The Geographic Setting India is a large and varied country in South Asia It is about 1/3 the size of the U.S. but its population is more than 3 times as large India is the world’s largest democracy A fast growing economy Indian businesses have been quick to adopt this technology – they offer IT services at low prices and as a result have attracted many jobs from foreign companies

Tech Workers and Time Zones: India’s Comparative Advantage Essential Question: What factors give some countries a comparative advantage in the global IT revolution? IT makes it possible for companies to outsource call center jobs India attracts these jobs because it has a comparative advantage over many countries

Advantage Factor One: Low Wages India has a large, fast-growing workforce several factors affect how much workers in India earn – size of the workforce (competition) and the low cost of living in India (which makes it possible for many Indians to enjoy a high standard of living) Advantage Factor Two: English Speakers English is widely spoken in India English skills are a key advantage

Advantage Factor Three: Trained Workers India is a leader in Technical Education Not all Indians have equal access to education

Ganges River at Varanasi The pattern of social classes in Hinduism is called the "caste system." A caste is a social class separated from others by distinctions of hereditary rank, profession, or wealth. It is a group of people who are born into a certain position in society. Ganges River – the “Holy River” Ganges River at Varanasi

The Indian caste system has been in use for many years.  Still today the values of the caste system are held strongly. The caste system has kept a sense of order and peace among the people.

The Aryans developed the caste system thousands of years ago when the came to the South Asian region. The caste system assigns people to one of four major classes (or castes) according to their occupations. However, there are now thousands of subcastes.

The Brahmins were the only literate class. The highest class were the Brahmins, which were the priests, teachers, and intellectuals. The Brahmins were the only literate class. The second caste were the Kshatriyas, which was the warrior class. The third class were the Vaisyas. These were the merchants or traders. Finally, there was the Sudras which were the farmers and laborers.

The Dalits were below the castes and were not considered a caste. Below the Sudras, which were the lowest caste, were the Dalits, which means “the oppressed.” The Dalits were below the castes and were not considered a caste. They worked the jobs everyone else thought were unclean. Dalits were forbidden to make contact with any member of any other caste. A person born into a caste could not move into another caste.

Brahmin Family Brahmin Woman

Dalits (after the tsunami) Untouchables Dalits (after the tsunami)

The ideas of reincarnation, dharma, and karma helped maintain the caste system by eliminating movement between castes. The only way one could move into another caste was through the accumulation of good karma by which when one died the good karma would cause them to be born into a higher caste. On the other hand, actions such as taking a job in another caste or marrying someone in another caste would create bad karma and one could be punished by moving down into another caste at birth.

The Indian constitution abolished the caste system in the 1960’s because educated Indians believed the treatment of the Dalits was illegal. However, the caste system still remains a part of Hindu life, particularly in villages. Some Dalits are educated and have good jobs, but most still live in poverty.