Through Indian Eyes: The Wheel of life

Book excerpt: This book, which can be used in secondary and college courses, is the first of two volumes which present an Indian view of India and the world. The reality of everyday life as experienced by the Indian people is recreated in the series. Almost all of the material in both volumes has been written by Indians and has been taken from a variety of sources: autobiographies, fiction, poetry, newspaper and magazine articles, and historical documents. Volume one focuses on the most personal aspects of Indian life: family relations, marriage, caste membership, and religious beliefs. Each primary source selection is preceded by an editor's introduction which provides background information and a few questions for class discussion. Examples of selections include the following. Indian family life is compared with American family life. Ravi Shankar (the world famous sitar player) describes the ideal relationship between the student and his guru. One selection tells how an upper class, well-educated family arranges the marriage of their eldest daughter. Dowries are the topic of one reading. In another, an Indian journalist analyzes the concept of woman power in India showing that the expectations for men and women are quite different. An Indian girl describes to her brother how their mother used stories to educate her. An imaginary conversation between an American teacher and an Indian businessman will help students understand the caste system. Several readings attempt to clarify some of the religious concepts of the Hindu way of life. (Author/RM)