Saturday, June 30, 2012

Life of Pi: Chapter 29

http://i1.cpcache.com/product/123395034/the_straw_tile_coaster.jpg?height=225&width=225
What were some of the national issues in India in the 1970s? Do a search and share what you find.

Great sentence: "The camel at the zoo was unfazed, but that straw broke Father's back."

Have you ever been uprooted by your family and forced to move away? What was the most difficult part for you?

17 comments:

Megan Johnson said...

During the 1970s, India was faced with economic and social problems. Many of these problems rooted from the ruling of Indira Ghandi. She was accused and found guilty of misusing government machinery for election purposes. People led strikes because they wanted Mrs. Ghandi to resign immediately. The strikes and public protests led to a disruption in India's economy and administration. Mrs. Ghandi then declared to President Ahmed that India should be in a state of emergency. This allowed the government to assume total power. Mrs. Ghandi said the state in which India was in was for security purposes and she suspended many civil liberties from the people and even postponed elections. In the end, almost 1,000opposition political leaders and activists were imprisoned and strikes and public protests were outlawed. When I was in 5th grade, I was forced to move from Monroe to Bedford. Although it is only a 20 minute distance, I was forced to leave all of my friends and some of my family. I would have to say the hardest part for me was making new friends and being accepted as the new kid. Although it was tough and hard on me, I am glad I moved because I enjoy living in Bedford.

Unknown said...

Under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, India was faced with many social and economic problems. On June 12, 1975, Mrs. Ghandi's election was voided due to charges of electoral malpractice. She decided to appeal to the Supreme Court, and the judge found her guilty of dishonest election practices, excessive election spending, and using government machinery and officials to aid her party. She did not believe the verdict undermined her ability to act as prime minister. Gandhi and her cabinet recommended to the President of India issue a State of Emergency. This caused the central government to gain absolute power. It caused public censorship and the imrisonment of 100,000 people.
My parents got divorced when I was in 4th grade, and my mom got remarried when I was in 7th grade. I was forced to move in to my new house with my mom and my step dad. At first I had trouble with the move because it was so abrupt. I didn't have time to get used to the house I would have to call home. I constantly would have to call my mom trying to figure out where certain stuff was kept. I also had trouble dealing with the new rules, like "No eating in the living room." The odorous dogs also took time to get used to. In the end, I am glad I got to move into such a nice house with such nice people.

Liz Joyce said...

As America was striving with the prosperity of music and the rise of Hollywood, India was facing devastating times. India was experiencing famine, the invasion of China, and the deflation of currency (rupee). India experienced economic change when Indira Gandhi took charge. As a leader she aided Pakistani, separated congress, and created peaceful means with other countries. Indira Gandhi also created a revolution to stop the chronic food shortages in India. At the height of her ruling she was faced with accusations between congress and state governments. India at the time was an independent nation and faced hardships as well as prosperity.

As a child I was often forced to move to different locations due to my dad’s business. The constant moves lead to new school districts and new friends. Since my parents divorced I was forced to choose between two households. It was a major change not having my dad around the house, as well as my brothers leaving home to attend college. The house became too large for just my mother and I, causing us to uproot everything and move again.
-Liz Joyce

Ben Wexler said...

"This could be the feather that broke the camel's back." Best quote from Mr. German ever, mostly because it is wrong. I found Pi mentioning the correct phrase very amusing.

The 1970s were a tumultuous time for India, mostly because of Mrs. Gandhi's abuse of executive power. She enacted several socialist economic policies, such as the nationalization of banks. Also, Mrs. Gandhi chose to involve India in multiple wars, such as the Bangladesh Liberation War, resulting in the third Indo-Pakistan War in 1971. In 1974, Mrs. Gandhi was found guilty of abusing government machinery for election purposes. This Mrs. Gandhi declared a state of internal emergency in 1975, allowing her to suspend civil liberties and rule by decree. Under this state of emergency, the Indian government arrested thousands of protesters and strike leaders. (Perhaps this blog should be under "why did Indians have a problem with Mrs. Gandhi?".) Generally speaking, Mrs. Gandhi was a bad leader, and was fittingly disposed of in the 1977 elections.

Hannah.Kessler said...

Well first, I had to look something up on the internet which made me procrastinate. But I found that in that time Coca-Cola moved their headquarters from India because they would have been required to reveal their super top secret formula. There were also some political shenanigans going on; conspiracy, lies, money problems, the usual. All in all, it was crazy.
When I was about to start third grade I moved here from Adrian. The hardest part was leaving friends back there but I looked at it as a great opportunity to meet new people and start life anew, I was a very smart second grader apparently.

Audrey said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Audrey said...

During the 1970's, India had a lot of economic and political problems. India also had a problem with over population. Because of this diseases spread very easily. There were 6.5 million cases of malaria on record during mid-1970s. The Prime minister forced men with two children or more to submit to sterilization.
When I was in second grade, my family moved from a neighborhood, to more of a country house. It was very hard to leave all my friends in my neighborhood, and I still miss my old house a lot.

