An India Orientation

We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.

-Albert Einstein

India is,the cradle of the human race,the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history,the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition.Our most valuable and most instructive materials in

the history of man are treasured up in India only.

-Mark Twain

Vedic Civilization

Indus & Saraswati Civilizations

Rise of Jainism and Buddhism

Mauryan Period

Golden Age of Indian Arts & Sciences

Muslim Invasions

The Mughal Empire

Portuguese Invasion

The British East-India Company

The British Empire

India's Freedom Struggle

Independence

Modern India 2020 Vision

A Brief History of Time

3rd Millennium B.C.

6th Millennium B.C.

322 – 188 B.C.

1526 – 1600’s

1600’s – 1900’s

August 15, 1947

5,000 year old civilization

325 languages spoken – 1,652 dialects

18 official languages

29 states, 5 union territories

3.28 million sq. kilometers - Area

7,516 kilometers - Coastline

1,000,000,000 people in 2000

Parliamentary form of Government

Secular democratic constitution

Worlds largest democracy since 55 years

4th largest economy

Fastest growing IT super power

Indian Railways ,the biggest employer in the world.

India never invaded any country in her last 10,000 years of history.

It is the only society in the world which has never known slavery.

India was the richest country on Earth until the time of the

British in the early 17th CenturyRobert Clive’s (“Conqueror of India”)

personal wealth amassed from the blunder of Bengal during 1750’s was

estimated at around £401,102It has been estimated that the total amount of

treasure that the British looted from India had already reached £1,000,000,000 (£1Billion) by 1901.

Taking into consideration interest rates and inflation

this would be worth close to $1,000,000,000,000 ($1Trillion) in real-terms today.

Great Indian Personalities

Invented the Zero

Aryabhatta Mahatma Gandhi

Father of the nation

Embodiment of Non- Violence

1979 – Nobel Prize in Peace

Mother Teresa

1983 - Nobel Laureate in Physics

Subramanyan Chandrasekhar

Places of historic importance

Tirumala – TirupatiWorld’s richest

temple(near Bangalore)

Saint Thomas Cathedral

(Goa)Statue of Virgin Mary

brought from Portugal in 1543

The Golden Temple (Amritsar)

Gateway of India(Mumbai)

The Taj Mahal (Agra)

Table of Contents

• A Brief History

• Cultural Aspects

• Bangalore Specifics

• Travel Hints & Tips

• The Future

The saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation.

The white, is meant for purity and truth.

The green is for faith and fertility.

The navy blue wheel denotes the continuity of the nation's progress which is deemed to be as boundless as the blue sky and as fathomless as the deep blue sea.

Mythology

Generates - Brahma

Observes - Vishnu

Destroys - Shiva Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva

The Trinity

The Great Indian Epics

Ramayana

MahabharataLongest Epic in

world literature with 100,000

two-line stanzas

The first Indian epic

Indus Valley Civilization- one of the world’s first great urban

civilizations

Harappa Civilization- 2700BC

World’s first university in Takshila –700 B.C

Sanskrit Language –most suitable for computer software

Ayurveda- earliest school of medicine known to humans

Yoga- Made in India

Origin –5000 BC

Documented by

200 BC – 300 AD

Origin of Martial arts – 200 BC

Kalarippayat

Origin of Yoga

1700s – British invasion

15th August , 1947

Indian Independence

26th January , 1950

Republic- India

National Emblem

“Truth alone triumphs”

National Animal - Tiger

National Bird - Peacock

National Flower - Lotus

Table of Contents

• A Brief History

• Cultural Aspects

• Bangalore Specifics

• Travel Hints & Tips

• The Future

Bangalore - Map

About Bangalore• Bangalore is draped over the Deccan Plateau at an altitude of 920 meters above sea

level, which gives it possibly the best climate among all the cities in India.

• Legend has it that King Veera Ballala of the Vijayanagara kingdom was once lost in a forest and happened to stumble upon a lonely cottage. An old woman that lived there could offer the starving king only boiled beans - ‘Bendakaluru’ in Kannada (the local language). This gave Bangalore its name.

• Bangalore is the capital city of the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the seventh largest city in India. It is also known as the Garden City because of its many beautiful gardens and parks.

