Suneung परीक्षा उस दिन प्लेन नही उड़ाए जाते, बैंक बंद रखी जाती है और मिलीट्री परेड भी बंद रखा जाता है! Student के समर्थन में यहाँ रखा जाता है चारो तरफ़ शांति का माहौल।

Suneung : कोरियन विद्यार्थी की जीवनकी निर्णायक परीक्षा

The College Scholastic Ability Test or CSAT

  

हर साल नवम्बर में साउथ कोरिया में विद्यार्थी अपने जीवन सबसे महत्वपूर्ण परीक्षा देते है। एक लंबी दौड़ मैराथन 8 घंटे की लगातार परीक्षा होती है। उस एक दिन जैसे आसमान से शुकून शांति बरसती है। उस दिन किसी भी प्रकार का सोर जो छात्रो को exam में खलेल पहोचाये वो नही किया जाता। उस दिन 

विमान जमीन पर ही रहते है। बैंक बन्द रहते है। यहाँ तक कि मिलीट्री परेड भी बंद रखा जाता है। 

The College Scholastic Ability Test or CSAT

संक्षिप्त रूप में कहे तो  Suneung

विद्यार्थी ने इसकी तैयारी में अपनी पूरी ज़िंदगी निचोड़ दी होती है। ये एग्जाम लगातार 8 घंटे तक चलता है।

CSAT को कोरिया के हाई-स्कूल पाठ्यक्रम पर आधारित प्रश्नों के साथ कॉलेज में अध्ययन करने की उम्मीदवार की क्षमता का परीक्षण करने के लिए डिज़ाइन किया गया है। यह हाई-स्कूल शिक्षा का मानकीकरण करता है और कॉलेज में प्रवेश के लिए सटीक, जरूरी डेटा प्रदान करता है

इस परीक्षा में English, Mathematics, General Knowledge, के साथ साथ उम्मीदवारों का

 राष्ट्रीय भाषा ज्ञान और जानकारी कोरियाई ग्रंथों को आसानी से और सटीक रूप से पढ़ने, समझने और विश्लेषण करने की उनकी क्षमता पर किया जाता है। इसके विषय के 45 प्रश्नों को चार श्रेणियों में पुछा जाता है।

भाषण और लेखन,व्याकरण,पढ़ना,साहित्य

हालांकि CSAT को मूल रूप से कॉलेज के लिए आवश्यक शैक्षिक क्षमता का आकलन करने के लिए डिज़ाइन किया गया था, यह वर्तमान में हाई-स्कूल के छात्रों के लिए एक राष्ट्रीय स्नातक परीक्षा है। एक छात्र जिस विश्वविद्यालय में प्रवेश कर सकता है, उसका निर्धारण करके, यह दक्षिण कोरियाई शिक्षा में एक महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाता है। परीक्षण को इसकी दक्षता, योग्यता पर जोर और अच्छे अंतरराष्ट्रीय परिणामों के लिए उद्धृत किया गया है। परीक्षा देने वाले छात्रों में से, २० प्रतिशत हाई-स्कूल स्नातक हैं, जिन्होंने पिछले वर्ष अपना वांछित अंक प्राप्त नहीं किया था।

परीक्षा के दिन शेयर बाजार देर से खुलते हैं, और ट्रैफिक जाम से बचने और छात्रों को परीक्षण स्थलों तक आसानी से पहुंचने की अनुमति देने के लिए बस और मेट्रो सेवा को बढ़ाया जाता है। विमानों को ग्राउंड किया जाता है ताकि उनका शोर छात्रों को परेशान न करे। कुछ मामलों में, परीक्षा के लिए देर से आने वाले छात्रों को पुलिस अधिकारी उनके परीक्षण स्थल तक ले जाते हैं। छोटे छात्र और छात्रों के परिवारों के सदस्य उन्हें खुश करने के लिए परीक्षण स्थलों के बाहर इकट्ठा होते हैं। जैसे किसी उत्सव मनाने की तैयारी कर रहे हो। दुनिया मे बहुत कम देखा जाता है कि पूरे देश के नागरिक विद्यार्थियों की जीवन की सबसे महत्वपूर्ण परीक्षा में अपना योगदान देते है।

