1.
Indore
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Indore /ɪnˈdɔər/, is the largest and most populous city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division, Indore was described by the Economic Times as the commercial capital of the state. It is also considered as a hub of the state. With a census-estimated 2011 population of 1,994,397 and 2,170,295, the city is distributed over a land area of just 530 square kilometers making Indore the most densely populated major city in the central province. It comes under Tier 2 cities in India, Indore traces its roots to its 16th century founding as a trading hub between the Deccan and Delhi. The city and its surroundings came under Hindu Maratha Empire on 18 May 1724 after Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I assumed the control of Malwa. During the days of the British Raj, Indore State was a 19 Gun Salute princely state ruled by the Maratha Holkar dynasty, Indore served as the capital of the Madhya Bharat from 1950 until 1956. Indores financial district, anchored by central Indore, functions as the capital of the Madhya Pradesh and is home to the Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange. It has also qualified the first round of Smart Cities Mission and has selected as one of the first twenty cities to be developed as Smart Cities. By 1720, the headquarters of the local pargana were transferred from Kampel to Indore, on 18 May 1724, the Nizam accepted the rights of the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I to collect chauth from the area. In 1733, the Peshwa assumed the control of Malwa. Nandlal Chaudhary accepted the suzerainty of the Marathas, on 29 July 1732, Bajirao Peshwa-I granted Holkar State by merging 28 and half parganas to Malhar Rao Holkar, the founder ruler of Holkar dynasty. His daughter-in-law Ahilyabai Holkar moved the capital to Maheshwar in 1767. In 1818, the Holkars were defeated by the British during the Third Anglo-Maratha War, a residency with British resident was established at Indore, but Holkars continued to rule Indore State as a princely state mainly due to efforts of their Dewan Tatya Jog. During that time, Indore was established the headquarters of British Central Agency, Ujjain was originally the commercial centre of Malwa. But the British administrators such as John Malcolm decided to promote Indore as an alternative to Ujjain, because the merchants of Ujjain had supported anti-British elements. In 1906 electric supply was started in the city, fire brigade was established in 1909 and in 1918, first master-plan of city was made by noted architect and town planner, Patrick Geddes. During the period of Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar II efforts were made for the planned development, with the introduction of Railways in 1875, the business in Indore flourished till the reign of Maharaja Shivaji Rao Holkar, Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar III and Maharaja Yeshwant Rao Holkar
2.
Indore State
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Indore State, also known as Holkar State, was a Maratha princely state in India during the British Raj. Its rulers belonged to the Holkar dynasty and the state was under the Central India Agency, Indore was a 19 Gun Salute princely state. Indore princely state was located in the present-day Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, the capital of the state was the city of Indore. By 1720, the headquarters of the local pargana were transferred from Kampel to Indore, on 18 May 1724, the Nizam accepted the rights of the Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao I to collect chauth from the area. In 1733, the Peshwa assumed the control of Malwa. On 29 July 1732, Bajirao Peshwa-I granted Holkar State by merging 28 and half parganas to Malhar Rao Holkar and his daughter-in-law Ahilyabai Holkar moved the states capital to Maheshwar in 1767, but Indore remained an important commercial and military centre. After the defeat of the Holkar rulers in the Third Anglo-Maratha War, the Holkar dynasty was able to continue to rule Indore as a princely state mainly owing to the efforts of their Dewan Tatya Jog. The capital was moved from Maheshwar to Indore on 3 November 1818 and the Indore Residency, later Indore would be established as the headquarters of the British Central India Agency. In 1906 electric supply was started in the city, a brigade was established in 1909 and in 1918. During the period of Maharaja Tukoji Rao Holkar II efforts were made for the planned development, yashwant Rao Holkar II, the last ruler of the state, signed the instrument of accession to the Indian Union on 1 January 1950. The territories of the state part of the new Indian state of Madhya Bharat. The kings of Indore held the title of Maharaja Holkar, the rulers of the state were entitled to a 19 gun salute by the British authorities. C.1808 -1811 Bala Ram Seth 1811 - Dec 1817 Ganpal Rao 1818 - Apr 1826 Tantia Jogh Apr 1826 -1827, raoji Trimbak 1827 Daji Bakhshi 1827. -1829 Appa Rao Krishna 1829 -1834, madhav Rao Phadnis Apr 1834 - Nov 1836 Sardar Revaji Rao Phanse 1836 -1839. - Oct 1841 Narayan Rao Palshikar 1841 -1842, -1848 Bhao Rao Phanse 1848 -1849. Ram Rao Palshikar 1852 -1873 the ruler 1873 -1875 Sir Madhava Rao 1875 -1881 Ragunath Rao 1881, shahamat Ali 1884 -1886 Nana Moroji Trilokekar 1886 -1888 Ragunath Rao c.189. Munshi Nanak Chand ji Airen 4 Apr 1913 - Oct 1914 Narayan Ganesh Chandravarkar 1914 -1916, Ram Prasad Dube Nov 1921 -1923. Ram Prasad Dube Feb 1926 -1939 Siremal Bapna 1939 -1942, Sardar Dina Nath 1942 -1947 Raja Gyannath Madan 1947 R. G
3.
