Into India Extension Activity 3

Extension Activities

CHAPTER 3: FACETS OF POWER

Students examine the mining process of Argyle Diamond Mines, the way the diamonds reach the cutting tables in India and the industrial techniques used there. They then investigate the size and pattern of consumption of the Indian middle class. The chapter concludes by looking at the effects of economic liberalisation in India.

To explore additional ideas and resources for using this chapter of Into India, click on one of the following:

Teaching and Learning Activities | SOSE Profile | WWW Links | Annotated Bibliography

Teaching and Learning Activities

Here are some additional teaching and learning activities related to this chapter.

Investigation 1: From Mine to Cutting Room
This Investigation is supported by the 'At the Cutting Edge' section of the Into India video.

Map Work
After viewing 'At the Cutting Edge' and reading the material in this Investigation, students should be able to describe what happens to Argyle diamonds from the time they are mined to their retail sale. This could be set as a written exercise but students can also demonstrate their understanding using a world map. diamond cutters

Resource 4 (p. 102) is a map showing the major diamond trading centres of the world. Copy and enlarge it for the purpose of this exercise or, alternatively, provide copies of a larger, unlabelled world map. Ask students to:

Label the places the Argyle diamonds move through.
Draw lines on the map between places to indicate the movement of the diamonds.
Devise a method of labelling which shows what happens to the diamonds in each place.
Devise a method of labelling which shows the state of the diamonds at each stage.

Investigation 2: The Indian Middle Class

Group Work: The Two-wheeler Industry
Resources 7, 8, 9 and 10 (pp. 112-113) provide a range of information about the Indian two-wheeler industry. ('Two-wheelers' are mopeds, motorbikes and scooters.) Activity 10 (p. 113) asks students to describe the trend in sales and ownership of two-wheelers, but the information given can profitably be used for other student activities.

Organise small groups of students and assign each group one of the following sets of questions:

What factors could affect the growth in sales of two-wheelers? Which of these factors can be controlled by the Indian Government? Which factors can not be controlled by the Government? Would you expect growth to continue at rates similar to those shown in the tables? Is there a limit to this growth?
What other industries are likely to be closely linked to the two-wheeler industry? Which of these industries are likely to depend almost entirely on the two-wheeler industry? What would be the effect on these industries of further growth or decline in the two-wheeler industry? How could they try to guard against a decline?
What possible negative effects could result from increased numbers of two-wheelers? Which of these effects can be lessened by government regulation? Which might be lessened through the demands of consumers? If it costs money to lessen these effects, who will have to pay?
What are the implications of greater foreign investment for the two-wheeler industry and for India as a whole? If companies want to export Indian two-wheelers, what advantages and disadvantages might the industry have in finding markets? What might be the outcome of increased exports for the industry and for the Indian economy?

Ask each group to discuss its questions, prepare speaking notes and report to the class. To maximise participation in reporting, ask groups to allocate individual questions to individual students. Allow questions and comments from other students after each report.

To derive a writing task from this exercise, use a whiteboard or blackboard to summarise the points made by students. Then ask students to copy the summary for use as a resource when writing. A suitable topic might be 'Factors affecting the future of the Indian two-wheeler industry'.

Investigation 3: India's Liberalisation Policy

Discussion Topic: Business in India before Liberalisation
After reading Resources 1, 2 and 3 (pp. 116-117), students are likely to appreciate some of the difficulties of doing business in India before liberalisation. They should, however, be asked to consider possible reasons for the situation rather than just seeing it as an oddity. This can be done as a class discussion, allowing teacher input if necessary. Some of the factors behind the post-independence situation in India were:

The government was aware of pressing national priorities (reflected in the 'Five Year Plans') in the areas of increased agricultural production and improved infrastructure. It was thought that all efforts should be directed towards these priorities rather than allowing extensive free enterprise.
Nehru was impressed by the Soviet economic model in which finances and resources for industrial development were allocated by the central government. His aim was essentially heavy industrialisation, which he thought could make India a great power. All heavy industries were to be state enterprises.
Although India always had a mixed economy, government ideology favoured state-owned industries. It was thought that this would ensure the production of essential goods, especially those needed by the poor, at reasonable prices. Capital was to be used for nation building rather than to produce profits for a few.
Self-sufficiency (promoted by Gandhi at the village level) was also considered an important national goal. Why, it was reasoned, should steel be imported if it can be manufactured locally? As well, imported goods had to be paid for with scarce foreign exchange.
After independence, India built on the extensive and powerful bureaucracy left behind by the British. The bureaucracy was thought necessary to regulate industrial development in pursuit of national goals.

SOSE Profile Strands and Outcomes

This chapter provides opportunities for students to achieve learning outcomes within the following strands and strand organisers specified in Studies of society and environment - a curriculum profile for Australian schools.

