Mother India

India is a country that leaves one spellbound with its alluring contrasts and striking features in all that it beholds! India is a 34,000 years old country with a rich legend and history. One is sure to get intermingled with the plaited knots of customary and contemporary ingredients of India. Where else will you experience spirituality and solitude than in the mystic land of the lords! The rich rituals, distinct culture of India, festivals and ceremonies that India celebrates, unfold its legendary sagas.

Ancient India was a country that covered the territories of Pakistan, Bangladesh apart from the territory of current India. Ancient Indian history can be broadly divided into three ages namely the Bronze Age, Indus valley civilization and the Vedic age.

India got its independence on August 15th, 1947. It was the day when the Indians got liberated from the rule of the british. The entire freedom struggle involved a lot of political organizations, non-violents movements, philosophies and other acts. India got its independence after almost hundred years of struggle and bondage.

Religion in India is as diverse as its geography and culture. It comprises of world’s most ancient traditions and believes. In India, religion and culture play a very important role. Religion is an essential part of most Indians.

Agriculture is not only the dominant occupations of the people of India but is also one of the most important economic sectors for the country. Almost two-thirds of the working population of India is dependent on agriculture for its livelihood.

Indian economy is on the rise for the past few years with effects of globalization, privatization and liberalization being seen. This has opened up many new business opportunities in India for foreign and multinational companies. India has now materialized into an appropriate destination for various enterprises.

History of India

The history of ancient India dates back 1700 BC beginning with the Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent. Indian history can be divided into the three ages namely the Bronze Age civilization, the Iron Age Vedic period were major kingdoms were born and the Golden Age of India which saw the rise of the Gupta empire. After the Gupta Empire, the rule of the Chalukyas, Cholas, Pallavas and Pandyas prevailed during which Hinduism and Buddhism spread to the south-east Asia.

In the 6th century BC, great scholars and monks like Mahavira and Gautama Buddha were born. The history of Buddhism in India was a special chapter, which has given the world a new religion. Buddhism was founded by Siddharth Gautama. Gautama was a prince who abandoned his kingdom in search of the meaning of life. Gautama Buddha diluted the culture of priesthood and caste hierarchy in the 5th century B.C. Gautam and Mahavir (the founder of Jainism) gave the world a practical means of seeking the truth.

The Harappan civilization was established in the northwest. It was primarily an agricultural economy, which extended into an urban mode of society. Long distance trade started at this time. This period of Indian history also saw extensive agricultural development around the Yamuna, Ganga and several other southern rivers which boosted population, trade and urbanization.

Early in the 8th century AD, with the conquest of Baluchistan and Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim, the religion Islam arrived in the country. It was the Islamic invasions from Central Asia which occurred between the 10th and 15th centuries AD and brought most of northern India under the rule at first of the Delhi Sultanate and later of the Mughals.
Remarkable development in the field of art and architecture was seen during the rule of the Mughals. At the same time, several independent kingdoms, such as the Vijayanagara Empire flourished in southern India.

With the beginning in the mid-18th century, India was annexed by the British East India Company. It led to the Indian Uprising of 1857 as the countrymen were dissatisfied with the rule of the British. India was then directly administered by the British Crown during which there was a rapid development of infrastructure and an economic decline in the country. In the early 20th century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the Indian National Congress. The country got its independence from Great Britain in 1947. The nation was there after being partitioned into the dominions of India and Pakistan. In 1971, Pakistan's eastern wing became the nation of Bangladesh.

The diversity of Indian culture with its unique variety of social and economic development comes from this long and complex historical journey. Regional expansion and population density can be understood only after a thorough and deep study of the history of India..

Geography of India

Just as India’s culture is, its geography too is varied and diverse. Right from the snowy mountains in the north to dense forests in the south and arid deserts in the west, India offers it all. With a coastline of 7000 km., india is a peninsular country which protrudes in the deep indian ocean. India is surrounded by Arabian sea on one side and Bay of Bengal on the other.

The geography of ancient India included Pakistan and Bangladesh which later became separate nations after the Indian independence. India is now bordered by Pakistan,Afghanistan, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh. Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia are island nations that are to the south of India. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a channel of sea formed by Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. Independent India is divided into 28 states and seven union territories.

