The Commonwealth of India

**The Commonwealth of India, The Indian Commonwealth, The Commonwealth of Indian States** or simply **India** was a Commonwealth of Neo-Europe. The largest in terms of population, the collection of states spanned much of South Asia as well as the Himalayas and Persia.

## Creation

The Commonwealth of India was the first region to be designated as a Commonwealth; the decision was made to give the region greater autonomy, as the Federal Government felt it unfair for the states to simply be governed from London. In 2136, the Neo-European Commons and Senate voted to pass legislation that would form the Commonwealth of India, specifically how they would be granted the right to elect an assembly (The Indian Commons) and a Premier.

## Organisation

The Premier of the Indian Commonwealth was the region's head of government until Tekin came into power.

The Commons is the legislative body responsible for the affairs, laws and governance of the Commonwealth, with it being able to vote on most decisions proposed (although in theory the Emperor had the authority to veto anything, though this never occurred out of courtesy).

## List of States

* Hindustan
* Punjab
* Bengal
* Dravidistan
* Tibet
* Persia

## Demographics

### Ethnicities

'Indians' form the majority of people, though this umbrella term can be substantially broken down further, whether into language families of Indo-Aryan and Dravidian, or further, such as Punjabis, Bengalis, Rajhastanis, Tamils, etc.

Iranic people of Persia and western Punjab are also common; many of these claim some level of Arab ancestry.

In Tibet, most people are of the Tibetan ethnic group, contrasting with the rest of the Commonwealth (apart from a handful of exceptions), and making Tibet the only state within Neo-Europe to have a Sino-Tibetan majority,

The rest are mainly White Europeans, numbering around 15 million in total. Religious Missionaries, notably Latter Day Saints, have also settled here and are in the hundreds of thousands if their families are included. These other people can mostly be found in large cities such as Delhi, Lahore, Karachi and Dhaka.

### Languages

Anglisch is used as the lingua franca they way English once was, though Standardised Hindi is also commonly known. There are just shy of three hundred native languages spoken in total, including Persian (of various dialects such as Farsi and Dari), Panjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Tibetan and Gujarati. The use of Anglisch and Hindi as lingua francas differs depending on the region, with the east favouring Hindi and the west favouring Anglisch.

Some creoles are common, such as Hindlisch, combining Hindi vocabulary with Anglisch-based constructions.

### Religion

The total amount of religious or non-religious people is rather difficult to determine in India. For Hindus, it can be said most people fall somewhere on a spectrum, as even many of those who do not explicitly believe in Gods still celebrate traditionally Hindu festivities such as Diwali and respect cows as sacred. This range of beliefs has been categorised as **Secular Hinduism** for greater clarity. In total, Secular Hindus are almost 500 million, with more religious, traditional Hindus numbering around 250 million.

**Islam** is the second largest, at around 300 million, dominant in Persia, Punjab and Bengal. Most at present are relatively moderate.

**Sikhism** is practiced by around 20 million in Punjab and has had special protections placed in its past to ensure it is preserved.

**Zoroastrianism** has made a rebound, mainly in Persia, and has around seven million followers.

Several sects of **Christianity** are present, mainly Lutherans, Catholics and Latter Day Saints, mainly due to the work of missionaries.

**Doharism** has several million followers, concentrated in Punjab.

## Culture

India has retained many cultural traditions, but some argue it has been further 'Europified.' It is less common for multiple generations to live under one roof, for example, and arranged marriages have declined (but are not outlawed).

### Cuisine

This Commonwealth's cuisine is revered throughout Neo-Europe for its lavish dishes and spices; many are national favourites such as Butter Chicken and Vegetable Madras. Each state/region has their own specific cuisine, however, with the far west of Persia emphasising grilled dishes such as kebabs and kotlets, while the south east state of Dravidistan is more exotic, with more vegetable-based dishes. Some level of convergence has occured, as well as a more unified commonwelath-wide cuisine that focuses on curry and bread, in general terms.

### Drinks

Several dairy-based beverages are consumed, such as lassi, and are considered specialities in the Commonwealth.

Many local settlements in the centre have their own Desi Beers, made with local ingredients.

Tea is also widely consumed, and each state typically has their own locally grown varieties.

### Sport

Cricket is immensely popular and is both watched and played by a huge number of people.

### Film and Television

The Bollywood industry never slowed down and continues to produce thousands of films a year.

## Science and Technology

Several high-tech labs are present, with the Commonwealth being responsible for much of the work in fighting against the Scavravirus, with several of the vaccines being developed here.

## Relationships

The Arab Commonwealth is perhaps the most culturally similar, especially with India's western states. Relations have sometimes been strained with Neo-Europe due to feeling neglected and abused, though this is less common nowadays. Even still, the pejorative *Britisher* is still used to express disdain for Britons.

## Premiers

*Main Article: Lead*ers of the Indian Commonwealth

 Radhika Siva
 Hassan Khameini
 Dhruvi Suresh

Within a year of Tekin coming to power, the position was abolished, soon after being replaced with **Governor-Generals**, who had less authority than Premiers did:

* Vihaan Patel, 2179-2213, 2127-2223
* Ahmad Rafsanjani, 2213-2219, 2162-2219
* Nalini Habibullah, 2219-2238, 2189-present

Following the end of Tekin's regime, elections resumed and Premiers became leaders again:

* Sanjay Gandhi, 2239-2252, 2183-2284
* Indira Tendulkar, 2252-2262, 2201-2280
* Dheeran Thevar, 2262-2269, 2218-2269
* Urva Bangur, 2269-2278 (position abolished), 2233-present