If you’re looking for ways to eat healthy while on vacation, chances are, clean eating is already your thing. And whether you’re vegan, vegetarian, or follow the basic food groups, you want to keep up with your good eating habits—even while on vacation. But the foodie scene is a big part of travel and the culture of your destination, so it’s tempting to indulge. Since you know that unhealthy eating means weight gain and other health problems, take note of these seven tips to maintain a healthy diet:
1. Don’t Skip Breakfast
Don’t let a different schedule while on vacation cause you to skip breakfast. Begin the day with a meal packed with protein and fiber. Take advantage of the breakfast buffet if you’re staying at a resort and choose eggs, lean protein, fruit, and whole grains. Watch out for the so-called continental breakfasts featured at some hotels. They typically consist of sugary cereals and pastry.
You can also save time and money by packing breakfast items from home if your accommodation has a mini-fridge. Include baggies of whole-grain cereal, fruit, and homemade muffins. Look for a blender that is lightweight to take along with you. They’re great for making healthy breakfast shakes even if you’re on the go.
2. Pack Your Own Snacks
Packing healthy, travel-friendly snacks for the road or the plane will help you avoid the temptation of sugary snacks. Include snacks like cut-up veggies and hummus, cheese sticks, and crackers with natural peanut butter. And be careful with the snacks offered at the hotel’s mini-bar. Hotel snacks are typically laden with sugar and salt. Instead, head for the grocery store or local farmer’s market for in-season fruit, cereal bars, nuts, and other healthy goodies.
3. Prepare Your Own Meals
Of course, you’ll want to dine out during your trip. After all, you’re on vacation. But if you book your stay at an accommodation with a full kitchen or kitchenette, you’ll have the advantage of preparing a few meals for dining in.
Some large hotels are now offering the option of checking out table-top stoves and cookware. Others have outdoor grills for guests to use. Just call ahead and ask. Visiting a nearby farmer’s market for fresh ingredients is a great way to soak up some local culture. You’ll likely save money too.
4. Research Restaurants
These days, most restaurants have a website displaying their menu. Check ahead of time to make sure healthy options are offered. Many restaurants today have healthy eating options and menus for people with food sensitivities, vegans, and vegetarians. For the cleanest eating options, search for restaurants that advertise fresh, local cuisine with fewer processed foods. You can also create a healthier meal by modifying your selection. For example, replace starchy sides like mac and cheese with green vegetables.
5. Drink Plenty Of Water
Dehydration can become a problem for travelers, especially when flying and spending time outdoors in the sun. And we all know how important water is! Therefore, always prepare and bring a water bottle with you. Make sure to fill it up before leaving your hotel, and refill it whenever possible during your day tour. Keep it with you at all times.
6. Follow The One-Plate Rule
Following the one-plate rule at the all-you-can-eat buffet will help you avoid overeating. First, go to the salad bar and fill the plate half full with fruits and veggies. Then add a palm-sized portion of protein, and then finish off with a starch of your choice such as bread, potatoes, or pasta.
7. Splurge Wisely
You have rewarded yourself with a vacation, and you deserve a few treats. After all, you can’t be expected to visit Paris without trying a freshly baked croissant or strawberry crepes with cream. And you would be remiss to pass up gelato in Italy. The trick is to splurge strategically. Treat yourself to one special food or beverage per day. Make it a reasonable portion, eat slowly, and savor every bite.
Sharing is another strategy. Vendors who sell street foods usually dole out generous portions. Split your order with a friend. And of course, you don’t have to give up evening cocktails. Simply skip the rich, sugary cocktails and go for light beer, wine spritzers, and drinks like skinny Piña Coladas made with Coconut Water instead of Cream of Coconut or Coconut Milk.
Turmeric is a spice that India can’t live without. Turmeric is called Haldi in India and is used in large quantities in our foods. The yellow colour in curries is due to this very spice. It’s also a widely used spice in the plant based medicine “Ayurveda”, the Indian system of holistic medicine. Turmeric is not only used as food or medicinally but also in wedding ceremonies where a paste of turmeric is applied on the bodies of the bride and groom. It is also used in many religious ceremonies.
Indians recognised health benefits of turmeric long time ago but in recent years there has been an explosion in its recognition as a spice benefiting health. In fact, a quick search of scientific publications showed over 700 results detailing the properties and experiments relating to turmeric. It has been shown to have therapeutic applications such as anti-inflammation, anti-diabetic, anti-hyperlipidemic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-neoplastic, immune stimulant, antiseptic, pro-dermatologic and anti-cancer properties.
