Are you travelling to India with your kids? If yes then why not give them something to read about India before you go? This way they will get to know India better! Even better give them something to listen. My book “All about India: Introduction to India for Kids” is now available in audio format on Amazon, Audible and iTunes. The book has been narrated by theatre artist Linda Roper. I am sure they will love the soft British accent.
This book is similar to my other book “India For Kids” and covers everything that a child or any traveller to India would want to know about India. This version is however is slightly more detailed and children of advanced reading age will find it particularly useful.
Introduction to India – A brief introduction to the book and India.
Capital of India – Detailed information about the capital of India.
People of India – This chapter covers what the people of India is about.
Ancient history of India – Introduction to the history of India.
Modern history of India – Introduction to current and modern India.
Culture of India – Introduction to the culture of India.
Religions of India – This chapter talks about Hinduism other religions of India.
Languages of India – India has lots of languages and this chapter looks at what they are.
Geography of India – Many don’t know where India is so this chapter looks at the geography of India.
India’s neighbour – The chapter looks at India’s various neighbours.
Festivals of India – India is known as the land of festivals. This chapter looks at the popular festivals of India.
Overview of Indian food – India is known for its food. This chapter looks the types of Indian food.
What do Indians eat? – The chapter talks about the types of food eaten by Indian people.
Bollywood, the Indian film industry – India makes a lot movies and this chapter talks about India’s film industry.
Basic Hindi – This chapter has some basic Hindi for children and adults to practice.
Quiz questions on India – Some questions based on this book. See how many children can remember.
The book has lots of beautiful pictures and is a visual feast on India and its culture and food and everything else about India. Anyone of reading age and beyond will find it useful. The audio format of this book would be useful to those who find it easier to listen. Click on the link below to find out more.
Maithili is one of the
3 accents of Bihar; Maithili, Magahi, and Bhojpuri of the Bihari linguistic
processess. Approximately addressing, we might allege that Maithili is best
spoken northernmost of Bihar and eastward of the river Gandak. Whilst around
the east - it has covered near the Ganges River and is uttered in regions of
southern Bihar. Magahi also absorbs South Bihar, east of the River Son, and the
northerly of the two tablelands of Chota Nagpur. Bhojpuri absorbs the southerly
tableland of Chota Nagpur and the the country north and south of the Ganges
River as far west as, say, Benares. Maithili is also spoken by the Madhesis of
Nepal. Maithili and Magahi are a good deal more intimately affiliated to each
other than either is to Bhojpuri. So, the Maithili could nearly be addressed as
an isolated linguistic communication. The model anatomy of the nomenclature is
that languages spoken in the Madhubani section of the Darbhanga territorial
dominion, and in the adjacent part of the district of Bhagalpur. Maithili is
verbalized in its most avid pureness by the Brahmanas of the north of the
Darbhanga and Bhagalpur districts, and by those of western Purnea.
Maithili Language
Maithili is unmatched
of the 3 accents of Bihar; Maithili, Magahi, and Bhojpuri of the Bihari
linguistic processess. Approximately addressing, we might allege that Maithili
is best spoken northernmost of Bihar and eastward of the river Gandak. Whilst
around the east - it has covered near the GangesRiver and is uttered in regions
of southern Bihar. Magahi also absorbs South Bihar, east of the River Son, and
the northerly of the two tablelands of Chota Nagpur. Bhojpuri absorbs the
southerly tableland of Chota Nagpur and the the country north and south of the
GangesRiver as far west as, say, Benares. Maithili is also spoken by the
Madhesis of Nepal.
Maithili and Magahi
are a good deal more intimately affiliated to each other than either is to
Bhojpuri. So, the Maithili could nearly be addressed as an isolated linguistic
communication. The model anatomy of the nomenclature is that languages spoken
in the Madhubani section of the Darbhanga territorial dominion, and in the
adjacent part of the district of Bhagalpur. Maithili is verbalized in its most
avid pureness by the Brahmanas of the north of the Darbhanga and Bhagalpur
districts, and by those of western Purnea.
History of Maithili
During the British
rule it is customary among western linguists to refer to Maithili as 'Bihari',
a few words on this term are in order. The earliest usage of the term 'Bihari
(literally, the language of Bihar) is found in some British referrals wherein
the explanation offered the following reasons for adopting this name to
designate three dialects - Bhojpuri, Maithili and Magadhi [Magahi]:
1. It is a local name,
like the names of other languages as Bengali and Punjabi.
