Synopsis
A
grand topic such as “My Country”,
always begets a plethora of emotions and divinity in oneself. Given the
emotional connect with the topic, an individual always has huge backdrop of his
own memory to compile upon and recollect, all the bridges in his memory that
join his persona and the persona of his Country.
My
country INDIA, our country INDIA, The Country INDIA is the world's largest, oldest,
continuous civilization. Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development,
India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in
the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth. Thus
followed the two centuries of oppression by the British Empire. Since 1947, India
has steadily been climbing the ladder of success and triumph in fields of
education, hospitality, medicine and in the race of being a super power.
The
idea of this report is not to glorify the credentials of the persona of our
country,
but to lay stress upon why does india always come out on the tops. The inherent
positivity and social coherence that india as a country has imbibed
in its roots, where does it come from.
The
feel good factor, that comes with hearing the name India,
why is it there ?
Why has not India attacked any other country in the past 10,000 years? Why after so much cultural and ethnic differences do we find India still being hailed as the largest democracy?
Why has not India attacked any other country in the past 10,000 years? Why after so much cultural and ethnic differences do we find India still being hailed as the largest democracy?
The
nineteenth-century British historian, Grant Duff, claimed that "Many of
the advances in the sciences that we consider today to have been made in Europe
were in fact made in India centuries ago." To say this about a
country that does not just tolerate race and religion,
but accounts for it. A country with the richest heritage and longest
history.
Imagine
a country surrounded by both landmasses and water
bodies, a terrain range of plateaus, mountains, valleys, beaches,
cliffs, fertile plains and rapidly blossoming cityscapes. A country from where
any of its 365/366 sunsets in a year are lens-worthy.
Here we begin upon the journey into
our own country,
India.
Contents
TOPICS PAGE
NO:
-
COVER
PAGE 1
-
OUTLINE 2
-
INTRODUCTION 4
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ETHOS 5
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SOCIETY 6
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FINE
ARTS 7
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SPORTS 8
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BIO-DIVERSITY 9
-
FACTS
AND FIGURES 10
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STATISTICS 11
-
CONCLUSION 12
-
INDEX 13
-
REFERENCES 14
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Introduction
India is and will always be an enchanting land. This
is because like every other country,
India also has a special and unique aspect for its
greatness. Home to the Indus Valley Civilization, this magnificent country has
rightly showed that minds of the people living here were scientifically a lot
developed from the very beginning.
To
begin with, the land of India,
words are less to describe the marvel of nature’s blessing in this country India has virtually every kind of landscape
possible. Naming from snow-capped peaks, rugged hills, and low-lying plains and so on to
coastal lines, islands, etc. one can take in the diversity of India’s
picturesque panoramas.
The
Himalayas, which are the highest, youngest and still evolving mountain range in the
world, are to the north of this country.
It has plains, which are made fertile, by the world-famous rivers like the
Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Indus and many other important famous rivers. The Deccan plateau and some other smaller plateaus
are said to be made up of rocks of very primitive origin.
The
coastal beauty of this country is remarkable and it is bestowed with several
wonderful beaches that are famous places of tourist attractions
as well. The peninsular India is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, Arabian Sea in the west and Indian Ocean to its south. One should not forget to mention
the beautiful coral islands, the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of
Bengal and the Lakshadweep islands in the Arabian Sea are those unique groups
of islands. The lush rainforests of the North-East India are in contrast to the
dry Thar Desert of Rajasthan in the west of the country.
India's
climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and
the Thar Desert,
both of which drive the monsoons.
The Himalayas prevent cold Central Asian katabatic winds from blowing in, keeping the bulk of the
Indian subcontinent warmer than most locations at
similar latitudes. The Thar Desert plays a crucial role in attracting the
moisture-laden southwest summer monsoon winds that, between June and October,
provide the majority of India's rainfall. Four major climatic groupings
predominate in India: tropical wet, tropical dry, subtropical humid, and
montane.
Ethos
Indian cultural history spans more than ,4500years. During the Vedic age, the
foundations of Hindu philosophy, mythology and literature were laid, and many
beliefs and practices which still exist today, such as dhárma, kárma, yóga and mochas,
were established. India is notable for its religious diversity, with
Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity and Jainism among the nation's major religions. The
predominant religion, Hinduism, has been shaped by various historical schools
of thought, including those of the Upanishads, the Yoga Sutras, the Bhakti movement, and by Buddhist philosophy.
