South India and Maharashtra Essay Example for Free

South India and Maharashtra Essay Maharashtra is a state in the western region of India. It is the second most populous state after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India. Maharashtra is the wealthiest state in India, contributing 15% of the countrys industrial output and 13.3% of its GDP. Maharashtra is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Gujarat and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli to the northwest, Madhya Pradesh to the north and northeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, Karnataka to the south, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast and Goa to the southwest. The state covers an area of 307,731 km2 (118,816 sq mi) or 9.84% of the total geographical area of India. Mumbai, the capital city of the state, is Indias largest city and the financial capital of the nation. Maharashtra is the worlds second most populous first-level administrative country sub-division. Were it a nation in its own right, Maharashtra would be the worlds twelfth most populous country ahead of Philippines. Etymology The modern Marathi language developed from the Maharashtri Prakrit,[7] and the word Marhatta (later used for the Marathas) is found in the Jain Maharashtri literature. The terms Maharashtra, Maharashtri, Marathi and Maratha may have derived from the same root. However, their exact etymology is uncertain.[8] The most widely accepted theory among the scholars is that the words Maratha and Maharashtra ultimately derive from a compound of Maha (Sanskrit for great) and rashtrika.[8] The word rashtrika is a Sanskritised form of Ratta, the name of a tribe or a dynasty of petty chiefs ruling in the Deccan region.[9] Another theory is that the term is derived from Maha (great) and rathi or ratha (great chariot driver), which refers to a skillful northern fighting force that migrated southward into the area.[9][10] History The Nashik Gazetteer states that in 246 BC Maharashtra is mentioned as one of the places to which Mauryan emperor Asoka sent an embassy, and it is recorded in a Chalukyan inscription of 580 CE as including three provinces and 99,000 villages.[11][12] The name Maharashtra also appeared in a 7th-century inscription and in the account of a Chinese traveller, Hiuen-Tsang.[11] In 90 AD Vedishri,[13] son of the Satavahana king Satakarni, the Lord of Dakshinapatha, wielder of the  unchecked wheel of Sovereignty, made Junnar, thirty miles north of Pune, the capital of his kingdom. It was also ruled by Kharavela, Satavahana dynasty, Western Satraps, Gupta Empire, Gurjara-Pratihara, Vakataka, Kadambas, Chalukya Empire, Rashtrakuta Dynasty, and Western Chalukya before Yadava rule. Maharashtra was ruled by the Maurya Empire in the 4th and 3rd century BC. Around 230 BCE Maharashtra came under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty which ruled the region for 400 years.[14] The greatest ruler of the Satavahana Dynasty was Gautamiputra Satakarni. The Chalukya dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the 6th century to the 8th century and the two prominent rulers were Pulakesi II, who defeated the north Indian Emperor Harsha and Vikramaditya II, who defeated the Arab invaders in the 8th century. The Rashtrakuta Dynasty ruled Maharashtra from the 8th to the 10th century.[15] The Arab traveler Sulaiman called the ruler of the Rashtrakuta Dynasty (Amoghavarsha) as one of the 4 great kings of the world.[16] From the early 11th century to the 12th century the Deccan Plateau was dominated by the Western Chalukya Empire and the Chola dynasty.[17] Several battles were fought between the Western Chalukya Empire and the Chola dynasty in the Deccan Plateau during the reigns of Raja Raja Chola I, Rajendra Chola I, Jayasimha II, Somesvara I and Vikramaditya VI.[18] In the early 14th century the Yadava dynasty, which ruled most of present-day Maharashtra, was overthrown by the Delhi Sultanate ruler Ala-ud-din Khalji. Later, Muhammad bin Tughluq conqu ered parts of the Deccan, and temporarily shifted his capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in Maharashtra. After the collapse of the Tughlaqs in 1347, the local Bahmani Sultanate of Gulbarga took over, governing the region for the next 150 years. After the break-up of the Bahamani sultanate, in 1518, Maharashtra split into and was ruled by five Deccan Sultanates: namely Nizamshah ofAhmednagar, Adilshah of Bijapur, Qutubshah of Golkonda, Bidarshah of Bidar and Imadshah of Berar. These kingdoms often fought amongst each other. United, they decisively defeated theVijayanagara Empire of the south in 1565. Also present area of Mumbai was ruled by Sultanate of Gujarat before capturing by Portugal in 1535 and Faruqi dynasty ruled Khandesh region between 1382 and 1601 before Mughal annexation. Malik Ambar was the regent of the Nizamshahi dynasty of Ahmednagar from 1607 to 1626. During this period he increased the strength  and power of Murtaza Nizam Shah and raised a large