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The Hindu
2 days ago
- General
- The Hindu
How the Great Trigonometric Survey led to the mapping of India
Chennai, then Madras, 1819. Syed Mir Mohsin Husain, a jeweller from Arcot, was working in the store of his employer, George Gordon, when some British military officials stopped by with a strange instrument, asking if Mohsin could fix it. Though he had never seen such an instrument before, he managed to repair it, a skill noted by one of these officers, Lieutenant-Colonel Valentine Blacker, 'who was thoroughly impressed with Mohsin's 'uncommon intelligence and acuteness'', states a new book titled India in Triangles: The incredible story of how India was mapped and the Himalayasmeasured by Shruthi Rao and Meera Iyer, published by Puffin, an imprint of Penguin Random House India. From then on, Blacker often turned to Mohsin for help, even appointing him as an instrument maker at the Surveyor General's office when he (Blacker) became the Surveyor-General of India in 1823. Meera loves the story of Mohsin, this small-town jeweller, who went on to become an instrument maker and played a crucial role in the Great Trigonometric Survey (GTS), 'the most advanced survey of its kind in the Indian subcontinent at the time-and the largest in the world,' as India in Triangles puts it. 'I wish more people knew about Mohsin,' says the Bengaluru-based writer and researcher, the convenor of the Bengaluru Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). There are other, equally compelling personalities in the book, which tells the story of how the Indian subcontinent was mapped. These include William Lambton, who kick-started the ambitious project; his successors, George Everest, Andrew Scott Waugh and James Walker; scores of mostly unnamed Indian flagmen or khalasis; and Radhanath Sikdar, the Indian mathematician and social reformer who would go on to calculate the height of Mount Everest in 1852. However, India in Triangles is also about mathematical principles, instruments, and the methodology used to survey this vast land with its complex topography. Additionally, it discusses its major outcomes — including improved maps, a deeper understanding of the Earth's curvature, and confirmation that Mount Everest is the world's tallest mountain — and is packed with engaging exercises, trivia, anecdotes, and facts. Shruthi reveals one of them: 'There is no evidence that Everest ever saw the mountain named after him,' she says, pointing out that it was actually named by Waugh in honour of his superior. While Everest, unlike his more easy-going predecessor Lambton, appears to have been a bit of a curmudgeon, he was also a 'pretty impressive guy. He brought in multiple innovations and made the survey faster,' says the California-based children's writer and editor. The start of a survey The pilot for this great survey was conducted in Banaswadi, Bengaluru, in 1800, merely a year after the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. Lambton, who was part of the British regiment that fought this war, had proposed this survey for two broad reasons, explains Meera. The first was that the East India Company, which was rapidly acquiring new territories, needed maps. 'Yes, they had maps already, but these were not very accurate,' she says. Additionally, the geographer in Lambton sought to measure the Earth's true shape, fulfilling his long-held desire to contribute to the field of geodesy. 'In the 1780s, they had started trigonometrical surveys in England, and Lambton was following it very closely,' says Meera. Once Tipu Sultan was defeated, they had access to the entire territory of Mysore as well, which meant that 'practically all of South India is no longer enemy territory for the British so they could go almost anywhere they wanted,' she adds. 'This idea, Lambton had of drawing a line across the land, could be done. So that is how everything came together.' The GTS was based on the principle of triangulation, a process that divides a shape or surface into multiple triangles. 'In trigonometry, when you know the measurement of one side and two angles, you can calculate the lengths of the other two sides,' says Shruthi. Using this basic idea, 'they were able to draw imaginary triangles across the land.' According to her, only the first line of the triangle —the baseline —was physically drawn and measured on the ground. 'Then, from each end point of that line, they were able to sight the third point of the triangle, measure the angles and find the length of the other two sides of the triangle,' she explains, elaborating that one of these would then become the next baseline, which in turn would be used to map another triangle, and so on. 'It became a network of triangles across India, and using these triangles and paper and pencil, they were able to map the entire country.' A lasting legacy The actual process was arduous, involving the physical labour of lugging heavy equipment through harsh, often hostile terrain, while constantly battling the elements. 