Types of Languages in India

India being a land of diversity has numerous clans following various cultures. Each culture relates to different languages. Owing to these varied cultures, there are over hundreds of different languages and thousands of dialects spoken in the country. Many languages have been in existence in India since ancient times while some of which have even become extinct.

India is known for its unique cultural heritage. This heritage comes from different cultures that Indian has and much has to do with the various Indian languages. The languages in India are classified according to the regions of the country. A major part of India speaks and uses the Indo-Aryan languages since majority of the people in India belong to the Aryan race. After this race, the Dravidians rank second in the country. These languages are being in use majorly in the southern part of the country. Other languages include the Iranian languages which have intruded in the country though the north-western neighboring countries of India. The north eastern top border belt has the Tibeto Burman languages in existence owing to the neighboring countries there.  Though India has a host of regional and local languages, the Hindi language, using the Devanagri script is used for almost half of the languages in the country. This is the major reason for declaring Hindi as the national language in India. All of the central government legislatures and workings as well as the Supreme Court proceedings are conducted in Hindi.

The roots of the various language families in India are rooted deep into the pages of history. The majority Indo-Aryan language family has Indo-European roots and also Indo-Iranian or Indo Arab roots. These languages were developed when the European and Persian rulers and kings captured parts of India. These rulers emphasized there languages over their conquered territories which then became an integral part of the lands. The national language of India-Hindi is a good example of modification and mixing of these languages with the original primitive language of India which was the Sanskrit language. Hindi language is an outcome of the fusion of Sanskrit with the Persian and Iranian languages. The major part of the northern region based languages including Hindi is based majorly upon Urdu along with hints of Sanskrit. With the development, the Sanskrit dominance over the northern languages has decreased to a great extent and thereby the Urdu influence has been increased. As Urdu language itself was derived from Persian language, it is safe to say that the northern languages or the Indo-Iranian languages have a Persian influence.

Yet another family of languages which is the second largest family amongst the Indian languages is the Dravidian language family. This family of languages is widely spread within the southern part of India. Many of the languages from this family are developed as an outcome of the modification of the Tamil language which is also a primitive language dating back to the similar time of Sanskrit. As opposed to Sanskrit which was widespread within the major part of India, the Tamil language was well known only in the southern part. The script of majority of Dravidian languages is based upon the Tamil script itself. The case of many Dravidian languages is similar to those of the Indo-Iranian languages. Just the difference is that the intruding language is Sanskrit while the base language was Tamil.

Learn Gujarati in English

Along with these language families there are other language families which are not that widespread in the country but have relations with the pages of history of the country. These languages include the Tibetan Burman language family which is widely used in the north eastern boundary of India. Yet another example is the Ongan language family which was used in the Andaman and Nicobar areas and is still used in some places of the island.

The country not only has a large number of ancient languages, many of these languages are still spoken today in many parts of the country. The language will change from state to state. Out of all these various languages, Hindi is the most widely spoken and will be the one that you need to learn a few words if you wanted to visit India.

Hindi Words for Babies and Toddlers. Hindi Words From A to Z in English. Picture Book: Easy to Learn Hindi words for Bilingual Children. 

Races and people of India

Broadly India can be divided into North and South India. The origins of the people of India cannot be exactly be known, but its known that the modern population is made up of two distinct heterogeneous, genetically divergent people that mixed about 4,000 to 5000 years ago. These two distinct groups are the Ancestral North Indians and Ancestral South Indians.

North India

North India includes the States of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and the Union Territory known of Chandigarh. Indo-Aryan Language is dominant in the North.

The North is predominantly Indo Aryan with ethnic groups such as Brahmins, Ahirs, Jats, Rajputs, Gurjars, Kolis, Khatris, Kambojs, Banias and Dalits.

The dominant religion is Hinduism, with an overwhelming population practising in the states of Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Various ethnic groups either practice Islam, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. Islam has a huge following in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. The Sikh has a majority following in Punjab.

South India

The states that make up South India Include; Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu including the union territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep archipelago.

