UNISEL ICLS 2014/2015

Famous Hindu Proverbs in English

2015-01-04T09:04:00.002-08:00

1.A man becomes like those whose society he loves.

2.A man in this world without learning is as a beast of the field.. Hindu Proverb. A man in this world without learning is as a beast of the field.

3.Among the blind, the squint rules.. Hindu Proverb. Among the blind, the squint rules.

4.Anger has no eyes.. Hindu Proverb. Anger has no eyes.

5.Can the monkey know the taste of ginger?. Hindu Proverb. Can the monkey know the taste of ginger?

6.Can't tell his ass from a hole in the ground.. Hindu Proverb. Can't tell his ass from a hole in the ground.

7.Dig a well every day to drink water every day.. Hindu Proverb. Dig a well every day to drink water every day.

8.Dig your well before you're thirsty.. Hindu Proverb. Dig your well before you're thirsty.

9.Eating while seated makes one of large size; eating while standing makes one strong.. Hindu Proverb. Eating while seated makes one of large size; eating while standing makes one strong.

10.He who does kind deeds becomes rich.. Hindu Proverb. He who does kind deeds becomes rich.

11.Help thy brother's boat across, and lo! thine own has reached the shore.. Hindu Proverb. Help thy brother's boat across, and lo! thine own has reached the shore.

12.Help your brother's boat across, and your own will reach the shore.. Hindu Proverb. Help your brother's boat across, and your own will reach the shore.

13.It is a cart if it travels well, else it is but timber.. Hindu Proverb. It is a cart if it travels well, else it is but timber.

14.It is better to walk than to run; it is better to stand than to walk; it is better to sit than to stand; it is better to lie than to sit.. Hindu Proverb. It is better to walk than to run; it is better to stand than to walk; it is better to sit than to stand; it is better to lie than to sit.

15.Kill a cow to donate shoes.. Hindu Proverb. Kill a cow to donate shoes.

16.Like the body that is made up of different limbs and organs, all mortal creatures exist depending upon one another.. Hindu Proverb. Like the body that is made up of different limbs and organs, all mortal creatures exist depending upon one another.

17.Many dogs kill a hare, no matter how many turns it makes.. Hindu Proverb. Many dogs kill a hare, no matter how many turns it makes.

18.Of what use is the veil if you are going to dance.. Hindu Proverb. Of what use is the veil if you are going to dance.

19.Saints fly only in the eyes of their disciples.. Hindu Proverb. Saints fly only in the eyes of their disciples.

20.Sleep after selling horses and elephants.. Hindu Proverb. Sleep after selling horses and elephants.

21.There is nothing noble in being superior to some other man. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self.. Hindu Proverb. There is nothing noble in being superior to some other man. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self.

22.These three take crooked ways: carts, boats, and musicians.. Hindu Proverb. These three take crooked ways: carts, boats, and musicians.

23.They who give have all things; they who withhold have nothing.. Hindu Proverb. They who give have all things; they who withhold have nothing.

24.Those who give have all things; those who withhold have nothing.. Hindu Proverb. Those who give have all things; those who withhold have nothing.

25.To give quickly is a great virtue.. Hindu Proverb. To give quickly is a great virtue.

26.True happiness consists in making others happy.. Hindu Proverb. True happiness consists in making others happy.

27.Wash your hands in the flowing Ganges.. Hindu Proverb. Wash your hands in the flowing Ganges.

28.Waste makes want.. Hindu Proverb. Waste makes want.

29.Waste not want not.. Hindu Proverb. Waste not want not.

30.When a camel is at the foot of a mountain then judge of his height.. Hindu Proverb. When a camel is at the foot of a mountain then judge of his height.

31.When an elephant is in trouble even a frog will kick him.. Hindu Proverb. When an elephant is in trouble even a frog will kick him.

32.Whose stick, his buffalo.. Hindu Proverb. Whose stick, his buffalo.

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The Clever Hare and The Witless Lion - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T08:51:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time there lived a cruel lion in the forest who killed the forest animals indiscriminately. Seeing this, the animals gathered and decided to approach the lion with the offer of one animal of each species volunteering itself to be eaten by the lion everyday. So every day it was the turn of one of the animals to be the prey of lion. And in the end came the rabbits' turn. The rabbits chose a old rabbit among them. The rabbit was wise and old. It took its own sweet time to go to the Lion. The Lion was getting impatient on not seeing any animal come by and swore to kill all animals the next day.

The rabbit then reached the Lion by sunset. The Lion was angry at him. But the wise rabbit was calm and slowly told the Lion that it was not his fault. He told the Lion that a group of rabbits were coming to him for the day when on the way, an angry Lion attacked them all and ate all rabbits . Somehow he escaped to reach safely, the rabbit said. He said that the other Lion was challenging the supremacy of his Lordship ,the Lion. The Lion was naturally very enraged and asked to be taken to the location of the other Lion.

The wise rabbit agreed and led the Lion towards a deep well filled with water. Then he showed the Lion his reflection in the water of the well. The Lion was furious and started growling and naturally its image in the water, the other Lion, was also equally angry. Then the Lion jumped into the water to attack the other Lion, and so lost his life in the well. Thus the wise rabbit saved the forest and its inhabitants from the proud Lion.

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The Crow and The Cobra - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T08:49:00.001-08:00

Two crows, husband and wife, lived on a tree. Every time, the wife hatched the eggs, a cobra would come and feast on the offspring. The couple asked a jackal who was their friend to show them the way. The jackal told the crow not to despair for there is noting that a trick cannot achieve. The jackal told them to go to a big city and snatch any item of jewellery from a palace and drop it in the hollow of the tree that is the cobra's home. In search of the jewellery, the king's men would reach the tree and kill the cobra.

