India is a developing country, and one clear sign of that is the energy demand that its people have created since independence. India is the second most populated country in the world, and has the fifth largest installed capacity of electricity generation. To level those two numbers, the yard-stick to use is the per capita energy consumption, in which India is ranked beyond 140. In today’s scenario, India has a peak load demand of more than 12000 MW. India’s peak-hours shortfall rose by 0.4% in 2011. Clearly, the demand is exceeding the supply – 16000 MW of generation capacity was added from April to December in the same year.
Indian government plans to add 107000 MW to the installed capacity in the next five-years (2012-2017), having added only 70% of the set target of 52000 MW addition between the years 2007 and 2012. And, most of the power plants in place, and those about to be lined up, are thermal, especially, coal-based. As it is, coal based account for more than 55% of Indian power generation, and including other thermal sources, the number is 65%.
Let’s face it – coal is not going to last forever. Different people have different guesses for its extinction. Some say it will be gone by 2020, some say 2050. But, it will be gone very soon at the rate it is being consumed. We can only look at alternate sources of energy. Hydro is an easy option. Just that, you can tap the North-Eastern belly full of hydro energy potential, but have no-where to send it to in the difficult terrain. There is solar energy to tap, but at the cost that it made available for, Indians cannot afford it, even at the 40% subsidiary the government is willing to offer. Solar energy’s other deficiencies add up to its dismissal as the answer to overcoming the power shortfall. Wind energy, likewise, is very costly to install, wind farms are scarcely located and they are very inconsistent in generation for us, as a nation, to bank on for the demand.
The one answer, that may check all the boxes, however, is nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is nothing new to anyone. It has been used around the world, benefiting millions of people. It caters to 15% of world’s electricity requirements. India has, as of 2011, 4800 MW of installed capacity off nuclear power plants, and ranks 15th in the world by generation.
Just to compare the numbers, India’s total installed capacity of power generation is around 185 GW, and USA’s installed nuclear power capacity alone comes to 101 GW. 75% of France’s electricity supply is fulfilled by nuclear power, and even sell it to neighbouring countries.
The most common nuclear fuel is Uranium.
Nuclear power is green. It is non-polluting – it does not cause air pollution, it does not pollute the water, nuclear waste disposal is well watched and is done under watchful eyes of IAEA and other international eyes with the sole interest to not do the environment any harm. Fear not.
To further eliminate any concern about nuclear waste disposal, the nuclear sector is planning to move towards breeder reactors, which will reprocess the spent fuel and recover upto an expected 95% of usable fuel for subsequent reactions nuclear reactions and thereby, generate more power with minimal wastes. As of today, reprocessing done is less, but it will rise as the number of breeder reactors rise.
Nuclear power has to find its support in India too. There are 18 reactors in India, supplying 4.8 GW. It is about time to add more to it. The amount of fuel required to generate electricity for any number of units, is much less than that of coal burnt to generate the same.
The Kudankulam Nuclear power Plant has an installed capacity of 2000 MW burning the pockets. And, more units weighing in at 4000 MW combined will be added to it soon. Tamil Nadu’s power deficiency alone exceeds 1600 MW. Time and again, nuclear watch-dogs from around the world have tested and left satisfied with the safety deployed at the plants at the Kudankulam. It is us people who need to dispel the unnecessary fears locked in our minds.
Let it be known that the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was installed in the year 1971 – two years after Tarapur Atomic Power Station was in place – and the power plant at Fukushima needed an earthquake that measured 9 on the Richter Scale coupled with the gigantic forces of tsunami to cause damage that caught the attention of international eyes. Nothing survives disasters like that, nothing. It was catastrophic, yes. But, accidents cannot be seen as the reason to stop looking forward. Safety mechanisms are put in to avert as many disasters foreseeable as possible.
Technology is a wonderful asset. The Wright brothers crashed their flights in many of their trials, and then made their first successful glide of 120 feet. Today, we fly in planes that measure longer than that. we have seen accidents, and we have overcome those defects. We shouldn’t give up on something good.
India has been blessed with abundant deposits of Thorium, which is quite special. It is only justified if we can make use of this gift of nature and satisfy the hunger of energy demand that has landed upon us.
Hopefully, nuclear is now clear.
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Come on. Fast.
Now that in the recent past we have seen Mamata Bannerjee and Anna Hazare fast to get things done (good or bad, irrelevant...), I think Indian think tanks are empty. The ones sitting in the upper, lower, middle, inner and outer houses of the parliaments are simply sucked into the demands of the fast-ers. Again, good or bad is irrelevant.
