Markets in India

                                       Markets in India




Farmer market

India essentially being an agricultural based economy has a huge farmer market spread across the length and breadth of the nation. This market operates at various levels and has products to take care of every farmer's needs. The farmer market not only trades the seeds and harvests, but also all tools and equipment required by farmers.
Some of the farmer markets are run by the local Government. This is of immense value as then products required for farming are usually available at a subsidized rate for the member farmers. In fact, the Government-run farmer market is a great boon for those in the agricultural sector, as the Government subsidizes all products required for farming, and assures returns for the harvest. They also provide various other benefits for the farmers.
The farmer market is also a meeting place for farmers from various areas. Here, the farmers gather to sell their harvest. They usually first barter with each other to take care of their domestic needs and then sell the rest in the open market.



Foods market

The foods market operate largely at three levels being:

• The retail foods market
• The wholesale foods market
• The export-import foods market

Every city in India has all three types of foods markets.
The retail foods market combines of those areas earmarked in the city as market places for the local market. Some of these markets are large enough to cater to all consumer needs. The unorganized retail food markets consists of the open air ones where vendors sell their food stuff stock in baskets or on moveable carts. Another form of the retail foods market is the departmental stores or what are known as 'food bazaars'.
The wholesale foods market comprises of those zones where manufacturers and bulk distributors sell their food stuff to the retails and others. Consumers can also make bulk purchases from such markets and avail of the wholesale prices. They just need to make the effort to travel the distance to these markets.
The export-import foods markets are the most organized of all the markets. Here the orders are also large, definitely not catering to the local needs. This market is meant for the international trade of food products.



Forex market

If you are traveling abroad then you need to purchase the foreign currency. There are a number of touts that are available all over the place, carrying stacks of foreign currency. However, preferably one should avoid dealing with touts when it comes to foreign exchange. This is because you may, without realizing, come across a crook who gives you counterfeit currency notes in exchange for all that you have paid. Another factor is that if the currency is genuine the touts charge you a marked up exchange rate. This is known as black-marketing in the forex market.
The forex market is actually an organized sector of foreign currency exchange, or foreign currency buying. There are authorized forex dealers, who set up shop for those seeking foreign currency. They are registered with the Reserve Bank of India and sell foreign currencies at the actual rate announced officially.

Some dealers in the forex market may also charge an additional fee for their services. They also charge extra for the tax imposed on foreign exchange trades. The advantage of dealing with official forex dealers is that one is assured genuine currency at actual exchange rate. This is better than taking a risk with a forex tout.

Money market
The money market largely functions on the basis of what is known as the debt instrument, which is of varying types. In the ancient days whenever someone would borrow money from a moneylender there would be an agreement between the borrower and the lender. This agreement is known as the debt instrument.

As per the technical definition of money market: It is the market where short-term money requirements are met. And the instruments of the money market are classified as those with a maturity period ranging to any time span that is less than or equal to a year.
The largely traded instruments in the money market are:

• Commercial Papers - CP
• Certificates of Deposit - CD
• Treasury Bills - T-Bills

The key features of all money market instruments are:

• Can be easily liquidated
• Are easy to trade
• There is no tax deducted at source, as far as the interest is concerned

Stock market
 
The stock market is one place where one can buy and sell companies in a single day. No, not literally as owner; but in the form of the stocks and shares. Each share that one buys on the stock exchange makes them a part owner of that particular company. For instance a person buys 500 shares of xyz company, becomes a part owner of that company as long as he/she owns the shares. The purchase is validated by the issuing of what is known as share certificates.

As owner of the shares the person will earn profits on his investments, which is given in the form of dividends if the company has earned profits in that financial years. And as long as the individual owns the shares of the company he/she is entitled to the dividends.

Trading on the stock market is a matter of risk-taking. This is because when the going is good the company's share value keeps increasing. On the other hand if things swing the other way and the rate falls below that at which the purchase was made then losses are incurred.

