india presents

8/9/2019 India Presents

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Worlds Largest Democracy


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Name came from the Indus River, site of the

worlds oldest civilizations

Huge triangular peninsula of South Asia,surrounded by China, the Himalayan kingdoms,Bangladesh, and Pakistan.


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The worlds seventh largest country in area, Indiaoccupies more than 3million sq km (1 million sqmi), encompassing a

varied landscape rich innatural resources

Location: Southern Asia,

bordering the Arabian Seaand the Bay of Bengal,between Burma andPakistan


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1. Hindustan in the north lies on the slope ofHimalayas


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2. The Deccan Plateau in the center is bounded bythe Gnats (mountains) on the east and west


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3. The Tamil south includes coastal plains on both

sides


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Area: 3,287,263 sq km

Capital-New Delhi

Largest city-Mumbai

Demonym-Indian


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Government-Federal constitutional

republicparliamentary democracy President-Pratibha Patil

Prime Minister-Manmohan Singh (INC)

Chief Justice-S. H. Kapadia

Legislature-Sansad

Upper House-Rajya Sabha

Lower House-Lok Sabha


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Independence from the United Kingdom

Declared -15 August 1947

Republic26 January 1950

Population: 1,173,108,018 (July 2010 est.)


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Official language(s)-Hindi, English

Languages - There are 24 languages spoken inIndia by at least 1 million people each.Numerous other languages and dialects are alsospoken. Hindi is the official national languageand is the primary language for 40 percent of the

population. Other official languages includeAssamese, Bangla, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati,Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithali,Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya,Punjabi, Sanskrit, Santhali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu,

and Urdu. Hindustani is a popular variant ofHindi/Urdu and is spoken widely throughoutnorthern India. English has associate status asthe official working language and is importantfor national, political, and commercial matters.


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2nd largest textile producer

Largest exporter of jewelry

maintains the third-largest military force in

the world, which consists of the Indian Army,Navy, Air Force

world's second largest labour force, with516.3 million people.


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The Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car.India's annual car exports have surged

fivefold in the past five years.


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Seven of the world's top 15 technologyoutsourcing companies are based in India andthe country is viewed as the second mostfavourable outsourcing destination after theUnited State

..Despite India's impressive economic growthover recent decades,

it still contains the largest

concentration of poor people in the world


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Jawaharlal Nehru, the firstPrime Minister of India,initiated reforms to promote

higher education, science,technology in India. The firstIndian Institute of Technologywas started in August 1951 at

Kharagpur to promotetechnical education.


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Agriculture - products: rice, wheat, oilseed,cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, lentils, onions,potatoes; dairy products, sheep, goats,poultry; fish

Industries: textiles, chemicals, foodprocessing, steel, transportation equipment,cement, mining, petroleum, machinery,software, pharmaceuticals

Imports - commodities: crude oil, preciousstones, machinery, fertilizer, iron and steel,chemicals


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Dravidians today are members of the lowercastle

200 BC- Aryans (fair-skinned) invaded IndusValley.

They spoke Sanskrit and founded small kingdoms in thefertile plains of North India

Contribution: Vedic literature, Sanskritepics, Hinduism, and the castle system


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Reflects life and culture of ancient Aryans

Consist of four literary works

Vedas- composed of hymns, prayers, rituals, magic,and poetry

Written about 1000 BC and were earliest sacredbooks of Hinduism

Brahmanas- pose texts containing observations onreligious sites.

Include legends of exploits of ancient kings andheroes


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Arankayas- books of instructions for thehermits in the forests

Contain elaborate rules forperformance of religious ceremonies

Upanishads- books of instructions givenby father to his son or the teacher to hisstudent


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2 great Sanskrit epics of ancient India

1. Mahabharata- written by Byasa about 500BC

Longest epic poem in the world

tells the tale of 5 brothers struggle to recoverthe throne from their wicked cousins

Krishna (Hindu god)- helps them win the bloody

battle contains lofty philosophical poem, Bhagavad Gita

(gods song between Krishna and Arjuna)


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2. Ramayana- shorter and written by Valmikiabout 500 BC

tells story of Prince Rama, the seventhreincarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu

Siva (his beautiful wife) was abducted by Ravana

(demon god of Ceylon) After bloody battles, he killed his enemy, rescued

his wife, and returned to India with his victoriousarmy of monkeys


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Indias main religion today andthe source of modern cults

Worlds oldest organized

religion began as nature worship

(animism), they prayed forforces of nature for favors

300 million gods andgoddesses representingnatural forces and personifiedgods to suit human needs


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Brahma- chief hindu god, creator and world soul Lesser god are Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva

(destroyer)

believe in karma( destiny) and reincarnation ( a

good soul is reborn after death into higher status: abad soul into a lower status or animal)

Gurus- spiritual teachers of an informalorganization that spread the beliefs and practices

of Hinduism


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- has become part of Indian life due to the religiousapproval given to it by Hinduism.

