Utter Pradesh or U.P., as it is called, is large north Indian state. A large part of the state is a plain. It is crossed by the Ganga, the river, the Yamuna and many other smaller rivers. Most of these originate in the Himalayas. When the rains come =, the rivers often flood. They spread silt over the land. This helps to make the soil rich ad goods for growing crops.
The summer in U.P. is very hot. A dry dusty wind called `loo’ blows from morning till late evening. Ponda and lakes dry up and the rivers become narrow streams. With the start of the rainy season in June the land becomes green again. The rain usually falls in fairly heavy showers. These some times last a few ours, sometimes a few days. In between the showers, the sun shines strongly. The winters are cold but sunny. Very little rain falls during this season.
Most of the people of U.P. are farmers. A few farmers have large fields and own tractors. But many especially in the eastern part of the state are very poor. Their fields are dug by ploughs pulled by bullocks. Well water is lifted in buckets.
Many crops are grown in U. P. in winter or Rabi seasons most farmers plant wheat. Rice is grown in the monsoon or Kharif season when there is enough water to flood the fields. Maize is sown at the end of winter and harvested during the monsoon. During this season `bhuttawalas’ are a common sight. They sit by the side of a road selling freshly-roasted `bhuttas’ maize. All kinds of dals are grown in the state. Ground-nuts or peanuts are also grown. The nuts are crushed for oil. The oil is made into vegetable ghee. Some nuts are roasted and sold on the streets. The area around Lucknow is famous for mangoes, melons and `paan’ leaves.
U.P. grows most sugar-cane in India. The cane is planted n small square fields. After the land has been ploughed, short pieces o cane are planted. These pieces are laid flat, not standing. From the nodes at the joints on each piece, new shoots come out. When fully grown, the plant is two meters tall. Cutting or harvesting takes place in the winter months. The canes are loaded into bullock carts or trucks and are taken to sugar mills close by. There they are crushed and the juice is made into sugar and jaggery or `gur’.
There are many big small industries in the state. There are cotton and woolen mills; leather factories where shoes, bags and suitcases are made; there are also scooter, radio, paper, cement and carpet factories; factories for making machines, aircraft parts and medicines. Important factory towns are Kanpur, Meerut and Ghaziabad. Kanpur stands on the right Bank of the Ganga. It has many factories where cotton and woolen cloth, sugar and leather goods are made. It also has an aircraft factory. There is a locomotive factory near Varanasi. Agra is known for the manufacture of carpets, shoes and leather goods.
U.P. also has many `cottage industries’. In a cottage industry an article is made in a person’s home and not in a factory or mill. This is because no heavy or expensive machines are needed. Some important cottage industries are `chikan’ embroidery in Lucknow, silk sarees with gold or silver borders in Varanasi, brassware in Moradabad.
There are many old and famous cities in U.P. Lucknow, the capital of the state, stands on the banks of the river Gomati. It is a city of gardens and old and beautiful buildings like the `imambaras’. Many foreign visitors go to Agra to see the lovely Tajmahal. Allahabad and Varanasi are holy cities of India as the river Ganga flows through these.
Uttaranchal state
Uttaranchal, a new state, has been created out of utter Pradesh. Its capital is the beautiful hill station Dehradun. Dehradun is also famous for delicious `lichies’.
The region is extremely hilly and heavily forested. The Himalayan belt runs along the whole northern border of Uttaranchal. It consists of several ranges. The outermost range is the Shivalik. It has hill resorts like mussorie, lands down and josh math. Other famous hill stations of Uttaranchal are Nainital Mukteswar, Ranikhet, Almora and Kassani. Terrace farming and animal rearing are the main occupations of the people. Haridwar, one of the holiest places of pilgrimage in India is in Uttaranchal. Haridwar is the area where the river Ganga descends to the plains. Other important holy shrines in this region are Kedarnath and Badrinath. Yamnotri, the source of Yamuna and Gangotri, the source of Ganga are also found in this region.
Close to the foothills, near Ramnagar in the national district is the Corbett national park, a wildlife sanctuary. Elephants, tigers, leopards, hyenas and varieties of deer are found here.
Uttaranchal also has rich deposits of bauxite.