Re: [tied] Digest Number 591

From: markodegard@...
Message: 9423
Date: 2001-09-12

>perhaps a visit to a schoolboys atlas will clarify matters.

There is nothing wrong with this. I have no shame in admitting my
ignorance of the physical/political geography of much of the world;
I've learned, however, that most people are even more ignorant than
me. I have no problems in asking possibly 'dumb' questions.

For the great majority of Americans (and Europeans too, I suspect)
India, Pakistan, Afghanistan etc are just blobs on a map. You might
know the capital, the name of a river or two, but not much else.

From my own experience, the majority of Europeans, even the highly
educated ones, are pretty vague about North American geography. If you
asked them to *instantly* locate Iowa (my state), they'd msot likely
be hard pressed to do so, about like just about every non-Pole would
be hard pressed to name the province in which Cracow, Poland is
situated.

Schoolboy atlases are fine. They are in fact wonderful. The IE world
is a huge place, and we afficianados need to learn our geography.

> Rajastan is today a western province in India, bordering on
Pakistan.

That I know, but only recently has this become a 'hard' datum.

> Much of Rajastan is desert, known as the Thar Desert, which also
> covers part of Pakistan.

This I knew too.

> During medieval and Colonial times, this province was known as
> Rajputana - home of the rajputs. This province was made up of a
> number of small kingdoms.

The 'White Huns' and all that. Rajastanis are said to be quite prickly
about their honor.

> many legends of valour, chivalry etc emanate from this area.

Didn't Kipling write of this?