Australia is an enomorous and dry continent. It has massive natural wealth which is unexplored and unwploited. In the beginning, the Australian poets regargded the tropical sky, the hard soil and the landscape as inhospitable to the creation of poetry.
A.D.Hope's "Australia" is a tribute to his motherland. Its vastness, nwtural riches, emptyness and life-patterns are all fascinating.
The Variety of Tress :
Australia is a nation of trees. There are tree everywhere and the hills are covered wuth trees of various colours, the colour of drab green and pale grey, the colour of the uniform of the soldiers. These endless hills resemble the outstreched paws of the Sphinx, the legendary figure of Egypt with the head of a man and the body of a lion.
A Young Nation :
Australia is called a young nation, taking into account its political history, geographically speaking, Australia is the last of the lands in the map of the world. One can also call Australis 'the Empliest Nation' because it is thinly populated. In this context, A.D.Hope compares Australia to a bush-Woman, who is beyond all, changes in her life. Her breast is still tender but the womb within is dry. There is something paradoxical about Australia. Though she is empty and dry she is capable of producing the richest and the elitest of mankind, a prophet.
Though australia is in the eastern hemisphere, she is a western nation. She feels inadequate due to lack of old songs, archaic architecture and history. She shares with other younger nations, the emptions and superstitious of a new nation.
The Tribes :
The tribes of Australia are described as monotonous because they resist all kinds of change and remain conservation and stupid. From Cairns to Perth, one end of Australia to another, they multiply in large members. People elsewhere boast that they live a satisfactory life, but the Australian tribes can only boast that they survive. They have to struggle for their existence as the primitive people did in the past.
The Cities :
a majority of the Australian population lives in the five big cities.They are Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide. The concentration of the population in the cities results in the uneven growth of cities. A.D.Hope compares the cities to the ugly sores on a man's body which drain his energy. In these sore spots of the nation, the second-hand Europeans multiply leading a humble life on an alien soil.
A.D.Hope hopes to find prophets from the deserts of Australis, reminding us of the great prophets from the Arabian deserts.
Hi friends, through this article i would like to share about my views on Polluted Puducherry and how we can bring back the pollution free environment.
Indian metros are considered to be the most polluted in the whole world. With the increasing population, Puducherry is slowly becoming one of the polluted cities in the South. When old people describe Puducherry during the French regime, we are unable to believe that our town was so clean and so hygienic. In just 54 years after the departure of the French, how can Puducherry become so polluted? Is it not the duty of every citizen to see that his environment is properly taken care of? Otherwise, posterity will blame us for leaving a city with all types of pollution.
Residents of Puducherry and especially youth like us can play a big role in preventing all types of pollution. We should not only talk of a pollution free town, but also practice and show others that we can achieve wonders.
Though the government is trying to educate the people about the importance of a pollution free environment, it cannot do all alone. Every citizen should realize it and practice it with involvement.
We should change our disposal practice. Use of plastics and throwing them away in gutters and roads can lead to health hazards. Pesticides can cause water pollution. We think that with the underground drainage system, we are free from all pollution; but we don’t realize that the pollutants, the pesticides may pass through the wastewater treatment plant and end up in the Bay of Bengal; this dirty water can do a lot of harm to fishes and in turn create health problems to humans who eat them.
Trees should be planted wherever there is vacant land. It is our duty to protect them by watering and keeping them away from animals. We should educate the town/village people the importance of growing plants.
By preventing the accumulation of dirt, we can create a healthy atmosphere. Cars and motorcycles cause air pollution and noise pollution. Leakage of oil and diesel can be very harmful. Nowadays, even small children suffer from breathing problem and have asthma, allergy etc. is mainly due to pollution.
Like the vehicles free zone that the police create on beach road and other busy roads of Puducherry, we should think of car and motorcycle free day. Once we start using bicycles instead of motorized vehicles, we can realize that this will be very good not only for our environment but also for our health.
Let Puducherry be not only a city of temples and Ashrams; let it be a city of joy and happiness where all nationals live in a pollution free, peaceful and harmonious atmosphere. “Where there is a will there is a way”, so goes the saying. If we have a will we can create a safe Puducherry free from pollutions.
Let us all work together for a safe environment and let us live in that pollution free environment.
Cityscapes
Mumbai
The origin of the name of Mumbai lies in the name of the Hindu goddess Mumbai Devi and Aai which means mother in Marathi.
Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra, was earlier, was earlier known as Bombay. It is situated on the west coast and faces the Arabian Sea. Mumbai has warm, humid summers and pleasant winters. The city and surrounding areas receive heavy rainfall in the monsoon season.
It has the Chatrapati Shivaji international Airport, which is one of India’s busiest airports.
The city has may many important industries-textiles, chemicals, electronic goods and medicines. Many important scientific research and educational institutes are based in Mumbai, like the Bhabha Atomic Research center (BARC), the Tata institute of fundamental research and the Indian institute of technology. Crude oil is found in Bombay high in the seabed along the coast o the Arabian Sea. Mumbai is also famous for Hindi films industry.
Ganesh Chaturthi is the most important and widely celebrated festival in Mumbai.
Important places to visit
a) The elephant caves: these caves are famous for ancient rock cut cave temples.
b) The gateway of India.
c) The prince of Wales Museum
d) The Nehru planetarium
e) The Jehangir art Gallery
Chennai
Chennai (formerly Madras), the capital city o Tail Nadu, is the fourth largest city in India.
It is on the eastern coast. Chennai is popularly known as the `Gateway to the south’’. Chennai has warm, humid climate with short pleasant winters. The city receives rainfall in the winter months.
Key industries are automobile, textiles and information technology. There is also a nuclear power station at Kalpakam. The Tamil film industry in Chennai is also well known.
Pongal a harvest festival is celebrated by Tamils living in Chennai and all over the world.
Important places to visit
a) Fort St. George: built in AD 1640 by the east India Company, it is the tallest flag post in the country.
b) Gundy Nation Park: only national park in country within city limits.
c) Conneinara library: one of the three national libraries.
d) Marina beach: the second longest beach in the world.
e) Mahabalipuram: famous for its ancient rock cut temples.
f) Sri Kapaliswar temple: built in eighth century.
g) St Thomas mounts: where St Thomas, one of Christ’s disciples, stayed. A place of pilgrimage for the Christians.
Kolkata city
Located on the river Hoogli, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the capital of west Bengal. Though the city is not on the coast, it is connected to the sea by the Hoogli River. It was the centre of the east India Company and the capital of the British Empire in ndia for some time.
Kolkata enjoys a moderate climate-warm humid summers, cool winters and heavy rainfall during the monsoon.
Kolkata is famous for jute, textiles, silk, chemicals and paper industries. It is the world’s largest processor of jute. Kolkata has two unique modes of transport-the train tram, which is almost like a bus on rail and the hand-pulled rickshaw. Kolkata also has the distinction of heaving the first underground metro rail system in the country.
Durga puja Kali Puja are the important festivals of the city.
Important places to visit
a) fort William
b) Victoria memorial
c) The botanical garden
d) Belur Math (Ramakrishna math)
e) The national library, the largest in India.
Delhi city
The national capital territory of Delhi, as it is now called, Is the capital of India. Delhi experiences very hot summers and equally cold winters.
Most of the offices of the Indian government are located in Delhi. The president and the prime minister of India live in Delhi. The official residence of the president, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, is famous for its beautiful Mughal gardens. Red fort and Jama Masjid, made of red sandstone, were built by Shahs Jahan. Jantar Mantar astronomical observatory and Qutub Minar monuments are there.
One o the special features of the Dussehra festival seasons in Delhi is Ram Lila.
Important places to visit
a) Humayun’s Tomb. b) The dolls Museum. c) Raj Ghat. d) Lodhi gardens, e) The Bahai Lotus temple. f) Purana Qila. g) India gate
Bangalore
The capital of Karnataka state, Bengaluru was earlier known as Bangalore. It is also called the garden city. The city enjoys an ideal climate –mild summers and pleasant winter.
Bangalore’s industries include machine tools, aircrafts, electronic goods, telephones, silk, textiles and watches. The city is one o the most important information technology centers in the country.
Important places to visit
a) The Bangalore palace and fort: the palace was built by a Wodeyar king in 1887. The fort was built by Kempe Gowda and expanded by Tippu Sultan.
b) Industrial and technology museum is named after famous engineer Sir M. Visveswaraya.
c) Lal Bagh: a famous botanical garden built by Hyder Ali.
d) Tippu sultan’s palace and the Vidhan Soudha, the seat of the government in Karnataka.
