A case study on a domestic violence intervention

A case study on a domestic violence intervention Working with Individuals AGENCY PROFILE The student social worker is placed with Bharatiya Mahila Federation (BMF). Bharatiya Mahila Federation (BMF) is an all-India organization women’s mass organization, working with the victims of Domestic Violence. BMF was established by many leaders including Aruna Asaf Ali. Mahila Samasya Nivaaran Kendras (Family Counseling Centers for Women) are located in Thane, Kalyan, and Bhiwandi. In the purview of socially relevant issues, it also takes care of the education of the slum children through a non-formal approach towards education, under the name of ‘Disha Classes’. BMF has vigorously campaigned against female foeticide. It is also working in tandem with Malati Vaidya Trust to start a Resource Center in Ganeshwadi, Badlapur. The student works with the Family Counselling Center in Thane. The center is run by para-professionals, some of whom were themselves victims at some point in time. CASE For the purpose of explanation of the various aspects of working with individuals, the student will like to mention the case of a 30 year old women named Sanaa (name changed). Sanaa is Muslim by religion and was married off at the age of 26 as her husband’s second wife. He remarried after giving divorce to his first wife. Sanaa is residing with her parents, brother and sister-in-law in Mumbra. She has four children. The first two are twin daughters and one of them named Aalia(name changed) is intellectually challenged because of the injuries inflicted on Sanaa during pregnancy. The other daughter named Nazia was forcefully taken away by her father Khalid with him since unlike the first daughter she is normal. Clearly, the father has left the entire responsibility of the child who is intellectually- challenged on the mother, without giving any maintenance from his side. The third child, who is a boy, Naseer (name changed), is physically challenged and can’t walk normally . The fourth child, Ali, is 7 months and is chronically ill has been hospitalized many times. Sanaa approached the agency’s Family Counselling Centre. She complained of being beaten up by her husband, brother-in-law and sister-in-law and the atrocities committed against her at the time of her pregnancy. Due to the injuries, she had a miscarriage the first time she got pregnant. The agency wanted the trainee to do a home-visit and verify the facts. The home visit revealed that the client is staying in a chawl in unhygienic conditions. The trainee interviewed the client and her mother. Her husband has refused to accept her and the children back and wants a divorce, but Sanaa wants to stay with him. Her husband has put a condition that he will let her come back only if she and her family give in writing that they will not file a police complaint against him and will not approach any NGO/agency for further help as they did earlier. Sanaa wants to be with him despite all the physical and mental tortures that her husband makes her go through. She does not wish to burden her parents with her and her children’s responsibility. As far as her education his concerned, she has obtained education till the secondary level. Before marriage, she used to teach kids of the primary level. The trainee tried to counsel her that staying with her husband would not change h er conditions. Instead she should file a case on him demanding maintenance for herself and her kids. The trainee also suggested that she takes up a job. Before a case could be filed, the trainee paid a visit to her husband to come for a meeting at the agency but he refused to all efforts of negotiation and said that he will confront her directly in the court. Later on, when the student called her up to know her decision about filing the case, she said she was ready to go ahead with it. Hence, she was asked to come for the meeting with the agency’s advocate on the given date. The advocate asked the trainee to submit Sanaa’s case history so that the petition could be filed in the court. The student social worker also figured out that Sanaa’s case has a lot of scope of medical intervention apart from assistance at the legal level. While the trainee was planning the further course of action for the case, the client took up a teaching job in a neighbourhood school in her locality. This indeed came as a happy news for the trainee as it reflected that mere triggering an idea can actually motivate the client to help herself. The client was also encouraged to further continue her studies. For the medical help for Sanaa’s kids, the trainee decided to take them to a BMC Hospital. After waiting in the queue for two-and-half hours outside the OPD for Skin Diseases, Naseer was diagnosed, medicines were prescribed and the doctor asked to bring him in the coming week for follow-up. The prescribed medicines were not available in the hospital’s pharmacy. So, the medicines were bought from outside. Naseer was also examined for his swollen abdomen. The doctor told that there is a doubt of him suffering from Langerhans cell Histiocytosis (LCH) and hence he needs to be admitted. Sanaa was apprehensive about admitting Naseer, since she would not be able to afford it. The trainee could observe an expression of fear on her face. It was time for the trainee to counsel her about the urgent need to get her son admitted. On the way back home, while talking to the client, the trainee found out that Sanaa’s mother wants her to quit the teaching job since its taking a l ot of her time and it becomes difficult for her mother to handle three kids when Sanaa’s is out for work in the afternoon school. As an alternative, her mother had suggested her to take up tailoring work. For the same, she expressed the need for a sewing machine. So now, there was a need to look for a donor for Naseer’s treatment and for the machine. The supervisor suggested that Sanaa’s case can be referred to another organization who is involved into such kind of work. After brainstorming, the trainee decided to refer Sanaa’s case to MESCO – an organization in Mumbra. The visit to MESCO turned out to be quite fruitful. In the meeting with its representatives, it was planned that the after submitting required documents the financial assistance would be provided