Muse of a muser.

Burke, J. (2010, April 27). Bollywood's first gay film breaks taboos. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://www.smh.com.au: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/bollywoods-first-gay-film-breaks-taboos-20100426-tn5p.html

Bibliography
Almora uttaranchal. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2010, from http://www.hillresortsinindia.com: http://www.hillresortsinindia.com/almora.html

Becker, C., Meixner, C., Mühlenstedt, J., & Liebermann, S. (2005). Contrasts between life in the city and in the country. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://www.gymnasium-spaichingen.de: http://www.gymnasium-spaichingen.de/bili/india/country-vs-city.html

Cook, S. (n.d.). 5 Common but Often Misunderstood Hindi Words. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from http://goindia.about.com: http://goindia.about.com/od/learningthelanguag1/tp/common-misunderstood-hindi.htm

Cook, S. (n.d.). 8 Popular Festivals in India. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from http://goindia.about.com: http://goindia.about.com/od/festivalsevents/tp/Indiafestivals.htm

Culture and heritage of india. (2006). Retrieved December 8, 2010, from http://www.indembkwt.org: http://www.indembkwt.org/culture.htm

Culture and lifestyle. (2009). Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://www.globalgateway.org.uk: http://www.globalgateway.org.uk/default.aspx?page=1734

Hinduism - Beliefs. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://contenderministries.org: http://contenderministries.org/hinduism/hindubeliefs.php

Indian Etiquette. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2010, from http://www.a-to-z-of-manners-and-etiquette.com: http://www.a-to-z-of-manners-and-etiquette.com/indian-etiquette.html

India - family life and family values. (2010). Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://family.jrank.org: http://family.jrank.org/pages/859/India-Family-Life-Family-Values.html

India's caste system. (n.d.). Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://www.gymnasium-spaichingen.de: http://www.gymnasium-spaichingen.de/bili/india/castesystem.html

India's climate and Temperature. (n.d.). Retrieved November 7, 2010, from http://www.climatetemp.info: http://www.climatetemp.info/india/

India's first bollywood themed restaurant 'havmor 70 MM' and '1857'. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2010, from http://www.indiaprwire.com: http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/restaurants/2009051925636.htm

Languages of india. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2010, from iloveindia.com: http://languages.iloveindia.com/

List of state and union territory capitals in india. (2010, November 17). Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_state_and_union_territory_capitals_in_India

Sandeep, Y. (2008, October 26). India history. Retrieved 11 5, 2010, from http://www.my-india.co.cc/: http://www.my-india.co.cc/2008/10/indian-history.html

Some issues relating to the common school system. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2010, from http://www.educationbihar.in/csscreport/Chapter-5_Some%20Important%20Issues%20Relating%20to%20the%20Common%20School%20System.pdf: http://www.educationbihar.in/csscreport/Chapter-5_Some%20Important%20Issues%20Relating%20to%20the%20Common%20School%20System.pdf

Swami, M. (2007). India parenting and values. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://www.indianchild.com: http://www.indianchild.com/virtues/india-parenting-and-values.htm

Trekking in india. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2010, from http://www.trekkinginindia.com/: http://www.trekkinginindia.com/

Munford, M. (2010, August 9). Urban India's attitude to same-sex relationships undergoes a dramatic change. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://www.somaligaycommunity.org: http://www.somaligaycommunity.org/content/view/1590/1/

Valli. (2009, May 15). 10 Bizarre Beliefs in India. Retrieved December 7, 2010, from http://trifter.com: http://trifter.com/asia-pacific/india/10-bizarre-beliefs-in-india/

Parveen, P. (n.d.). Indian Traditiona. Retrieved December 8, 2010, from http://www.parveenpaul.com: http://www.parveenpaul.com/traditions.html

Well Known Indian Scientists. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2010, from http://www.winentrance.com: http://www.winentrance.com/General_Knowledge/Science/Well-Known-Indian-Scientists.html

Why Is India Well Known For Arts And Culture? (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2010, from http://www.blurtit.com: http://www.blurtit.com/q925817.html

Commodification

Tourism a culprit in commodifying cultures and traditions?

