Indian Languages: Unity in Diversity

Map of Languages in India

India, the living “Tower of Bable”, is the only nation where diverse culture, varied languages and different religions find place. There are different linguistic communities in India which share common culture and languages. Hence the phrase “Unity in Diversity” describes India perfectly. A wide variety of language and dialects are spoken by the Indian people. The Constitution of India has recognized 18 national languages, each of which has a history and richness of its own. Further India is home to twenty two official languages and more than thousands of spoken languages. Mother tongues in India gears up to more than several hundreds.

Following the 2001 census of India, twenty nine languages belong to more than million local speakers, fifty languages are spoken by more than 1 lakh people and 114 languages belong to more than 10 thousand native people.

The official language of India is Hindi in the Devangiri script. English language for any kind of official purposes is also used in India. The classical languages of India are Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada and Telugu.  The judicial language of India is English. The proceedings of the Parliament is supposed to be made in either English or Hindi, until any person is incapable of expressing in both these languages, in which case he is supposed to seek permission from the speaker to address in mother tongue. The language for making Laws, Parliamentary enactments, statutory instruments etc is English unless it is decided otherwise by the Parliament.

The varied Indian languages spoken in various parts of our country are Assamese, Bodo, Bengali, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Konkani, Kashmiri, Maithili, Meitei, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Santhali, Telugu, Tamil and Urdu.

Some of the languages of India and the language speaking belts at a glance are here below.

Hindi, the official language of the nation is the mother tongue of almost 20% of the total population. The Hindi speaking belt comprises the states of Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Assamese, Assam’s state language is spoken by almost 60% of the population of the state. The beginning of the Assamese language goes back to 13th century.

Bengali is the language of nearly 200 million speakers all across the world, majority being in Bangla Desh and West Bengal. Bengali which started developing in the 13^th century is also the state language of West Bengal.

Gujarati, the language of Gujarat, is spoken by 70% of the population of Gujarat. It came out from Indo-European family of languages.

Kannada, the language of Karnataka is spoken by 65% of the state’s residents.

Kashmiri which is spoken by 55 % of the populace of Jammu and Kashmir is a language Devnagri script.

Konkani, which has branched out from classical Sanskrit, belongs to the family of Indo-Aryan languages. The language is spoken in various Konkan regions like Goa and the coastal areas of Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Malayalam, the Dravidian language is spoken by the residents of Kerala. It is avery old language.

Marathi, an Indic language dates back to 13th century. The official language of western Maharashtra is also Marathi.

Oriya, is the language of the state of Orissa and nearly 87 percent of the state’s population speaks Oriya.

Punjabi, one of the Indic languages, is spoken by the people of Punjab.

Sanskrit is one among the ancient languages and the classical language of India. The language has been used for writing Indian literature and epics.

Sindhi is spoken by huge number of people in the “North-west frontier” of the “Indian sub-continent” which comprise of regions of India and Pakistan.

Tamil is an old Dravidian language and is 2000 years old. This state language of Tamil Nadu is spoken by 65 million people.

Telugu, a Dravidian language is spoken by the natives of Andhra Pradesh.

Urdu is Jammu and Kashmir’s state language which developed with Hindi in Delhi. Urdu is the language of most of the Muslims staying in India.

Indian Economy Growth, 2010

Map of Economic Growth in India

The Indian Economy is the 11th largest in the entire world by “nominal GDP” and 4th largest by “purchasing power parity”. India’s varied economy is an assortment of agriculture, village farming, large number of industries, handicrafts and huge number of services.

Since 1990s, India began experiencing fast economic growth as a result of markets being opened up for global investments and competition. In the twenty first century, India is emerging as one of the economic powers with huge natural and human resources at its service. By the year 2008, India was successful in establishing itself as the “second fastest growing economy” of the world. The year 2009, however, saw a considerable slowdown in the growth rate of India’s GDP following the major recession and financial crisis in 2008 that affected the whole world terribly.

