title: Ten Commandments

text: By the beginning of the twenty-first century in the U.S., however, Decalogue monuments and plaques in government spaces had become a legal battleground between religious as well as political liberals and conservatives. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Americans United for Separation of Church and State launched lawsuits challenging the posting of the ten commandments in public buildings. The ACLU has been supported by a number of religious groups (such as the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and the American Jewish Congress), both because they do not want government to be issuing religious doctrine and because they feel strongly that the commandments are inherently religious. Many commentators see this issue as part of a wider culture war between liberal and conservative elements in American society. In response to the perceived attacks on traditional society, other legal organizations, such as the Liberty Counsel, have risen to advocate the conservative interpretation. Many Christian conservatives have taken the banning of officially sanctioned prayer from public schools by the U.S. Supreme Court as a threat to the expression of religion in public life. In response, they have successfully lobbied many state and local governments to display the ten commandments in public buildings.


title: Ten Commandments

text: Those who oppose the posting of the ten commandments on public property argue that it violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. In contrast, groups like the Fraternal Order of Eagles who support the public display of the ten commandments claim that the commandments are not necessarily religious but represent the moral and legal foundation of society, and are appropriate to be displayed as a historical source of present-day legal codes.


title: Ten Commandments

text: U.S. courts have often ruled against displays of the Ten Commandments on government property. They conclude that the ten commandments are derived from Judeo-Christian religions, to the exclusion of others: the statement "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" excludes non-monotheistic religions like Hinduism, for example. Whether the Constitution prohibits the posting of the commandments or not, there are additional political and civil rights issues regarding the posting of what is construed as religious doctrine. Excluding religions that have not accepted the ten commandments creates the appearance of impropriety. The courts have been more accepting, however, of displays that place the Ten Commandments in a broader historical context of the development of law.


title: Ten Commandments

text: One result of these legal cases has been that proponents of displaying the Ten Commandments have sometimes surrounded them with other historical texts to portray them as historical, rather than religious. Another result has been that other religious organizations have tried to put monuments to their laws on public lands. For example, an organization called Summum has won court cases against municipalities in Utah for refusing to allow the group to erect a monument of Summum aphorisms next to the Ten Commandments. The Summum aphorisms are officially known as the "Seven Aphorisms". Summum believes that when Moses came down from Mount Sinai the first time, he had the "Seven Aphorisms" on the Tablets of Stone but the undeveloped condition of the Israelites prevented them from understanding the Aphorisms and when Moses came down the second time, he brought down the Ten Commandments instead which were much easier for the Israelites to understand. Moses then shared the "Seven Aphorisms" with the few that could understand it which was then revealed by Summum. The cases were won on the grounds that Summum's right to freedom of speech was denied and the governments had engaged in discrimination. Instead of allowing Summum to erect its monument, the local governments chose to remove their Ten Commandments.


title: Ten Commandments

text: Two famous films with this name were directed by Cecil B. DeMille: a 1923 silent film which stars Theodore Roberts as Moses, and a 1956 version filmed in VistaVision starring Charlton Heston as Moses.


title: Ten Commandments

text: Both "Dekalog", a 1989 Polish film series directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, and "The Ten", a 2007 American film, use the ten commandments as a structure for 10 smaller stories.


title: Ten Commandments

text: The receipt of the Ten Commandments by Moses was satirized in Mel Brooks's 1981 movie "History of the World Part I", which shows Moses (played by Brooks, in a similar costume to Charlton Heston's Moses in the 1956 film), receiving three tablets containing fifteen commandments, but before he can present them to his people, he stumbles and drops one of the tablets, shattering it. He then presents the remaining tablets, proclaiming Ten Commandments.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance four years in a row from 1999 to 2002, breaking the record for most wins in that category and setting the record for most consecutive wins in one category by a male. He has been nominated for and won other awards, including American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Radio Music Awards, Brit Awards, and Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. Kravitz's hit singles include "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" (1991) and "Again" (2000), each of which reached the top 10 on the "Billboard" Top 100 chart; other hits include "Let Love Rule" (1989), "Always on the Run" (1991), "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (1993), "Fly Away" (1998), and "American Woman" (1999), each of which reached the top 10 on the Alternative Airplay chart.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz was ranked at No. 93 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock". He was made an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2011, and has played Cinna in the "Hunger Games" film series. In his career, Kravitz has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. He is the son of actress Roxie Roker, the cousin of television anchor Al Roker, and the father of actress Zöe Kravitz.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Leonard Albert Kravitz was born in New York City, the only child of NBC television news producer Sy Kravitz (1924–2005) and actress Roxie Roker (1929–1995). His mother came from a Christian family which was of African-American and Bahamian descent. Kravitz's father was of Ukrainian Jewish ancestry. Through his mother, Kravitz is a second cousin of television weather presenter Al Roker as their grandfathers were brothers. He was named after his uncle, Leonard M. Kravitz, a private first class who was killed in action in the Korean War at the age of 20, while single-handedly holding off a Chinese attack, enabling most of his platoon to escape.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: During his early years, Kravitz did not grow up in a religious environment. After a spiritual experience when he was 13, he started attending church and later became a non-denominational Christian. Kravitz grew up spending weekdays on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with his parents, attending P.S. 6 for elementary school, and spending weekends at his grandmother Bessie's house in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz began banging on pots and pans in the kitchen, playing them as drums at the age of three. He decided that he wanted to be a musician at the age of five. He began playing the drums and soon added guitar. He grew up listening to the music his parents listened to: R&B, jazz, classical, opera, gospel, and blues. He said, "My parents were very supportive of the fact that I loved music early on, and they took me to a lot of shows." Around the age of seven, he saw The Jacksons perform at Madison Square Garden, and they became his favorite performers. His father, who was also a jazz promoter, was friends with Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby Short, Miles Davis, and other jazz greats; Ellington even played "Happy Birthday" for him on his fifth birthday.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In 1974, at the age of 10, Kravitz relocated to Los Angeles with his parents when his mother landed her role on "The Jeffersons". At his mother's urging, he joined the California Boys Choir for three years, where he performed a classical repertoire, and sang with the Metropolitan Opera. He took part in Mahler's Third Symphony at the Hollywood Bowl. It was in Los Angeles that Kravitz was introduced to rock music, listening to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Kiss, Pink Floyd, and the Who, and he said he was "attracted to the cool style, the girls, the rock 'n' roll lifestyle." During his junior high school years, he was also introduced to marijuana; he has stated that he was a "pothead" during his youth. His other musical influences at the time included Fela Kuti, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Pharoah Sanders, and Miles Davis. Later influences came in the form of John Lennon and Bob Marley. Kravitz attended Beverly Hills High School, where he was classmates with Maria McKee, Nicolas Cage, and Slash. He taught himself to play piano and bass and made friends with Zoro, who would later become his long-time collaborator. His parents divorced in 1985, which had a profound impact on him.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz is the honorary nephew of Diahann Carroll, whom he called Aunt D, and actress Cicely Tyson was his godmother.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: With record labels still telling him his music was not "black enough" or "white enough," Kravitz decided to record an album on his own under the name Romeo Blue. Kravitz had met the recording engineer, keyboardist, and bassist Henry Hirsch in 1985 when recording a demo at his Hoboken, New Jersey recording studio. The two shared an interest in using real instruments and vintage recording equipment, as well as a love of R&B, jazz, and rock. Kravitz would go on to collaborate with Hirsch on most of his albums. Kravitz began working on his debut album with Hirsch over the next year and a half, with Kravitz's father paying for the studio time. Kravitz met saxophonist Karl Denson and invited him to play on the song "Let Love Rule." Kravitz was so impressed with his playing that Denson played on much of the album. Beginning in the late 1980s, Denson toured with Kravitz for five years.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In October 1988, after completing most of the recording, Kravitz approached friend Stephen Elvis Smith, who had served as the music supervisor on Lisa Bonet's "The Cosby Show" spin-off "A Different World". Smith had also worked with Kravitz's mother on the hit sitcom "The Jeffersons". Kravitz urged Smith to manage his career and assist him in finding a record deal. In less than a month of shopping the recordings, five labels (Warner Bros, Elektra, Geffen, Capitol, and Virgin) were in a bidding war for Kravitz. Eventually, a deal was made with Virgin Records in January 1989, and signed by Virgin A&R executive Nancy Jeffries. The label was "excited" about the music he was making, music inspired by his relationship with wife Bonet and their new daughter, Zoe. On Smith's urging, Kravitz dropped the name Romeo Blue and reclaimed the Lenny Kravitz moniker. About his time as Romeo Blue, Kravitz said, "Ultimately, it got me back to myself. And when I finally did accept myself for myself, music started flowing out of me."


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz released his debut album "Let Love Rule" in 1989, a combination of rock and funk with a 1960s vibe. Music critics were mixed: some felt Kravitz was a gifted new artist, others felt he was overpowered by his musical influences. The album was a moderate success in the United States, but became an instant hit outside of the US, especially in Europe. Lisa Bonet directed the debut music video for the title track, "Let Love Rule." Stephen Smith signed Kravitz with talent booking agency CAA, who soon were fielding offers for Kravitz, first on a club tour, and then in opening slots for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan, and David Bowie. Having played essentially all of the instruments on the album, Kravitz had to quickly assemble a touring band to support the "Let Love Rule" release. In May 2009, a 20th anniversary deluxe edition of "Let Love Rule" was released worldwide by Virgin. Kravitz launched a LLR(20) tour of Europe and the United States in support of the re-release.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In May 1990, he performed the song "Cold Turkey" at the John Lennon Memorial concert. In 1990, Kravitz produced the song "Justify My Love" for Madonna, which he co-wrote with Ingrid Chavez. The song, which appeared on her greatest hits album "The Immaculate Collection" and created controversy because of its explicit video, went to number 1 for two consecutive weeks. Kravitz appeared as a member of Peace Choir that performed "Give Peace a Chance" in 1991 in protest of the Gulf War.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz separated from Lisa Bonet in 1991, amid rumors of an affair between him and Madonna. Kravitz has denied any infidelity. Kravitz and Bonet divorced in 1993. Kravitz produced the self-titled album "Vanessa Paradis" (1991) for French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis. He played most of the instruments and co-wrote most of the songs on the album.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In 1991, Kravitz released his second album, "Mama Said", which was his first album to reach the Top 40. The songs on the album were about Bonet and dedicated to her, documenting his depression over their breakup. The single, "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over," went to number 2 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. A second single "Always on the Run," a tribute to his mother, featured Slash on guitar. "Stand by My Woman" and "What Goes Around Comes Around" followed. Sean Lennon co-wrote and played piano on the song "All I Ever Wanted."