So, I'm guessing a few other people will be waiting to take the same path to achieve the same thing?
Baba Ramdev is about to do it. I don't know what for, though. You see, I think this is a very cheap way of getting things done. But, ah well, government will rather do its best to save your life than to activate its spinal cord.
Katrina Kaif will have a fast to bring "Best Item Number" award into Filmfare and National Awards. She has been barking at many trees now, and may take the extreme step.
Captain Vijaykanth may fast until TV channels play all his movies and the audience watches all those movies.
Sachin fans will fast, you know, because they believe they can do anything. Maybe also to get him an award or two.
Dada fans will fast, because he won't be on an IPL team.
Sonia Gandhi will go on a fast till every single Indian calls her an Indian. Of course, her speech will be in English, and she will break her fast at Pizza Hut.
Indian CM will put the ex-CM in a mandatory fast. Just for rivalry's sake. And parts of TN will burn, schools and colleges will earn holidays. Noting new. Happens, just a new way now.
Kareena Kapoor will go on fast, because Katrina would've become a competitor to her size-0 figure after her fast. So, Kareena's goal will be to get producers to make films for size "-1" figure girls.
Chief Justice of India will fast so that people listen to him rather than the ones who fast. Err, I mean, all others who fast.
Himesh Reshamiyya will fast so that people will listen to him when he speaks during the fast. Note, this fast may be longer than usual, since some people may want the fast to change his voice. And attitude. And cap. And his weight. And......
Sreesanth will fast and try to make the selectors select him for every series, every match, every finals.
National security advisor will fast to make fast an illegal and punishable act.
DD National soap actors will fast to get more TRP for their channel.
Random reality show cast will fast to get the govt allow their reality show be shown on prime time television.
Random reality show's discarded contestant will call a fast to earn a wildcard entry into the game show's finale.
Arindham Choudhary will fast to get accreditation to his dreamy-land institute. He will dream beyond NITs,IIMs, IITs, IISCs, LKGs, Nurserys, IIPMs... if not attended to, he might dare to dream beyond moons and stars.
Lalu Yadav will fast, just to prove that anyone can do that.
A Raja and Kanimozhi will fast to remove the number "2" and letter "G" from the alpha-numeric system.
....
Someone will fast to end the brainless-ly stupid "Art of fasting" for gain of something which he/she couldn't achieve by means of negotiations, argument, proposal or declaration. And our beautiful govt caves into it all the time.
Fast unto "death"??? Really?
So, I'm guessing a few other people will be waiting to take the same path to achieve the same thing?
Baba Ramdev is about to do it. I don't know what for, though. You see, I think this is a very cheap way of getting things done. But, ah well, government will rather do its best to save your life than to activate its spinal cord.
Katrina Kaif will have a fast to bring "Best Item Number" award into Filmfare and National Awards. She has been barking at many trees now, and may take the extreme step.
Captain Vijaykanth may fast until TV channels play all his movies and the audience watches all those movies.
Sachin fans will fast, you know, because they believe they can do anything. Maybe also to get him an award or two.
Dada fans will fast, because he won't be on an IPL team.
Sonia Gandhi will go on a fast till every single Indian calls her an Indian. Of course, her speech will be in English, and she will break her fast at Pizza Hut.
Indian CM will put the ex-CM in a mandatory fast. Just for rivalry's sake. And parts of TN will burn, schools and colleges will earn holidays. Noting new. Happens, just a new way now.
Kareena Kapoor will go on fast, because Katrina would've become a competitor to her size-0 figure after her fast. So, Kareena's goal will be to get producers to make films for size "-1" figure girls.
Chief Justice of India will fast so that people listen to him rather than the ones who fast. Err, I mean, all others who fast.
Himesh Reshamiyya will fast so that people will listen to him when he speaks during the fast. Note, this fast may be longer than usual, since some people may want the fast to change his voice. And attitude. And cap. And his weight. And......
Sreesanth will fast and try to make the selectors select him for every series, every match, every finals.
National security advisor will fast to make fast an illegal and punishable act.
DD National soap actors will fast to get more TRP for their channel.
Random reality show cast will fast to get the govt allow their reality show be shown on prime time television.
Random reality show's discarded contestant will call a fast to earn a wildcard entry into the game show's finale.
