Modern India
This one-volume thematic encyclopedia examines life in contemporary India, with topical sections focusing on geography, history, government and politics, economy, social classes and ethnicity, religion, food, etiquette, literature and drama, and more.

Modern Indian, an addition to the Understanding Modern Nations series, is an in-depth and interdisciplinary encyclopedia. While many books on life in India exist today, this volume is unique as a concise, accessible overview of multiple aspects of Indian society and history. It will be a useful background or supplemental text for anyone interested in modern Indian life and culture.

Individual chapters address all aspects of life in 21st-century India, from geography and history to economy and religion to etiquette and sports. Each chapter begins with an overview, followed by entries on, for example, major political parties or literary works. Each overview and entry is self-contained and accompanied by an up-to-date Further Reading list.

1130077630
Modern India
This one-volume thematic encyclopedia examines life in contemporary India, with topical sections focusing on geography, history, government and politics, economy, social classes and ethnicity, religion, food, etiquette, literature and drama, and more.

Modern Indian, an addition to the Understanding Modern Nations series, is an in-depth and interdisciplinary encyclopedia. While many books on life in India exist today, this volume is unique as a concise, accessible overview of multiple aspects of Indian society and history. It will be a useful background or supplemental text for anyone interested in modern Indian life and culture.

Individual chapters address all aspects of life in 21st-century India, from geography and history to economy and religion to etiquette and sports. Each chapter begins with an overview, followed by entries on, for example, major political parties or literary works. Each overview and entry is self-contained and accompanied by an up-to-date Further Reading list.

82.99 In Stock
Modern India

Modern India

by John McLeod
Modern India

Modern India

by John McLeod

eBook

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Overview

This one-volume thematic encyclopedia examines life in contemporary India, with topical sections focusing on geography, history, government and politics, economy, social classes and ethnicity, religion, food, etiquette, literature and drama, and more.

Modern Indian, an addition to the Understanding Modern Nations series, is an in-depth and interdisciplinary encyclopedia. While many books on life in India exist today, this volume is unique as a concise, accessible overview of multiple aspects of Indian society and history. It will be a useful background or supplemental text for anyone interested in modern Indian life and culture.

Individual chapters address all aspects of life in 21st-century India, from geography and history to economy and religion to etiquette and sports. Each chapter begins with an overview, followed by entries on, for example, major political parties or literary works. Each overview and entry is self-contained and accompanied by an up-to-date Further Reading list.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781440852893
Publisher: ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date: 11/15/2019
Series: Understanding Modern Nations
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 434
File size: 45 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

John McLeod, PhD, is professor of history at the University of Louisville, Louisville, KY. He is the author of Greenwood's The History of India, Second Edition.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword xi

Note on Transliteration xiii

Abbreviations xv

Preface xix

Introduction xxi

Chapter 1 Geography 1

Overview 1

Climate 3

Deccan 4

Disputed Territories 6

Himalayas 8

Indian Ocean 10

Indo-Gangetic Plain 11

Islands 12

Major Cities 14

Natural Resources 16

Pollution and the Environment 17

Population 19

Rivers 21

States and Union Territories 23

Thar Desert 25

Transportation 27

Water Conservation 29

Chapter 2 History 31

Overview 31

Timeline 36

Babur (1483-1530) and the Mughal Empire (1526-1857) 49

Chandragupta (ruled c. 325/321-297 BCE) and the Mauryan Dynasty (c. 325/321-185 BCE) 51

Chandra Gupta I (ruled c. 320-335), the Gupta Dynasty (c. 320-550), and Harshavardhana (ruled 606-647) 52

Gandhi, Indira Priyadarshini (née Nehru) (1917-1984) 53

Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma, "Great Soul") (1869-1948) 55