army. Malik Ambar is said to be the one of proponent of guerilla warfare in the Deccan region. Malik Ambar assisted Shah Ja han wrestle power in Delhi from his stepmother, Nur Jahan, who had ambitions of seating her son-in-law on the throne. By the early 17th century, Shahaji Bhosale, an ambitious local general in the service of the Mughals and Adil Shah of Bijapur, attempted to establish his independent rule. His son Shivaji succeeded in establishing Maratha Empire which was further expanded by Bhonsle of Nagpur, Gaekwad of Baroda, Holkar of Indore, Scindia of Gwalior and Peshwas (prime ministers). The Marathas defeated the Mughals, and conquered large territories in Northern and Central parts of the Indian subcontinent. After the defeat at the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761, the Maratha restored their supremacy and ruled central and north India including New Delhi till the end of the eighteenth century. The Third Anglo-Maratha war (1817–1818) led to the end of the Maratha Empire and East India Company ruled the country in 1819. After Indias independence, the Deccan States, including Kolhapur were integrated into Bombay State, which was created from the former Bombay Presidency in 1950. In 1956, the States Reorganisation Act reorganised the Indian states along linguistic lines, and Bombay Presidency State was enlarged by the addition of the predominantly Marathi-speaking regions of Marathwada (Aurangabad Division) from erstwhile Hyderabad state and Vidarbha region from the Central Provinces and Berar. Also, southernmost part of Bombay State was ceded to Mysore one. From 1954–1955 the people of Maharashtra strongly protested against bilingual Bombay state and Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti under the leadership of Dr. Gopalrao Khedkar was formed. Mahagujarat Movement was also started for separate Gujarat state. Gopalrao Khedkar, S.M. Joshi, S.A. Dange, P.K. Atre and other leaders fought for a separate state of Maharashtra with Mumbai as its capital. On 1 May 1960, following mass protests and sacrifice of 105 human lives the separate Marathi-speaking state was formed by dividing earlier Bombay state into new states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. The demand of the local people of merging some of the Marathi speaking areas of Karnataka namely Belgaum, Karwar and Nipani is still pending. Geography Maharashtra encompasses an area of 308,000 km ² (119,000 mi ²), and is the  third largest state in India. It is bordered by the states of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Chhattisgarh to the east, Andhra Pradesh to the southeast, Karnataka to the south, and Goa to the southwest. The state of Gujarat lies to the northwest, with the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Havelisandwiched in between. The Arabian Sea makes up Maharashtras west coast. Pune is located at the confluence of theMula and Mutha rivers. The Western Ghats better known as Sahyadri, are a hilly range running parallel to the coast, at an average elevation of 1,200 metres (4,000 ft). Kalsubai, a peak in the Sahyadris, near Nashik City is the highest elevated point in Maharashtra. To the west of these hills lie theKonkan coastal plains, 50–80 kilometres in width. To the east of the Ghats lies the flat Deccan Plateau. The Western Ghats form one of the three watersheds of India, from which many South Indian rivers originate, notable among them beingGodavari River, and Krishna River, which flow eastward into the Bay of Bengal, forming one of the greatest river basins in India. Protected areas Several wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and Project Tiger reserves have been created in Maharashtra, with the aim of conserving the rich bio-diversity of the region. As of May 2004, India has 92 national parks, of which six are located in Maharashtra.There are 4 project tiger areas in Maharashtra. viz Tadoba-Andhari, Melghat, Sahyadri and Pench. A large percentage of Maharashtras forests and wildlife lie along the western Ghats or western Maharashtra and eastern Vidarbha. Navegaon National Park Nagzira wildlife sanctuary Tadoba Andhari Tiger Projec Sanjay Gandhi National Park, also known as Borivali National Park is located in Mumbai and is the worlds largest national park within city limits. Apart from these, Maharashtra has 35 wildlife sanctuaries spread all over the state. Aashadi Ekadashi is one of most important festivals celebrated across Maharashtra. It is also referred to as Wari and pilgrimage from all over Maharashtra, Karnataka and other parts of India walk to Pandharpur from their respective villages. Devotion to the god Ganesh is celebrated in the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in August–September of every year.[64] Town of Pen in Raigad district is famous for Ganesh Idols made of special Shadu Clay. Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati,Lalbaugcha Raja, Shri Siddhivinayak Temple, Shri Ashtavinayakas are the major holy places for Maharashtrians.

