Hinduism is the most popular religion in India, and has many unique qualities as well as shared similarities to Christianity and other religions. It is difficult to say if Hinduism is monotheistic or polytheistic because there are many different understandings of the religion and the answer would differ depending on which Hindu you ask. One important feature of Hinduism is karma, or the belief that your actions will have consequences, positive or negative, as a direct result from how you conduct yourself and live life. Similarly, Hindus believe in reincarnation. If a person has good karma they will be reborn into a better life, according to belief. Another central belief is dharma. Dharma is considered the practice of living morally and doing good by God, and is considered even more important than belief in God. Like Christianity, Hinduism has a trinity, comprised of Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva.
Akbar and Ashoka were both Emperors of India who shared many attributes but came from very different circumstances. Akbar was an Indian-Muslim Emperor at a time where Hindus had been oppressed for centuries. Though he was born a Muslim, he didn’t let this influence the rule of law, and strived for equality and fairness among religions. Likewise, Ashoka implemented Buddhism his governing of India, which allowed for all religions to practice freely.
India has a secular constitution, which means that there is a separation of religion and government. Secularity is one of the foundations of any good democracy. When religion is enforced or even implemented by the state it tends to discriminate against other minority religions. Many countries that have religion based governments are very unstable, for instance, Pakistan. If India were not secular, I don’t think they would be as stable as a country because their focuses would be completely different so perhaps they would not have advanced so much as a democracy in the last few decades.
India is home to dozens if not hundreds of different languages. Different regions of the country speak different languages, such as Hindi, Bengali, and Gujarati. In a way, many regions have unofficial but primary languages, since most people will speak the same languages/dialects. Thus, if Hindi were to become the official language, a great part of the population would be forced to learn a new language and eventually their old languages would be phased out. It would also likely cause unrest or resentment between certain areas of India.
The Himalayas have historically been very beneficial to India in a few ways. Back in earlier times, the Himalayas protected India from foreign invasion by other South Asian countries. The massive mountains also block India from the harsh winds that sweep down through Central Asia. The wildlife in the Himalayas and surrounding the bottoms of the mountains is also an important part of India’s ecosystem. Likewise, the Himalayas provide fresh water to India, with several large rivers coming from these mountains.
6. The partitioning of India in 1947 was a pivotal moment in the country’s history. After England granted India its independence, the country was divided into two countries, India and Pakistan. The predominantly Muslim northern part of India became Pakistan, while the rest of the country, mostly made up of Hindus, remained India. Chaos followed soon after the partition.
Millions of Muslims and Hindus were forced to relocate across the country. Thousands of people making this journey never made it. In total, according to the New Yorker, more than 15 million people had to relocate due to the partition. Having gained independence, it might be assumed that the Indian/Pakistani people would rejoice and come together, but the opposite turned out to be the case. Tensions between Muslims and Hindus drastically escalated, especially in areas close to the new borders. Communities that once peacefully coexisted were thrown into disarray, and an outbreak of violence occurred across the region. There were massacres, arson, forced conversions, and savage cases of sexual violence.
India and Pakistan have disputed the ownership of some regions, such as Kashmir, which since the partition has been the subject of two wars between the countries. Kashmir lies in India, and is the only Muslim majority area to remain there. In 1991, Pakistani troops crossed the border into Kargil, an area of Kashmir, which only escalated tensions. Since then, Kashmir has been the home of a Pakistani/Muslim insurgency against Indian rule, leaving thousands dead.
The division between the Muslim League and the Indian National Congress grew wider following partition, key figures like Muhammed Ali Jinnah and Mohandas Ghandi clashed vehemently. Division also sparked within the Hindu religion, and ultimately, one year after the partition, Ghandhi was assassinated not by a Muslim, but by a Hindu fanatic.
To this day Pakistan and India still feel the pain of the partition. Pakistan especially has struggled in its path of growing as a country and moving forward from its past. They spend a fifth of their budget on military and defense, while half of the female population remains illiterate, and the poverty rate is significantly high. India on the other hand has a population and military budget seven times that of Pakistan. As a result, Pakistan has tried to strengthen its military and nuclear arsenal to get on an even playing field with India and the surrounding countries of South Asia.
Despite India’s attempts at starting a dialogue with Pakistan, there has been little progress in the way of easing tension between the countries. Many, if not most, Indian government officials however have rejected working with the Pakistani officials in Islamabad. Both countries have become more extreme regarding religion and to this day are unwilling to cooperate since the wake of the Partition.
7. The British have left an extensive legacy for India after 1947, spanning back over 300 years. British relations with India began in the early 1600’s, when the East India Company arrived in India and quickly set up trading posts. Over time, as they grew, the British Crown gave them more and more power, allowing them to create courts, mint money, hire troops, and even wage war. Although the British imperial rule of India had numerous negative effects on India, there were also some positive aspects of being a British colony.
For one, being a British colony gave India protection from usual threats and invaders such as Afghanistan and China, as well as western nations who might otherwise attempt to colonize India. In addition to protection, being a British colony meant that job opportunities were greatly increased for Indians. They could be laborers, join the military, be drivers, among many other positions.
According to essayonquotes.com, British Imperial rule helped stabilize the Indian economy through uniform taxes, rather than unnecessary land taxes used by previous Indian rulers to gain personal wealth. The British also developed infrastructure in India such as roads, hospitals, and schools. While many of these positive impacts were done with British interests in mind, they still benefited India.
Colonialism has seldom, if ever, left the colony in a better state than they were before, and India is no exception. One example of how Britain’s colonial rule negatively impacted India was their use of “divide & conquer” tactics. The British played off of the differences between Muslims and Hindus and deliberately fostered an environment of hate between the two groups. The British used this opportunity to conquer regions of India.
One persisting issue brought about by the British were economic problems. During two World Wars, the British sucked India’s resources dry and gave nothing back in return. Economic problems in India resulted in poverty rates increasing, and massive trouble with homelessness and unemployment.
I personally think Britain’s colonization of India did far more bad then good for India. Before explaining my reasoning behind this, I will note that being a colony under Britain is, in my opinion, a far better alternative than being a colony of France, Spain, or other developed Western countries at the time. That said, India was not treated like partners by Britain, but like subjects whose purpose was labor and to expand their empire. While Britain did provide protection for India, I would argue that their draining of India’s resources left them more vulnerable to attack or invasion after partition.