26th January: Celebrating Over The Yrs

India enforced its Constitution and became a Republic on 26th January 1950. A lot has changed since then. We have made progress in every field, and the country stands as one of the fastest growing economies.

As we celebrate our 68th Republic Day this year, here are pictures from the past to the present showing how we celebrated Republic Day over the years:

Dr Rajendra Prasad being sworn in as the first President of India on 26th January 1950.

The first Republic Day Parade in 1950.

King Tribhuvan of Nepal as the guest of honour for Republic Day in 1951.

Units of Defence Services participating in an impressive parade held on Republic Day, in 1951. The President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad taking the salute at the March Past.

Artists from West Bengal performing the Lama dance during the 1956 parade.

A fountain at the India Gate illuminated on Republic Day- January 26, 1957.

The Parliament House, New Delhi, illuminated in 1958.

The Indian Railways tableau of the 1959 Republic Day Pageantry.

Reception held by the Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan, Rajeshwar Dayal, on the occasion of India’s 10th Republic Day at Karachi in 1959.

President Varahagiri Venkata Giri with the guest of honour, Mr Josip Broz Tito (President of Yugoslavia), and the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1974.

IPS Kiran Bedi leading Delhi Police during the Parade in 1975.

President Shri F.A. Ahmed with Sea Cadets Republic Day Contingent of 1976 in New Delhi.

Dr Patrick J. Hillery, President of Ireland, as the guest of honour at the parade in 1978 with Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, the President of India.

Photographs of folk dancers, who were to participate in Republic Day Parade, taken at Rangsala on January 22, 1981.

President Giani Zail Singh with Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, President of Nigeria, the guest of honour at the parade in 1983.

One of India’s mainstream defence system, the Bofors Gun, on display during the 41st Republic Day parade in New Delhi in 1990.

President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, and Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao with the guest of honour, Dr Nelson R. Mandela, President of South Africa at the Republic Day parade in 1995.

The Prithvi Missile system on display during the 47th Republic Day parade in New Delhi in 1996.

The guest of honour, Mr Jacques Chirac, President of France, at the Republic Day parade in 1998.

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with the guest of honour, King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, the King of Nepal, at the Republic Day parade in 1999.

The chief guest of the Republic Day Parade in 2003, the visiting President of Iran, Mr Syed Mohammed Khatami, being introduced to the Service Chiefs by President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

The Border Security Force’s motorcycle-borne Janbaz team displaying its skills during the 55th Republic Day Parade in New Delhi in 2004.

Balloons carrying the Indian National Flag float across the Rajpath skyline during the 55th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi in 2004.

Members of the Indian Army’s Gorkha regiment during a Republic Day parade.

Indian Air Force fighters refuel mid-air during the parade in 2005.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and his wife, Smt. Gursharan Kaur with the participants of the Republic Day Parade in 2008

Republic Day parade 2012

Source: news.motorbiker.org

US President Barack Obama, the guest of honour, at Republic Day parade 2015.

India : Culture & History

Culture

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Indian cultural history has been derived from the absorbing customs, traditions, and rituals from both invaders and immigrants. Many Indian traditions, cultural practices and languages are examples of this co-mingling over centuries. It was the birthplace of many religious systems like Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism which influenced not only this country but also the neighbouring countries.

With the subsequent invasion of the Islamic rulers, the culture of India was heavily influenced by Persian, Arabic, Turkish cultures.
The 5000 years old Indian culture is both ancient and varied. But unity in diversity which is the main mantra of Indian civilisation can be seen if anyone monitors its various art forms and traditional diversity.

The subcontinent faced many invasions and the invaders, after occupying it, settled here and became its inhabitants. The fact that every invader brought his culture and integrated it with the original one led to a lot of modifications in society.

There are both advantages and disadvantages of conquests. On the one hand, they disrupt the whole social system for some time until things come to normal and on the other hand, they introduce new traditions and values which enrich society as a whole.

From the Dravidians in 2500 BC to the Aryans in 1500 BC to Persians in 800 BC India has seen civilisations come and go. Then came Alexander The Great in 326 BC followed closely by the Mauryan Empire in 324 BC. Chandra Gupt Maurya and Asoka were the great kings then. Delhi was taken by Qutb-Up-Din Aibak in some 1200 AD and was overthrown by Timur in 1340 AD. By 1450 Vasco Da Gama discovered India. The spices its treasure. And then India saW Babur set foot on its land. His grandson Akhbar The Great was going to change India’s history forever. That glory was soon influenced by East India Company coming to India and spreading roots here. And the rest as they say “IS HISTORY.”