The crow couple flew off to a lake where the queen and her maids were bathing in water. Before entering water, the women left their jewellery and clothes on the waterside. The female crow skillfully dived and snatched a gold necklace and began slowly flying towards the cobra's hideout. The king's men who saw the crow fly off with the necklace followed the female crow and saw it dropping the necklace into the hollow of the tree. They ran to the tree and pulling it out killed the cobra.

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The Greedy Jackal - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T08:47:00.002-08:00

Once upon a time there lived a lazy jackal. Also in the hills there lived a hillman and a wild boar. Once when the hillman went to hunt, he saw the wild boar. He took a sharp aim with his arrow and stuck the boar. But the boar was only injured and it attacked the hillman and he died on the spot. Later the boar also collapsed due to the injury and died.

A jackal happened to pass the site of both the dead bodies, and decided to eat them slowly. But he was excessively greedy and first wanted to eat the bowstring, before the other bodies. As he tried to eat the bowstring which was tightly attached to the bow, it snapped and the end of the string pierced the roof of its mouth and it stuck a big injury to the jackal and the jackal too died on the spot.

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The Mice and The Elephants - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T08:45:00.002-08:00

Once upon a time there lived a group of mice under a tree peacefully. But once a group of elephants came that way and destroyed the homes of all the rats as a result of which many of them were crushed to death. Then the king of rats decided to approach the elephant chief and requested him to guide his herd through another route.The
elephant king agreed to this and took another route to the water. And so the lives of the rats were saved.

One day a group of elephant-hunters came and trapped the elephants in huge nets. Then the elephant king suddenly remembered the king of the rats. He summoned one of the elephants of his herd which had not been trapped, to go and contact the king of rats. On listening to the elephant, the rat king took his entire group of mice and they cut open the nets which trapped the elephant herd. And so the elephant herd was totally set free.

The Blue Jackal - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T08:44:00.001-08:00

Once a jackal was living in a forest. One day, driven by hunger, he came to a nearby town in search of food. Seeing him, a group of mongrels ( dogs of mixed breed ) began chasing and attacking him. The jackal fled in panic and entered the house of a washerman. He hid in a tub full of blue used for bleaching clothes. When he came out, he became a blue animal. Thinking that he was not the jackal they chased, the mongrels dispersed.

The jackal came back to the forest with his body dyed in blue. When the lions, tigers, panthers, wolves and other animals in the forest saw him, they took fright and ran away. Seeing them scared, the dyed jackal said, “ Why do you run away like that. There is no need to fear. I am a special creation of God. He told me that the animals in the jungle had no ruler and that he was nominating me as your king. He named me as Kakudruma and told me to rule all of you. Therefore all of you can live safely under my protection. ”

All the animals in the jungle accepted him as the king. He in turn appointed the lion as his minister, the tiger as his chamberlain and the wolf as the gatekeeper. After distributing office to the animals, the new king Kakudruma banished all the jackals in the forest. The lions, tigers and the wolves killed other animals and brought them as food for the king. Taking his share, Kakudruma would distribute the rest of the kill among his subjects.

One day when the blue jackal was holding court, he heard a gang of jackals howling. Thrilled by the sound of his own folk, Kakudruma began loudly responding in his natural voice. The lions and other animals immediately recognized that their king was after all a jackal and not a Godsend. They at once pounced on the blue jackal and killed him.

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The Dove King - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T08:41:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time, there was a flock of doves that flew in search of food led by their king. One day, they found some rice scattered beneath a banyan tree. So all the doves landed and began to eat.
Suddenly a net fell over them and they were all trapped. They saw a hunter approaching them carrying a huge club. The doves desperately fluttered their wings trying to get out, but to no avail.

The king got an idea. He advised all the doves to fly up together carrying the net with them. He said that there was strength in unity. So each dove picked up a portion of the net and together they flew off carrying the net with them. The hunter looked up in astonishment. He tried to follow them, but they were flying high over hills and valleys. They flew to a hill near a city of temples where there lived a mouse who could help them. He was a faithful friend of the dove king.

When the mouse heard the loud noise of their approach, he went into hiding. The dove king gently called out to him and then the mouse was happy to see him. The dove king explained that they had been caught in a trap and needed the mouse's help to chew the net with his teeth and set them free. The mouse agreed saying that he would set the king free first. The king insisted that he first free his subjects and the king last. The mouse understood the king’s feelings and compiled with his wishes. He began to cut the net and one by one all the doves were freed including the dove king.

They all thanked the mouse and flew away together united in their strength.

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Sparrow's Grief - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T08:39:00.000-08:00

A pair of sparrows made their home on a branch of a big tree and lived happily there. Soon it was winter and it began to rain heavily. Frequent gusts of wind made the cold unbearable. At this time, a monkey completely drenched in the rain and shivering from cold, came hurrying to the tree for cover.

Seeing the condition of the monkey, the female sparrow said, “Gentleman, with your feet and hands you seem to be a human being. Why didn't you build a house for yourself?' Angered by this uncalled for advice, the monkey said, “you stupid, why do not you shut up and mind your business?' The monkey told himself, “My, what impudence! This bit of a creature has the cheek to offer me advice. Makes fun of me. Unnecessary prattle. I must teach her a lesson. Why shouldn't I kill her?”

Turning to the sparrow, the monkey said, “How does it help you to worry about my plight? Haven't you heard this saying of the elders that you should offer advice to those who seek it and cherish it? Advice to him who is indifferent is like a cry in the wilderness. Don't try to do that.”

When the bird persisted, the monkey climbed up the tree and broke up the nest of the sparrow pair.

MORAL : One should be careful in offering advice. Fools ignore advice while wise men follow it & benefit by it.