British Raj
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The British Raj was the rule by the British Crown in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947. The rule is also called Crown rule in India, or direct rule in India, the resulting political union was also called the Indian Empire and after 1876 issued passports under that name. It lasted until 1947, when the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two sovereign states, the Dominion of India and the Dominion of Pakistan. The British Raj extended over almost all present-day India, Pakistan and this area is very diverse, containing the Himalayan mountains, fertile floodplains, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, a long coastline, tropical dry forests, arid uplands, and the Thar desert. In addition, at times, it included Aden, Lower Burma, Upper Burma, British Somaliland. Burma was separated from India and directly administered by the British Crown from 1937 until its independence in 1948, among other countries in the region, Ceylon was ceded to Britain in 1802 under the Treaty of Amiens. Ceylon was part of Madras Presidency between 1793 and 1798, the kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan, having fought wars with the British, subsequently signed treaties with them and were recognised by the British as independent states. The Kingdom of Sikkim was established as a state after the Anglo-Sikkimese Treaty of 1861, however. The Maldive Islands were a British protectorate from 1887 to 1965, India during the British Raj was made up of two types of territory, British India and the Native States. In general, the term British India had been used to also to the regions under the rule of the British East India Company in India from 1600 to 1858. The term has also used to refer to the British in India. The terms Indian Empire and Empire of India were not used in legislation, the monarch was known as Empress or Emperor of India and the term was often used in Queen Victorias Queens Speeches and Prorogation Speeches. The passports issued by the British Indian government had the words Indian Empire on the cover, in addition, an order of knighthood, the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire, was set up in 1878. At the turn of the 20th century, British India consisted of eight provinces that were administered either by a Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor, during the partition of Bengal the new provinces of Assam and East Bengal were created as a Lieutenant-Governorship. In 1911, East Bengal was reunited with Bengal, and the new provinces in the east became, Assam, Bengal, Bihar, there were 565 princely states when India and Pakistan became independent from Britain in August 1947. The princely states did not form a part of British India, the larger ones had treaties with Britain that specified which rights the princes had, in the smaller ones the princes had few rights. Within the princely states external affairs, defence and most communications were under British control, the British also exercised a general influence over the states internal politics, in part through the granting or withholding of recognition of individual rulers. Although there were nearly 600 princely states, the majority were very small
4.
Madhya Pradesh
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Madhya Pradesh is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, nicknamed the heart of India due to its geographical location in India, Madhya Pradesh is the second-largest state in the country by area. With over 75 million inhabitants, it is the fifth-largest state in India by population and it borders the states of Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the southeast, Maharashtra to the south, Gujarat to the west, and Rajasthan to the northwest. Its total area is 308,252 km², subsequently, the region was ruled by the major dynasties of India. By the early 18th century, the region was divided into small kingdoms which were captured by the British and incorporated into Central Provinces and Berar. This state was the largest in India by area until 2000, in recent years, the states GDP growth has been above the national average. Rich in mineral resources, MP has the largest reserves of diamond, more than 30% of its area is under forest cover. Its tourism industry has seen growth, with the state topping the National Tourism Awards in 2010–11. Isolated remains of Homo erectus found in Hathnora in the Narmada Valley indicate that Madhya Pradesh might have been inhabited in the Middle Pleistocene era, painted pottery dated to the later mesolithic period has been found in the Bhimbetka rock shelters. Chalcolithic sites belonging to Kayatha culture and Malwa culture have been discovered in the part of the state. The city of Ujjain arose as a centre in the region. It served as the capital of the Avanti kingdom, other kingdoms mentioned in ancient epics — Malava, Karusha, Dasarna and Nishada — have also been identified with parts of Madhya Pradesh. Chandragupta Maurya united northern India around 320 BCE, establishing the Mauryan Empire, ashoka the greatest of Mauryan rulers brought the region under firmer control. After the decline of the Maurya empire, the region was contested among the Sakas, the Kushanas, the Satavahanas, Heliodorus, the Greek Ambassador to the court of the Shunga king Bhagabhadra erected the Heliodorus pillar near Vidisha. Ujjain emerged as the predominant commercial centre of western India from the first century BCE, the Satavahana dynasty of the northern Deccan and the Saka dynasty of the Western Satraps fought for the control of Madhya Pradesh during the 1st to 3rd centuries CE. The Satavahana king Gautamiputra Satakarni inflicted a defeat upon the Saka rulers and conquered parts of Malwa. Subsequently, the region came under the control of the Gupta empire in the 4th and 5th centuries, and their southern neighbours, the attacks of the Hephthalites or White Huns brought about the collapse of the Gupta empire, which broke up into smaller states. The king Yasodharman of Malwa defeated the Huns in 528, ending their expansion, later, Harsha ruled the northern parts of the state
5.
