Indian martial art of Kalaripayattu : Media India Group. The Indian martial art of Kalaripayattu Getting mind over matter in combat Kalaripayattu is an Indian martial art that also practices traditional Indian methods of healing, leaving its impressions on both war and wound. In a more creative way, it has also inspired some traditional performing art forms of Kerala, and even travelled east to birth the Kung Fu.
Martial arts have existed in India for thousands of years. While there are mentions of fighting and combat in Indian mythology, some earliest records have been traced down in caves of ancient men, who drew battle scenes on walls of their shelters. It has been discovered that the pre-historic man imitated animals for its fighting techniques, fetching inspiration from lions, tigers, elephants, wild boars, and even crocodiles. Kalaripayattu, from the south Indian state of Kerala, is believed to be the oldest martial art in the world, a fact that can be backed by its fighting techniques, which are inspired by those of wild animals.
Sanchi Stupa: An Eternal Journey of Spirituality. Sanchi Stupa: An Eternal Journey of Spirituality A Tour of Peace, Power and Salvation Sanchi Stupa is one of the greatest gateways of India and one of the most important Buddhist monuments, located around 46 km away from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh (a large state in central India) on the hilltop of Raisen district. It is the oldest stone structure in India with a group of Buddhist monuments and is a part of UNESCO World Heritage. An axis connecting heaven and earth is said to run through Madhya Pradesh. The Great Stupa (a stupa is a dirt burial mound faced with stone) of Sanchi, is known for its three Stupas, out of which, the first and the last were commissioned by Emperor Ashoka, of the Maurya dynasty in the third century BC. The Sanchi Stupa is one of the greatest landmarks and a gem to the Buddhist sanctuary, reflecting Buddhist art and architecture and is built by the stones in the Mauryan Period and flourished till the 11th century.
Child labour in India | Media India Group. Child labour in India Staggering number of children burdened because of poor governance Child labour in India, In its 16th year, the focus of World day against child labour is ‘to improve safety and health of the children; but with a big group of them still working in hazardous conditions in India, and being robbed of education, it seems a long way to minimise and then eradicate child labour in india. Worldwide, more than 200 million children are engaged in some or the other form of labour of whom at least 115 million are subject to its worst forms. India, the world’s fastest growing major economy, has the largest number of child labourers. It is a common sight in India to see children selling inexpensive toys and other goods, books, food packets, water bottles, etc., at the road side or near traffic signals, ironically, when they are themselves deprived of all these materials.
Child labour in India Staggering number of children burdened because of poor governance. Benefits and uses of the Indian drumstick | Media India Group. The benefits and uses of the Indian drumstick Savouring this south Indian delicacy Lifestyle January 3, 2018 Inseparable from sambar, it is also added to chicken and mutton dishes For a plant that doesn’t demand specific conditions for it to grow, the Indian drumstick has a host of healthy properties.
I remember picking it from my sambar, thinking of it as an ingredient that is added only for flavour, until my father told me it was meant to be eaten. Native to the sub-Himalayan areas of the Indian subcontinent, this plant is popular for its use in south Indian cuisine. The plant of the Indian drumstick is said to have various healing properties. Rich in minerals, the plant’s parts are also used as a wellness ingredient, for their positive effects on liver, skin, hair, bones, immunity, kidney, heart, and eyes. In fact, the benefits are so many that the drumstick plant, which can be grown even on wastelands, is being promoted by various NGOs to counter malnutrition. Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Story of the Indian revolutionist. Bal Gangadhar Tilak: Story of the Indian revolutionist Tilak was a strong pioneer of Poorna Swaraj (complete independence) Often referred to as the father of the Indian unrest, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was a strong pioneer of India’s struggle for independence Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born (23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920) as Keshav Gangadhar Tilak, An insight into India’s struggle for independence cannot be complete without the mention of the revolutionist Bal Gangadhar Tilak, This was his other name. who was a strong pioneer of Poorna Swaraj (complete independence).
On his 163rd birth anniversary, here are a few pages from the life of this legendary man. Even before joining the struggle for independence, Bal Gangadhar Tilak worked significantly towards the betterment of the Indian society. Soon, he started two weekly newspapers namely Kesari, in Marathi, and Mahratta, in English that mirrored the situation of the society at that time. On June 16, 1914, Tilak was set free. Major Dhyan Chand: The Indian hockey wizard. Major Dhyan Chand: The Indian hockey wizard A patriot who felt betrayed by his own nation Major Dhyan Chand was so skilled in the game that he got to be known as the wizard of the Indian hockey Major Dhyan Chand is synonymous to hockey in India. Famed for his excellent skills in the sport, Chand was a hockey stalwart who brought home three Olympic gold medals. While global names like Adolf Hitler also acknowledged his excellence, the legend died in grave financial troubles. How often does the world witness a young man from a small Indian village politely declining the offer of German citizenship and a senior rank in the German Army, proposed by the stalwart of Nazism himself?
Chand, often called by the name ‘The Indian hockey wizard’, had aced the national Indian sport so well that he was recognised as one of the finest hockey players not just in India but across the globe. Born to a British army sepoy, young Chand was never about hockey. He, for sure, had a knack for perfection. Are stray dogs a major problem in India? - Media India Group. Are stray dogs a major problem in India? An estimated 35 million stray dogs live in India According to the WHO report an estimated 45 pc of all deaths from rabies occur in South-East Asia The Indian government has to come up with large scale interventions and organisations that can deal with the issue of stray dogs in India.
