title: Yuta Watanabe

text: In late 2013, Watanabe traveled to the United States and attended St. Thomas More Preparatory School in Oakdale, Connecticut. At the conclusion of his sole high school season outside his native country, Watanabe averaged 13 points and six rebounds. He helped the team reach a 26-8 overall record and a ticket to the National Prep Championship game. On January 31, 2014, in his first appearance in the annual National Prep School Invitational, Watanabe scored 12 points versus Suffield Academy. He contributed 20 points and six rebounds in a 70–61 victory against Canarias Basketball Academy from Spain. As a result, he was named to the National Prep School Invitational All-Tournament Team and garnered prestigious New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class AAA First Team All-League honors. Watanabe was also labeled "the Chosen One" by "The Japan Times".


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: Watanabe was rated a 77 (three-star recruit) by ESPN Recruiting Nation. He was also given a three-star rating by Scout.com and the same composite grade.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: In fall of 2014, George Washington Colonials men's basketball head coach Mike Lonergan received a phone call from Jamie Cosgrove, a coach at Trinity College who saw Watanabe play with St. Thomas More. Watanabe eventually committed to play for George Washington. This move allowed him to attend George Washington University for the 2014 year as a freshman. It was made official when Watanabe posted the message through Twitter, "I've decided to go to George Washington University. The school has a good basketball team, too. I'm sure I'll have hard times both in basketball and academics, but I'll give it my best shot." According to ESPN, his second option was Fordham, who gave Watanabe an offer to join their team as well. He became the first-ever Japanese-born man to be given an NCAA Division I basketball scholarship, and was only the fourth to ever play college basketball at that level. Regarding Watanabe's collegiate career, former Japanese college basketball player, KJ Matsui, said, "It's good for Nabe-chan (Watanabe) to play at a competitive team, but he's going to have to battle for playing time." The Colonials had four other recruits coming into the program for 2014–15: Anthony Swan, Darian Bryant, Matt Cimino, and Paul Jorgensen.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: Upon joining George Washington in 2014, feature profiles on Watanabe were published by several popular newspapers, such as "The New York Times" and "The Washington Post". The fact that he was an Asian player assuming an important role greatly increased his popularity. Half-Chinese player, Zach Chu, who played for George Washington's Atlantic 10 rival Richmond, said, "To see someone of Asian descent, and play as well as he does, it's cool for college basketball, really cool for the Asian community." The George Washington athletics website received the second-most views from Japan in terms of pageviews by country, behind only the United States. On many occasions, he was congratulated on the school's campus itself. Watanabe spoke about his fame and legacy, "Japanese are thinking Americans are bigger and taller and more athletic. They are thinking it's more difficult for Japanese to play in NCAA, but I'm playing right now, so I want to make other people come to the United States." Although Asian players such as Matsui, Jeremy Lin, and Yuki Togashi had been the subject of racist comments in the past, Watanabe has yet to receive racial remarks in his first few years in the United States. Nevertheless, he stated, "If they said something racist, I don't care."


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: On November 14, 2014, Watanabe made his debut for George Washington, against Grambling State, finishing with eight points, seven rebounds and a block in 20 minutes, contributing to the team's largest win since 1999 with 92–40. On December 12, Watanabe was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week after averaging 9.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in three games as he helped the team win the 2014 Diamond Head Classic crown. Watanabe hit a key three-pointer with 3 minutes and 32 seconds remaining to upset Wichita State with a 60–54 win on December 25. On March 7, he set a career-high 21 points, knocking down seven 3-pointers, against Massachusetts. On March 9, Watanabe earned his second Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honor, becoming the first player to earn multiple Rookie of the Week awards in the same season since Lasan Kromah earned three in 2009–10. He led the Colonials to a 2–0 final week of the Atlantic 10 regular season with a team-best 13.5 points on 53 percent shooting, including 64 percent behind the arc, along with 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: As a freshman, Watanabe was a key bench player and an instrumental element on the Colonials' rotation. He was often awarded playing time in late-game situations. Head coach Mike Lonergan said, "With Yuta, we have scoring off the bench. If I start Yuta, we have no scoring off the bench at all."


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: On March 5, 2016, Watanabe posted career-highs in scoring and assists with 22 points and six assists in George Washington's 87–80 loss to Davidson. On March 31, Watanabe logged a team-high 19 points and a career-high four blocks as George Washington won the 2016 National Invitation Tournament with a 76–60 win over Valparaiso. It was the first time in program history the team won a postseason championship.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: Overall, Watanabe was the leading shot blocker for the Colonials with 40 blocks, ranking second in the Atlantic 10. His 8.4 points per game average was the fifth-best on the team.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: On November 15, 2016, Watanabe logged his first double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds in a 77–75 victory against Siena. On January 8, 2017, he had a career-high three steals in a game against Richmond. Watanabe scored a season-high 21 points in an 80–71 loss against Illinois on March 20.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: As a junior, Watanabe was the second-leading scorer at George Washington with 12.2 points per game. He was also named to the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: On November 20, 2017, Watanabe grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds versus Rider. On November 29, he logged a career-high five steals against Morgan State. In his final game for the Colonials on February 28, 2018, Watanabe scored a career-high 31 points in a 72–56 win over Fordham .


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: As a senior, Watanabe was George Washington's leading scorer with 16.3 points per game and the second-leading rebounder with 6.1 rebounds per game while also leading the team in blocks with 54. He was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Colonial to win the award. Watanabe also earned the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Third Team and Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team honors. He also received George Washington's Patricio Garino Defensive Award and Mike Brown MVP Award, both awards named after the former basketball alumni.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: At the conclusion of Watanabe's career at George Washington, he ranked near the top of a number of key categories in the school's history, including second in blocked shots (with 147), second in games played (with 134) and fifteenth in scoring (with 1,460).


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Watanabe played for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2018 NBA Summer League. Afterwards, he signed a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies and their NBA G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle. On October 27, 2018, Watanabe made his NBA debut, coming off the bench with two points and two rebounds in a 117–96 win over the Phoenix Suns. He became the second Japanese player to play in the NBA after Yuta Tabuse, who debuted with the Phoenix Suns in 2004. Though he spent the majority of the season in the G League with the Hustle, the Grizzlies were third behind the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in merchandise sold in Japan due to Watanabe's presence. In the G League, Watanabe started in 32 of 33 games, averaging 14.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks in 33.9 minutes while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from 3-point range.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: Watanabe shared his time playing back and forth for the Grizzlies and the Hustle for the season. On December 14, 2019, Watanabe and Rui Hachimura of the Washington Wizards became the first pair of Japanese players to share the court in the NBA. On January 4, 2020, Watanabe had a team-high 28 points on 12-of-19 field goal shooting and 2-of-4 from three, to go with seven rebounds, four blocks, two assists and two steals in the Hustle's 130–127 win over the Iowa Wolves. He scored a career-high 40 points on 14-of-20 shooting from the field and 8-of-11 from three on January 22, in a win versus the Delaware Blue Coats. Watanabe was named Midseason All-NBA G League for the Western Conference. In the G League, Watanabe started in all 22 games, averaging 17.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.0 block in 32.7 minutes while shooting 54.6 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from 3-point range.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: On November 27, 2020, Watanabe signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Toronto Raptors to join their pre-season roster. On December 19, his deal was converted to a two-way contract, after he made the team out of pre-season. On December 31, Watanabe debuted for the Toronto Raptors, recording four rebounds, one assist, a block and a steal across nine minutes in a 100–83 win over New York Knicks, notching their first victory of the season. On January 29, 2021, Watanabe scored a then career-high 12 points coming off the bench, along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals in a season-high 24 minutes of action in a 126–124 loss to the Sacramento Kings. In the fourth quarter, Watanabe logged seven points including a layup that cut the lead to one point. On February 9, Watanabe sustained a left ankle injury during a workout. After missing four games, he returned to action on February 18, logging two rebounds and a block across six minutes of play in a 110–96 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. On March 4, Watanabe made his first career start against the Detroit Pistons, going scoreless but grabbing four rebounds in 11 minutes of action.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: On April 10, 2021, Watanabe scored a then career-high 14 points coming off the bench on 6-of-7 field goal shooting and 2-of-2 from three, including a buzzer beater 3-pointer that gave the Raptors a season-high lead in a quarter with 47–26 in the first, to go along with five rebounds, an assist and a steal across 23 minutes of action in a 135–115 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On April 16, Watanabe surpassed his career-high in scoring for the second time in a week with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from three, along with six rebounds, two assists and one block across 26 minutes in a 113–102 win over the Orlando Magic. On April 18, Watanabe logged his third consecutive double-digit scoring game with 10 points, shooting 3-for-6 from the field and 1-for-2 from three, in addition to four rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes off the bench in a 112–106 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The double-digit scoring streak was the longest in his three-year NBA career. On April 19, the Raptors announced they had converted Watanabe's two-way deal to a standard contract. Despite being a two-way player, Watanabe never played in the G League with the Raptors 905.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: Due to a left calf sprain, Watanabe missed the first 18 games of the 2021–22 season. He returned on November 24, 2021, posting three points and two blocks in 14 minutes of play against the Memphis Grizzlies. On December 14, Watanabe logged his first career double-double with 12 points coming off the bench on 5-of-8 field goal shooting and 2-of-4 from three and a then career-high 11 rebounds, to go along with two assists and a steal across 26 minutes of action in a 124–101 win over the Sacramento Kings. On December 26, Watanabe posted his second double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds, both career-highs, in a 144–99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: On August 28, 2022, Watanabe signed with the Brooklyn Nets in free agency. In November 2022, Watanabe led the NBA in three point shooting percentage in the 2023 season.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: Japan men's national basketball team then head coach Kimikazu Suzuki oversaw Watanabe's play in camps, saying at the time, "He's not good enough to be on this team yet, but eventually he's going to be [Japan's] ace player. We all know his capabilities and we intend to help him develop." Later, while attending Jinsei Gakuen High School, Watanabe was called up by Suzuki to compete with the national team in 2013. At the age of 18, he made his senior debut for Japan at the 2013 East Asia Basketball Championship, where he helped the team win the bronze medal. Watanabe's tournament highlights included a 22-point and 14-rebound outing in a 101–53 win over Macau. At the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, he averaged 5.2 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in four games played, helping the team finish in ninth place. Watanabe was named to the 12-man roster for the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where he averaged 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists. At the 2019 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Watanabe, who only played in two of 12 games, tallied an average of 17.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. Later that year, he was selected to compete at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Watanabe played in all five games, averaging 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He led the Japanese squad in points and efficiency per game.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: A spark-off-the-bench player, Watanabe is known for his defensive ability. As described by sports website theScore, Watanabe "has great hands on the defensive end." In 2019, SB Nation sportswriter Brandon Abraham lauded his defense, saying, "The Grizzlies and Hustle were simply better with Yuta on the court." Memphis Grizzlies TV play-by-play announcer Pete Pranica described his "defensive instinct" as "impressive." Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse commented on his defense as well, saying that it "rub off on others." Watanabe earned praises for his basketball IQ, with theScore commenting, "He always seems to be in the right spot on both ends of the court." Pranica stated that Watanabe’s IQ is one of his "greatest assets." Memphis Hustle assistant coach Antoine Broxsie was also impressed by his IQ. Watanabe’s play has been described as "mistake-free." Nurse said in multiple interviews that Watanabe "doesn’t make mistakes" during games. Pranica also remarked that Watanabe "rarely made the same mistake twice after having been coached on it." His energy and hustle has also become his defining trait in the NBA, impressing Nurse and fans. In addition, Watanabe has been praised for being constantly in motion, which helped him to "always be a step ahead of the opposing offence" as noted by Raptors HQ of SB Nation. Sports Illustrated observed that Watanabe "plays like his feet are on fire," and that he is "constantly running around, jumping in and out of attacking lanes, and wreaking havoc on opposing offences." Nurse also stated that his constant motion helps the team’s offence. Watanabe has been criticized because of his lack of weight and muscle from his college career even until he turned professional. George Washington head coach Mike Lonergan said that he hoped that he weighed over 200 pounds by the start of his sophomore season. KJ Matsui commented on his frame as well, saying, "If he puts more muscles and get big, he will be unstoppable." Pranica also pointed out that Watanabe "needs to get physically bigger and stronger so that he is not overmatched."