Tourism is definitely a culprit. However, the fault is not entirely its alone to blame.

The stakeholders involved in tourism would be government, locals, and tourists. Tourism may play a part in commodifying cultures and tradition because in a poll done behind the motivators for tourism, cultural travel is slowly becoming one of the rapidly increasing trends. However, most of these tourists do not want to delve in too deep into the culture and traditions of the place. They are only there to partake in the process. As such, the government would, in a bid to draw this particular group of tourists, try to sell the country by commodifying the culture and traditions through museums and historical buildings. The cultures and traditions would, hence, be sanitized into standardized packages and be commercialized. This shows that government places a part in the commodifying of cultures and traditions in India.

The locals can do their part to prevent the commodification of their own cultures and traditions. However, they partake in the act as well. 'Henna' a tradition practiced by female Indians are used to attract the tourist dollar as well; tourists pay to have their hand drawn by Indian henna specialist.

There are many factors that attribute to the commodification of culture and traditions of India. To single out a (leading) factor and pin the blame onto it is misleading as the factors are all inter-link together. Therefore, I conclude that tourism is a culprit in commodifying cultures and traditions to a certain extent.

Changes that have been brought about by the growth of tourism in India

Changes that have been brought about by the growth of tourism in India

Political

Plan tourism development as a part of the overall area development strategy.
Create nucleus infrastructure in the initial stages of development to demonstrate the potential of the area.
Provide the required support facilities and incentives to both domestic and foreign investors to encourage private investment in the tourism sector.
Rationalise taxation and land policies in the tourism sector in all the States and Union Territories and in respect of land owned by Government agencies like Railways.
Introduce regulatory measures to ensure social, cultural and environmental sustainability as well as safety and security of tourists.
Ensure that the type and scale of tourism development is compatible with the environment and socio-cultural milieu of the area.
Ensure that the local community is fully involved and the benefits of tourism accrue to them.
Facilitate availability of trained manpower particularly from amongst the local population jointly with the industry.
Undertake research, prepare master plans, and facilitate formulation of marketing strategies.
Organise overseas promotion and marketing jointly with the industry.
Initiate specific measures to ensure safety and security of tourists and efficient facilitation services.
Provide basic infrastructural facilities including local planning and zoning arrangements.
Facilitate the growth of a dynamic tourism sector.

Bonds between countries are forged.

Sometimes, the country, in a bid to attract tourists, will developed states that are more frequented by tourists. Hence, some states will be neglected. This will also lead to nation spending more than they should on the tourism sector.

Economic
Tourism in India has benefitted the economy sector as tourism would spend on food and lodging as well as recreational activities. Infrastructure and new facilities will be built in the country, therefore creating jobs for the locals. Apart from that, the tourism industry provides job opportunity in the different sectors. E.g. Food & Beverage industry; job vacations opened and created for specialist such as chef. By opening their doors to tourism, this will also lead to increase in foreign investments.

The boons of the tourism in India would be investors/firms uses India as a selling hub. Goods are produced somewhere else and sold to India; locals purchase goods, GDP goes down because export'<'imports.

Social
Bane: Social interaction with foreigners will increase locals’ insight about foreigner’s tradition and their way of life. It helps to bring people together.

Boon: Lose of culture. The locals are taking to wearing westernized suits rather than their traditional everyday attire.

Technology
Increase the locals’ standard of living. E.g. Monorail in Japan.

Environment
The tourism impact on environment has bring about more damages than benefits as the increased tourism activities will cause depletion of resources as well as pollution to the country. E.g. Land pollution due to littering.

India 'Disneyfied'?

Disneyfication of India

“Disneyfication (also called Disneyization) is a term which describes the transformation of something, usually society at large, to resemble The Walt Disney Company's theme parks. Sharon Zukin (1996) uses the former term in her book The Cultures of Cities, as do other social scientists writing about urban transformation. The latter term was popularized by Alan Bryman in a 2004 book, The Disneyization of Society. Disneyfication of urban space is explored in Jeff Ferrell's Tearing Down the Streets: Adventures in Urban Anarchy.

The terms are generally used in a negative way, and they imply homogenization of consumption, merchandising, and emotional labor. They can be used more broadly to describe the processes of stripping a real place or event of its original character and repackaging it in a sanitized format. References to anything negative are removed, and the facts are watered down with the intent of making the subject more pleasant and easily grasped. In the case of places, this typically means replacing what has grown organically over time with an idealized and tourist-friendly veneer reminiscent of the "Main Street, U.S.A." attractions at Disney theme parks.” – Wikipedia.

There principals of Disneyfication are as such: theming, merchandizing, and emotional labour.

Theming
Firms are coming up with different themes to boost sales. An example could be the F&B industry. Restaurants are repeatedly trying to sell not only their food but the overall image of the place, in order to gain an edge over the rest. One classic case could be the ‘Ohris Group’s Bollywood themed Restaurant 'Havmor 70 MM' and '1857' - Colonial themed Restro-Bar launched at Hyderabad. Each zone is themed in that look and feel. Also featured are full and detailed statues of Amitabh Bachchan and Helen with a lot of retro Bollywood elements including staff uniforms. Table tops are all themed as per the zone. Lots of authentic bollywood memorabilia on the walls such as LP records, Posters depicting Bollywood stars, etc.

Merchandizing
Bollywood, India’s version of Hollywood, is one of India’s greatest joys having gained recognition on an international context. Along with box-office collections, producers are increasingly looking at off-screen deals as an alternative source of revenue. One such example could be ‘merchandising for Saawariya. The whole business of branded entertainment is being driven by “outside associations” which is growing at a whopping 200% year-on-year.

Emotional labour
“Emotional labour is an element of work activity in which the worker is required to display certain emotions in order to complete work tasks in the way required by an employer.” One such example can be the call centre in Mumbai. Problems facing the call-centre workers such as `abusive client calls', `nerve-wracking time schedules and increasing targets' are among the issues in spotlight. There are several centres where the profit margins are so tight that operators are under constant pressure to meet tough deadlines and stick to strictly scripted interactions, and manage a cheerful disposition through it all.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

What is India known for?

India is known for a variety of things in different states.

Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand which are at the foot of Himalayas
Known for scenic beauty, flowers, gardens, lakes, snow covered hill stations like Shimla (Simla), Kulllu, Manali and Mussourie. Some activites one can partake in there: snow games like skiing, river rafting, mountaineering, trekking, etc. Apples, saffron (flower) and apricots are grown in this region.

Rajasthan is mostly a desert with temperature running to 50 degrees Celsius during summer. Camels are used for transportation.

Jaipur is called the Pink City because an assortment of Pink Stone is used for the Palaces assembled by the olden days Kings.

Udaipur is called the City of Lakes.

Punjab is rich and fertile.

Chandigarh, a well planned city famous for Nek Chand's Rose Garden and a park /sculptures made of broken porcelain/glass pieces.

Amritsar, the Golden Temple is positioned in this state which is a sacred place to Sikhs like Mecca to Muslims.

Ahmadabad, the capital of Gujarat is a flourishing business centre with the people belonging to a very rich community. It is famous for textile industry.

Uttar Pradesh, though no longer a visitors paradise, is still Home to India's most seen tourist spot, the ‘Taj Mahal’. Uttar Pradesh is also the heritage heartland of India, with many Hindu pilgrim spots.

Dwaraka, is the place of Lord Krishna, Surat is the city of cloth manufacturing and Ship building makes this State very rich in resources. Perhaps these are the richest community in India.

Maharashtra, the financial hub of India, is famous for its film Industry in the state capital Mumbai (Bombay) Bollywood, the Indian version of Hollywood. It is the world's largest film Industry by number of movies made every year, many times more than Hollywood. The beautiful Marine Drive is also called as the Queen's Necklace is worth seeing in the night when it is lit. There are many island caves near Mumbai, and the Elephanta caves are very famous in this regard. Konkan region in Maharashtra has got remarkable tourist potential. Ratnagiri district in this region has come on to the world map becuase of its Alphonso mango. Many beaches including religious attractions draw many International to Konkan region.