Indian architecture is highly diverse. Much of it, including
notable monuments such as the TajMahal and other examples of Mughal architecture and South Indian architecture,
comprises a blend of ancient and varied local traditions from several parts
of the country and abroad. Vernacular architecture also displays notable regional
variation.
Indian cuisine is best known for its delicate use of herbs
and spices and for its tandoori grilling techniques. The tandoor, a clay oven in use for almost,years in India,
is known for its ability to grill meats to an 'uncommon succulence' and for the
puffy flatbread known as the naan.
The staple foods in the region are rice (especially in the south and the east),
wheat (predominantly in the north) and lentils.
Many spices which are consumed worldwide are originally
native to the Indian subcontinent. Chili pepper which was introduced by the Portuguese is
widely used in Indian cuisine.
Society
Traditional Indian society is defined by relatively strict social hierarchy. The Indian caste system describes
the social stratification and social restrictions in the Indian subcontinent,
in which social classes are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary
groups, often termed as jātis or castes. Several influential social reform
movements, such as the BrahmoSamaj, the AryaSamaj and the Ramakrishna Mission,
have played a pivotal role in the emancipation of Dalits (or
"untouchables") and other lower-caste communities in India.
However, the majority of Dalits continue to live in segregation and are often
persecuted and discriminated against.
Traditional Indian family values are highly valued, and
multi-generational patriarchal joint families have been the norm in India,
though nuclear families are becoming common in urban areas. An overwhelming majority of Indians, with
their consent, have their marriages arranged by their parents or other family
members. Marriage is thought to be for
life, and the divorce rate is extremely low.
Child marriage is still a common practice, more so in rural India, with
more than half of women in India marrying before the legal age of .
Many
Indian festivals are religious in origin. The best known
include Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Thai Pongal, Holi, Durga Puja, Eid ul-Fitr,
Bakr-Id, Christmas, and Vaisakhi. India has three national holidays which are observed
in all states and union territories – Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi
Jayanti. Other sets of holidays, varying between nine and twelve, are
officially observed in individual states.
Traditional Indian dress varies across the regions in its colours
and styles and depends on various factors, including climate.
Popular styles of dress include draped garments such
as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men;
in addition, stitched clothes such as salwar kameez for women and kurta-pyjama
and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular. The wearing
of delicate jewellery, modelled on real flowers worn in ancient India,
is part of a tradition dating back some,years; gemstones are also worn in India
as talismans.
In
the 19th century, Indian writers took a new interest in social questions and psychological descriptions.
Twentieth-century Indian literature was influenced by the works of
Bengali poet and novelist Rabindranath Tagore.
Fine Arts
Indian music covers a wide range of traditions and regional
styles. Classical music largely encompasses the two genres – North Indian
Hindustani, South Indian Carnatic traditions and their various offshoots in the
form of regional folk music. Regionalised forms of popular music include filmi
and folk music; the syncretic tradition of the bauls is a well-known form of
the latter.
Indian dance too has diverse folk and classical
forms. Among the well-known folk dances are the bhangra of the Punjab, the bihu
of Assam, the chhau of West Bengal, Jharkhand,
sambalpuri of Orissa, the ghoomar of Rajasthan and the Lavani of Maharashtra.
Eight dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythological elements, have
been accorded classical dance status by India's
National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama. These are: bharatanatyam of the
state of Tamil Nadu, kathak of Uttar Pradesh, kathakali and mohiniyattam of
Kerala, kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, manipuri of Manipur, odissi
of Orissa and the sattriya of Assam.
Theatre
in India often incorporates music,
dance, and improvised or written dialogue. Often based on Hindu mythology, but
also borrowing from medieval romances, and news of social and political events, Indian theatre includes the bhavai of state of
Gujarat, the jatra of West Bengal, the nautanki and ramlila of North India, the
tamasha of Maharashtra, the burrakatha of Andhra Pradesh, the terukkuttu of
Tamil Nadu, and the yakshagana of Karnataka. The Indian film industry is the
most watched film industry in the world. Established traditions exist in
Assamese, Bengali,
Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Tamil, and Telugu language cinemas. South India's cinema industries account for
more than75% of total film revenues.
Sports
India's
official national sport is field hockey, administered by Hockey India. The Indian hockey team won the Hockey World Cup and gold,
silver and bronze medals at the
Olympic games, making it one of the world's most successful national hockey
teams ever. Cricket, however, is by far the most popular sport; the India cricket team won the and the World
Cups, ICC World Twenty , and shared the ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka.
