Meeting 4-28-08

Meeting: Tuesday, April 28
Zach's--6:00

-Discussed readings and video from previous week
-Jessie watched video about brothels and the Red Light District in Calcutta
-Claire read article about corruption in Northern India

-Talked about our final project
-Using foam board and pictures to tell about what we've learned this semester
-All pictures will relate to our topic of study

-Decided when to meet to work on project--will be meeting on Saturday to do that

-Discussed summer plans, shots, money, etc.

Caste, Class, and Clientelism: A Political Economy of Everyday Corruption in Rural North India

This article was very interesting. I have been trying to find articles that primarily focus on Calcutta. This article wasn't quite that specific, rather it focused on northern India as a whole. Corruption was the main topic in this article. I have read about corruption in India in something that I have read previously, but this article went into more detail especially for the area in which the corruption takes place. The main focus was on the role of corruption in perpetuating material inequalities within rural society. It is not uncommon for people to create links with the police and politicians in order to build "cross-class alliances." Most of the dominant classes are usually quite successful in manipulating the local police force through bribery, influence, and intimidation. The author also discusses how people in north India often in rural India are brought into contact with government officials who demand bribes and ration state resources. People do this in accordance to their own financial and social interests. Corruption takes place not only by the rich farmers, but also by the rural poor. I thought this was interesting, because it would seem like the poor wouldn't have as much to bribe with or have much influence to persuade the officials with. This isn't necessarily true--differently positioned "agents attempt to insert themselves into patron-client networks." This article also discusses specific areas of corruption which includes corruption among cane societies, sugarcane cultivation and corruption. This article was interesting because it discussed an issue that I have already known to occur, yet it gave specific examples of where corruption comes about and who all it involves. I wished that I could have learned a little more about Calcutta specifically through reading this article, but that will be something I try to find in my next article I decide to read!

Meeting 4-23-08

Meeting 4-23-08
5:30
Zach's

- talked about articles read this week (Newspaper articles and Oh! Kolkuta)

- discussed summer plans and arrangements

- started planning final project

- Jessie to buy foam board for project this weekend.

- Claire to check on shots

"Born into Brothels"

Born into Brothels- Film about childhood in the brothels of the Red Light District of Calcutta, India



For more background information, please visit http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/bornintobrothels/

I found this documentary shocking and saddening. I thought that it was a film that showed me how Calcutta really is for children of the brothels from the most untarnished and raw source of all: the children themselves. The kids were honest like only children can be and it was a great thing to see especially considering how in the West we hear a lot about how advanced and industrial India is becoming, yet in some places, like the Red Light District, hardship is as great as ever.
There were 8 children included in this documentary and all have different personalities that made the accounts both balanced and informative. The hard part about watching the accounts of the girls is the fact that if they do not get out of the brothels soon, they will “join the line” (become a prostitute as well). There is a part of the movie where there is a ten year old girl who is talking about how he has already been told about her becoming a prostitute soon and how she does not want to do it. She wants to get out but does not see how. Also, one of her friends (male) talks about how he wants to take her away from this place because she will soon be forced to join the line. This struck me because even the other children knew about the situation and had to be concerned with it. These children were not getting a childhood at all. They not only know what could happen to them, but they are also very aware of how their mothers are employed. One child recounted how they had a curtain in their home and when customers came, they closed the curtain and the children were not allowed to see. Either that or all the children were forced to go play on the roof.
It was also very interesting to me how the children saw their economic position. All of the children in the documentary lived in an area that looked like a slum to me (although I could be mistaken)—but if it was not, it was certainly very poor by anyone’s standards. It was interesting how when the girls were asked about their condition, they said that they did not think about being rich. They said that even if they were poor they could have a very happy life because they accepted sadness and pain as a normal part of life. This is connected to the reading I did a couple weeks ago about the subjective happiness and well being of the homeless. The article said that homeless people in India were more content with their position in life and this film seems to confirm that though the dialogue of these kids.
My other reading for this independent study also talks about how people in India who are poor or in the slums do recognize how essential education is to their getting out. The children talk about how they want to get an education throughout the video and they finally do get some help from “Zana Auntie” at the end of the film. However, it is sad that one of the girls says that she needs to go to school to that she can take those skills and make a living to support herself and her sister. It is eye-opening to see that these children have high ambitions (some do want to be doctors, artists, etc.) but it is with very practical implications that we do not usually think of kids worrying about in the West.
I could not possibly cover all the implications and interesting things about this film in this blog, so I just recommend that you watch the film. It can be both heartbreaking and uplifting, but is a great and informative way to break our ethnocentric view of childhood.

India Newspaper Articles-- The Telegraph, Calcutta, India

I decided that for this week I would read some newspaper articles from Calcutta, India. I just got excited about finally having it nailed down where I was going, so I thought because of that I would read something specific about the city of Calcutta and what is going on there currently that is related to the topic of this independent study project. I learned some really interesting things that supplemented what I have already read elsewhere.
From the article, “Slum dwellers’ rally on cards” from April 15 in “The Telegraph”, I learned about demands that the slum people are making in regards to their conditions. One thing that they are demanding is land “pattas”. I did some digging and I am not sure what a “patta” is, but after looking around I get the idea that maybe it is a grant of land that is used for agriculture. I know at least it is some sort of land grant, but may not necessarily be used for agriculture. It is interesting to me that these people are asking for grants of land especially in the city, because it seems like there would not be very much land to be had unless they moved. And, would they want to do that? This article also talked about slum people in general and their demographics. Evidently, there are about 220 slums in Calcutta most of which have been “built” over the past 70 years. This makes me wonder if the slums they are counting are concentrated mostly in a certain area of the city, or if they are spread all over. Finally, when talking about homeless people (do slum people consider themselves homeless?) in the United States, we often assume that they are unemployed. However, this article makes a point to say that these slum people usually do have jobs such as telephone or construction workers, vendors, rickshaw operators, or daily labor. This difference between American and Indian urban poor was very distinct and interesting to me.
It is also interesting to me that several of the articles referenced an effort to make a database of all the slum dwellers in the city. This seems like quite the endeavor to me. With all those not only homeless people, but slum dwellers as well, it seems that it would take a lot of centralized government power to organize and educate such a task. It also makes me realize that maybe these people are seen in a different light than in America cataloguing them shows concern for their wellbeing. However, one could also take this effort as dehumanizing the slum dwellers by making them a number instead of a person on level with any other citizen of Calcutta. Judging from my other readings, however, it seems that the homeless are not seen with such a stigma as in the United States, so I would tend to think that maybe this effort at a database is showing more concern for the people and wanting to help them than anything else.
Finally, another article spoke of how a slum area was defined. It says that slums “consist of clusters of hutmet comprising several rooms constructed with building materials where each room is inhabited by a family sharing a common latrine without arrangement for water supply, drains, disposal of solid waste and garbage within slum boundaries.” This is something that I had been curious about since beginning this study—how do you define poverty, or a slum? If course, this is not the only way to define it, but it is a clear-cut definition and that is something that I was not able to find previously.

The Urban Pattern of Calcutta, India

This journal article was very interesting because it really discussed the city of Calcutta in detail. I feel like I learned a lot about the city itself, and the information includes things that I can look out for this summer while I am in the city. The author also did a really good job of breaking the article up into different sections to adequately explain the different areas of the city.

The author first discusses the importance of Calcutta because of its location. This was also mentioned in the previous article I read, but a lot of the importance is due to its excellent position at the mouth of the Ganges Valley. The water source near Calcutta provides a great advantage to this particular city. For factual information, Calcutta is the capital of the province of West Bengal, it is the focus of trade and commerce of all eastern India, and it is the center of modern life of Hindu Bengal.

While Calcutta is located in, what seems to be a prime area, the city has grown in a haphazard way during the course of two and a half centuries. The population density of Calcutta is approximately 100,000 people to the square mile. The way the city is organized and the congestion in the city can be quite overwhelming. The author mentions the over strained municipal services, the large amounts of garbage that is accumulated, the lack of filtered water, etc. due to the make up of the city. These are some of the general characteristics mentioned by the author of this article.

The author then goes on to discuss the functional areas of the city, which were divided into six different categories. The first category is Fort William and the surrounding park. This Fort stood as a symbol of British power in eastern India. It is generally still well kept with lakes and trees around. The second category is the administrative and commercial "core." This area contains government administrative buildings along with secondary retail business districts. The third area is the foreign residential section, consisting of substantial buildings and large apartment houses. Well planned streets as compared with the rest of the city are also found here. The next area is the old residential district. This is an extremely congested area that exhibits "reckless" growth of homes. The newer residential district, number five, shows evidence of a planned peripheral development of the city. The last area the author mentions is the dock area that is located on the river used for loading and unloading large steamers.