2. The extension of
the name to cover all the dialects of Eastern Hindustan has a parallel in the
case of Marâthï, which has been extended to cover the Dakhani dialect of Berär,
while it means literally only the dialect of the Maräthä country.
3. There is a
historical propriety in the name, as the work Bihar is derived form the
Buddhist Viharas or monasteries once so thickly spread over that region; and.
Bihari in its most ancient form was the language of the early Jains and
Buddhists.
4. Bihari has a
prescriptive right to the dignity of assuming a general character, for the only
one of all the dialects of Eastern Hindustan which possesses any literature is
Maithili, a dialect of north Bihar.
That the choice was
unfortunate has been felt ever since. Most modern writers on Maithili have resented
it and have so indicated.
What is most
interesting is that several linguists grouped Maithili and Bhojpuri together as
dialects of a common Bihari while even thought they were two cultural and
linguistic as well as literary traditions, and even said that Bhojpuri
"belongs rather to the united Provinces than to Bihar, and all its
associations and traditions point to the west and not to the east.
There never was in the
past nor exists today a language called Bihari. There is no mention of it in
any literature, any document or any record. There is not a single individual
who speaks or writes in the Bihari language. It has no script, no literature, no
actual existence. It is surely a creation of some strange mind and lives in
philological works of scholars who thoughtlessly decided to copy the
classification still existing today.
The Maithili language
is spoken in the state of Bihar and neighbouring country of Nepal. It is not
considered as a separate language from Hindi however those who speak the
language would prefer to be called a separate language from Hindi.
Maithili language is
one of the former languages of India. It has the dialect of Hindi and hence
many consider that it has been derived from the Hindi language. It belongs to
the Indo-Aryan group just like all other Indian languages. It is spoken primarily
in the state of Bihar and in the Nepal Terai region. It took a long time for
this language to attain the official status in Indian languages list. This was
because people did not consider it significantly different from that of Hindi.
There were a lot of petitions to give an official status to help education and
literature work in this language. Finally the petitions were all paid due
respect and the language attained its official status in the year 2003.
The name for this
language was derived from the origin of this language. This language originated
in the state of Mithila, which had a great history in the literature, and epics
of India. Mithila was one of the ancient continents in the world and this
clearly shows how ancient the language Maithili is. The entire Mithila used the
language Maithili in both written and oral form. Works rich in the languages
were released and attained global familiarity. Despite the large group of
speaking population, the language did not dominate North India equal to that of
the Hindi language.
The most famous poet
of our nation Vidyapati wrote his literature works in Maithili language. His
poems and thoughts added beauty to this language and raised its power over more
than what it originated to be. While oral communication was easier and poets
used tunes to enhance the sweet nature of the language, written communication
was in Maithili script. This is most similar to the Bengali script. Since all
of the state were grouped as one in the ancient India, it is common for them to
have followed the same writing script.
Maithili is often
mixed with Bhojpuri and Maithili songs are made which is very popular amongst
the people of Bihar. Today Maithili song concerts draw large crowds.
At present, Maithili
speaking population could be sparsely found in the state of Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Orissa. Since Maithili belonged to most of
eastern India, it flourished better. If it had been a central Indian language
then it would have been long dominated by the fast sweep of the Hindi language.
Though we have not yet excavated the real branches of Maithili, many literature
proofs show that Maithili had Hindi in its branches. This means that the origin
of Hindi was Maithili language. Census reports show that around 22 million people
speak Maithili languages in India and around 25 million people in the world.
Varanasi is considered the holiest of the seven holy cities in India. It is also the oldest city which is known to be continuously inhabited anywhere in the world. Earlier known as Kashi and then Benaras or Banaras, the pilgrimage center is situated on the banks of the Ganga (Ganges) the holiest of the 7 holy rivers of Hindu religion. The city is of religious importance to Jains and Buddhists in addition to being the salvation ground of Hindus. Sarnath, the place where Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon is situated close to Varanasi. The city has seen its days of glory and also destruction at the hands of invaders. Today, it stands out in the world map as the center of Indian philosophy, spirituality, mysticism and Indian religious beliefs. Besides the temples, tourists are attracted to 84 Ghats of Varanasi where people make ablutions on the banks of the rivers.
People often travel to the city of Varanasi from all over India and the world as well since it is well connected to every place by an international airport, Railways station and national highways. It is situated at a distance of 320 km from the state capital Lucknow and 790 km from Indian Capital Delhi.
