Rain Forests of India

Rainforests of India are located mostly in the north-eastern corner of the country in the state of Assam. It may be mentioned here that Rain forests, as the name suggests, are those forests, which are characterized by high annual rainfall of around 1750mm to 2000mm. The global distribution of equatorial rainforest is closely tied to the warm, moist climates that occur near to the Equator. India is located in Southern Asia between Burma and Pakistan. Here tropical rain forests are to be seen. A tropical rainforest is one which is wet and warm throughout the year. It is hot and humid here in these regions. Tropical rain forests are located near the equator and the tropic of cancer. 

Features of Indian Rain forests 

The tropical vegetation of India in the north eastern side (which includes the states of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya as well as the plain regions of Arunachal Pradesh) are most typically seen at elevations of upto 900metres. They encompass evergreen and semi-evergreen rain forests, riparian forests, moist deciduous monsoon forests and swamps and grasslands. In the Rainforests of the Assam Valley, the giant Dipterocarpus macrocarpus and Shorea assamica occur singly. They can occasionally attaining a girth of up to 7 m and a height of up to 50 m. The monsoon forests are mainly moist sal Shorea robusta forests, which occur widely in this region. The Andamans and Nicobar islands have tropical evergreen rain forests and tropical semi-evergreen rainforests as well as tropical monsoon moist monsoon forests. The dominant species is Dipterocarpus grandiflorus in hilly areas, while Dipterocarpus kerrii is dominant on some islands in the southern parts of the archipelago. The monsoon forests of the Andamans are dominated by Pterocarpus dalbergioides and Terminalia sap. 

Animals Found in Indian Rain Forests 
Various different kinds of animals are found inhabiting the Indian rain forests. They are Howler monkeys which live in the canopy of the rain forest, Pythons, Vinesnake, Elephant, Sloth, many different kinds of Bats, Jaguars, Tapirs which are rather difficult to spot in the forest, Chameleon, Crested Guan which live in the lowland rain forest region, Tiger, King Cobras, Gecko which lives high up in the rain forest, Bearded Dragon, Slow Loris and Gibbon which live in the canopy. There are many more animals that live in India's rain forests. A lot of the animals are endangered. The clouded leopard, flying squirrel, leopard, tiger and Indian bison are just a few. Some birds that are endangered are pheasants, eagles, owls, wood ducks and hornbills. To know more read:

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Bhitarkanika Mangrove Forest, Odisha

Bhitarkanika Mangrove Forests are a mangrove wetland in Odisha comprising the districts of this region. 

Area of Bhitarkanika Mangrove Forests 
Bhitarkanika Mangrove Forests cover an area of 650 square kilometres in the river delta of the Brahmani River and Baitarani River. 

History of Bhitarkanika Mangrove Forests 
Bhitarkanika Mangrove Forests were zamindari forests until 1952, when the government of Odisha abolished the zamindari system, and put the zamindari forests in the control of the state forest department. In 1975, an area of 672 square kilometres was declared the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Animal Family in Bhitarkanika Mangrove Forests 

The 672 square kilometres of mangrove forest and wetland that comprised Bhitarkanika Mangrove Forests, provides home to well over 215 species of birds including winter migrants from central-Asia and Europe. The Giant salt water crocodiles and a variety of other wildlife inhabit this eco-system which is one of Asia's most spectacular wildlife sanctuaries. The wetland of Bhitarkanika Mangrove Forests also hosts a large and diverse population of resident and migratory birds. Rhesus monkey, leopard cat, fishing cat, jungle cat, small Indian civet cat, toddy cat, common mongoose, jackal, striped hyena, Indian fox, wild pig, Indian porcupine, mole rat, long tailed tree mouse, spotted deer, sambar, common otter, smooth Indian otter are also found here. To know more read:

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Veena, Indian Musical Instrument

Veena is a classical Hindu lute belonging to the family of string musical instruments. It is an ancient musical instrument which is said to have been invented by Narada, one of the seven great rishis, who was also a Veena maestro. Veena is a plucked string instrument, about four feet long, carved and with a hollowed structure made of wood generally jack wood. Veena is considered to be an aristocrat among instruments. Good quality Veenas are carved from a single block of wood, whereas, ordinary Veenas are divided into three sections namely resonator, neck and head. Its tapered hollow neck contains metal frets set into wax on wooden tracks. One more resonator is present on the top of the long neck of Veena. This is used as a stand to position the instrument. Usually it has seven strings, made up of steel along with a long finger board containing 19 to 21 frets or supports. According to the number of strings there are several variations of the Veena. The performer has to place one gourd on the shoulder and the other one on the hip. Depending on the construction and melody, Veena can be categorized into several types. 

