Fast Facts in India

• Take the USA and cut it into thirds. Discard two-thirds and what's left is about the size of India.
• Take 100% of the population of the USA and triple it and you have the population of India.
• Put 3times the US population onto 1/3 the land of the US and you have a sense of why 40% still live below the poverty level (in Indian terms, not US terms) and 35% are illiterate.
• 82% is Hindu, 12% Muslim and 6% other. Catholics in Andhra Pradesh number about 80,000. Almost all NGO funding goes to the Hindus. The Muslims support only Muslims. The Church tries to take care of everybody else at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder.
• India has 18 major languages, almost one per state. There are over 1000 dialects. Hindu is the national language but only a little is taught in the schools. (Knowing Hindi would be of no practical benefit to me here.)it's hard enough just to teach reading and writing in Telegu, the mother tongue of A.P. Schools are classified by "English" Medium and "Telegu" Medium, depending on whether English is offered. English Medium Schools are out of the price range for most villagers.
• India only got independence from the UK in 1947.
• Music is never written so all songs must be learned by imitation. It is comprised of an intricate system of scales and associated melodic patterns. Each one of the 200 main patterns must be memorized in order to be able to put together a song.