Information on India

Hello, I am working on putting together a packet of information to give to a family who is traveling to India. They will be wanting to visit various Christian ministries while in India but also want to have a full grasp of both the Religion in India and also the general atmosphere (Political, Geographical etc.) Does anyone have any suggestions for books or films that would be helpful in preparing for this trip? Thank you.

Hello MPepper - Welcome to IndiaMike.

There are some good books recommendations in the following thread:

Books about Indian History

Can't think of any films off hand but I'm sure some others will chime in. Will they be travelling mainly in the North or South of India?

A really short list.

Films:

"Monsoon Wedding" (Mira Nair)
"Salaam Bombay" (Mira Nair)
"Bombay" (Mani Ratnam)
"City of Joy" (Roland Joffe)

Nonfiction:

"Maximum City: Bombay Lost & Found" (Suketu Mehta)
"City of Djinns" (William Dalyrymple)
"Cobra Road" (Trevor Fishlock)
"Chasing the Monsoon" (Alexander Frater)
"Snakes & Ladders: Glimpses of Modern India" (Gita Mehta)

Fiction:

"Midnight's Children" (Salman Rushdie)
"The God of Small Things" (Arundhati Roy)
"A Suitable Boy" (Vikram Seth)
"A Fine Balance" (Rohinton Mistry)