National Stuffs- Learn about INDIAN Culture, Customs, Languages, Symbols....

The 18 Major languages in India are:

Tamil:    An ancient Dravidian language at least 2000 years old, and the state language
              of Tamil Nadu.It is spoken by 65 million people.

Hindi:   The most important India language, although it is only spoken as a mother tongue
              by about 20% of the population mainly in the area known as the Hindi-belt, the
              cow-belt or Bimaru, which includes Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar
              Pradesh. Hindi language in the official language of the Indian Government the
              states already mentioned above, plus Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

Assamese: State language of Assam, and spoken by nearly 60% of that state's population.
                     Dates back to the 13th century.

Bengali:    Spoken by nearly 200 million people (mostly in what is now Bangladesh), and
                   the state language of West Bengal, Developed as a languge in the 13th century.

Gujarati:   State language of Gujarat, Indic.

Kannada:   State Language of Kamataka, spoken by about 65% of that state's population.

Kashmiri:    Kashmiri speakers account for about 55% of the population of Jammu & Kashmir.
                    It is an Indic language written in the Perso-Arabic script.

Konkani:   Konkani is a Dravidian language spoken by people inthe Goa region.

Malayalam:    A Dravidian language, and the state language of Kerala.

Manipuri:    An Indic language of the north-east region.

Marathi:    An Indic language dating back to around the 13th century, Marathi is the state
                   language of Maharashtra.

Nepali:    Nepali is the predominant language of Sikkim, where around 75% of the people
                 are ethnic Nepalis.

Oriya:   An Indic language, it is the state language of Orissa where it is spoken by 87% of them.

Punjabi:   Another Indic language, this is the state language of Punjab. Although based on
                  the same script as Hindi it is written in a 16th-century script, known as Gurumukhi,
                  which was created by the Sikh guru. Guru Angad.

Sanskrit:   One of the oldest languages in the world, and the language of classical India.
                  All the Vedas and classical literature such as the Mahabharata and the
                  Ramayana were written is this Indic language.

Sindi:    A significant number of Sindhi speakers are found in what is now Pakistan, although
              the greater number are in India. In Pakistan, the language is written in a Perso-Arabic
              script, while in India it uses the Devanagari script.

Telugu: The Dravidian language spoken by the largest number of people, it is the state
               language of Andhra Pradesh

CULTURE OF INDIA

Culture has been defined in numerous ways and the one given by the British anthropologist, Sir Edward Burnett Tylor, seems to be the most satisfactory, being accepted by modern scientists. He defines it as `that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of the society'. The units of culture, which include certain characteristic manners and practices of a group of people, go to form the `cultural pattern' of a society. A set of cultural traits adopted by a group `to meet its needs and ensure its survival' constitutes its culture. In this sense, culture could be associated with a nation, town, village or a tribe. In terms of Tylor's definition, man acquires culture or becomes cultured by being a member of a society or a group and there are various elements in that `complex whole' called culture. Has India a culture of her own? Given the complexity introduced by differences of race, religion, language, customs and tradition, it is not easy to identify the elements of Indian culture. Sardar K.M. Panikkar observes: "That India has a life view of her own, a special outlook on essential problems which has persisted throughout her history would hardly be denied by anyone..." T.S. Eliot, in his `Observation on culture', argues that the basis of culture is religious beliefs'. It is undeniably true that it is Christianity that forms the basis of European culture, in the same way that it is the pre-eminence of Hindu is in India that gives to Indian culture its special characteristics. Sardar Panikkar identifies what he calls, `Outstanding Facts of Indian Culture'.

These are:

    � Tradition of tolerance, adding to the richness and variety of Indian life.
    � Sense of synthesis reflected in racial harmony, the primary institutions of the village
        and the family, sculpture, architecture, music and painting, modes of worship,
        faith in democratic institutions etc.
    � Universal outlook as reflected in views such as `The world is one family,
        `the world is one nest'
    � Philosophical outlook with its basis in the belief in the unity of creation.
    � Respect for the individual based on the philosophical equation of Atman and
        Brahman, the soul and the Oversoul.

