Indianity

M Night Shyamalan

2008-06-23T19:05:00.007+05:30

Being compared to the famous sci-fi Hollywood Director, Steven Spielberg, M Night Shyamalan has come a long way since his first movie, 'Praying with Anger(1992)'. His lastest venture, 'The Happening' has hit the movie theaters in India this week. Having done well abroad, one must wait and watch how this movie will fare in India.

Read about his early days

Sixth Sense(1999)

The Sixth Sense is the story of a child psychologist, Malcolm(Bruce Willis) whose young patient, Cole Sear(Haley Joel Osmet) can see dead people. Read more...

Unbreakable(2000)

The story takes place in Philadelphia and stars Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson. The movie is about a man coming to the realization that he has powers and abilities above and beyond those of his fellows. Read more...

Sign (2002)
This is a story of the Hess family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, who wakes up one morning to find a 500-foot crop circle in their backyard. Read more...

Read more about M Night Shyamalan's Early Movies and latest movies

Praying with Anger(1992)
Wide Awake(1998)
The Village(2004)
The Lady in the Water(2006)
The Happening(2008)

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The Mumbai Monsoons

2008-06-19T16:52:00.009+05:30

In recent years, Mumbai has been facing the most brunts of heavy monsoons in India. Right from the dark days of June 2005, the monsoons in Mumbai have been slashing and brutal. Though the administration has been claiming from past 2 years that it has been prepared to control the adverse effects of monsoons, little has been done. The roads are still flooded, drains clogged up, railway tracks full of water and the huge traffic jam.

Rains disrupting Mumbai since 3 years
From past 3 years, the monsoons in Mumbai has been creating a havoc. The largest destruction being the monsoons in 2005. June 26 that year saw the whole city struggling with as many as 300 and more people losing their lives. more...

Water logging: The 150 year old drains
Water logging is one of the reasons for the floods swelling up in the city with an average rainfall. This year, water logging was reported from as many as 31 locations in the city during the weekend. more...

Read about the Impact of Monsoons on Mumbai

Graph on Cumulative Rainfall in Mumbai

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The 'Common Man' of India

2008-06-04T20:03:00.003+05:30

Every morning, the 'Times of India' gives people its first page with 'You Said It!', the reflection of the Common Man - who is quiet spectator of the events, politics, inflations and the country's economic rise and fall. Over more than half a century, Common man has been the voice of India.

Who is the 'Common Man'?
Common Man is an imaginary character sketch and the creation of the famous political cartoonist of India's popular newspaper, 'The Times of India'...

The Common Man represents the plight of the common people of India. His strength lies in his silence, and his ability to notice life as it passes by.

The creator of 'Common Man', Mr. R.K Laxman has won many prestigious awards in India. His idol has been David Low and Illingworth whom he was able to meet in 1985. Laxman became the first Indian cartoonist to exhibit in London during that year.

Read More
Interview with R.K Laxman

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Martial Art of Kerala - KALARI

2008-06-02T12:37:00.003+05:30

'Kalari' or 'Kalaripayyat' is the exclusive martial arts legacy of Kerala. An old combat martial art originating in Southern India, Kalari is used as a defensive system. It's believed that Kalaripayyat may have been the inspiration for the many Asian martial arts we know today like the chinese combat skill of 'Kung-fu'... Read more

Elements of Kalari
* Ankathattu - 'Ankathattu' is a four to six feet high platform constructed temporarily for the purpose of fighting duels.

* Poothara - It's a seven-tier platform placed in the south-west corner of every Kalari, housing the guardian deity of the Kalari.

* Gurukkal - Each Kalari is run by a ‘gurukkal’ (teacher) who teaches the students the esoteric physical and spiritual disciplines needed to master Kalaripayattu...Read More

Styles of Kalari

Northern (Vadakkan) Style: This style is characterized with the typical leaping and jumping movements which is unique to the system.

Southern (Thekkan) Style: The stances are comparatively higher than in the Northern or Vadakkan style and relatively less emphasis is placed on the weapons like sword and shield and Churika (double edged sword dagger about one cubit in length).

Central Style: This is 'a composite' from both the northern and southern styles that includes northern meippayattu preliminary exercises, southern emphasis on empty-hand techniques, and its own distinctive techniques, which are performed within floor drawings known as kalam...Read More

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Promoting Ayurveda - Health Tourism in India

2008-06-02T12:22:00.003+05:30

* India is emerging as a great destination for medical tourism because it has several pull factors like Excellent medical treatment at low cost, easy accessibility, picturesque locations for excellent holiday, etc.

* The medical tourism market in India is expected to grow to $2 billion a year by 2012-13...

