1. What do you know about India??

2. India

3. India is the 2nd highest population in the world. (China is #1)
1,241,610,000 people
USA is #3 with 317,706,000 people

4. The Country
India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with some of the most deeply religious societies and cultures. Religion still plays a central and definitive role in the life of many of its people
Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third and fourth-largest religions, with over 2 billion followers
Religious statue, the Maitreya Buddha

5. Hinduism believes…
in one, Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent.
that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation and destruction
in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.
that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved.
that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, and sacraments create a connection with these beings.
in the values of personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry, meditation and surrender in God.
that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, noninjury, in thought, word and deed.
that no religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine paths are facets of God's Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.

6. Family Structure & Marriage
For generations, India has had a prevailing tradition of the joint family system...
Extended members of a family – parents, children, the children’s spouses and their offspring, etc. – live together.
Usually, the oldest male member is the head in the joint Indian family system. He makes all important decisions and rules, and other family members abide by them.

7. For centuries, arranged marriages have been present in India culture
For centuries, arranged marriages have been present in India culture. Many Indian families still experience arranged marriages.
Usually, the bride’s parents will offer the groom a dowry, meaning money, land or jewels.

8. Children enjoying Holi, the "festival of colors,” a major Indian
festival celebrated every spring
Different styles of the sari, the traditional dress of Indian women.

9. The people of India

10. Architecture of India

11. Throughout our reading of Interpreter of Maladies, we will learn more about the culture of India, and we will analyze how characters interact with one another as well as how their experiences shape their personality and futures.
There is so much more to this colorful culture than we’ve covered, but we will learn more as we read.