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280 pages

English

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Why are the Himalayas considered geologically alive? When did the First train huff and puff its way between two stations in India? What was Indias very own desi dino called? How did Indias currency come to be Named the rupee? Which Indian glacier is the highest battleground in The world? Who wrote the worlds first grammar book? If questions like these make you curious about incredible India, here is a bumper info-pedia packed with fascinating facts, terrific trivia and colourful Cartoons on just about everything in India, this book encourages interest in a wide range of subjects. Use it for homework help, for project ideas, to Boost your general knowledge or as a ready reference because this must have Book makes getting to know India as easy as ABC.

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Earth science

Children's

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Publié par	Penguin Books Ltd
Date de parution	22 octobre 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9789351184263
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	3 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0350€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Veena Seshadri and Vidya Mani

INDIA A TO Z
Illustrations: Sony Bhaskaran
Cartoons: Greystroke
PUFFIN BOOKS
Contents

Aadhar
Adivasi
Ajanta
Armed Forces
Aryabhata

Bazaars
Beaches
Bhopal Gas Tragedy
Bollywood
Buddha

Chess
Churches
Constitution
Crafts
Cricket
Cuisines

Dabbawala
Dances
Delhi

Elections
Emperors
Energy
Epics

Festivals
Forts
Freedom Fighters

Gandhi
Ganga
Gods and Goddesses

Handlooms
Hill Stations
Himalayas
Hindustani Music
Howrah Bridge

Independence
India Gate and Gateway of India
Indus Valley Civilization
Information Technology

Jallianwalla Bagh
Jama Masjid
Jawaharlal Nehru
J.R.D. Tata

Kalidasa
Kanyakumari
Kashmir
Koh-i-Noor
Kumbh Mela

Ladakh
Lakes
Languages
Lucknow

Metros
Monsoon
Monuments
Musical Instruments
Mythical Monsters

Namaste
National Parks
National Symbols
Newspapers
Nobel Laureates

Observatories
Olive Ridley Turtles
Om

Paintings
Palaces
Panchatantra
Ports
Post

Queens
Qutub Minar

Railways
Rajasaurus
Rangoli
Religion
Rupee

Saints
Sari
Seven Sisters
Spice
Sundarbans

Taj Mahal
Temples
Toys
Trees

Unani Medicine
Union Territories
Universities

Varanasi
Villages

Wagah
Wazwan
Weddings

X Avatars of Vishnu
Xuanzang

Yatra
Yoga

Zero
Zoos
Authors Note
Photo Credits
Follow Penguin
Copyright Page
for Aadhaar
What makes you uniquely India? The fact that you are reading India: A to Z? Good reason that, but there s an even better one-your 12-digit individual identification number called Aadhaar!
WHAT S IN A NUMBER?
Everything if you re Indian and have an Aadhaar number! That s right, your-digit individual identification number issued by the unique identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will serve ss a proof of your identity and address, anywhere In India. Each Aadhaar number is unique to an individual and will remain valid for life.
Why did the UIDAI (a part of the Planning Commission of India) come up with this idea? Well, since we have so many difference proofs of identity, they felt that every permanent Indian resident should have a single source of identity verification. And so, in February 2009, they launched a project to issue a unique number linked to a resident s demographic and biometric information. The number can be used as proof of identity and will provide access to a host of benefits and services in banking, telecommunication, processing of passport applications, etc. Nandan Nilekani, former co-chairman of Infosys Technologies, was appointed the first chairman of UIDAI in June 2009.

NUMBER CRUNCHER
The Aadhaar number project is the largest personal identification programme the world has ever witnessed. Over 1.2 billion people are eligible to receive an Aadhaar card. The India government will spend approximately Rs 113 person who enrols to get an Aadhaar card. That adds up to about Rs 1,35,76,80,00,000 (13,576 crore rupees) if all of India s 1.2 billion residents sign up for the card!

AH, AADHAAR! The UIDAI launched the Aadhaar scheme in the small tribal village of Tembhli in Maharasthra. The first India to receive the card was Ranjana Sonawane, a resident of this village. The total number of Aadhaar cards issued as of May 2013 is about 34 crores. If that seems like a lot, remember that s just 30 per cent of India s population! Aadhaar s logo is a sun in red and yellow, with a fingerprint traced across its centre. The logo represents a new dawn of equal oppotunity for each individual in India.
for Adivasi
Little is known of their history, but what we do know for a fact is that the Adivasi people were among the original inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Adivasi is the collective name used foe the many indigenous peoples of India. The term Adivasi comes from the Hindi word adi which means from the beginning and vasi which means inhabitant. The word was coined in the 1930s to create a sense of identity among the various native peoples of India.
If they were among the first residents of our country, why were they pushed to the outer edges of society? According to historians, it appears that their land was encroached upon by Indo-Aryan tribes some 3000 years ago. The Adivasi people were driven away into the mountains and hill areas after these invasions. As a result they underwent major changes in their traditional ways of life and became vulnerable to economic exploitation.
In 1950, the Constitution of India identified most of these groups as people who required social and economic development. Since that time, the Adivasi people have been officially known as Scheduled Tribes and have been given many protective provisions. In the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, 7 per cent of the total number of seats are reserved for members of the scheduled tribes.