The author also discusses public utilities within the city. The water supply is a large issue in this big city. Unfiltered water is typically in adequate supply during the majority of the year, but it is inadequately supplied during the hot and dry seasons of the year. Typically 25 gallons of filtered water per heard per day are supplied (I wonder how many gallons are supplied here on a typical day?). During the hot season, water is only supplied during certain hours of the day. Power, sewage disposal, and slum areas are also briefly mentioned by the author.

Finally, physical handicaps of the city were discussed. Some of these include the difficulty that comes when the drains overflow because of the way the city is built. Calcutta is built in a way that the water during the rainy season inundates areas for days and weeks at a time. Wide stretches of salt marshes cause physical obstacles along with breeding grounds for mosquitoes which can result in an unhealthy environment in general. The soil in the city is clay and clay loam. This results in difficulty building roads and construction work, especially during the rainy season. This also increases the cost of construction. The author does not go into detail, but mentions a "Master Plan" to fix some of the constraints in the city. He lists four areas that desperately need improvement, these are: de-congestion of urban area, zonal distribution of functional areas, improvement and possible removal of slum areas (I would like to know how the author thinks that will happen...), and finally proper distribution of communication facilities. While I appreciate the author's suggestions, I wish I knew ways he expected people to go about making these changes. They seem a little idealistic to me--but maybe I'm just cynical! : )

Oh! Kolkata!

Well, this article was very interesting because it dealt specifically with Calcutta (Kolkata). The author began by discussing his experiences in Kolkata, and did a good job of explaining and evaluating the things he saw. He mentioned the slums, the summer monsoons, the beggars, the street people, the rickshaws, etc. After spending some time discussing these things, the author goes into discussing Kolkata and how it is transforming into a global city. One way Kolkata is going global (sounds like a book I read earlier...India: Goes Global...I guess the same should be true of Kolkata) is through the expansion of malls, and restaurants. As these types of buildings grow, and Indian business people are using the standards of service many have learned from the West, Kolkata is catching up with many of it's neighboring cities and countries.

The author says that Kolkata still isn't "on a par" with that of China, but the city is headed in the same direction. I thought it was very interesting that the author talks about the middle class. In most everything I have read up until now, very little is said about the middle class, and if anything is mentioned, it is that the middle class is vanishing. The author of the article states that "Calcutta's middle class, which has always been here, has take on greater visibility, thanks in part to its consumerist buying sprees." The author also mentions, in discussing the middle class, that the people who sell food on the side walk, and the people with sewing machines sitting on pavement are actually lower middle class people. What? I think that really puts things into perspective for me. The author says that "selling noodles and curry dishes testify to the rise of a lower middle class." I guess these are individuals who have risen from complete poverty, and this is considered a fairly decent job. Wow!

With what I just came to understand, I think it is true that our "Western fixation on the visual brutality of its poverty has obscured its harsh, unsentimental upward mobility." It is difficult to see upward mobility, when the people who are moving up still seem to be in such poverty in my eyes. The "new rich" class is growing, and because of this jobs are being created for the poor. Although jobs are being created, problems still remain because the places the poor live are being over run by new "housing developments" and gated communities for the rich. Kolktaa is home to primary and secondary education that is probably the finest in the country--it is even referred to as "the Harvard of India" (I thought this was hilarious because some people refer to Wofford as "the Harvard of the South!"). Kolkata has something though, that many other cities do not have that will allow it to continue to grow. Kolkata has adequate fresh water which many other Indian cities lack. This alone is a big promoter in the continued growth of Kolkata.

meeting 4-8-08

Tuesday, April 8
Zach's, 5:30

-discussed readings from past week
-Jessie's article about homelessness and how that relates to happiness--how do
you measure happiness?
-my chapter about exports and imports in India, how India still lags behind many other
Asian countries despite the low worker wages

-discussed Jessie's acceptance into the organization

-talked about details of the trip: including flights, paperwork, and financial support

-brainstormed ideas for our final project, which will include presenting our class on the bulletin board in Old Main (more details to follow)

-brainstormed other ideas and ways to show what we have been doing through our reading

>“The Subjective Well-being of the Homeless, and Lessons for Happiness” by Robert Biswas-Diener and Ed Diener

“The Subjective Well-being of the Homeless, and Lessons for Happiness” by Robert Biswas-Diener and Ed Diener, Social Indicators Research 78(2): 185-205.

This article taught me a lot about what it means to have well being and how well being and happiness can be attained even in harsh situations. This article investigated homeless people in Calcutta, India, California (USA) and Oregon (USA) and compared them based on factors that would reflect how they felt about their station in life and whether they were happy people. I thought this was an interesting topic because I think (especially in the West) we assume that people who are destitute are completely miserable people. In fact, I think if we looked around out society, some of the most discontented people are the ones who seem to have everything…but that is for another blog!

The most interesting thing that I read in this article was about how part of the reason that the research shows that homeless people in India may have a better sense of well being than those in the US is because there is not such a negative stigma attached to homelessness in India the way there is in the US. For instance, in the US, homeless people are often thought to have “brought it upon themselves” or have some detestable quality that caused them to be homeless, such as alcoholism, drug addiction, or laziness. However, the article says that in India, homelessness is caused by more macroeconomic factors like fierce job competition. Thus, people who are homeless are not thought of as bad people so they do not have such an overbearing social stigma attached to their social position, which the authors say could be a factor in their better sense of self and well being. (This is reflected in a very practical way by the Diener’s research showing that 72% of the homeless surveyed in Calcutta were married as compared to 41% in Oregon—no results were reported from California.)

Another interesting point is that the Indian homeless may also have more happiness because they have a greater sense of community. The homeless in Calcutta tend to group together in certain areas—so they are without a home, but not without community. Now, if you live in the US, what is your stereotypical image of a homeless person? I know for me it is that lone man standing on the interstate ramp, or sitting in the park. So, because in the US, the homeless (on average) to have less of a sense of community, their self and life-satisfaction is less than those in India who have a sort of social network.

A connection that I made in this reading to my reading for last week was that this article also mentioned railway stations as a place that many homeless people are. This was also the case with the street children from last week’s reading. I enjoy being able to find connections like this in my reading because it makes me feel validated that what I am reading, while it is largely interpretation and specific to the location, also may have some overarching truth about it.

Finally, I also found it interesting how the researchers used food satisfaction as a gauge for life quality and happiness. This makes sense, because we always have the thought of homeless people being hungry. It is interesting that the homeless in Calcutta had a significantly higher food satisfaction than the respondents from the US. The authors offer a couple explanations for this: expectations for food are so low that any food received is held in much higher regard, or they are so hungry that they enjoy their food much more, or possibly more food is available to them through social service organizations they visit or charity they receive. I would venture to suggest another reason, though. Could it not be that homeless people in the US see people indulging in great amounts of food all the time and see the results in overweight people constantly so they feel that the food they get is nothing compared to what may be available if people were more generous. However, in India perhaps the homeless population does not have the idea that everyone else gorges themselves all the time, so they could be satisfied with a smaller amount of food. I do not know if that is at all the case, but it is a possibility that crossed my mind.

India Goes Global--Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Maintaining Competitiveness in the Global Economy

Well, I enjoyed this chapter, but after spending some time reading this book, I feel like it is too much like the previous book I read to continue. Although I find it interesting, I also am aware of the short time left in this semester. I want to focus in more on Calcutta (where we will be going--yay!) from this point more specifically. Anyways, with all of that said, this chapter discussed the imports and exports in India. As with most everything else, it seems, India is improving--but is still behind other countries it its share of global exports.

Since 2002, the rupee (the Indian dollar) has appreciated by approximately 6% to 8% against the United States dollar. Imports have also been growing at a rapid rate, along with an acceleration of export growth. The export growth is led by service exports, and exports account for about 1/5 of the Indian Gross Domestic Product. This is up 10% from where it was 10 years ago. But, like I previously stated, although progress is being made, India's export performance has lagged that of Asia and its share of global exports remains low. The author of the book is surprised that India has not made larger gains in world export markets because of India's low wages and strong productivity growth. The author states that "steps to lower trade tariffs and non tariff barriers and improve the investment climate, as well as flexibility in exchange, rate management, will be key if India is to build on its advantages and become a leading exporter." This seems to be a common thread, but India has made progress, but still has a ways to go before it attains a level of market penetration that can compete with its rival Asian neighbors.

meeting 3-25-08

Tuesday, March 25, 2008
5:30 Burwell

- India’s manufacturing development
- Street children
o Way they become street children
o Home abuse
o Comparison between rail station kids and temple kids
- trends in Indian foreign policy
o relations to China
o economic considerations in foreign policy
o getting beyond the Pakistan issue

- discussed Claire’s acceptance to the program and looked over the material RIM sent her

meeting 3-18-08

Tuesday, March 18, 2008
5:30 Burwell

- discussion of comparison of two slum cities
o locations of slums in relation to the city
o impact of city geography
o problems and advantages of gauging slum conditions by material possessions held
- confusion about India—what is India really?
- India vs. Africa on the poverty level

meeting 3-11-08

Tuesday, March 11
5:00 Burwell

- discussed India’s economic system and how cell phone towers could be indicative of economic growth
o discussed the possible problems with this
- discussed attempted political solutions to poverty in India and their lack of effectiveness
- utilization of natural resources in combating poverty
- history and progression of economic downturn

- discussed summer plans and applications of RIM

India Goes Global--Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Is Economic Growth Leaving Some States Behind?