Delhi to Varanasi by Air
After the construction of Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, Varanasi has been well connected to Delhi by air with numerous flights operating between the two cities. The Airport is situated in Babatpur at a distance of 18 km from the heart of city of Varanasi. Those who expect an easy, comfortable and quick journey to Varanasi can opt for the air travel. A daily direct flight from Varanasi to Delhi is available around the year.
The domestic terminal at the Varanasi airport has incorporated all modern techniques and is well equipped with escalators and high-tech system of handling the baggage of visitors. Due to many senior citizens and people with disability visiting the pilgrimage center, the airport has wheelchairs arrangement made to meet their requirements. In an amazing gesture, the airport authorities have special assistance provided in handling of baggage for people with special needs and senior citizens absolutely free.
Varanasi: The most holiest of places for the Hindus
An international terminal connecting the airport to international destinations has been opened in 2012. The cost of air ticket is approximately 3000/-INR for a flight between Delhi and Varanasi. Once outside the airport, there are number of prepaid taxis and auto rickshaws where spot bookings can be done to get to Varanasi. There are also buses plying from the airport to different hotels and center points of Varanasi for those who do not prefer taxis or auto rickshaws. As a bonus, tourist can shop for handicrafts, ethnic jewelry and other goodies in the airport, besides eating at the fast food joints available there.
Delhi to Varanasi by Train
Traveling from Delhi to Varanasi by train is approximately a 9 hour journey, which is the reason why many prefer overnight journey. Those who do not wish to enjoy the sights along the rail route can embark on the train from Delhi in the night and wake up in the city of destination early next morning. Most of the pilgrims traveling from Delhi to Varanasi find traveling by trains to be one of easiest, cheapest and best way of transport though one has to be careful about the thefts which have been reported often. The holy city of Varanasi is a major junction of the Indian Railways, for which tickets can be booked online and through electronic reservations.
Manikarnika Burning Ghat, Varanasi India
The approximate cost of the tickets per adult from Delhi to Varanasi is
First class air conditioned coach – 2400/- INR
2 tier air conditioned coach – 1275/- INR
3 tier air conditioned coach – 825/- INR
Sleeper Class – 320/- INR
The two railway stations situated in Varanasi are the Varanasi Junction with the IRS code of BSB and Mughal Sarai Junction with IRS code MGS. Varanasi junction is located in the center of the city whereas the Mughal Sarai is at the distance of nearly 15 km from Varanasi. Many of the super fast trains traveling from Delhi to Kolkata make a stop at the Mughal Sarai railway station, which is preferred by travelers.
Delhi to Varanasi by Road
Varanasi has an excellent network of roads connecting it to different cities. It lies between the National Highway NH2 connecting Delhi to Kolkata. This is considered the convenient way to travel to Varanasi from Delhi for people preferring traveling by road which is approximately an 11 hour journey.
A number of sleeper, semi-sleeper, deluxe, AC, Volvo and non AC buses ply between the city of Varanasi and Delhi every day. The tickets can be booked online in advance through various websites. Taxi can be booked to travel between Delhi and Varanasi though it is not going to be cheap. Getting to Varanasi and back to Delhi can cost anywhere between 13,000/- INR – 18,000/- INR depending on the type of car you choose. Here’s how to book your train tickets.
A wonderful palace built in Tudor style
architecture commonly known as Bangalore Palace stands in the centre of
Bangalore (Bengaluru) city, which is one of the three famous palaces belonging to the
Wodeyar dynasty. The other two are the Mysore Palace and Fern Hill Palace of Ooty.
There is the misconception among many people that the palace was constructed by
King Chamaraja Wodeyar, whereas the fact is it was built by Rev. Garrett, the first principal of the Central
High School which was later bought by the Chamaraja Wodeyar for a sum of
40,000/- rupees in 1873 and renovated later. Initially sprawling on 454 acres
of land, the palace has lost much of its gardens and
beauty to the development taking place around it.
The palace attracts tourists not only for
its assorted collection of rare arts and paraphernalia from the history of
India, but also for its amazing wood carvings, paintings, turreted parapets, fortified
towers, gothic windows, and much more. The palace grounds serves as a venue for
big important events like exhibitions, trade shows, trade fairs and other
public events including music concerts music concerts performed by artists who
come from all across the globe. One of the most distinctive events that took
place here was the great music gig named Eddfest, by Metallica in 2007, which
is the biggest paid music event to take place in India to date.
Attractions of Bangalore Palace
The Bangalore palace attracts tourists not
only for its outer beauty but also for its sophisticated interiors and great
collections of arts. Initially the interiors of the palace were closed to
visitors but it has been made open to the public for a fee since June 2012. Some
of the things that have caught the attention of visitors are:
·Two valuable gifts - bench of
bright colored tiles and a fountain, from Don Alphonso, the King of Spain. It
said to be a creation of the great deco ceramist Seville.