Goa is reputed for its beaches and churches, Goa, the name itself is a boost for tourism.

Moving on to the Eastern part of India, most of these states are rich with tea plantations.

Kolkata (Calcutta) in West Bengal, the capital is the first city where the British established their East India Company. Even to this day, we can see the buildings in British Style on many streets of Kolkata.

Darjeeling with its a century old narrow-gauge train is one of the main attraction hill stations.

Sikkim is a land of Buddhists with many monasteries while the other smaller states like Tripura, Mizoram have Christians.

Manipur was called the "Switzerland of India" by Lord Irwin, a viceory of India in the 1920s. This small state has the largest freshwater lake in eastern India, called Loktak. And the world's endangered brow antlered deer plays in the world's only floating park Keibul Lamjao. The state is famous for the Ima Keithel or "Mothers' Market where more than 3, 000 women controls the daily market to sell vegetables, fruits, fish and other essential products. Two well tended Commonwealth War Graves Cemetries are located built in memory of soldiers fought in World War II.

Bihar is birthplace of Buddhism.

Puri in Orissa, is a holy place for Hindus with Lord Jagannath's temple, the Konark Sun God temple and a vast stretch of beaches.Asia's largest lake called the Chilka lake is in Orissa where many birds migrate from other parts of the world. Rourkela in Orissa is another place of huge tourist interest as it holds a 74ft. high statue of Lord Hanuman and also Khandadhar Falls(India's 4th highest waterfall).

Vindhya Mountain ranges across three states comprising parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Vidharbh (North Eastern Part of Maharashtra).

Tamilnadu is celebrated for many stone sculptured temples.

Karnataka is a land with greenery and a combination of Hindus, Muslims and Jains.

Mysore is called the city of sandalwood, being the largest producer of Sandalwood.

Kerala, the land of coconuts, backwaters, beaches and ayurvedic centre for medical treatment and health spa.

Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, also known as one of the twin cities, the other being Secunderabad. Hyderabad pearls are world famous.Tirupati, the abode of Lord Venkateshwara is here and it is this temple which brings in the most revenue in comparison to any other place in India. It is actually the second richest religious organization in the world after the Roman Catholic Church of Vatican.

In general, India is known for:

1. Rich & praiseworthy culture (Arts for one) & civilization
India has of a very rich past as it was ruled by the powerful Sultans and greatest kings in the bygone days. There are monuments and cultural facts that have come down from various parts of Asia. India is also a land of great diversity. It is a mixture of a great many cultures of different states, that have its unique histories and culture. Moreover, the styles in the old monuments of arts are vastly different. More over if we look at the old monuments of art, the styles are vastly different. It will be a challenge to find another country with such multiplicity in arts, culture, and history.

2. Yoga
Yoga is a Hindu philosophy ("darshana") first expounded in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

3. Spices & spicy food

4. Religion
Seeing as how Buddhism and Hinduism first originate from India, devotees flock to India as it is the ‘sacred’ place.

5. Anicent Vedas

6. Science
The worldwide representation of India is that of an imminent and progressive nation. India has hurdled many limitations in all segments- commerce, technology and development, etc.

Renowned Scientists
Dr. S.Chandrasekhar :

He is an Astrophysicist, who won Nobel Prize for Physics in 1983 for his theory of Stellar Evolution – the birth and death of stars is 35 years old. According to his theory, the old stars just crumple and vanish in the light of denser stars of low light popularly called Chandrasekhar Limit.

Charaka :
He was a court physician of King Kanishka during 80 and 180 A.D.. His writings on Hindu Medicine are priceless.

Types of Leisure Programmes

Festivals, Events, Sports, and other Recreational Programs
India is a land of festivals and fairs. Indians practically celebrate each day of the year; as such, there are more festivals than anywhere else! Each celebration relates to a variety of occasions, some to welcome the seasons of the year, the harvest, the rains, or the full moon. Others commemorate spiritual events, the birthdays of celestial beings and saints, or the arrival of the New Year. A number of these festivals are widespread in most parts of India, although they may be referred to by varying names in different parts of the country or may be celebrated in a different manner. There are many significant festivals celebrated by diverse communities in India, and some of the festivals celebrated all over India are mentioned below.

