|
Daily life
 India
with its immense wealth of diverse religious cultures, communities
and social groups is a treasure house of ritualistic lore
and practices. Flowers, fasts, feasts, adornment, rites
of passage, sacred scriptures, deeply felt environmental
and social values are a part of experiencing India. Religion
is interwined in every aspect of life.
Although the origins of the caste system are hazy, there
are 4 castes in India : The Brahmins (Priests), Kshatriyas
(warriors), Vaishyas (merchants), Shudras (serfs/untouchables).
Today, the caste system, although weakned, still weilds
considerable power.
Government :
India has adopted constitutional democracy. The Prime
Minister of India is the Head of the Union(Federal) Government,
as distinct from the President of India, who is the Head
of the State.
The current Prime Minister of India is Shri Atal Bihari
Vajpayee. He heads a coalition Government — the National
Democratic Alliance — and belongs to the Bharatiya
Janata Party, the largest unit in the ruling alliance.
Climate :
India is so vast that the climatic conditions in the
far north have little in relation to the south. Climatic
conditions range from torrid to the artic. India has a 3
season year - the hot, the wet & the cool. In the northern
plains of India temperatures can reach 45°C in May.
The rains start around 1 June in the extreme south and sweeping
north to cover the entire country by early July.
Time :
The local time in India is GMT +5:30 all year round.
Telephone/E-mail :
Country code : 91 ; Outgoing international code : 00
;
Even in the smallest places, there are private STD/ISD call
booths with direct local, interstate and international dialing
facilities.
There are bureaus where you can send or receive E-mails
in major cities and a few smaller cities.
Post :
Indian Post and postal services are generally excellent.
Expected letters and letters you send almost invariably
reach their destination, although they may take up to 3
weeks. A standard airmail letter(20g) costs Rs.11.
Currency :
The Rupee (Rs) is divided into 100 paise. You are not
allowed to bring Indian currency into or out of the country.
Unlimited amounts of foreign currency or travelers cheques
can be brought into India; but it is necessary to declare
any amount over US$1,000 on arrival. The currency exchange
rates as on March 6,2001 were :
1 Euro = 43.291 Indian rupees
1 US $ = 46.565 Indian Rupees
|
