Kirthy Shetty asked:

Handicrafts reflect the tradition of a particular place. It carries tales dated back to 1000 years of the kings and queens, and tells stories about a particular culture and its heritage. Wooden handicrafts such as wooden figures, gold painted figure, wooden chess set, wooden animal figure and other Indian Wooden Handicraft Items are designed beautifully by the craftsman. The vast range of handicrafts showcasing the rare artistry skills and innovations comprises of handicraft jewelry, handicraft home furnishing items, handicraft decorative items, handicraft table accessories, handicraft antique armory, handicraft paintings, handicraft garden accessories, toys, etc.

When one has a close look at these wooden items, they truly reflect spirit of Indian Craftsmanship along with the right shades of traditional beauty and style. They are popularly used as gift articles due to their beautiful appearance. Indian handicrafts are well known for its ethnic and traditional designs. Handicraft is quite flourishing in the Indian industry due to its vast diversity and rich cultural heritage. Sculptural handicrafts are displayed in an exquisite range of sculptural moulded figures made from varied bases like metals, stones, wood, etc. Macrame handicraft items obtainable as ladies bags, napkin holders, telephone mats and related paraphernalia designed artistically are specimens of excellent craftmanship. The handcrafted costume jewelry embellished in gold, silver, platinum, white metal, crystal, glass, etc. and studded with precious and semi-precious stones is another feature that add to the rich repertoire of Indian handicraft and gift items. 

A wide array of handicraft items ranges from stone, metal, wooden, glass, papier mache, bamboo, clay, cane, ceramics, textiles, terracotta etc brings home its uniqueness. A major portion of it gets exported to other countries, the most popular items among those Indian handicrafts are candle stand, pen holder, vases, brass ware, Christmas ornaments, ceramic pots, papier mache and other paper products. Different part of India is popular for its unique collection of handicrafts right from the north eastern Manipur, Tripura, Northern States of Rajasthan, Gujrath, Kashmir or the southern part, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala etc.

Each of these States has a wide collection of handicrafts to offer, with its own individuality. Such handicraft design, carvings and finishes represent excellent craftsmanship and experience of creative craftsman. Metal handicrafts make use of metals such as gold, silver, white metal, iron, semi precious stones and sand stones which have embossments and etchings in beautiful designs. All those handicraft lovers, do not miss the handicraft trades and exhibitions which offer you a plethora of handicraft items. Take a peek into the handicraft world!

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Tiya asked:

Dress & Attire

As in any society, how you dress affects your experiences. Your fashion choices make a statement about your intentions and these statements are subject to cultural in-terpretation. Though a small segment of urban India has been exposed to and often accepted new fashion directions, most Indians hold a more conservative view.

Dress for the culture

Many travelers dress for their fellow travellers. The logic seems to be if it is funky in New York, why not Chennai. The problem is that in Chennai, the majority of people you encounter will not have the New York perspective. Your funky outfit may come across as bizarre, comical, or overly suggestive. This is going to affect how people interact with you.

 Your best guideline is to look around you, see what the locals are wearing, decide in good conscience what you would be comfortable wearing, and go from there. And adjust your dress as the situation changes. An outfit that will attract little attention on the beach at Kovalam or Goa may draw negative reactions in Hyderabad. And an urbane center like Ben- galooru will accommodate more causal dress that the temple town of Madurai.

What men should consider

As a general rule, urban Indian men wear western dress – some variation of long pants and a shirt. Western men wearing traditional Indian dress are quickly slotted into the “hippie” category. Look for comfortable cotton shirts, and loose, cotton or cotton blend trousers.

What women should consider

Dressing to fit is more important for women who want to avoid unnecessary hassles. The standard advice is to cover your shoulders and your back, and avoid showing cleavage. Definitely avoid the solid colored drawstring skirts  sold everywhere.

Clean & Neat

Taking the trouble to dress appropriately will be wasted if you’re putting on wrinkled or grimy clothes. Indians are quite fastidious about their apparel. All but the very poorest wear freshly washed and ironed clothes.

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Douglas Scott asked:

The subcontinent of India lies in south Asia, between Pakistan, China and Nepal. To the north it is bordered by the worlds highest mountain chain, where foothill valleys cover the northernmost of the countries 26 states. Further south, plateaus, tropical rain forests and sandy deserts are bordered by palm fringed beaches.

Side by side with the countries staggering topographical variations is its cultural diversity, the result of the coexistence of a number of religions as well as local tradition. Thus, the towering temples of south India, easily identifiable by their ornately sculptured surface, are associated with a great many crafts and performing arts of the region.

In the desert of Kutch, Gujarat, on the other hand, a scattering of villages pit themselves against the awesome forces of nature, resulting in Spartan lifestyles made vibrant by a profusion of jewellery and ornamental embroidery used to adorn apparel and household linen. In the extreme north is the high altitude desert of Ladakh. Local culture is visibly shaped by the faith Buddhism as well as by the harsh terrain.

Yet another fact of Indian culture is observed in the colourful tribal lifestyles of the north eastern states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and Manipur with their folk culture.

In the central Indian states of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh tribal village life has resulted in a variety of artistically executed handicrafts.

Indias mountains provide skiing, river running, mountaineering and trekking. Its beaches provide lazy sun bathing as well as wind surfing and snorkelling and its jungles provide shooting wildlife with a camera.

Indias history goes back to 3,200 BC when Hinduism was first founded. Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam all exist within the country today. As a consequence of Indias size, the history of the country has seldom been the same for two adjoining territories and its great natural wealth has lured a succession of traders and foreign influences to it, each having left their imprint in the country, however faint or localized. Thus, Chinese fishing nets in Kerala are a throwback to that countries ancient maritime trade, while in the north, terra cotta figurines of the centuries BC bear distinctly Greek traces.

Modern India is home alike to the tribal with his anachronistic lifestyle and to the sophisticated urban jetsetter. It is a land where temple elephants exist amicably with the microchip. Its ancient monuments are the backdrop for the worlds largest democracy where atomic energy is generated and industrial development has brought the country within the worlds top ten nations. Today, fishermen along the countries coastline fashion simple fishing boats in a centuries old tradition while, a few miles away.

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