Chapter 12: South Asia

Dalit

"Untouchables". Their ancestors hold "impure" jobs, such as those associated with leather working.

Salinization

Buildup of salt in fields, which is a major problem in Northwest India and Pakistan.

Dravidian language

Four main languages confined to South Asia. Include: Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil (oldest).

Maharaja

Kashmir was ruled by a Hindu maharaja, a king subject to British advisors.

Indian diaspora

Migration of Indians to foreign countries. Cash remittances sent home from these emigrants help the state's economy.

Hindi

Most widely spoken language of South Asia. 500 million native speakers, second most spoken language in the world.

Green Revolution

Originated during the 1960s in agricultural research stations established by international development agencies. The reason why South Asian agricultural growth has kept up with population growth.

Sikhism

Originated in the 1400s in the Punjab, near the modern boundary between India and Pakistan. Site of very intense religious competition at the time between Islam and Hinduism. Sikhism contains elements from both religions. Developed distinctive military due to repeated persecution.

Urdu

Originated in the same area as Hindi. Only difference is that Hindi was spoken in Hinduism and Urdu in Islam. The Hindi script comes from Sanskrit and Urdu from Arabic.

Jainism

Originates from Northern India. Stresses non-violence Jains are forbidden to kill any living creatures and as a result the most devoted members of the community wear gauze masks to prevent them from inhaling small insects. Agriculture is forbidden to prevent killing small animals. Use trade for livelihoods.

British East India Company

Private organization that acted as an arm of the British government, was free to carve out it's own South Asian empire. By the 1840's, most of India was controlled by Britain.

Hindu nationalism

Promotes Hindu values as the foundation of Indian society.

Rain-shadow Effect

Rainfall is dramatically reduced on the Deccan Plateau by this. A rain shadow is the area of low rainfall found on the downwind side of a mountain range. As winds move downslope, the air becomes warmer, and dry conditions usually prevail.

Sanskrit

Sacred language of Hinduism.

Bustee

Squatter settlements that house migrants to cities. Found in and around cities.

Indian subcontinent

Called this because it's the largest country in South Asia.

Orographic rainfall

Caused by the uplifting and cooling of moist monsoon winds over the Western Ghats and the Himalayan foothills. Some areas receive more than 200 inches of rain during the wet season.

Mughal (or Mogul) Empire

During the 16th and 17th centuries this empire was the most powerful of the Muslim states, dominated much of the region from its power center in the upper Indus-Ganges Basin. High rate of conversion from Hinduism to Islam.

Linguistic nationalism

The linking of a specific language with political goals, often faces the resistance of many people. Tried with India in 1947 with instating Hindi as the national language. Didn't work out.

Monsoon

The seasonal change of wind direction that corresponds to wet and dry periods. The incredibly hot summers create a low-pressure area which causes the winds to shift so that warm, moist air from the Indian Ocean moves toward the continental interior. The result is the monsoon.

Caste System

The strict division of society into hereditary groups that are ranked as ritually superior or inferior to each other. Commonly associated with Hinduism.