Portal:India

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Welcome to the India Portal

Introduction

India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the second-most populous country, the seventh-largest country by area, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

Modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa no later than 55,000 years ago. Their long occupation, initially in varying forms of isolation as hunter-gatherers, has made the region highly diverse, second only to Africa in human genetic diversity. Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of the Indus river basin 9,000 years ago, evolving gradually into the Indus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BCE. By 1200 BCE, an archaic form of Sanskrit, an Indo-European language, had diffused into India from the northwest, unfolding as the language of the Rigveda, and recording the dawning of Hinduism in India. The Dravidian languages of India were supplanted in the northern regions. By 400 BCE, stratification and exclusion by caste had emerged within Hinduism, and Buddhism and Jainism had arisen, proclaiming social orders unlinked to heredity. Early political consolidations gave rise to the loose-knit Maurya and Gupta Empires based in the Ganges Basin. Their collective era was suffused with wide-ranging creativity, but also marked by the declining status of women, and the incorporation of untouchability into an organised system of belief. In South India, the Middle kingdoms exported Dravidian-languages scripts and religious cultures to the kingdoms of Southeast Asia.

National Anthem of India

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Collins on an 1899 postcard

Arthur Edward Jeune "James" Collins (18 August 1885 – 11 November 1914), typically now known by his initials A. E. J. Collins, was an English cricketer and soldier. He held, for 116 years, the record of highest score in cricket: as a 13-year-old schoolboy, he scored 628 not out over four afternoons in June 1899. Collins's record-making innings drew a large crowd and increasing media interest; spectators at the Old Cliftonian match being played nearby were drawn away to watch the junior school house cricket match in which Collins was playing. Despite this achievement, Collins never played first-class cricket. Collins's 628 not out stood as the record score till January 2016 when an Indian boy, Pranav Dhanawade, scored 1009 in a single innings.

Collins joined the British Army in 1902 and studied at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, before becoming an officer in the Royal Engineers. He served in France during the First World War, where he was killed in action in 1914 during the First Battle of Ypres. Collins had been mentioned in despatches and also represented the Royal Military Academy at cricket and rugby union. Read more...

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Munnar is a small town located in Idukki district, of the southern state of Kerala in India. The name is most often used to refer to the whole tourist area, of which the town forms a part. It is located at the confluence of the mountain streams Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. It is surrounded by wild jungles and is wet and cold for most of the season.Though part of Kerala state, Tamil workers brought from Tamilnadu and their successors are now majority in Munnar.

Photo credit: Coolmallu1

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Priyanka Chopra won several awards, including the National and Filmfare awards for Best Actress for her performance in Fashion

Fashion is a 2008 Indian drama film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar and produced by UTV Motion Pictures. The film features Priyanka Chopra in the lead role, with Kangana Ranaut, Mugdha Godse, Arbaaz Khan and Arjan Bajwa in supporting roles as well as several professional fashion models playing themselves. Bhandarkar co-wrote the film with Ajay Monga and Anuraadha Tewari. Deven Murdeshwar edited the film while the cinematography was provided by Mahesh Limaye. Salim–Sulaiman composed the musical score, with lyrics written by Irfan Siddiqui and Sandeep Nath. The film focuses on the transformation of Meghna Mathur, an aspiring fashion model played by Chopra, from a small-town girl to a supermodel in the Indian fashion industry.

Produced on a budget of ₹180 million (US$2.5 million), Fashion was released on 29 October 2008 to critical acclaim and box-office success. It grossed ₹600 million (US$8.4 million) and was noted for being commercially successful despite being a women-centric film with no male lead. Fashion received various awards and nominations, with praise for its direction, the performance of the cast, screenplay, editing, musical score, and costume design. Read more...

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The Bobbili Fort, located in the Vizianagaram district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, was built during the middle of the 19th century in Bobbili. It has a historical link to the nearby mud fort of the same name which was destroyed during the Bobbili war in 1757 in a feud between the Rajas of Bobbili and the neighbouring Maharaja of Vizianagaram.

Chinna Ranga Rao, who survived the Battle of Bobbili as a child was, at a later date, installed as the Raja of Bobbili. The successors of his lineage constructed the present Bobbili Fort following their improved economic conditions in the middle of the 19th century.

The existing fort covers an area of 10 acres (4.0 ha) and was built by Chinna Ranga Rao after he regained his kingdom which was improved upon by his successors in the mid-19th century. The fort complex has an impressive entrance gate in Indo-Sarcenic architectural style with high dome and many mantapas, Durbar Hall, four major palaces and two temples. Read more...

News

3 July 2020 –: At least eight police officers are killed and five others injured in Uttar Pradesh, India, in an ambush as they were attempting to arrest a suspect for murder. The attack was carried out by several gunmen, two of whom were later killed by other officers. (Al Jazeera)
3 July 2020 – 2020 China–India skirmishes § Economic response: Indian Minister of Power R. K. Singh announces that India will halt the importation of US$2.8 billion worth of Chinese power equipment due to heightened tensions between the two nations. (Bloomberg)
3 July 2020 – 2020 China–India skirmishes: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits soldiers in the Ladakh region amid heightened tensions between China and India. (Al Jazeera)
3 July 2020 –: The Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Indians are reviewing their names in response to the ongoing George Floyd protests. (NPR)
30 June 2020 – India–Pakistan relations; 2020 Pakistan Stock Exchange attack: Prime Minister Imran Khan says "There is no doubt that India is behind the attack" on the Pakistan Stock Exchange yesterday. India rebuffs the accusation and says it had nothing to do with the assault. (Reuters)
29 June 2020 – Censorship in India, China–India relations: The Indian Ministry of Information Technology blocks 59 Chinese apps, including video sharing app TikTok, citing security and privacy concerns. The bans come as tensions mount between the two countries over the recent border skirmishes. (Times of India)
27 June 2020 – COVID-19 pandemic in India: India surpasses 500,000 cases after reporting 18,552 new cases in the last 24 hours, the highest toll to date. India also reports a total 15,685 deaths from the disease. (AP News)

Did you know...

... that India developed nuclear power when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was prime minister?
... that hundreds of stockbrokers protested outside the Bombay Stock Exchange demanding removal of the Big Bull after the market crashed?
... that Indian folklorist Joravarsinh Jadav has written and edited more than 90 works?
... that Neeru Chadha is the first Indian woman to be elected as a judge to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea?
... that Ahmed Jahouh is the first Moroccan footballer to play in India?
... that the West Indian Incumbered Estates Acts were modelled on legislation introduced after the Irish Great Famine?
... that in 2019, millions of women came together to form a 620 km-long (390 mi) women's wall in the Indian state of Kerala?
... that Bandaru Dattatreya is the only minister from the Telangana state in the current Union Cabinet of India?
... that prior to becoming Google India's manager, Sanjay Gupta was credited for expanding Star India's sports business by launching Pro Kabaddi League and Indian Super League?
... that P. K. Sen led the first human heart transplant in India?
... that Indian Railways runs loss-making trains on the Patna–Digha Ghat line to prevent encroachment?
... that Chinese soybean geneticist Wang Lianzheng was elected a foreign fellow of the Indian and Russian national academies of agricultural sciences?
... that six All India Institutes of Medical Sciences began operating in 2019, including institutes in Telangana, in Jharkhand, and in West Bengal?
... that R. Hari Kumar took a staff course at the US Naval War College while serving in the Indian Navy?