India

Where in the world can you expect people to kill and even die over such a small thing as a pair of moustaches?

If the question confounded you, then obviously, my dear reader, you do not know a lot about a strange (in good ways as well as bad) country on the face of this planet. This country is called India.

An ancient land, it was known as the “Golden Bird” in the old times, which was a reference to the affluence of the nation which was protected by the magnificent Himalayas on one end and the Great oceans on the other. But man is a strange animal and when it wants something, it keeps on trying and trying until it gets it or sometimes perishes trying.

Alexander, the great, was one of the first who made his way all the way to India overcoming all the obstacles that stopped him. But either the strain of the journey was too much on his army or he met with a fierce opposition from an Indian King Porus, the result was that Alexander was stopped.

Then over the centuries, man invented ships and machines, and the natural barriers that had hitherto acted as effective safeguards were no longer enough to save the “Golden Bird” from the world and one after another the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French, the Afghani, the British etc. entered into India and fought with the natives as well as among themselves, till the British finally managed to establish their supremacy among all others.

All of this and also the fact that the India is one of the oldest civilizations that still exists has resulted in India being a very diverse country in every way possible. Every culture that India came in contact with left an imprint on it. People in parts of India are still speaking Portuguese and Dutch, though the original speakers of the language left our shores a long time back. One can see the effects of the Greeks and the Dutch and the British on the architecture of various famous buildings in India. In terms of religion too, India has more religions than any other country in the world. In fact, India has given more religions to the world than any other, which I am not sure is an entirely good thing.

And, I really got carried away this time. This post was originally titled “A Pair of Moustaches” but somehow it took a life of its own, and I had no other option but to title it “India”. A pair of moustaches will have to bide its time.