INDIA

History:
The Indus valley civilization saw its genesis in the holy land now known as
India around 2500 BC. The people inhabiting the Indus River valley were
thought to be Dravidians, whose descendants later migrated to the south of
India. The deterioration of this civilization that developed a culture based on
commerce and sustained by agricultural trade can be attributed to ecological
changes. The second millennium BC was witness to the migration of the
bucolic Aryan tribes from the North West frontier into the sub continent.
These tribes gradually merged with their antecedent cultures to give birth to a
new milieu.
The Aryan tribes soon started penetrating the east, flourishing along the Ganga
and Yamuna Rivers. By 500 BC, the whole of northern India was a civilized
land where people had knowledge of iron implements and worked as labor,
voluntarily or otherwise. The early political map of India comprised of
copious independent states with fluid boundaries, with increasing population
and abundance of wealth fueling disputes over these boundaries.
Unified under the famous Gupta Dynasty, the north of India touched the skies
as far as administration and the Hindu religion were concerned. Little wonder
then, that it is considered to be India’s golden age. By 600 BC, approximately
sixteen dynasties ruled the north Indian plains spanning the modern day
Afghanistan to Bangladesh. Some of the most powerful of them were the
dynasties ruling the kingdoms of Magadha, Kosla, Kuru and Gandhara.
Known to be the land of epics and legends, two of the world’s greatest epics
find their birth in Indian settings - the Ramayana, depicting the exploits of lord
Ram, and the Mahabharta detailing the war between Kauravas and Pandavas,
both descendants of King Bharat. Ramayana traces lord Ram’s journey from
exile to the rescue of his wife Sita from the demonic clutches of Ravana with
the help of his simian companions. Singing the virtues of Dharma(duty), the
Gita, one of the most priced scriptures in Indian Mythology, is the advice
given by Shri Krishna to the grief laden Arjun, who is terrified at the thought
of killing his kin, on the battle ground.
Mahatma Gandhi revived these virtues again, breathing new life in them,
during India’s freedom struggle against British Colonialism. An ardent
believer in communal harmony, he dreamt of a land where all religions would
be the threads to form a rich social fabric.
Geografhy:
India, also known as the Republic of India, is a country located in South Asia.
It has more than 1200 million inhabitants and is the second most populated
country in the world. It is one of the largest countries in existence with 3.3
million square kilometers. India shares border with Pakistan to the west,
China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north and with Bangladesh and Burma to the
east. To the south of the country is the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea to
the west. The Gulf of Bengal lies to the east. There are over 7500 kilometers
of beautiful coastline lining India.
The capital of India is New Delhi, which is the most populated city in the
country and is the fifth most populated city of the entire planet. It occupies an
area of almost 1500 square kilometers, which is full of beautiful avenues,
national institutions, museums, monuments and buildings made in a unique
architecture style.
Economy:
India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern
agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of
services. Services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for
more than half of India's output with less than one third of its labor force.
About three-fifths of the work force is in agriculture.
The government has reduced controls on foreign trade and investment.
However, tariff spikes in sensitive categories, including agriculture, and
incremental progress on economic reforms still hinder foreign access to India's
vast and growing market. Privatization of government-owned industries
remained stalled in 2006, and continues to generate political debate.
The economy has posted an average growth rate of more than 7% in the
decade since 1996, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. India
achieved 8.5% GDP growth in 2006, significantly expanding manufacturing.
India is capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the
English language to become a major exporter of software services and
software workers. The huge and growing population is the fundamental social,
economic, and environmental problem.
The currency of India is the Rupee.
Politics:
Annexed by the British East India Company in the early 1700s, India was
administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid 19 century until it
gained independence in 1947 following a non-violence resistance movement
led by Mahatma Gandhi. Since that time it has grown into the world’s
second-largest country in terms of population, with over 1.2 billion people.
India is the largest democratic nation in the world, with nearly 800 million
people in the electorate.
In the following article we will take a closer look at the government of India,
including a description of its structure and the makeup and duties of each of
the three branches that comprise it.
Government of India: Structure
The central or federal government of India, locally known as the union
government, is divided into three distinct yet interconnected branches: the
legislative, executive and judicial branches of government. India’s
government is based on the British parliamentary model, in which the
leadership of the executive branch is culled from and responsible to the
legislative body. Although Article 50 of India’s Constitution—the wordiest
Constitution in the world—stipulates that the judiciary should be separate
from the executive branch, the latter is in charge of making all judicial
appointments and defines many of the Mohatma Gandhi conditions of the
judiciary’s work. Additionally, one of the more significant and persistent
institutional battles within Indian politics has been the struggle between
elements wanting to assert legislative power to amend the constitution and
those favoring the judiciary’s position to preserve the constitution in its most
basic form.
Government of India: The Three Branches of Government
The Legislative Branch
The legislative branch of Indian government is called the Indian Parliament.
