India, Bharat, and Hindustan represent India and its
people. One may call it by any one name it means the same. All Indians hold all
the three names in great esteem. Some people believe, the British named India.
It’s not true. One should know the history of how the names were derived. The Greeks and Iranians called India, Hindos or Indos or Indu
meaning the land to the east of river Indus. From these names came the name
India.
Poet Iqbal wrote: Sare jahan se acha Hindustan hamara,
hum bul bule hai hiske..... He must have never imagined a day would come when
people would start debating about the name of Hindustan, India, or Bharat?
Can name change be a game changer? Most agree its
trivializing the issue. Recently there was an uproar, an unwanted debate on
name-change from India to Bharat. With G-20 meeting being held in Delhi, the
invites and banners read Bharat. This was the subject of debate during an
international meeting created to gain some brownie points. It was uncalled for.
India, Bharat and Hindustan is India. Some of the foreign leaders and delegates
must be wondering what the Indians are trying to impress upon!
As we all know, India is known by three names – India,
Bharat and Hindustan. Abroad especially in some European countries, America and
even in some Asian countries, you will be surprised to know many common
citizens, young and old people are not even aware of these names. They know India only
by Hind or Indu! Bharat came from Bharat Varsh, India came from river Indus
(Indu, Sindhu), and Moghuls and foreign Muslim rulers called it Hind or
Hindustan.
Bharat is derived from Bharat Varsh, considered to be
the ancient name for this land mass, and it had no defined boundaries. The
Indian sub-continent was considered Bharat Varsh, some even believe that some
countries of south-east Asia were part of it, but there’s no concrete evidence.
But there was regular contact and trade with countries of far- east and south-east Asia
with people sailing to these far-flung places right up to Philippines.
Moghuls and foreign rulers from the middle east and
central Asia knew India as Hind or Hindustan. If you travel abroad, you will be
astonished to know, even in some developed and remote countries, like in Europe, local people are not
aware of India, Bharat or Hindustan and where it’s located on the globe! If you
tell them, you are from India, they give you a blank look. But when you say –
Hind or Indu, they nod and smile! Many of the travel vloggers will agree with
me.
Many Indians, including politicians and political
analysts and commentators are of the view that during the British colonial rule
(approx. 1757-1947), the British referred to the Indian sub-continent as India.
As you all know, India was derived from river Indus. The fact is, yes India was
derived from river Sindhu (Indus), used in Greek since the 4-5th century BCE.
Since British were possibly unaware of the term Bharat so called it India, as
India was already familiar in Europe and easier for the British to use. The
British have nothing to do with the name India. The only thing they did was officially called it India and worked on defined boundaries. It is part of history since
4-5th century BC. The Greeks used it, the Persians used it. To some it was Indi
and to some it was India.
The Greeks labelled the region surrounding river Indus
as Indi or India. The nomenclature came from the Sanskrit – Sindhu. Later, the
Romans too embraced the Greek term, Indi or India. In fact, the word Hindu
derived from Sindu. People living around Sindhu or Indu were called Hindus. By the logic of calling India as Bharat, then Hindus should be called Sindhus! Some even go further saying, kurta pyjama and pant shirt are not Indian wear, these are adapted from foreigner wear; they should revert to dhoti kurta. There is no end to such debate.
If one goes deep into the name game, India had 5 names
– Bharat, Aryavarta, Hindustan, Tenjiku and Jamudweep. Some even claim more than 5 names. Before the British
take-over of India, it was mainly Mughal and Marathas who ruled major parts of
India. Their influence is evident. In China, India is known as Yin-tu. It goes back to the Tang period. The
earliest recorded evidence of the name India can be traced back to the ancient
text, the Vedas which dates back to around 1500 BCE or earlier. In the Vedas,
Sindhu was used to describe the river Indus and the surrounding region. From Indus, came Indi, Indos, Indu and finally India.
Bharat, Hindustan and India co-existed in the
subcontinent. The salutation/battle cry – Bharat mata ki Jai and Jai Hind
(Victory to Hind). It must be noted here, the word Hind is used. It’s said,
ancient texts have references to the name India. Megasthenes, was a Greek
historian, diplomat and explorer. He described India in his book Indica during
4-5th Century BCE, as an ambassador to the Mauryan empire, gave detailed
accounts of the kingdom under this name. Politicians must get their facts right
before making loose statements.