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: Watanabe supposedly lacked panache at the time he joined the George Washington basketball program, with teammate Kevin Larsen commenting, "We told him to find a new celebration because the one he had wasn't cutting it. He was, like, jumping in the air making a weird face. So we tried to help him find a new one." Watanabe sometimes mimicks Carmelo Anthony, using the "three to the dome" celebration after making three-pointers.


title: Yuta Watanabe

text: Watanabe was born on October 13, 1994, in Yokohama, Kanagawa, in Japan, and grew up in Miki, Kagawa. Watanabe's family has a rich history in basketball. His mother, Kumi, played for the Chanson V-Magic and the Japan women's national team. His father played for the Kumagai Gumi Bruins at the professional level. Watanabe's sister, Yuki, played with the Aisin AW Wings. During his childhood, Watanabe's favorite NBA team was the Los Angeles Lakers and his favorite athlete was Kobe Bryant.


title: French horn

text: The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most often used by players in professional orchestras and bands, although the descant and triple horn have become increasingly popular. A musician who plays a horn is known as a horn player or hornist.


title: French horn

text: Pitch is controlled through the combination of the following factors: speed of air through the instrument (controlled by the player's lungs and thoracic diaphragm); diameter and tension of lip aperture (by the player's lip muscles—the embouchure) in the mouthpiece; plus, in a modern horn, the operation of valves by the left hand, which route the air into extra sections of tubing. Most horns have lever-operated rotary valves, but some, especially older horns, use piston valves (similar to a trumpet's) and the Vienna horn uses double-piston valves, or pumpenvalves. The backward-facing orientation of the bell relates to the perceived desirability to create a subdued sound in concert situations, in contrast to the more piercing quality of the trumpet. A horn without valves is known as a natural horn, changing pitch along the natural harmonics of the instrument (similar to a bugle). Pitch may also be controlled by the position of the hand in the bell, in effect reducing the bell's diameter. The pitch of any note can easily be raised or lowered by adjusting the hand position in the bell. The key of a natural horn can be changed by adding different crooks of different lengths.


title: French horn

text: Three valves control the flow of air in the "single horn", which is tuned to F or less commonly B. The more common "double horn" has a fourth, trigger valve, usually operated by the thumb, which routes the air to one set of tubing tuned to F or another tuned to B which expands the horn range to over four octaves and blends with flutes or clarinets in a woodwind ensemble. Triple horns with five valves are also made, usually tuned in F, B, and a descant E or F. There are also double horns with five valves tuned in B, descant E or F, and a stopping valve, which greatly simplifies the complicated and difficult hand-stopping technique, though these are rarer. Also common are "descant" doubles, which typically provide B and alto F branches.


title: French horn

text: A crucial element in playing the horn deals with the mouthpiece. Most of the time, the mouthpiece is placed in the exact center of the lips, but, because of differences in the formation of the lips and teeth of different players, some tend to play with the mouthpiece slightly off center. Although the exact side-to-side placement of the mouthpiece varies for most horn players, the up-and-down placement of the mouthpiece is generally two-thirds on the upper lip and one-third on the lower lip. When playing higher notes, the majority of players exert a small degree of additional pressure on the lips using the mouthpiece. However, this is undesirable from the perspective of both endurance and tone: excessive mouthpiece pressure makes the horn sound forced and harsh and decreases the player's stamina due to the resulting constricted flow of blood to the lips and lip muscles.


title: French horn

text: The name "French horn" first came into use in the late 17th century. At that time, French makers were preeminent in the manufacture of hunting horns and were credited with creating the now-familiar, circular "hoop" shape of the instrument. As a result, these instruments were often called, even in English, by their French names: "trompe de chasse" or "cor de chasse" (the clear modern distinction between "trompes" [trumpets] and "cors" [horns] did not exist at that time).


title: French horn

text: German makers first devised "crooks" to make such horns playable in different keys—so musicians came to use "French" and "German" to distinguish the simple hunting horn from the newer horn with crooks, which in England was also called the Italian name "corno cromatico" (chromatic horn).


title: French horn

text: More recently, "French horn" is often used colloquially, though the adjective has normally been avoided when referring to the European orchestral horn, ever since the German horn began replacing the French-style instrument in British orchestras around 1930. The International Horn Society has recommended since 1971 that the instrument be simply called the "horn".


title: French horn

text: There is also a more specific use of "French horn" to describe a particular horn type, differentiated from the German horn and Vienna horn. In this sense, "French horn" refers to a narrow-bore instrument () with three Périnet (piston) valves. It retains the narrow bell-throat and mouthpipe crooks of the orchestral hand horn of the late 18th century, and most often has an "ascending" third valve. This is a whole-tone valve arranged so that with the valve in the "up" position the valve loop is engaged, but when the valve is pressed the loop is cut out, raising the pitch by a whole tone.


title: French horn

text: As the name indicates, humans originally used to blow on the actual horns of animals before starting to emulate naturally occurring horns with metal ones. The use of animal horns survives with the shofar, a ram's horn, which plays an important role in Jewish religious rituals.


title: French horn

text: Early metal horns were less complex than modern horns, consisting of brass tubes, wound around a few times, with a slightly flared opening (the bell). These early "hunting" horns were originally played on a hunt, often while mounted, and the sound they produced was called a ). Change of pitch was controlled entirely by the lips (the horn not being equipped with valves until the 19th century. Without valves, only the notes within the harmonic series are available. By combining a long length with a narrow bore, the French horn's design allows the player to easily reach the higher overtones which differ by whole tones or less, thus making it capable of playing melodies before valves were invented.


title: French horn

text: Early horns were commonly pitched in B alto, A, A, G, F, E, E, D, C, and B basso. Since the only notes available were those on the harmonic series of one of those pitches, horn-players had no ability to play in different keys. The remedy for this limitation was the use of crooks, i.e., sections of tubing of differing length that, when inserted, altered the length of the instrument, and thus its pitch.


title: French horn

text: In the mid-18th century, horn players began to insert the right hand into the bell to change the length of the instrument, adjusting the tuning up to the distance between two adjacent harmonics depending on how much of the opening was covered.


title: French horn

text: In 1818 the German makers Heinrich Stölzel and Friedrich Blümel patented the first valved horn, using rotary valves. François Périnet introduced piston valves in France about 1839. The use of valves initially aimed to overcome problems associated with changing crooks during a performance. Valves' unreliability, musical taste, and players' distrust, among other reasons, slowed their adoption into the mainstream. Many traditional conservatories and players refused to use them at first, claiming that the valveless horn, or "natural horn", was a better instrument. Some musicians who specialize in period instruments use a natural horn to play in original performance styles, to try to recapture the sound of an older piece's original performances.


title: French horn

text: The use of valves, however, opened up a great deal more flexibility for playing in different keys; in effect, the horn became an entirely different instrument, fully chromatic for the first time. Valves were originally used primarily as a means to play in different keys without crooks, not for harmonic playing. That is reflected in compositions for horns, which only began to include chromatic passages in the late-19th century. When valves were invented, generally, the French made smaller horns with piston valves and the Germans made larger horns with rotary valves.


title: French horn

text: Horns may be classified in single horn, double horn, compensating double horn, and triple horn as well as the versatility of detachable bells.


