India ink, black pigment in the form of sticks that are moistened before use in drawing and lettering, or the fluid ink consisting of this pigment finely suspended in a liquid medium, such as water, and a glutinous binder. The sticks or cakes consist of specially prepared lampblack, or carbon

narra: …especially to Pterocarpus indicus, or India padauk, noted for the ability of its wood to take a high polish.

India pale ale (IPA), type of beer that features strong flavours from hops and typically has more fruity notes than other types of beer. Brewed industrially or on a small scale, India pale ales (IPAs) differ from standard pale ales in that they generally have a higher amount of alcohol by volume

India rubber plant, (Ficus elastica), large tree of the family Moraceae, once an important source of an inferior natural rubber. It was largely replaced as a source of rubber by the unrelated rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) in the early 20th century. The India rubber plant is native to Southeast

India rubber plant, (Ficus elastica), large tree of the family Moraceae, once an important source of an inferior natural rubber. It was largely replaced as a source of rubber by the unrelated rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) in the early 20th century. The India rubber plant is native to Southeast

Delphine Seyrig: …femme fatale in Marguerite Duras’s India Song and the title character in Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles—she usually worked with women directors. Despite her many films, Seyrig considered herself to be primarily a stage actress. She performed in both classic and contemporary plays, often with…

House of India, 15th-century Portuguese establishment that managed the trade in products from overseas colonies. It was called House of Guinea because it began by processing products from Guinea. Originally housed in a warehouse at Lagos in southern Portugal, it was reestablished in Lisbon with the

citizenship of India, legal relationship between an individual and the Indian state, defined in Articles 5–11 of the Constitution of India and governed by the Citizenship Act of 1955. Citizenship can be acquired through several ways, primarily by the principles of jus soli (“right of the soil”),

climate of India, Although the monsoons influence India’s climate and economy to a great extent, there are also many regional variations despite its unifying effect. Temperatures, wind patterns, and rainfall levels can vary widely in different regions of the country. For example, regions in

Council of India, supervisory body established in 1604 by Philip III of Spain, who also ruled Portugal. It oversaw Portuguese colonial affairs along the lines of the Spanish Council of the Indies. After the reestablishment of Portuguese independence from Spain in 1640, the Council of India was

Constitution of India, the supreme law that defines the organizing principles of the Republic of India, the structure and functions of the government, and the rights of citizens. It was framed after India achieved independence from British rule in 1947, and it went into effect on January 26,

Council of India, supervisory body established in 1604 by Philip III of Spain, who also ruled Portugal. It oversaw Portuguese colonial affairs along the lines of the Spanish Council of the Indies. After the reestablishment of Portuguese independence from Spain in 1640, the Council of India was

India’s economy has undergone profound shifts since the country gained independence in 1947, evolving from a largely agrarian system to one that harbors high technology in certain sectors. Initially shaped by state-led industrialization, the country later embraced free market reforms that opened

During the British raj (1858–1947), India was represented in certain civil and military contexts by a variety of flags that combined the Union Jack and the Star of India, a five-pointed, diamond-studded star encircled by a sunburst pattern that was used as the insignia of British India. The

Government of India, political authority by which the Republic of India is administered on the basis of the principles of democracy and federalism. The functions of the government are to enact and enforce legislation, formulate and implement policies, and maintain law and order. The Constitution of

India: History of India: The Indian subcontinent, the great landmass of South Asia, is the home of one of the world’s oldest and most influential civilizations. In this article, the subcontinent, which for historical purposes is usually called simply “India,” is understood to comprise the areas of…

House of India, 15th-century Portuguese establishment that managed the trade in products from overseas colonies. It was called House of Guinea because it began by processing products from Guinea. Originally housed in a warehouse at Lagos in southern Portugal, it was reestablished in Lisbon with the