Cricket in India is administered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) and domestic competitions include the Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy,
the Deodhar Trophy, the Irani Trophy and the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy. In
addition, BCCI conducts the Indian Premier League, a Twenty competition.
India is home to several traditional sports which
originated in the country and continue to remain fairly popular. These
include kabaddi, khokho, pehlwani and gilli-danda. Some of the earliest forms of Asian martial arts, such as
Kalarippayattu, Yuddha, Silambam and VarmaKalai,
originated in India. The Rajiv Gandhi KhelRatna and the Arjuna Award are
India's highest awards for achievements in sports, while the Dronacharya Award
is awarded for excellence in coaching.
Chess,
commonly held to have originated in India,
is regaining widespread popularity with the rise in the number of Indian Grandmasters. Tennis has also become
increasingly popular, owing to the victories of the India Davis Cup team and
the success of Indian tennis players. India has a strong presence in shooting
sports, winning several medals at the Olympics, the World Shooting
Championships and the Commonwealth Games. Other sports in which Indian
sports-persons have won numerous awards or medals at international sporting
events include badminton,boxing and
wrestling. Football is a popular sport
in northeastern India, West Bengal, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
India has hosted or co-hosted several international
sporting events, such as the and
the Asian Games, Cricket World Cups,
the Afro-Asian Games, the ICC Champions
Trophy, the Hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. Major international
sporting events annually held in India include the Chennai Open, Mumbai
Marathon, Delhi Half Marathon and the Indian Masters.
Biodiversity
India lies within the Indomalayaecozone and contains
three biodiversity hotspots. One of
megadiverse countries, its Habitat ranges from the tropical rainforest
of the Andaman Islands, Western Ghats, and northeastern India to the coniferous
forest of the Himalaya.
Between these extremes lie the moist deciduous sal forest of eastern India; the
dry deciduous teak forest of central and southern India; and the
babul-dominated thorn forest of the central Deccan and western Gangetic plain.
Under of India's landmass bears thick jungle. The medicinal neem, widely used
in rural Indian herbal remedies, is a key Indian tree. The
luxuriant pipal fig tree, shown on the seals of Mohenjo-daro,
shaded Gautama Buddha as he sought enlightenment.
Many
Indian species descend from taxa originating in
Gondwana, from which the Indian plate separated long ago. Peninsular India's
subsequent movement towards and collision with the Laurasian landmass set off a
mass exchange of species. Epochal volcanism and climatic changes million years ago forced mass extinction.
Mammals then entered India from Asia through two zoogeographical passes
flanking the rising Himalaya.
These include the Asiatic Lion, the Bengal Tiger, and the Indian white-rumped
vulture, which, by ingesting the carrion of diclofenac-laced cattle, nearly
went extinct.
The
pervasive and ecologically devastating human encroachment of recent decades has
critically endangered Indian wildlife. In response the system of national
parks and protected areas, first established in, was substantially expanded. In,
India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act and
Project Tiger to safeguard crucial wilderness; the Forest Conservation Act was
enacted in and amendments added India hosts more than five hundred wildlife
sanctuaries and thirteen biosphere reserves,
four of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; twenty-five wetlands are registered
under the Ramsar Convention.
Facts & Figures
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India is the world's largest democracy.
-
India invented the Number System. Zero was invented
by Aryabhatta.
-
Grammar constitutes one
of India's
greatest contributions to Western philology.Panini, the Sanskrit grammarian,
who lived between 750 and 500 BC, was the first to compose formal grammar
through his Astadhyai.
-
The World's first
university was established in Takshashila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students
from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of
Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of
ancient India in the field of education.
-
Sanskrit is the mother
of all the European languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for
computer software (Report in the Forbes magazine,July 1987)
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Ayurveda is the
earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka,
the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today Ayurveda is
fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization
-
The art of Navigation
was born in the river Sindh 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived
from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit
'Nou'
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Bhaskaracharya
calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years
before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th
century) 365.258756484 days.
-
Varanasi, also known as
Benares, was called "the ancient city" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500
B.C.E, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
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India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.
-
The game of Chess,BeejGanit(known better by its Arabic
name 'Algebra') are another contributions of India to the world.
