About India

India is a country in southern Asia that ranks as the second largest country in the world in population. Only China has more people. India is also one of the most densely populated countries in the world and one of the largest in area. Its capital is New Delhi. Mumbai, formerly called Bombay, is its largest city.

The People

The people of India belong to a variety of ethnic groups and speak hundreds of dialects and languages. Hindi is the national language and is widely spoken in north and central India. In southern India where the Orphanage is located, the most common language is Tamil.

The people of India practice a number of religions. A large majority are Hindus, but India has one of the largest populations of Muslims in the world as well.
Most Indians are farmers, and they depend on seasonal rains to grow their crops. These farmers live in villages throughout the land. On the other hand, a growing number of Indians work in offices and factories in the country's cities. The urban centers of Calcutta (or Kolkata), Delhi, and Mumbai are among the largest in the world.
Family life. Family ties are important to most Indians. The number of households that consist of only parents and their children is increasing, especially in cities. However in a typical Indian extended family consists of three generations living together in one household. Upon marriage, a woman leaves her parents' home and shares a household with her husband and his relatives, including his brothers and their wives, his unmarried sisters, and his parents.

Parents usually arrange marriages, though a couple may reject an arrangement made by the parents. Marriages for love do occur, but many people think of marriage more as an alliance between families than as a relationship between two people.
Most of India's people live in villages. Most villagers are farmers who work in nearby fields. A typical Indian village is a collection of mud-and-straw dwellings. These homes are generally small, consisting of one or two rooms with mud floors.
Information taken from World Book.