This chapter focused on India's economic growth and the growing gap between the poor and rich in India. It discussed how growth has benefited many of India's richer states, but the poor states are left lagging further and further behind. As this continues to occur, there will be more people left in poverty and subject to inequality. The author goes through and explains five different facts about growth in India which help to explain the widening gap.

First, the gap between richer and poorer states has widened-rich states have grown three times faster than poorer states. While the economic growth is occurring in the rich states, the poorer states are continuing to grow more and more populous. This continues to hurt their chances of growing and becoming more wealthy. Also, the richer and faster growing states are better in reducing poverty. The author states that they are in fact about 50% more effective than poorer states in reducing poverty. So as the wealthy states continue to grow, they will reduce poverty even more--which will allow them to become even more wealthy, leaving the poorer states behind. A third fact is that the poor and slower growing states generate fewer private sector jobs. In fact, the poorest and more populous states, where about 40% of the population live, accounts for only one quarter of organized sector employment. Capital and labor flows do little to address the imbalances across states. The economic activity is extremely concentrated in particular areas, and India's most populous states contribute much less to output than their share of the population. Growth has been the most volatile in the poorest states. This is because the poor are much more prone to swings in income. One month or week an individual may have a job, the next week he or she may not. The reason some states are progressing much more quickly, and others seem stuck in poverty has a lot to do with state level policies. They play a large role in the economic growth across the Indian states. The author states that "states can influence their relative growth performance and accelerate convergence through their policy choices."

Voices From the Street: An Ethnography of India’s Street Children, A Case Study of Delhi, by Lori McFadyen, Hope India Publications, 2004. Chapter 4

Voices From the Street: An Ethnography of India’s Street Children, A Case Study of Delhi, by Lori McFadyen, Hope India Publications, 2004.

Chapter 4: Locating the Street Children in the Indian Context

This chapter generated a lot of shock to me. I am constantly surprised by how I think that I have opened my perceptions so that I will not be shocked by the next thing I read…and then guess what…I am!
First of all, McFayden talks about gender relations. I had known that Indian society preferred male children to female children, and that women were seen as an expense because of their dowry…but McFayden took it to a new level for me in describing “kitchen accidents”. This is the term commonly used to describe how women are doused with kerosene and set on fire by their groom’s family because their own family either refuses to pay or does not pay enough dowry. What? This sounds like something outrageous that must have happened a thousand years ago at the most recent…but not. According to UNICEF, in the year 1994 alone, 5,000 women were killed this way. Now? Maybe it is somewhat better in 2008 than in 1994, but I seem to doubt that it would be completely eliminated in the span of 14 years. Wow…I just can not imagine…
In the case of female newborns, many are killed in the first week of life. One poem that McFayden sites that I find very interesting is the following:
Oh God I beg of you
I touch your feet time and again.
Next birth don’t give me a daughter.
Give me hell instead.
Wow…to choose one life over another. It is interesting to me that in many other culture, the female is the one put up on a pedestal, as I have seen in other readings for other classes. For instance, women in England and colonial America, the woman is seen as the most pious and pure of the society—a thing to be looked up to. But here in India, women are seen as a financial burden. One thing that I do wonder is whether there are some contexts in which women are admired in India that is not as outrageous that gets overlooked because it does not set the blood boiling of other cultures.
Another point that I found interesting: McFayden also discusses caste and says that caste has changed in India to be a division among economic lines. How does that manifest itself? What does this economic division look like? Also, marriages are still arranged according to caste lines, so is the caste system really over? Laws can change a lot of things, but making the caste system illegal does not mean that caste has disappeared. What is the real status of the caste system in India?

Voices From the Street: An Ethnography of India’s Street Children, A Case Study of Delhi, by Lori McFadyen, Hope India Publications, 2004. Chapter 3

Voices From the Street: An Ethnography of India’s Street Children, A Case Study of Delhi, by Lori McFadyen, Hope India Publications, 2004.

Chapter 3: A Typical Day in the Neighborhood

This is probably the most interesting reading I have done so far. I was outraged at many points and just genuinely interested in many of the facts that McFadyen brought out. In this chapter, McFayden spent time in two “check points” with street children, one in a railway station, and one at a temple. She did a very interesting comparison of the lives of these two groups of street children. She said that the children in the rail station tended to be more independent and detached from personal interaction. They did not display nearly the amount of personal affection as the children in the temple. McFayden gave several reasons why this may be the case including that the rail children have had harder lives and more abuse in their background causing them to be more to themselves. Also, the temple children often have ties to their families in nearby slums, so that family interaction allows these children to develop more personal relationships which thus translate into more affection in interaction with others. Finally, McFayden also says that rail children live in an area with many people coming and going all the time, which means that they do not often spend great amounts of time with the same people. On the other hand, temple children live in a slower environment, so they get to know the people around them personally, which results in better and more healthy social skills.

Another thing I found interesting about this chapter was how conscious the children seemed to be about their cleanliness. It described the children as looking in car mirrors and rubbing their teeth with their fingers to try and get them clean, trying to slick down their hair with oil, and trying to keep their clothes presentable. This is something that I did not expect and something that I find very interesting. Is this because the kids want to be more presentable so that they can get more charity money from people? Do they see the older generation of who used to be “street children” with their teeth falling out and tattered clothes and realize that they do not want to be like that? I do not know, but I found it very interesting.

It was also interesting to see the competition between the children. This was more prevalent in the rail station children who would often tell on their peers to get ahead. For instance, drugs are a big problem for the street children, and if one of the kids knew another child had been using drugs, he would tell the attendant of the check point and say that the drug using child did not deserve help and that they should get it instead. And just a side note, in what I have read in this chapter so far, all the street children described are male. This is strange to me considering that typically the male children are more valued by Indian families. I will be interested to see what else McFayden describes about this.

India Goes Global--Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Opening Its Doors: India's Emergence on the Global Stage

From reading just the first chapter of this book, I can already see many similarities between this book and India Arriving which I read previously. I appreciated some of the repetition because I actually knew what the author was talking about, but at the same time there was new information this author provided. I think by reading India Goes Global I will clearly gain some new information that the other book did not provide, but it will also help fill in some gaps for the information that I "missed" the first time around!

This chapter opened up by discussing India's rapid economic growth. Economic growth has averaged 8% over the past 3 years. Drop in the poverty rate from 41% in 1992-1993 to less than 29% in 2000. Between the years of 1003-2005, India's imports rose by 39% and exports rose by 37%. Intra-industry trade with China is also rising rapidly which is helping plug India into global production networks. From the statistics given, India seems to be on the "up and up." The author states that if India wants to continue to be on the rise for the long term, not just a temporary rise, some things are still going to have to change.

While the service industry is extremely important, it is also important for India to continue to develop the manufacturing sector. This will generate low skilled labor jobs to serve as a ladder out of poverty. In order to do this India must get rid of poor infrastructure, rigid labor laws, and relatively inhospitable business and regulatory environments. India's fiscal deficit and debt remains large. This constrains its ability to act in key areas especially with the government debt above 85% of the Gross Domestic Product. Another problem is that India continues to remain a relatively closed economy. Trade links are weak and India only accounts for 1.5% of the global trade in goods and services. The author states that "If India does succeed in growth as people expect, new and improved Indian firms along with a larger new middle class of several hundred million consumers will enter the global economy. This will provide a major impact on world trade, prices, and growth."

Recent Trends in Indian Foreign Policy

Recent Trends in Indian Foreign Policy--by Walter Andersen

This article was very interesting to me. It was interesting because it provided information without being too specific. I think if the author had gone too much farther in depth or to much more length than he did, it would have been too far over my head. Some of the information was still difficult to grasp, but I think I was able to catch some key points about the trends in Indian foreign policy.

India's foreign policy has changed in recent years and their is a growing importance of economic matters in foreign policy. There are also many recent developments in and future prospects for Indian foreign policy. India, in the past focused its foreign policy around security concerns related to threats from Pakistan and China. In recent years, relations with China has improved greatly. Yet the foreign policy focuses on India and China are quite different. India's focus it to the south towards the Indian Ocean. China's focus is towards the east. The two powers are potential competitors for influence in Southeast Asia which leads to a potential for economic competition. While border disputes are not as prevalent today, there is still reason to believe that they are not over completely between India and China.