Today what we are, where we stand is all a compounded result of all we went through. Our culture is an array of colours, each colour depicting something from all different cultures. Especially Indian food that is famous worldwide for its spices and flavours are a mirror to its complex traditions. They say the Aryans settled in Northern India while the Dravidians made settlement is Southern India. This can be seen in the languages, dances, clothing, art and mannerisms.

The Dravidian

The Indus-Valley civilisation is averment. They had a highly developed language from which modern Dravidian languages grew. As distin­guished from the fair-complexioned Aryan invaders who were nomads and rural people, the Dravidians were town-dwellers, living in well laid-out cities; they were skilled craftsmen and agriculturists who had domesticated many animals. According to some historians, the Aryan social organisation into castes and guilds owes its inspiration to the Dravidians. Dr Suniti Kumar Chatterjee has pointed out how great was the cultural influence of the Dravidians on the Aryan mind. “On the spiritual and religious plane”, he observes, “the Dravidian mind was profoundly moved by faith and a mystical sense, and the ideals of Yoga and personal mystical contact with the power behind life were well-developed. It was among the Dravidians that the great gods of post-Vedic Hinduism with both their cosmic and personal significance and appeal, like Siva and Uma, Vishnu and Sri, had their origin. The ideas of a great mother goddess, who was the source of all life, who was both nature and the conscious force of nature, and of a father-god who represented the inactive ultimate reality as a power in repose, appear to have been brought in their germs to India from the original East Mediterranean homeland of the primitive Dravidians and then elaborated in the country, by contact with other races and cultures possessing similar ideologies.” The puja as a mode of worship is a Dravidian contribution.

The Aryans

The Aryan had a highly developed language, Sanskrit, in which poetry and drama, philosophy and reli­gion, of the highest order have been expressed, which for its richness and music has very few rivals. As they settled down in the fertile Gangetic valley and established cultural contacts with the already well-settled people, they produced religion and philosophy which is even now the marvel of the world, philosophy and religion of a most imaginative and profound character. They speculated on the nature of Godhead, origin of the universe, relations between man, Nature and God and the best way of realising spiritual perfection. They developed a complex social organisation based on caste and the four stages of life, both governed by well-defined moral codes, disciplines and duties. They had infinite intellectual curiosity. They welcomed all earnest seekers after the truth. Buddhism and Jainism were influential refor­mist movements within Hinduism, which met with no intolerant opposition or persecution from the Orthodox. Every other invader from the North made some contribution to indigenous culture and was absorbed in society, leaving no traces of foreign origin behind.

Factors in Indian Culture

Languages

India is a country where there are too many languages spoken by the Indians. We can say India is richest in languages. The languages of India belong to several language families. The Constitution of India doesn’t give any language as a national language while there are two languages Hindi and English used as official language. In the census of 2001, it is declared that India has 122 major languages and 1599 other languages. Languages related data in the census of 2011 is not released till now.

There are many speakers as well as innumerable languages prevailing in India. The prominent languages in India besides English and Hindi are Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi and much more.

Religions

India is very religious country. It has world’s major religions, and it’s a very sensitive topic in India. Most of the Indians are Hindu. After Hinduism, religion second is Islam religion.

Hinduism: Hinduism is one of the oldest religions that originated from India. The religion has preserved its culture since ancient times.

Islam:  Islam is one of the prominent religions of India. There is the enormous impact of Islam in the Indian society.

Christianity: A large number of people in India belong to Christian faith. St. Thomas is one of the people credited for propagating Christianity in India.

Jainism: Jain religion was founded by Mahavira.

Buddhism: Buddhism was brought by Gautama Buddha.

Sikhism: Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak.

Festivals

There are different types of festivals celebrated in India with joy and happiness. Different people celebrate different festivals as per their religion, caste and culture. People celebrate National festivals like Independence Day, Republic Day as well as religion festivals like Diwali, Holi, Eid, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Mahavir Jayanti, Buddha Purnima, Christmas, New Year and much more.

