Overview

Geographical Conditions:

India is the seventh largest country in the world, located in the northern hemisphere. It is surrounded by the Himalayan Mountains in the North, Indian Ocean in the South, Arabian Sea on the West and Bay of Bengal in the East. The northern frontiers of India are defined largely by the Himalayan mountain range, where the country borders China, Bhutan, and Nepal. Its western border with Pakistan lies in the Karakoram range, Punjab Plains, the Thar Desert and the Rann of Kutch salt marshes. In the far northeast, the Chin Hills and Kachin Hills, deeply forested mountainous regions, separate India from Burma. On the east, its border with Bangladesh is largely defined by the Khasi Hills and Mizo Hills, and the watershed region of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar separate India from Sri Lanka to its immediate southeast.

Although the country is situated in the northern hemisphere, the Tropic of Cancer cuts the landmass halfway through. Due to this, the country enjoys a subtropical climate. However the climate of India comprises a wide range of weather conditions across a vast geographic scale and varied topography, making generalizations difficult. Based on the Köppen system, India hosts six major climatic subtypes, ranging from arid deserts in the west, alpine tundra and glaciers in the north, and humid tropical regions supporting rainforests in the southwest and the island territories. Many regions have starkly different microclimates, making it one of the most climatically diverse countries in the world.

Political & Legal System:

India is a federal union comprised of 28 states and 8 union territories. India is  a federal parliamentary democratic republic, which works within the frame of the country’s constitution, with President as head of state and the Prime Minister as the head of government. The States are administrated by the Governor, whose role is ceremonial. The head of each state government is the Chief Ministers, who is supported by the Council of Ministers. The union territories are governed by administrators, appointed by the President of India. The territory of Delhi serves as the capital of the country. Three of the territories Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry have been given partial statehood, with elected legislatures and executive councils of ministers, with reduced powers.

India follows the dual polity system that consists of the central authority at the centre and states at the periphery. There is a provision for a bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), which represents the states of the Indian federation, and a lower house, the Lok Sabha (House of the People), which represents the people of India as a whole. The Indian constitution provides for an independent judiciary, which is headed by the Supreme Court. High Courts, District Session Courts and Taluk Munsif Magistrate Courts also deal with cases coming under their jurisdiction.

India maintains a hybrid legal system with a mixture of constitutional law, civil law, common law and customary religious law within the legal framework inherited from the colonial era and various legislation first introduced by the British are still in effect in modified forms today. Since the drafting of the Indian Constitution, therefore many Indian laws are adhered to the United Nations guidelines on human rights law and the environmental law. The Indian Penal Code forms the backbone of criminal law in India and the Code of Criminal Procedure governs the procedural aspects of the criminal law. India also has tort laws that govern the civil wrongs, whereas the Civil Procedure Code deals with the procedures of the civil suits.

Economic Status:

India is a developing market economy, in which the primary, secondary and tertiary sector contributes to the economy. It is the world`s fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP. The service sector makes up 55.6% of GDP and remains the fastest growing sector, while the industrial sector and the agricultural sector employs majority of the labor force. The Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange are one of the world`s largest stock exchanges by market capitalization. India is the world`s sixth-largest manufacturer. It has the world`s seventh-largest foreign-exchange reserves. India ranks second globally in food and agricultural production.  India`s telecommunication industry is the world`s second largest by number of mobile phone, smartphone, and internet users. It is the world`s tenth-largest oil producer and the third-largest oil consumer. The Indian automobile industry is the world`s fourth largest by production. India has the world`s fourth-largest natural resources. It is also the world`s second-largest coal producer, the second-largest cement producer, the second-largest steel producer, and the third-largest electricity producer.

Some of the big industries of India include: Tata Steel, Reliance Industries Limited, Indian Oil Corporation, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), ITC, Infosys, Wipro, State Bank of India, Rajesh Exports, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Tata Motors, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, etc. The long-term growth perspective of the Indian economy remains positive due to its young population and corresponding low dependency ratio, healthy savings and investment rates, and is increasing integration into the global economy. India was the world`s tenth-largest importer and the nineteenth-largest exporter. India has one of the world`s highest number of billionaires. India`s largest trading partners are China, USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, and Malaysia. India has free trade agreements with several nations, including ASEAN, SAFTA, Mercosur, South Korea, Japan and few others which are in effect or under negotiating stage.  