The dominant ethnic groups in South India include the Tamils, Telugus, Kannadas and Malayalis. Hinduism has majority of followers in South India with about 80% of the 252 million population in the South. Islam ranks second with 11% of the population and Christianity a distant third at 8% has the second largest followers in the region, with 11%, while 8% follow Christianity. The state of Kerala is home to the highest number of Christians in the whole of Indian Union. There are 4 languages in the south namely the Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam with Gondi and other minor dialects which are all Dravidian along with the Austro-Asiatic Munda Languages. In South India, the most dominant language is the Dravidian divided in 1956 by the States reorganisation act separating states along linguistic lines.

People of India

Commonly known as Indians, they are citizens of the Republic of India. India forms a significant geographical part of Southern Asia, with the Indian people forming about 17% of the world’s population. The people of India consist of a diverse with many etho-linguistic small groups who represent a rich but complex Indian history.

Anthropologists have classified the people of India being composed of one of 6 major ethno-racial groups that frequently overlap with one another due to progressive racial mix-up.

Indian population consists of many diverse ethnic groups but there are 6 major ones namely:

Negroids

Negritos are the earliest of the races to arrive in India from Africa. Currently, they are mostly located in their original ancestral habitat in Andaman and the Nicobar Islands. Tribes include the Onges, Sentinelese, Jarawas and Andamanese. Located in south of the mainland India are the Kodars, Kurumbas, Paniyans and Irulas tribes.

Australoids or Austrics

After the Negroids, the Australoids were the next group to arrive in India. They are an ethnic group composed of people characterised by brown bodies covered in wavy hair, long heads, low foreheads, thick jaws with small chins. The Indian Austrics have medium height with a dark skin complexion and flat shaped noses. Interactions with Negroids earlier on might explain their dark complexion and the shape of the nose. They are mostly located in Myanmar and islands South East of Asia with their native language used in East and Central of India.

Mongoloids

This ethnic group is found the states of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Assam, Meghalay, Mizoram and Tripura that form North East of India. Some are also located in the Northern parts which include Sikkim, Bengal and Ladakh. They are characterised by a yellow complexion, high cheek bones with medium height.

Western Brachycephals

Tribes include the Dinarics, Alpinoids, Armenoids, Parsis and Kodavas. Found West of India in the Ganga Valley, Kashmir, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, The Western Bracycephals are characterised by their broad heads.

Dravidians

The Dravadians are believed to have arrived earlier than the Aryans. The Dravidians can be located south of India. Most South Indians belong to this ethnic group. They share the same ancestors with the Asia Minor, Crete and pre-Hellenic people of Greece. They have greatly contributed to Indian civilisation and have association to the Indus valley.

Nordic Aryans

The last of the six to arrive in India between 2000 to 1500 B.C. Mostly located North and Central parts of the Country.

How to travel with limited PTO

We all dream of having endless time to travel. Months, even years, free to wander the globe and explore everywhere you have always dreamed of visiting. You’ve probably got plenty of potential trips already mapped out in your head and a bucket list of epic proportions.

Sadly, ordinary life just keeps getting in the way. For most of us, our jobs mean that we can’t just drop everything and head off on an adventure, and limited paid-time-off (PTO) means that vacations need to be carefully rationed.

However, just because you don’t have endless PTO, it doesn’t mean you should give up on traveling altogether! There are plenty of tips and tricks to getting the most out of your vacation time and ensuring that even with limited PTO, you can still see the world.

Read on, and discover the secrets of traveling with limited PTO.

Keep time zones in mind

Paying attention to the time zones you are traveling through is a great way to make the most of the time off you do have is another sneaky trick. For example, if you are flying east, you’ll be losing time, so try and book a red-eye flight to ensure you arrive as early as possible. Flying overnight is another great way to ‘find’ an extra day. If you are flying west, you’ll actually gain time so you can stay a little longer in Europe, for example, before heading back to the States.