'They expected it to take around five years,' says Meera, with a laugh. In reality, however, it took nearly a hundred years, with the Great Trigonometric Survey officially kickstarting in April 1802 in Madras two years after the pilot in Bangalore. 'He chose the Madras Racecourse to set up the baseline… because it was close to St Thomas Mount, which sat on the 13th parallel, the same latitude as Bangalore,' states the book. 'Lambton was already familiar with the Bangalore region, which would be useful when he extended his triangulation from coast to coast, going from Madras to Bangalore and onwards to Mangalore along this latitude.' There was no looking back from there. The surveyors would spend the next few decades establishing baselines and drawing triangles all across the country, even as the leadership baton was passed on from Lambton to Everest, Waugh and finally to Walker. 'We know when it started, but not when it ended,' says Meera. 'Very often, it is said that it lasted 70 years, because on-ground operations were going on for that long, but you still see reports written after 70 years. Even in the early 1900s, reports were coming out about the GTS because they were still doing calculations, still correcting things.' What is clear, however, is the impressive legacy that the GTS has left behind, still lingering two centuries later. For instance, all Government-made maps of India, since the 1830s, have been based on one of the outcomes of this survey, the Everest Spheroid, which 'best represents what the surface of the Earth is actually like in the Indian subcontinent,' according to the book. It is also useful for people trying to understand the Earth's tectonic shifts. 'Because the GTS benchmarks and baselines were made and measured with such accuracy, they provide useful points to geologists who study earthquakes and plate tectonics,' it further states. Writing a book about the GTS When Shruthi went on a holiday to Mussoorie in 2014, she visited George Everest's house, located in Hathipaon. 'I did some research and heard about the Great Trigonometric Survey for the first time,' she says. She found herself wanting to write about this house, which was 'at that time, completely dilapidated', and went on to publish an article about it in a national media outlet. As part of her research, she read The Great Arc by the British historian and journalist John Keay, a book about the survey, and found herself becoming increasingly fascinated by the GTS. 'It has been running in my head since that time, and I wanted to write it for children,' she says. When she started researching for the book online, she discovered that Meera's byline recurred in many of the articles about the same survey, she says. 'First, I thought I would ask her for help with research; then, I ended up asking her to co-author the book with me, and she agreed,' explains Shruthi. Meera, who was directly involved in restoring an observatory located at the end of a baseline in Kannur, off the Hennur-Bagalur Road in Bengaluru, a structure that had been used to map the landscape, says that she first laid her eyes on 'this really strange building' back in 2010. She began reading about the GTS 'to figure out what this structure was,' she says, adding that INTACH started working on restoring it in 2018 or 2019. And while, unfortunately, the structure was later demolished in June 2024, 'that was when my interest really took off,' says Meera, who spent a lot of time in various archives researching the survey. Since the book is aimed at younger readers, the authors made sure that it was as conversational and simple as possible, says Shruthi. 'I give a lot of context, see that it relates to real-life situations and make sure that we not only describe trigonometry and the mathematical part of it, but also offer a bird's eye view,' she says. 'We also put in activities for children to help them get a feel of things.' And it isn't just children who are buying the book; adults seem to be enjoying it too. 'I think, compared to my other books for children, we are getting a lot of adult interest because very few people know about this,' says Shruthi. 'But, they're fascinated by the topic.' India in Triangles is available online and at all major bookstores
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Time of India
Men posed as girls to fish for targets in dating scam, restaurant manager held