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In 1993, Kravitz wrote "Line Up" for Aerosmith, and appeared on Mick Jagger's solo album, "Wandering Spirit", on a cover of the Bill Withers soul classic "Use Me," and played guitar on the title track of David Bowie's "The Buddha of Suburbia". That year Kravitz also worked with idols Al Green and Curtis Mayfield. In 1993, "Are You Gonna Go My Way" was released, reaching number 12 on the "Billboard" 200 and Kravitz earned a BRIT Award for best international male artist in 1994. The title track won a MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video for the video produced by Mark Romanek, in which Kravitz slung his dreadlocks and wore high-heeled platform boots. During the presentation of the MTV Video Music Awards, he performed the song with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin on bass. Several singles from the album would follow, including "Believe," "Is There Any Love In Your Heart," and "Heaven Help/Spinning Around Over You." This album was the first to feature guitarist Craig Ross, who has also played on all his subsequent albums. One song, "Eleutheria," was influenced by the island Eleuthera in The Bahamas where Kravitz built a house and recording studio. In 1993, he also released the EP "Spinning Around Over You", which included four live tracks from his Universal Love Tour. A feature documentary about his 1994 tour entitled "Alive from Planet Earth" was directed by Doug Nichol and released.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In 1994, Kravitz recorded "Main Squeeze" with Teena Marie from her "Passion Play" CD. Kravitz also made a video to pay tribute to Teena Marie when she suddenly died on December 26, 2010. He recorded a funk-rock version of the song "Deuce" for the KISS cover album "". The track featured Stevie Wonder on harmonica and background vocals. This song was one of three radio singles from the album, and was also the album's lead-off track. Roxie Roker, Kravitz's mother, died in California on December 2, 1995, of breast cancer at the age of 66. In 1995, Kravitz released the album "Circus", which went to number 10 on the "Billboard" chart on the back of his past achievement. However, the album only had two hit singles: "Rock and Roll Is Dead" and "Can't Get You Off My Mind."


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: With "5" (1998), Kravitz embraced digital technology such as Pro Tools and samplers for the first time. Recorded in both his own New York City carriage house, and Compass Point Studios in The Bahamas, Kravitz employed engineer/producer Terry Manning to handle the recording duties. "5" introduced his music to an even wider audience thanks to the hit single "Fly Away" being featured prominently in both car manufacturer and airline commercials. "5" would reach number 28 on the "Billboard" 200, with "Fly Away" peaking at number twelve on the "Billboard" Hot 100, topping both the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts, and also topping the charts in Iceland and the United Kingdom. He would win the first of his four consecutive Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards of 1999. Other hits from the album included "If You Can't Say No", that was remixed by dance producer Brian Transeau, and "I Belong to You." For the "I Belong to You" video Kravitz can be seen without his signature dreadlocks. In 1999 he produced and sang with Cree Summer on her solo album Street Faërie.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: His cover version of the Guess Who's hit "American Woman" won him another Grammy at the Grammy Awards of 2000 and helped The Guess Who's song reach a new audience. Kravitz's version of the song originally came from the soundtrack of "" and was added to "5" as a bonus track in 1999. Kravitz worked on two songs for Michael Jackson's "Invincible" album released in 2001; a snippet of "Another Day" was leaked, and the full version was officially released on the album "Michael" in 2010.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz released a "Greatest Hits" album in 2000. It proved to be his most successful album, reaching #2 on the "Billboard" 200 and selling nearly 11 million copies worldwide and ultimately becoming one of the most commercially successful albums of the decade. The single "Again" earned him his third consecutive Grammy for the Best Male Rock Vocal in the Grammy Awards of 2001 and peaked at number 4 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100. Kravitz also co-wrote the song "God Gave Me Everything" with Mick Jagger in this period, appearing on Jagger's 2001 solo album "Goddess in the Doorway" and in the film "Being Mick". In 2001, Kravitz participated in a benefit auction for the Red Hot Organization, in conjunction with Amazon.com to increase public AIDS awareness, which ran from February 28 until April 11, 2001. The event featured rare RHO memorabilia and the work of "Rolling Stone" photographer Mark Seliger.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz released his sixth album "Lenny" in October 2001. The album was recorded in Miami. Kravitz wrote the song "Bank Robber Man" after the Miami Police Department detained and cuffed him while walking to the gym with his trainer because police stated that he matched the description of a bank robber. Kravitz did not have any identification with him at the time and the police on the scene did not believe that he was indeed Lenny Kravitz. The bank teller who was robbed was then brought to the scene and said Kravitz was not the bank robber. Miami Police later sent officers to Kravitz's home to apologize for the detention. When asked if he thought the incident was a case of racial profiling, Kravitz said he was not sure although some of the lyrics in the song suggest otherwise. The first single from the album, "Dig In," went to number 1 in Argentina and the top 10 in Italy and Portugal. The video for "Dig In" was originally supposed to be shot at the top of the Empire State Building on September 12, 2001 but the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 caused the location to be moved. The video was later shot off the coast of Miami. He won his fourth Grammy in 2002. "Stillness of Heart," "Believe in Me," and "If I Could Fall In Love" were subsequent singles from the album.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz was the subject of a photo book by former chief photographer for "Rolling Stone", Mark Seliger. Published in November 2001, Seliger captures Kravitz on tour, with family, with friends, and in posed portraits. Jay-Z invited Kravitz to appear on the track "Guns and Roses" on his 2002 "". Kravitz would also join P. Diddy, Pharrell, and Loon on the track "Show Me Your Soul" from the "Bad Boys II Soundtrack". In September 2002, Kravitz appeared alongside other rock stars in the episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" of "The Simpsons". In early 2003, Kravitz released the track "We Want Peace" as a download-only track as a protest against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, he performed this alongside famous Iraqi singer Kazem Al Saher at Rock the Vote. The track reached #1 on the world internet download charts and MP3.com download chart. Kravitz also appeared on "Unity", the official album of the 2004 Athens Olympics, and performed a cover of "Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland)" on the album "".


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz's seventh album "Baptism" was released in May 2004. The first single was "Where Are We Runnin'?" The single "California" failed to be commercially successful, but "Storm", featuring Jay-Z, reached the charts. "Calling All Angels" was successful in various countries and a huge hit in Brazil, however it was "Lady" that became the album's surprise hit, making the US Top 30 and propelling "Baptism" to gold status. Also in 2004, he appeared on N.E.R.D's album "Fly or Die". From March 2005, Kravitz toured all over the world with the tour "Electric Church", which ended at the Brixton Academy, London in July 2005. Kravitz served as the opening act for Aerosmith who are long-term friends of Kravitz on their fall 2005 tour. The tour began on October 30 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The night before that tour started, October 29, 2005, Kravitz's father, TV producer Seymour "Sy" Kravitz, died. During that first show, Kravitz broke the news to the stunned crowd and stated it was not a time to be sad, but rather a time to celebrate because he is now in Heaven. Kravitz then dedicated "Let Love Rule" to his father. That tour was so successful that it was extended through February 25, 2006 and ended in Anaheim, California.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In January 2006, Kravitz contributed "Breathe" to absoluttracks, a project sponsored by Absolut Vodka. This song was re-mixed by ten musical producers and distributed via the internet. Kravitz appeared in the audience of Madonna's Confessions Tour (2006) during numerous shows. He later joined Madonna live on stage to play guitar on the song, "I Love New York," at the last of four Paris shows. Kravitz founded a design firm named Kravitz Design, stating if he hadn't been a musician he would have been a designer. Kravitz Design, focused on interior and furniture design, has designed residential spaces, as well as a chandelier for the crystal company Swarovski, named "Casino Royale."


