Indian General Knowledge: Broadcasting, Business & Tamil Music

Yesudas, primarily a Malayalam playback singer, made his Tamil debut with the song 'Neeyum Bommai' in the film 'Neeyum Bommai' (1967). This marked the beginning of his Tamil singing career, though he became more prominent in Tamil films later.

Hariharan made his Tamil playback singing debut with 'Tamizha Tamizha' from the film 'Roja' (1992), composed by A.R. Rahman. This was the beginning of his long and successful career in Tamil cinema. The song became a cultural anthem.

P. Susheela, one of Tamil cinema's most prolific playback singers, made her debut with 'Edhukku azhaithaai' from the film 'Petra Thai' (1960s). This song launched her legendary career spanning thousands of songs.

S.P. Balasubrahmanyam (SPB) made his Tamil playback singing debut as a teenager with 'Irakai ennum ilaya' from the film 'Irakai Ennum Ilaya' (1966). This launched his monumental career in Tamil cinema. He was introduced by director P. Pullaiah.

K.S. Chitra made her Tamil playback singing debut with 'Poojaiketa Poo idhu' from the film 'Nallavan' (1988). This song marked her entry into Tamil cinema, from where she went on to become one of the most celebrated playback singers in South India.

Karthik made his Tamil playback singing debut with 'Nendhukittaen' from the film 'Nendhukittaen' (2000s). This launched his career as one of the prominent contemporary playback singers in Tamil cinema, known for his versatile voice.

Aventis was created in 1999 through the merger of French company Rhone-Poulenc and German company Hoechst Marion Roussel. This merger created one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies at the time. Aventis later merged with Sanofi-Synthelabo in 2004 to form Sanofi-Aventis (now Sanofi).

The Nestle brand Milo is named after Milo of Croton, an ancient Greek athlete famous for his incredible strength and wrestling prowess. Milo of Croton won six Olympic championships and was legendary for feats like carrying a bull on his shoulders. The chocolate-malt drink brand uses this name to evoke strength and athletic performance.

Bournvita is the malted beverage brand associated with 'Quiz Time', India's longest running quiz show hosted by Derek O'Brien. The show, sponsored by Cadbury Bournvita, became iconic in Indian quiz culture and ran for many years, discovering young quizzing talent across the country.

Bank of India became the first Indian bank to open an international branch when it established its London branch in 1946. This was a significant milestone in Indian banking history, marking the expansion of Indian banking beyond national borders. The London branch was opened just before India's independence.

The first major wave of commercial bank nationalisation in India occurred on July 19, 1969, when the government nationalised 14 major commercial banks. This was a monumental step in aligning the banking sector with the socio-economic goals of the country. Therefore, 1969 is the correct year.

Dena Bank's logo featured the image of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth and prosperity. This was a distinctive identity marker for the bank before its merger with Bank of Baroda in 2019.

Dimple Kapadia owns 'The Faraway Tree', a home decor and interior design business venture. The company offers luxury home furnishings and interior design services.

Simone Tata, chairperson of Trent Ltd, built Lakme into India's leading cosmetics brand and later launched Westside retail chain. She is credited with professionalizing the cosmetics industry in India and pioneering modern retail formats.

Gattu was the iconic mascot of Asian Paints - a mischievous little boy created in 1954 and used for several decades until 2002. The character became synonymous with the brand and is remembered fondly by generations of Indians.

Doordarshan began as an experimental service in Delhi on 15 September 1959. The launch was modest with limited transmission hours and reach, marking the beginning of television broadcasting in India.

'Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi' was Doordarshan's first flagship comedy series that began telecasting in 1984. The show starred Shafi Inamdar, Rakesh Bedi and others, becoming a cult classic of Indian television comedy.

DD News, Doordarshan's 24-hour news channel, was launched on 3 November 2003. It was earlier known as DD Metro and was rebranded as DD News to provide dedicated news coverage.