Sarasvati Veena 
The modern Veena used in Carnatic music is quite different in construction from the northern Veena. The most noticeable difference in Sarasvati Veena is the repositioning of one of the gourds of Veena, so that the stem runs into it. This Veena is therefore a lute-type instrument rather than a zither, since its stem becomes a neck. Its gourd is not actually a gourd any longer; it is a hollowed-out chunk of wood, usually jackfruit that is closed in by a flat piece of wood. At the opposite end of the stem is attached a scroll, which is usually carved into the head of a dragon. Sarasvati Veena is said to be the abode of divinity as the Veena Danda represents Lord Shiva, the strings Parvati, the dragon head of Lord Vishnu, the bridge Goddess Lakshmi, the balancing gourd Lord Brahma and the connecting metal cone Sarasvati. 

Vichitra Veena 
This is a plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music and it is a comparatively recent addition to the Veena family. It is similar to the Gottuvadhyam Veena, since it has no frets and is played with a slide. Vichitra Veena is made of a broad, fretless, horizontal arm or crossbar (dand) around three feet long and six inches wide, with two large resonating gourds (tumba), which are inlaid with ivory and attached underneath at either end. The narrow ends of the instrument are fashioned into peacock heads. This Veena has a five-octave range. There are four main playing strings and five secondary strings (chikaris), which are played openly with the little finger for a drone effect. Underneath them are 13 sympathetic strings tuned to the notes of the appropriate raaga. To know more read:

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Musical Instrument of Kutch

The Happy go lucky attitude of the Kuchi have facilitated them to come up with various means for leisure activities. Some of them include drama, games, and story telling, as well as music. Them all these, music plays an integral parts of the entertainment process. 

Dholak 
Dholak is one of the most important folk instruments of membraphonic class. It is used for accompaniment for singing and dancing. As such it is accepted as a percussion instrument for varied kinds of music, from modern film music to simple folk songs and dan. The shell or the main body of the Dholak is hollowed out of a solid block of wood, over the two usually equal size open ends of the hollowed cylinder; parchment is stretched by tightening cords of braces, through leather hoops on both sides. To achieve tonal variation between the two heads, generally a past of flour and iron filing is fixed on the parchment of the left side to permanently lower the tension of the left side head. Moreover small circular metal rings, loop or wooden pieces are passed through the braces which can be pulled on either side, to increase or decrease the tension of the heads. The right head is kept in high pitch and the left head is kept in low pitch. It is struck on both sides by the hands, fingers, knuckles and part of the palm. A metal ring is sometime tapped on the shell of the instrument. 

Nagfani 
The Nagfani is an ordinary wavy pipe made of brass or bronze. The shape of this pipe is like Nal is used for accompaniment with folk dancing and singing. The Nal is a long cylindrical two faced drum tape ring on one side. The ring head parchment, pasted with iron filing is mounted on the body and held by hoops at both ends and fastened by rope. The left head is low pitched and is pasted from inside. The narrow head of the left side and its method of holding the parchment give the drum it's bright and clear tone. To know more read:

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Imtiaz AH Taj, Urdu Theatre Personality, Indian Drama & Theatre

Imtiaz AH Taj was a scholar in Urdu language. He was also popular as a playwright, and Urdu theatre activist. His father, Syed Mumtaz Ali, was a distinguished social reformer and writer. His mother also had several books to her credit. In 1918, Taj started an influential literary monthly named as ‘Kahkasha’n. He was drawn to theatre from his student days at Government College, Lahore, and participated in the college drama society.

He is remembered above all for his 1922 play ‘Anarkali’, based on the life of ‘Anarkali’, which staged hundreds of times and was tailored for feature films in India and Pakistan, including the Indian film Mughal-e-Azam (1960).  

