SCHOLARS CLUB

The new ‘five’- digit numbering system of trains will come into effect from 20th December 2010. In a significant move to make the train numbering system of passenger carrying trains of Indian Railways more scientific, logical, uniform and computer-friendly, Min of Railways has decided to use ‘five’- digits for numbering trains, in place of the existing ‘four’- digit numbering system . Five digit train numbering scheme has become necessary in view of the four digit numbering scheme having got exhausted as Indian Railways runs more than 10 thousand trains every day.

Madame Tussauds, London's world famous wax museum, will launch its first ever Diwali weekend on 16th and 17th October. Guests visiting Madame Tussauds during the Diwali weekend will enjoy some of the authentic musical traditions of India, including sitar, flute and tabla recitals as well as traditional dance performed by accomplished classical artists. There will also be a wide range of delicious Indian sweets being sold at the Indian sweets hut. The one-weekend-only event will be hosted in the popular 'World Stage' area where wax figures of Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan are located.

Aamir Khan's "Peepli Live", a satire on media's trivialisation of farmers' suicide, has been selected as India's official entry at the next year's Oscars in the Best Foreign Film category. "Peepli Live has been selected as India's official entry for the Oscars out of 27 films," Supran Sen, secretary general of the Film Federation of India said.  Written and directed by debutant Anusha Rizvi, the small budget film stars theatre actors and was shot in a small village in Madhya Pradesh. Producer Aamir said he will ensure that the film is seen by the Academy members and will ensure that it gets a good publicity during the awards next year. "This is good news. I feel honoured and happy to be selected to represent my country. The film stands a very good chance.

  The Gold mine at Hatti in North Karnataka is the only operational gold mine of the Country. The old pits in Hutti in Raichur district shows that gold extraction prevailed here since pre Ashokan era. A British firm called John Taylor and Company owned the mine from 1889 to 1902. Thereafter the Nizam of Hyderabad owned it till 1918. After Independence the Karnataka Government began mining here under the name Hutti Gold Mines Company.

COMMON WEALTH COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES