Ancient India

India is one of the most recognized country in the world. It stands apart from the rest of the Asian continent and can be located easily in the northern hemisphere. Having a population of  132.42 crores, India is the second most populous country in the world and also the seventh largest in terms of area.


                                                      

In the ancient times, India was ruled by a number of dynasties like the Cholas, Cheras, Satavahanas  and Pandyas in the south, the Moghuls in  the North and after a period of time , just before the British invaded India, it was ruled by the Nawabs and Nizams . Being under the influence of various dynasties, India experienced a lot of changes in the administrative policies and cultures of people belonging to different religions. Some were REALLY beneficial, whereas some unfair policies literally looted the common man. During the freedom struggle of India, great revolutionaries like Raja Ram Mohan Roy were inspired by the 1789 French revolution which boosted their courage to keep protesting for independence .Finally, after gaining independence from the British, India has tried to keep pace with the rest of the world.


                                                                     
                                                                                BRITISH INDIA

Over the time India has gone through rapid changes which affected the financial and economical status of India. One of the changes was partition of Pakistan. The partition rendered many homeless and hopeless of a peaceful nation. Riots often broke out between the two nations on the Jammu and Kashmir issue. There was NO peace and prosperity anywhere. People kept fighting in the name of religion. Then again, when we thought that the problem was solved with help of the interference of the newly formed United Nations, the princely states of India, refused to join the Indian Union.

Just before the British left India, the gave the princely states the freedom to join India, unite with Pakistan or remain independent. This policy tempted almost all the kings of the princely states, but Sardar Vallabhbhai patel swore to himself that he would unite all the states and form a peaceful union. Unfortunately, all except three states agreed to do so. The three were, Junagadh, Hyderabad and Kashmir.

JUNAGADH
It was a small state in present Gujarat. The problem with Junagadh was that the Nawab wanted to join Pakistan but the subjects wanted to stay with India. Jawaharlal Nehru then sent the police to take action, so the Nawab fled to Pakistan and Junagadh was annexed to India.

HYDERABAD
Hyderabad was the richest princely state at that time. So the Nawab declared Hyderabad independent. The Prime Minster saw it as a threat to the newly formed nation, so there was a police action again and Hyderabad finally became a part of India.

KASHMIR
Raja Hari Singh was the king of Kashmir at that time. The subjects wanted to join Pakistan but the king declared Kashmir independent. At the same time, Kashmir was attacked by Pathan tribals who were under the influence of the Pakistani army. The king then asked for help from the Indian army, and in return agreed to join the Indian union. This decision of the king led to the first Indo-Pak war. The Indians won and Kashmir became a part of India.

The next obstacle in front of our Prime Minister was to help the homeless people and provide everyone with all needs. So he introduced the five year plans. This five year plan was basically the time required to complete a work successfully and make sure that everyone is satisfied with that work. So the first five year plan was given to agriculture because the farmers were at a terrible state. The next five year plan was used to implement the industries and factories and  improve the working conditions. When a certain work could not be completed in the five years successfully, annual planS were taken up. As the name suggests, the remaining work had to be completed in one year. In this way, the condition of India started improving. 

Now when we look at ourselves, we are the second most English speaking nation despite the fact that English did not originate in India. We are the first ones to complete the Mangalyaan mission successfully {first trial} and a lot more things which other nations are not even aware of. So let's thank our former Prime Ministers and Presidents for helping our nation grow!!

                                                                MERA BHARAT MAHAAN!!

Water, a wonder liquid

My mother's native is a village, which I went to visit in one of my summer holidays. As we were driving to reach our destination, the wind was swaying so hard- as if to hurl our car. The cool breeze slapping against my face, the lush green trees and fields , the birds celebrating the dusk , god ! It was SO good. 

What bad could happen in such a heavenly place ?  Well.....I saw the merry villagers and their kids singing in joy , but I also noticed the number of beggars in the village. The climate was so hot , I myself was very thirsty and was drinking water at least once in a minute. Then I realized . What could be the fate of those poor beggars who could not even afford a bottle of water ?They looked so pitiful, tired and thirsty , that one just couldn't be in a condition which was even worse.