Weather

Climate - Temperate

• Warmest month - April temperatures range from 33.40C to 21.20C

• Coldest month - January temperatures range from 25.70C to 15.30C

• You may need an umbrella from June to September and November to December.

• For more detailed/specific information on weather you could log on to http://weather.yahoo.com/regional/INXX.html and look up the weather for Bangalore just before you arrive

Clothes

Light cottons from March to August, a light sweater may be required from September to February.

About Bangalore – FoodFoodBangalore offers a variety of cuisines for the gourmet. Try your favorite palate ticklers at anyone of the following places:• Karavalli (Indian Coastal), Residency Road – Tel : 2558 4545• Ebony (Parsi and Continental), M.G. Road – Tel : 2558 9333• Tandoor (Indian), M.G. Road – Tel : 2558 4620• The Palms (coastal), Church Street – Tel : 2559 7172• Sunny’s (Continental), Lavelle Road – Tel : 2224 3642• Lemon Grass (Thai), Castle Street – Tel : 2536 1167• Sigri (Mughlai) Castle Street – Tel : 2509 8308• The Gardenia (Italian) – Tel : 2225 5055• Koshy’s (Local flavor) – Tel : 2221 3793

Comments• The food is generally highly spiced

– If you've not had Indian food,  you may want to visit local Indian restaurants to get a sense of what you like and introduce the flavors in a more familiar environment

• You won't find beef at most restaurants

• If it's not cooked, don't eat it. This can make fruit/vegetable intake a challenge; bring multivariable vitamins.

Shopping - General• The main shopping areas are Commercial Street, M. G. Road and Brigade Road; Shop keepers at lower end places can be quite persistent

• Karnataka is famous for sandalwood, silk, gold and silver jewelry and rugs; Nice rugs are well priced but you need to know rugs to negotiate effectively

 

• Carved elephants, sandalwood soaps and incense sticks make good souvenirs, especially given your travels back.

• The Forum mall in Koramangala and Bangalore Central off M. G. Road are good places to shop for branded goods and garments.

Never walk around with valuables casually slung on your shoulder, use a money belt when possible.

In some stores and with street vendors, haggling is always a possibility…try it!

For quick “am I getting ripped off” decision, use 40 Rs. = $1 for easy conversion (you will be estimating higher $$ than really paying too! )

Credit Cards are readily accepted, so utilize them when possible.

Take extra care when in crowded places.

Shopping - RecommendationsJewelry• C. S. Krishnaiah Chetty, Commercial Street (jewelers to the erstwhile Maharajas of Mysore) – Tel : 558 8731

Sandalwood and Artifacts• Cauvery Emporium, M. G. Road – Tel : 2558 0317• Hidesign, M.G. Road, for high quality leather bags – Tel : 2558 7697

Silks• Deepam - M.G. Road – Tel : 2558 6191• Nalli - M.G. Road – Tel : 2558 3178• Vijayalaksmi Silks - M.G. Road – Tel : 2558 7937

Life Style Stores• FabIndia - Koramangala, for cotton and silk weaves, sandwashed dhurries, quilts, jacquards, and appliqués, clay

pottery, jute odds and ends, all under one roof – Tel : 2553 2070• Neemrana - off Brigade Road, for contemporary artifacts and linen – Tel : 2555 3916• The Design Store - Koramangala, for fabric - authentic vegetable dyes, chikan and glassware, wicker and inlay,

lace furnishings, carpets, and household utility articles etc. – Tel : 2552 2205• The Bombay Store - M.G. Road – Tel : 2532 0014

Sites - RecommendationsThe following Bangalore sites are recommended given time constraints:

• Vidhan Soudha– The majestic looking Vidhan Soudha located in Bangalore

is a marvel of neo-Dravidian architecture and one of the most imposing building not only in Bangalore but also in India. It houses the State Legislature, and is the largest Secretariat in India.

• Lalbagh Gardens– The Flora of Lalbagh, Colored splashes in the 'Garden City',

beauty looked at and admired by 1000's every day

• ISKCON Temple Complex– In India there are about 40 ISKCON temples. Contemplating the

traditions of the ancient Vaishnava tradition, its philosophy and practice, these spiritual temples have left a mark on all mankind. Visiting these temples proves to be a pleasant and revealing experience.