Think about remote working

Remote working and ‘workcations’ are great ways to see the world without having to use up precious PTO. Talk to your manager about flexible working arrangements and see if remote working is something your company can get behind. If so, as long as you can stay productive, you can work from anywhere in the world! Think about sitting in a bar with your laptop overlooking the beach or coding in a cafe with a mountain view. You can work as much as you need to and explore your awesome destination in your free time!

Travel near to home

Most of us have a wrong perception about traveling; we think traveling is always about going far away from home. However, we never pay attention to the sites that are closer to our residence, and they always remain unexplored. It doesn’t matter where you live; we are sure there will still be some incredible places within driving distance of your residence that are still unexplored. Therefore, you need to explore them and tell others too.

In the past couple of years, people are more into doing adventures on short trips. According to a survey conducted in America, 80% of Americans travel to nearby places every weekend to find some new spots. The survey shows that people are now tired of the same routines and places; they hunt for new places near and good.

Wait for the long weekend

Your job can be hard, and you might not find time for traveling except weekends. However, in such a scenario, you have to learn the art of utilizing long weekends. We will take the example of Muslim countries, where there is three days holiday on the EID festival, and most of the time, they are combined with the weekend. Even if they are not coming on the weekend, you can take one or two mandatory leave from the office and take your family on a good trip. Seven days trip is more than enough if you are traveling inside your country. Most of the people living in Muslim countries go on trips on these vacations. Therefore, such weekends are best to travel within your country or to the nearby countries. Yet need to decide the priority list that will help you to identify what are some things that you must do in that certain place. In this way, you will be able to enjoy yourself more in less time. However, if you go without a plan, you might end up wasting your time on things that are not worth it.

Adding extra vacation days onto longer holiday weekends where you already have some free time off is a great way of sneaking in a vacation where you might not expect to take one. Pick a convenient federal holiday like Labor Day or Independence Day when you might have a Monday or a Friday off, add a couple of vacation days, and hey presto, you’ve nearly got a full week off! If you’ve got five days, a short cruise is a way to go or a quick dash to a surprisingly accessible tropical paradise!

Travel at night

Traveling at night is not fun neither safe for anyone. However, we have to understand its importance when it comes to saving time. If you take the flight at night, you can easily sleep on the flight, and once you reach your destination, you can start exploring things for the same day. IF we compare the night flights with the day flights, you have to waste all your day while traveling, and you would not be able to sleep on the flight as well. Moreover, once you reach your destination, you would already be tired, and you will not have enough energy to go out on the same day. Yet, you will have to waste that day while sleeping in the hotel room. While traveling to any other place, your hotel room should be your least priority.

Do some extra time to save holiday hours

Multiple industries run day and night. They want their workers to give extra time, and in return, they provide them with some extra bucks, and you can also utilize those hours if you want to take off. Therefore, if you are working in an industry like that and love traveling, you have to get a little hectic to save some good time for the vacation. This will help you save time and save some money so you can enjoy the trip.

Extend your official business trips

Do you travel for your business? If so, it’s not at all difficult to extend those trips by a day or two, and trust me, in these few days you can actually see a lot and explore the place. Moreover, suppose the place you are traveling to is not good. In that case, you plan a step over, as most of the famous airlines as Qatar airways, emirates, and Iceland Air allows you to stop for a day or two to any destination without any charges. Moreover, they also provide you with a hotel room if you have step over to any big city such as Istanbul or Dubai.

Use all your mandatory leave

For some people traveling is more beautiful than the destination and for some people, it is the other way round. If you don’t like to travel often, you can travel once a year but make sure you plan a good trip at that time. You can use all your extra vacations and mandatory vacations at that time, and you can even ask for some unpaid leaves as well. Taking one month off from the office can bring multiple good changes in you, and it can also increase your productivity once you get back in the routine. Therefore, travel once a year but make your trip as luxurious as possible because once you get back, you will not have any holidays left and you have to work all the year constantly.