for Naseer’s treatment. However, one constraint was that MESCO provides help only on first three days of every month so the trainee had to really pace up the process of arranging all the documents. For Sanaa’s tailoring venture, the representative mentioned that she will have to appear for a skill test after which she would be given a sewing machine. The documentation process can actually kill a lot of time and the trainee already had limited one in hand, since the end of the field work for the year was approaching. After running from post-to-post for one signature from the doctor at the hospital, trainee had a cost certificate in hand which turned out to be of no use since the social worker at the hospital asked to get another one for the total estimated cost of treatment, running around for which was postponed to another week by the doctor. In the meantime, the student was struggling with herself as to find a way to convince the client to get her son admitted. Every week he was falling ill and the medicine for the skin disease seemed to have an effect only in the first week. Follow-ups to the doctor after that did not make much of a difference. This led the trainee to ponder as to why this was happening and the speculation was that it is possible that the skin disease could be a symptom of LCH. After reading up on LCH, the doub t was confirmed. For weeks, Naseer was being treated for the symptom! But now the field work year was over! So what should one do in such a situation? The client cannot be left midway in the helping process. It raises a lot of ethical issues. STAGES IN WORKING WITH INDIVIDUALS 1. Social Study 2. Social Assessment 3. Intervention 4. Termination 5. Evaluation The initial description of the case is clearly a Social Study of Sanaa’s case. Social Study is a systematic study of the client and her/his circumstances in relation to her/his problem Information is collected and organised with regard to the following: Problems (the initially stated problem and associated problems if any), Age, sex, marital status, Educational qualification, Nature of employment, income, Health conditions, Personality features, Home and neighbourhood, Family constellation, Family history (significant events, attitudes,relationships, etc.). Sanaa’s case was constantly assessed for the purpose of necessary intervention. Each course of action had to be simultaneously evaluated to check for loopholes. However, the case cannot be called to have reached the termination. But the intervention done so far has proved to be be fruitful to the extent that Sanaa took up a job on her when encouraged and motivated. The trainee could locate an organization who could p rovide her with a machine for starting tailoring work and fund the treatment of her child. Naseer did receive some OPD treatment, which revealed the need for a long term treatment. The trainee was also able to facilitate the process of providing legal assistance to the client. TOOLS TECHNIQUES Tools can be defined as the ways through which a particular profession, occupation or form of trade is practiced. In social casework, tools are the means of establishing and developing contact with the clients. Through casework tools, one can have access to the information about the client, her concerns, her family, her environment. The student made use of all the five casework tools, namely, Listening, Observation, Relationship, Home-Visit and Interview. According to Grace Mathew, the last three tools mentioned here, are the channels to make the casework techniques operative. Mathew has defined casework techniques as the systematic procedures of helping. These are- Acceptance, Assurance, Facilitation of Expression of Feelings, ,Allaying overpowering feelings, Accrediting and Building Self-Confidence, Encouragement and Reassurance, Being with the Client, Emotional Support, Action-Oriented Support. Then Grace Mathew listed down certain other techniques for the purpose of enhancing res ources. These are – Providing or Procuring Material Help, Change of Physical Environment, Enhancing Information and Knowledge. There are also techniques for changing the internal processes- Counselling techniques (Reflective Discussion, Advice, Motivation, Clarification, and Correcting Perception), Anticipatory Guidance, Modelling, Role Playing, Reality Orientation, Remove Guilt Feelings and using them constructively, Interpretation, Partialisation, Universalisation, Setting Limits, Confrontation, Reaching Out, Renewing Family Links, Improving Communication Patterns, Changing Attitudes. Listening as a tool is effective only if it is active and attentive to understand the client’s emotions and to know what she/he is conveying. Effective listening is facilitated by maintaining an eye contact with the client. Distractions, wool gathering and selective listening obstruct the listening process. Observation is used in casework to note the client’s facial expression, body language and signs of uneasiness in the process of interaction with the client. Relationship between the worker an the client is a professional one and is positive in nature. The positivity of the relationship is manifest in the rapport the caseworker has with the client. Home Visit is an instrument, which enables the social worker to verify the facts of the case being handled. It also conveys a message to the client about the social worker’s interest in his/her welfare. Sometimes home-visits can be be highly revealing and at times, may change the shape of the course. The facts me be turned upside down. Interview facilitates face-to-face interaction between the caseworker and the client. The objectives in such an interaction are to obtain information from the client or to impart some to the client, to study and assess the situation of the client’s problem unique to her/him and to give assistance. Drawing from the above case, first of all the caseworker had to evoke the confidence of the client since the constant victimization to the domestic violence had made her doubt her own capabilities. The client had to be told that she can regain her lost confidence by keeping herself busy and taking up a job. She was encouraged and motivated enough to take up the teaching job again. The caseworker has been working towards making provision for material help for the