Much like the legislature in other large democracies, including the United
States, it consists of a two-house assembly: the Lok Sabha (House of the
People), which is known as the lower house; and the Rajya Sabha (Council of
States), known as the upper house. Parliament’s primary function is to enact
laws on those matters in which the constitution specifies to be within its
jurisdiction.
Lok Sabha: House of the People
Rajya Sabha: Council of States
The Executive Branch
President
The president serves as the “supreme commander” of the armed forces, and
appoints the country’s prime minister, cabinet members, and governors of
states and territories. He also names members to the Supreme court and high
court justices, as well as ambassadors and other diplomatic representatives.
In 1976, the 42 Amendment to the Indian Constitution formally required the
president to act according to the advice of the Council of Ministers, the
cabinet that is overseen by the prime minister. The spirit of this loose
arrangement is reflected in the quote that says “the president is head of the
State but not of the Executive.
Vice President
he vice president is also elected for a five-year term, and also elected by the
same electoral college. The vice president of India serves as the “ex officio
chairman” of the Rajya Sabha and acts as the sitting president when the latter
is unable to carry out his normal duties due to absence, illness, or any other
reason. The vice president also acts as president until a new president can be
elected (within six months of the vacancy) when a vacancy occurs due to
death, resignation or removal. Since 1969, there have been three instances in
which the vice president was forced to serve in the capacity of president.
The Prime Minister
There can be no debate that the Prime Minister of India is the most powerful
figure of the country’s government. After initially being selected by the
president to serve in this capacity, normally from the party that commands the
plurality of seats in Parliament, the prime minister is responsible for selecting
the Council of Ministers, chosen from other members of Parliament who are
then appointed by the president.
The Judicial Branch
The judicial branch of the Indian government is led by the Supreme Court,
seen as the penultimate interpreter of the constitution and the laws of the land.
The Supreme Court of India has appellate jurisdiction over all civil and
criminal proceedings, especially those involving substantial issues concerning
constitutional interpretation.
Religious:
Although 80.5% of the population is Hindu, India's Muslim population, which
constitutes 13.4% of the population, is the world's second largest Muslim
population. Other religious groups include Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%),
Buddhists (0.8%), Jains (0.4%), Jews, Zoroastrians, Bahá'ís and others. Eight
percent of India's people are classified as tribal.
The Indian constitution declares India to be a secular republic and protects the
rights of citizens to worship and propagate any religion or faith. Religion is an
important force in India, visible in many aspects of life. Political parties have
strongly stances with regard to secularism and religious fundamentalism.
Since the country was partitioned in 1947 after it won independence from the
British Empire, there has been trouble between the Hindus and the Muslims
including the 1992 Bombay Riots following the demolition of Babri Mosque
as a result of the Ayodhya debate, and the 2002 Gujarat violence following the
Godhra Train Burning.
Many believe that communal strife in India is a result of petty political
maneuvering rather but there is no doubt that there are resentments under the
surface that politicians are able to exploit for their purposes.
Language:
As India is one of the world’s oldest cultures it has been subjected to a
plethora of language influences.
The primary ones are; Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%,
Tamil 5.9%, Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya
3.2%, Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%. English is
used primarily in business, and for economic and political purposes.
Language is regional and dialects play a role in the variety of languages
spoken throughout India, with some sources suggesting that there are possibly
1,652 different languages or dialects. These come from four main linguistic
families and are centred on different regions.
Local guides and translators may be beneficial if you are conducting meetings
in a variety of locations throughout the country as difference in language is
ubiquitous.
Culture:
 Hindu 79.8%, Muslim 14.2%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.7%, other and
unspecified 2% (2011 est.)
 From the Hindu culture arose three other major religions: Buddhism,
Jainism and Sikhism.
 Vedas and Upanishads are the holy books of Hinduism
 Hinduism teaches meditation, yoga and ascetic practices to cultivate
self-discipline and unity
 The cow is considered a sacred animal
 The structure of the family is patriarchal; a woman must obey her
father, her husband, her son.
Social Stratification:
 India has one of the world’s oldest caste systems
 The caste structure divides people into four main groups: Brahmins,
Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras
 Brahmins, the teachers and intellectuals - Brahma's head. Kshatriyas,
the warriors and rulers – Brahma’s arms. Vaishyas, the traders -
Brahma’s thighs, and finally, Shudras, the menial workers - Brahma's
feet
 There can be as many as thirty castes within one village
 Intermarrying between castes was forbidden but in urban areas is now
more common
 Your caste is set by birth
Economy:
It is generally safe to address an elder as ‘sir’ or ‘Ma’am’
Meeting & Greeting
 In India it’s traditional to greet people using ‘Namaste’ – place both
hands together and bow slightly. In urban areas this is often
overlooked
 Men will often also shake hands when meeting or leaving
 Men should not attempt to shake hands with women
 Some Indian women might shake hands with a western woman
 Indian culture is based on a hierarchical system so elders and
superior are greeted first
 Religion, caste and social standing all effect Greetings