Discussion about India with our students

  • Michal Stoklasa
  • 16.01.2020
On December 10, 2019, a lecture and a short discussion about India were prepared at the František Živný Grammar School in Bohumín by two Indian students, Sarath and Rohith, who study at the School of Business Administration in Karviná. About 40 graduation students attended the lecture in English.

And what could the students learn about India? For example, a number of factual information such as India being the seventh largest country in terms of land area and, with over a billion inhabitants, the second most populous country in the world. From a political point of view, it is a federal state. India is a member of the Commonwealth. In terms of natural conditions, India is very diverse, because India is not only characterized by tropical forests, millions of megalopolis, but also deserts, huge rivers, and high mountains in the north.

India is also the cradle of several world religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. The lecture also showed a very rich and unique cultural heritage, as India managed to preserve its traditions. The abundance of customs, languages and monuments is evidence of the mutual life of people of different religions. Religion is an incredibly important social event in India, with many practices performed with pomp and vitality, and is an integral part of everyday life. As an integral part of life there is also a large number of different celebrations and festivals along with various dances. Indian traditional clothing varies from region to region, whether colors or styles. The most popular garment for women is called sari, the most traditional garment for men it is dhoti. Very interesting was also the talk about the division of society into castes, which still in a way influence life in society.

Education is of great importance in India and is highly valued in all socio-economic classes of the population. Students have great respect for their teachers and if they have poor results then they can even be physically punished.

Ethnically and linguistically, India is very diverse and the official languages at the federal level are Hindi and English. Furthermore, each State of the Federation establishes its official language. Indeed, there are more than 20 official languages in India. Not surprisingly, English is the second official language and is widely taught. So if you ever visit India you don't have to worry about not being able to communicate in English.

India is also known in Asia for its film industry, where Bollywood is one of the centres of the Indian film industry based in Mumbai. The name came from the old name of the city of Mumbai and famous Hollywood in the USA. A very successful Indian film was the "Slumdog Millionaire" with a hero who made it to the Indian version of the "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" contest from the Bombay slum, waiting for the last question that separates him from a fabulous win of 20 million rupees.

India is also known for one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, where in addition to the Colosseum in Rome, the rock city of Petra in Jordan and other landmarks, there is also the famous Taj Mahal, an example of Islam-inspired architecture that was inherited from the Mughals. This monument, built by the Indian ruler Shahjahan in memory of his prematurely deceased wife Mumtaz Mahal is visited annually by about 8 million visitors. Located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, the monument has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.