What is the reason behind immortality of Bharat. For thousands of years, how our country India has tolerated slaughtering of Human Beings, loots and manner less deeds by foreign invaders. There is definitely something that has made India great, tolerant and powerful. If you ask anyone, “Is India great?”, his answer would be, “yes”. Children shout loudly My India Is Great ! A leader says during his speech — My India Is Great ! When seasons of patriotism like 15 August or 26 Jan. come, then everywhere its visible — My India Is Great ! Since my childhood, I have listened for so many times — My India Is Great !
On Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, a Prabhaat Pheri used to pass and we were also being taught to say loudly, Mahatma Gandhi ZINDABAAD, vande matram, I love my India, India is great ! etc. holding a National Flag in our hands. At that stage of my life, I was not aware of the importance of TIRANGA and didn’t even know the meaning of VANDE MATRAM and My India Is Great !, which we were shouting loudly. I just loved saying and doing that.
Since my childhood, my attitude is to put a question mark after every topic. In every topic, my attitude is to ask what, why, how etc. One day, I heard my madam saying, My India Is Great !. I responded quickly and asked, “Why?”. She got frustrated and shouted, “What do you mean by – WHY?… If I am saying it is so, then it is so. “I inquired further, “Maam ! there must be some good reasons behind the greatness of India. Why is India Great?” She said, “This is a big country, there are so many languages, there are so many seasons, there are so many religions, there are so many rivers, there are so many mountains, there are so many people, there are so many traditions, there are so many dresses, there are so many dishes, there are so many ‘this’, there are so many ‘that’. Likewise, she started telling many ‘so manies’. But, except one or two ‘so manies’, any other fact didn’t give me a satisfactory answer. This thing pinched me a lot. From that very day, I started finding, “Why is India Great?“
And today, after some research, I can tell you answer of this question. Before reading this piece of article, this fact spoken by you that My India Is Great ! was just like a base less building which might be fallen by the storm of suspections because its written in our scriptures “SANSHAYATMA VINASHYATI“.
And this article will put an end to all your doubts and then you can say with a pure heart, My India Is Great !
listen); 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement. A pioneer of satyagraha, or resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience—a philosophy firmly founded upon ahimsa, or total nonviolence—Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.[1] Gandhi is often referred to as Mahatma ([məɦaːt̪maː]; Sanskrit: महात्मा mahātmā or "Great Soul," an honorific first applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore).[2] In India, he is also called Bapu (Gujarati: બાપુ, bāpu or "Father") and officially honoured as the Father of the Nation. His birthday, 2 October, is commemorated in India as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence.
Gandhi first employed non-violent civil disobedience as an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, in the resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban labourers in protesting excessive land-tax and discrimination. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, increasing economic self-reliance, but above all for achieving Swaraj—the independence of India from foreign domination. Gandhi famously led Indians in protesting the British-imposed salt tax with the 400 km (250 mi) Dandi Salt March in 1930, and later in calling for the British to Quit India in 1942. He was imprisoned for many years, on many occasions, in both South Africa and India.
Gandhi strove to practice non-violence and truth in all situations, and advocated that others do the same. He lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community and wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, woven with yarn he had hand spun on a charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food, and also undertook long fasts as means of both self-purification and social protest.
Mahatma Ghandhi Is a Great Person of India .......................
The IAF is one of the world's largest military forces, with roughly 1.32 million active standing army and 2.14 million reserve forces thus giving India the third-largest active troops in the world as of 2006[2][5] after the People's Liberation Army and US Armed Forces.[6] Auxiliary services include the Indian Coast Guard, the Central Paramilitary Forces (CPF) and the Strategic Forces Command. India's official defense budget stands at US$36.03 billion for FY2011 (or 1.83% of GDP)[3] but the actual spending on the armed forces is estimated to be much higher than that.[7] Undergoing rapid expansion and modernization,[8] the Indian Armed Forces plans to have an active military space program[9] and is currently developing a missile defense shield[10] and nuclear triad capability. The Armed Forces of India possess nuclear weapons and operate short and intermediate-range ballistic missiles as well as nuclear-capable aircraft, and naval vessels. India is the world's largest arms importer accounting for 9% of all global imports and ranks among the top thirty in arms export.[11] Currently, India imports close to 70% of its weapons requirements, with Israel, Russia and the United States as its top military suppliers.[12][13][14] The country’s defence expenditure will be around US$112 billion by 2016.[15][16][17]
The IAF served as India's armed forces in all the country's major military operations — including the Indo-Pakistani wars of 1947, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Sino-Indian War, 1987 Sino-Indian skirmish, Kargil War and others. India is currently moving to build a
9,970.16 crore (US$2.2 billion) dedicated, highly secure and state-of-the-art optical fiber cable (OFC) network for the Army, Navy and Air Force. This will be one of the world's largest, closed user group (CUG) networks for exclusive use by the million-plus personnel of the Indian armed forces.[18] Following 1962, the IAF has had close military relations with Russia, including development cooperation, such as on the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA), and others as well.
