About India

India boasts of a proud history. From the ancient ages to current era, Indian history is replete with numerous fascinating facts and figures. It is hard to summarise glorious chapters of Indian history in few pages. Such is the richness of the Indian history that one will need to write few books to get a glimpse of it. Yet, we can always divide the mesmerising Indian history into few parts. One of these parts will definitely be Modern Indian history. It covers a long duration. Traditionally, modern history of India begins when Mughal Empire was about to finish. The advent of Modern Indian history was very eventful as this also heralded coming up of many new small kingdoms and umpteen fights occurring between them. All of them wanted to assert their supremacy after the end of Mughal Empire and at the same time, British, French and Dutch armies also had started to arrive on Indian shores. Many years of social, economical and political changes took place during this period.

Foreign trade companies were in a different league fighting for lucrative Indian pie which was eventually won by British armies. That also signalled two centuries of uninterrupted rule by British army. Indian natural resources were totally exploited and they had brutal dominance over Indian Territory.

This period also witnessed establishment of Indian National Congress and subsequent fight back by Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. Indian finally managed to throw out British in 1947 and India got its independence. But there was a price to pay in form of formation of Pakistan as a separate country. Jawaharlal Nehru became first prime minister of Independent India and Indian constitution came into effect on historical day of 26th January 1950. Indian Modern History is full of amazing and brave chapters shown by Indian leaders.

One of the most exciting and most thrilling adventures is paragliding. It makes you experience what flying is. Thanks to so many adventure groups and travel agencies, paragliding is a sport that has gained tremendous popularity in India in so many tourist centers. Paragliding uses thermals as the driving force and with the right weather conditions; you can fly in the air for upto three hours. One can fly upto three thousand meters and paragliding takes place around gentle hills. For those who are wondering the difference between paragliding and parasailing, there isn’t much. It is just that parasailing is done with parachute tied to a moving vehicle and you are flying above sea.

Some of the important paragliding centers in India are:

Himachal Pradesh: The bald peak of Billing, above the Buddhist monastery of Bir in Kangra, is a perfect site for paragliding.  There are many adventure sport organizations in Himachal that conduct these adventure sports like paragliding, rock climbing, rappelling, river rafting etc.

Uttaranchal has a unique topography and this is what makes it an excellent site for paragliding. The area of Garhwal is an excellent destination. Rajasthan: The vast open barren land in Rajasthan offers great gliding opportunities. Special strips of land are exclusively made available for paragliding. Some of the famous centers for the same are Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Bikaner and Kota. Maharashtra: The western Ghat hill range in Maharashtra is apt for paragliding.  Paragliding is famous in centers around Mumbai and Pune because of the population it attracts. Delhi: Sohna which is about 40 kms. from Delhi is coming up in a big way for paragliding. Goa beaches like Vagator and Kalangut offer parasailing trips for Rs. 500 per person for fifteen minutes. Not just that, there are a lot of training programmes that the Himachal tourism conducts at various points in the year. There are a lot of adventure sport organizations that conduct these courses.

Located in the extreme North Eastern End of India, Nagaland is a beautiful vibrant state. It is bounded by Myanmar in the East; Assam in the West; Arunachal Pradesh and a part of Assam in the North with Manipur in the south. In terms of culture, food, dance, dressing, music, language Nagaland has a distinctive characteristic of its own. It offers rich traditional and cultural heritage. The State of Nagaland was formally inaugurated on December 1st, 1963, as the 16th State of the Indian Union.

Nagaland is often referred to as the Switzerland of the East. It has picturesque landscapes, beautiful sunrise and sunsets, lush flora and fauna and so much more. Nagaland is a state of folklore. Music is an integral part of the life of people living in this state. The folklore is passed down from generation to generation. Poetic love songs, tragic love stories or the modern music, people in Nagaland have great respect for music. The tribes living in the remote corners of Nagaland have their inherent tradition of music.

Nagaland is also an ideal place for adventure. It is a place for trekking, rock climbing, jungle camping etc. Nagaland offers limitless exploration possibilities in its rain forests. Certain tribes in Nagaland dress in traditional attire which includes elephant tusk armlets, hornbill’s feathers, multi colored spears, head gear made of finely woven bamboo. This attire signifies acts of courage and valor. Many tribes and sub-tribes that live in this exotic abode can be easily distinguished by the colourful and intricately designed costumes, accessories and beads that they wear. Many people may not be aware of this but Nagaland is an affluent fashion station of the East.

