Hopes for India

I've told you about some of the great things of India. Of course, every country always has ways to get better. Whenever I go to India, I enjoy people dancing on the streets, the daily processions, and most of all the food. My family is great and I just love the feeling when I'm there of happiness. However, wherever I travel in India, I always see many slums and tents, where the improvished live and sleep. Since India is overpopulated and is the second populous nation of the world, it has a lot of people, and does not have the infrastructe to support the poor and build shelters and housing. I hope one day, India can have organizations like Red Cross or Salvation Army, who are dedicating to supporting people who have no place to go. Also, the demand for labor in India is low due to the amount of people there are in India. I hope that one day India will provide relief to the people in poverty, and one day establish relief centers and help people find jobs. I love India, and I want the best for the country of my origin, and hope one day they can improve their situation, and effectively reduce the amount of impoverished people.

Click on this link: BBC Documentary of Slums to watch a video about lives in the slums of India.

More Indian Food: Rice Pudding

Not only does India have a unique culture, but they also have greats and unique desserts. One of the most famous desserts in India, and one of my favorites, is Rice pudding. Rice Pudding is a delicious, sweet treat made with rice, cream, milk, and condensed milk. Here is a picture of it:

There are many different ways to make rice pudding. But I found this great recipe online, and I hope you enjoy this: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/indian-rice-pudding-recipe/index.html

India Video: National Geographic

National Geographic: India


Click on the Link above to watch of India (Basic Information). Sorry, I should have posted this as one of the first posts!

The Taj Mahal

While visiting India, there are many sites and tourist attractions that one could see and truly enjoy. However, many think of the Taj Mahal as the main attraction in India, and it is my favorite as well. Although it is a very beautiful place, very few know its origin and why it was built. In this post, I will provide the history about it.

The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, a city located in Northern India, close to the capital, New Delhi. The Taj Mahal was built by a man by the name of Shah Jahan, who was the ruler of India at the time. He built it in honor of his late third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. According to TajMahal.com, it took 20,000 laborers and 32 crores, or 320 million rupees in an impressive 22 years. 32 crores in American Dollars is a whopping 5 million dollars, which was a lot of money for the time. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in 1654. Here is a picture of the Taj Mahal:

Take notice of the fact that the whole mausoleum is made of marble stone. The marble domes are are framed by four minarets, which is the call to prayer for Muslims according to National Geographic. As you can see in the picture, there is a large reflecting pool in the middle, and around the complex is large gardens filled with a variety of flowers. Both Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal are buried in the tomb.

I would highly recommend visiting the Taj Mahal because there is nothing like it or as beautiful. According to National Geographic, more than 3 million people visit the Taj Mahal each year, and you can visit the city by taking a train, bus, and airplanes. 

Hinduism

In India, the most prominent religion is Hinduism. According to the Wikipedia, Hinduism is practiced by 80.5% of India's population and Hinduism is the third largest followed religion in the world behind Christianity and Islam. While Hinduism has over a million gods and deities and various different types of followers, I will talk about Shiva, one of the main gods.

Shiva, or often referred to as Mahesh, is the third god in the Hindu triumvirate. Shiva's role is to destroy the universe so that he can recreate it. Now although this sounds extreme, what we mean is he gets rid of the bad illusions and imperfections of the world. He is married to his wife, Parvati, and this is said to provide him with balance according to BBC. Here is a picture to depicting Shiva:

In this picture, there are three things that are used to describe him. Firstly, notice the snake (cobra) around his neck. This is said to show Shiva's power of the dangerous creatures of the world. Next, notice the trident. The trident is used to represent the power of the triumvirate Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Finally, note the third eye on Shiva head. It is used to show the insight and wisdom that Shiva has and the source of energy. Shiva is seen as a very helpful and powerful gods, and people who are devoted to him and recognize him as the primary god of worship, they are called members of the Shivaism sect. 

Favorite Indian Food: Tandori Chicken

One of the main reasons why many travel to India is there unique style of cuisine. Now although when people think of Indian food, they think curry, there are many different types of food that make Indian food very popular. I am going to talk about two very popular foods in India!

One of the most popular foods in India is Tandoori Chicken. According to Wikipedia, the chicken is marinated in yogurt and in the spices called Tandoori Masala. It was made famous by one of the prime ministers, Nehru, and he liked it so much that he made it a regular food at his banquets. It's led to many different styles of chicken such as chicken tikka masala, and chicken tikka. Now from tasting it in India, I can tell you that it is one of my favorite foods when I go to India. All of these types of chicken are cooked in a grill called a tandoor, instead of a typical barbecue grill. Here is a picture of it:

 I would seriously consider finding an Indian restaurant in your city and trying the delicious dish. If you can't find a indian restaurant, here is a recipe to make it : http://homecooking.about.com/od/chickenrecipes/r/blchicken2.htm

Welcome: Basic Information

Welcome to the All About India Blog! I am Kunal and I am here to provide you information about India that you may find interesting.

Now some of you may be wondering, where is India? What is the country known for? What is the main type of cuisine?

Let's begin with basic information of India. India, or Bharat, is a subcontinent located in Asia.

It has the second highest population in the world of 1.2 billion people, and is the 7th largest country in the world. Hindi is the official language of India, and English is the secondary language. Although the country of India was founded in 1947, after Mahamta Gandhi won independence from the British, it has a long history going back to the Indus Valley Civilization (3300-1300 BCE). Over 1000's of years control switched from the Maratha Empire, then to the Gupta Empire, then to the Delhi Sultnate, the the Mughals, and then the British. 

As you read this blog, you will discover a lot of information of things you probably did not know about India. Hopefully, I can change your minds about India by showing you how diverse and cultural it is. 

Thanks!