What Americans thinks about India?

Written by- Aysha Vahora-7  

What Americans thinks about India?

Map of India.

India is one country many people long to see, and having seen it once, wish to retune again and again. India is a land of contrasts and contradictions. It is a land of peace and war, of love and hate and many other emotions. You can spend a lifetime and be none the wiser in trying to understand India’s vast complexities. Love us or hate us, like us or leave us, the one thing anyone can ill-afford to do, is ignore us. Not when one in every six human beings is an Indian.

Five Major Religions of India.

India has many cultures. The culture of India is one of the oldest and unique. In India, there is amazing cultural diversity throughout the country. The South, North, and Northeast have their own distinct cultures and almost every state has carved out its own cultural niche. There is hardly any culture in the world that is as varied and unique as India. India is a vast country, having variety of geographical features and climatic conditions. India is home to some of the most ancient civilizations, including four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. 

India population

India is about 1/3 the size of the United States, it is the second most population country in the world, with a population of 1, 166079, 217the location of this country is 21.7679N 78.8718E. India have 18  official  languages like Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, kannada, kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu. And 844 different dialects. Indian food is very tasty and spicy. In India people have food stores, restaurants, hotels and sometimes poor people have their store outside of the house. India best food that girls like is Pani Puri. I like that food too that’s my one of the favorite food. 

\The Himalayas Mountain.

India Mountain Himalayas one of the highest mountains in the world is located in northern India. These are part of the Himalaya Mountains. Being the world's highest mountain chain, the Himalayas is characterized by its great height, complex geologic structure, snow capped peaks, large valley glaciers, deep river gorges, and rich vegetation. The Himalayas form the planet's highest mountain region, containing 9 of the 10 highest peaks in the world. The Himalayas is the world's highest mountain range comprising all top ten of the world's highest peaks. In fact, the Himalayas include 14 peaks more than 8,000 meters high and some 200 more than 6000 meters.  Indian clothing, every one love this country cloths the beautiful blend and combination OD various dressing styles in the country. Right from the traditional salwar kameez or sarees to churidars, kurtis, the semi formal way of wearing it over trousers or jeans, capris and the higly elegant and contemporary style of draping sarees, from simply cotton blouses to halter-neck, puffed sleeves, deep necks, and Lycra-fitted blouses. Clothing is also a part of a regional in India. Hindu wear sarees, Muslims wears kuris and Muslim women have to hide their hair so they wear a hijab. And other people can wear whatever they what like jeans, churidars, capris and many more clothes. Indian family are so connected with each other no matter how they fight but always come together and always have feeling for each other. Respect for elders and family; Indian culture depicts a rank system where in elders especially of family, no matter their individual character is to be respected. Thus the mother in law, daughter and many other relationships are created and abides by. Support to family and elders in family are almost taken for granted. They always live with each other in one house happily. Three perceptions of India are that it the country has too many people, all food is spicy, and child labor laws are not enforced.     

     

Perception #1: Population is too great in India

 Population of India is growing\.

Many people around the world think that India is overpopulated. Due to how large the country is, this is not really true. I think we have been able to successfully turn our population problem into a very powerful resource. By 2020, we'll see that this huge population would actually help accelerate the growth of the country. Things are going to get better from now. The worst is already behind us. During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable, even though it has trick often under the show of national loyalty. As India becomes a world power it must work on the population issue. While a large population provides a large workforce it also has many liabilities like health care and education.

Perception#2: All Indian food is hot and spicy

Indian best food.

            The first things that come to your mind when you think of Indian food? Hot, spicy, oily, rich, fatty, bad for you, difficult and time-consuming to cook, curry powder.....This is not true! While spices are used in Indian cooking, they are not what make food spicy. As for chilies (which add the heat to a dish), they are a matter of preference and can be easily omitted when cooking most foods. Secondly, not all Indian foods contain 10 (or even 3, 4 or 5) different spices! Years of culinary evolution has created dishes where the main ingredient is beautifully enhanced by just one key spice! And Curry’ is synonymous with Indian food and ‘curry powder’ is thought of as the key ingredient in every dish. This couldn't be further from the truth!

