After walking around and lunch, we had a special lesson on Indian History & Culture by Dr. Chirajavi Singh. Here are some of the things I have learned:
- India has more than three times the population of USA but is smaller than the country.
- States are organized by languages; linguistic states were formed and each state has its own culture and language. We cannot talk about one Indian culture, because each state has their own culture.
- Every religion of the world is represented in India. India is the birthplace of Hinduism. Other religions represented in the country include: Jainism, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam. (Dr. Singh is Sikh).
- After the Constitution, the caste was abolished. The Constitution is a very progressive document and is based on USA Constitution (judicial separated from executive, etc); French Bill of Rights for India; British system for administrative structure.
- One major source of tension in the country is the progressive government and the traditional cultural values of the people.
- Indian society is not as individualism but it is family-oriented. The family belongs to a community (joint-family system) although this is breaking down with modernization. Your caste is your community. There is no social system (food stamps, etc) and so it is your community/caste that would make sure if you lost your job that your children would be fed. This is a new perspective on the caste system, which I had never thought of before.
- Speaking of languages: one each denomination of bills there are many different languages. Many people speak English in India because they would not be able to communicate with people from other villages since there are so many different languages spoken in this one country.
Below are some pictures of the day: breakfast, our cohort, our hotel, the neighborhood around the hotel, and our history/culture lesson. Enjoy!