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Real Meaning of Happiness Navratri, Festival of Navratri is full of lights, joy and festivity

                        Navratri


                     


Festival of Navratri is full of lights, joy and festivity. Hindus celebrate this with devotion and enthusiasm throughout India. The celebration is carried on for ten days and the last four days are very important. Navratri means nine nights and so the tenth day Goddess Durga, who is worshipped throughout the nine days, is immersed in holy water after pooja. Each and everyday has its importance and meaning. People worship Goddess in three forms and try to enhance their physical, mental and spiritual practice in these nine days. 

Navaratri is a festival dedicated to the worship of the Hindu deity Durga. The word Navaratri means 'nine nights' in Sanskrit, nava meaning nine and ratri meaning nights. During these nine nights and ten days, nine forms of Devi are worshipped. The tenth day is commonly referred to as Vijayadashami or "Dussehra" (also spelled Dasera). Navaratri is an important major festival and is celebrated all over India and Nepal. Diwali the festival of lights is celebrated twenty days after Dasera. Though there are in total five types of Navaratri that come in a year, Sharad Navaratri is the most popular one. Hence, the term Navaratri is being used for Sharada Navaratri here.

Navratri festival is celebrated twice a year, though the one that is celebrated in September or October is well-known and celebrated with extreme passion and fervour. Some Hindus believe that every night one form of Goddess is worshipped while some believe that three forms of Goddess are worshipped and they are the trinity of God. The celebration varies from one state to another although the dedication and devotion remains the same all over India.


                   

Navratri Celebration and Fasting

Some people eat only fruits and drink milk during the entire nine days and nights. 

Some eat meal one time a day and that meal should be satvik, which means vegetarian meal which is prepared without the use of onion and garlic. 

Fasting is not compulsory and even after few years if the devotee feels that he or she is not capable of continuing fast during Navratri, he or she can discontinue also. 

It is good to keep mind, body and thoughts pure during the time of Navratri. 

If possible try to light a Jyot in front of Goddess Durga's statue or at least a picture throughout the nine days and nights. 

Start the prayers with praying for Lord Ganesha and then perform aarti in front of Goddess Durga. 

Men do not shave or cut their hair during this period. 

People do not wear black clothes during this period and avoid keeping leather goods with them. 

People worship young girls and feed them with sweets and different types of traditional and delicious food items. They consider them as form of Goddess Durga. 

Since it is believed that Goddess is fond of red flowers and red colour, women and young girls prefer wearing clothes in red and yellow colour.


                   


Fasting commences on the ninth night of Navratri.

People pray to Goddess Durga to destroy the evil during Navratri. They ask help and strength from the Goddess to fight against the evil and protect the Hindu dharma. In West Bengal, men and women celebrate Navratri festival as Durga Pooja and worship huge idols of Goddess Durga. In Gujarat people perform traditional dance which is known as Garba almost throughout the night. They wear colourful dresses and mostly Indian traditional dresses are preferred. 

Chaitra Navratri is celebrated after Holi and during Chaitra Shukla Paksha. This starts from the first day and ends on the ninth day which is also celebrated as Ram Navmi. The worship of Goddess on the eighth day is very important and auspicious and is significant in both Navratri festivals. 

Dussehra or Navratri is also celebrated as Lord Rama's victory over the Demon king Ravana. He was the ten headed king of Lanka and had kidnapped Rama's wife, Sita. The main objective is, however, to celebrate the victory of good over the evil. 

Nine forms of Shakti are worshipped during the Navaratris. The Devis worshipped depend on the tradition of the region.

In Western India, particularly in the state of Gujarat and Mumbai, Navaratri is celebrated with the famous Garba and Dandiya Raas dance. Since the past few years, the Government of Gujarat has been organising the "Navaratri Festival Celebrations" on a regular basis for the nine days of Navaratri Festival in Gujarat. People from all over Gujarat and even abroad come to participate in the nine-day celebration. It is also popular throughout India and among Indian communities around the world including the UK, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and USA.


