An Overview of Modern India (and China)

1. An Overview of Modern India (and China) Historical Background for The White Tiger

2. India’s Geography • Located in Southern Asia • Northern India defined by the Indo-Gangetic plain • Southern India defined by the Deccan Plateau Dhanbad

3. India’s History • Ancient Civilizations- developed along the Indus and Ganges river valleys • Empires- united from time to time under various (often foreign) empires- Greek, Persian, Maurya, Gupta, Mughal, British • Colonial Rule- British East India Company gradually gained control of India beginning in the 1600s, directly ruled by the British from 1857-1947 • Independence- achieved in 1947, British India partitioned into Muslim (Pakistan) and Hindu (India) states • Continued Conflict- East Bengal (part of Pakistan) became the independent nation of Bangladesh in 1971, Pakistan and India still fighting over Kashmir

4. India’s Partition and Political Boundaries

5. India’s Population • Home to 1.2 billion people (17.5% of the world’s population) • 2nd largest country- will surpass China as most populous country by 2025 • 50% of population is under the age of 25 • Great ethnic, religious, linguistic, and economic diversity

6. Language in India • Hundreds of languages spoken • Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu most widely spoken • 11% of Indians (125 million) speak English, most as a second language • Official languages- English and Hindi, also 14 regional official languages • Adult literacy rate- 74%

7. Religion in India • Majority identify as Hindus, but a large variety of religions are practiced • 81% Hindu • 13% Muslim • 2.3% Christian • 1.9% Sikh • 0.8% Buddhist

8. Hinduism • One of the world's oldest, most complex, and largest religions • Different versions of Hinduism, but share overarching beliefs • Belief in Brahman- the unchanging, all-powerful spiritual force of the universe to which everything belongs • Belief in many gods that are manifestations of Brahman: • Brahma (Created of the world) • Shiva (Destroys of the world) • Vishnu (Preserver of the world)

9. Hinduism (continued) • Goal to unites one’s individual soul (atman) with Brahman to achieve a state of understanding and liberation from desires and suffering (moksha) • One’s soul is reborn many times until moksha is achieved- achieved by following determined path (dharma) and performing good acts and deeds (karma) • The level of society (caste) one is born into is determined by how well he/she followed his/her dharma and karma in the previous life

10. Caste and Social Class • Social class in India is linked to a caste system that developed over thousands of years • Initially an indictor of one’s occupation • Seen as a reflection of one’s previous life- based on birth • Affects one’s job, where and how one lives, dress, who one interacts with and marries, and social and political power, and one’s treatment • Technically outlawed in 1947 but still has a large influence today, especially in more rural areas • Intercaste relations limited • A highly hierarchical society • Great social interdependence

11. India’s Economy • 4th largest economy in the world and rapidly growing • Major industries- telecommunications, textiles, chemicals, agriculture, food processing, steel, mining, petroleum, machinery, information technology-enabled services and pharmaceuticals. • Highly regulated by govt. • Becoming more developed (57.2% GDP services, 28.6% industry), but over half of the population still works in agriculture • Growing gross national income but 76.2% live on under $2/day and 41.6% live under international poverty line of $1.25/day • Many lack access to clean water and sanitation

12. Indian Cities vs. Rural Area • 30% live in cities • Over 40 cities with over a million people- largest are Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai, and Bangalore • Experiencing great growth • Home of growing middle class • Densely populated with congestion, noise, and great inequities • 70% live in villages • Over 500,000 villages, most are small but dense • Complex social structure- one or two castes control the land have power • Most villagers work in agriculture • Interdependence of residents • Often lack improved water source and modern sanitation

13. Servants in India • Most middle class and upper class families have servants because they can afford it and view doing work manual work as undignified • Servants are sually young men and women from rural areas and of lower castes • Always on call • Generally paid $25-150 a month • Often overworked, exploited, and blamed for crimes committed nearby • Second-class member of the family for which they work

14. Outsourcing to India • Part of the larger trend of globalization with workers competing on a flattened playing field • The practice in which part of a multinational company’s labor (usually manufacturing or services) is completed in an area in which costs are cheaper • 75% of US and European multinationals outsource some of their services • Largest outsourcing sector in India- IT • Workers paid 10-20% of American salaries for a given job

15. India’s Government • Established after independence in 1947 • Secular republic of 28 states and 7 territories • Has executive, legislative, and judicial branches • Socialist with use of government regulation and subsidies • Problems of inefficiencyand corruption • Most spending doesn’t reach recipients • High absence rate of govt. workers • Corruption defines govt. actions

16. Indiaand China • The most populous countries on Earth experiencing high rates of population and economic growth • But have very different social, political, and economic structures • Consider: • China has higher rates of education and literacy, life expectancy, vaccination rates, economic growth, higher GNP and energy consumption, and is more politically stable • India has greater access to free press and Internet, less reliance on international markets, greater wealth, greater numbers of English speakers, and is democratic

17. China’s Government • The People’s Republic of China (since 1949) • Communist- the Communist Party controls the govt. and govt. decisions, authoritarian • Primary organs of state power- National People’s Congress (highest govt. body), President (head of state), and State Council • Continued political repression and limits on personal freedom to maintain party rule

18. Wen Jiabo • Premier (head of State Council)- leading figure behind economic policy- since 2003 • 3rd highest member of Standing Committee (body with most power) • Oversaw Beijing Olympics, repression of Tibetans, decreased inflation, recovery from Sichuan Earthquake, great economic growth, and wants to bring China onto the world stage • Seen as the “popular premier”

19. China’s Economy • In transition toward an industrialized, market economy • “a semi-planned economy” • “transformation from a rural to an urban society” • “an economy that is neither socialist nor properly capitalist, run by a party that is neither revolutionary nor subject to the normal constitutional checks and balances of even China’s own Confucian past, let alone the Asian or western present.” • Economic issues facing China: • Growing economic freedom with limited personal and political freedom • Population growth • Aging population • Growing need for resources • Urbanization and migrant workers • Environment • Corruption

20. China in the Future