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These geography videos are all about the fascinating and beautiful country that is India. They help to understand and learn about the geography of India, along with a little bit of its history, to hlep understand the context of India's development and progress. These videos are all professionally made by the BBC and are free to watch, without having to register or watch advertisements.

INDIA VIDEOS

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Free India videos for use in schools and at home

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These geography videos are all about the fascinating and beautiful country that is India. They help to understand and learn about the geography of India, along with a little bit of its history, to hlep understand the context of India's development and progress.

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Do you know how many people live in India? How big it is? And what is the capital city? No? Well read on as you will find these facts about India to be interesting and informative and will help you to learn all about India and the Geography of India. Complete with illustrations to help explain and understand, these facts about India will both entertain and inform you.

8 facts about the geography of India

11 facts about the people of India

There are 108 males for every 100 females

7 facts about the economy of India

India has the 3rd lowest cost of

living in the world among major

world cities.

India's stock exchange has the most

companies listed in the world.

accounting for purchasing power,

India has the 3rd biggest economy

in the world. Measured in dollar

terms, India has the world's 10th

biggest economy.

The expressway from Delhi to the airport

9 facts about lifestyles in India

Second largest tea producer in the world.

Facts about technology in India

India has recently launched its first astronomy satellite.

Facts about defence in India

India's army is the largest volunteer army in the world.

FACTS ABOUT INDIA

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Do you know how many people live in India? How big it is? And what is the capital city? No? Well read on as you will find these facts about India to be interesting and informative and will help you to learn all about India and the Geography of India.

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All you need to know to learn about the Geography of India. Complete with facts on India for kids and images and maps to use in school and at home.

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Le système de castes indien divise la société en plusieurs groupes hiérarchisés.
De nombreux sociologues sont d'accord pour dire qu'il est presque impossible de définir le système de castes indien tellement il est complexe.
Grossièrement, le système de castes a ses origines dans l'histoire religieuse indienne mais a aussi été influencé par le développement social et économique à l'époque coloniale.
Le terme caste provient du portugais "casta" qui signifie "race ou lignage". En français le terme "chaste" s'en rapproche, il partage cette même notion de pureté.
L'inégalité déterminée par la naissance ou la profession existe toujours en Inde.

Les deux concepts de castes

Il est entendu que dans la société indienne les castes sont basées sur les classes sociales (de l'ancienne société védique ou Varna) ou sur la naissance (ce qui signifie généralement avoir une profession / occupation héréditaire, qu'on qualifie de Jäti). Les castes de naissance ou de profession sont tout de même généralement liées aux classes sociales.

Les castes actuelles sont le résultat des changements sociaux en cours depuis le 19e siècle renforcés par la colonisation britannique qui, au début, associait certaines classes sociales à certaines tâches dans l'administration coloniale.

Le système de castes Varna

Le mot Varna sigjnifie couleur. Ce système se base sur l'ancienne littérature hindou et classe les Indiens en quatre grandes catégories qui puisent leurs origines de la société Védique.

Les prêtres et enseignants ( Brâhmanes)

Gouvernants et guerriers (Kshatriyas)

Artisans et marchands (Vaishyas)

Ouvriers et serviteurs (Shudras).

Ceux qui n'entrent dans aucune de ces catégories sont les intouchables ou Dalit. Ils sont aussi appelés parias, terme qui vient du mot tamoul pour 'batteur', mot très peu utilisé à cause de sa connotation.

Les membres des trois castes supérieures sont initiés à la fin de leur puberté, un moment qui est considéré comme une deuxième naissance. Les Shudras n'ont pas de rituel d'initiation ; ils "naissent" une seule fois.

Le système de castes Jäti

Certains sociologues considèrent le prisme de la profession comme étant susceptible de créer des castes plus petites, les jätis, au sein du groupe plus large des Varna. Le mot "jäti" signifie 'naissance'. Il y a des milliers de ces catégories basées sur la condition de naissance ou l'occupation professionnelle.
Il est désormais plus facile de sortir de ces castes même si des mesures strictes, comme les restrictions maritales au moyen-âge, sont toujours difficiles à dépasser.

Ces groupes ont des positions qui varient dans la société, les vieilles jätis ont disparu, de nouvelles sont apparues. Durant la période avant l'indépendance, les pauvres pouvaient seulement évoluer en dépassant leur jäti mais sans jamais s'émanciper de leur Varna.

Quels sont les effets du système de castes ?

Le système de castes régit les relations entre les membres de la société, particulièrement celles des membres qui y ont des positions différentes. Les interdictions incluent :

les relations sociales : les classes supérieures étaient restreintes quant à leurs contacts avec les classes basses.

ségrégations géographiques : les classes dominantes vivent dans le centre, les plus basses en périphérie.

Les groupes plus élevés exploitent ceux qui sont considérés comme inférieurs.

Des violences liées au système de castes sont apparues depuis quelques années. Selon un rapport de l'ONU de 2005, il y a eu plus de 31 000 actes violents commis contre les Dalits en 1996.

Comment l'Inde moderne parvient-elle à surmonter le système de castes ?

la constitution indienne stipule que toute discrimination contre des castes inférieures est illégale

depuis l'indépendance, plusieurs Etats ont mis en place des politiques qui passent outre les castes et favorisent la mobilité sociale

ce qui inclue des actions de discrimination positive, des quotas dans le gouvernement, des emplois et un système d'éducation pour les membres des castes basses

pour un fonctionnement correct, les gouvernements locaux ont qualifié les communautés et castes

les plus basses ont été nommées castes défavorisées (ndlr : il est très difficile de trouver un équivalent en français pour le terme utilisé en anglais de Scheduled Caste. Un terme qui désigne en réalité ce qu'on appelle les "intouchables". L'expression castes défavorisées n'est pas complètement juste car au-delà des "intouchables", il y a de nombreuses castes défavorisées), tribus défavorisées et la catégorie légèrement supérieure bien que encore pauvre de classes défavorisées

source de l'image

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Cinq minutes pour comprendre le système des castes en Inde

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Le système de castes indien divise la société en plusieurs groupes hiérarchisés. De nombreux sociologues sont d'accord pour dire qu'il est presque impossible de définir le système de castes indien tellement il est complexe. Grossièrement, le système de castes a ses origines dans l'histoire religieuse indienne mais a aussi été influencé par le développement social et économique à l'époque coloniale.

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India's caste system is among the world's oldest forms of surviving social stratification. The BBC explains its complexities.

The system which divides Hindus into rigid hierarchical groups based on their karma (work) and dharma (the Hindi word for religion, but here it means duty) is generally accepted to be more than 3,000 years old.

How did caste come about?

Manusmriti, widely regarded to be the most important and authoritative book on Hindu law and dating back to at least 1,000 years before Christ was born, "acknowledges and justifies the caste system as the basis of order and regularity of society".

The caste system divides Hindus into four main categories - Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. Many believe that the groups originated from Brahma, the Hindu God of creation.

At the top of the hierarchy were the Brahmins who were mainly teachers and intellectuals and are believed to have come from Brahma's head. Then came the Kshatriyas, or the warriors and rulers, supposedly from his arms. The third slot went to the Vaishyas, or the traders, who were created from his thighs. At the bottom of the heap were the Shudras, who came from Brahma's feet and did all the menial jobs.

The main castes were further divided into about 3,000 castes and 25,000 sub-castes, each based on their specific occupation.

Outside of this Hindu caste system were the achhoots - the Dalits or the untouchables.

How does caste work?

For centuries, caste has dictated almost every aspect of Hindu religious and social life, with each group occupying a specific place in this complex hierarchy.

Rural communities have long been arranged on the basis of castes - the upper and lower castes almost always lived in segregated colonies, the water wells were not shared, Brahmins would not accept food or drink from the Shudras, and one could marry only within one's caste.

The system bestowed many privileges on the upper castes while sanctioning repression of the lower castes by privileged groups.