Plan your trip in advance

Planning your trip in advance can make multiple things easy for you. If you have submitted an application in the department and have accepted them, it makes things clear for you, such as: How many days do you have to travel? At what time your leave starts? Etc. Moreover, you can book the tickets and hotel rooms in advance that will save your time and save your money. You cannot make your trip good if you plan that in a hurry. You would not be able to research the good places that you should see, and you will end up regretting that you should have seen that specific place.

Conclusion

We have provided you with all the ways that can help you travel with limited PTO. However, if you still leave your vacation plan on the table, that really means you have no passion for traveling. We are sent to this world to explore, and you would realize that once you cross your 60’s because you might have money and time at that time, you will not have enough energy to travel. Therefore, travel before you retire and make your life as exciting as you can. You should have some stories to tell your grandchildren.

Indian Saree Trending on Twitter

For the last few days the Saree has been trending on Twitter. Women from all over the world have been showing of their best sarees. The hashtag #SareeTwitter and #SareeSwag has really taken off on the micro-blogging site worldwide. Take a look at some of the sarees shared on Twitter.

Saree by Actress Meera Chopra

#SareeTwitter the only fashion trend which will never fade or die. The Evergreen #saree. pic.twitter.com/uaML7xLmRs

— meera chopra (@MeerraChopra) July 15, 2019

Saree by Author Ruchi Kokcha

Yayyy #SareeTwitter is happening! #sareeswag #Saree pics! pic.twitter.com/YLYKhcZkEB

— ruchi kokcha (@ruchikokcha) July 15, 2019

Saree by politician Angellica Aribam

I cannot not tweet on this #SareeTwitter #sareeswag! pic.twitter.com/ejBsa5DQR7

— Angellica Aribam (@AngellicAribam) July 15, 2019

Wife of Ron Malka – Ambassador of Israel to India

My beautiful wife Lea loves wearing #sarees and I think she has serious #sareeswag. I am proud to be accompanied by this graceful woman here in #India. pic.twitter.com/1ZYZUrUpFn

— Ron Malka 🇮🇱 (@DrRonMalka) July 16, 2019

What exactly is Saree

The “Saree” or “Sari” is a very popular piece of dress for Hindu women of India. It’s a long piece of cloth which is wrapped around the waist, going around the body and then one end ending up over the shoulders. The saree is worn with a choli (also known as blouse) to cover the breasts and a peti-coat around the waist. The sari is not just a dress but a cultural icon. There are various styles of saree. To the casual onlooker the saree might appear the same but those who are well versed in their knowledge of Indian clothing will know that there are various styles of sarees and wearing sarees.

In Northern India, married women usually wear the saree while unmarried women (referred to as girls) in India wear salwar kameez. Pakistani women do not wear the saree however many rich and high class women of Pakistan do wear them at parties to stand out of the crowd. Women of Bangladesh do wear the saree in their own Bengali style. Considering Hindu population of Bangladesh is around 8.5% the saree remains popular there. The saree is also part of women’s dress in Nepal. In the picture below Indian women are wearing the saree and the salwar kameez.

If you have any questions about the saree or Indian clothing in particular then feel free to comment below.

You will also like

How to wear a saree
What do Indians wear?
What to wear in India?

World’s 2 most dangerous roads to avoid

When you think of a dangerous road, what images come to your mind? You may think of roads with lots of potholes that could cause an accident. Perhaps you think of roads with lots of cars and people everywhere. But unless you’ve traveled extensively, you will never know what truly dangerous roads are out there. These are roads which run alongside cliffs or contain lots of wreckage and debris that never gets cleaned up. Their dangerous conditions are known for causing numerous traffic deaths, some of them happening daily.

Below are the top 2 most dangerous roads in the world

Jalalabad to Kabul Highway in Afghanistan

Most of you will probably never travel to Afghanistan, so you won’t experience what is known as the most dangerous road in the world. This is the highway road (Highway 1) which stretches from the city of Jalalabad to the capital city of Kabul. There are two major dangers along this highway. The first danger is the risk of a Taliban attack since the highway runs straight through territories which are occupied by the Taliban. For the most part, this does not happen too often anymore. Your only real problem would be if your car breaks down and left you stranded there.

