India

"India is the cradle of human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only! "

Mark Twain.

History: 

500,000-200,000 years ago: The first presence of humans in the area of India was circa 75000 years     ago in the Sone Age.

3300 BCE: In the Bronze Age the early Indus Valley took place and was one of the world's earliest civilizations in that area.

1500-500 BCE: This period was called the Vedic Period and was mainly important for Hinduism and other cultural dimensions.

1000 BCE-500 BCE: Mahajanapadas "maha" = great "janapada"= foothold of a tribe. In this period a number of small kingdoms growed up all over the country and around 500 BCE sixteen Mahajanapadas existed in the areao of India. (Kasi, Kosala, Anga, Magadha, Vajji (or Vriji),Malla, Chedi, Vatsa (or Vamsa), Kuru, Panchala, Matsya, Surasena, Assaka, Avanti,Gandhara, and Kamboja)

326 BCE: Alexander the Great defeated King Porus and conquered a part of Punjab.

16th Century: Babur came over to India and established the Mughal Empire. This dynasty ruled an enormous part of India until 1600 and was ruined after India's first war of Independence in 1857. Also, the Colonial Era took place. In that time European powers (e.g. Netherlands, France, UK) established trade in India.

17th Century: The British Colony began to rule India from 1600 until the Independence of India 1947.

20th Century: With the help of Mahatma Gandhi millions of People demonstrated against the British rule to contain independence and finally in 1947 India was successful and gained Independence from the British. India declared itself a Republic on the 26th of January 1950.

Politics:
On the 26th of January the Constitution of Republic was founded in India and is still in force. India contains of 29 States and six centrally administered Union Territories. The Constitution gives every citizen the right to vote who has the Indian citizenship and is 18 years old at least. Also, every Indian has the freedom of speech, expression, belief, assembly, association and migration. The actual president is Shri Pranab Mukherjee since the 25th of July 2012. The government is parliamentary structured and bicameral. That means it is "a system of government in which the legislature compromises two houses" (encyclopedia britannica).





Culture & Religion:

If you could describe India with only one word, it would be: multifarious. The large number of 18 different languages are officially spoken in India. 
Also, India unites quite a few world religions: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism and Judaism. 

Who does not know the typical Indian music and dance style?
Since the big success of the Bollywood Film Industry, the Indian music is a familiar sound in everybody's ears. The two generally recognized styles of classical music are the Hindustani (northern India) and the Carnatic style (southern India).

The roots of the Indian dance lie 2000 years back in time and have many regional variations.
The classical ones are based on ancient texts and have strict rules of presentation. 




Another important facet of the Indian life is the family. The
Indians learn all the essential topics of cultural life inside their family. Not always, but often, four generations of one family live together under one roof. Especially, the identification with the family and close friends plays a mayor role in Indian life. 






Mass Media:

India is the nation with the highest newspaper rate in the whole world. There are 5,600 daily newspapers and more than 46,000 non-daily newspapers. It is important to mention that the government controls most television channels and there are two interesting controversial passages in the Indian constitution. Article 19 ensures "freedom of speech and expression" but it also allows the government to place "reasonable restrictions" under various and special circumstances, for example public morality or state security. 








Sources:
http://www.mapsofindia.com/history/
https://www.indianembassy.org/dydemo/political.htm
http://presidentofindia.nic.in/profile.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/64614/bicameral-system
http://www.embassyofindiabelgrade.org/index.php?
http://www.embassyofindiabelgrade.org
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/India.pdf
http://countrystudies.us/india/83.htm

Pictures:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/incoming/2013/02/03/india-1.jpg/ALTERNATES/crop_630x400/india-1.jpg
http://image.vector-art-graphics.com/rz_1205x1205/0/99b/Vector-Map-Of-India-Country-Colored-By-National-Flag-99b579.jpg
http://pup1993.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/bollywood-dancers-415x369.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxnmycb8Z3_B7q6vkpVBtX1PZwMSVBfjVVfYMXgS1Q4ca70IKbg3dg9BhbnyjJr8vzBcZROH3w2DWpKKeSgRxSq6hALwxlbOWRojHrQ8Ne6zAHIp6tRHgQrhls131hyqDGHDPs86mBSSg/s320/IndianFamily_122.jpg