Often criticised for being unjust and regressive, it remained virtually unchanged for centuries, trapping people into fixed social orders from which it was impossible to escape.

Despite the obstacles, however, some Dalits and other low-caste Indians, such as BR Ambedkar who authored the Indian constitution, and KR Narayanan who became the nation's first Dalit president, have risen to hold prestigious positions in the country.

Historians, though, say that until the 18th Century, the formal distinctions of caste were of limited importance to Indians, social identities were much more flexible and people could move easily from one caste to another.

New research shows that hard boundaries were set by British colonial rulers who made caste India's defining social feature when they used censuses to simplify the system, primarily to create a single society with a common law that could be easily governed.

Is the system legal?

Independent India's constitution banned discrimination on the basis of caste, and, in an attempt to correct historical injustices and provide a level playing field to the traditionally disadvantaged, the authorities announced quotas in government jobs and educational institutions for scheduled castes and tribes, the lowest in the caste hierarchy, in 1950.

In 1989, quotas were extended to include a grouping called the OBCs (Other Backward Classes) which fall between the traditional upper castes and the lowest.

In recent decades, with the spread of secular education and growing urbanisation, the influence of caste has somewhat declined, especially in cities where different castes live side-by-side and inter-caste marriages are becoming more common.

In certain southern states and in the northern state of Bihar, many people began using just one name after social reform movements. Despite the changes though, caste identities remain strong, and last names are almost always indications of what caste a person belongs to.

What about job quotas?

In recent years, there have been demands from several communities to be recognised as OBCs - in 2016 there were violent protests by the Jat community in Haryana and the Patel community led huge protests in Gujarat in 2015 demanding access to caste quotas.

Both are prosperous and politically dominant communities, but they support their demand for caste quotas by saying large numbers in their communities are poor and suffering.

Some say the caste system would have disappeared by now if the fires were not regularly fanned by politicians.

At elections, many caste groups still vote as a block and are wooed by politicians looking for electoral gains.

As a result, what was originally meant to be a temporary affirmative action plan to improve the lot of the unprivileged groups has now become a vote-grabbing exercise for many politicians.

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India's complex caste system is among the world's oldest forms of surviving social stratification.

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How to complete the exercise on different ways of food preparation and cooking?

To complete the exercise write the correct vocabulary for each picture.

Ways to prepare and cook food exercise

What is each picture doing?

Is it cooking the food?

Is it food preparation?

Print the exercise

To print the exercise on different ways that you can prepare and cook food right click on a white space and choose print. You can click on the printer icon just below and to the right of the contact us menu button at the top of the page.

Answers to the exercise

To view the answers click on the link Food preparation and cooking English lesson

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Food preparation and cooking exercise English lesson

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To complete the exercise write the correct vocabulary for each picture. Is it cooking the food? Is it food preparation? To print the exercise on different ways that you can prepare and cook food right click on a white space and choose print.

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You don't need to leave the house to enjoy satisfying Indian chicken curry. With this recipe, you can have a restaurant-worthy meal on the table in under an hour.

What Is Indian Chicken Curry?

Chicken curry from the Indian subcontinent typically features chicken stewed in a tomato-based sauce seasoned with aromatic spices. This recipe, like many others, calls for curry powder (a spice blend made with coriander, turmeric, cumin, and chili powder).

How to Make Indian Chicken Curry

You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below - but here's a brief overview of what you can expect when you make this top-rated Indian chicken curry recipe:

Saute a diced onion in olive oil until lightly browned. Stir in the seasonings (garlic, curry powder, cinnamon, paprika, bay leaf, ginger, sugar and salt). Add the chicken pieces, tomato paste, yogurt, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Continue simmering for about 5 more minutes.

What to Serve With Indian Chicken Curry

For a restaurant-quality meal, ladle the curry over freshly cooked basmati or jasmine rice and serve with homemade naan.

How to Store Indian Chicken Curry

Let the curry cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to four days and reheat in the microwave or on the stove.

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"Wow," raves Lola. "So GOOD!! I was looking for a good curry chicken recipe that was not only easy, but tasty. This definitely fits the bill. My house smelled so good that night!"

"I love this recipe," says Kaylin Oshin. "This is my third time making it. I added extra cayenne pepper just to make it spicier."

"Excellent," according to cathcooks. "I finally found what will be my basic curry recipe. Really good and so easy! As others have suggested, read reviews for ways to make it your own - and then use your imagination!"

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

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This creamy Indian chicken curry has an unbeatable combination of flavors thanks to an array of aromatic warm spices, plain yogurt, and coconut milk.

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with illustrated vocabulary, word definitions and example sentences

When thinking of Indian food, many people think of curries and rice. But there's much more to Indian food than this. There are dozens of regional Indian cuisines, each with its own special dishes. To make it easier to understand Indian cuisine, it's often divided into two main types; North Indian and South Indian. In many cases they use different cooking methods, different ingredients, and even different spices. For example, wheat-flour flatbreads are common in the North while in the South rice is more common. This is because North Indian food was greatly influenced by Middle Eastern cuisines of the Islamic Mughal Empire in which flatbreads were the staple foods, while South Indian food is more like traditional Hindu cuisine of ancient India in which rice was the staple food.

Ordering and etiquette

Three of the world's major religions - Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism - developed in ancient India, and Islam was introduced when North India was conquered by the Mughal Empire in 1526. Each of these religions has its own set of rules about food, and because Indian meals usually include many dishes that are shared, ordering is complicated if people of different religions are eating together. In Hinduism the cow is a sacred animal, so most Hindus don't eat beef. Eating pigs is strictly forbidden in Islam, and most Muslims also refuse to eat other animals unless they're killed in a certain way. Jains never eat meat of any sort, and many don't eat onions, potatoes or garlic either, while many Buddhists also prefer a vegetarian diet. In fact, it might be best to let others order an Indian meal unless you know everyone's religion, or unless you're only ordering vegetarian dishes that everyone can eat like potato and cauliflower aloo gobi or a simple dish like dal that only contains lentils and spices.

Using the fingers to eat is common in India, and foreigners are welcome to eat this way too. But if you eat with your fingers, you must never touch the food with your left hand. Hold it between the fingertips of your right hand or scoop it up with a piece of flatbread. Try to eat without putting your fingers in your mouth or licking them. Wash them instead in one of the small bowls of water on the table.

Appetizers

Even though Indian meals aren't normally served in separate courses like European meals, many Indian restaurants now list their dishes in this way. They offer traditional Indian snack foods as appetizers. These can include deep-fried pakoras of various kinds such as vegetable pakoras and cheese-filled paneer pakoras. Paneer is an Indian cheese similar to cottage cheese, and if you see this word in a dish's name it means it contains this cheese. Other popular snack foods now served as appetizers include deep-fried bhajis and samosas of various kinds, some with a meat filling and others with a vegetable filling. Many Indian restaurants also serve kebabs as an appetizer these days.

Main courses

Most restaurants in India serve main course dishes from one region only, but Indian restaurants in other countries usually serve dishes from both North and South India. North Indian dishes include many that came from Mughal cuisine like korma in which meat or vegetables are braised with yoghurt or cream, and many that are cooked in a large clay-pot oven called a tandoor. These include roasted tandoori chicken and a dish called chicken tikka in which marinated pieces of boneless chicken are grilled on a skewer inside a tandoor oven. Pieces of chicken tikka are also used in a spicy North Indian curry called chicken tikka masala that's often flavoured with a mix of spices called garam masala.

Tandoor ovens are also used for baking thin, round flatbreads like tandoori roti as well as thicker, longer flatbreads like nan and its popular variants garlic nan and the spicy lamb-filled keema nan. Not all Indian flatbreads are baked, however. Many are fried in shallow pans, including plain roti or chapati, a staple food that's often topped with Indian butter or ghee. Another is paratha which can be plain or stuffed with vegetables or paneer. Flatbreads like these are made with wheat flour, a staple in the North, while the South's very thin and crisp papadums are usually made from lentil flour instead.

