Today’s Schedule – 4/24

• CNN Student News• Current Event Presentations• Complete Hinduism PPT• PPT: India, History and Current Issues• HW:– Read 25.2– Complete 25.2 Vocab

HISTORY OF INDIA

Indus Valley Civilization

One of the major early cultures of the world, settled along the Indus Valley region in modern day Pakistan

2500 BCE – 1500 BCE

Aryan Settlement

A group from the northwest – the Aryans – settled in India.More likely it was a gradual migration than violent invasion.

The Aryans merge with the existing Indus Valley culture

They brought an Indo European language, an early form of Sanskrit.

Himalaya is an example of a Sanskrit word – it means “home of the snows.”

Hindi – the main language of India today – developed from Sanskrit.

About 1000 C.E.

Muslim empires from the west began attacking India.

Babur

In the 1520’s Babur invaded India and founded the Mughal Empire lasted until the British colonized India several centuries later.

Akbar, Babur’s grandson, was a great ruler of the Mughal Empire.

He allowed people to practice their own religions, and while he was a Muslim, most people in the region were still Hindu.

The Mughal Empire became very rich because of the fertile soil in the Gangetic Plain.

During this period the Taj Mahal was built

Europeans arrived in India in the late 1490’s

They wanted:1) Trade2) Expand their own empires3) Spread Christianity

Private companies had a lot of influence in the region,

Such as the British East India Company

By the mid 1800’s the British controlled about half of the subcontinent

The East India Company controlled India for the British government.

Foreign rule angered many Indians.Sepoys – Indian troops under

British command – rebelled in 1857. The British army crushed the rebellion, and both sides committed vicious acts of cruelty.

The British government took over direct rule of India after the rebellion.

This colony (which included modern day Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka) was called “the jewel in the crown” of the Empire because of its great wealth in natural resources.

Indian products, such as cotton and tea, flowed to Britain,

and products from factories in Britain were sold in India, creating an efficient market for goods.

Britain also brought to India• English language• British systems of

– Law– Government– Education

The British did not treat the Indians as equals, however,

and many Indians wanted independence.

The Indians organized into the Indian National Congress

To ask for more rights, but the British government refused.

In the early 1900’s a young lawyer named Mohandas Gandhi

Led an independence movement.

His followers called him “Mahatma” which means great soul.

Gandhi led peaceful protests and boycotts of British goods.

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

“There are many causes that I am prepared to die for but no causes that I am prepared to kill for.”

When he was thrown into prison, he went on a hunger strike.

His acts were very effective, and after WWII, the British granted India its independence.

However, India’s Muslims wanted their own country.

Britain divided the region into India and Pakistan to avoid a civil war.

CLOTHING

Sari

• Warm climate requires cool clothing• Sari is worn by women– Large rectangle wrapped around the body

• Men often wear more western style of clothing– Some, however, wear a lungi– Some also wear turbans as a public symbol of

their religious beliefs• Particularly Sikhs who allow their hair to grow

FOOD

• India’s climate produces a vast array of spices– Often combined to make various forms of curry

• Many practicing Hindus are vegetarians• For those who do eat meat goat is common

FESTIVALS

• India has many festivals and religious holidays• Holi, a celebration of the triumph of good over

evil, is one of the most lively– Sprinkle each other with brightly colored powders

CURRENT ISSUES

Farming is the basis of India’s economy

The major crops are:– Rice– Wheat– Tea– Sugarcane

India’s capacity to grow food has increased greatly in the last 50 years

due to the Green Revolution, which used modern science and industry to increase crop yields.

However, new methods use more chemical fertilizers and dangerous pesticides.

India has many cottage industriesWhere people make a living in small scale activities – such as

making carpets, statues, and jewelry.

India lately has attracted much foreign investment,

And its high tech business sector has been growing rapidly.

India has more than 500,000 villages

Which is where 70% of the population lives.Most of these villages have fewer than 1,000 people.

India also has huge citiesLike Mumbai and Kolkata.

City life in India is crowded and noisy.

Most people in cities live in extreme poverty.

India’s population is growing at a fast pace,

And India must find a way to provide services to this huge population.

India also faces internal violenceFrom religious extremists, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh.