Lawn Tennis in India

 

Lawn Tennis in India is one of the popular sports of India. It is a game which can be played either indoors or outdoors on a rectangular court by two persons (in singles) or by four of the same sex (women's and men's double) or by men and women partners (mixed doubles). Contrasting to Cricket, Lawn Tennis has failed to get the hold of the masses in India and still, after 120 years of its beginning, it remains a game for the influential class.

History of Lawn Tennis in India
The game was brought to India by the British Army and civilian officers. Some of the most notable tennis tournaments in the history of the game in the India include Punjab Lawn Tennis Championship held at Lahore in 1885, Bengal Lawn Tennis Championship held at Kolkata in 1887 and the All India Tennis Championships organized at Allahabad in 1910. In the early years, when the Indians were habituated with tennis, the British players dominated the championships. The earliest All India Championships in Tennis were held in 1910, in which both men and women took part.

Development of Lawn Tennis in India
The year 1910 was the beginning of the development of lawn tennis in India in which both men and women took part. B.K Nehru in 1905 and Sardar Nihal Singh in 1908 and later M Saleem, Fayzee brothers with Jagat Mohan Lal made it to last 16 steps at the Wimbledon. Ghaus Mohammad was the first Indian to make in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 1939. In the 1960s, the Lawn Tennis observed a golden period. Ramanathan Krishnan received his top rank – No. 4 in Wimbledon in 1962. India continually became the Zonal Champions in the Davis Cup. Ramanathan Krishnan, along with Premjit Lal, SP Misra, Jaidip and RK Khanna as the non-playing captain, pushed India to the Cup finals in 1966.

In the 1970s, Vijay Amritraj with his teammates Sashi Menon, Jasjit Singh and Anand Amritraj brothers took India to World Cup Finals for the second time in 1974. Moreover, Vijay also made it to the quarterfinals of US Open in 1973 and 198, Wimbledon in 1973 and 1974. The son of Ramanathan Krishnan, Ramesh Krishnan won the junior Wimbledon championship and junior French Open title in 1979 and was ranked number 1 junior in the world. He made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon (1986) as US Open twice. India won their first Grand Slam title at the French open in the Mixed Doubles in 1997. Although, none of the Indian player has won a Grand Slam Singles title in the Men's or Women's category so far.

Leander Paes won the Wimbledon Championship in 1999, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2010 and in 2015 in the category of Mixed Doubles. In the Mixed Doubles, Sania Mirza won the title of US Open in 2014, French Open in 2012 and Australian Open in 2009. Mahesh Bhupathi won the title of French Open and US Open in the category of Mixed Doubles. Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won the French Open and Wimbledon together. Sania Mirza won the Wimbledon in 2015 in Women's Doubles. Sumit Nagal won the Wimbledon in 2015 in Boys' Doubles.

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Indian Folktales

  

Indian Folktales primarily spell out morals to their listeners. An interesting aspect of the Indian Folktales is that these are an important part of the oral literature in India. Almost in every household children grow up listening to native folklores and folktales. Although the Indian Folktales are more a part of the country’s culture but their literary significance cannot be denied. The folklores of the renowned fables of ‘Panchatantra’, ‘Hitopadesha’ and ‘Jataka’ are immensely popular among Indians.

One important aspect of these Indian Folktales is that these deal with common people. During ancient ages such Indian tales followed the oral tradition. However, with time the writing traditions developed and then these were compiled into several books.

The enormous treasure house of Indian Folktales consists of tales pertaining to all religions and regions. Most of the Indian Folktales revolve around rural set ups. Numerable states of India have different kinds of folk tales associated to their cultures. Some of them are as follows:

Folktales of West Bengal
The state of West Bengal is famous for its poets, writers and artists. The story of ‘Kaka-Kaki’ and ‘Tuntuni’ are amongst the several interesting folktales of West Bengal. Many of the stories in the Folktales of West Bengal consist of a far-away land, involving kings and queens, royal children and demons. Playing with themes of good and evil, these tales often conclude with a moral lesson, making them ideal for children.

Folktales of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh possesses numerable folktales which are gender specific. In such stories, family is considered the epicentre of power and authority which determines the roles of both the genders. Most folktales of this state portray women as the principal decision makers of the family while the interactions among men are not demonstrated with much clarity.

Folktales of Uttar Pradesh
Folklore of this Indian state concentrates mainly on the tales of Maulvi Sahibs. The Maulvi Sahibs are learned, wise men, many of whom can be found teaching in village schools even today. The Qazi of Jaunpur is a popular folktale of this region.