Arindham Choudhary will fast to get accreditation to his dreamy-land institute. He will dream beyond NITs,IIMs, IITs, IISCs, LKGs, Nurserys, IIPMs... if not attended to, he might dare to dream beyond moons and stars.
Lalu Yadav will fast, just to prove that anyone can do that.
A Raja and Kanimozhi will fast to remove the number "2" and letter "G" from the alpha-numeric system.
....
Someone will fast to end the brainless-ly stupid "Art of fasting" for gain of something which he/she couldn't achieve by means of negotiations, argument, proposal or declaration. And our beautiful govt caves into it all the time.
Fast unto "death"??? Really?
Sunday, February 6, 2011
There is a world in India, India is world over.
I've lived in India for over 22 years, but have not even seen more than an ounce of it. No, I'm not whining, I'm proud of it. Even after 22 years of exploring the places around me, I'm yet to see all that this country has to offer.
Geographically, ethnically, culturally, and otherwise- India is rich in them all. No minor internal trouble laden pain brush can paint even a bit of black dot on the beautiful painting that my country is.
I've seen the beach off the Madras coast, never since the beautification, but I know how long and beautiful it can be! The coast on the East is so much different from the coast on the West. There is water, there is sand. But they are not the same. Each coast has its own beauty. The beaches extend long into the land on the East, shells and conches of every kind drawing the interest of many. The beaches on the West coast don't extend long into the land with sands... They need to make space for the canopy of trees lushing with a beautifully contrasting shade of green against the brown sand, black rocks and blue sea. What's more... They all meet at the tip of India's mainland - Kanyakumari! If you are sea-sick, you are missing out on so many things one element of nature has to offer you. I've been to the Cauveri Delta's Pichavaram, with its Mongrove trees. The real beauty of the trees can't be written in the books where you learn about them. It can't be touched upon by me in half a page of beauty-writing either. Half an hour of boat ride on the salty waters of the delta, a close look at the trees, a pluck of its "flowers"...they are some things to relish. Young or old, you will cherish!
Still, I've never been to the Konkan beaches, or the gulfs of Gujarat, or the delta of Ganges. That's about beaches, many of which I may not even know! There are so many rivers in India, importance of which have been engraved in our history! The Indus Civilization, reputed to be one of the earliest and one of the best planned, was Along the banks of Indus. So much is the river's importance, that it bears the roots to our country's name. Ganges, the holiest of rivers to many Many people. The one river where people try to visit atleast once in their life time, in a hope to attain salvation.
Numerous rivers flow like wrinkles across the face of mother India. Here, though, the wrinkles only beautify her. Most of the Indian population depends on farming, directly or indirectly. In most parts of India, wealth is spoken in terms of land area, and produce reaped from it each year. The people love their land. Wheat or rice, sugarcane or jute. They are proud of it, because, they feed the nation! Rice farms don the South, wheat in the North. A reason why the eating habits of people in the north and south depend more on wheat and rice respectively.
have I seen them all? Gosh, no :-( . Will I? Maybe! Every train journey is an eye opener to a new world that had evaded my eyes all life long!
Where there is no human habitat, there are forests, of various kinds! Where there are no forests, there are hills and mountains. Where there are no mountains, there is the desert. Where there is no desert, there is Rann of Kutch. The geography is so wildly different within a span of a 1000 km, that you might feel you are in a different land! Wildlife of each of them differ from every other place. Indian wildlife, flora and fauna, are unique. One has to be here to see it for oneself! The seasonal flowers make you wait to watch them bloom. The animals in their own home habitat are nothing short of beautiful to watch. The lions in Gujarat to the rhinos in Assam. The tahrs of Nilgiri to the snow leopard of Ladakh. The tigers of Bengal to the pheasants of central-India. The elephants of the South to the camels of the desert. I've seen peacocks dance for rain, and five miles later, vulture wait atop trees for their prey!
Have I seen them all? Umm, nope! There is just too much to see, i would need all 9 lives... Oh, I'm not a cat!
The cultural differences are so many. People have nurtured and polished their cultures for ages through history. What one wears in Kerala is completely strange to a person in Jammu. What one speaks in Bengal may not be understood in Gujarat. What one eats in Uttar Pradesh is out of ordinary for someone in Assam. We all came from different regions, different races, different colours, acclimated new conditions and made it our own over the ages, spoke different tongues, wore clothes to protect us from sun/rain/snow/dust as the case may be...and we all come now to pledge under one name - Indians.
