Links

India

Rainbow Bridge, Marine Drive in Kochi, India. Kochi, on the west coast of India, is known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea and the Gateway of South India. Photo by Kumar. Used with permission from www.morguefile.com.

India - from The World Factbook, a publication of the U.S. government
India Profile - from the Embassy of India
India Resources Page - an annotated list of web resources on India compiled by Gene R. Thursby at the University of Florida
The Times of India - a newspaper in India
The World Bank: India - overview of the country, statistics, and projects. PDF files on poverty, HIV/AIDS, and malaria available. The World Bank is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge to support governments of member countries in their efforts to invest in schools and health centers, provide water and electricity, fight disease and protect the environment.
The Church of North India - The Church of North India was inaugurated in 1970 with the union of the Unwasited Church of Northern India; the Church of India, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon; the Council of the Baptist Churches in Northern India; the Church of the Brethren; and the Disciples of Christ.
The Church of South India - The Church of South India is the result of the union of fourteen major denominations in southern India in 1947. A few other denominations did not join, including The Methodist Church, which was then a part of The Methodist Church, USA.

Varanasi, India's most sacred city, on the West bank of the Ganga River in northeast India. Photo by Steve Evans. Used with permission through the Creative Commons License.

Pakistan

Family in doorway in Pakistan. Photo by Steve Evans. Used with permission through the Creative Commons License.

Pakistan - from The World Factbook, a publication of the U.S. government
Pakistan Virtual Library - annotated list of Internet resources on Pakistan created and maintained by Dr. T. Matthew Ciolek of the Australian National University
The Pakistan Christian Post - an independent international news media raising voice against Christian persecution in Pakistan

View of Lahore, Pakistan from the Wazir Khan Mosque. Photo by Anonymous. Used with permission through the Creative Commons License.

The World Bank: Pakistan - overview of the country, statistics, and projects. PDF files on poverty, HIV/AIDS, and improving education available. The World Bank is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge to support governments of member countries in their efforts to invest in schools and health centers, provide water and electricity, fight disease and protect the environment.
National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) - a statutory body established in the year 2000 by the president of Pakistan

Kashmir

Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. Photo by Md. Sadiq. Used with permission on the photos page of the Jammu-Kashmir web site.

Jammu and Kashmir - a part of the Muslim Directory
Official Web Site of Jammu and Kashmir Government, India - gives details of the history, the culture and lifestyle of people of Jammu and Kashmir
The Kashmir Times Online - a daily paper of Jammu and Kashmir
The Kashmir Observer - news from the Kashmir region and the South Asian sub-continent
Kashmir Virtual Library - annotated current record of electronically distributed sources of information about Kashmir maintained by David Magier of Columbia University
United Nations Resolutions on Kashmir
Map of United Nations Peacekeeping Force Mission in the Jammu/Kashmir region (PDF file; requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader)
Voices from Kashmir - Interviews with Kashmiris as they carry on with their lives amid daily violence and an ongoing stand-off between India and Pakistan over the territory. They discuss their hopes and fears for the future, and what it means to be Kashmiri. By BBC News Online's Sanjoy Majumder in Kashmir.

Social Justice Issues

Child Labor

Children in Sikkim, in north east India. Sikkim is bordered by Nepal, China, and Bhutan. Photo by Steve Evans. Used with permission through the Creative Commons License.

Child Labor Resources from Rugmark, a global nonprofit organization working to end illegal child labor and offer educational opportunities for children in India, Nepal and Pakistan
Human Rights Watch - News, legal standards, children's rights publications, and links to related organizations

Women's Issues - heath, violence, oppression, education, working for change

Women in Panchayati Raj: Change Agents for a New Future for India - from The Hunger Project. The Hunger Project carries out a four-prong strategy: Leadership Training for women representatives, Alliance Building to support these women in achieving their vision, Mobilizing the media to transform public attitudes, Increasing international support for this social revolution
Two Indias - One Future - overview of the life of women in India as related to subjugation, malnutrition, violence, and women as change agents; from The Hunger Project

woman carrying a large basket wood on her back and in her hand

Woman collecting firewood in Sikkim, in north east India. Photo by Steve Evans. Used with permission through the Creative Commons License.

India Together: Violence Against Women - news articles, stories, and in-depth information on a variety of topics
India Together: Women's Health - news articles, stories, and in-depth information on a variety of topics
Vellore Christian Medical College Board (USA), Inc. - The Vellore Board promotes, interprets and helps support the Christian Medical College, Vellore, India, one of the largest health care institutions in India dedicated to providing quality medical education and health care in the spirit of Christ to all strata of society, especially the poor, the disadvantaged and the disenfranchised.
Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance, and Settlement (CLAAS) arose in the current context of growing legal crisis and human rights violations for the disadvantaged groups in Pakistan, which includes women, children and religious minorities. CLAAS ultimate goal is to end human rights violations and primarily helps victims of religious victimizations, prisoners of conscience and other oppression.
Caste Insecurity is at Root of Anti-Christian Violence in India, Minister Reports (1999) - from the National Council of Church of Christ in the U.S.A.
Innovative CWS Quilt-Making Program Means Income for Afghan Refugee Women (2001), by Paul Jeffrey

Nuclear Disarmament

Reaching Critical Will - Reaching for a critical mass of political will for nuclear disarmament, a project of The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
A Statement on India's Testing of Nuclear Weapons (1998), by the Rev. Dr. Joan B. Campbell, National Council of Church of Christ in the U.S.A. General Secretary

Disaster Relief

Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami - The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is funding work in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Thailand, and India. UMCOR workers are supplying new nets and boats, beginning construction of new homes, cleaning wells polluted by saltwater that flooded inland in the December 26, 2004, tsunami that caused catastrophic loss of life and damage to countries on all sides of the Indian Ocean.

Activities Related to the Mission Study

vegetable vendor surrounded by bowls of green, yellow, red, and white produce

Vegetable vendor in Pakistan. Photo by Steve Evans. Used with permission through the Creative Commons License.

Cook some Pakistani food with authentic Pakistani recipes from The Desi Cookbook
Learn to wrap a sari at the Kerala Fashion web site
Learn about the use of henna , body art that is not permanent
Create flower garlands with real flowers or tissue paper flowers
Try a Monsoon Simulation - Monsoon is a realistic and highly interactive simulation game that focuses on some of the dynamics of poverty in an imaginary village near Mysore in India. Players take the roles of farmers and experience some of the forces that shape people's lives in a village. Advance preparation required.
Language Map Exercise - Use the Modern Language Association's Language Data Center to learn how many speakers of different languages there are where you live. Hindi is the national language and primary tongue spoken by 30 percent of Indians. Punjabi (included under "other indic languages" in the database) is the national language and primary tongue spoken by 48 percent of Pakistanis.
Voices from Kashmir - Images of the speakers and maps used in the panel presentation in Session 2

General Resources

bright colored cloth hangs behind textile merchant

Textile market in Pakistan. Photo by Steve Evans. Used with permission through the Creative Commons License.

Mission Study: India and Pakistan - Articles in New World Outlook online.
Map of South Asia including India, Pakistan, and Kashmir - Excellent printable map of the area. Map No. 4140 Rev. 3, January 2004, United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Cartographic Section (PDF file; requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader).
All Newspapers.com - Links to newspapers and other media around the world.