When the stock market in general faces an upward swing then it is known as a bullish market or market for the bulls, which implies the best time to buy in anticipation that the market will further rise to increase profits. On the other hand when the market is swinging downwards then it is known as a bearish market or market for the bears, which means it is the best time to sell in anticipation that market will further fall to curtail losses.

History of Indian Flag

‘Sister Nivedita flag’ was the first ever flag of India in 1904. It was square shaped and red in colour with a yellow inside. The Vajra symbol or the thunderbolt and a lotus in white is mentioned in the middle. ‘Bonde Matorom’ or ‘Vande Mataram’ or ‘I bow to my motherland’ is inscribed in the Bengali language. Red for struggle, white for purity and yellow for winning is symbolizes in the colours.

 The Calcutta flag by Schindra Prasad Bose was hoisted in 1906 in Calcutta. This was done as a protest at a rally, protesting the partition of Bengal. Orange, Yellow and Green are the three colours as top, middle and bottom of the flag. The sun and moon were symbols in the bottom and the half bloomed eight lotuses depicted on the top orange colour. In Devanagri ‘Vande Mataram’ was inscribed.

 Bhikaji Cama came up with another flag in Germany in 1907. The flag had green on top, saffron in the middle and a red bottom width. The flag had 8 lotus on the green width meaning the 8 provinces of the old India. Devanagari inscription of ‘Vande Mataram’ was in the middle. There was a crescent shape in the last band and a sun at the end. This flag was designed by Veer Savarkar, Shyamji Krishna Varma and Bhikaji Cama. The green colour stood for Islam faith whereas saffron was represented by saffron colour. The Berlin committee adopted this flag after the first world war. Later it was represented in the United states by the Ghadar party. In the first world war Mesopotamia included this flag.

 In 1916, P Venkayya from Andrhra Pradesh presented his design of the Indian flag to Mahatma Gandhi who suggested that the ‘charkha’ the spinning wheel be incorporated in the national flag. The spinning wheel was a great symbol of the nations independence and hence represented the economy of the old India. Venkayya improvised further with the red and green colour flag with the charkha. As this flag was not featuring all the relgions in India this flag did not gain prominence. The Indian National flag mission was formed by Umar Sobani and SB Bomanji.

 The Saptarishi constellation was shown in the Union flag owing to the formation of the Home Rule movement which was pioneered by Aniie Besant and Tilak in 1917. This flag somehow did not gain much popularity. The colour was five red and four green horizontal stripes. The upper left carried the Union flag glorifying the Dominion status of the movement.

 Ireland was then under the control of British hand hence the Irish flag inspired the Indian flag. Mahatma Gandhi’s urge to implicate the communal harmony in India was essential in the new flag. The white colour was on top, green in the middle and red at the last with the charka featuring in all the bands was unfurled in Ahmedabad at the meeting of the congress party. This flag became famous in all the types of freedom movement.

 As the stage for a perfect design of the national flag was aggressively being undertaken many suggestions came up to shape the final symbol.
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 The All India Sanskrit Congress in 1924 wanted the saffron colour and the gadha/mace of the Hindu God – Vishnu. The geru or earthy toned colour of the Hindu sadhus and Muslim fakirs was also suggested. The Sikhs came up that yellow be included.

 In 1931. a seven member committee was developed by the Congress Working committee. The saffron colour dominated by the Indian National Congress rejected this communal dominance depicted in the colour.

 In 1931 P Venkayya took the initiative to design the tricolour in a courageous saffron, a white for peace and truth and green mentioning faith and prosperity. The charkha surely depicted the economic independence.

 The flag hoisted in Manipur by the armed struggle propagated by Subash Chandra Bose was used by the army with the words Azad Hind and a tiger instead of the charka.

 A flag committee was set up a few days before the Indian independence in 1947. With increased effots the Indian National Congress adopted the National flag of India with a major depiction of communal harmony. The Dharma Chakra was used replacing the Charkha. Thus the Indian tricolour flag came into a full fledged existence.