title: French horn

text: Single horns use a single set of tubes connected to the valves. This allows for simplicity of use and a much lighter weight. They are usually in the keys of F or B, although many F horns have longer slides to tune them to E, and almost all B horns have a valve to put them in the key of A. The problem with single horns is the inevitable choice between accuracy or tone – while the F horn has the "typical" horn sound, above third-space C accuracy is a concern for the majority of players because, by its nature, one plays high in the horn's harmonic series where the overtones are closer together. This led to the development of the B horn, which, although easier to play accurately, has a less desirable sound in the mid and especially the low register where it is not able to play all of the notes. The solution has been the development of the double horn, which combines the two into one horn with a single lead pipe and bell. Both main types of single horns are still used today as student models because they are cheaper and lighter than double horns. In addition, the single B horns are sometimes used in solo and chamber performances and the single F survives orchestrally as the Vienna horn. Additionally, single F alto and B alto descants are used in the performance of some baroque horn concertos and F, B and F alto singles are occasionally used by jazz performers.


title: French horn

text: Dennis Brain's benchmark recordings of the Mozart Horn Concerti were made on a single B instrument by Gebr. Alexander, now on display at the Royal Academy of Music in London.


title: French horn

text: Despite the introduction of valves, the single F horn proved difficult for use in the highest range, where the partials grew closer and closer, making accuracy a great challenge. An early solution was simply to use a horn of higher pitch—usually B. The use of the F versus the B horn was extensively debated among horn players of the late 19th century, until the German horn maker Ed Kruspe (namesake of his family's brass instrument firm) produced a prototype of the "double horn" in 1897.


title: French horn

text: The double horn also combines two instruments into a single frame: the original horn in F, and a second, higher horn keyed in B. By using a fourth valve (usually operated by the thumb), the horn player can quickly switch from the deep, warm tones of the F horn to the higher, brighter tones of the B horn, or vice versa, as the horn player may choose to have the horn set into B by default by making a simple adjustment to the valves. The two sets of tones are commonly called "sides" of the horn. Using the fourth valve not only changes the basic length (and thus the harmonic series and pitch) of the instrument, it also causes the three main valves to use proportionate slide lengths.


title: French horn

text: In the US, the two most common styles ("wraps") of double horns are named Kruspe and Geyer/Knopf, after the first instrument makers who developed and standardized them. The Kruspe wrap locates the B change valve above the first valve, near the thumb. The Geyer wrap has the change valve behind the third valve, near the little finger (although the valve's trigger is still played with the thumb). In effect, the air flows in a completely different direction on the other model. Kruspe wrap horns tend to be larger in the bell throat than the Geyer wrap horns. Typically, Kruspe models are constructed from nickel silver (also called German silver, an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc, containing no actual silver) while Geyer horns tend to be of yellow brass. Both models have their own strengths and weaknesses, and while the choice of instrument is very personal, an orchestral horn section is usually found to have either one or the other, owing to the differences in tone color, response, and projection of the two different styles.


title: French horn

text: In Europe the most popular horns are arguably those made by Gebr. Alexander, of Mainz (particularly the Alexander 103), and those made by Paxman in London. In Germany and the Benelux countries, the Alex 103 is extremely popular. These horns do not fit strictly into the Kruspe or Knopf camps, but have features of both. Alexander prefers the traditional medium bell size, which they have produced for many years, whereas Paxman do offer their models in a range of bell throat sizes. In the United States, the Conn 8D, a mass-produced instrument based on the Kruspe design, has been extremely popular in many areas (New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Philadelphia). Since roughly the early 1990s, however, for reasons ranging from changing tastes to a general dislike of Conn's newer 8Ds, orchestras have been moving away from the popular Conn 8D. Geyer model horns (by Carl Geyer, Karl Hill, Keith Berg, Steve Lewis, Jerry Lechniuk, Dan Rauch, and Ricco-Kuhn) are used in other areas (San Francisco, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, Houston). The CF Schmidt double, with its unique piston change valve, is occasionally found in sections playing Geyer/Knopf model equipment.


title: French horn

text: The horn, although not large, is awkward in its shape and does not lend itself well to transport where space is shared or limited, especially on planes. To compensate, horn makers can make the bell detachable; this allows for smaller and more manageable horn cases.


title: French horn

text: The variety in horn history necessitates consideration of the natural horn, Vienna horn, mellophone, marching horn, and Wagner tuba.


title: French horn

text: The natural horn is the ancestor of the modern horn. It is essentially descended from hunting horns, with its pitch controlled by air speed, aperture (opening of the lips through which air passes) and the use of the right hand moving around, as well as in and out of the bell. Although a few recent composers have written specifically for the natural horn (e.g., György Ligeti's "Hamburg Concerto"), today it is played primarily as a period instrument. The natural horn can only play from a single harmonic series at a time because there is only one length of tubing available to the horn player. A proficient player can indeed alter the pitch by partially muting the bell with the right hand, thus enabling the player to reach some notes that are not part of the instrument's natural harmonic series – of course this technique also affects the quality of the tone. The player has a choice of key by using crooks to change the length of tubing.


title: French horn

text: The Vienna horn is a special horn used primarily in Vienna, Austria. Instead of using rotary valves or piston valves, it uses the pumpenvalve (or Vienna valve), which is a double-piston operating inside the valve slides, and usually situated on the opposite side of the corpus from the player's left hand, and operated by a long pushrod. Unlike the modern horn, which has grown considerably larger internally (for a bigger, broader, and louder tone), and considerably heavier (with the addition of valves and tubing in the case of the double horn) the Vienna horn very closely mimics the size and weight of the natural horn, (although the valves do add some weight, they are lighter than rotary valves) even using crooks in the front of the horn, between the mouthpiece and the instrument. Although instead of the full range of keys, Vienna horn players usually use an F crook and it is looked down upon to use others, though switching to an A or B crook for higher pitched music does happen on occasion. Vienna horns are often used with funnel shaped mouthpieces similar to those used on the natural horn, with very little (if any) backbore and a very thin rim. The Viennese horn requires very specialized technique and can be quite challenging to play, even for accomplished players of modern horns. The Vienna horn has a warmer, softer sound than the modern horn. Its pumpenvalves facilitate a continuous transition between notes (glissando); conversely, a more precise operating of the valves is required to avoid notes that sound out of tune.


title: French horn

text: Two instruments are called a "mellophone". The first is an instrument shaped somewhat like a horn, in that it is formed in a circle. It has piston valves and is played with the right hand on the valves. Manufacturing of this instrument sharply decreased in the middle of the 20th century, and this mellophone (or mellophonium) rarely appears today.


title: French horn

text: The second instrument is used in modern brass bands and marching bands, and is more accurately called a "marching mellophone". A derivative of the F alto horn, it is keyed in F. It is shaped like a flugelhorn, with piston valves played with the right hand and a forward-pointing bell. These horns are generally considered better marching instruments than regular horns because their position is more stable on the mouth, they project better, and they weigh less. It is primarily used as the middle voice of drum and bugle corps. Though they are usually played with a V-cup cornet-like mouthpiece, their range overlaps the common playing range of the horn. This mouthpiece switch makes the mellophone louder, less mellow, and more brassy and brilliant, making it more appropriate for marching bands. Often now with the use of converters, traditional conical horn mouthpieces are used to achieve the more mellow sound of a horn to make the marching band sound more like a concert band.


title: French horn

text: As they are pitched in F or G and their range overlaps that of the horn, mellophones can be used in place of the horn in brass and marching band settings. Mellophones are, however, sometimes unpopular with horn players because the mouthpiece change can be difficult and requires a different embouchure. Mouthpiece adapters are available so that a horn mouthpiece can fit into the mellophone lead pipe, but this does not compensate for the many differences that a horn player must adapt to. The "feel" of the mellophone can be foreign to a horn player. Another unfamiliar aspect of the mellophone is that it is designed to be played with the right hand instead of the left (though it can be played with the left). Intonation can also be an issue with the mellophone.


title: French horn

text: While horn players may be asked to play the mellophone, it is unlikely that the instrument was ever intended as a substitute for the horn, mainly because of the fundamental differences described. As an instrument it compromises between the ability to sound like a horn, while being used like a trumpet or flugelhorn, a tradeoff that sacrifices acoustic properties for ergonomics.


title: French horn

text: The marching horn is quite similar to the mellophone in shape and appearance, but is pitched in the key of B, the same as the B side of a double horn. It is also available in F alto, one octave above the F side of a double horn. The marching horn is also played with a horn mouthpiece (unlike the mellophone, which needs an adapter to fit the horn mouthpiece). These instruments are primarily used in marching bands so the sound comes from a forward-facing bell, as dissipation of the sound from the backward-facing bell becomes a concern in open-air environments. Many college marching bands and drum corps, however, use mellophones instead, which, with many marching bands, better balance the tone of the other brass instruments; additionally, mellophones require less special training of trumpeters, who considerably outnumber horn players.


title: French horn

text: The Wagner tuba is a rare brass instrument that is essentially a horn modified to have a larger bell throat and a vertical bell. Despite its name and its somewhat tuba-shaped appearance, it is generally not considered part of the tuba family, because the instrument's relatively narrow bore causes it to play more like a horn. Invented for Richard Wagner specifically for his work "Der Ring des Nibelungen", it has since been written for by various other composers, including Bruckner, Stravinsky and Richard Strauss. It uses a horn mouthpiece and is available as a single tuba in B or F, or, more recently, as a double tuba similar to the double horn. It is usually played in a range similar to that of the euphonium, but its possible range is the same as that of the horn, extending from low F, below the bass clef staff to high C above the treble staff when read in F. The low pedal tones are substantially easier to play on the Wagner tuba than on the horn. Wagner viewed the regular horn as a woodwind rather than a brass instrument, evidenced by his placing of the horn parts in his orchestral scores in the woodwind group and not in their usual place above the trumpets in the brass section.


title: French horn

text: Discussion of the repertoire of horns must recognize the different needs of orchestras and concert bands in contrast to marching bands, as above, but also the use of horns in a wide variety of music, including chamber music and jazz.