·An exquisite dining table with
mother of pearl inlay and Chinese lacquer work which is believed to belong to
Sir Mirza Ismail, a great Diwan of Mysore.
·Photographs and paintings of
famous people connected to the Wodeyar dynasty
·Large acres of sprawling lawns
in heart of busy city wide spreading lawns and beautiful gardens.
·Intricate and elaborate
interiors of wood which is boasts of some excellent carvings, floral motifs,
ceilings covered with relief paintings and beautifully decorated
cornices/ledges.
·A large open courtyard on the ground floor with has granite seats which
have been decorated with fluorescent blue ceramic tiles
·An fabulous ballroom for
special events
·Coat of arms with an emblem of two headed bird,
an emblem of Wodeyars. It is believed to be presented by the British to the
then ruler Chamraja Wodeyar X
·A grand dressing mirror with frames
made of pure gold
·A chemically preserved elephant
head
·An ancient refrigerator made of
wood
·Rare collection of paintings by
Raja Ravi Varma.
·The Durbar hall or assembly
hall of king, with decorated stained glass windows, yellow colored walls and a sofa
set to match the walls.
·A horse hoof leg shaped
weighing chair which was used to weight Jockeys by the Wodeyars who were
passionate about horse-racing.
·Common things used by the
dynasty like dressing tables, chairs, lamps, combs, stools made from real
elephant and bullocks legs, vase made of elephant trunk, empty perfume bottles
and other things which gives clues to the lifestyle of the people of past.
Visiting the Palace
The Bangalore palace is conveniently
located, as it is just 30 minutes drive from airport. It is located from just
3-4 km from city railway station, 2 km from Yeshwantpur, and just 1 km from
Cantonement Railway Station. Tourists can get there easily by either by bus or
auto-rickshaws as it boasts of good connectivity with all places of
Bangalore.
Bangalore has pleasant weather all around
the year, so the city can be visited whenever it is convenient for the tourist.
The palace remains open to the tourists
from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except on Sundays.
Entry fee
Indian tourists – Rs. 230/-
Foreign tourists – Rs 460/-
Extra payment of Rs. 1485/- for video
recording and Rs. 685 for photography will be collected separately.
1.Shalu I know a little about India, but
can you tell us a little more about the demographics of India, i.e. location,
population, primary language, size, etc.
India with its capital at New Delhi is
located in the south of the Asian continent. It is so big that is dubbed as the
Indian subcontinent. In Fact, it’s the seventh largest country in the world.
India has borders with 7 countries namely Pakistan, Burma, China, Bangladesh,
Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. The Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal lies in the
west and the east respectively. The population of India is 1.2 billion and
rising, the second most populous country after China. There are 17 official
languages of India and Hindi is the most prominent. English is used
extensively. The main religion of India is Hinduism while Islam occupies a
major space. Other religions include Sikhism, Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism
and Zoroastrianism.
2.Some people think ethics only count when
someone else is watching or listening.How is ethical behavior viewed in India in other words are ethics a big
part of decision-making?
Ethics is big in India mainly in personal
and family affairs. Children are taught morality and some schools even have
“Moral Science” as a subject. We are taught how to talk and respect elders,
behave in public, help the needy and so on. In fact, the Indian way of life and
behavior revolves around “karma” and attaining “mokhsa” or nirvana in other
words free form the recycle of birth.
3.What is the biggest ethical challenge in
the Indian workplace?
India is one of the most corrupt counties
in the world. In fact, it’s so bad in some places; you have to bribe the
officer-in-charge in order to get some work done. I remember paying a bribe to
get my marriage certificate. The biggest challenge in the Indian workplace is
eliminating bribery, corruption and shear laziness.
4.Favoritism at work is one of my most
searched queries; does the Indian workplace deal with favoritism at work and
what issues are most prevalent in the Indian workplace?
Favoritism and nepotism is rife in Indian
workplace. We don’t deal with it, we live with it. It will take another 50
years to get rid of this practice. Bribery is one of the major issues we have
to deal with. Although more and more people are being punished for taking
bribes and things are getting more transparent but we are a long way away from
a bribe-free society. Employees arriving late especially in government
establishments is another issue but some administrators are cracking down on
this.
5.You wrote a post about bhang sales
(marijuana), is it an ethical issue for the Indian government to support bhang
sales?