treatment of kids and for the required equipment so that she can take up tailoring work at home. The caseworker did a lot of advocacy work in Sanaa’s case such as visiting the hospital for procuring the certificate, meeting with the referral organization’s representatives for seeking financial assistance for the client. Many counseling techniques as Correcting Perception, Advice, Removing Guilt Feelings, Universalisation were made use of. In the beginning, when the Home-Visit was made the caseworker advised Sana a on the way to come out of her situation, how the agency would facilitate the process. When her son was taken for treatment, so due to waiting in the long queues and the whole documentation process of OPD treatment, Sanaa started feeling guilty that why did she marry in the first place, had she not married she would not have had to face such problems. In such a situation, she had to be told that marriage was not the fault and she does not need to be guilty about something for which she is not responsible. She was married off to a man, the background and other details of whom were not at all confirmed by her family. As it came to the caseworker’s amazement while talking to the client’s mother, the latter used to see a girl frequently in the locality and got acquainted with her and on her proposal, married off her daughter to her brother. When the caseworker asked the client to get an income proof from her school, without which she would not have received financial assistance from the referral organization, she did not do so for weeks despite repeated reminders. The social worker had to then step in and find out what the matter was and what came out was that she had a misconception about it. The client th ought that if she would submit an income proof, then she would not be provided any help since, according to her, they may think if she is earning then she does not need help. The caseworker then had to correct her perception that the income proof is a formality and because her income is meager to afford the treatment of her son she would definitely be provided with financial assistance. Once the client was very thwarted with herself. At that time, the caseworker brought to light the examples of many other woman who have been and who are in worse situation than hers. THEORETICAL APPROACHES USED The student trainee made use of the Empowerment and Advocacy Approach. It has been said that empowerment seeks to help clients gain power of decision and action over their own lives by reducing the effect of social or personal blocks to existing power, by increasing capacity and self-confidence to use power and by transferring power from the environment to clients. Advocacy seeks to represent the interests of the powerless clients to powerful individuals and structures. For Furlong, empowerment is an essential objective of casework because it avoids a crude polarization of social action and individualized perspectives, placing work with individuals and families in a context of concern for social objectives. In 1994, Anderson et al, presented a model of empowerment for social development in Africa concerned with the five dimensions of practice: personal, social, educational, economic and political. These dimensions are intertwined with each other and looking at them so allows people t o meet individual needs (personal power), improve their capacity to influence others (interpersonal power), which in turn creates an ability to influence the power distribution more widely (political power). Rees came up with a set of ideas with regard to empowerment, viz., a) biography b) power c) Political understanding d) Skills e) Interdependence of Policy and Practice. For Rees, the basic aim of empowerment is social justice, greater security, political and social equality to people, through mutual support and shared learning. Kondrat emphasized upon the value of local knowledge, specifically the one coming from the clients. One intricacy of advocacy lies in the duality of its interrelated meanings of ‘representation’. The representation in advocacy is in term of the acting and arguing for the interests of the clients. However, for Phillip (1979), advocacy entails ‘representation’ in terms of interpreting and displaying the value of clients to the powe rful groups in the society. Advocacy, in part, is said to be an aspect of empowerment, since it can be used to argue for resources, or change the interpretation which powerful groups make of clients. Anderson’s model of empowerment was crucial for application in Sanaa’s case, since socio-economic, personal and educational aspects were focused upon at the level of assessment as well as intervention. The caseworker also made use of Rees’s understanding of empowerment in terms of the Skill enhancement. The client’s tailoring skills was tapped on to enable her choose a suitable livelihood option. Advocacy work was also done by initiating the process of legal assistance and facilitating the process of financial assistance by MESCO. CHALLENGES, DILEMMAS RESISTANCE One of the challenges encountered was that not all three kids could be taken for consultation together since no one from the client’s family could accompany her to the hospital. So there was a lack in terms of human resources. Social Case Work Practice is a huge responsibility, especially when any form of medical intervention is involved, especially, when one’s target system involves infants. Another challenge was the unavailability of the prescribed medicines in municipal hospital’s pharmacy. Those who cannot afford to buy the expensive medicines from outside are not even able to start the treatment. At the macro level, this remains a big loophole in the health care sector of the country. It is an obstacle for the low-income group in accessing health care services. This also paralyses the government health care sector at a very basic level. Looking for a donor or an organisation where Sanaa’s case could be referred for another challenge. The biggest ethical dilemma was about the leaving the treatment process midway. The follow-up in the case is being planned to overcome the dilemma. The client has been very resistant to the idea of admitting the child in the hospital despite repeated reassurance that the financial assistance would be taken care of.