He was a co-founder of the fictitious journal ‘Kehkashan’. In adding to his many translations of Shakespeare's plays into Urdu, counting ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ as ‘Sawan Rain Ka Sapna’, he also wrote a number of plays himself, the most distinguished being ‘Anarkali’ and ‘Chacha Chakan’, which continue to be performed today. 

Anarkali was different from the Urdu theatre and also popularized by Parsi companies. It was realistic in style and its prose. This was free from the artificial embellishments that characterized the dominant tradition of Urdu playwriting. However, Anarkali fails the test of stage worthiness. Although an ardent theatre enthusiast, Taj had little understanding of practical requirements. His play is too wordy and almost eight hours long. Because of this reason no regular group has produced it. However, it was made into a silent movie, The Loves of a Mughal Prince in 1928. In this movie Taj himself acted as Akbar. To know more read:

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Traditional Indian Sweets

Every culture has many kinds of traditional sweets made of different ingredients and those are specific to various occasions and festivals. Generally, these sweets are made of easily available, natural ingredients and fancy or chemical ingredients are not used. 

Sweets of Northern India 
In the northern part of the country, many festivals are celebrated throughout the year. Predominantly, there are two extreme weathers - summer and winter, which favour the breeding of buffaloes. Therefore, sweets are mainly made of buffalo milk, which is thicker in consistency than cow milk. Good quality khoa or mava are made out of them. 

Sweets of Bengal 
In both Bangladesh and West Bengal, the tradition of making sweets, locally known as "Pitha" still flourishes. They are usually made from rice flour, mixed with sugar, jaggery, grated coconut etc. These sweet meats are typical to a particular season and occasion. 

Pithas are usually enjoyed with the sweet syrups of khejurer gur (jaggery made of dates). They are usually fried or steamed; the most common forms of these include bhapa (steamed) pitha, pakan (fried) pitha, and puli pitha (dumplings), among others. Pithas are usually a celebration of the new crop, and often associated with harvest festivals. In Odisha also "Pitha" is a common sweet. They are cooked with coconut, lentil, jaggery, condensed dairy products in crepes. 

Sweets of South India 
In the south, payasam is a delicacy and is being made from time immemorial. Payasam is prepared by combining milk, coconut extract, sugar, cashews, dry grapes, etc. Paal payasam is a speciality. Malpua is also popular and is prepared from a mixture of powdered rice, milk, ghee (clarified butter), sugar and honey. Pittha is the steam-cooked mixture of powdered rice. Chiwra or beaten rice, served with a coat of creamy curd and sugar or jaggery is also an age old sweet dish. Makhana (a kind of water fruit) is prepared from lotus seeds and is taken puffed or as kheer, prepared with milk and sugar. To know more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/18/traditional_indian_sweets.htm

Jagjit Singh , Indian Ghazal Singer

Jagjit Singh is a name that has been considered as the Ghazal King. He has been counted one amongst the most popular ghazal singers of the world. Jagjit Singh was born on 8th February, in the year 1941 in Ganganagar, then in Rajputana in British India. He was born to father Sardar Amar Singh Dhiman, who was employed with the Government of India, hailed from Dalla village in Ropar district of Punjab and his mother Bachchan Kaur came from a deeply religious Sikh family of Ottallan village near Samralla. He has four sisters and a brother. Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi languages, and Gujarati language are the languages in which Jagjit Singh has executed songs. 

It was his father's wise decision to become a bureaucrat by joining the Indian Administrative Service. Jagjit Singh studied at Khalsa High School at Ganganagar. After passing matriculation, he studied Sciences from Government College, Ganganagar and went for graduation to DAV College, Jalandhar in arts stream. from Kurukshetra University, Haryana he also obtaind a post-graduate degree in history. But Jagjit Singh's passion for music was with him since his childhood. For two years in Ganganagar he received training in music under the expert tutelage of Pandit Chaganlal Sharma. Then after he consecreted six years to learning Khayal, Thumri and Dhrupad forms of Indian Classical Music from Ustad Jamaal Khan of Sainia Gharana. Acknowledging his talent the Vice Chancellor of Punjab and Kurukshetra University, Late Professor Suraj Bhan supported him to persue music further. 

