Homework for India? Yes.

So my pre-depature all-day orientation is coming up this Saturday, August 20th, and believe it or not I had some homework that had to be done and was due last night. I had to answer questions about Pop culture, politics and issues regarding the country of India and the people who inhabit the 3.29 million square km chunk of land. The country is 1/3 the size of the US, but has 3 times as many people....What am I getting myself into?

Background Information and some straight-up fun facts!

a) Population

1,189,172,906

b) Geographic Area sq. km

1,147,949 square miles (3.29 sq. km)

c) People per sq. mile

954 per mile

d) Country Code (Phone)

+91

e) Electric Voltage

240 Volts, alternating at 50 cycles per second

f) Exchange Rate

1 US dollar to 45.36 rupees

g) Emergency number to call (i.e. 911)

100

h) Time zones away from home

12-14

i) Main Cultural Groups

Ethnic Make-up: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)

j) Main Religions

Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5%

a) Year of Independence

August 15, 1947

b) Type of government

Federal constitutional republic.

Characterized as a sovereign socialist secular democratic republic.

c) Current Ruling Party

 Indian National Congress and  Bharatiya Janata Party and

d) Head of Government

Prime minister Manmohan Singh

e) Head of State (if applicable)

Pratibha Devisingh Patil of the Indian National Congress

f) Top Domestic Issues

Overpopulation

Pollution.

Poverty.

Newly developed domestic policy:  "Agenda for a Proud, Prosperous India." The main thrust of this program lies in speeding up economic reforms. The economic initiatives include privatization, financial reforms, encouraging foreign investment, and liberalizing trade restrictions.

g) Top International Issues

India has formal diplomatic relations with most nations.

h) Next Election Date

Presidential election- 2012

General elections-2014

i) Major Political Parties

India has a multi-party system with a predominance of small regional parties. Some examples include, Indian National Congress, Bhartiya Janata Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party, Communist Party of India

POP CULTURE

a) Popular Sports

Field Hockey is the official national sport in India, but cricket is the most popular. Other popular  sports include chess, badminton, field hockey, tennis, association football and golf.

b) Popular/Local Teams

India has eight gold medals in Field Hockey

Cricket:

The Indian cricket sports team

Football:

East Bengal Club and Mohum Bagan AC

c) Local Celebrities

Bollywood superstars:

Current examples, Gracy Singh, Kajol, Marnta, and Shamita Shetty

Favorite celebrity couple- Kajol and Ajay Devgan

I hope you enjoyed that, you learn something new everyday!

I was also asked to answer a few more questions about my goals, american vs. cross-cultural patterns among other things that will better prepare me for my three month journey to India.

Even though I laughed at the idea of having to do homework, I am glad I did. After rummaging through website after website I know I learned even more than I already did through this assignment. 

Who knew cricket could be so exciting?

I'll report again soon,

Shelane