- It divides people into tigid castes or classes:

(1) Brahmans, priests and scholars;

(2) Kshatriyas, rulers of warriors;(3) Vaishyas farmers, artist and merchants;

(4) Sudras, workers and slaves; and

(5) Untouchables, persons who do not belong to

any class and do the dirtiest work like

cleaning toilets and collection garbage.


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began as a race prejudice of the fair. Aryansagainst the dark Dravidians. To dominatethem further, the Aryan masters made class

divisions a holy law. Thus, untouchables maynot enter temples or use public baths andwells they would desecrate or pollute othercastes and offend the gods.


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6th century BC, a new religion started in the Indiansubcontinent which rejected Hinduism.

- named after its founder, Gautama Buddha, Son of arich Rajah in Nepal, he was born as prince SiddhartaGautama about 566 B.C. 566, at 16, he married his

beautiful cousin and has son, although he lived in apalace amid luxurious delights prince Siddharta wasunhappy because of the poverty and ignorance of themasses. At 29, he left his family and palace andwandered as a poor beggar in search of the truth.One day, while meditating under the Bo tree, he

achieved truth and salvation and because Buddha (the enlightened one.) He died and was buried inNepal around 486 B.C. like confusions, Buddha didnot claim to found a new religion. His aim was toreform Hinduism, with its cruel division into castes.


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(1) Mans suffering is caused by his selfishdesires;

(2) Mans life is filled with suffering;

(3) Man can end his suffering by conquering his

selfish desires; and

(4) after ridding himself of suffering, manattains the state of nirvana( PerfectHappiness).


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To attain nirvana, a person must followtheEight-Fold Pathconsistingof

( 1) Right Belief, (5) Right Livelihood

(2) Right Aspiration, (6) Right Effort,

(3) Right Speech, (7) Right Remembrance

(4) Right Conduct, (8) Right Meditation.


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Buddhism splitinto 2 branches:

1. Mahayana- (greater vehicle)- involves priests

-first century AD, reachedT

ibet, China, Korea,Japan, Southeast Asia

2. Hanayana (lesser vehicle) personal, directworship

-remained in Nepal and Ceylon


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Persian andGreek invasion of India

Attheendof 6th century- Darius I lead Persianto conquer Aryan kingdom and introduced Aramic writing

Purdah- the practices of secluding women at home andwomen wearing veil in public

Zoroastianism- religion of the Parsees in Bombay today

326 BC- Alexander theGreatof Macedonia-paved the way for Indian unity and India wasopen to European trade


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Maurya Empire(322-232 BC)

First Hindu empire

founded by Chandragupta Maurya who rallied theIndians and drove away the Greeks afterAlexander died

covered whole Indian peninsula, except South

India Asoka- greatest Maurya emperor, made Buddhism

a state religion and sent missionaries to otherAsian country. Built inns, orphanage, and

hospitals. But his reign was followed by 5centuries of foreign invasions and internal unity.


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Gupta Empire,

Indias Golden Age

(320-647 AD)

India glowed in magnificent cultural

achievements Founded by Chandragupta I, raja of Magadha

around 320 AD.

Kalidasa- Indias greatest dramatist and the

equal of European playwrights likeShakespeare

Sakuntala- (Kalidasas masterpiece) charmedGoethe, a famous German dramatist


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Islamization andthe Mogul Empire

Islam- brought to India from the Persian Gulfin 711 AD

Akbar the Great- founder of Mogul Empire.Wise ruler, promoted arts and literature,

encouraged industries and trade andtolerated all religions

Shah Jahan- generous patron of art. Built theTaj Mahal at Agra in memory of his beloved

wife, Mumtaz MahalTaj Mahal- marble mausoleum, worlds most

beautiful tomb


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1. Gave the world the great religions- Hinduism,Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism

SIKHISMThe religion of 16 million Indians,

many of them immigrants in BritishCommonwealth countries like

Britian. Sikh men wear long beards

and the sikh turban.