Folktales of Kerala
Folktales of Kerala are varied and unique, which assert the existence of the origins of Kerala, its regional festivals, temples and religions. For instance, the legends of ‘Parasurama’ and the ‘Mahabali’ legend which traces the evolution of the local festival of Onam are interesting folktales of Kerala.

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Rajasthani Cuisine

  

Rajasthani Cuisine has been influenced by Rajput and Brahmins as well as by its arid topography. It is a place known for its variety of lip smacking snacks. Rajasthani Cuisine consists of food that stays for long and requires less or no heating. Water scarcity has affected on their cooking. The cuisine of Rajasthan is a delectable blend of multipleregional cuisines such as Mewari, Marwari, Shekhawati and Bikaneri.

Features of Rajasthani Cuisine
A lot of ghee is a prerequisite to most Rajasthani dishes. Besan is another ingredient that Rajasthani people relish. Use of milk and milk products instead of water is unique to this part, as it curtails water consumption and adds that extra flavour to the dish. The people of Rajasthan have moulded their culinary styles in such a way that many of their dishes can be shelved for several days and served without heating.

Cooking in Rajasthan has its own distinctive taste and the simplest ingredients go into the preparation of most dishes. Dried lentils and beans from indigenous plants are used liberally. The staple grains of Rajasthan are bajra and corn. The popular chutneys of Rajasthan are made from locally available spices like turmeric, coriander, mint and garlic.

Various Delicacies of Rajasthan
The signature delicacies of Rajasthan are ‘Dal Baati Churma’ and ‘Kachori’ to sweets like ‘Ghevar’, ‘Imarti’ and ‘Malpua’. Dal Baati Churma and Bikaneri Bhujia have garnered both national and international popularity. ‘Bajre ki Roti’ is very popular and healthy flat bread that is relished across Rajasthan. It is generally savoured with onions and ‘Lasun ki Chutney’. This combination has remained a staple food for the locals.

A soup of legumes, flavoured with red chilli peppers, yogurt or milk and sometimes vegetables such as Okra, Jackfruit, Eggplant, Mustard or Fenugreek leaf are often eaten by the Rajasthani people.

Marwari Cuisine of Rajasthan
Marwari Cuisine of Rajasthan comes in two varieties i.e. the food eaten by the common man that includes use of various spices and herbs and the food of the Marwari Jains that is prepared without using onions, garlic or for that matter any ingredient growing under the soil except for ginger and groundnuts.

There are a variety of Marwari recipes ranging from ‘Bharwan Gatte’, ‘Arbi ka Khatta Shaak’, ‘Chane Jaiselmer Ke’, ‘Dahiwale Amrud’, ‘Ker Sangri’, ‘Papad Rolls’, ‘Mooli Bajra Roti’, ‘Lapsi’ and many more.

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Forts in Maharashtra

  

Maharashtra is fortified by over 350 forts. Every brick of these forts boast of the glorious history of the great Maratha rulers. Most of the forts are associated with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who glorified the Maratha Empire and is believed to have developed almost 13 forts. The forts are now serving as great tourist spots.

Forts in Sindhudurg District
Sindhudurg Fort and Vijaydurg Fort are the two prominent forts of Sindhudurg district, which are also popular tourist spots:

VijaydurgFort: Located in Devgarh taluka of Sindhudurg district, this is one of the oldest, which was built by Raja Bhoj II of Shilahar dynasty in the 13th century. The fort, also known as the "Gibraltar of the East" since it was impregnable is surrounded by the Arabian Sea from three sides. It was conquered by Chhatrapati Shivaji from Adil Shah in 1653. He renamed it as Vijaydurg.

Sindhudurg Fort: It is one of the most excellent sea forts of Maharashtra, which is located on the shore of Malvan taluka in the Konkan region. The fortress was constructed by Shivaji. Surrounded by rocks, the fort provided natural protection from enemy ships and gave the Maratha naval ships a secured base in the western sea.

Forts in Raigad District
Some of the popular fortsof Raigad district are Avchitgad Fort, BirwadiFort, Ghosale Gad Fort, KarnalaFort, Khanderi Fort, Kolaba Fort, Korlai Fort, Kothaligad Fort, Lingana Fort, Fort Mangad, Mrugagad Fort, Padargad Fort, Padmadurg Fort, Prabalgad Fort, Revdanda Fort, Sagargad Fort, Sarasgad Fort, Sarjekot Fort, Sudhagad Fort, Surgad Fort, Talagad Fort, Tungi Fort, Underi Fort, Vikatgad Fort etc. Some other forts in this district are:

Raigad Fort: This is located in the Sahyadri mountain range in Mahad taluka. This hill fort is elevated up to 820 meters above sea level. It was initially under the control of Chandrarao More of Jawali and captured by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj when he defeated ‘More’ in a fierce battle in 1656 CE, following which he renamed it Raigad and made it his capital.

