The story of India begins almost 500,000 years ago...

The story of India begins almost 500,000 years ago, when man first appeared on the subcontinent. Stone Age man occupied almost the entire Indian subcontinent except the Gangetic plain and some parts of Kerala. He shared his habitat with ancestors of cattle, buffalo, elephant, horse, hippopotamus and rhinoceros amongst others. The early man took shelter in natural caves and rock shelters but led a nomadic life of hunter-gatherer like his other counterparts in world. He ate meat, wild fruits, edible roots and tubers. These activities were carried out with the help of a variety of stone tools like hand axes, cleavers and scrapers. His life of hunter-gatherer did not change for thousands of years.

During all these millennia man was refining the tool technique and had started making smaller but more effective tools of stone as well as bone. He had also started expressing his ideas through rock paintings by this time. Around 9000 BCE the climate became more congenial and man started occupying new areas. He began to settle down in some parts of Vindhyas and the Gangetic valley. By this time fire was discovered and bow & arrow had been invented. Although still a hunter-gatherer, man stayed in seasonal camps and made stone or clay floors with hearths for living; and learnt to make pottery. He ate meat of animals like wild cattle, deer, nilgai, rhino and boar along with birds, fish, fruits, roots, tubers and wild rice. Rice was pounded, and perhaps cooked, before eating. Along with all these developments, one more step towards the consolidation of social group was taken; man started burying his dead, within the settlement area.

India is a land of plenty...

India is a land of plenty. With such diverse cultures India is arguably one of the richest as far as art forms are concerned. Culturally vibrant, India allures one and all.

The dances and music in India are particularly enticing. With thousands dialects one can imagine the vastness of the social structure. Each community has a specialty as far as the performing arts are concerned. The folk music or dances essentially belong to a particular state or community or sect with varied rhythms and melodies. The dances are different too depending on the local tastes. The folk art forms are till date very localised catering to the liking of the particular community only.

The Classical Indian dance and music styles have evolved over thousands of years of refinement and detailing. Though they were the favorites of a particular community they have now gained national importance. The performing arts of India are but just peek into the rich traditions and cultures of India.

Arthshastra..

Arthashastra the science of politics and economics, is also known as Dandaniti, Nitisara, Rajaniti and so on. It dealt not only with political theories and organisation of administrative machinery but also subjects connected with state and society, which today are clubbed under sociology, law and economics. At first the subjects were treated in a section in the Dharma Sutra and later in the Dharma Shastras. Such subjects are discussed in the Mahabharata as well. Independent treatises on the subject were also composed at an early date.

Kautilya’s Arthashastra is the earliest extant work of this class. It contains reference to a large number of treatises regarded as authority on the subject during his times. Kautilya’s Arthashastra however gradually came to be regarded as the standard on the subject and the previous works were cast into shadow.

Ayurveda...

Ayurveda the ancient system of medicine of India was developed with an objective of attaining a long and healthy life and covers physical, mental and to some extent spiritual aspects of well being. It also covers veterinary science. Some believe it to be a minor Veda related to Atharvaveda. It consists of eight main branches: Kaya- Internal Medicine, Shalya- surgery, Shalakya- the branch which uses a pointed instrument or a stick, Bala- paediatrics, Graha or Bhuta – Psychiatry, Visha – Toxicology, Rasayana- Rejuvenation and Vajikarana – Aphrodisiacs.

According to Ayurveda, the physical body, the senses, the mind and the soul together make a body. The fusion of these four things is named as life. The body is composed of derivatives of the five basic elements – earth, water, fire, air and space, in the form of doshas (basic elements), dhatus (tissues) and malas (waste products). The tissues are classified into seven categories: plasma, blood cells, muscular tissue, adipose tissue, bony tissue, bone marrow and the reproductive tissue. The three main waste products are urine, faeces and sweat. Whatever we eat is converted into life giving particles that, in turn, are converted to the three basic elements or doshas known as Kafa, Pitta, Vata. These elements are the basis of a body, may it be a human being or otherwise. The well being of the body depends on the balance of these three.

Any disease can be traced down to the imbalance of Vata, Pitta and Kafa. Just as everyone has a unique fingerprint, each person has a particular pattern of energy-an individual combination of physical, mental and emotional characteristics-which comprises their own constitution. This constitution is determined at conception by a number of factors and remains the same throughout one’s life. Thus, diagnosis according to Ayurveda has to be for an individual rather than of a disease. In this way, Ayurveda gives a basis of diagnosis for physical and psychological ailments.

Diagnosis with the help of the pulse is a unique characteristic of Ayurveda, shared only by the Arabs.

India Handmade Paper...

Handmade paper is an ancient art and is thought to have come to India from the Northwestern parts. It was revived during the Swadeshi movement by Mahatma Gandhi. Handmade paper can be made using a bewildering variety of natural materials and dyes as well as a number of finishing techniques. This is what makes handmade papermaking more an art than an industrial process. The paper maker lends to each sheet and variety of paper his very own little something: the technique of dyeing the pulp, adding the mottling substance, drawing out the sheet, and lending it a texture. Owing to its natural unprocessed fiber content, handmade paper is stronger, has a longer life, artistic feel and an elegant natural look. Handmade paper today is made by recycling agricultural wastes like bagasse, cotton rags, straw, jute, wool, etc., which makes it a bio-degradable and therefore environment-friendly product.