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JAINISM

It has a 2 million believers in India,beliefs in the sacredness of all life,including plants and will notpractice agriculture so that they

do not kill plants or the smallestinsects. These religions haveintroduced such beliefs asvegetarians, yoga, karma,

trancedental meditation andreincarnation.


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2. Developed philosophy ahead of the West.Including yoga, the discipline of the mindand the body by spiritual training.


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-The Clay Cart by Sudakra and Sakuntala byKalidasa- first masterpiece

-Mahabharata and Ramayana- great epics

- Bhagavad Gita- worlds greatest

philosophical poem

-Rabindranath Tagore- only Asian

Nobel Prize awardee in literature


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4. Ravi Shankar- a modern Indian musician,influenced music started with the Beatles

Art- pornography

Architecture- Taj Mahal in Agra, Mogul

places in New Delhi, temple of Kailasha inHyderabad.

Handicrafts in cloth, wood, metals, leather,

and jewelry


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Portuguese- first European to arrive

Rivalry erupted between British and Frenchcommercial companies in India

French lost this fight for supremacy, and theTreaty if Paris in 1963 only gave the minorenclaves of India, for example Pondicherry


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Was misfortune of being ruled by commercialcompany

A year later, a nationwide insurrection of

rebelling military units and kingdoms, knownas India's First War of Independence or theSepoy Mutiny, seriously challenged theCompany's control but eventually failed. As a

result of the instability, India was broughtunder the direct rule of the British Crown.


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New legal codes replaced customary practices andput end to cruel practices like caste system, purdah(seclusion of women), suttee (burning of windows.

Modernization of transportation and communications

by a network of railways, highways, telephones,telegraph, and a postal system.

Improvement of peoples lives by the introduction ofprinting, newspaper, modern farming methods,irrigation systems, better sanitation and medical

care. Introduction of western style of education which

produced middle class, trained in English languageand familiar with Western Values and practices.


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The Indians hated their colonial bondage andyearned to be free. They resented the loss oftheir independence and the arrogance of the

British, who treated them as an inferior racein their own country. The best jobs, railwayseats, hotels, and clubs were off limits tonative Indians. Britain did not modernizeIndian industries, and the economystagnated.


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In the 20th century, a nationwide struggle forindependence was launched by the IndianNational Congress and other political

organizations. Indian leader Mahatma Gandhiled millions of people in several nationalcampaigns of non-violent civil disobedience.


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emerged as the leader ofIndias struggle for freedom.The doctrine he championedwas civil disobedience, ornon-violent non-cooperation.

Because of his saintly virtueshe was called Mahatma(great soul) and was beloved

by the masses. Was shot by acrazy Indian anarchist onJan. 30,1948 in New Delhi.


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Indian Independence. August 15,1947 wasproclaimed in New Delhi by Lord Mountbaten, the lastBritish Viceroy.

Birth of the Indian Republic. When India gainedindependence in 1947, it temporarily became a dominiongovernment pending completion of the constitution. Theconstitution assembly finished its work 3 years later, andput the new Indian Constitution into effect on Jan. 26,

1950. Since 1950, India had many Prime Ministers:Jawarhalal Nehru (1950-64), Lal Bahadur Shastri (1964-66),Morarji Desai (1977-1980), Indira Gandhi, Nehrus daughter(1966-77) and (1980-84), and her son Rajiv Gandhi.


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Jawarhalal Nehru

Indias 1st and longest primeminister and MahatmaGandhis friend, securely laidthe foundation of the newstate

Chose a neutral or non-alignedforeign policy

Worlds largest democracyleader of the 3rd world

One of the champions ofdecolonization

Died May 27,1964, succeededby his friend Lal BahadurShastri


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Lal Bahadur Shastri

Took over but diedsoon after signing the

Tashkent DeclarationSucceeded by Indira

Gandhi


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Indira Gandhi Nehrus talented daughter and a

widow of a Parsee lawyer

Ruled India for 14 yrs.