I don’t think it’s an ethical issue but a
cultural one. Consumption of Bhang or marijuana is somewhat ingrained in Indian
society. The government of India facilitates the sale of bhang especially
during some festivals and some places so that tourists and occasional bhang
users do not fall in the trap of drug dealers.
6.What are the main uses of bhang by the
people of India?
It’s used in “bhang lassi” or bhang
milkshake during the Hindu festival of Holi. I am not aware if there are any
medical uses of bhang but I have read and heard that it’s used for depression
and cancer.
7.Bootlegged cd’s, movies, and video games
are illegal and viewed by most Americans as unethical.How does India deal with bootleggers and is
bootlegging a major problem?
Bootlegging is a big problem in India.
Bollywood is the biggest film industry in the world and large numbers of the
sales of CD’s and DVD’s are pirated. Unfortunately, it’s sold openly in many
places and it’s not considered as unethical by the sellers and most buyers are
perhaps not aware of it. There are periodic raids on illegal workshops and the
police are trying to crack the bootleggers.
8.Most Americans have heard about the
unethical treatment against women in India; I even wrote an article addressing
how women have resorted to using “women only trains”, in your opinion what
needs to be done for women rights in your country?
India is highly male dominated society. Women
is often subjected to abuse, ill treatment and dowry system is rife. Unfortunately,
female infanticide still prevails. Although laws protect women and majority of
the time, law is on the side of women but more is still required. Women need to
be given reservations in government jobs which will uplift the status of women
and will make them financially independent. But to be honest, I think it’s
getting better, we’re not the Middle East. Indian women are getting better at
fighting for their rights.
9.You left a comment on my article “Should
your house stay inspection ready for a surprise visitor?”, You stated it is
very common for people to come by for a visits at any time.Is surprise visiting anyone at any time
acceptable by most Indians?
Visitors in particular relatives often turn
up without warning. You just have to play along and allow them to stay in your
house as long as they want (sometimes for months or years). Most Indians are
not surprised to see visitors at their doorsteps without being warned of their
arrival.
10.Thank you Shalu for your honest candor and
being the first international blogger to be part of this series.I know from reading your blog (Travel guide
to India) you are a proud Indian citizen.Is there anything you would want people to know about India?
Here some facts you might have not known
about India;
India is one of the few countries that
launch satellites. It was India where zero, the number system, algebra, trigonometry,
decimal system, and calculus were invented. Chess and “snakes and ladders “were
invented. India has the most number of offices in the world.
When you think about the sexiest beaches in the world, what thoughts come into your mind? You might imagine a tropical paradise with clear aqua blue water and white sandy beaches. Others may envision palm trees and beautiful scenery in every direction. Well, the sexiest beaches can certainly exist in any geographical location in the world. They come in all shapes and sizes too. If you are a traveler and romantic then you might wish to visit the following sexiest beaches in the world in the near future.
White Beach in Boracay, Philippines
Boracay is an island that is known for having the most gorgeous beaches in the Philippines. White Beach is certainly the most attractive one and it is featured in many advertisements for Boracay. The entire island is roughly 5 miles in length, so you could walk across the sands of White Beach in just a few hours and enjoy all the beauty that it has to offer. This beauty includes the classic clear blue water and white sandy beaches that was discussed. There are also lots of water sports and other beach activities available too.
Coral Islands of Maldives
Most people have never heard of Maldives before, but it is a tropical nation which consists of over one-thousand coral islands. It lies in the Indian Ocean about 200 miles south of the subcontinent and country of India. As for beaches, you could really take your pick because they are all gorgeous on these islands. There are many private beaches on these islands too, so you could arrange the perfect romantic getaway where you and your partner could have a beach all to yourself. Meanwhile, you will get all the luxurious accommodations of a five-star resort that you can imagine.
Haad Rin Beach on Ko Phangan Island in Thailand
Aside from the white powdery sand and aqua blue water, Haad Rin Beach hosts all-night parties which attract thousands of people from around the world every month. Whether you want to go for a romantic getaway or a wild party at an exotic location, this beach has all the essentials. You’ll find dancers, fire eaters, several beachside bars, techno music and so much more. Older couples might feel out of place here because this beach certainly attracts a lot of younger adults. But if you are in the mood for a thrilling beachside experience underneath the stars and moon, then schedule your trip to Haad Rin Beach.
Grand Case on Saint Martin Island
There are several islands in the Caribbean, but Saint Martin island has it all. You’ll find a variety of European cultural elements to experience, such as the food, buildings, people, and history. In the small coastal town of Grand Case, there are gourmet bistros established all along the beach. This used to be a fishing village until it was transformed into a culinary lover’s dream. You can relax in front of the turquoise waters while eating some of the best French food that you ever tasted.
