India, India
India the largest democracy, the second most populous country, is geographically located
at 20 N and 77 E. India is bounded by Pakistan to north-west, Nepal and China to the
north-east, Arabian sea to the south-east and Bay of Bengal to the south-west. The capital of
India is New Delhi, a sprawling city with 11 million people. Indian history can be traced back
over some 5,000 years. Many dynasties like Gupta, Mogul, and Sultans ruled India over
centuries. The history of British India begins in 1600, with the setting up of the East India
Company. Gradually they became the rulers and ruled India until it became independent in
1947 under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. After independence India was partitioned to
create Pakistan, a Muslim state. According to Indian constitution, India is a "sovereign, socialist,
secular, democratic republic". The central government is patterned after the British
parliamentary system. The government has three branches, executive, legislative, judiciary.
The president is the head of the state and his duties are largely ceremonial. Prime Minister is
the head of the government and he leads the cabinet, the council of ministers. India's bicameral
parliament consists of the Council of States, Rajya Sabha, and the House of the People, Lok
Sabha. The Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha. The Council of states consists
of 250 members and the House of People is composed of 550 members. India's natural
resources are coal, iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, chromite, thorium, limestone, barite,
titanium ore, diamonds, and crude oil. Its agriculture products are wheat, rice, coarse grains,
oilseeds, sugar, cotton, jute, and tea. India's industry is based on textiles, jute, processed food,
steel, machinery, transport equipment, cement, aluminum, fertilizers, mining, petroleum,
chemicals, and computer software. India exports 4 billion in agricultural products, engineering
goods, precious stones, cotton apparel and fabrics, handicrafts, and tea. India imports 2 billion
in petroleum, machinery and transport equipment, edible oils, fertilizer, jewelry, iron, and steel.
India's major trade partners are the United States, Russia, Japan, Iraq, and Iran. India's nuclear
tests in May 1998 seriously damaged Indian-American relations. President Clinton imposed
wide ranging sanctions pursuant to the 1994 Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Act. The United
States encouraged India to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty immediately and
without condition. The non proliferation dialogue initiated after the 1998 tests nuclear has
bridged many of the gaps in understanding between the countries. However, India has yet to
sign the CTBT, agree to a fissile material production moratorium, or define its intentions on
acquiring a nuclear deterrent clearly. The Bharatiya Janata Party emerged as the single-largest
party in the Lok Sabha (lower house of Parliament) elections in September 1999. The BJP
currently leads a coalition government under Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee. The coalition
reflects the ongoing transition in Indian politics away from the historically dominant and
national-based Congress Party toward smaller, narrower-based regional parties. This process
has been underway throughout much of the past decade and is likely to continue in the future.
The Congress Party, led by Sonia Gandhi, holds the second-largest number of seats in the Lok
Sabha. Priding itself as a secular, centrist party, the Congress has been the historically
dominant political party in India. Its performance in national elections has steadily declined
during the last decade. The Janata Dal (United) Party claims to be a national party and
advocates a secular and socialist ideology and draws much of its popular support from
Muslims, lower castes, and tribals. In India, religion is a way of life. It is an integral part of the
entire Indian tradition. For the majority of Indians, religion permeates every aspect of life, from
common-place daily chores to education and politics. India is home to Hinduism, Islam,
Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other religious traditions. Hinduism is the
dominant faith, practiced by over 80% of the population. Besides Hindus, Muslims are the most
prominent religious group and are an integral part of Indian society. In fact India has the second
largest population of Muslims in the world after Indonesia. Common practices have crept into
most religious faiths in India and many of the festivals that mark each year with music, dance
and feasting are shared by all communities. Each has its own pilgrimage sites, heroes, legends
and even culinary specialties, mingling in diversity that is the very pulse of society. Stretching
back in an unbroken sweep over 5000 years, India's culture has been enriched by successive
waves of migration which were absorbed into the Indian way of life. It is this variety which is a
special hallmark of India. Its physical, religious and racial variety is as immense as its linguistic
diversity. Underneath this diversity lies the continuity of Indian civilization and social structure
from the very earliest times until the present day.