India Introductions and Development of Indian subcontinent in this blog article we will stduy about Indian subcontinents and its developmental process through the Kaleidoscope of Time…
India: Introductions and Development of Indian Sub-Continent through the Kaleidoscope of time
Table of Content
- India: Introduction
- The Kaleidoscope of Time
- Scenario One:
- Scenario Two
- Scenario Three
- Scenario Four
- Scenario Five
Introduction
India is a large country and has been a well-marked geographical unit from ancient times. Surrounded by the young fold mountains in the north and north-east, Arabian Sea in south-west, Bay of Bengal in south-east and the Indian Ocean in the south, India forms a large land-mass. The country is situated in the southern part of the continent of Asia. Due to its large size and geographical variety, India is often called a sub-continent.
India is a country with physical variety. To its north stretch the snow-covered ranges of the Himalayas. Melting of ice in this region makes the rivers flowing through the vast plains of north India perennial. The vast plain of north India stretches to the south of the Himalayas from west to east. The western part of this plain is occupied by the dry lands of Rajasthan while its eastern part is occupied by rain area of Brahmaputra Valley. This plain is one of the most fertile areas of the world. To the south of the northern plain extends the peninsular plateau. This plateau is highly dissected. The mountain ranges of the region are among the oldest in the world. To the east and west of the plateau are situated the coastal plains which extend from north to south. A large part of the country lies within the tropical zone and receives large amounts of sunshine all the year round. Monsoon winds provide ample rainfall. Temperature and rainfall are the two important elements of climate. These elements influence the lives of the inhabitants of India.
The Kaleidoscope of Time
The cycle of time is continuous one. If one goes back in time, one can see glimpses of the ever changing patterns. Some of the scenes visible in the kaleidoscope of time would be as follows:
(1) Scenario One:Food gatherers of stone age are roaming around in search of food. Natural phenomena like thunder and lightening frighten them. The people of this age were completely dependent for their survival on nature.
(2) Scenario Two:Man has learnt the art of growing plants (agriculture). He has started living in permanent settlements of small size. People are growing food grains with the help of their crude tools on their small fields.
(3) Scenario Three:It is a settlement of Aryans. Some people are melting iron here and some others are making earthen pots on potter’s wheel. Some people are constructing a dam across a river. They are no more afraid of natural phenomena. They have learnt to harness the forces of nature to some extent. At the same time they try to appease the forces of nature through their worship. They are witnessing the rise and fall of large kingdoms in calm tranquility.
(4) Scenario Four:India has become a land of many villages. Villages and agricultural areas are visible up to long distances. Some cities are also visible in between the villages and farmlands. But most of the people still live in the villages. Some artisans and handicraftsmen are working in dingy workplaces in some cities. Some of them are carving stone figures while the others are making beautiful ornaments of glittering gold. At another place, weavers are making colourful fabrics by using multi-coloured silk threads.
(5) Scenario Five:It is a glimpse of modern India. Large cities have developed. There are tall smoke-emitting chmineys of large factories around them. Steel is being manufactured by smelting iron ore. is the age of computers, Centres of information technology have been established in big cities. Softwares are being developed in the new factories. The efforts are being made to send another spacecraft to the moon. New researches are being carried out in the field of atomic energy. People are moving around with mobile phones. Man has learnt to control the forces of nature. He is generating electricity using the velocity of the turbulent waters by making dams across rivers. Villages and cities are illuminated by electricity. All these indicate man’s knowledge about nature and his capability to harness it.
History of humanity tells us that, in every stage of development, we have been dependent upon nature. In the beginning, we were almost slaves of nature. With the passage of time, our knowledge of kept expanding and we started cooperating with nature. With the scientific and technical knowledge at our command, we have now started interacting more and more intensely with nature. Our effective interaction with nature depends upon our understanding of nature. Being fully dependent upon nature for all our requirements, we can neither defy nor ignore it. Unnecessary interference with nature is harmful to us. Natural calamities like floods, droughts, landslides, etc. are to a large extent, the results of our unnecessary interference with nature. We should not forget that we have grown in the lap of nature and our life is wholly dependent upon it.
True development can only be achieved with a balanced relationship with nature. Nature has been very kind to provide us with a variety of resources as gifts. These resources form the foundation of modern civilization and economy. We should utilize these resources carefully. We should not consider ourselves the owners of resources. We are only custodians of these valuable gifts of nature and are obliged to hand them over to the coming generations.