The pancake-like dosa is also from South India, as are main course dishes like madras curry and many other curries made with a wide range of ingredients. Curries in the South are eaten with rice rather than bread, and rice is also found in biryani dishes between layers of chicken, mutton, beef, fish or mixed vegetables. Rice is also cooked along with meat or vegetables in a spicy broth to make many kinds of pilau. Biryani and pilau dishes are good choices if you don't like food that's too hot and spicy, but if you love spicy food, try a hot vindaloo curry and you should be satisfied.

While sharing dishes is normal when a group of people eat Indian food, it's also possible to order a meal for one person. You can do this by ordering a food platter called a thali. Both meat-based and vegetarian thalis are available, and they usually include a main dish like korma or curry as well as some dal, a hot chutney and some cooling yoghurt plus rice and rotis or papadums. And you'll also get some dessert, of course.

Desserts and Indian drinks

There are hundreds of delicious Indian desserts, and most restaurants serve quite a few. Some of the most popular are a soft pudding made with coconut or banana or carrot called halva, a creamy rice and milk pudding called payasam, and a very sweet dessert called gulab jamun in which soft dough-like balls are soaked in a sugary syrup. But the most popular dessert of all is probably a very rich traditional Indian ice-cream called kulfi. It comes in many flavours, and if you get the chance try one of the more traditional ones like rose, saffron, cardamom, mango or pistachio.

Indian meals are best enjoyed with traditional Indian drinks. In hot weather cool drinks like coconut water, a palm nectar drink called neera and the spicy jal-jeera are popular. In cold weather a cup of hot tea or chai that's made with milk, sugar and spices is a good choice. A great drink for all seasons is a yoghurt shake called lassi. You can order sweet lassi, salty lassi or a fruit lassi like the very popular mango lassi.

Illustrated Indian Cuisine

aloo gobi

chapatis

chicken biryani

chicken tikka masala

dal

garam masala

garlic nan

ghee

halva

Indian spices

lamb pilau

madras curry with lamb

mango lassi

masala dosa

onion bhajis

papadums

paneer parathas

potato pakoras

samosas

tandoor or tandoor oven

tandoori chicken

a thali

vegetable korma

vindaloo paste

Indian Food Vocabulary Quiz 🤔

aloo gobi (also alu gobi) (noun): a dish of potato and cauliflower flavoured with garam masala and tumeric - Can we have some aloo gobi as well, please?

bhaji (also bhajji) (noun): a deep-fried Indian appetizer with a spicy vegetable filling covered in batter - The bhajis they sell on the street around here are really good.

biryani (also biriyani or biriani) (noun): a dish with layers of meat, fish or vegetables mixed with spices cooked between layers of rice - Most Indian restaurants have biryani dishes on the menu.

chai (noun): tea made by boiling tea leaves along with milk, sugar and a blend of spices - They sell cups of chai on railway platforms all over India.

chapati (or roti) (noun): thin pancake made of whole wheat flour that's cooked on a hotplate - Would you like chapatis with that?

chicken tikka (noun): small pieces of boneless chicken cooked on a skewer in a tandoor oven - I love the chicken tikka they make here.

curry (noun): a meat or vegetable dish cooked in a spicy Indian-style sauce, often eaten with rice - Jason makes a pretty good vegetable curry.

dal (also dhal) (noun): lentils cooked with various spices and flavourings - If you order a thali, it'll come with some dal.

dosa (noun): a thin Indian pancake made with rice flour and black beans - My grandma makes the best masala dosa in the world!

garam masala (or masala) (noun): a mixture of powdered spices used in Indian cooking - Add a teaspoon of garam masala and stir.

ghee (noun): a type of butter used in Indian cooking - Grandma still uses ghee when she cooks.

halva (also halwa) (noun): a sweet pudding made with semolina and added ingredients like carrot, coconut, cashew nuts, etc. - I love that carrot halva that Kumar makes.

kebab (noun): meat and vegetable pieces grilled or roasted on a skewer - Have you tried the shami kebab they make here?

korma (noun): meat, fish, or vegetables braised with cream or yoghurt - Would you like to try our vegetable korma?

kulfi (noun): traditional Indian ice-cream - I really love mango kulfi!

lassi (noun): an Indian drink made of yogurt, water and spices, with fruit sometimes added - I'll have a sweet lassi, please.

madras curry (noun): a hot curry, either meat-based or vegetarian, from South India - I had the madras curry on rice.

nan (also naan) (noun): a soft, thick, leavened flatbread that's baked in a tandoor oven - Let's get one garlic nan and two plain nans.

pakora (noun): a deep-fried North Indian snack or appetizer - Didn't your mum teach you how to make pakoras?

paneer (noun): Indian cooking cheese similar to cottage cheese - It's got "paneer" in its name, so it must have cheese in it.

papadum (also pappadam) (noun): a thin, crisp, disc-shaped flatbread made with lentil flour - Let's have some papadums as well.

paratha (noun): a thick, fried flatbread with extra ingredients like potato or cauliflower often added - I'll have a potato paratha to go, please.

pilau (also pilaf or pulao) (noun): rice cooked in a broth with meat, vegetables or lentils often added - Let's try the lamb pilau this time.

samosa (noun): an appetizer in which a filling of cooked meat or vegetables is wrapped in pastry and deep-fried - Do you have real Indian-style samosas?

spice (noun): a dried plant part that's added to food to give it flavour - Do you have any spices imported from India?

tandoor (also tandoor oven) (noun): an oven traditionally made of clay in which flatbreads, samosas, roast meats and vegetables, etc. are cooked - They serve hot nans straight out of the tandoor.

tandoori chicken (noun): marinated chicken pieces roasted in a tandoor oven - Don't you love the smell of tandoori chicken?

tandoori roti (noun): roti flatbread that's baked in a tandoor rather than fried - Don't forget to order the tandoori roti, will you?

thali (noun): a meal for one person served on a platter (also called a "thali") with several different dishes - I'll have a vegetarian thali, please.

vindaloo (noun): a very hot and spicy type of Indian curry - Are you sure you can eat a really hot curry like beef vindaloo?

Contributor: Matt Errey creator of Word Up

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with illustrated vocabulary, word definitions and example sentences When thinking of Indian food, many people think of curries and rice. But there's much more to Indian food than this. There are dozens of regional Indian cuisines, each with its own special dishes.

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Some families hold religious ceremonies, but for many Holi is more a time for fun. It's a colourful festival, with dancing, singing and throwing of powder paint and coloured water.

Holi is also known as the "festival of colours".

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Some families hold religious ceremonies, but for many Holi is more a time for fun. It's a colourful festival, with dancing, singing and throwing of powder paint and coloured water. Holi is also known as the "festival of colours".

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Bright neon powder covers revelers in northern India during the annual Hindu celebration called Holi, usually held in March. Known as the festival of colors, Holi is celebrated on the last full moon in the lunar month of Phalguna.

This ancient tradition marks the end of winter and honors the triumph of good over evil. Celebrants light bonfires, throw colorful powder called gulal, eat sweets, and dance to traditional folk music.

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Bright neon powder covers revelers in northern India during the annual Hindu celebration called Holi, usually held in March. Known as the festival of colors, Holi is celebrated on the last full moon in the lunar month of Phalguna. This ancient tradition marks the end of winter and honors the triumph of good over evil.

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Diwali 2013
(also spelt and pronounced Divali)

What is Diwali?

Diwali is the Hindu "festival of lights" which celebrates the New Year. It is India's most important holiday.

Diwali is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs in Britain and all over the world.

Where is Diwali Celebrated?

Diwali is celebrated around the world.

Diwali is an official holiday in India, Fiji, Guyana, Malaysia, Mayanmar, Mauritius, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobaggo, and Singapore

When is Diwali?

The festival is calculated by the lunar Hindu calendar, it falls on different days each year.

