INDIA & HINDUISM

LAND OF INDIA India is a subcontinent

of Asia. Along the northern

border are the highest mountains in the world, the Himalayan Mountains.

India has 2 major rivers: Ganges and Indus The Ganges is seen as the life source for

all Indians India has monsoon season each year

from June - September

LIFE IN INDIA

7th largest country in the world (1/3 size of US)

Main language is Hindi Religions: Hindu (80.5%) Muslim

(13.4%) some of the largest slums in the world

In Dharavi, 1 million ppl live in a space 2/3 the size of Central Park

Not enough water, toilets, sewage & trash everywhere

INDIAN STATS

2nd largest population in the world 1.2 billion

Life expectancy = 67 years 2.4 million living with AIDS, 170,000 die

yearly 44% of children under 5 are

underweight 61% of population is literate 29.8% of the population is below

poverty line World largest producer of opium,

traded illegally

HINDU SOCIETY

India’s System System of Writing= Sanskrit Caste system

a rigid set of social classes Determined one’s occupation, economic

potential, and position in society Based, in part, on skin color & occupation 4 major levels in the caste system & a

bottom level

THE CASTE SYSTEM

priests

warriors

commoners

peasants with limited rights

UNTOUCHABLES

"Discarded chicken scraps bought from a restaurant barely

make a meal for Untouchables in Bihar, one of India's poorest states. These villagers belong to the Musahar, or rat-eaters, caste, its members known for hunting rodents. Musahar women, many of whom work as field hands, have begun to agitate for better living conditions. This takes courage, says a local activist. 'If an Untouchable woman demands or questions something and a landlord doesn't like it, he will beat or sexually harass her.'"

From "India's Untouchables," June 2003, National Geographic magazine

UNTOUCHABLES

Given boring and degrading tasks

5% of India’s population

not treated as humans

harmful presence lived in separate

areas away from society

HINDUISM AS A RELIGION

Holy Books: Vedas Also: Upanishads, Ramayana,

Bhagavad Gita, and Mahabharata

God: Brahman- supreme being (Polytheistic or Monotheistic)

Main Goal: For your atman to merge with Brahman.

How?: Yoga World’s oldest religion 750 million around the

world

REINCARNATION

The belief that an individual soul can be reborn in a different form after death

KARMA

The force generated by a person’s actions that determines how the person will be reborn in the next life

YOGA

A method of training designed to lead to union with Brahman

BRAHMAN

Single spiritual force that Hindus believe resides in all things

Considered to be present in many forms but all the SAME supreme being

MAIN DEITIES

Brahma the Creator

MAIN DEITIES

Vishnu the Preserver

MAIN DEITIES

Shiva the Destroyer

MAIN DEITIES

Ganesha – deity of intellect & wisdom

MAIN DEITIES

Krishna – origin of all incarnations

INDIA AND HINDUISM IN CURRENT EVENTS http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/

2012/sep/21/india-gutka-ban-stimulant-video

http://www.voanews.com/content/india-blackout-highlights-power-problems-in-developing-countries/1452613.html