The Longest Day :: essays research papers

The Longest Day Few of God's miracles cause protests in the "scientific" community like the account of Joshua's long day - when God made the sun and moon to stand still. But science and modern technology have done more to verify this phenominal biblical fact than they have to refute it. Common sense would say it is impossible for such a major disruption to occur and not totally destroy the precise, perfect balance in the solar system. But given a God, who created the heavens and the earth, who established the rotation of the planets and stars to the fraction of a second, making the earth stop rotating for 24 hours is not such a difficult task. Yet, computer scientists in the space program and mathematicians - one a former professor at Yale University - have discovered that a whole day has been unaccountably added in time. The positions of the moon, sun, and planets have to be calculated precisely for all space shots to avoid problems in establishing the satellite's orbit. The orbit has to be calculated for the life of the satellite to avoid its running into something else in space. Using computers, scientists can tell the exact location of the planets and their moons for years into the future. By the same means, they have been able to backtrack and determine these specific locations in the past. It was during one such search that the extra day appeared. From various accounts of the incident, it appears that something "did not compute." The extra day was just there. There was no computer malfunction; there was no explanation for the interruption of normal time patterns. When this apparent error appeared and no explanation was forthcoming, one of the scientists related that he had studied in Sunday School about time standing still. A preposterous idea to scientists, but faced with no other explanation, they asked him to show them the story. In the story in the tenth chapter of the book of Joshua, Joshua had asked God to make the sun and moon stand still to enable Joshua to defeat his enemies. Joshua 10:13 says, "And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies... So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day." There was the extra day that science couldn't account for. But scientists are more exact than that. The term, "about a whole day" was not close enough for them. They rechecked their computers, going back to the time when the story was

British Empire and India Essay

India is located in southern Asia. India borders Pakistan, China, Nepal, and Bangladesh. Pakistan is on the northwest border. China and Nepal are on the northern border. Bangladesh is on the northeastern border. More than half of India is surrounded by the Indian Ocean. Climate, Weather, and Seasons India has one of the most diverse climates in the world. It has monsoons, to very hot weather, all the way to the snowy Himalayan Mountains. A monsoon is a wind that changes direction with the change of seasons. Monsoons also bring rain which can cause flooding and other disasters. Monsoons almost only happen in the Indian Ocean. But at the same time, the monsoons are very helpful, because they give the people of India their water to irrigate their crops, growing their crops, and for drinking water for the people of India. India has three main seasons. Their seasons are the rainy season which is from June-October, the Indian Winter which is from November-January, and the Humid Heat from April-May. The monsoons usually come through in April-October. Major Landforms The Himalayan Mountains is a mountain range that goes through India. Himalaya means House of Snow in Sanskrit. They go east to west for 1,500 miles making three mountain ranges between India and Tibet. They are the highest and youngest mountains in the world. The Indo-Gangetic Plain is a flat area of land. The Plain is where the Ganges River runs through. It covers 300,000 square miles of northern India. It has some of the most fertile soil in the country of India. The Thar Desert is a sandy region that covers 100,394 square miles of land. It only receives ten inches of rain in one year. Camels are very important in the desert because they need some way of transportation. The Southern Peninsula separates northern India and Southern India. These mountains are about 4000 feet high, not nearly as tall as the Himalaya. The Eastern Ghats, The Western Ghats, and the Vindhya Range form, the Deccan Plateau. There is water everywhere on the Southern Peninsula. It has many rivers. Major Rivers, Lakes, Seas, and Other Bodies of Water One of the most famous rivers in the world is the Ganges River and the Ganges is located in India. The Ganges River is very important in the Hindu Religion, because they are supposed to bathe in the River at least once in their lives. It is located in northern India and goes almost all the way across India. The Bay of Bengal is a bay bordering almost the entire eastern border of India. It also borders Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Myanmar. It merges with the Padma Delta. Also, many rivers flow into the Bay of Bengal. Although, because of the monsoons the northern coast of the bay is losing its people. The Arabian Sea borders India, The Arabian Peninsula, Iran, and Pakistan. The Indus River is the most important river that flows into the Arabian Sea. It is a very large principle in India and Europe’s trading. Significant, Unusual, or Unique Geographic Features of the Country India is a subcontinent of Asia. A subcontinent is a large landmass that is usually attached to a continent. India also has 4,000 miles of pure coastline. The Indian Ocean is what makes up the 4,000 miles. History of India Pre-History One of the first civilizations in India settled around 2,500 B.C. That civilization lived in central and southern India. They were called the Dravidians. The descendants of the Dravidians still live in southern India today. Another early civilization was called the Aryans. They were there from about 1,500-200 B.C. The word Aryans means â€Å"noble ones.