By: Amanbir Kaur Wazir and her family

By: Amanbir Kaur Wazir and her family

I spent the: -summer with my family in India when I was 2 years old -winter months when I was 5 -and again when I was 9 years old.

My family and our large Sikh circle is from the northern tip of India in Jammu & Kashmir. The Kashmir Valley is a huge valley within the giant Himalayan mountain range. It is along the borders of India, Pakistan and China.

GEOGRAPHY: India is part of the continent of Asia. Most of India forms a peninsula, which means it is surrounded by water on three sides. The world's highest mountain range, the Himalaya, rises in the north. There is the Indian Ocean on the south, the southwest is bordered by the Arabian Sea and the southeast is bordered by the Bay of Bengal.

India's country side varies widely, from the desert in the west to jungles in the northeast. A fertile area covers much of northern India. This formation was created from soil that was deposited by the major rivers running from the Himalaya.

With almost the entire cultivated area receiving irrigation from the rivers via canals, the northern state of Punjab is among India s most fertile, widely farmed and irrigated states. Over 20 million Sikhs live in Punjab. Two-fifths of the population is engaged in farming. This area produces a major share of the wheat and rice for India and for export. Last year it produced 86 million tons of wheat and 9 million tons of rice for India s population plus exported over 4 billion tons. There has been a rapid increase in the commercial production especially of fruits, especially citrus, mangoes and guavas.

TRANSPORTATION: India has an extensive network of roads and railways. The railway system, begun in the mid 19th century. The government-owned railway network is one of the largest in the world. It is also one of the world's most heavily used systems, especially for transporting passengers. India has one of the largest road and transport networks in the world with all types of vehicles and animals going every which way.

GOVERNMENT: About 1/6 of all the people on Earth live in India, the world's most populated democracy with over a billion people. It is the second after China. The huge population strains the country's resources. Many millions of Indians are poorly fed, badly housed and lack access to clean drinking water. The country has made progress in increasing the happiness of its people. The ability for people to read has also been raised. The economy has been expanded. The money system is in rupees. Today, India's workers includes one of the world's largest groups of people trained in science, engineering, and technology. India's capital is New Delhi. India is a constitutional republic. It includes 28 states, which have a major control over their own dealings. India's leaders have played a important role in world affairs. The elected Prime Minister is Manmohan Singh, a Sikh, even though Sikhs are only 2% of the huge population.

CULTURE: India s cultural mix is complex, but two major strains dominate: the Aryan, in the north, and the Dravidian, in the south. More than 1,500 languages are spoken. Indians are always conscious of social order and their status relative to other people, if it is family, friends, or strangers. All relationships involve chain of command. In schools, teachers are viewed as the source of all knowledge. The person in charge of the family, usually the father, is considered the leader of the family. The Role of the Family: Someone is thought to be associated to a specific state, region, city, family, job, religion, etc. This focus comes from the close ties Indians maintain with their family, including the extended family circle. The extended family create many types of relationships, rules, and structures. Along with these shared obligations comes a deep trust among relatives.

RELIGIONS: About 82% of the population is Hindu, and 12% is Muslim. Other significant religions include 2.3% Christians, 2.0% Sikhs,.8% Buddhists and.4% Jains. There is no state religion. The sacred cities of India attract pilgrims from throughout the East: Varanasi (formerly Benares), Allahabad, Puri, and Nashik are religious centers for the Hindus; Amritsar is the holy city of the Sikhs; and Satrunjaya Hill near Palitana is sacred to the Jains.

ART: Indian art normally has a spiritual meaning to it. India has one of the world s largest collections of songs, music, dance, theatre, folk traditions, performing arts, rites and rituals, paintings and writings.

ART: Ancient monuments, literary arts, visual arts, schemes, programs, performing arts, fairs and festivals and handicraft of India were all thing that art related. One of the main art themes was pottery and hand craft stuff. Like all other handicrafts and crafts, the tradition of pottery making in India is very old. The ancient pottery of India is one of those important mediums through which people have expressed themselves.

Thank you!