Bappu Ghandi G - India Notes
Regional Conflict in the Punjab
Homeland of the Sikhs, middle class society -Amritsar, home of the Golden Temple -Singh, meaning lion, usually last name -rich fertile region, stress military/education values 1984, Sikh fundamentalist separatist movement -sought independence from Khalistan -hundreds of Sikhs occupied the Golden Temple -Indira Gandhi, Operation Blue Star, Sikh General Three days, 830 soldiers, 500 militants dead -Indian army in control, shrine restored -sikhs outraged, 5k mutinied in province 1984 assassination of Indira Gandhi -by Sikh bodyguards, hindu mobs attacked sikh -civil war, most Sikhs remained loyal to gov.
Independence and partition, how did it work? Who wanted it?
Mahatma Mohandas Gandhi -civil disobedience, non violent resistance -independence, 1947 -partition: India=Hindu, E/W Pakistan=Muslim Majority of Muslims wanted it -Mohammad Ali Jinnah, father of Modern Pakistan -Two Nation Theory -East Pakistan became Bangladesh 1971 Hindu Fundamentalist Minority wanted it -Gandhi opposed it, secular Indian constitution
What are other other religions in India?
Sikhs Buddhists Jains Roman Catholics Christians Parsis Ghandi's message of religious tolerance is hardly ever listened to in India
Shudra Caste
Traditionally laborers, servants, farmhands -workers that provide manual labor -support society, India's poor
2014 elections, BJP won
won convincingly, doesn't need coalition partners -worst defeat of National Congress Party in history Last 10 years, nothing seemed to change -corruption, infrastructure down, problems grew
Centrifugal forces - Languages
14 constitutional languages -Hindi and English are official languages -English is lingua franca 33 languages spoken by 1mill (or more) people -total of 188 languages, 188 ethnic groups
European Colonialism
1453, Spice Route disrupted from India -due to rise of Ottoman Empire 1498, Vasco de Gama reaches Malabar Coast -report his objects as "Christians and Spices" -10,000% profit 1635, British East India Company -British East India Company trading posts -1644 Madras, 1668 Bombay, 1696 Calcutta
Centrifugal Forces, religious diversity
188 ethnic groups, diversity of religion -diversity of polytheistic Hinduism -India Muslims, largest minority group in the world -180mill muslims, 15% of total population India is second to Indonesia in # of Muslims 1.)Indonesia 209 2.)India 180 3.)Pakistan 167 4.)Bangladesh 134 5.)Nigeria 77
Hindu Fundamentalism
1992, Ayodhya riots, birthplace of Lord Rama -Hindu temple, mosque built over in 16th century -Dec 1992, Hindu mob destroyed the mosque India's largest Hindu party is Bharatiya Janata (BJP) -BJP led fed gov from 1998-2004 -stated aim, have strong hand with Pakistan -champion of Hindu cultural/religious values
Pressing needs of Sanitation
48% of India practices open defecation -over 600mill use streets, railroads, fields etc. -"more temples than toilets" -indian villages, not a single toilet is common Women are vulnerable to sexual assault b/c of this -public health nightmare, no garbage disposable -polluted waterways, lack of refrigeration -no medical facilities for the poor
India compared to China, economy and infrastructure
Averaging 7.4% GDP growth rate, China 9.5% -India embraces globalization more, not trade ties -China growth = state, India impeded by state -infrastructure has been a challenge, not China Gurgaon, wealthy suburb of New Delhi -gleaming skyscrapers, no public services -no garbage pick up, sewer, reliable energy -"patchwork of private islands and traffic jams" Golden Quadrilateral Highway -3500miles, 40% of all road traffic in India -Connects New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai & Kolkata
Varanasi (Benares), Holy City on Sacred River
Bathing ghats - holiest place to take ritual bath -Manikarnika burning ghats, 100k per year -cremation necessary for reincarnation -samsara, endless cycle of birth/death Hope for Moksha, the final liberation -wood takes 1.2k pounds per pyre -50/60mill trees a year -final pilgrimage, illegal practice
Regional Conflict in Sri Lanka
Civil war ended in 2009 -Tamil Tigers rebel group, defeated by S.L. gov. -Tamil Tigers used child soldiers, suicide bombers -1991 assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
Disintegration of Mughal Empire
