1. India is about 1/3 the size of the United States, yet with a population of 1.16 billion people it is the second most populous country in the world. It accounts for 16% of the world’s population.
2. India is the largest democracy in the world.
3. Although India has 22 officially recognized languages and almost 2000 dialects, it is the largest English-speaking nation. The official language is Hindi. Sanskrit is considered as the classical language of India. English is the language of business and education.
4. The first and greatest civilization in ancient India developed around the valley of the Indus River (now Pakistan) around 3000 B.C. Called the Indus Valley civilization, this early empire was larger than any other, including Egypt andMesopotamia
5. After the Indus Civilization collapsed in 2000 B.C., groups of Indo-Europeans called Aryans (“noble ones”) traveled to northwest India and reigned during what is called the Vedic age. The mingling of ideas from the Aryan and Indus Valley religions formed the basis of Hinduism. The Aryans also recorded the Vedas, the first Hindu scriptures, and introduced a caste system based on ethnicity and occupation
6. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India’s wealth, searched for a shorter route to get there. Instead, he mistakenly discovered the Americas. Hence, American “Indians.”
7. It is illegal to take Indian currency (rupees) out of India.
8. Because of a preference for sons over daughters, India has one of the world’s highest abortion rates—and a growing deficit of girls.
9. While most Indians live on less than two dollars a day, more than a million are millionaires.
10. Cows freely wander the streets of India’s cities. They are considered sacred and will often wear a tilak, a Hindu symbol of good fortune.
11. The largest employer in the world is the Indian railway system. It employs over a million people
12. The game of chess was invented in India. In fact, the word “chess” comes from the Sanskrit chaturanga, meaning “four members of an army”—which were mostly likely elephants, horses, chariots, and foot soldiers
13. The Indian flag has three horizontal bands of color: saffron for courage and sacrifice, white for truth and peace, and green for faith, fertility, and chivalry. A Buddhist dharma chakra, or wheel of life, is in the middle.
14. The fold and color of clothing are viewed as important markers of social classification in India. And a woman can be seen as either a prostitute or a holy person depending on how she parts her hair.
15. The Bengal tiger is India’s national animal. Once found everywhere in the country, fewer than 4,000 tigers are left in the wild.
16. Tradition holds that Jesus’ disciple Thomas first brought Christianity to India and was martyred there by Brahmins.
17. Alexander the Great of Macedonia helped bring India into contact with the West. After his death, a link between Europe and the East would not be restored until Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed in Calcutta in 1498.
18. The British Raj, or British rule of India, lasted from 1858 to 1947. It influenced everything from Indian architecture to its education system, transportation, and politics. India’s worst famines are associated with British rule.
19. According to the constitution of India, the country is a secular republic. Indian citizens are free to follow any religion. Over 80% of Indians are Hindus. Muslims, at 13%, are the largest minority. Officially, 2.5% are Christians, though this is certainly underestimated. Many Christians masquerade as Hindus to keep from losing their benefits.
20. India won independence from British rule on August 15th, 1947. The freedom struggle involved various political organizations and non-violence movements. The agreement was a country split into India and Pakistan. The partition displaced 1.27 million people and resulted in the death of at least a million people.
21. Mohandas K. Gandhi is known around the world as Mahatma, which is a title of honor that means “Great Soul” in Sanskrit. He devoted his life to free India from British rule peacefully and based his campaign on civil disobedience. He was assassinated in 1948.
22. India has the world’s largest movie industry—Bollywood–based in the city of Mumbai. The B in “Bollywood” comes from Bombay, the former name for Mumbai. Almost all Bollywood movies are tear-jerker musicals.
23. Mumbai (Bombay) is India’s largest city, with a population of 15 million.
24. The decimal system was invented in India in 100 B.C. The concept of zero as a number is also attributed to India. Indians made significant contributions to calculus, trigonometry, and algebra.
25. India’s national fruit is the mango. The national bird is the peacock, which was initially bred for food
26. Most Indians rinse their hands, legs, and face before eating a meal. It is considered proper to eat with the right hand. Women eat after everyone is finished. Wasting food is considered a sin