Most of the northern, central, and eastern India are occupied by the fertile Indo-Gangetic Plain making it ideal for production of many food grains. The Deccan Plateau occupies most of southern India while the Thar desert is towards the west. India's east and northeastern border consists of the high Himalayan range. In fact, India can be divided into seven physiographic regions such as the Himalayas and the northeast mountain ranges, Indo-Gangetic plains, Central Highlands, Thar Desert, Deccan Plateau, West Coast, East Coast and seas and islands. India is one of the nations having nine major mountain ranges with peaks over 1,000 m The Himalayas are the only mountain ranges in India to have snow-capped peaks. Some of the famous mountain ranges in India are Himalayas, Aravalli Range, Vindhya Range, Eastern Ghats, Patkai range, Sahyadri, Satpura Range, Karakoram and the Kunlun range. India has two major offshore islands namely; the Lakshadweep islands and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands both of which are administered by the Union government of India. Some of the major rivers in India are Indus, Ravi, Jhelum, Chenab, Sutlej, Beas, Ganga, Chambal, Yamuna, Gomti, Bhramaputra, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, Tapi, Godavari and Mahanadi.

The geography and climate of India is so varied that it cannot be generalized as its changes from region to region. The seasons of India is mainly defined by summer, rainy and winter. The most pleasant time to visit India is during winters. India’s northern plains are the first to experience summer during the end of March and it builds up in the month of April, May and June. During June, the temperature soars up to almost 45 degree Celsius. The southern India experiences hot and humid climate during this month.

Indian Languages

The Indian subcontinent consists of a number of separate linguistic communities each of which share a common language and culture. The people of India speak many languages and dialects which are mostly varieties of about 15 principal languages.

Some Indian languages have a long literary history--Sanskrit literature is more than 5,000 years old and Tamil 3,000. India also has some languages that do not have written forms. There are 18 officially recognized languages in India (Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were added in 1992) and each has produced a literature of great vitality and richness.

Though distinctive in parts, all stand for a homogeneous culture that is the essence of the great Indian literature. This is an evolution in a land of myriad dialects. The number of people speaking each language varies greatly. For example, Hindi has more than 250 million speakers, but relatively few people speak Andamanese.

Although some of the languages are called "tribal" or "aboriginal", their populations may be larger than those that speak some European languages. For example, Bhili and Santali, both tribal languages, each have more than 4 million speakers. Gondi is spoken by nearly 2 million people. India's schools teach 58 different languages. The nation has newspapers in 87 languages, radio programmes in 71, and films in 15.

The Indian languages belong to four language families: Indo-European, Dravidian, Mon-Khmer, and Sino-Tibetan. Indo-European and Dravidian languages are used by a large majority of India's population. The language families divide roughly into geographic groups. Languages of the Indo-European group are spoken mainly in northern and central regions.

The languages of southern India are mainly of the Dravidian group. Some ethnic groups in Assam and other parts of eastern India speak languages of the Mon-Khmer group. People in the northern Himalayan region and near the Burmese border speak Sino-Tibetan languages.

Speakers of 54 different languages of the Indo-European family make up about three-quarters of India's population. Twenty Dravidian languages are spoken by nearly a quarter of the people. Speakers of 20 Mon-Khmer languages and 98 Sino-Tibetan languages together make up about 2 per cent of the population.

Indian Literature

The story of Indian literature extends back over more than 5,000 years. It includes the religious classics of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism; literature from the courts of Indian monarchs; oral poetry and song; and modern verse and prose expressing contemporary ideas.

Although each successive generation has added its own contribution to Indian literature, the ancient texts are still influential. Until modern times, literature usually reached its audience through performance and recitation. Religious texts and stories, often of enormous length, were memorized and handed down orally from one generation to the next. So although about half the population of southern Asia are unable to read or write, the culture of the region is highly developed.

The literature of the Indian subcontinent falls into three periods: the ancient period, dominated by Sanskrit (lasting up to about A.D. 1000);the medieval period, from about A.D. 1000 to the early 1800's (during which time the regional languages developed); and the modern period, which has been influenced by European culture. In the first two periods, most literature was in verse or in the form of an epigram (a short, clever poem), though prose was also used. In the modern period, the use of prose has become fully developed.

Indian literature has been written in many languages. Each language has made its own contribution and expressed its uniqueness. But throughout the history of Indian literature, there have been inter-language translations and a sharing of themes, forms, concerns, directions, and movements.

The literature of a particular language has its own special form, symbols and nuances. Therefore it is more logical to say that there are as many literatures in India as languages which have flowered into literature. The like-minded response of India's creative writers in many languages to common problems and similar experiences is unmistakably clear.

Spoken Sanskrit is the fountain from which the languages of Aryan India had originally sprung ; the principal part of their vocabulary and their inflexional system being derived from this source. Even the Dravidian languages which have a considerably different morphological structure are indebted to Sanskrit in the realms of vocabulary and phonology with the partial exception of Tamil.