Language – Hindi and Kannada (local to Bangalore)

English Hindi Kannada

Greetings / Hello Namasté (Nam-eh-stay) Namaskara

Thank You Shukriya (Shoe-kre-ah) Dhanyavadagalu (Dah-Knee-Ah-Wah-Dah-Gah-Loo)

OK / Understood Teek Hai (Tea-Kay) Aythu (Eye-two)

How Much? Kithna (Kit-nah) Eshtu (Yes-Two)

Ok, That’s Enough Bus Saku (Sock-Oo)

My name is… Mera Nam <name> Nana Hesaru (Hess-R-U)

Useful phrases one can practice:

Table of Contents

• A Brief History

• Cultural Aspects

• Bangalore Specifics

• Travel Hints & Tips

• The Future

Flying Into India• Business visitors to India generally fly into either of the International Airports at New Delhi, Mumbai (earlier known as Bombay) or

Chennai (earlier known as Madras)

• Checked-in baggage has to be claimed at the international airport arrival lounges prior to taking domestic connections. Through check-in to Bangalore is not available.

• At the New Delhi and Mumbai airports visitors would also need to change terminals (it may take about half an hour to move between terminals) to board domestic flights.

Airline Office Contact Numbers

Airlines Mumbai Bangalore

Lufthansa 56301933 25588791

Jet Airways 26896111 25221929

*If you are calling from outside India dial the international access code followed by the country code 91,

the city code and then the desired number

Embassies & Consulates in India

You may also need to contact your country’s consular representative in some situations. Some

telephone numbers and addresses are given below:

USA

• Lincoln House, 78 Bhulabhai Desai Road, Mumbai - 400 026. Tel: (22) 2363 3611. Fax: (22) 2363 0350

• Shanthipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi - 110 021. Tel: (11) 2688 9033, Fax: (11) 2419 0015

• 5/1, Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Calcutta - 700 071. Tel: (33) 2242 3611 - 15. Fax: (33) 2242 2335

Flying Into IndiaComments

• If time allows, take a ~24 hr layover in Europe.  It's a more gradual time zone transition  • Travel in layered clothes, like sweats, etc as airlines differ in temperature in international flights and you will want to be as comfortable as

possible

• Your drivers at the airport will have your name on a sign, but may not be exact spelling.  Also, take the number with you of the driving / travel service

• If you do need to take a cab, ONLY take cabs that you have bought tickets from inside the airport, don’t go with just anyone

Currency

Foreign Exchange• Foreigners in India can carry forex in any format - Travelers checks, currencies or International credit cards.

• Travelers checks are easily exchangeable for cash in major hotels, shopping outlets, moneychangers, banks etc.

• Credit cards are accepted in all major stores and hotels and even big restaurants welcome them. Payments for normal expenses need to be made only in Indian rupees (INR), except at some hotels, which accept foreign exchange.

• Be very careful with your cash/credit card both at the hotel and while in the city.

MiscellaneousElectrical voltage• 220 - 240 volts (AC), voltage adapters / converters are available at any Radio Shack

Time Zone Difference• India is 10.5 hours ahead of EST

Mobile Communications• You can hire cell phones at the domestic airports in most major cities and tourist destinations in India.• India uses the GSM standard for mobile communications, hence we suggest that you check out the compatibility of your phone

with GSM, in case you wish to use it in India. Typical cell phone rentals in India vary between INR 100 and 150 per day.

Food & Drinking Water• India offers you an exotic choice of cuisine, known the world over for its variety and flavor. We have enclosed a selection of

restaurants in Bangalore where you could safely sample some of this delightful range. • However, do not eat anything uncooked. We suggest that you avoid eating at roadside stalls and are particularly careful about the

water you drink, even in restaurants and hotels. Wherever possible, ask for bottled mineral water.• Check that the seal is not tampered with, and go for better known brands such as Evian, Bisleri and Bailey.