Art and Architecture

India has full of talents in the field of art or design. Indian Art includes paintings, rangoli, plastic arts like pottery, and textile arts like woven silk, etc. From Ancient ages, paintings are a part of India art. Examples include paintings of Ajanta cave, Paintings of Ellora cave, etc.

Rangoli is the art made by the female members of the family. It is an art of colours.

India is rich in architecture, and it is one of the great achievements of India. From ages, India has a significant number of architecture like Rock-cut temples of Mahabalipuram, temples of Thanjavur, Kanchipuram and much more.

Dance

The discussion on Indian culture will remain incomplete if we do not discuss the various classical and folk dance forms of India. India is a land of diverse dance forms. The main Indian dances are Folk Dance and Classical Dance.

The most popular Classical dance forms are Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, Kathak, Manipuri, etc.

Folk dances are mainly performed in any occasion like the birth of a child, festivals, harvesting seasons, wedding events, etc.

Folk Dances include Gaur Dance, Chhau Dance, Bihu Dance, Dumhal Dance, Padayani Dance, Dollu Kunitha Dance, Dandiya Dance and much more. These are celebrated on different occasions by the people of India.

Music

Music is something which exists from the beginning of Indian culture. It’s a part of human life. There are different instruments like drums, cymbals, etc.. These musical instruments can produce various types of melodic sounds which are pleasant to hear and also make the body calm.

In early ages, there were Kalidas, Surdas, Tulsidas, Kabir, etc. who were popular for their music and songs.

The various form of Indian culture is reflected in Indian music. There are different forms of music, such as ghazals, Shayari, folk music and much more.

There were many legends that created music in India like Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Zakir Hussain, and Pandit Ravi Shankar, etc. They are great pioneers in their field.

Also, it is worth to mention that, presently, Indian industry also has many musicians and singers who gave music to their name like Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Abhijeet, etc.

Clothing

Clothing style in India varies from region to region, state to state. Indians wear both traditional dresses and western attire as well.

When a child is born, langotas and loincloths are the only clothing equipment to the cover the whole body of a child.

Apart from all the western clothes, Indians have their ethnic wear like dhoti, kurta, salwar kameez, sari, sherwani, turban, etc.

Dhoti is a piece of cloth which is tied by men around their waist. Dhoti is also known as Dhuti or Laacha.

Kurta is one of the famous ethnic wear of men in India. Nowadays, it is carried by the people during festive occasions.

Similarly, Saree is one of the leading clothing for female members of the society in India. Saree is the most fashionable dress for Indian women around the world. During religious and cultural events, Indian women are mostly seen in beautiful sarees.

However, sarees are replaced by salwar-suits as the favourite daily wear because of its comfort.

Handicrafts

Indian Handicrafts has its existence in Indian culture from the time of Indus Valley Civilization. There are numerous examples which show that India has its excellence in the field of handicrafts.

Rajasthan has its well-established craft-industry. For Rajasthan, it’s a tradition to make handicrafts items. Royal Rajput families of Rajasthan are great patrons of art and craft.

Some of the examples of Indian Handicrafts are carpets, pottery, textiles, jute table mats and much more. People, from all around the world, come to get a look of Indian handicraft. India has rich in heritage, and there are wide ranges in Indian crafts.

Food

Not only in taste but also in the way of cooking, Indian foods are entirely different from the rest of the world. Indian foods showcase the perfect mixture of tradition, culture, and love. It is evolving from ages, and that’s why there are different forms of Indian food.

As per the region and state, various kinds of Indian Foods are available like Bengali food, Gujarati food and much more.

Based on the area, the various forms of food are North Indian food, South Indian food, etc. North Indian food mainly includes items which are bread related like Tandoori Roti, Nan, etc. East Indian Food mainly refers to staple food and sweet dishes like Roshogollas, Sandesh, etc. South Indian Food mainly includes items which are made of rice powder like, Idli, Dosa, etc.

Movies

Movies are an important part of the contemporary Indian society. The culture of Indian society finds its place in the movies. The movies of India include the movies or films produced across the country. Movies have gained a large popularity in India, and the leading role goes to the media. One of the world’s biggest and oldest Film Industry is in India. In early 1913, India got its first public screening. Most popular Dadasaheb Phalke directed the Film and the name of the film were Raja Harischandra. He was awarded as the Father of Indian Cinema. Indian movies include Bollywood, Tollywood and other regional movies and documentaries based on India. Indian Film Industry is widely known as Bollywood.