† They invaded the Dravidians and made them go farther south. Some of the Dravidians stayed with the Aryans and lived the Aryan lifestyle. In return the Aryans would use some of the Dravidians customs. The Aryans also invented the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest languages in the world. They also set up the Caste System. They started the Hindu religion and wrote the Vedas, which is the most important book of the Hindu scriptures. Ancient Empires Two hundred years before Alexander the Great invaded a kingdom was forming. They were known as the Maurya’s. The first ruler of this empire was Chandragupta. They ruled for about 140 years. They had a big army, a government, and tax collection. But in 184 B.C. the empire fell apart. In A.D. 319 a king named Chandragupta I founded the Gupta Empire. Chandragupta II was his grandson and during his reign was the peak of their empire. He reigned from 330-375. Chandragupta II also invented the concept of zero and figured out that the world was round. The Gupta Empire ended in 550 because the White Huns conquered them. Invasions and Exploration In 518 B.C. the Persian King Darius conquered both the Indus Valley and West Punjab. In 327 B.C Alexander the Great of Macedonia defeated and overthrew Darius III and the defeated king Porus and marched to the Beas River. The Indians were so fierce that Alexander was so weak that him and his troops had to go back home. In 977 bandit raids of Muslims came into India. Then in 1192 the Muslims marched in again and conquered some land. They built there capitol at present day Delhi. When the Muslims were conquering they destroyed many Hindu temples and statues, but when they were settled there were very few problems between the Hindu’s and Muslims. Marco Polo was one of the first Europeans to set foot in India. He became a favorite to Kublai Khan, who sent him on expeditions all around Asia including India. In India Marco Polo was amazed by the wealth of India. He gave Europe their information about India, which only made them want India’s riches. Mughal Empire In 1526 the Mongols invaded northern India and made the Mughal Empire. Their leader was called Babur. The Mughal Empire’s land was northern India, parts of southern India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Their capitols were Agra and Delhi. The Mongols did not get rid of the ways of life before them, and for the Hindu’s protection they made them pay taxes. The local government was in charge of the people that lived there. The Mongols were the ones to build the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. Akbar was considered their best ruler, because he combined military ability with religious tolerance and some culture, he had lively discussions with all religions, and he also prevented taxes. Revolts inside and outside of the kingdom weakened the empire and by the 1800’s the empire had fallen. British India East India Trading Company By the early nineteenth century Great Britain controlled almost all of India. The East India Trading Company was the administration of India. The company was ruled by either the government or generals, all whom which Britain had chosen. They actually only controlled half of India. The other half was controlled by an Indian princess whom had pledged loyalty to Great Britain. British Changes in India Great Britain caused many changes for India. They built school, hospitals, paved roads, and they built the railway system in India. They also invented the Indian Civil Service; which was a way for Indians to be employed. But, they also passed the Permanent Settlement Act of 1793, is a law that says if you can not pay your taxes for your land, your land will be taken away. Lord Cornwallis passed a law that prevents Indians from high posts in the government. Also, because of the Industrial Revolution in England, the cloth from England was sent to India so that the expensive cloth in India stopped being purchased and many craftspeople went out of business. In 1857 the Indians rebelled and many people died. In 1858 the uprising was over, the East India Trading Company lost control over India and the British government took control. British Raj After the Sepoy Mutiny the British rule was at its peak. Queen Victoria was named Empress of India in 1877. The British people gloried over their rule of the Indians. At this time the Indians began to want their own country without the British in control. The India National Congress was formed in 1885. At first the Congress was just a little group of people that met and talked about what they would like to do in India, but then it turned into a big group of people which often and openly opposed British rule. In 1906 the Muslims started a group called the All-India Muslim League. This group fought for the rights of Muslims. The British had two strong forces against them at this point. Independence Around 1915 a new leader emerged, his name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi was a lawyer from a wealthy Hindu family. In 1915 Gandhi returned from South Africa. He dedicated his life to fighting for India’s independence. Gandhi used a method called Satyagraha, which means nonviolent in Hindi. Instead of physically fighting he would do things like peaceful marches, hunger strikes, and refusing to buy British goods. In 1919 the British army fired on a peaceful protest and killed 400 Indians and injured 1,200 Indians. The massacre turned almost the entire world against British rule. Many leaders such as Gandhi and Nehru were put in prison for their peaceful resistance. In 1935 the British passed the Government of India Act, which said that it was possible that later