If any of you have ever spoken to Hemanth Kundeti, or most any other native Indian about Cricket in India your gut-reaction to this question is most likely a definitive NO.  The fact is, Cricket is the de facto national sport of India.  While it is not the nation’s official national sport - a distinction held by field hockey - it is by far India’s most popular sport.  Part of the reason for the sport’s popularity, I can only deduce, is not only the creation of the Indian Premier League, but also the fact that the Indian International Cricketing Squad has given the sport some of her greatest international players, and victories, resulting in the sport’s rich history in India.

Basketball, on the other hand, while considered one of the widely played sports in India, is far less popular than Cricket.  Basketball started its journey in India during the first half of the 20th century, and has steadily grown in popularity since.  The sport is played in most Indian high schools, colleges, and universities.  The younger generation appears to be the main catalyst for Basketball’s adoption in India.  Basketball in India is run and managed mainly by the large number of national and state level associations, spread all over India, but India’s contribution to the sport’s international talent pool has gone mostly un-noticed - until now that is.

Basketball players Sim and Tanveer Bhullar, a pair of brothers from Indian descent, will most likely be the next big thing in college basketball, and then professional basketball.  Sim is only 17 years old and stands 7-4, 285 pounds.  His younger brother Tanveer, is only 15 years old, and stands 7-2, 260 pounds.  Both are described as having “solid skills,” and “developing quickly on the court.”  The Bhullars dwarf the last notable pair of 7-foot brothers to play basketball together on the high school level - Brook and Robin Lopez, both of whom have had a great deal of success since attending Stanford, and entering the NBA during the first round of the 2008 draft.

Also in their favor, the Bullhars are now being coached by a man who has coached at various Division 1 schools, as well as in the NBA.  Freedman’s background allows him to not only develop his players, but also to prepare them for the recruiting process that lies ahead.  Both of these talents should prove invaluable to the 7-foot brothers of Indian descent, as schools such as Kentucky, Florida State, LSU, Penn State, Pittsburgh, USC, Stanford, and Texas have already expressed interest in both brothers.

Do you think that Basketball can overtake Cricket as India’s most popular sport?  Do you think that the Bhullars will reach the level of success many are expecting from the gifted duo?  Why do you think that of the 36 countries and territories represented in the NBA this season, the world’s second most populous nation is not included?

- John Barry

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_national_basketball_team

http://www.indianetzone.com/5/basketball.htm

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1087336

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cricket_in_India

As I prepare for our trip, I reflect on the language barriers that await us. We’re lucky that English happens to be one of India’s many official languages, but I still expect to face challenges in communicating. I recently flipped through an Indian phrase book (Click Here) that included “Hinglish” slang, Hindi words and phrases and many other examples (i.e. Urdu, Tamil, Tulu, etc). It is amazing how many of the words that we use in our everyday language have Indian roots. Some of the best examples of our shared expressions are catamaran, thug, bungalow, dinghy, veranda, bandana. Ok, so maybe you don’t use all of those words everyday, but I bet you wish you lived in a beautiful bungalow with a shady veranda and a stunning catamaran out at your dock!

I want to share some of the more relevant words and phrases I came across in an effort to expand our vocabulary. I hope you enjoy!

From the first adaab (hello), to the last chalta hoon (goodbye; literally “I’ll walk”), this is going to be a memorable trip. I anticipate these few weeks of traveling will end with some great stories and solid friendships between us Cal Poly yaars (buddies). One of the best aspects of yatra (travel) is getting to fill your pet (stomach) with amazing food. I can already envision the group of us walking down the marg (road) eyeing the vendors with their curries and chutneys and mangos and teas and coffees. When drinking tea or coffee, it is important to remember to leave a baaki (remnant/last of drink) in your cup. After our long days, I am sure we will be more than ready to kick off our chappals (sandals) and climb into bistar (bed)… except maybe on June 26. That Saturday night is purnima (full moon). We all know what craziness can ensue when the chand (moon) is full. The 26^th will be our last day of company visits, so I am guessing there will be some celebrating as our trip begins to wind down. Luckily the next day, June 27, is a day of sight-seeing. Hopefully this trip is a memorable learning experience that boosts our international business knowledge, confidence, and overall odds of finding a job… cause none of us want to come home and be vela (unemployed)!

