CULTURE IN INDIA

When we come across the word INDIA the tag of varied culture just comes along. India being a nation of rich culture
where people of more than one religious culture live together, it’s also the country of oldest civilizations in the world.

People are socially interdependent and this makes their social bonds extremely strong and long lasting. Highly devoted to
their culture the Indians have lots of respect regard and honour each other’s tradition and culture and also celebrate
festivals and important days in accordance with their customs.

Unity in Diversity is a phrase that implies UNITY. India is a diverse country where people from different caste, community,
religions, and sects live in harmony and peace in complete freedom following their respective cultures and traditions.
People here belong to different religions, they speak different languages, their food, customs, rites, etc differs yet they live
in Unity as one Nation and are called INDIANS. With the unique feature of togetherness among the people in spite of their
varied cultures, traditions and values prevailing, India marks itself a one of a kind nation. Individuals here live calmly by
following their very own way of life and conventions.

The essential parts of the Indian culture are etiquette good, mannerisms, approachable communication, rituals and
ceremonies, traditional values and many more. With the trend of changing life styles from being traditional to modern
ways, Indian people have maintained their traditions and values.

Indian culture races way behind almost 5000 years old and is considered as most ancient and supreme. Some of the major
religions of country are Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Zoroastrianism.

India with its high population has its culture categorized with regard to behavior, thoughtfulness, handicrafts food habits,
religions, festivals, social beliefs, dance, music, language and many more.

Various dances forms like classical being Bharatnatyam from Tamil Nadu, Kathakali from Kerela, Kathak from North, West
and Central India, Mohiniyattam from Kerela, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh, Oddisi from Odhisa, Manipuri from
Manipur and Sattriya from Assam. And on the other hand there are folk dances regions centered like Punjab for Bhangra,
Gugarat for Garba, Rajasthan for Ghumar, Assam for Bihu and Maharashtra for Lavani which forms an integral part of the
rich Culture inherited by India.

India is the land where legend like Gandhiji was born and he inculcated the though and culture of Ahimsa, meaning non-
violence.

The joint family system still prevails in India all members of the family equally share all expenses, work and other chores
among themselves so the burden will not be felt by any single person. All children get equal share of love, care, guidance
and cultural education by the elder grandparents and they grow up to keep the culture and tradition alive as they learn
about them from birth.

Spiritualism is too practiced highly in India. However the modern trend is catching up, yet maintaining tradition and
cultural values is a priority here. People practice Yoga, meditation and other spiritual activities. To name a one, the mass
ritual of bathing, held in Prayagraj, Allahabad every 12 years, is an important tradition in the Hindu faith, and is believed to
cleanse the person of all his sins. During this festival, devotees immerse themselves at the Sangam (meeting point), where
the mythical river Saraswati is believed to merge with the holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna.

Indians do follow a great culture of honoring their guests. They always welcome their guests with lots of happiness and
offer the utmost hospitality, hence the popular saying Atithi Devo Bhava, which means be the one for whom Guest is God

Observing fasting is too an integral part of the hindu culture, an unique way to show devotion and gratitude to their God.

Even today the concept of arranged marriage remains favourite for Indians is an integral part of the Indian tradition and
culture. Earlier there was even the practice of demanding Dowry, which is not out-lawed by the Government of India

Indian Ethnic wears such as Sarees, Salwar Khameez, lehenga choli for women and Kurta-Pyjama and Sherwani common
for men of all religions as a ceremonial wear for men

Lastly the most of all and largely that talk about Indian Culture is the Indian Food, being the key factor of India’s popularity
world-wide. The style and method of cooking varies from place to place. Indian food has a remarkable notoriety for its
expansive usage of herbs, flavors and spices. Every place is known for its signature dish or particular ingredients used that
categorize the cuisine into Mughlai, Bengali, North Indian, South Indian and Punjabi cuisine.

Though I have tried to accommodate in brief most of our Indian culture, I would like to mention here that Creating is
easier than Preserving. It has taken ages for our ancestors to create cultures and now it’s our turn that we to together
protect and preserve the rich and magnificent CULTURES OF INDIA.