on they could be self-governed. On August 15, 1947 the Indians celebrated their first independence day. Muslims also wanted their own land away from the Indians, so the British gave them East and West Pakistan. However, the Muslims and Hindu’s broke into riots. Gandhi was very upset about the riots so he went and spoke his peaceful word to different parts of India hoping that the riots would stop. Some Hindu’s thought Gandhi was being too sympathetic to the Muslims and one of those people shot Gandhi on January 30, 1948. Modern India The people had won their independence, but they wanted even more freedom. On January 26, 1950 India became the first republic of the British Commonwealth. Jawaharlal Nehru was already the prime minister of India. He planned to introduce modern methods of technology, hoping that he would raise a standard living for all Indians. Nehru tried to keep India at peace with the world, but they had a few problems with neighboring countries. In 1966 Nehru’s daughter became India’s third prime minister. Her name was Indira Gandhi (she was not related to Mohandas Gandhi.) In 1971 she led the victory over Pakistan. This war granted East Pakistan from West Pakistan. India was now considered the most powerful country in the south. Although, she lost her position as prime minister in 1977 because of the price of goods going up, she came back into power 1980. Then she was assassinated by her own bodyguards, because of the way she treated the Sikhs most holy place. After she was killed her son, Rajiv Gandhi, took her place. He introduced more technology to India, which made them closer to the rest of the world. In 1991 he was assassinated by terrorists at an election rally. India is achieving more than anyone could imagine India could and they are on a good path for the future. Government and Politics Type of Government and Organization India is a democracy country. India has three branches of law, legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The Executive Branch consists of president and prime minister. The president is Pratibha Patil and the prime minister is Manmohan Singh. The legislative branch consists of the Council of States or the Rajya Sabha. The Judicial Branch is considered the Supreme Court. Their political parties are the Congress Party and the BJP (Bahujan Samaj Party.) Political Divisions India has twenty-eight states and seven union territories. India also has local village councils. Local Village Councils are groups of people in a village that are part of that council. Population and Demographics India has about 1.2 billion people. India is 72% Indo-Aryan, 25% Dravidian, 3% Mongoloid and other. India is 80.5% Hindu, 13.4% Muslim, 2.3% Christian, 1.9% Sikh, and 1.8% other. Major Cities and Areas of Population Mumbai (Bombay) is one of India’s major cities with 15 million people. Kolkata (Calcutta) is another major city with 12 million people. Delhi is also a major city with 11.3 million people. Military Forces and Other Foreign Relations India’s military branches are the Army, Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force. In India there is a city named Kashmir. Kashmir is mostly in India but partially in Pakistan. Pakistan and India have been fighting over Kashmir for a very long time and they have had wars over it and many people have died. India is also part of the British Commonwealth and does a lot of trading with the British. National Symbols and Anthems India’s National Anthem is the Jana-gana-mana Economy Agriculture 65% of India’s people are farmers. The largest amount of land a farmer gets is 2 acres and many farmers get below 1 acre. They have to grow enough food to feed their family and to sell to others. Rice is one of India’s most important crops. Rice is usually planted in flooded paddy fields because rice needs a lot of water to be able to grow. Wheat is another important crop grown all over India. Tea is one of India’s largest exports. It is grown on vast plantations in the hills. About 1.5 billion pounds of tea are picked each year and about 800,000 pounds are exported each year. Another important crop is coffee. Also many fruits are grown in India. Some of those fruits are pineapples, mangoes, coconuts, watermelons, oranges, bananas, papayas, grapes, and apples. Manufacturing and Industry The textile industry was one of the first industries to come into India. India’s textile industry is the 2nd largest in the world. Textile is a fabric that has been woven. In India the textile industry is the most important in the world. Another important industry is mining. Coal is the main item India mines. Another important mining item is iron, but coal is the most important in their industry world. India also has an industry in car building. They build their cars for people all over the world. India also wants to have good cars to drive so they also make it for you. Business India has always been the most desired call center area, because call centers in India offer advantages that other countries don’t. India has been able to meet the international demand for call centers by providing cost-effective services and customer-oriented services. India’s type of money is called a rupee. In India everything is bought with rupees. 