The northern states of India lie between the Himalayas and the fertile plains formed by the rivers that flow from the Himalayas. Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Utter Pradesh and Uttarakhand constitute the northern states.

These states have a variety of physical features ranging from the very high and rugged snow –capped mountains to beautiful green valleys and vast green plains. The region has many rivers that are fed by the snowy mountains of the Himalayas.

These states have climate ranging from very cold winters to hot and warm summers.

Jammu and Kashmir

The state is famous for its snow –caped mountains, pine forests, houseboats on the Dal Lake, saffron, woolen carpets and shawls. This state is also called `Paradise n the Earth’. Srinagar is the capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

Himachal Pradesh

It is pine forests and fruit orchards. This state has great scenic beauty and s also a big tourist attraction. Shimla is the capital of Himachal Pradesh.

The hill state of Uttarakhand is famous for its shrines ad wildlife parks. It was earlier a part of Uttar Pradesh. The capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun.

Punjab and Haryana states

The state of Punjab and Haryana are prosperous states of north India. Punjab is famous for the golden temple in Amritsar. Kurukshetra, the famous battlefield of the epic Mahabharata is in Haryana. Bhangra is a typical folk dance of this region. The city of Chandigrah serves as the capital of both the states. Both the states are rich in agriculture with wheat, oil seeds, Jowar and rice being important crops. They also have many important industrial like dairy products, sports goods and vehicles. Punjab is called the `Granary of India’.

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh is well known for its art, culture and historical monuments of the Mughal period. Tajmahal is in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The capital city Lucknow id famous for a special kind of embroidery called Chikankari.

The holy city of Benaras, which is also famous for its silk is also in Uttar Pradesh. The Kathak dance, a classical dance form in India has its origin here. Wheat, rice, sugar cane and potatoes are the main crops of Uttar Pradesh. The state is the largest producer of sugarcane in India. Cement, locomotives, textiles, sugar and jute mill are some of the important industries in the state.

The capital of India, the historic city of Delhi also lies in the northern region. The seat of the Mughal Empire, the city has many ancient monuments of great historical importance.

The western states

The western states of India have varied landforms-deserts, coasts, hills and mountain ranges. Examples are the Vindhya and Satpura hill ranges, the Western Ghats and the Narmada and Tapti rivers.

The climate in Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat is extreme, with very hot summers and cold winters. The other parts of the region have a moderate climate with good rainfall.

Rajasthan, also called the land of palaces, lies in the Thar Desert. Jaipur, the capital, is called the `pink city’ as most o the buildings here are built of pink-colored sandstone.

Gujarat is famous for its food, textiles, mirror work and embroidered handicrafts. The capital is Gandhinagar. This state is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. Gir forest, the only sanctuary for Asiatic lions in India, is situated in Gujarat.

Maharashtra is on the western coast and is famous for its cave paintings and sculptures at Ajanta and Ellora. Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra is a very busy port. Cotton, wheat, sugarcane, oranges, and mangoes are important agricultural products while textile, chemicals and automobile are the chief industries found in the state.

Goa is a land of beaches. The capital city is Panaji. Goa was Portuguese territory and has Portuguese in flounce on its culture. The state grows rice, cashew and coconuts. Shipping and mining are important industries. Goa is famous and carnivals.

I still remember those nights before Christmas when I was a child and used to hang a red socks to my window before sleeping. I expected that Santa would drop in some gifts and indeed the next morning the socks would  be filled with chocolates. This continued for some years and one Christmas morning I woke up early to find, it was not santa but my dad who packed the socks with chocolates. A tear rolled down my eyes and I ran and hugged my secret santa who never left his daughter disappointed on Christmas.

This Christmas was even more exciting. My brother had come from goa (people usually go to goa for Christmas but my bhai had come home on his college vacation) and we decided to have a bang this Christmas. We called up our common friend and he arranged three tickets for ‘3 idiots’. But as luck would have it, I lost my expensive levis goggle that evening and decided to cancel the plan. My bro persuaded me and we all found ourselves enjoying the movie. The  movie was great and our bike ride after that even more greater. The three of us were on one bike(trippli) and battling through the body shivering cold of pune. It felt like the same scene from the movie when the 3 idiots went triple seat for their exams. Ya, of course, we were never the less from the 3 idiots.

Movie was followed by pasta and rum cake at my house. And then I got the unexpected- my brother gifted me some exquisite floating candles that he had brought from goa. ‘What a great day this had been’ I recollected, but I still couldn’t forget the fact that I lost my expensive goggles and was feeling bad about it. To this our common friend and my  bro shouted- no tension, AAL IS WELL!

This was my great experience
this Christmas. Guyz and Gals if you also had some great fun this
Christmas, just share your memories. I  am waiting. :-)

India is a big country with a variety of landforms, climate, food, languages and cultural practices. Each state of India and has its won culture.

India is a wonderful country.

Climate

Different parts of India experience different climate ranging from cold snowy winters, t hot summers and wet monsoons. The climate of a place is very important as it decides the kind of food that is grown and eaten, the type of clothes that are worn and the type of houses that are built.

Food: wheat requires less water and grows well in places that have a cold climate. Punjab and Haryana are the heat growing states.

For the people of the north and west, wheat is the staple food. Towards east and south, where here is good rainfall, rice is grown. In costal areas, people eat plenty fish.