Parliament of India, the supreme legislature of India. The Parliament consists of the president of India and two houses—an upper house called the Rajya Sabha, or Council of States, and a lower house called the Lok Sabha, or House of the People—making it bicameral in nature. The prime minister of

partition of India, division of British India into the independent countries of India and Pakistan according to the Indian Independence Act passed by the British Parliament on July 18, 1947. Set to take effect on August 15, the rapid partition led to a population transfer of unprecedented

India, country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. It is made up of 28 states and eight union territories, and its national capital is New Delhi, built in the 20th century just south of the historic hub of Old Delhi to serve as India’s administrative center. Its government is a

Himalayas: Study and exploration: In the mid-19th century the Survey of India organized a systematic program to measure correctly the heights of the Himalayan peaks. The Nepal and Uttarakhand peaks were observed and mapped between 1849 and 1855. Nanga Parbat, as well as the peaks of the Karakoram Range to the north, were surveyed…

In August 1947 the Indian Independence Movement culminated in the end of British rule over the Indian subcontinent. However, the ecstasy of freedom was attended by the agony of partition, in which India and Pakistan were created as separate countries. The partition was engineered by Lord

India-Pakistan heat wave of 2015, extended period of extreme heat that spanned the Indian subcontinent during April, May, and June 2015 and resulted in more than 2,500 deaths in India and more than 1,100 deaths in Pakistan. Heat waves are common in India between March and June, and the country’s

India and Russia (formerly part of the Soviet Union) are close partners whose multidimensional partnership spans crucial areas such as diplomacy and defense, economic cooperation, energy, and trade. It is one of the longest-running bilateral relationships in the world, officially established

Indigenous peoples of the Americas, any of the aboriginal peoples of the Western Hemisphere. Inuit, Yupik/Yupiit, and Unangan (Aleuts) are sometimes excluded from this category, because their closest genetic and cultural relations were and are with other Arctic peoples rather than with the groups

Mauritius: Early history and colonial administration: …replaced by indentured laborers from India. The country’s modern-day Indo-Pakistani population stems from this program of replacing slavery with indentured servitude (deemed Britain’s “Great Experiment”); by the time it ended in the 1920s, almost a half million indentured laborers had come from India to work on the sugar plantations. The…

Kamal Haasan: Superstardom: …fighter and his son in Indian (1996). That same year he starred in Avvai Shanmugi (1996; avvai is used to address elderly women), a Tamil adaptation of the Hollywood hit Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), in which he played a divorced father who disguises himself as a female housekeeper to be near…

Kamal Haasan: The 2020s: He starred in Indian 2 in 2024 and reunited with director Mani Ratnam for Thug Life in 2025.

Canada: Indigenous peoples: …legal definition given in the Indian Act of 1876. People legally defined as Indians are known as status Indians. First Nations people who have chosen to give up their status rights or who have lost them through intermarriage with people of European ancestry are called nonstatus Indians. (Beginning in 1985,…

Native American: The outplacement and adoption of Indigenous children: …of America in launching the Indian Adoption Project (IAP), the country’s first large-scale transracial adoption program. The IAP eventually moved between 25 and 35 percent of the Native children in the United States into interstate adoptions and interstate foster care placements. Essentially all of these children were placed with Euro-American…

Larry Woiwode: …an out-of-work television actor, and Indian Affairs (1992) is a sequel to What I’m Going to Do.

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior that serves as the principal link between federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native populations and the U.S. government. It is responsible for administering about 66 million acres (27 million hectares) of

Pakistan: The government of Imran Khan: …credit for the attack, the Indian Air Force conducted air strikes in Pakistan for the first time in five decades. Though India claimed it had destroyed a large training camp belonging to the militant group, Pakistan denied that any such camp had existed and said that India had struck an…

Indian Airlines, former domestic and regional airline of India that merged with Air India in 2007, thereafter operating as Air India. Indian Airlines was founded in 1953. The airline was headquartered in New Delhi and served the Indian subcontinent—India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh,

Indian Airlines, former domestic and regional airline of India that merged with Air India in 2007, thereafter operating as Air India. Indian Airlines was founded in 1953. The airline was headquartered in New Delhi and served the Indian subcontinent—India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh,

albizia: Indian albizia, or siris (A. lebbek), native to tropical Asia and Australia, grows about 24 metres tall and bears pods 23–30 cm long. Both species are common ornamental trees.

