People important to British India

• Champaran Satyagraha


  The Champaran Satyagraha of 1917 was the first satyagraha movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in British India and is considered a historically important rebellion in the Indian independence movement.

  
• Cellular Jail


  The Cellular Jail, also known as Kālā Pānī, was a British colonial prison in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The prison was used by the colonial government of India for the purpose of exiling criminals and political prisoners.

  
• Caste


  The class or distinct hereditary order into which a Hindu is assigned according to religious law.

  
• Buddhism


  the teaching of Buddha that life is permeated with suffering caused by desire, that suffering ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment obtained through right conduct and wisdom and meditation releases one from desire and suffering and rebirth

  
• British Raj


  The name for the British government's military rule of India between 1858 and 1947.

  
• Brahmaputra River


  River that begins in Tibet, flows through northeast India and Bangladesh, joining with the Ganges to empty into the Bay of Bengal.

  
• Bollywood


  Indian version of Hollywood (film industry), centered in Mumbai (formerly Bombay)

  
• Black July


  Start of the Sri Lankan Civil War between the Tamil militants and the government of Sri Lanka. Black July was an anti-Tamil pogrom that occurred in Sri Lanka during July 1983. The pogrom was premeditated, and was finally triggered by a deadly ambush on 23 July 1983, which caused the death of 13 Sri Lanka Army soldiers, by the Tamil militant group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

  
• Bihar


  a state of northeastern India where the 24 Tirthankaras were said to have lived and 20 found enlightenment. For most of its history Jainism was found only in and around Bihar.

  
• Bhola Cyclone 1970


  tropical depression from tropical storm remnants, av wind speed 140mph, category 4, 6-10m storm surge, no evacuation order - did not see it as a threat (only after landfall, many didn't evacuate)lack of understanding of magnitude7 cyclones 1970-198 = delayed relief efforts masses of international relief - USA+$10mil, UNICEF=water relief etc. slow transportation, refused military support due to political disputes. now cyclone shelters+preparedness programs

  
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)


  Indian People's Party; Hindu nationalist party that governed from 1998 to 2004

  
• Bharata


  Rama's half brother who governs in his stead during his exile.

  
• Bhagavad Gita


  The most important work of Indian sacred literature, a dialogue between the great warrior Arjuna and the god Krishna on duty and the fate of the spirit.
• Bengal Famine of 1943


  Was a major famine of the Bengal province in British India during World War II. An estimated 2.1-3 million, out of a population of 60.3 million, died of starvation, or of malaria and other diseases aggravated by malnutrition, population displacement, unsanitary conditions and lack of health care. Millions were impoverished as the crisis overwhelmed large segments of the economy and social fabric. Historians have frequently characterized the famine as "man-made," asserting that wartime colonial policies created and then exacerbated the crisis. A minority view holds that the famine arose from natural causes.

  
• Bay of Bengal


  A Bay that the Ganges River flows into, North of the Indian Ocean, On the eastern side of India, South of Tibet, West of China

  
• Battle of Plassey


  1757 Battle that established British control over India

  
• Bangalore


  Indian city that is home to many high-tech industries

  
• Balochistan


  A southwestern province of Pakistan, as well as the desert/mountain region that it's located in-- contains southwestern Pakistan and southeastern Iran

  
• Awami League


  Political party dedicated to East Pakistan's independence from West Pakistan

  
• Assam


  A state in northeastern India known for its wildlife, archeological sites and tea plantations.

  
• Arunachal Pradesh


  Largest of the 7 sister states of northeast India.

  
• Annapurna


  Hindu goddess of food and cooking who saved the world from starvation. In Nepal, 10th highest mountain in the world.

  
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands


  Elongated chain of islands in Bay of Bengal, bigger and more numerous than Lakshadweep Islands

  
• Amritsar Massacre (1919)


  over 10,000 Indians gathered in a peaceful rally were killed or wounded by British troops that were ordered to open fire on the unarmed crowd in order to disperse it

  
• Ahimsa


  Hindu belief in nonviolence and reverence for all life

  
• Adwaita


  A male Aldabra giant tortoise that lived in the Alipore Zoological Gardens of Kolkata, India. Lived from c. 1750-2006.

  
• Adivasis


  ( Hindi: "Original Inhabitants") official name (in India) Scheduled Tribes, any of various ethnic groups considered to be the original inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent.

  
• Adi Granth


  "Original collection"; the primary scripture of the Sikhs

  
• Adam's Bridge

  A chain of natural limestone shoals off the south-eastern coast of India. In Islam it is believed that Adam crossed over the bridge after being expelled from the Garden of Eden.

  
• Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq


  Pakistani military officer and politician who served as the sixth president of Pakistan from 1978 until his death. He also served as the second chief of the army staff from 1976 until his death. Zia was born in Jalandhar and trained at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun.

  
• Khaleda Zia


  the first Bangladesh woman prime minister

  
• Asif Ali Zardari


  The current President of Pakistan.

  
• Bahadur Shah Zafar


  Last Mughal King. Gave legitimacy to Indian Rebellion

  
• Malala Yousafzai


  She stood up against the Taliban in Pakistan demanding equal education for female students. They shot her for this when she was 15 years old, but she survived. She has become known around the world for her bravery as a young girl.

  
• Sheikh Hasina Wajed


  Prime Minister of Bangladesh

  
• Jigme Dorji Wangchuck


  The 3rd Druk Gyalpo of Bhutan. He began to open Bhutan to the outside world, began modernization, and took the first step towards democratization.

  
• Swami Vivekananda


  Leading religious figure of nineteenth-century India (1863-1902); advocate of a revived Hinduism and its mission to reach out to the spiritually impoverished West.

  
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee


  leader of the Hindu nationalist party who is leading India to the most populous Nation by 2035.

  
• Rabindranath Tagore


  Indian author who worked for human dignity, world peace, and the mutual understanding and union of East and West

  
• J.R.D. Tata


  Indian aviator and industrialist. Entrepreneur and chairman of the Tata Group.