India Ms. Mitchell Cultural Revolutions

India  7 th largest country (land-size)  2 nd largest country (population size) with 1.2 billion people  Most populous democracy in the world (parliamentary)  Shares borders with China, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), Bangladesh, and Pakistan  Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism all originated here  Achieved independence from Britain in 1947

Hinduism  Most prominent religion in India  Third largest religion in the world after Christianity and Islam  No single founder, formed of diverse traditions  Often called the oldest living religion—also considered the most complex  “According to Supreme court of India ‘unlike other religions in the World, the Hindu religion does not claim any one Prophet, it does not worship any one God, it does not believe in any one philosophic concept, it does not follow any one act of religious rites or performances, in fact, it does not satisfy the traditional features of a religion or creed. It is a way of life and nothing more’.”

Caste System  Traditional division of social order and class in India  Divided into higher castes and lower castes  People are born into a caste and it determines place in life and occupation  Not able to transcend your caste  Said to be disappearing in urban India but still very prominent in rural India  Now against the law to openly discriminate against someone because of their caste

The Caste System: Social Order and Class

Castes—”Varnas”  Kshatriya  Second highest caste  Warriors and rulers  Take on all forms of public service—administration, maintenance of law and order, defense  Sudras  Lower caste but not as low as untouchables  Unskilled workers/Semi- Skilled workers  Brahmins  Highest caste  Priests  Scriptural education and knowledge  Vaisyas  Third highest caste  Skilled traders, merchants, and minor officials  Engage in commercial activity as businessmen

Outsourcing Where do the jobs go? And what is this doing to India’s economy and social structure?

Outsourcing and Bangalore  Outsourcing: the contracting out of a business process, jobs, services, etc.  To save money, meet shortages, provide support 24/7  Example: Tech support, banking, radiology, journalism, etc.  Bangalore, India has become one of the most popular spots for US companies to outsource IT jobs.  Texas Instruments became the first multinational corporation to set up a base in Bangalore in 1985  “Silicon Valley” of India

The White Tiger By Aravind Adiga

The Novel  Written by Aravind Adiga in Only 33 years old when it was published. Won the Man Booker prize that same year.  Entire novel is a series of letters between an Indian man, Balram Halwai, and the Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao.  Letters written over seven consecutive nights. Set in present day.  Letters trace Balram’s life from childhood in a rural village ( Laxmangarh ) to life as a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore

Explores issues of…  Religion  Caste  Loyalty  Corruption  Poverty

Themes and Motifs  Globalization  Individualism  Freedom  Immoral Corruption  Social class/caste  “The Darkness”  “The Rooster Coop”