WEEK 1:
Introduction Lecture
The first thing I found interesting was the history behind the name of India. It was
fascinating to find out that it was named from the Indus Valley Civilization. I find it very
interesting to learn about where the roots of India came from and how it came to be about. It
fascinates me how one group of people (Aryans) coming into this area changed the entire
outlook of the civilization and changed how India became what it did.
I found it very intriguing that Muslims are considered a minority group in India even
with the population wise it is so big (as big as Pakistan’s). I wonder how that came it about to
be especially with the large influx of Muslims and how Islam entered the region. Also
considering the partition occurring because of religious differences, I wonder how the
population would be different and would Muslims still be a minority group in India if the
partition did not occur.
In the lecture, there was mentions of the caste system and Brahmins. I look forward to
learning about the caste system and how it came to be about. I hope to learn about how you
are defined by caste and what it defines you as. Is it possible to defy the norms and I wonder if
the caste system is still relevant in India today? Is there still discrimination between
opportunities and respect based on what caste you belong too.
BBC The Story of India
This documentary was very insightful and gave a very good overview of India. One
important topic that I learned about in this film was about how old the Indian civilization is.
From Africa people traveled to South India. We learn that there was huge populations in
modern day Pakistan. Most times when we think of Ancient civilizations we think of Greece or
Egypt, but here we learn there is ruins that show that the Indus Valley civilization was even
older than them. There are still parts of Tamil Nanda were the M130 gene markers are still
found there. In one village the entire community carries the marker. The documentary makes a
interesting point on how even though different religions, ethnicities and cultures have come
and gone it is not possible to change the genes and genetic pool of India, when even today it is
still very consistent.
Another interesting thing I learned through the documentary was about the history of
Sanskrit. Many before William Jones took Indian civilization lightly and didn’t believe they had
much history. However, when he learned Sanskrit, he found the It contained similarities
between Latin, Greek, English and even Welsh. He spoke about how worder such as Mother
and Father are very similar in the 3 ancient languages. HE even went on to say how when
studying the 3 languages, you must believe they came to be from one common source. This is
very interesting and intriguing to me as the origins of the 3 ancient languages are so far apart
from one another, practically on other ends of the world from one another and yet they are so
similar and connected.
Even in today’s day and age, it is fascinating that the longest poem in the world is in an
ancient language, Sanskrit. Mahabharat is the pride of Indian warfare and its heroic tales
became a myth that is still celebrated in India even today. It is an story of tragedy full of drama
and a apocalypse. There is even a festival with Lord Shiva. They believe it was the last time
humans and gods walked the earth together. Due to its significance, pilgrims travel to the
Kurukshetra and celebrate this battle from 3100 BC. It is fascinating how something so ancient
is still so relevant and part of their culture and customs even today, thousands of years later.
WEEK 2:
BBC The Story of India: The Power of Ideas
1. Throughout the episode there were many universal ideas discussed. A
few important ones that stood out to me included: Dharma, Karma, Moshka, and
Artha. Dharma is to live life with virtue, Karma is to find pleasure, Moshka is to
seek enlightenment, Artha is to gain wealth and success. Another concept that
was spoken about that stood out to me was about how it is important to accept
yourself and the world around you. Once you are able to do this you can be
liberated by the weight of the world and focus on finding and completing the
previous concepts mentions.
2. In the Ashoka Pillar, the main ideas are about Ashoka’s journey to
Buddhism. We learn about Ashoka who is the grandson of Chandragupta, the
founder of the Mauryan Dynasty. We learn about how his entire life he saw war
and bloodshed and how he struggled with it, especially after the Great War of
Kalinga. Once he realized that his life of violence had no real purpose, he turned
to Buddhism and began to practice living life in peace and even build monuments
in atonement for his previous misdeeds. He began a life of nonviolence and
made sure it was implemented under his rule as well.