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The Monkey and The Crocodile - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T08:37:00.001-08:00

Once upon a time there lived a monkey on an apple tree by the side of the sea. . Once a crocodile swam ashore and the monkey threw apples at him and asked him to taste them. The crocodile started coming everyday to eat the fruits thrown by the monkey and soon they became good friends.
The crocodile used to take some fruits his wife too. His wife asked him as to where he got the nectar filled apples. The crocodile told her about his friend the monkey. The lady was greedy and pleaded with her husband that she would like to eat the monkey's heart, as a person who gave such tasty fruits must have a heart filled with nectar. The crocodile was angry and did not agree to deceive his friend. But she then insisted on not eating anything till he brought her his friend's heart. Out of desperation, the crocodile started making plans for killing his friend.

He came back to the monkey and invited him to his house for supper stating that his wife would be thrilled to have him home and also that she was very anxious to meet such a nice friend. Poor monkey believed the story and asked his friend as to how he could cross the sea to reach the house of the crocodile on the other side. The crocodile then offered to carry him on his back and the monkey agreed.

In the middle of the sea, the crocodile told the monkey that his wife wanted to eat his heart filled with nectar. The monkey immediately asked him to take him back to the tree as he had left his heart back at the tree. The foolish crocodile then swam back to the tree and the terrified monkey jumped up the tree never to return. The monkey at once leapt to the top of the tree and thought, “ We should not trust an untrustworthy person, even if we did, it should not be total. Such trust will destroy us completely. This is a rebirth for me.”
The crocodile was in a hurry and asked the monkey, “ What is the delay? Get you heart. My wife will be very happy.”
The monkey angrily told him, “ You idiot, have you seen anyone with two hearts? You are ungrateful. Get out of my sight and never come this way again.

MORAL : He overcomes all problems who does not lose his cool, even in the face of adversity like the monkey in the water

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The Brahmani and The Mongoose - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T08:35:00.001-08:00

Once a Brahmin lived in a city with his wife. His wife delivered a son at the same time as a she-mongoose gave birth to a male child. The Brahmani (Brahmin’s wife) adopted the mongoose’s son and began bringing him as she would her own son. Yet the Brahmani never left her son alone because she did not trust the mongoose, fearing that she would some day harm her son. The elders have said that one’s own son, however immoral, ugly, foolish and wicked, are his parent’s darling.

One day, leaving for the lake to bring water, the Brahmin’s wife told her husband to keep a watch on their son. Soon, a cobra entered the house. Fearing danger to the son of the Brahmin, the mongoose attacked the cobra and killed him. Hearing the footfalls of his mother Brahmani, the mongoose, with a mouth smeared by blood, went to greet her. When the mother saw the mongoose with his mouth oozing blood, thought that what she had feared had happened. Without a second thought, the Brahmin’s wife threw the pot of water on the mongoose and the mongoose died as a result.

Mourning the death of the mongoose, the woman entered the house and found that her child was soundly sleeping in the cradle and also the cobra bitten to pieces by the mongoose. The woman was struck by grief that she had killed the mongoose that was like a son to her.

MORAL : The learned have said that he who does things without discretion regrets his action like the Brahmin’s wife.

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The Bird With Two Heads - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

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A great bird named Bharunda lived on the banks of a lake. He had two heads but a single body. One day, as the bird was wandering on the bank of the lake, he found a very delicious fruit. One of his heads mumbled, “Oh what a fruit. I am sure the heavens have sent it for me. I am so lucky.” Hearing this, the second head said, “O brother, let me also taste the fruit you are praising so much.”
The first head laughed and said, “Both of us have the same stomach. It makes no difference whether I eat it or you eat it. I shall give it to our beloved. She will be very happy.” Bharunda thus gave the fruit to his wife. The second head was disappointed at this action of the first head.

One day, the second head found a poisonous fruit and told the first head, “You treacherous fellow. For what you have done to me, I will eat this poisonous fruit and avenge your insult.” The second head said, “You fool, if you eat that, both of us will die because we have the same body.”

Ignoring his warning, the second head ate the poisonous fruit and both of them died.

MORAL : Those who are not united will perish.

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The Musical Donkey - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, there was an old thin donkey who used to carry clothes and other burdens for his master. At night he was free to wander as he liked.
One night, he met a jackal and they both went out in search of food. They found a garden filled with cucumbers and helped themselves to a delicious meal. After that they returned every night to the garden to eat cucumbers. And so the donkey started looking healthy and fat.

One night, after a particularly tasty meal, the donkey was overwhelmed with happiness and he told the jackal he wanted to sing a song. The jackal immediately told him not to do any such thing! He warned the donkey that they were thieves so it was not a good idea to make noise and attract the farmers attention. If they were caught, they would be beaten.
But the donkey insisted on singing. The jackal told the donkey that his voice was not sweet. The donkey was upset and thought that the jackal was jealous of him. The jackal warned the donkey again that if he did sing, the farmers would come and reward him in a way that he would not like.

But the donkey started singing, and the jackal decided to wait outside the garden. When the farmers heard the donkey braying, they rushed out to beat him. The donkey fell down and the farmers tied a heavy stone around his neck.
Somehow the donkey dragged himself out to the waiting jackal. The jackal congratulated him on his reward. The donkey realised his mistake and apologised to the jackal for not listening to the good advice.

MORAL : He who has no wits of his own or does not heed advice of good friends, perishes like the donkey

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The Jackal Strategy - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T08:20:00.000-08:00

Once a jackal lived in a forest. One day, he found the body of an elephant and was happy that he would have food for many days. However, he was not able to bite into the thick hide of the elephant and was circling around the body when a lion came that way. The jackal humbly prostrated before the lion and said, “My lord, I am your obedient servant. At your command, I am keeping a vigil on the body of the elephant. Please help yourself.”

The lion said, “You know my friend, I do not eat something others have killed. You may take it as my gift to you.” And the lion left the place.

After the lion had left, a tiger came on the scene. The jackal thought, “ I got rid of one menace through humility. How do I escape this fellow? He will not yield to any strategy I know. The only way of keeping him at bay is cunning. Let me try it.”

The jackal then went half way to greet the tiger and said, “O uncle, why are you entering this area of death? The lion has killed this elephant and asked me to keep watch on it. He has gone to take bath. Before going, he told me to inform him if any tiger happened to come here. He vowed to kill all the tigers because long time ago a tiger had nibbled at an elephant he had killed. He told me that from that day he had sworn to kill all tigers.”

These words frightened the tiger. He told the jackal, “Son, save my life. When the lion comes, don’t tell him I had come this way. Please.”

On receiving an assurance from the jackal, the tiger hurriedly left the scene. Then came a leopard.

The Jackal thought, “This fellow has strong and sharp teeth. I will persuade him to pierce the hide of the Elephant”. Addressing the leopard, the jackal said, “My son, you have come this way after a long time. You seem to be hungry. Why don’t you be my guest? See this body of the elephant killed by the lion. He has asked me to keep an eye on the body. So, have a feast before he returns.”

The leopard said, “ Uncle, how can I accept your invitation. If I want to live long I should not touch this elephant. I will leave now.”

The jackal assured him, “Don’t worry, you go ahead. I will alert you when the lion comes.”

The leopard then began attacking the elephant and when he tore the hide, the jackal cried, “ Run. The lion is coming.” In this way, the jackal managed to get rid of the leopard also.

When the jackal began feasting on the elephant flesh, another jackal came that way. He was very angry and looked very strong. The first jackal remembered the last line of the stanza “crush equals with power” and attacked the trespasser with great ferocity and killed him.

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The Curious Monkey And The Wedge - PANCHATANTRA STORIES

2015-01-04T05:24:00.000-08:00

Once a temple construction was going on in a merchant’s garden. Many masons and carpenters were working for it. They took time off every day to go to the town for their lunch. One day, when the workers left for lunch a batch of monkeys landed at the temple site and began playing with whatever caught their fancy. One of the monkeys saw a partly sawed log of wood and a wedge fixed in it so that it does not close up.

Curious to know what it is, the monkey began furiously tugging at the wedge. At last the wedge came off, trapping the legs of the monkey into the rift of the log. Very soon, not able to get his legs out of the closed wood, the monkey died.

MORAL : It is not wise to poke one’s nose into affairs that are not of their concern.

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ICLS COMMITTEE MEMBERS 2014/2015

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Learn Tamil Alphabet

2014-12-31T00:02:00.002-08:00

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Sogam -Bharathiyar Kavithaigal

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Kannamma En Kuzhantai -Bharathiyar Kavithaigal

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Annaiyai Venduthal -Bharathiyar Kavithaigal

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Why It's Important to Learn Tamil?

2014-12-18T22:40:00.000-08:00

Bilingual Tamils argue that knowing and speaking Tamil is important to their identity. They say that they are Canadians and that they are Tamils. They say that deep inside their hearts they are both Canadians and Tamils. Many agree that it is a wonderful thing to be a Canadian and a Tamil at the same time. Says one student, “You can’t be anything if you don’t know who you are. Deep inside your heart, you are a Tamil too. Therefore, it is important to speak Tamil to keep your heart conscious of yourself. Otherwise, you are denying your identity to yourself.”

Some argue that one’s mother tongue – Tamil – is more important than one’s religion. They feel that

we lose our identity when we lose our language. They point out that throughout our history, Tamils have been Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Christians and Muslims, but they always identified as Tamils. Regardless of their religious differences, all Tamils have contributed to Tamil culture and literature.

Knowledge of the language also opens you to a vast amount of work such as literature, music, and drama with which the Tamil language is rich and abundant. Historical works are almost entirely written in the Tamil language. To understand how these (the arts and history) have come to define us as a people and to understand in-depth who we are requires knowledge of Tamil.

Youth who have had to learn English as ESL students have worked twice as hard. Top ranking students from Sri Lanka sometimes fare no better than an average student here because of language barriers. To learn something new, they have had to break the English language barrier before starting the process of acquiring information. Therefore, it is no wonder that they resent the attitude of some students who look down on them because they have difficulty speaking English or have an accent. Is it their fault that some twist of fate gave one student an advantage over the other?

The behaviour of certain students who try to hide their Tamil identity also insults these students and the pain that they have had to witness and bear. Of what meaning is it to pretend that you are not Tamil and above someone because you speak English?

I have put much thought about the situation and talked to many of my friends in Canada and around the world. It appears that this is not a unique problem for Tamil youth in Canada. Tamil youth in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand have the same kind of divisions among them. The above countries are all English speaking countries.

There are also tens of thousands of Tamils in France, Germany, Switzerland, Norway and other Western European countries. It is interesting to note that Tamils in non-English speaking countries do not have this stark division among themselves. In these countries, almost every Tamil – regardless of how long they have been there – seems to know Tamil. They are forced to learn it to communicate with their parents who have no knowledge of the host country’s language. It is only in the former British colonies and in the UK that our youth seem to have this division.

The reason behind this division, I think, is the unequal distribution of English knowledge among our parents. Since Sri Lanka had been a British colony, speaking English was highly encouraged, valued and considered a matter of pride even in the post-colonial era. Therefore, parents with English knowledge spoke to their kids in English. When Tamils immigrated to countries like Canada, some had a good command of the English language and others did not. People with previous English knowledge had an advantage in Canada, US, UK, Australia and New Zealand while others struggled to learn English. Thus, there is a division among Tamils in English speaking countries.

By contrast in non-English speaking countries, since every Tamil had almost zero knowledge of the host country’s language, everyone started at zero to learn a new language. Therefore, they do not have as great a division among Tamil students.

We Tamils are living in a very crucial period at this time. Never before in our history were we displaced around the world like today. Never before have we wandered around the world as refugees. To object to these injustices we need a strong voice. For a strong voice, we need to stand united. And the one thing that can unite us as a group – cutting across the boundaries of diasporic country, religion and class – is our language.

Therefore, it is critical to learn Tamil, our mother tongue. Tamil is intertwined with our past. It is only by learning Tamil and understanding our past that we can come to terms with our present and realize our future.

Indian History

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Indian people or Indians are citizens of India, a populous country in South Asia containing 17.31% of the world's population, and people of Indian heritage. The Indian nationality consists of many regional ethno-linguistic groups, reflecting the rich and complex history of India. India was formed out of a number of predecessor states. The Indian people created during ancient and medieval period some of the greatest Dynasties in South Asian history like the Maurya Empire, Gupta Empire, Rashtrakuta dynasty, Chola dynasty, Vijayanagara Empire, Rajputs and Maratha Empire and the Indian culture and Indian science spread to much of Asia which led to the establishment of Indianized kingdoms in Southeast Asia during ancient and medieval period. The diaspora populations with Indian ancestry, as a result of emigration, are somewhat widespread most notably in Southeast Asia, South Africa, Australia, United Kingdom, Middle East, Trinidad and North America. Population estimates vary from a conservative 12 million to 20 million diaspora.

..THE HISTORY..

The history of the Indian people goes back to the Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from c. 3300 to 1300 BCE in present-day Pakistan and northwest India, was the first major civilization in South Asia. A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture developed in the Mature Harappan period, from 2600 to 1900 BCE. This civilization collapsed at the start of the second millennium BCE and was later followed by the Iron Age Vedic Civilization, which extended over much of the Indo-Gangetic plain and which witness the rise of major polities known as the Mahajanapadas. In one of these kingdoms, Buddhaand Mahavira were born in the 6th or 5th century BCE and propagated their Shramanic philosophies.

The first great Empire of the Indian people was the Maurya Empire which conquered the major part of South Asia in the 4th and 3rd century BC during the reign of the Indian Emperors Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka. The next great ancient Empire of the Indian people was the Gupta Empire. This period, witnessing a Hindu religious and intellectual resurgence, is known as the classical or "Golden Age of India". During this period, aspects of Indian civilization, administration, culture, and religion (Hinduism and Buddhism) spread to much of Asia, while kingdoms in southern India had maritime business links with the Roman Empire from around 77 CE. The ancient Indian mathematicians Aryabhata, Bhāskara I and Brahmagupta invented the concept of zero and the decimal system during this period. During this period Indian cultural influence spread over many parts of Southeast Asia which led to the establishment of Indianized kingdoms in Southeast Asia.

During the early medieval period the great Rashtrakuta dynasty dominated the major part of the Indian subcontinent from the 8th to 10th century and the Indian Emperor Amoghavarsha of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty was described by the Arab traveler Sulaiman as one of the 4 great Kings of the world. The medieval south Indian mathematician Mahāvīra (mathematician) lived in the Rashtrakuta dynasty and was the first Indian mathematician who separated astrology from mathematics and who wrote the earliest Indian text entirely devoted to mathematics. The greatest maritime Empire of the medieval Indians was the Chola dynasty. Under the great Indian Emperors Rajaraja Chola I and his successor Rajendra Chola I the Chola dynasty became a military, economic and cultural power in South Asia and South-East Asia.

The power of the Chola empire was proclaimed to the eastern world by the expedition to the Ganges which Rajendra Chola I undertook and by the occupation of cities of the maritime empire of Srivijaya in Southeast Asia, as well as by the repeated embassies to China. During the late medieval period the great Vijayanagara Empire dominated the major part of southern India from the 14th to 16th century and reached its peak during the reign of the south Indian Emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya.

The medieval Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics flourished during this period under such well known south Indian mathematicians as Madhava (c. 1340-1425) who made important contributions to Trigonometery and Calculus, and Nilakhanta (c. 1444-1545) who postulated on the orbitals of planets. The Indian Maratha people emerged in the 17th century and established the Maratha Empire under the reign of Shivaji Maharaj which became the dominant power in India in the 18th century.

..GENETICS..

Basu et al. (2006) emphasize that the combined results from mtDNA, Y-chromosome and autosomal markers suggest that " there is an underlying unity of female lineages in India, indicating that the initial number of female settlers may have been small; the tribal and the caste populations are highly differentiated; the Austroasiatic tribals are the earliest settlers in India, providing support to one anthropological hypothesis while refuting some others; a major wave of humans entered India through the northwest; the Tibeto-Burman tribals share considerable genetic commonalities with the Austroasiatic tribals, supporting the hypothesis that they may have shared a common habitat in southern China, but the two groups of tribals can be differentiated on the basis of Y-chromosomal haplotypes; the Dravidian tribals were possibly widespread throughout India before the arrival of the Indo-European-speaking nomads, but retreated to southern India to avoid dominance; formation of populations by fission that resulted in founder and drift effects have left their imprints on the genetic structures of contemporary populations; the upper castes show closer genetic affinities with Central Asian populations, although those of southern India are more distant than those of northern India; historical gene flow into India has contributed to a considerable obliteration of genetic histories of contemporary populations so that there is at present no clear congruence of genetic and geographical or sociocultural affinities."

The Andamanese negritos are found on the Andaman Islands located on the southeastern side of the country. These speak a language known simply as Great Andamanese, a linguistic isolate not related to any known language. And finally, Austroasiatic languages are spoken by only tribals or Adivasis, who can be of either Australoid or Mongoloid racial stock.

According to a major 2009 study published by Reich et al. using over 500,000 biallelic autosomal markers, the modern Indian population is composed of two genetically divergent and heterogeneous populations, known as Ancestral North Indians (ANI) and Ancestral South Indians (ASI). ASI corresponds to the Dravidian-speaking population of southern India, whereas ANI corresponds to the Indo-Aryan-speaking population of northern India. Research by Moorjani et al, published in 2013, shows the two groups mixed extensively in the period from around 2100 BC to 100 AD, at which point a trend towards endogamy precluded any further mixing of the populations.

..CASTE GROUPS..

India has more than two thousand ethnic groups[citation needed] and every major religion is represented, as are four major families of languages (Indo-Aryan – a branch of the larger Indo-European language group –, Dravidian, Austroasiatic, and Tibeto-Burman) as well as a language isolate (the Nihali language spoken in parts of Maharashtra). India's castism history is extremely complex; nevertheless, distinct racial divisions between peoples still exist as established by modern anthropologists, despite the fact that the national Census of India does not recognize racial or ethnic groups within India.

..RELIGION..
India is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, collectively known as Indian religions. Indian religions, also known as Dharmic religions are a major form of world religions along with Abrahamic ones. Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third- and fourth-largest religions respectively, with over 2 billion followers altogether, and possibly as many as 2.5 or 2.6 billion followers. India is also the birthplace for the Jain, Lingayat, and Ahmadiyya faiths.

India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with some of the most deeply religious societies and cultures. Religion still plays a central and definitive role in the life of most of its people.

The religion of 80.5% of the people is Hinduism. Islam is practiced by around 13% of all Indians. Sikhism, Jainism and especially Buddhism are influential not only in India but across the world. Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Bahá'í Faith are also influential but their numbers are smaller. Despite the strong role of religion in Indian life, atheism and agnostics also have visible influence along with a self-ascribed tolerance to other people.

Hinduism is the majority in most states; Kashmir and Lakshadweep are Muslim majority; Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya are Christian majority; Punjab is a Sikh majority with hindus 37%. It is to be noted that while participants in the Indian census may choose to not declare their religion, there is no mechanism for a person to indicate that he/she does not adhere to any religion. Due to this limitation in the Indian census process, the data for persons not affiliated with any religion may not be accurate. India contains the majority of the world's Hindus, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Jains and Bahá'í. India is also home to the third-largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan. Muslims are the largest religious minority.

..MUSIC AND DANCE..
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and, developed over several eras, it remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as sources of spiritual inspiration, cultural expression and pure entertainment. India is made up of several dozen ethnic groups, speaking their own languages and dialects, having very distinct cultural traditions.

Dance in India covers a wide range of dance and dance theatre forms, from the ancient classical or temple dance to folk and modern styles. Three best-known hindu deities, Shiva, Kali, Ganesha and Krishna, are typically represented dancing. There are hundreds of Indian folk dances such as Bhangra, Garba and special dances observed in regional festivals. India offers a number of classical Indian dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. The presentation of Indian dance styles in film, Bollywood, has exposed the range of dance in India to a global audience.

..CASTE SYSTEM..
The Indian caste system describes the system of social stratification and severe social restrictions in India in which social classes are defined by thousands of endogamous hereditary groups, often termed jātis or castes. Within a jāti, there exist exogamous groups known as gotras, the lineage or clan of an individual. In a handful of sub-castes such as Shakadvipi, endogamy within a gotra is permitted and alternative mechanisms of restricting endogamy are used (e.g. banning endogamy within a surname).

The Indian caste system involves four castes and outcasted social groups. Caste barriers have mostly broken down in large cities, though they persist in rural areas of the country, where 72% of India's population resides.

Sivanesan Tamil Selvam (2008/2009)

2014-12-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

The Indian Cultural & Language Society of Universiti Industri Selangor (ICLS-UNiSEL) is the first ever society established for the Indians of UNiSEL in the UNiSEL’s history. It took eight years of hard work and effort to set this society in UNiSEL and now the society had celebrated its first anniversary on the 24th of October 2008.

ICLS-UNiSEL is being a channel to form potential graduates with academic excellence, good and healthy social skills. It is the vision and mission of the society. In order to achieve it, ICLS-UNiSEL had new ideas to come up with beneficial programs and activities to motivate the students and share the knowledge among all the students of UNiSEL. ICLS-UNiSEL had run many programs which all were successful. Students’ gets a chance to show their talent and capability through the society.

The aim of the society is to establish a network of exchanging knowledge and improve the intellectual skills among UNISEL Indian students; to move actively in identifying the problems faced by the students and provide all possible help and support to them and encourage them to adapt comfortably into social and academic development in the university; to provide a channel for the students to share their experiences and implement their knowledge; to instill cultural values in our Indian students and also expose these cultural values to other students of UNiSEL; and to create an awareness among the Indian students community existing in Malaysia about the programs, environment and educational opportunities at UNISEL.

I hope that each and every student either junior or senior will continue contributing to the development of ICLS-UNiSEL in order to give its best to the community of UNiSEL and be the best among other higher learning institutions. This will be the right time and place for us to show our capabilities to others and proving ourselves that we can come up with creative and innovative ideas and thoughts to contribute to the development of our society and country.

I would like to extend my heartiest appreciation to the management of UNISEL for supporting us in all ways when conducting programs and events and to all the students who have contributed towards this achievement in running programs.

Thank You,

Sivanesan Tamil Selvam

President of ICLS-UNiSEL (2008/2009)

ICLS HISTORY AND FOUNDER

2014-12-18T20:20:00.003-08:00

The Indian Cultural & Language Society of Universiti Industri Selangor (ICLS-UNiSEL) is the ever first society established for the Indians of UNiSEL. ICLS-UNiSEL was a dream of many students. Now it is a dream comes true for all of us. The aim of the UNISEL Indian Cultural Society is to give an identity to the Indian Community in UNISEL and its diversity. As a society, we strongly believe in the idea of togetherness. At a finest university like UNISEL, which attracts so many Indian students, we strongly feel the need to have a society that can bring togetherness not only among Indian students, but anyone who wishes to know more about Indian Culture & Language.

The purpose of the society is also to foster greater interaction among UNISEL Indian students; to provide all possible help and support to them to enable them to adapt comfortably into their new environment in the university; to provide a convenient forum or channel for them to share their experiences and discuss relevant issues; to represent, promote and protect the interests of the undergraduate students at the University level; and to create an awareness among the Indian students community existing in Malaysia about the programs, environment and educational opportunities at UNISEL.

ICLS-UNiSEL also a channel to produce potential graduates with academic excellence, good and healthy social skills. Few important strategies of ICLS-UNiSEL are to come up with beneficial programs and activities to motivate the students and share the knowledge among all the students of UNiSEL.

I hope that each and every student will contribute to the development of ICLS-UNiSEL so that this society will continue to give its best to the community of UNiSEL and strive itself to the eye of other higher learning institutions. This is the time for us to show our abilities to others and prove that we can come up with ideas and thoughts to contribute to the development of our society and country.

I would like to extend my heartiest appreciation to the management of UNISEL for approving the formation of this society and to all the students who have contributed towards this achievement.

Thank You

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ICLS CONTACT DETAILS

2014-12-17T03:32:00.002-08:00

PHONE LINE: EMAIL:
* updated soon iclsunisel14@gmail.com

ADDRESS:
Pejabat Hal Ehwal Pelajar,
Bangunan Canseleri,
Kampus Bestari Jaya,
Jalan Timur Tambahan,
45600 Berjuntai Bestari,
Selangor Darul Ehsan.

அங்கோர் வாட் வரலாறு - The History of Angkor Wat

2014-12-15T12:44:00.001-08:00

அங்கோர் வாட் (Angkor Wat) என்பது, அங்கோர், கம்போடியாவில் உள்ள இந்துக்கோயிலாக இருந்து பின்னர் புத்த மதக் கோயிலாக மாறிய ஒரு தொகுதியாகும். இது உலகின் மிகப்பெரிய மத வழிபாட்டுத் தலமாகும். இது இரண்டாம் சூரியவர்மன் (கிபி 1113-1150) என்பவரால் 12ஆம் நூற்றாண்டின் போது யசோதரபுரத்தில் (இப்போதைய அங்கோர்) கட்டப்பட்டது. இது மாநில கோயிலாகவும், கல்லறை மாடமாகவும் பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டு வந்தது. அப்போதைய அரசர்களின் சைவ பாரம்பரியத்தை உடைக்கும் விதமாக இக்கோயில் இறைவன்விஷ்ணுவுக்கு அர்ப்பணிக்கபட்டது. இக்கோயில் கெமர் பாரம்பரியத்தின் உயர்தர கட்டமைப்பை கொண்டது. இக்கோயில் கம்போடியா நாட்டின் சின்னமாக அந்நாட்டு கொடியில் இடம்பெற்றுள்ளது. அங்கோர் என்பது நகரத்தையும், வாட் என்பது கோயிலையும் குறிக்கும் கெமர் மொழிச் சொல்.

வரலாறு

அங்கோர் வாட், சியம் ரீப்பின் நவீன நகரத்தின் வடக்கே 5.5 கிலோமீட்டர் தொலைவில், முந்தைய தலைநகரமான பாஃபுஆனுக்கு சற்றே தென் கிழக்கில் அமைந்துள்ளது. இக்கோவிலின் தொடக்க வடிவமைப்பும், கட்டுமானமும் 12ஆம் நூற்றாண்டின் பாதியில் இரண்டாம் சூரியவர்மனால் ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்டது. இக்கோயில் விஷ்ணுவுக்காக அர்ப்பணிக்க பட்டிருந்தாலும் அரசனின் மாநிலக்கோவிலாகவும், தலைநகரமாகவும் செயல்பட்டு வந்தது. இக்கோயிலின் உண்மையான பெயர் தெரியவில்லை. இரண்டாம் சூரியவர்மனின் மறைவுக்கு பின்னரே இக்கோயில்

முழுத்தோற்றம் பெற்றது. 1177ல் தோராயமாக இரண்டாம் சூரியவர்மன் மறைந்து 27 வருடங்களுக்கு பின், அங்கோரை கெமரின் பாரம்பரிய எதிரிகளான சம்ப்பாக்கள் கைபற்றினர். அதன் பின்னர் புதிய அரசர் ஏழாம் ஜயவர்மன் சிறிது தூரம் வடக்கே தள்ளி தன் புதிய தலைநகரத்தையும், மாநில கோவிலையும் நிறுவினார். 13ஆம் நூற்றாண்டின் போது, அங்கோர் வாட், இந்து கோவிலில் இருந்து தேராவத புத்த மத பயன்பாட்டுக்காக இன்று வரை பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டு வருகிறது. அங்கோர் வாட், அங்கோர் கோயில்களிலேயே மிகவும் அசாதாரணமானது, 16ஆம் நூற்றாண்டிலேயே அக்கோயில் ஒரளவு புறக்கணிக்கப்பட்டு வந்தாலும் முழுமையாக கைவிடப்படவில்லை, ஏனெனில், அக்கோயிலின் அகழி காட்டின் அத்துமீறலில் இருந்து சிறிது பாதுகாப்பளித்தது. மேற்கத்திய பார்வையாளர்கள் இக்கோயில் கெமர் மக்களால் கட்டப்பட்டது என்பதை நம்ப இயலாமல் இக்கோயில் உரோம சகாப்தத்தின் போதே கட்டப்பட்டது எனத் தவறாக தேதியிட்டனர். ஆனால், அக்கோயிலைப் புதுப்பித்த போது மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்ட கல்வெட்டுகளின் ஆய்வில் அது மற்ற அங்கோர்களிருந்து தனித்து இருப்பதை உணர்ந்தனர். 20ஆம் நூற்றாண்டின் போது தொடங்கப்பட்ட புதுப்பித்தல் பணி, உள்நாட்டுப் போர் மற்றும் 1970, 1980களின் கெமர் ரூச்சின் ஆட்சியினால் நிறுத்தப்பட்டது. ஆனால் மற்ற அங்கோரியன் சிலை திருட்டு மற்றும் சேதத்தை ஒப்பிடும் போது அங்கோர்