There are many changes in Indian foreign policy. One of these changes is for India to focus more around economic considerations--to enhance the country's access to foreign investments, high technology, and global markets. The efforts to improve relations with countries such as the United States and members of the EU will hopefully generate more rapid economic growth. This can offer India the trade investments and high technology. A third change is that India has a more generous approach to neighbors in South Asia. A desire to encourage increased economic interaction will benefit India in many ways.

There are problems that India faces in regard to foreign policy. One is the tension with Pakistan over Kashmir. This tension has the potential to absorb India's diplomatic capital as well as scare off investments. Also, India needs a stable government in order to give some consistency to policy changes that are necessary for increased globalization. The tension between economic reform and populist temptations also may prove to be a threat for India. The author states that in order to achieve the objectives India intends to achieve, "India needs to convince other countries that it will deal with them on its own merits and not necessarily in the context of the Indo-Pakistani relationship."

India Arriving--Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Media in India

Understanding the media in India and how it works was something I didn't expect to read about. I thought about skipping over the chapter because I didn't know how relevant it was in regard to my topic of study. I am actually really glad I read the chapter, because it really tied back with the chapter on corruption. I also learned a great deal about the importance of the media in India.

The literacy rate in India is about 60%, while the literacy rate in China is about 90%. 45,000 newspapers are published in India, while 2,000 on are published in China. That is clearly a lot more in India than in China. The author says, "India, despite its poverty and illiteracy, is a nation of exceptional readers." Even the illiterate population enjoys "reading" the newspapers--in villages a literate person will often read the newspaper to a larger group of people. Newspapers are everywhere in India, but corruption is also a large part of this industry. It is not uncommon for people to give gifts to journalists in order to influence their writing. The media is extremely powerful, and many people are fearful of the media, so gifts and other bribes are given in exchange for stories. The media is also free in India, which can be both a good and a bad thing. It is good because the media can cater to the market demand and determine it's own priorities. This is also bad because no agency can force the media to cover a story it does not wish to cover. This can lead to bias and a lack of true information provided by the newspapers and other media sources. Also, because India is so large and has so many poor people, along with many of the others issues discussed throughout the book (tolerance, faith, corruption, etc.), there is little space in the Indian newspaper for anything besides Indian news! Very little global/world wide news is provided by this form of media!

India Arriving--Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Rural India

This chapter was very eye opening for me. I am continually confused it seems by India. From one chapter I will come away with the reading and think in lines of poverty, "India isn't that bad off...they are making major improvements." As soon as I think this I read another chapter and understand the dire situations and poverty that exists in this country. I am becoming more and more aware that there is no black and white answer or way to describe this place. It is very complex. India isn't just poor. It isn't just religious. It isn't just service oriented. One word or a sentence can not be used to describe this vast and changing place. This chapter focused on rural India. While I enjoyed reading the chapter, the majority of what the author discussed was in the form of examples. This isn't really easy to "blog" about without restating exactly what the author had to say. The author did provide some statistics and information that I found to be extremely interesting and awakening.

When it comes to rural India, 1/3 of Indian children are born malnourished. Fifty percent of the rural children below five years of age are underweight. The poorest 1/3 of the population, mostly rural, consumes about 1,600 calories per day from various sources. The general undernourishment is nearly twice as high in India as it is in sub-Saharan Africa! This was particularly shocking to me. I mean, clearly India is poor, but when people tend to mention the poorest/most malnourished people I honestly think of Africa first. While this may hold true in some senses, India is still very poverty stricken, especially among the rural people. It is easy to get caught up in understanding the economics and how businesses and such work, but most of this occurs within the city limits. Outside the city, in the rural areas, people are living in dire situations. While I might not have very much to "blog" on in regard to this chapter, I feel like I learned a lot from this chapter and have come away again with a deeper understanding of the Indian people and the complex society it truly is.

Living in India’s Slums, ed. Hans Schnek, 2001

Living in India’s Slums, ed. Hans Schnek, 2001
Chapter 3: An Inventory and Typology of Slums in Bangalore

I found this chapter to be a good parallel to the other reading I did for the week from Poor in Urban India because it also is focused on a particular city…this time Bangalore. I think after reading about some other cities, that I will be able to draw some interesting connections and distinctions between cities.

This chapter starts out with something I found very interesting: they couldn’t come up with a comprehensive list of slums in Bangalore. There was no existing authentic list, and some lists that were made were so varied that any list’s validity was called into question. The author pointed out that this was largely a matter of interpretation because the definition of a slum is not something that is necessarily clearly defined. Therefore, for this paper, the author said, “The operational definition of slums followed in this paper is the residents own perception of slums. Clusters of kutcha/semi-pukka dwellings which the residents themselves consider as their habitat have thus been included in this inventory.” (51) I thought that this definition was very true to the field of anthropology but I question how adequate it is in actually critically analyzing slums because there would be no standard. I do not know how to address this issue or whether it is actually an issue or not.

Another thing that I learned from this reading is that there are levels to slums. At some level, I am sure that I already knew this, but it is just something that needed to be brought to the surface for me. I never really thought about the fact that some slums would be considered “very poor” whereas others wouldn’t. I would have necessarily thought that ALL slums are very poor but I guess that is just because I have never seen real slums and seen them in contrast to each other. Therefore, this reading was good for me because it made me see aspects of what a slum is, in a very small part at least, and shows me how short the typical American’s world view can be.

Poor in Urban India by Lancy Lobo, Intro and Chapter 2: Slums and Slum Dwellers of Surat City

Poor in Urban India by Lancy Lobo, Intro and Chapter 2: Slums and Slum Dwellers of Surat City

I thought this was a very interesting set of reading because it was very specific to the area. It did not aim to make any sweeping generalizations about the nature of slums as a whole, it just described the slums in this particular city of Surat. One thing that would be potentially helpful is the statistics that Lobo utilizes. I think that they were not very helpful to me because I do not feel like I have an adequate enough basis of knowledge on the subject to be able to interpret the statistics in a way that is meaningful to me.

One thing that it said is that many of the slums are separated into scheduled class groups. Now, I am not sure what “scheduled” class groups means. I assume that it is just the ordinary caste system that we think of, but I am not sure. In relation to these demographics, it is interesting to me that many of the slum dwellers are immigrants and not native members of the society. This seems to make sense to me because these people would have to integrate not only socially, but economically and would be starting from scratch in a place where they may not have as many contacts and support systems as people who have lived in the city their whole lives. Finally, I also found it interesting that the book made such a distinction between different geographic parts of the city and how the conditions in each region of the city was distinctly different. I wonder why it would be that within the same city so much difference would form between different slums. Are the institutions that govern the particular slums the difference or is the difference directly regarding the people who are living in these slums?

The text then went on to describe some statistics about ameninities that the slum dwellers had. These were very interesting to me but I will only list a couple of them: only 22% have adequate toilet facilities, 68% of households have not utilized health services at any time. This is amazing to me and is something that will break my heart, but that will be a good thing for me to see while in India because it will cause me perspective of impoverished reality to be expanded beyond what I can readily see in the States.

Finally, when talking about jobs, the author points out that people who move into the slums generally have to go through a process of “moving up” in jobs, so prospects at the beginning are not very good. This then affects their labor which affects what they can purchase. This related to what Claire, Dr. Fowler, and I talked about last time regarding cell phones and what symbolic value material things have. I will be interested to see if my readings talk any more about things like that.

India Arriving--Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The ABCD, NRI, & Other Species: Indians Living in America

This chapter was quite interesting. It described the five different "waves" of Indians in American. The author describes who they were and why they came to America. While many Indians once came to America for a way to get ahead, today India has changed. The author says that "It's wealth is catching up with richer countries and the opportunities at home are as good as abroad."

The first wave of Indians in America, nearly 2 million American NRI's (non resident Indians) have arrived. Once they were in the United states, many worked as farm hands, loggers, steelworkers, etc. Then they slowly moved into businesses they were more familiar with such as farming. The second wave occurred during the 1960's. Many of India's technically skilled people began coming to the United States such as doctors. Medical doctors came and found themselves mostly in larger cities. The third wave of Indians came during the 1970's. Doctors were joined by students graduating from some of the best Indian undergraduate engineering institutions. These that came were much younger and cared less about India. They were much more willing to embrace the American culture and experience more liberal politics. Following this group came many less educated, underprivileged Indians in search of a decent living. This wave occurred during the 1980's. Many came as tourists without necessary documentation (sound familiar?). Because of their backgrounds and reasons for coming, these people were more conservative and found themselves living in Southern states because they shared many of the same values as these people. The final wave (according to the author) includes trained engineers. These men and women were trained and had jobs with IT firms in India before arriving in the United States. They were sent by Indian employers to undertake software projects for their firms' US clients. These clients were the first to come that had already economically benefited themselves, and this is why the author believes this is the final wave of Indian movement to the United States.

