Internation Awards Given to India

Conde Nast Traveller, UK in its Readers Travel Awards 2008 has ranked India among the top 2 most favoured countries in the world, consecutively for the second year.


India received the award for the leading destination at the Asia World Travel Awards 2008-“Asia and Indian Ocean” Ceremony, in Shanghai, China.

Bronze Lion Award was won at the 55th International Advertising Festival held at Cannes, France for the creative on the ‘Taj Mahal’ which was used for Ministry of Tourism’s Incredible India Campaign in the international market.

PC World adjudged the website of the Ministry of Tourism (www.incredibleindia.org) a winner of the PC World Web Award 2008.

The prestigious “World Travel Award 2008” for its role in developing and promotion of "Responsible Tourism” at 14th World Travel Market (WTM) 2008 held at Excel, London from 10th-13th November 2008.

Incredible India received the Global SASI (Shop America Salutes Innovation) Award given by the National Geographic Society, USA for innovation in creating long-lasting, sustainable, authentic shopping opportunities for travelers and residents of India alike.

The Incredible India International Television Commercial for 2008 has recently won the Grand prix Award – The main prize of the International Tourism Film Festival organized by Comite International des Festivals du Film Touristique” (CIFFT)

HUMMMM...it's really difficult for me to define INDIA...there is so much to know about this amazing country.may be the Infrastructure of INDIA is not as good as some of the other countries in the world but the CULTURE and the HERITAGE we have is suerly "Unbeatable"

Below check out an amazing video about "TIMELESS INDIA"

Dance In India

Classical dance in India is thousands of years old. There are many kinds of dance, each with some form of religious background. Though different, they all convey meaning using every part of the body. Eyes, hands, legs, feet, and face come together in the dance and music to set a mood and tell a story.

Bharata Natyam:

Bharata Natyam may be the oldest form of classical Indian dance. It is thought to have originated in the temples of Tamil Nadu in south India, where is was intended to honor and worship God. Even today, there is a great deal of the original religious influence, as every preformance begins with a danced prayer to God and an "alarippu", in which the dancer presents and dedicates the body to God. The name comes from "bha", meaning emotion, "ra", meaning melody, and "ta" meaning tal, or rhythm.


A Bharata Natyam dance is a solo preformance, but the dancer is accompanied by light instrumentation and a vocalist who sings both words and the beats of the drums. It is a mixture of pure dance and dance to tell a story. During the dance, the preformer keeps the upper body upright while the legs are held in a bent-knee, turned out position. In general, the body is thought of as a series of three triangles. A Bharata Natyam recital has a definate order of pieces, each with a purpose and time signature.

Kathakali

Kathakali is a type of dance-drama that comes from Kerela, located in South India. It is thought to have originated in the 17th century and has its roots in Indian mythology. It is called a "dance-drama" because the dance is not always the main focus. Instead, the preformer tells a well known story from Hindu epics or scriptures using facial expression and specific hand gestures. The costumes for Kathakali are quite elaborate: for instance, dancers wear huge, rounded skirts. Their headgear may be made out of carved wood and the heavy makeup often takes hours to apply. Much of the story that accompanies the dance is told by singers accompanied by precussion instruments.

Odissi

Like many other Indian dances, Odissi originated in temples, as a way to honor God. It may have originated in the 2nd century BCE in Orissa. Odissi dancing maintains a tie between the dance and the sculptures on the ancient temples and caves of India. Defined poses are often held before a smooth and flowing transition to the next section of the dance. Many dances and dance music follow the popular story of Radha and Krishna or other ancient stories of love.

Distinguishing positions of Odissi dance include the balenced standing position; the "tribhanga", in which the head and hip are thrust to one side while the upper body angles in the other direction; and the "chauka", where the toes and legs are pointed to the sides and the feet are slightly apart with knees bent. The dancer wears silver jewelry and a sari that has been stitched to hold in position.

Kathak:

Kathak dancing comes from northern India. It is thought to have originated with traveling storytellers called Kathaks. They told mythological stories using hand gestures, instruments, and vocal music. Kathak dancing today is accompanied by percussion instruments that set complex rhythms that the dancer must match. Both men and women perform Kathak.