Statistics
CAPITAL: New Delhi
FLAG: The national flag, adopted in
1947, is a tricolor of deep saffron, white, and green horizontal stripes. In
the center of the white stripe is a blue wheel representing the wheel (chakra)
that appears on the abacus of Asoka's lion capital (c.250 bc) at Sarnath, Uttar
Pradesh.
ANTHEM: Jana gana mana (Thou Art the
Ruler of the Minds of All People ). A national song of equal status is Vande
Mataram (I Bow to Thee, Mother).
MONETARY UNIT: The rupee (r) is a paper
currency of 100 paise. There are coins of 5, 10, 20, 25, and 50 paise, and 1,
2, and 5 rupees, and notes of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500 rupees. r1 =
0.02294 (or $1 = r47.6) as of 2005.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES: Metric weights and
measures, introduced in 1958, replaced the British and local systems. Indian
numerical units still in use include the lakh (equal to 100,000) and the crore
(equal to 10 million).
HOLIDAYS: Republic Day, 26 January;
Independence Day, 15 August; Gandhi Jayanti, 2 October. Annual events—some
national, others purely local, and each associated with one or more religious
communities—number in the hundreds. The more important include Shivarati in
February; and Raksha Bandhan in August. Movable religious holidays include
Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja, Dussehra, 'Id al-Fitr, Dewali; and
Christmas, 25 December.
TIME: +5:30 pm = noon GMT.
Conclusion:
The culture and the traditions that make
India unique and vibrant; the countless festivals,
the colour and the hot beating sun make India lovable. Her people are special,
steeped in traditions that are old as the mountains.
India is a fascinating land, with her rivers and her
mountains, the snow-capped peaks and her deserts signifying her nature as the
land of peace and harmony. Though invaded many times over, plundered and
polluted, she has managed to retain her culture and her uniqueness. I am proud
to be an Indian.
Her people speak many languages, each language, just as fluently as the other.
Indians are varied in their religious beliefs, traditions and culture and yet
they live in harmony.
It is the spirit of India that makes it unique. The soul of India is its
spirituality. The day does not start without seeking God’s direction and
blessings. Education is valued highly and every family saves to
educate its children.
Most Indians are hard working and save
money for the future; wasteful and impulsive spending is rare. Every bit of the
money that is earned is saved, for the children and their welfare. The father
is the disciplinarian, while the mother is the one who nurtures. Respect for
elders is what makes the Indian people stand out in a crowd. No one is
addressed by their names; it is always brother, sister, uncle and aunt that are
commonly used for people who are not even related in anyway. Every neighbour is
an uncle, aunt, grandma or grandpa; no one is ‘Vijay’ or ‘Preethi’.
There is so much openness. People care
so deeply about each other that they treat family and strangers alike.
Neighbours are ready not only to share in the happiness, but also when there is
a death or when problems arise; they are the first to offer help. The sense of
community is so strong that Indians would be lost outside of India,
unless they are the second or later generation of Indians in the country of their adoption.
India is thus, a land of such diversity, colour and
life and it is these unique qualities that draw visitors from all over the
world. Add to that, the kindness and loving nature of her people, and you have
a country that is such a pleasure to live in, nay, a
privilege.
Yes, we love our country - we love India!
.
Index
A
ancient, 5, 6, 10
Arabian, 4
architecture, 5
B
Bay of Bengal, 4
beaches, 2, 4
beauty, 4
Bengali, 6, 7
Bhakti, 5
Biosphere, 9
C
clay, 5
climate, 4, 6
country, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 12
Country, 2
cuisine, 5
cultural, 2, 5
D
Desert, 4
E
earliest, 8, 10
Education, 12
F
festivals, 6, 12
G
game, 10
H
Himalaya, 9
Hockey, 8
I
India, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14,
Indian, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, SEE
J
Jainism, 5
Jharkhand, 7
K
Kerala,
kuchipudi, 7
L
lentils, 5
lungi, 6
M
men, 6
monsoons, 4
monuments, 5
Mughal, 5
music, 7
N
naan, 5
O
Ocean, 4
P
panoramas, 4
pepper, 5
pipal, 9
Popular, 6
puffy, 5
R
Rabindranath
Tagore, 6
real, 6
rugged, 4
S
social, 2, 6, 7
society, 6
spices, 5
T
tandoori, 5
Traditional, 6
U
Upanishads, 5
V
VarmaKalai, 8
Vernacular, 5
W
winds, 4
Y
yakshagana, 7
youngest, 4
References