Even the word Hindu (a person hailing from Hind) is
derived from Sindhu. Should we change Hindu to Sindhu? Actually, foreigners
pronounced Sindhu as Hindu or Indu. Should India be changed to Bharat? It is
not as simple as it seems. There will be a lot of political, administrative and
economic implications. No sane person would do that. India is known world-wide
and is a brand. What will happen to Chak de India, Made-in-India, State of
India, Reserve Bank of India, Non-Resident Indians, BCCI, in UNO and many more. Imagine
the chaos and huge cost to just change the name of India because some politician feels so. May better sense
prevail. Let us concentrate on other priorities to make India better and strong in the comity of nations.
I came across an interesting article on how to be a
millionaire; it emphasized that it's no rocket science and many people can do
it. But how many people can actually do it?
Making money, retaining it, and doubling it is an art
that helps multiply money. But investing money is not enough, you have to be
specific and clarity on what you would like to do with the cash in hand. Rich
people know exactly how and when to invest in the right assets. Everyone who is
financially successful invests in tangible items such as property, shares and
gold.
Educating yourself in money-making, as well as money
managing is key. Secondly, all good money managers reserve 10 per cent for long
term investment, 10 per cent for long term investment for spending, 10 per cent
for play money, 10 per cent for finance education, 5 per cent for charity,
while they pay off their bills using the remaining 55 per cent. Though it
sounds simple, its not that easy as it seems. My dream to be a millionaire
ended there.
To me this simple formula is more complicated than the
rocket science. I would prefer to be a man who earns and spends, saves some
money and invests some. This I believe will give me a decent life and a sound
sleep too!
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India provides equal opportunities, education, employment, and facilities to all irrespective of caste and creed. In all India’s prestigious institutions all over the country devoted to science, space, technology, finance, defense, research, and development, including the armed forces, you can find Indians of all communities and religion.....
Most of India’s neighbors can’t comprehend India’s
secular credentials or understand the social fabric of the nation. India is a
Hindu majority country with Muslims, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis,
Jews, and others who live in peace and harmony. All are equal citizens of the
country. All of them celebrate their festivals and participate in celebrations
of each other. This has been a tradition since centuries. And all of them have
their temples, mosques, and churches to pray and follow their religion without
fear or restrictions. Some of the neighbors can’t understand or digest this,
especially Pakistan, where the people are told India is a land of Hindus, where
they mistreat and torture minorities, especially Muslims. This hatred is
inculcated through the media, leaders, and even through school text books. The
first reaction of most Pakistanis is that India is our enemy and that we can't
accept anything good happening in India.
I am a Hindu, studied in a convent school run by
catholic priests; my classmates were Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists,
Jains, Jews, and Parsis. We are still in touch with most of them and visit one
another, know their families, have been part of their marriages, festivities,
and celebrations, and are with them in good and bad times. This is our culture
and tradition. Here, nobody thinks in terms of religion. All are equal and
considered Indians in India and abroad. And all are proud to call themselves
Indian and proud of the blue passport. If you ask any Indian, his response
would be that the nation comes first, then comes religion. For Indians,
religion is a private matter. It's common for people of the majority and minority communities to meet and visit each other on festive occasions and festivals, and take part in the celebrations and enjoy the feast. This is the norm.
India offers and provides equal opportunities, education, employment,
and facilities to all irrespective of caste and creed. In all India’s
prestigious institutions all over the country devoted to science, space,
technology, finance, defense, research, and development, including the armed
forces, you can find Indians of all communities and religion. All are proud to
serve their nation. No one is differentiated in the name of religion, and
people from minority communities can rise to the top in the field they have
chosen. Abdul Kalam, Fakhruddin Ali and Zakir Hussein were elected President of India. Similarly, India as had top leaders, politicians, state governors, state chief minister, central ministers, army generals, chief of air force, heads of prestigious institutions from the minority community. Can you ever imagine this happening in Pakistan?