These beneficial properties are owed to the active ingredient “curcumin” (diferuloylmethane) a polyphenol from the plant Curcuma longa or turmeric plant. The two ingredients of curcumin contain turmerone (oil) and curcuminoids (the coloured part). The ingredients of curcuminoids consist of demethoxycurcumin, 5’-methoxycurcumin, and dihydrocurcumin which has the several health promoting properties. For this reason, turmeric has been rightly termed as “nutraceutical or nutraceuticeutical” a fusion term derived from the union of “nutrition” and “pharmaceutical”.
Although India produces most of the world’s turmeric, it is also used in other parts of the world. Here’s a list of various names of turmeric in other languages:
Arabic Kurkum, Uqdah safra Armenian – Toormerik, Turmerig Bulgarian – Kurkuma Burmese – Hsanwen Catalan –Curcuma Chinese – Yu chin Croatian – Indijski safran Czech- Kurkuma Dhivehi – Reendhoo Danish – Gurkemeje Dutch – Kurkuma Esperanto – Kurkumo Estonian – Harilik kurkuma Farsi – Zardchubeh Finnish –Kurkuma French – Curcuma Galician – Curcuma German – Curcuma Greek – Kitrinoriza Hebrew – Kurkum Hungarian – Kurkuma Icelandic – Turmerik Indonesian – Kunyit Italian – Curcuma Japanese – Ukon Khmer – Romiet Korean – Kolkuma Latvian –Kurkuma Lithuanian – Ciberzole Malay – Kunyit basah Norwegian – Gurkemeie Pahlavi – Zard-choobag Pashto – Zarchoba Polish – Kurkuma Portuguese – Acafrao da India, Curcuma Romanian – Curcuma Russian – Koren Singhalese – Kaha Slovak – Kurkuma Slovenian – Kurkuma Spanish – Curcuma Swahili – Manjano Swedish – Gurkmeja Thai – Kha min chan Tibetan – Gaser Turkish – Safrani Yiddish – Kurkume
Let’s take a look at some of the health benefits of turmeric/curcumin:
Anti-cancer potential of curcumin
Many studies have shown that there are anti-proliferative effects of curcumin on various tumour cells. Studies have shown that curcumin can prevent cancer by supressing tumour cells. This is done by down regulating genes responsible for cell growth and proliferation. These include down-regulation of the expression of genes such as cyclooxygenase-2, Lysyl oxidase, Nitric Oxide Synthase, Matrix metalloproteinase-9, Tumour Necrosis Factor, chemokines, cell surface adhesion molecules and cyclin D1; down-regulation of growth factor receptors (such as Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2); and inhibit the activity of c-Jun N-terminal kinase, protein tyrosine kinases and protein serine/threonine kinases.
In one scientific study that involved investigating the effect of curcumin on triple negative breast cancer that were known to have poor prognosis; the administration of curcumin to the cancer cell cultures was found to inhibit cell proliferation by inhibiting of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) pathway was thought to be the underlying mechanism of cell proliferation.
In another study, it was shown that curcumin can inhibit the translocation of (nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer of activated B cells) NFκB to the nucleus through the inhibition of the IκB-kinase which reduces expression of CXCL1 and -2 and abolishes the autocrine/paracrine loop that links the two chemokines to NFκB. Treatment of the cells with curcumin and siRNA-based knockdown of CXCL1 and -2 induce apoptosis, inhibit proliferation and downregulate several important metastasis-promoting factors.
Turmeric and gingivitis
One study showed that use of 2% turmeric gel significantly caused reduction in the mean plaque index, gingival index, sulcus bleeding index, probing pocket depth and major reduction in trypsin like enzymatic activity of “Red-Complex” microorganisms. Other studies have also shown that both turmeric can decrease plaque index and gingival index and hence be used in the prevention and treatment of gingivitis.
Turmeric and cardiovascular disease
It has been suggested that turmeric also has huge health benefits in the prevention/reduction of cardiovascular diseases and related disorders such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, heart attack and stroke. It is the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions of nutraceuticeuticals that is thought to play a major role in neutralising free radicals and reducing endothelial risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases.
Turmeric and pain
Turmeric has also been shown to produce analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in animal models and in clinical trials, and seems to have less serious adverse effects than many current analgesics.
Studies have looked at the effect of curcumin on pain, stiffness, and functionality in patients with osteoarthritis in the knee. Curcuma-containing products regularly showed significant improvement in osteoarthritis-related conditions. A few studies have shown that the use of both curcuminoids and ibuprofen were associated with a similar significant reduction in pain.
