I really enjoyed reading this chapter of Culture and Customs of India. The purpose of this chapter was to provide general information about India. This is important to read and understand in order to truly appreciate the people and where they come from. I can honestly say I learned a lot in reading this chapter. There doesn't seem to be as much to reflect on, but I'm sure that will come later as the book progresses and goes a bit deeper.
I thought it was really interesting how the chapter emphasized the importance of India and it's role as an industrial power. I didn't realize that India is the world's largest democracy. As a Westerner, I think it is easy for me to take for granted the vastness of the country and only focus on what is portrayed in the news or on TV. We see pictures of orphans, of starving children, and homeless people, and while this is accurate to a degree, there is also a vast side of India that we neglect to think about. India is home to the world's largest middle class, in which 150-200 million people have resources to live a "middle class" lifestyle. The chapter also mentioned that less than one half of India's 1 billion people live in poverty. While I would like to know how poverty is defined in this situation, I thought this was an extremely interesting statement. This is why I am excited to study Indian economics and how it relates to the global society. I hope to gain a more well rounded view of India throughout this semester of study in order to better understand not only the poverty, but the economic powerhouse India is becoming.
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