Kathak is known for its fast footwork, complex rhythms, and the many spins executed by the dancer. The turns often end in defined poses. The dancer wears strings of bells on the feet, like Bharata Natyam, and must use different parts of the foot to create different sounds. This means that any single step taken by a Kathak dancer is really a set combination of up to 12 steps that must follow strict rhythm. The choice of step to create sound is coordinated with the instrumentalist. Unlike other forms of Indian dance, the emphasis in Kathak is clearly on footwork.

Globalization In India

Globalization in India has allowed companies to increase their base of operations, expand their workforce with minimal investments, and provide new services to a broad range of consumers.



The process of globalization has been an integral part of the recent economic progress made by India. Globalization has played a major role in export-led growth, leading to the enlargement of the job market in India.



One of the major forces of globalization in India has been in the growth of outsourced IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) services. The last few years have seen an increase in the number of skilled professionals in India employed by both local and foreign companies to service customers in the US and Europe in particular. Taking advantage of India’s lower cost but educated and English-speaking work force, and utilizing global communications technologies such as voice-over IP (VOIP), email and the internet, international enterprises have been able to lower their cost base by establishing outsourced knowledge-worker operations in India.


As a new Indian middle class has developed around the wealth that the IT and BPO industries have brought to the country, a new consumer base has developed. International companies are also expanding their operations in India to service this massive growth opportunity.


Notable examples of international companies that have done well in India in the recent years include Pepsi, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Kentucky Fried Chicken, whose products have been well accepted by Indians at large.


Globalization in India has been advantageous for companies that have ventured in the Indian market. By simply increasing their base of operations, expanding their workforce with minimal investments, and providing services to a broad range of consumers, large companies entering the Indian market have opened up many profitable opportunities.


Indian companies are rapidly gaining confidence and are themselves now major players in globalization through international expansion. From steel to Bollywood, from cars to IT, Indian companies are setting themselves up as powerhouses of tomorrow’s global economy.

Food In India

Diversity can be found in India's food as well as its culture, geography and climate. Spices are a vital part of food preparation and are used to enhance the flavor of a dish. Correct use and blending of the aromatic spices is crucial to the proper preparation of Indian cuisine. Even oil is an important part of cooking, whether it's mustard oil in the north or coconut oil in the south, each section of the country has it's preferences.


Vegetables vary according to the different regions and the season. The vegetables are prepared according to the main dish or food that's to be served with them. It is not common for Indians to keep leftover food, if it is bought or made in one day it is consumed that same day. Some foods compliment each other, with the Tamil Nadu's rice and lentils being an example. These foods taste best when they are consumed with deep fried vegetables, whereas in Punjab, Sarson ka saag compliments the Makke ki Roti (maize bread).

RELIGIOUS INFLUENCES

Although a number of religions exist in India, the two cultures that have influenced Indian cooking and food habits are the Hindu and the Muslim traditions. Each new wave of settlers brought with them their own culinary practices. However, over time they adopted a lot of specialties and cooking methods from the Indian cuisine and blended the two to perfection. The Portuguese, the Persians and the British made important contributions to the Indian culinary scene. It was the British who started the commercial cultivation of tea in India.


The Hindu vegetarian tradition is widespread in India, although many Hindus eat meat now. The Muslim tradition is most evident in the cooking of meats. Mughlai food, kababs, rich Kormas (curries) and nargisi koftas (meatballs), the biryani (a layered rice and meat preparation), rogan josh, and preparations from the clay over or tandoor like tandoori rotis and tandoori chicken are all important contributions made by Muslim settlers in India.

Tandoori (Roasted) Chicken

Biryani (Rice) with Chicken or Meat Peices

NORTH INDIAN FOOD

A typical North-Indian meal would consist of chapatis or rotis (unleavened bread baked on a griddle) or paranthas (unleavened bread fried on a griddle), rice and an assortment of assessories like dals, friend vegetables, curries, curd, chutney, and pickles. For dessert one could choose from the wide array of sweetmeats from Bengal like rasagulla, sandesh, rasamalai and gulab-jamuns. North Indian desserts are very similar in taste as they are derived from a milk pudding or rice base and are usually soaked in syrup. Kheer is a form of rice pudding, shahi tukra or bread pudding and kulfi, a nutty ice cream are other common northern desserts.