Diwali takes place on the fifteenth day of the Hindu month of Kartika (during October/November in the Gregorian calendar).

3 November 2013

How long does Diwali last?

Diwali is a five day celebration and each have special significance.

Day 1: Dhanteras - the financial year starts.
Day 2: Naraka Chaturdasi - celebrating the vanquishing of Naraka.
Day 3: Amavasya - the worship of Lakshmi - signifies wealth and best wishes to all devotees.
Day 4: Kartika Shudola Padyani - celebrating when Bali took over his new kingdom
D ay 5: Yama Dvitya - the day when sisters worship their brothers

The fourth day of Diwali is the Hindu New Year.

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Facts about Diwali for Kids 2013 - Divali

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Diwali 2013 (also spelt and pronounced Divali) Diwali is the Hindu "festival of lights" which celebrates the New Year. It is India's most important holiday. Diwali is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs in Britain and all over the world. Diwali is celebrated around the world.

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The Taj Mahal, an Indian landmark, was completed in 1653.

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of India, Bharat

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Federal republic

CAPITAL: New Delhi

POPULATION: 1,296,834,042

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Hindi, English, 21 others

MONEY: Rupee

AREA: 1,269,345 square miles (3,287,590 square kilometers)

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGE: Himalaya

MAJOR RIVERS: Ganges, Yamuna, Indus, Brahmaputra

India is part of the continent of Asia. Most of India forms a peninsula, which means it is surrounded by water on three sides. The world's highest mountain range, the Himalaya, rises in the north. The southeast is bordered by the Bay of Bengal, and the southwest is bordered by the Arabian Sea.

India's terrain varies widely, from the Thar Desert in the west to jungles in the northeast. A fertile area called the Ganges Plain covers much of northern India. This formation was created from soil that was deposited by rivers running from the Himalaya. In some places, this layer of silt is over 25,000 feet (7,620 meters) deep.
Map created by National Geographic Maps

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Society throughout India is divided into social ranks, called castes. Caste is determined by birth and there is almost no way to change it. High castes include priests, landowners, and soldiers. So-called Untouchables have no caste and do the most menial jobs.

India is a very spiritual country. It has no official religion, but more than 80 percent of Indians are Hindu. About 13 percent are Muslim. Other religions include Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, which all began in India.

For thousands of years, since the Hindu religion first evolved, respect for animal life has been an important part of Indians' beliefs. Cows in particular are sacred and cannot be harmed. They are even allowed to wander through city streets, which often causes traffic jams!

India's varied climate zones support about 65,000 animal species, including elephants, pythons, river dolphins, and rhinos, and 12,000 types of flowering plants. It is the only country in the world with both lions and tigers. It's also a bird watcher's paradise.

On the coast of the Bay of Bengal is the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest. Here, tigers swim in the same rivers as dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, and saltwater crocodiles. This unique landscape is constantly under threat as sea levels rise and humans hunt illegally and clear trees for firewood.

The Himalaya mountains provide a home for some of India's rarest animals and plants. The most elusive animal is the snow leopard. Bears and black buck live lower down, and in the northeast, the tiger and one-horned rhinoceros can be found.

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY

India's parliamentary government was inherited from the British. After independence in 1947, one party, the Congress Party, and one family, the Nehru family, dominated politics in India for decades. Now, however, many parties compete for elected positions.

India's economy is growing so fast that experts predict it will soon become one of the world's leading markets. Indians are hard workers. And though many are poorly educated, there are many others who are highly trained college graduates.

India's earliest known civilization arose about 5,000 years ago on the Indus River in what is now Pakistan. Archaeologists uncovered the remains of two huge cities with brick houses, piped water, and sewer systems. Nobody knows why, but these cities, called Harappa and Mohenjo Daro, were abandoned in 1700 B.C.

The Aryan people were farmers from Central Asia who arrived in India around 1500 B.C. They spoke Sanskrit, one of the world's oldest known languages. The Vedic Scriptures, writings that form the basis of the Hindu religion, were written during the Aryan reign.

In the 200-year reign of the Gupta Empire, starting in the fourth century A.D., arts, crafts, and sciences flourished. During this time, the Indian astronomer Aryabhatta determined that the Earth revolved around the sun. This was long before the Western world accepted the theory.

Beginning in the 16th century, following a series of invasions by Muslim forces, a Mongol leader named Babur founded the Mongol Empire. The Mongols oversaw a golden age of art, literature, and architecture in India between 1527 and 1707. They built roads, mosques, gardens, and enormous tombs, including the grand Taj Mahal.

In the late 1400s, Europeans arrived in India and began setting up trading companies. In 1757, Britain gained control over most of the country. Uprisings against British rule began in 1856. In 1920, the famous Mahatma Gandhi began nonviolent protests to push the British out. In 1947, India had independence.

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India Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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The Taj Mahal, an Indian landmark, was completed in 1653. OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of India, Bharat FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Federal republic CAPITAL: New Delhi POPULATION: 1,296,834,042 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Hindi, English, 21 others MONEY: Rupee AREA: 1,269,345 square miles (3,287,590 square kilometers) MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGE: Himalaya MAJOR RIVERS: Ganges, Yamuna, Indus, Brahmaputra India is part of the continent of Asia.

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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ( 2 October 1869 - 30 January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and political ethicist. Ghandi employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule. He inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahātmā ( Sanskrit: "great-souled", "venerable"), first applied to him in 1914 in South Africa, is now used throughout the world.

Early years

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 into a Gujarati Hindu Modh Bania family in Porbandar, in coastal Gujarat. His father, Karamchand Uttamchand Gandhi (1822-1885), served as the dewan (chief minister) of Porbandar state. His family originated from the then village of Kutiana.

At age 9, Gandhi entered the local school in Rajkot, near his home. There, he studied the rudiments of arithmetic, history, the Gujarati language and geography. At the age of 11, he joined the High School in Rajkot, Alfred High School. He was an average student, won some prizes, but was a shy and tongue tied student, with no interest in games; his only companions were books and school lessons.

In November 1887, the 18-year-old Gandhi graduated from high school in Ahmedabad. In January 1888, he enrolled at Samaldas College in Bhavnagar State, then the sole degree-granting institution of higher education in the region. However, he dropped out, and returned to his family in Porbandar.

Mavji Dave Joshiji, a Brahmin priest and family friend, advised Gandhi and his family that he should consider law studies in London. He left for London at age 18. He trained in the law at the Inner Temple, London, and was called to the bar at age 22 in June 1891. After two uncertain years in India, where he was unable to start a successful law practice, he moved to South Africa in 1893 to represent an Indian merchant in a lawsuit.

Life in South Africa

He went on to live in South Africa for 21 years. It was here that Gandhi raised a family and first employed nonviolent resistance in a campaign for civil rights.

Immediately upon arriving in South Africa, Gandhi faced discrimination because of his skin colour and heritage, like all people of colour. He was not allowed to sit with European passengers in the stagecoach and told to sit on the floor near the driver, then beaten when he refused; elsewhere he was kicked into a gutter for daring to walk near a house, in another instance thrown off a train at Pietermaritzburg after refusing to leave the first-class. He sat in the train station, shivering all night and pondering if he should return to India or protest for his rights. He chose to protest and was allowed to board the train the next day. In another incident, the magistrate of a Durban court ordered Gandhi to remove his turban, which he refused to do. Indians were not allowed to walk on public footpaths in South Africa. Gandhi was kicked by a police officer out of the footpath onto the street without warning.

While in South Africa, Gandhi focused on the racial persecution of Indians before he started to focus on racism against Africans. By 1910, Gandhi's newspaper, Indian Opinion, was covering reports on discrimination against Africans by the colonial regime. In the years after black South Africans gained the right to vote in South Africa (1994), Gandhi was proclaimed a national hero with numerous monuments.

Political activism in India

In 1915, aged 45, Ghandi returned to India and soon set about organising peasants, farmers, and urban labourers to protest against excessive land-tax and discrimination. After he returned to India, people flocked to him because he reflected their values.