* The word Ayurveda is composed of two sanskrit terms - Ayu meaning 'life' and Veda meaning 'knowledge'. Therefore Ayurveda means the knowledge of life or science of life. It is defined as the science, through which one can obtain knowledge about the useful and harmful ways of life, happy and miserable types of life, conditions that lead to the above types of life, as well as, the very nature of life...Read More

India's take on 'Online Shopping'

2008-05-30T11:52:00.007+05:30

Time and again, there seems to be a growing breed of potential Consumers who are willing to buy online products.

But Online Shopping seems like a territory largely untouched and underutilized, except in the travel and ticketing sector, where it is making giant strides.

In recent times, although, there has been a rise of Online Shopping Portals in India. Read More

Rise of Online Shopping Portals

As marketers are constantly looking for means to increase points of contact with the consumer, and companies are looking for cheaper means to get information and products to their users, the Internet market is bound to grow. The amount may be minuscule in the global context, but Indian online shoppers’ population is steadily making its presence felt quite remarkably. Read More

Are there any takers?

There has always been demand for e-commerce in this country as people have less and less time to shop.

If the Online Shop retails are able to provide value, quality, after sale support, timely delivery and reasonable deals people are willing to invest. Read More

More - Online Shopping Stores in India...

Metros - Cities that never sleep

2008-05-28T18:52:00.003+05:30

India is country full of a mixture of cultures, religions, languages and people from different strata of society. The climates vary from north to south and so does the food and the style of dressings. There is also a huge divide of rural and urban areas in the country. Still there are villages which do not have the basic amenities of electricity and on the other hand cities like Mumbai can blind you with huge, brightly lit billboards and streets. So in this land of contradictions, life continues to throb and people still pursue to make ends meet. Lets take a look at the famous cities in India. The four main metropolitan cities of India are Delhi, Kolkatta, Mumbai and Chennai. But with the advent of the huge IT industrial success, Bangalore and Hyderabad has also joined the list. More...

Delhi - The political capital of India

* The Capital of India is its third largest city, with a population of about 10 million.

* Its strategic location along the north-south, east-west route has give it a focal position in Indian history, and many great empire have been ruled from here.

* Delhi is the largest metropolis in India, and is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. It is also the world's most populous city within the municipal city limits. More...

Kolkata - The cultural capital of India

* One of the world's great cities, this vibrant city with its distinct imperial flavor, is the capital of West Bengal, the only Indian State with a Communist-led government.

* Over the years, the city has flourished into a commercial center with imposing Victorian Gothic buildings, churches, and boulevards.

* An intellectual and cultural live has bloomed along side, with a renaissance of Bengali art and literature, and the growth of a strong nationalist reform movement that led to the founding of the 'Brahma Samaj', an enlightened off-shoot of Hinduism, and the establishment of Presidency College, then the foremost centre of English education.

* In 2001, Calcutta became Kolkata, the Bengali pronunciation of its name. The city is crowded and dirty in places, but is nevertheless full of character. More...

Mumbai - The business capital of India

* The capital of Maharashtra, is India's most dynamic, cosmopolitan and crowded city.

* Some 15 million people, from billionaire tycoons to homeless pavement dwellers, live in this teeming megalopolis.

* Mumbai, which was previously known as Bombay , is known as the business capital of India, it being the country's principal financial and communications center. The city has the largest and the busiest port handling India's foreign trade and a major International airport.

* India's largest Stock Exchange which ranks as the third largest in the world, is situated in Mumbai. Here, trading of stocks is carried out in billions of rupees everyday. More...

Read more about Bangalore - The IT capital of India

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Indian Music - Origin and Evolution

2008-05-28T15:43:00.000+05:30

India has got one of the oldest musical traditions and heritages in the world. One can finds its origin in the Vedas(ancient scripts). Known as 'sangeet' in India, the nation's music has got a unique and varied style as compared to other music forms in the world. 'Sangeet' is a combination of three art forms namely vocal music(gayana), instrumental(vadana) and dance(nritya). These are again based on two important aspects, 'Taal'(rhythym) and 'Raag'(melody)...

Indian music has been influenced by many cultures:

Sufism
The 'sufi' influence in the hindustani music during the medieval period were fused with ideas from Persian music, particularly through the influence of sufi composers like Amir Khusru and Tansen. He symbolizes a crucial turning point in the development of Indian music. Amir Khusru is an icon representing a growing Persian influence on the music. Read More

Hindustani Music

Indian music got divided after the 14th century. Hindustani music seems to have been profusely influenced by the music of Persia and Arabia. It emphasizes on the musical structure and the possibilities of improvisation in it. The main architect of the existing system of Hindustani music was Pandit V N Bhatkhande, who was responsible for the classification of the Ragas into the 10 'thats'. Read More

Carnatic Music
Carnatic music is 'kriti' based and 'saahitya' (lyric) oriented. It is said to have maintained the pure form of Classical music based on 'ragas' and 'taalas' retaining the traditional octave. Spiritualism has always been the prominent content of Carnatic music. One of the greatest influences in the development of Karnatic music was that of the immortal bard, Purandara Dasa. Read More

Folk Music
Music in the villages is learned almost by osmosis. From childhood the music is heard and imbibed along with ones mother's milk. There are numerous public activities that allow the villagers to practice and hone their skills. These are the normal functions which syncronize village life with the universe.