Introduced a stronger hold on Indianpolitics and formed a separate factionof the Congress party

Began a mass sterilization of males to

solve the population problem of India Green Revolution boosted food

production, life expectancy doubled,and illiteracy decreased

Failed to bring peace to communalfighting between Sikhs and Hindus

Oct. 31,1984 was assassinated by 2 of

her bodyguards who were Sikhfanatics

Ruling Congress chose her son, RajivGandhi to succeed his mother as Primeminister


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Rajiv Gandhi

Political style was as

authoritarian as his latemother

Brought information age toIndia

Offered Pakistan President Zia

a gentlemans agreement notto attack each others territory.was accepted by Pakistan

Reached an agreement with SriLankan Pres. JuniusJayewardene Jul. 29, 1987 to

end the Tamil separatistmovement in Sri Lanka


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On 26 January 1950, India became arepublic and a new constitution came intoeffect, a parliamentary democracy

President- ceremonial head of state Prime minister- real head of the government


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First Indio-Pakistan War- 1947 caused byterritorial dispute over Kashmir, a lovelyland on Himalayan foothills which gave the

worlds finest wooden wear. India occupies 2/3 of Kashmir and Pakistan 1/3


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Second Indio-Pakistan War-August 1965

Pakistan renewed it to claim Kashmir andsent armed terrorist to Indian-occupiedKashmir

Finally settled on February 19, 1968 byInternational Arbitration Commission 90% of

flat to India and 10% to Pakistan Third Indio-Pakistan war- 1971

Caused by Indias support of the revolutionof the Bengali people of the East Pakistan

against West Pakistan


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The citizens of the Indus valley civilization, apermanent settlement that flourishedbetween 2800 BC and 1800 BC, practiceagriculture, domesticated animals, used

uniform weights and measures, made toolsand weapons, and traded with other cities.Evidence of well planned streets, a drainagesystem and water supply reveals their

knowledge of urban planning which includedthe worlds first urban sanitation systems andthe existence of a form of municipalgovernment.


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The 1872 census revealed economies were

largely isolated and self-sustaining, withagriculture the predominant occupation. Thissatisfied the food requirements of the villageand provided raw materials for hand-based

industries such as textiles, food processingand crafts. Although many kingdoms andrulers, while its craftsmen received a part ofthe crops at harvest time for their services.


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Company rule in India brought a majorchange in the taxation environment fromrevenue taxes to property taxes, resulting in

mass impoverishment and destitution ofmajority of farmers and led to numerousfamines. The economic policies of the BritishRaj effectively bankrupted Indias largehandcrafts industry and caused a massivedrain of Indians resources.


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. Indian Nationalist employed the successful

Swadeshi movement, as strategy to diminishBritish economics superiority by boycottingBristish products and the reviving the marketfor domestic- made products and production

techniques. India had become a strongmarket for superior finished European goods.This was because of vast gains made by theIndustrial revolution in Europe, the effects of

which was deprived to Colonial India.


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Indian economic policy after independencewas influenced by the colonial experience(which was seen by Indian leaders as

exploitative in nature) and by those leadersexposure to Fabian socialism. Policy tendedtowards protectionism, with a strongemphasis on import substitution,industrialization, state intervention in labor

and financial markets, a large public sector,business regulation, and central planning.


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Five Year Plans of India resembled centralplanning in the Soviet Union. Steel, mining,machine tools, water, telecommunications,insurance, and electrical plants, among otherindustries, were effectively nationalized in

mid-1950s. Elaborate licenses, regulationsand the accompanying red tape, commonlyreferred to as Licence Raj, were to set upbusiness in India between 1947 and 1990.


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Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister, alongwith the statistician. Prasanta Chandra

Mahalanobis, carried on by Indira Gandhiformulated and oversaw economic policy. Theyexpected favorable outcomes from this strategy,because it involved both public and private sectorsand was based on direct and indirect sateintervention, rather than the more extreme Soviet-style central command system. The policy ofconcentrating simultaneously on capital - andtechnology- intensive heavy industry and

subsidizing manual, low skill cottage industries wascriticized by economist Milton Friedman, whothought it would waste capital and labor, andretard the development of small manufacturers.


