Neelabh Verma 🇮🇳

Agatha Christie knew poisons so well, her books have been consulted when diagnosing patients. In 1976, a London infant was dying of a rare illness. Her nurses, having read The Pale Horse, realized she had been poisoned with thallium. Murder mysteries saved her life.

A poem carved in stone and sung in prayer.. 700 year old Vasudev Teerth, Padu belle (Udupi) 📍 In the 13th century, Sri Madhvacharya sought to bathe in River Ganga. It is believed that through intense Tapasya, he channeled the essence of the Ganga to manifest in this very kund.

Most Indians call it 'Hapus' with a sense of patriotic pride, unaware that they are speaking the corrupted name of a Portuguese Duke who arrived 500 yrs ago to claim the coast, but ended up losing his identity to a fruit. The alphonso mango is named after Afonso de Albuquerque (1453-1515), the Portuguese general & the 1st Duke of Goa. The Portuguese did not bring the mango to India (mangoes have been in India for 1000s of yrs). What they brought was the technology of grafting. Before the Portuguese, Indian mangoes were mostly suckers grown from seeds. This led to unpredictable quality & stringy textures. The Portuguese introduced European grafting techniques to cross-breed the best local varieties. The Alphonso is the Version 1.0 of this genetic engineering. If you go to the Ratnagiri markets, nobody calls it Alphonso. They call it Hapus. Hapus is a linguistic corruption of the Portuguese word Afonso. Over centuries, as the word traveled from the elite Portuguese circles in Goa to the local Marathi-speaking farmers in the Konkan, the "A" was dropped & the "f" shifted to a "p" sound. Alphonso grown in Goa/Karnataka tastes nothing like 1 grown in Ratnagiri/Devgad. The Konkan coast is rich in laterite rock (iron & aluminum-rich soil). When the Alphonso was grafted onto trees in this specific volcanic-sedimentary soil, it triggered a chemical reaction that produced the specific aroma molecule: Gamma-octalactone. This is what gives the Alphonso its distinct creamy-coconut scent. W/o this specific hardware (the soil), the software (the Alphonso graft) produces a generic mango. The Alphonso's global fame skyrocketed in 1937. For the coronation of King George VI, baskets of Ratnagiri Alphonso mangoes were shipped from Bombay's Crawford Market to London. The British elite, who were used to stringy, acidic fruits, were so shocked by the butter-like texture that they declared it the "King of Mangoes." It was a Marketing Patch that stuck forever. This summer, while eating a Hapus, remember: you are not just tasting a fruit, you are tasting 500 yrs of biological warfare, Jesuit alchemy, & the very soil of the Konkan coast trying to tell you that some symmetries are simply too sweet to be accidental.

Standing amidst mountains of legacy garbage at Deonar, MMR’s first waste-to-energy (WTE) plant is inching towards completion, with officials now eyeing December 2026 for stabilised operations. I went to see first hand, how the 600 MT WTE that will turn waste to energy is turning out to be. Giant boiler structures, flue gas treatment units, composting sheds and conveyor systems were seen coming up where nearly one million tons of legacy waste once lay piled up. (Some interesting facts in the thread below) timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/ma…

A clever African grey parrot named Rocco went viral after being caught using Alexa to secretly order snacks and toys from Amazon while home alone. Rocco, who lives in the United Kingdom with his owner Marion Wischnewski, mastered the smart assistant by mimicking human speech. He successfully added items like strawberries, broccoli, ice cream treats, and toys to shopping lists — and even attempted to place full orders. His owner first noticed something unusual when random items started appearing in her Amazon cart. After some investigation, she discovered that Rocco had been chatting with Alexa whenever he was left unsupervised. Originally rescued by the National Animal Welfare Trust, Rocco’s mischievous intelligence has captivated people worldwide, highlighting just how clever and playful African grey parrots can be.

These two giant turtles have been fighting each other for more than 120 years. According to the zoo, one turtle stole the other’s food 120 years ago, and since that day they became enemies. There hasn’t been a single day where they don’t fight for 2–3 minutes😂

Firefly festival at Bhandardara in Ahilyanagar, Maharashtra 💡🦟🌳 🇮🇳

This is Mumbai, India 😍

The monsoon is just waiting on the doorstep of the Indian subcontinent. Let's welcome it by commenting "welcome". 🤗

India’s Road Network White Pill ✨🇮🇳 India is on the verge of overtaking the United States to become the country with the world’s largest road network. India: 6.37 million km US: 6.58 million km Gap: ~20,000 km From expressways to rural roads, India is building fast 🔥

India just approved the construction of their first semi-high-speed train line using Indian technology instead of imported tech. The 83 mile-long train line will allow speedy travel at over 130mph, and it's the start of a massive project to reduce travel time across India.

Came across a beautiful Odissi video shot at the Sun Temple, Konark. The grace of Odissi against the timeless backdrop of Konark feels absolutely magical.

@kamleshksingh Better than this

A Kerala Congressman overheard singing the song totally wrong. Tune is okay, but he is putting his own words and all. KC Teri Khudgarzi Tu Lada Bhi Nahin Chunaav KC Teri Khudgarzi Kerala Mein Tike Na Paav (x2) Pinarayi Se Lada Satheeshan Dilli Mein Tera Tha Coalition Majority Aai To Bana Vibhishan Kyun Yeh Bata Venugopala Maan Ja Re Dilliwaala Maan Ja Ja Tujhko Pukaare Teri Saheliyaan Venugopala Maan Ja Re Dilliwaala Maan Ja Ja Dilli Mein Kar Tu Ye Athkheliyaan Totally misheard. You will agree. Somebody get the lyrical version of this, please. youtube.com/watch?v=jHNNMj…

@akshaywcam1 @ShivamVahia @cbdhage @PowerTrain_YT @saurabh5620 Not all Hiranandani guys are opposing it. Just a handful of WhatsApp activists who anyways do this with every single development. I can say this with a certain amount of confidence because I am myself a resident at HE.

Bros it's time to come together for thane ring metro now. Hiranandani elite NIMBYs are opposing it just because NIMBY. @ShivamVahia @cbdhage @PowerTrain_YT @saurabh5620 Tag anyone else you can remember

The densest populated region of world, the plains of Ganga need the densest coverage of Expressways, Freight corridors, waterways, RRTS, Bullet Trains. All electrified.

Vegetarian Protein Sources

Top 10 cities with most skyscrapers under construction in 2026: 1. Mumbai 🇮🇳 (300+) 2. Hyderabad 🇮🇳 (170+) 3. Gurugram 🇮🇳 (181+) 4. Moscow 🇷🇺 (100) 5. Thane 🇮🇳 (79+) 6. Shenzhen 🇨🇳 (73+) 7. Dubai 🇦🇪 (38+) 8. Guangzhou 🇨🇳 (n/a) 9. Wuhan 🇨🇳 (n/a) 10. Navi Mumbai 🇮🇳 (27+)

@AmeyKulkarni_21 Check this x.com/haldilal/statu…

@DestinyFavChild No

Mumbai Metro Line 13 update-