Maharashtra
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Four Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India and is Indias second-most populous state and third-largest state by area. It is the wealthiest Indian state and it is also the worlds second-most populous sub-national entity. It has over 112 million inhabitants and its capital, Mumbai, has a population of approximately 18 million, Nagpur is Maharashtras second capital as well as its winter capital. Maharashtras business opportunities along with its potential to offer a standard of living attract migrants from all over India. Ancient and medieval Maharashtra included the empires of the Satavahana dynasty, Rashtrakuta dynasty, Western Chalukyas, Mughals, the major rivers of the state are Godavari, and Krishna. The Narmada and Tapti Rivers flow near the border between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, Maharashtra is the second most urbanised state in India. The state has several popular Hindu places of pilgrimage including Pandharpur, Dehu and Alandi, other places that attract pilgrims from other parts of India and beyond include Hazur Sahib Gurudwara at Nanded, Sai Baba shrine at Shirdi and Dikshabhumi at Nagpur. Maharashtra is the wealthiest and one of the most developed states in India, as of 2011, the state had a per capita income of ₹1.0035 lakh, more than the national average of ₹0.73 lakh. Its GDP per capita crossed the ₹1.20 lakh threshold for the first time in 2013, however, as of 2014, the GDP per capita reduced to ₹1.03 lakh Agriculture and industries are the largest parts of the states economy. Major industries include chemical products, electrical and non-electrical machinery, textiles, petroleum, Jai Maharashtra The modern Marathi language developed from the Maharashtri Prakrit, and the word Mahratta is found in the Jain Maharashtri literature. The terms Maharashtra, Maharashtri, Marathi and Maratha may have derived from the same root, however, their exact etymology is uncertain. But the Marathas as a people do not seem to be mentioned before the thirteenth or fourteenth century, the most widely accepted theory among the linguistic scholars is that the words Maratha and Maharashtra ultimately derived from a combination of Maha and rashtrika. The word rashtrika is a Sanskritized form of Ratta, the name of a tribe or dynasty of petty chiefs ruling in the Deccan region. Another theory is that the term is derived from Maha and ratha / rathi, an alternative theory states that the term derives from the word Maha and Rashtra. However, this theory has not found acceptance among scholars who believe it to be the Sanskritised interpretation of later writers. Maharashtra was ruled by the Maurya Empire in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, around 230 BCE Maharashtra came under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty for 400 years. The greatest ruler of the Satavahana Dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni, in 90 CE Vedishri, son of the Satavahana king Satakarni, the Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the unchecked wheel of Sovereignty, made Junnar, thirty miles north of Pune, the capital of his kingdom. The state was ruled by Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Gurjara-Pratihara, Vakataka, Kadambas, Chalukya Empire, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, and Western Chalukya before finally
6.