India is probably the only country to state and allow the freedom of religion to all its inhabitants. Because, we are all the same. Most religions were born in India. Some religions came to India and were able to blend amongst other religions, like it was water in water. So many languages are spoken in India. Why, some may not understand what the other speaks. But, there will be a smile on your face if an Indian sees another on any foreign land. Just the picture of another Indian brings back the memories of homeland, mother India. Most languages have a common root- Sanskrit. Many words in English can be traced down to Sanskrit origins. And, Sanskrit is older than English. Though spoken very less in modern India, there is still a living village which converses only in Sanskrit. Heritage, my people, cannot be destroyed.
20th and 21st century India has all been about development, being a global competitor, sculpting an image of the nation worldwide. Many famous people have brought the attention of the world to India and spread the Indian view to the world. Long ago, the British called India "snake charmers", meddled with us, and took away jewels and called us a "poor nation". Now, Indians are amongst the richest of people. One of the richest man has most of his profits thanks to Indians. The Pepsi you drink, is reined by an Indian. The largest govt organization in the world is the largest manned railway network in the world, The Indian Railways.
Indian education is recognized world over! When a South African told me that she would want her kids to be educated in India, I understood how good an image we hold in front of the world. No, Indians are not recognized as "geeks" or "nerds". My American pen pal said she enjoyed Bollywood movies as much as Hollywood movies. Indian image what we hold in our eyes in India, is pretty much the same as it is in others' eyes. One Slumdog Millionaire is not going to make the whole country be stereotypes as that! A Punjabi who settled in Toronto who was once accidentally addressed to as "cab driver", brought Bollywood to the city, took 3000 Indians to each game of NBA played in Toronto, and showed the world who Indians really are. For your information, he is Hyundai's largest car-dealer of foreign origin in Canada.
We have given the world the healing powers of Yoga and Ayurveda, we gave the world the taste of spices. We built the timeless structures like the Taj Mahal, we gave epics to the world. We gave the world magics of mathematics, secrets of astrology and other natural sciences which were figured out way before man could speak English. It is not hard to believe that we come from a separate world, from the Gondwanaland, which was an independently floating continent, later to be attached to Asian's mainland. We form the Sub-continent with our neighbours.
In this 21st century, we pledge to become a developed nation as soon as possible! The Indian youth are the technocrats world over, bringing home to technical know how and knowledge pool to drive India to the top! And as we do, we will continue to nourish the heritage and culture that has been breeding for milleniums in our household.
I might not have seen the whole of India, but everywhere I see, it is India.
To all my friends world over, we welcome you to India. For, we consider tourists to be divine... Atithi devo Bhava!
Mera Bharat Mahan!
Jai Hind
Geographically, ethnically, culturally, and otherwise- India is rich in them all. No minor internal trouble laden pain brush can paint even a bit of black dot on the beautiful painting that my country is.
I've seen the beach off the Madras coast, never since the beautification, but I know how long and beautiful it can be! The coast on the East is so much different from the coast on the West. There is water, there is sand. But they are not the same. Each coast has its own beauty. The beaches extend long into the land on the East, shells and conches of every kind drawing the interest of many. The beaches on the West coast don't extend long into the land with sands... They need to make space for the canopy of trees lushing with a beautifully contrasting shade of green against the brown sand, black rocks and blue sea. What's more... They all meet at the tip of India's mainland - Kanyakumari! If you are sea-sick, you are missing out on so many things one element of nature has to offer you. I've been to the Cauveri Delta's Pichavaram, with its Mongrove trees. The real beauty of the trees can't be written in the books where you learn about them. It can't be touched upon by me in half a page of beauty-writing either. Half an hour of boat ride on the salty waters of the delta, a close look at the trees, a pluck of its "flowers"...they are some things to relish. Young or old, you will cherish!
Still, I've never been to the Konkan beaches, or the gulfs of Gujarat, or the delta of Ganges. That's about beaches, many of which I may not even know! There are so many rivers in India, importance of which have been engraved in our history! The Indus Civilization, reputed to be one of the earliest and one of the best planned, was Along the banks of Indus. So much is the river's importance, that it bears the roots to our country's name. Ganges, the holiest of rivers to many Many people. The one river where people try to visit atleast once in their life time, in a hope to attain salvation.