AIIMS is considered as one of the most prestigious medical colleges in India [1][1][2] and is globally recognized for providing low-cost medical care to a large number of patients.[3] It was established as an institute of national importance by an act of the Indian parliament with the objective of developing a strong curriculum and teaching guidelines for undergraduate and post-graduate education in all branches of medicine in India. AIIMS seeks to achieve a high standard of medical education in India and to bring together in one place educational facilities of the highest order so as to attain self-sufficiency in good quality post-graduate medical education. Because of low cost facilities and highly efficient practitioners AIIMS has been for many years registering patients far above its capacity. For this prime reason, in 2004, the then prime minister of India; Mr. Atal Bihari Bajpayee announced the establishment of six new AIIMS to be built at Patna, Rishikesh, Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Raipur and Jodhpur .
Moreover, internal security is also threatened as incidences of political parties instigating and leading violence between two opposing, India is a nation that is characterized to be "sovereign socialist secular democratic republic." Like the United States, India, during the time of incepting its constitution had chosen a federal form of government, however, the central government in India has greater power in relation to its states, and its central government is patterned after the British parliamentary system. Regarding the former, "the Centre", the national government, can and has dismissed state governments if no majority party or coalition is able to form a government or under specific Constitutional clauses, and can impose direct federal rule known as President's rule. Locally, the Panchayati Raj system has several administrative functions.
For most of the years since independence, the federal government has been guided by the Indian National Congress (INC),[1] In India the two largest political parties have been the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Presently the two parties have dominated the Indian politics, however, regional parties also exist. From 1950 to 1990, barring two brief periods, the INC enjoyed a parliamentary majority. The INC was out of power between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata Party won the election owing to public discontent with the corruption of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In 1989, a Janata Dal-led National Front coalition in alliance with the Left Front coalition won the elections but managed to stay in power for only two years.[2]
As the 1991 elections gave no political party a majority, the INC formed a minority government under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and was able to complete its five-year term.[3] The years 1996–1998 were a period of turmoil in the federal government with several short-lived alliances holding sway. The BJP formed a government briefly in 1996, followed by the United Front coalition that excluded both the BJP and the INC. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with several other parties and became the first non-Congress government to complete a full five-year term.[4] In the 2004 Indian elections, the INC won the largest number of Lok Sabha seats and formed a government with a coalition called the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), supported by various parties.[5] In the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections, it won again with a surprising majority, the INC itself winning more than 200 seats.
Indian democracy has been suspended only once.[6] Nevertheless, Indian politics is often described as chaotic. More than a fifth of parliament members face criminal charges.[6]
INDIAN FESTIVALS
Bollywood is formally referred to as Hindi cinema.[5] There has been a growing presence of Indian English in dialogue and songs as well. It is common to see films that feature dialogue with English words, also known as Hinglish, phrases, or even whole sentences.[6]
The Indian cricket team is currently ranked first by the ICC in Tests and second in ODIs.[3] On 2 April 2011, the team won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, its second after 1983. It thus became only the third team after West Indies and Australia to have won the World Cup more than once.[4] As of October 2010, the Indian team has played 445 Test matches, winning 108, losing 138 and drawing 198 of its games, with 1 match ending in a tie.[5] India has a relatively better record in One Day Internationals, winning 52% of matches played. In both cases, win-loss ratio of recent years is much higher than that of older periods, when it was a weaker team. Currently Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the captain in all forms of the game while Duncan Fletcher is the coach.[6] Under the leadership of Dhoni, the Indian team has set a national record for most back-to-back ODI wins (9 straight wins)[7] and has emerged as one of the most formidable teams in international cricket.[8]
Although cricket was introduced to India by European merchant sailors in the 18th-century and the first cricket club in India was established in Calcutta in 1792, India's national cricket team did not play their first Test match until 25 June 1932 at Lord's.[9] They became the sixth team to be granted Test cricket status.[10] In their first fifty years of international cricket, India proved weaker than Australia and England, winning only 35 of the 196 test matches.[11] The team, however, gained strength near the end of the 1970s with the emergence of players such as Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and the Indian spin quartet—Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan (both off spinners), Bhagwat Chandrasekhar (a leg spinner), and Bishen Singh Bedi (a left-arm spinner). Traditionally much stronger at home than abroad, the Indian team has improved its overseas form since the start of the 21st century. It won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 under Kapil Dev, was runners-up in 2003 under Sourav Ganguly, and won the World Cup a second time in 2011 under MS Dhoni. India have also been the Runners-up in 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy, and the Joint Champions along with Sri Lanka in 2002 ICC Champions Trophy led by Sourav Ganguly in both the instances. India also won the inaugural World Twenty20 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2007. The current team contains many of the world's leading players, including Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag who hold numerous cricketing world records.[12]
A Striking feature of Kathakali is the use of elaborate make-up and colourful costumes. This is to emphasize that the characters are superbeings from another world, and their make-up is easily recognisable to the trained eye as satvik or godlike, rajasik or heroic, and tamasik or demonic.
Mohini Attam 
Some poses of Mohini Attam
The theme of Mohini attam dance is love and devotion to god. Vishnu or Krishna is most often the hero. The spectators can feel His invisible presence when the heroine or her maid details dreams and ambitions through circular movements, delicate footsteps and subtle expressions. Through slow and medium tempos, the dancer is able to find adequate space for improvisations and suggestive bhavas or emotions.
