US Presidential Cabinet Leaders of the Congress Party in India

No, this isn't some political statement. Sure, it is absurd that out of nine Supreme Court Justices there is one woman and one person of color, and that even though there is often a show of diversity in the Presidential Cabinet, 95 times out of 100 the person running the show is a white man, but this blog isn't about that. This is about India. Academically, I knew that India was diverse, but the extent of that never quite hit me until I saw this picture. India has three distinct races (Dravidians, Aryans, Mongoloids); 17 recognized languages and hundreds more unrecognized; and dozens of religions (Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, etc.).

Sure America is diverse. As can be seen in the picture, Americans have ethnic roots in all parts of the world, but in America most people are white. Most people speak English as their first language. Most men wear suits for formal occasions. In India somebody from the state of Mizoram looks, speaks, and dresses entirely different from a person in the state of Gujarat, who is equally different from a person in Kerala. The implications of this diversity are far reaching. Virtually every state has its own film industry.

So what is the point of this blog?

I am constantly asked about life in India. "What kind of food is eaten in India?" "What is religion like in India?" "What is the poverty like in India?" Yes, I have lived here for 5 months, but India is comprised of 28 dramatically different states and I live in Kerala - one of the smallest. I think it is safe to say that I have learned something about Kerala, but beyond that, I am basically useless.


The point is that I don't know shit about "India."