Culture

           The term culture refers to a state of intellectual development or manners. The social and political forces that influence the growth of a human being is defined as culture.

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Indian Culture

            Indian culture is rich and diverse and as a result unique in its very own way. Our manners, way of communicating with one another, etc are one of the important components of our culture. Even though we have accepted modern means of living, improved our lifestyle, our values and beliefs still remain unchanged. A person can change his way of clothing, way of eating and living but the rich values in a person always remains unchanged because they are deeply rooted within our hearts, mind, body and soul which we receive from our culture.

            The Indian culture has enjoyed an international reputation for the brass and bell metal work. The technology of metalworking had been entrenched in the Indian Culture by 2500 B.C. This technology then was manifested in myriad exquisite and sturdy images and icons. These images and icons are still found in temples. They are still being produced in household niches such as lamps, platters and other items required for acts of worship. The metals being used for these products are mostly gold, silver, copper, brass, bronze, and other mixed metals and alloys. Infact the world-famous dancing figure of Nataraja, which is a strong element of the Indian Culture, is a work in the Chola tradition. This piece of art epitomizes the achievement of art in the Indian Culture. In fact an even more remarkable fact is that most of the everyday household equipments that people in India use are art objects. The simplest of equipments ranging from the kitchen ladle, to the nutcracker, the water-pot, are all perfect examples of the artistic bend in the Indian Culture.

            In fact even the simple water-pot takes on a myriad forms and shapes. Some of them even have embossed borders. Woodcraft has a variety of ranges, ranging from select temple craftsmen to makers of bullock-carts or statues. The unassuming and fragile earthen pottery holds a rich tradition in India. In a majority of the States, the potter fashions clay into pots, jars, tumblers and platters of myriad shapes, some of which are ornamental and some of which are useful. But in the time of the rains, the village potter's wheel remains idle. Ivory is yet another special material which has been used by the Indian craftsmen to produce lace-like texture, fashioning delicate icons to combs, necklaces to bedsteads. The skills of the Indian craftsmen are such that they can work pith to the same degree of perfection. In fact the jewelry and trinkets in made in India till date shows a great amount of continuity with the ancient Indian Culture.

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Indian Cuisines

          The South Indian cuisine is largely non-greasy. It is mostly either boiled or steamed. This ensures the lightness of the food. Rice is a very large ingredient and hence the staple diets of the south Indian meal. Tradition demands that the south Indian food be served on a banana leaf. Also what is interesting is that each dish has its own specific place on the plate. Each dish in the south Indian meal is also served in a particular order.

           The south Indian cuisine has several accompaniments like curries. These are made of vegetables or meat. Vegetable stews; raitha, papad and pickles are also constant accompaniments to south Indian food. Curd is also an important element of the south Indian meal and is usually a must for all vegetarian meals. Coconut is also used liberally to garnish the meal and sometimes also as part of the masala. On the hand, the influence of the Mughal rulers is most felt through the Mughlai cuisine that they left behind for the Indians. One of the major food habits they left behind is in the form of the tandoor, which is an earthen oven. The tandoor is used to make rotis and kababs. The Mughlai cusisine is very rich. The sauces of the Mughlai cuisine consists largely of sauces that consist curd, cream and crushed nuts such as cashew. The aromatic spices and ghee that is used liberally are a distinctive element of the Mughlai cuisine and make Mughlai food a very rich form of cuisine. The Indian cuisine of Gujarat has a wide variety of savoury food ranging from the pickles to the sweets. The roti is also prepared in a number of different forms from the petal soft phulkas to the bone dry khakras. These preparations are spiced and crunchy and are suitable for being a good snack taken on journeys.