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: On July 7, 2007, Kravitz performed at the Brazilian leg of Live Earth in Rio de Janeiro, making him one of three major international rock stars to perform two huge free concerts at the world-famous Copacabana Beach along with Macy Gray and The Rolling Stones. Kravitz had already played there on March 21, 2005, drawing 300,000 people on a concert of his own. The Live Earth concert, with eight other acts on the bill, including Pharrell and Macy Gray had an audience of 400,000 on the beach. Also in 2007, Kravitz released a version of "Cold Turkey" by John Lennon on the charity CD "". Kravitz also spent time recording his latest album, "It Is Time for a Love Revolution", released February 5, 2008. On September 25, 2007, the Fats Domino tribute album "Goin' Home; A Tribute To Fats Domino" was released. Kravitz was on the song "Whole Lotta Lovin'" along with Rebirth Brass Band, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, and Maceo Parker.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz performed at the Grey Cup halftime show in Toronto at the Rogers Centre on November 25, 2007, where the Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23–19. The original video for "I'll Be Waiting" was shot in Central Park in New York City with Marc Webb directing but that video was later shelved and a new version, which Kravitz co-directed with Philip Andelman, was filmed in Kravitz's New York City recording studio. The video premiered on VH1's Top 20 Countdown at number 3. On January 17, 2008, Kravitz embarked on a nine-city mini-tour to promote his new album "It Is Time for a Love Revolution". The tour started in Santa Monica, California and ended in New York City on February 1.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: On February 11, 2008, Kravitz was admitted to Miami Hospital suffering from severe bronchitis. He had been suffering from a series of severe respiratory tract infections since mid-January, and the illness developed into bronchitis. Kravitz's illness had forced him to postpone Canadian dates and his trip to Europe to promote his album "It Is Time for a Love Revolution". On March 19, 2008 he canceled the South American part of his tour due to the same illness. The decision affected planned concerts in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. In Argentina Kravitz had a performance in the biggest rock festival there, Quilmes Rock Fest. On July 15, 2008, Kravitz was honored in Milan, Italy with the key to the city in a special toast ceremony for his work with the United Nations Millennium Campaign to end world poverty.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz made his feature film acting debut in "Precious" which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009. During the Italian leg of his 53 date Let Love Rule 2009 European tour, Kravitz was instructed to cancel some shows due to another bad bout of bronchitis. Under strict orders from his doctor, the singer was told to rest so that he could make a quick recovery and return to the stage for the rest of his tour. Shows scheduled for Rome on June 5 and Brescia on June 17 were postponed to late July.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz's next album, tentatively titled "Funk", was tentatively re-titled "Negrophilia" and was due out sometime in 2010. This is believed to be a project that Kravitz has been working on since 1997. Some of the original tracks for "Funk" were recorded while he was in New Orleans at Allen Toussaint's studio while taking a break for several months from recording in New York City. A video on Kravitz's Twitter page shows him working on one of the songs for the album, called "Super Love", in his GTS studios in the Bahamas. Another video shows him working on another track titled "Life Ain't Never Been Better Than It Is Now" in his GTS Studios. On his Twitter page, Kravitz said that the album title was "Negrophilia" but then "felt like something else". Eventually, the album was later named "Black and White America". The album was released on August 22, 2011 in Europe and August 30, 2011 in the US.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: On February 20, 2011, the first single "Come on Get It" was released. On June 6, 2011, the second single "Stand" was released. It was announced that Kravitz would be supporting U2 on their 360 Tour on the second North American leg in 2010. Kravitz agreed to support them for four shows. Though the shows were postponed until 2011, Kravitz remained committed for four of the shows.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In June 2010 it was announced that Kravitz would guest star on an episode of the upcoming season of "Entourage".


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In 2011 Kravitz was honored with one of the highest cultural awards in France when he was made an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by French cultural minister Frederic Mitterrand in Paris. Kravitz stated he was "particularly touched" to receive the award in France as his success in the country pre-dated his success in the United States and still enjoys great record sales in the country today. Kravitz joined other American recipients such as Martin Scorsese, George Clooney, and Bob Dylan. On February 26, 2012, he performed at the Daytona International Speedway for the Daytona 500, the opening race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. A sample of "Are You Gonna Go My Way" was used in American singer Chris Willis's single "Too Much In Love", released on August 16, 2011.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Lenny Kravitz played the part of Katniss' creative stylist, Cinna, in the first two "Hunger Games" films, "The Hunger Games" released on March 23, 2012 and "" released on November 22, 2013.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In 2014 Lenny Kravitz released his tenth studio album "Strut" on his own Roxie Records via Kobalt Label Services. In 2015, Kravitz performed alongside Katy Perry at the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In 2015, during a guitar solo at a concert in Stockholm, Kravitz squatted down, causing his leather pants to rip. Because Kravitz was not wearing underpants, his genitals were briefly exposed to the audience. He did not face any legal repercussions from the incident.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In 2015 he became a furniture designer for the first time ever launching a collection of furniture products marketed under the label CB2 x Kravitz design through retailer CB2. The collection was apparently inspired by the 70s and by the work of Italian designer Gabriella Crespi.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In 2016 he guest starred on the FX Television show "Better Things" playing the part of Mel Trueblood. In 2017 he earned a spot on the Fox Television series "Star" playing the part of Roland Crane in his first recurring television role.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In April 2018, Kravitz signed with BMG Rights Management for a new worldwide publishing music deal to go with his new album "Raise Vibration", released in September 2018. BMG had acquired Kravitz's music publishing rights in 2013, as part of Virgin Music Publishing.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In the same "Rolling Stone" interview it was confirmed that Kravitz had already begun work on a follow-up to "Raise Vibration", as well as a possible soundtrack to a future film project.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz has partnered with Leica on two occasions. In 2015 a Leica M-P edition titled "The Correspondent", and again in 2019 with a Monochrom edition titled "Drifter." The 2019 collaboration also included a gallery of his own work, which was unveiled on May 24, 2019 and was on display until August 25 of 2019 in the Leica Gallery in Wetzlar Germany.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz Design Inc. is a New York City-based company founded by Kravitz in 2003. Kravitz Design focuses on commercial, residential and product creative direction and design. Among its clients are the Morgans Hotel Group, Swarovski Crystal, and The Setai Group. In 2010, Kravitz Design Inc. collaborated with Flavor Paper wallpaper on the Tropicalismo Collection, a line inspired by Brazil's Tropicalia art movement of the late 1960s.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Swarovski selected Kravitz Design Inc. in 2005 and 2006 to participate in their Crystal Palace Collection. Kravitz Design Inc. has also envisioned a luxury recording studio for The Setai Resort and Residences in Miami Beach, New York, Paris, and New Orleans.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In 1985, Kravitz met "Cosby Show" actress Lisa Bonet backstage at a New Edition concert in California. They were close friends for two years before beginning a relationship. In 1987 Kravitz moved back to New York City, where "The Cosby Show" was produced to move in with Bonet. They eloped to be married in a Las Vegas ceremony on November 16, 1987, her 20th birthday. Kravitz, still known as Romeo Blue at the time, suddenly found himself in the headlines of tabloids. He and Bonet had a daughter, Zoë Isabella Kravitz, on December 1, 1988, who became an actress, singer and model. Kravitz and Bonet separated in 1991. They divorced amicably in 1993.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz dated French singer and model Vanessa Paradis from 1991 to 1996. He began dating Brazilian model Adriana Lima in 2001, and they lived together before becoming engaged in 2002. The engagement was called off in April 2003. Lima was featured in the music video for Kravitz's 2002 single "Yesterday Is Gone (My Dear Kay)". He then briefly dated and was engaged to Australian actress Nicole Kidman from 2003 to 2004.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: Kravitz identifies himself as a Christian in a religious sense "through choice" but states, "I'm also a Jew. It's all the same to me." During another interview, he stated, "I'm half Jewish, I'm half black, I look in-between." He also notes that spirituality "has been an important issue in [his] growth", citing his upbringing by parents of different faiths. Such spirituality is prominently featured in many of his songs, such as the lyrics on his album "Baptism", and a tattoo on his back which is inscribed with "My Heart Belongs to Jesus Christ". In 2011, he stated that his 2005 religious commitment to remain celibate until remarriage was unchanged. In a 2014 interview with "Men's Health", however, he reconsidered his previous stance.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: In 2017, Kravitz sold his Miami Beach home for $16.5 million. He currently owns a house in Paris, a farm compound in Brazil, and a trailer with the surrounding land in the Bahamas.


title: Lenny Kravitz

text: He follows veganism with a primarily raw vegan diet, and uses his land in Brazil and the Bahamas to grow his own food. PETA named Kravitz one of the Most Beautiful Vegan Celebrities of 2022, along with singer/songwriter Anitta.


title: Lizzo

text: Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo, is an American singer, rapper, and flutist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas with her family when she was 10 years old. After college she moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she began her recording career in hip hop music. Prior to signing with Nice Life Recording Company and Atlantic Records, Lizzo released two studio albums—"Lizzobangers" (2013) and "Big Grrrl Small World" (2015). Lizzo's first major-label EP, "Coconut Oil", was released in 2016.


title: Lizzo

text: Lizzo attained mainstream success with the release of her third studio album, "Cuz I Love You" (2019), which peaked at number four on the US "Billboard" 200. The album spawned the singles "Juice" and "Tempo". The deluxe version of the album included Lizzo's 2017 single "Truth Hurts" which became a viral sleeper hit two years after its initial release. It topped the US "Billboard" Hot 100, and became the longest-leading solo song by a female rapper. Around this time, her 2016 single "Good as Hell" also climbed the charts, reaching the top ten on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Lizzo received eight nominations at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, the most for any artist that year, including nominations for each of the "Big Four" categories; and eventually won the awards for Best Urban Contemporary Album, Best Pop Solo Performance for "Truth Hurts", and Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song "Jerome".


title: Lizzo

text: In 2021, Lizzo released the single "Rumors" featuring Cardi B, which debuted in the top five of the "Billboard" Hot 100. Her fourth studio album "Special" (2022) was preceded by its lead single "About Damn Time", which reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Lizzo

text: Aside from singing and rapping, Lizzo has also worked as an actor: she served as a voice actor in the animated film "UglyDolls" (2019) and appeared in the crime comedy-drama film "Hustlers" (2019). She is also the host of the Amazon Prime Video reality television series "Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls", for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Competition Program. In 2019, "Time" named Lizzo as "Entertainer of the Year" for her meteoric rise and contributions to music. In addition to her three Grammy Awards, she has also won a "Billboard" Music Award, a BET Award, and two Soul Train Music Awards.


title: Lizzo

text: Melissa Viviane Jefferson was born in Detroit, Michigan. When she was ten, her family relocated to Houston, Texas. She was classically trained as a flutist by Claudia Momen for 8 years, from the age of 10 until she graduated Alief Elsik High School in Alief, Houston in 2006, where she had started rapping. At the age of 14, she formed a musical group called Cornrow Clique with her friends. At this time she acquired the nickname "Lizzo", a variant of "Lissa" inspired by Jay-Z's "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)". In college, she studied classical music concentrating on flute at the University of Houston. At the age of 21, after the death of her father, she lived out of her car for a year as she tried to break into the music industry. She dropped out of college and moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2011.


title: Lizzo

text: While living in Minneapolis, Lizzo performed with groups including the electro soul-pop duo, Lizzo & the Larva Ink. During this time she helped form a three-piece all-female rap/R&B group: the Chalice. In 2012, the Chalice released their first album, "We Are the Chalice", which was locally successful.


title: Lizzo

text: Lizzo's hip-hop-focused debut album, "Lizzobangers", produced by Lazerbeak and Ryan Olson, was released on October 15, 2013. Killian Fox of "The Guardian" gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying: "At times joyfully nonsensical, Lizzo's stream-of-consciousness rhymes can also be lethally pointed." The album topped "Star Tribune"'s "Twin Cities Critics Tally 2013" list. Music videos were created for the songs "Batches & Cookies", "Faded", "Bus Passes and Happy Meals", and "Paris".


