About India

India at a glance

India is a large, triangular-shaped peninsular country located in South Asia, with the Himalayan Range in the North, Arabian Sea in the West, Indian Ocean in th

South & Bay of Bengal in the East.It is bordered by Pakistan in the northwest region, China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. Sri Lanka is an island country located off its southern tip. India happens to be the seventh largest country in the world with a land area of approximately 3,287,000 sq km (1,281,930 sq m), though disputed borders with Pakistan and China render the figure arbitrary. The boundary separating India and Pakistan is

known as the Line of Control,and the one separating India and China is known as the 'Line of Actual Control'.

Diverse culture
India, officially the Republic of India, is the second most populous country in the world.It is also known by its ancient name of Bharath. New Delhi is India's capital and Bombay (Mumbai) it one of its largest cities.
India's ethnic composition is complex, but two major strains predominate: the Aryan, in the north, and the Dravidian, in the south. India is a land of great cultural diversity, as is evidenced by the enormous number of different languages spoken throughout the country. Although Hindi (spoken in the north) and English (the language of politics and commerce) are used officially, more than 1,500 languages and dialects are spoken in the country.

Rich history
The Indian constitution recognizes 15 regional languages (Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu). Ten of the major states of India are generally organized along linguistic lines.
With its long and rich history, India retains many outstanding archaeological landmarks; pre-eminent of these are the Buddhist remains at Sarnath, Sanchi, and Bodh Gaya; the cave temples at Ajanta, Ellora, and Elephanta; and the temple sites at Madurai, Thanjavur, Abu, Bhubaneswar, Konarak, and Mahabalipuram. Other aspects of Indian culture are Hindustani music; Indian art and architecture; Indian literature; Mughal art,Murals,Prakrit literature; Sanskrit literature and poetry,etc.

Urban rural divide
Economically, India often seems like two separate countries: village India, supported by primitive agriculture, where tens of millions—one fourth of the population—live below the poverty line; and urban India, one of the most heavily industrialized areas in the world, with an increasingly middle-class population. Agriculture (about 55% of the land is arable) makes up some 25% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs almost 70% of the Indian people. Vast quantities of rice are grown wherever the land is level and water plentiful; other crops are wheat, pulses, sugarcane, jowar (sorghum), bajra (a cereal), and corn. Cotton, tobacco, oilseeds, and jute are the principal nonfood crops. There are large tea plantations in Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. The opium poppy is also grown, both for the legal pharmaceutical market and the illegal drug trade; cannabis is produced as well.

Constitution
India is a federal state with a parliamentary form of government. It is governed under the 1949 constitution (effective since Jan.1950). The president of India is elected for a five-year term by the elected members of the federal and state parliaments. Theoretically the president possesses full executive power, but that power actually is exercised by the prime minister (head of the majority party in the federal parliament) and council of ministers (which includes the cabinet), who are appointed by the president. The ministers are responsible to the lower house of Parliament -Lok Sabha and must be members of Parliament. The upper house, Rajya Sabha consists of delegates chosen by the state.

Heritage
Robert Clive's defeat of the Nawab of Bengal at Plassey in 1757 traditionally marks the beginning of the British Empire in India,recognised in the Treaty of Paris of 1763.
Warren Hastings, Clive's successor and the first governor-general of the country, did much to consolidate Clive's conquests. By 1818 the British controlled nearly all of India south of the Sutlej River and had reduced to vassalage their most powerful Indian enemies, the state of Mysore and the Marathas. India received her independence in the year 1947 on August 15th under the leadership of Mahathma Gandhi, who is known as the " Father of the Nation".
Teeming with rich cultural heritage, architectural wonders and  varied forms of art , India is a country which has mesmerized many a people from far and near for centuries.