95% of India’s businesses are family-run. Family businesses in India started in the 1890’s. These businesses started mainly because of the freedom movement, in protest to buying British trade. Trade India’s main trading partners are China and the United States of America. India’s main exports are petroleum products, textile goods, gems, jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, and leather manufactures. India’s main imports are crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, and chemicals. Types of Transportation Trains are one of the most important ways Indians get around. India has a very large and complex railway system. Each train has cars according to different classes. Buses are another way to travel in India. Buses are usually very crowded. They are so crowded many people ride on top of the buses to have room. India also has airways and waterways. Culture People, Language, and Religion In India there is 72% Indo-Aryan, 25% Dravidian, and Mongoloid and other tribal groups 3%. India’s main language is Hindi. There are many other languages such as Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, etc. Also most Indians speak English, because of the British peoples influence. India is 80.5% Hindu, 13.4% Muslim, 2.3% Christian, 1.9% Sikh, 1.8% other, and 0.1% unspecified. Cuisine Curry is India’s main ingredient in their food. Curry is an Indian spice used in most of India food. In South India they have Dosas. Dosas look like an American omelet or pancake. They are fried on a large flat skillet and eaten when they are very hot. But, instead of being served on a plate they are served on a leaf. They call it Meal on a Leaf. In the Hindu religion they think cows are sacred so they do not eat beef. Dress and Customs An Indian woman wears a proper dress called a sari. Saris wrap around your body tightly but are loose at the bottom so you can walk. Indians also have something called a caste system which is basically something to put people in certain classes. The lowest class is called untouchables. No other classes are aloud to make any physical contact with the untouchables, because they are considered unclean. The next class up is the servants and slaves. Next are the farmers and merchants. Next are the rulers and warriors. Then on top are the priests. Hindu weddings are usually long and beautiful. It’s an all day affair with a party and dancing. Then by the end of the day they are finally married. If a Hindu dies they are to be cremated. After they are made into ashes they throw the ashes to the wind. To show their grief they shave their heads and wear white, the color of mourning. Indians are all supposed to bathe in the Ganges River at least once in their life; it is part of the Hindu religion. Education When Indians are young they go to village schools. Most Indians don’t go to school. Village Schools are very small and simple. They do a lot of their learning outside because most don’t have indoor classrooms. There are 130 universities in India and more people are starting to go to college. Music, Art, and Literature The Sitar is the most important instrument in the North. It looks like a guitar but smaller and rounded at the bottom. It is very popular in Indian music. The Vedas is the most important book in the Hindu religion. It is their scriptures and their Bible. Textiles are beautifully woven cloths. They make them in India on the streets and in factories, although, it is very expensive. Jewelry is decorative and symbolic in India. Most women wear bangles around their wrists and they where many other jewelry pieces. Architecture Ruins dot the Indian countryside. India has some of the largest ruin sites in the world. There are also many Mughal buildings. Mughal buildings are distinguished by the arched doorways and windows, minarets, domes, and decorations carved into the wall and covered in gemstones. The British also built many buildings in India. Science, Inventions, and Innovations India’s greatest contribution to mathematics is probably the concept of the number zero. Also, they came up with concept of infinity. They had maps of the stars and contributed a lot to astronomy. Holidays, Sports, Entertainment, and Leisure Activities The four major holidays in India are New Years Day, Republic Day, Independence Day, and Gandhi’s Birthday. A major sport in India is cricket. Bollywood is where all of India’s movies are made. Many people watch Bollywood movies. Many people in India like fling kites. Famous People Gandhi Gandhi was a Hindu man who believed in a free India and peace. He was a strong and independent person. Many people believed in him. He was born in October 2, 1869. He lived his whole life fighting for his country and the people. He had a tragic death on January 30, 1948; he was shot by a Hindu fanatic. He died with pride and the assurance that his country was independent. Nehru When Gandhi was alive Nehru was his assistant in a way. He was the first prime minister of India. He believed in making India more modern and bringing in modern technology. He contributed a lot to his country, but he died in 1964. Indira Gandhi Indira Gandhi was the third prime minister of India. She was Nehru’s daughter. She believed in helping the rural areas and she loved helping children. She was a very popular prime minister, until things started being more costly. Then, she lost her job as prime minister, but regained her position back. Later, she was assassinated. It was a tragic death but she helped her country in many ways. Famous Places Taj Mahal Shah Jahan had the Taj Mahal built in memory to his favorite wife. It was like her tomb or memorial. It was built in the Mughal period. It is a very complex building. It was never finished. The Taj Mahal is a very popular tourist spot and it is one of India’s most famous place to people all around the world. The Red Fort The Red Fort was also built during the Mughal period. It was originally called the Mughal fort, but because of its red sandstone walls it was called the Red Fort. Inside of the walls are palaces, barracks, gardens, and other buildings. It is a major tourist attraction as well. Gir National Park Gir National Park is a forest and a wildlife refuge. It was established in 1965 to protect nature and wildlife. It is one of the most protected areas in Asia because of the animals in it. It is a place for animals to roam free in their natural habitat while being protected. Many tourist can go see it but can’t disturb the animals.