Next to Sanskrit comes Tamil with reference to the antiquity of literature. Urdu has only a heritage of about five centuries. Hindi has a pre-eminent place in the national set-up as the official language of the Union of India and that of six states.

Indian Relegion

According to the constitution of India, the country is a secular republic. Indian citizens are free to follow any religion and faith. Indians worship different Gods in many different ways. Religion with its rituals and philosophy forms the life style of any average individual born and brought up in India.

India has also created a platform for many religions from all over the world. However the main religions of India are Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Judaism. Over 80% of Indians practice Hinduism, 13.45% of Indians practice Islam, 2.35% Christianity and 1.94% Sikhism. Popular faiths like Jainism and Buddhism which have originated in India are practiced all over the world today. But Parsis and Judais are a disappearing minority in India now.

All religions of India have a wide reach and are recognized for their strength all over the globe. Indian society follows a rigid caste system. Indian people normally marry within their own communities and castes. Most Indians have a tolerant attitude towards other castes and communities. India has preserved its secular outlook through volatile a history of foreign invasions.

Communal clashes in India do occur but more often than not they are based vested political interests than genuine religious differences. The freedom to practice any religion of his choice is a fundamental right of every Indian citizen. There is an ongoing attempt to modify the Indian constitution in order to establish a uniform civil code for all Indian citizens. This concept is still in the process of taking manifestation as a directive principal. Religious communities follow their own personal codes for now. However Indian law is the same for people of all communities in India.

Based on the religion, there are many religious festivals that are widely observed in India and they hold a great importance for the people. India's secular governance states that no religious festival should be given the status of a national holiday. Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Diwali, Durga puja, Dussehra and Sankranthi are the most popular Hindu festivals in India. The Islamic Eid festivals of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha are the most celebrated among the Muslims. Christmas, Buddha Jayanti, and Guru Nanak's Birthday are holidays among the remaining religious groups. However, the best part is that be it any festival Indians from all castes and communities come together to celebrate the event.

Caste system in India

The word caste is derived from the term 'casba'. It depicts a ranking system of human groups based on hereditary and occupation. The traditional Caste system in India is a rigid mode to compartmentalize society. The Indian caste system is highly complex. Its functionality in Indian society is highly surprising because it has many drawbacks. The rigid structure of the caste system in India has abided through centuries.

In India, caste system comprises closed groups, whose members are severely obliged to restrain themselves to certain hereditary occupations. Particular castes are allowed to marry and socialize only within their own groups. In India an Individuals social status is gauged by his birth. This also serves to determine his caste. Nowhere in the world is caste exalted to such a degree as in India.

The Indian word for caste is ‘jati’. Thousands of ‘jatis’ are strewn all over India. Each jati has its own governance, customs, traditions, religion, rules and style of living. The ancients divided Indian society in four groups-namely Brahmans who came from the priestly group of learning, Shatriyas who were the warrior and ruling section of society, Vaishyas who were businessmen, traders and farmers; and Shudras who comprised of laborers and humble peasants. The untouchable or Panchamas were placed below the category of Shudras. The rigid hierarchy of the Indian caste system has been severely criticized by individuals with a humanitarian vision from India and outside India. Gautam Buddha, Mahavir, Ramananda Maharshi, Kabir, Eknath, Dnyneshwar, Ramanuja, Tukaram, and Sathya Sai Baba all led criticisms of caste system in India in olden times. Many Christian missionaries and Indian reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Dayananad, Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansa, Vivekanand, Mannathu Padmanabhan, Narayan Guru and Mahatma Gandhi led many crusades against discriminations based on caste in Indian society.

The caste system is still very much prevalent in India and the effects of caste system in modern India can be seen in the form of quota systems, reservations, marriages etc.
There are multiple effects of caste system in modern India. Metropolitan India has started walking away from the rigidity of the Indian caste system. This is the result of co mingling with other communities, higher education, globalization and economic growth. The government of India has decided to issue job quotas to the less privileged castes and the so called backward classes. Caste based reservations in India have ignited the communal fire in a different way. Caste based positive reservations were designed to reverse the discriminations based on caste. Inter caste marriages have served to abate the rigidity of caste culture in Indian society. Caste based violence and caste politics has opened the eyes of many people to the dangers of caste practices in modern India. Criticisms of caste system have been brought out by many liberal thinkers around the globe. It is in benefit of the people of India that they gradually remove the caste barrier from their mind to live in harmony and peace..