The music is an indispensable component of functions such as weddings, engagements, and births. There is a plethora of songs for such occasions. There are also many songs associated with planting and harvesting. In these activities the villagers routinely sing of their hopes, fears and aspirations. Read More

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www.indiamarks.com - a site dedicated to cover content-oriented topics and articles of India...

Silk - Queen of Textiles

2008-05-28T13:11:00.000+05:30

The material 'Silk' always spells luxury, elegance, class and comfort. Everyone loves this shimmering fibre of unparalleled grandeur from the moment Chinese Empress Shiling Ti discovered it in her tea cup. It withstood many a daunting challenges from other natural and artificial fibres and yet, remained the undisputed Queen of Textiles since centuries. Exquisite qualities of Silk saris like the natural sheen, inherent affinity for dyes and vibrant colours, high absorbance, light weight, resilience and excellent drape etc. have made silk, the irresistible and inevitable companion of the eve, all over the world.

India is home to around 10 types of silk.
Banaras, Kosa(Tussar), Patola, Paithani, Chanderi, Kanjeervaram to name a few...

Associated with ceremonial rites of ancient India, silk has been a highly revered fabric. From times immemorial, silk has been a much sought after fabric by not only the common man but also kings and queens. Though today we see silks mainly in saris, in early days they used to be part of royal robes. It continues to be a popular and widely used material because of its softness, smoothness, luster and its graceful and sensuous folds which lend themselves exquisitely to designing. Read more

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Contemporary Designs

2008-05-02T15:14:00.000+05:30

Recently, I've been looking for Contemporary Lifestyle trends in India. And surprisingly there are very few sites at it compared to the European and American styles and trends giving all sorts of info regarding rates, shops, flea markets and antique stores. Also all kinds of furnitures, wall hangings, paintings, crockery artifacts and what not.

Come to think of it, they all are heavily influenced on eastern cultures like Japanese lanterns, Indian and Persian pottery. I came across one site which gave a lot of input on 'Terracotta' and its designs. Quite interesting!

This is one site I came across which gave a lot of info about 'Terracotta' and makes an interesting read. So those who are looking to inculcate new designs and indian influences for their interiors, this is a must see.

An Indian Summer: Contemporary Terracotta

Click here for Tips on Home Decor

Underrated places in India

2008-05-01T11:29:00.000+05:30

India is always flooded with tourists coming from all over the world who seek to experience the cultural diversity, the tropical weather and the spiritual richness of our country. But, some how, we Indians have failed to discover the real beauty of this nation.
It is strange when foreigners tell us most of the things we haven't realized for our own selves. The potentials of some of the most rare, untouched, exquisite places of is qverwhelming. Leaving aside the common places of visits like Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Goa to many exotic places like Ooty, Kanyakumari, Kovalam et al, we still many places have been largely unutilised and little known as a potential travel destinations. Here is a list of 5 places in India that is a must-see for all those passionate travellers looking for a unique experience...

1. Cherrapunjee:

A place quite unknown in our country, other than the fact that it is the wettest place on earth. Cherrapunjee is 56km in distance from Shillong(a famous tourist place) and takes about 90 minutes drive to reach on a clear day. Read more

2. Daman & Diu:

This Union Territory of Daman and Diu and are governed from Delhi. The Daman-Ganga river divides the town in half. The southern part of the city is known as Moti(Big) Daman and the northern part known as Nani(Little)Daman.Read more

3. Tarkali Beach:

Situated in Sindhudurg in Southern Maharashtra,Tarkarli beach has clear waters that allow one to snorkel and scuba dive. The beach is known for its pure shores with emerald green ocean waters, so clear you could see upto 15 feet deep.Read more

4. Auroville:

The Auroville(which means the 'City of Dawn') is an international experimental township. It was inspired by the evolutionary vision of Sri Aurobindo and founded by Mirra Alfassa, known as the Mother. The small but exotic town of Auroville is located at a distance of 6 km north of Pondicherry.Read more

5. Wayanad:

Yet another unexplored place in Kerala, Wayanad is one of the northern districts of kerala, on its border with Karnataka. It is hilly country with a huge swathe of plantations & estates (particularly coffee estates). This mountain district is in many ways the most picturesque in the state, with its rolling hills covered with tropical rainforest.Read more