title: Lizzo

text: Lizzo toured the US and UK in the fall of 2013 opening for Har Mar Superstar, and additionally sang with his band. In October 2013, Lizzo won "City Pages" "Picked to Click" award for best new Twin Cities artist. The following month "Time" named her one of 14 music artists to watch in 2014. The album was subsequently re-released through Virgin Records. Later that year, Lizzo shared the stage with St. Paul and the Broken Bones, performing "A Change Is Gonna Come" together.


title: Lizzo

text: Following the release of her first album, Lizzo immediately began working on new music. In 2014, she participated in StyleLikeU's "What's Underneath" project, where she removed her clothes as she talked about her relationships with her body. Inspired by the experience, she wrote "My Skin", which she described as "the thesis statement" of her forthcoming second album. In an interview with "Vice", regarding body image, she said: You can wake up and change many things about your appearance, but the inevitability of waking up in your skin is what unifies us.In September 2014, Lizzo was featured alongside her Chalice bandmates Sophia Eris and Claire de Lune on the song "BoyTrouble" on Prince's and 3rdEyeGirl's album "Plectrumelectrum". On working with Prince, Lizzo says the experience was "surreal... almost like a fairytale" and that it was "something I will never actually get over." On October 7, 2014, Lizzo appeared as the musical guest on the "Late Show with David Letterman".


title: Lizzo

text: Lizzo's second studio album, "Big Grrrl Small World", was released on December 11, 2015. "Spin" placed the album at number 17 on the "50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015" list. Hilary Saunders of "Paste" praised Lizzo's "ability to rap and sing with equal tenacity." Her collaboration with Your Smith (then Caroline Smith), "Let 'Em Say", was featured in the season three premiere of "Broad City".


title: Lizzo

text: Lizzo was one of the hosts of MTV's short-lived 2016 live music performance series "Wonderland". After signing with Atlantic Records that same year, Lizzo released her first major-label extended play, "Coconut Oil", on October 7, 2016. "Good as Hell" was released as the lead single from the "Coconut Oil" on March 8, 2016, as part of the soundtrack for the 2016 film "". Lizzo co-wrote each song on the album, while enlisting Ricky Reed, Christian Rich, Dubbel Dutch, and Jesse Shatkin for the album's production. The result was a departure from Lizzo's previous alternative hip hop releases. Lyrically, the extended play explores themes of body positivity, self-love, and the journey to those ideals.


title: Lizzo

text: "Coconut Oil" received positive reviews from music critics. Syra Aburto, writing for "Nylon", wrote that "like the product it's named after, [Lizzo's] latest project, "Coconut Oil", is essential for healthy living." "Rolling Stone" placed it at No. 14 on the list of the "20 Best Pop Albums of 2016". Commercially, "Coconut Oil" peaked at number 44 on US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, making it Lizzo's first release to chart. To promote the extended play, Lizzo embarked on the Good as Hell Tour in 2017. In May she headlined The Infatuation's annual food festival, EEEEEATSCON and also appeared as a guest judge on the tenth season of "RuPaul's Drag Race". In early 2018, Lizzo toured both with Haim and Florence and the Machine.After struggling with body issues at an early age, Lizzo became an advocate for body positivity and self-love as she attracted more mainstream attention, while making diversity the focus of her music, in regards to one's body, sexuality, race, and more. Her group of back-up dancers, the Big Grrrls, consists of all plus-size dancers. Highlighting body inclusivity and celebrating individuality, Lizzo appeared in ModCloth's "Say It Louder" campaign, which launched on June 11, 2018. In the same month, she sported the first plus-size outfit made for FIT's Future of Fashion runway show by Grace Insogna for her performance at NYC Pride's Pride Island event. Lizzo was profiled in the June 2018 "Teen Vogue" Music Issue.


title: Lizzo

text: In 2019, in addition to her musical projects, Lizzo ventured into acting, with a voice performance in the animated film "UglyDolls", and a supporting part in the crime comedy-drama film "Hustlers".


title: Lizzo

text: "Juice", the lead single from her third studio album, was released on January 4, 2019, by Atlantic Records. The next month, she announced the title of the album, "Cuz I Love You", which was eventually released on April 19, 2019. After the release of her album, she performed at the Coachella Music Festival for the first time.


title: Lizzo

text: The release of "Cuz I Love You" marked a turning point in Lizzo's career, as she began to attract more mainstream attention; the album debuted at number six on the "Billboard" 200 and eventually peaked at number four on the chart, three months after its initial release.


title: Lizzo

text: After inspiring an internet meme on the TikTok video sharing app and being featured in the 2019 Netflix film "Someone Great", Lizzo's 2017 single, "Truth Hurts", began to gain popularity and was added to the deluxe version of "Cuz I Love You". The single became a viral sleeper hit, and, in turn, increased interest for "Cuz I Love You", which remained in the top 10 of the "Billboard" 200 for several months.


title: Lizzo

text: "Truth Hurts" has since become Lizzo's first number-one hit on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Lizzo became the third female rapper to top the Hot 100 without a featured artist. She also became the first Black solo female R&B singer to claim the top spot on the Hot 100 since Rihanna's 2012 hit "Diamonds". A week later, on September 9, 2019, "Cuz I Love You" became certified gold by the RIAA with over 500,000 equivalent units sold. "Truth Hurts" spent seven weeks atop the Hot 100, tying for the most weeks at number one for a rap song by a female artist. The music video for the song, in which Lizzo "marries herself", has amassed more than 220 million views on YouTube. In an interview, she revealed that the initial lack of success for “Truth Hurts”—what she had thought to be her best song yet at the time—caused her to seriously consider quitting the music industry altogether.


title: Lizzo

text: Lizzo is also well known for her ability to play the flute. She began playing as a child, and has continued to improve her flute playing skills into adulthood. She has performed with her flute, which she has named Sasha Flute, in several of her musical performances, including when she performed "Truth Hurts" at the 2019 BET Awards. Her performance at the BET Awards earned her a standing ovation from the crowd, which included Rihanna.


title: Lizzo

text: Throughout the summer of 2019, Lizzo frequently performed, including on the West Holts stage at the Glastonbury Festival, and as a headliner at the Indianapolis and Sacramento pride festivals.


title: Lizzo

text: On July 23, 2019, Lizzo was nominated for Push Artist of the Year and Best New Artist at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards. She performed a medley of "Truth Hurts" and "Good as Hell" at the 2019 MTV Video Music Awards; her performance received critical praise. Around this time, her 2016 single "Good as Hell" also climbed the charts around the world, reaching the top three of the "Billboard" Hot 100 and the top ten of the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached the top ten in Australia and Belgium.


title: Lizzo

text: Lizzo made her "Saturday Night Live" debut as a musical guest on the December 21, 2019 episode, which Eddie Murphy hosted. The episode was the final episode of both the year and the decade. In January 2020, Lizzo headlined FOMO Festival, performing in four Australian cities and Auckland, New Zealand. She also performed a sold-out show at the Sydney Opera House, where she had previously performed as a young flute player. She opened the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards with a medley of "Cuz I Love You" and "Truth Hurts", and won three awards at the ceremony. She received eleven nominations at the 2020 "Billboard" Music Award, winning one for Top Song Sales Artist. At the 2020 BET Awards, she became the first act to be nominated in both the R&B/pop and hip-hop artist categories in the same year.


title: Lizzo

text: In August 2020, Lizzo signed a production deal with Amazon Studios to develop new projects with them. Her first project was an unscripted reality competition series called "Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls". The show premiered on March 24, 2022.


title: Lizzo

text: On August 2, 2021, Lizzo announced the beginning of a "new era" with the song "Rumors", which was released on August 13, 2021. In an interview with "Variety", Lizzo stated at the time that her upcoming album will be "a love album" and "one of the most musically badass, daring and sophisticated bodies of work I've done to date." The album was expected to release in late 2022, though at the time of the interview Lizzo had not finished it yet.


title: Lizzo

text: On March 23, 2022, Lizzo announced the single "About Damn Time" was to be released on April 14. After the song's release, Lizzo revealed the title for her fourth album, "Special", and announced a release date of July 15.


title: Lizzo

text: She returned to "Saturday Night Live", pulling double duty as host and musical guest for the April 16, 2022, episode.


title: Lizzo

text: On June 10, 2022, Lizzo released "Grrrls", the first promotional single from "Special". The song's lyrics generated controversy because of the inclusion of the word "spaz". The line was eventually replaced with "hold me back", following a statement from Lizzo where she commented that "as a fat black woman in America, I've had many hurtful words used against me so I understand the power words can have (whether intentionally or in my case, unintentionally)".


title: Lizzo

text: On July 15, 2022, Lizzo released her fourth studio album "Special", which earned acclaim from music critics upon its release. "Lizzoverse", an accompanying immersive cosmic light show experience set to "Special", took place in New York City's Cipriani 25 Broadway and was livestreamed on Twitch. Following the release of Special, "About Damn Time" reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart.


title: Lizzo

text: On December 17, 2022, Lizzo returned to "Saturday Night Live" for her third appearance as a musical guest, with Austin Butler hosting. Lizzo replaced the band Yeah Yeah Yeahs due to member Nick Zinner having pneumonia.


title: Lizzo

text: When asked about her sexuality in a June 2018 interview, Lizzo stated, "I personally don't ascribe to just one thing... That's why the colors for LGBTQ+ are a rainbow! Because there's a spectrum and right now we try to keep it black and white. That's just not working for me." She has a strong LGBTQ+ following and has dubbed her fans "Lizzbians". She later stated that she considers herself an ally and "leans heterosexual".


