I'm sure you're all well aware...

of the devastation taking place in India right now. Since I last heard there were 200 killed and 300 injured in Mumbai. As discussed in yesterday's history class, this is simply a continuation of what is called Communalism. Communalism in India stems from the polar ideas of two men - Mohandas Gandhi (Hindu) and Mohammed Ali Jinnah (Muslim). Gandhi envisioned a unified India wherein Muslims and Hindus could remain in peace; Jinnah believed that, which British troops no longer occupying India (remember it was a British colony in this time), the ruling upperclass (hugely consisting of Hindus) would/could persecute the lowerclass Muslims without check. Communalism is loyalty to your own group, not the state; the state is artificial, in this case, mere boundaries drawn up by a foreign power (Britain). The Partition of August, 1947 is when Pakistan immerged from the northwest corner of India. It was designated Muslim territoryby the British. 10 million people were uprooted, traveling either to or from Pakistan; around 6,000 people were killed. These boundaries become tangible distinctions between two rival powers. When a line is drawn I think it just invites rival fractons to form. Anyway, from the get-go they've been fighing over the valuable plot of land known as Cashmir. Aaaaand that's where we are today. Did you know they set the Taj Mahal on fire? Doni read that in the paper this morning.