Actor
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An actor is a person who portrays a character in a performance. Simplistically speaking, the person denominated actor or actress is someone beautiful who plays important characters, the actor performs in the flesh in the traditional medium of the theatre, or in modern mediums such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is ὑποκριτής, literally one who answers, the actors interpretation of their role pertains to the role played, whether based on a real person or fictional character. Interpretation occurs even when the actor is playing themselves, as in forms of experimental performance art, or, more commonly, to act, is to create. Formerly, in societies, only men could become actors. When used for the stage, women played the roles of prepubescent boys. The etymology is a derivation from actor with ess added. However, when referring to more than one performer, of both sexes, actor is preferred as a term for male performers. Actor is also used before the name of a performer as a gender-specific term. Within the profession, the re-adoption of the term dates to the 1950–1960s. As Whoopi Goldberg put it in an interview with the paper, Im an actor – I can play anything. The U. K. performers union Equity has no policy on the use of actor or actress, an Equity spokesperson said that the union does not believe that there is a consensus on the matter and stated that the. subject divides the profession. In 2009, the Los Angeles Times stated that Actress remains the term used in major acting awards given to female recipients. However, player remains in use in the theatre, often incorporated into the name of a group or company, such as the American Players. Also, actors in improvisational theatre may be referred to as players, prior to Thespis act, Grecian stories were only expressed in song, dance, and in third person narrative. In honor of Thespis, actors are commonly called Thespians, the exclusively male actors in the theatre of ancient Greece performed in three types of drama, tragedy, comedy, and the satyr play. Western theatre developed and expanded considerably under the Romans, as the Western Roman Empire fell into decay through the 4th and 5th centuries, the seat of Roman power shifted to Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire. Records show that mime, pantomime, scenes or recitations from tragedies and comedies, dances, from the 5th century, Western Europe was plunged into a period of general disorder
7.
Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport
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The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking is the civic transport and electricity provider public body based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Since 1926, the BEST has been an operator of motor buses, in 1947, a week prior to India gaining independence, the BEST became an undertaking of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. It now operates as a body under the Municipal Corporation. The Undertaking operates one of Indias largest fleets of buses, the bus transport service covers the entire city and also extends its operations outside city limits into neighbouring Thane and Mira-Bhayandar. In addition to buses, it operates a ferry service in the northern reaches of the city. The electricity division of the organisation is one of the few electricity departments in India to garner an annual gross profit. The idea of a public transport system for Mumbai was first put forward in 1865 by an American company. Although a licence was granted, the project was never realised, the end of the American Civil War, during which Mumbai had made vast strides in its economy by supplying cotton and textiles to the world market, was the reason for the economic downturn. Later, on 27 November 1871, a notice in the Times of India newspaper put by the Bombay Omnibus Service, however, the proposed monthly pass fare of thirty pounds proved to be too expensive, and the tender was promptly abandoned. The Bombay Tramway Company Limited was formally set up in 1873, the Horsecar were of two kinds, those drawn by one horse and those drawn by two. The passing years aggravated the problem of traffic and to ease the situation. The birth of the BEST dates back to 1873, with the setting-up of the Bombay Tramway Company Limited, the Bombay Municipal Corporation was given the right to purchase the company after twenty-five years, or after seven years thereafter. In 1874, the Bombay Tramways Act was enacted after the contract was signed between the Municipality and the Company to start such a transport system. On 9 May 1874, the first horse-drawn carriage made its début in the city, plying on the Colaba–Pydhone via Crawford Market, the initial fare was three annas, and no tickets were issued. As the service became popular, the fare was reduced to two annas. Later that year, tickets were issued for the first time, in 1882 the municipality entered into an agreement with the Eastern Electric Light and Power Company to provide electric lighting in the Crawford Market and on some of the roads. But the company went into liquidation the following year, and the Market reverted to gas lighting, in 1899, Bombay Tramway Company applied to the BMC, for operation of electrically operated trams. Due to the investment required, the company suggested that the BMC should waive its right to take over the tramways
8.
