India

The Republic of India, located in South Asia and comprising most of the Indian subcontinent is the second most populous country in the world and is the world's largest democracy, with over one billion people speaking more than one hundred distinct languages. The Indian economy is the fourth-largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity. India borders Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan, with Sri Lanka and the Maldives just across the Indian mainland in the Indian Ocean.

Republic of India

Flag of India Emblem of India (In Detail) (In Detail)
National motto: Satyameva Jayaté (Sanskrit: Truth Alone Triumphs)
Official language	Hindi, English (+17 other national languages and 844 dialects)
Capital	New Delhi
Largest City	Mumbai
President	APJ Abdul Kalam
Prime Minister	Atal Behari Vajpayee
Area - Total - % water	Ranked 7th 3,287,590 km² 9.5%
Population - Total - Density	Ranked 2nd 1,049,700,118 319.3/km²
GDP - Total - GDP/head	Ranked 4th (among countries) Ranked 5th (among economies) 2.66 trillion $ 2,540 $
Independence	August 15, 1947
Republic	January 26, 1950
Currency Currency Code (ISO 4217)	Indian Rupee (Rs.) INR
Time zone	UTC +5.30
National anthem	Jana-Gana-Mana
National song	Vandé Mataram
Internet TLD	.IN
Calling Code	91
National Game	Hockey
National animal	Tiger
National bird	Peacock
National flower	Lotus

Origin of Name

The name India is derived from Sindhu, the local name for the river Indus. Interestingly the Vedas did not assign any particular name for India, although some scholars assert that references to Indu in the Rig Veda relate to India's present name. Various political parties have their preferred names for India some of which are Hindustan and Bharat. The name "Bharat" is said to derive from any of two ancient Hindu kings named Bharata. "Bha" in sanskrit means knowledge or light, and "rat" is a verb for 'doing'. Bharat is the one who is in search of knowledge. India is also known as Hindustan (the land of the Hindus), though its use as an indicator of the nation is debated.

History

Main article: History of India

The rock art tradition of India has been traced to about 40,000 years ago in the paleolithic at Bhimbetaka in Central India and other sites. The first permanent settlements in South Asia appeared about 9,000 years ago. This indigenous culture developed into the Indus Valley civilization (also referred to by some as the Sindhu-Sarasvati Tradition), which was at its height from around 2600 BC to 1900 BC and was one of the earliest civilizations.

There are two prevailing theories about the early history of India. One is the commonly accepted Aryan Migration/Invasion Theory, first propounded by the German historian Max Müller in the 19^th century . It avers that around 1500 BC, the influx of Aryan tribes from the northwest of India and to some extent their merger with the earlier inhabitants resulted in the classical Vedic culture. The other, more recent theory, is that there was no ingress at all. Essentially, Vedic/Aryan culture was not racially distinct but native to the Indian subcontinent. It is known commonly as the continuity theory. see Aryan Invasion Theory.

Persian incursions starting in the 8^th century and Turkic in the 12^th century. These Turkish invaders formed a series of Dynasties (Slave, Khilji, Tughlaq, Syed, Lodhi) in Northern India based in Delhi. In 1526 the Mughals invaded India and slowly captured most of the country. They were followed by incursions by European traders beginning in the late 15^th century.

By subjugating the Mughal empire in the 19^th century, the British Empire had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. India became a formal crown colony of the United Kingdom in 1876, and the successive British monarchs assumed the title of "Emperor of India." The British held much pride over India, describing it as the "crown jewel" in the Empire. However their subjugation of the nation brought with it the effects of a planned and documented "divide-and-conquer" policy. The British, through economic policies that taxed Indians for buying native goods, imported more expensive British goods to India. Through a system that both implicitly and explicitly sought to enrich England through her colonial servants, India was gradually being drained, from natural resources to unscrupulously ellicted manpower. Much of India's freedom-fighters' campaigning focused on the racial discrimination and subversive economic policy that was imposed on the people of India by the British.

Mostly nonviolent resistance to British colonialism under Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, in addition to plenty of opposition voiced by other well-known leaders, among whom were such stalwarts like Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Subhas Chandra Bose, led to the granting of independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. Pakistan occupied two noncontiguous areas, and a civil war between West and East Pakistan in 1971, in which India eventually intervened, resulted in the secession of East Pakistan to form the separate nation of Bangladesh.

Fundamental concerns in India include the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, overpopulation, environmental degradation, poverty, and ethnic and religious strife, all this despite impressive gains in economic investment and output.

