Human Interest

Why do Indians love Cricket? As with most modern day countries, colonialism has something to do with it. However, the British never intended to promote Cricket in India. It was the local elite of India that first pushed to incorporate the game into Indian culture. Desperate to gain the prestige that the British attached to the game, the elite began the practice of playing Cricket in India. In the years following independence, the game has spread to the other classes of Indian society. The game has become the national pastime for the nation.

this is an interesting reason for a game to spread. it was a game played by the elite, so it never really lost the appeal of being a sport of the rich.

i have tried to watch a cricket match before but it seemed so odd, i dont really fully understand the game but the people playing (especially inians) were playing more than a game, for them it seemed like they were playing for their country and it was a great honor to them. unlike a sport like soccer where people play for other countries teams.

Why do Indians love Cricket? As with most modern day countries, colonialism has something to do with it. However, the British never intended to promote Cricket in India. It was the local elite of India that first pushed to incorporate the game into Indian culture. Desperate to gain the prestige that the British attached to the game, the elite began the practice of playing Cricket in India. In the years following independence, the game has spread to the other classes of Indian society. The game has become the national pastime for the nation.

this is an interesting reason for a game to spread. it was a game played by the elite, so it never really lost the appeal of being a sport of the rich.

i have tried to watch a cricket match before but it seemed so odd, i dont really fully understand the game but the people playing (especially inians) were playing more than a game, for them it seemed like they were playing for their country and it was a great honor to them. unlike a sport like soccer where people play for other countries teams.

The Golden Temple of Amristar, located in the northern Punjab region of India, is renowned as the holiest shrine in the Sikh religion. 80,000 -160,000 people come here each day to enjoy a free eatery on top of prayer. This is the largest free eatery in the world. What an unbelievable idea that this huge number of people can enjoy free food. Food is cooked up by workers in large vats in order to feed the masses. This is not a homeless shelter, there was a man in this video who said he was from a prominent family and he can to the temple because he felt peace of mind here. The temple is covered in glitter and gold hence its name.

I think this idea is excellent. Sikhism is a blend of Islam and Hinduism.  They believe that everyone is equal and strive for peace and tranquility.  The Golden Temple is, essentially, a place to go to get away from the fast-paced and cut-throat environment of everyday-life.  They accept all races and religions.  I love this model and idea.  I hope the Sikhs gain more attention and spread their simple idea of peace, love, and volunteerism.

This video provides some valuable insight into a religion that not many people know about. Sikhism combines elements of Hinduism and Islam, but rejects the Hindu concept of a caste system. It is practiced predominantly in the Punjab region of India, but practicing Sikhs can be found around the world. The Golden Temple of Amristar is one of Sikhism's most important holy sites, and adherents of any religion are welcome at the temple. There is a large community kitchen inside the temple, where volunteers produce tens of thousands of meals for temple visitors everyday. Everyone who visits the temple sits and eats together in the community eatery, as Sikhs believe all people are equal, and so they are not concerned with separating visitors by gender, race, or religion.

Sikhism and its Golden Temple are really interesting examples of cross-cultural pollination. While it is not unusual to see cultures adapt elements of fashion or music from other cultures, it is unusual to see one culture fuse its religion with another. Generally, religion is seen as a concrete ideology with immutable truths that should not be disturbed or tampered with. Sikhism sheds this rigidity and incorporates elements of two major religions into one, creating a religion of peace, equality, and tolerance. This is the ideal of any religion, and Sikhism exhibits wonderfully. The Punjab region of India acts as a melting pot for Hinduism and Islam, creating a geographic center for ideologies that reach far beyond their geographic origins. Though Sikhism is a small religion compared to Islam or Hinduism, it provides a fascinating and excellent example of how cultures can come together peacefully to create something new and positive. 

It was interesting to read about Modi's run for prime minister- I recently read a TIME magazine article about him, his original platform, and his subsequent work in office- and to see so much of Obama's run for office in Modi's struggle. Modi's support among his own caste, traditionally one that has been discriminated against in Indian society, is not at all different from Obama's support among the African American community. It goes to show that, for all our differences, people are a lot more alike then we'd care to think. Beyond that, it was interesting to see how much power the old caste system continues to hold in Indian society, much like the issues with race that Americans continue to struggle with within our own society. Appeals to different castes have been employed successfully by politicians and other forms of media; I once read that the most popular Indian films are often love stories revolving around "forbidden love" between two members of different, opposite castes. In a society that is so rich and complex, with hundreds of different languages and beliefs, it is so easy for lines to be drawn and for differences to be focused upon in a negative light. Happily for India, it has come a long way to address these problems and to move forward. While not perfect, India's future looks bright.

i dont understand how a country like india that is mostly modern and on the world scale can still have such an ancient system of labeling people be such a prominent practice in their society, i hope modi gets elected so he can start to eliminate this