Islam in India
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Islam is the second largest religion in India, with 14. 2% of the countrys population or roughly 172 million people identifying as adherents of Islam. Islam first came to the western coast of India when Arab traders as early as the 7th century AD came to coastal Malabar, Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kerala is thought to be the first mosque in India, built in 629 AD by Malik lbn Dinar. Ismaili Shia Islam was introduced to Gujarat in the half of the 11th century. Islam arrived in North India in the 12th century via the Turkic invasions and has become a part of Indias religious. Over the centuries, there has been significant integration of Hindu and Muslim cultures across India and Muslims have played a prominent role in Indias economic rise, trade relations have existed between Arabia and the Indian subcontinent since ancient times. Even in the era, Arab traders used to visit the Konkan-Gujarat coast and Malabar region. Newly Islamised Arabs were Islams first contact with India, Historians Elliot and Dowson say in their book, The History of India as told by its own Historians, that the first ship bearing Muslim travellers was seen on the Indian coast as early as 630 AD. H. G. Rawlinson in his book Ancient and Medieval History of India claims that the first Arab Muslims settled on the Indian coast in the last part of the 7th century AD. This fact is corroborated by J. Sturrock in his South Kanara and Madras Districts Manuals and it was with the advent of Islam that the Arabs became a prominent cultural force in the world. Arab merchants and traders became the carriers of the new religion, the first Indian mosque, Cheraman Juma Masjid, is thought to have been built in 629 AD by Malik Bin Deenar. In Malabar, the Mappilas may have been the first community to convert to Islam, intensive missionary activities were carried out along the coast and many other natives embraced Islam. These new converts were now added to the Mappila community, thus, among the Mappilas we find both the descendants of the Arabs through local women and converts from among the local people. In the 8th century, the province of Sindh was conquered by an Arab army led by Muhammad bin Qasim, Sindh became the easternmost province of the Umayyad Caliphate. In the first half of the 10th century, Mahmud of Ghazni added the Punjab to the Ghaznavid Empire, in the 11th century, Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud played a significant role in the conversion of locals to Islam. A more successful invasion came at the end of the 12th century from Muhammad of Ghor and this eventually led to the formation of the Delhi Sultanate. He came across a couple named Kaka Akela and Kaki Akela who became his first converts in the Taiyabi community. There is much evidence to show that Arabs and Muslims interacted with India. Arab traders transmitted the numeral system developed by Indians to the Middle East, many Sanskrit books were translated into Arabic as early as the 8th century
9.
Johnnie Walker
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Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky owned by Diageo that originated in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland. It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Scotch whisky in the world, sold in almost every country, with annual sales of the equivalent of over 226.2 million 750 ml bottles in 2015. Originally known as Walkers Kilmarnock Whisky, the Johnnie Walker brand is a left by John Johnnie Walker after he started to sell whisky in his grocers shop in Ayrshire. The brand became popular, but after Walkers death in 1857 it was his son Alexander Walker, in Britain prior to 1860, it was illegal to sell blended whisky. During that time John Walker sold a number of single malt whiskies—notably his own Walkers Kilmarnock, in 1867, he launched Johnnie Walker’s first commercial blend and called it Old Highland Whisky. He then made the move of engaging ships’ captains as his agents to carry his whisky wherever ships could sail. Before long, his unique blend was available around the globe, Alexander Walker introduced the iconic square bottle in 1860. This meant more bottles fitting the same space and resulted in fewer broken bottles, the other identifying characteristic of the Johnnie Walker bottle is the label, which is applied at an angle of 24 degrees and allows text to be made larger and more visible. From 1906 to 1909, Johns grandsons George and Alexander II expanded the line, Johnnie Walker White was dropped during World War I. In 1932, Alexander II added Johnnie Walker Swing to the line, the originating from the unusual shape of the bottle. The company joined Distillers Company in 1925, Distillers was acquired by Guinness in 1986, and Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to form Diageo in 1997. On 1 July 2009, Bryan Donaghey, Diageo Managing Director for Global Supply Scotland, under a restructuring programme across Scotland, production would be moved from the brands original home to Diageo plants in Leven, Fife, and Shieldhall, Glasgow. News of the closure had widespread media attention and condemnation. Following the decision, a campaign was waged to try to persuade Diageo to reverse this decision. However, on 9 September 2009 Diageo stated that intended to press ahead with the move away from Kilmarnock. The Johnnie Walker plant, the largest employer in the town of Kilmarnock, for most of its history Johnnie Walker only offered a few blends. In recent years there have been special and limited bottlings. Red Label, an 80 proof blend of 35 grain and malt whiskies and it is intended for making mixed drinks
10.
