OUR COUNTRY INDIA BY YOGA VAISHNAV 6B In this lesson you will learn • About India • About the states in India. • Food varieties in different states. • About the clothes they were in different states. • The festivals in different states INDIA • India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the 7th-largest sovereign state in the world, the second-most populous country (with over 1.2 billion people), and the most populous democracy in the world. • 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; and Myanmar (Burma) and Bangladesh to the east. • In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia. Its capital is New Delhi; other metropolises include Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ban galore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. MAP OF INDIA STATES IN INDIA 29 STATES ANDHRA PRADESH ANDHRA PRADHESH (The place of victory) is one of the 29 states in India, situated on the southeastern coast of the country. The state is the eight largest state in India covering an area of 160,205 km2 (61,855 sq mi). As per 2011 census of India, the state is tenth largest by population with 49,386,799 inhabitants. On 2 June 2014, the north- western portion of the state was bifurcated to form a new state of telangana. In accordance with the Andhra Pradesh reorganization act, 2014, Hyderabad will remain the capital of both Andhra Pradesh and telangana states for a period of time not exceeding 10 years. VARIETIES OF FOOD IN ANDHRA PRADESH There are so many varieties of food in Andhra Pradesh: 1) Ragi is popularly used in the Rayalaseema. 2) The uttarandhra is known for its use of Jaggery, shallots and fenugreek paste. 3) Pulihora, or tamarind rice along with green chilies is the most popular food in Andhra Pradesh 4) The vegetarian dishes consist of koora which include cooking different vegetables in a variety of styles- with gravy, frying, with lentils etc. 5) You have lentil based delicious known as pappu and tamarind based, sour stew called pulusu. 6) The non vegetarian platter has a delightful mix of seafood ,meat and eggs cooked in fiery spices and always teamed with vegetables like eggplant. COSTUMES PEOPLE WEAR IN ANDHRA PRADESH Costumes of Andhra Pradesh are Saree and Blouse for women, and Dhoti and Kurta for men. Andhra Pradesh is the insignia of the cultural convergence of South India. Andhra Pradesh costumes are very famous for cotton and silk textiles. However, the traditional dress of Andhra Pradesh still is the ethnic handloom sarees that are made at different places and are mostly famous by the names of these places. FESTIVALS CELEBRATED IN ANDHRA PRADESH Festivals celebrated in Andhra Pradesh are: • Makara Sankranti in January. • Maha Shivaratri in February/March. • Ugadi or the Telugu New Year in March/April. • Sri Rama Navami celebrated in March/April 9 days after Ugadi. • Varalakshmi Vratam in August. • Vinayaka Chaviti in August. • Dasara in September/October. • Atla Tadde 3rd day in bright half of Aswiyuja month (falls in September/October in Gregorian calendar) • Deepavali in October/November. • Deepothsavam during the Deepavali season. ARUNACHAL PRADESH ARUNACHAL PRADHESH is one of the twenty- nine states of India. Located in north east India, it holds the most north-eastern position among the states in the north-east region of India. Arunachal Pradesh borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Bhutan in the west, Myanmar in the east and China in the north. Itanagar is the capital of the state. VARIETIES OF FOOD IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH There are a lot of varieties of food in Arunachal Pradesh. Some of them are: 1) The staple food is rice along with fish, meat and many green vegetables. Different varieties of rice are available. Lettuce is the most common and preferred vegetable of all, prepared by boiling it with ginger, coriander and green chilies and pinch of salt. Boiled rice cakes wrapped in leaves is a famous snack. 2) The Momos are also popular. Dishes in eastern districts like Tirap and Changlang have some different method in their way of food preparation. COSTUMES PEOPLE WEAR IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH Tribal wear in Arunachal Pradesh The Tangsa tribe, also, dwelling in the Tirap district and Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, is a Naga tribe. These robust, middle-length people cater to the Burmese costume-style. The Tangsa men wear green lungi, proficiently seamed in with matching yellow, red and white yarns. A sleeveless shirt, acts as the upper garment. Tangsa women put in a very attractive looking woven petticoat, along with a linen blouse to top it. Miji