The basic dance steps are the Adavus which are of four kinds: Taganam, Jaganam, Dhaganam and Sammisram. These names are derived from the nomenclature called vaittari.
The Mohini attam dancer maintains realistic make-up and adorns a simple costume, in comparison to costumes of other dances, such as Kathakali. The dancer is attired in a beautiful white with gold border Kasavu saree of Kerala, with the distinctive white jasmin flowers around a French bun at the side of her head. Bharata Natyam from Tamil Nadu.
Bharata Natyam 
A typical nritya pose of Bharata Natyam dance with abhinaya.
Bharata Natyam dance has been handed down through the centuries by dance teachers (or gurus) called nattuwanars and the temple dancers, called devadasis. In the sacred environment of the temple these familes developed and propagated their heritage. The training traditionally took around seven years under the direction of the nattuwanar who were scholars and persons of great learning. The four great nattuwanars of Tanjore were known as the Tanjore Quartet and were brothers named Chinnaiah, Ponnaiah, Vadivelu and Shivanandam. The Bharata Natyam repertiore as we know it today was constructed by this talented Tanjore Quartet.
Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh
Kuchipudi 
Raja and Radha Reddy in a striking pose of Kuchipudi dance.
The dance drama that stil exists today and can most closely be associated with the Sanskrit theatrical tradition is Kuchipudi which is also known as Bhagavata Mela Natakam. The actors sing and dance, and the style is a blend of folk and classical. Arguably this is why this technique has greater freedom and fluidity than other dance styles.
Bhagavata mela natakam was always performed as an offering to the temples of either Merratur, Soolamangalam, Oothkadu, Nallur or Theperumanallur.
Odissi from Orissa
Odissi 
Gorgeous Odissi pose. Picture courtesy of the Odissi Kala Kendra.
Odissi is based on the popular devotion to Lord Krishna and the verses of the Sanskrit play Geet Govinda are used to depict the love and devotion to God. The Odissi dancers use their head, bust and torso in soft flowing movements to express specific moods and emotions.
The form is curvaceous, concentrating on the tribhang or the division of the body into three parts, head, bust and torso; the mudras and the expressions are similar to those of Bharatnatyam. Odissi performances are replete with lores of the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, Lord Krishna. It is a soft, lyrical classical dance which depicts the ambience of Orissa and the philosophy of its most popular deity, Lord Jagannath, whose temple is in Puri. On the temple walls of Bhubaneshwar, Puri and Konark the dance sculptures of Odissi are clearly visible.
Kathak from Uttar Pradesh
Kathak 
The legendary exponent of Kathak, Birju Maharaj.
This north Indian dance form is inextricably bound with classical Hindustani music, and the rhythmic nimbleness of the feet is accompanied by the table or pakhawaj. Traditionally the stories were of Radha and Krishna, in the Natwari style (as it was then called) but the Moghul invasion of North India had a serious impact on the dance. The dance was taken to Muslim courts and thus it became more entertaining and less religious in content. More emphasis was laid on nritta, the pure dance aspect and less on abhinaya (expression and emotion).
Manipuri from Manipur
Manipuri 
Singhajit Singh and Charu Siya Mathur.
This dance style was originally called jogai which means circular movement. In ancient texts it has been compared to the movement of the planets around the sun.
It is said that when Krishna, Radha and the gopis danced the Ras Leela, Shiva made sure that no one disturbed the beauty of the dancing. Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva also wished to see this dance, so to please her he chose the beautiful area of manipur and re-enacted the Ras Leela. Hundreds of centuries later, in the 11th century, during the reign of Raja Loyamba, prince Khamba of the Khomal dynasty and Princess Thaibi of the Mairang dynasty re-enacted the dance and it became known as Lai-Haraoba, the most ancient dance of Manipur.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: મોહનદાસ કરમચંદ ગાંધી; (Devnagari मोहनदास करमचंद गांधी), pronounced [moːɦənəd̪aːsə kərəmətɕənd̪ə ɡaːnd̪ʱi] (
listen); 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement. A pioneer of satyagraha, or resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience—a philosophy firmly founded upon ahimsa, or total nonviolence—Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.[1] Gandhi is often referred to as Mahatma ([məɦaːt̪maː]; Sanskrit: महात्मा mahātmā or "Great Soul," an honorific first applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore).[2] In India, he is also called Bapu (Gujarati: બાપુ, bāpu or "Father") and officially honoured as the Father of the Nation. His birthday, 2 October, is commemorated in India as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence.Gandhi first employed non-violent civil disobedience as an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, in the resident Indian community's struggle for civil rights. After his return to India in 1915, he set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban labourers in protesting excessive land-tax and discrimination. Assuming leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921, Gandhi led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, increasing economic self-reliance, but above all for achieving Swaraj—the independence of India from foreign domination. Gandhi famously led Indians in protesting the British-imposed salt tax with the 400 km (250 mi) Dandi Salt March in 1930, and later in calling for the British to Quit India in 1942. He was imprisoned for many years, on many occasions, in both South Africa and India.
Gandhi strove to practice non-violence and truth in all situations, and advocated that others do the same. He lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community and wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, woven with yarn he had hand spun on a charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food, and also undertook long fasts as means of both self-purification and social protest.