People and LifeStyle :

Indians are greatly bound by religion and family. These ties run deep into the cultural framework of the nation. The ancient culture of South Asia, going back at least 4,500 years, has come down to India primarily in the form of religious texts. The artistic heritage, as well as intellectual and philosophical contributions, has always owed much too religious thought and symbolism. The listing of the major belief systems only scratches the surface of the remarkable diversity in Indian religious life. The complex doctrines and institutions of the great traditions, preserved through written documents, are divided into numerous schools of thought, sects, and paths of devotion. In many cases, these divisions stem from the teachings of great masters, who arise continually to lead bands of followers with a new revelation or path to salvation. The local interaction between great traditions and local forms of worship and belief, based on village, caste, tribal, and linguistic differences, creates a range of ritual forms and mythology that varies widely throughout the country.

There are many diverse ethnic groups among the people of India. The 6 main ethnic groups are as follows.

• Negroitos .
• Proto - Australoids or Austrics .
• Mongoloids .
• Mediterranean or Dravidian .
• Western Brachycephals.
• Nordic Aryans .

Negroitos/Brachycephalic:
The people belong to Negroitos or the Brachycephalic are (broad headed) people from Africa were the earliest people have come to India. They have survived in their original habitat in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Jarawas, Onges, Sentinelese and the Great Andamanese are few examples and some hill tribes like Irulas, Kodars, Paniyans and Kurumbas are found in some patches in Southern part of mainland India. 

Pro-Australoids/Austrics:
Pro-Australoids/Austrics were the next  group come to India after the Negritos and laid the foundation of Indian civilization. They cultivated rice and vegetables and made sugar from sugarcane.  They are people with long headed with low foreheads and prominent eye ridges, noses with low and broad roots, thick jaws, large palates and teeth and small chins with wavy hair lavishly distributed all over their brown bodies, The Austrics of India represent a race of medium height, dark complexion with long heads and rather flat noses but otherwise of regular features. Miscegenation with the earlier Negroids may be the reason for the dark or black pigmentation of the skin and flat noses. Now these people are found in some parts of India, Myanmar and the islands of South East Asia. Their languages have survived in the Central and Eastern India.

Mongoloids:
These people are found in the North eastern part of India in the states of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Tripura. They are also found in Northern parts of west Bengal, Sikkim, and Ladakh. Generally they are people with yellow complexion, oblique eyes, high cheekbones, sparse hair and medium height. 

Dravidians:
These are the people of South India having different sub-groups like the Paleo-Mediterranean, the true Mediterranean, and the Oriental Mediterranean. They have been believed to come before the Aryans.  They appear to be people of the same stock as the peoples of Asia Minor and Crete and pre- Hellenic Aegean's of Greece. They are reputed to have built up the city civilization of the Indus valley, whose remains have been found at Mohenjo- daro and Harappa and other Indus cities.  

Western Bracycephals:
These include the Alpinoids, Dinarics and Armenoids, The Parsis and Kodavas . They are the broad headed people living mainly on the western side of the country such as the Ganga Valley and the delta, parts of Kashmir, Kathiawar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 

Nordics/Indo-Aryans:
This group was the last one to immigrate to India somewhere between 2000 and 1500 B.C. They are now mainly found in the northern and central part of India.

Festivals and Feasts:

India is a land of festivals and feasts. Every season brings along new festivals, each a true celebration of the bounties of the rich traditions followed for time immemorial. There are innumerable national, regional, local, religious, seasonal and social festivities. This is not surprising considering the fact that India is the land of gods, goddesses, saints, gurus and prophets.

Major Indian Festivals:

Holi: "Holi" is the festival of colours.It was celebrated in most parts of India during February-March (in the month of Phalguna according to the Hindu calendar).In this festival main emphasis is laid on the burning of Holika or lighting of Holi.Traditionally Holi was a festival that celebrated the coming of spring, and therefore was deeply connected to natural cycles, these days its social significance has overtaken its roots in Nature.
Diwali: "Diwali" is the festival of lights celebrated in remeberence of Lord Rama's victorious return to Ayodya after battle.It was the victory of good over evil, and uplifting of spiritual darkness. This festival is celebrated for five continuous days, with the third day being celebrated as the main Diwali or as 'Festival of Lights'. Fireworks are always associated with this festival. The day is celebrated with people lighting diyas, candles all around their house.
Baisakhi: "Baisakhi" is the harvest festival of Punjab. Baisakhi Festival falls on April 13th or April 14th and marks the beginning of the solar year. People of North India, particularly Punjab thank God for good harvest.Baisakhi Festival has tremendous religious significance as it was on a Baisakhi Day in 1699, that Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru laid the foundation of Panth Khalsa-the Order of the Pure Ones.
Raksha Bandhan: 'Raksha Bandhan' (the bond of protection in Hindi) is a Hindu festival, which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters. It is celebrated on the full moon of the month of Shraavana. The festival is marked by the tying of a rakhi, or holy thread by the sister on the wrist of her brother. The brother in return offers a gift to hissister and vows to look after her. The brother and sister traditionally feed each other sweets.
Durga Puja : The Durga Puja falls on the month of Chaitra which roughly overlaps with March or April. This ceremony is however not observed by many and is thus restricted to a handful in the state of West Bengal.Durga Puja in Bengal is a carnival, where people from all backgrounds, regardless of their religious beliefs, participate and enjoy themselves to the hilt.
Onam: "Onam" is its counter part in Kerala  also celebrated to commemorate the return of the great king Mahabali. The authentic "pookalam"(flower carpets) are unique to this festival. The same festival, though celebrated differently in the various parts of the country, exhibits an eternal harmony of the spirit of celebration characterized by color, gaiety, enthusiasm, feasts.Packed with fun and excitement, festivals serve as an occasion to clean and decorate houses, to get together with friends and relatives and to exchange gifts. New attire, dance and music - all add to their joyful rhythm. It is a time for prayer, for pageantry and procession…a time to rejoice, in celebration of life.
Eid al-Adha : Eid al-Adha is 3 days long and starts on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja  of the lunar Islamic calendar. Eid al-Adha  is a religious festival celebrated by Muslims in India  as a commemoration of Ibrahim's (Abraham's) willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael for Allah. This is the day after the pilgrims in Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide, descend from Mount Arafat. It happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan.
Ramadan: Ramadan which falls during the last third, commemorates the revelation of the first verses of the Qur'an and is considered the most holy night of the year.  The name "Ramadan" is taken from the name of this month; the word itself derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground, and shortness of rations. It is considered the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year. Prayers, sawm (fasting), charity, and self-accountability are especially stressed at this time; religious observances associated with Ramadan are kept throughout the month.Ramadan ends with the holiday Eid ul-Fitr, on which feasts are held. During the month following Ramadan, called Shawaal, Muslims are encouraged to fast for a further six days.
Muharram:  Muharram  is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four months of the year in which fighting is prohibited. Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, Muharram moves from year to year when compared with the Gregorian calendar. Muharram is so called because it was unlawful to fight during this month; the word is derived from the word ‘haram’ meaning forbidden. It is held to be the most sacred of all the months, excluding Ramadan. Some Muslims fast during these days. The tenth day of Muharram is called Yaumu-l 'Ashurah, meaning, ‘the tenth day’, and it is a day of voluntary fasting.
Good Friday: Good Friday, also called Holy and Great Friday, is the Friday before Easter (Easter always falls on a Sunday). It commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus at Calvary.
Easter: Easter, the Sunday of the Resurrection, Pascha, or Resurrection Day, is, by far, the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred on the third day after His crucifixion.
Christmas: Christmas that celebrates the birth of Jesus considered as the Son of God, and the savior of all people. Christmas festivities often combine the commemoration of Jesus' birth with various customs, many of which have been influenced by earlier winter festivals. Traditions include the display of Nativity scenes, Holly and Christmas trees, the exchange of gifts and cards, and the arrival of Father Christmas (Santa Claus) on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Popular Christmas themes include the promotion of goodwill, compassion, love, acceptance, kindness, generosity, excitement and peace.