3. There are many characters that were discussed throughout this episode
that have impacted India. The first one was Siddharth Gautama, who created
Buddhism and is known as Buddha. He lived his best life as a royal prince with
all the riches in the world. However, he wasn’t satisfied with it and he left his wife
and royalty behind to find his true self. Through this he found the $ Noble Truths,
on which Buddhism is based off of. One specific one was Ashoka, and his life
journey. He started off as Ashoka the cruel with all the bloodshed and war that he
waged until he mended his ways after the Battle of Kalinga. Another important
figure that was spoken about was Alexander the Great who is considered the first
foreigner who conquered and controlled India. It is interesting to see how often
times the people you teach and trust often turn on you and overtake you. This too
happened with Alexander the Great. Chandragupta learned under his rule and
took his teachings to the next level and as a result drove Alexander the Great out
of India. Each of these characters have has a meaningful impact on India and
how it can to be about.
Modern India: Indus Valley Civilization
Overall, this lecture was very interesting and informative. One thing that stood out to
me was that how the Indus Valley civilization had a confederation society which had no
hierarchy. All the various tribes and groups came together and lived peacefully. Another
interesting thing that was pointed out that archeologists have found no traces of fighting or
war. Most bones found of people from the civilization had died from disease and malaria.
There were very few remains found with people that died from blunt trauma. It is interesting to
see this and how they didn’t use means of violence as a source of making political decisions.
Another point that stood out to me was how they traded with various ancient cultures.
We learn that they traded with Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. It is intriguing to me that they
were able to do this in such a time where traveling was so difficult and so far away from one
another. They knew how to connect to each other through rivers and oceans. Using this
knowledge, they were able to reach other ancient civilizations and begin to trade with them.
A point that I found very interesting was the similarities between the Nazi’s and the
Aryans who took over the Indus Valley civilizations. The Aryans too were tall, fair skinned
people who thought themselves to be superior to the native Indus Valley civilizations because
of their lighter skin. They took over the land, while bringing in Hinduism and the caste system to
the civilization and essentially changing their lives forever. The result of it is still effective even
today with the caste system still being a part of modern-day India as well. It is interesting to
think that if Aryans didn’t bring in the Vedas and the Caste system, India might have been a
very different place today.
WEEK 3:
BBC The Story of India – Spice Routes and Silk Roads
1. The documentary on the Silk Road was a very interesting and insightful
watch. It is interesting how in that day and age India was the golden sparrow
for the Romans at the time. India itself did not need many trade items from
them, rather for their spices and silks they received gold, copper and tin in
exchange for the items. Most of the silk route occurred in the southern part of
India near Tamil Nandu, where even today ships and boats are handmade
and often without even a plan or architect. Tamil Nandu has been around
since the time of the Silk Road and is the world’s last classical civilization that
still stands today. The modern-day city of Peshawar was the heart of the silk
road where there was a caravan. When you entered the city, you knew this
was the place where you would find the all that you need. It was the central
hub of trade. Not only did the Silk Road provide trading opportunities, they
also passed down herbal and ayurvedic medical practices east toward China
through the Buddhist Monks. Ayurvedic practices are still used today and the
teachings of “The Art of Natural Healing” used to be passed down orally in
forms of poetry so that they can easily be remembered. There was so many
different ways the Silk Road expanded various cultures and practices through
trade.
2. Kushans had come from Northern and Eastern China and into to modern day
North Afghanistan. They learned Greek when arriving here because that was
the first time they learned about written language. They were Buddhist but
they were very tolerable with all religions and through unity they were able to
achieve power and expand their territory.
3. Kanishka, and his vast Indian empire, He describes himself as the righteous
and as acratic, he came with divine right. They say that the Buddha predicted
his coming as a mighty ruler 500 years after him, and that was around the
time Kanishka came into power. He made the biggest Stupa’s in the world.
His empire that controlled the silk route and minted coins for change. He also
was very tolerable of all religions and due to this was able to bring peace and
prosperity to India.
Lecture: Hinduism
It was very interesting learning about Hinduism and where is came from. The first
thing that I was surprised about was that Hindus came from outside India. People part
of the Indus Valley civilization lived on the other side of the Sindhu River, and therefore
named Hindu. It was also interesting to learn that Hindus are born and raised into it, it is