Politics

Main article: Politics of India

India is a sovereign democratic republic. It is a Union of states with an increasingly federal structure. Officially it is declared as The Republic of India. India has as head of state a president, whose duties are largely ceremonial. The president and vice president are elected indirectly for 5-year terms by a special electoral college. Their terms are staggered, and the vice president does not automatically become president following the death or removal from office of the president.

Executive power is centred in the Council of Ministers (cabinet), led by the prime minister. The president appoints the prime minister, who is designated by legislators of the political party or coalition commanding a parliamentary majority. The president then appoints subordinate ministers on the advice of the prime minister.

India's bicameral parliament consists of the upper house called 'The Council of States' (Rajya Sabha) and the lower House called 'The House of the People' (Lok Sabha), both of which were established by the Constitution of India. The Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha. The legislatures of the states and union territories elect 233 members to the Rajya Sabha, and the president appoints another 12. The elected members of the Rajya Sabha serve 6-year terms, with one-third up for election every 2 years. The Lok Sabha consists of 545 members; 543 are directly elected to 5-year terms. The other two are appointed by the president.

States and Territories

Main articles: States and Territories of India, Population by State

India is subdivided into 28 states, 6 Union Territories and the National Capital Territory of Delhi:

Map Controversy: According to the Indian claim the Map shows parts of Kashmir claimed by India, but controlled by Pakistan, as part of Pakistan.; but according to few others the Map does not show parts of Kashmir belonging to India, but controlled by Pakistan, as part of Pakistan. (When Microsoft released map in Windows 95 and MapPoint 2002, similar such map issues were raised [1][2]).

India has made no territorial claim in Antarctica but had a permanent scientific base there - Dakshin Gangotri.

Geography and Climate

Main article Geography of India

Located on the Indian subcontinent, India consists roughly of three major parts; in the north the massive Himalayas mountain range (with the highest point being the Kanchenjunga at 8,598 m) and the Indo-Gangetic plain (with deserts in the western end), and in the south the extensive Deccan plateau. The latter is part of a large peninsula in between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west, with both being part of the greater Indian Ocean. The plateau is bordered on the eastern and western sides by hilly areas called the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats respectively before it meets the sea.

India is home to several major rivers such as the Ganga (anglicized to Ganges), the Brahmaputra, the Yamuna, the Godavari and the Krishna. A small part of the upper course of the name-giving Indus lies within territory controlled by India.

The Indian climate varies from a tropical climate in the south to a more temperate climate in the north. India gets its rains through the monsoons, the South-West monsoon brings in around 80% and the North-East monsoon the remaining.

Economy

Main article Economy of India

India was traditionally a rural economy which subsequently participated in the industrial revolution through colonial rule. After Independence, India tended towards a more socialist policy and large scale infrastructure and industry development was done through public sectors. However, from the early 1990s onwards, the Indian economy has opened up through liberalisation and is on the road to privatisation through disinvestment policies.

A certain amount of dissatisfaction is expressed in the face of these changes in the Indian economy- some of which are that a quarter of the population is still too poor to be able to afford an adequate diet, electricity shortages still continue in many regions and the manufacturing sector has slowed down at the expense of soft skills.

India's economy today encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of support services, including software. In fact, India's software exports alone are around $10 billion(2003). India's international payments position remained strong in 2001 with adequate foreign exchange reserves, and moderately depreciating nominal exchange rates. In 2003, India joined a select club of nations having foreign exchange reserves exceeding $100 billion. As measured by GDP in US Dollars, India's 2002 output of $597 billion ranked it 12^th in the world. As measured by GDP on Purchasing Power Parity basis, India's 2002 figure of $2.66 trillion makes it the fourth largest in the world.India has large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language; India is a major exporter of software services and software workers.

See also List of software companies, List of Indian companies

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of India

India is the second-most populous country in the world, with only China having a larger population. Language, religion, and caste are major determinants of social and political organisation within the highly diverse Indian population today. Its four biggest urban agglomerations and acknowledged major cities are, in decreasing order of population, Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta), New Delhi, and Chennai (Madras).

Hindi, in the Devanagari script, is the only official federal language and individual states and territories have adopted 17 other co-official languages. These are the Dravidian languages of Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu, and the Indo-Aryan languages of Bengali, Bhojpuri, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Nepali, Konkani and the classical language of Sanskrit. Many other languages belonging to both groups are spoken as well. English, classified as a "Official Associate Language", is still widely in use in law and government, particularly in the higher echelons. It enjoys a Quasi-Official status in the national government, and according to the Constitution, this status is to be periodically reviewed. However, its popularity in business and government affairs and its favourability as a "national language" by certain non-Hindi speaking states have led to its continued patronage.