                  

Durga
Kali
Amba or Jagadamba, Mother of the universe
Annapoorna devi or Gauri, The one who bestows grains (anna) in plenty (purna: used as subjective)
Sarvamangala or Sheetal, The one who gives happiness (mangal) to all (sarva)
Bhairavi
Chandika or Chandi
Lalita
Bhavani
Mookambika or Tara

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Pre-matrimonial investigations If you are driving down an Indian highway, you are sure to see billboards on the side of the road saying “Wedding Detective”.

                The Pre-Wedding Spy

                        

Many of these detective companies have sprung up across the country and provide detailed information about the groom to be and his past relationships (if any). These detectives actually get themselves involved with close friends and family of the groom through any means possible and try and withdraw information from them. If all is cleared, the couple is free to enter in matrimony.

Agencies say they've seen a huge rise in pre-matrimonial investigations to check a suitor's background, because more people are meeting online and families are less involved.

In a land where arranged marriage dominates, parents search for only the best for their daughters and will stop at nothing to get that. If you are driving down an Indian highway, you are sure to see billboards on the side of the road saying “Wedding Detective”. If you wonder what that is, do not over think it because it is exactly what you think it is. 

"It's not spying, we just wanted to know about my sister's boyfriend before she married him," says Anita (not her real name). She hired a private investigator to verify her now brother-in-law's background. Her sister met and fell in love with him at work, but Anita and her parents wanted to "authenticate" his family's status and finances before the wedding went ahead.

She enlisted the services of one of India's many pre-matrimonial detective agencies, which spent a month drawing up a report into his earnings, family history and past relationships, among other things.

                   

"He told us he was from a good family, but we needed to ensure he was telling the truth.

"Earlier in India with arranged marriages which were set up by the family, relatives would know about a partner, but now you don't know if he's married or has children or whatever, so we needed to hire someone to check all this," says Anita, adding her still-happily-married sister never knew about the detectives.

Anita turned to the services of Veteran Investigations, a Mumbai-based agency which has been carrying out "pre-matrimonial" checks for more than 40 years.

Finances and relationships

The nature and scope of investigation depends on the moral or cultural values of parents. Someone from a more traditional Indian family might want to check up on whether a bride or groom drinks or smokes.

Others might be keener to learn whether there are any past relationships, something which can still be frowned upon in India. Conducting a review of a groom's financial dealings and business assets is also common.

Mr Rai usually assigns a team of two or three people to every case. Research is a mixture of discreet enquiries through the social circle, online searches and on-the-spot surveillance.

"The most important thing is to maintain a safe distance at all times. They can never know you're watching them," says Jay Prakash, one of Mr Rai's detectives

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Hide And Seek Game The game is an example of an oral tradition, as it is commonly passed by children.

           

                                   Hide And Seek Game 

                     

                           

Hide-and-seek or hide-and-go-seek is a popular children's game in which any number of players conceal themselves in the environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one player chosen (designated as being "it") closing their eyes and counting to a predetermined number while the other players hide. After reaching this number, the player who is "it" calls, "Ready or not, here I come!" and then attempts to locate all concealed players.

The game can end in one of several ways. In the most common variation of the game, the player chosen as "it" locates all players as the players are not allowed to move; the player found last is the winner and is chosen to be "it" in the next game. Another common variation has the seeker counting at "home base"; the hiders can either remain hidden or they can come out of hiding to race to home base; once they touch it, they are "safe" and cannot be tagged. But if the seeker tags another player before reaching home base, that person becomes "it."

                         

The game is an example of an oral tradition, as it is commonly passed by children.

Kannamoochi or Hide and seek is a timeless game that has been played by children throughout the ages. It isn’t only children who enjoy it – a natural instinct for parents is to play a facial form of hide and seek with their children from the earliest age, as it teaches children about attachment and detachment in a safe and caring environment. Leaving aside the psychology, however, the outdoor game provides wonderful interaction amongst children is easy to play and never gets boring.