North Indian Curry

North Indian Bread

SOUTH INDIAN FOOD

South Indian food is largely non-greasy, roasted and steamed. Rice is the staple diet and forms the basis of every meal. It is usually served with sambhar, rasam (a thin soup), dry and curried vegetables and a curd preparation called pachadi. Coconut is an important ingredient in all South Indian food. The South Indian dosa (rice pancakes), idli (steamed rice cakes) and vada, which is made of fermented rice and dal, are now popular throughout the country. The popular dishes from Kerala are appams (a rice pancake) and thick stews. Desserts from the south include the Mysore pak and the creamy payasum.

Idli

Dosa

Famous People of India Recognised worldwide

India has been made by the contributions of several people who have made their inputs in various ages. India has been enlightened by the presence of these people since its birth. All of them contributing in various spheres of life have been of great importance to the Indian Society. Here is list a few of them...

One of the first Emperors of India who is also the Architect of Modern India, is the famous one...Shah Jahan

The Queen in whose memory Taj Mahal was made by Shah Jahan and who ruled in the hearts of her people..Mumtaz Mahal

The Emperor with the famous Nine Jewels of his Court, was the most brave Emperor of Modern India...Akbar

The Father of the Nation, who got India its Independence.... Mahatma Gandhi

The first Prime Minister of India and the architect of Five Year Plans, he is also known as Chacha Nehru...

Jawaharlal Nehru

The youngest Prime Minister of India, who gave India its computers and Information Technology...Rajiv Gandhi

Former Miss World and bollywood Actress.....Aishwarya Rai

The angry young man and the father of Bolywood, his charms as an actor are incomparable...
Amitabh Bachan

The Founder, Ceo and Director of Infosys, is main force behind todays Indian Policies of RBI...
Narayan Murthy

The uncompromising King of Indian Music, he is still one of the revered ones....Kishore Kumar

Ceo of Airtel, the second largest player of mobiles in India.....Sunil Mittal

The Little Master of India, is still the backbone of Indian Cricket Team.....Sachin Tendulkar

This Iron Lady and Prime Minister of India had even the Enemies bowing before her...Indira Gandhi

The kind mother of all who was awarded Noble Peace Prize for her works of Humanity......Mother Teresa

The founder of Wipro and a master entrepreneur, his is an icon of many....Azim Premji

A humble man and a bread earner of millions of Indians, he is the one who got mobiles for a common man...
Dhirubhai Ambani

The Man who changed America or the Saint of India was the strongest man India had....

Swami Vivekanand

Architecture of India

The architecture of India is rooted in its history, culture and religion.Indian architecture progressed with time and assimilated the many influences that came as a result of India's global discourse with other regions of the world throughout its millennia-old past. The architectural methods practiced in India are a result of examination and implementation of its established building traditions and outside cultural interactions.


Though old, this Eastern tradition has also incorporated modern values as India became a modern nation state.The economic reforms of 1991 further bolstered the urban architecture of India as the country became more integrated with the world's economy.Traditional Vastu Shastra remains influential in India's architecture during the contemporary era.

From the Ajanta caves to the Taj Mahal, the architecture of India is rich and varied. To explore this vast land, including Buddhist and Mughal temples, archaeological sites, and the ancient erotic sculptures of Khajuraho, begin here.

Ajanta Calves is one of the tourist Top-Destination

Built in 1648, the Taj Mahal in Agra, India has been named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. The master architect was Ustad 'Isa.

Some twenty thousand workers spent twenty-two years constructing the glistening white Taj Mahal. Made entirely of marble, the structure was designed as a mausoleum for a favorite wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Beautifully symmetrical, each element of the Taj Mahal is independent, yet perfectly integrated with the structure as a whole.

Arranged marriage in India

Arranged Marriage have been the tradition in Indian society for centuries. Even today an overwhelming majority of Indians in India have their marriages planned by their parents and other respected family-members. Arranged matches were made after taking into account factors such as age, height, personal values and tastes, the backgrounds of their families (wealth, social standing) and their castes and the astrological compatibility of the couples' horoscopes.