-Catherine Kristensen

Music is a cultural artifact that spans this entire globe. Every culture has a form of music for which it means many things. Music can be a form of storytelling, keeping ancient tales alive. Music can be a form of entertainment. Music can change listener’s emotions and can inspire. Indian culture is rich in musical history and traditions. The basis for Indian music is “sangeet”.  Sangeet is a combination of three art forms: vocal music, instrumental music and dance. Over time, they have evolved into very refined and individual entities.

The most notable Indian instruments include the Tablas (thank you Emily), the Sitar, the Shehnai, and the Sarangi. These instruments have been part of the Indian culture for ages and have evolved over time to be used in multiple musical genres. Emily went into detail about the Tabla, however I would like to focus on the other instruments, and how they have found their way into mainstream music culture.

The Sitar’s early origins date back to the 13^th century and the instrument has remained virtually unchanged since then. The sitar is most closely related to a modern guitar. It is comprised of a neck (Dandi), a base (Kadu), strings (Tar), and frets (Parda). The sounds that this instrument makes are beautiful and sometimes haunting. Please follow this link to listen to the Sitar. One of the foremost Sitar players from India is Nikhil Banerjee, click here. The Sitar has become more popular over time and one famous band found ways to incorporate it into their music. Check out “Across the Universe” by the Beatles.

The Shehnai is the northern Indian term for a flute like instrument. Its southern Indian name is the Nadaswaram. This instrument can be found on any sidewalk being played by professionals or peddlers. The origins of this instrument cannot be perfectly placed. The Shehnai is a wind instrument that is played with your mouth. The holes in the body of the instrument help to create the sound you hear. It is popular for snake charmers to use this instrument to entertain for a fee. Uslah Bismillah Khan is a professional Shehnai player; here is some of his work. Khan plays the instrument in a classical fashion, and the sound can be compared to the sound Dave Mason made in the Rolling Stones song “Street Fighter Man” from 1968.

Lastly, the Sarangi is an instrument that didn’t become main-stream in Indian music until the 18^th century. It is the instrument whose sound is said to most resemble the human voice. The Sarangi is a bowed and string instrument and the use of two hands is necessary to making the correct sounds. A traditional rendition of the Sarangi can be found here. In 1997, the band Aerosmith included the Sarangi in their song “Taste of India”.

Indian musical instruments have had a great impact on the evolution of Indian music, Rock and Roll, and lately American popular music. Today we hear Indian instruments in many songs and now Indian musical artists are making headway in the American music market. Panjabi MC has collaborated with rapper/business mogul Jay-Z in the song “Beware of the Boys”. A.R. Rahman has made a name for himself in America by making the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack a hit with songs like “Jai Ho” and “O Saya”.

I hope that everyone will listen to some Indian music before we head overseas. Music allows an individual to experience the sounds in their own way. I find Indian music to be ancient, mysterious, relaxing, and entrancing. I hope that everyone gets to experience this kind of music and the sounds that these instruments make.

-Jason Silver

Poverty in rural parts of India to a large extent could be attributed to lack of access to education and information. People in bigger cities have access to more knowledge which can help to stimulate their career and job opportunities, help with life at home, or help their crop to grow better. Many people in rural areas are not even educated about their rights within the law. Many women are unaware that their husband can go to jail for beating them, or that they do have contraceptive options for family planning when things are getting out of control.

This is where the InfoLadies come in to play. The Guardian has a great article about women who are trying to make a difference (Click Here).

The idea is to have women ride around to remote villages (in this case in Bangladesh) with Netbooks, cell phones, and other gadgets hoping to utilize trust from villagers, technology, and the internet to help spread information to places which would otherwise have no access to it. It allows farmers to learn about which pesticides to use on their crops, it teaches women about family planning, and allows job training for people who want to move on from their current situation.

The plan was met with initial resistance but has since been catching on. The question moving forward is whether government backed NGOs sponsoring these types of projects is a real solution, or simply a stop-gap for the real problem of lack of infrastructure in the region.

-Michael Minasian