This text examines India's rich and long history, then uses this perspective to focus on present day problems and aspirations. It forces students to reevaluate their stereotyped images of India by presenting a nation that has striven to recover from a past of colonial domination, is presently faced with regional ethnic discord and disparity, and yet is looking to a future in which, as the world's largest democracy, its three quarters of a billion inhabitants will be able to live in harmony with each other and their environment. This text examines the challenges ahead of India as a nation by looking at contemporary issues such as deforestation, the role of women in development, agricultural and economic sustainability, street dwellers, and the tensions created when ancient cultures are confronted with the values of a modern changing society. The text is divided into units that can be duplicated and handed out to the class, used for teacher reference, or made into transparencies and shown on an overhead projector. The text is divided into 13 units: land and climate, history, government, people, religion, rural life, agriculture, industry, cities, housing, food, health, and education. The activities segment of the text corresponds directly to the textual material. Each section has five general types of activities: (1) point of view; (2) hands on; (3) let's discuss; (4) media report; and (5) let's find out. Teachers can choose from the variety of suggestions or adopt the ideas to their own needs and methods. (DK)