Submitted by: Amy Cook

If you are reading the Khanna book this quarter you may recall that in the opening pages the author is lamenting the fact that well-educated Americans know so little about China and India. My personal experience coming into this course was that I knew a little about China and almost nothing about India. My public education included some ancient Chinese history, explanation of basic Chinese politics and a book report on The Good Earth. To my recollection, (and I hope this has changed) I was taught next to nothing about India.

So, I decided to do a little extra research starting with the role of Mahatma Gandhi. I knew Gandhi was an important political figure who challenged British rule through peaceful demonstration, that he was a vegetarian and that he was eventually assassinated. What I did not know was that he had four sons before actively practicing bramhacharya (celibacy), studied law in London, started the civil rights movement for Indians in South Africa, was imprisoned for many years and organized the “Quit India” movement which eventually helped lead to Indian independence from British rule in 1947. Gandhi is now considered India’s “Father of the Nation” and his birthday, October 2nd is a national holiday. For an illustration of how important Gandhi is to India’s government and people, check out this recent Wall Street Journal article “Gandhi’s Glasses Going, Going, Gone”:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123630107964246957.html

Did the rest of you have a similar educational experience (or lack thereof)? If so, I invite you to take some time and do a little research on Indian history and culture. Just a few other interesting and relevant concepts I came across were: the influence of the British East India Company, Jawaharial Nehru, Jainism, Sikhism, Lord Vishnu (as related to Hinduism), and the Constitution of India. But like I said, those are just a few, feel free to add to the list!