In this build-up to our World Race departure, and my attempt to make my blogs halfway readable, this is my latest installment in a preview of the countries ou(R) Squad will be serving through the next year and a half.
Our next stop takes us out of Europe and into the Asian sub-continent of…
India
Boring history crapola:
Due to its convenience along waterways, and its abundance of rare goods (silk)India has always been a desirable location for colonization by Western cultures.
After years of British rule, the Indian Rebellion of 1857 was the first sign that the Indian people were fed up with British-style social reforms, harsh land taxes, and the treatment of wealthy British landowners and princes.
Later calls for independence were initiated by Mohandas Gandhi, the unofficial leader of the non-violent, non-cooperative movement against British rule.
You can see more on the struggle of Gandhi against British rule by visiting your local library and renting the movie "Gandhi", which is about… Gandhi, starring Sir Ben Kingsley in one of the greatest acting performances in film history.
To summarize, India was granted independence from Great Britain in 1947, though it's subsequent partition from Pakistan has resulted in several international disputes, and wars fought in 1947, 1965, 1971, and 1999.
What are we doing there:
With India being the birthplace of several religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, we will undoubtedly be witnessing to non-believers almost everywhere we go. India is a culture that takes great pride in its religions, so this is truly a place where we need to be on our guard against strong spiritual attacks, and skepticism over preaching the word of God in this diverse country.
With a deep history of a caste system, I believe one of our goals should be to simply love on the people of this culture, and show them that the love of our God is for people from all walks of life, rich or poor.
Human trafficking is also an enormous problem in India, with young girls often being drugged and forcefully brought into the country from several neighboring nations to be sold into the sex trade. This would be a powerful place to help those recovering from human slavery, in helping show them God's love for those who society has cast aside.
Why I'm excited:
I honestly know very little about India, so it's hard to come up with any real reasons to be excited about India, other than the fact that we will definitely have the chance to show God's love to people who feel like the world has turned their back on them, and give them the opportunity to hear about why God loves them so much.
Also, I have some supporters of the Race who have Indian roots, and I'm excited to give them updates from a country in which they still have so many ties… fun story by the way; my friend Kiran is half-Indian and half-American. His parents met only because his mother's parents were missionaries to the village where his father's parents lived. If his maternal grandparents hadn't evangelized to his paternal grandparents, my friend Kiran wouldn't even be here today… nice job missionaries.
Fun facts:
The Taj Mahal was finished in 1648, under orders from Emporer Shah Jahan in memory of his wife.
India's most popular sports include cricket, field hockey, and shooting sports.
The Indian film industry (most commonly known as "Bollywood") produces the world's most-watched cinema; though Bollywood incorrectly is associated with all of Indian cinema.
Our numerical system was developed in India, and the the scientist Aryabhatta invented the digit, zero.
The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC.
Chess was invented in India, as well as the game "snakes and ladders" (or as we may know it, "chutes and ladders"). This game was developed by the poet Gyandev, who initially developed the game with a theme: the ladders representing virtues, and the snakes representing vices in our lives.