           

Different versions of the game are played around the world, under a variety of names. One derivative in game is called "Sardines", in which only one person hides and the others must find them, hiding with them when they do so. The hiding places become progressively more cramped, like sardines in a tin. The last person to find the hiding group is the loser. A. M. Burrage calls this version of the game "Smee" in his 1931 ghost story of the same name.

In some versions of the game, after the first player is caught or if not any other players can be found over a period of time, "it" calls out a pre-agreed phrase (such as "Olly olly oxen free", or "All in, All in, Everybody out there all in free") to signal the other hiders to return to base for the next round.[4] In another version, when players are caught they help the "it" seek out others.

In one variant, once all hiders have been located, the game then becomes a game of tag where the "it" chases after all the other players and the first person tagged becomes the "it".

                      

         

In another, the hiders who are found help the "it" track down the remaining hiders, but the first person to be found becomes the next "it."

In Australia, the game is often called "44 Homes." The hiders hide until they are spotted by the seeker, who chants, "Forty, Forty, I see you" (sometimes shortened to "Forty, forty, see you"). Once spotted, the hider must run to "home base" (where the "it" was counting while the other players hid) and touch it before she or he is "tipped" (tagged, or touched) by the seeker. If tagged, that hider becomes the new "it."

In India, hide-and-seek is played differently - if any of the 'hiders' touch the seeker and says 'Dhappa', then the seeker has to count again. However, if the seeker sees the hider before they manage to touch him/her and say dhappa, then that hider will be 'it' the next round, unless some other hider manages to 'Dhappa' the seeker without being seen.

In Brazil and Russia, hide-and-seek has an extra step. The "it" starts counting with eyes closed and facing the wall while everyone hides. Once the "it" finds someone, they must race to the spot where the "it" was originally counting and facing the wall and whoever touches that spot first, wins the game. This is also sometimes played by other countries.

                     

How to Play

• At least three players are needed to play Hide and Seek. Naturally, however, the more players you have, the better is the fun.
• Set down the rules to play. If you do not set down rules, you will have people running to places that have valuable things in house, or may run outside when everybody's inside.
• Find a suitable location to play it may be outdoor or indoor. Outdoor location works best were you have more choices to hide, although indoors is fine for rainy days. It will be necessary to set boundaries for hiding or you will have players running off to too many far-off locations.
• Determine who will be "out". Working out who is "out" can be done a variety of ways, for example use an elimination word game, such as "Inky Pinky Ponkey" or similar game.

• Now begin the game, the person who will be "out" has been chosen, he or she stays at a central place or a place behind a tree or pillar, closes his or her eyes and begins counting out loud to a number from about 1to 100. The number you choose should be based on how many people are playing the game and the distances to hiding spots. The more people, the higher the number should be.
• All of the players who are not "out" should run off and quietly hide from the player who is counting. The person who is "out" is not allowed to peek at the players hiding from him or her.
• Once the player who is "out" has finished counting, he or she yells "Ready or not, here I come!". At this point, the player who is "out" must try to find all of the other players who have hidden. The players who are hiding cannot move or switch hiding places as the seeker may find him easily.
• he player who gets found first becomes "out" in the next round of the game.
• Find all the people who are hiding and start playing the second round with the person who was found first as seeker ("out"). 

                   

Tips

• If you have younger children, you can play this right inside the house. When you hide and the little ones find you, they laugh in delight.
• Try to find different places to hide, but do not make it too hard to find you. Younger children can become frustrated when they cannot find you.
• If some of the hidden players do not return home before a predetermined period of time, the person who is "out" should give the universal "all clear" signal. Yell, "All, all outs in free." The person who is "out" must take another turn as "our" or appoint a willing volunteer to take his or her place.
• There are lots of different strategies of hiding. One is to hide in plain sight. For example if there is a table near home base hid under it: it often will not be expected and make a really short run back to home base.
• Hide in places that look impossible to hide in (example: in a cabinet under a sink in the bathroom.) Just make sure you can get out pretty easily without hurting yourself A LOT or moving everything if you hide in a small space.
• Hide where your body won't cast a human-shaped shadow.
• Play in different places every time. If you do it in the same spot (different games, not rounds) then people will remember the good places and search there first.