title: Lizzo

text: Throughout her career, Lizzo has been subject to body shaming. She is considered an image for body positivity and self-confidence. She partially credits social media, and the Internet in general, for changing the narrative around size and giving visibility to overweight women. In December 2019, Lizzo sparked controversy at a Los Angeles Lakers game, where on camera she danced and twerked to her song "Juice" while wearing a dress that revealed her thong. In an interview with "CBS This Morning" she said, "Anyone who knows me knows that this is how I've always been. This is how I've always liked to dress." On January 5, 2020, Lizzo stopped using Twitter; she cited "too many trolls" as the reason for her departure, and stated she would "be back when I feel like it". Her Twitter account has since been updated by her management, while she remains active on her Instagram. Lizzo often discusses her mental health and its impact on her career.


title: Lizzo

text: Lizzo grew up attending the Church of God in Christ. As of June 2020, Lizzo is a vegan. In 2022, Lizzo was romantically linked to comedian Myke Wright. She donated $500,000 to Planned Parenthood after the United States Supreme Court overturned "Roe v. Wade" in "Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization" (2022).


title: Lizzo

text: In October 2021, she was criticized by some for calling Chris Brown her "favorite person in the whole fucking world".


title: Lizzo

text: Lizzo's music primarily incorporates hip hop, and is also infused with genres such as soul, R&B and funk-pop. Lizzo's influences include Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, and Beyoncé. Primarily a rapper, Lizzo incorporated singing into her debut record. She stated in an interview in 2018, "I was always afraid of being a singer, but then when I heard Lauryn Hill, I was like, maybe I can do both," further adding that her debut album was inspired by "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill", and Hill's ability of "rapping, singing, being political." She has cited Diana Ross as a fashion reference.


title: Lizzo

text: In an article for "The Guardian" in 2019, writer Leonie Cooper credited Lizzo for "the woodwind renaissance" as "the flute’s brightest champion" on the mainstream.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders with the state of Uttar Pradesh in the east and with the state of Haryana in the remaining directions. The NCT covers an area of . According to the 2011 census, Delhi's city proper population was over 11 million, while the NCT's population was about 16.8 million. Delhi's urban agglomeration, which includes the satellite cities of Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Noida in an area known as the National Capital Region (NCR), has an estimated population of over 28 million, making it the largest metropolitan area in India and the second-largest in the world (after Tokyo).


title: Delhi

text: The topography of the medieval fort Purana Qila on the banks of the river Yamuna matches the literary description of the citadel Indraprastha in the Sanskrit epic "Mahabharata"; however, excavations in the area have revealed no signs of an ancient built environment. From the early 13th century until the mid-19th century, Delhi was the capital of two major empires, the Delhi sultanate and the Mughal Empire, which covered large parts of South Asia. All three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city, the Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, and the Red Fort, belong to this period. Delhi was the early centre of Sufism and Qawwali music. The names of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusrau are prominently associated with it. The Khariboli dialect of Delhi was part of a linguistic development that gave rise to the literature of the Urdu language and then of Modern Standard Hindi. Major Urdu poets from Delhi include Mir Taqi Mir and Mirza Ghalib. Delhi was a major centre of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. In 1911, New Delhi, a southern region within Delhi, became the capital of the British Indian Empire. During the Partition of India in 1947, Delhi was transformed from a Mughal city to a Punjabi one, losing two-thirds of its Muslim residents, in part due to the pressure brought to bear by arriving Hindu refugees from western Punjab. After independence in 1947, New Delhi continued as the capital of the Dominion of India, and after 1950 of the Republic of India.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi ranks fifth among the Indian states and union territories in human development index. Delhi has the second-highest GDP per capita in India (after Goa). Although a union territory, the political administration of the NCT of Delhi today more closely resembles that of a state of India, with its own legislature, high court and an executive council of ministers headed by a Chief Minister. New Delhi is jointly administered by the federal government of India and the local government of Delhi, and serves as the capital of the nation as well as the NCT of Delhi. Delhi is also the centre of the National Capital Region, which is an "interstate regional planning" area created in 1985.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi hosted the inaugural 1951 Asian Games, the 1982 Asian Games, the 1983 Non-Aligned Movement summit, the 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and the 2012 BRICS summit and was one of the major host cities of the 2011 Cricket World Cup.


title: Delhi

text: There are a number of myths and legends associated with the origin of the name "Delhi". One of them is derived from "Dhillu" or "Dilu", a king who built a city at this location in 50 BCE and named it after himself. Another legend holds that the name of the city is based on the Hindi/Prakrit word ("loose") and that it was used by the Tomaras to refer to the city because the iron pillar of Delhi had a weak foundation and had to be moved. According to Panjab Notes and Queries, the name of the city at the time of King Prithviraj was , and that and are probably derived from the old Hindi word meaning "eminence". The former director of the Archaeological Survey of India, Alexander Cunningham, mentioned that later became . Some suggest the coins in circulation in the region under the Tomaras were called "dehliwal". According to the Bhavishya Purana, King Prithiviraja of Indraprastha built a new fort in the modern-day Purana Qila area for the convenience of all four castes in his kingdom. He ordered the construction of a gateway to the fort and later named the fort "dehali". Some historians believe that "Dhilli" or "Dhillika" is the original name for the city while others believe the name could be a corruption of the Hindustani words "dehleez" or "dehali"—both terms meaning "threshold" or "gateway"—and symbolic of the city as a gateway to the Gangetic Plain.


title: Delhi

text: The people of Delhi are referred to as "Delhiites" or "Dilliwalas". The city is referenced in various idioms of the Northern Indo-Aryan languages. Examples include:


title: Delhi

text: The form "Delhi", used in Latin script and strangely with an "h" following an "l", originated under colonial rule and is a corrupt spelling based on the Urdu name of the city (, "Dehli").


title: Delhi

text: Traditionally seven cities have been associated with the region of Delhi. The earliest, Indraprastha, is part of a literary description in the Sanskrit epic "Mahabharata" (composed c. 400 BCE to 200 CE but describing an earlier time) which situates a city on a knoll on the banks of the river Yamuna. According to art historian Catherine B. Asher, the topographical description of the "Mahabharata" matches the area of Purana Qila, a 14th-century CE fort of the Delhi sultanate, but the analogy does not go much further. Whereas the "Mahabharata" speaks of a beautifully decorated city with surrounding fortification, the excavations have yielded "uneven findings of painted grey pottery characteristic of the eleventh century BCE; no signs of a built environment, much fewer fortifications, have been revealed."


title: Delhi

text: The earliest architectural relics date back to the Maurya period (c. 300 BCE); in 1966, an inscription of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (273–235 BCE) was discovered near Srinivaspuri. Remains of several major cities can be found in Delhi. The first of these was in the southern part of present-day Delhi. King Anang Pal of the Tomara dynasty built Lal Kot and several temples in 1052 CE. Vigraharaj Chauhan conquered Lal Kot in the mid-12th century and renamed it Qila Rai Pithora.


title: Delhi

text: Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated in 1192 by Muhammad Ghori in the second battle of Tarain. Qutb-ud-din Aibak, was given the responsibility of governing the conquered territories of India until Ghori returned to his capital, Ghor. When Ghori died without an heir in 1206 CE, Qutb-ud-din assumed control of Ghori's Indian possessions, and laid the foundation of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mamluk dynasty. He began construction of the Qutb Minar and Quwwat-al-Islam (Might of Islam) mosque, the earliest extant mosque in India. It was his successor, Iltutmish (1211–1236), who consolidated the Turkic conquest of northern India. At , the Qutb Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Delhi, was completed during the reign of Sultan Illtutmish in the 13th century. Although its style has some similarities with the Jarkurgan minaret, it is more closely related to the Ghaznavid and Ghurid minarets of Central Asia Razia, daughter of Iltutmish, became the Sultana of Delhi upon the former's death.


title: Delhi

text: For the next three hundred years, Delhi was ruled by a succession of Turkic and an Afghan, Lodi dynasty. They built several forts and townships that are part of the seven cities of Delhi. Delhi was a major centre of Sufism during this period. The Mamluk Sultanate (Delhi) was overthrown in 1290 by Jalal ud din Firuz Khalji (1290–1320). Under the second Khalji ruler, Ala-ud-din Khalji, the Delhi sultanate extended its control south of the Narmada River in the Deccan. The Delhi sultanate reached its greatest extent during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq (1325–1351). In an attempt to bring the whole of the Deccan under control, he moved his capital to Daulatabad, Maharashtra in central India. However, by moving away from Delhi he lost control of the north and was forced to return to Delhi to restore order. The southern provinces then broke away. In the years following the reign of Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351–1388), the Delhi Sultanate rapidly began to lose its hold over its northern provinces. Delhi was captured and sacked by Timur in 1398, who massacred 100,000 captive civilian. Delhi's decline continued under the Sayyid dynasty (1414–1451), until the sultanate was reduced to Delhi and its hinterland. Under the Afghan Lodi dynasty (1451–1526), the Delhi sultanate recovered control of Punjab and the Gangetic plain to once again achieve domination over Northern India. However, the recovery was short-lived and the sultanate was destroyed in 1526 by Babur, founder of the Mughal dynasty.


title: Delhi

text: In 1526, Babur a descendant of Genghis Khan and Timur, from the Fergana Valley in modern-day Uzbekistan invaded India, defeated the last Lodhi sultan in the First Battle of Panipat and founded the Mughal Empire that ruled from Delhi and Agra. The Mughal dynasty ruled Delhi for more than three centuries, with a sixteen-year hiatus during the reigns of Sher Shah Suri and Hemu from 1540 to 1556. Shah Jahan built the seventh city of Delhi that bears his name "Shahjahanabad", which served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1638 and is today known as the "Old City" or "Old Delhi".


