Summary

Neha Bhatt reports on attempts by Indian Prime Minister Modi’s government to censor media reporting on the disastrous COVID-19 wave sweeping the country, which have involved Internet shut-downs and the arrest and detention of journalists. The government claims it is simply trying to stop false news reports to avoid causing public panic, while journalists find themselves pressured to report only the official pronouncements on the pandemic amidst threats of jail and even death.

Getting Started

Introduction to the article (perhaps by having everyone read it)

Although four percent of Canadians claim Indian heritage, numbering around 1.7 million citizens, many Canadians know little about India—or, at least, find it difficult to grasp the vastness of the population and the complexity of the country. As the COVID pandemic surges in India, students can benefit from a general lesson on India, using the attached article as a starting point.

Subject Area(s) covered

Social studies, geography, health, current events

New Terms to explain

Diaspora, pyres, apocalypse, slanderous, backlash, deportation

Materials Needed

Access to the article and the Internet.

Study and Discussion Activity

Key things students can learn from this lesson

  • Basic facts about India, its geography, population, culture, language, dominant religions and relative size;
  • Simplified history of India, before and after British occupation, the independence movement, current form of government and leader;
  • The state of the COVID pandemic as of this month, why journalists are being persecuted, and why the current leader is being blamed for mishandling the pandemic.

Action (here’s how we’ll do it)

As of this writing, much of the Canada is under strict COVID protocols, so this lesson assumes students will be working online. They are to find three partners to work with them on this assignment, or their teacher can assign them to a group. In either case, there are three task sheets, one for each student. When these are completed, the students should share their work with each other and discuss their findings before submitting their final assignments, which will include all three reports.

Two suggested links:

Work Sheet #1

Using Wikipedia or a similar source, you are to provide a snapshot of India, including:

  • The size of its population, to include several major cities with their populations;
  • The dominant religions, cultures and languages;
  • A comparison of India’s geographical and population size compared to Canada;
    • What would the population of each of the ten provinces and three territories be, if each one had 1/13th the population of India (India’s population, divided by thirteen).
    • How many cities of 10 million each would each province have?
    • What is the population of the largest city in Canada?
  • A list of the countries that border on India.
  • Anything that surprises you about what you’ve learned?

When you have finished, scan the attached article by Neha Bhatt.

Work Sheet #2

Using Wikipedia or a similar source, provide a snapshot of India’s political history, including:

  • When it became part of the British Empire, and when it won its independence from Britain;
  • What kind of government or governments existed prior to the British occupation;
  • The person credited with leading India’s independence movement, and its relation to India’s salt production;
  • India’s current form of government and its current leader;
  • The country with which there are ongoing political and military tensions, and the unique type of military weapons each is capable of using.

When you have finished, scan the attached article by Neha Bhatt.

Work Sheet #3

You are to read the attached article on the pandemic in India, and use it as your source for the following:

  • As of the publication date of the article, how many cases of COVD have been reported?
  • List some reasons why the media are claiming Prime Minister Modi has mishandled the pandemic.
  • Describe how the bodies of the deceased are dealt with, typically.
  • What are the government’s stated reasons for attempting to censor the media?
  • How does the group Reporters without Borders describe working conditions for journalists in India?
  • How many journalists have been arrested, detained, or interrogated over the past ten years? How many of these happened in 2020?
  • List some of the treatments journalists have been subjected to, according to the study Getting Away with Murder.

Consolidation of Learning

  • Students share and discuss their work with each other.
Success and Additional Learning

Success Criteria

Students can:

  • Cite basic facts about India, its geography, population, culture, languages, dominant religions and relative size;
  • Describe a simplified history of India, before and after British occupation, the independence movement, current form of government and leader;
  • Describe the state of the COVID pandemic as of this month, why journalists are being persecuted, and why the current leader is being blamed for mishandling the pandemic.

Confirming Activities

  • Students consolidate their reports into one and submit them to the teacher.

Helpful Internet Searches

Activities to do together

  • If you have friends of Indian descent, ask them if they’re willing to talk about India, and how they think of it;
  • Note news reports about India and the pandemic, focusing on the treatment of journalists;
  • If you have not yet tried a sampling of different Indian food, consider doing so when COVID restrictions allow.