Terminalia: catappa, the Indian, or tropical, almond, is commonly cultivated for ornament, particularly along streets in the tropics.

Myrtales: Family distributions and abundance: Combretaceae, the white mangrove or Indian almond family, has about 500 species in 14 genera of mostly trees and shrubs. The family is especially important along tropical seacoasts, in African savannas, and in Asiatic monsoon forests. It comprises mangrove species of muddy shores or estuaries,…

Indic writing systems, writing systems that include the syllabic Kharosthi and semialphabetic Brahmi scripts of ancient India. No systems of writing subsequently developed from the Kharosthi script. Brahmi, however, is thought to be the forerunner of all of the scripts used for writing the

Northwest Territories: Constitutional framework: …territories’ natural resources through the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

Paul Manship: …early compositions, including the popular Indian and Pronghorn Antelope (1914). Among his other large decorative works—mostly in bronze—are Dancer and Gazelles (1916), of which there are versions in several museums, and Prometheus (1934), a fountain sculpture at Rockefeller Center in New York. He executed many portraits in marble; most striking…

Max Pechstein: …colours, as in his painting Indian and Woman (1910). He frequently painted with Heckel and fellow Die Brücke member Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

Native American: The conquest of the western United States: …with the passage of the Indian Appropriation Act (1871), which declared that “hereafter no Indian nation or tribe” would be recognized “as an independent power with whom the United States may contract by treaty.” Indian affairs were thus brought under the legislative control of the Congress to a much greater…

Sir John Hubert Marshall: …English director general of the Indian Archaeological Survey (1902–31) who in the 1920s was responsible for the large-scale excavations that revealed Harappā and Mohenjo-daro, the two largest cities of the previously unknown Indus Valley Civilization.

India: Architecture: Architecture is perhaps India’s greatest glory. Among the most-renowned monuments are many cave temples hewn from rock (of which those at Ajanta and Ellora are most noteworthy); the Sun Temple at Konarak (Konarka); the vast temple complexes at Bhubaneshwar, Khajuraho, and

Native American art, the visual art of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Americas, often called American Indians. For a further discussion of the visual art of the Americas produced in the period after European contact, see Latin American art. The very use of the word art suggests one of the basic

Native American art: Arts of the American Indian peoples in the contemporary world: …by means of which the Indian Arts and Crafts Board came into existence. Sparked by John Collier, then commissioner of Indian affairs, this body is one of the few governmental organizations set up specifically to promote, encourage, and revive native arts and crafts. While intended largely as an economic device…

Indian Association, nationalist political group in India that favored local self-government and served as a forerunner to the more truly national Indian National Congress (Congress Party). The association was founded in Bengal in 1876 by Surendranath Banerjee and Ananda Mohan Bose. It was supported

bel fruit, (Aegle marmelos), tree of the family Rutaceae, cultivated for its fruit. The plant is native to India and Bangladesh and has naturalized throughout much of Southeast Asia. The unripe fruit, sliced and sun-dried, is traditionally used as a remedy for dysentery and other digestive

banyan, (Ficus benghalensis), unusually shaped tree of the mulberry family (Moraceae) native to the Indian subcontinent. The banyan reaches a height up to 30 metres (100 feet) and spreads laterally indefinitely. Aerial roots that develop from its branches descend and take root in the soil to become

Native American art, the visual art of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Americas, often called American Indians. For a further discussion of the visual art of the Americas produced in the period after European contact, see Latin American art. The very use of the word art suggests one of the basic

Lethbridge: …with the Indians, stands in Indian Battle Park on the Oldman River. The park marks the site of the last great encounter (1870) between the Cree and the Blackfoot Indians prior to a peace treaty (1871). In July the city holds the annual Whoop-Up Days exhibition and rodeo. The park…

