Sold by Patricia McCormick

Map of the World

 At the beginning of the novel, Lakshmi lives in rural, mountainous Nepal, which is a small country in South Asia.

India – where Lakshmi goes when she is SOLD  Population = 1.2 billion  That’s almost 4 times the size of the United States!

 Population = 1.2 billion  That’s almost 4 times the size of the United States!  Religions  Hindu (74.0%)  Muslim (14%)  Christian (7.%)  Sikh (1.9%)  Buddhist, Jain and Parsi (2.5%)

Map of Poverty

India  Government is democratic  Climate is varying and includes  Rainforests  Deserts  Mountains  Glaciers Thar Desert Valley of Flowers National Park Politics and Geography

Monsoons and Dr0ught for India and Nepal  Monsoons = seasonal winds and heavy rainfall  Drought = period of severe dryness and lack of rain

Food in India

 Most Indians do not eat beef as the animal is venerated in Hinduism.  The cow is considered to be a sacred animal because people consume its milk.  Yogurt is a common food of India.  Lassis, made of yogurt, spices, and fruit, are common drinks.

Clothing in India  Men wear the sherwani, which is a knee-length garment similar to a coat.  Women wear saris, an article of clothing that is draped around the body.  Women also wear a salvar kameez, which is a long tunic worn over a pair of trousers.

 Why do you often see an Indian woman with a red dot on her forehead?  The “dot” is called a bindi.  In older times, the red dot was a symbol of a woman’s marriage.  Bindis today are worn throughout South Asia by women and girls and no longer signify age, marital status, religious background or ethnic affiliation. ▪ The bindi has become a decorative item and is no longer restricted in colour or shape.

 How do Indian men and women behave in their social context?  Indians usually maintain a social distance with members of the opposite sex (about an arm's length away). ▪ If you observe a step backward when you stand too close to Indians friends, it probably does not mean that you have bad breath, it may mean that you have invaded their personal space.  Affection in public is avoided between even husband and wife.

Gender in India

 India is defined by a caste system  social hierarchy is very important  also very restrictive  Poverty in India is widespread, as India is estimated to have a third of the world's poor.  Causes of poverty in India ▪ large population ▪ low literacy (ability to read) ▪ the caste system in India also makes changing one’s social class difficult ▪ the role of women in Indian society - compared to boys, far fewer girls are enrolled in the schools, and many of them drop out in order to work to make money.

Economics in India  India is defined by a caste system  social hierarchy is very important

 Traditionally, Hindu parents look for a prospective match for their son/daughter from their own community also known as arranged marriage.  Failure to arrange a match for a daughter is a source of stress and sometimes shame for the family.  In many south Asian countries, the bride’s family is expected to pay a dowry to the husband’s family.  Dowry = money, goods, or estate that a woman brings to her husband in marriage.  One of the basic functions of a dowry has been to serve as a form of protection for the wife against the possibility of ill treatment by her husband and his family.  If a woman’s family cannot provide a dowry, their daughter may not be able to marry, causing shame to the family.

 Most Indians practice Hinduism  Oldest living religion  Over 1 billion followers  Religious Beliefs  No eternal hell / no damnation  Each soul is free to find his own way  Life is cyclical and God recreates

 Hindus are generously tolerant of other faiths.  karma = the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.  Reincarnation = soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be deprived of this destiny.  Hindus prefer cremation of the body upon death, rather than burial, believing that the soul lives on and will inhabit a new body on Earth.  Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, noninjury / nonviolence.

 Lakshmi, the main character, is named after the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.  Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity (both material and spiritual), light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm.

India’s Taj Mahal and Golden Temple