Perception #3: Child Labor in India

Child labor.



Child laborer in India.

Reasons for Becoming a Child Laborer. Each child has his or her own story. In some cases, such as poverty causes parents to sell their child to a factory or mine. Many street children in Vietnam, for example, sell gifts in the street, bringing all the money they earn to an unemployed parent or guardian. There also type of labor that people make force to do they are called "unconditional worst forms." That means that no matter what the circumstances are, not matter how much is paid or how little the child does, it is illegal-even for adults. Every effort must be made to end this form of labor. This includes slavery, the buying and selling of a human being (called "human trafficking"), forced or bonded labor, using children in armed conflict, prostitution, pornography, and involvement in drugs or any other illegal activity. Then there are also extreme kinds of child labor. One type of what are called the "worst forms" of child labor is "hazardous work," work that is very difficult and harmful to the child's physical development. This includes anything from carrying heavy loads and using dangerous machinery to spraying pesticides and working in unclean environments.

This that I think about India. And this how India is Sweet, nice, respect for people and has well come heart. So Come to India and see how India is you going to love it.

Bibliography

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http://www.ulysses360degrees.com/himalayas.htm.
"India's Population Rises to 1.20 Billion | TopNews." India's Population Rises to 1.20 Billion | TopNews. Web. 07 May 2012. http://www.topnews.in/law/indias-population-rises-120-billion-256978.

"Indian Cuisine." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 July 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_cuisine.
"Bunk Class : Online Engineering Colleges , Medical Colleges and Schools Notes - Share." : Child Labour and Complete Education Policy in Indiabunkclass.com Is a Unique Online College Note Sharing Service Provider. Web. 07 May 2012. http://bunkclass.blogspot.com/2010/11/child-labour-and-complete-education.html.
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A Country on the Rise

 If you've ever pondered over taking a trip to Southern Asia, I would highly consider spending some time in India. If you are unaware of where it is, you can find it on a map at approximately 21 degrees north latitude, and 78 degrees east longitude. India is on the way towards becoming a super-country, and has many interesting sites that most travelers would crave to visit. Moreover, India is so diverse and unique because of the various climates and landforms, like the towering Himalayas or the White Salt Desert of Kutch. However, as with any other country, there are misperceptions that foreigners hear. The main three are: It's all extremely dirty, the people are undereducated, and it's poor with nothing but poverty. A couple other minor and humorous misperceptions are: the food is all butter chicken and it's the land of snake charmers(Cook). Every one of these ideas must be put aside, because India has a lot more to offer than people say.

Map of India's major regions and cities

 First Misperception: India is all extremely dirty and unpleasant.

Now, this is true for places like the slums and some cities. The movie “Slumdog Millionaire” greatly influenced the world into thinking that all of India is dirtyCook). But the thing most people forget is that there aren’t just nasty streets filled with garbage. Homes, hotels, resorts, and other properties are kept spotless(Morris). Once the cleanliness carries over to the roads, India will be drastically improved.  But India does have some of the nicest beaches in the world that make fantastic vacation spots. The Chowpatty beach in Mumbai and the Varca beach in Goa are two prime examples. They are paradise beaches that everyone who passes through India must visit. Also, a visitor may want to stop by the Taj Mahal in Agra. It’s one of the world’s most famous buildings, and is made of beautiful white marble. But be aware of the unpredictable weather while traveling, because one minute there may be beautiful sunshine and the next minute it may be pouring rain. Katy Perry and Russell Brand had their wedding in India, as well as many other celebrities(Devonshire-Ellis). This shows that there are spots in India which are clean and attractive.

Varca Beach in Goa, India

 Second Misperception: Indians are uneducated and don't succeed in school.