title: Delhi

text: After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the Mughal Empire's influence declined rapidly as the Hindu Maratha Empire from Deccan Plateau rose to prominence. In 1737, Maratha forces led by Baji Rao I sacked Delhi following their victory against the Mughals in the First Battle of Delhi. In 1739, the Mughal Empire lost the huge Battle of Karnal in less than three hours against the numerically outnumbered but militarily superior Persian army led by Nader Shah of Persia. After his invasion, he completely sacked and looted Delhi, carrying away immense wealth including the Peacock Throne, the Daria-i-Noor, and Koh-i-Noor. The Mughals, severely further weakened, could never overcome this crushing defeat and humiliation which also left the way open for more invaders to come, including eventually the British. Nader eventually agreed to leave the city and India after forcing the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah I to beg him for mercy and granting him the keys of the city and the royal treasury. A treaty signed in 1752 made Marathas the protectors of the Mughal throne in Delhi. The city was sacked again in 1757 by the forces of Ahmad Shah Durrani, although it was not annexed by the Afghan Empire and being its vassal state under the Mughal emperor. Then the Marathas battled and won control of Delhi from the Mughals. By the end of the century, Delhi had also come under control of the Bharatpur State and the Sikh Empire.


title: Delhi

text: In 1803, during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, the forces of British East India Company defeated the Maratha forces in the Battle of Delhi.


title: Delhi

text: During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Delhi fell to the forces of East India Company after a bloody fight known as the Siege of Delhi. The city came under the direct control of the British Government in 1858. It was made a district province of the Punjab. In 1911, it was announced that the capital of British-held territories in India was to be transferred from Calcutta to Delhi. The name "New Delhi" was given in 1927, and the new capital was inaugurated on 13 February 1931. New Delhi was officially declared as the capital of the Union of India after the country gained independence on 15 August 1947. It has expanded since; the small part of it that was constructed during the British period has come to be informally known as "Lutyens' Delhi".


title: Delhi

text: During the partition of India, around five lakh Hindu and Sikh refugees, mainly from West Punjab fled to Delhi, while around three lakh Muslim residents of the city migrated to Pakistan. Ethnic Punjabis are believed to account for at least 40% of Delhi's total population and are predominantly Hindi-speaking Punjabi Hindus. Migration to Delhi from the rest of India continues (), contributing more to the rise of Delhi's population than the birth rate, which is declining.


title: Delhi

text: The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 created the Union Territory of Delhi from its predecessor, the "Chief Commissioner's Province of Delhi".


title: Delhi

text: The Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 declared the Union Territory of Delhi to be formally known as the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The Act gave Delhi its legislative assembly along Civil lines, though with limited powers.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi was the primary site in the nationwide anti-Sikh pogroms of 1984, which resulted in the death of around 2,800 people in the city according to government figures, though independent estimates of the number of people killed tend to be higher. The riots were set off by the assassination of Indira Gandhi—the Prime Minister of India at the time—by her Sikh bodyguards.


title: Delhi

text: In 2001, the Parliament of India building in New Delhi was attacked by armed militants, killing six security personnel. India suspected Pakistan-based militant groups were behind the attack, which caused a major diplomatic crisis between the two countries. There were further terrorist attacks in Delhi in 2005 and 2008, resulting in a total of 92 deaths. The 2020 Delhi riots, Delhi's worst communal violence in decades, was caused mainly by Hindu mobs attacking Muslims. Of the 53 people killed, two-thirds were Muslims, and the rest Hindus.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi is located in Northern India, at . The city is bordered on its northern, western, and southern sides by the state of Haryana and to the east by that of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Two prominent features of the geography of Delhi are the Yamuna flood plains and the Delhi ridge. The Yamuna River was the historical boundary between Punjab and UP, and its flood plains provide fertile alluvial soil suitable for agriculture but are prone to recurrent floods. The Yamuna, a sacred river in Hinduism, is the only major river flowing through Delhi. The Hindon River separates Ghaziabad from the eastern part of Delhi. The Delhi ridge originates from the Aravalli Range in the south and encircles the west, northeast, and northwest parts of the city. It reaches a height of and is a dominant feature of the region. In addition to the wetlands formed by the Yamuna river, Delhi continues to retain over 500 ponds (wetlands < 5 ha), that in turn support considerable number of bird species. Delhi's ponds, despite experiencing ecological deterioration due to garbage dumping and concretization, supports the largest number of bird species known to be using ponds anywhere in the world. Existing policy in Delhi prevents the conversion of wetlands and, quite inadvertently, has led to the city's ponds becoming invaluable refugia for birds.


title: Delhi

text: The National Capital Territory of Delhi covers an area of , of which is designated rural, and urban therefore making it the largest city in terms of area in the country. It has a length of and a width of .


title: Delhi

text: Delhi features a dry-winter humid subtropical climate (Köppen "Cwa") bordering a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen "BSh"). The warm season lasts from 21 March to 15 June with an average daily high temperature above . The hottest day of the year is 22 May, with an average high of and low of . The cold season lasts from 26 November to 9 February with an average daily high temperature below . The coldest day of the year is 4 January, with an average low of and high of . In early March, the wind direction changes from north-westerly to south-westerly. From April to October the weather is hot. The monsoon arrives at the end of June, along with an increase in humidity. The brief, mild winter starts in late November, peaks in January and heavy fog often occurs.


title: Delhi

text: Temperatures in Delhi usually range from , with the lowest and highest temperatures ever recorded being , respectively. However, was recorded at Mungeshpur on 15 May 2022 whereas one of the main weathering station, that is, Airport station recorded all time high of on 26 May 1998. The lowest ever temperature ever recorded is at airport on 11 January 1967. The highest temperature ever recorded in Safdarjung is on 29 May 1944 & lowest recorded is on 16 January 1935. On January 8 2006 Delhi recorded minimum temperature of , the coldest in 70 years. On December 30 2019 Delhi recorded lowest maximum temp ever at at Safdarjung & at Mungeshpur. On January 1 2021 Delhi recorded temperature of , the coldest in 15 years. The annual mean temperature is ; monthly mean temperatures range from . The highest temperature recorded in July in Safdarjung & Palam were in 1 July 1931 & in 5 July 1987 respectively. The average annual rainfall is approximately , most of which falls during the monsoon in July and August. The average date of the advent of monsoon winds in Delhi is 27 June.


title: Delhi

text: According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Delhi was the most polluted city in the world in 2014. In 2016 WHO downgraded Delhi to eleventh-worst in the urban air quality database. According to one estimate, air pollution causes the death of about 10,500 people in Delhi every year. Air quality index of Delhi is generally moderate (101–200) level between January to September, and then it drastically deteriorates to Very Poor (301–400), Severe (401–500) or Hazardous (500+) levels in three months between October to December, due to various factors including stubble burning, fire crackers burning during Diwali and cold weather. During 2013–14, peak levels of fine particulate matter (PM) in Delhi increased by about 44%, primarily due to high vehicular and industrial emissions, construction work and crop burning in adjoining states. It has the highest level of the airborne particulate matter, PM2.5 considered most harmful to health, with 153 micrograms.


title: Delhi

text: Rising air pollution level has significantly increased lung-related ailments (especially asthma and lung cancer) among Delhi's children and women. The dense smog and haze in Delhi during winter results in major air and rail traffic disruptions every year. According to Indian meteorologists, the average maximum temperature in Delhi during winters has declined notably since 1998 due to rising air pollution.


title: Delhi

text: India's Ministry of Earth Sciences published a research paper in October 2018 attributing almost 41% of PM2.5 air pollution in Delhi to vehicular emissions, 21.5% to dust/fire and 18% to industries. The director of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) alleged that the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) is lobbying "against the report" because it is "inconvenient" to the automobile industry. Environmentalists have also criticised the Delhi government for not doing enough to curb air pollution and to inform people about air quality issues. In 2014, an environmental panel appealed to India's Supreme Court to impose a 30% cess on diesel cars, but till date no action has been taken to penalise the automobile industry.


title: Delhi

text: Most of Delhi's residents are unaware of alarming levels of air pollution in the city and the health risks associated with it. In 2020, annual average PM2.5 in the Delhi, stood at 107.6 µg/m³, which is almost 21.5 times the World Health Organization PM2.5 Guideline (5 µg/m³: set in September, 2021). These pollution levels are estimated to reduce the Life Expectancy of an average person living in Delhi by almost 10.1 years.


title: Delhi

text: However, , awareness, particularly among the foreign diplomatic community and high-income Indians, was noticeably increasing. Since the mid-1990s, Delhi has undertaken some measures to curb air pollution—Delhi has the third-highest quantity of trees among Indian cities and the Delhi Transport Corporation operates the world's largest fleet of environmentally friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. In 1996, the CSE started a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court of India that ordered the conversion of Delhi's fleet of buses and taxis to run on CNG and banned the use of leaded petrol in 1998. In 2003, Delhi won the United States Department of Energy's first 'Clean Cities International Partner of the Year' award for its "bold efforts to curb air pollution and support alternative fuel initiatives". The Delhi Metro has also been credited for significantly reducing air pollutants in the city.


title: Delhi

text: However, according to several authors, most of these gains have been lost, especially due to stubble burning, a rise in the market share of diesel cars and a considerable decline in bus ridership. According to CSE and System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), burning of agricultural waste in nearby Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh regions results in severe intensification of smog over Delhi.


title: Delhi

text: Currently, the National Capital Territory of Delhi is made up of one division, 11 districts, 33 subdivisions, 59 census towns, and 300 villages.


title: Delhi

text: The National Capital Territory of Delhi is divided into three municipalities, Delhi Municipality, New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment, each with their own governance apparatus. The Municipality of Delhi is administered by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) which occupies an area of 1397.3 km and is sub-divided into 12 zones, that is, Centre, South, West, Najafgarh, Rohini, Civil Lines, Karol Bagh, SP-City, Keshavpuram, Narela, Shahdara North and Shahdara South. Municipal services in New Delhi, which occupies an area of 42.7 km, are provided by the New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Cantonment is administered by a Cantonment board.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi is home to the High Court of Delhi. The High Court of Delhi is the highest in the Delhi before Supreme Court. The High Court of Delhi just like the apex court and other High Courts in India is the Court of record. Delhi is also home to various District Court according to jurisdictions. Delhi have Currently seven District Courts namely Tis Hazari Court Complex, Karkardooma Court Complex, Patiala House Court Complex, Rohini Court Complex, Dwarka Courts Complex, Saket Court Complex, and Rouse Avenue Court


title: Delhi

text: Apart from the District Courts Delhi also have Consumer Courts, CBI Courts, Labour Courts, Revenue Courts, Army tribunals, electricity tribunals, Railway Tribunals, and other various tribunals situated according to appropriate jurisdictions.


