Large, diverse South Asian country bordering Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma and the Indian Ocean (hence the ocean's name). Partially or completely British-controlled from the 1600s until 1947 -- at the time of independence Pakistan was partitioned from India out of the British-controlled area because of religious differences. (And decades later Pakistan split into the current country of that name and what is now Bangladesh, on the other side of the modern country of India.) There are still border disputes and other conflicts between the India and Pakistan.

The Everything2 India Encyclopedia

"So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone,
either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary
country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems
to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked."

-- Mark Twain, from Following the Equator

It is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere else does humanity present itself in such a dizzying, creative burst of cultures and religions, races and tongues. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to the superlative mountains that overshadow it. Perhaps the only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India would be to describe or understand India completely.

-- geographia.com

On a suggestion by mauler some time back, I am taking up the task of compiling everything about India on Everything2. A few links in the node are not noded yet - I have included them for completeness.

Of course this is always a work in progress. Here's how you can help - if you node or come across any India related node on E2 that's not in here, please /msg me right away! Pointing out any errors etc in the following list will also be a big help. Dhanyawaad! Shukriya! Thank you!

Newest Additions

  1. Kolkata Metro (added by Oolong)
  2. A Jamai Writes (added by Oolong)
  3. Main Hoon Na
  4. Mohammed Ali (added by vishakh)
  5. Muhammed Iqbal (added by vishakh)
  6. Everything Arranged Marriage Registry
  7. Bahadur Shah Zafar
  8. Communism in India (added by vishakh)
  9. Patna (added by vishakh)
  10. Jammu and Kashmir: historiographical analysis
  11. Coca Cola in Kerala
  12. Hindutva
  13. Hindu Nationalism
  14. Dalit
  15. Quit India Movement
  16. odiyan
  17. shaktiman
  18. O.V. Vijayan
  19. Kalarippayattu
  20. Babri Masjid
  21. iron pillar
  22. Bodhidharma
  23. Panchatantra
  24. Indian Rope Trick
  25. Matrimonial ads

Links: 664


Please note: This metanode was originally created by another user who has left E2 and was kind enough to let us keep it. I am maintaining it now. - mauler


General/Introduction

Geography

Neighbors

States and Union Territories

Cities

Other Places

Attractions

Forts

Tombs

Temples

Mosques

Others

Mountains

Major Rivers

Sea and Oceans

History

Eras and Empires

Events

Languages of India

Religions of India

Religion is central to Indian culture, and its practice can be seen in virtually every aspect of life in the country. Hinduism is the dominant faith of India, followed by about 80 percent of the population. Ten percent follow Islam, making the muslim population in India second only to Indonesia, about 5 percent are Sikhs and Christians; the rest (a good 45 million) are Buddhists, Jains, Bahai, and more.

India is also the birthplace of several major world religions including Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism.

Religious Texts

Places of Worship

Religious Practices/Symbols

Hindu Gods and Godesses

Sikh Gurus

Other Gods/Religious figures

Festivals of India

Other days celebrated as holidays

People

Historical Figures

Present-day Indians of Note

Food

sneff has by far made most mouths water on E2. On his suggestion, I'm adding links here that are Indian cuisine related but are not recipes. For recipes, please see the metanode linked below. This has just started. Just watch. This'll grow Huge!

  • Indian Recipes (metanode)
  • General

    Fruits

    Breads

    Seeds

    Grains

    Masala (Spices)

    Dairy products

    Drinks

    Snacks

    Dishes

    Sweets

    Fauna of India

    Films

    Games/Sports

    Indian Names

    This is a node started by Seumas that couldn't be completed. I'll pick it up sometime in future if possible, or I invite anyone willing to complete the task to please step forward.

    Art and Culture

    General

    Dances of India

    Vocal Art Forms

    Classical Music

    Martial Arts

    Rasa

    Want more?


    India will sideswipe you with its size, clamour and diversity. Nothing in the country is ever quite what you expect, and the only thing to expect is the unexpected which comes in many forms and will always want to sit next to you. India is a litmus test for many travellers and some visitors are only too happy to get on an aircraft and fly away, but if you enjoy delving into convoluted cosmologies and thrive on sensual overload, then India is one of the most intricate and rewarding dramas unfolding on earth.

    -- LonelyPlanet.com

    I already wrote about Indian Traffic: here are some shorter thoughts on some other impressions from my first visit to India.


    India, 1st Decade of 21st Century, Tharoor

    I

    … Became aware of Shashi Tharoor last week when I read his well-written article in The Guardian, a perspective piece refuting the arguments of those “apologists for British colonial rule in India” who have said that the British deserve credit for bringing “democracy, the rule of law, and railways” to India.

    Tharoor’s counter-argument (supported by facts) is that these advances were accidental “by-products” of the colonial period, introduced by the British for their own purposeful agenda, not as facilitative mechanisms intended to benefit the Indian population. The motivation for building the railways in India was for transporting resources, not people.

    … Decided to search my regional library’s catalog for this writer: a couple of novels, lots of non-fiction concerning India. Tharoor is a Keralan, born in London, who became a politician/writer/historian. Friday, I borrowed a collection of his essays, The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone (2007), from a small-town library, enroute to a cabin in the Cascade Mountains to see how much winter snowmelt has occurred.

    II

    The preface, as well as an introductory story called “The Elephant Who Became a Tiger,” were intriguing. After four or five chapters of Part One, in which he repeated several of his points almost verbatim, I began to realize that he hadn’t written a new text, for instance like Simon Schama’s Landscape and Memory, and then offered chapters to various journals. Rather these were some pieces he had published as journalism and collected subsequently to offer commercially for re-publication as a book – which unfortunately comes off as the hodge-podge compilation it is.

    I moved on through a pair of chapters which obviously were originally newspaper articles about Bollywood actors who vaulted themselves on name recognition into election to the Indian Parliament, and I thought, I may as well return this book to the library!

    Then I reached a chapter titled “Democracy and Demockery,” and this has the dynamically crafted prose I crave. Tharoor’s primary observation in this article is that “increasingly” Indian politicians have “the qualities required to acquire power rather than the skills to wield it for the common good.” The result, in his opinion, is that politics in state assemblies and the national Parliament have “become dominated by the unprincipled, the inept, the corrupt, the criminal, and the undisciplined.” Relevant to current U.S. circumstances, as well.

    III

    In The Elephant … Tharoor provides an informative analysis of India today, the strengths of its secularly pluralistic social composition, and the difficulties which impede its progress. His comments are humorous in places and often give valuable insights into this large and complex Asian nation. Some exposure to his work could be worthwhile.

    References

    • Schama, Simon. (1996). Landscape and Memory. New York: Knopf.
    • Tharoor, Shashi. (2007). The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell Phone. New York: Arcade.

    In"di*a (?), n. [See Indian.]

    A country in Southern Asia; the two peninsulas of Hither and Farther India; in a restricted sense, Hither India, or Hindostan.

    India ink, a nearly black pigment brought chiefly from China, used for water colors. It is in rolls, or in square, and consists of lampblack or ivory black and animal glue. Called also China ink. The true India ink is sepia. See Sepia. -- India matting, floor matting made in China, India, etc., from grass and reeds; -- also called Canton, ∨ China, matting. -- India paper, a variety of Chinese paper, of smooth but not glossy surface, used for printing from engravings, woodcuts, etc. -- India proof Engraving, a proof impression from an engraved plate, taken on India paper. -- India rubber. See Caoutchouc. -- India-rubber tree Bot., any tree yielding caoutchouc, but especially the East Indian Ficus elastica, often cultivated for its large, shining, elliptical leaves.

     

    © Webster 1913.

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