To give a simple example of how people from different
religions are interconnected and need each other, morning bread and eggs are
supplied to homes mostly by Muslims, Christians, and Parsis. The car mechanic
could be a Hindu, Muslim, or a Christian. Meat, or chicken, is mostly supplied
by Muslims. The plumber who comes to fix is a Muslim; the electrician could be
a Hindu or a Christian, the computer technician, TV mechanic, refrigerator
technician, or carpenter could be a Muslim, Hindu, or Christian. Same goes for
doctors, house help, and maids. All of them know their job and are trusted in
homes and by families. They have been offering their services for years. Hindu doctors treat patients from the minority community, and doctors from minority community treat patients from majority community, nothing unique about it in India, It's been happening for for ages as all are treated equally.
From this, you can very well understand the
interdependency of all communities. They are all respected, treated, and paid
equally. Some of the people have been handling repairs and services for
families for decades and generations due to faith, excellent service, and
trust. In some cases, once the father gets old and retires, the sons offer the
same service, because of the mutual faith, satisfaction, and trust factor.
In some cases, the bonding is so deep that a Muslim
invites his Hindu friend to accompany him to see the groom for his daughter.
His opinion is counted. And the same happens vice versa. In case of a medical
emergency, nobody checks if the blood or organ is from a Hindu, Muslim, Sikh,
or any other community. Pakistanis would be surprised to know that even in business, there are instances of Hindu and Muslim or others as partners in an successful enterprise or a manufacturing or a trading company.
There are petty leaders in India too who tend to
create a rift among religions and communities for their selfish motives and
self-interest. Sometimes some misguided youth or people get carried away by
false stories, but soon realize that they are victims of false propaganda
spread by these fake leaders. Here people are exposed to news, current affairs,
development, science and technology, so the lies of such leaders are exposed
sooner or later.
Seeing the Pakistan media and social media, it’s
disheartening to see the Pakistani illiterate and even some of the educated
people talking about hatred for India and don’t want to believe about India’s
progress and development in IT, science and technology; they still believe
their country is better, stronger and more developed when they have been
isolated, and their leaders go around begging for funds. It’s discouraging to
see students especially from madrassas ignorant of science talking about earth
been flat and static, and the sun moving around the earth. With such education,
it’s difficult to see progress in Pakistan. Educated and enlightened Pakistanis
are leaving their country as they see no hope or future in their country.
Some of India’s neighbors, especially Pakistan, can’t
digest this unity and harmony. Their leaders and media feed fake news and
hatred for India, for their own survival. In recent years, some educated and
young Pakistanis are trying to change this with facts through social media.
This is an eye-opener to many Pakistanis who have been fed hatred, false
information, and propaganda about India. Now seeing India’s progress and
development, the younger generation of Pakistanis are seeing and learning the
truth about India and where they stand in the world. They have started
questioning, though both became free nations more than seven decades ago, India
has developed and prospered, whereas Pakistan is sinking and is forced to
literally beg and borrow with prices of essential commodities shooting up and
at the mercy of others and the FATF.
Pakistan’s economic and political conditions have
deteriorated greatly. Cash-strapped Pakistan’s $350 billion economy is a
meltdown, with inflation at a record 38%. The 2022-2023 Pakistani economic
crisis is an ongoing economic crisis and part of the 2022-2023 political
unrest. It has caused severe economic challenges due to which food, gas, and
oil prices have risen. The predicament is further compounded by soaring sugar
prices. The economy is under severe stress with low foreign reserves, a
depreciating currency, and high inflation. Default risks increase significantly
in fiscal year 2023-24. Poverty in Pakistan has been recorded by the World Bank
at 39.3%. Pakistan’s external debt servicing obligations for July 2023 amount
to USD 2.44 billion, with USD 2.07 billion owed to China and USD 195 million to
Saudi Arabia. Besides, Pakistan’s crippling economy is sitting on a large pile
of debt taken from international organizations and countries like China.
It is difficult for builders and home-owners to ensure
that the houses they build are vastu compliant. It is important to follow basic
vastu tips for your home. Vastu suggests the right color, format, shape,
layout, and directions to ensure positivity and happiness in every corner of
your house and the family residing there.
