Final Day for India Class

   My apologies for being behind in posting...I know that is a familiar lament on this blog...but let's bring you up to date.  I think it has been two weeks since the last post and in that time we've talked about India's economic system and status and then today we went through the Indian political system and their foreign policy challenges.  The Indian economic system is very interesting to study as an American Historian, because it is much closer to the US economy in sectors of growth than other countries of the Near East or Far East.  Focused largely on the service sector, the Indian economic "miracle" has not proceeded at the rapid rate that China's has but has provided consisent growth around 7% for the past 20 years or so.  Even during this time of world-wide recession, their growth outpaced ours and still came in at 6.2% for 2009.  While there is a growing middle class in India of around 300 million, there are also 300 million people who live on a dollar a day or less...that is the equivalent of putting the country of Nigeria within India's borders...three times over.  India's economic future looks good and while it will take it time, this will become one of the dominant economies in the world with more time to grow...the problem they must deal with, as in all things Indian, is the growing population stuffed into a relatively small area.  Remember...India has almost four times the population of the US in 1/3 the landmass.
   The class on politics focused largely on creating an understanding of the structure.  An amalgam of the US and British systems, India has a bicameral legislature, with a president and a prime minister.  The president is head of state and commander in chief, but the real political power in the country is the prime minister who is selected by the majority party in the House of the People...a body much like our House of Representatives.  India's parliamentary system seemed to confuse some folks today and it is easy to understand why...we watched a short video clip about one prime minister whose government only lasted 13 days...that wouldn't happen here and we have a hard time understanding it.  Finally, our study led to the violence in the disputed area of Jammu and Kashmir...a region of northwest India that is jointly claimed in part by India, Pakistan, and China.  Much violence...both formal warfare and terrorist activity...has occurred here and continues unabated today.  This led to a short discussion of the religious violence occuring in India today...with Muslims killing Hindus and Christians...Hindus killing Muslims and Christians...and so on and so on.  One location, called Babri Magrib, was the site of the destruction of a centuries old mosque...which had been purportedly built on the ruins of the birthplace of Rama...a Hindu god...and the feud had continued to this violence in 1992.  Something like 150,000 people were involved in the rioting and violence, with nearly 2000 being killed.
   We will look into Bangladesh in a few weeks, but in the meantime I have family responsibilities to tend to with my parents.  I look forward to sharing information with all of you once again in the near future.

History of Religion

We were recently forwarded this by Marti and wanted to share with everyone. If you are thinking about how religions expanded, this map gives a quick overview. Now the details could be debated, but the overall effect is quite revealing. Check out History of Religion.

Millennial Generation

For those interested in learning more about the Millennial generation (those born between 1981 and 2000), you might find this PEW Research article interesting. It supports much of what we have heard about this group. They really are not engaged in churches or affiliated with a religion. They are also more accepting than older Americans on social issues such as Homosexuality. Perhaps, they are just looking for a church like St. Paul's, who is accepting of all people. If they knew that a church like St. Paul's existed, would they become more engaged? Something for us to continue think about.

India: Exotic World or Call Center

   Hello all...I apologize for not blogging after the first class, but I have no good excuse.  Last week, during the first Sunday of our five week series on India, we focused on the historical background of India up to independence from their colonial master, Great Britain.  This involved looking at the larger India of the British Empire...now broken up into Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and India.  Much of this was just a history lesson, but the most important component to me was the discussion of the role of Mohandus Karamchand Gandhi, known to most of us at Mahatma Gandhi.  His name is Mohandus Karamchand, but because of the role he filled within his culture, he was given the informal title of Mahatma which means (Great Soul).  From all I can find about this man, he was truly the soul of his country and would formally be given the title of "Father of the Nation) upon independence from the British.  Gandhi was a great Indian, but his impact has extended far beyond the borders of his homeland.  His brand of non-violent resistance to oppression has influenced many great leaders throughout the world, notably in our country he was a primarly influence on the ideas of one of our greatest leaders...Reverend Martin Luther King Jr..
    Today we focused on the geography and demography of India and looked at what a unique and diverse country it is.  In the end, after our analysis and observations, what makes this country so unique to study is the sheer size of its population and how that affects its people and culture.  While India is the second largest country in the world, with 1.156 Billion people, it is only 1/3 the size of the United States.  Imagine packing that many people into the space East of the Mississippi River.  The overcrowding would be beyond anything we could every imagine.  This problem colors everything that goes on in India, from housing to pollution to the caste system to economics and politics.  In the weeks to come we will focus in on India's economy and politics...finishing up the last week with a look at what was originally East Pakistan but is now known at Bangladesh.  I thought this was fitting, as this is the last large piece of British India that we will not have studied in our trip through this region.  I look forward to talking with everyone again next week and thank you for your attendance.