In the matter of population, India is the second largest country in the world. In this respect, she is next only to China, but she has a much smaller land mass as compared to China.  India's population crossed the mark of one billion in July, 2002 At the time of Independence, it was only about 35 Years. It means in just about 58 years, it has trebled itself and that after all the various efforts put in at central, .State and local levels through various means.  India has one of the most liberal laws on abortion in the world. But this has resulted in another malady and that is the menace of female foeticide which is the result of easy availability of scanning machines in all cities and towns and which has brought the female ratio in certain States like Punjab and Haryana to an alarmingly low level.  In spite more...

Romaine Rolland, a French scholar, once quoted "If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India!" India, the land of spirituality and philosophy considers religion as an integral part of its tradition- The worship of various religions and its rituals play a significant role in every aspect of human life in the country. India is the birthplace of two great religions of the world, namely, Hinduism and Buddhism. India is also home to the followers of one of the oldest religions of the world, Zoroastrianism, and ancient religions like Jainism and Sikhism are also widely practised here. Followers of Islam, Christianity, Bahaism and Judaism exist throughout the world and also form a part of the population of the secular India. Hinduism is the more...

The evening air is cool but I am feeling warm enough. I have no work to do. I am alone at home waiting for the phone to ring. Today, expect to see an old friend after years. Will I recognize him? What if he fails to recognize me? After a long wait the phone rings. Yes, he is the one. He tells me to get ready. We are going out to dinner. I feel strange. Outside, the rain has stopped. It's a good sign. I have half an hour to myself. Then I am supposed to stand at the door. Hurriedly, I put on my best clothes. I look at my -watch. Five minutes left. Doesn't matter I can stand. I lock the front door and wait. Right on time a car stops. A well dressed old man steps out of the driver's door. I peep inside the car. There more...

India has a rich and unique cultural heritage, and has managed to preserve its established traditions throughout history. By absorbing customs, traditions and ideas from both invaders and immigrants, Indian culture, evolved with confluence of several regional cultures, which witnessed cultural influences from other countries, and consequently also influenced the culture of several other regions. Indian culture is strongly influenced by various religions and their respective folk idioms and art. While the classical influence is still evident in rural Indian culture, the urban India is now widely influenced by qlobal popular culture. India is usually divided into five major cultural divisions-—each with their own styles. Some consider there is more pronounced difference between the cultures of South India and North East India, whereas East and West Indian cultures portray a mingling of Northern and Southern influences with their own peculiar forms. The idea that human culture can be defined at more...

Someone has rightly said: "If wealth is lost; nothing is lost. If wealth is lost, nothing is lost. If character is lost, everything is lost." Thus, if we lose health, we lose something. Of course, it’s not wise to lose even 'something'. So, we must take great care of health. In advanced countries, people enjoy very good health. It is because they are health-conscious. They compel their governments to spend a major part of the budget on health measures for the common people. India is a developing country. People here are not as health-conscious as in developed countries. The Indian government provides only a meager amount for health purposes in the annual budget. Fortunately, there has been a slight change after Nobel Laureate Dr. Amartya Sen declared emphatically that no country could progress in real terms until sound measures are taken to provide education and health services even to the more...

"India is the cradle of human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of human history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition," thus said Mark Twain. The rich and composite Indian civilization is more than 4,500 years old. It has a glorious history where one of the world's greatest civilization was cradled and nurtured. It is the melting pot of all the religions of the world where everything is assimilated in the large-hearted Indian character as its own. India is the land where everything is a way of life and full of life. It is a civilization united by its diversity more heterogeneous than any other country in the world, India is a land of great diversity. Four of the major racial groups met and merged in the Indian society and as a result there is a complex demographic profile in the Indian society. The more...

Last year, two Cloverdale teenagers pleaded guilty to federal charges. What did they do that the FBI raided their homes and seized their computers? They hacked into Pentagon computer systems. These two teenagers, Machiavelli and Too Short, were also suspected of breaking into computer sat universities, government agencies and military bases. This example and many others fallow the increase of hackers and their crimes over the years. In another story that is similar to the story thong Machiavelli and Too Short, from a BBC News lorry, Hackers target Naas and Pentagon, an international group of computer hackers broke into Pentagon computer systems and also seedily had stolen key software from Naas. The group consisted of eight Americans, five British and two Russians. They called themselves the “Masters of Downloading.” They were considering selling the information to international terrorist groups or foreign governments. The number of hacker related rimes seems to more...

The word 'caste' is not an Indian one but originates from the Portuguese word 'casta' (breed or race). The Sanskrit word used for groupings is Varna, which was often interpreted to signify colour In a verse from the first millennium epic, the Mahabharata, Bhrigu, the sage explains: "The Brahmins are fair, the Kshatriyas are reddish, the Vaishyas yellow and the Sudras are black"—in simplified terms what the caste system is all about—a stratified and hierarchical socio-economic organization of society (with its own social order, moral and ritual codes), that evolved with India's ancient civilizations, and absorbed the nomadic, Sanskrit speaking Aryan populations who crossed the mountain passes from the steppes of Central Asia and settled in Northern India. The ancient Hindus, literally meaning the people of the valley of the Indus river, soon took on functions and specializations that had little to do with tilling the soil. The four castes more...

Teachers have the very important responsibility of shaping the lives of young, impressionable children. With this responsibility comes great pride and joy. Therefore all teachers should strive for what can be considered to be a "good teacher." A good teacher can be defined as someone who always pushes students to want to do their best while at the same time trying to make learning interesting as well as creative. Positive or negative influences from a teacher early on in life can have a great effect on the life of a child. Teachers, especially at the elementary level, must be very creative with their teaching styles. Not every child learns the same way, nor are they interested in the same things. It is difficult to keep the attention of 15-20 children under the age of ten.  Classroom setup and design is a good way to get and keep the attention of more...

"A house divided against itself cannot stand together" is an old saying and it holds true in the present context of increasing communal disharmony in the society as these dividing forces weaken and mutilate the society. The culture, civilization and tradition of India is approximately 12,000 years old. The spirit of tolerance and assimilation has made it possible for our civilization to survive the test of time. But with passage of time, the growing attachment to one's own ethnic, religious, racial or cultural group rather than being a part of a wider circle of the entire social milieu, has posed one of the gravest problems of modern times. Somehow with the increase in science and technology, the man who should have opened up to assimilation and integration has receded into his own cells and has become more conservative and protective towards his own culture and community. Fear, suspicion and insecurity more...