CHAPTER 1
NATIONAL BACKGROUND
Figure 1. Flag of India
Figure 2. Map of India
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Box 1. Basic Facts and Figures
Capital
New Delhi
28°34 ′N 77°12 ′E
Largest city
Mumbai (Bombay)
English, Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,
Official language(s) Konkani, Malayalam, Maithili, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi,
Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu
Government
Area
- Total
- Water (%)
Population
- 2007 est.
- 2001 census
- Density
Federal republic
3,166,414* km² (7th)
1,222,559 sq mi
9.56
1.2 billion (2nd)
1,027,015,247
329/km² (31st)
852/sq mi
GDP (Norminal)
- Total
- Per capita
2007 estimate
$1.0 trillion (12th)
$820 (132nd)
Currency
Rupee (Rs.) (INR)
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Source: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2007. India. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India
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A. The Country
India is the seventh-largest country by geographical area and the second most populous country in
the world. It has a coastline of over seven thousand kilometers, and borders Pakistan to the west, Nepal,
the People's Republic of China and Bhutan to the north-east, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east.
In the Indian Ocean, it is adjacent to the island nations of Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia.
Home to the Indus Valley Civilization, a center of important trade routes and vast empires, India has
long played a major role in human history. Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism all have their
origins in the country, while Islam and Christianity enjoy a strong cultural heritage. Colonized as part of
the British Empire in the nineteenth century, India gained independence in 1947. The country's
population, wildlife, geographical terrain and climate system are among the most diverse in the world.
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B. History
Stone Age rock shelters with paintings at Bhimbetka in the state of Madhya Pradesh are the earliest
known traces of human life. The first known permanent settlements appeared over 9,000 years ago and
gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilization, dating back to 3300 BC in western India. It was
followed by the Vedic Civilization which laid the foundations of Hinduism and other cultural aspects of
early Indian society. From around 550 BCE, many independent kingdoms and republics known as the
Mahajanapadas were established across the country.
The empire built by the Maurya dynasty under Emperor Ashoka the Great united most of modern
Southern Asia except the Tamil kingdoms in the south. From 180 BCE, a series of invasions from Central
Asia followed including the Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythians, Indo-Parthians and Kushans in the northwestern Indian Subcontinent. From the third century CE, the Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred
to as ancient India's "Golden Age." While the north had larger, fewer kingdoms, in the south there were
several dynasties such as the Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas, Cheras, Cholas, Pallavas and
Pandyas, overlapping in time and space. Science, engineering, art, literature, mathematics, astronomy,
religion and philosophy flourished under the patronage of these kings.
Following the invasions from Central Asia, between the tenth to the twelfth centuries, much of north
India came under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate, and later the Mughal dynasty, which gradually expanded
its reign through large parts of the Indian subcontinent. Nevertheless, several indigenous kingdoms
flourished, especially in the south, like the Vijayanagara Empire. From the sixteenth century onwards,
several European countries, including Portugal, Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, started
arriving as traders, later taking advantage of the fractious relations between the kingdoms, to establish
colonies.
By 1856, most of India came under the control of the British East India Company (BEIC). A year later,
a nationwide insurrection of rebellious military units and kingdoms (known locally as the First War of
Indian Independence and as the Sepoy Mutiny elsewhere) broke out, which failed even as it seriously
challenged British rule. India thus came under the direct control of the British Crown as a colony of the
British Empire.
In the early twentieth century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the National
Congress and various revolutionary groups. The movement was led by Mahatma Gandhi, with Gopal
Krishna Gokhale, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru, and
Subhash Chandra Bose playing important roles. Millions of protestors engaged in mass campaigns of civil
disobedience with commitment to ahimsa or non-violence. Finally, on August 15, 1947, India gained
independence from British rule. Three years later, on January 26, 1950, it chose to be a republic, and a
new Constitution came into effect.
Since independence, sectarian violence and insurgencies erupted in various parts of the country.