Mahatma Ghandhi Is a Great Person of India .......................
Indian Armed Forces
The Indian Armed Forces (Devanāgarī: भारतीय सशस्त्र सेनाएं, Bhāratīya Saśastra Sēnāēn) are the military forces of the Republic of India encompassing the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, the Indian Air Force, Indian Coast Guard and various other inter-service institutions. The President of the Republic of India is the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces. The Indian Armed Forces is managed by Ministry of Defence (MoD) which is led by Union Cabinet Minister of Defense.
The IAF is one of the world's largest military forces, with roughly 1.32 million active standing army and 2.14 million reserve forces thus giving India the third-largest active troops in the world as of 2006[2][5] after the People's Liberation Army and US Armed Forces.[6] Auxiliary services include the Indian Coast Guard, the Central Paramilitary Forces (CPF) and the Strategic Forces Command. India's official defense budget stands at US$36.03 billion for FY2011 (or 1.83% of GDP)[3] but the actual spending on the armed forces is estimated to be much higher than that.[7] Undergoing rapid expansion and modernization,[8] the Indian Armed Forces plans to have an active military space program[9] and is currently developing a missile defense shield[10] and nuclear triad capability. The Armed Forces of India possess nuclear weapons and operate short and intermediate-range ballistic missiles as well as nuclear-capable aircraft, and naval vessels. India is the world's largest arms importer accounting for 9% of all global imports and ranks among the top thirty in arms export.[11] Currently, India imports close to 70% of its weapons requirements, with Israel, Russia and the United States as its top military suppliers.[12][13][14] The country’s defence expenditure will be around US$112 billion by 2016.[15][16][17]
The IAF served as India's armed forces in all the country's major military operations — including the Indo-Pakistani wars of 1947, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Sino-Indian War, 1987 Sino-Indian skirmish, Kargil War and others. India is currently moving to build a
9,970.16 crore (US$2.2 billion) dedicated, highly secure and state-of-the-art optical fiber cable (OFC) network for the Army, Navy and Air Force. This will be one of the world's largest, closed user group (CUG) networks for exclusive use by the million-plus personnel of the Indian armed forces.[18] Following 1962, the IAF has had close military relations with Russia, including development cooperation, such as on the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA), and others as well.All India Institute of Medical Sciences
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) (Hindi: भारतीय आयुर्विज्ञान संस्थान) is a premier medical college and hospital in New Delhi, India.
AIIMS is considered as one of the most prestigious medical colleges in India [1][1][2] and is globally recognized for providing low-cost medical care to a large number of patients.[3] It was established as an institute of national importance by an act of the Indian parliament with the objective of developing a strong curriculum and teaching guidelines for undergraduate and post-graduate education in all branches of medicine in India. AIIMS seeks to achieve a high standard of medical education in India and to bring together in one place educational facilities of the highest order so as to attain self-sufficiency in good quality post-graduate medical education. Because of low cost facilities and highly efficient practitioners AIIMS has been for many years registering patients far above its capacity. For this prime reason, in 2004, the then prime minister of India; Mr. Atal Bihari Bajpayee announced the establishment of six new AIIMS to be built at Patna, Rishikesh, Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Raipur and Jodhpur .
Politics of India
The politics of India takes place within the framework of a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of India is head of state and the Prime Minister of India is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President and is independent of the legislature. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the Parliament of India, the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Federal and state elections generally take place within a multi-party system, although this is not enshrined in law. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, the highest national court being the Supreme Court of India.
Moreover, internal security is also threatened as incidences of political parties instigating and leading violence between two opposing, India is a nation that is characterized to be "sovereign socialist secular democratic republic." Like the United States, India, during the time of incepting its constitution had chosen a federal form of government, however, the central government in India has greater power in relation to its states, and its central government is patterned after the British parliamentary system. Regarding the former, "the Centre", the national government, can and has dismissed state governments if no majority party or coalition is able to form a government or under specific Constitutional clauses, and can impose direct federal rule known as President's rule. Locally, the Panchayati Raj system has several administrative functions.
For most of the years since independence, the federal government has been guided by the Indian National Congress (INC),[1] In India the two largest political parties have been the Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Presently the two parties have dominated the Indian politics, however, regional parties also exist. From 1950 to 1990, barring two brief periods, the INC enjoyed a parliamentary majority. The INC was out of power between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata Party won the election owing to public discontent with the corruption of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In 1989, a Janata Dal-led National Front coalition in alliance with the Left Front coalition won the elections but managed to stay in power for only two years.[2]
As the 1991 elections gave no political party a majority, the INC formed a minority government under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and was able to complete its five-year term.[3] The years 1996–1998 were a period of turmoil in the federal government with several short-lived alliances holding sway. The BJP formed a government briefly in 1996, followed by the United Front coalition that excluded both the BJP and the INC. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with several other parties and became the first non-Congress government to complete a full five-year term.[4] In the 2004 Indian elections, the INC won the largest number of Lok Sabha seats and formed a government with a coalition called the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), supported by various parties.[5] In the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections, it won again with a surprising majority, the INC itself winning more than 200 seats.
