The meaning of the world means ‘home of the clouds’. Indeed, the name is apt for the state  that is home to the region of the world with the maximum rainfall.’Meghalaya ‘was formed by carving out the two districts of the state of Assam: the United Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, and the Garo Hills on 21 January 1972. Prior to attaining full statehood, Meghalaya was given a semi-autonomous status in 1970. Continue reading →

The Himalayas are among the youngest mountain ranges on the planet, and consist mostly of uplifted sedimentary and metamorphic rock. According to the modern theory of plate tectonics, their formation is a result of a continental collision or orogeny along the convergent boundary between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Eurasian Plate. This is referred to as a fold mountain. Continue reading →

The Himalayas are the highest mountain range, home to highest landlocked peak in the world. Yet, what may be most fascinating is its diversity and uniqueness in its flora and fauna. Here, we try top describe the unimaginable magnitude and scale of such a ecological system. Continue reading →

The Sarasvati River (Sanskrit: सरस्वती नदी sárasvatī nadī) is one of the chief Rigvedic rivers mentioned in ancient Hindu texts. The Nadistuti hymn in the Rigveda (10.75) mentions the Sarasvati between the Yamuna in the east and the Sutlej in the west, and later Vedic texts like Tandya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas as well as the Mahabharata mention that the Sarasvati dried up in a desert. The goddess Sarasvati was originally a personification of this river, but later developed an independent identity and meaning. Continue reading →

The Grand Trunk Road (Hindi: ग्रैंड ट्रंक रोड) (commonly abbreviated to GT Road) is one of South Asia’s oldest and longest major roads. For several centuries, it has linked the eastern and western regions of the Indian subcontinent, running from Bengal, across north India, into Peshawar in Pakistan. It was initiated by Chandra Gupta Maurya, and later rennovated and extended by Sher Shah Suri. Continue reading →

Shimla (then spelt Simla) was settled by the British shortly after the first Anglo-Gurkha war, and is located at 7116 feet in the foothills of the Himalayas. By the 1830s, Shimla had already developed as a major base for the British.[citation needed] It became the summer capital of British India in 1864, and was also the headquarters of the British army in India. Prior to construction of the railway communication with the outside world was via village cart. Continue reading →

The decennial census of India is the primary source of information about the demographic characteristics of the population of India. The 2011 census will be the largest census in the history of mankind. Continue reading →

The issue of the caste system in India is hotly debated amongst academics, as some feel it to be primarily a construct of British colonialism whilst others see it as a reflection of traditional Hindu society. The following quotation is from the Superintendent of the Government of India regarding the 1921 Census of India and is an indication of the violent debate that still surrounds the caste system of India today.