Child Labour Policy in India

The main legislative measures at the national level are The Child Labor Prohibition and Regulation Act -1986 and The Factories Act -1948. The first act was categorical in prohibiting the employment of children below fourteen years of age, and identified 57 processes and 13 occupations which were considered dangerous to the health and lives of children. The details of these occupations and processes are listed in the schedule to the said Act.

 The factories act again prohibits the employment of children less than fourteen years of age. However an adolescent aged between 15 and 18 can be recruited for factory employment only after securing a fitness certificate from a medical doctor who is authorized. The Act proceeds to prescribe only four and and hour’s work period per day for children between 14 and 18 years. Children are also not allowed to work in night shifts.

 Moreover, in the year 1996 the Supreme Court of India came out with a judgment in court that directed the State and Union government to make a list of all children embroiled in hazardous occupations and processes. They were then told to pull them out of work and asked to provide them with proper education of quality. The judiciary also laid down that Child Labor and Welfare Fund is set up. The contribution for this was to be received from employers who contravened the Child Labor Act.

 India is also a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ILO Abolition of Forced Convention – No 105 and ILO Forced labor Convention – No. 29. A National Labor Policy was also adopted in the year 1987 in accordance with India’s development strategies and aims. The National Policy was designed to reinforce the directive principles of state policy in the Indian constitution.

Ancient India art

The origin of fine arts in India goes a long way back. India being a rich culture, the fine arts dates back to the beginning of civilization itself. India is known for its vivid history, co-existent plentiful of religions and path breaking philosophies. The importance of art has always constituted the fulcrum of India’s social and cultural hierarchies. As India’s history is segmented into various periods, similarly art in ancient India too is classified in accordance with those periods. Periods like, Hinduism and Buddhism, Islamic era, pre-independence period, post independence period and modern era. Every period has its unique blend of wonderful exhibition of Indian art. With changing times and changing periods, the form of art has also changed and every time it has managed to surpass the glorious works of previous age.

Art in ancient India began with rock paintings done by primitive men and women in their caves. When historians studied the remains of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, they formed an impression of a highly accomplished and intelligent culture. A heightened sense of aesthetic awareness and accomplished craftsmanship was visible in the architecture and artifacts found during excavations on these sites. The Harappan seals also revealed a detailed understanding of human and animal anatomy on deep study. The tradition of symbolism in Indian art was also clear from them.

Ancient India figure sculpture art form was first discovered in the famous figure of a dancing girl. This piece of sculpture was recovered through excavations in Mohenjodaro. The use of symbols in art forms was popular at this time. Symbols were rampantly used as tools of artistic ex-pression to visualize abstract thought and spiritual philosophy.
Ancient Indian temple architecture, murals, sculptures and paintings are also treasures, which mirror the nature of ancient Indian art. Fire altars, which were erected in temples during the Vedic period, are considered brilliant, in terms of mathematical and astronomical demonstrations. They depict a high degree of intellectual knowledge and aesthetic sensitivity at the same time.

In ancient India, each phase was unique in the field of architecture, painting, literature and art. Different influences both external and internal drove the evolution of Indian art from time to time and place to place. Hindus, Buddhists, Mughals and the British, all ruled over India in different phases and influenced its art. The paintings depicted in the caves of Ajanta and Ellora are the signing example of rich legacy of Indian paintings. Few of the paintings have been found in stone-carved forms in the Stone Age, popularly known as pre-historic age. Paintings are one of the foremost platforms for uninhibited artistic ex-pression.

Multiple invasions and intercultural exchanges gave Indian art vast scope for change and development. Ancient Indian religion with its deep-rooted tradition of visual philosophy also shapes its art in a diverse pattern, which was as varied as the Indian landscape. This resulted in a unique art, which was imaginative, humanizing and spiritual..