Inspite of this, India managed to maintain its unity and democracy. It has unresolved territorial disputes
with China, which escalated into the brief Sino-Indian War in 1962, as well as with Pakistan, which
resulted in wars in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999 in Kargil. India is a founding member of the Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) and the United Nations (UN) (as part of British India). Significant economic reforms
beginning in 1991 have transformed it into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, adding to
its growing global and regional influence.
C. Politics and Government
3
India is referred to as the largest democracy in the world, by virtue of the fact that it has the largest
electing population among democratic countries. The country has a federal form of government and a
bicameral parliament operating under a Westminster-style system. It has three branches of governance:
the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary.
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While largely possessing ceremonial powers, the President remains the head of state as well as the
the Supreme Commander of the armed forces. The President is elected indirectly by an electoral college
for five-year terms. Presidential assent is needed for a Bill or Ordinance passed by the Parliament to
come into force. The Prime Minister is the de facto head of government, and has mostly executive
powers. He or she is appointed by the President, with the requirement that he or she enjoys the support
of the party or coalition by proof of having more than 50% seats in the lower house. The Union Council of
Ministers headed by the Prime Minister aids and advises the President on governance matters.
The legislature of India is the bicameral Parliament, which consists of the upper house called the
Rajya Sabha (Council of States), and the lower house called the Lok Sabha (House of People). The 245member Rajya Sabha is chosen indirectly through the state Legislative Assemblies; each member is
granted a six-year term. Each state sends members to the Rajya Sabha as proportion of its population.
The 545-member Lok Sabha on the other hand, is directly elected (Some seats are reserved for Caste
based system) by popular vote (with each member enjoying a five-year term except for two nominated
Anglo-Indian members), and is the determinative constituent of political power and government formation.
Universal adulthood suffrage is guaranteed by the Constitution for citizens above 18 years of age. The
executive arm consists of the President, Vice-President, and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet being
its executive committee) headed by the Prime Minister. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a
member of either houses of parliament. In the Indian parliamentary system, the executive is subordinate
to the legislature.
India's independent judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India.
The Supreme Court has both original jurisdiction over disputes between states and the Center, and
appellate jurisdiction over the eighteen High Courts of India. In addition, the Supreme Court also has the
power to declare Union and state laws as null and void if in conflict with the Constitution.
It has maintained cordial relationships with most nations. The country has been a long time supporter
of the United Nations, with over 55,000 Indian military and police personnel having served in 35 UN
peace keeping operations over four continents.
D. Geography4
India’s climate varies from tropical in the south to more temperate in the Himalayan north, with
elevated regions in the north receiving sustained snowfall in winters. Its climate is strongly influenced by
the Himalayas and the Thar Desert. The Himalayas, along with the Hindu Kush Mountains in Pakistan,
provide a barrier to the cold winds. The Thar Desert is responsible for the moisture laden southwest
monsoon winds that provide most of the rainfall between June and September.
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E. Economy
i
The economy is the twelfth largest in the world when measured as USD exchange rate, with a gross
domestic product (GDP) of USD1.103 trillion. The country is one of the fastest growing major economy in
the world, with a GDP growth rate of 9.4 percent in 2006-07. Wealth distribution is fairly uneven, a quarter
of the nation's population earns less than the government-specified poverty threshold of $0.40/day.. Its
per capita income (norminal) of USD820 is ranked 132nd in the world.
For most of its independent history, it has adhered to a quasi-socialist approach, with strict
government control over private sector participation, foreign trade, and foreign direct investment. Starting
in 1991, the country has gradually opened up its markets through economic reforms by reducing
government controls on foreign trade and investment. Privatization of public-owned industries and some
sectors to private and foreign players has continued amid political debate.
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India has a labor force of 509.3 million of whom 60 percent are employed in agriculture or agriculturerelated industries, 12 percent in mainstream industry and 28 percent in service industries. Its agricultural
produce includes rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes. Major industries include
textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum and
machinery.
Its large English speaking middle-class has contributed significantly to the high-end software services
that are exported to US based clients and foreign companies. It is a major destination for US technology
companies' large base for future targeted research & development, including Google, IBM and Microsoft
among others. All these helped the services sector to increase its share of the economy to approximately
50 percent.