Ghandi assumed leadership of the Indian National Congress in 1921 and led nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women's rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability, and, above all, achieving swaraj or self-rule. Gandhi wore the short woven with hand-spun yarn as a mark of identification with India's rural poor.

He began to live in a self-sufficient residential community, to eat simple food, and undertake long fasts as a means of both introspection and political protest. Gandhi led the common Indians in challenging the British-imposed salt tax with the 400 km (250 mi) Dandi Salt March in 1930 and in calling for the British to quit India in 1942. He was imprisoned many times and for many years in both South Africa and India.

Gandhi's vision of an independent India based on religious pluralism was challenged in the early 1940s by a Muslim nationalism which demanded a separate homeland for Muslims within British India. In August 1947, Britain granted independence, but the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two dominions, a Hindu-majority India and a Muslim-majority Pakistan. As many displaced Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs made their way to their new lands, religious violence broke out, especially in the Punjab and Bengal. Gandhi visited the affected areas, attempting to alleviate distress.

In the months following, he undertook several hunger strikes to stop the religious violence. The last of these, begun in Delhi on 12 January 1948 when he was 78, also had the indirect goal of pressuring India to pay out some cash assets owed to Pakistan, which the Indian government had been resisting. Although the Government of India relented, as did the religious rioters, the belief that Gandhi had been too supportive of both Pakistan and Indian Muslims, spread among some Hindus in India. Among these was Nathuram Godse, a militant Hindu nationalist from Pune, western India, who assassinated Gandhi in Delhi on 30 January 1948.

Nonviolence

Although Gandhi was not the originator of the principle of nonviolence, he was the first to apply it in the political field on a large scale. The concept of nonviolence () has a long history in Indian religious thought, and is considered the highest ethical value virtue. Gandhi explains his philosophy and ideas about ahimsa as a political means in his autobiography The Story of My Experiments with Truth.

Gandhi's death was mourned nationwide. Over a million people joined the five-mile-long funeral procession that took over five hours to reach Raj Ghat from Birla house, where he was assassinated, and another million watched the procession pass by. Gandhi's body was transported on a weapons carrier, whose chassis was dismantled overnight to allow a high-floor to be installed so that people could catch a glimpse of his body. The engine of the vehicle was not used; instead four drag-ropes held by 50 people each pulled the vehicle. All Indian-owned establishments in London remained closed in mourning as thousands of people from all faiths and denominations and Indians from all over Britain converged at India House in London.

Gandhi was cremated in accordance with Hindu tradition. Gandhi's ashes were poured into urns which were sent across India for memorial services. Most of the ashes were immersed at the Sangam at Allahabad on 12 February 1948, but some were secretly taken away.

The Birla House site where Gandhi was assassinated is now a memorial called Gandhi Smriti. The place near Yamuna river where he was cremated is the Rāj Ghāt memorial in New Delhi. A black marble platform, it bears the epigraph "Hē Rāma" ( Devanagari: हे ! राम or, ). These are widely believed to be Gandhi's last words after he was shot, though the veracity of this statement has been questioned.

Personal life

In May 1883, the 13-year-old Mohandas was married to 14-year-old Kasturbai Makhanji Kapadia (her first name was usually shortened to "Kasturba", and affectionately to "Ba") in an arranged marriage, according to the custom of the region at that time. In the process, he lost a year at school but was later allowed to make up by accelerating his studies. His wedding was a joint event, where his brother and cousin were also married. Recalling the day of their marriage, he once said, "As we didn't know much about marriage, for us it meant only wearing new clothes, eating sweets and playing with relatives." As was the prevailing tradition, the adolescent bride was to spend much time at her parents' house, and away from her husband.

In late 1885, Gandhi's father Karamchand died. Gandhi, then 16 years old, and his wife of age 17 had their first baby, who survived only a few days. The two deaths anguished Gandhi. The Gandhi couple had four more children, all sons: Harilal, born in 1888; Manilal, born in 1892; Ramdas, born in 1897; and Devdas, born in 1900.

Interesting facts about Mahatma Gandhi

Mahātmā is not his name, but a title, meaning "great-souled", "venerable".

As a child, Gandhi was described by his sister Raliat as "restless as mercury, either playing or roaming about. One of his favourite pastimes was twisting dogs' ears."

The Indian classics, especially the stories of Shravana and king Harishchandra, had a great impact on Gandhi in his childhood.

In India, Gandhi is considered the Father of the Nation and is commonly called Bapu (Gujarati endearment for 'father', 'papa').

The Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela is among admirers of Gandhi's efforts to fight against racism in Africa.

Winston Churchill was a vigorous critic of Gandhi and opponent of his long-term plans. Churchill often ridiculed Gandhi.

Ghandi was in correspondence with the Russian writer and philosopher Leo Tolstoy until Tolstoy's death in 1910 (Tolstoy's last letter was to Gandhi). The letters concern practical and theological applications of nonviolence. Gandhi saw himself a disciple of Tolstoy.

The Mahatma Gandhi District in Houston, Texas, United States, an ethnic Indian enclave, is officially named after Gandhi.

Indira Gandhi, an Indian politician and former Prime Minister, is not related to Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhi did not receive the Nobel Peace Prize, although he was nominated five times between 1937 and 1948.

Gandhi's birthday, 2 October, is commemorated in India as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Nonviolence.

Gandhi is noted as the greatest figure of the successful Indian independence movement against the British rule. He is also hailed as the greatest figure of modern India. American historian Stanley Wolpert described Gandhi as "India's greatest revolutionary nationalist leader" and the greatest Indian since the Buddha. In 1999, Gandhi was named "Asian of the century" by Asiaweek. In a 2000 BBC poll, he was voted as the greatest man of the millennium.

The word Mahatma, while often mistaken for Gandhi's given name in the West, is taken from the Sanskrit words maha (meaning Great) and atma (meaning Soul). He was publicly bestowed with the honorific title "Mahatma" in July 1914 at farewell meeting in Town Hall, Durban. Rabindranath Tagore is said to have accorded the title to Gandhi by 1915. In his autobiography, Gandhi nevertheless explains that he never valued the title, and was often pained by it.

Innumerable streets, roads and localities in India are named after Gandhi. These include M.G.Road (the main street of a number of Indian cities including Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Kanpur, Gangtok and Indore), Gandhi Market (near Sion, Mumbai) and Gandhinagar (the capital of the state of Gujarat, Gandhi's birthplace).

As of 2008, over 150 countries released stamps on Gandhi. In October 2019, about 87 countries including Russia, Iran, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Palestine released commemorative Gandhi stamps on 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi.

Florian asteroid 120461 Gandhi was named in his honour in September 2020. In October 2022, a statue of Gandhi was installed in Astana on the embankment of the rowing canal, opposite the cult monument to the defenders of Kazakhstan.

On 15 December 2022, the United Nations headquarters in New York unveiled the statue of Gandhi. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called Gandhi an "uncompromising advocate for peaceful co-existence".

Literary works

Gandhi was a prolific writer. His signature style was simple, precise, clear and as devoid of artificialities. One of Gandhi's earliest publications, Hind Swaraj, published in Gujarati in 1909, became "the intellectual blueprint" for India's independence movement. The book was translated into English the next year, with a copyright legend that read "No Rights Reserved". For decades he edited several newspapers including Harijan in Gujarati, in Hindi and in the English language; Indian Opinion while in South Africa and, Young India, in English, and Navajivan, a Gujarati monthly, on his return to India. Later, Navajivan was also published in Hindi. In addition, he wrote letters almost every day to individuals and newspapers.

Gandhi also wrote several books including his autobiography, The Story of My Experiments with Truth (Gujarātī "સત્યના પ્રયોગો અથવા આત્મકથા"), of which he bought the entire first edition to make sure it was reprinted. His other autobiographies included: Satyagraha in South Africa about his struggle there, Hind Swaraj or Indian Home Rule, a political pamphlet, and a paraphrase in Gujarati of John Ruskin's Unto This Last which was an early critique of political economy. This last essay can be considered his programme on economics. He also wrote extensively on vegetarianism, diet and health, religion, social reforms, etc. Gandhi usually wrote in Gujarati, though he also revised the Hindi and English translations of his books. In 1934, he wrote Songs from Prison while prisoned in Yerawada jail in Maharashtra.

Followers and international influence

Gandhi influenced important leaders and political movements. Leaders of the civil rights movement in the United States, including Martin Luther King Jr., James Lawson, and James Bevel, drew from the writings of Gandhi in the development of their own theories about nonviolence. King said "Christ gave us the goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics." King sometimes referred to Gandhi as "the little brown saint."

Anti-apartheid activist and former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, was inspired by Gandhi.

Gandhi's life and teachings inspired many who specifically referred to Gandhi as their mentor or who dedicated their lives to spreading Gandhi's ideas. In 1931, physicist Albert Einstein exchanged letters with Gandhi, and called him "a role model for the generations to come" in a letter writing about him.

In addition, the British musician John Lennon referred to Gandhi when discussing his views on nonviolence. In 2007, former US Vice-President and environmentalist Al Gore drew upon Gandhi's idea of satyagraha in a speech on climate change.

Time magazine named The 14th Dalai Lama, Lech Wałęsa, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Aung San Suu Kyi, Benigno Aquino Jr., Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela as Children of Gandhi and his spiritual heirs to nonviolence.

Gandhi's ideas had a significant influence on 20th-century philosophy. Recently in the light of climate change Gandhi's views on technology are gaining importance in the fields of environmental philosophy and philosophy of technology.

magazine named Gandhi the Man of the Year in 1930. In the same magazine's 1999 list of The Most Important People of the Century, Gandhi was second only to Albert Einstein, who had called Gandhi "the greatest man of our age". The University of Nagpur awarded him an LL.D. in 1937. The Government of India awarded the annual Gandhi Peace Prize to distinguished social workers, world leaders and citizens. Nelson Mandela, the leader of South Africa's struggle to eradicate racial discrimination and segregation, was a prominent non-Indian recipient. In 2011, Gandhi topped the TIME's list of top 25 political icons of all time.

When the 14th Dalai Lama was awarded the Prize in 1989, the chairman of the committee said that this was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi". In the summer of 1995, the North American Vegetarian Society inducted him posthumously into the Vegetarian Hall of Fame.

Current impact within India

India, with its rapid economic modernisation and urbanisation, has rejected Gandhi's economics but accepted much of his politics and continues to revere his memory. Reporter Jim Yardley notes that, "modern India is hardly a Gandhian nation, if it ever was one. His vision of a village-dominated economy was shunted aside during his lifetime as rural romanticism, and his call for a national ethos of personal austerity and nonviolence has proved antithetical to the goals of an aspiring economic and military power." By contrast, Gandhi is "given full credit for India's political identity as a tolerant, secular democracy."

Gandhi's birthday, 2 October, is a national holiday in India, Gandhi Jayanti. Gandhi's image also appears on paper currency of all denominations issued by Reserve Bank of India, except for the one rupee note. Gandhi's date of death, 30 January, is commemorated as a Martyrs' Day in India.

There are three temples in India dedicated to Gandhi. One is located at Sambalpur in Odisha and the second at Nidaghatta village near Kadur in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka and the third one at Chityal in the district of Nalgonda, Telangana. The Gandhi Memorial in Kanyakumari resembles central Indian Hindu temples and the Tamukkam or Summer Palace in Madurai now houses the Mahatma Gandhi Museum.

Descendants

Gandhi's children and grandchildren live in India and other countries. Grandson Rajmohan Gandhi is a professor in Illinois and an author of Gandhi's biography titled Mohandas, while another, Tarun Gandhi, has authored several authoritative books on his grandfather. Another grandson, Kanu Ramdas Gandhi (the son of Gandhi's third son Ramdas), was found living in an old age home in Delhi despite having taught earlier in the United States.

Images for kids

Gandhi with Dr. Annie Besant en route to a meeting in Madras in September 1921. Earlier, in Madurai, on 21 September 1921, Gandhi had adopted the loin-cloth for the first time as a symbol of his identification with India's poor.

Gandhi picking salt during Salt Satyagraha to defy colonial law giving salt collection monopoly to the British. His satyagraha attracted vast numbers of Indian men and women.

Coverage of the assassination attempt, The Bombay Chronicle, 27 June 1934

In Spanish: Mahatma Gandhi para niños

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Deepavali | Festival of Lights

Our enlightening Diwali Facts will tell you about the colourful 'Festival of Lights' which will be celebrated on 12 November 2023.

10 Diwali Facts

1. Diwali is the most important religious festival celebrated by followers of Hinduism. It is also called Divali, Deepavali or Deepawali and is commonly referred to as the Festival of Lights.

2. The Festival of Lights celebrates the Hindu New Year. It is a celebration of the victory of light over darkness and the triumph of good over evil.

3.This festival can last up to five days. Diwali takes place every year in late October or early November depending on the cycle of the moon. The festival starts two days before the new moon comes up.

In 2023, the Diwali celebrations go from 10 November until 15 November. The main celebrations will take place on 12 November.

4. The name Deepavali originates from the ancient Indian Sanskrit language and means 'row of lights'. ' Dipa' means 'Light' and ' avali' is the word for 'row'.

5. There are various legends that refer to the festival. They traditionally involve the Hindu gods Rama, Lakshmi or Krishna. They all celebrate the victory of the good over the evil and this festival is a celebration of hope, happiness and peace.

6. Originally Diwali was celebrated as a harvest festival in India, but today Diwali is celebrated as the Festival of Light by Hindus all over the world.

This festival is celebrated with sparklers, firecrackers and fireworks are held in many places.

7. At Diwali it is tradition to decorate and illuminate the homes, visit the local temple for prayers and share meals with families and friends. Children get small gifts and sweets. Traditional Diwali food includes sweets such as the delicious syrupy gulab jamun balls and other Indian sweets displayed below.

8. Lighting candles, oil lamps and sparklers are the main customs at this festival. Indians light diyas which are candleholders or clay lamps that are used for decoration.

Homes and buildings are also decorated with rangoli decorations made with flowers, coloured sand or even coloured rice, flour or spices.

9. Statues of Lakshmi, the four-armed Hindu goddess of prosperity, and of Ganesha, the Hindu lord of success usually referred to as the 'Elephant God', are also cherished and decorated with flowers in many homes.

10. Larger Diwali celebrations outside India take place in Singapore's Little India district as well as in London and Leicester/ UK, Sydney/ Australia and Toronto/ Canada where some main roads are decorated with lights and the Hindu community gathers and showcases Indian traditions, crafts and Indian food at fairs and festival grounds.

Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists also celebrate the new year with a festival of light on these dates but have different legends and traditions referring to the event.

How do families celebrate Diwali?

Last year we asked our young readers what their favourite festival was. In the following wonderful essays two students told us about their family celebrations at Diwali or Deepavali. You will find the essays here:

We hope you have enjoyed our Diwali Facts for Kids and wish all our friends who celebrate the Festival of Lights: "May the divine light spread hope, happiness, health and prosperity! Happy Diwali!" from all of us at Kids-World-Travel-Guide.com

Diwali Facts | Resources

Das, Subhamoy. "When Is Diwali (Deepavali)? Dates for 2019 to 2025." Learn Religions. Last accessed 12 May 2022

Visit Leicester. "Diwali Leicester 2019." Visit Leicester. Last accessed 12 May 2022 - (Outdated calendar info, however, the Diwali background info is still spot on!)