Native American art, the visual art of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Americas, often called American Indians. For a further discussion of the visual art of the Americas produced in the period after European contact, see Latin American art. The very use of the word art suggests one of the basic

vulture: Old World vultures: …(Sarcogyps calvus), often called the Pondicherry vulture or the Indian (black) vulture, is an Old World vulture ranging from Pakistan to Malaysia. It is about 75 cm (30 inches) long and has a wingspan of about 2.7 metres (8.9 feet). It is black with white down on the breast and…

Indian Botanic Garden, botanical garden in Haora (Howrah), West Bengal, India, famous for its enormous collections of orchids, bamboos, palms, and plants of the screw pine genus (Pandanus). In 2009 it was renamed to honour Indian plant physiologist and physicist Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose. It is

Bridgetown, capital and port of the island-state of Barbados, in the West Indies, southeastern Caribbean Sea. It is on the southwestern end of the island, on the wide curve of Carlisle Bay. A built-up coastal strip stretches for several miles on each side of the town. The town, which was founded in

water buffalo, (Bubalus bubalis), either of two forms, wild and domestic, of Asian mammal similar to the ox. There are 74 breeds of domestic water buffalo numbering some 165 million animals, but only small numbers of wild water buffalo remain. Both forms are gray to black with off-white “socks” and

Real Quiet: …started at Churchill Downs, with Indian Charlie as the favourite. Real Quiet stayed close to the favourite, and, when Indian Charlie made his move, his “bargain-basement” competitor passed not only Indian Charlie but Victory Gallop, winning the Derby by half a length. The win was worth $700,000 for Real Quiet…

adoption: In 1978 the federal Indian Child Welfare Act required that placements of Native American children living on reservations give preference to applicants from within the child’s tribe or extended family. Another federal law, the 1994 Multiethnic Placement Act, prevented child-welfare agencies that receive federal assistance from denying or delaying…

Native American: Reorganization: The earlier Snyder Act (1924) had extended citizenship to all Indigenous people born in the United States, opening the door to full participation in American civic life (see also Are Native Americans U.S. Citizens?. But few took advantage of the law, and a number of states subsequently…

British Empire: Dominance and dominions: …tried, ranging from the sophisticated Indian Civil Service, with its largely effective adoption of native practices in civil law and administration, to the very loose and indirect supervision exercised in a number of African territories, where settlers and commercial interests were left much to themselves while native Africans were segregated…

Native American: Reorganization: A special Indian Claims Commission, created by an act of Congress on August 13, 1946, received petitions for land claims against the United States. Many land claims resulted in significant compensation, including nearly $14,800,000 to the Cherokee nation, $10,250,000 to the Muscogee tribe, $12,300,000 to the Seminoles,…

Indian cobra, (Naja naja), species of highly venomous snake in the cobra family (Elapidae). It is one of the so-called “big four” species of snakes that inflict the majority of snakebites in India, the other three being the common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), the saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus),

Indian cuisine, the foods and methods of their preparation traditional to India. India does not have a single cuisine. Due to its wide variety of climates, soil types, cultures, and religions, as well as influences from other countries, India has a diverse range of cuisines. As a whole, Indian

corn, (Zea mays), cereal plant of the grass family (Poaceae) and its edible grain. The domesticated crop originated in the Americas and is one of the most widely distributed of the world’s food crops. Corn is used as human food, livestock feed, as biofuel, and as raw material in industry. Corn was

India: Government organization: The act of 1892 further expanded the council’s permissible additional membership to 16, of whom 10 could be nonofficial, and increased their powers, though only to the extent of allowing them to ask questions of government and to criticize formally the official budget during one day…

India: Government organization: The Indian Councils Act of 1861 transformed the viceroy’s Executive Council into a miniature cabinet run on the portfolio system, and each of the five ordinary members was placed in charge of a distinct department of Calcutta’s government—home, revenue, military, finance, and law. The military commander…

Indian Councils Act of 1909, series of reform measures enacted in 1909 by the British Parliament, the main component of which directly introduced the elective principle to membership in the imperial and local legislative councils in India. The act was formulated by John Morley, secretary of state

courser: The Indian courser (C. coromandelicus) is brown with a strong face pattern. The bronze-winged courser (Rhinoptilus chalcopterus), largest of several species in sub-Saharan Africa, frequents woodlands and is chiefly nocturnal. It is about 30 cm (12 inches) long.