The country is also a major exporter of financial, research and technological services. Its most
important trading partners are the United States, China, United Kingdom, Singapore, Hong Kong, the
United Arab Emirates, Switzerland and Belgium.
F. Language
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The languages of India belong to two major families, Indo-European (whose branch Indo-Aryan is
spoken by about 74% of the population) and Dravidian (spoken by about 24%). Other languages spoken
in India come from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman linguistic families. The Andamanese languages,
spoken on the Andaman Islands, are apparently not related to any other language family. The number of
mother tongues in India is as high as 1,652 dialects. There are 24 languages spoken by a billion or more
people, in addition to thousands of smaller languages. Three millennia of language contact led to mutual
influence among the four language families in India and South Asia. Three contact languages played an
important role: Sanskrit, Persian and English.
G. The People
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There are diverse ethnic groups in India. The six main groups are as follows:
1. Negrito
The Negritos or the Brachycephalic (broad headed) from Africa were the earliest people to
have come to India. They have survived in their original habitat in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The Jarawas, Onges, Sentinelese and the Great Andamanese are some of the examples. Some
hill tribes like Irulas, Kodars, Paniyans and Kurumbas are found in some patches in Southern part
of mainland India.
2. Proto - Australoids or Austrics
These groups were the next to come to India after the Negritos. They are people with wavy
hair lavishly distributed all over their brown bodies, long headed with low foreheads and
prominent eye ridges, noses with low and broad roots, thick jaws, large palates and teeth and
small chins. The Austrics of India represent a race of medium height, dark complexion with long
heads and rather flat noses but otherwise of regular features. Miscegenation with the earlier
Negroids may be the reason for the dark or black pigmentation of the skin and flat noses.
The Austrics laid the foundation of Indian civilization. They cultivated rice and vegetables and
manufactured sugar from sugarcane. These people are found in some parts of India, Myanmar
and the islands of South East Asia. Their languages have survived.
3. Mongoloids
These people are found in the North eastern part of India in the states of Assam, Nagaland,
Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Tripura. They are also found in Northern
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parts of West Bengal, Sikkim, and Ladakh. Generally they are people with yellow complexion,
oblique eyes, high cheekbones, sparse hair and medium height.
4. Mediterranean or Dravidian
These are the people of South India. They are believed to come before the Aryans. They
have different sub-groups like the Paleo-Mediterranean, the true Mediterranean, and the Oriental
Mediterranean. They appear to be people of the same stock as those of Asia Minor and Crete
and pre-Hellenic Aegean's of Greece. They are reputed to have built the civilization of the Indus
valley, where remains have been found at Mohenjo- daro and Harappa and other Indus cities.
5. Western Brachycephals
These include the Alpinoids, Dinarics and Armenoids. The Parsis and Kodavas also fall in
this category. They are the broad headed people living mainly on the western side of the country
such as the Ganga Valley and the delta, parts of Kashmir, Kathiawar, Gujarat, Maharashtra,
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
6. Nordic Aryans
These groups were the last to immigrate to India. They came to India somewhere between
2000 and 1500 B.C. They are now mainly found in the northern and central part of India.
H. Religion8
India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world with the most deeply religious
societies and cultures. Religion plays a central and definitive role in the people. The faith of more than
80.4 percent Indians is Hinduism, considered the world's oldest religious and philosophical system. Islam
is practiced by around 13.4 percent of Indians. Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism are Indian-born religious
systems that are influential. Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Bahá'í Faith are also influential
but their numbers are smaller (except for Christianity). Despite the strong role of religion in Indian life,
atheism and agnosticism are visible influences.
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References
1
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2007. India. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India Last accessed 17
June 2007
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.
5
Ibid.
6
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2006. Languages of India. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_India Last accessed 17 June 2007
7
Web India 123. 2000-2007. Retrieved from http://www.webindia123.com/india/people/people.htm Last accessed 17
June 2007
8
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 2007. Religion in India. Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_India Last accessed 17 June 2007
7