Red Beach in the Greek Island of Santorini
Red Beach is located on the Greek island of Santorini. Greece may have a lot of beautiful beaches, but Red Beach stands out because of its geographical features. For one thing, it is shaped just like a crescent moon which is certainly exotic and unusual for a beach. There used to be a lot of volcanic activity that took place on this island back in ancient times. This helped form a lot of the redness that you see on the beachside cliffs. The Agean Sea in front of the beach has clear aqua blue waters and is in close proximity to clubs. Red Beach does like to attract topless bathers, so you might get lucky and see a few.
The Bhojpuri language
has produced excellent singers but unfortunately the music makers have done no
justice to the Bhojpuri music industry. Let’s take the music from the
yesterdays when Mohammad Rafi and Mannda Dey used to sing classical Bhojpuri
music for Bhojpuri and Hindi film industry that was considered as folk songs.
But nowadays, Bhojpuri music is considered as vulgar and very people wish to
associate with it. However in recent days, there has been a sort of revival of
the Bhojpuri music industry. For instanc, the popularity of Bhojpuri Nirgun and
devotional songs has been on the rise thanks to the likes of singers such as
Kalpana Patowary and not to mention the most famous of all Bhojpuri stars
Sharda Sinha. Sharda Sinha can be considered as the true and only worthy
torchbearer of a rich legacy of Bhojpuri vocals. Who can forget her excellent
Chhaat puja songs like this one?
Here are some other
great Bhojpuri singers including some from the Hindi music industry:
Sharda Sinha, Manoj
Tiwari, Pawan Singh, Prem Sagar, Chhotu Chaliya, Anand Mohan Pandey, Bharat
Sharma Vyas, Prem Sagar, Radhe Shyam Rasiya, Rashmi Agarwal, Pawan Singh, Guddu
Rangila, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi, Asha Bhonsle, Malini Awasthi, Ramayaga
Rama, Poonam Singh, Vipul Nayak, Sonu Nigam and many more.
About Bhojpuri Language
Though India is categorized as a country,
in reality it is a continent in itself. It is country with so many religions,
traditions, food, cultures and languages that no place will look similar to one
another. The appearance of the country keeps changing at a distance of few
miles. The people start speaking all together a new dialect once you cross a
boundary of a region. For a language to stand out in this milieu and create a
niche of its own is no easy task, but Bhojpuri which is not even a official
language of India has achieved this impossible task. Some of the great
politicians, freedom fighters, leaders, actors and other famous personalities
have lent their own style to this language. Apart from the national official
language Hindi, Bhojpuri is one of the most widely spoken and understood local
language of India.
Bhojpuri – a dialect of Hindi
Due to cultural reasons, the language is
considered to be a dialect of the language Hindi. Many lovers of the language
are working to give it a separate status as it will face the danger of
extinction if it is not recognized and promoted in the present era where local
languages are taking a back seat. The advent of internet and globalization has
brought English language to the forefront and pushed other languages behind.
Without proper promotion and encouragement, the language which is loved by many
people may die out soon. It has already been forgotten in the country of
Pakistan, where the Mujahirs spoke the dialect earlier. Today they speak only
Urdu. The same fate has been seen in the countries of Guyana and Trinidad,
where people are forgetting the language and not many people are able to even
recognize it anymore. The activists who are working for the official status of
this language hope to see that it will be included in the 8th
Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Only some of the languages out of 1,652
different dialects spoken in India are known outside their own region. Bhojpuri
spoken by nearly 33,099,497 according to the 2001 census is one of those languages
that have been recognized, used and loved all over the country. It is estimated
that nearly 200 million Indians speak the language which even if not spoken, is
recognized by many more people of India, especially those who speak Hindi. The
people of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand speak Bhojpuri
besides it usage in countries like Nepal, Mauritius, Fiji, and Trinidad &
Tobago.
Bhojpuri language is one of the important
languages of the Bihar state besides Angika, Magadhi, Maithili and Bajjika.
Though it has spread to other parts of the world, the roots of the language
still lay in the state of Bihar. The schools of Bihar teach the language as a
compulsory subject to students up to intermediate level, though the students
have a choice to study at higher levels.