The basic process of making paper by hand is fairly simple. It can be divided into the following stages:

Preliminary Treatment: The first step is to collect the basic raw material like straw, leaves, rags, or other fibrous materials and break it down to small bits and pieces for treatment.

Beating: Small bits and pieces placed in a vat are beaten with a heavy pestle to separate the fibers. Then the mixture is washed under running water to remove impurities. Once the fibers have been sufficiently broken up and cleaned, they are kept in suspension, to make a pulp/stock.

Sheet Formation: The chief tool of the papermaker is the mould, which is inside a wooden frame called – deckle. The vat man or the papermaker dips the deckle with the mould into the vat containing the fiber-water mixture. The vat is shaken to distribute the pulp evenly, while the extra water drains out, the individual fibers interlock, giving strength to the sheets.

Pressing: The wet sheets are lifted by the vat man and transferred to a woolen felt by mild pressing. The wire pattern of the mould imprints itself onto the finished sheets. Different patterns, textures, designs could then be given to the sheets.

Peeling and Drying: The sheets are dried to remove the extra moisture. Drying is either done naturally by placing the sheets under the Sun or with a traditional Japanese device called Tau Suki.

Sizing: Handmade papers are generally treated with glue and starch to prevent ink from blotting on it. Sizing prevents the absorption of inks and fluids on paper. This finally gives the paper long life. The paper making process is over once the sized sheets are dry. These brand new sheets of paper are ready for use.

People and Life styles...

In a country as diverse and complex as India, it is not surprising to find that people here reflect the rich glories of the past, the culture, traditions and values relative to geographic locations and the numerous distinctive manners, habits and food that will always remain truly Indian. According to five thousand years of recorded history. 

From the eternal snows of the Himalayas to the cultivated peninsula of far South, from the deserts of the West to the humid deltas of the East, from the dry heat and cold of the Central Plateau to the cool forest foothills, Indian lifestyles clearly glorify the geography. The food, clothing and habits of an Indian differ in accordance to the place of origin. 

Indians believe in sharing happiness and sorrow. A festival or a celebration is never constrained to a family or a home. The whole community or neighbourhood is involved in bringing liveliness to an occasion. A lot of festivals like Diwali, Holi, Id, Christmas, Mahaveer Jayanthi are all celebrated by sharing sweets and pleasantries with family, neighbours and friends. An Indian wedding is an occasion that calls for participation of the family and friends. Similarly, neighbours and friends always help out a family in times of need. 

Ethnically Indians speak different languages, follow different religions, eat the most diverse varieties of food all of which add to the rich Indian culture.The beauty of the Indian people lies in the spirit of tolerance, give-and-take and a composition of cultures that can be compared to a garden of flowers of various colours and shades of which, while maintaining their own entity, lend harmony and beauty to the garden - India!

Geography.

India is set apart from the rest of Asia by the Himalayas, the highest, youngest and still evolving mountain chain on the planet. The subcontinent as it is rightly called, touches three large water bodies and is immediately recognizable on any world map. This thick, roughly triangular peninsula defines the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Arabian sea to the west, and the India Ocean to the south. 

India holds virtually every kind of landscape imaginable. An abundance of mountain ranges and national parks provide ample opportunity for eco-tourism and trekking, and its sheer size promises something for everyone. From north to south India extends a good 2000 miles (3200 km), where the island nation of Sri Lanka seems to be squeezed out of India like a great tear, the synapse forming the Gulf of Mannar. 

Himalayas, the world's highest mountain chain and Nepal as its Neighboring country dominate India's northern border. Following the sweeping mountains to the northeast, its borders narrow to a small channel that passes between Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, then spreads out again to meet Burma in the "eastern triangle." Apart from the Arabian Sea, its western border is defined exclusively by Pakistan.

North India is the country's largest region begins with Jammu and Kashmir, with terrain varying from arid mountains in the far north to the lake country and forests near Srinagar and Jammu. Moving south along the Indus river, the North becomes flatter and more hospitable, widening into the fertile plains of Punjab to the west and the Himalayan foothills of Uttar Pradesh and the Ganges river valley to the East. Cramped between these two states is the capital city, Delhi. 

The states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and part of the massive, central state of Madhya Pradesh constitute West India. Extending from the Gujarat peninsula down to Goa, the west coast is lined with some of India's best beaches. The land along the coast is typically lush with rainforests. The Western Ghats separate the verdant coast from the Vindya Mountains and the dry Deccan plateau further inland.

India is the home of the sacred River Ganges and the majority of Himalayan foothills, East India begins with the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, which comprise the westernmost part of the region. East India also contains an area known as the eastern triangle, which is entirely distinct. This is the last gulp of land that extends beyond Bangladesh, culminating in the Naga Hills along the Burmese border.

India reaches its peninsular tip with South India, which begins with the Deccan in the north and ends with Cape Comorin. The states in South India are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, a favourite leisure destination. The southeast coast, mirroring the west, also rests snugly beneath a mountain range---the Eastern Ghats.