India, colourful and vibrant, is a land as diverse as its people. A mosaic of faiths, cultures, customs and languages that blend harmoniously to form a composite whole. In India, dance is an age-old tradition. This vast sub-continent has given birth to varied forms of dancing, each shaped by the influences of a particular period and environment. All Indian dances portray some expression of life and almost every dance posture has a specific meaning. Different states in India have different and colourful folk dances.

House of India showcases India's rich culture and cuisine by active participation in Lawn Programs, Ethnic Food fair and December Nights at Balboa Park.  This page has some pictures showcasing dances from various parts of India performed during these events.

Please visit www.houseofindia.org or HPR website for event schedules.

House of India on a rotating basis hosts the features and exhibits of India in Hall of Nations. Hall of Nations is open every sunday from noon - 4:00 pm. This provides an opportunity for children to learn about rich and diverse Indian culture. Please check the HPR website for the schedule.

Young members of the House of India also actively participation in the Queens Organization.

History of India
The history of India begins with the Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished in the north-western part of the Indian subcontinent from 3300 to 1700 BCE. This Bronze Age civilization was followed by the Iron Age Vedic period, which witnessed the rise of major kingdoms known as the Mahajanapadas. In two of these, in the 6th century BCE, Mahavira and Gautama Buddha were born.

The subcontinent was united under the Maurya Empire during the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. It subsequently became fragmented, with various parts ruled by numerous Middle kingdoms for the next ten centuries. Its northern regions were united once again in the 4th century CE, and remained so for two centuries thereafter, under the Gupta Empire. This period was known as the "Golden Age of India." During the same time, and for several centuries afterwards, India, under the rule of the Chalukyas, Cholas, Pallavas and Pandyas, experienced its own golden age, during which Hinduism and Buddhism spread to much of south-east Asia.

Islam arrived on the subcontinent early in the 8th century CE with the conquest of Baluchistan and Sindh by Muhammad bin Qasim. Islamic invasions from Central Asia between the 10th and 15th centuries CE brought most of northern India under the rule at first of the Delhi Sultanate and later of the Mughals. Mughal rule, which ushered in a remarkable flowering of art and architecture, came to cover most of the northern parts of the subcontinent. Nevertheless, several independent kingdoms, such as the Maratha Empire and the Vijayanagara Empire, flourished contemporaneously, in Western and southern India respectively.

Beginning in the mid-18th century and over the next century, India was gradually annexed by the British East India Company. Dissatisfaction with Company rule led to the First War of Indian Independence, after which India was directly administered by the British Crown and witnessed a period of both rapid development of infrastructure and economic decline.

During the first half of the 20th century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the Indian National Congress, and later joined by the Muslim League. The subcontinent gained independence from Great Britain in 1947, after being partitioned into the dominions of India and Pakistan. Pakistan's eastern wing became the nation of Bangladesh in 1971.

Source - Wikipedia

Indian American community in San Diego
First person from India seems to have migrated to the United States in the early 19th century. Hundreds of farmers from the state of Punjab migrated to work in San Joaquin and Imperial valleys in the early 20th century and tens of students came to the US to study. Many of these people made the US their home. Inflow of immigrants from India gathered momentum only after 1975 and increased much faster after 1985. Today, there are about 2.5 million people of India origin in the United States, nearly two-thirds of them were born in India. The average education of this group is about 18 years and enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the country.

Dr. Hargobind Khorana, Dr. Subramaniam Chandrasekhar and Dr. Amartya Sen received Noble Prizes. Maestro Zubin Mehta, Sitar Maestro Pundit Ravi Sankar, PEPSI Chairwoman Indra Nooyi, Women Astronauts Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams and many more accomplished people contributing to the growth and development of this country are from India.

The first person from India who settled down in San Diego County was Harinder (known as Harry) Singh. He came here around 1918 and became a very prosperous, largest producer of tomatoes in the country. His descendents still cultivate the same lands, partly owned and partly leased, along interstate route 5 North.  World Re-known spiritual master Yogananda Parmahamsa, founder of Self-Realization Fellowship in Encinitas, lived in the county for many years. Also, the first person of Asian descent, ever elected to the United States Congress, Dr. Dalip Singh Saund, known as Judge Saund for his constituents, spent a lot of time in San Diego. He was elected to the Congress from Imperial Valley in 1956 against very stiff opposition. His health condition prevented him from serving in the Congress after his 1961 election victory as a democrat. His portrait is now hung in the Capital as the first Asian to be elected to the Congress.

Indian American population in San Diego blossomed after 1990s and today, there are over 17,000 people. All those who are in the labor force are professionals, some of them occupying leadership positions in communication and biotech industries and named chairs in UCSD, Salk Institute and SDSU.

The Indian American community has established the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Scholarship for high school graduates of San Diego County irrespective of origin and the Silver Jubilee of this award will be celebrated in 2008. During 2006 and 2007, $65,000 was given as scholarships to 37 students.

There are three places in San Diego for Hindu worship and over 30 restaurants specializing in Indian food and delicacies.

The Indian community in San Diego is constantly growing and it is estimated that there are more than 15,000 people of Indian origin living in San Diego. With such a strong presence in the community, House of India is making a concerted effort to showcase Indian culture so that people at large have a better understanding and appreciation of India's heritage, history and traditions.

Our goal is to build a cottage in the International Cottages area of Balboa Park. House of India is in early stages of fund raising in an effort to build the cottage. For the latest up-dates, please visit the website : www.houseofindia.org

Land Area: 3,287,590 sq km                                
Population:  1,129,866,154 (July 2007 est.)
Capital City: New Delhi                                        
Language:  English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language
Religion:  Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)
Form of Government: federal republic
Economy: India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for more than half of India's output with less than one third of its labor force.
Export: textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures

Click on image for larger map.

Source: The World Factbook - India