2. 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
16. Government
• The world’s largestThe 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 (ceremonial)President (ceremonial)
• Council of MinistersCouncil of Ministers
17. “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.”
20. SAnSkrit
संस्कृतम्•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
23. “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
24. hindUiSm (deitieS)• One of the oldest religious traditions in theOne of the oldest religious traditions in the
worldworld
•Polytheistic – over 330 million depictions ofPolytheistic – over 330 million depictions of
various deitiesvarious deities
• Each of the major deities is held responsible forEach of the major deities is held responsible for
a sector of life (wealth, education, arts, etc)a sector of life (wealth, education, arts, etc)
• Deities appear In human, partially Human, orDeities appear In human, partially Human, or
non-Human Formsnon-Human Forms
• Deities maybe related To one another (likeDeities maybe related To one another (like
Greek Gods)Greek Gods)
•Hindu Literature:Hindu Literature:
• The VedasThe Vedas
•Mythological Epics (Ramayana, BhagavadMythological Epics (Ramayana, Bhagavad
Gita)Gita)
36. 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