With the intention to maintain the economic growth at the time of recession, the Federal Authorities in India undertook diverse stimulus packages to increase the growth of the Indian Economy. The Indian Government raised the finance for the stimulas package by $100 billion. Presently, the central government is helping the states of India to meet the fiscal consolidation by improving the tax policies and administration, expenditure rationalization, budget management, financial management etc. Moreover to endow the country with sustainable and long term infrastructural growth, the government of India established the “India Infrastructure Finance Company Limited. As a result of this the disbursement is expected to touch Rs. 9,000 crores by the month of March, 2010.

According to the Central Statistical Organization, the GDP of the Indian Economy, 2010 is estimated to grow at the rate of 7.2%, while the service and industrial sectors are expected to grow by 8.7 and 8.2% respectively. India’s GDP grew by 6% in the later half of 2009, in comparison to the previous year. In the 3rd quarter of the year 2009-2010, economic activities like mining and quarrying grew by 9.6%, manufacturing by 14.3%, construction by 8.7%, trade, transport, hotels and communication at a rate of 10%, and finance, real estate, business services and insurance by 7.8%.

As per the “global competitiveness index” created by the “World Economic Forum”, India ranks forty nine among 133 nations in the years 2009-2010. This is due to the performance of India in various categories. These are exports, logistics, foreign tourist arrivals, telephone subscribers in the country, mutual funds, BPO sector, automobiles, gems and jewelry, tax, Indian drug market etc.

It is believed that the Indian Economy growth, 2010, will increase by 8.5% and by 10% in 2011-12. Agriculture is expected to contribute above 17.6% to the economy of India in the coming years. The predictions of the economists states that by the year 2020, India will emerge as one of the leading world economies.

HIV AIDS Cases in India

HIV AIDS Cases Map

HIV AIDS has been in India for more than 11 years now. Within a very short span of time AIDS has appeared as a very serious threat and problem to India and the world. Half the population of our country is adult who fall under the “sexually active age group”. The first HIV AIDS case in India was found in the year 1986, after which HIV AIDS cases in India has been detected in all the union territories and states of our country.

The spread of AIDS cases have been uneven in India. The southern part of the nation has been more affected in comparison to other parts. The initial HIV AIDS cases were accounted among the sex workers in Chennai and Mumbai which slowly engulfed the whole area. By the year 1996, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Manipur together reported 77 % of the AIDS cases in India, Maharashtra thereby accounting for half the numbers alone.

Such a rapid spread of AIDS in the country has its root cause in the alarming factors like labor immigration and mobility from the backward areas to the advanced regions, lack of awareness and low literacy rates, gender disparity, “sexually transmitted infections” and “Reproductive Tract Infections” to list a few.

However the most encouraging news for India has been the fact that the HIV AIDS case statistics in India has shown a considerable reduction. Rates of AIDS affected cases have reduced by more than half from 5.7 million to 2.5 million. India is also not the country with highest number of AIDS cases. What is most encouraging and appreciable is the effort made and the steps taken by the government and the NGOs all across the country, to ensure that AIDS can be controlled. Various policies and awareness programs taken up by the government at various levels have really helped in a positive way. Awareness levels have risen to more than 70% in urban areas and about 30% in the rural areas.

However, we just hope that this sense of optimism doesn’t make us satisfied with what we have achieved. We have a long way to go before AIDS can be completely eradicated. The treatment is in its initial stage. Awareness should spread at a fast pace especially in the rural areas where it is considerably low. The medical institutions needs to be more careful and many more organizations should come up for this cause. The government and the NGOs of India coupled with people’s cooperation can bring a huge change in the whole scenario of the HIV AIDS issue. Let’s hope for the best!!!

Venues of 2010 Commonwealth Games

Map of 2010 Commonwealth Games, Venues

Commonwealth Games, one of the largest and most prestigious international sport events will be hitting India soon. 2010 Commonwealth Games is the greatest event that Delhi is about to host after the 1982 Asian Games. After a hard fought battle in the general assembly of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Delhi won the bid to host the Games for the year 2010.