However, the second danger is even more threatening because it pertains to the area of the highway which runs through the gorge called “Kabul.” This area has winding lanes which are very narrow and go all the way up as high as 600 meters. With all the heavily loaded trucks driving on this, other drivers are constantly trying to pass these trucks in a reckless manner by erratically going onto the reverse lane. If you happen to be driving on that lane, there would be nowhere for you to swerve to get out of the way. Not unless you want to drive right off the gorge and fall 600 meters to your death.

Reports show that there is a fatal car crash every single day on this highway. They are not all as dramatic as driving off the gorge, but there is certainly fatal car crashes on the highway itself. They mainly pertain to people trying to pass slow-moving trucks and then colliding with another driver moving on the reverse lane.

North Yungas Road in Bolivia

North Yungas Road is often referred to as the “Road of Death.” The Inter-American Development Bank had once famously called this road the most dangerous road in the entire world. It is a very narrow one-lane road which is mostly gravel and dirt. It exists upon very tall cliffs that are as high as 600 meters, which is around 2,000 feet. There are a limited number of guard rails on the road too. You may find some as you’re winding around a curve or corner but they end immediately afterward. Drivers must watch where they are going very carefully because one little distraction could send them flying off the cliff in their vehicle.

This is supposed to be a route from the capital city of La Paz to the town of Coroico. There are a lot of cyclists who take this road just for the adventure aspect of it. But the real danger comes from the oversized trucks and buses which are hauling a heavy load. It is quite common for these big vehicles to drive right off the road and kill all their passengers. And if someone happens to be traveling in the opposite direction on the road, good luck trying to pull over to let them go. The steep hills and cliffs do not leave you any room to pull off anywhere on the road. It is like a wall of rock on one side and a deep fall on the other side. Take your pick. In total, there are between 200 and 300 deaths on this road per year. 

Types of greetings in India

India is a country that is known for its rich culture, hospitality, various religions, languages, and lots more. People living in different states have their own sets of principles, rules, customs, traditions, and rituals. There are various ways of greeting and each particular state has its unique way. It is very important to know about these greetings or gestures before visiting a particular state or the country.

Take a look at some of the types of greetings in India

• Namaste

This is one of the most common and profound methods of greeting each other in India. This traditional form of greeting is practiced in every region. Namaste is made of two words; Namah and Te. This word is derived from Sanskrit and it means “Not me, they”. It has also been said that it means ” I bow to the goodness in you”. In this case, they are refereed to all the Gods in the Hindu mythological. This can be further explained as, Namaste is a form of greeting or statement that indicates the doer of everything is not me but God. All you need to do is, join both your palm, fingers sticking to each other, and a simple bow and say Namaste. This is a very warm type of greeting in India and is practised by most individuals when they first meet each other. More on meaning of Namaste.

• SAT SHRI AKAL

People living in Punjab greet each other by saying SAT SHRI AKAL. This form of greeting is highly practiced by Punjabis and Sikhs living in different parts of the country. Sat means truth, Shri is referred as honorific word and Akal means timeless. In other words, Sat Shri Akal can be defined as God is the Ultimate truth. This form of greeting is used by the Sikh community whenever they meet each other regardless of their native language.

• Khuda Hafiz

People who follow Islamic religion greet each other with Khuda Hafiz. This is generally used by Muslim people when they meet each other. Khuda Hafiz means let God be your protector. At the time of Good Bye or see off, people greet by saying Allah Hafiz, which also means the same. This is again an old form of greeting that is strictly followed in the Muslim community.

• Vanakam

When you visit south India, you will see people greeting each other by saying Vanakam. It means welcome in Tamil and is usually greeted when a person arrives at your house. This form of greeting is practiced by Sri Lankans, Tamils, and Malayalams. In many cases, people also use this word to say Goodbye.