Clothing: climate and physical features also affect the kind of clothes we wear. People o the colder states wear woolen clothes. People of the warm states wear cotton clothes. Similarly, people prefer lighter cloths during summers, while woolen cloths during winters. The sari is the most commonly won Indian dress for omen. The dhoti is a traditional Indian dress or men.

Languages

There are 22 recognized languages and several local languages in India.

Hindi is the most commonly spoken language in the northern states. Most of the states have their own languages in the south.

• The oldest known script (written language) in south Asia is the Brahmi.

Tribal life

The tribal communities generally live in and around forests. They depend on forests for their housing, food, medicine and other needs. The tribal communities have their own unique culture, customs, tradition, rituals.

Rural or village life

People living in rural areas and villages are generally involved in agriculture and live in communities. Life in villages does not have the hustle and bustle of a city life. Houses are simple and made of local materials. Small bricks houses. Traditionally, villages in India have a headman and Panchyat, composed of prominent members of the village.

Urban life

Town and cities are referred to as urban areas. Cities and towns are spread over large areas. Cities have modern facilities like schools, hospitals, big markets and modern houses.

Life in the city is very different from those in rural areas.

For livelihood, tribal and rural people depended on forests and agricultural produce, while people in cities work in offices, big factories, shops, hospitals etc.

India is home to many different cultures and traditions. It has great verities of dance, music, literature, religion and customs.

Although the basic ceremonies are similar, social and religious festivals are celebrated differently different parts of the country.

For example, Diwali in the south is celebrated to mark the defeat of the demon Narakasura. In the north, Diwali is celebrated to mark the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya.

Navaratri in the south and east marks the killing of the demon Mahishasura. The people of west Bengal celebrate it as Durga Puja and the south celebrates with a Kolu or an exhibition of dolls. In the north, the festival I called Dussehra. It marks the end of Ravana’s life. However, all over India everyone celebrates the final day of the ten day festival as Vijayadasami. Vijayadasami stands for his triumph of good over evil.

India has several classical and folk dance forms. Some of the classical dances of the south are Bharatanatya from Tamil Nadu, kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and Mohiniyattam and Kathakali from Kerala. Kathak of utter Pradesh and Odissi of Orissa are famous classical dance forms of the north. Popular folk dances include Bhangra from Punjab, Bihu from Assam and Bamboo dance from Mizoram.

There is great variety in music too. The classical music of the north is called Hindustani and that the south is called carnatic. Other this, many forms of folk music are popular in different parts of the country. Some of the popular musical instruments are vena, tabla, mridangam, sitar, shehnai and nadaswaram.

Religions: India is a land of many religions and among it citizens you will find Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Jews all living in secular India.

• Mughal emperor Akbar gave us our first lesson in tolerance. He took the best and wisest elements from all the religions and created a religion for humanity, which be called Din-I –llahi.

We should learn to appreciate each other’s differences and live in peace and harmony. India’s strength is the ability to remain untied and at the some time maintain diversity.

Lots of smart shoppers are interested in eco-clothing these days. People are in keeping increasingly aware of equipment used in the products they get, and how they are manufactured. Designers are looking meant for ways to incorporate equipment from sustainable possessions.

Consumers interested in eco-clothing are interested in purchasing products with the intention of are recycled, organic, or otherwise produced with smallest misuse. Five time the demand meant for an alternative effect increases, manufacturers give thumbs down picking but to sort more of it. Lots of current consumers eagerly seek products with the intention of are produced with the function of having a small carbon footprint.

Eco-clothing shape are persons which are designed in such a way as to keep up harmony with nature.

But at present, eco-clothing has a relatively small promote share in the frame industry and it might take a hardly any more years previous to it goes mainstream. It is more expensive than predictable clothing, but single benefit it's terminated the normal clothing is with the intention of eco-clothing is stronger, privileged quality, and commonly lasts longer.

Today's promote offers a variety of kinds of eco-clothing. Natural equipment like organic cotton, leather options, rattan, soy, and more are typically used to sort these items.

Before it is spun, rattan fiber looks much like cotton. Into addition to being developed with no the utilize of insecticides, rattan grass can grow quickly. Also, rattan fiber doesn't need bleaches or chemicals with the intention of can destroy the upbringing as soon as it is being made.

Bamboo fabric is single type of material used in eco-clothing. A natural cloth, it is made from the pulp of rattan. Both strong and light all together, this is a viable alternative fabric meant for clothing utilize.

Organic cotton is moreover commonly used to sort eco-clothing. Similar to regular cotton, its organic counterpart is developed with no the request of pesticides or compound fertilizers. The method of growing organic cotton has a low shock on the upbringing; it replenishes well, and its soil maintains richness. Because organic cotton is fast acceptance, more cotton farmers are switching to organic methods.

Bamboo can be replaced soon with it is harvested since it grows so quickly. Further, a factory with the intention of grows back soon with it is disconnect down helps keep up oxygen levels in the upbringing since all living plants manufacture oxygen.

These are a quantity of the diverse types of eco-clothing at present obtainable on the promote. Indeed, there's lots of types of eco-clothing availble now.

Recycled con is moreover used to generate various types of eco-clothing. Recycled beverage bottles are used to sort this type of fabric. Though it is not a natural fiber, it is philosophy going on for environment-friendly since it is made from recycled equipment. Diaper covers, soft-soled outcome shoes, and outerwear are commonly made of recycled con.

Check clothing labels as soon as you are shopping to go out with what did you say? Specific garments are made of. If you need to be socially and environmentally dependable, import and using eco-clothing is the real point to sort out.