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In the late 80s, the government led by RajivGandhi eased restrictions on capacity forincumbents, removed price controls and reducedcorporate taxes. While this increased the rate

of growth, it also led to high fiscal deficits and aworsening current account. The collapse of theSoviet Union, which was Indias major tradingpartner, and the first Gulf War, which caused aspike in oil prices, caused a major balance-of-payments crisis for India, which found itselffacing the prospect of defaulting on its loans.India asked for a $ 1.8 billion bailout from IMF,which in return demanded reforms.


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In response, Prime Minister Narasimha Rao

along with his finance minister and currentPrime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singhinitiated the economic liberalization of 1991.The reforms did away with the Licence Raj.

(Investment, industrial and import licensing)and ended many public monopolies, allowingautomatic approval of foreign directinvestment in many sectors.


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Since then, the overall direction ofliberalization has remained the same,irrespective of the ruling party, although noparty has tried to take on powerful lobbiessuch as the trade unions and farmers, orcontentious issues such as reforming labor

laws and reducing agricultural subsidies.Since 1990 India has emerged as one of thefastest- growing economies in the developingworlds; during this period, the economy has

grown constantly, but with a few majorsetbacks. This has been accompanied byincreases in life expectancy, literacy ratesand food.


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The Bombay Stock Exchange, in Mumbai, is

Asia's oldest and India's largest stockexchange by market capitalisation.

In 2009, India's nominal GDP stood atUS$1.243 trillion, which makes it theeleventh-largest economy in the world. If

PPP is taken into account, India's economy isthe fourth largest in the world at US$3.561trillion, corresponding to a per capita incomeof US$3,100. The country ranks 139th innominal GDP per capita and 128th in GDP percapita at PPP. With an average annual GDPgrowth rate of 5.8% for the past twodecades, India is one of the fastest growingeconomies in the world.


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From the 1950s to the 1980s, India followedsocialist-inspired policies. The economy wasshackled by extensive regulation,protectionism, and public ownership, leadingto pervasive corruption and slow growth. In1991, the nation liberalised its economy and

has since moved towards a market-basedsystem. The policy change in 1991 cameafter an acute balance of payments crisis,and the emphasis since then has been to use

foreign trade and foreign investment asintegral parts of India's economy.


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Emerging as the nation's single largest party inthe May 2009 Lok Sabha election, Congresscurrently leads a coalition UPA governmentunder Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Party

President Sonia Gandhi was re-elected bythe Party National Executive in May 2005.Also a Member of Parliament, she heads theCongress Lok Sabhadelegation.

Congress prides itself as beinga secular, left of center party,

with a long history of

political dominance


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Although its performance in national

elections had steadily declined during theprevious 12 years, its surprise victory in 2004was a result of recruiting strong allies intothe UPA, the anti-incumbency factor amongvoters, and its courtship of India's many poor,

rural and Muslim voters. Congress politicalfortunes suffered badly in the 1990s, as manytraditional supporters were lost to emergingregional and caste-based parties, such as theBahujan Samaj Party and the SamajwadiParty, but have rebounded since its May 2004ascension to power. It currently rules eitherdirectly or in coalition with its allies in 10states.


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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by

Rajnath Singh, holds the second-largestnumber of seats in the Lok Sabha. FormerPrime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee serves asChairman of the BJP Parliamentary Party, andformer Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani is

Leader of the Opposition. The Hindu-nationalist BJP draws its political strengthmainly from the "Hindi Belt" in the northernand western regions of India. Former ForeignMinister Jaswant Singh was expelled from the

party in August 2009 after authoring a bookwhich portrayed the founder of Pakistan,Muhammad Ali-Jinnah, in a positive light.


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The party holds power without outside supportin the states of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, HimachalPradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka and MadhyaPradesh; it is part of ruling coalitions in fewother states including Bihar, Orissa and Punjab.Popularly viewed as the party of the northern

upper caste and trading communities, the BJPmade strong inroads into lower castes in recentnational and state assembly elections. The partymust balance the competing interests of Hindunationalists, (who advocate construction of a

temple on a disputed site in Ayodhya, and otherprimarily religious issues including thepropagation of anti-conversion laws andviolence against religious minorities).


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Four Communist and Marxist parties areunited in a bloc called the "Left Front,"which controls 59 parliamentary seats. TheLeft Front rules the states of West Bengaland Kerala. The Left Front provided externalsupport to the UPA government until a July2008 confidence vote. It advocates a secular

and Communist ideology and opposes manyaspects of economic liberalization andglobalization, resulting in dissonance withPrime Minister Singh's liberal economicapproach. The Maoist-inspired Naxalite

insurgency continues to be a major internalsecurity threat, affecting large parts ofeastern India.