We, the people from the cities have a lot to be happy about. We always try to afford luxurious cars, live and sleep in air-conditioned rooms, have money at fingertips and a lot more. When we compare ourselves to the lives of the beggars , we are at a MUCH better state.

Villages are located FAR away from the cities. But, has anyone noticed the problems which the villagers go through ? They have to walk so many miles to get a pot of water. The case is not the same with us. Whenever we turn on the tap, water gushes out with great speed. Notice the difference in the process of obtaining water in the village and the city! That's pretty unfair. But WHO condemns this inequality ? Very few number of people from the second most populous country in the whole world do ! 

Today, my school's academic year got completed and we have summer holidays from tomorrow. So to celebrate THAT,{which is a really small thing to celebrate},the children from my bus and the students from the school threw drinking water on each other. They even christened the game. It's called 'the water fight'. The kids from my bus wasted 20 bottles of drinking water to celebrate the summer holidays and make the moment 'memorable'. Instead of wasting that water, they could have used it to water the plants or drink it themselves, or give it to the needy.

Water has many good qualities, it has a lot of minerals and fiber qualities. It is like the cooked food given by the nature to us. Instead of saving such a precious resource, we are wasting and using it for other purposes which are not supposed to be done. Please save water. Simple changes in our routine lives can save a resource.We can turn off the tap while brushing, believe me, it saves a lot of water. Stop people from wasting water and motivate them to do the opposite. 

                                            No water, no life

                                                                     no blue, no green

Music Mania

Hi guys ,
Varsha here

This is my first ever blog and I do hope you all will like it.
Music is one of the noblest sentiments mankind can experience. It is rhythmical but never monotonous. The Indian classical Carnatic music is a beautiful combination of Swaras, Sahityam, Raagam and the Talam. There are 7 Swaras which together are known as the Sapta Swaras, a bewitching combination. These Swaras are an essential part of music, that is,the basics which are to be learnt by every single person who desires music .
                                                    

However , it is interesting to know that each of these Swaras  emerged from an animal. For example, the first Swaram , S , was produced by a peacock . Similarly, M, the fourth Swaram , came from the Krouncha bird . These Swaras ,  just like us, have another name :

1.S - Shadyamam
2.R - Rishabham 
3.G - Gandharam 
4.M - Madhyamam 
5.P - Panchamam
6.D - Daivatham
7.N - Nishadham

Some of these Swaras even have two to three variations in them- some are sung a little lower while the others a little higher. When talking about Sahityam, it is the wording in a song;but it is not a mandatory. For example, the basics - Sarali Swaras, Janta Swaras and Alankaras do not have Sahityam . The Sahityam is used to convey the emotion in us. Beautifully arranged , the Sahityam is to explain the situation in the heat of the moment . Sahityam can bring out many feelings like:
1. Sadness
2.Bliss
3.Success
4.Devotion for God
5.Moral values for life and MANY more..........

Talam is the MOST essential part of any sort of  song you are singing. Be it Classical, Tollywood, Bollywood, Hollywood and whatnot! This is because Talam is nothing but the beat ! And I really hope everyone know why is beat is extremely important. There are many Talams : Dhruva , Mathya , roopaka, Jampa , triputa , Ata , Eka , Adi , Chapu , Kanda Chapu etc.
                                         
                                             THE TRINITY OF CARNATIC MUSIC


One question can arise in your mind : Who harmonizes these Swarams and Sahityam to make it a song and why??? Well, the Rachaitas or the writers/composers/singers do it. India has tonnes of talented Composers AND let me tell you - I am talking about the ancient India. Few saints like Tyagaraja Swamy, Muthuswami Deekshitar , Syama Sastrulu , Annamacharyulu , Bhadrachala Ramadasu , Narayana Teerthulu, Jai devudu etc have composed songs in various different Ragas for praising the almighty. Tyagaraja Swamy , one of the most famous Rachaitha, was a great devotee of Lord Rama Wrote MANY songs in his praise . Few of the most famous ones include : the Pancharatnalu { Jagada nandakaaraka, Sadhinchene Oo Manasa , Dhudukugala , Kana Kana Ruchira and Endaro Mahanubhavulu }, Sobhillu Sapta Swara { in praise of the seven Swaras } , Bantu Reethi etc


Don't think its done, there's a lot more to learn