Soceity and Culture

Language:

English and Hindi are the administrative official languages of India. However, Hindi is not the national language of India. The Constitution of India does not give any language the status of national language. The Indians consists of dozens of indigenous regional ethno-linguistic groups, reflecting the rich and complex history of the country. Languages spoken in India belong to several language families, the major ones being the Indo-Aryan languages spoken by 78.05% of Indians and the Dravidian languages spoken by 19.64% of Indians.

The Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists 22 languages, which have been referred to as scheduled languages and given recognition, status and official encouragement. In addition, the Government of India has awarded the distinction of classical language to Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu. Classical language status is given to languages which have a rich heritage and independent nature. India has 122 major languages and 1599 other languages.

Cuisine:

India is known for its love of food and spices. Indian cuisine varies from region to region, reflecting the local produce, cultural diversity, and varied demographics of the country. Generally, Indian cuisine can be split into five categories – northern, southern, eastern, western, and northeastern. The diversity of Indian cuisine is characterized by the differing use of many spices and herbs, a wide assortment of recipes and cooking techniques. Though a significant portion of Indian food is vegetarian, many Indian dishes also include meats like chicken, mutton, beef (both cow and buffalo), pork and fish, egg and other seafood. Fish-based cuisines are common in eastern states of India, particularly West Bengal and the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Tourist Attractions:

India is gifted with a variety of landscapes - the lofty Himalayas, the Great Indian Desert, the Northern Plains, the Deccan plateau surface and the scenic coasts and islands. Each of these landforms has a beauty of its own and it adds to the physical diversity of the country. India is also home to 38 World Heritage Sites, and that makes India the 6th largest country of World Heritage Sites.

India has wonderful tourist spots, which attracts foreign nationals to visit and enjoy the unique features that they have, either inherently possessed or man-made. Some of the important tourist spots are Taj Mahal (Agra), Hampi (Karnataka), Red Fort Complex (Delhi), Ajanta & Ellora Caves (Maharashtra), Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh), The Pink City (Jaipur), The Historic City of Ahmedabad, Kaziranga Wild Life Sanctuary (Assam), Sundarbans National Park (West Bengal), Great Himalayan National Park (Himachal Pradesh),  Qutb Minar (Delhi), Hawa Mahal (Jaipur), Havelock Island (Andaman), Bandhavgarh National Park (Madhya Pradesh), Pushkar Camel Fair (Pushkar), Ranakpur Temple (Pali), Varkala Beach (Trivandrum), Darjeeling (West Bengal), Mysore Palace (Mysore), Jim Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand), Palolem (Goa), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Banerghatta National Park (Bengaluru), etc.

Lifestyle:

The culture of India refers collectively to the thousands of distinct and unique cultures of all religions and communities present in India. India`s languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food and customs differ from place to place within the country. India is a diverse multiethnic country that is home to thousands of small ethnic and tribal groups. That complexity developed from a lengthy and involved process of migration and intermarriage. The country celebrates holidays and festivals of various religions such as Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Jews, Parsis, Buddhists, Jains, etc. which reflects the secularism of India.

Greetings include Namaste (Hindi and Sanskrit), Namaskar (Hindi), Namaskaara/Juhaara in Odia, Namaskar (Marathi), Namaskara (Kannada), Namaskaram (Telugu, Malayalam), Vanakkam (Tamil), Nomoshkaar (Bengali), Nomoskar (Assamese), Aadab (Urdu), and Sat Shri Akal (Punjabi). All these are commonly spoken greetings or salutations when people meet and are forms of farewell when they depart.