Principles Of The Electoral College - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1023 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/05/23 Category Politics Essay Level High school Tags: Electoral College Essay Did you like this example? The Electoral College During the heated and dramatic election of 2016, Donald Trump lost the popular vote in the presidential election by a record-breaking three million votes. According to the United States House of Representatives, Five times a candidate has won the popular vote and lost the election. Andrew Jackson in 1824 (to John Quincy Adams); Samuel Tilden in 1876 (to Rutherford B. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Principles Of The Electoral College" essay for you Create order Hayes); Grover Cleveland in 1888 (to Benjamin Harrison); Al Gore in 2000 (to George W. Bush); Hillary Clinton in 2016 (to Donald J. Trump). (Electoral College Fast Facts). Whether or not you are a fan of President Trump, it is unfortunately clear that everyday citizens votes do not hold much power. The Electoral College is an unfair way of deciding the next president. To better understand the issue of the Electoral College, we will discuss what it is including the definition and its purpose, as well as its history. It is important to note first that the Electoral College is a process and not a place. According to Merriam and Webster, the definition of Electoral College is, a body of people representing the states of the US, who formally cast votes for the election of the president and vice president. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Each of the people in this body is referred to as an elector. While many people believe that when they cast their vote in a presidential election, they are directly determining who will become president, they are actually determining which electors will participate in voting for the president. In the Electoral College process, electors are nominated and selected for each presidential candidate. These electors are usually hand-picked by the candidates themselves, or by high ranking officials in the candidaters political party. Each state sends one elector for each senator and congress-person from that state. For instance, the state of Iowa always sends six electors to the Electoral College. There are 538 total electors in each presidential election. A candidate needs to receive a majority vote of least 270 electoral votes to win office. In most states, the candidate that gets the majority of votes gets to send all of their electors to the Electoral College. This is referred to as all or nothing. Only two states divides the electors based upon the proportion of the vote that each candidate won. About a month after election day, the electors meet and present their electoral votes along with the winner of the presidency and vice presidency. Each state gets an elector for each of its people in congress. According to the National Archives and Records Administration, Big states like Texas end up with 38 electors while small and low populated states like Vermont, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and D.C. get 3 electors. (Distribution of Electoral Votes). There is no federal law requiring electors to vote for their party or candidate. Very rarely an elector will go against their party, and against what the majority of people in their state voted. This is rare because of the fact that electors are almost always chosen from amongst people who very staunchly support their candidate and party. The founding fathers created this idea and put it into effect during the late 1700rs. The founding fathers main reason for creating the Electoral College was because at that time, the population was small and more evenly spread out between the colonies. The founding fathers believed that a good number of citizens, especially ones living in remote or rural areas, did not know the candidates qualifications. Therefore, they decided, they would not be able to make an educated vote in the presidential and vice-presidential elections. They only wanted input from people that would be affected most by the changing president and their policies and procedures. They were also worried about the unfair influence in the south due to slavery. Today, the Electoral College is an antiquated concept, and is no longer fair or necessary. Presidential candidates focus most of their attention on large states with a high number of electors. They do not care or put much effort into trying to win states with small numbers of electors because they will be less helpful in the battle for Electoral votes. People who live in those states with three and four electors dont end up getting the representation that they deserve. Unfortunately, this process gives voters in states with more Electors a lot more power than voters in states with less Electors. There are also a lot of trends that happen with the Electoral College. With the all or nothing approach that most states use, many people feel like their vote goes to waste since only one party gets all the votes for the state. This may make people less likely to cast a vote. According to Edwin D. Doverrs book, The Disputed Presidential Election Of 2000 The size of victory in any one state is not of particular importance to the final outcome of a presidential election (32). So with the all or nothing approach, margins are not important. A win is a win, and a loss is a loss. The Electoral college system/process is a very impactful system for our country. The Electoral College impacts everyone in one way or another. Poor decisions made by the winners of these disputed elections have directly and indirectly affected everyone. It can discourage voters from voting in states with few electors, or in states where there is a long trend of the opposite party winning. In my opinion, this is not what our forefathers intended when forming this government as a democracy. With the modern media and technology, the people of this country are much more educated and aware about the issues, and about where candidates stand. There is no need for these practices from the late 1780rs which were based on circumstances that were very different. After seeing months and months of political ads that at times seem ugly and harass people to vote a certain way, the last thing you would want to find out is that your vote didnt really even count in the end. The Electoral College is a heavily outdated process that is unfair to a large part of the population.