In India, the marriage is thought to be for life, and the divorce rate is extremely low. In India, 1.1% of marriages result in a divorce compared with over 45.8% for USA. The arranged marriages generally have a much lower divorce rate. The divorce rates have risen significantly in recent years.

The following factors are generally considered in Indian marriages to search for compatibility:

--Values and personal expectations: should match
--Age and height: girl should generally be younger and shorter
--Looks: should be acceptable to the other
--Religion: should be same, preferably same sect
--Mother tongue, caste: should be preferably same
--Diet (veg/non-veg/alcohol/smoking): may differ only if acceptable to the other
--Education: comparable educational levels or the boy should be more educated than the girl
--Profession: the profession should be acceptable to the other
--Financial: The boy's current and future financial situation should be acceptable to the girl.
--Astrological signs/attributes: should be compatible, if the two families believe in it.


Once the parents of both bride and groom agree with each in which all the relatives and known circle are called from both sides as a witness and to bless, then in that engagement function itself a date is fixed for marriage as per bride and grooms horoscope and astrologically auspicious day, the priest will announce to all that both the family are agreed to the acceptance of marriage of their son/daughter on the particular date. Then in the name of god both the families exchange fruits and cloths as a symbol of happy acceptance.

The wedding is conducted in accordance with Vedic rites and rituals with the invited guests considered to be the 'society' in whose presence the girl is given away in holy matrimony to the boy.

From that moment on, he is to consider himself responsible for fulfilling her smallest of small desires to the biggest of them, to the best of his ability. He promises to be faithful to her and to worship the ground she walks on. She in turn is to treat him as her lord and master, her guide and adviser through good and bad, for the rest of her life.

That's how the typical Indian wedding looks like.the bire were RED derss(typically) but it can be of any color other than "White" because white in Indian culture is worn on funerals not in wedding.

Festivals of India

India is known for its colorful festivals. As we have hundreds of languages, foods, attires…we also have tons of festivals celebrated in INDIA. I will talk about some of the main festivals celebrated in INDIA because it’s impossible to talk about all of them. These festivals are celebrated according to different religions and beliefs.

                  

The main festival which is celebrated by all Indians is diwali. Diwali reminds us of the festive season of joy, splendor, enthusiasm and happiness. It is the festival of lights and is celebrated with great excitement by all Indians all over the world. Families light their house decorates and prepares sweets and pray to God Laxmi for peace, happiness and prosperity in the family. We also burn crackers on this day to celebrate the day.

The other main festival is Holi which is the celebration of colors in our lives. The festival has different aspects to its celebration. Like it is a celebration of good over evil, a carnival of colors, a community festival, a secular festival and a tradition of ancient spring rites. People of all religion and caste color each other with gulal (a powdered color) and other form of dyes. They also visit homes, distribute sweets and greet each other. Men, women, adult and children all take part in dances and other cultural programs. It's the time of the year when roadside stalls throughout the country bear tables covered with bags of colorful powder, called gulal. Holi is the exuberant festival of color.

The Rakhi festival or Raksha Bandhan has a special significance in hearts of brothers and sisters. The silken thread of Rakhi symbolizes the love between siblings. The Rakhi Festival symbolizes all aspects of protection of the good from evil forces. Rakhi is meant to sweeten the ties of brother and sister. Rakhi is celebrated with great joy and excitement all around India. Known as Raksha Bandhan in other parts of the country, Rakhi festival showcases the love, affection and feeling of brotherhood. The main ritual consists of tying the 'Rakhi' knot on to a brother's wrist. 'Raksha Bandhan' literally means 'Bond of protection' and implies that while the sister prays to God for the well-being and prosperity of her brother, the brother vows to protect her against all the evils of the world and help her in all the problems. The day is all about Raksha or protection. The values, emotions and the sentiments attached to the customs of Rakhi festival are worth inculcating by the whole human race, the sentiments of harmony and peaceful coexistence.

Personally my favorite festival is Raksha Bandhan because I really share a beautiful and a very loving relation with my brother. He always gift me something on this day and we both celebrate it with love. So that’s it for this blog. See you all in the next post.