ARE THEY ONE PEOPLE?
The Adivasi people are not a homogeneous group. There are believed to be over 200 distinct peoples speaking more than 100 languages. According to a recent census, the Adivasi people constitute 8 per cent of India s population, which means there are over 84 million of them. A majority of them live in the states of Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and in the North-Eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Mizoram. The largest groups of Adivasi people are the Bhil , the Munda and the Santhal.

The Bhils live all over western and central India.

ADIVASI ACHIEVERS The Mahabharatha mentioned that Eklavya was a Bhil, who taught himself archery standing before the clay image of the great teacher Dronacharya. Eklavya went on to achieve a greater level of skill that Drona s favourite student, Arjuna. Shabari was a Bhil woman. She offered Rama and Lakshmana jujubes when the brothers were searching for Sita in the Dandakaranya forest, in present-day Gujarat. Brisa Munda was tribal freedom fighter, who belonged to the Munda tribe. His portrait hangs in the Central Hall of Parliament, the only tribal leader to have been given the honour.
for Ajanta
Cut into the sides of cliffs located in the middle of nowhere in Maharashtra are two of India s most magnificent and most visited cave temples-Ajanta and Ellora.
BUDDHIST WONDER
The Ajanta Caves are regarded among the most impressive Buddhist monuments in India. These 30 rock-cut caves demonstrate the skill and artistry that Indian craftsmen and achieved hundreds of years ago, especially since it is believed that they sued nothing more than a chisel and a hammer to carve them! The caves were built in two phases between the 2nd century BCE and 6th century CE as chaityas (chapels for praying) and viharas (monasteries for living and teaching for Buddhist monks.
The Ajanta Caves were excavated on a horeshoe-shaped rock surface and rise up to a height of 250 feet, overlooking River Waghora. All the caves were originally connected to the river through ladders or flights of stairs!

A beautiful fresco in one of the Ajanta Caves
WHAT MAKES AJANTA ASTONISHING
Even more beautiful than the architecture are the paintings in the caves, which depict stories from the Jataka Tales and events from the life of the Buddha. Even though they were done some 2000 years ago, the colours still retain a shine!
RELIGIOUS MEDLEY
A series of 34 magnificent rock-cut temples located some 80 km south-west on the Ajanta Caves, the Ellora Caves are an uninterrupted series of monuments dug side by side in the wall of a high basalt cliff. There are 12 Buddhist caves (in the south), 17 Hindu temples (in the centre) and five Jain temples (in the north), all of which were built by the Rashtrakutas between 600 and 1000 CE.
The most spectacular of them all, the Kailasanatha Temple, was a project begun by King Krishna I around 760 CE. The two-storey structure is carved from single rock and is said to have taken a hundred years to complete!

An exquiste sculpture of Shiva and Parvati at Ellora
WHAT MAKES ELLORA ENCHANTING
Not only is Ellora a marvel of art and technology, it is also a testimony to ancient India s spirit of religious tolerance. The complex contains temples devoted to three religious (Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism) all within a single site!
for Armed Forces
They safeguard our country s borders by patrolling them on land, air and water. They defend our country from foreign attack. They help rescue people in time of disasters. Who are these brave men and women who risk their lives every day for the country? India s amazing armed forces, of course.
ARMED AND AVAILABLE
The Indian armed forces are the military forces of the country. They consist of the Army, Navy and Air Force . Paramilitary forces like the Indian Coast Guard, Assam Rifles and Special Frontier Force and some inter-service units are part of the armed forces too. The President of India is the supreme commander of the country s armed forces. But the forces are primarily managed by the Ministry of Defence, and headed by their respective chiefs of staff.
CORE COMMANDS
The Indian armed forces are split into different groups based on where they operate. The Indian Army is divided into seven commands, each under the control of different lieutenant generals, for the purpose of administration. The Indian Air Force is split into five operational and two functional commands, each headed by an air officer commanding-in-chief of the rank of air marshal. The Indian Navy operates three commands, which are headed by a flag officer commanding-in-chief of the rank of vice admiral. There are two joint commands whose head can belong to any of the three services. These are the Strategic Forces Command and the Andaman and Nicobar Command.
ARMED FORCES IN ACTION
The armed forces have five main tasks: to safeguard the territorial integrity of India, to defend the country if it is attacked by external or internal enemies, to quickly