Numerous rivers flow like wrinkles across the face of mother India. Here, though, the wrinkles only beautify her. Most of the Indian population depends on farming, directly or indirectly. In most parts of India, wealth is spoken in terms of land area, and produce reaped from it each year. The people love their land. Wheat or rice, sugarcane or jute. They are proud of it, because, they feed the nation! Rice farms don the South, wheat in the North. A reason why the eating habits of people in the north and south depend more on wheat and rice respectively.
have I seen them all? Gosh, no :-( . Will I? Maybe! Every train journey is an eye opener to a new world that had evaded my eyes all life long!
Where there is no human habitat, there are forests, of various kinds! Where there are no forests, there are hills and mountains. Where there are no mountains, there is the desert. Where there is no desert, there is Rann of Kutch. The geography is so wildly different within a span of a 1000 km, that you might feel you are in a different land! Wildlife of each of them differ from every other place. Indian wildlife, flora and fauna, are unique. One has to be here to see it for oneself! The seasonal flowers make you wait to watch them bloom. The animals in their own home habitat are nothing short of beautiful to watch. The lions in Gujarat to the rhinos in Assam. The tahrs of Nilgiri to the snow leopard of Ladakh. The tigers of Bengal to the pheasants of central-India. The elephants of the South to the camels of the desert. I've seen peacocks dance for rain, and five miles later, vulture wait atop trees for their prey!
Have I seen them all? Umm, nope! There is just too much to see, i would need all 9 lives... Oh, I'm not a cat!
The cultural differences are so many. People have nurtured and polished their cultures for ages through history. What one wears in Kerala is completely strange to a person in Jammu. What one speaks in Bengal may not be understood in Gujarat. What one eats in Uttar Pradesh is out of ordinary for someone in Assam. We all came from different regions, different races, different colours, acclimated new conditions and made it our own over the ages, spoke different tongues, wore clothes to protect us from sun/rain/snow/dust as the case may be...and we all come now to pledge under one name - Indians.
India is probably the only country to state and allow the freedom of religion to all its inhabitants. Because, we are all the same. Most religions were born in India. Some religions came to India and were able to blend amongst other religions, like it was water in water. So many languages are spoken in India. Why, some may not understand what the other speaks. But, there will be a smile on your face if an Indian sees another on any foreign land. Just the picture of another Indian brings back the memories of homeland, mother India. Most languages have a common root- Sanskrit. Many words in English can be traced down to Sanskrit origins. And, Sanskrit is older than English. Though spoken very less in modern India, there is still a living village which converses only in Sanskrit. Heritage, my people, cannot be destroyed.
20th and 21st century India has all been about development, being a global competitor, sculpting an image of the nation worldwide. Many famous people have brought the attention of the world to India and spread the Indian view to the world. Long ago, the British called India "snake charmers", meddled with us, and took away jewels and called us a "poor nation". Now, Indians are amongst the richest of people. One of the richest man has most of his profits thanks to Indians. The Pepsi you drink, is reined by an Indian. The largest govt organization in the world is the largest manned railway network in the world, The Indian Railways.
Indian education is recognized world over! When a South African told me that she would want her kids to be educated in India, I understood how good an image we hold in front of the world. No, Indians are not recognized as "geeks" or "nerds". My American pen pal said she enjoyed Bollywood movies as much as Hollywood movies. Indian image what we hold in our eyes in India, is pretty much the same as it is in others' eyes. One Slumdog Millionaire is not going to make the whole country be stereotypes as that! A Punjabi who settled in Toronto who was once accidentally addressed to as "cab driver", brought Bollywood to the city, took 3000 Indians to each game of NBA played in Toronto, and showed the world who Indians really are. For your information, he is Hyundai's largest car-dealer of foreign origin in Canada.
We have given the world the healing powers of Yoga and Ayurveda, we gave the world the taste of spices. We built the timeless structures like the Taj Mahal, we gave epics to the world. We gave the world magics of mathematics, secrets of astrology and other natural sciences which were figured out way before man could speak English. It is not hard to believe that we come from a separate world, from the Gondwanaland, which was an independently floating continent, later to be attached to Asian's mainland. We form the Sub-continent with our neighbours.
In this 21st century, we pledge to become a developed nation as soon as possible! The Indian youth are the technocrats world over, bringing home to technical know how and knowledge pool to drive India to the top! And as we do, we will continue to nourish the heritage and culture that has been breeding for milleniums in our household.
I might not have seen the whole of India, but everywhere I see, it is India.