National Symbols	Descriptions
	Indian Flag The flag is a horizontal tricolor in equal proportion of deep saffron on the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom. The ratio of the width to the length of the flag is two to three. In the center of the white band, there is a wheel in navy blue to indicate the Dharma Chakra, the wheel of law in the Sarnath Lion Capital. Its diameter approximates the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes. The saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation; the white, for purity and truth; the green for faith and fertility.
	National Emblem The national emblem of India is a replica of the Lion of Sarnath, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Lion Capital was erected in the third century, BC by Emperor Ashoka to mark the spot where Buddha first proclaimed his gospel of peace and emancipation to the four quarters of the universe. The national emblem is thus symbolic of contemporary India�s reaffirmation of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill. The four lions (one hidden from view) - symbolizing power, courage and confidence - rest on a circular abacus. The abacus is girded by four smaller animals - guardians of the four directions: the lion of the north, the elephant of the east, the horse of the south and the bull of the west. The abacus rests on a lotus in full bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration. The motto �Satyameva Jayate� inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari script means �truth alone triumphs�.
	National Animal - Tiger Large Asiatic carnivorous feline quadruped, Panthera Tigris, is maneless, of tawny yellow color with blackish transverse white belly, and proverbial for its power and its magnificence. There are very few tigers left in the world today. A decade ago, the tiger population in India had dwindled to a few hundred. The government of India, under its Project Tiger program, started a massive effort to preserve the tiger population. Today, thanks to Project Tiger, India�s population of tigers is in a comfortable position.
	National Bird - Peacock The male bird of species P. cristatus is a native of India, with striking plumage and upper tail converts marked with iridescent ocelli, able to expand its tail erect like a fan in ostentatious display. Peacocks are related to pheasants. Found wild in India (and also domesticated in villages) they live in jungle lands near water. They were once bred for food but now hunting of peacocks is banned in India. The peahen has no plumage. These birds do not sound as beautiful as they look - they have a harsh call.
	National Flower - Lotus The lotus or water lily is an aquatic plant of Nymphaea with broad floating leaves and bright fragrant flowers that grow only in shallow waters. The leaves and flowers float and have long stems that contain air spaces. The big attractive flowers have many petals overlapping in a symmetrical pattern. The root functions are carried out by rhizomes that fan out horizontally through the mud below the water. Lotuses, prized for their serene beauty, are delightful to behold as their blossoms open on the surface of a pond. In India, the sacred lotus is legendary and much folklore and religious mythology is woven around it.
	National Tree - Banyan The Indian fig tree, Ficus bengalensis, has branches that root themselves like new trees over a large area. The roots then give rise to more trunks and branches. Because of this characteristic and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal and is an integral part of the myths and legends of India. Even today, the banyan tree is the focal point of village life and the village council meets under the shade of this tree.
	National Fruit - Mango A fleshy fruit of the tree Mangifera indica, the mango is one of the most important and widely cultivated fruits of the tropical world. Its juicy fruit is a rich source of vitamins A, C and D and can be eaten ripe or used green for pickles. In India, there are over 100 varieties of mangoes in different sizes, shapes and colors. Mangoes have been cultivated in India from time immemorial.
Jana gana mana adhinayaka jaya he, Bharata bhagya vidhatha, Punjaba Sindhu Gujrata maratha, Dravida Utkala Banga. Vindhya Himachala Yamuna Ganga Uchchhala jaladi taranga Tava subha name jaage Tava subha asisa mage, Gahe tav jaya gatha. Jana gana mangala dayaka jaya he Bharata bhagya vidhata Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, Jaya jaya jaya jaya he.	National Anthem Rabindarnath Tagore's song Jana gana mana was adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India on the 24th of January, 1950. The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza constitutes the full version of the national Anthem. It reads: The playing of the full version of the National Anthem is approximately 52 seconds. The following is Tagore's English rendering of the stanza. " Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people, Dispenser of India's destiny. Thy name rouses the hearts of the Punjab, Sindh, Gujrat and Maratha, Of the Dravida and Orrisa and Bengal. It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and the Himalayas, mingles in the music of the Yamuna and Ganges, and is chanted by the waves of the Indian sea. They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise. The saving of all people waits in thy hand, Thou dispenser of India's destiny. Victory, Victory, Victory to Thee"
Vande Mataram! Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja-shitalam, doubtsasyashamalam, Mataram! Shubrajyoutsana, pulakitayaminim, Phullakusumita-drumadala-shobhinim, Suhasinim sumadhura-bhashinim, Sukhadam varadam, Mataram!	National song Bankim (Chandra Chatterjee's) Vande Mataram, which was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom has an equal ststus with the National anthem. The following is a text of it's first stanza. The English translation of this stanza by Sri Aurobindo is I bow to thee, Mother, richly-watered, richly-fruited, cool with the winds of the south, dark with the crops of the harvests, the Mother! Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight, her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom, sweet of laughter, sweet of speech, the Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss!
GREGORIAN Saka date & month in the month 21/ 22 March 1 Chaitra 30/ 31 21 April 1 Vaishakha 31 22 May 1 Jyaishtha 31 22 June 1 Asadha 31 23 July 1 Sravana 31 23 August 1 Bhadra 31 23 October 1 Kartika 30 22 November 1 Agrahayana 30 22 December 1 Pausa 30 21 January 1 Magha 30 20 February 1 Phalguna 30	The National Calendar A uniform national calendar based on the (Saka) era, with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from 22 March,1957 along with the (Gregorian) Calendar. The dates of the National Calendar have a permanent correspondence with the dates of the Gregorian Calendar.