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See an open surface and a chalk to draw? Lets play Kith Kith! The game is mostly common among girls in India

                                         Kith Kith Game

In India, hopscotch is also called Kith-Kith, Stapu, in the Hindi-speaking areas, or Ek-hat - Du-hat in Bengal, Chirpi in Maharashtra, Kunte bille in Karnataka, Paandi in Tamil Nadu, and Tokkudu Billa in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. These games have similar principles in that players must hop on one foot and must throw the marker in the right square. The game is mostly common among girls in India, though some boys play too.

See an open surface and a chalk to draw? Lets play Kith Kith! A popular playground game in which players toss a small object into numbered spaces of a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces to retrieve the object. This popular game is also played in other countries and is loved by all.

Hopscotch is a children's game that can be played with several players or alone. Hopscotch is a popular playground game in which players toss a small object into numbered spaces of a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces to retrieve the object.

To play hopscotch, a court is first laid out on the ground. Depending on the available surface, the court is either scratched out in dirt, or drawn with chalk on pavement. Courts may be permanently marked where playgrounds are commonly paved, as in elementary schools. Designs vary, but the court is usually composed of a series of linear squares interspersed with blocks of two lateral squares. Traditionally the court ends with a "safe" or "home" base in which the player may turn before completing the reverse trip. The home base may be a square, a rectangle, or a semicircle. The squares are then numbered in the sequence in which they are to be hopped.

Kith-Kith or Hopscotch or Stapu in a children’s game. Every child in India has played this game. It is also known as Ekhat-Dukhat. This game requires physical agility and nimbness. It does not require too much place. It can be played in streets, indoor or outdoor.Kith-kith is played almost in all the states of India. In Tamil Nadu it is called Paandi, Kunte Bille in Karnataka, Tokkudu Billa in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana and Khane in Kashmir.

Generally a chalk or a small brick piece is used to draw blocks on the ground. It contains8 blocks.Each player uses a marker such as a bottle cap, shell, stone or button. A player has to stand behind the starting line and toss his marker in the first block. He has to hop over the first block to the second one and then continue hopping to the eighth block, turn around, hop back to the second block, pause and pickup the marker, hop in the first block and set out. Then he has to toss the marker in the second block. This goes on until the player reaches the eighth block and completes the lap successfully. In this game, all hopping is done on one foot, unless there are two lateral blocks, where the player can land his both feet.

There are many games for children, but kith kith is simplest one yet very tricky. It needs good balance and precision. A player is out if the marker does not land in the right block, touches the line or the player loses balance and touches the line accidentally. There are many other local rules and variations that govern the dynamics of the game which add to the fun and difficulty level.
In India, this game is mostly played by girls, but boys also play this game.

Kith kith is not only played in India. It has global reach. It is lanlan in Persian, Escargot (snail) or Marelle Ronde in French, Bebeleche in Mexico, Himmel and Holle in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Playing the game

The first player tosses the marker (typically a stone, coin or bean bag) into the first square. The marker must land completely within the designated square and without touching a line or bouncing out. The player then hops through the course, skipping the square with the marker in it. Single squares must be hopped on one foot. For the first single square, either foot may be used. Side by side squares are straddled, with the left foot landing in the left square, and the right foot landing in the right square. Optional squares marked "Safe", "Home", or "Rest" are neutral squares, and may be hopped through in any manner without penalty. After hopping into the "Safe", "Home", or "Rest" the player must then turn around and return through the course (square 9, then squares 8 and 7, next square 6 and so forth) on one or two legs depending on the square until he or she reaches the square with their marker. They then must retrieve their marker and continue the course as stated without touching a line or stepping into a square with another player's marker.

Upon successfully completing the sequence, the player continues the turn by tossing the marker into square number two, and repeating the pattern.

If, while hopping through the court in either direction, the player steps on a line, misses a square, or loses balance, the turn ends. Players begin their turns where they last left off. The first player to complete one course for every numbered square on the court wins the game.

Although the marker is most often picked up during the game, historically, in the boy's game, the marker was kicked sequentially back through the course on the return trip and then kicked out.

