Cultural India
13. Cultural India
13.1. Indian National Anthem
The Indian National anthem, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India on 24 January 1950. It was first sung 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas. The lyrics were rendered into English by Tagore himself.
13.2. Tagore: (7 May 1861 - 7 August 1941)
Rabindranath Tagore is from Kolkata. He was already writing poems at age eight. At age sixteen, he published his first substantial poetry under the pseudonym Bhanushingho ("Sun Lion") and wrote his first short stories and dramas in1877. He returned to England for the first time since his failed attempt at law school as a teenager, in 1912. Now a man of 51, his was accompanied by his son. On the way over to England he began translating, for the first time, his latest selections of poems, Gitanjali, into English. Tagore's one friend in England, a famous artist he had met in India, Rothenstein, learned of the translation, and asked to see it. Reluctantly, with much persuasion, Tagore let him have the notebook. The painter could not believe his eyes. The poems were incredible. He called his friend, W.B. Yeats, and finally talked Yeats into looking at the hand scrawled notebook. The rest, as they say, is history. Yeats was enthralled. He later wrote the introduction to Gitanjali when it was published in September 1912 in a limited edition by the India Society in London. Thereafter, both the poetry and the man were an instant sensation, first in London literary circles, and soon thereafter in the entire world. His spiritual presence was awesome. His words evoked great beauty. Nobody had ever read anything like it. A glimpse of the mysticism and sentimental beauty of Indian culture were revealed to the West for the first time. Less than a year later, in 1913, Rabindranath received the Nobel Prize for literature. He was the first non-westerner to be so honored.
A few quotes by Tagore
Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.
Depth of friendship does not depend on length of acquaintance.
Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time.
13.3. Flag of India
THE NATIONAL FLAG OF INDIA is in tricolor of deep saffron (Kesari) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at thebottom in equal proportions. The flag is a horizontal tricolor in equal proportion of deep saffron on the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom. The ratio of the width to the length of the flag is two is to three. In the centre of the white band, there is a wheel in navy blue to indicate the Dharma Chakra, the wheel of law in the Sarnath Lion Capital. Its diameter approximates the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes.The saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation; the white, for purity and truth; the green for faith and fertility. The design of the National Flag was adopted by India's constituent assembly on 22nd July, 1947. Its use and display are regulated by a code. The Indian flag symbolizes freedom. The late Prime Minister Pandit Nehru called it a flag not only of freedom for us, but a symbol of freedom for all people.
13.4. National Emblem of India
The National emblem is a symbol of contemporary India's reaffirmation of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill.
It is a replica of the Lion of Sarnath, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh State. The Lion Capital was erected in the 3rd century BC by Emperor Ashoka to mark the spot where Lord Buddha first proclaimed his gospel of peace and emancipation.
In the original, there are four lions, standing back to back,mounted on a abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra).
In the state emblem adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950, only
three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in
the center of the abacus with a bull on the right and a horse on the left and the outlines
of the other wheels on extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted.
The four lions (one hidden from view) - symbolizing power, courage and confidence -
rest on a circular abacus. The abacus is girded by four smaller animals - guardians of the four directions: the lion of the north, the elephant of the east, the horse of the south and the bull of the west. The abacus rests on a lotus in full bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration. The motto 'Satyameva Jayate' inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari script means 'truth alone triumphs'.
13.5. Natural medicines originated in India
Ayurveda
Considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science, Ayurveda is a holistic approach to health that is designed to help people live long, healthy, and well-balanced lives. The term Ayurveda is taken from the Sanskrit words ayus, meaning life or lifespan, and veda, meaning knowledge. It has been practiced in India for at least 5,000 years and has recently become popular in Western cultures. The basic principle of Ayurveda is to prevent and treat illness by maintaining balance in the body, mind, and consciousness through proper drinking, diet, and lifestyle, as well as herbal remedies.
How does Ayurveda work?
Just as everyone has a unique fingerprint, according to Ayurvedic beliefs, each person has a distinct pattern of energy -- a specific combination of physical, mental, and emotional characteristics. It is also believed that there are three basic energy types called doshas, present in every person:
Vata -- energy that controls bodily functions associated with motion, including blood circulation, breathing, blinking, and heartbeat. When vata energy is balanced, there is creativity and vitality. Out of balance, vata produces fear and anxiety.
Pitta -- energy that controls the body's metabolic systems, including digestion, absorption, nutrition, and temperature. In balance, pitta leads to contentment and intelligence. Out of balance, pitta can cause ulcers and arouse anger.
Kapha -- energy that controls growth in the body. It supplies water to all body parts, moisturizes the skin, and maintains the immune system. In balance, kapha is expressed as love and forgiveness. Out of balance, kapha leads to insecurity and envy.
Everyone has vata, pitta, and kapha, but usually 1 or 2 are dominant in a particular
person. Many things can disturb the energy balance, such as stress, an unhealthy diet,
the weather, and strained family relationships. The disturbance shows up as disease.
Ayurvedic practitioners prescribe treatments to bring the doshas back into balance.
Siddha
The Siddha medicine is a form of south Indian Tamil traditional medicine. This is nearly 10,000 years old medical system followed by the Tamil people, both in India and abroad. This system of medicine was popular in ancient India, due to the antiquity of this medical system; the siddha system of medicine is believed to be one of the oldest medical system. The system is believed to be developed by the 18 siddhas in the south called siddhar. They are the ancient supernatural spiritual saints of India and the Siddha system is believed to be handed over to the Siddhar by the Hindu God - Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. So are the siddhars, the followers of Lord Shiva (Shaivaites). There are 18 Siddhars, with agathiyar being the first Siddhar.
Concept of disease and cause in Siddha medicine
It is assumed that when the normal equilibrium of three humors (vatha, pitha and kapha) is disturbed, disease is caused. The factors, which assumed to affect this equilibrium, are environment, climatic conditions, diet, physical activities, and stress. Under normal conditions, the ratio between these three humors (vatha, pitha and kapha) is 4:2:1, respectively.
According to the siddha medicine system, diet and life style play a major role not only in health but also in curing diseases. This concept of the siddha medicine is termed as pathya and apathya, which is essentially a list of do's and don'ts.
13.6. New Indian Rupee Symbol:
India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. It was only fitting that currency of India; rupee will soon have a distinct and identifiable symbol. The new symbol will be a perfect representative of strength of the over-trillion-dollar Indian economy. The arrival of new Indian rupee symbol has catapulted India to a very elite league. Currently, there is an exclusive club of international currencies namely - the US dollar, the British pound, the Japanese yen and the euro and now the Indian rupee.
