Indian General Information

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The People

Name of Country India

Population Over 1.08 billion (July 2005 estimate); ranks second to China among the world's most populous countries.

Government Federal Republic

Ethnic Groups India's population is rich with diverse ethnic and cultural groups: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%

There are also groups in India identified by government as 'tribal'. These tribal people are sometimes called hill tribes of adivasis (original inhabitants) and in 1991, they made up about 8% (over 65 million people) of the population.

Religion Hinduism originated in India and is practised by over 80% of the population. Other religions are Islam (12%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.9%) and Buddhism, Jain and Farsi (2.5%) (2005 estimates).

Languages The people in India's intricate network of communities speak literally thousands of languages. English enjoys associate status but is used for national, political and commercial communication. Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people. Other official languages include: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Sanskrit, Hindustani.

In addition, more than 1,000 minor languages and dialects are spoken in India.

Literacy rates Total population 60%, males 70% and females 48% (2003 estimates).

Population below the Poverty Line 25% (2002 est).

Political Background

British rule in India began in the 1700s and continued until 1947 when India secured its independence. British rule had extremely adverse impacts on the country, especially on the economy. During the 19th century India's cottage industries and thriving trade were virtually destroyed to make way for European manufactured goods paid for by exports of agricultural produce such as cotton, opium and tea.

During the last 30 years of British rule, India's economy completely stagnated and at independence, the country was desperately poor with an ageing textile industry as its only major industrial sector.

As British rule strengthened and as an influential Evangelical Christian movement emerged in the early 19th century, laws were passed by the colonisers to abolish many Indian customs. In 1835 English was enforced as the language of the government, as it was believed that Indian thought and literature were of no value.

Despite Britain's appalling treatment, India was the major source of support for Britain's World War II effort with some 750,000 Indian troops serving in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. India also supplied Britain with troops to the detriment of its own economy.

During WW I Mahatma Gandhi had returned to India from South Africa. Gandhi started a movement of non-violent resistance against the British and together with Jawaharlal Nehru led the country to independence in 1947. India split into two states, India and Pakistan, a division largely based on religious differences. India and Pakistan are still in conflict over the Jammu and Kashmir region.

India's federal political system, a democracy for more than 50 years, has been remarkably resilient in resolving domestic and international crises. Since independence India has grown to have great influence in Asia and has a massive world presence.

India struggled financially following independence, experiencing slow economic growth and economic setbacks due to climatic extremes or political disturbances. The country gradually transformed its economic base and, once heavily dependent on agriculture, it has expanded rapidly in recent years into industry, services and information technology. Economic reforms in 1991 dramatically increased the amount of foreign investment in India.

Extreme social imbalances still exist in India. Poverty is still a major problem, with over 35% of the population existing below the poverty line. More than a third of the population is too poor to be able to afford an adequate diet.

At the same time, India also has a significant middle class who are generally highly educated. Education for the elite has been a tradition for a long time and traditionally it is withheld from non-elite groups. There is also a small, but extremely wealthy, upper class.

History of Migration to Australia

Indian migration to Australia began in the early 1800s. The first group of free settlers came to Sydney in 1816. From 1860 an increasing number of people arrived in Australia with some agricultural workers, mainly Sikhs and Muslims from Punjab, who settled in small rural areas - for example the North Coast of NSW. In this area permanent Sikh and Muslim communities have long since been established.

Indian migration to Australia was virtually stopped by the Immigration Restriction Act of 1901, when the Indian population in Australia was about 800. Significant Anglo-Indian migration to Australia started in the late 1940s, following the establishment of the two states of India and Pakistan. By the end of WW II, the Indian population in Australia stood at approximately 8,000.

The 1950s and 1960s saw the migration of professionals like engineers, doctors and medical specialists from India, including Anglo-Indians. The early 1980s saw an influx of experienced, well-qualified professionals in medical, computer, finance, engineering and agricultural fields.

There is also a significant Fijian-Indian community in Australia.