More than 70 countries and 17 disciplines of sports will be featured at the Commonwealth Games of 2010, Delhi. The Games will take place from 3rd to 14th October, 2010 in the various stadiums of Delhi which are being reorganized specially for this purpose.

Let us have a look at the various venues of 2010 Commonwealth Games.

• Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

With a capacity of more than 70,000 spectators, the largest stadium of Delhi, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will host the opening and the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, 2010. Besides, sports events namely athletics, weightlifting and lawn bowls will also be held in this stadium. Equipped with all kinds of modern infrastructure, the stadium is located very close to the Delhi airport and is about an hour from the Delhi railway station.

• Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium

Situated 10 kms away from the “Games Village”, the stadium has the capacity to house 25,000 spectators. With high-tech sound system, synthetic pitches of international standard and other facilities, the stadium will host the hockey event at the Commonwealth Games, 2010.

• I.G.Stadium Sports Complex

Cycling, Wrestling and Gymnastics events will take place in this stadium. It has a capacity of 5,000 people and is only 6 kms from the “Games Village”. The stadium is equipped with special rooms for both national and international federations.

• Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range

The stadium has a seating capacity of over 2000 spectators. It is situated at a distance of 21 Kms from the “Games village”. It will host the shooting event of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

• Thyagaraj Sports Complex

The stadium is the venue for the Netball event which is only 15Kms from the “Games Village”. It will be a “model green stadium” with top class facilities. The stadium is also outfitted with “green building technologies”.

• Talkatora Indore Stadium

The stadium is 11Kms from the “Games Village” and will host the Boxing event of the Commonwealth Games 2010. It has a capacity of 35oo spectators and is being renovated for the Games. We hope that the stadium will be all set to host the Games with its brand new state-of-the-art look.

• Siri Fort Sports Complex

Located at a distance of less than 17Kms from the Games Village, the sports complex is the venue for the badminton and squash events. It has retractable seating arrangements for 5000 people.

• Yamuna Sports Complex

This sports complex is a multi sport stadium located in Delhi. It is the Commonwealth 2010 venue for the table tennis event and will also host the preliminary rounds of the archery event.

• Delhi University

The stadium of the Delhi University has also been picked up as one of the venues of Commonwealth Games 2010 and is currently under renovation. It will host the Rugby Sevens event.

• SPM Swimming Pool Complex

As the name suggest, the stadium has been picked up as the venue for the aquatics event.

• R.K Khanna Tennis Complex

The well-maintained complex is among the popular venues of the Commonwealth Games 2010 and will be hosting the tennis events. It has a capacity of 6000 spectators.

Festivals of Rajasthan

Map of Rajasthan

Rajasthan is the biggest state of India in terms of area covered. The surreal dessert state of Rajasthan is considered as one of the liveliest states of the country. Replete with culture, tradition and history, Rajasthan has a charm of its own. Among other things the festivals of Rajasthan have made this state of India one of the country’s most popular state. Festivals are synonymous with Rajasthan. Whether for celebrating the change of season or for celebrating any religious event, Rajasthan festivals make most the part of the calendar of the Rajasthanis.

Held during January, Camel Festival is an important festival of the state. This grand festival is held in Bikaner once in a year. The parade of colorfully decorated camels marks the beginning of this lively festival of Rajasthan. The festival is also marked by a pageant show where camels are the participants. While on the first day of the festival the contest for the best ornamentation, best breed as well as fur removing design is held, the second day witnesses races of camels along with dance performances of the camels. Music and folk dancing also form an important part of the festival. The festival ends with a brilliant show of fireworks.

Elephant festival is held in Jaipur each year in the month of February and March. The festival is held around the time of Holi, which is the festival of colors. During this festival, elephants which are beautifully decorated make a procession. Parade of horses, camels and elephants along with folk dancing mark the beginning of this festival. Different elephant games like races between elephants, polo matches on elephants and tug of war between elephants and humans make an important part of this festival. However, the showstopper remains the contest of the ‘Best Decorated Elephant’.