Jagjit Singh came down to Mumbai in the year 1965 with a dream of establishing himself as a musician and singer as well. He jgot his early assignments to sing for advertisement jingles or executing at weddings and parties. At the time in the 1970s the world of ghazal singing was rulling by the legendary singers like Noor Jehan, Malika Pukhraj, Begum Akhtar,Talat Mahmood and Mehdi Hassan. But with a hardcore struggle Jagjit Singh finally managed to carve a distinct place for himself in the arena. In the year 1976, his first album, The Unforgettables (On HMV LP Records) was a big hit and since then he had never looked back. The album was entirely a ghazal album but the vehemence on melody and a fresh voice like Jagjit Singh can be considered as the jump from the tradition old style of ghazal rendition. 

The tradition old style of ghazal singing can be charecterised as 'heavily based on classical and semi-classical Indian music'. The album was a huge success though it received critical acclaimation, many criticisms. The album set new sales records. After a two year long courtship from the year 1967, finally Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh got married. It has been said that, 'they epitomise the first successful husband-wife singing team'. The contribution of this singing duo towards altering the course of this genre of music known as 'Ghazal' can be termed as immense. They both together made this genre of music 'Ghazal' more 'ear friendly, melodic and enojoyable'. Ghazal became apprehensible with the execution of this duo. To know more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/17/jagjit_singh.htm

Theyyam , Folk Dance of Kerala

Theyyam is one of the most outstanding and popular ritual arts of northern Kerala, particularly the area of Kolathunadu of the present Kannur and Kasargod District. As a living religious group with centuries old traditions, rituals and customs, it embraces almost all castes and classes of Hindu religion. The term Theyyam is a distorted form of 'Dhaivam' or God. It is a rare combination of dance and music and reflects important features of a tribal culture as a whole. This folk dance is believed to be a divine expression and the local residents of Kerala invoke the blessings of God through this dance form. This custom is also followed in the area of Tulu Nadu in Karnataka. 

Theyyam dance, being an ancient tribal dance boasts of a widened scope which also includes the religion of Islam. 'Bhagawathi' or the cult of Mother Goddesses plays a significant role on this dance form. Besides Goddesses, other cults of Theyyam include serpent -worship, tree-worship, ancestor-worship, 'masathi'-worship, animal worship, Goddess of disease, spirit-worship and worship of village deity or 'Gramadevataa'. 'Shivani'or Durga, 'Vaishnavi' or Lakshmi and 'Brahmani' or Saraswati are the major Goddesses worshipped through Theyyam. The Theyyam deities who are worshipped by a cock sacrifice are not allowed to enter shrines. During the 13th century, Vaishnavism was a popular theme of Theyyam, in Tuluva region, under the reign of Vishnuvardhana belonging to Hoysala Dynasty. Shaktism and Shaivism are the other important categories of Theyyam. To know more read:
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Pepita Seth, Indian Photographer

Pepita Seth is the British-born photographer and Theyyam researcher Pepita Seth is the only foreigner who is allowed entry into the centuries-old Guruvayur temple in Kerala. And this is entirely due to her complete devotion and what she describes as a "totally personal and internal process. She acknowledges this 'blessing' in the form of a book - "Heaven on Earth: The Universe of Kerala's Guruvayur Temple" - which is the culmination of seven years of research and documentation. 

Pepita Seth belongs to the clan of that Indian fighter as his great-grandfather was the one who marched the soldier walk in 1857 from Calcutta to Lucknow. And she retraced her roots from a diary of her great Grandfather from the attic. That was the beginning of a hard core relationship between a state and an angel, who fell in love with the culture of Kerala who was born and brought up in England. In honour of her contributions to the state of Kerala, she was awarded with "Padma Shri". She never had a proper educational backdrop, as she plants it "In my family education was only for boys not for girls". A prey of gender inequality she to a large extent is self-taught as she devoured books at young age and penetrated her self into the world of books, of knowledge and into self earned treats of enlightenment. Although born in London, she was brought up on a farm in a very rural part of England. Her parents hardly had time for looking after her attainment of formal schooling and, in a way, no interest in this femme fatale being educated. As soon as she could read, she began devouring books as a way of unconsciously educating herself. To know more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/66/pepita_seth.htm

History of Indian Sweet

The 19th century renaissance in Bengal brought about a dramatic change in the lives of Bengalis in Calcutta. It is during this time that Calcuttans witnessed the birth of several sweetmeat shops. Four famous establishments of sweets grew in the heart of Calcutta during this period. These are Bhim Nag, K.C Das, Dwarika Ghosh and Ganguram. 