India: Birds: …birds in India include the Indian crane, commonly known as the sarus (Grus antigone); a large gray bird with crimson legs, the sarus stands as tall as a human. Bustards inhabit India’s grasslands. The great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), now confined to central and western India, is an endangered species…

Black Hawk War: Raids and retreat: In the resulting Indian Creek Massacre, 15 whites were killed, scalped, and mutilated. Two teenage girls were taken captive and then later ransomed. Another early encounter was the Battle of the Pecatonica in southwestern Wisconsin. Eleven Kickapoo who had attacked a group of settlers on June 14 and…

nasturtium, (Tropaeolum majus), annual plant of the family Tropaeolaceae, cultivated as an ornamental for its attractive leaves and flowers. The plant is native to the Andes Mountains of South America and is considered an invasive species in a few areas outside its native range. The peppery-tasting

crested swift: A widespread species is the crested tree swift (Hemiprocne longipennis), ranging from Southeast Asia eastward to the Celebes. It is about 20 cm (8 inches) long and has pale blue-gray upperparts, dark brown wings and tail, and reddish cheeks. The 29-centimetre-long whiskered tree swift (H. mystacea) of Southeast Asia is…

crime: Islamic countries: …Pakistan, which originally inherited the Indian Criminal Procedure Code, adopted an adversarial system similar to that of England. Both sides in a trial present their oral arguments to an impartial judge, and there is a competent and independent bar from whose ranks judges are chosen. The regular courts were supplemented…

Indian cuisine, the foods and methods of their preparation traditional to India. India does not have a single cuisine. Due to its wide variety of climates, soil types, cultures, and religions, as well as influences from other countries, India has a diverse range of cuisines. As a whole, Indian

snowberry: Indian currant, or coralberry (S. orbiculatus), more than 2 m tall, bears purplish berries. Creeping snowberry is a plant of the genus Gaultheria (family Ericaceae).

South Asian arts: Indian dance: Dance in India can be organized into three categories: classical, folk, and modern. Classical dance forms are among the best-preserved and oldest practiced in the 21st century. The royal courts, the temples, and the guru to pupil teaching tradition have kept this art…

Native American dance, the dance of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Americas, often called American Indians. The treatment of Native American dance in this article is meant to focus first on certain general features of dance and their manifestation in a number of areas. The diversities existing

elephant: …elephant includes three subspecies: the Indian, or mainland (E. maximus indicus), the Sumatran (E. maximus sumatranus), and the Sri Lankan (E. maximus maximus). African elephants have much larger ears, which are used to dissipate body heat.

John Dryden: Writing for the stage: …own first outstanding success with The Indian Emperour, a play that was a sequel to The Indian Queen.

equatorial countercurrent: The countercurrent of the Indian Ocean flows only during the northern winter and only south of the equator.

Indian Evidence Act, act passed by the British Parliament in 1872 that set forth the rules of evidence admissible in Indian courts and that had far-reaching consequences for the traditional systems of caste government in India. Since ancient times, the way of resolving intracaste disputes had been

Ramnath Goenka: …local company that owned the Indian Express newspaper. Two years later he took over the company and began to build a national network that eventually included 14 editions of the Indian Express—making it India’s largest English-language daily—and six other newspapers in as many Indian languages.

famine: Historical responses to famine: The highly detailed Indian Famine Code of 1883 classified situations of food scarcity according to a scale of intensity, and it laid out a series of steps that governments were obligated to take in the event of a famine. The code continues to influence contemporary policies, such as…

mouse: Natural history: …deserts of India, the little Indian field mouse (M. booduga) bears from 1 to 13 young per litter and breeds throughout the year. In Southeast Asia, the fawn-coloured mouse (M. cervicolor) has been reported to produce litters of two to six young in July and December. In East Africa, the…