Desert festival, a popular cultural festival of Rajasthan is held in January and February in Jaisalmer. A showcase of Rajasthani crafts and performing arts, music and folk dance are the crowd pullers of this festival. Craft shops, camel racing, turban-tying competition, longest moustache competition and Mr. Desert competition are the important events of this festival.

Gangaur festival is the most significant traditional festival, which is celebrated in the months of March and April. The festival is symbolic of marital happiness and is mainly devoted to Gauri. This festival is celebrated for 18 days throughout Rajasthan.

In addition to these, there are several other festivals of Rajasthan that have become a part of the lives of the people living here.

Kerala Tourism

Map of Kerala

Kerala, which is often known as God’s Own Country, is one of the major tourist destinations India. Surrounded by Karnataka, Arabian Sea, Tamil Nadu, Kerala is an important state located in southern part of India. This South Indian state is flocked by a large number of local and foreign tourists all through the year. The amiable weather accompanied by large number of tourist attractions, friendly local people has boosted Kerala tourism to a great extent. The backwaters, the surreal beaches, the hill stations, the wildlife make this state of India an interesting holiday destination.

The backwaters of Kerala form an important tourist attraction. They generally form the networks of deltas, lakes, estuaries and canals. These world famous backwaters form the lifeline of the Kerala. The Kerala backwaters which are actually a chain of lakes and brackish lagoons lie parallel to the coast of the Arabia Sea. One of the most attracting features of the backwaters is the houseboats. Tourists sail through these houseboats amidst the greens of the backwaters.

Kozhikode, which is located on the southwestern part in Kerala is an important tourist destination of the state. The place has a variety of tourist spots which attract visitors from around the world. Kaapad, the Art Gallery, the Dolphin’s Point, Thusharagiri are some interesting places of interest in Kozhikode.

Kerala has long coast line of 550 km along the Arabian Sea. Some of the important beaches of this state include Kovalam Beahc, Cherai Beach and Chowra Beach. Coupled with coconut trees, sands, crystal clear azure water, the beaches of Kerala is flocked by tourist throughout the day and night.

The commercial capital of Kerala, Kochi is an important tourist destination of the state. Travelers visiting Kerala make a point to visit this part for it houses one of the best natural harbors in the world. Kochi is also known as the ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’.

Among other things that make Kerala tourism very famous is the hill stations. There are number of popular hill stations surrounding this southern state of India. Some of most visited hill stations are Munnar, Pythal, Ponmudi, Devilulam and Vagamon.

The wet evergreen rainforest along with highland deciduous forest of Kerala is home to a wide variety of wildlife. One of the most protected wildlife conservation areas of this state is the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve which is home to leopards, Asian elephants, Indian sloth bear, Bengal tiger and many more. Other famous wildlife sanctuaries of this state are PEriyar Tiger Reserve, Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, Eravikulam National Park and Wayanad Wildlife Sancturay. In addition to these, numerous other places of interest form an integral part of Kerala tourism.

Textile Industry in India

Map of Major Textile Centers

The textile industry in India is the largest provider of employment after agriculture. This industry is one of the earliest industries of India to come into being; it is presently the second biggest industry in the world after China. Over the years, this industry has proved to be the provider of the basic requirements of the people.

The industry holds a vital place in the Indian economy as it makes a contribution of 14 % to the industrial production of the country and at the same time sums up 4% of the total GDP of India. Along with contributing to the Indian economic scenario in terms of employment, involvement in the industrial production, foreign revenues the textile industry of India also contributes to the global textile economy. It contributes to the global textile fiber and yarn production.

This independent industry comprise of various segments that include Cotton Textiles that encompass Handlooms, Silk Textiles, Handicrafts, Man-made Textiles, Coir and Jute and Readymade Garments.

Over 30% of the textile production of India is exported to the foreign market. USA, UK, Spain, Italy and Portugal are some of the prominent markets of exports of Indian textile production. Some of the close competitors of the Indian textile industry are Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

It is expected that the economy of the textile industry in India will grow to $ 85 billion by the year 2010 and will reach the export value of $ 40 billion. It also has been estimated that this industry will create 12 million jobs in the country coupled with an increase in the world share by 6 %.