title: French horn

text: The horn is most often used as an orchestral and concert band instrument, with its singular tone being employed by composers to achieve specific effects. Leopold Mozart, for example, used horns to signify the hunt, as in his "Jagdsinfonie" (hunting symphony). Telemann wrote much for the horn, and it features prominently in the work of Handel and in Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto no. 1". Once the technique of hand-stopping had been developed, allowing fully chromatic playing, composers began to write seriously for the horn. Gustav Mahler made great use of the horn's uniquely haunting and distant sound in his symphonies, notably the famous "Nachtmusik" (serenade) section of his Symphony No. 7.


title: French horn

text: Many composers have written works that have become favorites in the horn repertoire. These include Poulenc ("Elegie") and Saint-Saëns ("Morceau de Concert for horn and orchestra", op. 94 and "Romance", op. 36). Others, particularly Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whose friend Joseph Leutgeb was a noted horn player, wrote extensively for the instrument, including concerti and other solo works. Mozart's "A Musical Joke" satirizes the limitations of contemporary horn playing, including the risk of selecting the wrong crook by mistake.


title: French horn

text: The development of the valve horn was exploited by romantic composers such as Bruckner, Mahler, and Richard Strauss, whose father was a well-known professional horn player. Strauss's "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks" contains one of the best known horn solos from this period, relying on the chromatic facility of the valved horn. Schumann's "Konzertstück" for four horns and orchestra is a notable three-movement work. Brahms had a lifelong love-affair with the instrument, with many prominently featured parts throughout his four symphonies. However players today typically play Brahms on modern valved instruments.


title: French horn

text: There is an abundance of chamber music repertoire for horn. It is a standard member of the wind quintet and brass quintet, and often appears in other configurations, such as Brahms' Horn Trio for violin, horn and piano (for which, however, Brahms specified the natural horn). Also, the horn can be used by itself in a horn ensemble or "horn choir". The horn choir is especially practical because the extended range of the horn provides the composer or arranger with more possibilities, registerally, sonically, and contrapuntally.


title: French horn

text: A classical orchestra usually has at least two French horn players. Typically, the first horn played a high part and the second horn played a low part. Composers from Beethoven (early 1800s) onwards commonly used four horns. Here, the first and second horns played as a pair (first horn being high, second horn being low), and the third and fourth horns played as another pair (third horn being high, fourth horn being low).


title: French horn

text: Music written for the modern horn follows a similar pattern with the first and third horns being high and the second and fourth horns being low. This configuration serves multiple purposes. It is easier to play high when the adjacent player is playing low and vice versa. Pairing makes it easier to write for horns, as the third and fourth horns can take over from the first and second horns or play contrasting material. For example, if the piece is in C minor, the first and second horns might be in C, the tonic major key, which could get most of the notes, and the third and fourth horns might be in E, the relative major key, to fill in the gaps.


title: French horn

text: Many orchestral horn sections in the 2010s also have an assistant who doubles the first horn part for selected passages, joining in loud parts, playing instead of the principal if there is a first horn solo approaching, or alternating with the principal if the part is tiring to play. Often the assistant is asked to play a passage after resting a long time. Also, he or she may be asked to enter in the middle of a passage, exactly matching the sound, articulation, and overall interpretation of the principal, thus enabling the principal horn to rest a bit.


title: French horn

text: The French horn was at first rarely used in jazz music. (Note that colloquially in jazz, the word "horn" refers to any wind instrument.) Notable exponents, however, began including French horn in jazz pieces and ensembles. These include composer/arranger Gil Evans who included the French horn as an ensemble instrument from the 1940s, first in Claude Thornhill's groups, and later with the pioneering cool jazz nonet (nine-piece group) led by trumpeter Miles Davis, and in many other projects that sometimes also featured Davis, as well as Don Ellis, a trumpet player from Stan Kenton's jazz band. Notable works of Ellis' jazz French horn include "Strawberry Soup" and other songs on the album "Tears of Joy". Notable improvising horn players in jazz include Julius Watkins, Willie Ruff, John Graas, David Amram, John Clark, Vincent Chancey, Giovanni Hoffer, Arkady Shilkloper, Adam Unsworth, and Tom Varner.


title: French horn

text: People who are more notable for their other achievements, but also play the horn, include actors Ewan McGregor and David Ogden Stiers, comedian and television host Jon Stewart, journalist Chuck Todd, The Who bassist and singer John Entwistle, and rapper and record producer B.o.B.


title: AMOLED

text: AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode, ) is a type of OLED display device technology. OLED describes a specific type of thin-film-display technology in which organic compounds form the electroluminescent material, and active matrix refers to the technology behind the addressing of pixels.


title: AMOLED

text: Since 2007, AMOLED technology has been used in mobile phones, media players, TVs and digital cameras, and it has continued to make progress toward low-power, low-cost, high resolution and large size (for example, 88-inch and 8K resolution) applications.


title: AMOLED

text: An AMOLED display consists of an active matrix of OLED pixels generating light (luminescence) upon electrical activation that have been deposited or integrated onto a thin-film transistor (TFT) array, which functions as a series of switches to control the current flowing to each individual pixel.


title: AMOLED

text: Typically, this continuous current flow is controlled by at least two TFTs at each pixel (to trigger the luminescence), with one TFT to start and stop the charging of a storage capacitor and the second to provide a voltage source at the level needed to create a constant current to the pixel, thereby eliminating the need for the very high currents required for passive-matrix OLED operation.


title: AMOLED

text: TFT backplane technology is crucial in the fabrication of AMOLED displays. In AMOLEDs, the two primary TFT backplane technologies, polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) and amorphous silicon (a-Si), are currently used offering the potential for directly fabricating the active-matrix backplanes at low temperatures (below 150 °C) onto flexible plastic substrates for producing flexible AMOLED displays.


title: AMOLED

text: AMOLED was developed in 2006. Samsung SDI was one of the main investors in the technology, and many other display companies were also developing it. One of the earliest consumer electronics products with an AMOLED display was the BenQ-Siemens S88 mobile handset and, in 2007, the iriver Clix 2 portable media player. In 2008 it appeared on the Nokia N85 followed by the Samsung i7110 - both Nokia and Samsung Electronics were early adopters of this technology on their smartphones.


title: AMOLED

text: Manufacturers have developed in-cell touch panels, integrating the production of capacitive sensor arrays in the AMOLED module fabrication process. In-cell sensor AMOLED fabricators include AU Optronics and Samsung. Samsung has marketed its version of this technology as "Super AMOLED". Researchers at DuPont used computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software to optimize coating processes for a new solution-coated AMOLED display technology that is competitive in cost and performance with existing chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology. Using custom modeling and analytic approaches, Samsung has developed short and long-range film-thickness control and uniformity that is commercially viable at large glass sizes.


title: AMOLED

text: AMOLED displays can provide higher refresh rates than passive-matrix, often have response times less than a millisecond, and they consume significantly less power. This advantage makes active-matrix OLEDs well-suited for portable electronics, where power consumption is critical to battery life.


title: AMOLED

text: The amount of power the display consumes varies significantly depending on the color and brightness shown. As an example, one old QVGA OLED display consumes 0.3 watts while showing white text on a black background, but more than 0.7 watts showing black text on a white background, while an LCD may consume only a constant 0.35 watts regardless of what is being shown on screen.


title: AMOLED

text: AMOLED displays may be difficult to view in direct sunlight compared with LCDs because of their reduced maximum brightness. Samsung's "Super AMOLED" technology addresses this issue by reducing the size of gaps between layers of the screen. Additionally, PenTile technology is often used for a higher resolution display while requiring fewer subpixels than needed otherwise, sometimes resulting in a display less sharp and more grainy than a non-PenTile display with the same resolution.


title: AMOLED

text: The organic materials used in AMOLED displays are very prone to degradation over a relatively short period of time, resulting in color shifts as one color fades faster than another, image persistence, or burn-in.


title: AMOLED

text: As of 2010, demand for AMOLED screens was high and, due to supply shortages of the Samsung-produced displays, certain models of HTC smartphones were changed to use next-generation LCD displays from the Samsung-Sony joint-venture SLCD in the future.


title: AMOLED

text: Flagship smartphones sold in 2020 and 2021 used either a Super AMOLED. Super AMOLED displays, such as the one on the Samsung Galaxy S21+ / S21 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra have often been compared to IPS LCDs, found in phones such as the Xiaomi Mi 10T, Huawei Nova 5T, and Samsung Galaxy A20e. For example, according to ABI Research, the AMOLED display found in the Motorola Moto X draws just 92 mA during bright conditions and 68 mA while dim. On the other hand, compared with the IPS, the yield rate of AMOLED is low; the cost is also higher.


title: AMOLED

text: "Super AMOLED" is a marketing term created by Samsung for an AMOLED display with an integrated touch screen digitizer: the layer that detects touch is integrated into the display, rather than overlaid on top of it and cannot be separated from the display itself. The display technology itself is not improved. According to Samsung, Super AMOLED reflects one-fifth as much sunlight as the first generation AMOLED. The generic term for this technology is One Glass Solution (OGS).


title: AMOLED

text: Below is a mapping table of marketing terms versus resolutions and sub-pixel types. Note how the pixel density relates to choices of sub-pixel type.


title: AMOLED

text: Future displays exhibited from 2011 to 2013 by Samsung have shown flexible, 3D, transparent Super AMOLED Plus displays using very high resolutions and in varying sizes for phones. These unreleased prototypes use a polymer as a substrate removing the need for glass cover, a metal backing, and touch matrix, combining them into one integrated layer.


