INDIAN CULTURE

Culture is the idea, value and beliefs of a particular civilization at a particular period. It is more
than anything else, A State of Mind.
It is the way we behave, react to certain things, the way we perceive and interpret our values and
beliefs. In its varied manifestations it forms the basic principles, ethics, workings and behavior.
To define culture and limit it to these words would be an understatement. Its like trying to control
tornado and limit it to a corner. Its a system of emancipation which continues to absorb within
itself and pass on the society, all that is activated by different races and religions, who come in
close proximity with each other, giving it a new flavour and colouring it in a spectrum of new
colours, over period of time.
Culture is the mixture of several things like fashion, music, artistry, behaviour, social norms,
architecture and even food and dress sense. A living, vibrating and dynamic activity which
engulfs the whole of living, in a certain period of time. This is what makes up the whole
panorama of our social fabric filtering down from the upper strata to the basic roots, to the
common man on the street. The Indian Culture as we know it today is an assimilation of several
social behaviours.
Our country has been a huge melting pot of various beliefs and behaviours which make up the
different cultures that came to India. It is a composite culture due to the multiple influences which
have contributed to the creation of values and ethics. The projection of our culture has definitely
taken a nosedive but something which has lasted, grown and emancipated over centuries cannot
easily be wiped out or disintegrated. It grows may be differently with time. It takes generations to
give a definite shape and keeps on adding to itself. Its always dynamic, something vibrating and
acceptable to changes.
Civilisation relating to India goes back to several millenniums and the earliest one on record is
the Indus Valley Civilisation, Hinduism owes it origins to Vedas and the Hindu Culture laid
reverence for these holy scriptures scripted in the sacred language of Sanskrit. It basically had
some salient points which were a belief in God in some form, emphasis on rituals, which were
believed to unite them in spiritual kinship, belief in the Guru-Shishya tradition of learning, a
demarcated caste system based on the work allotted.
Besides the Hindu religion we have the Jains who have claimed their religion to be most ancient
of all, even to Aryan Hinduism and presented scholarly support to the existence of Jainism in the
Indus Valley.
Buddhism, is another religion in our country which is based on the teachings of Gautam Buddha.
It is also one of the great religions of the world. Scholars have avoided the world religion for
Buddhism and prefer to call it a system of morality or ethics.
Islam was brought to India by the invaders and even as they set up their rule in the country, they
indulged in propagation and forceful conversion. It is today a religion with one of the largest
followings in the world.
The earliest of recorded and prominent invasion was that of Alexander. The major effect of this
invasion was that his march produced a land route from Europe to India with the result that
Greek and Indian civilizations came in close contact in fluencing each other to a great extent.
Later we have had the influences of Christianity brought into India by the French, the Portugese
and to a major extent by the Britishers who ruled for nearly two centuries. Further to this we have
had a sprinkling of Jews and a good chunk of Parsis seeking refuge in our country.
In the cauldron of this composite mixture of various religions and cultures evolved the Hindustani
culture in Northern Indian and the Dravidian culture of the South. The Bhakti movement in the
Middle Ages in India were an all-india socio-religious movement. Ramanuj, Nanak, Ramanand
and Kabir, Namdeva, Tukaram and Ramdas, Jaidev and Chaitanya denounced the caste system
and brought about socio-religious reforms in the Hindus society.
The Nawabi culture of Central India and mainly Lucknow brought a different artistic style to the
prevalent customs of royalty which filtered down to the middle class. This was famously known
as Tehzib.
The political setup of our country is based on acceptance of this composite way of life with
freedom to practice ones own religious and culture in any part of the country. The majority
Hindus have always been a tolerant religion and have soaked a variety of this composition into
their culture yet several things practiced today are very hard to be categorized.
The social fabric of our country has been made strong over the centuries through our varied
cultures. It is our religious and culture which is attracting persons of all religious and nationality to
the country.
Millions of Indians have left for foreign shores and their second generations are growing up there.
These young ones are more susceptible to change and assimilation. They are the ones growing
up in an environment alien to us but quiet natural to them. The surprising part is that even after
all the exposure to this foreign culture, they continue to retain the basics of the culture their
parents had imbibed in them by behaving normally at home. The roots are so deep that it is quiet
difficult to strip them off.
Just by singing or strumming rock, Lazzard Pop music does not annihilate our culture. Wearing
Western dresses or speaking in a different accent does not mean that our culture is at the point
of disintegration. Beauty pageants, which are being violently opposed by a section of our society,
are not powerful enough to change or influence our culture. The younger generation has still its
umbilical cord connected to their ethnic culture securely even as they become progressively
modern. There are millions of youngsters in the metros dancing at discotheques who go back to
retain their tradition and culture where it really matters. It is definitely the strength of our culture
that it cannot be so easily traded off. It is not the physical being, It is a State of Mind.
The West has borrowed our Yoga, transcended meditation, Hare Rama Hare Krishna and
Ayurveda seems none the worse for it. In fact it grows more strong even like us with our young
ones living it up in style. The world is after all heading for a Global Village so let us get the taste
of it and continue to emancipate. Our culture can only gain by adding to it. What matters really is
our identity and our ethics.
Our Indian Culture teaches us to respect elders and to treat the Guru or Teacher at a rank equal
to ones parents. This is something which is unheard of in the developed nations. Our culture is
slowly being eroded and the day it is considered immaterial, we shall no more have a nation. The
beliefs, development of human powers, mental and spiritual training in the background of our
religious traditions, all make a concerted move for our culture to be vibrant and a living entity.
Culture unity means a wholesome cohesive undercurrent flowing into the beliefs of people which
jointly compose our nation. These perennial beliefs, social traditions and spiritual practices make
up our cultural fabric. Cultural unity means Unity in Diversity but this has remained a fake
rhetoric only. These are the discriminating factors which are slowly growing at the roots of our
culture. Our Culture will be wiped out because of this ambiguity. Let us awake and be equal to all
transgressions on our cultural unity.