Some of the most important textile centers of India are located in the states of West Bengal, Maharastra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Solapur, Pune, Nagpur and Amravati are some major centers for the cotton textile production. While the bulk of cotton textile production in Gujarat comes from Surat, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar and Bharuch, the important centers in West Bengal are Kolkata, Serampur, Howrah and Murshidabad.

West Bengal and Orissa are leading jute textile generation centers. On the other hand, Karnataka is the leading producer of silk textile. Some producer of woolen textile and carpet are Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir respectively.

Commerical Banks In India

Commercial Banks India Map

The banking system in India dates back to the 18th century. During the 1960s, the banking system in India became an integral part of the development of the Indian economy. From the time of its inception till the present year, Indian banking system has gone a long way.

The commercial banks in India are divided into two categories: Scheduled Commercial Banks and Unscheduled Commercial Banks. Some of the important functions of the Indian commercial banks are transferring of funds, accepting deposits and buying houses, capital investment and equipments.

Commercial banks in India

The following is a detailed list of some important commercial banks in India:

• State Bank of India:

State Bank of India, which is also known as SBI, with more than 16000 branches, is the biggest bank in India. This public bank of India offers a huge range of banking products with the help of its large networks both in India and overseas. Considered one of the Big Four Banks of India, SBI presently has 141 offices outside India. As per the second quarter of the fiscal year of 2009-2010, State Bank of India earned a net profit of 2,490 crore, compared to Rs. 2,260 crore profit made in the fiscal year of 2008-2009.

• HDFC Bank:

One of the most important commercial banks of India is HDFC Bank. Built in 1994 August, HDFC was promoted by the Housing Development Finance Corporation. The bank has 1412 branches and more than 3295 ATMs all over India. HDFC bank in the fiscal year of 2009-2010 made a net profit that increased 31.65% to Rs. 818.50 crore in comparison to Rs. 621.74 crore in December 2008. The main area of focus of HDFC bank includes Wholesale Banking Services, Treasury and Retail Banking Services. The bank’s headquarters is located in Mumbai.

• Axis Bank:

Earlier known as United Bank of India, Axis Bank was formed in 1994. This bank was promoted by the Administrator of the Specified Undertaking of the Life Insurance Corporation in India, National Insurance Company Ltd, Unit Trust of India, The Oriental Insurance Corporation, General Insurance Corporation Ltd and United Insurance Company Ltd. The bank has witnessed a stark rise in the loan disbursement by 18% from Rs. 68,853 crores in September 2008 to Rs. 81,044 crores on September 2009. The net profit of Axis Bank rose 30.97% from Rs. 500.86 crores to Rs. 655.98 crores.

• ICICI Bank:

The biggest private sector bank in terms of market capitalization, ICICI Bank has some 1,700 branches with 4721 ATMs in India. The bank is also the second biggest bank in India owning to its net assets of Rs. 3, 562, 28 billion. ICICI Bank in the second quarter of 2009-2010 made a total profit of Rs. 1,040 crores, making a 2.6% increase from the profit made in the previous fiscal year.

Real Estate in Maharastra

Map of Maharastra

Dubbed as the ‘Power House’ of India, Maharastra makes a remarkable contribution to the economy of India. Maharastra, which boasts of its thriving and fast life, is the most industrialized state of India. The progress in the economy of Maharastra has prompted an alarming development in both the commercial and residential property. In fact, real estate in Maharastra has been expanding with leaps and bounds owing to its continuous developments.

The real estate market of Maharastra is mainly based on the industrial growth, development in the commercial areas, retail malls and hotels, residential spaces that includes apartments and condominiums and special economic zones. This state is known for housing the most costly residential as well as commercial properties. Real estate in Maharastra is mainly concentrated in its major cities, Mumbai, Pune and Navi Mumbai.

All these three important cities of Maharastra have an established property market that comprises mainly the commercial projects, luxury hotels and highly expensive residential spaces and malls.