India Arriving--Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Faith and Tolerance

This chapter discussed the issues of faith and tolerance. India is a land filled with many religions and religious views. Because of this, riots and disputes can easily occur, but religious tolerance can also occur.

Throughout history, the author states that "the Muslim population has been ghettoized through a systematic, state-sponsored, violent effort to stamp out any signs of economic resurgence. In response, foreign investors and many domestic ones as well stayed away." It is very interesting to me, that many locals are quite passive of the riots that were planned and executed. Many are called guilty of doing nothing, but it is also argued that if the police do their jobs, the locals shouldn't have to respond to the situation. Police in India do not have very much difficulty ending a riot. Gun controls are extremely tight in India, so an armed policeman only needs to walk up to a rioting group and the group will typically disperse.

So why is there a lack of tolerance? Well, the author mentions three reasons for this. One reason is the caste system, which an be blamed for many problems between Muslims and Hindus. Many roots of conflict go beyond recent times, and are deeply rooted in the Hindu aversion to Muslims. Finally, there is an economic decline of Muslims which has also led to a lack of tolerance. The author states that "To Indians, tolerance is a consequence of a common belief that each person will have a spiritual path that is unique but offers learning opportunities for all." Tolerance is clearly still be strived for in the Indian society.

India Arriving--Chapter 6 & 7

Chapter 6: The English Language and India's Future
Chapter 7: Walking on Water, or Getting into an IIT

I decided to write about both of these chapters as the same time just because they were both very similar and linked easily with one another. Both chapters were about the English language and what it means to the Indian people. Many Indians speak more than one language, although only one is spoken fluently. Although most speak more than one language, there is no single language that is spoken by most Indians. This causes difficulties in education and in the service industry.

Educators find it very difficult to teach children and adults because so many languages are spoken. The author believes that it is just a matter of time before a large number of people will agree that things should be communicated only in English. At this point English would be the language of development. While I agree that English is becoming more prominent in the Indian society, I do not know if I agree with the author that English will become the major language. Maybe it will. I guess I don't really know the timeline the author is thinking, so that makes it hard for me to know whether I agree or disagree with this statement.

India will have difficulty continuing to progress in the service industry of the people are not fluent in English (and quality English, at that). Because India's development strategy includes a focus on services, and English is the platform on which the world's most sophisticated economic ideas are expressed, English is necessary in today's world. While the author believes it is necessary, he also agrees that the native language is also necessary. The author states that "an English-only educational strategy is as ill-suited to running a corner shop as a Hindi-only education is to a career in information technology."

It is difficult to recruit enough English speaking professionals to match the large numbers of people who need to learn English for the telecommunications business. Because of the high-growth environment, demand is growing faster than the capacity. The author gives an example of this by stating that in 2002, Rs. 15,000 would hire top engineering graduates. Today Rs. 20,000 will hire an average quality engineering graduate. Previously, only the best could get jobs, now even the graduate at the bottom can attain an engineering job. Through the combination of higher productivity and an increasing supply of educated graduates, the industry is doing quite well.

Because the industry is doing so well, today senior management will now accept ways of 30% below the comparable US wage to work in India. This is the exact opposite of what it was just a few years ago where workers had to be paid 30% more in order to agree to go work in India. Also, working conditions have improved along with an excitement of working in a high growth economy.

India Arriving--Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Corruption

This chapter was extremely interesting to read. It discussed the corruption and inefficiency that is found in India today. The author mentioned that after India gained independence, it became a land of corruption. I would imagine this is because of the extreme state of poverty India was in when India became independent. Both the public and private sectors compete with each other. Competition is typically a positive aspect of a market economy, but in India's case both sectors' output is of poor quality because there is an absence of local competition.

The private sector is more efficient than the public sector and it produces more quality goods than does the public. Because of this, the private sector began to demand a bribe for the right to buy its products over those of the public sector. This can be seen in many ways in India even today--bribing police officers, electrical meter readers, telephone men, tax collectors, railway ticket collectors, postmen, etc. Corruption and bribery became a normal part of obtaining civic services. Throughout the chapter the author gives a number of good examples of corruption and even circumstances in which he experienced this type of bribery. I thought it was interesting that even though bribery is so widespread and common, when someone is "called out" on the actions of bribery, they can not afford to appear corrupt, therefore many will act with disdain towards the idea!

Although today corruption and inefficiency are not as bad as it was right after India's independence, it is still a problem. The general public has led the way out by increasing output. Reasons corruption still exists is due to the presence of underpaid and oversupplied public servants (such as police officers), corruption for the purpose of vote gathering, and because land and civic infrastructure are in short supply, corruption is a factor in where and what is built. I found this chapter to be particularly interesting, especially understanding why corruption takes place in the Indian society. I hope I don't experience this aspect of life during my time there this summer!!

“Working Mothers, Poverty and Child Loss” by N. Krishnaji

By Sujata Patel (editor), Jasodhara Baqchi, and Krishna Rajj
May 23, 2002
--Chapter 11: “Working Mothers, Poverty and Child Loss” by N. Krishnaji

This was a different type of chapter because this whole book is a compilation of essays and this one is in the form of a letter. In it, the author is responding to some statistics saying that there is a higher child mortality rate among women who work in India than women who take more time in caring for their children directly. The author notes some dissatisfaction with how matter of fact these statistics seem and is suspicious. So, in this essay, the author presents evidences that there may be more to these child mortality rates, especially the role of poverty in each instance.

The biggest thing that I got from this article is from a methodological standpoint. I really learned a lot from this article because it reminded me of the importance of questioning research and material that I encounter and not just assuming it is correct because I read it from a reputable source. I think I tend to trust information because I feel like it comes from someone much smarter and more experienced than me, so I need to remember that my discernment also counts.

I also liked that this essay was more from a personal standpoint and utilized first person. I feel like this helped me to read the article easier and this was also useful in explaining her tables that she included in the text. However, at the end Krishnaji said that her letter was merely an alternate explanation to the stated statistics that she found. I thought this was insightful because like any science, in social science, there will almost always be exceptions to the rules, and what you discern is grounded usually in theory and not fact.

"Poverty and Inequality in India: An Examination of the First Three Five-Year Plans” by K. Saradamoni

Thinking Social Science in India: Essays in Honour of Alice Thorner
By Sujata Patel (editor), Jasodhara Baqchi, and Krishna Rajj
May 23, 2002
—Chapter 9: “Poverty and Inequality in India: An Examination of the First Three Five-Year Plans” by K. Saradamoni

This was a different kind of article that the ones I had read before. It was also more politically based, but from the title, I was more prepared for that approach. This chapter talked about the successes and shortcomings of the 3 5 year plans instituted in India to combat poverty. I found it interesting to trace the progression of India’s methodology in correcting poverty—what they retained and what they revised.

In the first plan, I found it interesting that poverty was seen to have come from not utilizing all the man power that was available (those who are poor and unemployed) and not exploiting natural resources. I found this particularly interesting because I am also taking a course in ecological anthropology and there are a number of debates that talk about whether or not it is okay for native peoples to utilize their resources (and protect them from only foreign exploitation) or to save the resources all together. Therefore, it is interesting that at this time in India, the worry was not that they were using too many resources and hurting the economy in the long run in that way, but instead that they weren’t using up enough of the natural resources!

I think this article also took a very realistic approach in analyzing India’s poverty. They acknowledge the fact that poverty will not be fixed overnight and will not be fixed by adherence to a certain formula. They also state the fact that the country needed more industrialization, but that also does not mean an immediate upturn in the economy—followed by decline of poverty. In fact, the author states statistics that suggest that unemployment rates sometimes go down first before they get better. Finally, they acknowledge that a lot of what is in these three plans is just empty words that reflect a good hearted attempt, but actions that will not cause a real result. And in good anthropologic form, they bring the whole issue back to the people and say that a political economy is not about the institution, but about the person. “ ‘Ultimately it is the development of the human being and the human personality that counts. Although planning involves material investment, even more important is the investment in man.” (163)

Finally, I also enjoyed the discussion on the history of poverty in India. Perhaps it is the history major in me, but I enjoyed being able to track a progression. For instance, in the beginning, social concerns were the business of religion, and the main jumpstart of serious poverty was the end of the feudal system because people no longer had lords to support them. Also, the authors state that another reason for extreme poverty could be the neglect of the rural peoples. There are so many rural people in India that to ignore them is to ignore the whole country, but it is easy to do because they are not the most visible ones. I thought this was thought provoking and made me remember that history, even social history, is all about perception and there can be more than one reason for things depending on the viewpoint.