It is attested that an ancient form of hopscotch was played by Roman children, but the first recorded references to the game in English-speaking world date back to the late 17th century, usually under the name "scotch-hop" or "scotch-hopper(s)". A manuscript Book of Games compiled between 1635 and 1672 by Francis Willughby refers to 'Scotch Hopper‥. They play with a piece of tile or a little flat piece of lead, upon a boarded floore, or any area divided into oblong figures like boards'. In Poor Robin’s Almanack for 1677, the game is referred to as "Scotch-hoppers". The entry states, "The time when schoolboys should play at Scotch-hoppers." The 1707 edition of Poor Robin’s Almanack includes the following phrase… "Lawyers and Physicians have little to do this month, so they may (if they will) play at Scotch-hoppers." In 1828 Webster's An American Dictionary of the English language also referred to the game as 'Scotch-hopper'...'a play in which boys hop over scotches and lines in the ground.'

Since the game was known and popular in the seventeenth century, it is logical to suppose it may have existed at least a few decades (or perhaps even many centuries) before its earliest literary reference; but no conclusive evidence has yet been presented to support this theory.

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Indian Martial Arts Martial arts is a part of India’s Ancient Culture

                                Indian Martial Arts

 Indian martial arts refers to the fighting systems of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. This includes what are now India, Pakistan,Bangladesh, and sometimes Sri Lanka and Nepal. Although South Asian martial arts is occasionally preferred for neutrality, the fighting styles of all the aforementioned countries are generally accepted as "Indian" due to shared history and culture. This article will refer to India in the historic sense to include most of southern Asia.

A variety of terms are used for the English phrases "Indian martial arts" or "South Asian martial arts", usually deriving from Sanskrit or Dravidian sources. While they may seem to imply specific disciplines (e.g. archery, armed combat), by Classical times they were used generically for all fighting systems.

    

           

Martial arts is a part of India’s ancient culture and a traditional games.Originally a traditional form of martial art that started in South India, and now it has different names and different forms in the culture of the regions in India. Khusti The Indian Wrestling is also a part of Indian Martial arts found throughout the India.

Kalarippayattu

Kalarippayattu is a famous Indian martial art from land of attraction Kerala and one of the oldest fighting systems in existence. It is practiced in most of the part of south India. A kalari is the school or training hall where martial arts are taught. It includes strikes, kicks and some weapon based practiced, Footwork patterns is most important key in Kalarippayattu. It is the best Indian martial art that has been used in many movies to make it popular, like Ashoka and The myth.

Silambam

Silambamis a weapon-based Indian martial art from Tamil Nadu. Every states has it own style of martial arts. A wide variety of weapons are used in silamban, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world. Silambam art also used animal movements of snake, tiger, eagle forms and footwork patterns is play a key role here as well. Another part of Silambam is Kuttu varisai, it is the unarmed kind of martial art.

The Keralite art of fighting came into its present form through the kalari, the local variation of the gurukula educational institution. Historically Nairs, the warrior groups of Kerala practiced Kalaripayut. Today there are three branches of kalaripayat: northern, central and southern. Training progresses from footwork and stances to unarmed techniques, blunt weapons, and finally to edged weapons. The most common weapons today are the staff, stick, sword, shield, spear, dagger and flexible sword.

Kashmiri swordsmanship is said to have an ancient history, but it was only much later that it acquired its modern name of sqay. Sqay survived a decline following the partition of India by adopting competitive methodologies of karate and taekwondo. 

Gatka

Gatkais weapon-based Indian martial art basically created by the Sikhs of Punjab.There are many weapons used in Gatka like, Stick, Talwar, kirpan and kataar. The attacking and defense methods are based upon the positions of the hands feet and nature of weapons used. It is also displayed during the different celebrations or at fairs in Punjab.