Opuntia: …pear, including the commonly cultivated Indian fig (O. ficus-indica) of Mexico, are grown for their edible fruits and paddles and are invasive species in South Africa, Australia, and elsewhere outside their native range.

turtle: Habitats: The Indian and Burmese flapshell turtles (genus Lissemys) are ubiquitous in slow-moving streams and rice paddies. Their mud colouring and relatively small size (carapaces up to 28 cm [11 inches]) make them inconspicuous and more likely to be overlooked in cultures that view all turtles as…

bat: Life cycle: …for five months in the Indian flying fox (Pteropus giganteus). By two months of age, most smaller bats have been flying and foraging for three or four weeks and have achieved adult size.

Meira Kumar: In 1973 Kumar entered the Indian Foreign Service, where she served for more than a decade. After postings to Madrid and London, she decided in 1985 to enter politics, encouraged by her father and by Rajiv Gandhi, then prime minister of India. She ran in a by-election for a seat…

fox: Classification: bengalensis (Bengal, or Indian, fox) Small (1.5–3 kg) and gray; found in sparsely wooded regions of the Indian subcontinent. V. cana (Blanford’s, or hoary, fox) Small (1–2 kg) and catlike, with soft fur and a long bushy tail; found in the mountain steppes and deserts of…

frankincense: Frankincense trees and harvest: papyrifera, and B. serrata, which are found in Somalia, the Hadhramaut region of Yemen, Oman, and parts of India and Pakistan. Incisions are made in the trunks of the trees, and the frankincense exudes as a milklike juice that hardens on exposure to air. The resin is…

Native American: Economic development: tourism, tribal industries, and gaming: Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988; the act differentiated between various forms of gambling (i.e., bingo, slot machines, and card games) and the regulations that would obtain for each. It also mandated that tribes enter into compacts with state governments; these agreements guaranteed that a…

gavial, (Gavialis gangeticus), large species of crocodile known for its exceptionally long and narrow snout. The gavial, or gharial, is one of only two living species classified in the family Gavialidae (order Crocodilia), the other being the false gavial, or false gharial (or tomistoma; Tomistoma

gazelle: Asian gazelles: A sixth Asian gazelle, the Indian gazelle or chinkara (G. bennetti), survives in the deserts of India and Pakistan.

More than 968 million voters had registered ahead of India’s 2024 general election, for which voting was held in seven phases between April 19 and June 1. A record 642 million people voted in this election, held to determine the majority party in the Lok Sabha (“House of the People”), India’s lower

gerbil: Natural history: …plant parts, and insects, the Indian gerbil (Tatera indica) also eats eggs and young birds. Gerbils are active throughout the year, but in regions where winters are cold and snow is usual, they may remain in burrows, feeding on cached food for days or weeks at a time.

gavial, (Gavialis gangeticus), large species of crocodile known for its exceptionally long and narrow snout. The gavial, or gharial, is one of only two living species classified in the family Gavialidae (order Crocodilia), the other being the false gavial, or false gharial (or tomistoma; Tomistoma

Withania somnifera, evergreen shrub in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to India, North Africa, and the Middle East, that is used in traditional systems of medicine, particularly Ayurvedic medicine in India, where it is known as ashwagandha. A Sanskrit term, ashwagandha translates to

glassfish: lala), sometimes called Indian glassfish, a popular Asian species 5 cm (2 inches) long with blue-edged fins; C. buruensis, a 5-centimetre Indonesian species; and C. nama, a 10-centimetre fish of India and Asia. The name glassfish is also given to certain other unrelated, semitransparent fishes, including the icicle…

Indian goods, in 17th- and 18th-century Europe, any of a vast variety of furniture, paper hangings, textiles, paintings, and enamels that were being imported from South and East Asia into Europe. The imported goods were not limited, as the term would seem to imply, to goods imported from India,