Indian democracy has been suspended only once.[6] Nevertheless, Indian politics is often described as chaotic. More than a fifth of parliament members face criminal charges.[6]
INDIAN FESTIVALS
Festivals are an intrinsic part of the Indian way of life, a golden thread that runs through its cultural fabric. Given the size of India, the vast diversity of its people, religions, cultures, languages and terrain, it is not surprising that there are a variety of festivals being celebrated all the year round.
Festivals all over the country celebrate the coming of the seasons and harvest time. aspects of fertility and renewal are closely linked to many of these festivals. Festivals are the occasions when houses are cleaned and whitewashed. They occur at different times and vary in their celebrations.
Religious festivals, the feast of saints, prophets, god and gurus are the most important of Indian celebrations. these are joyous affairs - a time for prayer and pageantry, music and feasting.
In India, festivals are marked by a warmth of participation. Colour and festivity also provide an occasion for shopping when overnight small markets appear from nowhere. these sell trinkets, local souvenirs and colourful apparel. Dance and music are essential ingredients. Exotic delicacies are a culinary delight.
JANUARY / FEBRUARY |
MAKAR SANKRANTI, PONGAL, MEHA BIHU - Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh A major harvest festival of India. It is one of the biggest events in the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. But fights and bullock races are an important features of the celebrations. Also celebrated in the eastern region when millions of pilgrims take a holy dip in the Ganges. REPUBLIC DAY - All over India The national festival in observed through out the country to make the inauguration of the Republic day of India on 26th January 1950. In Delhi, the celebration include a magnificent parade of the armed Forces, folk dances and floats from all the different states of India. VASANT PANCHAMI - All over India The festival of spring. On this day people wear clothes in bright shades of yellow and there is merriment all round. DESERT FESTIVAL (21-23 February 2005) Jaisalmer, Rajasthan The Desert Festival exudes the delightful spirit of this desert land. Fort three days, the otherwise barren land of Jaisalmer comes to life and is clustered with hordes of colourfully dressed people. Some cherished moments of the glorious and illustrious past and a rich culture are on display. The traditional dancers and the audience seem to be on a euphoric trip. The Turban Tying competition and Mr Desert contest add a touch of excitement to the celebration. The traditional Gair dancers leave the crowds enchanted by their thrilling performance. FLOATING FESTIVAL - Madurai, Tamil Nadu On the night of the full moon, in the Tamil month of Thai, this magnificent festival is held at Madurai. The festival is celebrated at the huge mariamman Teppakulam tank which has a little temple on an island at its centre. The temple and tank are illuminated for the festival, and beautifully dressed and jewelled images of the goddess Meenakshi and her consort are brought in procession from the Meenakshi temple. they are floated on a raft that is decked with flowers and lamps to the accompaniment of music and chanting of hymns. SHIVARATRI - All over India Hindu perform puja of Lord Shiva by fasting on this day. DANCES OF KHAJURAHO - Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh A marvellous week-long festival of dances is held every year at Khajuraho. Some of the best dancers in the country come to perform amidst the splendour of the ancient Chandella temples. HOLI - North India The most boisterous of Indian festivals, Holi is associated with Lord Krishna. Gay crowds fill the streets, squirting coloured water on people regardless of age, caste or creed. Greetings and sweets are exchanged among friends and relatives. MARDI GRAS - Goa Mainly three days during lent. Unique celebrations at this carnival. CHANDRABHAGA - Konark, Orissa Chandrabhaga yatra is a famous festival on the bank of river Chandrabhaga near Konark, Orissa. The festival is dedicated to the Sun God and takes place at the merging point of the river and the sea. More than fifty to sixty thousand pilgrims assemble here and take bath chanting name of the Gods and taking the dip in the sea. The fair is very well known among the Orissa people and attracts people from all corners. |
FEBRUARY / MARCH |  | |
RAMNAVAMI - All over India Birth of Rama, incarnation of Vishnu. No processions. Plays and folk theaters. JAMSHED NAVROZ - Maharastra and Gujarat Jamshed Navroz, new year to the Parsi. The day is also observed as the Day of Repentence when the members of the community pray to be forgiven for sins committed in the past year. MAHAVIR JAYANTI - All over India Major Jain festival; birth of Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara. Pilgrims gather at Jain temples and shrines all over the country. EASTER - All over India Christians all over India celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Prayers and services are held in churches and cathedrals on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. ELEPHANT FESTIVAL (25 March 2005) JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN The Elephant festival gets underway in the month of Phalgun (March) on the eve of Holi, the festival of colours, at Jaipur. The festival begins with a procession of elephants, camels, horses and folk dancers. The sights of mighty jumbos striding majestically is a treat to watch. The "mahawats" or owners, proudly decorate their elephants with bright colours, jhools (Saddle cloth) and heavy jewellery. Female elephants are made to wear payals or anklets, which jingle as they walk. Prizes are given away for the most beautifully decorated elephant. The Polo Match, the Elephant Race, the Tug-of-War between elephants and men and women prompt applause from the spectators. The most colourful part of the festival is Holi played on elephant back. |
MARCH / APRIL | |
KUMBH MELA - Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh The Kumbh Mela, one of the India's largest fairs, takes place in a 12-year cycle at Prayag (Allahabad), Hardwar, Nasik and Ujjain. The holiest of these is the mela at Prayag, at the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythicalSaraswati. Millions of pilgrims at Prayag to bathe in the Ganga during the mela. GANGAUR FESTIVAL (11-15 April 2005) The festival of Gangaur is very significant for women of Rajasthan. It is a time for them to dress up in their best and participate in the festival. UDAIPUR, RAJASTHAN Women gather to dress the images of Isar and Gangaur and then carry them in a ceremonial procession through different parts of the city. Ornamented elephants, decorated camels and horses with their bells tinkling, chariots, dancers dressed in vibrant shades of red, shocking pink and yellow and musicians - all accompany the palanquin of the goddess Gauri. The procession winds its way to the Gangaur Ghat at Lake Pichhola. Here, images are transferred to special boats amidst much singing and festivity. Once the religious part of the festival is over it is time for cultural events where Rajasthani culture is portrayed through songs, dances and other programmes. The festival culminates with an impressive fireworks display. JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN In Jaipur a colourful procession with the image of Gauri starts from the palace gate known as Tripolia and moves through the main streets, passing Chaughan before reaching Talkatora. |