Bhai-Dooj
Symbolizes the siblings’ eternal love for each other. The sister would pray for the elongated and prosper life of her brother by applying tilak on his forehead and in return brother gives his words to supply a lasting protection to his sister. The festival falls on the second day after Diwali and is celebrated all over the country.

Diwali
Otherwise known as ‘Deepawali’ or the Festival of Lights. It is arugably the most celebrated of all Hindu festivals. Sacred dedication accompanied with lots of fun and frolicking marks the festival. Deepawali is celebrated in most parts of the country with the same zest and in the same manner.

Dussehra
Falls on the 10^thday of the waxing moon during the Hindu month of Ashvin (around September or October). Dussehra is associated with a captivating collection of myths and legends. On this day, Rama (the god-king and the hero of the great Hindu clssic, Ramayana) defeated the wicked Ravana – the 10-headed demon-king of Lanka who had kidnapped Rama’s wife Sita.

Eid Ul Fitr
The grandest Muslim fiesta. Eid comes from the Arabic word ‘oud’ or ‘the coming back’ to indicate the return of Eid each year. The festival is noteworthy as much for its timing as for its sacred connotations. It is commerated after the month of Ramzan (the fasting month and the ninth month of the Muslim year), on the first day of Shavval – a month in the Hijri year (Muslim year). It is widely-circumulated that the Koran was lay bared to Prophet Mohammed in the month of Ramzan.

Cricket is the most popular sport in India as much as it is not the national game (which is hockey). It is played in every street corner, even in cramped back alley! Lack of resources is not a setback to the game. Even though India’s performance is not as good as it should have been, contemporary training approaches and more competitive spirit are expected to give an improved medals tally at the next Olympic Games.

Trekking is one of the most prominent adventure sports in India. The rugged beauty of these mountain ranges in India provides spectacular and stimulating trekking trips, which draws travellers and tourists from around the globe. Himalaya, Garhwal and Kumaon regions, Chamba, Manali, Ladakh, Zanskar, Lahaul-spiti, Kullu, Kangara, Darjeeling, Yuksam and Leh offer breathtaking, and enthralling trekking routes to the tourists. Almost all the travel agents in India provide exciting trekking trips. There are many hotels and hill resorts in those regions as well.

(Almora hill resort - one of the most popular hill stations of Uttaranchal. )

Mode of Education

“The Indian education system encompasses pre-school, primary school, secondary school, higher secondary school, and higher education (graduation and post-graduation). Although primary school is compulsory, this has been difficult to achieve in practice and India is still struggling to raise its literacy rates.

Through school, students are taught a uniform set of subjects including languages, math, sciences, and social sciences. Higher education in India provides an opportunity to specialize in a field and include

s technical schools (such as the Indian Institutes of Technology), colleges, and universities.

Higher education in India has evolved in distinct and divergent streams with each stream monitored by an apex body, indirectly controlled by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and funded by the state governments. The important universities are called Central Universities and these are maintained by the Union Government. The private sector also has a strong presence in Indian higher education. The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), National Law School, Bangalore; All India Institute of Medical Sciences; Indian School of Business, Hyderabad; and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are renowned for their superior standards of education and compete with the best in the world.” – As adapted from http://www.spainexchange.com/guide/IN-education.htm

Funding for education mainly comes from 3 levels: Federal, state, and local. There are three different types of education: public, private or home-schooled. Home-schooled is a less explored approach, even though it is legal in India.

According to statistics, 80% of all school is government school. This naturally makes the national government the main provider of education. However, because of the poor quality of education in government school, 27% of Indian children are privately-educated. Private school offers a more extensive modules and extra curriculum activities such as science fairs. The y also have a better student to teacher ratio as compared to government school(1:31 to 1:37).

Female education
Women has a lower illiteracy rate when put side by side the opposite gender. Most female student drop out at an earlier age because they are either financially incapable or because India’s tradition does not require that women be highly educated, their sole existence is to care for their solely their husband and family.