There are tons of people in every country who underachieve in school or drop out early. But unlike several other countries, even the poorest families in India push their children to do well. They know that in order to be successful in the future, you must have an education. A couple popular jobs in India are doctors and engineers, and many Indians of these professions actually work in the United States. Furthermore, the number of highly skilled workers is increasing, and so is the literacy rate(Kaushik). On top of that, MBA's and PhD's are very common among the Indian population.  Anyone who goes down this road will say that it takes a lot of work, effort, and time. The education process in this country is very challenging and competitive, because children are constantly striving to go further than what is mandatory. For example, in Mumbai, a large number of students stay after regular class hours to get extra work(Cook). This allows them to jump ahead of the competition. Giving great effort in school leads to becoming successful later in life, which many Indians are. 

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences in the capital, New Delhi

  Third Misperception: India is a poor country with nothing but poverty and beggars on the streets.

The misperception that India is full of poverty is somewhat true. But on the other hand, India has a significant amount of our world’s money(Cook). To start off, India has the most expensive house in the world. Muneksh Ambani, a man who’s net worth is roughly 22.6 billion, just moved into his skyscraper  in Mumbai that cost one billion dollars(Araujo). Some other billionaire businessmen who live in this country are Lakshmi Mittal, Azim Premji, and Kumar Birla(Richest). Right now, India could be classified as a country of extremes, with a large lower class and upper class. What seems to be missing is the middle class population. But that is changing, because India is making an effort to merge the poor and rich(Kaushik).

Furthermore, cell phones and computer devices are very popular in India, because people need to be able to communicate with each other quickly and easily. In fact, India has the fastest growing telecommunications network in the world, and is second to China in the number of mobile phone users. These devices cost a lot to use every day, which proves that there are millions of people in India who have a solid amount of money.

Muneksh Ambani's billion dollar home in Mumbai

 Indian Misperceptions of Americans


Now the question is, “What do the Indians think of us?” Well, they have a few misperceptions that are easy to understand. They think the United States has an above average crime rate, with drugs and violence. Americans are also perceived to be selfish and self-centered based on the lifestyle we live. Lastly, we are looked at as not very religious(Indian Beliefs).

A possible factor in some of these views are action movies, which have gang violence, drug situations, and other forms of breaking the law. There are some dangerous areas in the United States, but most of it is pretty quiet and peaceful. The selfish and self centered misperception is also easy to understand. The truth is, most Americans are focused on their work situations and pleasing themselves and their families, rather than constantly looking to help others. But we know most Americans are nice people with good intentions, and we just come off as ignorant and selfish. The last major perception that Indians have towards Americans is we aren’t very religious. There could be many reasons that they think this, but the bottom line is that some people are religious and some aren’t. Equally as important, different religions have different gods, rituals, and prayers, so it’s not fair to compare them.

 Overall, India is much better than foreigners think. It has several clean, beautiful places that are great for vacations, traveling, and special events. Indians are also hard working and determined to succeed, whether it’s as an engineer, business owner, doctor, etc. Chances are you’ll run into some pretty well-educated people if you decide to take a trip to this country. Moreover, India is not all poverty and slums. There are growing cities all over the country just waiting to be noticed, and massive houses that were recently built. Romain Rolland stated, "If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India." The perceptions will change as more people visit and see the positives, so go there soon and get the true India experience!

                                                                                                         Charlie Donovan-4




Website Links

Misperception#1-India is all extremely dirty and unpleasant.

http://www.2point6billion.com/news/2010/10/26/perceptions-of-india-–-dirty-no-infrastructure-and-poor-7749.html

http://www.the-nri.com/index.php/2011/06http://www.the-nri.com/index.php/2011/06/five-misconceptions-about-india/five-misconceptions-about-india

Misperception #2- Indians are uneducated and don't succeed in school.

http://goindia.about.com/od/indiancultureetiquette/tp/Top-10-Indian-Stereotypes.htm

http://bigthink.com/ideas/4662

Misperception#3- India is a poor country with nothing but poverty and beggars on the streets.


http://goindia.about.com/od/indiancultureetiquette/tp/Top-10-Indian-Stereotypes.htm

http:// www.collthings.co.uk/2011/02/10-most-expensives-homes-in-world-2011.html

http://www.therichest.org/nation/richest-people-in-india/


http://www.chillibreeze.com/articles/MisconceptionsaboutIndia_000.asp


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