Mumbai: The manager of a popular restaurant located at Borivli has been arrested for duping customers by conniving with a bunch of conmen and women as part of a dating scam. In all, 22 persons have been arrested. The dating scam came to light after one of the complainants, a manager with a private bank, lodged a complaint at MHB Colony police station. He told the police that he had matched with a woman over a dating app and then met her at a restaurant in Borivli. However after ordering some drinks and hookah, the restaurant presented him with a bill of Rs 35,000 and threatened him to pay up. The man dialled the police helpline (100) and called the cops. The restaurant then reduced the bill to Rs 30,000 and the woman offered to pay half of it. Later the complainant realised that Rs 15,000 he had paid went to a private UPI ID, not the restaurant's ID. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai After an FIR was registered, police tracked down the woman to a hotel in Navi Mumbai. They found out that she was part of a gang of 21 people (15 men and six women) who had come to Navi Mumbai from Ghaziabad and Delhi eight to 10 days ago. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo They had booked five rooms in the hotel. A scrutiny of their phones revealed that all the male accused had downloaded dating apps. They had created fake profiles of women and were chatting up with potential targets. Once the target agreed to meet at a restaurant, the female accused took over. The male accused connived with the restaurant staff to generate inflated bills through a portable printer that they carried along with them. The male accused posed as bouncers to intimidate the man on the date into paying up. Half of the money earned was given to the restaurant staff. The police have seized 27 cellphones, a portable printer and a POS machine collectively worth Rs 3.7 accused are in their mid-twenties. "We suspect their involvement in a similar dating scam at Malad. The gang leaders, Mohsin and Farhan, have also been held. It is likely that several victims have been duped in this manner but few venture to lodge complaints," said a police officer. The case was supervised by deputy commissioner Anand Bhoite and senior inspector Ganesh Pawar. It was solved by inspector Atul Avhad and sub-inspector Nilesh Patil.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Asda swings to £600m loss as debt pressures mount
Asda fell to a loss of almost £600m last year as its soaring debt burden and a costly IT overhaul weighed on the beleaguered supermarket. Sales at the Leeds-based grocer grew by more than £1bn to £26.8bn in 2024, latest accounts show, but it posted a £599m pre-tax loss, compared with a £180m profit the previous year. Like-for-like sales excluding fuel were down too, falling by £750m to £21bn. Writing in the accounts, Michael Gleeson, Asda's chief financial officer, admitted: 'Trading has been challenging and food sales have been behind expectations.' Bosses have been battling to reduce the burden of Asda's £3.6bn debt pile, which has put the company under increasing pressure as interest rates have risen in recent years. The cost of servicing the debt pile grew by £170m to £611m last year. The supermarket said it had been forced to pay higher interest rates after refinancing debts during the year. Asda's debts were built up during its takeover by the billionaire brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa and the private equity firm TDR Capital in 2021, which lumbered the company with billions in borrowings. The supermarket was acquired from long-time owner Walmart and the deal has prompted Asda to undertake a costly project to divorce its computer systems from its former US parent. Dubbed 'Project Future', Asda has spent heavily on the transition, shelling out £867m on it to date and £310m in 2024 alone. Mr Gleeson said 2024 was an important year for the retailer, in which it oversaw a transition to the new IT systems, insisting it would be 'stronger and fit for the future as a result of the transformation progress made in FY24'. However, the transition has been beset with issues and delays, such as an incident in March 2024 that saw thousands of workers receive incorrect payslips. The plunge in profits comes as Allan Leighton, Asda's chairman, attempts to restore the supermarket to growth after a loss of market share to grocery rivals since its takeover. Asda commanded 13.6pc of the UK grocery market at the beginning of 2024, but that figure had fallen to a record low of 11.9pc this month, according to Kantar. Mr Leighton, a veteran retailer credited with turning around Asda's fortunes during a difficult period in the late 1990s, was drafted in to lead the company once more last November. Since then he has kicked off a price war with supermarket rivals and embarked on a major cost-cutting push. The businessman has called many of Asda's issues 'self-inflicted', saying he wants to 'turn it into what it was'. An Asda spokesman said: 'Asda's core business remains strong and profitable, delivering a pre-tax profit of £115m before exceptional items. 'The reported overall loss is the result of two significant one-off costs: a £378m non-cash impairment charge, which reflects updated asset valuations, and £310m in one-time costs related to Project Future – our strategic programme to separate Asda's IT systems from our former owner, Walmart. 'These are not recurring costs and do not reflect the underlying performance of the business. 'A more accurate indicator of our ongoing strength is our adjusted EBITDA after rent, which increased to £1.14bn from £1.078bn the previous year.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai fame Mohsin Khan dismisses reports of getting married soon; says 'Fake news Bro'