Although there is some evidence that indicates that curcuminoids have pain relieving function in musculoskeletal pain but evidence is insufficient. More clinical studies are required.
Curcumin and autoimmune diseases
A breakdown in the immune system results in infection, cancer including autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, myocarditis, thyroiditis, uveitis, systemic lupus erythromatosis, and myasthenia gravis.
Some studies have shown that curcumin improves inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis both in human and animal models. Curcumin inhibits autoimmune diseases by regulating inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-12 and IFN-gamma and associated JAK-STAT, AP-1, and NF-kappaB signalling pathways in immune cells.
Turmeric and skin disorders
There is increasing scientific indication proposing curcumin’s usefulness in the treatment of chronic pain, inflammatory dermatoses, skin infections, acceleration of wound closure as well as cosmetic ailments such as dyspigmentation.
Curcumin also moderates the phase II detoxification enzymes crucial in the detoxification reactions for protection against oxidative stress. Some publications have discussed the biological mechanisms of the chemopreventive potential of curcumin in various skin diseases like psoriasis, vitiligo, and melanoma.
Direct topical administration of curcumin on affected tissue can be useful in treating skin related disorders.
Curcumin and liver disease
Several studies have shown that curcumin supplementation might improve non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
This is done by improving oxidative stress and preventing NAFLD by decreasing the production of reactive oxygen species, the hepatic protein expression of oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and chemokines such as interferon (IFN) γ, interleukin-1β and IFNγ-inducible protein.
Curcumin might have a favourable effect on NAFLD in higher dosages. Despite this, further studies with higher curcumin dosage supplementation are needed to confirm these results.
Turmeric on Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterised by progressive cognitive deterioration with declining brain activities and behavioural changes.
Curcumin is able to inhibit cyclooxygenase-2, phospholipases, transcription factor and enzymes involved in metabolizing the membrane phospholipids into prostaglandins. The reduction of the release of reactive oxygen species by stimulated neutrophils, inhibition of AP-1 and NF-Kappa B inhibit the activation of the pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF and IL-1beta. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and lipophilic properties of curcumin improves the cognitive functions in patients with Alzheimer’s.
Curcumin and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Curcumin has been shown to reduce sugar and lipids levels in many ways. It is able to do so by decreasing glycaemia and dyslipidaemia in high fat-fed rats, decreasing blood glucose and antioxidant defences. Other molecular mechanisms include anti-inflammatory effect on adipocytes (fat cells) by inhibiting the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as MCP-1, IL-1β, TNFα, IL-6 and COX2. It also has anti-apoptotic effect on streptozotocin-induced in diabetic rats by up regulating Bcl-2; Bax and caspase-3.
Curcumin also reduces the gene expression of transcription factors involved in hepatic lipogenesis, such as the sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c that promotes cholesterol synthesis and the carbohydrate response element-binding protein.
How do you take turmeric?
The questions to ask is how do you take turmeric? The way most Indians do it is by taking it in their food. Most Indian food will contain turmeric. They usually put a few teaspoons of it in their curry. Another way Indians like taking turmeric is in warm milk. Nowadays this is called “golden milk” in the west. Just warm a cup of milk and add some turmeric to it. Some people add black pepper to it to increase absorbance.
References:
Kocaadam, Sanlier 2017. Curcumin, an active component of turmeric (Curcuma longa), and its effects on health. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr
Vaughn AR et al 2016. Effects of Turmeric (Curcuma longa) on Skin Health: A Systematic Review of the Clinical Evidence. Phytother Res
Ruby et al 1995. Anti-tumour and antioxidant activity of natural curcuminoids. Cancer Lett.
Sun XD et al 2021. Curcumin induces apoptosis of triple-negative breast cancer cells by inhibition of EGFR expression. Mol Med Rep
Killian PH et al 2012. Curcumin inhibits prostate cancer metastasis in vivo by targeting the inflammatory cytokines CXCL1 and -2. Carcinogenesis
Stoyell et al 2016. Clinical efficacy of turmeric use in gingivitis: A comprehensive review. Complement Ther Clin Pract
Perkins et al 2016. Efficacy of Curcuma for Treatment of Osteoarthritis. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med
Bright 2007. Curcumin and autoimmune disease. Adv Exp Med Biol
Nguyen, Friedman 2013. Curcumin: a novel treatment for skin-related disorders. J Drugs Dermatol
Rajesh et al 2013. Skin regenerative potentials of curcumin. Biofactors
Disclaimer: This is NOT medical advice. Please consult your doctor before taking turmeric/curcumin.
