Transcript Asia - nimitz64

The Indian
Subcontinent
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India
Religion- Hinduism, Muslim, Christian
Population- > 1 billion people (3x USA)
Size: 1/3 the size of the USA
Literacy- 65% men 37% women
Per capita GNP- $2500
Early History
• Began in Indus Valley (now Pakistan)
• In the 5th century AD, invaders from
Central and SW Asia conquered the area
• By 1500 the Mughal Empire was firmly
established throughout India
• Muslim (Islamic) rule brought new
customs that conflicted with those of the
native Hindus
Europeans Arrive
• Europeans began arriving around 1500
looking for spices, cloth and other goods
not available in Europe
• The British set up the British East India
Company and gained control of the trade in
India by 1757
• In 1857 Britain gained direct rule over
India, lasting until 1947, called the raj. The
“raj” was Britain’s rule over India!
Resistance
• Most Indians did not like Britain’s colonization
• Gandhi emerged as the leader of the
opposition movement based on nonviolent
resistance/civil disobedience
• August 1947 - India became an independent
democratic nation
India divides up…
• Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh were
divided up from the original India.
• Why did Pakistan and Bangladesh want to
leave India? Check the answer to # 23!
• About 1 million people died in the conflict
• 10 million people moved across borders to
get with their own kind of people
Economic Challenges
• About ½ of India’s population lives in
poverty.
• 2/3 farm but only enough for family
Modern India
• Blend of traditional and new ways
• Arranged marriages, male dominated,
divorce rare.
• Most middle class children go to school,
but in city slums and rural areas school
attendance is irregular and literacy rates
are low
Indian Culture
• Hindu is the official language
• The major force in most lives is Hinduism
• 80% of population is Hindu!
• More about Hinduism later!
What is Bollywood?
• Mumbai, India
(previously called
Bombay), is the
world’s movie capital
• The entertainment
industry produces 5
times as many films
as Hollywood
Map of South Asia
Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism may be the world's oldest religion.
Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no
single founder and no single set of beliefs.
Hinduism is a way of life as well as a set of
religious teachings
Hindus can worship just one single god (like
Christians, Jews, and Muslims), or many gods,
or no gods at all.
To Hindus, religion includes everything from one's
outlook on life and worship to one's daily life
and social status.
Many Hindus invoke Ganesha, the god
who can overcome any obstacle, before
beginning any undertaking.
Reincarnation
Hindus believe that, after a person
dies, his or her soul is reborn into a
new life.
This happens over and over again in a
seemingly endless cycle.
Karma
The form into which a soul is reborn depends
upon the karma that the soul acquired in its
previous life.
If a soul lives a very bad life, it gathers lots of
bad karma and will be reborn into a lower
form.
If you live a good life, you collects good karma
and will be reborn in a higher form.
A murderer collects bad karma. If
enough bad karma is accumulated, and
the soul might come back in its next
life as a demon, a tiger, or even a
worm.
A poor person who lives a very good life
might be reborn as a rich person or
even a god.
By leading a good life and accumulating
enough good karma, the individual
soul may eventually escape from the
cycle of rebirth and achieve union
with Brahman, the Universal Soul.
An ancient Hindu epic describes the
timeless war between good and evil.
Way of Life
Hinduism states that one worships the gods simply
by living the way prescribed for the status into
which he or she is born. Thus, someone born to
the working caste accumulates good karma by
working hard and respecting those of a higher
station.
A good Hindu obeys his or her family priest,
performs daily religious rituals, and respects the
gods. Most important, though, is living according
to one's caste obligations and doing good deeds.
Dharma
• Each person is born into a caste and has a
certain moral duty (dharma) that is
specific to that caste
• A person can move into a different caste
only through reincarnation
• Limits ability of people to improve their
lives
BONUS SLIDES
• INDIA used to be divided into 5
castes (levels of people)
• Check ‘em out below!
What’s a Caste System?
• Cornerstone of Hinduism
• System of social classes
• Four basic castes made up original
system but over time they were
divided into smaller groupings
How does India’s Caste
System work?
Consist of 4 categories: Brahmans (priests),
Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaisyas (merchants) and
Sudras (servants)
• People outside caste system are considered
untouchables
• You caste dictates not only your profession, but also
whom you can marry & all other aspects of life
Brahman – priest,
teacher, judge
Kshatriyas – warrior,
police, soldier
Vaishya – shopkeeper,
landowner
Shudra – Carpenter,
service providers
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Within the caste of
Shudra there are many
different groups. Each
one of these groups
performs a
service. Their specific
service is a birthright
and is somewhat similar
to unions in the
U.S. Duties range
from making furniture
to building houses.
Harijan - untouchables
• These little girls are members
of the lowest caste in the
heirarchy. They are a part of
what used to be known as the
untouchables. They were called
untouchables because people
belived that they were so dirty
that they were not fit to be
touched by other people in
higher castes. Their jobs
involve cleaning, or what we
might call "dirty work."
• In this picture the girls are
making dung patties. The dung
from cows are taken and made
into patties and set out to dry
(as you can see the rows of
them), these patties are then
used to be burned as fuel or for
heat.
Does India have a population
control program similar to China?
• It doesn’t limit births to one child per family
• It has one of the oldest population programs in
the world
• Since the 1950s, India encourages birth control
and family planning
• The Indian Government provides grants (money)
to people who undergo sterilization surgeries
What is the Taj Mahal
• Built by Shah Jahan for
his Wife (Mahal) who
died after giving birth
to their 14th child.
• Construction began in
1631 and took 22 years
and 20,000 workers to
complete.
• It is located in Agra,
India.
Taj Mahal