Ever Wondered Why We Have To Open Window Shades During Take-Off & Landing In Airplanes?

If you have ever been on a plane, I'm sure you have been asked to fasten your seat belts, put your seat back in the upright position, close all trays and, the one that has always confused me, open all window shades. But why is that? Pretty sure it isn't to enjoy the view outside.
The reason behind it is:

First, it is very important to know that the most vulnerable time for a mishap in aircrafts is during landing and take-off. The cabin crew is given specific instructions to keep passengers safe. In case of an emergency, the crew has only 90 seconds to evacuate the people on board.

So preparing for any kind of emergency before hand can help save vital time and those 90 seconds can be the difference between life & death.

Well, opening window shades during take-off & landing is also part of the standard emergency protocol and passengers are asked to do so majorly for the following reasons:

If an emergency occurs during day time, with the shades up and cabin lights on, it will be easier for a passenger to adjust to the light outside while evacuating. A sudden change in light can cause temporary blurred vision. Same goes for night time, when shades are open but the cabin lights are dimmed.

The crew can assess the situation outside and plan the evacuation accordingly, like which side to disembark from, because during emergencies, every second counts.

In case something goes wrong on the outside, a passenger can also report it quickly. Like any damage to the wings or an engine catching fire.

It is always good to have an extra pair of eyes, especially because passengers are also very cautious of the smallest details while flying.

Open window shades can also help the emergency ground staff see inside the airplane.

Apart from the emergency process, it can also help passengers brace themselves during a bumpy landing.

So there you have it, you know why the cabin crew keeps reminding you to follow these rules. It is for your own safety!

Harrnish Raval

Raigarh Fort

Raigad is a hill fort situated in the Mahad, Raigad district of Maharashtra, India. The Maratha king Shivaji made the fort his capital in 1674 when he was crowned King of a Maratha Kingdom which later developed into the Maratha Empire eventually covering majority of modern day India.

The fort, which rises 820 metres (2,700 ft) above sea level, is located in the Sahyadrimountain range. There are approximately 1737 steps leading to the fort, though todayan areal tram exists to reach the top of the fort. The fort was looted and destroyed by the British upon.

HISTORY

The fort was built by Chandrarao Mores in 1030. Its ruins today consist of the queen's quarters: six chambers, with each chamber having its own private restroom. The main palace was constructed using wood, of which only the bases of pillars remain. Ruins of three watch towers can be seen directly in front of the palace grounds overlooking an artificial lake called Ganga Sagar Lake created next to the fort. It also has a view of the execution point called Takmak Tok, a cliff from which the sentenced prisoners were thrown to their death. The area is now fenced off.^[3] The fort also has ruins of the market, and it has such structure that one can shop even while riding on a horse.

The fort has a famous wall called "Hirakani Buruj" constructed over a huge cliff. Its story is that a woman by the name of Hirakani from a nearby village at the foothills of Raigad had come to sell milk to the people living in the fort. She was inside the fort when the gates were locked by sunset. The love for her infant son back at her village gave her the courage to climb down the cliff in the dark. She repeated the feat in front of King Shivaji, and was rewarded for it. In appreciation of her courage, Shivaji arranged for a wall built at this location. Even today we can see it standing.

The king's public Durbar has a replica of the original throne that faces the main doorway called the Nagarkhana Darwaja. This enclosure had been acoustically designed to aid hearing from the doorway to the throne. A secondary entrance, called the Mena Darwaja, was supposedly the private entrance of the royal ladies of the fort; it leads to the queen's quarters. The erstwhile main entrance to the fort is the imposing Maha Darwaja. The convoy of the king and the king himself used the Palkhi Darwaja. To the right of Palkhi Darwaja, is a row of three dark and deep chambers. Historians believe that these were the granaries for the fort.

A statue of Shivaji is erected in front of the ruins of the main market avenue that eventually leads to the Jagdishwar Mandir and his own Samadhi (tomb) and that of his dog Waghya. The statue was removed by alleged members of the Sambhaji Brigade in July 2012 as a protest but was re-instated by Shri Shivaji Raigad Smarak Samiti, theArchaeological Survey of India, sculptor Rambhau Parkhi and the District Administration.

Kumbhalgarh Fort

Kumbhalgarh Fort is a Mewar fortress on the westerly range of Aravalli Hills, in theRajsamand District of Rajasthan state in western India. It is a World Heritage Siteincluded in Hill Forts of Rajasthan. Built during the course of the 15th century by Rana Kumbha and enlarged through the 19th century, Kumbhalgarh is also the birthplace ofMaharana Pratap, the great king and warrior of Mewar. Occupied until the late 19th century, the fort is now open to the public and is spectacularly lit for a few minutes each evening. Kumbalgarh is situated 82 km northwest of Udaipur by road. It is the most important fort in Mewar after Chittaurgarh.