See also Indian family name

Religions in India

Main article: Religion in India

Although 83% of the people are Hindus, India is home to a large population of Muslims (11%) giving it the world's third largest Muslim population after Indonesia (approx. 200 million) and Pakistan (approx. 140 million). Other smaller religious minorities include Christians (3%), Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Jews, Parsis and Bahá'í.

The caste system once reflected Indian occupational and religiously defined hierarchies. Traditionally, there were four broad categories of castes (varnas), though they consisted of thousands of castes and subcastes, whose relative status varied from region to region. The caste system was an important social factor for most Indians till the early 1900's. Presently, India has tough laws against discrimination on the basis of caste. There is a policy for the socio-economic upliftment of the erstwhile lower castes, by the provision of free education till graduation, reservation of admission seats in institutions for higher education, a 50% quota in government jobs and faster promotions. However, caste remains a significant factor in the political life of the country as well as in some social customs such as marriage.

Culture

Main article: Culture of India

Indian culture is an expression of the numerous and successive waves of influences in the sub-continent with the Northern part of India being subjected to this more than the South.

Music in India

In Indian music, two main forms are the Carnatic and the Hindustani, the former from South India, a much purer form and the latter from North India deriving much from Mughal (Islamic line of rulers) infuences. (See Indian classical music). Both systems are founded on Vedic principles of sound and fundamental understandings of raga and taal.

Indian Literature

In Indian literature, oral and written forms prevail. Hindu literary traditions dominate a large part of Indian culture. Apart from the Vedas which are a sacred form of knowledge, there are other works such as the Hindu epics of Ramayana and Mahabharatha, treatises such as Vaastu Shastra in architecture and town planning and Artha Shastra in political science.

Devotional Hindu drama, poetry and songs span the subcontinent. Among the best known are the works of Kalidas (writer of the famed Sanskrit play Shakuntala) and Tulsidas (who wrote an epic Hindi poem based on the Ramayana). Tamil Sangam poetry is well renowned.

Among other traditions Urdu poetry is a fine example of linguistic and cultural synthesis. Arab and Persian vocabulary based on the Hindi language resulted in a vast and extremely beloved class of ghazal literature, usually written by Muslims in contexts ranging from romance and society to philosophy and devotion to Allah. Urdu soon became the court language of the Mughals and in its higher forms was once called the 'Kohinoor' of Indian languages.

Dance

Many dance forms exist in India - Bharata Natyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Kathakali, etc., mostly they have a narrative form, telling stories. Other forms such as street theatre and puppetry are also found. (See Indian classical dance and Indian folk music and dance)

Festivals

There are many festivals in India, most of which are Hindu. Some examples of Hindu festivals are Holi, Diwali/Deepavali, Vijayadasami, Sankranthi, Pongal, etc. Most of the others are based on religion and seasonal celebrations, others still commemorating individual milestones.

Science and Math

Indian science was advanced in ancient times - Aryabhatta and Bhaskara were important Hindu scientists who studied planetary motion. The so-called Arabic numerals were an Indian invention.

Dress and Cuisine

Traditional dresses in India include the Sari (Saree), Salwar Kameez, Dhoti and Kurta.

In Indian cuisine, rice and wheat form the staple diet. Some popular dishes include Thali- a full fledged meal, Dosa, Idli and Chapati.

Film

Movies are an integral part of everyday life in India, most notably the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu for their commercial bases, and Bengali and Malayalam for their artistic leanings. ( See Cinema of India). Satyajit Ray, a director from the Bengali cinema tradition, has been seen by movie critics around the world as one of cinema's four greatest filmmakers ever, and is the only Indian to have won an Academy Award (Lifetime Achievment).

Regional Cultures and Influences

Specific regions, most often delineated by state, often have very widely ranging cultures and languages. Indians are very aware of intra-Indian identities, such as being Tamils, Bengalis, Punjabis, etc. However, there is more of a tendency to borrow and imbibe aspects of different regions and major urban centers are often confluences of Indians of widely differing backgrounds. Also, with increasing globalisation, and due to the liberalisation of the Indian economy in the early 1990s, there has been influence of Western culture. So there is Indi-pop in music , Hinglish, Benglish, or Tanglish- English flavoured with terms from local language used most prominently in fields such as advertising, pizzas with indigenous spices, experimental dance and theatre forms, and so on. The invasion of cable TV has spawned an entirely new popular culture.

Apart from these historical and context specific forms, what an Indian sees as important in Indian culture are abstract qualities such as hospitality, family values, acceptance and toleration of differences, resilience and co-existence.