Josh Tillman said...

India in the 1970's faced a time of internal conflict, and economic turmoil. Due to the over population and lack of food, India was experiencing a nationwide famine. Mrs. Ghandi attempted to rebuild india to the great country it once was. Mrs. Ghandi established new economic policies but was falsely accused of abusing the goverments powers. When i was like five or six years old my family moved from west toledo to bedford. honestly, there wasnt that much hurt or turmoil in my life since i was only five, but i did miss having a park accross the street from our house.

Unknown said...

In the 1970s India had a notable drop in population due to malaria and the drugs that were used to combat the disease. India faced corruption in 1967 when Indira Gandhi was elected Prime minister. Gandhi’s slogan was “Abolish Poverty”. Economically, Gandhi led India to become one of the fastest growing economies in the world toward the end of her time as prime minister, but, Gandhi was found guilty of violating election laws. Later, the conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of India. Also, to control population growth, Gandhi implemented a voluntary sterilization program. As a result, adversaries criticized her and her administration in general. To secure her power and because of escalating riots, on June 26, 1975, Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency which limited the personal freedom of Indians. Also, she ordered the arrests of the main opposition leaders. In her opinion, her dictatorship was for the good of India. But she allowed free elections in 1977, and the Indian people voted her out of office. Gandhi was eventually assassinated by her bodyguards.

My parents got a divorce when I was four and I moved into a different house with my mom and step dad and I think the difficult part of it was that my dad moved to Florida when that happened so I didn’t get to see him much.

Ray R said...

In 1975, India's president Ahmed declared a state of emergency, based on rumors of "imminent danger to the security of India." This suspension of democratic process lasted until 1977. During this period, the government of India took radical steps in an attempt to address prominent problems. The government forced sterilization on many citizens, racking up a total of 11 million in two years. The government also detained citizens without warrant or notification to families, made socialist modifications to the constitution, and destroyed populated slums on large scales. The government of that era is also accused of using the public media as a propaganda machine, an abusing and torturing detainees.
When I was 13, I moved to Bedford from a rundown Toledo neighborhood. No tears shed.

Katelyn said...

One issue in India in the 1970’s was overpopulation. The Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, started a failed sterilization program in the 1970’s. Men with two or more children, unmarried men, and poor men were sterilized in order to prevent further overpopulation.
I have never been forced to be uprooted an moved to a completely different place but after 4th grade, I moved from TRE to SRE and it was really hard trying to make new friends and adjust to a school that was much harder to find my way in and to get around.

Syoma said...

During the 1970's india had economic and social issues. Some economic issues that india faces were poverty, unemployment, and development. India also had many social issues. One of the main social issues was division between different groups of people due to their religion, region, language, and race. India also has many law and order issues, such as terrorism, religious violence, and naxalism. When i was six years old i was forced to move out of russia to america. Now that i look at it, it was for the better good. The most difficult part for me was leaving all my family(except for my mom and grandma) and knowing i would never see them again. Also it was difficult to have to learn english at the age of 6.

Blake Miller said...

India in the 1970's was a very rough time. Being widely over populated diseases were spread easily and rapidly throughout India. On the political side, India's prime minister, Indira Gandhi, was accused of abusing and twisting the election in her favor. This in turn caused the central government to have absolute power.

When I was in the 2nd grade we moved to Bedford due to a switch in my fathers jobs. I would have to say the hardest part was just getting used to a new home, school, and way of life. Once i was passed all of that i realized how much better Bedford was for me.

Alyssa R said...

In the 70's, India was a very tough place to live. There was problems with the government and a large outbreak with Malaria. They were in severe economic trouble. Mrs. Ghandi was accused of many political crimes.

When I was in 4th grade, we moved from Toledo to Lambertville. This move was hard for me because I had to leave my old friends and then I was the new kid and had to make new ones, but my parents did it so we could go to better school's and now I am thankful.

Tessa Savino said...

Living in India during the 1970's would have been such a difficult thing. Between the social problems, like over population, and diseases, and political problems, like their prime minister being accused of twisting the election in her favor, living in India wasnt easy. When I was about 14 my family decided we were moving to Bedford, which was an hour away from where we were living. I was horrified, I was moving to a new town and going to a new school where I knew no one. Looking back now at all the problems in India and everywhere else in the world I'm glad I moved here and that I'm surrounded by great people.

Claire13 said...

During the 70s India faced many problems. There was a civil war that occurred because of the independence of East Pakistan. The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 erupted and other political issues were surfacing as well. Before I was a year old my parents moved my siblings and I away from the place my parents called home. They left all of their relatives and family members there. The move was across the country. From California to Michigan. Everything about it is hard. I barely know my grandparents and relatives. But there is such a large between each time I ever see them so it is almost like meeting new people each time. We can never be close and we never share holidays together. And the hardest part by far are the holidays.

larchmeany said...

The end.