State of India - Kerala

Area: 38,863 sq km

Population: 2,90,98,518

Capital Of City: Thiruvananthapuram

Languages: Malayalam

How You Know: Arundhati Roy, the first Indian to win the Booker Prize for her book 'God of Small Things' grew up in Kerala, the state in which her novel is set. The novel is a poetic tale of Indian boy-and-girl twins, Estha and Rahel, and their family's tragedies. Says Arundhati "A lot of the atmosphere in 'God of Small Things' is based on my experience of what it was like to grow up in Kerala. Most interestingly, it was the only place in the world where religions coincide, there's Christianity, Hinduism, Marxism and Islam and they all live together and rub each other down...I think the kind of landscape that you grew up in, it lives in you. I don't think it's true of people who've grown up in cities so much, you may love building but I don't think you can love it in the way that you love a tree or a river or the colour of the earth, it's a different kind of love."

History: God's Own Country, as we call Kerala, is India's southernmost state, located on the shores of the Arabian Sea. The word Kerala means 'The land of coconuts', and everywhere in the state one can see acres of coconut groves. But coconut is just one of the products of this fertile land. Kerala is a major producer of rubber, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves cardamom, ginger, cocoa, cashew, arecanut, coffee and tea. The Vallamkali or boat race is typical of Kerala. It is a major event coinciding with Onam (a state festival) and is celebrated with great pomp and show. The Vadakkunnatha Temple at Trichur celebrates Pooram festival in April every year with an impressive procession of decorated elephants and display of fireworks.

State of India - Assam

Area: 78,438 sq km

Population: 2,24,14,322

Capital Of City: Dispur

Languages: Assamese

Crops: The principal food crop is rice. Cash crops are jute, tea, cotton, oilseeds, sugarcane, potato.

How You Know:

History: The state of Assam stands like a guard of the Indian frontiers. It shares India's international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh. Tea is the most famous product of Assam. You might have seen advertisements for branded tea claiming that the tea is pure Assamese. The state contributes about 15 per cent of the world's entire tea production. The Guwahati Tea Auction Centre where tea is sold to dealers is the biggest tea auction centre in the world. India's largest tea exporting town, Dibrugarh, is also in Assam.Assam is also known for its wildlife. The Kaziranga National Park covers an area of 430 sq km. People from all over the world come to see its famous one horned rhinos. The Manas National Park is the place to spot tigers and other rare species like the hispid hare, golden langur etc.Bihu is the most important festival of Assam. The merriments include dancing and singing on the wild beats of Dhol and Pepa (buffalo hornpipe). The colourful festival is exclusive to Assam and is celebrated on three different occasions in a year. Rangali Bihu or Bohag Bihu is the biggest and marks the Assamese New Year. Bhogali Bihu or Magh Bihu is the harvest festival and Kati Bihu or Kangali Bihu in autumn is a simple affair.The Assam Tea logo (see left) features a rare one horned rhino symbolizing purity. It can only be used with permission from the Indian Tea Board and is displayed on 100% pure Assam tea.

Tourist Places: Important places of tourism in and around Guwahati are Kamakhya temple, Umananda (Peacock Island), Manas (tiger project), and Hajo (meeting place of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam).

State of India - Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Area: 8,249 sq km

Population: 2,80,661

Capital Of City: Port Blair

Languages: Hindi,Nicobarese, Malayalam, Bengali, Tamil, Telug

Crops:

How You Know: The penal settlement, known as Kala Pani or Blackwaters, was called the `Siberia of India'. Prisoners ranging from freedom fighters to hard - core criminals were sent to the notorious `Cellular Jail' in Andamans, some never to be seen again. The Jail, completed in the year 1906 acquired the name, 'cellular' because it is entirely made up of individual cells for the solitary confinement of the prisoners. Today the jail has been renovated and converted into a museum of freedom fighters.

History: Popularly known as the 'Emerald Isles' the Andaman and Nicobar islands are located in the Bay of Bengal far from the Indian mainland. While the Andaman Islands lie about 1255 km from Calcutta and 1,190 km from Chennai, the Nicobar Islands are 121 kms South of the Andamans. The total number of islands in this archipelago (a collection of islands) is 572 but only 36 of these are inhabited, some by fascinating tribes which are far removed from the modern civilization. The capital city of Port Blair has been named after Lt. Reginald Blair, who conducted a survey of the area, in 1789. One of the fascinating features of the place are the houses built on poles. The existence of these islands was first reported in the 9th century by Arab merchants, who sailed past them, on their way to the straits of Sumatra. The first Western visitor was Marco Polo, who called it `the land of the head - hunters'. The islands were annexed by the Marathas in the late 17th century. The East India Company established a settlement here in 1789 but it was abandoned after a couple of years. Following the first war of Indian Independence in 1857, the British India Government set up the Cellular Jail for the deportation prisoners, which continued till the second World War.During the Second World War, Japanese forces occupied the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. But after the defeat of Japan in the Second World War, the British India Government reoccupied these islands and administered them till the Independence of the country in 1947. In 1956 the islands were formed into a Union Territory About 86% of the total area of the islands is under reserved and protected forest and 36% of the reserved forest has been earmarked as primitive tribal reserve. This is the habitat of tribes whose culture dates back to the Paleolithic era. Contact with the tribes is compleyely restricted by the Indian government. There are four Negrito tribes, viz., the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinalese in the Andaman group of islands and two Mongoloid tribes, viz. Nicobarese and Shompens in the Nicobar group of islands. The Nicobarese, the largest group of people on the island are of mixed Burmese, Malay, Mon and Shan origin. They are a friendly and cheerful lot, who do not accept money and prefer the barter system. Other interesting rituals include communicating with the dead! Covered with dense forests and endless variety of exotic flora and fauna these islands have lovely beaches and charming under-water corals and marine life. Apart from the area of restricted entry, there is an excellent scope for swimming, scuba diving, wind surfing, snorkeling and other water sports. The Jolly Buoy island offers a breathtaking view of the some of the world's most spectacular coral reefs. The experience of the under- water coral and marine life is breathtaking. Glass bottom boats help to take a closer look at the coral colonies.

Tourist Places: Cellular Jail, National Memorial, Anthropological Museum, Marine Museum, Water Sports Complex, Gandhi Park, Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park; Islands like Ross, Viper, Havelock, Neil, Jolly, Buoy, Cinque, Red Skin, Middle and North Andaman; Beaches like Corbyn's Cove, Radha Nagar, Curt Bert Bay, Karmatang (both Turtle nesting areas), Sita Nagar, etc.