EmergenciesIn case of emergency in Bangalore you can contact the following hospitals:• Wockhardt, Tel: 91 - 80 - 2226 1037 / 2228 1146• Mallya Hospital, Tel: 91 - 80 - 2227 7979 / 2227 7990

Other Comments• You will see all points on the economic ladder...  wealth and great poverty • Road traffic is horrible...  sit in the middle of your backseat, roll down the windows, touch two [other] cars

• Bangalore is clean from an India city perspective but not from a US perspective; given 4x the U.S. population on 1/3 the U.S. landmass, you will rarely be without others around

• The streets are safe, but use common sense • Being from the U.S., you will be the target of street persons / beggars;

If you give money to a street person/beggar, it's likely more will be right on you afterwards for more  

• Bring bug spray, keep it in your briefcase for use at dusk

• Enjoy your time…it is a magnificent country of color, and the people are some of the humble, caring and hospitable you will meet!

Table of Contents

• A Brief History

• Cultural Aspects

• Bangalore Specifics

• Travel Hints & Tips

• The Future

"In India today, we have a lady born a Catholic (Sonia Gandhi)

stepping aside so a Sikh (Manmohan Singh) could be sworn in by a

Muslim president (Abdul Kalam) to lead a nation that's 82% Hindu!

I defy anyone to cite another country with such diversity and tolerance to its political leadership."

Secular Tolerance

India is set to overtake China as the world's most populous nation by 2050.

India’s population is expected to grow from 1.08bn to 1.63bn people, overtaking China, which is forecast to reach 1.44bn from 1.3bn

currently.

India, will also have the highest working population in the World — 700 million people out of 1.1 billion people are young; the young

population will continue till 2050.

India’s population to be the largest in the world

Goldman Sachs Report of 1 October, 2003 –"Dreaming with BRICs: The path to 2050"

India's GDP will reach $ 1 trillion by 2011, $ 2 trillion by 2020, $ 3 trillion by 2025, $ 6 trillion by 2032,

$ 10 trillion by 2038, and $ 27 trillion by 2050,

becoming the 3rd largest economy after USA and China.

In terms of GDP, India will overtake Italy by the year 2016, France by 2019, UK by 2022, Germany by 2023,

and Japan by 2032.

Poverty (incidence)1980s 1990s 200044% 36% 26%

Education (literacy rate)1980s 1990s 200044% 52% 65%

Health (life expectancy-yrs.)1980s 1990s 2000

56 60 69

Progress during the last 20 years

India: Foreign Multi-National Companies

Top 5 American employers in India:

General Electric: : 17,800 employeesHewlett-Packard : 11,000 employeesIBM : 6,000 employeesAmerican Express : : 4,000 employeesDell : 3,800 employees

General Electric (GE) with $80 Million invested in India employs 16,000 staff, 1,600 R&D staff who are qualified with PhD’s and Master’s degrees.

The number of patents filed in USA by the Indian entities of some of the MNCs (up to September, 2002) are as follows: Texas Instruments - 225, Intel - 125, Cisco Systems - 120, IBM - 120, Phillips - 102, GE - 95.

Staff at the offices of Intel (India) has gone up from 10 to 1,000 in 4 years, and will reach 2000 staff by 2006.

GE's R&D centre in Bangalore is the company's largest research outfit outside the United States. The centre also devotes 20% of its resources on 5 to 10 year fundamental research in areas such as nanotechnology, hydrogen energy, photonics, and advanced propulsion.

It is estimated that there are 150,000 IT professionals in Bangalore as against 120,000 in Silicon Valley.

India: Technology Superpower

Over 100 Multi-National Companies have set up R&D facilities in India in the past five years. These include GE, Bell Labs, Du Pont, Daimler Chrysler, Eli Lilly, Intel, Monsanto, Texas Instruments, Caterpillar, Cummins, GM, Microsoft and IBM.

India’s telecom infrastructure between Chennai, Mumbai and Singapore, provides the largest bandwidth capacity in the world, with well over 8.5 Terabits (8.5Tbs) per second.

With more than 250 universities, 1,500 research institutions and 10,428 higher-education institutes, India produces 200,000 engineering graduates and another 300,000 technically trained graduates every year.

Besides, another 2 million other graduates qualify out in India annually.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is among the top three universities from which McKinsey & Company, the world's biggest consulting firm, hires most.

