THE TIME CAPSULE

INCREDIBLE INDIA

INDIA – A FEW FACTS• India gained its independence on the 15th of August with the then Prime

Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s words “Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance”.

• India is the seventh largest country by area, the second most populous country with over 1.2 billion people & the most populous democracy in the world.

• The Indian economy is the world’s tenth largest by nominal GDP & the third largest by purchasing power parity.

• It has the third largest standing army in the world.

• It is made up of 28 states & 7 Union Territories.

INDIA – A FEW FACTS - 2 • Four world religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism & Sikhism

originated here.

• India has so many religions yet is a secular state.

• It is home to more than a 100 languages.

• The Indian cultural spans more than 4500 years.

• It’s home to the oldest inhabited city in the world- Varanasi.

• It has the world’s largest network of roads.

• The number system & the number zero (0) was invented by us.

India is a diverse nation & has a heritage that’s one of the oldest in the world. Truly making it Incredible!

THE TIME CAPSULE & ITS

CONTENTS

• India is a land known for its colors. Colors play an important part in the Indian culture without which any auspicious occasion is incomplete.

• I would like anyone who opens the capsule to feel the vibrant colors in his hands to feel how important these are to us.

01. PACK OF COLORS

02. COINS & NOTES OF TODAY

• The new symbol of Rupee was adopted just three years back in 2010, with new coins & notes made after 2011 bearing the symbol. I want all to know that this new symbol was adopted now & this is how it looks like today.

• This symbol has helped to give the currency a new look in the Bullion Market with the entire world accepting this as the new symbol for the Indian Rupee.

03. SOME POSTAL STAMPS

• India is home to one of the largest postal systems in the world with millions in India still using post as an important means of communication.

• These stamps are an Important part of an Indian man today & hopefully will be for many years to come.

04. THE INDIAN RAILWAY INSIGNIA

• From the first train that ran in 1853 between Bombay & Thane, Indian Railways has come a long way to its present state. It’s one of the largest rail networks in the world & is one of the most important ways to travel for the common man in India. The Indian legacy is incomplete without this network.

• The future hold more prospect for the Railways yet today this is how it looks.

• I would like to include the pictures of the insignia as well as an entire train to show what it looks like today.

05. MEMENTO OF THE SYMBOL OF LOVE - THE TAJ MAHAL

• One of the seven wonders of the world, the heritage of India is incomplete without the Taj Mahal. Built by the Mughal King Shahjahan for his deceased wife Mumtaz Mahal it stands today as a symbol of love for millions to see.

• I would include a memento of this wonder in the time capsule for people to know about the Symbol of Love.

06. PICTURE OF THE KOHINOOR & THE PRINCIE DIAMOND

• Diamonds were first mined & treasured as gemstones in the world by India. The Kohinoor & the Princie diamonds were one of the few jewels that are known for their beauty throughout the world today. The Kohinoor adorns the Crown of the British Queen.

• I would like to specially put in images of these two special Diamonds for the world to see that these were from India.

The Kohinoor on the Crown The Pink Princie Diamond

07. RECIPE OF THE PAAN

• Paan is a stimulating, psychoactive preparation of betel leaf combined with areca and/or cured tobacco.

• Another specialty of India, any occasion is incomplete without a paan.

• I would include a recipe on how to make paan in the time capsule so that all the people who open the capsule would be able to savor this Indian delicacy.

08. A BAG FULL OF SPICES

• Any Indian food is tasteless without the mixture of spices that are put in it to make it Authentically Indian.

• I would like the whole world to taste the spices of India & hence would include a bag of spices in the capsule.

09. A PACK OF BANARSI SARI & DHOTI KURTA

• A sari or saree is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by women, ranging from four to nine yards in length that is draped over the body in various styles which is native to India. The Banarsi Sari is a special sari from the Indian city of Varanasi.

• A dhoti on the other hand is for men & is a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, usually around 4.5 metres (15 ft) long, wrapped around the waist and the legs and knotted at the waist, resembling a long skirt. While a Kurta is a loose shirt falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer.

• These are the traditional & authentic clothes for women & men respectively in India.

• I would leave these for the people to see the authentic Indian culture & to show what the traditional Indian of today used to wear.

10. LITERARY WRITINGS OF MUNSHI PREMCHAND & RABINDRANATH TAGORE

• Literature in India is incomplete without the writings of the world renowned authors & poets Munshi Premchand & Rabindranath Tagore.

• To showcase the patrimony of my country in literature I would enclose a copy of Gitanjali by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, and a copy of Nirmala by Munshi Premchand.

11. A SITAR, A SHEHNAI & A TABLA WITH A MUSIC RECORDING OF THE INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC

• The key instruments of the Indian classical music. The sitar, shehnai & the tabla have originated in India and are an important part of the musical heritage of the country.

• I would put in each of these musical instruments with a CD containing the recording of the instruments & the basics of how to master them.

Sitar Shehnai Tabla

12. THE BOARD GAMES- PACHISI AND SNAKES & LADDERS• Pachisi (Chausar) is a cross & circle board game that originated in ancient

India. It’s a game that led to the development of the board game Ludo.

• While Snakes & ladders too originated in India & is played between two or more players on a gameboard having numbered, gridded squares. A number of "ladders" and "snakes" are pictured on the board, each connecting two specific board squares. The object of the game is to navigate one's game piece, according to die rolls, from the start (bottom square) to the finish (top square), helped or hindered by ladders and snakes, respectively.

• These two games though old are a part of our rich cultural heritage and I would love to share these with the future generations.

Snakes & Ladders Pachisi

13. CHESS BOARD & GILLI DANDA (TIPCAT)

• "Gilli Danda" is played with two pieces of equipment - a danda, being a long wooden stick, and a gilli, a small oval-shaped piece of wood.

• I would include a chess board & gilli danda (Also known as Tipcat in English) in the capsule to tell about these two games that originated in India, but are famous worldwide today.

Chess Board with pieces Gilli Danda (Tipcat)

14. A BOLLYWOOD MOVIE COMMEMORATING THE 100 YEARS OF THE INDIAN FILM INDUSTRY• Another rich heritage of India is its Film Industry which completes a 100

years this year in May. On this occasion four of the most talented Directors across the industry are coming together to make a film due to be released in May.

• I would include this Feature Film (named Bombay Talkies) in the time capsule to tell the people, who open the capsule, about the legacy of Bollywood.

15. IMAGE OF THE WHITE BENGAL TIGER, THE INDIAN ELEPHANT & THE NATIONAL BIRD - PEACOCK

• India is home to the White Bengal Tiger which is a rare & endangered beast famous for its white color.

• India is also home to the great Indian Elephant that is one of the three recognized subspecies of the Asian Elephants. Elephants are an important part of the Indian culture wherein they are treated as animals that bring in luck.

• The peacock is the National bird of India & has a vibrant display of color on its wings.

The images of these three animals represents the rich biodiversity of animals that India houses.

THE TIME CAPSULE FOR INDIA

• India is a land of rich diverse culture, heritage & legacy with a million things to showcase. Yet, I chose the above to demonstrate the patrimony of my Country because I believe that at the core India is known for a lot of things in the world but there are many people who are still unaware of the inheritance of this country & I believe that these are the very basic things that would remain an integral part of this great nation.

• The coming generations would definitely be futuristic & much advanced yet the culture, the heritage that they would imbibe from these basic things would be sufficient enough to carry on the Legacy of this great nation ahead.

THANK YOU

By ~

Aishwarya Tiwari

REFERENCES

www.google.com

www.wikipedia.org

www.incredibleindia.org