Mumbai
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Mumbai is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India and the ninth most populous agglomeration in the world, Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2008, Mumbai was named a world city. It is also the wealthiest city in India, and has the highest GDP of any city in South, West, Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires and millionaires among all cities in India. The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing colonies, during the mid-18th century, Bombay was reshaped by the Hornby Vellard project, which undertook reclamation of the area between the seven islands from the sea. Along with construction of roads and railways, the reclamation project, completed in 1845. Bombay in the 19th century was characterised by economic and educational development, during the early 20th century it became a strong base for the Indian independence movement. Upon Indias independence in 1947 the city was incorporated into Bombay State, in 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as the capital. Mumbai is the financial, commercial and entertainment capital of India and it is also home to some of Indias premier scientific and nuclear institutes like BARC, NPCL, IREL, TIFR, AERB, AECI, and the Department of Atomic Energy. The city also houses Indias Hindi and Marathi film and television industry, Mumbais business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living, attract migrants from all over India, making the city a melting pot of many communities and cultures. The oldest known names for the city are Kakamuchee and Galajunkja, in 1508, Portuguese writer Gaspar Correia used the name Bombaim, in his Lendas da Índia. This name possibly originated as the Old Portuguese phrase bom baim, meaning good little bay, in 1516, Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa used the name Tana-Maiambu, Tana appears to refer to the adjoining town of Thane and Maiambu to Mumbadevi. Other variations recorded in the 16th and the 17th centuries include, Mombayn, Bombay, Bombain, Bombaym, Monbaym, Mombaim, Mombaym, Bambaye, Bombaiim, Bombeye, Boon Bay, and Bon Bahia. After the English gained possession of the city in the 17th century, Ali Muhammad Khan, imperial diwan or revenue minister of the Gujarat province, in the Mirat-i-Ahmedi referred to the city as Manbai. By the late 20th century, the city was referred to as Mumbai or Mambai in the Indian statewise official languages of Marathi, Konkani, Gujarati, Kannada and Sindhi, the Government of India officially changed the English name to Mumbai in November 1995. According to Slate magazine, they argued that Bombay was a corrupted English version of Mumbai, Slate also said The push to rename Bombay was part of a larger movement to strengthen Marathi identity in the Maharashtra region. A resident of Mumbai is called mumbaikar in the Marathi language, the term has been in use for quite some time but it gained popularity after the official name change to Mumbai. Mumbai is built on what was once an archipelago of seven islands, Bombay Island, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli and it is not exactly known when these islands were first inhabited
11.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is 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 northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
12.
Balraj Sahni
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Balraj Sahni, born Yudhishthir Sahni, was a noted Indian film and stage actor, who is best known for Dharti Ke Lal, Do Bigha Zameen, Kabuliwala and Garam Hawa. He came from Bhera, now in Punjab, Pakistan, and was the brother of Bhisham Sahni, noted Hindi writer, playwright, Sahni was born on 1 May 1913 in Rawalpindi, British India. He studied at Lahore University, Punjab, British India, after completing his masters degree in English Literature from Lahore, he went back to Rawalpindi and joined his family business. He also held a Bachelors degree in Hindi, followed by a Masters in English from Punjab University, soon after he married Damayanti Sahni. In the late 1930s, Sahni and his wife left Rawalpindi to join Tagores Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan in Bengal as an English and it is here that their son, Parikshit Sahni was born, when his wife Damayanti was doing her bachelors degree. He also went to work with Mahatma Gandhi for a year in 1938, the next year, Sahni, with Gandhis blessings, went to England to join the BBC-Londons Hindi service as a radio announcer. He returned to India in 1943, Sahni was always interested in acting, and started his acting career with the plays of the Indian Peoples Theatre Association. Incidentally his wife Damayanti became well-known as an IPTA actress much before Sahni made a name for himself in films. He started his career in Mumbai with the film Insaaf, followed by Dharti Ke Lal directed by KA Abbas in 1946, Door Chalein in 1946. But it was in 1953, with Bimal Roys classic Do Bigha Zameen, the film won the international prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He followed it up with an encore in the 1961 classic Kabuliwala penned by Tagore, Sahnis wife Damayanti, who was the heroine of his 1947 film Gudia, died at a young age that same year. Two years later, he married his first cousin, Santosh Chandhok, later known as an author and television writer. Sahnis acting was well liked and appreciated in all his films. his character roles in films like Neelkamal. However, he is perhaps best remembered by the current generation for the picturisation of the legendary song Ae Meri Zohra Jabeen from the movie Waqt on him, Sahni appeared opposite Achala Sachdev in the number. He also starred in the classic Punjabi film Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar as well as the critically acclaimed Satluj De Kande. His role as the angst ridden but stoical Muslim man who refuses to go to Pakistan during partition, Balraj, however, could not see the completed film to rate his own performance, as he died just the day after he finished dubbing work. The last line he recorded for the film, and hence his last recorded line is, Hindustani, - Insaan Kab Tak Akela Jee Sakta Hai. which can be translated in English as, - How long can a man live alone. Sahni was a writer, his early writings were in English, though later in life he switched to Punjabi
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