Indians abroad

The Co-Founder of Sun Microsystems (Vinod Khosla) Creator of Pentium Chip (Vinod Dahm), Founder and creator of Hotmail (Sabeer Bhatia), Chief Executive of McKinsey & Co. (Rajat Gupta)President and CFO of Pepsi Cola (Indra Nooyi)President of United Airlines (Rono Dutta)GM of Hewlett Packard (Rajiv Gupta)President and CEO of US Airways (Rakesh Gangwal)Chief Executive of CitiBank (Victor Menezes)

Chief Executives of Standard Chartered Bank (Rana Talwar) Chief Executive officer of Vodafone (Arun Sarin) President of AT & T-Bell Labs (Arun Netravali)

Vice-Chairman and founder of Juniper Networks (Pradeep Sindhu) Founder of Bose Audio (Amar Bose)

Founder, chip designer Cirrus Logic (Suhas Patil ) Chairman and CEO of Computer Associates (Sanjay Kumar)

Head of (HPC WorldWide) of Unilever Plc. (Keki Dadiseth) Chief Executive Officer of HSBC (Aman Mehta)

Director and member of Executive Board of Goldman Sachs (Girish Reddy)Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (Raghuram Rajan)

Former CTO of Novell Networks (Kanwal Rekhi)

A snapshot of Indians at the helm of leading Global businesses:

Indians in the U.S.

Of the 1.5M Indians living in the USA, 1/5th of them live in the Silicon Valley.

35% of Silicon Valley start-ups are by Indians.

Indian students are the largest in number among foreign students in USA.

Statistics show:

38% of doctors in the USA,

12% of scientists in the USA,

36% of NASA scientists,

34% of Microsoft employees,

28% of IBM employees,

17% of INTEL scientists,

13% of XEROX employees,

… are Indians

A treaty was signed on 6 January, 2004, establishing a South Asian Free Trade Area among the seven SAARC countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan,

Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives) in the region.

India committed to a South Asian Union as the ultimate objective, with mutual security cooperation, open borders and a single currency in Southern Asia in the

long run.

"The bonds of ethnicity and culture which hold together the peoples of this region are more enduring than

the barriers of political prejudice that have been erected quite recently.“

”….Friends, India is ready to do everything that is necessary, to walk as many extra miles as may be required, to make this vision a reality.”

Ex-Prime Minister, Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Dr Abdul Kalam, Past President of India, Father of India’s space, missile and satellite programme and

author of “India 2020 Vision”

“I have three visions for India.”

1. “ In 3000 years of our history people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands, conquered

our minds. From Alexander onwards. The Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the Portuguese, the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was ours.

Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them.

Why? Because we respect the freedom of others. That is why my first vision is that of FREEDOM.

I believe that India got its first vision of this in 1857, when we started the war of independence. It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and build on. If we are not free, no one will respect us. “

2. My second vision for India is DEVELOPMENT. For fifty years we have been a developing nation. It is time we see

ourselves as a developed nation. We are among top 5 nations of the world in terms of GDP. We have 10% growth rate in most areas. Our poverty levels are falling. Our achievements are being globally recognized today. Yet we lack the self-

confidence to see ourselves as a developed nation, self-reliant and self-assured.

3. I have a THIRD vision. India must stand up to the world. Because I believe that unless India stands up to the world, no

one will respect us. Only strength respects strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but also as an economic power. Both must go hand-in-hand.”

Dr. Singh is regarded as the architect of India's original economic reform program. His policies of economic liberalization, serving in his capacity as Finance Minister in the early 1990s,

brought the country back from a looming economic bankruptcy.

Now the country is enjoying record economic growth on the foundations laid by him.

Prime Minister for little over a year, and his remains a fairly popular government.

His image is of an intellectual, a political leader of integrity (a common public perception denounces virtually every other as corrupt and tainted), compassionate and attentive to common

people.

Singh's administration has focused on reducing the fiscal deficit, providing debt-relief to poor farmers, extending social programs and advancing the pro-industry economic and tax policies

that have launched the country on its major economic expansion course since 2002.

Fourteenth and Current Prime Minister of India

Dr. Manmohan Singh