1937.

Yellow jersey

In a cycling race involving stages, a yellow jersey is worn each day by the rider who is ahead on time over the whole race to that point, and presented to the one with the shortest overall time at the finish of the race. The most prized jersey was first awarded in 1919. The colour yellow was chosen because the pages of the magazine. L’Auto, the sponsor, were yellow.

Yellowhammer

It is a sparrow-sized bright yellow bird that is found in Europe and Asia. It has a strong pointed beak and sings a characteristic song. It feeds on seeds and insects. It builds its nest on the ground or in a low bush. Its white or pale-lavender eggs have bold scribble-like markings on them.

Yellow poplar

Also known as the tulip tree, it grows tall-up to 32m-towering over oaks and maples. It has a long straight trunk and large flowers which resemble tulips, hence the name. It bears cone-shaped fruits which release winged seeds. It is home to squirrels and woodpeckers and provides good cover for deer, hints and small mammals.

Yellowlegs

These are large North American birds which live on wetlands- along shores and marshes. They have long yellow legs which have white and black markings. They eat insects and fish They are known for their flute-like whistle.

Yellow Sea

A part of the Pacific Ocean extending inland between the east coast of China and Korea, it gets its name from the deposits brought in by the Yellow River. Fishing and navigation are major activities on the Yellow Sea. The Yellow Sea is considered among the most degraded marine ecosystems facing severe challenges, including land reclamation, widespread pollution leading to harmful algae blooms.

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What are the terms which start from Blue?

Blue moon

When there are two full moons in the same calendar month, the second full moon is “the blue moon.” The interval between full moons is about 29.5 days. This makes it very unlikely that any given month will contain two full moons, though it does sometimes happen. There will be approximately 41 months that have two full moons in every century, so we could say that once in a blue moon is once every two-and-a-half years! If something happens’ once in a blue moon, it means that it is a rare occurrence.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that makes it possible for computers, phones and other devices to exchange data over short distances (about 10 metres) without any wires or cables. It uses radio waves. Ericsson, the mobile communication company invented this inexpensive technology. The funny name Bluetooth originated from a Viking king. Harald Blåtand (translated as Bluetooth in English). He united Norway and Denmark in the 10th Century. Just like Bluetooth unites devices.

Blue Lady

It was a French cruise liner considered second only to the Titanic. When at sea, she was a grand ship, with beautiful restaurants, a sparkling swimming pool and luxurious cabins. However, after around 45 years of sailing, she was retired and brought to Alang in Gujarat to be dismantled. Environmentalists objected, saying she had a lot of asbestos and radioactive material, and would endanger health of the workers. The matter was then taken to the Supreme Court which allowed the Blue Lady to be dismantled at Alang.

Blue blood

It denotes aristocratic or royal birth. When the Moors conquered Spain in the 8th Century, a group of Spanish aristocrats took refuge in the mountains of Castile in the northern part of the country. The Moors were a dark-skinned people: the Spaniards fair. Over the centuries, due to intermarriage between the conquerors and the conquered, Spaniards began to acquire a darker hue. However, the aristocrats of Castile were determined to preserve their colour which had once set them apart from the Moors. They stayed indoors as much as possible fearing that exposure to the sun would darken their skin. As a result, many of them became very pale and their veins became visible. The bright blue colour of the veins earned them the nickname ‘Blue Bloods.’ In today’s parlance, anyone of high birth qualifies for the term, ‘blue blood.’

Blue tit

The blue tit uses its short stout bill to pluck insects off leaves and twigs and for hammering open pine seeds to get at the larvae living inside. In some European towns, blue tits have learnt to open milk bottles left on the doorstep by milkmen and drink the milk!

Blue Train

The Blue Train, which runs between Pretoria and Cape Town in South Africa, is virtually a five-star hotel on wheels. It is one of the most luxurious trains in the world that offers each passenger a private suite with top-class amenities. Its glare-proof windows are tinted with gold!

Blue helmet

The blue beret is a light blue coloured soft cap worn by the personnel employed by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations around the world. These characteristic blue caps or helmets are notably known as the Blue Berets or Blue Helmets. A UN peacekeeping operation is aimed at enabling war-torn countries to create conditions for lasting peace.

