Portrait of India: Indian People, Indian movies, Indian recipes, India Festivals & More.

The success of Indian democracy with more than 1 billion inhabitants, 29 states, seven Union territories and 1600 languages / dialects presents a true image of unity in diversity with a civilization more than 5000 years, India reflects rich culture traditions and values relative to geographic locations. Invasions and migrations have contributed to the diversity of Indian culture with the convergence of different habits, faiths and practices.

India is a land of festivals. Indian festivals differ in associated religious, social and seasonal. Some festivals welcome the seasons of the year, the harvest, the rains, or the full moon. Others celebrate religious occasions, the birthdays of divine beings, saints and gurus (revered teachers), or the advent of the new year. List of Indian festivals is as long as diversity in their origin. Many festivals are common throughout the country, while others are specific to geographic regions and religious beliefs.

Indian cuisine is world famous for its rich assortment of spices and flavors. Influence of geography, religion, race and foreign culture is truly reflected by Indian cuisine. Indian cuisine can be divided into North and South Indian cuisine. Wheat is the staple of North Indian cuisine whereas rice is a must in South Indian meal. The Mughlai food is very common in Delhi, Hyderabad and Lucknow. Wazwan, a 24-course banquet, is popular in Kashmir. Seafood and coconut based food are very popular in Goa, Kerala and West Bengal. Rice, sambhar and dosa are specialties of southern India.

India has one of the oldest film industries in the world. The first Indian film, Raja Harishchandra directed by Dadasaheb Phalke (3700 feet long), was published in 1913. Indian film industry is the largest film industry in the world producing about 800 films a year. A reasonably budgeted film in India could cost million U.S. dollars. Hindi, Tamil, Telegu, Bengali and Malayalam are the languages producing large number of films that reflect the cultural diversity of Indian cinema. Most Indian films are based on family, romance, comedy, action, patriotism and religion.

Indianmantra.com is focused on revealing and sharing the lifestyle and the bounding of NRIs living communities in the U.S. and Canada. The culture and people with multiple languages are all described here. www.indianmantra.com Explore a rich experience for global Indian community in Indian culture, festivals, cooking, films, ads and more.

Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and may contain errors or omissions. The information contained herein is provided as is, without warranty and may not be complete or correct.

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2005 West End Theatre Review

Perhaps the nature of the British psyche that does not realize how good that we have engraved on their own doorstep. The annual Edinburgh Festival is regarded worldwide as some of Europe has more to offer in terms of film, literature and music. However, only one third of the visitors are locals. In the past there was a similar pattern with West End of London. For years visitors from America and Europe were flock to see shows, the theaters are considered to be among the best in the world - still on the British market did not seem aware of having quality products so exceptional in their own backyard.

However, it seems that the summer of 2005 can finally put an end to this trend, with a number of high profile events that have captured the imagination of the British public. In fact, critics are already hailing 2005 as the summer season the best and most important years in the West End of London with a series of family-oriented shows like The Lion King, Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang earning rave reviews.

Perhaps no other show has contributed to the hype surrounding this season, years more than the film turned musical production of Billy Elliot. Taken from one of the most successful film to have come out of the United Kingdom over the past decade, Billy Elliot is the tale of a boy trying to achieve a career in dance while growing up in the middle of the bitter miners' strike is the mid-1980 . The original story captured the hearts and minds of the British public, when the film was released and received recognition worldwide with 3 Oscar and 13 BAFTA nominations.

While certainly the biggest name of Billy Elliot is not the only production that is leading the way with the explosion of family-oriented shows. Disney Classics Lion King and Mary Poppins have proved immensely popular since its launch with their award-winning scores provide the perfect family entertainment. Mary Poppins was magically comes to life on stage by Thomas Schumacher, producer of Disney Theatrical Productions, and The Lion King looks set to entertain children and adults for generations to come.

Besides the number of family centered quality shows there are a number of adults oriented productions as The Producers subscription to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. With music and lyrics made by the legendary Mel Brooks' The Producers is a story that revolves around washed-up theatrical producer Max Bialystock who, along with his accountant so cooks a scheme to make a fortune by presenting a sure-fire flop and take off with their investors' money in the process. The show has broken box office records worldwide and has a reputation of winning the most Tony Awards of any show ever, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.

Described by the Mail on Sunday as being 'touched by genius,' Mamma Mia opened to rave reviews and looks set to continue to beat box office records at the Prince Edward Theatre throughout the summer of 2005. Based on a book by Catherine Johnson, Mamma Mia is an original musical tells the exciting story of a mother and daughter together on the eve of the wedding of his daughter. Abba fans are bound to be entertained as the band's classic songs are used to guide this wonderful story to its conclusion.

Another reason why 2005 is expected to be so successful was the resumption of the amount of people now going to see a part of the show a show of the weekend - unlike an evening. In the past, a visit to an exhibition may have involved a hurried trip to London, fighting through the traffic before returning home late at night. packages, however, as many of these companies are offering http://www.superbreak.com 'Theatre breaks,' which allow people to not only take in a world class show - but make them relax after a nearby hotel without the desire to run home.

Almost all shows have the highest ticket and lodging packages of these interruptions are expected to become more popular than ever with the explosion of publicity surrounding shows like Billy Elliot. Perhaps one of the main reasons why packages are proving so popular is that even when shows are 'tickets sold out' can still be found (often the best seats in the house) as part of this package of great value. With so much to do in London taking the time to further explore the city (not just run in and out of the show) is becoming increasingly popular option for hardened theater-goers and families.

With the hype surrounding many of these years shows the perception of the West End is one of more accessible to the general public. This change of perception can only be positive for UK theater industry. With the already broken box office records this year, it seems that the British are finally realizing what tourists have known for years - that the West End is the best variety of shows throughout the world.