Background:
The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, goes
back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded
about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier inhabitants created
the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th
century and Turkish in 12th were followed by European traders,
beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had
assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Nonviolent
resistance to British colonialism under Mohandas GANDHI and
Jawaharlal NEHRU led to independence in 1947. The subcontinent was
divided into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state
of Pakistan. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted
in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh.
Fundamental concerns in India include the ongoing dispute with
Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental
degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife, all
this despite impressive gains in economic investment and output.