Hyderabad
Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, is famous for its rich history, culture and a rich and varied heritage in arts, crafts and dance. Hyderabad is famous for its monuments, mosques and temples. It was also the seat of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
Industries in Hyderabad include silk, cotton textiles and tobacco. It is also famous for pearls jewelry.
Important places to visit
a) The Charminar: the ceremonial gateway in Hyderabad at the centre of the city.
b) Falak Numa palace: the most famous palace in Hyderabad.
c) Golconda fort: the Golconda fort provides a majestic backdrop to Hyderabad.
d) The Salar Jung museum.
e) Husain Sagar and in Buddha statue.
Ranjit Singh was a brave fearless soldier. He took great delight in battles. He respected the brave and rewarded them. He was a good general that his soldiers loved him dearly. They obeyed his commands and were always ready to sacrifice even their lives for his sake. He did all his work at the fixed time. Although an orthodox Sikh, he never forced any one to adopt Sikhism. But to win his favors many had become Sikhs. Although he himself was not educated yet he respected the learned and realized the importance of education. Hiss intellect was very keen and he was always curious to know new things. He loved history. He was the architect of his own fortune. He was fearless in battle. Ranjit Singh was able administrator. He English people were afraid of him. He also understood very well the advantages of maintaining friendship with the English people. India can never forget Ranjit Singh.
Ranjit Singh
In the ancient time, a king named Vikramaditya ruled over this country. He was a just king. People praise his justice even today. One day some boys were playing in a forest near a village. Then they saw a mound of dust covered with a stone one of the boys sat on the stone. He called his companions and said. “Friends, now I have become the king Vikramaditya. Bring your cases before me, I shall decide them. “Thus he dedicated the case of his companions. His judgment was so accurate that this news spread far and wide. Those who had some dispute came to the boy. Every body was satisfied with the decision of the boy. When that mound was dug. People came to know that it was really the judgment seal of Vikramaditya
Vikramaditya
To a lover of art and beauty, very few spots on our vast and wide earth can present as leasing a sight as the Taj Mahal of Agra in India; it is the most glorious tomb that grief ever raised in the memory of love. It holds a high rank among the wonders of the world. I thank my history teacher who arranged a visit to this historical place in September and took me with him too. We reached Agra in the after noon and went to see the Taj in the evening.
Why was the Taj built? –
The Taj Mahal, the glory of Agra and the most beautiful building in the world was buit by Shahejahan, the Mughal Emperor of India. It is said that his sweet queen Mumtaj Mahal died in 1631 in the child bed. The grief of separation turned the emperor gray. He determined to raise a monument in her memory to keep her name immortal in the world. He employed 20,000 master artists to build with white marble stones. Thus the emperor gave to death that is formless a form immortal.
Background of Taj –
It is time of sun set when our party reached. The rays of the setting sun were throwing their crimson glow upon these snow white Taj Mahal. The background was extremely charming. The Taj Mahal is set in a garden with marble platform at the centre and surrounded by dark cypress trees, green turf, flowers and fountains. The song of birds , the roses and lemon flowers made beauty double beautiful we passes some time in taking snaps till the moon came out in all its glory.
The Taj in the moon light –
When we saw the Taj in the moon light it was a radiant vision of beauty. “The great domes seemed to swim in silver light and the stately minarets shot up towards the dark blur sky and the scene was one unearthly beauty. “No language can exactly describe the simple shooting charm of the Taj Mahal in moon light.
Examination of details –
The examination of details revealed still greater beauty of the Taj Mahal. Every part is covered with the most graceful designs inlaid in the marbles of various colors. Every wall, every portal is ornamented with the finest touches of supreme art. In the heart of the central chamber sleep Shahejahan and his queen, but the real graves are under the central chamber. Fergusson says. “No words can express the beauty of hall seen in the soft gloom of the subued light coming from the distant opening. “We too were overpowered by the exquisite loveliness.
There are some of the high lights of the supreme art which we enjoyed at the Taj Mahal . It is masterpiece of architecture. Havell rightly says. “The beauty of the Taj lies in its simplicity. One wonders that so much beauty can come from so little efforts. Yet nothing is in excess. One could not alter this and that but says that it is better”.
More Articles …
Subcategories
Festivals
The category focusses on festivals followed at different places of the world.
Page 344 of 391