MOTHER INDIA

There are several areas on the Earth where special things have taken place and which have spread outwards to other parts of the World to create impressions and influences on various scales and levels as well as with a certain intensity, while some of these have,of course, remained a bit hidden, occult, arcane, and barely noticed........ INDIA is usually considered, whether evidence or not can be shown, to be the origins of modern martial arts, despite claims that other indigenous arts are to be found, and, of course, they are found, though not in their usual pristine and perfect form(s). India does serve as a special center in the spread of culture, ideas, religion(s), philosophies, some aspects of the sciences, medicine, and a great many other things, too numerous to mention here, even if the historical claims to such contributions to civilization seem rather tenuious at times. India and its culture has long been known to the Europeans and the same can be said for China, which received many injections and transmissions of things from India, especially Buddhism and forms of yoga, via Tibet, the Himalayas, Islam, and on to Japan/Korea and eventually in the 20th century mostly to the UNITED STATES...... Since India was a place ripe for the picking and plucking, and a vast subcontinent of diverse peoples, languages, beliefs, culture(s), and environments, it suffered numerous invasions which may have left some interesting traces still to be found, although greatly modified and adapted to the needs of the subcontinent civilization(s)....If we look at the areas not included in today's India and the nations surrounding it, and also examine their histories and cultures, we can see many things that will add to our information, knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of India as a focal point for mankind...which is not to say, that everything can be attributed entirely to Hindus and others found their.....or to the 'mythical aryans' that so fascinated Germans and other Europeans, leading them into various forays which are still with us in some modified forms..... Thus, the term MOTHER INDIA has served to show that as 'A GREAT GODDESS' India has indeed been worthy of 'worship' in the special sense that people tend to revere,if they do, all forms of motherhood..... Although many nations, such as France and Portugal,etc. set foot on the subcontinent and established, along with the Romans who came after Alexander with his 'contributions', left their lingering imprint in certain areas....it was the BRITISH in their colonization, which cannot be described in entirely glowing terms for various reasons, despite their claims to 'civlizing' and 'converting' natives of all their colonies when actually exploiting their resources, no doubt for the HomeLand and the Queen/King figures that they paid homage to on bended knee(long after we kicked them out of the area that became the United States of America......THAT brought some of the things we now know and admire about India which eventually was followed up by arrivals of persons who came from India and were 'Indian',many of whom brought such systems as yoga,vedanta, and nowadays ayuveda and martial arts plus dances that many in the West take up...as well as the influx of cinema and some other entertainments,etc. The Martial Arts of India and the Classical Dances of India,when studied and analyzed to a certain extent,show a relationship seldom understood or expected to exist by most Westerners, even though other cultures and nations may well have indicated such a relationship between their dances and martial arts..... Martial artists of the modern era are somewhat becoming a bit more acquainted with this aspect but,by and large, the ordinary perception of dance and martial arts keeps them apart...though the areas of exercise, body work, aerobics, etc. have somewhat 'married' them in various concoctions now being marketed by 'certified' instructors, most of whom have never set foot in India, Japan, or anywhere else that is the point of their origins...with some notable exceptions, however.... This blog will also take up some of the aspects of yoga and its possible relations to martial arts as well as dance,etc. or as much I care to discuss or focus upon, as those really and truly interested in such will undertake their own personal and individual explorations, ventures and efforts whatever such may be and whatever such will be revealed to them....as is said, the journey begins with a single step, but one has to be careful that first step is not a misstep, caused by tripping over one's ignorance and laziness...