*A part of Asia is known as Indian subcontinent. The countries included in the Indian sub continent are India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

India is the only country after which an ocean has been named –Indian Ocean.

India is our country. It is very large country. About hundred crore people live here. India on the map given, it is wide in the middle. It becomes narrow as we go southward. South India is bound by water on there sides. - The Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea on the east, the Arabian sea and Lakhshadweep sea on the west and the Indian ocean in the south. Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are our neighbors. China, Nepal and Bhutan are to the north to the west is Pakistan. The countries of Bangladesh and /Myanmar are to the east. Sri Lanka.

India is divided into twenty –eight states and six union territories look at the political map of India. It shows all the states and the union territories. India is a country of highlands and lowlands. It has Board Rivers and narrow streams. It has hot sunshine and snow. People of all kinds live in India. They are tall, short, fair and dark. They are farmers, fishermen, factory workers, businessmen, doctors, teachers, etc. a few are rich and many are poor. Many are hard working and some are lazy. As you read on, you will meet some of these people and learn about the way they live. You will read about the Punjabi farmer, the Assamese tea-picker, and the fishermen of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra. But before reading about the Indian people, it is important that you know a little about the land in which we live.

There are highland, lowlands and rivers. In the north, there are the Himalayas. These are the highest mountains in the world. Many big rivers flow from the Himalayas.

The rivers that begin in the Himalayas flow slowly across wide lowland called the Northern fertile plain or the Gangetic plain. Closes to the mountains this plain is sloping, but when it nears the sea, the plain becomes very flat. The whole plain is covered with rich soil called silt. Silt is brought down from the mountains by the rivers. When the rivers flood, the silt spreads all over the land. The flatness of the land, the richness of the soil and the easy availability of water from the rivers has helped to make the plain an important area for forming.

Southern India is a plateau. It is called the Deccan plateau. Plateau is a flat –top highland. The western side of the Deccan plateau is higher than the eastern side, so the land slopes towards the Bay of Bengal. There is little lowland. It is found only along the coats and near the rivers. In some parts of the plateau, the soil is rocky and there is not enough rain. These areas are not as important as the lowlands.

A part of western India is a desert. The soil is sandy and there is very little rain. So only a few people live here.

Capital of India

Delhi is the capital of our country. It stands on the banks o the river Yamuna. It was chosen as the capital of India because of its position. From here it is possible to travel quite easily to only part of India.

Delhi is a very old city. It has many old buildings like the red fort and the Jama Masjid. Humayun’s Tomb, the Qutub Minar, Safdarjung’s Tomb and the Purna Qila are other important old buildings.

New Delhi was specially built as the capital of India. It is a beautiful city. It has broad roads lined with shady trees. There are many lovely parks and gardens. The parliament house is in New Delhi. It is a circular building. The two houses of the Indian parliament meet here. They are the Lo Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. The members of these two houses make and pass lows for our country.

Thousands of tourists visit Deli each year. From here they also go to Jaipur in Rajasthan and Agra to see the world famous Taj Mahal. A little away from the main city, mills and factories have been set up. They make radios, television sets, small machines, cloth, paints, etc.

The government is trying to make Delhi a beautiful city of which all Indians can be proud of.

 

 

Tamil Nadu lies in the, south for of the country. The eastern part of the state is a broad, flat plain. This faces the Bay Bengal. The western part of the state is very hilly. There are many ranges of hills. The most important are the Nilgiri hills. The Cauvery and Ponnaiyar rivers begin in the hills and flow into the Bay of Bengal.

Tamil Nadu has a very warm climate. The summers are hot. The winters are not cold like those in the northern states. They are just a little cooler than the summers. Tamil Nadu gets rain both in winter and summer.

The farmers can grow many kinds of crops as the climate is warm. Rice is the most important crop. It is grown in the coastal plains, especially at the mouth of the rivers. Here the soil is rich. The land is flat and the fields can be flooded easily. Maize, jawar, bajra and dals are also planted. Very little wheat is grown as the climate is too warm. Sugar cane, cotton and tobacco grow well on the lowlands. In the Nilgiri hills the crops are very different. Near the foot of the hills, rubber trees are grown. Higher up there are tea and coffee gardens. Tamil Nadu grows rubber and coffee also.

The coastline of Tamil Nadu is over 1500 km long. All along the coast there are many small fishing villages. The fishermen are poor. They do not have enough money to buy large ships and machinery. Their small fishing boats are made of wood. Some boats have motors but most are sail-boats. They are not very strong and are easily turned over in a storm. In this way many fishermen are drowned. However, fishing industry is improving and some fishermen can afford to buy modern fishing boats. They can go further out into the sea and catch much more fish. Satellites are being used to help located shoals of fish and to give storm warnings. The most important fish are Pomfret, mackerel and prawns. Some of these are tinned. Others are packed in ice and sent to the northern states.

Tamil Nadu has the third largest number of mills and factories among the Indian states. Most of these have been built around the cities of Chennai and Coimbatore. They make cotton and silk cloth, paper, cigarettes, cement, rubber tyres, scooters, cars and army tanks. In the rest of the state there are many cloth, cement and cigarette factories. There is an iron and steel plant at Salem.

Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu. It is the biggest city of south India. It is also an important port, but it is not as important as either Mumbai or Calcutta. This is because its harbor is not very good. It is open to the strong winds that blow from the Bay of Bengal. To protect the ships, two strong walls have been built into the sea. These are called `breakwaters’ because they break the strong waves from the sea. At Perambur near Chennai is a very big factory that makes railway coaches and wagons.

