Archives November 2012

India, the land of varied cultures and traditions is a land I of festivals and fairs. It is a land of festivity - religious as well as folkloristic. Whether you go to the East or the West, | North or the South you would be able to enjoy every month a festival or a fair. Be it cultural or religious, it gives j everyone an opportunity to enjoy and join the festivity. Festival is the time to rejoice and have fun. Many festivals celebrate the various harvests; commemorate great historical figures and events, while many express devotion to the deities of different religions. Every celebration centres on the rituals of prayer, seeking blessings, exchanging goodwill, decorating houses, wearing new cloths, music, and dance and feasting. In India every region and every religion has something to celebrate. The festivals reflect the vigour and life-style of its people. Vibrant colours, music and more...

The Sikh religion emerged during the early i6th century in the state of Punjab in North India. The founder of this faith was Guru Nanak, who from his childhood was attracted to both Hindu and Muslim saints. Born a Hindu, but also inspired by the teachings of Islam, he began to preach the message of unity of both religions. According to him, the basic teachings of both faiths were essentially the same. Nanak attracted many followers and came to be known as a Guru or a teacher. His disciples came together to form a new religious tradition called Sikhism. The Gurus who followed Nanak contributed to the consolidation and spread of Sikhism. The teachings of Guru Nanak were incorporated in the 'Guru Granth Sahib', the Holy Book of the Sikhs which became a symbol of God for Sikhs. The fifth Guru, Guru Arjun built the Golden Temple at Amritsar which more...

Christianity first came to India by way of St. Thomas. He came to Kerala, in southwestern India, and founded the first church. Ironically, Shankaracharya, a Hindu reformer and seer, was born in Kerala some five hundred years after St. Thomas. St. Thomas ended up dying in the Chennai region (then known as Madras) of the Tamils. Most Christians in India are Catholic (over 60 percent) and a majority of them are found in the south, particularly Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu. Approximately one third of Kerala's population is comprised of Christians and they are involved in all aspects of society. Contrary to popular belief, British rule had little to do with the growth of Christianity in India. The missionaries generally tended to turn public opinion, even those of the Indian Christians, against foreign rule. Bengali Christiansin Calcutta was fairly import.mt in their respective areas, whether it was in education, as more...

It is not sure where the earliest practices of Hinduism came from. The best evidence suggests that it originated from the Indus valley civilization around 4000 B.C. to2000 B.C. During this time period Hinduism was influenced by many different invasions. Around 1500 B.C. the "Aryan" Indo European tribes invaded Northern India. With this invasion they brought their religion of Vedism. The Vedic Arians influenced the practices and beliefs of the Indus valley people and gave Hinduism its distinct identity. It is also said that this theory may not be accurate. Some people say that the time the Arians invaded India does not agree with other historical dates. What was clear was that there was a combining of cultures lead to what is Hinduism today. Hinduism is not really considered a religion; it is a way of life. It consists of thousands of religions that have evolved in India over the more...

Jainism as a religious tradition was established in India about the same time as Buddhism. Mahavira, one of the J'mas (conquerors) preached the Jain philosophy around the same time that Buddhism began. Like Buddhism, Jainism rose against the corruption in the interpretation of Hinduism prevalent at the time. The underlying philosophy of Jainism is that renunciation of worldly desires and self-conquest leads to perfect wisdom. This faith believes in total abstinence and asceticism as practiced by the Jinas and the Tirthankars ("crossing-makers"). The "crossing refers to the passage from the material to the spiritual realm, from bondage to freedom Followers of this faith accept the popular gods of Hinduism but they are placed lower than the jinas. The focus of this religion has been purification of the soul by means of right conduct, right faith and right knowledge. This faith also enunciates complete non-violence and the Jain monks can be more...

Discipline is the basis of the whole universe. The sun and the planetary movements around it are all governed by a set of laws to maintain perfect harmony and beauty. Without this order, there would be utter chaos. Similarly, discipline is one of the basic equipments of a civilized society. Societies which were not governed by discipline and order, fell prey to outside aggressions and degenerated. The strength of a nation lies in discipline. It helps to make progress, fight external invasions and maintain national unity. Citizens of a disciplined nation work with a spirit of cooperation and unity. History tells us that whenever a nation is torn apart by internal strife, it morale drops and opportunist neighbours often take advantage of the situation. Discipline means mode of life in accordance with rules. It, however, does not mean negation of personal liberty. Discipline means to subject oneself to control. In more...

Raja Ram Roy was born in Radhanagar village in Bengal's Hooghly district on May 22, 1772, to conservative Bengal Brahmin parents. Ram Mohans' parents, Ramakanta Roy and Tarini Mukherjee, were devout Hindus. His father was a worshipper of Lord Vishnu. Ram Mohan showed a religious disposition from an early age.                 At the age of 14 he wanted to be a "sanyasi" hermit, but his mother persuaded him otherwise. Another example of his devoutness was his habit of not even having water each morning until he had recited a chapter from the Bhagvata Purana. Ram Mohan was reputed to have a "tenacious memory", and showed signs of intelligence at an early age. He learnt Bengali at school first. He also went to Tibet to learn about Buddhism. He learnt Persian, which was the court language. This gave him the ability to read the mystic poerty and philosophy of the Persian Sufis. more...

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) is the central agency of the Government of India to disseminate information on its policies, programmes, decisions and activities. The information put out by PIB goes to daily newspapers, news periodicals and news agencies as well as radio and television organizations, both Indian and foreign.   With a countrywide teleprompter network and air bag facilities, PIB reaches newspaper organizations not only in Delhi but all other parts of the country as well. No other organization in the country reaches such large number of newspaper organizations and other media. The main functions of the Bureau are to put out information on Government policies, programmes and activities, obtain feedback on how these are received and to apprise the Government of public reaction as published in the news and editorial columns of English and Indian language newspapers. The Bureau also advises the Government on its information and media policy. more...

India has completed fifty years of her independence which was indeed won in unique and distinguished manner when the nation freed herself from the chains of foreign rule and exploitation. She dreamed of a future full of prosperity, equality and justice for all. We have achieved a lot during the past five decades but our progress has not been satisfactory in many vital fields. It is an irony that India, which is one of the richest in natural resources, has been rated as one of the poorest countries of the world. We must celebrate our Golden Jubilee for introspection and for pragmatic planning in the future. The second major drawback of our policies manifested itself in terms of high population growth. The urban centres became the backwaters of human civilization. Growth in rural population was also tremendous. The rising population levels have put severe pressures on our economy and society. more...

Travelling by air is one of the most exciting ways of travelling, and the Airport from where air travel begins s a place bustling with activities, people coming and going, and announcements Bing made to remind passengers that their flight is about o take off. After arriving at the Airport, it is customary to deposit your baggage at the airline counter. The officer on duty examines your air ticket. Expect a queue at the counter, but wait your turn patiently—it will come. After your tickets have been checked, the baggage is weighed. The standard baggage permitted is 20 kgs per passenger traveler on the economy class, and 30 kgs for those travelling in the first class, on both domestic and international flights. The baggage that is not required on the flight is checked in. Normally a small bag is allowed into the aircraft, no large baggage is permitted. This is more...