In 2013, at the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Phnom Penh,Cambodia, Kumbhalgarh Fort, along with five other forts of Rajasthan, was declared aUNESCO World Heritage Site under the groupHill Forts of Rajasthan.

The fort has the second largest wall in the world after the Great Wall of China and the second largest fort in Rajasthan afterChittorgarh Fort.

Construction

Built on a hilltop 1,100 m (3,600 ft) above sea level on the Aravalli range, the fort of Kumbhalgarh has perimeter walls that extend 36 km (22 mi), making it the second longest wall in the world. The frontal walls are fifteen feet thick. Kumbhalgarh has sevenfortified gateways. There are over 360 temples within the fort, 300 ancient Jain and the rest Hindu. From the palace top, it is possible to see kilometers into the Aravalli Range. The sand dunes of the Thar Desertcan be seen from the fort walls.

According to legend, in 1443 CE, the Maharana of Kumbhalgarh, Rana Kumbha, was initially repeatedly unsuccessful in attempts to build the fort wall. A spiritual preceptor was consulted about the construction problems and advised the ruler that a voluntary human sacrifice would solve whatever was causing the impediment. The spiritual advisor advised building a temple where the head should fall and building the wall and the fort where the rest of his body lay. As can be expected, for some time no one volunteered, but one day, a pilgrim (some versions suggest a soldier, and some, that the spiritual preceptor and the pilgrim were one and the same) volunteered and was ritually decapitated. Today the main gate of the fortress, Hanuman Pol, contains a shrine and a temple to commemorate the great sacrifice.

According to popular folklore, Maharana Kumbha used to burn massive lamps that consumed fifty kilograms of ghee and a hundred kilograms of cotton to provide light for the farmers who worked during the nights in the valley.

Its wall is the second largest wall in the world, after the Great Wall of China and is known as the Great Wall of India.

Kalka Shimla Railway

Shimla (then spelt Simla) was settled by the British shortly after the first Anglo-Gurkha war, and is located at 7,116 feet (2,169 m) in the foothills of the Himalayas. By the 1830s, Shimla had already developed as a major base for the British. It became the summer capital of British India in 1864, and was also the headquarters of the British army in India. Prior to construction of the railway, communication with the outside world was via village cart.

The 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge Delhi-Kalka line opened in 1891. The Kalka–Shimla Railway was build on 2 ft (610 mm)narrow gauge tracks by the Delhi-Ambala-Kalka Railway Company beginning in 1898. The estimated cost was Rs 86,78,500 but the cost doubled during construction. The 96.54 km (59.99 mi) line opened for traffic on November 9, 1903.It was inaugurated by Viceroy of India Lord Curzon. Because of the high capital and maintenance costs and peculiar working conditions, the Kalka–Shimla Railway was allowed to charge higher fares than on other lines. However, the company was still not profitable and was purchased by the government on January 1, 1906 for Rs 1,71,07,748. In 1905 the line was regauged to 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) to conform to standards set by the Indian War Department.

This route passes through a city named Solan, which is also known as mini Shimla. A festival celebrating the goddess Shoolini Devi, after which the city is named, is held each summer in June.

In 2007, the government of Himachal Pradeshdeclared the railway a heritage property. For about a week starting on September 11, 2007, an expert team from UNESCO visited the railway to review and inspect it for possible selection as a World Heritage Site. On July 8, 2008, the Kalka–Shimla Railway became part of the World Heritage Site Mountain Railways of India.  alongside Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, Nilgiri Mountain Railway, andChhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.

Magnetic Hill

Magnet Hill is a so-called "gravity hill" located near Leh in Ladakh, India.

The “magnet Hill” is located on the Leh-Kargil-Srinagar national highway, about 30 km from Leh, at a height of 11,000 feet above sea level. On its south side flows the Indus, which originates in Tibet and goes to Pakistan. The magnetic hill has become a popular stop for domestic tourists on car journeys. The alignment of the road with the slope of the background can give the illusion that cars areable to drift upwards.

Chenab Bridge

The Chenab Bridge is an arch bridge under construction in India. It spans the Chenab River between Bakkal and Kauri, in Reasidistrict of Jammu and Kashmir. When completed, the bridge will be 1,315 m (4,314 ft) long, with a 480 m (1,570 ft) trussed arch span, 359 m (1,178 ft) above the river Chenab and a 650 m (2,130 ft) long viaduct on the Kauri side.

The bridge is part of several bridges and tunnels which makes up the Katra-Laole Section of the JUSBRL Project in Jammu and Kashmir. Another, smaller, arch bridge in the link will be the 657 m (2,156 ft) long, 189 m (620 ft) high Anji Khad bridge between Katraand Reasi over the Raavi river.

The Chenab Bridge was originally scheduled to be completed in December 2009. However, in September 2008 it was announced that the Chenab bridge had been cancelled due to fears over its stability and safety. Work on the bridge restarted in 2010 and once construction is completed in 2015 the Chenab Bridge is expected to be theworld's highest rail bridge.