Bhim Nag had patronized sandesh during those days. He boasted of an elite clientele of J.C Bose, Meghnad Saha, P.C Ray and Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy. Nag had also invented a special dish to mark the birthday celebrations of Lady Canning. It was named "Ledikeni" in honour of the Lady and it is very famous till date.

Rassagolla, one of the most popular sweetmeats in India, originating from the Eastern part of the country, has an interesting modern history. This particular dessert is mockingly attached to Bengalis. This sweet can be found in almost all Eastern Indian households, while global malls sell it like hot cakes. Very few people know that Rasagolla was created in the temple town of Puri in the eastern state of Orissa, where it has been eaten since medieval times. The best rasagollas in Orissa are from the town of Salepur, near Cuttack. Another variety made at Pahala near Bhubaneswar is also equally famous. "Rasagolla" is also known to be the national sweet of India.

Western Indian Sweet is also famous for one of the most delicious desserts found throughout the history of Indian food: the Shrikhand. The Shrikhand is a creamy dessert made out of strained yogurt, from which all water is drained off, leaving the thick yogurt cream. Exotic dry fruits and fresh fruits like mangoes only enhances the delightful taste of Shrikhand. This great dessert is one of Western India's most popular and traditional dishes, since it has ancient roots in the Indian cuisine. Modak is also a very famous sweet in Western India. It is made during Ganesh Chaturthi. There are many varieties of Modak. To know more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/18/history_indian_sweet.htm 

Jain Pilgrimages in Central Indian States

Jain temples throughout India are noted for their cleanliness and sacred atmosphere. Pilgrimage to sacred places is part of the tradition of Jainism religion in the world. Most of the great Jain pilgrimage sites are distant from the centres of population, almost always on the tops of hills or mountains, and often in surroundings of natural beauty conducive to devotion and meditation. To know more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/79/jain_pilgrimages_central_indian_states.htm

Development of Raaga in Indian Music, Raaga

Development of Raaga in Indian Music has been the outcome of and been influenced by a number different factors. Raagas comprise one of the purest aspects of music, the non-referential part which existed even before Bharata wrote his treatise. To know more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/47/development_raaga_indian_music.htm

Swang, Indian Folk Dance

Swang is a popular Indian folk dance drama practiced in Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh. Swang flourished with song and it is considered as a rich performance with literary wealth. To know more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/18/swang_uttar_pradesh.htm

Fairs and Festivals of Viswa Bharati University, Shantiniketan, West Bengal

Fairs and Festivals of Vishva Bharati University include Poush Mela, Sriniketan Utsav, Ananda Bazar, Rathindra Mela and Nandan Mela. Visva-Bharati University is a major Central Government funded autonomous university located in Shantiniketanin Birbhum District of West Bengal. To know more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/79/fairs_festivals_viswa_bharati_university.htm

Equipments of Chess

Equipments of Chess are the most important in the modern day chess. Chess is an early game. For this, it saw a number of evolutions. All the equipments in Chess are the tangible items. The equipments in Chess are chess pieces, chessboard, chess clock and table. To know more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/78/equipments_chess.htm

Secret Chakra

The secret chakra leads to the ultimate truth. Beyond the secret chakra lies the realm of Singularity. The signposts for the chakra beyond the secret chakra are both non-existent and totally existent. The secret chakra lies in every microorganism, in life as well in death. To know more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/55/secret_chakra.htm

  

Bath Therapy, Indian Naturopathy

Bath Therapy is a valuable therapeutic agent since time immemorial. In all major ancient civilisations, bathing was considered an important measure for the maintenance of health and prevention of disease. To know more read:

http://www.indianetzone.com/17/bath_foot_bath.htm