Martial arts in northwest India and adjacent Pakistan were traditionally referred to by several terms but the most common today is shastara-vidiya or "science of self defense". Swordsmen practiced their techniques either in routines using real swords, or freestyle sparring with wooden sticks called gatka, a form of stick-fighting. Gatka is associated with the Sikhs history and an integral part of an array of Sikh Shastar Vidiya. During the colonial period, the term gatka was extended to mean northwestern martial arts in general. Some aspects of the art, such as the unarmed techniques or fighting in armour, are today practiced almost exclusively by the Nihang order of Sikhs. Gatka incorporates several forms, each with their own set of weapons, strategies and footwork. In the late 18th century, this martial art further developed as a recreational game and Panjab University Lahore codified its rules for playing it as a game.

Musti Yuddha

It is unarmed martial art from the oldest city of India “Varanasi“. Technique used in this martial arts are punches, kicks, knees and elbow strikes. This style is a complete art of physical, mental and spiritual development. This art is very rarely visible but was very popular in middle age.

The Kannada fighting arts are taught exclusively at traditional training halls or garadi mane. Disciplines include unarmed combat (kai varase), staff-fighting (kolu varase) and sword-fighting (katti varase) among various other weapons. These are most often seen today only during choreographed demonstrations at festivals.

Thang Ta

Thang Ta is popular term for the ancient Manipuri Martial Art also known as HUYEN LALLONG. Manipuri martial arts with swords and spears, is a strong yet gracefully sophisticated art. 

During times of peace, the paika would hone their skills through martial dances, forms-training and various acrobatics.Other weapons include the staff and guantlet-sword.

Lathi

Lathi is an ancient armed martial art of India. It also refers one of the world’s oldest weapons used in martial arts. Lathi or stick martial arts practiced in Punjab and Bengal region of India. Lathi still remains a popular sport in Indian villages.

Bengali war-dances bear testament to the weapons once used in the Bengal region. Today most of these weapons are used only in choreographed fights, including dao khela(knife fighting) and fala khela (sword fighting). Traditional stick-fighting (lathi khela) is still used in free sparring today. The sticks may be short like a cudgel or a long staff. The former are sometimes paired with a shield.

Mardani Khel

Mardani Khel is an armed method of martial art created by the Maratha. This traditional martial art of Maharashtra is practiced in kolhapur. 

Types of competition include sparring, breaking, and forms or khawankay. Pracitioners spar using fake swords called tora which are paired with a shield. Sparring is point-based, the points being awarded for successful hits with the tora or with the foot

Pari-khandaa

Pari-khandaa style of sword and shield fighting from Bihar. This art is created by the rajputs. Pari-khanda steps and techniques are also used in Chau dance.

The Orissan martial art traces back to the paika class of warriors who were particularly known for their use of the khanda or double-edge straight sword. During times of peace, the paika would hone their skills through martial dances, forms-training and various acrobatics. Their descendants have preserved these exercises in training halls called paika akhada, and demonstrate them mainly through street performances. Their method of sword training called pari-khanda is still used as the first part of the chhau dance. Other weapons include the staff and guantlet-sword.

The native Tamil martial art has come to be referred to as silambam after its main weapon, the bamboo staff. Training begins with footwork patterns before progressing to stances and subsequently fighting techniques. Aside from its namesake, silambam includes a variety of weapons such as the sword, twin sticks, double deer horns, whip, sword, shield and sword, dagger, flexible sword and sickle. Unarmed silambam (kai silambam) is based on animal movements such as the snake, eagle, tiger and elephant. Other Martial Arts of Tamil Nadu are Varma Kalai, Adi Thadi, Malyutham AND Kusthi (Boxing form of Tamil Nadu, not to be confused with North Indian Kushti which is a Wrestling art.)

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The Amazing Sand Art of India

Sudarsan Pattnaik’s tryst with sand began when he was an 8-year-old, on visits to a beach in Puri, a holy city in the eastern Indian state of Orissa. For hours he would swirl his fingers in the sand and make sculptures.

Born into an impoverished family in Puri in 1977, he dropped out of school by the time he was eight, when the only income his family of six received was 200 rupees ($3.33) a month.

One of Mr. Pattnaik’s early sculptures of a standing lady.

 

COURTESY SUDARSAN PATTNAIK

“My father had abandoned us and the little money that came into the house was from my grandmother’s pension,” Mr. Pattnaik, now 36 years old, said in a recent interview with India Real Time.