• Pranam

The Hindu mythological or philosophy teaches us to do Pranam when we meet someone who is elder to us. When you greet someone with Pranam, you are required to touch the feet of the elder and say pranam. It indicates respect and love you have for the other person in your heart. People follow this type of greeting whenever they meet their Guru, parents, or while leaving home for the day. There are six types of pranam; Ashtangana, Shastanga, Panchanga, Dandavata, Namaskar, and Abhinandan.

• AS SALAM ALE KUM

This is another form of greeting that Muslim community follow. This Arabic word means Peace be unto you. This is one of the most common form of salutation followed by people of this religion. This greeting was deployed to Muslim people whenever and wherever they meet each other, be it place of worship or at social events. Whenever someone greets you with AS SALAM ALE KUM, you can return by saying WaAlaikumSalaam, which means “And unto you peace”.

• Jai Sri Krishna

When you come to Gujarat or visit a Gujarati family, you will come across Jai Sri Krishna. This form of greeting is used by every Gujurati when they meet each other in praise of lord Krishna. In other words, Jai Sri Krishna also means Victory to Krishna. This form of greeting is used by many individuals in many parts of the country.

Be it any form of greeting in India, you are always welcome with a warm smile and positivity. People in India consider guest as their God and you will often come across people saying “AtithidevoBhav”. So, before you visit India, it would be great if you have some knowledge about these greetings to blend with the people of this country.

Visiting the capital of India, Delhi

Delhi is a wonderful city with a fascinating history and a promising future. It’s a city of contrasts, where the old and the new exist simultaneously. It is the place where important decisions are made and what direction this nation of a billion people should take is discussed everyday. Despite having only a fraction of the area of Australia, it has a population comparable to that vast continent-size country. In terms of money, it’s one of the richest cities in India. However, unlike many other big cities, it has managed to preserve its heritage while keeping in pace with the rest of the world.

Map of Delhi

History of Delhi

There is archaeological evidence to suggest people were inhabiting in Delhi as long ago as third millennium BC. There are signs of urban dwellings going back to 6th century BC. From 12th century to until the arrival of the British in 17th century, it was one of the most powerful cities in the world. The English moved the capital to Calcutta (Kolkata). They later changed the capital to Delhi and since then it’s remained the seat of most powerful men and women in South Asia.

Best time to visit Delhi

Delhi is one of the few places where temperatures fluctuate from over 40C in the summers to a little over 0C in the winters. Therefore it’s advisable to visit the city when it’s neither burning or freezing. September, November, February and March are the best months to come to the city.

Places to visit in Delhi

There are tons of places to visit when you are in New Delhi depending on what you want to do. For instance, the area around Jama Masjid is popular among food-junkies, while those interested in historic sites don’t miss the Lal Qila and Connaught Place is the Delhi’s equivalent of Times Square. Here are some of the places tourists generally visit:

(a) Qutub Minar

Qutub Minar

This World Heritage building is the most popular tourist destination in India, attracting over three million visitors a year. The “Minar” (Arabic for “Tower”) is a seven storey tower built more than 800 years ago in twelfth century AD to celebrate Mohammed Ghori’s victory over Rajputs. Back then it was only one-storey tall. More storeys were added to the original structure by other rulers in ensuing years.

(b) Jantar Mantar

Jantar mantar, Delhi

This structure stands in defiance of a common misconception that science is exclusively a European invention. Built in first half of the 18th century this vast sprawl of buildings is an astronomical observatory.

(c) Connaught Place

Tourists, Connaught Place. Source: prolix6x’s photostream

Named after Duke of Connaught, this city centre was constructed back in the late 1930s. It is one of the most important commercial districts in the city and an upmarket area for shopper where they can virtually find anything.

Then there is Chandni Chownk which offers a glimpse into what the old city was like. And there are thousands of other places. We can’t list all of them here, but you can certainly find more information on here on places here to visit Delhi. It is the official website of the Government of Delhi which caters to tourists wishing to visit this wonderful city.

Here are more places to visit in Delhi