Concurrent with Hindu resurgence -colonial European penetration -politically balkanized in *565 Princely States* Hindu: Maharajahs and Rajahs Muslim: Nizams and Nawabs No State survived India/Pakistan Independence -1947, ended greatest balkanization
Reason for India's nuclear weapons
Deterrent to China's growing power -long lasting border dispute between China-India -India closer security relationship with US -deter islamic terror, counter China power
Partition problems with Human Geography
Division of Punjab & Bengal, mix Hindus/Muslims -Radcliffe Line drawn in five weeks -eight million refugees, 1-2million dead -Gandhi assassinated by Hindu fundamentalist '48 Four Wars, between Pakistan & India -1947-48, First Indo-Pakistani War -1965 Second Indo-Pakistani War -1971 Third Indo-Pakistani War -1999 Kargil War
Pakistan reluctant to take on Taliban
Don't want to remove troops from Indian Border -Also, Taliban are Pashtun, located in Pakistan -represented in Pakistani government -risks Civil War by fighting Pashtun Afghani Taliban Durand Line, drawn by British in 1894 -1640miles, poorly surveyed, 3 mile discrepancies -afghanistan part of larger shatter zone -Afghan people loyal to tribe, then country
Population and Demographics of India
India, 1.34bill, doubles every 61 years -China 1.39bill, doubles every 157 years -India will pass China in 2025 400k sex selective abortions every year -940 women to 1000 men in India -"dowry", wife fam pays husband's fam -money lenders, not banks give loans -8455 women killed in dowry murders, 2014
British Raj, The Jewel in the Crown (1857-1947)
India, Britain's most valuable/profitable colony -Without India, there would've been no empire -Suez Canal in 1869, cut journey in half Political unity, one colony from 565 States -direct rule: direct political control -indirect: maharajah do what British tell them to Modernization/infrastructural development -railway, post, telegraph, government
Partition problems with Physical Geography
Indus River - "Lifeline of Pakistan" -India controls headwaters to the Indus -Decreased flow due to irrigation projects -India controls high ground overlooking Indus Advantage India - Militarily and Infrastructurally
Hindus & Muslims - Two large groups, opposite beliefs
Islam- monotheism with general uniformity -universal religion -evangelical -belief in essential equality -not outspoken, focused on family and mosque Hinduism - polytheistic with variety of beliefs -ethnic religion -insits that proselytizing is useless and wrong -inequalities of the caste system -exuberant and outspoken Islam eats beef, hinduism thinks cows are sacred
Regional Conflict in Kashmir
Kashmir is contested, Pakistan/India/China -India, Pakistan fighting since independence here -Line of Control, defacto border between peoples -every few days, soldiers killed in skirmishes Muslim Rebels, with support of Islamic pop -aided by Pakistan, also fighting Indian army -key terms question about this
Ganges River Valley
Known as North Indian Plain, Plain of Hindustan -core region, urban/industrial/agriculture/religious -transportation corridor, Khyber to Calcutta -flat topography, prone to flooding/infrastructure Delhi, gateway between Indus and Ganges Valleys -narrowest point of transportation corridor -strategic site of 1648 Mughal Red Fort -Delhi=Old, British plan in 1931, replace Calcutta
India and the Indian Subcontinent
Large/distinct portion of continent -IndoPakistan or South Asia -Europe 1.9mill miles, India 1.7mill miles -six countries India derived from Indus, "river" in Pakistan -historic india=subcontinent, modern=country -Kyber Pass from Central to South Asia -separated from Asia by ring of mountains Coastline situated for EUR, China trade -Malabar (Spice) Coast in West -inward looking due to mountains, colonialism
Centripetal Forces in Geopolitics of India
Legacy of Colonialism -infrastructure unified subcontinent -English is the lingua franca Government/Law = Democracy -most populous democracy, 815mill voters
Potential for nuclear war with Pakistan?
MAD may not work with these countries -rising tensions due to hardline gov's on both sides -another serious terrorist attack on India Mumbai (Bombay) attacked in 2008, 200 killed -Lashkar-e-Taiba, not first time they attacked -India Parliament in New Delhi, 7 dead, 2001 -India may go after them, Pakistan protecting?