The world of Indian art and culture is truly mesmerising. The more you delve deeper into it, better are the chances of you being surprised with unknown of golden facts. Art is surely one of the best mediums of expression. Indian art world has always been rich since ancient ages. Archaeologists have kept finding wonderful proofs of richness of Indian art. Where there is art there must be artists. Every era in glorious Indian history is blessed with huge talents. Modern era is no exception. Since the independence and complete revolution witnessed in Indian art world thanks to advent of Progressive Artists Group, many new unconventional and hidden talents emerged on the horizon. One of them was M F Hussain.

The name of M.F.Hussain needs no introduction. Probably, he is one artist who made world of painting familiar to common people. He represents contemporary Indian art. He has redefined the way public perceives art and artists. He is fiercely open-minded and independent. He started from the scratch by struggling during his initial days. He began his glorious journey by making film posters. He was born in 1915 at Pandharpur in Maharashtra.

Maqbool Fida Husain first learned the art of calligraphy and also dabbled in poetry. He shifted to Mumbai to make a career in art and joined prestigious J.J.School of Arts. His strength lied in his experimental nature and he also won several awards because of that. He loves to paint trying human circumstances and has carved a niche for himself. He has been awarded Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan among others. He has painted several mythological characters. Countless solo exhibitions of his art works have been organized in India as well as others parts of the world. He has got an international fame and reputation. M.F.Hussain has also made feature films like “Through the Eyes of a Painter”, “Gajagamini” and “Meenaxi: a tale of three cities”. Hussain, no doubt is one of shining luminaries of Indian art who helped it in reaching new heights.

India really offers some fine places to visit one of it being Lakshadweep. Exotic coral reefs, beautiful green islands, clean beaches are what makes Lakshadweep a great travel destination. Conserving the ecology and culture of Lakshadweep, only some islands have been opened up for tourism and they are:  Kavaratti which is Lakshadweep’s best-developed island. It is famous for its fifty-two mosques which have beautiful carved ceilings and walls. Kalpeni, another island has one of the largest lagoons in Lakshadweep and is popular for its coral reefs. Minicoy, yet another island of Lakshadweep, is one that is of the largest and Southern-most islands in that area. It has dense coconut forests and its specialty is the unique language, dress and food. Other islands include Kadmat which is an ideal location for water sports, Bangaram which is known for its blue green waters, and uninhabited islands of Tirmakara, Parali-I and Parali-II that are nothing but a feast to the eye in terms of its flora and fauna. These beautiful islands with cool sand running under your feet as you take a stroll by the beach side will mesmerize you.

Lakshadweep has a tropical climate and there is a considerable amount of rain as well. Light cotton clothes are sufficient throughout the year. Lakshadweep’s airport is located in Agatti. Accommodation is available on the islands of Minicoy, Agatti, Kavaratti, Kalpeni, and Kadmat. These islands have tourist huts that you can stay in.  You can opt for one or two twin-bedded rooms that have attached baths. There are many types of tourist packages that are available to suit your convenience. If you want to avail ship-based packages, October to May is the best time to visit.

Gauging the international trends, several new age education programs are set up and tailored as per our national adaptability. Being in total sync with the demands, our schools and colleges are including realistic practical approach that is interesting and adaptive. More support is given to educate the underprivileged and girl children. Schools of the government backing, train the teachers accordingly to get the new methods of teaching in place.

Education in India is also including elements that are international and yet modulated to maintain our heritage and culture. Engineering schools, PH D levels and also master degrees in reputed colleges hold great esteem for career options. Vocational guidance in India is also concentrating its efforts on practical tests and options inorder to coach students in the right direction. Schools also focus on all-around-development of children which is essential to become a go-getter.

Even in the remote villages bal vadi and other social organizations conduct tutorials for adult education thereby able to emancipate the backward class. The aim is to move to literacy and increase awareness among people. It is also true that urban sectors are facing a large uncertainty to accommodate students even in merit list. But the ministry has fine tuned the placements and given opportunity to all children by regularizing the same.

Education is also regarded via valid educational institutions in the distance category. The courses are detailed and online education is the new age mantra. This allows many people who are working full time or who have paucity for time to partake in formal courses. There are certified courses with practical applications in jewelry design, fashion and languages. This gives a broad picture that India is heading towards globalization in the field of education.