If you are traveling to the Philippines, then these Tagalog numbers(Filipino numbers) will be useful for you. Tagalog is spoken as a language in the Philippines and is the official language of the Philippines. There are two forms of Tagalog namely Old Tagalog which is an ancient form of the language while Batangas Tagalog is a dialect of the language. In addition, the Filipino language is a standardised form of the Tagalog language that forms the official language of the Philippines. If you traveling to the Philippines, then you might wish to learn a few words and numbers for your travels. Here’s a list of Tagalog numbers 1-100 compiled by Amihan Balasabas. Feel free to print them out if you wanted to them with you. If you press the print button then you can eastly print them as printable Tagalog numbers 1 100 in words.
Years since, it has been believed in the Hindu religion that Cow is more or less revered as the source of food and a symbol of life that may never be killed. With many interpretations made by non Hindus, believes that Hindus worship cows considered to be sacred.
Prior of being sacred, Cows don’t have a charmed life in India. People around the world visit India and see cows in public places being unlashed, unrestrained and unfenced. It’s a false idea to consider cows as gods in Indian culture rather they are being fancied on the name of god. Here’s some more information about the cow in Indian culture.
In the past, bulls and oxen were trolled down before the gods as offering and their meat was eaten. This practice was not done to cows that were producing milk. As mentioned in the verse of Rigveda it has been significant that the cow is referred as Devi or goddess and is being identified as Aditi or mother of the gods.
The concept of meat eating still prevailed though one of the scriptures signifies that there is no sin to eating of meat but in turn brings reward in other forms.
Considering cow in providing abundant products like milk, butter and fuel from dried dung. Hindu stopped the practice of eating beef during the fertile period that introduced Buddhism and Jainism. In early century AD the cow was considered as an appropriate gift to Brahmins signifying that killing a cow will symbolise killing a Brahmin. Adding elementary significance to Krishna’s stories in late 10th century it was reinforced cows as sanctity.
It’s admirable to watch at calf that nuzzles for its mother’s udder around the courtyard of most Hindu temple in old streets of Delhi. Hindus have provided shelter locally called goshala for cows just to avoid disrupting traffic, wandering everywhere and feeding on rubbish.
From mythological point of view Nandi, a bull was considered as the most prominent solder in the steed of the Lord Shiva. In other scenario it has been noted to have heard of Lord Krishna that he was horn as a cow herd.
Cows are considered effective to human life as seen in many rural households in India are being recognised as the biggest producer of milk in the world with a support of at least one cow or buffalo. The owner of cow makes the best use of the cow till it pass the reproductive life and after that the owner least cares about further feeding to the cow in no return.
Village woman making goitha from cow dung
Beef Industry
Considering the case of export of beef, Buffalo makes up to the India’s beef exports but as far cows are considered the cow meat is being banned from being exported but still some trace are found in abroad.
One of the business holders named Mahendra Singh of Aligarh for production of buffalo meat says that the production of buffalo meat has certainly increased to 150 tonnes a day from 100 tonnes around a year ago. The industry works on both secrecy and trust as the company has made a long standing tradition among the Muslim traders.
Qureshi one of the business partner sighted that the business is profitable at its best and will continue to flourish later.
To the current world cows are considered to be a protected animal in Hinduism and in support Hindus have stopped eating beef. Speaking of present scenario the families in rural areas are now available with only one dairy cow and is being treated as the member of the family. Today, it can be said that the cow in Indian culture is considered holy and revered.
In rituals the Indians use five products of the cow like milk, ghee butter, curds, dung and urine. Each product being significant in their own way as milk helps in growth of children in a family, dung commonly known as gobar is used a tikal for spiritual cause or as a source of energy for household throughout India.
Despite of being sacred and unique status cows are still not being appreciated in India. From visitors point cows in India are found walking neglected in streets and found dwelling in garbage areas.
To be predictable the cow is honoured once in a year as the Indian celebrate it as Gopastami. With joy and cheers the “cow holiday” is celebrated in India with cows being washed and decorated in temple premises, in hope that her gift of life to continue.
If you’re one of those people who can’t wait for travel restrictions to be lifted so you can start going around the world, we get it. And we can’t wait either. And since you’re probably using your spare time to look at options for your next journey abroad we suggest you look at charter cruise options and head to kaleidoscopic Indonesia!