To all my friends world over, we welcome you to India. For, we consider tourists to be divine... Atithi devo Bhava!
Mera Bharat Mahan!
Jai Hind
Friday, December 31, 2010
India(n)'s New Year Resolution
India(n)'s New Year Resolution
* End corruption
* Stop black money flow
* No scams
* No scandals
* Abolish child labour
* Realise gender equality
* Respect women
* Worship workplace & its true ethics
* Strive for higher literacy rate, and better quality of education to children
* Save water
* Save electricity
* Stop adulteration
* Hang rapists
* Keep judicial system, police force and government as 3 independent systems
* Solve criminal cases in a jiffy, (not after the victim is old, brain dead and eventually dead) and NEVER let them free again.
* Stop bribery
* Maintain communal, social, economical, regional harmony. Its our country, its our world.
* Jail druggists for life
* Don't spit on any public property
* Don't treat the roads like your trash can
* Harsher rules on faggers and boozers, enforce the ones in effect properly at least
* Don't waste money, charity is an option if you don't want to "spend" the money
* Treat neighbours with love and respect
* Nation first, yourself second
Jai Hind!
Wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year :-)
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Happens only in India
India, the land of unlimited-ness, the land of one-ness, the land of cultural distinction, the land of unison, the land among seas and rivers, the land among deserts and snow-capped mountains, the land of saints, the land of businessmen, the land of farmers, the land of industrialists...the land of Indians.
India is that one distinct vortex of cultural mix, that spreads into its closest neighbours, so distinct, so unique, so good, so wonderful, that this place is named the Indian Subcontinent! There is no other region in the world spread across different countries, known under a single name for their culture uniqueness. No other. And at the core of the Subcontinent, is India. The only country in the world with two official names - India and Bhaarat are official names, as per the constitution.
Unity in diversity
India is a secular nation...declared, and largely followed. Where else can you find such a large mixture of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains ?
Where one celebrates the festival of others', where one festival means holiday to the whole nation, and joy to them all. Indian where your surname doesn't matter when you are one amongst others in the crowd. Where, skin colour doesn't matter when you walk on the streets. One doesn't think he is superior to another skin, nor does one feel inferior. That is the freedom people enjoy and love in India. A colourful nation Indeed! To remove any argument on why India is known as "Hindustan", which may cause some tension between communities - it was not named so. India, or, Industan means "the Land of the Indus". The British twisted the name, either due to their lack of pronunciation skills of Indian words, or due to their sickening intention of dividing the Indian community for their "divide and rule" policy, and hence Hindustan came up. Anyway, it doesn't mean "the Land of the Hindus", it still means "the Land of the Indus"
While in some or most nations, animals are almost never seen on streets. In India
however, they are free to move anywhere, graze wherever they like, lie down on the middle of the roads. What's more. We worship them! Some do cause nuisance, but that has been put under our belt, and we live with it. I've seen cats, dogs, cows, rabbits, horses, donkeys, ponies, oxen, bulls, buffaloes, monkeys, chicken, roosters, rats, and even snakes! We may shoo it away, but we don't cage them in places like dog-pounds, nor do we always leash them. Many a times, we feed them with "goodies" !
A traveling Indian, or say, for that purpose, a foreigner in India, will surely have the language problem. India is a land of nearly 20 languages, most of them, exclusively spoken in India. A language for every 600-1000 km in any direction. One may not understand what the other speaks. But, one thing is for sure - the locals have a BIG heart to show the visitors. A complete stranger will know that he is getting the warmth in a place where there is a someone, a someone whom he/she hasn't met, doesn't understand the language, but understands the mind, the heart. A visitor, is given utmost respect and hospitality.
I was in Shimla a decade ago... We didn't know it was peak season, and didn't bother to book a hotel before-hand. The whole town was flooded with tourists, most of them resorting to park their car on the streets and spending the night inside it, or standing outside (October, was the month). We were beckoned by a "Dhaaba" 's owners, who offered us their room for the night and food. That was the coziest night and the most sumptuous dinner I've ever had in my life. In a town in Uttar Pradesh, a Sikh house owner wanted to rent his house only to a South Indian, and was he glad to rent it to us. When we left, he just found another South Indian! When you go to Punjab, I'm sure no local will let you leave his house without eating meals with them. If you don't drink lassi offered, they might even consider your denial sweetly offensive!