Sammy in Updikes A&P Essay -- John Updike

The main character in John Updike's short story â€Å"A&P† is Sammy. The story's first-person context gives the reader a unique insight toward the main character's own feelings and choices, as well as the reasons for the choices. The reader is allowed to closely observe Sammy's observations and first impressions of the three girls who come to the grocery store on a summer afternoon in the early 1960s. In order to understand this short story, one must first recognize the social climate of the era, the age of the main character, and the temptation this individual faces. Sammy is a product of his generation. In the 1960s the social climate was changing. The new ideas of the youth were taking over the traditions of their parents. Music and the drug culture began to change the perspective as more people were listening to rock and roll music and experimenting with mind-altering drugs in an effort to free themselves from the strict societal demands of the 1950s. Sammy demonstrates this as he describes his work uniform - the bow tie and apron. This can also be observed when Sammy's manager, Le... Sammy in Updike's A&P Essay -- John Updike The main character in John Updike's short story â€Å"A&P† is Sammy. The story's first-person context gives the reader a unique insight toward the main character's own feelings and choices, as well as the reasons for the choices. The reader is allowed to closely observe Sammy's observations and first impressions of the three girls who come to the grocery store on a summer afternoon in the early 1960s. In order to understand this short story, one must first recognize the social climate of the era, the age of the main character, and the temptation this individual faces. Sammy is a product of his generation. In the 1960s the social climate was changing. The new ideas of the youth were taking over the traditions of their parents. Music and the drug culture began to change the perspective as more people were listening to rock and roll music and experimenting with mind-altering drugs in an effort to free themselves from the strict societal demands of the 1950s. Sammy demonstrates this as he describes his work uniform - the bow tie and apron. This can also be observed when Sammy's manager, Le...