Image Credits on Diwali Facts: Diwali Decorations in Mumbai by Snehal Jeevan Pailkar; My Incredible India by Ed Kaetan and others from Shutterstock.com and own images
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Diwali Facts for Kids | Deepavali | Festival of Lights | Traditions

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Our Diwali Facts for Kids will explain the most important Hindu festival and tell you about traditions, food and festivities.

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India for Kids | India Facts for Kids | Geography | People | Animals

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Our India for Kids page will tell you all about incredible India, the country and its people, landmarks, animals, food and so much more

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CBBC Newsround | BOLLYWOOD | Introduction

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By Vic Lang'at Junior on August 27 2019 in Society

Jaipur is one of the largest cities in India.

India has the second-highest population among the countries of the world, with more than 1.2 billion inhabitants. As of 2011, the country had 27 cities with populations exceeding one million. These cities comprise about 43% of the country's urban population. This list describes the ten most populated cities in India, with its source being found .

10. Jaipur - 3.1 million people

Jaipur is the largest city in the state of Rajasthan and its capital city as well. It is built on 187.12 sq miles of land, and it is home to 3.1 million people. It is the tenth most populated city in the country. Jaipur is a popular destination for tourists not only in India but Asia as a whole. It is part of India's Golden Triangle along with Delhi and Agra. The city is also called 'the Pink City.'

9. Surat - 4.5 million people

Surat is a port city in India and the capital of Surat district. It is located in the state of Gujarat, and it dominates the economy of the state. The city's income comes mainly from the food, diamonds and textile industries. More than 90% of the rough diamonds in the world are polished in this city. Surat is India's third cleanest city. Globally, it is ranked the fourth fastest-growing city. The city sits on 126.068 square miles of land and is home to around 4.5 million residents. 65% of the city's population is connected to the internet. Surat is set to become India's first smart IT city.

8. Pune - 5.0 million people

Pune is the capital of Pune District in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is the second-largest city in the state after Mumbai. Pune covers 281 square miles of area, and its population was 5,057,709 in 2011. The city boasts some of the most renowned and best performing educational institutions in the eastern part of India. An estimated 50% of the total population of international students in India study in Pune. Research, automobiles and manufacturing industries dominate the city's economy. The sport of badminton originated in the city.

7. Ahmedabad - 6.3 million people

Photo credit: Sira Anamwong / Shutterstock.com.

Ahmedabad was the former capital city of Gujarat state. Currently, it functions as the governing headquarters of Ahmedabad district. It is the largest city in Gujarat. Around 6.3 million people live in the city. It has the country's second-oldest stock exchange market and the second-largest cotton industry as well. It is a fast-thriving city, and in 2010, Forbes named it as the third fastest-growing city of the decade. Old Ahmadabad or the Historic City of Ahmadabad became the first UNESCO World Heritage City in India in July 2017.

6. Hyderabad - 7.75 million people

Photo credit: SNEHIT / Shutterstock.com.

Hyderabad is the official capital of the state of Telangana. It also functions as the de jure administrative seat of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh since it was the capital of the state until it was moved to the newly formed Telangana state in June 2014. The city is about 250 square miles in area. Its population is approximately 7.75 million people. Hyderabad is the economic powerhouse of Telangana. The service sector employs 90% of the labor force in the city. Historically, the city played a crucial role in the pearl trade. It was the sole trading center for Golconda Diamonds globally until the 18th century.

5. Bangalore - 8.5 million people

Bangalore lies in the extensive Deccan Plateau in the southern region of India. It is the administrative seat of the state of Karnataka. The official name of the city is Bengaluru. Its area is 274 mi2 while its population as of 2011 was 8,520,435. The city has the second-fastest-growing economies in India with an average economic growth of 10.3%. There are more IT firms in Bangalore than in any other Indian City. Between 2006 and 2007, these companies constituted 33% of the country's IT exports. It is also a biotechnology hub of the country.

4. Chennai - 8.7 million people

Chennai city is the capital of Tamil Nadu. In 2015, it was voted India's safest city. The larger Chennai Metropolitan area covers 459.07 mi2 in the area and it is home to about 8,653,521 people. The city receives more health tourists than any other city in India, earning it the title of "India's Health Capital". More than 33% of India's automobile industry is based in Chennai. It also has a large expatriate population, estimated to surpass 100,000 as of 2016. The city had the third-highest per capita GDP in India in 2015.

3. Kolkata

Until 2001, the official name of the city was Calcutta. It is the administrative capital of West Bengal. Kolkata had a population of 14,035,831 people as of 2011. It is the third most productive as well as the third-most populous city in the country. Kolkata plays a very critical role in the economic and military activities in the eastern region of India since it is the only city with an international airport in the area. It is also a cultural hub in the country with deep roots in art, drama, theatre, film, and literature.

2. New Delhi - 16.3 million people

New Delhi is a union territory or administrative division in India, meaning that is governed by the country's Central Government. The official name of the city is the National Capital Territory of Delhi. It has the second-highest population after Mumbai, with about 16.3 million inhabitants. New Delhi's wealth as a city ranks second in the country after Mumbai. In 2016, it was among the two most productive metro areas in India. Delhi has an area of 573.0 sq mi. The city has 11 districts, amongst them New Delhi, the capital of India.

1. Mumbai - 18.4 million people

Mumbai is the capital of the State of Maharashtra in India. Its official name was Bombay until 1995. Mumbai comprises two regions, the city district which covers an area of 233 square miles and the more extensive Mumbai metropolitan area with a total area of 1681.5 square miles. The city has a population of about 18.4 million inhabitants, and it is the most populated city in India. Its wealth also surpasses that of any other Indian city as it is home to the highest number of Indian millionaires and billionaires.

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By Vic Lang'at Junior on August 27 2019 in Society India has the second-highest population among the countries of the world, with more than 1.2 billion inhabitants. As of 2011, the country had 27 cities with populations exceeding one million. These cities comprise about 43% of the country's urban population.

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Republic of India, Bharat, Bharatavarsha

Last modified: 2004-12-29 by rob raeside
Keywords: india | bharat | wheel | chakra | ashoka chakra |
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by Zeljko Heimer
Flag adopted 22 July 1947, coat of arms adopted 26 January 1950.

See also: The flag was first flown and recognized as the Indian National Flag (not just as that of the Congress Party) in Hamburg in 1942.
Ed Haynes, 30 September 1998
On 15 August 1947 the dominions of India and Pakistan were established. India adopted the familiar horizontal tricolor of orange, white, and green with a blue Ashoka Chakra at the center. The tricolor had been used, unofficially, since the early 1920s as the flag of the Indian National Congress, with the colors representing Hinduism (orange), Islam (green), and a hoped-for unity and peace (white). More unofficially, the flag was patterned on the other example of struggle against British imperialism, Ireland. Most often, a blue spinning wheel was shown in the center, derived from Gandhi's call for economic self-sufficiency through hand-spinning.

The spoked Ashoka Chakra (the "wheel of the law" of the 3rd-century BC Mauryan Emperor Ashoka) replaced the Gandhian spinning wheel to add historical "depth" and separate the national flag from the INC party flag (and Indian political party flags are another tale).
Ed Haynes, 10 April 1996

The national flag strictly is a state flag, but Album des Pavillons (2000) in a note explains that it may be used by private citizens only in certain circumstances.
Zeljko Heimer, 6 November 2001

Concerning the use of the national flag as a war flag (military flag), see our page on the Indian army.

Note: we have found it almost impossible to represent the shade of saffron on the Indian flag adequately for all monitors - some show it too yellow, other too orange. If you compare it with the colours on the flag of Brunei and Ireland you will see we have indeed chosen a tone between orange and yellow, as close to saffron as we can.