Dronagiri Fort: This hill fort is a best place for trekking as it is situated close to Uran and Karanja. This fort was strategically important in the bygone era. The entire fort area is encompassed by dense forests.

Murud-Janjira Fort: This fort built in 15th century is mostly popular for its architectural grandeur. The fort gives an astounding view of its surrounding because it is located on the Arabian Sea coast. This fort was built for strategic purposes and it has secret spaces to escape and hide.

Forts in Ratnagiri District
The most popular forts of Ratnagiri district are Anjanvel Fort, BankotFort, Fattegad Fort, Jaigad Fort, Mahipatgad Fort, Mandangad Fort, Prachitgad Fort, Purnagad Fort, Rasalgad Fort, Ratnagiri Fort, Suamargad Fort, Suvarnadurg Fort, Yeshwantgad Fort etc. Some of the other forts of this district are:

Vijaygad Fort: Vijaygad Fort is 60 km from Chiplun. In 1862 the walls were found to be in ruins.

Goa Fort: Goa Fort is located 15 km from Dapoli. It is one of the three forts, which was built to guard the Suvarnadurg fort, the other two forts are Kanakdurg and Fatte Durg.

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Patanjali Yoga Sutras

  

Patanjali Yoga Sutras is the ancient treasure narrating how to keep the body healthy. This yoga sutra is now one of the most acclaimed elements of everyday life. Yoga is an art, a science and a philosophy that touches the life of man at every level, bodily, intellectually and spiritually.

All yoga as practiced today is based on Patanjali Yoga Sutras, a collection of aphorisms offered more than 2000 years ago by the Indian sage, Patanjali. Patanjali Yoga Sutras by Maharshi Patanjali is the foundational text for Yoga. Historically, it is believed that Maharshi Patanjali may have lived in around 500 BC to 2000 BC and has compiled mainly three subjects of Patanjali Yoga Sutras namely, grammar, medicine and yoga. Patanjali's three works together deal with man's development as a whole in thought, speech and action.

Divisions of Patanjali Yoga Sutras
Patanjali Yoga Sutra consists of 196 sutras which are divided into four chapters or padas. Each sutra consists of Sanskrit words that are written in one or two lines. The 196 sutras are precise, reflective and pious in approach. Each of the sutras contains a wealth of ideas and wisdom towards full knowledge of his real nature. The Patanjali Yoga Sutra state, through proper practice one can radiate grace, disposition and compassion. The four chapters or padas of the yoga sutras correspond to the four stages of life. The ultimate achievement of following the path of Patanjali Yoga Sutra is to experience the effortless, indivisible state of the prophet. The four chapters of Patanjanli Yoga Sutras include, Samadhi Pada, Sadhana Pada, Vibhuti Pada and Kaivalya Pada.

Samadhi Pada in Patanjali Yoga Sutras
Samadhi Pada is the first chapter of Patanjanli Yoga Sutra that defines yoga and the movement of the mind and how to reach samadhi state. It is directed towards the individuals who were already highly evolved to enable them to uphold their advanced state of cultured, mature aptitude and wisdom. It is assumed that Patanjali's aim, in beginning was to attract those rare souls who were already on the brisk of self-realisation. In Samadhi Pada, Patanjali defines the yoga as "Citta Vritti Nirodha", meaning to stop the movement of Citta or mind.

Sadhana Pada in Patanjali Yoga Sutras
Sadhana Pada is the second chapter of Patanjali Yoga Sutra, where Patanjali comes down to the level of those who are not spiritually evolved. Patanjali in this chapter identifies that Avidya or spiritual ignorance as the source of all sorrow and unhappiness. Here he coins the word, Kriya Yoga. Kriya means action and KriyaYoga emphasizes the energetic effort to be made by the aspirant. First, he explains the concept of Kriya Yoga, which is the yoga of action and has three tiers, namely tapas, svadhyaya and Isvarapranidhana. In the chapter of Sadhana pada, Patanjali explains the journey from yama to pratyahara, which is the connection between external and internal.

Vibhuti Pada in Patanjali Yoga Sutras
Vibhuti Pada is the next chapter of Patanjali Yoga Sutra. Vibhuti is the Sanskrit word for "power" or "manifestation". This chapter speaks of the divine effects of yoga sadhana. When a sadhaka attains expertise in the steps of the first 5 steps, he acquires the 8 supernatural powers or siddhis. However, Patanjali cautions that the temptation of these powers should be avoided and the attention should be fixed only on liberation. He then explains that Dharana or concentration, Dhyana or meditation, which comes from repeated concentration and Samadhi, which comes from deep absorption.

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