Strand Strand organisers

Time, continuity and change

Understanding the past
Time and change
Interpretations and perspectives

Culture

Cultural cohesion and diversity
Personal, group and cultural identity

Resources

Use of resources
People and work
Management and enterprise

Natural and social systems

Political and legal systems
Economic systems

Investigation, communication and participation

All strand organisers

A full listing of student outcomes can be found on p. 196 of Into India. Teachers are advised to consult their State or Territory curriculum documents for ways in which the activities and intended outcomes may be adapted to locally developed criteria.

WWW Links

Discover India on eWorld
http://www.indonet.com/DiscoverIndiaoneWorld.html
Has the 'India File' of facts and figures, charts, graphs and tables, together with a variety of articles and essays about Indian art, culture, history, geography and society. Also the Discussion Board of questions and answers.

Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
http://meaindia.nic.in/
Includes many links and is strong in politics, current affairs and the economy. Features 'Gandhi, a retrospective' at http://www.meadev.nic.in/Gandhi/intro.htm.

The World Factbook - India
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/in.html
Includes maps of India, political data and statistics about the Indian economy. Maintained by the CIA, the World Factbook site provides up-to-date facts about every country in the world.

India News Online
http://www.indianewsonline.com/
Provides links to many Indian publications, from daily newspapers to film, fashion and health magazines.

The India Today Group
http://www.india-today.com/
Publishers of India Today, one of India's leading magazines of news and current affairs. Includes current articles from India Today and a variety of other magazines published by the Group.

Manushi
http://free.freespeech.org/manushi/
Manushi: A journal about women and society sees itself as 'playing a catalytic role towards making our society more just and humane'. Editor, Madhu Kishwar, is seen in the Into India video. Site carries articles from recent issues of Manushi, a 'gallery' of older articles and an interview with the editor.

All India Radio
http://air.kode.net/
Text and audio versions of All India Radio news bulletins. Available in Hindi and English.

CNN.com Asia
http://asia.cnn.com/
CNN's site focusing on news from Asia. Includes links to special in-depth reports on important issues.

Bibliography

Student Materials
Asia scope: Towards understanding Asia: the people, their cultures and environments 1994, (set of two videos), Film Australia & Curriculum Corporation.
Concerned with Asia as a whole. Specific countries provide examples and case studies. Volume Two deals with resource use and management in India. Available from Film Australia, PO Box 46, Lindfield NSW 2070.

Caudle, M. 1996 Business in Asia, Curriculum Corporation, Carlton, Victoria.
A series of case studies of business enterprises in Asia. Includes a chapter about Neerja International, a successful pottery business in Rajasthan which uses village-based artisans.

In search of an identity, 1996, (27 minute video), Film Australia, Lindfield NSW.
One of a series of documentaries exploring the impact of global economic change on people's lives. A few years ago, fashion designer Bina Rammani set up her design studio in Haus Khas, on the outskirts of Delhi. Other entrepreneurs soon joined her but sudden development transformed local life. Available from Film Australia, PO Box 46, Lindfield NSW 2070.

In search of the future, 1994, (55 minute video), Film Australia, Lindfield NSW.
One of a series of documentaries on the lives of people in various Asian countries. The Surkheras are a noble but impoverished Hindu family, hindered by their caste as they try to cope with modernisation. Available from Film Australia, PO Box 46, Lindfield NSW 2070.

Reference Materials
Bardhan, Pranab 1984, The political economy of development in India, Oxford University Press, Delhi.

Desai, Ashok V. 1993, My economic affair, Wiley Eastern Limited, New Delhi.

Frankel, F. R. 1971, India's green revolution, economic gains and political costs, Princeton, New Jersey.

India's economy at the midnight hour: Australia's India strategy, 1994, East Asia Analytical Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Canberra.
A detailed account of changes in the Indian economy and opportunities for Australian business in India.

Jeffrey, R. 1994, What's happening to India?, 2nd edition, Macmillan, London.

Kishwar, Madhu (ed.) Manushi: A journal about women and society, New Delhi.
Manushi sees itself as 'playing a catalytic role towards making our society more just and humane'. Editor, Madhu Kishwar, is seen in the Into India video.

Mehta, G. 1997, Snakes and ladders: a view of modern India, Random House, London.
A series of essays by the well-known Indian writer and social commentator. Wide-ranging and includes pieces about culture, politics, economic change and the film industry. Would be suitable for some middle-secondary students.

Naipaul, V. S. 1991, India: a million mutinies now, Minerva, London.

Seth, Vikram 1993, A suitable boy, Phoenix House, London.
A modern classic novel. Issues of caste and class are faced by a young, middle-class Indian woman of marriageable age.

Stern, R. 1993, Changing India, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

Tully, M. 1992, No fullstops in India, Penguin Books, New Delhi.
The experiences and perceptive observations of the former BBC India correspondent.

Vicziany, M. (ed.) 1993, Australia-India: economic links past, present and future, South Asian Issues Monograph No. 1, Indian Ocean Centre for Peace Studies, Perth.

Wolpert, S. 1991, India, University of California Press, Berkeley.

Curriculum Corporation and the University of Melbourne