Series Foreword
Note on Transliteration
Abbreviations
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: Geography
Overview
Climate
Deccan
Disputed Territories
Himalayas
Indian Ocean
Indo-Gangetic Plain
Islands
Major Cities
Natural Resources
Pollution and the Environment
Population
Rivers
States and Union Territories
Thar Desert
Transportation
Water Conservation
Chapter 2: History
Overview
Timeline
Babur (1483â?"1530) and the Mughal Empire (1526â?"1857)
Chandragupta (ruled c. 325/321â?"297 BCE) and the Mauryan Dynasty (c. 325/321â?"185 BCE)
Chandra Gupta I (ruled c. 320â?"335), the Gupta Dynasty (c. 320â?"550), and Harshavardhana (ruled 606â?"647)
Gandhi, Indira Priyadarshini (nÃ(c)e Nehru) (1917â?"1984)
Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand (Mahatma, â?oGreat Soulâ??) (1869â?"1948)
Gandhi, Rajiv (1944â?"1991)
Harappans and Aryans
Iltutmish (ruled 1210â?"1236) and the Delhi Sultanate (1210â?"1526 and 1540â?"1555)
Jinnah, Mohammad Ali (Qaid-e-Azam, â?oGreat Leaderâ??) (c. 1876â?"1948)
Lakshmibai, Rani (c. 1827 or 1835â?"1858)
Nehru, Jawaharlal (1889â?"1964)
Rao, Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha (1921â?"2004)
Shivaji (1630â?"1680) and the Maratha Empire (1674â?"1818)
Singh, Manmohan (1932â?")
Chapter 3: Government and Politics
Overview
Armed Forces
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Communist Parties in India
Constitution
Corruption
Elections
Foreign Relations
Gandhi, Sonia (nÃ(c)e Edvige Antonia Albina MÃ ino) (1946â?")
Indian National Congress
Janata Party and Janata Dal
Legal System and Law Enforcement
Modi, Narendra Damodardas (1950â?")
Parliament
Prime Minister and Council of Ministers
Regional Parties
State and Local Government
Chapter 4: Economy
Overview
Agriculture
Energy Industry
Financial Institutions
Foreign Investment
Foreign Trade
Land Policy
Liberalization
Manufacturing
Migrant Laborers
Nehruvian Economy
Pirating and Copyright Issues
Public Sector Enterprises
Reserve and Foreign Debt
Rupee and Currency Exchange
Sen, Amartya Kumar (1933â?")
Service Industry
Stock Exchanges
Trade Union and Labor Movement
Workplace Safety
World Trade Organization and Group of Twenty
Chapter 5: Religion and Thought
Overview
Buddhism
Christianity in India
Folk Religions in India
Hinduism
Islam in India
Jainism
Religious Reformism
Religious Violence in India
Sikhism
Zoroastrianism in India
Chapter 6: Social Classes and Ethnicity
Overview
Aging Population
Caste System
Dalits
Ethnic Groups
Health Care
Middle Class
Other Backward Classes
Poverty and Social Welfare
Retirement
Tribals
Urbanization
Chapter 7: Gender, Marriage, and Sexuality
Overview
Domestic Violence
Dowry
Education
Employment
Family Life, Marriage, and Sexuality
Health
LGBT Issues
Marriage
Sex-Selective Abortion
Sex Trade
Chapter 8: Education
Overview
Elementary and Secondary Education
Indian Institutes of Management
Indian Institutes of Technology
International Students and Foreign Exchange Programs
Postsecondary Education
Raman, Chandrasekhara Venkata (1888â?"1970)
Religious Education
Chapter 9: Language
Overview
English
Hindi
Sanskrit
Scheduled Languages
Scripts
Chapter 10: Etiquette
Overview
Etiquette in Ancient Texts
Greetings and Introductions
Marriage
Purity, Pollution, and Meals
Visiting and Hospitality
Chapter 11: Literature and Drama
Overview
Bardic Literature in India
English Literature in India
Hindi Literature
Indian Drama
Jnanpith Award and Sahitya Akademi Award
Literature in Indian Regional Languages
Mahabharata and Ramayana
Persian Literature in India
Sanskrit Literature
Tagore, Rabindranath (1861â?"1941)
Vedic Literature
Chapter 12: Art and Architecture
Overview
Chandigarh and Planned Cities
Colonial Architecture in India
Harappan Art and Architecture
Hindu Temple Architecture
Indo-Islamic Architecture
Mughal and Rajput Painting
New Delhi
Chapter 13: Music and Dance
Overview
Classical Dance
Classical Music
Contemporary and Bollywood Dance
Devotional Music
Folk Music and Dances
Musical Instruments
Popular Music
Chapter 14: Food
Overview
Christian Foodways
Cooking Techniques and Equipment
Diet and Health
Eating Out
Feasts, Fasts, and Festivals
Food and Ingredients
Hindu Foodways
Jain Foodways
Meals
Muslim Foodways
Parsi Foodways
Sikh Foodways
Spices
Tribal (Adivasi) Foodways
Chapter 15: Leisure and Sports
Overview
Alcohol and Narcotics
Children's Games
Cricket
Football (Soccer)
Hockey
Nightlife
Vacations
Wrestling
Chapter 16: Media and Popular Culture
Overview
Alternative and Community Media
Bollywood and the Hindi Film Industry
Cinema Audiences
The Internet and Social Media
News Regulation and Censorship
Popular Music Cultures
Religion, Politics, and Visual Culture
Appendix A: A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life of a Farmer
A Day in the Life of a Hotel Trainee
A Day in the Life of a Leather Worker
A Day in the Life of a Student
A Day in the Life of a Widow
Appendix C: Facts and Figures
Appendix D: Holidays
Selected Bibliography
Index
