Indian Culture
Introduction
The values, belief and way of life of a given group of people, is known as culture. The researcher in this paper focuses on Indian people. It is with no doubt that the Indian culture is one of the most complex cultures across the globe. It is a mixture of modern and traditional lifestyle. Indians have settled in different parts of the globe including the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.
They have influenced local culture in their settlements by building temples, restaurants and fabric shops. Their formal language is Hindu but there are other languages used by different provinces and states in the country. Indian culture comprises of a balanced cultivation and harmony of all human faculty.
The culture is also taught to young people at a very tender age. Indian females are not treated as their male counterparts. Married women are discriminated against by married men. As a matter of fact, males are dominant while women are passive in their family roles. Hindu is widely used across India even though there are other religions including Christianity and Muslim.
Methods
The research method used in this study is a questionnaire to an Indian student, Shakti. The questionnaire is attached to this essay.
Findings
The researcher discovered that Shakti’s native language is Punjabi because his ancestors come from Punjab state. It is one of the official languages used in the country. Hindu in the research is recognized as the official language (Sedlatschek 20) and there are other thirteen languages used in the Indian constitution eight schedules. The languages include Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Assamese, Telegu, Bengali, Tamil, Kannaada, Malayalam, Sindhi, Gujarati and Sanskrit (Sedlatscheck 24-27).
English is additionally used as an official language in many schools, when carrying out businesses and in interviews. Shakti confessed that he is a strict Hindu based on the fact that it is the faith his parents introduced him to. The religion is widely practiced in the country and the Indian traditional belief is that the truth always has a tendency to succeed and such are the basics of the religion.
Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism are also practiced in the country (Brass 26). Major religions in the country are Hindu, followed by Islam then Christianity. Minor religions in India include Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.
Once a youth becomes a Christian, missionaries in the country take the initiative to educate him to be a ‘Brahman’, like a priest. He serves the church as an elder (Herbert & Crooke 250). Indian kids do not leave their homes till they are of mature age. Shakti confirmed that many families in the country are polygamous with many living with their uncles, aunties, cousins and grandparents under one roof.
He also said that Indian kids living in other countries have to learn their native language and wear their Indian attire. They also learn to prepare and eat Indian food. They are additionally expected to respect their parents and other elderly members of the family (Sharma 246). The polygamous family unit is used a social unit to protect the kids. The family unit in the recent past is no longer representing all its members as it was in the past.
This is based on conflicting personal interests as well as modernization (Raj 213). Marriage in India is a very significant unit of Indian culture therefore, everyone must marry. It is a significant institution where married couples are highly respected in the society (244). The institution is also used to regulate sexual behavior, to reproduce and to protect kids as well as their socialization (245).
For intermarriage, Indians used the caste system. Shakti explains that there are five caste divisions including priests known as Brahmins, warriors and rulers known as Kshatriyas, skilled merchants and traders known as Vaisyas, unskilled employees known as Sundras and lastly, the outcastes known as the Pariah.
The interviewee said that at the age of twenty, children and parents meet to discuss about marriage. Youths of both genders cannot freely interact as it is considered a taboo. Hindu marriage is also known as a link between two families. The youths are not allowed to choose their mates therefore; relatives and parents arrange their marriages. This kind of tradition is widely practiced even in modern day (246). In this case, children accept decisions by their parents unconditionally.
Women and men in the country do not enjoy equal rights. Motherhood and marriage are the only roles that women play. In his response, Shakti said that men are more superior to women and as a result, women should respect them. Women are often at home taking care of the kids and the family. They are also treated as half of man, also known as ‘Ardhangini’’.
The man is considered half before marriage and whole once he marries (Sharma, et al. 244). Indian men are known to be violent to their wives and it shows intimidation against women yet this is something they confirmed (255). It is not easy for castes to intermarry (Herbert & Crooke 187). When a girl reaches maturity age, she is degraded to Sundras age and the dad is held responsible for not marrying her off (187).
Conclusion
Indian culture is an organized customary practice that is slowly changing to modern lifestyle. Individuals in this culture are mainly Hindus even though there are other religions being introduced to it. It is also influenced a great deal by western culture and practices are changing. For instance if a child earns enough cash to support his family, he can move from the parents.
From the information provided by Shakti, it is evident that Indians have clear laid rules and regulations. Children have to respect the elderly while women are intimidated by their men. They can only engage in domestic work and take care of the kids. Marriage unit is a well-defined unit with rules governing both men and women as well as what is expected of them.
Marriage is additionally one of the most significant Hindu culture institutions. It is highly respected by all in the society. Additionally, it is used to create relations, socialize, reproduction and to regulate sexual behaviors. The responsibilities of parents towards their kids are also well defined. Therefore, the culture is well established and organized for passage from one generation to the other.
Works cited
Brass, Paul R. Language, Religion and Politics in North India. Lincoln, NE: Universe, 2005.
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Pruthi, Raj. Essays on Indian Culture. New Delhi: Discovery Pub. House, 2003. Print.
Risley, Herbert H, and William Crooke. The People of India. New Delhi [u.a.: Asian Educational Services, 1999. Print.
Sedlatschek, Andreas. Contemporary Indian English: Variation and Change. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub. Co, 2009. Print.
Sharma, I., Pandit B., Pathak A. & Reet, S. Hinduism, Marriage and mental illness: Indian Journal of Psychiatry. 55.6 (Jan. 2013): p243.