With international curriculum and new education system in place a lot is looking positive in the movement of education. Courses, international faculty, boarding schools are all being upbeat of the importance of customized courses that take the student in a desired direction. NGO’s also look into the primary level of teaching including qualified personnel’s and teachers who are willing to make the change at a micro level by educating the people who are under poverty line.

To truly understand the concept of vehicles in Indian context, we will have to glace back to just 4000 years back. That was the first time when wheel was used for transportation. Our mythological scriptures also mention use of udan-khatola or a vehicle used by Lord of Wealth, Kuber for flying purpose. On the grounds, wheel used to be carried by horses. Circa to modern era and we find development of steam engines in the western world in 16^th-17^th century. First cars were called Vintage cars and they rolled onto streets in 18^th century. Automobiles completely revolutionised the modern world that was already witnessing a wave of change since the industrial revolution.

Thanks to automobiles, transportation became easier and faster and a source of employment of thousands of people as well. Indian automobile industry is chock-a-bloc with who’s who of automobile industry. Almost all the major car manufacturers have established their bases on Indian soil. Indian automobile industry has witnessed a complete turnaround of fortunes in last few decades. Suzuki was the first major automobile company to unearth the huge potential of Indian market and set up its shop in early 80s. Maruti 800 became a cult car and it is still the shining symbol of Indian car industry.

Some of the major car manufacturers present in India are, Fiat India Private Ltd, Hindustan Motors, Maruti Udyog, General Motors India Pvt. Ltd, Ford India Ltd, Hyundai Motors India Ltd, Honda Siel Cars India Ltd, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Ltd, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, Skoda India Private Ltd etc. The two-wheeler segment is no less rich. It has presence of giants like TVS, Hero Honda, Yamaha, Bajaj, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India (Pvt.) Ltd. Among the home grown companies, Tata Motors and Mahindra Group have established their high technology and credentials in not only India but also on foreign shores. Going by the bright rate of growth, Indian automobile industry seems set for further heights. 

Healthcare is a very important part of any country’s structure. High standards of healthcare maintained in a country are reflective of its economy and healthy social structure. Low level of health condition in a country is not really an ideal condition. India as a country has taken rapid strides in last few decades. Healthcare is one sector where country is witnessing massive expenditure as well as more awareness amongst the general public. The central as well as states governments are incurring heavy expenditures to make people aware of healthcare needs. Many government hospitals provide free treatment to people.

At the same time, hospitality as an industry in private sectors has acquired new status. In fact, India is one of the major medical tourist attractions. Credit goes to low cost of treatment in Indian metros that see number of western patients receiving treatments in India. Healthcare as a term covers diverse segments like Allopathic, Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Yoga. It also involves making people aware of nutrition, improvement in the public health, tackling health problems, proper vaccination etc.

Medical education in India is another prominent field. Government has focussed on this segment of education and India has number of quality medical colleges spread across the country. Many private medical institutes are also situated in the country that have earned huge names for themselves because of quality of education, infrastructure and R&D. Indian government gives special focus to healthcare in five year planning. There are certain areas that need to be improved but the process is going on. It will take some time to make people aware of these basic things. Other indigenous methods of treatments are getting more popularity and precedence. In fact, yoga is said to be the most famous Indian export.

Indian weddings are something that is so unique to the country. They are colorful, grand and loud. The Indian wedding season is around November-December which is surely an experience to cherish. These weddings are full of rituals, prayers, feasts, songs and dances and so much more.

Exclusivity and uniqueness is something that Indian wedding couples always look out for. Everyone wishes that their wedding ceremony should be grand, exceptional and different! Most couples start their wedding planning and preparation with wedding stationery. Wedding stationery involves selection of various themes, colors and designs for wedding invitation cards, wedding albums, thank you cards, other ceremony invitations cards, blessings and wishes cards and so much more.

In India, wedding stationery means a lot and hence needs careful selection. Most wedding stationery suppliers can provide with all the material required for the same. One can even consult a wedding stationery designer to take tips from him or her on how to make your own wedding stationery.

Personalized and customized wedding stationery is the best possible way to make your wedding different and noticeable amongst others. There are a lot many free samples of wedding stationery that couples and their families can choose from. People usually choose handmade paper which can look very elegant to make unique wedding stationery especially the invitation cards. Handcrafted wedding stationery items lure everyone’s attention. Because of their neat carvings and adorned crafts, they are acclaimed by most people as they showcase true Indian designs. Some people wish a sober sophisticated wedding ceremony. These couples can design their wedding stationery either with the help of a professional wedding stationery designer or all by themselves.