கட்டமைப்பு

இக்கோயில் கடவுள்களின் இருப்பிடமாகக் கருதப்படும் மேரு மலையினைக் குறிப்பதாக உள்ளது. மத்திய கோபுரங்கள், மேரு மலையின் ஐந்து சிகரங்களைக் குறிக்கின்றது. சுவர்களும், அகழியும், பிற மலைத்தொடர்களையும், கடலையும் குறிக்கின்றது. இக்கோயில் நகரத்தில் இருந்து சிறிது உயர்த்தப்பட்ட ஒரு தளத்தின் மீது அமைந்துள்ளது. மூன்று சதுர கூடங்கள், மத்திய கோபுரத்துடன் இணைந்துள்ளது. இக்கூடங்களும், கோபுரமும் அரசன், பிரம்மா, சந்திரன் மற்றும் விஷ்ணுவுக்காக அர்ப்பணிக்கபட்டுள்ளது என கூறபடுகிறது.முதல் மண்டபம் வெளிப்புறம் சதுரத் தூண்களையும், உட்புறம் மூடிய சுவரையும் கொண்டுள்ளது. தூண்களுக்கு இடைப்பட்ட விதானம் (ceiling) தாமரைவடிவ அலங்காரங்களைக் கொண்டுள்ளது. மூடிய சுவர் நடன உருவங்களால் அலங்கரிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இச்சுவரின் வெளிப்புறம் தூண்களோடுகூடிய பலகணிகள், அப்சரஸ்கள் மற்றும்விலங்குகளின் மீதமர்ந்து நடனமாடும் ஆண் உருவங்கள் முதலியவற்றால் அலங்காரம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. எல்லா மண்டபங்களின் சுவர்களிலும் அப்சரஸ் உருவங்கள் காணப்படுகின்றன. முதல் மண்டபத்திலிருந்து நீண்ட வழிமூலம் இரண்டாவது மண்டபத்தை அடைய முடியும். இது இரண்டு பக்கங்களிலும் சிங்கச்சிலைகள் அமைந்த படிக்கட்டைக் கொண்ட மேடையிலிருந்து அணுகப்படுகிறது. இரண்டாவது மண்டபத்தின் உட்சுவர்களில் வரிசையாக அமைந்த புடைப்புச் சிற்பங்கள் உள்ளன. மேற்குப் பக்கச் சுவரில் மகாபாரதக்காப்பியக் காட்சிகள் காணப்படுகின்றன. மூன்றாவது மண்டபம், உயர்ந்த மேல்தளத்தின் மீது ஒன்றோடொன்று மண்டபங்களால் இணைக்கப்பட்ட ஐந்து கோயில்களைச் சூழ அமைந்துள்ளது.மண்டபங்களின் கூரைகள், பாம்புகளின் உடல்களையும், சிங்கம் அல்லது கருடனின் தலையையும் கொண்ட உருவங்களால் அலங்கரிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. மேற்குப் பக்கத்திலுள்ள முதன்மைக் கோயிலின் வெளி முற்றத்தில் இரண்டு நூலகங்கள் அல்லது சிறிய கோவில் அமைப்புக்கள் உள்ளன. அகழிக்கு வெளியே அதனைச் சுற்றி புல்வெளிகளமைந்த பூங்காக்கள் உள்ளன.

இன்றைய அங்கோர் வாட்

1982 மற்றும் 1992ன் மத்தியில் இந்திய தொல்பொருள் ஆராய்ச்சி நிறுவனம் இக்கோயிலின் புதுப்பித்தல் பணியினை செய்தது. அப்போதிலிருந்து இக்கோயிலின் சுற்றுலா வரவு பெருகியது. இக்கோயில் 1992ல் நிறுவப்பட்ட அங்கோரின் உலக பாரம்பரிய களத்தின் ஒரு பகுதியாக இருப்பதனால் இதைப் பராமரிக்க கம்போடிய அரசுக்கு ஊக்கமும், நிதி உதவியும் அளிக்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது. ஜெர்மன் அப்சரா பாதுகாப்பு திட்டம், இக்கோயிலின் அலங்காரத்தையும், கட்டமைப்பையும் பேணும் தேவதாக்களைப் பாதுகாத்து வருகிறது. உலக நினைவிடங்கள் நிதியம், 2008ல் பாற்கடல் கூடத்தை பல ஆய்வுகளுக்கு பின்னர் புதுப்பிக்கும் பணியினை மேற்கொண்டுள்ளது, இப்பணியின் முக்கிய கட்டம் 2012ல் முடிவடைந்தது, இறுதிக் கட்டமாக முக்கோண வடிவிலான அலங்கார கும்பம் 2013ல் நிறுவப்படும் எனத் தெரிகிறது. 2004 மற்றும் 2005ல், கம்போடிய அரசாங்க புள்ளிவிவரங்களின் படி முறையே, 561,000 மற்றும் 677,000 வெளிநாட்டுப் பார்வையாளர்கள் இரண்டு ஆண்டுகளாக கம்போடியாவுக்கு வருகை புரிந்துள்ளனர் எனத் தெரிவிக்கப்படுகிறது. சுற்றுலா வர்த்தகம் இக்கோயிலைப் பாதுகாக்க பெரும் அளவில் உதவியது. ஆனால் அதிக அளவு பார்வையாளர்களின் வரவால் இக்கோயிலின் சுற்று வட்டாரம் மாசு பட்டுள்ளது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது. எனவே இதைக் கட்டுப்படுத்த யுனெஸ்கோவும் அதன் சர்வதேச ஒருங்கிணைப்புக் குழுவும் சேர்ந்து அதனைப் பாதுகாக்க முடிவு கொண்டது.