Indian art has kept evolving over thousands of years. Ancient India is credited to develop fascinating art forms like painting, dancing and sculpture etc. Probing further, we find the origin of ancient Indian art goes back to prehistoric rock paintings. We find excellent demonstration of town planning in Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Thinking of it, our ancestors were much more evolved and advanced as far as architecture is concerned. One of the famous archaeological discoveries was of a dancing girl from Mohenjodaro. It was an extraordinary example of sculpture in ancient India. Each era in the Indian history is unique as far as art is concerned.

A crucial period in the ancient India was dedicated to rock-cut caves and temple architecture. Places like Elephanta, Ajantha, Ellora, Salsette, Mahabalipuram and Aurangabad etc are blessed with rock-cut caves. Buddhists, Hindus and Jains were at the forefront of creation of these caves. Indian people were always great admirers of different art forms. The fact that different art forms managed to survive and evolve during the course of Indian history tells a lot about importance of art in India. Indian artists always had great artistic sensibilities. It is evident in the way human and animal figures have been carved and chiselled. The terracotta and bronze sculptures further testify to this fact.  

 Ancient Indian art forms are not just restricted to architecture, painting and sculpture. Folk and tribal art tradition in India is a wonderful example of culture and tradition of different social groups of India. Despite the onslaught of modernity, these traditions have managed to retain their essence and charm. What is most appealing about tribal art is that it is attuned to the rhythms of the nature. These art forms are simple expression of people that were further developed by fairs and festivals. The tribal art is based on local deities, myths, legends and epics. In that way, tribal art symbolises mutual dependency and co-existence of life and creativity. It is not merely an art for tribal people. It is in fact, a way of life that they live.

 The arrival of different cultures on the Indian Territory further enriched the beautiful ancient Indian art. Right from the very beginning, India has always attracted foreign influences. Many of them stayed here long enough to find themselves assimilated with actual Indian culture and that explains variations found in the landscape of Indian art.  Indian art form accepted the best of these cultures and that resulted in a completely new form of art. Persian and Mughal art is fine example of such historical events.   

Ancient India

Ancient India government started with the heads of nomadic tribes being given the designation of kings when they started settling in groups for agricultural purposes. The passage of time saw the growth of large kingdoms. By the end of the 6th century BC, there were 16 Mahajanapadas or what they call as kingdoms in ancient India. Many small republics were formed at this time with the elements of the democratic form of governance. The king heads the judiciary, legislative and executive structures and is appointed many officials or council of ministers as advisors under him.

Ancient Indian culture is not just old and unique but a pot full of interesting events whose traits can be seen in the culture of India even today. Ancient India cultures were amazingly diverse because of the vast geographical territory. Every state in India had its unique language, art and life style. India is the house of many religions like Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism etc. Ancient Indian festival celebrations were fascinating for their rituals, traditions, spiritual philosophy, art, pomp and gaiety.

Ancient India food habits reflect its cultural diversity. Ancient Indian cuisine was a composite mixture of many styles. Each state had its own unique style of cooking and serving food. This was based on the geography of the region. Ancient Indian food was known for its flavored, spicy aromatic food.

A combination of these factors has resulted in an exclusive Indian culture - a composite mixture of varying styles and influences. In the case of cuisine for instance, the North and the South are totally different. In the realm of music, there are varieties of folk, popular, pop, and classical music. The classical tradition of music in India includes the Karnatak and the Hindustani music.

Ancient India art was very cerebral. Music, painting and the scriptural texts is something that India can proudly boast of. The language of ancient India was Sanskrit. It was a much evolved language in terms of phonetics. Ancient Indian art was highly introspective and driven towards the full evolution of human mind and body.

Patanjalis yoga shastra and yoga vidhya are a very good example of this. Ancient India adapted to ornamentation and beauty for a religious life and metaphysical ex-pression. Gods and Goddesses were depicted in all works of ancient Indian art as representing different elements of nature. The paintings of ancient India can be seen in famous temples of Khajurao, caves of Ajanta and Ellora and other such places. Ancient Indian artists and sculptors were known for their meticulous and detailed ornamental kind of work..