According to the estimation of the census of 2000-01, about 15 million people resided in Mumbai. The real estate of the bustling capital city of Maharastra, Mumbai, is expanding rapidly. More and more developers and builders are investing in residential and even commercial projects. The reason for this rapid expansion can be attributed to many factors, like, pleasant climate and availability of various opportunities. The growing demand to buy properties in Mumbai has resulted in the increase in the prices of the properties.

Ever since the Special Economic Zone as well as the Greenfield airport project was announced in Panvel, the price rates of commercial and residential property have been sky-rocketing in Navi Mumbai.

The property prices in Pune fluctuate between 10 % – 70 % depending on various factors. The Mumbai-Pune highway, especially Talegaon, is witnessing a rapid development, and it is expected that the property builders and developers will be engaging themselves in larger projects.

Along with these three cities, real estate in other cities of Maharastra has been quite promising. Nagpur, which is popular destination for offshore for the IT companies is expecting a rise in its real estate market. Nashik will soon be witnessing an important development in the commercial and residential property. Maharastra, one of those states of India, which will always witness a rapid growth in the real estate and the state considered the safest bet for the investors.

Festivals of West Bengal

West Bengal Map

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Located in the eastern part of India, West Bengal is bordered by Bangladesh, Assam, Sikkim, Bhutan, Orissa, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and Nepal. West Bengal is famous for lots of thing, its capital city is known as the ‘cultural capital of India’. Festivals and West Bengal are synonymous. The festivals of West Bengal are celebrated with grandeur and there are plenty of them. In fact, the festivals make most of the part of the Bengali life. The festivals provide a much needed break from the monotony of life.

The Bengali New Year, which begins in mid April, marks the beginning of festivals for the Bengalis. The Bengali New Year, popularly known as ‘Naba Borsho’is celebrated with great pomp and show, mainly by the Bengalis living in West Bengal. Considered as auspicious, the day begins with wearing new clothes, wishing each other, visiting relatives and temples, greeting others, savoring on mainly delicious Bengali cuisine.

One of the much awaited festivals of West Bengal is the Durga Puja. Celebrated throughout Bengal, Durga Puja is the principal festival of Bengal. Deafening beats of the ‘dhak’, ‘dhunuchi naach’, flaunting new clothes, ‘pandal’ hopping are common with Durga Puja. It is celebrated for five days and West Bengal is transformed into a different place altogether during Durga Puja. Preparation for this lively festival begins months before, with idols being built up with clay, shopping, planning for holidays and many more.

Diwali, which is followed by Durga Puja is a celebrated with much grandeur in West Bengal. During this time, Goddess Kali is worshipped all through Bengal. Along with other states of India, whole of Bengal is decorated as well as lit with lamps of various kinds. Burning fire crackers is a common activity of this festival.

Celebrated in late June or early July, Rath Yatra is an important festival of West Bengal. Processions are organized in various parts of West Bengal, this festival marks honoring the Hindu God, Lord Jagannath. This day also marks the beginning of the sowing time of rainy season crops in the eastern part of India. Fairs are held all over Bengal.

Holi or the color of festival, which is an important festival of India, is also celebrated in West Bengal. The festival is marked by splashing of colors into each other; it also marks victory of the good over the bad.

Id-Ul-Fitr, which is an important Muslim festival, is celebrated in this state with great show and pomp. Marking an end to the month long fast in the month of Ramzan, grand feats are organized in every Muslim household. People greet each other, wear new clothes during this festival.

Christmas, the main festival of the Christians is celebrated with fervor and enthusiasm. The celebration, mainly in the capital city of Kolkata, continues till the New Year. During this time, the whole city along with other parts of West Bengal is decorated with Christmas trees and lights.

Along with these principal festivals of West Bengal, which have become a part of the lives of the West Bengal people, other festivals of West Bengal like Makar Sankranti, Bakriid, Saraswati Puja, Lakshmi Puka and more are celebrated with much fun and vigor. People from all the communities come together to the different festivals of West Bengal.