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About India My
friend Jorge once said: I
N D I A stands for If Necessary,
Divinity Is Available.
India’s definition as a ‘modern’ country is paradoxical because of the way her development is compartmentalized. The upper class strata of her population enjoys the indulgement of the most modern countries while those on the other end of this spectrum, and those geographically located in the "interior" of the country, depend on age-old techniques of harvesting, transportation and communication. This diversity is what makes India all the more fascinating. General: Size of Europe; located around the Tropic of Cancer; altitudes from below sea-level to the 27,000 ft Himalayas and two other mountain ranges; topography from the Thar and Kaatch deserts to the rain forests of Assam; unparalleled cultural, religious and philosophical history with 300 million Goddesses and Gods; thousands of species of mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. Arts, Dance, Drama & Architecture: Variety of ancient, traditional and modern schools of paintings, sculpture, dance, drama and architecture through 2,500 years encompassing indigenous, Mughal, European/English and European schools. Cuisine: India is well known for her cuisine, and ineed many cuisine-centric tours are packaged annually. Customs: As with any ancient civilization, India has many customs which do not appear to offer any immediate benefits. Religion & Spirituality: Unequalled in the world with the number of practicing religions, either born in India (Buddhism 500 BCE, Hinduism 3,000 BCE, Jainism 500 BCE & Sikhism 18c AD); come to India because of persecution in home country (Bahá'í Faith arriving late 19c AD, Judaism arriving 700-600 BCE & Zoroastrianism arriving 7c AD); or, being practiced here (Christianity arriving 54 AD & Islam arriving 7c AD). Additionally a variety of current indigenous “Lesser Known Religions”. Textiles: An exporter of cottons and silks to the ancient Roman, European and Chinese Empires. Variety of cotton, silk and cotton/silk traditional weaves from different parts of the country continue to be unique. Shopping: India is a shoppers paradise. Wildlife: Unique fauna and wildlife excels in range and diversity. Over 500 species of mammals, 2,060 species of birds, 748 species of reptiles and 30,000 species of insects. 11 National Parks and 135 Sanctuaries cover an area of 26,000 sq. km. Languages:
Apart
from Hindi which is the the Central Government, and English which
is the de-facto language all over India, there are 17 additional languages
- not dialects - used in India. See the different languages in a currency
note, keeping in mind that the languages shown are in addition to
Hindi and English: Assamese
(Assam) Have a look at a map of India to see where you would be going. |