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Over population

Mass poverty

Border of wars with Pakistan and China

Racial and Religious strife


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Traditional Indian dress varies acrossthe regions in its colours and stylesand depends on various factors,including climate. Popular styles ofdress include draped garments suchas sari for women and dhoti or lungifor men; in addition, stitched clothessuch as salwar kameez for women

and kurta-pyjama and European-styletrousers and shirts for men, are alsopopular.


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Indian architectureis one area that represents

the diversity of Indian culture. Much of it,including notable monuments such as the TajMahal and other examples of Mughalarchitecture and South Indian architecture,comprises a blend of ancient and varied localtraditions from several parts of the country andabroad. Vernacular architecture also displaysnotable regional variation.


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The National Emblem of India is areplica of the Lion of Sarnath,near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.The Lion Capital was erected inthe third century BC by Emperor

Ashoka to mark the spot whereBuddha first proclaimed hisgospel of peace andemancipation to the fourquarters of the universe. TheN

ational emblem is thussymbolic of contemporary India'sreaffirmation of its ancientcommitment to world peace andgoodwill.


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The four lions (one hidden from view) -symbolizing power, courage and

confidence - rest on a circular abacus.The abacus is girded by four smalleranimals - guardians of the fourdirections: the lion of the north, theelephant of the east, the horse of thesouth and the bull of the west. Theabacus rests on a lotus in full bloom,exemplifying the fountainhead of lifeand creative inspiration. The motto

'Satyameva Jayate' inscribed below theemblem in Devanagari script means'truth alone triumphs'.


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Composed by Rabindranath Tagore, the songJana Gana Mana was first sung on December27, 1911 at the Calcutta session of the IndianNational Congress. On January 24, 1950, theConstituent Assembly adopted the song asthe National Anthem of India.The completesong consists of five stanzas. The first stanzacomprises the full version of the National

Anthem.


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ENGLISH TRANSLATION


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Composed by Bankim Chandra, this songappears in the Bengali novel AnandMath. The English translation of VandeMataram rendered by Shree Aurobindo, isconsidered to be the "official" and best. Thefirst stanza of this song has been given thestatus of our national song.


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SANSKRIT VERSION

ENGLISH

TRANSLATION


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Hockey is the National Gameof India. Unmatchedexcellence and incomparablevirtuosity brought India astring of Olympic goldmedals. The brilliant Indiansbrought a touch of blackmagic to their play and the

ball juggling feats of theIndians were a sheer delight.


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The Golden Era of hockey inIndia was the period from

1928 - 1956 when India won 6consecutive gold medals inthe Olympics. During theGolden Era, India played 24

Olympic matches, won all 24,scored 178 goals (at anaverage of 7.43 goals permatch) and conceded only 7goals. The two other goldmedals for India came in the1964 Tokyo Olympics and the1980 Moscow Olympics.


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Male bird of species P.cristatus, is a native ofIndia, with striking plumage

and upper tail convertsmarked with iridescentocelli, able to expand itstail erect like fan as

ostentatious display.Peacocks are related topheasants.


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Found wild in India(and also domesticated in

villages) they live in junglelands near water. Theywere once bred for foodbut now hunting ofpeacocks is banned inIndia. The peahen has noplumage. These birds donot sound as beautiful asthey look - they have a

harsh call.


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Large Asiatic carnivorousfeline quadruped,Panthera Tigris,

maneless, of tawnyyellow colour withblackish transversestripes and white belly,proverbial for its power

and its magnificence.


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There are very few tigers left inthe world today. A decade ago thetiger population in India haddwindled to a few hundreds. TheGovernment of India, under itsProject Tiger programme, started

a massive effort to preserve thetiger population. Today, thanks toProject Tiger, India's population oftigers has considerably increased.


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Indian fig tree, Ficusbengalensis, whose branchesroot themselves like new treesover a large area. The roots

then give rise to more trunksand branches. Because of thischaracteristic and its longevity,this tree is considered immortaland is an integral part of the

myths and legends of India.Even today, the banyan tree isthe focal point of village lifeand the village council meetsunder the shade of this tree.