Congress Party Leadership of India - Centripetal
Mahatma Gandhi was first Jawaharlal Nehru -first PM of India, leader of non-aligned movement Indira Gandhi -Nehru's daughter, PM of India -one of most powerful women ever lived Raj Gandhi -Indira's son, Nehru's grandson, PM of India Sonia Gandhi -Rajiv's Italian born wife -current leader of Congress Party -Congress Party won '04, '09 elections -had turned down PM's job
Largest Cities in India, 2011
Mumbai (Bombay) - 12.5mill Delhi - 11.5mill Bengaluru (Bangalore) - 8.4mill Hyderabad - 6.8mill Metropolitan areas are much larger in population
Differences between North & South India
Northern India - Mix of Hindu and Muslim -due to Mughal rule -Aryan India, lighter skinned, especially elites -speak Into-European languages Southern India -greatest majority of Hindu -darker skinned peoples -speak Dravidian languages
Sanskrit and Malabar Coast
Original language of N. Indian Aryans -related to greek and latin, Indo-European -Dravidian have no common ancestor to I.E.'s Malabar Coast, West Coast of India, spice coast -center of historic trade routes -greatest diversity of religion -present-day Indian state of Kerala
The Untouchables Caste
Orthodox Hindus do not view as a caste -"Harijans" or "Children of God" by Gandhi -Dalits or "Oppressed/Downtrodden", current -Listed by British in 1935 for legal reasons Between 15-25% of population -minimum is 170mill, max is 200mill -9% of Indian christians, 90% of Buddhists -used to vote Congress, now vote BSP Discrimination is abolished by constitution -affirmative action programs are used -dalit women are considered whores, rural areas -intercaste conflict in poor rural regions
British Raj, 1857
Private company conquering the subcontinent -Sepoy Mutiny, India's first war of Independence -Bengal Army, native troops against masters -Hindu & Beef, Muslim & Pork in gun cartridges Anger over Company actions -suppression of Suttee (widow burning) -general British contempt for Indian culture -exclusion of Indians from positions in Company British army victory precipitated a transfer of authority from East India to British Crown
Oppression of Women
Rape, sexual violence are commonplace -honor killings, little fear of authorities -gang rape cases South Asia, more women leaders in modern times -any other region, famous political families
Political parties, political balkanization
Six political parties have national importance -47 other political parties at the state level -1563 parties compete locally -larger parties must work with smaller parties Another reason for inefficiency of Indian gov.
Malabar Coast
Spice Coast, Christian Coast -visited by Thomas the Apostle, 54AD -Goa, most important Portuguese Colony Kochi (Cochin), excellent harbor -first Catholic Church in 1503 -Malabar Coast known as Catholic Coast -Jewish Synagogue, 1344-1568, 6th cent BC •6 Jews in Cochin in 2015
Mughal Empire, succeeding Islamic Empire
Successor state of Mongol Empire + Genghis Khan -Mohammad Babur, first emperor, descendant -present day Pakistan to Bangladesh -not South India, explains N-S distinctiveness Akbar, greatest of Mughal Kings -Taj Mahal, symbolizes glory of Mughals -Shah Jahan built as a tomb for wife, 1650 Voluntary conversion of poor/low caste Hindus -perhaps 1/8 were converted -mixture of Hindu and Muslim in N. India
Vaishya Caste
Traditionally merchants, small landowners -artisans, minor government officials -small business owners, family farms -India's middle class
Brahmin Caste
Traditionally priests, the ruling elite -5% of India's population -50% of parliament, 78% of all judges -dominate business and government
Kshatriya Caste
Traditionally rulers and warriors -ruling elite with Brahmins -largest landowners and owners of large business
Caste System
Varna (in Sanskrit), means color -caste is Portuguese word -are there four or five castes? 1.)Brahmin - Priest 2.)Kshatriyas - Warriors 3.)Vaishya - Merchants 4.)Shudra - Laborers 5.)Dalit - Untouchables Presented as a pyramid, rigid social hierarchy -more than 3k subcastes called jati -villages have 20-40 subcastes -determine your way of life, birth to death
Major reasons for BJP victory? Modi!
Victory due to new leader/PM, Narendra Modi -did not campaign for Hindu resurgence -platform of economic development -change of priorities called "Modi-fication" Uproot bureaucracy, improve infra, end corruption -Will Hindu-based BJP win out over Modi? -he has changed currency laws, end corruption -appointed someone known for Hindu militancy -has supported an anti-Muslim vigilante group
Ganga Mata "Mother Ganges"
Wet Monsoons, last 60 days or more in summer -water and silt flow onto fields, feeds millions -alluvial river valley, Sacred River, River to Heaven Most polluted in world -ritual purification, bathing, temple tanks -pilgrimages to the Ganges
India's infrastructure, inhibits Econ development
major growth industry, high tech services -their own way to compete globally -doesn't need roads, but progressive city Bengaluru (Bangalore), Silicon Valley of India -one of largest concentrations of high tech -4500 high tech companies, 2013... software -tech based call center, English is Lingua Franca
Poverty and Reality in India
stereotypes -sleeping in the streets -bustees, shantytowns in India's cities -30% below poverty line reality -16 percent is middle class, 210million -millions are incredibly rich -6th largest economy in the world
