An Essay
INDIA
India - the land of Shiva and Krishna, the Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi; the land which produced warriors like Rana Pratap and Shivaji, leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru writers and poets like Rabindra Nath Tagore has a proud place in the world history. However we are also bestowed with the titles (at times dubious) such as the biggest democracy, the land of temples, one of the oldest civilisations of the world, the second most populous country in the world. India is a land of villages and fields. Its fields are fed by the mighty rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna and Brahmaputra. It is effectively isolated from the rest of the world by natural and geographical barriers. The mighty Himalaya acts as a defensive rampart against invasion by land. The high seas guard the frontiers of India on three sides. The Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean guard the east, west and southern boundaries of India. India is a secular state and various religions bloom here without hindrance. All communities share many of the festivals that mark each year with music, dance and feasting. Each has its own pilgrimage sites, heroes, legends and even culinary specialties, mingling in a unique diversity. We have inherited this culture through the centuries. There is unity in diversity. We speak many languages, worship many gods and yet we have the same spirit, the spirit of India, running through the country, binding us together. All this has lent an element of individuality to India. Besides the geographical barriers history has also helped in maintaining India's isolationist existence. The few invaders who have come to India have either come into a temporary contact with India or have settled here permanently joining the ranks of others and helping to evolve a distinctive Indian culture. The Aryans, the Sakas, the Mongols etc. who have come to India have settled gradually and lost their separate identity. They got themselves absorbed into the fold of Indianness to such
India - the land of Shiva and Krishna, the Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi; the land which produced warriors like Rana Pratap and Shivaji, leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru writers and poets like Rabindra Nath Tagore has a proud place in the world history. However we are also bestowed with the titles (at times dubious) such as the biggest democracy, the land of temples, one of the oldest civilisations of the world, the second most populous country in the world. India is a land of villages and fields. Its fields are fed by the mighty rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna and Brahmaputra. It is effectively isolated from the rest of the world by natural and geographical barriers. The mighty Himalaya acts as a defensive rampart against invasion by land. The high seas guard the frontiers of India on three sides. The Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean guard the east, west and southern boundaries of India. India is a secular state and various religions bloom here without hindrance. All communities share many of the festivals that mark each year with music, dance and feasting. Each has its own pilgrimage sites, heroes, legends and even culinary specialties, mingling in a unique diversity. We have inherited this culture through the centuries. There is unity in diversity. We speak many languages, worship many gods and yet we have the same spirit, the spirit of India, running through the country, binding us together. All this has lent an element of individuality to India. Besides the geographical barriers history has also helped in maintaining India's isolationist existence. The few invaders who have come to India have either come into a temporary contact with India or have settled here permanently joining the ranks of others and helping to evolve a distinctive Indian culture. The Aryans, the Sakas, the Mongols etc. who have come to India have settled gradually and lost their separate identity. They got themselves absorbed into the fold of Indianness to such