India is one place where we have our own versions of Hollywood, with "B" or "T" or "K" or some other alphabet replacing the "H" in it. Tell me, has anyone in the USA or the UK built a structure for any of their actors? Or even a character? is there a temple of worship for Angelina Jolie or Leonardo Dicaprio or Chris Nolan or say, James Bond? Well, in India, we do! there are structures where people idolise the Indian film stars.
All the Kapoors and Khans and Bachchans and Rajinis and Mohanlals and Chiranjeevis and the numerous actresses and the directors and singers live not in their body, but in the hearts of the millions and millions of fans, not just in India, but in every part of the world! We love them, so do everyone else. Their birthdays are the most celebrated "non-holiday" days on the calendar.
Cinema is one glittering star in the sky. But there is a twin star that shines almost as much as that - cricket! Cricketers are role models, they are brand ambassadors, they are the face of some organizations, they are demi-Gods. If cricketers ran the country, I'm sure everyone would listen. When a match is going on, everyone in the vicinity unites, waving the Tricolour, cheering for the team.
This one aspect of worshiping cricket brings out so many different aspects of the country. Just look at the craze for the game. There are temples, beliefs, superstitions, brands, products etc. It is the single call for unity. People from every religion, every region, every culture will unite for this one event...hugging each other, sharing joy, dividing agony, moving forward!
India is one place where you just won't hear the word "no" from people. Will you do this work? "Ok, sure". Will you get this for me? "Yes, I will". Can you tell about this? " yes.. this is...". No matter how busy an Indian is, no matter how tight his schedule is, no matter how incapable he may have been in doing that work, he.will.not.say.no! Why? Because we don't want you to lose the trust in us. We want you to know that whatever is asked, we will be happy to serve, though it may affect our freedom, time, schedule. Some rue their decision of accepting, while most adjust their time to rope this in, and work on this. If they don't know, they learn it. We all know that things get delayed a lot in India. This is one reason, people accept responsibility about which they are not sure about. The delay occurs because they take that extra bit of time to learn. If they were reluctant to learn, you may never see the completion. The other option might've been to just decline the responsibility, but that is not so Indian. so, the waiting game, is the result of the learning game.
So many other things happen in India, only in India - who can cook 20 different cuisines and call it by one name - "Indian cuisine". Indians visit a zoo and think they have seen it all, while the beauty lies in watching the Red Panda in the Himalayan foothills, the colourful pheasants in central India, the asian elephant in the forests, the Rhino in the North-East and the Blackbuck in the deserts, amongst others. Indians, by nature, are a bit carefree and "adjusting", which leads to some things like - irregular planning of things from methodology to roads to improper maintenance of the same!
All in all, Mera Bhaarat Mahaan! I'm proud that I can easily relate Bhaarat to my own name, and feel more Indian than ever. Whatever India is, howsoever it may have been, whatever it will become in the future "Bhaarat humko, jaan se pyaara hai".
This video is for everyone, Indian or not, watch it for knowing India!
India is that one distinct vortex of cultural mix, that spreads into its closest neighbours, so distinct, so unique, so good, so wonderful, that this place is named the Indian Subcontinent! There is no other region in the world spread across different countries, known under a single name for their culture uniqueness. No other. And at the core of the Subcontinent, is India. The only country in the world with two official names - India and Bhaarat are official names, as per the constitution.
Unity in diversity
India is a secular nation...declared, and largely followed. Where else can you find such a large mixture of Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains ?
Where one celebrates the festival of others', where one festival means holiday to the whole nation, and joy to them all. Indian where your surname doesn't matter when you are one amongst others in the crowd. Where, skin colour doesn't matter when you walk on the streets. One doesn't think he is superior to another skin, nor does one feel inferior. That is the freedom people enjoy and love in India. A colourful nation Indeed! To remove any argument on why India is known as "Hindustan", which may cause some tension between communities - it was not named so. India, or, Industan means "the Land of the Indus". The British twisted the name, either due to their lack of pronunciation skills of Indian words, or due to their sickening intention of dividing the Indian community for their "divide and rule" policy, and hence Hindustan came up. Anyway, it doesn't mean "the Land of the Hindus", it still means "the Land of the Indus"
While in some or most nations, animals are almost never seen on streets. In India
however, they are free to move anywhere, graze wherever they like, lie down on the middle of the roads. What's more. We worship them! Some do cause nuisance, but that has been put under our belt, and we live with it. I've seen cats, dogs, cows, rabbits, horses, donkeys, ponies, oxen, bulls, buffaloes, monkeys, chicken, roosters, rats, and even snakes! We may shoo it away, but we don't cage them in places like dog-pounds, nor do we always leash them. Many a times, we feed them with "goodies" !A traveling Indian, or say, for that purpose, a foreigner in India, will surely have the language problem. India is a land of nearly 20 languages, most of them, exclusively spoken in India. A language for every 600-1000 km in any direction. One may not understand what the other speaks. But, one thing is for sure - the locals have a BIG heart to show the visitors. A complete stranger will know that he is getting the warmth in a place where there is a someone, a someone whom he/she hasn't met, doesn't understand the language, but understands the mind, the heart. A visitor, is given utmost respect and hospitality.