An estimated 35 million stray dogs live in India and according to World Health Organisation (WHO) India faces about 18,000 to 20,000 cases of rabies every year. According to the WHO report an estimated 45 pc of all deaths from rabies occur in South- East Asia out of which about 36 pc of the world’s deaths from rabies happen in India itself. The incidents from rabies in India have been constant for a decade, without any obvious declining trend, and reported incidence is probably an underestimation of true incidence because in India rabies is still not a notifiable disease. Kolkata has a population of more than 80,000 stray dogs, according to the NGOs in the city. Gateway of India Mumbai - History, Architecure : Media India Group.
Motifs on Indian textiles - Media India Group. Motifs on Indian textiles Meaningful designs and depictions Traditionally designed Indian textiles boast of motifs representative of the Indian culture. Flowers, fruits, birds or animals: here are some of the popular motifs and the idea or belief that they signify. The most basic unit of a design or the smallest unit of a pattern is a motif.
Often inspired by nature and also socioeconomic, cultural or religious factors, the motifs on traditional Indian apparel are all distinct and mostly very colourfully represented. Part of the Indian fashion regime since ancient time when kings ruled the country, these motifs are often also a representation of the different styles from an era gone by.
Also derived from architectures and religious philosophies, birds, flowers, fruits and even animals have stories to tell, beliefs to share and this list below shares the most common of these motifs. Peacock motif Parrot motif Goose or Hansa motif Lotus motif Mango motif. Temples of Belur and Halebidu : Media India Group. The temples of Belur and Halebidu Towns in Karnataka telling of history and spirituality Temples of Belur, Architecture so intricate that the figurines seem lifelike, engineering worth taking an example from and with rituals still keeping these ancient structures alive, these two temples in Karnataka tell tales of south Indian history and spirituality. In the south Indian state of Karnataka, these two neighbouring towns are not just connected by a short drive but also a history that strings them as one.
Home to the Hoysala dynasty, which ruled most of Karnataka, for three centuries (mid-11th to mid-14th century), Belur and Halebidu are known to tourists for their ancient temples of thoughtful engineering and intricate architecture. About 15 km from each other, the towns have the best of Hoysala architecture, cut from a soft stone called chloritic schist.
The Belur temple complex The Chenna Kesava temple The Halebidu temple complex The Hoysaleswara temple is known for its black stone carving. Sanchi Stupa: An Eternal Journey of Spirituality. Indian truck art and Pimped up rides : Media India Group. Indian truck art: Pimped up rides Spreading Kitsch on the go Indian truck art, Passing through narrow city lanes to the dusty highways, delivering goods in various parts of the country, trucks in India also carry with them an Indian folk art – the truck art or Kitsch. Taking on their rear, messages like ‘Blow Horn’, Use dipper at night’, ‘Buri nazar wale tera muh kaala’ (ward off the evil and jealous), and ‘dekho magar pyaar se’ (look, but with love), trucks in India say a lot more than is visible. As we drive through different Indian cities, these messages and their language vary – for instance ‘stop’ becomes ‘thaamba’ (Marathi for stop) as we move from Delhi to Mumbai.
Truck drivers, who spend months on the road in their vehicles, decorate them with bright motifs, traffic messages, calligraphy, gods and goddesses, Bollywood personalities, and even names of drivers’ children and other family members. Also known as Kitsch, the art form expresses feelings ironically or in a humorous way. Shakuntala Devi: the face of mental calculations in India.
Shakuntala Devi: the face of mental calculations in India Celebrating 90 years of the human computer Shakuntala Devi was a world-renowned Indian mathematician and a calculating genius. On the 90th birth anniversary of Shakuntala Devi, the mathematical wizard who made even the toughest calculations seem like a cakewalk, here is a sneak peek into her life. Born on November 4, 1929, in Bengaluru, in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka, Shakuntala Devi was a world-renowned Indian mathematician and a calculating genius. Her father who had run away from home to become a circus performer was the one to plant the love for numbers in Shakuntala’s brain at a very young age with the help of card tricks. Devi won the title of Distinguished Women of The Year in 1969 by the University of Philippines. Her achievements were not just limited to the domain of mathematics only. The growing state of arithmophobia in India “Mathematics especially in India is a subject which people get scared of.
Qutub Minar- The Majestic Victory Tower. Qutub Minar- The Majestic Victory Tower Exploring the pride of Delhi Qutub Minar, a minaret that forms part of the Qutub complex is a huge Minar standing graciously in the heart of Delhi. The magnificent monument made of red sandstone and marble is 73 metre high and is one of the most iconic and recognisable landmarks of Delhi.
It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has great resemblance with the “Leaning Tower of Pisa” the free-standing bell tower, of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. This splendid piece of architecture has five storeys and was built through a period of several centuries during the reign of the three Mughal emperors of that era (Qutab-ud-din Aibak built one storey followed by his successor Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, who built three storeys more and finally Firoz Shah Tughlaq who built the final and fifth storey). Qutub Minar, is also considered as the tower of Victory. Qutub Minar- The Majestic Victory Tower Exploring the pride of Delhi.