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The Lotus or water lily is anaquatic plant of Nymphaea withbroad floating leaves and brightfragrant flowers that grow only inshallow waters. The leaves andflowers float and have long stemsthat contain air spaces. The bigattractive flowers have many

petals overlapping in asymmetrical pattern.

The root functions are carried out


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The root functions are carried outby rhizomes that fan out

horizontally through the mudbelow the water. Lotuses, prizedfor their serene beauty, aredelightful to behold as theirblossoms open on the surface of

a pond. In India the sacred lotusis legendary and much folkloreand religious mythology iswoven around it.


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The Indian flag was designed as asymbol of freedom. The late PrimeMinister Nehru called it a flag not onlyof freedom for ourselves,

but a symbol offreedom to all

people.

The flag is a horizontal tricolour in equal proportion of


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The flag is a horizontal tricolour in equal proportion ofdeep saffron on the top, white in the middle and darkgreen at the bottom. The ratio of the width to the

length of the flag is two is to three. In the centre of thewhite band, there is a wheel in navy blue to indicate theDharma Chakra, the wheel of law in the Sarnath LionCapital. Its diameter approximates the width of thewhite band and it has 24 spokes. The saffron stands for

courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation; thewhite, for purity and truth; the green for faith andfertility.


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A fleshy fruit, eaten ripe orused green for pickles etc., of the

tree Mangifera indica, the mango is

one of the most important and widelycultivated fruits of the tropical world.

Its juicy fruit is a rich source of VitaminsA, C and D. In India there are over100varieties of mangoes, in different sizes,shapes and colours. Mangoes, have beencultivated in India from time immemorial.The poet Kalidasa sang its praises.Alexander savoured its taste, as did theChinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang. Akbar planted100,000 mango trees in Darbhanga, knownas Lakhi Bagh.


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The majority of Indian

women put a red dotbetween their eyebrows.The red dots signify theirmartial status marriedwomen put a red dot, whileunmarried girls put a smallblack dot on their forehead.The practice of putting ared dot on the forehead is

primarily related to Hindumythology.

It is believed that after marriage, the


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gprimary duty of the woman is to takecare of her kin and kith. The red dot,in one hand, symbolizes the good

fortune of a married woman, and onthe other hand, it reminds her touphold the sanctity of marriage.At one point of time, every marriedwoman used to religiously follow thisnorm. However, with the passage oftime, the thinking of people haschanged dramatically. In the presentday, women are educated andfinancially independent. Some of themdo stringently follow the tradition, but

for most of them, putting a red dot hasbecome more of a fashion statementrather than a religious custom. Apartfrom red dot, women prefer the weardots of different colors and styles,depending upon their clothing.

The red dot also helps the Hind oman or


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The red dot also helps the Hindu woman orstand out in the crowd. In India, every

religion is associated with somecharacteristic features. For instance, Muslimwomen compulsorily cover their face with aveil whenever they venture out. Likewise,the red dot on the forehead of a womandenotes that she is a Hindu.

In addition to women Indian men


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In addition to women, Indian menalso wear red dot. Again, thistradition is purely related to Hindureligious beliefs. Normally, after theperformance of some rituals orreligious ceremonies, the red dot isput on the forehead of men. Also,

during festivals like Holi, Diwali,Dusshera and Raksha Bandhan, Indianmen wear a red dot on theirforehead. Whenever, men go for along voyage or setup a new business

venture or kick-start an importantcampaign, then too the red dot isplaced on their forehead as a mark ofgood luck.


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Priests, monks and saints alsoput a red dot on their

forehead. It is believed thatbetween the eyebrows ispresent the Ajna Chakra orthe third eye, which is thecenter of spiritual energy. It

is also called the Gurus(teacher) seat. By putting ared dot at this point, themonks and priests payrespect to their Guru, and

seek their blessings toactivate the Chakra andovercome the inner ego.

Th iti f th til k i


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The position of the tilaka isstandard: centre of the forehead.It represents a third, inner eye.Hindu tradition holds that allpeople have three eyes, the twoouter ones used for seeing theoutside world, the third onefocusing inward toward God. As

such, the red dot signifies pietyas well as serving as a constantreminder to keep God in the frontof a believer's thoughts.and first you clear that indian

people not apply a dot onforehead, the peoples only Hinduswhich worship hindu religion theyapply a dot on head not indian.

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