Bhojpuri Literature
Unlike many languages of India which were
influenced by foreign invasions, Bhojpuri is an independent language which was
in use since ancient times. The rich and famous Bhojpuri literature holds
testimony to this. Kabir with his touching soulful nirgun poetry brought the
language to be noticed by everyone, though there had been the Siddha and Naths
who had written poetry in the language earlier. The rich literature of Bhojpuri
language has been enriched further with works by Rahul, Sankrityayan, Vivek
Rai, Bhikhari Thakur, Teg Ali Teg, Ramdatta Shukla, Ram Garib Chaube and many
more. Deviksaracarita, Badmasdarpan, Jangal me Mangal and Nagari Vilap. The
folk literature of Bhojpuri language is so famous that are enjoyed by
non-speakers of the language too. Among the folklores the Kijari songs and
dramas of Bidesia are very popular.
Though Bhojpuri is a language of Bihar
state, it has no connection with Maithili, which is another language of the
state and little similarity to Magahi. It is much closer to Hindi, Braj bhakha
and Awadhi languages. Though today Bhojpuri has made a mark of its own, earlier
it was considered a part of Hindi language by the government.
Besides literature, Bhojpuri language has
left its impression on films and television too. It is only language of Bihar
that makes full length films. The language has had great impression on
Bollywood too. There are many characters in the Bollywood movies that speak the
dialect and are characterized in a certain way. One of the most popular
characters is a simpleton with heart of gold who is stunned to corrupt ways of
the city. It has nearly half a century of movie making which has seen some
historical cinema being made in the language. Mahua and Hamar TV are two of the
very popular TV channels of the language which are viewed by people who love
the language.
We often hear about Somalia for the wrong
reasons. The nation of Somalia
is always in the news for some reason or the other; most of the time it is for
the misdoings of the rebels or militia against its own people. Often we get
breaking news across news channels about the latest developments on Somalia such as
Somali pirates hijacking an oil tanker or an international merchant ship. However,
Somalia also called Horn of Africa, has an ancient past that is never
mentioned. It seems that even the people of Somalia too have forgotten its own
past during the terrible civil war.
Culture of Somalia
Culture of any country develops based on
the accumulations left over by every group survived in the nation. Culture of Somalia is also an accumulation of neighbouring countries
like Ethiopia, India, Persia
and Yemen.
A culture is a group entity formed by several distinct entities like language,
families, clans, religion, music, food and literature. All of these together influence
the culture of a nation. Every one of these entity might have been formed from
any of Somalia’s
neighbour. Every neighbour has influenced the culture of Somalia by
contributing to one of these entities.
Religion in Somalia
The major religion in Somalia is Islam.
Among the Islamic religion, several denominations and traditions are being followed
like the Sunni, Sufism and Shia. It was as early as the medieval age when the
Muslims came first came to Somalia.
It was when Muhammad the Prophet sought refuge in Somalia; the Islamic community was established
in the Horn of Africa. However, initially there were only a few people
following the religion, later there were many people following Islam. Several
Mosques were built across the country and hence the initiation of a great
religion started.
Language of Somalia
Language is one important factor influencing
the culture of people. People of Somalia speak the Somali language,
which has a close relationship to that of the Afar and Oromo languages. Both of
them are related to both Africa and Asia, because, Somalia
has its boundary in the Indian Ocean through which it had many traders from Asia too. Therefore, Somali is a mixture of both African
languages and Asian Languages. After a lot of changes and dialects, Somali was
finally divided into three types;
1) The standard dialect, which is followed
only by the northern regions of Somalia.
2) Change of dialect on the coastal region
led to the development termed as “Benaadir”.
3) Third change of dialect in the southern
region led to the development of “Maay”.
Each of these dialects interact with each
other easily, the dialects are representative of the region to which they
belong. Interestingly, Somali music and songs were very popular throughout the
region which has been banned by the rebels this year.
Families and Clans
Several social units and clans are involved
in the politics of Somalia.
Some of them are Isaaq, Dir, and Darod. Other clans also include Hawiye and Rahanweyn. People wear formal dresses like jeans and t-shirts. Somalia men
wear turban on their heads. After Muslim invasion, Somalia people closely followed the
Arab culture and wore the “Jellabiya”.
Such a strong culture rooted in a great
nation has shown its power in the ethics and moral of people. It’s a shame to
see a country rich in heritage decline into oblivion.
When most of the world
is struggling to shed the phobia of mad cow disease, bird flu, monkeypox virus
and Covid-19, an ancient protozoan serpent Babesiosis still wait in ambush
patiently at our cattle farms, outdoor game hunting or on a polo field to
poison us with venom that will take our breath away.