In general, most people are friendly and welcoming to strangers who are trying to adapt to the way of life in India. It is not unusual for foreigners and their families to be invited round their neighbors’ or colleagues’ houses for dinner. People in India prefer unitary family system than that of joint family. It is a secular country as such each religion is respected; therefore harmonious relationship exists. The country is known for its own tradition which is followed since ages, albeit the people embrace foreign culture in a phased manner. People demonstrate their commitment and dedication in the work no matter whether they are in the formal or informal sectors.

Health Care:

The Indian Constitution makes the provision of healthcare in India the responsibility of the state governments, rather than the central federal government. It makes every state responsible for raising the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its people and the improvement of public health as among its primary duties.  The National Health Policy was endorsed by the Parliament of India. However, the private healthcare sector is responsible for the majority of healthcare in India, and most healthcare expenses are paid directly out of pocket by patients and their families, rather than through health insurance. Government health policy has thus far largely encouraged private sector expansion in conjunction with well-designed but limited public health programmes.

A government funded health insurance project was launched by the Government of India, called Ayushman Bharat. The health care system in India is universal. State governments provide healthcare services and health education, while the central government offers administrative and technical services. International students should expect to rely on private hospitals for advanced medical treatment in India. Local pharmacists can be a valuable resource for most minor health ailments.

Education in India

The provision of free and compulsory education for all children up to age 14 is among the directive principles of the Indian constitution. At present 73% of the people in India are literate and 24% of the people have access to higher education. Many institutions impart quality education and research in various field including science and technology. Depending on what the students study, attaining a degree in India can take three to five years. Postgraduate courses are generally two to three years long. After completing a postgraduate degree, there is the option of continuing on with doctoral studies and research at various educational institutes.

India has been a major seat of learning for thousands of years. India has around 1000 universities, 45,000 colleges and 1, 30,000 primary and secondary institutions. The country was home to the inventor of the digit 0 – ?ryabhatta and leading institutions like Nalanda and Indian Institute of Science. Indian educational institutions such as the IITs, IISc, IIMs, NITs,AIIMS, ISI, BITS and ISB are well known worldwide to provide quality education. These institutes attract large number of foreign nationals to pursue their studies. India is known as a communication hub, and has become popular with study abroad students from all over the world. It is highly attractive due to its forward thinking and English being the common language of communication; thanks to large multinational companies.

The Indian government has also set up the Education Consultants of India to cater to the needs of the growing number of International Students. Different courses for international students are offered all over the country. International students can apply for anything from medical and engineering courses to applied arts / science including the management courses at most institutions. The government has reserved some seats for foreign students through which they can get admission. Various International Fellowships are also available for students from across the globe. These International scholarships may be offered at various levels of study from graduate and postgraduate level, to the level of doctorate or post doctorate in various streams of study. Almost every university in India has accommodation facilities for all its students.

Reasons to Study in India

• The cost of education in India is quite low as compared to many other countries of the world.
• Indian educational institutions such as the IITs, IISc, IIITs, IIMs, NITs, AIIMS, ISI, BITS, ISB, etc. are well known worldwide to provide quality education.
• Different courses under various streams for international students are offered all over the country.
• One can also study some unique courses that were discovered and developed by the traditional knowledge system of India like Sanskrit and Hindi, for which many foreign nationals evince interest in it. Ayurveda and Yoga are some such courses that enthuse many international students.
• Various scholarships, education loans and other financial aids are available for studying in India today to meet the expenditure.
• Some of the institutions in India have risen to the level of global standards in terms of quality of education and placement. Indian Institute of Science, IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Chennai, etc. fulfill the benchmark set at the global level.
• The Government of India, due to its commitment with multilateral agreements, encourages students from various parts of the world to pursue their education in the institute of India as per the terms and conditions.
• Student visas are granted to those who wish to come to India and study at an officially recognized educational institution. Student visas are issued for up to five years, depending on the duration of the course. They can also be extended in India.
• The Indian government does not allow foreign students to work during their study period. However, international students are allowed to take up training and internships. Even though, India bounds international students from exploring work opportunities during their studies, it generally does not exempt them from working in the country post programme.
• India is fairly safe for international students as long as they are vigilant.