India Arriving: Chapter 1

Chapter 1--India: Not What it Seems

I really enjoyed the first chapter of this book and I look forward to the other information I am going to attain from reading this book. The book is about changing India--how it is changing today and the implications of these changes. This first chapter spent a good deal of time explaining India's identity (or lack there of) and how that causes problems for the country.

The author, Rafiq Dossani, explains that "the biggest difficulty in knowing India is the absence of national identity." India has problems with deep rooted poverty and illiteracy which makes it difficult to have a positive national identity. Language is often a key identity tool for a nation--yet there are so many native tongues and languages in India, this does not allow for a national identity to arise from this arena. Also, religion is another area in which a nation can gain a specific identity, but again, there are so many different religions represented in India, this also does not lead to a national identity.

Another reason for difficulty is the fact that India is globalizing the economy differently from other countries. India is globalizing by professionally training people and offering their services to places across the world. This is evident when Westerners interact with Indians--they are typically impressed with Indians' professional skills, technical experience, etc. India has a high quality of technically skilled workers. India also focuses on the service industry rather than manufacturing unlike countries that surround India. This is makes it difficult to know exactly where India stands in the global economy and it makes India difficult to "label" in terms of national identity.

I also found it interesting, while reading this chapter, that the author mentioned the poverty in India but also compared it to cell phone affordability. According to statistics, 80% of the people get by on less than 2 dollars a day, and 35% get by on less than 1 dollar per day. The author says that this statistic is very misleading. He says that if cell phone affordability is any indication of economic change, it is easily seen that something dramatic is happening that the statistics of poverty are not showing. The author describes a trip to India and while looking out of his hotel window, he saw fifteen cell phone towers from the single room. He didn't go into any further explanation, but I thought it was very interesting to use cell phones as an indicator of poverty, or the way the economics are shifting today. I am hoping that in chapters to come the author will take time to explain this further.

I really enjoyed this chapter, and it was really encouraging to enjoy the reading and understand the author after the difficulty I had with the previous reading. I look forward to what I am going to learn through the rest of the book to see how India is changing, and to understand the implications of these changes.

India in the Twenty-First Century

Gupta, Bhabani Sen.India in the Twenty-First Century. International Affairs 73(2):297-314.

This article was a bit difficult to read. I got through most of it, and came away with some interesting points that I am going to share, but some of the Economics was a little over my head. I'm not so sure that my level of economic understanding was anywhere near the author's level, so that was tough. I would be a little discouraged, but in the mean time I've started to read another book, and I'm enjoying it--so that is good news!

The article discusses India and where the country stands today in the global economy. In terms of purchasing power, India is expected to be the fourth largest economy in the world. While India has been progressing in the global market, many economists are concluding that the global integration has not been strong and the level of integration is very low. There are reasons many reasons why the growth has been slow to almost stagnant, according to this author. The author mentions four major weaknesses, which include: large deficits which slows down the growth of private investment, high levels of protection, defects in the transportation and communication, and the lack of flexibility in the labor markets. The author states that "India is still not attracting a level of attention from foreign investors commensurate with its size and economic potential, nor is its level of engagement in the world trade keeping pace with that of the more dynamic developing countries--especially the countries in East Asia that appear the most relevant comparators."

I have to apologize for the lack of explanation that goes along with this post. As I stated before, economically speaking, this article was above my level of understanding. I spent a good amount of time trying to understand and comprehend what the author was saying through looking at some charts and graphs. I thought about not blogging about this article at all, but then I decided since I spent a good portion of time with the article, I would do the best I could! I'm excited to report on the reading I've done in another book I've started--but I wanted to prove that I've been working by at least attempting to blog about this article!

Meeting 3-6-08

March 6, 2008
5:00--Zach's

-Discussed article and book we have each decided to read individually.

-difficulties in understanding some material in the readings we chose (especially me...the first reading I picked, the Econ was a little over my head!)

-exchanged interesting ideas and facts we learned from the reading and discussed these with one another

-discussed how some ideas we previously had about India are false, and what we have learned in response

-connected some of the things we have read individually with one another

-discussed applications and summer plans

"Militant Hindus and Buddhist Dalits: Hegemony and Resistance in an Indian Slum" reflection

“Militant Hindus and Buddhist Dalits: Hegemony and Resistance in an Indian Slum” Janet A. Contursi. American Ethnologist 16(3):441-457.

I read this article and it was not exactly what I expected. It was hard to start off reading because the writing style is very complex and filled with a lot of jargon from what I could see. This was a difference from the textbook which we just finished reading, so that was a bit of an adjustment. The article was different than I expected because it was very political. It talked a lot about politics and leadership of the different factions (high caste Hindus, Brahmans, Dalits, etc.) which was hard for me to understand in parts just because the political system was not explained from the beginning of the article, so it was hard for me to understand the intricacies that Contursi described without having a background in the overall structure. However, I did some away with some very important observations and knowledge that I did not have before, so that is what I will talk about.

First of all, the article gave me some insight into what a “slum” in India means. In an American context, the word “slum” makes me think of a bad part of town, where you would see people living on the street and obvious signs of depravity. However, when describing this Indian slum, Contursi describes it as a very “heterogeneous group” (442) that includes about 2000 families. Now, in my picture, I saw a good spattering of people living on the street, but my did not make the jump to the people in the slum housing. I think that is because I have a passion for homelessness so that is where my mind goes first, but just because you have some sort of structure in a slum to live in, does not undermind the fact that the conditions are deplorable. So, that information helped me put that 2000 family number in perspective. (and if that is 2000 families, how many people does that mean?)

It was also interesting to me how Dalits and Muslims were kind of grouped together in the same sphere of oppression. I do not know if this was the intent of the author, but that is the sense I got from the text. (443) I think this may be because militant Hindu groups are trying, at least in part, to maintain a Hindu influence in the slums, but Dalits and Muslims represent a deviation from that standard, so they are grouped together, perhaps as deviants according to the militant Hindu’s, making them a more visible and easier target. In the process of this, they are also trying to reconvert Muslims, Christians, and Buddhists in the area because, as the author states later, the enemies of the Hindu militants are the Buddhists, Muslims, and British. (449) I thought it was interesting that when listing these enemies, there are 2 religions named, and then a country, England. I wonder what held over resentment there is from colonialism not for anything tangible or observable in the current culture but just from the idea of occupation and dominance in the Indian people in the slums. It seems to me like of all the concerns they are legitimate in having, resentment of the British would be less so because they are no longer bound to them. If they were still a colony, I could better understand this enemy status.

Finally, I was encouraged to hear about how Dalits in the slums are trying to better their situation. The main avenue in this is education. I think sometimes in the States, education is such a way of life, that it can be taken absolutely for granted. But for these Dalits in the slums, education is their ticket out of a life of heartache and oppression due to economic levels. I that thought, I will finish this post with a quote I found particularly eye opening about Dalit’s passion for education as a way of improving their slum status: “ ‘…Dalit parents make tremendous sacrifices to educate their children” ‘They work as agricultural labor, they remain half naked, they don’t eat enough, but they feel that they must educate their children.’” (451)

Text Review of Cultures and Customs textbook by Carol Henderson

Culture and Customs of India. Carol E. Henderson. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2002. 210 pp.
JESSIE DAVIS
Wofford College
Henderson’s Culture and Customs of India, since it is a textbook, provides a good general overview of the way the typical Indian lives. A strong point of this text is that it is current, but a modern treatment would not be possible without a solid background in Indian history, religion, and basic customs, which provides relatively early on. Henderson also does not focus specifically on one part of India, but instead attempts to balance her treatment of the subject, so that although a certain area may be discussed in a particular section, it is always related back to the broader topic. For example, in the architecture chapter, Henderson discusses the cohesiveness of cities by saying how the city of Jaipur was made primarily of the local pink sandstone, and the ruler, in order to make the city more cohesive, ordered the remaining building to be painted to match. After making this point in a specific instance, Henderson relates it back to the idea of city cohesiveness. This literary skill is one that is carried throughout the text. When reading the textbook, I was impacted to realize the India as a backward, radically religiously centered, “Oriental” place, (1-4) was a misinterpretation by the West that I think I had traces of in my interpretation.. However, I felt saddened later in the book when Henderson talked about the plight of women because from the beginning of the book, as mentioned above, I started to believe that India was not really the country it was stereotypically made out to be, which in my mind included how women were treated. I began to feel that India may have moved on from that dark spot on its history. However, the women chapter disappointed this hope by saying that women were still very seriously mistreated. (124) This made me wonder, though, if the average woman felt disadvantaged because that was such a part of her culture, that she may not have a point of reference from which to understand it differently. So, I wondered if Henderson made too much of current women’s mistreatment. The only question that I came away with was regarding the “evil eye”. (52) It was mentioned several times (in regards to how babies and cities were named ugly names in order to avoid the notice of the evil eye) but Henderson never told the reader what the evil eye was, to which I was frustrated. However, overall, I felt that the contents were highly informational and broad enough to give a good overview of India that was not overwhelmingly dense, but that also did not leave out major themes of Indian culture. Because of this, I would highly recommend this textbook to the student who needs a general overview of India’s culture that is informative, yet as painless as possible.

