My Second Interview

1. Preparations.

• How did I approach people?

When I went to the Atwood I saw someone look like from India or Bangladesh. Then, I asked him about his country and if he can make an interview with him.

• When, where, and how did I conduct and record the interview?

I got the interview with him at the Atwood on Friday afternoon. In the first, when I  sat with  him I said “can I make an interview with you about your personality and country because my professor gave me an assignment this week”. He said “ Yes I can and my  pleasure”

• Whom did I interview?

I interview with Kummar.S He is from India.

2.      Interview report:

·         What did surprise you?

I was surprised about the heritage and the great food.

        3.Country Report

According to the BBC News Asia (2013), India is the largest democracy in the world, and the second most populous nation trailing China. The nation is nuclear-armed and emerged as a major powerhouse during the 1990s. Currently, it boosts having a strong military, a powerful economy, and is a major cultural influence around the world for its famous Bollywood movies.

 

Location and Area

                       India occupies the southern section of the large Asian continent. It borders the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. India’s territory in square kilometers is approximately 3,287,263 sq km (Ganarajya, 2013), covering the snow-capped Himalayan Mountains located to the North, extending southwards to the nation’s tropical forest. The country shares over 14,000 kilometers of borders with seven other neighboring nations. These are China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the North, Bangladesh, and Burma to the East, and Afghanistan and Pakistan to the North West. Most importantly, a narrow sea formed by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait separates India from an Island nation called Sri Lanka with which the southeast region of India shares strong cultural ties. The nation’s mainland mainly consists of four major regions; the plains of the Ganges, the southern desert, the Indus, and the Himalayan Mountains that boost the world’s highest peak. The Himalaya comprise of three parallel ranges characterized as having large valleys and plateaus. These are beautiful& fertile Kullu and Kashmir valleys, arguably the most densely populated areas in the world, and the Indus and Ganges plains that measure 2,400 kilometers long and about 280 kilometers wide (Ganarajya, 2013).

 

Population

                       According to the US Bureau of Census based statistics, India’s population stood at over a billion, precisely 1,205,073,612 as of July 2012, making it the world’s second most populous nation. The figure comprises of all persons falling within the scope of the census, which is residents of the nation present during the time the census was carried out. The growth rate presently stands at 1.312% annually. The infant mortality rate is 46 deaths per 1000 live births, and the average life expectancy is 65 years. Literacy levels are generally about 75%, 65% representing women, and 82% men.

Culture

                       This refers to the way of life of the Indian citizens, which is languages spoken, music, food, religion, and architecture. The nation’s culture comprises of many several centuries old traditions such as yoga, and Hindu religions. The country is the birthplace of Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Hinduism. It has two major language families; the Indo-Aryan is spoken by 74% of the total population, and the Dravidian. English is used in administration and international business activities. Cooking styles vary, but foods rich in spices, curries, ginger, turmeric, pepper and cinnamon are common. Basmati rice and wheat is a common staple.

References

BBC News Asia (2013, September 13). BBC News - India country profile - Overview.  Retrieved October 25, 2013,from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12557384

Ganarajya, B. (2013). India - Location and size, Caste system. Retrieved October 25, 2013,from http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/India.html

IndexMundi (2013). India Population-Demographics. Retrieved October 25, 2013, from http://www.indexmundi.com/india/population.html

                        
 
      4. Transcription.

H: Hazza (Me)

K.S: Kummar.S

H: First, I would like to thank you for giving me your time and for letting me do the interview with you.

K.S: Oh that is absolutely fine, no problem at all.

H: Do you like the weather in St.Cloud?

K.S: Oh yes I just love the weather here. We get everything the sun and the snow as well. In summers we laze around and enjoy the sun and in winters we enjoy the snow.

H: .And what do you do for leisure?

K.S: I have a lot of friends as I love getting to know and learn about other countries and their cultures so I hang out with friends, go shopping. Apart from that I love to experiment in the kitchen. Cooking is my passion and my friends love my cooking so we often gather and I cook new and innovative dishes for them with twists of my own, often these experiments turn out to be great but sometimes they end up in total disaster. 

H: Could you please tell me about yourself?

K.S: Hmm well I am an Indian national and belong to a Hindu family. I live in Mumbai and have done my A levels. I am a fun loving and happy go lucky type of a person, but I know my responsibilities and do my best to fulfill them.

H: How often do you communicate with your family back at home?

K.S: I belong to a very closely knit family with high regards for rules. We talk about three times a week. We discuss everything from studies to games, daily life and everything. My sister is married so I call her up once a week too as I am really close to her and we share everything with each other.

H: What is the biggest holiday in your country? Please explain about the holidays (Activities, Food, Date, Origin, and etc,)

K.S: Well we have a lot of festivals like Republic Day, Independence Day, vinayaka chaviti, Dassera, Diwali, Onam, Sankranti, teejh etc. Rakhsha Bandhan is one of the most celebrated festival as it symbolizes love between siblings. It is a bond of protection that a sister wants for her brother. The sisters tie a band named Rakhi on her brother’s wrist as a symbol of love and with the intent that the brother is protected. The brother in turn gives her a gift as a token of appreciation and love. This is the one festival that I look forward to most as I love my sisters a lot. We have a lot of food and fun this day with new clothes, sweets gifts and everything.

 

H: In what ways is it difficult to practice your religion here in the U.S?

K.S: It is not at all difficult to practice my religion here. I used to live in UK previously and even there I faced no difficulty in practicing my religion. U.S is a country where people from all religions, cast and creed reside and everyone easily practice their religion here. There are a lot of mosques around here for Muslims, temples and all so I have no problem practicing my religion here. I also have my own little temple in my room.

H: Tell me some important things from your culture?

K.S: Well our culture is eastern based, with lots of traditions. Ours is a male dominant culture, but things are changing over times. In my culture a very high regard is set for the elders. 

H: What’s the biggest difference between the American culture and your culture?

K.S: Well our culture differs from American culture in all ways, from food to perceptions, habits and everything. The cultures are at two ends and have no comparison.

H: What are your goals for the future; after you graduate, what are you going to do?

K.S: Well get a job with a good salary package and benefits. Apart from that I would like to meet new people and travel around the world and learn more about food.

H: What is your favorite sport?

K.S: Hmm well my favorite sport is cricket but I am not a sports person so I am not really good at playing. But I never miss a cricket match.

H: What is your major? Why you chose this major?

K.S: My majors is Accounting. I love playing with numbers and I am good at it too. I choose this major because Accounting is something I am very good at. I understand it easily and enjoy doing it. Also it is something that runs in my blood as most of my family is into accounts and is great at it.

H: What is your language? How many languages do you speak? How many languages in your country?

K.S: Well our national language is Hindi so I speak Hindi, but my family comes from Bengal so I know a bit of Bengali too. I speak English, and Bengali. India is a country with a very diverse population, people belonging to a lot of different sects, religions. Live here thus a lot of languages are spoken there. The most prominent ones are Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Kashmiri, Tamil, Sanskrit, Marathi and Bengali.

H: What do you like to do when you hang out with your friends and/or family?

K.S: I cook for them, and we talk and play x-box watch movies and have fun no matter where we are.

H: Where do you prefer your home country or here? Why?

K.S: I prefer both places as both have advantages. Here I have a lot of friends and in U.S the best thing is that people follow the rules and honor each other’s privacy. While back home I have my loving family and friends. So I pretty much love both places the same.

H: Well that’s all from my side, do you have any questions for me?

K.S: Well Yes, Thank you. What do you think is the best thing about India?

H: Oh I think the best thing about India is its heritage and the great food. I love Indian food.