Tuticorin is growing quickly into an important port. Many tourists visit Udagamandalam (Ooty), hill –station in the Nilgiri. They also go to see famous temples –Meenakshi temple in Madurai and those at Mamallapuram near Chennai.

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is situated on the eastern coast of India, along the Bay of Bengal. The states of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are its neighbors. It has a larger coast line than any other Indian state. The eastern parts of Andhra Pradesh are fertile coastal plains. The major part of the state lies in the rocky regions of Deccan plateau and the Eastern Ghats.

There are main rivers Godavari, Krishna and Penner. All these rivers flow eastwards into Bay of Bengal. There are big deltas, where river branches into several channels and meets the sea. The river water not flow throughout the year, they are only Rain Rivers. The water used for irrigation.

In Andhra Pradesh in coastal area cyclones cause huge damages.

Paddy is main crop in Andhra Pradesh. Maize, gram, millets, sugar –cane sun flower, ground nut, tobacco and cotton are other important crops. The great Nagarjuna Sagar dam is across river Krishna. It is for electricity and water for irrigation.

The people of Andhra Pradesh speak Telugu language. Some speak Urdu. Their food consists of rice and Jowar rotis with plenty of fish or vegetables. Pickles and chilies are important part of their food. Kuchipudi is the famous classical dance style of Andhra Pradesh.

Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the historical and beautiful cities of India. Salarjung Museum, Charminar and Husain Sagar are the places worth visiting, it is also important as an industrial, commercial and educational centre. The ruins of Golconda fort are situated near Hyderabad.

Visakhapatnam is a major of Andhra Pradesh. It is a famous ship building center of India. It has also a fertilizer plant and an oil refinery. Other important towns are Nellore, Anantapur, Vijayawada and Chittor.

The famous temple of Sri Venkatewsara (Balaji) at Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh is visited by lacks of pilgrims from all over the country.

 

 

I swear, before even death

can make me depart,

never to return, that your

eyes, gleaming with life

are potent to make me live again

and even if I don't see your eyes

and the days seem to wrinkle with

age, your fragrance will be

the adorning esteem that keeps

me young

 

And when I return home,

my father will say, that De-graft

comes with a confidence,

a radiation that is beyond meditation

and breaks all walls

so

 

In the symphony of harmony do

I come into your arms everlasting

that I may find the fortress of my dreams,

and in your fame may I dwell,

never to go back home,

because my existence has been made nude

before you;

so

I pay homage to your lips,

blissful with the glass of melody

as mine do play it like a

harp from Hermes

I look into the diary of your eyes

and read where I reach the shore

and the oceans kiss my feet

I again, give praise to your being,

its brightness,

that your fondness of me will be your charity,

till your smile gives me nourishment

my sanctity shall be refreshed

and sanity, that roamed in a spasm,

finally returns

 

My hands can never let go,

or part with the one who becomes my pride,

and with a chest that widens

story of my boldness shall be

told by the firelflies till they

reach the ears of a lion

 

It will be the fairies' beloved song,

and the duet of harmony,

they shall know of this strength

and be amazed by the gracious grace

I have found

 

so right here,

right now

this moment

take my heart, I know

it turns to fire in your arms,

take my heart,

I lay down my pride,

to be astounded by this perfection

 

I will never live to see you cry

anymore,

I will be your handkerchief

to wipe out those tears,

so,

hold my hands,

and thereby we be immune to destiny,

we shall lived froever,

like the sky which sits on the

throne of life,

hold my hands,

feel the powers you have given me,

what then speaks is the glory of love,

the reasonless reason, for which I

do what I do; sweep the winds,

polish innocence, sweeten bile,

outsparkle lustre; just to see you

 

It does not matter, whether

the wind snares my feet,

for you, my blindness smiles

because it is a darkness made fortunate,

since your eyes became mine,

and I saw the real me

 

I am thus, a walking mirror,

transparent, pure as chastity

since your laughter,

eclipsed my imperfection with greatness

 

And I can promise you this;

I shall defy viscosity to make

you flow like the living waterfalls

then deny the lion's roar

to make you lioness, queen of the jungle

that reigns and reigns for forever;

I shall be the candlestick

that tells the story of your statutory glory

with an unconsumable light,

yes, I shall;

I shall be the wind, that makes

you float as light as a feather

and the air that you breathe

 

Dail, I will pray to your heart

and hope it never dies,

because you make me immortal.

                                                 S.T.       By Kakraba Afful

                                                                                     S.T.

Thanks to her, I'm a V8,

she's a diamond CTS

flawless like a fresh pair of shiny rims

my record label is S.T.

and she comes with the electrfying transmission

of pure class

 

Again, she's equipped with

care like shock absorbers,

my tears are extinct because

she makes my heart pump

like mega pistons,

to move at a fiery velocity

 

Destiny has changed the gear to swagger,

she's a walking Escalade,

but she rides on the road of magma,

but she does not refuel,

because she's already a shocking bevy of watts

 

Wanna know the tires she uses?

they are called "Adorable"

most of all, she says I am the

only key that can make her start

 

Thanks to her, I the shiniest wind screen,

you won't find her in the royal supermarket,

My! when she starts,

my heart shrieks like a thousand starters,

comfort is my leather seat,

and I need no seat belt,

because when she smiles,

I'm totally accident free

 

At night, her lights are neon,

more than the 4th of July,

this is the best upgrade

life has ever given me

she doesn't come with any rear-view mirrors,

because when she looks at me,

I shine brighter than brightness itself

 

Lastly,

Guess what the license plate is;

TRUE LOVE.

           S.T.

                                          By Kakraba Afful