2. The most important cities
1. Mumbai
2. Delhi
3. Bangalore
4. Hyderabad
5. Ahmedabad
6. Chennai (Madras)
3. 7. Kolkata (Calcutta)
8. Surat
9. Pune
10. Jaipur
Languages
The languages of India belong to several language families, the major ones being the
Indo-European languages—Indo-Aryan (spoken by 72% of Indians) and the Dravidian
languages (spoken by 25% of Indians). Other languages spoken in India belong to the
Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burman, and a few minor language families and isolates.
The principal official language of the Republic of India is Standard Hindi, while
English is the secondary official language.
Religion and culture
The culture of India refers to the religions, beliefs, customs, traditions, languages,
ceremonies, arts, values and the way of life in India and its people. India's languages,
religions, dance, music, architecture, food, and customs differ from place to place
within the country. Its culture often labeled as an amalgamation of these diverse sub-
4. cultures is spread all over the Indian subcontinent and traditions that are several
millennia old.
Regarded by many historians as the "oldest living civilization of Earth", the Indian
tradition dates back to 8000 BC, and has a continuous recorded history since the time of
the Vedas, believed variously to be 3,000 to over 5,500 years ago.Several elements of
India's diverse culture, such as Indian religions, yoga and Indian cuisine, have had a
profound impact across the world.
The religion of India is the birth place of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism,
collectively known as Indian religions.Indian religions, also known as Dharmic
religions are a major form of world religions along with Abrahamic ones. Today,
Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third and fourth-largest religions respectively,
with over 2 billion followers altogether, and possibly as many as 2.5 or 2.6 billion
followers. India is also the birthplace for the Lingayat and Ahmadiyya faiths.
India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with some of the most
deeply religious societies and cultures. Religion still plays a central and definitive role
in the life of many of its people.
According to a 2001 census of India, the religion of 80% of the people is Hinduism.
Islam is practiced by around 13% of all Indians. The country had over 23 million
Christians, over 19 million Sikhs, about 8 million Buddhists and about 4 million Jains.
Sikhism, Jainism and especially Buddhism are influential not only in India but across
the world. Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and the Bahá'í Faith are also
influential but their numbers are smaller. Atheism and agnostics also have visible
influence in India, along with a self-ascribed tolerance to other people.
The Hindu religion has many schools, each with their own unique views.For example,
according to Yogavasistha, a spiritual text of the Advaita school of Hindu religion, the
values of the liberated (Hindi: जीवनमुिि), self-actualized human being, may be
summarized as follows: "Pleasures do not delight him; pains do not distress. Although
engaged in worldly actions, he has no attachment to any object. He is busy outwardly,
yet calm inwardly. He feels free from restrictions of scriptures, customs, age, caste or
creed. He is happy, but his happiness does not depend on anything else. He does not feel
needy, proud, agitated, troubled, depressed or elated. He is full of compassion and
forgiveness even to those who mean him harm. He does the right thing, regardless of the
pressures. He is patient, perseverant, and without any impurity in his heart. He is free of
delusions, he does not crave for anything. His sense of freedom comes from his spirit of
inquiry. The fruits of his inquiry are his strength, intellect, efficiency and punctuality.
He keeps company of wise and enlightened persons.
Music of India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_India
5. Sport of India
Popular sports in India include cricket, field hockey, football, tennis, basketball, chess
volleyball, badminton and golf. Field hockey is the official national sport in India, and
the country has won eight Olympic gold medals in field hockey, though cricket is the
most popular sport. After the 1982 Asian Games hosted in New Delhi, the capital city
now has modern sports facilities, and similar facilities are also being developed in other
parts of the country. Besides sports and games included in the international sporting
agenda, there are many which have developed indigenously and continue to be popular.
A wide variety of sports is played throughout the country. These include kabbadi, kho
kho, pehlwani and gilli-danda. British rule brought many popular sports in India
including football, rugby union, cricket, golf, tennis, squash, hockey, boxing, snooker,
and billiards.
India has hosted or co-hosted several international sporting events, such as the 1951
Asian Games and the 1982 Asian Games, the 1987 Cricket World Cup and 1996 Cricket
World Cup, the 2003 Afro-Asian Games, the 2010 Hockey World Cup, the 2010
Commonwealth Games, and the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Major international sporting
events annually held in India include the Chennai Open, Mumbai Marathon, Delhi Half
Marathon and the Indian Masters. India also hosted its first Indian Grand Prix at the
Buddh International Circuit, an Indian motor racing circuit in Greater Noida, Uttar
Pradesh, India.
India is also home to cricket's Indian Premier League, launched in 2008. The Board of
Control for Cricket in India is the second richest sporting organization in the world
(second only to FIFA).
History
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Indian_history
6. Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism
Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their
usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and
other purposes".
Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. In 2010, there were over 940
million international tourist arrivals worldwide, representing a growth of 6.6% when
compared to 2009. International tourism receipts grew to US$919 billion (€693 billion)
in 2010, corresponding to an increase in real terms of 4.7%.As a result of the late-2000s
recession, international travel demand suffered a strong slowdown from the second half
of 2008 through the end of 2009. After a 5% increase in the first half of 2008, growth in
international tourist arrivals moved into negative territory in the second half of 2008,
and ended up only 2% for the year, compared to a 7% increase in 2007. This negative
trend intensified during 2009, exacerbated in some countries due to the outbreak of the
H1N1 influenza virus, resulting in a worldwide decline of 4.2% in 2009 to 880 million
international tourists arrivals, and a 5.7% decline in international tourism receipts.
Tourism is important and in some cases vital for many countries, such as France, Egypt,
Greece, Lebanon, Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and
Thailand and many island nations, such as Mauritius, The Bahamas, Fiji, Maldives,
Philippines and the Seychelles. It brings in large amounts of income in payment for
goods and services available, contributing an estimated 5% to the worldwide gross
domestic product (GDP), and it creates opportunities for employment in the service
industries associated with tourism. These service industries include transportation
services, such as airlines, cruise ships and taxicabs; hospitality services, such as
accommodations, including hotels and resorts; and entertainment venues, such as
amusement parks, casinos, shopping malls, music venues and theatres.