As promised I am back with my next posting on Indian culture. In this post I will talk about the Indian culture and Indian Attire.

The family culture in INDIA is very different from what we have in western countries. Indian culture is rich and diverse and as a result unique in its very own way. Our manners, way of communicating with one another, etc are one of the important components of our culture. Even though we have accepted modern means of living, improved our lifestyle, our values and beliefs still remain unchanged. A person can change his way of clothing, way of eating and living but the rich values in a person always remains unchanged because they are deeply rooted within our hearts, mind, body and soul which we receive from our culture.

Indian culture treats guests as god and serves them and takes care of them as if they are a part and parcel of the family itself. Even though we don’t have anything to eat, the guests are never left hungry and are always looked after by the members of the family. Elders and the respect for elders is a major component in Indian culture. Elders are the driving force for any family and hence the love and respect for elders comes from within and is not artificial. An individual takes blessings from his elders by touching their feet. Elders drill and pass on the Indian culture within us as we grow.

Like in here we greet each other by saying “Hi”  “Hello” our way of greeting people is by saying “NAMASTE” we fold both our hands together and wish anybody who come to our home. Well, like “NAMASTE” every religion in INDIA has their own way of greeting. But yes “hi” and “hello” are now a day’s most common greetings among youngsters and even elders.

We in India usually live in a joint family. It means all the family members with their siblings live together with their parents. Girls after marriage leave the home but boys live with their parents with their wife and children. But as time is changing, some people migrate from their home for jobs or business and live in nuclear family

but still family is of utmost important to them.

Attires in Indian culture:

Oh I love Indian attire. It’s so beautiful, elegant and rich with all the embellishments , blink and style different from the western and any other country. Very commonly you will find women’s wearing SARI or SUITS as a daily attire and LEHENGAS for special Occasions. And for men’s they wear jeans, T-Shirt, trousers, shirts and suits are very common whereas for any special occasion they wear SHERWANI.Other than our traditional dresses Jeans, dresses and skirts are also  commonly wore by women’s in INDIA but mainly more popular among youngsters and people living in Metros.

 SARI happens to be the most versatile drape with its amazing styles of draping and design. The sari is the traditional dress of India which also modifies as per material, drape and style with each region. This has also gone up to international drape style followed by ranking designers on the ramp shows. Sari is mostly wear by Indians in Wedding Ceremony, Functions any by some as a Daily Attire.Saree is draped with a top which we call as “BLOWSE”.

SUITS are of different styles available in India. Usually style differs by fashion and personal choice. But you will see quite lot variations in it. But every suit has a top which you can call as a “Tunic” bottom which we call as “Churidar” or “Salwar” and “Duptta” which you can call as a scarf .no matter what ever style of suit you are wearing it will have these three things in it.

LEHENGAS are mostly worn for special occasions and not as daily attire. Usually brides wear it on their wedding. It also has three parts “top, skirt and duppata”

SHERWANI is worn by men’s on special occasions like wedding. It has a long-shirt fully embellished bottom as “churidar” and a “duppata”.there can be a lot of variations on this dress too in terms of style and pattern according to personal choices.

Hummm…that’s all for today’s posting…. In my upcoming postings we will discuss about Indian Jewelry and Dance and so many other things to know INDIA better. 

See you in the next post...... 

About INDIA

It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues.

India, officially the Republic of India is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world.India is very rich in languages. There are uncountable number of languages and dialects being spoken in India. A minimum of 30 different languages have been identified along with 2000 dialects. Today, due to rapid industrialization and a bustling influence of multinationals in the economy, English has become the most common language, after Hindi, being spoken in the country.

There are four main religions of India.Hindu,Muslims,Sikh and Christianity.but other than this the rest of india is also divided in many other religion,caste and sud-caste.

I myself sometimes get amazed about India.it has so many shades and colors.there are total 28 states and seven union territories in INDIA.you will be amazed to know that every state has its own different language,culture, beliefs and special food which makes it real interesting.

In my upcoming blogs,i will discuss in detail about Indian culture,traditions,food,education,movies,sports and festivals.i hope you will enjoy reading my post as much as i am enjoying writing about it.

See you in the next post....