South Asia Afghanistan is usually considered part of the ME not South Asia as shown on the map.

Colonization British colonized India to get access to their cotton goods, spices, silk & indigo (a plant from which blue dye is made). 1A Indigo is a plant from which blue dye is made. It used ot be that only the rich had bright colored clotihng because the dyes were expensive. For thousands of years, India was ruled by different dynasties & kingdoms. Great Britain, France, & Portugal took advantage of the internal fighting & built colonies in India.

Sepoy/Indian Rebellion 1857 1st Indian War for independence from British Indians angered by British imposing British laws & customs, outlawing many traditional Indian customs. Rebellion united the Indians together. 1A Sepoy: Indigenous soldier serving in the army of the foreign conqueror. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 occurred as the result of an accumulation of factors over time, rather than any single event. Events leading up to the rebellion: Rifle introduced into the army; to load it, sepoys had to bite off the tops f the greased cartridges which (rumor said) were smeared with beef & pork grease. PROBLEM: Cows sacred to Hindus, Muslims not allowed to eat pork. Soldiers who refused were jailed. Sepoy rebellion began when some soldiers released these jailed soldiers. B govt took control of the military & trade Jobs based on ability, not class (this went against the caste system) Education reforms, education like the British system. Indian customs ignored. Indian practices destroyed if the violated British law. Suttee abolished in 1829: Indian practice of a Indian widow (often drugged) committing suicide on her husbands funeral pyre. 1856 British passed a law allowing widows to remarry. Muslims resented their loss of govt power, British attitude of superiority Forcing sepoys (Indian soldiers in British service) to serve in other areas of Asia. Potentially losing their caste position by leaving the country. Indian soldier facing execution for protesting the new use of the new rifles smeared with beef & pork grease. Photo from the movie ”MANGAL PANDEY: THE RISING”

Gandhi (1869-1948) & Independence Urged Indians to be peaceful use non-violent resistance . Gandhi & others imprisoned multiple times for protesting. 1947 India gained independence from England. Amazing! A powerful nation (England) defeated by a peaceful revolution. Gandhi Bio Video Has been compared to Martin Luther King & Nelson Mandela Honored by the name “Mahatma” in 1914 which means “great soul“ Also known as civil disobedience Urged people of India to stop working, organized peaceful marches and protests. Hunger Strike: Because of G’s stature around the world, the British did not want him to die in their custody. hunger strike which lasted 116 days, only drank liquids. Ended with the British giving in to his wishes. PM = Prime Minister

India/Pakistan Partition When the British left, they divided India into 2 parts: Pakistan: Muslim India: Hindu Fighting began over this new border & the “Kashmir region”. Gandhi (78 yrs!) – 5 day hunger strike, stopped the fighting. 12 days later, a Hindu man, who disagreed with Gandhi's ideas of peace & tolerance for ALL, shot & killed Gandhi.

The Indian Caste System Caste System: a social structure in which classes are determined by heredity  Important to the Hindu faith to live according to ones caste Photo of “untouchable” children See Hindu/religions notes from the 1st semester. Dalit (untouchable) children often have limited opportunities in the caste system. Many Hindus in the past believed that untouchables deserved this treatment — a treatment that is in many ways even harsher than that inflicted on African Americans before the Civil Rights Movement. Hindus think that a person is born to this class because of bad karma he or she earned in a pervious life. The caste system is NOT described in the Hindu scripture. The system was originally devised to create an understandable division of labor and identify different groups of people.

Hinduism see religions notes from 1st semester World’s oldest religion. More than just a philosophy, is a way of life. Hinduism has no founder , no single set of beliefs, no basic religious text (not bound by a single doctrine). Reincarnation: people collect Karma by doing good. As people do good they hope to be reborn into a higher status or caste. The ultimate goal is to escape birth and death and become one with Brahman, the universal soul. This state is called nirvana.

Sikhism see “Religions” notes from 1st semester for detailed information Sikhism combines the Muslim belief in one god with the Hindu belief in karma & reincarnation. A fast growing religion found in India.

Ganges River For Hindus… Holy river Expected to bathe in this river at least once in your lifetime. washes away your sins. 18C, 16C Holy River, incredibly dirty, polluted. The river's reputation as a purifying river appears to have a basis in science. It has a unique ability to retain oxygen.

TAJ MAHAL ताज महल Built by the ruler Shah Jahan in the 17th Century as a tomb for his wife.

India’s “Green Revolution” 1940’s-1970’s GOAL  make India self-sufficient in food grains. Introduced modern science, technology, fertilizers & irrigation methods to help farmers triple their crops 8A, 20B Green Revolution India has had a "mixed economy" in which both private business and government invest in and direct the economy. Today, India has been moving away from state ownership and subsidies to business. India's government has established five-year plans to set economic goals. The Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s made great headway, but faltered due to most farmers' lack of money to buy hybrid seeds, fertilizers, and equipment. Imports still needed.

Use of high yielding varieties (HYV) of seeds Irrigation Use of insecticides and pesticides Consolidation of holdings Land reforms Improved rural infrastructure Supply of agricultural credit Use of (chemical) fertilizers Use of Sprinklers or Drip Irrigation