Cultures and Customs of India Text Review

Cultures and Customs of India. Carol E. Henderson. 2002. Westport,Conn.; Greenwood Press, 210.

The primary topic of Cultures and Customs of India is to provide the reader with general knowledge and understanding of India. Through reading this book, I was able to learn more about the food, art, religions, customs, dance, and life of the Indian people. This book is a very effective “first read” for me because it covers a wide range of material and does not go too in depth in any single area. This is nice to get a broader, more general sense of the people before concentrating on one specific area of study. The anthropologist doing the research for this book wants the reader to have a general understanding of Indians in all areas of life. While many of the topics discussed in this book could potentially be entire books, the author summarizes the information into short chapters to provide a wide overview.

I truly enjoyed reading this book. I think a lot of that enjoyment comes purely from the fact that I understand and have a special interest in these people more than other people groups that I have studied. Having gone to India, and preparing to go on another trip back to India makes the material much more relevant. Because of this I am able to grasp and take in more that is written than I most likely otherwise would. I particularly enjoyed reading about the chapter on “World View.” I think I enjoyed this chapter so much because it explains what it is like to grow up Indian, and the way these people see the world and their role in it. I think by being able to understand these things, it makes understanding the rest of the Indian culture a little easier. For example, I continually kept on being brought back to the statement about the West and how we divide up the natural and the supernatural into individual categories, but in India, the natural and the supernatural are intertwined. Realizing and understanding this, I was much more able to understand why so many things—dress, food, dance, etc.—have so many sacred symbols and meanings to them. This chapter really provided information like this for me, which really helped me understand why the Indian people do some of the things they do.

While I was reading the chapter on “Women, Marriage, and Family,” I was honestly a little skeptical over the information provided by this chapter. I realize, and am by no means questioning the fact that women in India are oppressed. I know that arranged marriages happen, I know that women are not seen as equal, but I thought there was a great deal of improvement occurring in this area. According to this chapter, the situation is still quite dire. The chapter also mentions that India is one of the few countries in the world that has had a woman as the head of the state. If this is the case, I struggle to understand how a woman could hold this position, and yet the oppression of women is still so massive. Maybe part of this is my ignorance, and I assume that because things are better than they were, there is less of a problem today. Maybe that is an incorrect assumption on my part. I am still skeptical that perhaps the author is painting a grimmer picture than is actually true—if I could I would love to discuss this further with Henderson. I’m not entirely sure, but hopefully through further reading throughout this semester, I will find out what other anthropologists have to say about the subject to see how it compares with the way Henderson describes the women.

Another reason I really enjoyed this reading, is because it brought back many memories for me of the past trips I have taken to India. Not only does it bring back memories, but it also reminds me of things that I had forgotten all together. Some of these instances involve smaller, insignificant memories, but I really enjoyed this about the book. While the author is describing the dress I was able to visualize the outfits worn by the men and women. And the chapter on food was quite vivid for me. For the most part, I am not a huge fan of Indian food—so some of these descriptions weren’t quite as positive for me! I had completely forgotten about the anise (the seed that tastes like licorice) that is offered after a meal is finished. I realize this is nothing huge to know or even understand, but it was still fun to have the book jog my memory. While reading the chapter about festivities—Ganesh’s birthday, Ramadan, and the idols that are made to be drowned in the Ganges River—I was reminded of the idol factory that I visited in Calcutta. I can still vividly see the idols that were over six feet tall and elaborately designed and constructed. They were aesthetically beautiful and it is still amazing to me that they are created with the intent of being destroyed.
I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. I enjoyed being reminded of India and the things that I have seen and experienced in the past. More than this though, I am excited about what is going to happen this summer. I am excited about what I am going to see and experience, and the greater knowledge I will have of these things before I see them. I think because of the understanding I’ve gained from this book, along with the other information I am going to absorb throughout the semester, I will be able to appreciate the people and things I see even more. It is always so much more beneficial when a person is going somewhere and that person has a knowledge or history of the place he or she is visiting. I am so thankful that this is going to be the case this coming summer. Understanding the importance of the supernatural in everyday life, understanding the role of women, understanding the world view, understanding the religion—all of these things and more will enhance the experiences I will have this summer.

Meeting 2-26-08

2-26-08, 5:30 Burwell

- Discussed Chapters 4-7

- assumptions about Indian society were trying to be dispelled from the text...but then it talked about the status of women and how oppressed the are. It made me wonder if India really is as bad in relation to women as the text made it seem.

- parallels to women's history class

- the extremes of conduct in music and dance

- Discussed summer plans

- reported about phone calls and emails recieved

Minutes of meeting 2-19-08

2-19-08, 7:00 in Acorn Cafe

- Discussed Chapters 1-3

- how boys are raised sifferently than girls
- naming children ugly names to avoid the evil eye
- What is the evil eye? Author never made it clear

- Discussed summer plans

- researched more programs
- made contact calls
- emailed the programs
- discussed preferences

Chapter 10: Social Customs and Lifestyles

This chapter was quite interesting to read. There was a lot of different information in this chapter, so it was a little difficult to get ahold of it all! The chapter again emphasized the importance of family, community, and socialization in the Indian culture. This has been discussed many times throughout the book--so it is clearly a very important aspect of the culture. The author even says that "childhood socialization, family, shared work, neighborliness, and interdependence create strong bonds, the bedrock to social life." I also enjoyed reading the section in this chapter about the "big" and "little" people. The people are subdivided into those who are powerful and those who are less powerful. This can also be described as those who are "cooked" and those who are "raw." I thought that parallel was quite funny! Patrons are the "big" people in the community, and those below the patrons are subordinate and are supposed to follow the instruction of the patron. This reminds me of our government and the way it runs (in a way).

I also thought it was funny when the author states that "ideas of hierarchy are part of the social etiquette." When I read about the hierarchy of subcastes and the way people are ranked, at first glance it seems appalling. The truth is we all rank people, in the United States and everywhere. The only difference is that we do it behind close doors, we think it, or we whisper it--but there are still hierarchies in our society. In India however, it is accepted social etiquette. I just thought this was an interesting realization. I'm not qualifying it to say that it's right to "rank" people, or saying that it's a good thing even--it's just interesting to say that it happens to some extent everywhere, I believe. Each subcaste regards itself as having a separate history, mythological origin, and relationship to all others. Subcastes divide into two family units. One unit is the household, the other is a group whose members regard themselves as closely related, but too close for marriage. The chapter also discussed how the ideal household is through the decent of the male line. This was discussed in earlier chapters, so I don't feel like there is too much to report from this particular section of the reading.

Chapter 9: Music and Dance

This chapter was really interesting to me--but was a little difficult to get through for me. I think I sometimes have difficulty reading about music and dance, rather I would rather listen to the music and see the dance. Who knows, maybe I'll download some Indian music tonight! There were some particular things that I took away from this chapter which I thought were really interesting. I think it it funny that in traditional dance only the men can play the parts, so they must dress as women if there is a role for women in the dance. What is interesting is that this form of dance feels threatened by Hindi films that actually use females for the female roles.

After reading about the classical dance, I would really love to see this performed at some point. Who knows, maybe this summer! The dances share elements of vocabulary with music. Expressive gestures and movements are combined with rhythm that is beaten out by the feet. Bells are worn around the ankles in order to emphasize the footwork. The vocabulary and gesture allows the dancer to provide a setting, a character, or idea. Many of the best loved dance dramas are from Hindu epics, myths, and stories. While reading this section, it reminded me of a ballet. The way they tell stories through dance must be similar to the classical Indian dance. I think it would be interesting to see the dance in order to compare the styles with one another.

As with everything else it seems in India, dance and music aren't just purely for entertainment. They too serve religious and sacred value. Indo-Islamic musical subcultures are growing today. Many dances are performed for the deities and songs are performed as a religious act (similar to the Western culture's worship). Many of the types of elements and instruments used in Indian music was quite foreign to me, although some are the same. There are five key elements in making music, according to the Indians--raga (tone), the beat, the drone, and the interplay between improvisation and composed segments in a particular work. Music and dance in India has kept many roots, but has changed and transformed a great deal in recent years due to globalization of mass media, new technology, etc.