title: AMOLED

text: Also planned for the future are 3D stereoscopic displays that use eye-tracking (via stereoscopic front-facing cameras) to provide full resolution 3D visuals.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Dayanand Saraswati () (born Mool Shankar Tiwari; 2 February 1824 – 30 October 1883) also known as Maharshi Dayanand is an Indian philosopher, social leader and founder of the Arya Samaj, a reform movement of the Vedic dharma. His Magnum Opus is the book Satyarth Prakash which has remained a highly influential text on the Philosophy of the Vedas and clarifications of various ideas and duties of Human Beings. He was the first to give the call for "Swaraj" as "India for Indians" in 1876, a call later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak. Denouncing the idolatry and ritualistic worship, he worked towards reviving Vedic ideologies. Subsequently, the philosopher and President of India, S. Radhakrishnan called him one of the "makers of Modern India", as did Sri Aurobindo.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He considered the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda advocated the doctrine of Karma and Reincarnation. He emphasized the Vedic ideals of brahmacharya, including celibacy and devotion.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Dayananda Saraswati was born on the 10th day of waning moon in the month of Purnimanta Phalguna (12 February 1824) on the tithi to an Indian Gujarati Hindu Brahmin Tiwari family in Tankara, Kathiawad region (now Morbi district of Gujarat). His original name was Mool Shankar Tiwari because he was born in Dhanu Rashi and Mul Nakshatra. His father was Karshanji Lalji Tiwari, and his mother was Yashodabai.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: When he was eight years old, his Yajnopavita Sanskara ceremony was performed, marking his entry into formal education. His father was a follower of Shiva and taught him the ways to worship Shiva. He was also taught the importance of keeping fasts. On the occasion of Shivratri, Dayananda sat awake the whole night in obedience to Shiva. During one of these fasts, he saw a mouse eating the offerings and running over the idol's body. After seeing this, he questioned that if Shiva could not defend himself against a mouse, then how could he be the saviour of the world.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: The deaths of his younger sister and his uncle from cholera led Dayananda to ponder the meaning of life and death. He began asking questions which worried his parents. He was engaged in his early teens, but he decided marriage was not for him and ran away from home in 1846.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Dayanand Saraswati spent nearly twenty-five years, from 1845 to 1869, as a wandering ascetic, searching for religious truth. He gave up material goods and lived a life of self-denial, devoting himself to spiritual pursuits in forests, retreats in the Himalayan Mountains, and pilgrimage sites in northern India. During these years he practised various forms of yoga and became a disciple of a religious teacher named Virajanand Dandeesha. Virajanand believed that Hinduism had strayed from its historical roots and that many of its practices had become impure. Dayananda Sarasvati promised Virajanand that he would devote his life to restoring the rightful place of the Vedas in the Hindu faith.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Maharshi Dayanand advocated all Human beings are equally capable of achieving anything. He said all the Creatures are the eternal praja or citizens of the Supreme Lord. He said the four Vedas which are Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda are the only true uncorrupted sources of Dharma, revealed by the Supreme Lord, at the beginning of every creation. Also, because they are the only perfectly preserved knowldege without alterations using Sanskrit prosody or Chhandas and different techniques of counting the number of verses with different Vedic chanting techniques. He says, confusions regarding the Vedas arose due to the misinterpretations of the Vedas. And Vedas promote Science and asks Humans to discover the Ultimate Truth, which he has emphasised throughout his Commentaries on the Vedas.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He accepted the teachings of the first ten Principal Upanishads also with Shvetashvatara Upanishad, which explains of Adhyatma part of the Vedas. He said, yet, any source whatever, including Upanishads should be considered and accepted to only that extent they are in conformity with the teachings of the Vedas.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He accepted the six Vedanga texts which includes Grammar and the like required for the correct interpretation of the Vedas. In Sanskrit Grammatical texts, he says, Bhagavan Pāṇini's Aṣṭādhyāyī and its commentary, Mahabhashya by Maharshi Patanjali are the current surviving valid texts and all other surviving modern-grammatical texts should not be accepted as they are confusing, dishonest and will not help people in learning the Vedas easily.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He accepted all the six Darshana Shastras which includes Samkhya, Vaisheshika, Nyaya, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Purva Mimamsa Sutras, Vedanta sutras. He said all the six darshanas are not opponents but each throw light on different aspects required by the Creation. Hence they are all independent in their own rights and all of them conform with the teachings of the Vedas. He says Acharya Kapila of Sankhya Darshan was not an atheist but it is the scholars who misinterpreted his sutras.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He said the books called Brahamana-Granthas such as Aitareya Brahmana, Shatapatha Brahmana, Sāma Brahamana, Gopatha Brahmana etc... which are authored by the seers to explain the meaning of the Vedas are also valid but again only to that extent as they agree with four Vedas because these texts are prone to interpolations by others. These books are also called by the names "Itihasa, Purana, Narashamsa, Kalpa, Gatha" since they contain information about life of Seers and incidents, they inform about the creation of the World etc...


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He said the eighteen Puranas and the eighteen Upapuranas, are not the real Puranas as explained in previous paragraph and these are NOT authored by sage Vyasa, and since they violate teachings of the Vedas, they should not be accepted. And the eighteen -Puranas and Upapuranasare are filled with contradictions, idol worships, temples, rituals and practises which are against the Vedas. In his book Satyarth Prakash, he says whatever 'good' present in these eighteen- Puranas and upapuranas, are already present in the Vedas and since they contain too many false informations which can mislead people, they should be rejected.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He said the Sage Vyasa was called so by the name "Vyasa" NOT because he divided the Vedas but it indicates the "diameter or breadth" which means sage Veda Vyasa had studied the Vedas in great depth.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He lists out various works which should not be treated as honest texts to develop one's understanding of the World and the Lord. He rejected "all" of the Tantric texts including Pancharatra. He said that these texts are not valid as they teach different customs, rituals and practises which are against the Vedas.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Social Causes: He opposed Caste system, Sati system, Idol Worships, Child Marriage etc.. which are against the spirit of the Vedas and advocated that all evils of society should be thoroughly investigated and should be removed. The Varna System is based on Education and Profession and in his book Satyarth Prakash, he quotes passages from Manusmriti, Grihya Sutras and Vedas which support his claims.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He advocated the notion of Rashtra and One Government throughout the World, also known as Chakradhipatya.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He believed that Hinduism had been corrupted by divergence from the founding principles of the Vedas and that Hindus had been misled by the priesthood for the priests' self-aggrandizement. For this mission, he founded the Arya Samaj, enunciating the Ten Universal Principles as a code for Universalism, called "Krinvanto Vishwaryam". With these principles, he intended the whole world to be an abode for Aryas (Nobles).


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: His next step was to reform Hinduism with a new dedication to God. He travelled the country challenging religious scholars and priests to discussions, winning repeatedly through the strength of his arguments and knowledge of Sanskrit and Vedas. Hindu priests discouraged the laity from reading Vedic scriptures, and encouraged rituals, such as bathing in the Ganges River and feeding of priests on anniversaries, which Dayananda pronounced as superstitions or self-serving practices. By exhorting the nation to reject such superstitious notions, his aim was to educate the nation to return to the teachings of the Vedas, and to follow the Vedic way of life. He also exhorted Hindus to accept social reforms, including the importance of cows for national prosperity as well as the adoption of Hindi as the national language for national integration. Through his daily life and practice of yoga and asanas, teachings, preaching, sermons and writings, he inspired Hindus to aspire for "Swarajya" (self governance), nationalism, and spiritualism. He advocated the equal rights and respects to women and advocated for the education of all children, regardless of gender.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Dayanand also made critical analyses of faiths including Christianity & Islam, as well as of other Indian faiths like Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. In addition to discouraging idolatry in Hinduism, he was also against what he considered to be the corruption of the true and pure faith in his own country. Unlike many other reform movements of his times within Hinduism, the Arya Samaj's appeal was addressed not only to the educated few in India, but to the world as a whole as evidenced in the sixth principle of the Arya Samaj. As a result, his teachings professed universalism for all the living beings and not for any particular sect, faith, community or nation.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Arya Samaj allows and encourages converts to Hinduism. Dayananda's concept of dharma is stated in the "Beliefs and Disbeliefs" section of "Satyartha Prakash," he says:


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Dayananda's Vedic message emphasized respect and reverence for other human beings, supported by the Vedic notion of the divine nature of the individual. In the ten principles of the Arya Samaj, he enshrined the idea that "All actions should be performed with the prime objective of benefiting mankind", as opposed to following dogmatic rituals or revering idols and symbols. The first five principles speak of Truth, while the last five speak of a society with nobility, civics, co-living, and disciplined life. In his own life, he interpreted moksha to be a lower calling, as it argued for benefits to the individual, rather than calling to emancipate others.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Dayanand Saraswati is recorded to have been active since he was 14, which time he was able to recite religious verses and teach about them. He was respected at the time for taking part in religious debates. His debates were attended by large crowds.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: On 22 October 1869 in Varanasi, where he won a debate against 27 scholars and 12 expert pandits. The debate was said to have been attended by over 50,000 people. The main topic was "Do the Vedas uphold deity worship?"


