Tag: history

Murarbaji Deshpande was the Maratha general who defended Purandar Fort against Diler Khan's forces in 1665. He led the famous defense and died in battle.

Firangoji Narsala was the commander of Chakan Fort who defended it against the Mughals for 55 days. Dadoji Kondev was Shivaji's administrator, Netaji Palkar was his military commander, and Yesaji Kank was another trusted officer in Shivaji's army but not associated with Chakan.

Jiva Mahala was the brave commander of Pratapgad who killed Afzal Khan during the famous meeting with Shivaji in 1659. Hiroji Farjand, Madari Mehtar, and Yesaji Kank were other notable figures in Shivaji's military but not associated with Pratapgad fort.

Raigad was the capital of the Maratha Kingdom, is a fort in the Konkan region, AND was the place where Shivaji was coronated in 1674. Therefore all three statements A, B, and C are correct about Raigad fort.

Table tennis was banned in the Soviet Union from approximately 1930 to 1950 because authorities believed it caused harmful eye strain and vision problems. The sport involves rapid visual tracking and quick reflexes. The ban was eventually lifted, and table tennis became popular in the USSR.

Table tennis became an official Olympic medal sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Both men's and women's singles and doubles events were included. China has dominated the sport since its Olympic debut. The sport had been a demonstration sport earlier but 1988 was its first official medal year.

Table tennis is ranked as the 2nd most popular sport in the world by participation numbers, after football/soccer. Its accessibility, low equipment cost, and indoor nature make it widely played globally. China alone has over 300 million players. The ranking reflects recreational participation rather than spectatorship.

Elite table tennis players can smash the ball at speeds exceeding 100 mph. This requires tremendous racket speed and reflexes. The combination of spin, speed, and placement makes table tennis extremely challenging at the professional level. Players train extensively to develop these explosive hitting abilities.

The record for most hits between two players in 60 seconds is 173, set by Jackie Bellinger and Lisa Lomas in 1993. This requires incredible consistency, focus, and stamina at that pace. Table tennis rallies at the recreational level are much slower and shorter.

A standard competition table tennis table is 9 feet (2.74 meters) long, 5 feet wide, and 2.5 feet high. These dimensions are set by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).