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June 30th… India’s Independence Day?

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As over one billion Indian’s celebrate India’s freedom from British rule on August 15th, we can’t help but think about how one man’s personal moment of glory dictated the date that will forever be a part of a nation’s history.  The last viceroy of India, Louis Mountbatten originally declared that transfer of power by June 30th, 1948.  However, realizing that a declaration of independence that far out would likely yield revolt and bloodshed, leaving little to no power for transfer, Lord Mountbatten moved the date up to August 15th, 1947.   When asked why the date was chosen, his response was that he knew he had to choose a date in August or September, but then chose August 15th as it aligned to the date Japan surrendered to the allies in 1945.  Coincidentally, during that time he was the Supreme Allied Commander of South-East Asia Command.

Eleven days before returning independence to India, Lord Mountbatten works with his advisors to divide India peaceably. New Delhi, India, August 4th, 1947. (David Douglas Duncan)

The Congress Party led by Jawaharlal Nehru had declared January 26th as India’s independence day and people continued to celebrate this day until the official independence from British rule. After August 15th, 1947, the process to adopt a constitution began and was put into place January 26th, 1950, celebrated as Republic Day.

Click here to learn more about India’s government system.

Nepal’s Wunderkind at the Rio 2016 Games

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This year at the Olympics, Nepal is proud to have Gaurika Singh on their team.  Gaurika is the youngest member of the national team at only 13 years old.  Not only is she the youngest on the team, but she is the youngest participant in the Olympics.  She brings the spotlight to Nepal despite leaving the country with her family at the age of  two.  Singh currently resides in London and attends the prestigious Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls and will enter the ninth grade after returning home.

She is a survivor of the devastating earthquake that hit Nepal last year.  Nearly 9,000 people were killed in one of the worst natural disasters for the country and Singh was lucky enough to have survived even though she was in a five-store building at the time the earthquake hit.


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Learn more about how Vibrant South Asian started

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Vibrant South Asian was inspired by the idea of breaking down stereotypes associated with South Asian countries by educating our community about positive attributes of the region. We recognized that many people in our community were enthusiastic to learn about these countries but needed guidance and resources.
While connecting our community to South Asia was important to us, we also wanted to do something to give back to the vibrant region of South Asia. Filled with rich cultures and traditions, this region is also home to areas of extreme poverty.  We decided we wanted to do something to improve access to education.  It seemed fitting that we would focus on educating our community about South Asia while enabling the people of that region to obtain an education that could improve their lives.  We contemplated various ways of improving access to education and eventually decided to focus our efforts on building libraries in impoverished areas of the countries.

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Sri Dalada Maligawa or Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka 

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The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic is a Buddhist temple in the sacred city of Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of the Buddha. Since ancient times, the relic has played an important role in local politics because it is believed that whoever holds the relic holds the governance of the country. Kandy was the last capital of the Sri Lankan kings and is a World Heritage Site mainly due to the temple.

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Bidya Devi Bhandari, the first female President of Nepal

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As of 2015, Nepal has welcomed their first female President.  Bidya Devi Bhandari, the wife of popular communist leader Madan Bhandari, took office last year taking Nepal’s communist movement to a new level.  Bhandari is a native of the village of Bhojpur and prior to winning her position in office, she held the position of Defense Minister and as Vice Chair of the All Nepal Women Association.  The 54-year-old is the second President of Nepal after Ram Baran Yadav once the country abolished the monarchy.

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Hello, Namaste, Namaskar, Vanakkam, Sat Srī Akāl… The Many Languages of India!

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India has 23 constitutionally recognized official languages but Hindi and English are the official languages used by the Central Government.  The Indian Constitution (Article 343) declares Hindi to be the official language of India.  The eighth schedule of the Constitution of India lists 22 regional languages, giving them official status.

The people of India speak in about 780 different languages and write in 86 different scripts. Hindi is the native language of about 20% of the Indian population and is most widely spoken in northern parts of India including the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttaranchal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.

India – with a population of over 1.3 billion – is the world’s largest democracy

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Unlike the American or British political systems which have existed in their current forms for centuries, the Indian political system is a much more recent construct dating from India’s independence from Britain in 1947.

The current constitution came into force on January 26, 1950 and advocates the trinity of justice, liberty, and equality for all citizens. The Constitution of India is the longest written constitution of any sovereign country in the world, containing 444 articles, 12 schedules, and 98 amendments, with almost 120,000 words in its English language version.

The lower house of India’s Bicameral-Parliament, the Lok Sabha (House of the People), is modeled on the British House of Commons, but its federal system of government borrows from the United States, Canada, and Australia. [Read more…]

Whether man made or natural wonders, South Asia is home to breath-taking World Heritage sites

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South Asia is home to many beautiful and culturally significant sites.  From the manmade Taj Mahal in India to the natural wonder of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, there are a plethora of places to see when visiting South Asia.  Below are links to of some of the most famous World Heritage Sites (some pending nomination and selection) in South Asia spanning across Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

A World Heritage Site is a place recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as being of special cultural or physical significance.  The list of Word Heritage Sites is maintained by the International World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, comprised of 21 UNESCO member states which are elected by the General Assembly.  The Programme catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity.  Please click here for more information about UNESCO and here for more information about The World Heritage Committee.

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Sri Lanka’s World Heritage Sites

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Sri Lanka is home to eight World Heritage Sites, six cultural sites and two natural sites.  A World Heritage Site is a place recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as being of special cultural or physical significance.  To be considered a World Heritage Site, a place must be of “outstanding universal value” and meet at least one of ten criteria.

Below are details about some of Sri Lanka’s World Heritage Sites.  You can click on the name of each site for more details.

Sri Lanka’s six cultural World Heritage Sites are:

  • Ancient City of Polonnaruwa
    • Polonnaruwa was the second capital of Sri Lanka after the destruction of Anuradhapura in 993. It comprises, besides the Brahmanic monuments built by the Cholas, the monumental ruins of the fabulous garden-city created by Parakramabahu I in the 12th century.  The second most ancient of Sri Lanka’s kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader

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Pakistan’s World Heritage Sites

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Pakistan is home to six World Heritage Sites, all six are cultural sites.  A World Heritage Site is a place recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as being of special cultural or physical significance.  To be considered a World Heritage Site, a place must be of “outstanding universal value” and meet at least one of ten criteria.

Below are details about some of Pakistan’s World Heritage Sites.  You can click on the name of each site for more details.

Pakistan’s six cultural World Heritage Sites are:

  • Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro
    • Mohenjodaro is an archeological site in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The ruins of the huge city of Moenjodaro – built entirely of unbaked brick in the 3rd millennium B.C. – lie in the Indus valley. The acropolis, set on high embankments, the ramparts, and the lower town, which is laid out according to strict rules, provide evidence of an early system of town planning. Mohenjodaro was abandoned in the 19th century BCE as the Indus Valley Civilization declined, and the site was not rediscovered until the 1920s.

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