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Dayananda Saraswati's creation, the Arya Samaj, condemned practices of several different religions and communities, including such practices as idol worship, animal sacrifice, pilgrimages, priest craft, offerings made in temples, the castes, child marriages, meat eating and discrimination against women. He argued that all of these practices ran contrary to good sense and the wisdom of the Vedas.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He severely criticized practices which he considered to be superstitions, including sorcery, and astrology, which were prevalent in India at the time. Below are several quotes from his book, Sathyarth Prakash:


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He considered the prevalent religions to have either immoral stories, or badly practised, or some of them have sufficiently moved away from the Vedas. In his book Satyarth Prakash, Maharshi Dayanand has analysed critically current form of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: According to his supporters, he was poisoned on a few occasions, but due to his regular practice of Hatha Yoga he survived all such attempts. One story tells that attackers once attempted to drown him in a river, but Dayananda dragged the assailants into the river instead, though he released them before they drowned.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Another account claims that he was attacked by Muslims who were offended by his criticism of Islam while meditating on the Ganges river. They threw him into the water but he is claimed to have saved himself because his pranayama practice allowed him to stay under water until the attackers left.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: In 1883, the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Jaswant Singh II, invited Dayananda to stay at his palace. The Maharaja was eager to become Dayananda's disciple and to learn his teachings. Dayananda went to the Maharaja's restroom during his stay and saw him with a dancing girl named Nanhi Jaan. Dayananda asked the Maharaja to forsake the girl and all unethical acts and to follow the dharma like a true Arya (noble). Dayananda's suggestion offended Nanhi, who decided to take revenge.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: On 29 September 1883, she bribed Dayananda's cook, Jagannath, to mix small pieces of glass in his nightly milk. Dayananda was served glass-laden milk before bed, which he promptly drank, becoming bedridden for several days, and suffering excruciating pain. The Maharaja quickly arranged doctor's services for him. However, by the time doctors arrived, his condition had worsened, and he had developed large bleeding sores. Upon seeing Dayananda's suffering, Jagannath was overwhelmed with guilt and confessed his crime to Dayananda. On his deathbed, Dayananda forgave him, and gave him a bag of money, telling him to flee the kingdom before he was found and executed by the Maharaja's men.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Later, the Maharaja arranged for him to be sent to Mount Abu as per the advice of Residency, however, after staying for some time in Abu, on 26 October 1883, he was sent to Ajmer for better medical care. There was no improvement in his health and he died on the morning of the Hindu festival of Diwali on 30 October 1883 chanting mantras.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He breathed his last at "Bhinai Kothi" at Bhinai 54 km south of Ajmer, and his ashes were scattered at Ajmer in Rishi Udyan as per his wishes. Rishi Udyan, which has a functional Arya Samaj temple with daily morning and evening yajna homa, is located on the banks of Ana Sagar Lake off the NH58 Ajmer-Pushkar Highway. An annual 3 day "Arya Samaj melā" is held every year at "Rishi Udyan" on Rishi Dayanand's death anniversary at the end of October, which also entails vedic seminars, vedas memorisation competition, yajna, and Dhavaja Rohan flag march. It is organized by the "Paropkarini Sabha", which was founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati on 16 August 1880 in Meerut, registered in Ajmer on 27 February 1883, and since 1893 has been operating from its office in Ajmer.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Every year on Maha Shivaratri, Arya Samajis celebrate Rishi Bodh Utsav during the 2 days mela at Tankara organized by Tankara Trust, during which Shobha Yatra procession and Maha Yajna is held; event is also attended by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Navlakha Mahal inside Gulab Bagh and Zoo at Udaipur is also associated with him where he wrote the second edition of his seminal work, Satyarth Prakash, in Samvat 1939 (1882-83 CE).


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Maharshi Dayanand University in Rohtak, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati University in Ajmer, DAV University (Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Schools System) in Jalandhar are named after him. So are over 800 schools and colleges under D.A.V. College Managing Committee, including Dayanand College at Ajmer. Industrialist Nanji Kalidas Mehta built the Maharshi Dayanand Science College and donated it to the Education Society of Porbandar, after naming it after Dayananda Saraswati.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Dayananda Saraswati is most notable for influencing the freedom movement of India. His views and writings have been used by different writers, including Shyamji Krishna Varma, who founded India House in London and guided other revolutionaries was influenced by him; Subhas Chandra Bose; Lala Lajpat Rai; Madam Cama; Vinayak Damodar Savarkar; Lala Hardayal; Madan Lal Dhingra; Ram Prasad Bismil; Mahadev Govind Ranade; Swami Shraddhanand; S. Satyamurti; Pandit Lekh Ram; Mahatma Hansraj; and others.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: He also had a notable influence on Bhagat Singh. Singh, after finishing primary school, had joined the Dayanand Anglo Vedic Middle School, of Mohan Lal road, in Lahore. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, on Shivratri day, 24 February 1964, wrote about Dayananda:


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: The places Dayanand visited during his life were often changed culturally as a result. Jodhpur adopted Hindi as main language, and later the present day Rajasthan did the same. Other admirers included Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna, Bipin Chandra Pal, Vallabhbhai Patel, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, and Romain Rolland, who regarded Dayananda as a remarkable and unique figure.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: American Spiritualist Andrew Jackson Davis described Dayanand's influence on him, calling Dayanand a "Son of God", and applauding him for restoring the status of the Nation. Sten Konow, a Swedish scholar noted that Dayanand revived the history of India.


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Dayananda Saraswati wrote more than 60 works in all, including a 16 volume explanation of the six Vedangas, an incomplete commentary on the Ashtadhyayi (Panini's grammar), several small tracts on ethics and morality, Vedic rituals and sacraments, and a piece on the analysis of rival doctrines (such as Advaita Vedanta, Islam and Christianity). Some of his major works include the Satyarth Prakash, Satyarth Bhumika, Sanskarvidhi, Rigvedadi Bhashya Bhumika, Rigved Bhashyam (up to 7/61/2)and Yajurved Bhashyam. The Paropakarini Sabha located in the Indian city of Ajmer was founded by Saraswati to publish and preach his works and Vedic texts. He was also a socio religious reformer lived in 19th century.(India)


title: Dayananda Saraswati

text: Note:- For other miscellaneous Shastrarth please read 1."Dayanand Shastrarth Sangrah" published by Arsh Sahitya Prachar Trust, Delhi and 2. "Rishi Dayanand ke Shastrarth evam Pravachan" published by Ramlal Kapoor Trust Sonipat (Haryana).


title: Nilgai

text: The nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) (, literally meaning "blue cow") is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent. It is the sole member of the genus Boselaphus and was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. The nilgai stands at the shoulder; males weigh , and the lighter females . A sturdy thin-legged antelope, the nilgai is characterised by a sloping back, a deep neck with a white patch on the throat, a short crest of hair along the neck terminating in a tuft, and white facial spots. A column of pendant coarse hair hangs from the dewlap ridge below the white patch. Sexual dimorphism is prominent – while females and juveniles are orange to tawny, adult males have a bluish-grey coat. Only males possess horns, long.


title: Nilgai

text: The nilgai is diurnal (active mainly during the day). The animals band together in three distinct kinds of groups: one or two females with young calves, three to six adult and yearling females with calves, and all-male groups with two to 18 members. Typically tame, the nilgai may appear timid and cautious if harassed or alarmed; it flees up to , or even , galloping away from the source of danger. Herbivores, nilgai prefer grasses and herbs, though they commonly eat woody plants in the dry tropical forests of India. Females become sexually mature by two years, while males do not become sexually active until four or five years old. The time of the year when mating takes place varies geographically, but a peak breeding season lasting three to four months can be observed at most places. Gestation lasts eight to nine months, following which a single calf (sometimes twins or even triplets) is born. As typical of several bovid species, nilgai calves stay hidden for the first few weeks of their lives. The lifespan of the nilgai is around ten years.


title: Nilgai

text: The nilgai prefers areas with short bushes and scattered trees in scrub forests and grassy plains. It is common in agricultural land, but rarely in dense forest. Major populations occur in the Indian and Nepal Terai. It was thought to be extinct in Bangladesh. The nilgai was introduced to Texas in the 1920s to 1930s. As of 2008, the feral population in Texas is nearly 37,000. The nilgai is categorised as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The nilgai has been associated with Indian culture since the Vedic period (1500–500 BCE). They were hunted in the Mughal era (16th to 19th centuries) and are depicted in numerous miniatures. Nilgai have been considered a pest in several north Indian states, as they ravage crop fields and cause considerable damage. In Bihar, authorities have classified the nilgai as vermin.


title: Nilgai

text: The vernacular name "nilgai" comes from the fusion of the Hindi words "nil" ("blue") and "gai" ("cow"). The word was first recorded in use in 1882. Alternative origins could be from the Persian "gaw" ("cow"). The nilgai has been referred to by a variety of names: neelghae, nilgau, nilgo, nylghau, and nylghai, constructions referring to other "blue" animals. They are also known as white-footed antelope. During Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's reign (1658–1707) of India, the nilgai was known by the name "nilghor" ("nil" for "blue" and "ghor" for "horse").


title: Nilgai

text: The scientific name of the nilgai is "Boselaphus tragocamelus." The nilgai is the sole member of the genus "Boselaphus" and placed in the family Bovidae. The species was described and given its binomial name by the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1766. He based his description on a 1745 account of a male nilgai by British physician James Parsons in the 43rd volume of "Philosophical Transactions" (now known as the "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society"). The nilgai has one other relative in the tribe Boselaphini, the four-horned antelope (the sole member of "Tetracerus").


title: Nilgai

text: The generic name "Boselaphus" comes from the combination of the Latin "bos" ("cow" or "ox") and the Greek ("deer"). The specific name "tragocamelus" comes from the join of the two Greek words "tragos" ("he-goat") and "kamelos" ("camel"). The binomial combination was first used by English zoologist Philip Sclater in 1883. "Boselaphus" has often been misspelled as "Buselaphus" (first used by Ludwig Reichenbach in 1845 for the red hartebeest) and "Bosephalus" (first used by Thomas Horsfield in 1851, when he mistook a nilgai specimen for a hartebeest in a museum catalogue of the East India Company).


title: Nilgai

text: A 1992 phylogenetic study of mitochondrial DNA sequences showed a strong possibility of a clade consisting of Boselaphini, Bovini, and Tragelaphini. Bovini consists of the genera "Bubalus", "Bos", "Pseudoryx" (saola), "Syncerus" (African Buffalo), "Bison" and the extinct "Pelorovis". Tragelaphini consists of two genera: "Taurotragus" (eland) and "Tragelaphus". A closer relationship between Boselaphini and Tragelaphini was predicted, and seconded by a similar study in 1999.