A Farewell to Arms †Use of Weather Essay

A Farewell to Arms is a gripping novel that tells the tale of an American soldier, Frederic Henry, in Italy during The Great War who is torn between his duty as an officer and the love of his life, a nurse named Catherine. In the novel, Ernest Hemingway brilliantly uses nature to symbolize and foreshadow certain events in the couple’s difficult journey to escape the war and be with each other. Rain, snow, lakes and rivers all represent either loss, safety, or freedom for the two. Rain clearly symbolizes loss, death and tragedy in the story. This is established very quickly, as in chapter one Henry states that, â€Å"At the start of the winter came the permanent rain and with the rain came cholera †¦ in the end only seven thousand died of it in the army† (4). Right away, the reader should pick up on the symbolism of loss. After Henry falls in love with Catherine, the night he has to leave her to go back to the front there is fog that turns into a cold rain. As the novel progresses, rain foreshadows many other events such as the German offensive and massive Italian retreat, in which many Italian soldiers are killed. It also foreshadows the loss of Henry’s own unit. The day that Henry and his men are to retreat, Bonello mentions the wine they are drinking and Aymo replies, â€Å"To-morrow maybe we drink rainwater† (191). The next day Aymo is actually killed and Henry’s unit falls apart. The big example of rain foreshadowing loss occurs at the end of the story. When Henry and Catherine are at their lodge in the mountains, the night they decide to move to the town for the baby, it starts to rain. Once the baby comes, it rains and Catherine, as well as the child, die. This was clearly indicated as Catherine once said, â€Å"I’m afraid of the rain because sometimes I see me dead in it† (126). Rain is definitely one of Hemingway’s most prevalent tools for foreshadowing in this story. Snow is used in the novel as a symbol for safety and security. It acts as a temporary cease to the fighting and bloodshed, as Henry states, â€Å"looking out at the snow falling slowly and heavily, we knew it was all over for that year† (6). It also represents safety when Henry and Catherine are in their home up in the mountains, completely surrounded by snow, where the war would not reach them nor the battle police to arrest Henry. It was because of this knowledge, how the snow brought an end to the fighting, that many people were hoping it would come once rumors of an enemy offensive were surfacing because snow would make it difficult for the enemy to fight and advance. When Henry returns to the front, the major says, â€Å"I don’t believe they will attack now that the rains have started. We will have the snow soon† (165). Because the snow would be coming soon, the Italians didn’t believe that an offensive was coming and were thus caught completely off guard when it did. In that way, snow symbolizes safety in the story. Symbols for freedom in the novel are natural waterways. Twice, Henry is able to escape war by either a river or a lake. During the retreat, many officers in the Italian army were being blamed for the army’s embarrassment and shot. Henry, being an officer, was pulled to the side and put in a line to be shot. Not allowing himself to be killed, Henry, â€Å"ducked down, pushed between two men, and ran for the river†(225). He sprang into the river and was eventually able to get out downstream. He was then able to find new clothes and was completely free from the army, the river being his liberator. Once reunited with Catherine, they stay at a hotel on a lake. One night he is awoken by the barman who warns Henry that he is going to be arrested in the morning. They quickly conceive a plan for Henry and Catherine to cross the lake to Switzerland; to freedom. All goes well with their plan and the couple are able to escape the country and live well in Switzerland, natural waterways freeing them from trouble for the second time. Hemingway uses nature perfectly to symbolize and foreshadow events in the story. With a mention of rain, snow, or a river or lake, the reader is able to get an idea of what an event might mean, or what events may occur, whether it be loss, safety, or freedom.

Reconstruction Of The Civil War - 872 Words

After the Civil War, which lasted from 1861-1865, there were three different approaches to southern reconstruction. The Lincoln Plan, as outlined by Abraham Lincoln before his death, would: (1) improve the economic and political status of blacks (2) allow southern states to re-enter the Union after 10% of whites had taken oaths of loyalty (3) grant blanket pardons to Confederate veterans after individual pleas to the president, and (4) not allow a loss of property except slaves. At the time, Lincoln’s primary objective was to end the war and bring southern states back into the Union. Ultimately, his dream of abolishing slavery was realized with the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863; however, his long term goal of rebuilding the South was put to a halt after his assassination, and successor Andrew Johnson. Johnson, a southern Democrat, went ahead with Lincoln’s plan but added two provisions of his own: (1) new state government had to repudiate Confederate debts, and (2) state legislatures had to ratify the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. Democrats embraced Johnson’s plan, but Republicans hated it because it readmitted southern states back into the Union without changing the status of blacks. So even though the nation was unified, Johnson’s plan was undermined by the enactment of Black Codes which disenfranchised African-Americans from 1865 to 1867. This is why/how Congress exerted their power throughout his tenure, by overriding his vetoes and implementing their own planShow MoreRelatedReconstruction Of The Civil War1108 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica’s Mindset Although the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Reconstruction brought great hope to America’s four million former slaves, the efforts of Congressional Reconstruction ultimately failed to establish equal rights for the freedmen because the racist mindset still dominated American society at the time and Democratic influence steadily overcame Republican control in Congress. Despite the Union’s victory, the end of the Civil War brought many significant national problemsRead MoreThe Civil War and Reconstruction1315 Words   |  5 Pages Reconstruction The main issue between the states that seceded from the Union and those that remained in the former unity was that of states rights, of which the right for citizens to own slaves was of primary concern. 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