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Indian Marriages

            India being a land of diverse religions caters to different customs and traditions for each religion. Therefore the Indian marriages have a diverse set of traditions and customs pertaining to the religion. In the Hindu weddings almost all the marriages commence with the Ganesh Puja or the Griha Shanti Puja. A particular ceremony called the havan is conducted which is believed to purify the environment by appeasing the Gods and seeking their blessings. In the Gujaratis marriages, Griha Shanti Puja is performed in the weddings. The Marwaris perform the Ganesh Sthapna, and the Maharashtrians perform the Simant Puja. The Sindhis perform the Berana and the Punjabis perform the Roka in their weddings.

           There is a particular ceremony in most of the Indian marriages where the groom's female relatives perform the ceremony called the "God Bharai Rasam" for the bride. In this ceremony they shower upon the bride gifts and sweets. Clothes, jewellery and cosmetics are also given to the bride. In order to symbolize a prosperous married life blesses with children; a small doll is also given to the bride. In most of the Indian marriages, the bride and the groom exchange garlands. The flowers that are entwined in the garlands symbolise the everlasting bond between the bride and the groom. These flowers also symbolize the promises that they make to each other.

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Religions in India

            India is a land of varied religions and cultures. Given below is a brief look at the religions in India. The word Hindu originally signified or denoted people living on the banks of the river Sindhu. Now the word Hindu has come to have many religious and philosophical connotations. The Hindu Philosophy has its roots in the ideas of the Vedas. The Vedas are basically revelations to sages that have been passed down orally to disciples and students. These are the ideas that led to the Samkhya system of philosophy in the Hindu religion. This system is rational and systematic in its approach.

           Christianity is a religion which did not originate in India and hence is not native to the Indian soil. However the Christian communities in Kerala have lived there almost since the founding of the religion by Jesus Christ. The Christians believe in a trinity. This trinity consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Holy Scripture of the Christians is the Bible, which is a collection of 73 books. The Bible is divided into two sections: the Old Testament, which corresponds to the Bible of Judaism and the New Testament which is entirely based on Christ's messsages. The Sikh philosophy is a young, indigenous, and monotheistic philosophy. Guru Nanak, who was trying to unite Hinduism and Islam, founded the Sikh religious order. The word Sikh has been derived from the Sanskrit word shishya or disciple.

           The Sikh philosophy is has been developed by ten gurus or teachers. It has been passed on to their shishya or disciples. This philosophy conceives of God as formless and also perceives God as one. The Sikh philosophy retains certain Hindu ideas, such as those of the immortality of the soul, and of transmigration and karma.

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           Islam, like Christianity has had its genesis outside India. It was founded in Saudi Arabia. The people who follow this faith are called Muslims. Islam was propagated by prophet Mohammad. However the basic belief of Islam is that Adam brought Islam to the world. The belief also claims that God sent a number of messengers since then to preach this lesson and Mohammad was the one who came last in this list of messengers. Islam is also a monotheistic faith. It propagates the acceptance of Allah as the one God, and Mohammad as his prophet. The Muslims worship at Masjids or mosques. Jainism is an ancient religion that was born on the Indian soil. It dates back to Vedic times. The prescriptions or rules of Jainism preach the ways to achieve liberation. These rules apply to both ascetics and householders. Buddhism is a religion that originated from the teachings of Gautama Buddha. He was a prince from the Nepalese terai until he relinquished his life at the palace for a life of meditation and spiritual upliftment. The Buddhist philosophy propagates the Middle Path, which requires one to avoid the extremes of getting addicted to worldly pleasures and subjecting oneself to unnecessary rigours. Indian culture tells to multiply and distribute joy and happiness and share sadness and pain. It tells us that by all this we can develop co-operation and better living amongst ourselves and subsequently make this world a better place to live in.

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References:

Nicki Grihault, (2006), "India - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!)"

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Bobbie Kalman, (2000), "India: The Culture (Lands, Peoples, and Cultures)"

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Amartya Sen, (2006), "The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity"

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Gitanjali Kolanad, (2006), "India"

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Varma, Pavan K., (2001), "Being Indian: Inside the Real India"

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An Introduction to Indian Culture, an article 2004

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