Blue collar

Employees whose jobs involved manual labour were traditionally required to dress in blue overalls/shirts, hence they were called blue-collar worker, while those engaged in office tasks had to wear white dress shirts.

Blue pencil

it is traditionally used to censor a text. 

Blue baby

A blue baby develops a bluish skin because of decreased oxygen in its blood due to a defect in its heart or blood vessels.

Blue helmet

The blue beret is a light blue coloured soft cap worn by the personnel employed by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations around the world. These characteristic blue caps or helmets are notably known as the Blue Berets or Blue Helmets. A UN peacekeeping operation is aimed at enabling war-torn countries to create conditions for lasting peace.

Blue whale

The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet reaching up to 29.9 metres in length and weighing up to 199 tonnes. It belongs to a class known as ‘baleen whales’. Instead of teeth, the whale has thin plates called baleen or whalebone. The inside of the plates is lined with brush-like fibres that filter food. The blue whale mainly feeds on plankton and shrimps.

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What are the terms which start from Red?

Red Cross

The Red Cross is an organisation that helps people suffering both during peace time and war. Even countries at war respect the neutrality of the Red Cross and allow its volunteers to serve the wounded. It was started by Henry Dunant and was formally launched in 1863 at Geneva, Switzerland. The Red Cross owes its name to its flag. Its flag is a red cross on a white background. May 8 is celebrated as World Red Cross Day to honour Henry Dunant’s birthday.

 Red giant

It is any luminous giant star with a radius between 10 and 100 times larger than that of the Sun. When a star reaches the end of its life, the temperature at its core increases, thus causing it to expand. Hence the giant size. Red giants are stars that have run out of hydrogen supply in their cores and start deriving energy from thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen outside their core.

Redwood

It is a magnificent forest tree that grows along the west coast of the U.S. Redwoods are among the world’s tallest living trees measuring 60 to 85 m high. The tallest redwood tree is in California. It is 110 m high. These trees grow so close together that little sunlight reaches the ground. The wood is soft and red but it is remarkably resistant to insects and decay. In fact, the bark of the restwood tree is even fireproof because of its high water content.

Red Sea

The Red Sea is a long narrow arm of the Indian Ocean that separates the Arabian Peninsula from north-eastem Africa. It covers about 4,56,000 sq.km. The Red Sea is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Suez Canal, and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. It is called so probably because of the reddish brown algae that floats on its surface in summer.

Red card

It is a penalty card shown to players in many sports to indicate that the player has committed a serious offence and must leave the pitch for breaking the rules. The player is often barred from playing the next game as well.

Red Fort

The Red Fort in Delhi is the largest of old Delhi’s monuments, it was the palace of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, It once housed the legendary Peacock Throne and the Koh-i-noor diamond. The fort’s massive defensive wall, two to 2.5-km long and 18 to 33m high, is made entirely of red sandstone. It is here that the Prime Minister hoists the national flag every Independence Day.

Redbreast

It is a small, European, thrush-like bird with a red breast, and commonly called robin. The bird, noted for its tameness, nests in ivy or other creepers on trees and walls, in plant pots or other containers. It has a sweet, warbling song and a loud penetrating ‘tic tic alarm call.

 Red Square

It is the most famous landmark of Moscow. The historical square, built in the 15th Century during the reign of Ivan III, has remained the venue for important state functions. It lies in the heart of the city and is lined by some of Moscow’s most significant structures, including the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral. The Red Square is also home to Vladimir Lenin’s mausoleum.

Red blood cells

They are the disc-like cells from which the blood gets its familiar colour. They are so small that a drop of blood the size of a pinhead contains five million of them. Their main constituent is the red pigment haemoglobin.

Red carpet

It is traditionally rolled out on the route taken by Heads of State and dignitaries on ceremonial and formal occasions. In recent times, it has been extended to VIPS and celebrities as well on events such as award functions. This practice gave rise to the expression ‘red carpet treatment’.

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