India

India : An overview India, officially the Republic of India, is a

country in South Asia. Geographically, it is the seventh-largest country

in the world and the second- most populous after China.

It is the place of origin of four of the world’s major religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism

and Sikhism and hence an example of the phrase “Unity in Diversity”. It is also the perfect

example of a Multilingual and Multiethnic society.

The Indian Map

Our National Symbols

The Indian culture is an amalgamation of diverse sub-cultures. The languages, religions, folk lore, cuisines, architecture differ from place to place. Here, even the taste of water may change at every 100 kilometers!

The Indian Culture

Indians are great food lovers. Being a diverse nation, the food culture differs not only from

region to region but religion to religion as well. The common thread that runs between most

Indian cuisines is the use of various herbs and spices which add flavor and aroma to them.

These spices also have medicinal properties.Vegetarianism is practised among most Indian

families.

Indian Cuisine

India, being a culturally and religiously diverse society, celebrates various holidays and festivals. Festivals like Diwali, Eid-ul-Fitr, Holi, Christmas, Dussehra etc., are celebrated with a lot of enthusiasm throughout the nation.

26 January and 15 August are observed as National Holidays as they are the Republic and Independence days of India respectively.

Festivals

SportsThe national sport of India is Hockey. The Indian

Hockey Team won the 1975 Hockey World Cup and 8 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze medals at the Olympic

games, making it one of the most successful national hockey teams ever.

Cricket, however, is by far the most popular sport. The Indian Cricket Team has won the 1983 and 2011 World

Cups. Over the years, India has given the world, great

sportsmen like Sachin Tendulkar, Sania Mirza, Kapil Dev etc.

Zone-wise description

of India.

Indo-Aryan languages predominate North India. It is particularly known for it’s scenic beauty and includes the states of Himachal Pradesh,

Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan.

The well-known folk dances of North India are the Bhangra of Punjab, Ghoomar of Rajasthan

and Rouf and Bhand Pather of Jammu.

North India

East India is a region of India consisting of states of West Bengal,

Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa. Bengali is the dominant language of

this region. Odissi is the only classical dance in

Eastern India.

East India

The southern part of India includes the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and

Kerala as well as the union territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep.

This region is also known as Dravida as is used in our national anthem.

Kannada,Malayalam,Tamil and Telugu are the languages mostly used in this region of india.

South India

Attracting pilgrims and tourist from all over the world, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

constitute the geographic heart of india.

The central India is a perfect mix of modern and traditional culture.

Central India