india: a presentation

IndiaA Presentation by Nikhil Nandigam

Welcome to India"India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of Europe's languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother, through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity; mother, through the village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all. "Will Durant, American historian

"India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only. "Mark Twain

"So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked. "Mark Twain

A Colorful nationDes Rangeela Fanaa (2006)

Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir

Landscape &

geography

States & territories

28 States28 States

7 Union 7 Union TerritoriesTerritories

East India

South India

West India

North India

““Jogi Mahi”Jogi Mahi”

Watch For:Watch For:*punjabi language*punjabi language*Punjabi-style music*Punjabi-style music*bhangra dance*bhangra dance*sikh costumes*sikh costumes*Marriage Setting*Marriage Setting

Government• The world’s largest The world’s largest democracydemocracy• Seated in New DelhiSeated in New Delhi• The Preamble – The Preamble –

•SocialistSocialist• SecularSecular•DemocraticDemocratic•RepublicRepublic

• Bicameral ParliamentBicameral Parliament•Lok sabhaLok sabha•Rajya SabhaRajya Sabha

• ExecutiveExecutive•Prime MinisterPrime Minister•President President (ceremonial)(ceremonial)• Council of MinistersCouncil of Ministers

“A Catholic woman steps aside so that a Sikh can be sworn in as Prime Minister by a Muslim President in a country where more than 80% of the population is Hindu.”

Ethnicity

• Indo-Aryan Indo-Aryan (74%)(74%)

•Dravidian Dravidian (24%)(24%)

•Tibeto-Tibeto-BurmanBurman

LANGUAGES

South Asia

Sanskrit सं�स्कृ� तम्� •Standardized in 400 BC

•Sacred to both Hinduism and Buddhism•A “dead” but official language•One of the four classical Indo-European languages (Latin, Greek, Persian, Sanskrit)•Heavily influenced Romance languages

• Matr = mother• Naam = name• Tri- = three• Catúr- = four (quatro, quatre)• Dva Do = two (dos, deux)

Sanskrit vocabulary is common to Indo-Aryan and Dravidian languages

The Indian Rupee (Rs.)

1 US Dollar = 48.8 INR

Hindu

Muslim

ChristianSikh

Other

“Dola Re Dola”Hinduism

Early 20th cent. setting

Watch for:*Rows of Lamps –

Diwali*Depiction of Deity

*Color Red – Auspiciousness &

Happiness*Costume –

Traditional Sari*Choreography

Hinduism (deities)• One of the oldest religious traditions in One of the oldest religious traditions in the worldthe world•Polytheistic – over 330 million depictions Polytheistic – over 330 million depictions of various deitiesof various deities• Each of the major deities is held Each of the major deities is held responsible for a sector of life (wealth, responsible for a sector of life (wealth, education, arts, etc)education, arts, etc)• Deities appear In human, partially Deities appear In human, partially Human, or non-Human FormsHuman, or non-Human Forms• Deities maybe related To one another Deities maybe related To one another (like Greek Gods)(like Greek Gods)•Hindu Literature:Hindu Literature:

• The VedasThe Vedas•Mythological Epics (Ramayana, Mythological Epics (Ramayana, Bhagavad Gita)Bhagavad Gita)

Ganesha, Ganesha, Lord of Lord of

ObstaclesObstacles

Shiva, “The Destroyer”

Saraswati, Knowledge & Music

Lakshmi, Wealth

The Caste System

Pilgrimage sites

Belur

Varanasi – Ganges River

Golden Temple (Sikh)

Tirupathi

The Middle-Upper Class Indian Lifestyle

• Films•Television

•Music•Cuisine •Fashion

Goa

Bombay + Hollywood = bollywood• The Indian Film Industry is the

largest in the world (around 900 films/year)

• Films are made in an “appealing” mix of Hindi and Urdu to reach a broad audience

• Three hours in length• 98% of films are musicals• All films must pass the Indian

Censor Board (U, U/A, A)• Bollywood films are popular in

South Asia, SE Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe – growing popularity in Western Europe

Aishwarya rai &

abhishek bachchan

““Tere Bina”Tere Bina”

Television

Music• Bollywood

Soundtracks• Indian pop

albums• Pakistani rock

bands• Foreign

(american) music • Classical indian

music

Cuisine

Fashion

Fashion

“Khuda Jaane”

Watch for:*Escapist imagery and lyrics* Western Rock Influence

““Ahista, Ahista”Ahista, Ahista”

Watch for:Watch for:*Escapist elements*Escapist elements*Modern *Modern “liberalism”“liberalism”*Mountains/Snow *Mountains/Snow (switzerland)(switzerland)*Materialism*Materialism