But Indonesia is a country that has over 18,000 islands scattered throughout its category, so you can’t visit all of them in one trip, which is why we would suggest that you start with the Spice Islands, more commonly known today as the Maluku Islands. They’re surrounded by a rich history and are an incredible place to explore for pretty much anyone. That being said, let’s take a look at what they are, where they are, and what you can do when you visit.
The Rich History of the Spice Islands
The islands themselves have been inhabited for thousands of years as a group, and this is actually long before Europeans set foot on them. And one thing that the locals figured out was that the islands were a place with a variety of aromatic plants throughout. The natives used this to encourage the spice trade in order to put the islands on the trade map, and they were rather successful with that.
That being said, the spice that’s “guilty” for this success is nutmeg. Even though you can actually get it now pretty easily, back then, the Spice Islands were the only place that had nutmeg, which is why they got the name. To add to this, when people figured this out, the islands became a point of contention, because having control over them basically meant you had control over the trade monopoly, and that lead to incredible wealth.
Other nations started to establish themselves on the islands shortly after Vasco da Gama and the Portuguese discovered the sea route to India, and of course, the Portuguese were the first to establish themselves as a nation on the islands, which happened in 1512. It wasn’t long until the Spanish, Dutch and British joined them on the islands, which meant the inevitable would happen pretty soon. And of course, there was a war that lasted until 1663, when the Dutch won. This gave them both control over the islands and the territory, and the nutmeg trade. Of course, this didn’t last forever – in 1769 a Frenchman managed to smuggle nutmeg seedlings, and got them to Mauritius. With the Dutch no longer having monopoly and the trade picking up elsewhere, the islands lost a bit of significance.
How Do You Find Them?
The Maluku Islands are also known as the Moluccas, and they’re an entire archipelago. They’re located in eastern Indonesia, within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. They lie within Wallacea and are east of Sulawesi and the Greater Sunda Islands, so they’re considered to be both parts of Oceania and Asia.
Up until 1999, the islands formed a single province, but they were then split into two provinces. North Maluku is the new province, and it concerns the area between Sula and Morotai, while Maluku province (the existing one) concerns the arc of islands from Wetar, to Buru and Seram.
A thing that separates the islands is religion. Maluku province is predominantly Christian, with Ambon as its capital, while North Maluku is more on the Muslim side. Unfortunately, the Maluku Islands sectarian conflict between the religions has killed thousands and has been the reason for almost half a million people leaving the area.
Things to do When Visiting the Spice Islands
If you’re headed on a cruise, you will probably want to head to Maluku province. Ambon and its surroundings are the prime tourist destination, and you’ve got a whole lot of things to do, so let’s check out some of them.
People who are keen on history and historical architecture should check out Fort Belgica. Built by the Portuguese in Bandaneira, the fortress was initially made during their reign. However, during development, the Dutch obtained control over the islands, which is why the name was changed from the original Benteng Nassau to Fort Belgica. The fort was initially made as a military defense point, as well as a sea traffic monitoring location. Nowadays, it boasts a rather impressive view and is an excellent location to visit if you’re nearby.
Pulau Seram is another island you need to visit, and it’s the province’s largest island. There are a lot of things you can enjoy there, but the most notable is the Sanggar Budaya Seram Museum. This museum will teach you an incredible amount of things when it comes to Maluku Island’s historical and cultural background. If, however, you’d prefer to head to a beach instead, we can wholeheartedly recommend Ora Beach and its variety of stilt bungalows you can enjoy.
If you’d rather get a bit of privacy, the Banda Islands are a great location that’s still within reach if you’re in the area. The best thing about them is that tourists have seemingly yet to discover the beauties the islands offer, which makes them perfect if you want to get a bit of privacy. Of course, you also get an incredibly diverse ecosystem and more or less untouched nature, as well as some of Maluku’s most beautiful diving and snorkeling locations.
And then comes Ambon City, which is the capital of Maluku, and the largest city in the area. It’s a very popular tourist destination, and it’s got a lot of things you can explore. A prime example is all the traditional markets you can visit. Trading is a big deal in Ambon, and each market offers something new. And whatever you need, from fruit and vegetables to fish and meat, everything is absolutely fresh and incredibly delicious. And we shouldn’t forget the vast variety of spices you can also buy – we are, after all, talking about the Spice Islands.
Add to this the amazing locations such as Natsepa Beach, or Liang Beach, which are perfect for sipping a cocktail on the beach, and you’re covered!
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.
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.
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.