Babesiosis is no baby
as a layman will guess it to be, in fact it’s like malaria of tropical
geographies which is spread by female anopheles mosquitoes, it is spread by
Ixodid ticks in the west especially in the region of Europe and America. Like
all parasitic transmitted diseases Babesiosis has also a vector, carrier and a
host. The vector in this case is Ixodid ticks, the carrier is our cattle and
wild animals and host is humans and animals. Babesiosis is a protozoan disease
which the black Ixodid ticks sucks from the cattle and accumulates in their gut
and further concentrate in their salivary glands and in turn transmits the
infection to humans. Most of the patients cannot even recall that when they
were bit by the tick. The general targets are people living at countryside or
game hunters in the forest. However the disease can further be transmitted
through blood transfusion by an infected person to another person, in desperate
need of blood or in many cases the disease is also transmitted by a mother to her
child in her womb.
The incubation or
dormant period for the disease is generally one to four weeks after which the
disease starts showing its symptoms of weakness, fatigue, depression, fever,
weight loss, headaches, allergic to light, stiffness of muscles, continued
cough, shortness of breath, vomiting, report of abdominal pain and accompanied
by dark urine.
Like Malaria
Babesiosis also targets the red blood cells of our body and destroy them
gradually leading to the mentioned ailments and then after they multiply by
basic cell division, in order to comprehend it briefly in a layman perspective,
red blood cells are transport for the oxygen to various parts in the body and
constant degeneration leads to low red blood cells counts, hence low oxygen
supply in the body leaving us breathless, lethargic, fatigued and with fragile
immune system.
Unlike other disease
Babesiosis shows a unique characteristics in its mortality rate or living ratio
of infected patients and differs according to geographic boundaries of the
continents for example in America only ten percent of the infected patients die
the rest recover with the aid of medical care or in many cases even in the absence
of it while the story in Europe is entirely different and approximately fifty
percent of the patients infected die due to this disease.
Age and sex is no bar
for this disease and can occur equally in male and females of all age groups.
But age groups above fifty are more susceptible to this disease as their immune
system has lived half of its life and portrays a feeble defence against the
onslaught of Babesiosis.
Babesiosis and Lyme
diseases are both tick borne diseases and sometimes people mistake them to be
of similar nature where as in reality Babesiosis present a more severe
infection level in humans as compared to Lyme infections and thus different
levels of treatments are required for both the diseases. On the other hand
patients of both diseases complain history of travel to areas like Nantucket
Island in America, where ironically the disease was first discovered in the
region in 1966, especially during the month of May and September.
Patients suffering
from this disease are fortunate to have a cure for this disease and the regular
procedure of malaria is required to be drilled once the infection is
discovered. Proper medical advice and medicines like Clindamycin (lincosamide
antibiotic) are safest bet for the cure.
Babesiosis is
constantly spanning its wings in other countries like Japan Mexico and China
apart from Europe and America and needs an immediate attention and education
for the people domiciled in other countries of the world so that they are well
prepared with the necessary tools to fight this slow and steady catastrophe as
and when it reaches their doors.
Detection of
Babesiosis
Babesiosis or
piroplasmosis is a very dangerous and invasive zoonotic disease (transmitted
between animals and humans) of humans and animals that is spread by ticks.
Although this parasite is widely widespread, it commonly infects rodents,
carnivores, and cattle. However, in recent years, their spread and cross-spread
have increased significantly and has been detected in various species. The
causative agent is the Babesia species.
Babesiosis in goats
Tick-borne diseases of
livestock can be economically devastating therefore husbandry practices and the
availability of vaccination should be made public to farmers, especially in
areas of rural economies.
The infecting agent
that causes Babesiosis in goats is Babesia ovis (B. ovis) common in the Middle
East, Middle Europe, central Asia, Turkey, India and some parts of Africa.
Although not much is known about the disease and spread among goats, it is
generally observed that it spreads in acute circumstances. Information about
its spread and agents spreading the disease is not fully understood. However it
is known that the protozoa destroys red blood cells and causes anaemia.
Currently several anti
protozoa vaccinations are available in the form of imidocarb, derived from
carbanilides. Further treatment could require administration of veterinary
antibiotic called “tylosin”.
Babesiosis symptoms
Most people in the US
and other parts of the world infected with babesiosis usually do not experience
any symptoms. However, there are symptoms that could easily be mistaken for
other conditions such as fatigue, fever, malaise, jaundice, and anaemia. Many
of these symptoms can last from few days to several months and usually appear one
to four weeks after infection. In individuals who are asymptomatic the disease
typically goes away on its own.