title: Nilgai

text: Though the tribe Boselaphini has no African representation today, fossil evidence supports its presence in the continent in the prehistoric times, as early as the late Miocene. The two living antelope species of this tribe have been found to have a closer relationship with the earliest bovids (like "Eotragus" species) than do the other bovids. This tribe originated at least 8.9 million years ago, in much the same area where the four-horned antelope lives today, and may represent the most "primitive" of all living bovids, having changed the least since the origins of the family. The extant and extinct boselaphine forms show similar development of the horn cores (the central bony part of the horn). Though the extant nilgai females lack horns, historic relatives of the antelope had horned females. Fossil relatives were once placed in the subfamily Cephalophinae which now contains only the African duikers. Fossils of "Protragoceros" and "Sivoreas" dating back to the late Miocene have been discovered not only in Asia and southern Europe but also in the Ngorora Formation (Kenya) and are thought to belong to the Boselaphini. Other Miocene fossils of boselaphines discovered are of "Miotragocerus", "Tragocerus", and "Tragoportax"; fossils of "Miotragoceros" are not apparent in Africa (only "M. cyrenaicus" has been reported from the continent), but have significant presence in the Shiwalik Hills in India and Pakistan, as do several "Tragoportax" species. A 2005 study showed the migration of "Miotragoceros" to eastern Asia around eight million years ago. Alan W. Gentry of the Natural History Museum reported the presence of another boselaphine, "Mesembriportax", from Langebaanweg (South Africa).


title: Nilgai

text: Remains of the nilgai dating back to the Pleistocene have been discovered from the Kurnool caves in southern India. Evidence suggests that they were hunted by humans during the Mesolithic period (5,000 to 8,000 years ago).


title: Nilgai

text: A sturdy thin-legged antelope, the nilgai is characterised by a sloping back, a deep neck with a white patch on the throat, a short mane of hair behind and along the back ending behind the shoulder, and around two white spots each on its face, ears, cheeks, lips and chin. The ears, tipped with black, are long. A column of coarse hair, known as the "pendant" and around long in males, can be observed along the dewlap ridge below the white throat patch. The tufted tail, up to , has a few white spots and is tipped with black. The forelegs are generally longer, and the legs are often marked with white "socks".


title: Nilgai

text: While females and juveniles are orange to tawny, males are much darker – their coat is typically bluish grey. The ventral parts, the insides of the thighs and the tail are all white. A white stripe extends from the underbelly and broadens as it approaches the rump, forming a patch lined with dark hair. Almost white, though not albino, individuals have been observed in the Sariska National Park. while individuals with white patches have been recorded at zoos. The hairs, typically long, are fragile and brittle. Males have thicker skin on their head and neck that protect them in fights. The coat is not well-insulated with fat during winter, and consequently severe cold might be fatal for the nilgai.


title: Nilgai

text: Males are horned, and the occasional female. The horns are long but generally shorter than . Smooth and straight, these may point backward or forward. The horns of the nilgai lack the ringed structure typical of those of other bovids.


title: Nilgai

text: The nilgai is the largest antelope in Asia. It stands at the shoulder; the head-and-body length is typically between . Males weigh ; the maximum weight recorded is . Females are lighter, weighing . Sexual dimorphism is prominent; the males are larger than females and differ in colouration.


title: Nilgai

text: The maximum recorded length of the skull is . The dental formula is . The milk teeth are totally lost and the permanent dentition completed by three years of age. The permanent teeth get degraded with age, showing prominent signs of wear at six years of age. The nilgai has sharp ears and eyes, though its sense of smell is not as acute.


title: Nilgai

text: The nilgai is endemic to the Indian subcontinent: major populations occur in India, Nepal and Pakistan. It was thought to be extinct in Bangladesh but recent reports suggest otherwise. Significant numbers occur in the Terai lowlands in the foothills of the Himalayas; the antelope is abundant across northern India.


title: Nilgai

text: It prefers areas with short bushes and scattered trees in scrub forests and grassy plains. They are common in agricultural lands, but hardly occur in dense woods. In southern Texas, it roams in the prairies, scrub forests and oak forests. It is a generalist animal—it can adapt to a variety of habitats. Though sedentary and less dependent on water, nilgai may desert their territories if all water sources in and around it dry up. Territories in Texas are large.


title: Nilgai

text: The Indian population was estimated at one million in 2001. The nilgai were first introduced to Texas in the 1920s and the 1930s in a large ranch near the Norias Division of the King Ranch, one of the largest ranches in the world. The feral population saw a spurt toward the latter part of the 1940s, and gradually spread out to adjoining ranches.


title: Nilgai

text: Population densities show great geographical variation across India. Density can be as low as 0.23 to 0.34 individuals per km in Indravati National Park. and 0.4 individuals per km in the Pench Tiger Reserve, or as high as 6.6 to 11.36 individuals per km in Ranthambhore National Park, and seven individuals per km in Keoladeo National Park. Seasonal variations were noted in Bardiya National Park in a 1980 study; the density 3.2 individuals per km during the dry season and 5 per km in April, the start of the dry season. In southern Texas, densities were found to be nearly 3–5 individuals per km in 1976.


title: Nilgai

text: The nilgai is diurnal (active mainly during the day). A 1991 study investigated the daily routine of the antelope and found feeding peaks at dawn, in the morning, in the afternoon and during the evening. Females and juveniles do not interact appreciably with males, except during the mating season. Groups are generally small, with ten or fewer individuals, though groups of 20 to 70 individuals can occur at times. In a 1980 study in Bardiya National Park, the average herd size was of three individuals; In a 1995 study in the Gir National Park, herd membership varied with season. However, three distinct groupings are formed: one or two females with young calves, three to six adult and yearling females with calves, and male groups with two to 18 members.


title: Nilgai

text: Typically tame, the nilgai may appear timid and cautious if harassed or alarmed; instead of seeking cover like duikers it would flee up to -or even on galloping-away from the danger. Though generally quiet, nilgai have been reported to make short guttural grunts when alarmed, and females to make clicking noises when nursing young. Alarmed individuals, mainly juveniles below five months, give out a coughing roar (whose pitch is highest in case of the juveniles) that lasts half a second, but can be heard by herds less than away and responded to similarly.


title: Nilgai

text: Fights take place in both sexes and involve pushing their necks against each other or ramming into one another using horns. Fights can be gory; despite the protective skin deep, lacerated wounds and even deaths might occur. Display behaviour focuses on the throat patch and the beard, and threatening opponents by pointing the horns toward them. A young male was observed making a submissive display in the Sariska Reserve by kneeling before an adult male, who stood erect. The nilgai mark their territories by forming dung piles as much as in radius. The defecation process is elaborate-the antelope stands with his legs about a metre apart, with the rump lowered and the tail held almost vertical; it stays in the same posture for at least ten seconds after relieving itself. The process is not as elaborate in the females as it is in the males.


title: Nilgai

text: In India, the nilgai shares its habitat with the four-horned antelope, chinkara, chital and blackbuck; its association with the gaur and the water buffalo is less common. In Ranthambore National Park, the nilgai and the chinkara collectively prefer the area rich in "Acacia" and "Butea" species, while the sambar deer and the chital preferred the forests of "Anogeissus" and "Grewia" species. In India, the Bengal tiger and Asiatic lion prey on the nilgai but they are not significant predators of this antelope. The leopard preys on the nilgai, though prefers smaller prey. The dhole generally attacks juveniles. Other predators include the wolf and striped hyena.


title: Nilgai

text: The nilgai is a browser or mixed feeder, but primarily a grazer in Texas. It prefers grasses and herbs, but also feeds on woody plants in the dry tropical forests of India. Diets generally suffice in protein and fats. The protein content of the nilgai's should be at least seven percent. The nilgai can survive for long periods without water and does not drink regularly even in summer.


title: Nilgai

text: In Sariska Reserve, it prefers herbs and grasses; grasses become more important in the rainy season, while during winter and summer it feeds additionally on "Butea monosperma" flowers, foliage of "Anogeissus pendula", "Capparis sepiaria", "Grewia flavescens" and "Zizyphus mauritiana"), pods of "Acacia nilotica", "A. catechu" and A. leucophloea, and fruits of "Zizyphus mauritiana". Preferred grass species include "Cenchrus" species, "Cynodon dactylon", "Desmostachya bipinnata", "Scirpus tuberosus" and "Vetiveria zizanoides". Woody plants eaten include "Acacia nilotica", "A. senegal", "A. leucophloea", "Clerodendrum phlomidis", "Crotalaria burhia", "Indigofera oblongifolia", "Morus alba" and "Zizyphus nummularia"; herbs favoured are "Cocculus hirsutus", "Euphorbia hirta" and "Sida rhombifolia". Seeds of "Paspalum distichum" occurred in the dung of nilgai most of the year; "Acacia nilotica" and "Prosopis juliflora" seeds were discovered in the dry season and those of "Echinochloa crusgalli" during the monsoon.


title: Nilgai

text: Observations of females in southern Texas revealed that ovaries are developed by two years of age and the first birth takes place typically a year later, though in a few cases females as young as one-and-a-half years may mate successfully. Females can breed again around a year after parturition. Males in the same location were found to have active testes by the age of three years, that matured considerably by the next year. Males become sexually active at four or five years. Mating may occur throughout the year, with peaks of three to four months. The time of the year when these peaks occur varies geographically. In Texas, a peak is apparent from December to March. In Bharatpur National Park, the breeding season is from October to February, peaking in November and December. Sariska reserve witnesses a similar peak in December and January.


title: Nilgai

text: In the mating season, rutting males move about in search of females in oestrus. Males become aggressive and fight among themselves for dominance. These fights are characterised by displays of the enlarged chest, the throat patch and the beard while holding the head upright; and threatening the opponent by running with the horns pointed toward him and circling him. The victorious bull would protect the vicinity of the targeted female from other males. The courtship typically lasts for 45 minutes. The male, stiff and composed, approaches the receptive female, who keeps her head low to the ground and may slowly walk forward. The male licks her genitalia, upon which the female holds her tail to a side and the male gives out a flehmen response. Finally, the male pushes his chest against her rump, and mounts her.


title: Nilgai

text: Gestation lasts eight to nine months, following which a single calf or twins (even triplets at times) are born. In a 2004 study in the Sariska reserve, twins accounted for as high as 80 percent of the total calf population. Births peak from June to October in the Bharatpur National Park, and from April to August in southern Texas. Calves are precocial; they are able to stand within 40 minutes of birth, and forage by the fourth week. Pregnant females isolate themselves before giving birth. As typical of several bovid species, nilgai calves are kept in hiding for the first few weeks of their lives. This period of concealment can last as long as a month in Texas. Calves, mainly males, bicker playfully by neck-fighting. Young males would leave their mothers at ten months to join bachelor groups. The lifespan of the nilgai is typically ten years in Texas.


