How India represents itself within Indian media?

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Project description
This research paper examines India's cultural diversity, exploring and bringing to light various cultures and regions. When most people think of India, they think of Hinduism or Bollywood movies, but India is so much more. India's diverse and distinct culture evolved over thousands of years and varied by region, making us unique and distinct. I will be focusing on the Indian media's lack of representation of various groups within the country, as well as how general searches perceive India globally. Growing up in India, I have firsthand knowledge of how different types of Indians are portrayed in the media. I grew up watching movies, television shows, and other forms of media from both the North (Bollywood, Pollywood, etc) and South (Tollywood, Kollywood, etc). Furthermore, I have conducted my own research in my spare time or incorporated it into any subject (Language Arts, History, etc.) in order to learn more about the various parts of India. My research includes searching online, reading books and stories, watching newscasts, and even hearing stories. But that only scratches the surface of India's diversity. India is divided into six regions: Northern, Central, Eastern, North Eastern, Western, and Southern. Within each region, there are various states, each with its own language, culture, and traditions. Instead of spreading stereotypical views about Indians in both Western and Indian media, I want to educate others as to what India truly has been and introduce accurate representation.

Project outcome
Through my research for my research paper, I realized how diverse and large India is, and by being able to find information about how different parts of India were represented in cinema and movies, I was able to inform others about India's five major film industries and how underrepresented they are. Furthermore, through this research paper, I was able to share my own personal stories and demonstrate that India is more than the stereotypical brown stereotypes seen in Western and even Bollywood films.

Mentor review
Shariq was very helpful in guiding me through the process. He first made sure he knew what my main idea or topic was and as we wrote my research paper and he made sure I stayed on that path. Furthermore, he gave me a lot of feedback and a lot of resources to make sure I could do the best work possible.