INDIA is one of the oldest civilisations in
the world with a kaleidoscopic variety and rich cultural heritage.
It has achieved multifaceted socio-economic progress during
the last 58 years of its Independence. India has become self-sufficient
in agricultural production, and is now the tenth industrialised
country in the world and the sixth nation to have gone into
outer space to conquer nature for the benefit of the people.
It covers an area of 32,87,263 sq km, extending from the snow-covered
Himalayan heights to the tropical rain forests of the south.
As the seventh largest country in the world, India stands apart
from the rest of Asia, marked off as it is by mountains and
the sea, which give the country a distinct geographical entity.
Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards
and at the Tropic of Cancer, tapers off into the Indian Ocean
between the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Arabian Sea on
the west.
Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere, the
mainland extends between latitudes 8°4' and 37°6' north,
longitudes 68°7' and 97°25' east, and measures about
3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and
about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes.
It has a land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length
of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.
People
In a country as diverse and complex as India,
it is not surprising to find that people here reflect the rich
glories of the past, the culture, traditions and values relative
to geographic locations and the numerous distinctive manners,
habits and food that will always remain truly Indian. According
to five thousand years of recorded history.
Indian
Economy: An Overview:
India's economy is on the fulcrum of an ever increasing growth
curve. With positive indicators such as a stable 8 per cent
annual growth, rising foreign exchange reserves of close to
US$ 166 billion, a booming capital market with the popular "Sensex"
index topping the majestic 13,000 mark, the Government estimating
FDI flow of US$ 12 billion in this fiscal, and a more than 22
per cent surge in exports, it is easy to understand why India
is a leading destination for foreign investment.
• The economy has grown by 8.9 per cent
for the April-July quarter of ’06-07, the highest first-quarter
growth rate since '00-01. • The growth rate has
been spurred by the manufacturing sector, which has logged an
11.3 per cent rise in Q1 ’06-07, according to the GDP
data released by the Central Statistical Organisation. It was
10.7 per cent in the corresponding period of the last fiscal
year. The GDP numbers come just weeks after the monthly IIP
growth figures have touched 12.4 per cent. • Agriculture,
which accounts for nearly a quarter of the GDP, has also grown
by a healthy 3.4 per cent, unchanged from the corresponding
period of last fiscal. • Other propellers of GDP
growth for the first quarter this fiscal have been the trade,
hotels, transport and communications sector which grew by 9.5
per cent and construction, which grew by 13.2 per cent. In the
corresponding period of last fiscal, these sectors grew by 11.7
per cent and 12.4 per cent, respectively. • Electricity
also grew by 5.4 per cent this first quarter as opposed to 7.4
per cent in the same period last year. The overall growth in
this sector was fuelled by growth in July and August. The services
sector also grew by 10.6 per cent in the first quarter of ’06-07.
It was only 9.8 per cent last year in the same period.
• There has been exceptional growth rate in some specific
industries, like commercial vehicles at 36 per cent, telephone
connections, by 48.9 per cent and passenger growth in civil
aviation by 32.2 per cent.
Some Highlights:
• India has more billionaires than China. This year
there were 15 billionaires in China but last year in India,
there were 20 billionaires, according to the Forbes magazine.
• India has emerged as the world's fastest growing
wealth creator, thanks to a buoyant stock market and higher
earnings. • A number of Indian companies surpassed
last year's net profit in just six months of the current fiscal,
reflecting an accelerated growth in corporate earnings.
• Forty-four per cent of Top 100 Fortune 500 companies
are present in India.
With its manufacturing and services sector on a searing growth
path, India’s economy may soon touch the coveted 10 per
cent growth figure.
Culture
Indian culture is rich and diverse and as a result unique
in its very own way. Our manners, way of communicating with
one another, etc are one of the important components of our
culture. Even though we have accepted modern means of living,
improved our lifestyle, our values and beliefs still remain
unchanged. A person can change his way of clothing, way of eating
and living but the rich values in a person always remains unchanged
because they are deeply rooted within our hearts, mind, body
and soul which we receive from our culture.
Indian culture treats guests as god and serves them and takes
care of them as if they are a part and parcel of the family
itself. Even though we don’t have anything to eat, the
guests are never left hungry and are always looked after by
the members of the family. Elders and the respect for elders
is a major component in Indian culture. Elders are the driving
force for any family and hence the love and respect for elders
comes from within and is not artificial. An individual takes
blessings from his elders by touching their feet. Elders drill
and pass on the Indian culture within us as we grow.“Respect
one another” is another lesson that is taught from the
books of Indian culture. All people are alike and respecting
one another is ones duty. In foreign countries the relation
between the boss and the employee is like a master and slave
and is purely monetary whereas in Indian culture the relation
between the boss and the employee is more like homely relations
unlike foreign countries.
Helpful nature is another striking feature in our Indian culture.
Right from our early days of childhood we are taught to help
one another in need of help and distress. If not monetary then
at least in kind or non-monetary ways.
Indian culture tells us to multiply and distribute joy and
happiness and share sadness and pain. It tells us that by all
this we can develop co-operation and better living amongst ourselves
and subsequently make this world a better place to live in.
Even though India is a country of various religions and caste
our culture tells us just one thing 'phir bhi dil hai hidustani
'.