title: Nilgai

text: The nilgai is categorised as of Least Concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural resources (IUCN). While it is common in India, the nilgai occurs sparsely in Nepal and Pakistan. The major reasons behind its decimation in these two countries are rampant hunting, deforestation and habitat degradation in the 20th century. As of 2008, the feral population in Texas was nearly 37,000. Wild populations also exist in the US states of Alabama, Florida and Mississippi and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, where they have escaped from private exotic ranches. The population around the Texas-Mexico border is estimated to be around 30,000 (as of 2011).


title: Nilgai

text: In India, the nilgai is protected under Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Major protected areas for the nilgai across India include: Gir National Park (Gujarat); Bandhavgarh National Park, Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, Kanha National Park, Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve, Panna Tiger Reserve, Pench Tiger Reserve, Sanjay National Park, Satpura National Park (Madhya Pradesh); Tadoba Andhari Reserve (Maharashtra); Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Sultanpur National Park in Gurgaon, Ranthambore National Park and Sariska Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan).


title: Nilgai

text: Remains of nilgai have been excavated at Pandu Rajar Dhibi in West Bengal, suggesting that they were domesticated or hunted in eastern India in the Neolithic period (6500–1400 BCE) and during the Indus Valley civilisation (3300–1700 BCE) in the Indian subcontinent. There is a reference to the nilgai in the "Aitareya Brahmana" (a Hindu religious text dated 500–1000 BCE), where one of the Prajapatis (progenitor god) is said to have assumed the form of a nilgai:


title: Nilgai

text: Nilgai are extensively featured in paintings, dagger hilts and texts from the Mughal era (16th to 19th centuries); their representation, however, is less frequent than that of horses and camels. On being disturbed while hunting nilgai, the Mughal emperor Jahangir recorded his ire:


title: Nilgai

text: For centuries Indian villagers have associated the nilgai with the cow, a sacred animal revered by Hindus, and the name ("gai" means "cow" in Hindi) indicates the similarity they saw with the cow. The nilgai is rarely consumed by Hindus due to its religious significance. Tribes such as the Bishnois traditionally take care of wild animals like the nilgai. The nilgai was not widely hunted until the 20th century, when habitat degradation and poaching became rampant. The meat of nilgai is said to be lighter and milder flavoured than blackbuck meat.


title: Nilgai

text: The populations of nilgai in India are so large that farmers in the states of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have pleaded to the government to cull them. Nilgai herds raid and trample crop fields across these states, often causing food shortages.


title: Nilgai

text: Farmers use live electric wires to guard their farms, which kills other animals as well. Farmers in Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh) went on a hunger strike in 2015 demanding compensation for the damage caused by nilgai. Although blackbuck cause a similar problem, the damage caused by them is significantly lower as they merely break off young shoots. A 1990 study suggested culling, building enclosures for the antelopes and fencing off agricultural areas as remedies.


title: Nilgai

text: The governments of Bihar, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand have urged the Government of India to declare the nilgai as vermin; the proposal has been implemented in Bihar, where nilgai can now be hunted to minimise the damages incurred by locals. The Uttar Pradesh government has given farmers and firearm licence holders the right to cull the animals. However, animal rights activists in various parts of India were unhappy with the decision. Shivanshu K. Srivastava, a columnist and social activist, wrote that "The culling of nilgais (blue bulls) in Bihar in July 2016 was so deplorable that it doesn't need any justification. The excuse given for this slew by the State government, the then environment minister Prakash Javadekar and the judiciary is so illogical that it mocks all the solutions available to stop the nilgais from destroying the farms. We live in the 21st century and culling is only the very last option we have. The farmers can either opt for fencing around the farmlands or if it's unaffordable, then the government can give ordinances to relocate them to the forests." The state governments have attempted other initiatives to curb the nilgai: in November 2015, the Government of Rajasthan came up with a proposal to allow shooting nilgai with non-lethal darts to inhibit fertilisation in their bodies, so as to regulate their increasing populations. As the name "nilgai" appeals to the religious sentiments of Hindus, the Government of Madhya Pradesh has sought to officially rename it (Hindi for "forest antelope") and the Government of Haryana to rename it as "roze" in a bid to make their culling acceptable.


title: Nilgai

text: A 1994 study drew attention to the ecological value provided by the nilgai in ravines lining the Yamuna River. In summer, the faeces of the antelope contained nearly 1.6 percent nitrogen, that could enhance the quality of the soil up to a depth of . Seeds in the droppings could easily germinate and assist in afforestation.


title: Nilgai

text: In September 2019, a video surfaced of a nilgai being buried alive with an excavator in Bihar as part of the culling. The state forest department has claimed to have begun an investigation to find those responsible.


title: Americana (music)

text: Americana (also known as American roots music) is an amalgam of American music formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the musical ethos of the United States, specifically those sounds that are emerged from the Southern United States such as folk, gospel, blues, country, jazz, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, bluegrass, and other external influences. Americana, as defined by the Americana Music Association (AMA), is "contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music styles, including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B and blues, resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw. While acoustic instruments are often present and vital, Americana also often uses a full electric band."


title: Americana (music)

text: Americana as a radio format had its origins in 1984 on KCSN in Northridge, California. Mark Humphrey, a contributor to country/folk "Frets" magazine, hosted a weekly radio show called "Honky Tonk Amnesia" which played "country, folk, honky tonk, cajun, dawg, blues, and old-time music", a combination that the country music station KCSN advertised as "Americana". The format came into its own in the mid-1990s as a descriptive phrase used by radio promoters and music industry figures for traditionally-oriented songwriters and performers.


title: Americana (music)

text: Despite the genre's most common name, it is not practiced solely by artists from the United States, as numerous artists from Canada are also prominent in the genre. Canadian bands in the genre will sometimes be referred to as Canadiana rather than Americana in Canadian media, although this is not a widely recognized synonym elsewhere. A Norwegian scene is often referred to as "Nordicana".


title: Kathy Ireland

text: Kathleen Marie Ireland (born March 20, 1963) is an American author, entrepreneur, fashion designer, philanthropist, and former fashion model. Ireland was a supermodel in the 1980s and 1990s, initially known for appearing in 13 consecutive "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issues, including 3 covers. In 1993, she founded a brand licensing company, kathy ireland Worldwide (kiWW), which has made her one of the wealthiest former models in the world. As a result of her career in business, she earned a $420 million personal fortune by 2015. In 2021 alone, her company generated retail sales of $3.1 billion. The brand became ranked number 15 in the world and Ireland entered the Licensing Hall of Fame.


title: Kathy Ireland

text: Kathy Ireland was born in Glendale, California, the middle child of three daughters. Ireland's parents are John and Barbara Ireland, a labor relationships executive and a nurse, respectively. The family moved to Santa Barbara, where they continue to live today.


title: Kathy Ireland

text: She has appeared on covers for "Vogue", "Cosmopolitan", Shape Fitness, Harper's Bazaar, Mademoiselle, Teen and Seventeen. "Forbes", and "Mademoiselle".


title: Kathy Ireland

text: According to Ireland, a photographer once "crossed the line" with her when she was a teenager and wanted her to pose topless. She did not feel comfortable and he did not respect her "no." He reportedly pushed her and got physical and she "decked him."


title: Kathy Ireland

text: During "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit's 50th Anniversary event, Ireland's 1989 cover was awarded "The Greatest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Cover Of All Time" by its publisher.


title: Kathy Ireland

text: Ireland's successful transformation from a cover girl to a multimillion-dollar entrepreneur has been explicitly cited as inspiring by several active fashion models. After appearing on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" magazine in 2012, in a subsequent "Today" show interview, Kate Upton stated that she would like to follow in the footsteps of other cover girls, specifically Heidi Klum and Ireland. Three years later, in an interview with Matt Lauer, Hannah Jeter, the 2015 "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit cover model, likewise stated that she "would like to model [her] career after someone like Kathy Ireland." Ireland has also been cited as a role model by US model and entrepreneur Ashley Graham, who has singled her out as "one of her favourite people to follow on Instagram," because of her morally conscious online presence and business savvy.


title: Kathy Ireland

text: Ireland has appeared in a number of television and movie roles. Her first movie, 1988's "Alien from L.A.", was later featured during the fifth season of "Mystery Science Theater 3000".


title: Kathy Ireland

text: Ireland's other appearances include "Melrose Place", "Boy Meets World", "The Larry Sanders Show", "Muppets Tonight", "Side Out", "Mr. Destiny", "Necessary Roughness", "Mom and Dad Save the World", "National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1" (as Miss. Destiny Demeanor), "Once Upon a Christmas", and its sequel "Twice Upon a Christmas".


title: Kathy Ireland

text: She also participated in the ninth season of "Dancing with the Stars", where Ireland and her partner Tony Dovolani were the third couple eliminated in the second week of competition. Kathy has two TV series, "Worldwide Business" and "Modern Living," which air on Fox Business and Bloomberg.


title: Kathy Ireland

text: In 2016, she made an appearance in the sixth episode of the fourth season of "The Profit", offering advice for the CEO of Murchison-Hume, Max Kater.


title: Kathy Ireland

text: Founded in 1993 as a brand marketing firm in an exclusive business relationship with Kmart, kathy ireland Worldwide (or kiWW, for short) became a global licensor after cutting its ties to the department store chain in 2003. In 2019, it stood at No. 26 on License Global's "Top 150 Global Licensors" 2019 list with $2.6 billion in retail sales.


title: Kathy Ireland

text: In 1993, Kathy Ireland's name on a line of socks sold 100 million pairs and Kmart took notice, subsequently giving Ireland her own clothing line including swimwear, active wear, accessories, sweaters and more.