Conclusion

The best minds of the country have assimilated Western culture without repudiating their own. A new synthesis is being achieved. While it is recognized everywhere that we must increasingly use science and technology and rationalize production to raise the standards of living of the people, reform our social structure to make it modern and lead a democratic way of life, it is also felt that we can achieve this only when we have combined these borrowings with our values of Indian Culture. It is India’s destiny to give humanity such a synthesis.

Our culture should be upheld as our heritage. Nothing and no one should be allowed to attack or destroy our cultural traditions. It is always wise to remember that our cultures define our existence and make us who we are. It should be passed on generations after generation like it has been done until now. Our cultural background should never fade into oblivion, and we have to make sure of that. The world without diverse cultural will not be as colourful as it is now.

 

 

 

Incredible India !

I love India ! I love my country ! However it is, whatever it is, it’s my home. The land of Djinns, snake charmers and black magic. The land of beauty, culture and diversity. The land of kings, queens and palaces.

Here are some awesome inventions done by india:

Chess : chess also known as Chaturanga was invented in India during Gupta empire in the 6th century

Kabaddi: The game of kabaddi originated in India during prehistory. …

Ludo: Pachisi originated in India by the 6th century. …

Snakes and ladders: Snakes and ladders originated in India as a game based on morality.

Zero :The number system was invented in India. Aryabhatta invented Zero

University :India established world’s first university in Takshila in 700BC. Nalanda University was established in 4th century BC

Maths :Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry and Calculus originated from India Source:

Language :Most of the European languages are originated from SanskritSource.

Mother>>>>>>>Mathar
Father>>>>>>>>>Pithar
Brother>>>>>>>>>Brathar
Sister>>>>>>>>>>>Svasar
Daughter>>>>>>>>>Duhitar

Medicine :Ayurveda, one of the oldest school of medicines was invented in India

Binary number : It’s a system used in computers and digital devices was invented in India

Pi :The value of ‘pi’ was first discovered in India by Budhayana. He also explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem in the 6th century, ages before the European Mathematicians

24/7 :Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun in the 5th century, many years before the astronomer Smart

Radio :USA based IEEE has proved that wireless communication was first invented by an Indian scientist Professor Jagdish Chandra Bose

Astronomy : It originated in India. The earliest references to astronomy are found in the Rig Veda, which are dated 2000 BC. During next 2500 years, by 500 AD, ancient Indian astronomy has emerged as an important part of Indian studies and its affect is also seen in several treatises of that period.

Surgery :Sushruta is known as the father of surgery. Over 2,600 years ago, Sushruta along with his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones. He even conducted brain surgeries and plastic surgery. He and his team conducted more than 3,000 surgeries with help of more than 120 surgical tools

Buddhism and Jainism :Buddhism and Jainism are two branches of the śramaṇa tradition that still exist today. Mahavira and Gautama Buddha were contemporaries.

Civilisation:Called as Indus Valley Civilization, Indians established Harappan culture as one of first civilizations of the world.Harappa is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about 24 km west of Sahiwal. The site takes its name from a modern village located near the former course of the Ravi River. The current village of Harappa is 6 km from the ancient site.

Yoga : Itwas invented in India. This umbrella term yoga which includes religion, philosophy, and practices. It is one of the six Hindu philosophy schools, it explains and emphasizes the physical practices or disciplines.

Buttons : They were discovered in the Indus Valley Civilization almost 5000 years ago

Ruler(scale) :Ruler was invented during the reigns of Indus Valley Civilizations. Rulers were made of ivory those days

Globe : India is one of the first countries to have made globes, a model of earth, called ‘Goladipika’

Shampoo was invented in India during British Raj. Those days, hair dressers use to boil soap and others herbs to give shine and fragnance to hair. The word Shampoo has derived from a Hindi word ‘Champo,’ which means to press or soothe.

Flush Toilets were first used in the Indus Valley Civilization. The townships of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro had flush toilet systems in all the houses connected to sewage system

India was one of first countries to use Ink for writing. It is believed that many Indian scripts including epics Ramayana and Mahabharata was written using ink made of plant extracts

I am proud to be an Indian. I won’t choose to see what it lacks, I have chosen to look at what it has achieved. It has one a long way, and it will be progressing further still.

Incredible India ! 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