Chapter 10: Social Customs and Lifestyles

I feel like this section was a kind of catch all for all the information that the author wanted to include but didn’t know where to put. That made for an interesting, if scattered, read. So, that will probably be reflected in this blog!
First, I found the section on origin myths to be very interesting. I do not know of any origin myths locally, but I am sure that there have been some, especially among the Native Americans. However, what I found intriguing about the names of these places is that sometimes places are named badly in order to not catch the attention of the evil eye. I read earlier in the book about parents naming their children in a similar way. They used the example of a place being called “Big Sand Dune” in order not to draw attention to itself. I still do not know what the evil eye is, but it must be a big deal to cause all of this!
I also liked learning about the concept of “big” and “little” men. Even more, I liked that there were sometimes called “cooked” and “raw” men. Patrons are the big people in a community and they act in a sort of patriarchal way, whereas the little men are subordinates that are expected to be loyal. I think the thing I related to this most is the idea of our government and how we are supposed to support their decisions and be loyal as they “watch over us” in a way. (at least that is somewhat the hope) I don’t know if that is how they look at it, but that is the first thing that came to my mind.
This chapter also mentions marriage again. Although they did talk about caste, I did not find that anything new was said. However, when discussing marriage, the author states that the “family that receives the bride is superior to the family that gives the bride.” I was confused by this because I couldn’t tell if it meant that the woman was valuable, and thus whoever had her was the superior one or if it meant that the husband’s family was always seen as superior to the wife’s family. Either way, I think this is an interesting point that can parallel American society because it seems to me that when a couple gets married it is the woman’s family, generally, who more often feels like they are losing their daughter as opposed to the man’s family feeling a loss of a son. This could have something to do with the fact that both societies (for the most part, the reading says that there are some exceptions in India) are based in descent through the father’s line.

Chapter 8: Festivals and Lesiure Activities

This chapter was fun to read! From this chapter alone, India seems to be a pretty exciting place. There are hundreds of different festivals each year in India--from domestic events to large Indian holidays. I realize that not all people participate in all festivities, but it seems that at any given time in India, there is some type of festival or special activity going on somewhere. Apparently communities even compete to put on the best display or hire the most popular musicians for some local festivals. One of the festivals I enjoyed reading about what the festival for Ganesh's birthday. Ganesh is one of the gods worshipped by Hindu's. For Ganesh's birthday there is a procession to the sea where celebrants immerse Ganesh images in the water. These images can be anything from pictures to large clay replicas of the deity. While in India, I was actually able to see some of these large idols made to celebrate Ganesh's birthday. These statues were so elaborate and artistically beautiful--it amazes me that they were made with the purpose of being thrown in a river! On the day after the festival, the waters of Mumbai are tinted with paints from the decorations. I bet this is an interesting site to see! So many people come to celebrate Ganesh's birthday that it's polluting the water to an extent that environmentalists become concerned over the toxins in the water!

Another interesting festival is Holi. This is celebrated on the lunar year's end. For this holiday people get to violate normal rules of social respect. For example, children are allowed to mock adults, women can tease men, and men horseplay with one another. If you ask me, this sounds like a pretty funny festival to attend!

For the seasons of the year, there are different festivals to represent those seasons. Spring festivals conclude the winter season and begin the hot. This festival is for hopes of a good crop. The fall festivals mark the harvest, the cold season is a time for cattle fairs and weddings, and the hot season is the time of the Goddess. Pilgrimages are also popular festivals. These can include a trip to the Ganges to spread ashes of a deceased parent, or a trip to a nearby shrine, or a trip across India to a particular place. I am amazed at all of the festivals and activities that take place in India! With all that goes on, we are bound to end up being in India during at least one festival this summer!

Chapter 7: Women, Marriage, and Family

This chapter was extremely interesting to me. It definitely portrayed the hardships women in India face. The first thing that came to mind, besides the sadness that I feel for these women, is the thankfulness that I should feel yet I take advantage of every day. While in the United States today, women may not be completely equal in some ways to men, we have come so far. As a woman, I can vote, I can become educated, I can choose a career, I can decide who I am going to marry, and the list goes on and on. These are things that I so often take for granted, that the women of India today do not have the privilege of being a part of.

This chapter opened my eyes to the inequality of women in India. So often, I think of the oppression of women as something that used to happen but it isn't so bad today. Well, that's just not true. Today, women in India are disadvantaged with respect to inheritance and property rights. Women's wages are approximately half those paid to men. Less than 40% of women are enrolled in secondary school, and even less than that are enrolled in higher education. Women experience higher mortality rates in the early years due to infanticide, neglect, and abuse. I would have had no idea that infanticide still occurred in India today, except for the fact that I did a project in Cultural Anthropology a couple of years ago about infant infanticide in India. It is tragic that this still occurs today. Women are also eight times as likely to experience the death of a child in India as compared to mothers in the United States. These statistics and facts were absolutely shocking to me as I read this chapter.

The author says that "parents say they give extra affection to the daughter in order to compensate for the hard life she will live after she marries." I am not certain as to whether Indian girls receive extra affection, but from the reading I can see the hard life the women experience after marriage. The caste system restricts the choice of marriage partners, and marriages are still often arranged for women. I can remember looking at the newspapers in India and seeing the huge sections with available men and women so that a marriage could be arranged. After the marriage the bride must move in with her husband and his family. She must learn about the the family history from the mother in law. The husband's family makes decisions about work, the children's schooling, and even birth control. In many cases the family farm is the primary work site for most women. As a "good wife" a woman devotes herself to her husband's welfare through performance of religious ritual, household duties, and chastity.

It seems contradictory to me that so much oppression towards women occurs in India, yet India is one of the few countries that has had a woman as the head of state. Maybe this is an encouraging fact--that women will be able to be more equal and to have more opportunities in their country. Maybe Indian women will be able to slowly escape from the difficult lives they now live and in the future they will be more free and equal.

Chapter 9: Music and Dance

This chapter talked about a lot of things that were familiar to me from taking Cultural Anthropology. For instance, in native dances, only men are included, so female parts are played by men dressed up as women. These dances are often related to myths and native Indian stories. I found it interesting that these dancing groups feel threatened by bigger Hindi films that do include actual women and think that this could mean that they come to be ignored.
When I think of music and dance, I primarily think about entertainment and recreation. However, this is not necessarily the case for Indians. Music and dance holds a very important and serious part in their culture and is not only for entertainment. They can be used (as in the West) for religious purposes, for group cohesiveness, for teaching, and, surprisingly, even for protest. The text mentions how people who are subordinated often utilize music and dance to express that dissatisfaction.
One problem with Indian music and dance becoming more modern and popular is sexuality. One reason for this is that much of the dance was seen from ladies who worked in the temples and were also prostitutes. I understand how this can be questionable in society, but then the author goes on to talk about how men and women holding hand is also unacceptable. I think it is strange that there are these extremes…I mean prostitutes dancing or holding hands?...
Dancing and music were also related because they can be used in nation building. After India gained its independence from Britain, these medias were used to build Indian cohesiveness and unity. How cool it is that this is not just done by politicians and national leaders through speeches and executive decisions, but also by the average person through their song and dance!
The text also speaks of different musical elements and instruments that were very foreign to me. I had never thought about it before reading this, but Indians have different music theory from the west. It makes sense that they would since they had also had music for millennia, but I guess I just assumed that everyone used the same system of music and theory to understand it. Clearly, this would not be the case, so this was an “ah-hah!” moment for me! That seems to be happening a lot through this text, and that is certainly a good thing!

Chapter 8: Festival and Leisure Activities

At the beginning of this chapter, it was describing festivals as times of “intensified social and ritual interaction”. I read this and thought…do we have festivals in the US? Of course we do, but there for a split second, I did not realize it. But just think…Christmas, Easter, the 4th of July, Mother’s Day, etc. Of course, we see them as holidays, and “festivals” seems like a word for something foreign that goes on in other countries, however, we think that just because it is unfamiliar. So, there before I really even got into the reading, another assumption in me was disproven!
I found the frequency and variety of festivals in India interesting to me. This states that every “village, city neighborhood, and squatter settlement probably has at least one…committee that plans…and organizes its festivals.” (142) I found this interesting because I feel like, at least in my experience, “festivals” that I am familiar with are not organized or planned by a committee, but are celebrated in their own ways by families, friends, neighbors, or religious groups…not by a committee specific to a political location. Does this mean that Festivals are celebrated by the majority of people in the same way in a specific area?
The seasons in India also directly reflect the season. People have more time to celebrate in the cold season because planting does not consume their time, whereas it does in the hot season. Therefore, sometimes festivals revolve around that. However, festivals are often also focused around times of harvest, which reminded me somewhat of our Thanksgiving.
However, as static as festivals can sometimes seem, the author points out that like everything else, things have to change. An intriguing example of this was how Hindus noticed that many Indians were converting to Christianity and Buddhism because of how they had suffered from lack of economic gain in the 1990’s. (felt excluded under Hinduism) So, the “Sanskritization of festivals” was adopted to be more inclusive.