Sports

India's official national sport is Field Hockey, although most would assert that it is in fact Cricket that has become the unofficial national game. In fact, so popular is cricket that it has made India the game's financial powerhouse, even to the point that, as some observers claim, it has become India's fastest growing industry. Some other popular sports are Tennis, Badminton and Chess (Chess is supposed to have originated in India). Some traditional indigenous games are Kabaddi, Gilli-danda, Polo and, indeed, Badminton, which was invented in a British club in Pune in the 16^th century.

See also: Indian architecture, List of holidays in India

Trivia

• Traffic is on the left side (and cars have Right Hand Drive).
• English used in India is modelled on British English.
• Date format: dd/mm/yyyy
• Number format: 10⁷= 1 crore. 10⁵= 1 lakh. 1,00,00,000 = 1 crore. Is recursive eg. 10,00,000 crores = 10 lakh crores.
• Postal Code (PIN): 6 digits.
• Official Measurements: Metric
• Voltage 220V; 50 Hz
• Financial Year starts on April 1.

Miscellaneous Topics

• Indian City Statistics
• List of political parties in India
• Communications in India
• Transportation in India, Indian Railways
• List of cities in India
• Military of India
• Foreign relations of India
• Stamps and postal history of India
• Influential businessmen of India
• List of Indians
• Civilian Honours
  • Bharat Ratna
  • Padma Vibhushan
  • Padma Bhushan
  • Padma Shree
• List of India-related topics
• Mass media in India
• Holidays in India
• National Human Rights Commission of India
• Further reading on India
• State Bank of India
• 2004 in India

Related Topics

Main article: List of India-related topics

Topics in India
History of India	Timeline of Indian history Indus Valley Civilization, Aryan invasion theory, Greek Conquests in India Ashokan Era, Gupta dynasty, Mauryan dynasty, Islamic incursions in India, Mughal Era, British Raj, War of Independance, 1857, Indian independence movement, Quit India Movement, Partition of India, Non-Aligned Movement, Sino-Indian War, Indo-Pak War I, Indo-Pak War 2, Kargil War, Foreign relations, Military, Demographic and Postal history
Politics	Law, Constitution, Political parties (BJP & INC), Elections, Political divisions
Government	Government agencies, Legislative branch (Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha) Executive branch (President & Vice-President, Cabinet, Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers, Attorney-General,Solicitor-General, Election Commission, Foreign Minister; Law enforcement: CBI, CID, Intelligence: IB, RAW), Judicial branch (Supreme Court), Military (Army, Navy, Air Force, BSF, Coast Guard)
Geography	Himalayan Mtns., Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, Indo Gangetic Plain, Deccan Plateau, Thar Desert, Ganges River, Rann of Kutch, Brahmaputra River, North-East India; Mountains, Valleys, Islands, Rivers; States, Cities, List of Indian Districts, Regions
Economy	Rupee, Bombay Stock Exchange, Standard of living, Companies, Poverty, Reserve Bank of India
Demographics	Indian Census Bureau, Languages, Standard of living, Religion
Arts & Culture	Music (Carnatic, Hindustani, Indipop), Film & TV (Bollywood), Literature (Poetry), Cuisine, Holidays, Folklore, Dance, Architecture; Education, Languages, Media
Other	Indian territory, Communications, Transportation (Highways, Railways), Flag, Tourism

External links

Official

• GOI Directory - Directory of governmental websites
• Prime Minister's Office - Official prime ministerial site
• President of India - Official presidential site
• Indian Parliament - Official parliamentary site.
• Ministry of Defence - Official MOD site
• Indiaimage - National Informatics Center - Basic Portal to Govt. of India Websites
• Indian Postal Service - Website of India Post
• Supreme Court of India - Official site of The Supreme Court of India
• Ministry of External Affairs - Discover India. Definitive site for information and links.
• Central Board of Excise and Customs, India - A direct, no-nonsense site.
• Election Commission of India - India's political watchdog.
• Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) - Indian Export Organisation
• Department of Electronics - Indian Dept. of Electronics
• Department of Education, Govt. of India

Other

• Census of India
• CIA - The World Factbook -- India - CIA's Factbook on India
• Country Profile: India - BBC's's Country Profile on India
• Indian States - Table of Indian states and codes with useful stffs. From Statoids
• STD Codes - Citywise STD codes
• India Pictures
• Tourism of India - Governmental tourism site
• Travel information at countryguide.com
• Historical Maps of India
• Family History in India - Genealogical research page with church, cemetry and military records for Chennai and Mumbai

News Sources

• See News sources India

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India is also the letter I in the NATO phonetic alphabet