Gandhi, Rajiv (1944-1991) 57

Harappans and Aryans 58

Iltutmish (ruled 1210-1236) and the Delhi Sultanate (1210-1526 and 1540-1555) 60

Jinnah, Mohammad Ali (Qaid-e-Azam, "Great Leader") (c. 1876-1948) 61

Lakshmibai, Rani (c. 1827 or 1835-1858) 63

Nehru, Jawaharlal (1889-1964) 64

Rao, Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha (1921-2004) 66

Shivaji (1630-1680) and the Maratha Empire (1674-1818) 68

Singh, Manmohan (1932-) 69

Chapter 3 Government and Politics 71

Overview 71

Armed Forces 75

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 76

Communist Parties in India 78

Constitution 79

Corruption 81

Elections 82

Foreign Relations 84

Gandhi, Sonia (née Edvige Antonia Albina Màino) (1946-) 85

Indian National Congress 86

Janata Party and Janata Dal 88

Legal System and Law Enforcement 89

Modi, Narendra Damodardas (1950-) 92

Parliament 93

Prime Minister and Council of Ministers 96

Regional Parties 98

State and Local Government 100

Chapter 4 Economy 105

Overview 105

Agriculture 109

Energy Industry 112

Financial Institutions 113

Foreign Investment 116

Foreign Trade 117

Land Policy 119

Liberalization 121

Manufacturing 122

Migrant Laborers 124

Nehruvian Economy 125

Pirating and Copyright Issues 127

Public Sector Enterprises 129

Reserve and Foreign Debt 130

Rupee and Currency Exchange 130

Sen, Amartya Kumar (1933-) 132

Service Industry 133

Stock Exchanges 135

Trade Union and Labor Movement 136

Workplace Safety 137

World Trade Organization and Group of Twenty 138

Chapter 5 Religion and Thought 139

Overview 139

Buddhism 141

Christianity in India 143

Folk Religions in India 144

Hinduism 145

Islam in India 149

Jainism 151

Religious Reformism 152

Religious Violence in India 154

Sikhism 155

Zoroastrianism in India 157

Chapter 6 Social Classes and Ethnicity 159

Overview 159

Aging Population 161

Caste System 163

Dalits 165

Ethnic Groups 167

HealthCare 169

Middle Class 171

Other Backward Classes 172

Poverty and Social Welfare 173

Retirement 175

Tribals 176

Urbanization 178

Chapter 7 Gender, Marriage, and Sexuality 181

Overview 181

Domestic Violence 184

Dowry 186

Education 188

Employment 190

Family Life, Marriage, and Sexuality 192

Health 196

LGBT Issues 200

Marriage 203

Sex-Selective Abortion 206

Sex Trade 207

Chapter 8 Education 211

Overview 211

Elementary and Secondary Education 214

Indian Institutes of Management 216

Indian Institutes of Technology 217

International Students and Foreign Exchange Programs 219

Postsecondary Education 220

Raman, Chandrasekhara Venkata (1888-1970) 223

Religious Education 224

Chapter 9 Language 227

Overview 227

English 233

Hindi 235

Sanskrit 237

Scheduled Languages 239

Scripts 240

Chapter 10 Etiquette 243

Overview 243

Etiquette in Ancient Texts 244

Greetings and Introductions 245

Marriage 246

Purity, Pollution, and Meals 247

Visiting and Hospitality 248

Chapter 11 Literature and Drama 251

Overview 251

Bardic Literature in India 255

English Literature in India 256

Hindi Literature 258

Indian Drama 259

Jnanpith Award and Sahitya Akademi Award 261

Literature in Indian Regional Languages 262

Mahabharata and Ramayana 264

Persian Literature in India 266

Sanskrit Literature 267

Tagore, Rabindranath (1861-1941) 268

Vedic Literature 271

Chapter 12 Art and Architecture 273

Overview 273

Chandigarh and Planned Cities 278

Colonial Architecture in India 280

Harappan Art and Architecture 282

Hindu Temple Architecture 283

Indo-Islamic Architecture 285

Mughal and Rajput Painting 288

New Delhi 291

Chapter 13 Music and Dance 295

Overview 295

Classical Dance 300

Classical Music 303

Contemporary and Bollywood Dance 308

Devotional Music 309

Folk Music and Dances 311

Musical Instruments 312

Popular Music 316

Chapter 14 Food 319

Overview 319

Christian Foodways 320

Cooking Techniques and Equipment 322

Diet and Health 324

Eating Out 325

Feasts, Fasts, and Festivals 326

Food and Ingredients 329

Hindu Foodways 331

Jain Foodways 333

Meals 333

Muslim Foodways 334

Parsi Foodways 335

Sikh Foodways s 337

Spices 338

Tribal (Adivasi) Foodways 339

Chapter 15 Leisure and Sports 341

Overview 341

Alcohol and Narcotics 345

Children's Games 348

Cricket 350

Football (Soccer) 352

Hockey 354

Nightlife 355

Vacations 357

Wrestling 359

Chapter 16 Media and Popular Culture 361

Overview 361

Alternative and Community Media 363

Bollywood and the Hindi Film Industry 365

Cinema Audiences 368

The Internet and Social Media 370

News Regulation and Censorship 373

Popular Music Cultures 376

Religion, Politics, and Visual Culture 378

Appendix A A Day in the Life 383

A Day in the Life of a Farmer 383

A Day in the Life of a Hotel Trainee 384

A Day in the Life of a Leather Worker 385

A Day in the Life of a Student 386

A Day in the Life of a Widow 388

Appendix B Glossary of Key Terms 391

Appendix C Facts and Figures 399

Appendix D Holidays 409

Selected Bibliography 413

Index 425

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