title: Delhi

text: For policing purposes Delhi is divided into fifteen police districts which are further subdivided into 95 local police station zones. Delhi currently has 180 police stations.


title: Delhi

text: As a first-level administrative division, the National Capital Territory of Delhi has its own Legislative Assembly, Lieutenant Governor, the council of ministers, and Chief Minister. Members of the legislative assembly are directly elected from territorial constituencies in the NCT. The legislative assembly was abolished in 1956, after which direct federal control was implemented until it was re-established in 1993. The Municipal corporation handles civic administration for the city as part of the Panchayati Raj Act. The Government of India and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi jointly administer New Delhi, where both bodies are located. The Parliament of India, the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace), Cabinet Secretariat, and the Supreme Court of India are located in the municipal district of New Delhi. There are 70 assembly constituencies and seven Lok Sabha (Indian parliament's lower house) constituencies in Delhi.


title: Delhi

text: The Indian National Congress (Congress) formed all the governments in Delhi until the 1990s, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Madan Lal Khurana, came to power. In 1998, the Congress returned to power under the leadership of Sheila Dikshit, who was subsequently re-elected for 3 consecutive terms. But in 2013, the Congress was ousted from power by the newly formed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal forming the government with outside support from the Congress. However, that government was short-lived, collapsing only after 49 days. Delhi was then under President's rule until February 2015. On 10 February 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party returned to power after a landslide victory, winning 67 out of the 70 seats in the Delhi Legislative Assembly.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi is the largest commercial center in northern India. recent estimates of the economy of the Delhi urban area have been around $370 billion (PPP metro GDP) ranking it either the most or second-most productive metro area of India. The nominal GSDP of the NCT of Delhi for 2016–17 was estimated at , 13% higher than in 2015–16.


title: Delhi

text: As per the Economic survey of Delhi (2005–2006), the tertiary sector contributes 70.95% of Delhi's gross SDP followed by secondary and primary sectors with 25.20% and 3.85% contributions, respectively. Delhi's workforce constitutes 32.82% of the population, and increased by 52.52% between 1991 and 2001. Delhi's unemployment rate decreased from 12.57% in 1999–2000 to 4.63% in 2003. In December 2004, 636,000 people were registered with various employment exchange programmes in Delhi.


title: Delhi

text: In 2001 the total workforce in national and state governments and the quasi-government sector was 620,000, and the private sector employed 219,000. Key service industries are information technology, telecommunications, hotels, banking, media and tourism. Construction, power, health and community services and real estate are also important to the city's economy. Delhi has one of India's largest and fastest growing retail industries. Manufacturing also grew considerably as consumer goods companies established manufacturing units and headquarters in the city. Delhi's large consumer market and the availability of skilled labour has also attracted foreign investment. In 2001, the manufacturing sector employed 1,440,000 workers and the city had 129,000 industrial units.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi's municipal water supply is managed by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). , it supplied 650 million gallons per day (MGD), whereas the estimated consumption requirement is 963 MGD. The shortfall is met by private and public tube wells and hand pumps. At 240 MGD, the Bhakra storage is DJB's largest water source, followed by the Yamuna and Ganges rivers. Delhi's groundwater level is falling and its population density is increasing, so residents often encounter acute water shortage. Research on Delhi suggests that up to half of the city's water use is unofficial groundwater.In Delhi, daily domestic solid waste production is 8000 tonnes which is dumped at three landfill locations by MCD. The daily domestic waste water production is 470 MGD and industrial waste water is 70 MGD. A large portion of the sewage flows untreated into the Yamuna river.


title: Delhi

text: The city's electricity consumption is about 1,265 kWh per capita but the actual demand is higher. In Delhi power distribution is managed by TPDDL and BSES Yamuna & BSES Rajdhani since 2002. The Delhi Fire Service runs 43 fire stations that attend about 15,000 fire and rescue calls per year. The state-owned BSNL and private enterprises such as Airtel, Vi, Jio, and provide telephone and cell phone services to the city. Cellular coverage is available in GSM, CDMA, 3G, 4G and 4G+.


title: Delhi

text: Indira Gandhi International Airport, situated to the south-west of Delhi, is the main gateway for the city's domestic and international civilian air traffic. In 2015–16, the airport handled more than 48 million passengers, making it the busiest airport in India and South Asia. Terminal 3, which cost to construct between 2007 and 2010, handles an additional 37 million passengers annually. In 2010, IGIA was conferred the 4th best airport award in the world in the 15–25 million category, by Airports Council International. The airport was rated as the "Best airport in the world" in the 25–40 million passengers category in 2015, by Airports Council International. Delhi Airport was awarded "The Best Airport in Central Asia" and "Best Airport Staff in Central Asia" at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2015. Hindon Domestic Airport in Ghaziabad was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the second airport for the Delhi-NCR Region on 8 March 2019. A second international airport open for commercial flights has been suggested either by expansion of Meerut Airport or construction of a new airport in Greater Noida.


title: Delhi

text: The "Delhi Flying Club", established in 1928 with two de Havilland Moth aircraft named "Delhi" and "Roshanara", was based at Safdarjung Airport which started operations in 1929, when it was the Delhi's only airport and the second in India. The airport functioned until 2001; however, in January 2002 the government closed the airport for flying activities because of security concerns following the New York attacks in September 2001. Since then, the club only carries out aircraft maintenance courses and is used for helicopter rides to Indira Gandhi International Airport for VIP including the president and the prime minister.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi has the highest road density of 2103 km/100 km in India. It is connected to other parts of India by five National Highways: NH 1, NH 2, NH 8, NH 10 and NH 24. The Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Kolkata prongs of the Golden Quadrilateral start from the city. The city's road network is maintained by MCD, NDMC, Delhi Cantonment Board, Public Works Department (PWD) and Delhi Development Authority.


title: Delhi

text: Buses are the most popular means of road transport catering to about 60% of Delhi's total demand. Delhi has one of India's largest bus transport systems. In 1998, the Supreme Court of India ruled that all public transport vehicles in Delhi must be fuelled by compressed natural gas (CNG) to tackle increasing vehicular pollution. The state-owned Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is a major bus service provider which operates the world's largest fleet of CNG-fuelled buses. In addition, cluster scheme buses are operated by Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) with the participation of private concessionaires and DTC. In December 2017, the DTC and cluster buses carried over 4.19 million passengers per day. Kashmiri Gate ISBT, Anand Vihar ISBT and Sarai Kale Khan ISBT are the main bus terminals for outstation buses plying to neighbouring states. Delhi's rapid rate of economic development and population growth has resulted in an increasing demand for transport, creating excessive pressure on the city's transport infrastructure. To meet the transport demand, the State and Union government constructed a mass rapid transit system, including the Delhi Metro. Delhi Bus Rapid Transit System runs between Ambedkar Nagar and Delhi Gate.


title: Delhi

text: Personal vehicles especially cars also form a major chunk of vehicles plying on Delhi roads. , private vehicles account for 30% of the total demand for transport. Delhi has the highest number of registered cars compared to any other metropolitan city in India. Taxis, auto rickshaws, and cycle rickshaws also ply on Delhi roads in large numbers. , the number of vehicles in the metropolitan region, Delhi NCR, was 11.2 million (11.2 million). In 2008, there were 85 cars in Delhi for every 1,000 of its residents. In 2017, the number of vehicles in Delhi city alone crossed the ten million mark with the transport department of Delhi Government putting the total number of registered vehicles at 10,567,712 until 25 May of the year.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi is a major junction in the Indian railway network and is the headquarters of the Northern Railway. The main railway stations are New Delhi, Old Delhi, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Anand Vihar, Delhi Sarai Rohilla and Delhi Cantt. The Delhi Metro, a mass rapid transit system built and operated by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), serves many parts of Delhi and the neighbouring cities Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Noida. , the metro consists of ten operational lines with a total length of and 254 stations, and several other lines are under construction. The Phase-I was built at a cost of US$2.3 billion and the Phase-II was expected to cost an additional . Phase-II has a total length of 128 km and was completed by 2010. Delhi Metro completed 10 years of operation on 25 December 2012. It carries millions of passengers every day. In addition to the Delhi Metro, a suburban railway, the Delhi Suburban Railway exists.


title: Delhi

text: The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system serving Delhi, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Noida in the National Capital Region of India. Delhi Metro is the world's tenth-largest metro system in terms of length. Delhi Metro was India's second modern public transportation system. The network consists of 10 colour-coded lines serving 255 stations with a total length of . The system has a mix of underground, at-grade, and elevated stations using both broad-gauge and standard-gauge. All stations have escalators, lifts, and tactile tiles to guide the visually impaired from station entrances to trains. There are 18 designated parking sites at Metro stations to further encourage the use of the system. In March 2010, DMRC partnered with Google India (through Google Transit) to provide train schedule and route information to mobile devices with Google Maps.


title: Delhi

text: It has a combination of elevated, at-grade, and underground lines, and uses both broad gauge and standard gauge rolling stock. Four types of rolling stock are used: Mitsubishi–ROTEM Broad gauge, Bombardier MOVIA, Mitsubishi–ROTEM Standard gauge, and CAF Beasain Standard gauge. The Phase-I of Delhi Metro was built for US$2.3 billion and the Phase-II was expected to cost an additional . Phase-II has a total length of 128 km and was completed by 2010. Delhi Metro completed 10 years of operation on 25 December 2012. It carries millions of passengers every day.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi Metro is being built and operated by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC), a state-owned company with equal equity participation from the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. However, the organization is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India. Besides the construction and operation of the Delhi Metro, DMRC is also involved in the planning and implementation of metro rail, monorail, and high-speed rail projects in India and providing consultancy services to other metro projects in the country as well as abroad. The Delhi Metro project was spearheaded by Padma Vibhushan E. Sreedharan, the managing director of DMRC and popularly known as the "Metro Man" of India. He famously resigned from DMRC taking moral responsibility for a metro bridge collapse, which took five lives. Sreedharan was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French Government for his contribution to Delhi Metro.