APRIL / MAY | |
BAISAKHI, VISHU BOHAG BIJU - North India, Kerala, Assam Baisakhi, the Hindu new year is celebrated all over India. It is a very popular festival of Punjab. It is celebrated to mark the harvesting season. To rejoice the occasion, Bhangra and Gidha dances are performed all over the Punjab. In Kerala, the festival is known as Vishu. Known as Bohag Bihu in Assam, the new year is celbrated with music, folk dances and community feasting. POORAM - Trichur, Kerala On this day, the deity is taken out in procession. Magnificent temple tuskers decorated with gold head ornaments and surmounted by men holding colourful umbrellas, yak hair and peacock feather whisks parade to the throbbing of the temple drums. The festival is noted for its splendid displays of fireworks late in the evening. ID-UL-ZUHA - All over India Observed by Muslims to commemorate the prophet Abrahim's offer to sacrifice his son. The most celebrated Islamic festival in India. ID-UL-FITR - All over India Celebrated to mark the end of the month of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting. It is an occasion for fasting and rejoicing. MEENAKSHI KALYANAM - Madurai, Tamil Nadu Marriage of Meenakshi with Lord Shiva. Colourful temple festival. Deities borne by colossal chariot. Ten day festival. |
JUNE / JULY | |
RATH YATRA - Puri, Orissa Greatest temple festival in honour of Lord Jagannath (Lord of the Universe). Three colossal chariots drawn from Puri temple by thousands of pilgrims. Similar festivals, on a smaller scale, take place at Ramnagar (near Varanasi), Serampore (near Calcutta) and Jagannathpur (near Ranchi). HEMIS - Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir Hemis Gompa is the largest Buddhist monastery. Crowds gather here to commemorate Padma-sambhava, the Buddhist saint. Dramatic masked dancer swirling around to the music of pipes, enact the battle between good and evil spirits. Around the monastery a fair springs up during the festival where local handicrafts are sold. |
JULY / AUGUST | |
TEEJ JAIPUR, RAJASTHAN This festival marks the onset of the rains. The monsoons bring water to the parched land and women celebrate by singing and swinging on swings bung from trees. The festival is dedicated to Goddess Parvati and an elaborate procession is taken out in Jaipur for two consecutive days. RAKSHA BANDHAN - Northern & Western India Celebrated by Hindu's particularly in northern India. Sisters tie holy thread/Rakhi on the wrists of their brothers wishing their long life. Brothers take oath to protect the honour and help them in adversities. NAAG PANCHAMI - Jodhpur, Maharastra Snakes, especially cobras are venerated during the festival of Naag Panchami. This festival is dedicated to the sacred serpent Ananta, on whose coils Lord Vishnu rested while creating the universe. AMARNATH YATRA - Kashmir High up in the Kashmir Himalayas, at a height of 3880 metres, is the Amarnath cave with its sacred ice lingam, a symbol of Lord Shiva. This lingam is a natural phenomemon. Each year in the month of Shravan, at the time of the full moon, thousands of pilgrims make the difficult four-day trek up to the cave. |
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER | | |
INDEPENDENCE DAY - All over India The anniversary of India's independence won on this day in 1947. Prime Minister delivers address from Delhi’s Red Fort. JANMASHTAMI - All over India The birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, celebrated with great anthusiasm all over India, specially at Mathura and Vrindavan, which are closely associated with his childhood. ONAM - Kerala Kerala's most important festival, Onam honours the ancient demon king Mahabali. Homes are cleaned and carpets of flowers are arranged for all ten days of the festival. It is harvest time and the season for feasting and fun. Along the limpid backwaters stately snake-boats with crews of over 100 men race each other to the rhythm to traditional boat songs. GANESH CHATURTHI - Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu The elephant-headed God Ganesh, the god of wisdom and success is worshipped at the colourful Ganesh Chathurthi festival. In Western India, large images of the god are installed and worshipped for several days after which they are taken out in procession and immersed in the river or the sea. |
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER | |
DUSSEHARA - All over India Based on the epic story of ramayana the ten days Dussehra festival signifying the triumph of good over evil is celebrated all over the country. In north India, the Ramlila is staged to commenmorate the heroism of Lard Rama. In Bengal, it is observed as Durga Puja and images of the warrior goddess Durga are immersed in lakes and rivers four days of worship. GANDHI JAYANTI - All over India The birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation is celebrated with reverence all over the country. DIWALI - All over India The brightest India festival when every city town and village is turned into a fairy land with millions of electric light, candles and oil lamps illuminating homes and public buildings. A special feature of the festival is the worship of Laxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. GURPURAB - North India The birth anniversaries of Guru Nanak, the first Guru of the Sikhs, is celebrate in the month of Kartik. |
NOVEMBER | |
CHHATRA PUJA - Nalanda, Bihar Twice a year, in the Hindu month spanning October and November and in that which spans April and May, in the state of Bihar women make vows to Surya, the sun god, promising to perform certain arduous rituals in exchange for special favours. A festival called Chhatra, lasting several days, is the culmination of these vows. MUHARRAM - All over India Commemorated the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the propohet Muhammad, Tazias, symbolic of the Marty's tomb at Karbala, are carried in morning procession. Muharram as observed in Lucknow, is famous. |
DECEMBER | | |
CHRISTMAS DAY - All over India
The Birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated in India, with the traditional exchanges of greetings and gifts.
The Birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated in India, with the traditional exchanges of greetings and gifts.
India's Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing films in regional languages.[1] Bollywood is the largest film producer in India and one of the largest centers of film production in the world.[2][3][4]
Bollywood is formally referred to as Hindi cinema.[5] There has been a growing presence of Indian English in dialogue and songs as well. It is common to see films that feature dialogue with English words, also known as Hinglish, phrases, or even whole sentences.[6]
India national cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), it is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test and One Day International (ODI) status.
The Indian cricket team is currently ranked first by the ICC in Tests and second in ODIs.[3] On 2 April 2011, the team won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, its second after 1983. It thus became only the third team after West Indies and Australia to have won the World Cup more than once.[4] As of October 2010, the Indian team has played 445 Test matches, winning 108, losing 138 and drawing 198 of its games, with 1 match ending in a tie.[5] India has a relatively better record in One Day Internationals, winning 52% of matches played. In both cases, win-loss ratio of recent years is much higher than that of older periods, when it was a weaker team. Currently Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the captain in all forms of the game while Duncan Fletcher is the coach.[6] Under the leadership of Dhoni, the Indian team has set a national record for most back-to-back ODI wins (9 straight wins)[7] and has emerged as one of the most formidable teams in international cricket.[8]
Although cricket was introduced to India by European merchant sailors in the 18th-century and the first cricket club in India was established in Calcutta in 1792, India's national cricket team did not play their first Test match until 25 June 1932 at Lord's.[9] They became the sixth team to be granted Test cricket status.[10] In their first fifty years of international cricket, India proved weaker than Australia and England, winning only 35 of the 196 test matches.[11] The team, however, gained strength near the end of the 1970s with the emergence of players such as Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and the Indian spin quartet—Erapalli Prasanna and Srinivas Venkataraghavan (both off spinners), Bhagwat Chandrasekhar (a leg spinner), and Bishen Singh Bedi (a left-arm spinner). Traditionally much stronger at home than abroad, the Indian team has improved its overseas form since the start of the 21st century. It won the Cricket World Cup in 1983 under Kapil Dev, was runners-up in 2003 under Sourav Ganguly, and won the World Cup a second time in 2011 under MS Dhoni. India have also been the Runners-up in 2000 ICC KnockOut Trophy, and the Joint Champions along with Sri Lanka in 2002 ICC Champions Trophy led by Sourav Ganguly in both the instances. India also won the inaugural World Twenty20 under Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2007. The current team contains many of the world's leading players, including Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag who hold numerous cricketing world records.[12]
Classical Dances of India
Kathakali literally means story-play and is an elaborate dance depicting the victory of truth over falsehood.
A Striking feature of Kathakali is the use of elaborate make-up and colourful costumes. This is to emphasize that the characters are superbeings from another world, and their make-up is easily recognisable to the trained eye as satvik or godlike, rajasik or heroic, and tamasik or demonic.
The theme of Mohini attam dance is love and devotion to god. Vishnu or Krishna is most often the hero. The spectators can feel His invisible presence when the heroine or her maid details dreams and ambitions through circular movements, delicate footsteps and subtle expressions. Through slow and medium tempos, the dancer is able to find adequate space for improvisations and suggestive bhavas or emotions.
The basic dance steps are the Adavus which are of four kinds: Taganam, Jaganam, Dhaganam and Sammisram. These names are derived from the nomenclature called vaittari.
The Mohini attam dancer maintains realistic make-up and adorns a simple costume, in comparison to costumes of other dances, such as Kathakali. The dancer is attired in a beautiful white with gold border Kasavu saree of Kerala, with the distinctive white jasmin flowers around a French bun at the side of her head. Bharata Natyam from Tamil Nadu.
Bharata Natyam dance has been handed down through the centuries by dance teachers (or gurus) called nattuwanars and the temple dancers, called devadasis. In the sacred environment of the temple these familes developed and propagated their heritage. The training traditionally took around seven years under the direction of the nattuwanar who were scholars and persons of great learning. The four great nattuwanars of Tanjore were known as the Tanjore Quartet and were brothers named Chinnaiah, Ponnaiah, Vadivelu and Shivanandam. The Bharata Natyam repertiore as we know it today was constructed by this talented Tanjore Quartet.
Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh
The dance drama that stil exists today and can most closely be associated with the Sanskrit theatrical tradition is Kuchipudi which is also known as Bhagavata Mela Natakam. The actors sing and dance, and the style is a blend of folk and classical. Arguably this is why this technique has greater freedom and fluidity than other dance styles.
Bhagavata mela natakam was always performed as an offering to the temples of either Merratur, Soolamangalam, Oothkadu, Nallur or Theperumanallur.
Odissi from Orissa
Odissi is based on the popular devotion to Lord Krishna and the verses of the Sanskrit play Geet Govinda are used to depict the love and devotion to God. The Odissi dancers use their head, bust and torso in soft flowing movements to express specific moods and emotions.
The form is curvaceous, concentrating on the tribhang or the division of the body into three parts, head, bust and torso; the mudras and the expressions are similar to those of Bharatnatyam. Odissi performances are replete with lores of the eighth incarnation of Vishnu, Lord Krishna. It is a soft, lyrical classical dance which depicts the ambience of Orissa and the philosophy of its most popular deity, Lord Jagannath, whose temple is in Puri. On the temple walls of Bhubaneshwar, Puri and Konark the dance sculptures of Odissi are clearly visible.
Kathak from Uttar Pradesh
This north Indian dance form is inextricably bound with classical Hindustani music, and the rhythmic nimbleness of the feet is accompanied by the table or pakhawaj. Traditionally the stories were of Radha and Krishna, in the Natwari style (as it was then called) but the Moghul invasion of North India had a serious impact on the dance. The dance was taken to Muslim courts and thus it became more entertaining and less religious in content. More emphasis was laid on nritta, the pure dance aspect and less on abhinaya (expression and emotion).
Manipuri from Manipur
This dance style was originally called jogai which means circular movement. In ancient texts it has been compared to the movement of the planets around the sun.
It is said that when Krishna, Radha and the gopis danced the Ras Leela, Shiva made sure that no one disturbed the beauty of the dancing. Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva also wished to see this dance, so to please her he chose the beautiful area of manipur and re-enacted the Ras Leela. Hundreds of centuries later, in the 11th century, during the reign of Raja Loyamba, prince Khamba of the Khomal dynasty and Princess Thaibi of the Mairang dynasty re-enacted the dance and it became known as Lai-Haraoba, the most ancient dance of Manipur.
CHARKULA DANCE
The spectacular dance from Braj region of Uttar Pradesh - the land of Lord Krishna and his consort - Radha. Veiled women balancing large multi-tiered circular wooden pyramids on their heads, alight with 108 oil lamps, dance to the strains of 'rasiya' - songs of Lord Krishna. Charkula is especially performed on the third day after Holi - the day which Radha was born. According to legend, Radha's grandmother ran out of the house with the charkula on her head to announce the birth of Radha, Since then, Charkula has formed a popular dance form of Brajbhoomi, performed during various festivities. Every aspect of the culture of the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh is associated with Lord Krishna hence how was it possible for a dance form or a song, a story or a legend of Braj to remain untouched with the Krishna legend ! So it happened with the Charkula dance as well -- a folk dance of the Braj area, which has also found it's origin in the Krishna legend. It is believed that the Charkula dance celebrates the happy victory over Indra by Krishna and the cowherd community of Braj. This dance, therefore, became a symbol of happiness as well as joyful rapture. Krishna raised the mount Goverdhan and as if to re-enact the Govardhan Leela the dancing damsel of Braj raises the 50 Kilo Charkula on her head while performing the Charkula dance.
Wearing long skirts reaching the toes and a blouse, the dancing damsel covers her body and face with the odhani and with it's lighted lamps on her head and lighted lamps in both the hands, she dances, synchronising her steps with the beat of the drum. Her movements are limited because of the heavy load on her head.
She cannot bend her body, nor can she move her neck. In spite of these limitations the slim, sturdy and courageous dancer dances, gliding, bending, piruetting to the tune of the song. The climax is reached when enraptured by the collective merriment of the occasion, the singers also starts dancing and, with the swift beat of music and movement, the onlookers find themselves carried away by the rejoicings.
Wearing long skirts reaching the toes and a blouse, the dancing damsel covers her body and face with the odhani and with it's lighted lamps on her head and lighted lamps in both the hands, she dances, synchronising her steps with the beat of the drum. Her movements are limited because of the heavy load on her head. She cannot bend her body, nor can she move her neck. In spite of these limitations the slim, sturdy and courageous dancer dances, gliding, bending, piruetting to the tune of the song. The climax is reached when enraptured by the collective merriment of the occasion, the singers also starts dancing and, with the swift beat of music and movement, the onlookers find themselves carried away by the rejoicings.
