India
by Ian MacMoran
India
Table of Contents
Map of India and it's Regions - Page 3
Some of India's Important Events - Page 4
India's Regions - Page 5
India's Government and Currency - Page 6
Religious Beliefs and Places of Worship in India - Page 7
Shelter in India - Page 8
Family Life in India - Page 9
Indian Values - Page 10
Indian Foods and Drinks - Page 11
Indian Clothing - Page 12
Indian Sports, Hobbies and Entertainment - Page 13
Indian Celebrations and Customs - Page 14
Glossary - Page 15
Index - Page 16
Bibliography Page 17,18
The Himalayas
Calcutta & the East
Rajasthan & the North
Mumbai, Goa & Central India
Kerala & South India
India's latitude is 20 N and India's
longitude is 70 E.
W
N
S
Some of India's Important Events
1,500 B.C The Aryans came to India with the sandskrit language.
326 B.C. Alexander the Great arrives.
1631 The Taj Mahal was built.
1869 Mahatma Gandhi's birth.
1947 India becomes indepdent as two states.
1948 Mahatma Gandhi was murdered.
1995 Bombay's name gets chaged to Mumbai
This is a picture of the Taj
Mahal with the reflecting pool.
India's Regions
The Himalayas is the most northern region. The Himalayans
are very mountainous. Rajasthan & the North sits right below
the Himalayans, that's were the Taj Mahal is. Calcutta & the
East is in the eastern part of India and is home of India's
longest river, the Brahmaputra. Mumbai, Goa & Central India is
in central India. It is full of national parks. Kerala & the South is
in the southen part of India. It is known for its Hindu art and
architecture.
This is a picture of Mumbai at
night.
India's Government and Currency
In India their currency is rupees. Rupee coins are available in
1,2,5 and 10. Rupee dollars are available in 10,20,50,100,500
and 1,000. The face on rupee bank notes (like our dollar) is
Mahatma Gandhi.
The Indian federal government has two houses of parliament.
One is the People's Assembly and the other is the Council of
states. In India the president is like a king or queen. The Prime
Minister is the one that leads the government. In India all
presidents are appointed. The Prime Minister is appointed by
the president.
These are rupees.
Religious Beliefs and Places of Worship
in India
In India a religious belief is the caste system. In the caste
system you are represented as a body part from one of Indian
gods Purusa. Priests called Brammins are from his mouth.
Warriors and Nobels called Kshatryias from his arms.
Merchants called Vaishyas are from his thigh and non-Aryans
called Sudras are from his feet.
More then 80% of Indians are Hindu! There are many Hindu
temples all around India for worship.
This is a
diagram of
the caste
system.
Shelter in India
Shelter in India varies groatly depending on wealth. Many
extended families live in the same house. Many people live in
villages in a room no bigger then 10 by 10 feet. You bathe and
cook outside your house in villages. Village houses are mostly
made of wood, straw and mud.
This is a picture of a typical
village
house in India.
Family Life in India
Family is very important in India. Kids are expected to help their
family, parents work to keep the house running and
grandparents are respected for their age and wisdom. There is
more emphasis on extended family in India, otherwise Indian
families are similar to us.
This is a picture of family
life in India.
Indian Values
Indians value simple material comforts such as simple clothing
and dress, physical purity, and spiritual refinement. Family
closeness is highly valued by Indians. Indians deeply respect
Mahatma Gandhi and what he did to help India.
This is a picture of Mahatma
Gandhi.
Indian Foods and Drinks
Indian food is very diverse and depends on where you live.
Indians like to use lots of spices in their cooking, especially
curry.
Refusing foods and drinks in India is seen as an insult. It is not
safe to drink water from the faucet in India. You must drink
bottled water because it is sterilized. Chai is a sweet spiced tea
and is a specialty in India. Here is Chai's recipe, my Mom's
style. One cup milk, 5 cups water, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 bay
leaves, 4 cloves, 6 cardamon pods, 2 black peppercorns, 1
anise star, 2 tablespoons of black tea and 3 tablespoons sugar.
These are Chai tea
spices.
Indian Clothing
India dress is quite conservative. Women often were saris
which is a long piece of colorful cloth wrapped around their
body. Different colored saris represent different events, like
gold or yellow for weddings. Women also wear Shalwar
Kameezs which are long dresses over loose pants. Men's
clothing depends on the region in India. In south India they
wear long white sheets of cloth over pants.
This is a picture of a
women in a Shalwar
Kameez.
Indian Sports, Hobbies and
Entertainment
Cricket is the most popular sport in India. Fans love to watch
India v.s. Pakistan in cricket. Other popular sports are soccer,
tennis, polo, and field hockey. India has got 8 Olympics gold
medals in field hockey.
Hobbies in India are like ours. Examples are art and collecting
coins.
Entertainment in India is like ours such as movies, sports and
music.
Here is a game of cricket.
Indian Celebrations and Customs
Holi Holiday is a celebration. It always starts the day of the full
moon in March. On Holi Holiday you throw gulal (bright
powders and water) at anybody and everybody.
A custom in India is if you are a Hindu women and you just got
married you will have a mehendi. A bride gets a mehendi from
her family.
This is a picture of a mehendi.
Glossary
anise: a Mediterranean plant that yields aniseed
cardamon: the aromatic seed capsules of a tropical Asian plant
cricket: a game for two teams of 11 members each played on a field
curry: a pungent mixture of finely ground spices
extended family: a kinship group consisting of a married couple, their
children, and various close relatives
Himalayans: three parallel chains of mountains with deep valleys
mehendi: the dyeing of hands stained with a brown-red pattern
parliament: any of several high courts of justice
polo: a game played on horseback between 2 teams of 4 players each
sterilized: to cleanse by destroying microorganisms or parasites
Taj Mahal: a tomb made entirely of white marble for Emperor Shah
Jahan's wife who died in 1631
Index
Anise Star 11
Brahmaputra 5
Calcutta & the East 3,5
Cardamon 11
Caste System 7
Chai Tea 11
Cricket 13
Curry 11
Extended Family 9
Gulal 14
Himalayans 3,5
Holi Holiday 14
Kerala & the South 3,5
Mehendi 14
Mumbai, Goa & Central India
3,5
Parliament 6
Physical Purity 10
Polo 13
Rajasthan & the North 3,5
Rupee 6
Sari 12
Shalwar Kameez 12
Spiritual Refinement 10
Sterilized 11
Taj Mahal 5
Villages 8
Bibliography
Books
Dalal, A. Kamala. India. Washington D.C.: National
Geographic, 2007.
Ganer, Anita. Exploration Into India. New York: New Discovery
Books, 1994.
Webster's Universal College Dictionary. New York: Gramercy
Books, 1997.
Websites
Wells, Jimmy. "Indian Rupee." Wikipedia.org. Jimmy Wells,
2011. <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rupee>.
Wells, Jimmy. "Housing in India." Wikipedia.org. Jimmy Wells,
2007. <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_in_India>.
Author Unknown. "Indian Regions." Audley Travel.com. 2011.
<www.audleytravel.com/Destinations/Indian-Subcontinent>.
Author Unknown. "Indian Hobbies." Indian Hobbies. 2007.
<indianhobbies.com/index.html>.
Author Unknown. "General Attitudes." Culture Grams. 2012.
<online.culturegrams.com>.