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| India |
| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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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.
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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.
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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 '. |
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