Check the shape of the rooms. As per vastu, the house
should preferably be in the shape of a square or a rectangle. Odd shapes in
rooms should be avoided.
In homes, the rooms should be well-lit, airy, and
clean. As far as possible, rooms in the house should have regular sunlight and
proper ventilation. This helps facilitate the inflow of fresh energy and the
outflow of stale and negative energy.
The house’s main entrance is not only the entry point
for the family but also for energy and vibes. The main entry point of your
house should face the north, east, or northeast direction when you step out.
Use superior-quality wood to construct the entrance door. Avoid keeping a shoe
rack or dustbin outside the entrance. The main door must not be painted black
or any dark shade. The entrance should be well-lit. The door should open in a
clockwise direction. Don’t put any animal statues or figurines near the
entrance.
The living room is the most active area of the house
and makes the first impression on guests when they enter. The living room
should be clutter-free. The curtains, drapes, and furnishing should be of
pleasant shades or pastel shades to give a cool look.
In the bedroom, no mirror or television should be
placed in front of the bed. Heavy furniture like beds and cupboards should be
kept in the south-west direction. Temple should not be placed in the bedroom.
Dining space and your table should not be near the
main door. Try to avoid the southwest direction at any cost. It should be in a
proper and calm place where the family can relax and eat comfortably.
Spiritual area, the east or northeast side of the
house is best. Preferably, you should face east, as it increases positivity. As
far as possible, avoid keeping the altar in the kitchen or bedroom.
For any good home, appropriate ventilation and
adequate daylight are essential components. Regular sunlight and proper
ventilation are a must. Pleasant shades or pastel colors are recommended. Avoid
black colors on walls, furniture, or fixtures. Doing this will help the flow of
energy and increase positivity in your home, and it will also bring positive
vibes to the family.
We,
at Aneela Nike Post (aneelanike.com), would love to hear from you! Tell us what
you’re thinking, how you’d like to collaborate with our ever growing brand, and
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Say it with words. Yes, I mean it. In this blog, I present to my
readers five selected poems by Anil Naik, which were posted online some time
ago. The poems were well received, liked, and appreciated by the readers, which
prompted me to post these poems on Aneela Nike Post.
I take this opportunity to post these poems on varied subjects on my
blog and see the reaction of my readers. Kindly read it and post your comments.
If you like them, I would love to post more interesting poems by the same
author. Words speak and mean a lot!
Memories forever
Friends may change
homes may change,
your success and failures
may change.
You may change,
but memories won’t change.
They will be with you
like a shadow forever,
and flash back
as far as you can remember.
None can steal this treasure
away from you.
Memories will always be with you
till you breathe your last.
(From the collection of poems by Anil Kumar Naik.)
Isro announced Solar mission Aditya-L1 will be
launched on Sept 2 from Sriharikota. Aditya-L1 spacecraft is designed to
provide remote observations of the solar corona and in-situ observations of the
solar wind at L1, which is about 1.5 million kms from the Earth.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) announced
the launch date for its solar mission Aditya-L1 spacecraft. The mission to
study the Sun will be launched on September 2 at 11:50 am from Sriharikota
spaceport. Aditya-L1 spacecraft is designed to provide remote observations of
the solar corona and in-situ observations of the solar wind at L1 (Sun-Earth
Lagrangian point), which is about 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth. It
will be the first dedicated Indian space mission for observations of the Sun to
be launched by the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency.
The space agency said in a post on social media
platform X that the spacecraft -- the first space-based Indian observatory to
study the Sun -- would be launched by PSLV-C57 rocket. The Aditya-L1 mission,
aimed at studying the Sun from an orbit around the L1, would carry seven
payloads to observe the photosphere, chromosphere and the outermost layers of
the Sun, the corona, in different wavebands. Aditya-L1 is a fully indigenous
effort with the participation of national institutions.
If
you feel that Aneela Nike Post is making a difference to your life, do take a
minute to consider a comment or contribution. We would also value your
suggestions as how to make ourselves more relevant to you. Please write to akn929@yahoo.com to give
your valuable feedback.