title: Delhi

text: According to the 2011 census of India, the population of the NCT of Delhi is 16,753,235. The corresponding population density was 11,297 persons per km with a sex ratio of 866 women per 1000 men, and a literacy rate of 86.34%. In 2004, the birth rate, death rate and infant mortality rate per 1000 population were 20.03, 5.59 and 13.08, respectively. In 2001, the population of Delhi increased by 285,000 as a result of migration and by 215,000 as a result of natural population growth, which made Delhi one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. Dwarka Sub City, Asia's largest planned residential area, is located within the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Urban expansion has resulted in Delhi's urban area now being considered as extending beyond the NCT boundaries to incorporate the towns and cities of neighbouring states including Faridabad and Gurgaon in Haryana, and Ghaziabad and Noida in Uttar Pradesh, the total population of which is estimated by the United Nations to be over 28 million. According to the UN this makes Delhi urban area the world's second-largest urban area after Tokyo, although Demographia declares the Jakarta urban area to be the second-largest. The 2011 census provided two figures for urban area population: 16,314,838 within the NCT boundary, and 21,753,486 for the "Extended Urban Area". The 2021 regional plan released by the Government of India renamed the "Extended Urban Area" from "Delhi Metropolitan Area (DMA)" as defined by the 2001 plan, to "Central National Capital Region (CNCR)". Around 49% of the population of Delhi lives in slums and unauthorized colonies without any civic amenities. The majority of these slums have inadequate provisions to the basic facilities and according to a DUSIB report, almost 22% of the people do open defecation.


title: Delhi

text: Major social groups of Delhi include Brahmins, Gujjars, Jats, Vaishyas, Khatris, Rajputs, Ahirs, Punjabis, Purvanchalis, Bengalis, Uttarakhandis, Muslims, Sikhs, etc.


title: Delhi

text: Hinduism is Delhi's predominant religious faith, with 81.68% of Delhi's population, followed by Islam (12.86%), Sikhism (3.40%), Jainism (0.99%), Christianity (0.87%), and Buddhism (0.11%). Other minority religions include Zoroastrianism, Baháʼísm and Judaism.


title: Delhi

text: According to the 50th report of the commissioner for linguistic minorities in India, which was submitted in 2014, Hindi is Delhi's most spoken language, with 80.94% speakers, followed by Punjabi (7.14%), Urdu (6.31%) and Bengali (1.50%). 4.11% of Delhites speak other languages. Hindi is also the official language of Delhi while Urdu and Punjabi have been declared as additional official languages. According to the Directorate of Education and GNCTD the following languages are taught in schools in Delhi under the three-language formula:


title: Delhi

text: Delhi's culture has been influenced by its lengthy history and historic association as the capital of India. Although a strong Punjabi Influence can be seen in language, Dress and Cuisine brought by the large number of refugees who came following the partition in 1947 the recent migration from other parts of India has made it a melting pot. This is exemplified by many significant monuments in the city. The Archaeological Survey of India recognises 1,200 heritage buildings and 175 monuments as national heritage sites.


title: Delhi

text: In the Old City, the Mughals and the Turkic rulers constructed several architecturally significant buildings, such as the Jama Masjid—India's largest mosque built in 1656 and the Red Fort. Three World Heritage Sites—the Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Humayun's Tomb—are located in Delhi. Other monuments include the India Gate, the Jantar Mantar—an 18th-century astronomical observatory—and the Purana Qila—a 16th-century fortress. The Laxminarayan Temple, Akshardham temple, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, the Baháʼí Faith's Lotus Temple and the ISKCON temple are examples of modern architecture. Raj Ghat and associated memorials houses memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and other notable personalities. New Delhi houses several government buildings and official residences reminiscent of British colonial architecture, including the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Secretariat, Rajpath, the Parliament of India and Vijay Chowk. Safdarjung's Tomb is an example of the Mughal gardens style. Some regal "havelis" (palatial residences) are in the Old City. Lotus Temple is a Baháʼí House of Worship completed in 1986. Notable for its flowerlike shape, it serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent and has become a prominent attraction in the city. The National Museum and National Gallery of Modern Art are some of the largest museums in the country. Other museums in Delhi include the National Museum of Natural History, National Rail Museum and National Philatelic Museum.


title: Delhi

text: Chandni Chowk, a 17th-century market, is one of the most popular shopping areas in Delhi for jewellery and "Zari" saris. Delhi's arts and crafts include, "Zardozi"—an embroidery done with gold thread—and "Meenakari"—the art of enamelling.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi's association and geographic proximity to the capital, New Delhi, has amplified the importance of national events and holidays like Republic Day, Independence Day (15 August) and "Gandhi Jayanti". On Independence Day, the Prime Minister addresses the nation from the Red Fort. The Republic Day Parade is a large cultural and military parade showcasing India's cultural diversity and military strength. Over the centuries, Delhi has become known for its composite culture, and a festival that symbolises this is the "Phool Walon Ki Sair", which takes place in September. Flowers and "pankhe"—fans embroidered with flowers—are offered to the shrine of the 13th-century Sufi saint Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki and the Yogmaya Temple, both situated in Mehrauli.


title: Delhi

text: Religious festivals include "Diwali" (the festival of lights), "Mahavir Jayanti", Guru Nanak's Birthday, "Raksha Bandhan", "Durga Puja", "Holi", "Lohri", "Chauth", "Krishna Janmastami", "Maha Shivratri", Eid ul-Fitr, "Moharram" and "Buddha Jayanti". The Qutub Festival is a cultural event during which performances of musicians and dancers from all over India are showcased at night, with the Qutub Minar as a backdrop. Other events such as Kite Flying Festival, International Mango Festival and "Vasant Panchami" (the Spring Festival) are held every year in Delhi. The Auto Expo, Asia's largest auto show, is held in Delhi biennially. The New Delhi World Book Fair, held biennially at the Pragati Maidan, is the second-largest exhibition of books in the world. Delhi is often regarded as the "Book Capital" of India because of high readership. India International Trade Fair (IITF), organised by ITPO is the biggest cultural and shopping fair of Delhi which takes place in November each year and is visited by more than 1.5 million people.


title: Delhi

text: As India's national capital and centuries old Mughal capital, Delhi influenced the food habits of its residents and is where Mughlai cuisine originated. Along with Indian cuisine, a variety of international cuisines are popular among the residents. The dearth of food habits among the city's residents created a unique style of cooking which became popular throughout the world, with dishes such as "Kebab", "biryani", "tandoori". The city's classic dishes include butter chicken, "dal makhani", "shahi paneer", "aloo chaat", "chaat", "dahi bhalla", "kachori", "gol gappe", "samosa", "chole bhature", "chole kulche", "gulab jamun", "jalebi" and "lassi".


title: Delhi

text: The fast living habits of Delhi's people has motivated the growth of street food outlets. A trend of dining at local "dhabas" is popular among the residents. High-profile restaurants have gained popularity in recent years, among the popular restaurants are the Karim Hotel, the Punjab Grill and Bukhara. The "Gali Paranthe Wali" (the street of fried bread) is a street in Chandni Chowk particularly for food eateries since the 1870s. Almost the entire street is occupied by fast food stalls or street vendors. It has nearly become a tradition that almost every prime minister of India has visited the street to eat "paratha" at least once. Other Indian cuisines are also available in this area even though the street specialises in north Indian food.


title: Delhi

text: Private schools in Delhi—which use either English or Hindi as the language of instruction—are affiliated to one of three administering bodies, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) or the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). In 2004–05, approximately 1,529,000 students were enrolled in primary schools, 822,000 in middle schools and 669,000 in secondary schools across Delhi. Female students represented 49% of the total enrolment. The same year, the Delhi government spent between 1.58% and 1.95% of its gross state domestic product on education.


title: Delhi

text: Schools and higher educational institutions in Delhi are administered either by the Directorate of Education, the NCT government or private organisations. In 2006, Delhi had 165 colleges, five medical colleges and eight engineering colleges, seven major universities and nine deemed universities.


title: Delhi

text: The premier management colleges of Delhi such as Faculty of Management Studies (Delhi) and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade rank the best in India. All India Institute of Medical Sciences Delhi is a premier medical school for treatment and research. National Law University, Delhi is a prominent law school and is affiliated with the Bar Council of India. The Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi situated in Hauz Khas is a premier engineering college of India and ranks as one of the top institutes in South Asia.


title: Delhi

text: Delhi Technological University (formerly Delhi College of Engineering), Indira Gandhi Delhi Technical University for Women (formerly Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology), Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Netaji Subhas University of Technology (formerly Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology), Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and National Law University, Delhi are the only state universities. University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Millia Islamia are the central universities, and Indira Gandhi National Open University is for distance education.


title: Delhi

text: As the capital of India, Delhi is the focus of political reportage, including regular television broadcasts of Parliament sessions. Many national media agencies, including the state-owned Press Trust of India, Media Trust of India and Doordarshan, are based in the city. Television programming includes two free terrestrial television channels offered by Doordarshan, and several Hindi, English, and regional-language cable channels offered by multi system operators. Satellite television has yet to gain a large number of subscribers in the city.


title: Delhi

text: Print journalism remains a popular news medium in Delhi. The city's Hindi newspapers include "Navbharat Times", "Hindustan Dainik", "Punjab Kesari", "Pavitra Bharat", "Dainik Jagran", "Dainik Bhaskar", "Amar Ujala" and "Dainik Desbandhu". Amongst the English language newspapers, the "Hindustan Times", with a daily circulation of over a million copies, is the single largest daily. Other major English newspapers include "The Times of India", "The Hindu", "The Indian Express", "Business Standard", "The Pioneer", "The Statesman", and "The Asian Age". Regional language newspapers include the Malayalam daily "Malayala Manorama" and the Tamil dailies "Dinamalar" and "Dinakaran".


title: Delhi

text: Radio is a less popular mass medium in Delhi, although FM radio has gained popularity since the inauguration of several new stations in 2006.