Glimpses of Contemporary India

 Professor Sunita Bose

SUNY New PaltzNew Paltz, NY

Department of Sociology and Asian StudiesProject Director, Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad

Basic Information• Area: 3,287,240 Sq km • Population: 1,028,737,436

– Males 532,223,090– Females 496,514,346

•  State with Highest Population– Uttar Pradesh 166,197,921

•  State with Lowest Population– Sikkim 540,851

•  UT with Highest Population– Delhi 13,850,507

•  District with Highest Population– Medinipur (West Bengal) 9,610,788 

 

Demographic informationRural - Urban Distribution

• Rural 742,490,639 72.2%• Urban 286,119,689 27.8%

Number of Literates & Literacy Rate  Males 336,533,716 75.3% Females 224,154,081 53.7% Total 560,687,797 64.8%

Urban 198,816,980 79.9%Rural 361,870,817 58.7%

Kolkata

Gariahat Road

rickshaw

Street vendor

Cobbler

Market

Hinduism: Durga puja

Devi (Great Goddess): Main Features

• Consort of Shiva• Different names with

different characters– Uma, Parvati (peaceful) – Durga, Kali (fierce)

• Durga: Great warrior killing buffalo demon (mahisha)

• Vehicle: Lion

Shiva: Main Features

• Great Ascetic resides at Himalaya

• Consort: Uma, Kali, Durga

• Vehicle: Cow (Nandi)• Represented as a set of

male and female genitals (linga and yoni)

Hinduism: Vishnu: Main Features

• Consort: Lakshmi • Four Arms with

weapons – Wheel (chakra)– Conch Shell (Shanka)– Rod (Gada)– Lotus (padma)

• Vehicle (vahana): Garuda

Dakshinapan mall

By the Ganges

Varanasi

Varanasi

Varanasi: Evening prayers

Banana plant

paddy

Rural Life

Semi pucca houses

Tapping Date Tree

Village chores

Making puffed rice

Mistress of the household

Kitchen

Generations of women

Rural Gender Empowerment Project

Village school

City School (Bengali Medium)

Mumbai

Street food

More Street Food

Cucumber vendor