TRAVERSE Issue 44 - October 2024 | Page 59

TRAVERSE 59

TRAVEL - INDIA

LEIGH WILKINS

NATURAL TO LOOK BEAUTIFUL

The smile in your heart , the way you slip through the world , is what makes you beautiful . This is India where there is no need for chemical infused makeups , fillers , or other superficial facial accessories . In India it is natural to look beautiful .

Riding India , a land as diverse as anywhere on the planet , it ’ s not uncommon to come across a multitude of appearances , it ’ s not difficult when the population is well over 1.4 billion people , almost twenty percent of the world ’ s total population .
Conjecture stands as to whether the term Indian is correct , considering the land known as India was something created by the British Raj of Victorian times and should in fact be named Bhārata from the old texts as described , “ The country ( varṣam ) that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhāratam ; there dwell the descendants of Bharata ”, something the people have called for since the formation of the Republic of India in 1949 .
The people of India trace their history back to prehistoric times , something that is considered much older than European prehistory as the people of the Indus Valley and Indo-Aryan cultures kept records long before those to the West . It ’ s a similar story with that of the religions , Hinduism is considered the worlds oldest religion and according to scripture even predates human history , then comes Buddhism and Jainism , both much older than Christianity , and all having a strong influence on Indian culture and the people .
Religion spread across the subcontinent and dictated how the people would behave , each region has it ’ s own deities , its own gods , and beliefs . This gives each and every state , city , town , and community
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