Indian Community in NSW

• Approximately 37,889 or 0.6% of people living in NSW were born in India. (32% increase from 1996)
• Approximately 28,000 people speak Hindi. Of those, 54% were born in Fiji. Another 7,750 speak Punjabi.

(2001 Census)

Some Cultural Aspects of Indian Life

Families and extended families are integral to the lives of many Indians. Extended families often live together, with two or more generations sharing a house. There is an increasing trend, however, towards nuclear families.

India is often referred to as a 'sub-continent' because of the enormous diversity of languages, cultures and religions. Religion plays a very important part in Indian life, with deep historical roots. Hinduism, the oldest of the world's religions, originated in India. Most people practise Hinduism, with Islam a distant second. In 1991, 82% of Indians were Hindus. Other religions practiced in India include Christianity, Zoroashtrianism and Sikhism. In general, religion keeps people and families together during crises and at times of social and cultural significance. Religion provides faith, trust and support for Indian communities. It also gives rise to the music, drama and dance that are integral to Indian cultural tradition.

The social system in India is complex, due to the interface between caste and class. The caste system in India has had a long history and many different interpretations. It originated as a system for demarcating different occupations. Caste-based discrimination, although illegal, is not uncommon in modern India. There is also a strong realisation of the suffering faced by many Indians simply because of their caste.

India is a land of contrasts. Some of the richest people in the world live side by side with some of the poorest. Hence, inequality and inequity as a result of caste, class, poverty and discrimination on the grounds of religion, disability, gender and ethnicity are critical issues facing contemporary India. For example, despite positive discrimination strategies such as for women and people of lower castes, it is still commonplace for parents to rely on their sons to provide security for them in old age

Social visiting for many people is an important aspect of life that helps to continue strengthening family and social ties.

Attitudes towards People with Disability

As a modern society steeped in tradition, India's responses to disability are many and varied. On the one hand India has a Disability Discrimination Act which is older than Australia's. On the other hand, because of severe poverty, many people cannot access any services and rely solely on family and extended family support. If such support does not exist people with disability may have little alternative to begging for their survival.

There are several ways in which the needs of people with disability are addressed in India. These include:

• Government legislation
• Specific organisations
• Families and extended families
• Friends

As in all societies, the barriers and difficulties faced by people with disability and their families continue to be a major concern. Some key characteristics of Indian society which can have an impact on people with disability include:

• Prevalence of arranged marriages, often based on the bride's family providing a dowry to the groom's family
• The pressure on married couples to have a son. If the son has a disability affecting his potential earning capacity, this can be a major concern to his family and extended family, perhaps more so than in the case of a daughter.

  Marantha
  Maranatha is of Indian background and has a physical disability due to polio. She is in her 30s and wants very much to get married and have children. The family, who are very supportive, have been trying to arrange a marriage for her. They have been to India several times to try to arrange a marriage, but this has been unsuccessful.

In India the traditional focus on communities and families means that people are more likely to be supported within their community than by government provided services. Therefore one of the challenges for people from Indian backgrounds in Australia is that with the loss of extended family and friends they have left behind, they now have to rely more heavily on outside services.

In common with most people from India, people with disability and their families place high value on professional and academic excellence and success, have strong cultural ties and values, and maintain links with India and relatives in India. Many Indians also employ strong 'face saving' strategies in situations that might be considered shameful.

Veejay
Veejay practised as a medical doctor in India but since coming to Australia several years ago he has been unemployed as his qualifications are not recognised here. As a consequence he has become very depressed and his wife has suggested that he sees a psychologist.

Veejay is embarrassed that he cannot provide for his family and that he has lost his standing in the community. He refuses to go to the psychologist in fear of the community finding out that he has 'a problem'.

People from India who have a family member with disability may come here with expectations of tapping into better facilities. However, they may have a low level of awareness of the types of disability services available.

There may also be hesitation in using services due to a real or perceived feeling that service providers will not 'understand my culture, my values and how to support me effectively'.

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