I was in Shimla a decade ago... We didn't know it was peak season, and didn't bother to book a hotel before-hand. The whole town was flooded with tourists, most of them resorting to park their car on the streets and spending the night inside it, or standing outside (October, was the month). We were beckoned by a "Dhaaba" 's owners, who offered us their room for the night and food. That was the coziest night and the most sumptuous dinner I've ever had in my life. In a town in Uttar Pradesh, a Sikh house owner wanted to rent his house only to a South Indian, and was he glad to rent it to us. When we left, he just found another South Indian! When you go to Punjab, I'm sure no local will let you leave his house without eating meals with them. If you don't drink lassi offered, they might even consider your denial sweetly offensive!
India is one place where we have our own versions of Hollywood, with "B" or "T" or "K" or some other alphabet replacing the "H" in it. Tell me, has anyone in the USA or the UK built a structure for any of their actors? Or even a character? is there a temple of worship for Angelina Jolie or Leonardo Dicaprio or Chris Nolan or say, James Bond? Well, in India, we do! there are structures where people idolise the Indian film stars.
All the Kapoors and Khans and Bachchans and Rajinis and Mohanlals and Chiranjeevis and the numerous actresses and the directors and singers live not in their body, but in the hearts of the millions and millions of fans, not just in India, but in every part of the world! We love them, so do everyone else. Their birthdays are the most celebrated "non-holiday" days on the calendar.
Cinema is one glittering star in the sky. But there is a twin star that shines almost as much as that - cricket! Cricketers are role models, they are brand ambassadors, they are the face of some organizations, they are demi-Gods. If cricketers ran the country, I'm sure everyone would listen. When a match is going on, everyone in the vicinity unites, waving the Tricolour, cheering for the team.
This one aspect of worshiping cricket brings out so many different aspects of the country. Just look at the craze for the game. There are temples, beliefs, superstitions, brands, products etc. It is the single call for unity. People from every religion, every region, every culture will unite for this one event...hugging each other, sharing joy, dividing agony, moving forward!
India is one place where you just won't hear the word "no" from people. Will you do this work? "Ok, sure". Will you get this for me? "Yes, I will". Can you tell about this? " yes.. this is...". No matter how busy an Indian is, no matter how tight his schedule is, no matter how incapable he may have been in doing that work, he.will.not.say.no! Why? Because we don't want you to lose the trust in us. We want you to know that whatever is asked, we will be happy to serve, though it may affect our freedom, time, schedule. Some rue their decision of accepting, while most adjust their time to rope this in, and work on this. If they don't know, they learn it. We all know that things get delayed a lot in India. This is one reason, people accept responsibility about which they are not sure about. The delay occurs because they take that extra bit of time to learn. If they were reluctant to learn, you may never see the completion. The other option might've been to just decline the responsibility, but that is not so Indian. so, the waiting game, is the result of the learning game.
So many other things happen in India, only in India - who can cook 20 different cuisines and call it by one name - "Indian cuisine". Indians visit a zoo and think they have seen it all, while the beauty lies in watching the Red Panda in the Himalayan foothills, the colourful pheasants in central India, the asian elephant in the forests, the Rhino in the North-East and the Blackbuck in the deserts, amongst others. Indians, by nature, are a bit carefree and "adjusting", which leads to some things like - irregular planning of things from methodology to roads to improper maintenance of the same!
All in all, Mera Bhaarat Mahaan! I'm proud that I can easily relate Bhaarat to my own name, and feel more Indian than ever. Whatever India is, howsoever it may have been, whatever it will become in the future "Bhaarat humko, jaan se pyaara hai".
This video is for everyone, Indian or not, watch it for knowing India!
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