These are approximate colours shades for the Indian national flag:
Orange: CMYK 0-50-90-0, Pantone 021c; Green: CMYK 100-0-70-30, Pantone 341c
Santiago Dotor, 26 February 2001

The Indian saffron is approximated with browser-safe colours RGB 255-204-0 (FOTW Y+), and Indian green might be well 51-153-51.
Zeljko Heimer, 6 November 2001

'The Indian 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 is to three. In the centre 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. This center symbol or the 'CHAKRA' is a symbol dating back to 2nd century BC. Its diameter approximates the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes, which intends to show that there is life in movement and death in stagnation. The saffron stands for courage and sacrifice; the white, for purity and truth; the green for growth and auspiciousness.

The Constituent Assembly which drew up the Constitution of India, adopted, on 22 July 1947, the tricolor as Independent India's National Flag. After a debate, the Dharma Chakra (of Emperor Ashoka) was included in the central white stripe of the flag, instead of the Charka (used symbolically by Gandhiji and also included in the flag used by the Indian National Congress). The same Chakra adorns the State Emblem adapted from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka in addition to the motto from the Mundaka Upanishad, Satyameva Jayate which means: Truth alone triumphs. The Chakra or the wheel symbolizes the Power of the State governed by Dharma, which is the primordial Indian system of justice which is the bed-rock, not only of governance but of the socio-politico-economic edifice itself.'
Brinda Maindiratta, 2 April 2003

The following is an extract from the preamble to the flag code of India as posted on the official Home Ministry website of the Indian government:

The significance of the colours and the chakra in the National Flag was amply described by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan in the Constituent Assembly which
unanimously adopted the National Flag. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan explained -"Bhagwa or the saffron colour denotes renunciation of disinterestedness. Our leaders must be indifferent to material gains and dedicate themselves to their work. The white in the centre is light, the path of truth to guide our conduct. The green shows our relation to soil, our relation to the plant life here on which all other life depends. The Ashoka Wheel in the centre of the white is the wheel of the law of dharma. Truth or satya, dharma or virtue ought to be the controlling principles of those who work under this flag. Again, the wheel denotes motion. There is death in stagnation. There is life in movement. India should no more resist change, it must move and go forward. The wheel represents the dynamism of a peaceful change."

Shree Sinha, 25 November 2003

Reproduced below an extract from Jawaharlal Nehru's address to the Constituent Assembly for the date on which the national flag was adopted (Tuesday, 22 July 1947):

"I present this Flag to you. This Resolution defines the Flag which I trust you will adopt. In a sense this Flag was adopted, not by a formal resolution, but by popular acclaim and usage, adopted much more by the sacrifice that surrounded it in the past few decades. We are in a sense only ratifying that popular adoption. It is a Flag which has been variously described. Some people, having misunderstood its significance, have thought of it in communal terms and believe that some part of it represents this community or that. But I may say that when this Flag was devised there was no communal significance attached to it."

At the same meeting of the Constituent Assembly, Govind Das added:

"There is no touch of communalism in the three colours of the flag. Panditji (i.e., Jawaharlal Nehru) has already told you this in the course of his speech. It is true that at a time when the colours were red, white and green there was a trace of communalism in the flag. But when we changed these colours to saffron, white and green, we declared it in clear words that the three colours had no communal significance."

The official website of the High Commission of India in London states "The saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation; the white, for purity and truth; and the green for faith and fertility.

Shree Sinha, 25 November 2003

I have seen at a guess a dozen or more artificially constructed and intentionally fanciful imposed "meanings" for the Indian flag. Most are fairly phoney and contrived. When first used early in this century, the explanation was simple: saffron = Hindus, green = Muslims, white = the peace between then (wish-fulfillment?), the wheel = the Gandhian spinning wheel (early on, more obviously so in the design). Post-independence explanations differ, though those today (especially the current pressure to change the flag to solid orange) return to earlier meanings. The similarity to the Irish flag, though with different equivalences, was not in any way an accident. Pick an explanation...?
Ed Haynes, 30 September 1998

One of the spurious meanings of the Indian flag according to http://www.trimurtisolutions.com/india/index.html states the color of saffron/kesaria stand for patriotism (balidaan), white is for simplicity and peace, green is for agriculture (kheti) farming (kisan) and greenery (hariyali), the navy blue wheel in the center is the "Ashoka chakra", the wheel of progress.
collected by Dov Gutterman, 30 September 1998

I'm extremely sceptical of the information about a controversy regarding the color of the flag. We have border disputes and other headaches, but an issue regarding the flag itself? Doesn't exist. However, the significance of the blue wheel is much more (and here it borders on Hindu philosophy): "The chakra [wheel] in the Indian Flag which represents the wheel of life conveys the importance of karma. It is also a symbol for continuation of life and its cycles".
Jeetendra Chandragiri, 17 Dec 1999
Flag Code
On 26th January 2002, the flag code was changed. After 52 years, the citizens of India are free to fly the Indian flag over their homes, offices and factories on any day. Except some basic rules to follow while flying the flags, all other restrictions have been removed. Now Indians can proudly display the national flag any where and any time.
Mohan, 12 Feb 2002

There are some rules and regulations upon how to fly the flag, based on the 26 January 2002 legislation. These include the following:

The Do's

The National Flag may be hoisted in educational institutions (schools, colleges, sports camps, scout camps, etc.) to inspire respect for the Flag. An oath of allegiance has been included in the flag hoisting in schools.

A member of public, a private organization or an educational institution may hoist/display the National Flag on all days and occasions, ceremonial or otherwise consistent with the dignity and honour of the National Flag.

Section 2 of the new code accepts the right of all private citizens to fly the flag on their premises.

The Don'ts:

The flag cannot be used for communal gains, drapery, or clothes. As far as possible, it should be flown from sunrise to sunset, irrespective of the weather.

The flag cannot be intentionally allowed to touch the ground or the floor or trail in water. It cannot be draped over the hood, top, and sides or back of vehicles, trains, boats or aircraft.

No other flag or bunting can be placed higher than the flag. Also, no object, including flowers or garlands or emblems can be placed on or above the flag. The tricolour cannot be used as a festoon, rosette or bunting.

As of January 26th, many have already started hoisting the flags at their premises. This new flag code would not have been made possible if it weren't for one Indian who had been constantly been arguing/fighting against the government and for the citizen's right for the free hoisting of flags. Apparently this particular Indian had filed a law suit and has been fighting for this right for ages until he finally won this right somewhere around the end of Dec. 2001.
Shriram, 16 February 2002
The entire flag code can be obtained at Outlook India.
Pascal Vagnat, 18 January 2003

Information regarding the obsolete 1950 flag code:

A strict flag code announced in the year 1950 regulated the use and display of the national flag. It barred the use of the flag in advertisements or for any other commercial activity. In fact, even private citizens were not allowed to fly the flag over their homes, offices or factories except on certain designated days like the Republic Day or the Independence Day.
Source: BBC News
Contributed by Santiago Tazon, 31 August 2000

There is a clear proviso in the flag code permitting putting flower petals inside the national Tricolour before it is unfurled on special occasions like Republic Day and Independence Day... the proviso permitting the use of petals was added to Section 5.9 on January 24, 1997
Source: The Tribune
Contributed by Jaume Ollé, 5 November 2000

In New Delhi in August 2001 I did not notice any flag of interest, but Indian national flags without the chakra hoisted on poles in the center of the city. Was this a way to circumvent the [old] law prohibiting private use of the national flag?
Ivan Sache, 17 January 2002

by Zeljko Heimer
based on Album des Pavillons (2000)
This was also the early Indian Air Force marking, according to Cochrane and Elliott (1998) in the period 1947-48, and was used together with the fin flash using a square(ish) vertical tricolour of orange-white-green (orange to front).
Zeljko Heimer, 11 November 2001

The Chakra on the National Flag was officially defined at 75% of the white stripe in 1947 (taken from specifications issued by the Indian Standards Institution), but according to William Crampton (1993) this has largely been ignored in practice ever since. To quote from Dr Crampton's notes: "...in practice the Chakra occupies 98% of the white stripe (or thereabouts)", and the spec he drew up shows it at exactly that.
Christopher Southworth, 23 May 2004

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