, best known for his role in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, is often admired for his charming looks and strong screen presence. He is also considered one of television's most eligible bachelors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Recently, a news channel aired a special segment claiming that Mohsin's family has found a suitable match for him and that the actor might tie the knot sometime later this year. Some reports further claimed that the girl is not connected to the entertainment world and that Mohsin and she were introduced through mutual family friends. However, Mohsin Khan has denied the wedding rumours and urged the media to verify facts before reporting. Addressing the speculation on his Instagram Stories, he wrote firmly, 'Fake news bro. Urging all the media outlets to at least confirm before reposting fake news.' This isn't the first time Mohsin Khan's personal life has sparked public curiosity. Ever since he quit Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai in 2021 after a successful five-year stint, speculation about his relationships and marriage has surfaced time and again. Despite the constant buzz, the actor has consistently chosen to remain graceful and private, avoiding unnecessary attention. Mohsin, who leads a private life, was previously linked to . The two worked together in Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and were rumoured to be dating each other. Although the couple never publicly spoke about their relationship or split, Mohsin has now confirmed that he is currently single. In a 2024 conversation with Times of India TV, Mohsin opened up about his relationship status, sharing that he is currently single and hopes to marry someone chosen by his family. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'I am single and will soon be married. My family is looking for rishtas. I am okay with an arranged marriage,' said the actor. In the same interview, he revealed that he would get married by next year, he said, "By next year, I will be married. Even I think mera age ho gaya hai. (laughs). I am keeping my fingers crossed,' he said, adding, 'I don't have any prototype of how the girl should be. I have just decided that I will be married in a year. Also, my sister's kids are around me. So I do see them and I am so attached to kids. I want to have my kids. Trust me, I will be a hands-on father. ' Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai: Mohsin Khan gets injured while shooting on the sets
News18
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Mohsin Khan Reacts To Wedding Rumours: ‘Fake News Bro', Says Family Looking For Rishtas
Last Updated: Although Mohsin Khan has not been linked to anyone officially in recent times, he was previously rumoured to be dating his YRKKH co-star Shivangi Joshi. Television actor Mohsin Khan has finally broken his silence on reports claiming he's set to get married soon. Best known for playing Kartik Goenka in the long-running show Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Mohsin took to Instagram to address the speculation head-on. Reports recently suggested that the actor is planning to tie the knot with a girl outside the entertainment industry. The news spread quickly, leaving fans curious about the identity of the mystery woman. However, Mohsin swiftly debunked the rumours with a short but sharp message on his Instagram Stories. Although the actor has not been linked to anyone officially in recent times, he was previously rumoured to be dating his YRKKH co-star Shivangi Joshi. The duo shared remarkable onscreen chemistry, which often led to offscreen speculations. In an earlier interview with Bombay Times, Mohsin confirmed that he's single but hinted that wedding bells might not be too far off. 'I am single and will soon be married," he said, adding, 'My family is looking for rishtas. I am okay with an arranged marriage. By next year, I will be married. Even I think mera age hogaya hai (laughs)." He also expressed his desire to become a father, saying, 'I want to have my kids. Trust me, I will be a hands-on father." On the professional front, Mohsin has stayed away from daily soaps since his exit from Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai. He's been seen in a few music videos but hasn't announced any major acting projects yet. With his latest post, Mohsin has made it clear that fans will have to wait a little longer for an official wedding announcement. First Published:
