- Dr.

Abha Rishi

Mark Twain, American author:

"India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only."

Regarded by many historians as the "oldest living civilization of Earth", the Indian tradition dates back to 8000 BC and has a continuous recorded history since the time of the Vedas, believed variously to be 3,000 to over 5,500 years ago. Several elements of India's diverse culture such as Indian religions, yoga and Indian cuisine have had a profound impact across the world.

Geographical diversity Language Religions and spirituality Festivals Cuisine Dress Music & dance

Spanning an area of 3,287,263 square kilometers, India is a vast country and includes dry desert areas, evergreen forests, snowy Himalayas, a long coast, and fertile plains. The unique geographic demographics also hosts a unique eco-system rich with vegetation, wildlife, rare herbs, and a large variety of birds.

The Deccan Plateau -- the southern peninsula encompassing the Dravida country North India -- the cradle of Indian civilization, also known as the Hindi belt Gangetic Plains -- Fertile plains on the banks of Ganga, Bhagirati rivers The Himalayan Valley -- Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh The Northeast -- States to the East of Bengal The Konkan Coast -- Western strip encompassing parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa The Thar Desert -- spread over parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi

There is no such thing as the Indian language. Hindi is the official language but there are over 200 languages in India (almost 1600, if you include dialects) The Indian currency is printed in 15 languages. Most forms (like job application, tax forms) in India are hence printed in three languages -English, Hindi, and a prominent local language.

States specify their own official languages the Indian Constitution contains a list of 22 scheduled languages, sixteen of which are considered major languages.

Virtually every major religion has a strong connection with India Buddhism was born in India (not China), so were Sikhism, Jainism, and of course Hinduism. including Christianity -- some people claim Jesus Christ meditated in India in his early years). The Zoroastrians, the Jews (living in India since 600 B.C.), the people of Bahai faith, all are found in India in substantial numbers. There are also numerous cults in India, each practicing their own ideologies and interpretations of the major religions.

Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third- and fourth-largest religions respectively, with over 2 billion followers altogether and possibly as many as 2.5 or 2.6 billion followers. The religion of 80% of the people is Hinduism. Islam is practiced by around 13% of all Indians. Sikhism, Jainism and especially Buddhism are influential not only in India but across the world. Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judais m and the Baha'i Faith are also influential but their numbers are smaller. Despite the strong role of religion in Indian life, atheism and agnostics also have visible influence along with a self-ascribed tolerance to other people.

India is a land of festivals and fairs. Every day of the year there is a festival celebrated in some part of the country. Some festivals welcome the seasons of the year, the harvest, the rains, or the full moon. Others celebrate religious occasions, the birthdays of divine beings, saints, and gurus (revered teachers), or the advent of the new year. A number of these festivals are common to most parts of India. However, they may be called by different names in various parts of the country or may be celebrated in a different fashion.

Many states and regions have local festivals depending on prevalent religious and linguistic demographics. Popular religious festivals include the Hindu festivals of Navratri, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durgapuja, Holi, Rakshabandan and Dussehra. Several harvest festivals, such as Sankranthi, Pongal and Onam, are also fairly popular. Certain festivals in India are celebrated by multiple religions. Notable examples include Diwali, which is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, and Buddh Purnima, celebrated by Buddhists and Hindus. Islamic festivals, such Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Ramadan, are celebrated by Muslims across India.

The cuisine in India is classified into three major categories. Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Satva which stands for balance, Rajas stands for passion, and Tamas stands for indulgence. Food is consumed according to the lifestyle of the person. The multiple varieties of Indian cuisine are characterized by their sophisticated and subtle use of Spices and Herbs. Though a significant portion of Indian food is vegetarian, many traditional Indian dishes include chicken, goat, lamb, fish, and other meats.

Generally, Indian cuisine can be split into 5 categories northern, southern, eastern, western and north-eastern. Cuisine across India has also been influenced by various cultural groups that entered India throughout history, such as the Persians, Mughals, and European colonists. Though the tandoor originated in Central Asia, Indian tandoori dishes, such as chicken tikka made with Indian ingredients, enjoy widespread popularity.

Traditional clothing in India greatly varies across different parts of the country and is influenced immensely by local culture, geography and climate. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men in addition, stitched clothes such as churidar for women and kurta-pyjama and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular. Worn by women on their forehead, the bindi is considered to be a highly auspicious mark in Hindu religion.

The style of wearing a sari reflects the age, region, religion, status and occupation of the women to some extent. The different styles of draping a sari are: Pan- Indian Gujarati Maharashtrian Other styles of draping a sari worth mention are: Kodagu and Nivi style.

The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular and classical music. The two main traditions of classical music are Carnatic music and Hindustani music Mainly string and percussion instruments are used to make music. There are other famous instruments which are used along with singing. The shehnai (a flute-like instrument played mainly at weddings), shankh (conch shell), harmonium, damru, nagara, manjira, etc.

Dance in India covers a wide range of dance and dance theatre forms, from the ancient classical or temple dance to folk and modern styles. There are hundreds of Indian folk dances such as Bhangra, Bihu, Ghumar Dance, Chhau and Garba and special dances observed in regional festivals. India has a number of classical Indian dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. The presentation of Indian dance styles in film, Hindi Cinema, has exposed the range of dance in India to a global audience

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