women, living in the West Kameng and East Kameng districts, exhibit simplicity as well as refinement in their costume. The ankle-long white cloak gives the Miji women an immaculate look. And the final touch is given by an ornate red jacket. Big-sized silver earrings and resplendent necklaces, commonly decked with jade, perfectly augments the beauty. FESTIVALS CELEBRATED IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH Festivals celebrated In Arunachal Pradesh are: • Loku in 25th – 27th November • Boori Boot in 4th – 6th February • Solung in 1st – 9th September • Dree Festival in 5th July • Nyokum in 28th February – 2nd March • Lossar Festival in 11th February • Sanken in 14th – 17th February ASSAM ASSAM (Tea city of India) is a state in northeastern Located south of the eastern Himalayas, Assam comprises the Brahmaputra valley and the Barak valley along with the karbi anglong and dima hasoe districts with an area of 30,285 sq mi (78,440 km2). Its capital is Dispur. VARIETIES OF FOOD IN ASSAM There are lots of food items in Assam: some of them are: 1) The staple food of Assam is rice, which is consumed in a variety of ways. During special occasions like Bihu, a special type of rice preparation called Pithas is made. The different varieties of Pithas include Ghila pitha, Til pitha, Sunga pitha, Tekeli pitha, Bhapotdiya pitha, Tora pitha, Kholasapori pitha & Xutuli pitha. 2) Vegetarian items Served in bell metal utensils called Kahor Thal, a typical Assamese meal comprises of steamed rice, taken with Khar anja (a dish made of raw papaya), a variety of Pitikas (mashed Potatoes, Brinjal or Tomatoes). 3) Among the non vegetarian items that form a part of the Assamese cuisine, the favorites are chicken, pigeon, duck and fish - the most popular varieties being Rohu, Hilsa, Puthi and Chital. Hukoti, a dish made of small dried fish. 4) The state of Assam is famous all over the world for its tea production. Assam tea is known for its strong malty flavor and bright color. COSTUMES PEOPLE WEAR IN ASSAM Costumes of Assam consist of the Muga or the golden silk fiber which has a huge demand in the global market. When an Assamese lady wraps herself in the extremely beautiful 'Mekhela Chadar' of golden 'Muga' variety then it is hard to pass by without casting a momentary look on her. Besides the 'Muga' variety there is the 'Eri' and the 'Paat' that is being used mostly in the making of clothes in Assam. The former is used to make winter garments especially shawls called 'Eri Chadar' and the latter is used for the making of 'Mekhela Chadar.' The 'Muga' is the most important and the most preferred wild silk all over India and is the main cause behind the exquisiteness and elegance of the Assam Silk saris. The delicate designs, finely woven, on the saris cater to patterns in nature, for example, the flora and the fauna. Embroideries also incorporate, acquainted and culture-related things, such as architecture and stone- sculptures on the Madan Kamdev Temple in Assam. FESTIVALS CELEBTRATED IN ASSAM Festivals celebrated in Assam are: • Bohag Bihu • Kati Bihu or Kangali Bihu • Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu • Ambubachi • Biswakarma Puja • Doljatra • Janmastami • Rasa Puja • Elephant Festival • Tea Festival BIHAR BIHAR (The silk city of India) is a state in East India East India. It is the 13th-largest state of India, with an area of 94,163 km2 (36,357 sq mi).its capital is patna. The third-largest state of India by population, it is contiguous with Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of Nepal to the east, with Jharkhand to the south. The Bihar plain is split by the river ganges which flows from west to east VARIETIES OF FOOD IN BIHAR • Bihari cuisine is predominantly vegetarian because traditional Bihar society, influenced by Buddhist and Hindu values of non-violence, did not eat eggs, chicken, fish and other animal products. • However, there is also a tradition of meat-eating, and fish dishes are especially common due to the number of rivers in Bihar, such as the Son, Gandak and Ganges. There are also numerous Bihari meat dishes, with chicken and mutton being the most common. • Dairy products are consumed frequently throughout the year, with common foods including yogurt known as dahi and also buttermilk known as mattha, ghee, lassi and butter. It is highly seasonal, with watery foods such as watermelon and Sherbet made of pulp of the wood-apple fruit. • Some dishes which Bihar is famous for include Bihari Kebab, Bihari Boti, Bihari Chicken Masala, Sattu Paratha, which are parathas stuffed with fried chickpea flour, chokha (spicy mashed potatoes), fish curry and', Postaa-dana kaa halwaa.