But he didn’t need much to pursue his interest in art.

“The beach was my canvas and my fingers, the brush. Water gave shape to my sculpture and the only color needed was that of sand,” he said.

Sudarsan Pattnaik gave final touches to a sculpture of goddess Durga in Siliguri, West Bengal, Oct. 1, 2011. 

 

DIPTENDU DUTTA/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

As a boy, Mr. Pattnaik started making routine visits to the beach at dawn and dusk, before and after his shift as a domestic worker in his neighborhood. His sandcastles gradually grew into bigger and more complex artworks.

He received valuable encouragement and advice from passersby.

“I remember once being told by a tourist that the nose of a figure I sculpted was abnormally large. I went back to the beach for the next few days and made that figure over and over again till I got to hear that the nose was perfect,” said Mr. Pattnaik.

A sand sculpture of Lord Jagannath ahead of the chariot festival in Orissa in 2008. 

 

COURTESY SUDARSAN PATTNAIK

Nearly three decades later, Mr. Pattnaik is still experimenting with sand. His work includes huge sculptures of temples and the Hindu goddess Durga and Lord Jagannath, some of which have entered the Limca Book of Records.

He also keeps track of important global events and translates them into sculptures.

“I have to keep abreast with the news and pick up what is important and trending,” said Mr. Pattnaik, whose most recent sculptures have been dedicated to the ailing former South African leader Nelson Mandela.

Mr. Pattnaik has taken part in nearly 50 international sand art contests and festivals, in countries such as Australia, Germany, Italy, China, Russia, Canada and the U.S.

Event organizers pay Mr. Pattnaik for displaying his work. He says his two-year sponsored deal with Nalco, an aluminum company, ended last month.

The “Don’t Smoke, Save Life” sculpture created by Mr. Pattnaik during the World Championship for Sand Sculpting held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, June 2013. 

COURTESY SUDARSAN PATTNAIK

In addition to the beach at Puri, Mr. Pattnaik says the unexplored Talasari Beach between the eastern states of West Bengal and Orissa is his favorite sculpting spot.

“The sand is impeccable on that beach. It is the perfect balance between coarse and fine. The only thing a sand artist will miss there is an audience,” he said, adding that sand sculpting is a physically demanding exercise.

Mr. Pattnaik hopes to expand his institute in Puri, where he has taught sand art since 1994.

Take a look at some of Mr. Pattnaik’s most memorable sculptures:

“Help the Tsunami Victims, 2004”: Mr. Pattnaik created a sculpture in Puri appealing for help for victims of the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami. “It was significant because the same water that helped perfect my sculptures had turned violent and taken so many lives,” he said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

“Sleeping Beauty, 2007”: Mr. Pattnaik made this sculpture when he represented India at the first Istanbul International Sand Sculpture Festival in 2007. “After I completed the sculpture, I stood there staring at it, amazed that I had created this beauty,” he said.

COURTESY SUDARSAN PATTNAIK

“Global Warming, 2008”: Created at the 2008 USF (United Sand Festivals) World Championship in Berlin, Germany, this sculpture won Mr. Pattnaik the title of world champion. “To my mind, it was the most interactive piece of art not just because the theme was universal, but because my interpretation of it was a result of my interaction with the locals there,” he said.

Part of the sculpture was a figure of Berlin Zoo’s famous polar bear, Knut, who became a symbol of the endangered animal. The sculpture showed Knut sitting on a blazing globe with a message saying, “Save My Family.”

COURTESY SUDARSAN PATTNAIK

“Change Has Happened, 2009”: Mr. Pattnaik says he was awestruck by Barack Obama’s campaign to become U.S. president. “I became a complete fan of his conviction in bringing about change,” said Mr. Pattnaik, who dedicated a sculpture to Mr. Obama on the day he was elected. He also created sculptures of Mr. Obama ahead of the president’s visit to India in 2010 and when he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

“I really hope I get to meet him one day,” Mr. Pattnaik added.

AFP/GETTY IMAGES

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