One of India’s biggest strengths is its economy. India though, is still a highly agrarian society where agriculture is the main occupation of the people. However, the Indian economy is big. With a population of 1.2 billion people, India has a huge market. With the coming of the IT revolution, more and more Indians have more money to buy goods and services and therefore becomes a very good market for various firms all over the world.

For any country to succeed, it needs to invest in its human resources and its people. Japan is a great example. Japan does not have a lot of natural resources, but it invests heavily in its people and as a result, its economy is the third-largest in the world, only recently surpassed by China.

The problem in India however, is that India does not invest a lot in human resources, especially in women. It is more of a societal issue in India than an economic one. Parents in India give priority to their sons over their daughters. This is a prevailing trend generally in Indian society. Of course, there are exceptions.

This is because in India, parents believe that the daughter at some point of time will be wedded off to another family and it is customary for the bride’s family to provide the groom with some amount of wealth. When the daughter is to be married off anyway, why invest in skills and training? This is also another reason why parents don’t encourage their daughters to study further. Even after marriage, the husband does not invest in their wives. They don’t encourage their wives to work, they expect the wife to take care of the house, bear children and continue to play the role of homemaker. And on that account, men usually don’t bear any household responsibilities as they believe that it is the job of the wife to do so. Such an attitude not only reinforces chauvinistic thoughts in men, it also passes down to the next generation which usually practises the same habits.

This is one of the main reasons why India is not in league with countries like China and Korea which have high rates of growth and development.

In countries like China, you see women working alongside men and earning incomes. Of course, this is not to say that in China women are treated just as equal as men. Such problems are there even in the most advanced countries, but if you compare China and India, you do see that women in China are more independent.

When we visualize a chinese factory, the first thing we see is a big factory with a lot of women stitching garments or putting parts together or assembling something. Women work just as hard as men do. However when we see an Indian factory, we see a lot of men doing the jobs and very few women present.

So this means, in a family in China, if the husband loses his job, they are not completely ruined because the wife has an income as well. That ensures that they survive till the husband gets another job. However, should a husband in India lose employment, then they are in big trouble because there is no alternative income.

Women in India should work as well. Women are known to be hard workers, they do their jobs much better than men and are more organized. This has a great economic impact as it means a rise in productivity and also a rise in incomes. Socially, this also creates a safety net and the family is secured financially. Besides, women usually use their incomes wisely. Women like to invest more in her family and her children so that they are able to secure a brighter future. This empowers the institution of the family and also brings in prosperity. Not to mention, women will make a great market for more goods and services. Jobs will give them purchasing power and the economy will grow faster.

The trends in India are slowly changing. Through education and adult training, women are entering the fray and are earning for themselves. In fact, we now see a trend where women also become successful entrepreneurs. They may not necessarily be from the urban areas, but they are doing well for themselves with whatever little skills and training they have. They understand the value of independence. They are also contributing to the nation’s economy and are securing their futures. However, the gap is still too wide and it needs to be closed. Women need to be empowered further in order to contribute more. With increased urbanization and education, this gap is slowly being filled.

Copyright © 2011 Ashwath Komath

Culture is the force which influences the growth of our society and we weather through the social means or through the political means. India is full of color and diversity in respect to the festivals, ethics, religion and languages. It is full of all kind of trains and each train has its own culture. Traditional the Indian culture is very strict as India is dividing in caste in some where and in some places it gives you the modern look but still despite of all of these things Indian have not let off their culture and still they are moving in with the modern western societies by caring their cultural values side by side. Family value are on the top priority in Indian culture and people love there parents and parents lover their children and there is love present in the brother and sister as well as in the cousins as well.

People respects the elder one do not matter if there is any relationship between them or not but still they respect them and this respect is not based on the materialistic things but it come form the inside of the person. Despite of the fast modern life people still give proper time to their religion and try to follows the codes of their religion in the life these are the few salient features of the Indian society. 

A number of languages ​​spoken in India have added to its diverse culture. Currently there are 415 living languages ​​in India but the Indian constitution has declared the use of Hindi and English the two official languages ​​of communication for the Union Government. The communication system of each State has done in their own language. There are two major language families of India are Indo-Aryan, which is limited to the north, west, central and eastern India and the Dravidian languages ​​are limited in southern India.

Coming Indian architecture, the mind enters the temple of the great cities of the South – Chidambaram, Rameswaram, Kanchipuram, Madurai, and numerous others – architectural magnificence of Vijaynagar Empire and the erotic sculptures of Khajuraho is the Mughal architecture of Delhi, Agra and Fatehpur Sikri or in their havelis of Jaisalmer immaculate grids. There is so much to see and do.

Indian cultural values ​​and good manners, which is recognized by all. Indians respect their elders and not only older, they respect their customers as well. We believe and teach “Atithi Devo Bhava” This means Guest is God and therefore all those who come from India is well cared for and nurtured.

Culture is not just music, dance, art, cinema and customs of marriage, death rituals, patterns of pilgrimage, subscribe to raising children, the oldest treatment, and there are countless other aspects of the suture into account ‘importance of culture.

Indian religions, beliefs, festivals, rituals, artifacts, monuments, costumes, music, dance, language and literature is steeped in Indian culture and one to be rich. It is not only believed, but must recognize and be aware of people around the world

Dedication to the family and working for the family is not an a joke , it is very difficulty and living in a limited  assets and satisfiying the mind with including the family. So many problems will come and for all the problems  we have to find the solutions and we have to solve it. It is not a joke to live in a Developing country.

In a developed country all the necessary things what the human being can want he can get it, But in the developing countries it is very hard and difficulty to lead a life with the family and takaing rail back to the family. The Indian culture whil will tell to pray for  a God and after that to respect elders and giving love to the youngers and making only one marry as a life partner and living whole life with single female.

The living style of indian culture is best now a days comparing to the entire world. Only indian families are happya and they  are living with peace in this 21st centur. Here all the contents came from the prayer and then the duty to work.

Satisfying the family withn the budget and taking action on difficult situation and managing whol family.

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The pervasiveness of English language itself doesn’t cause any concern to an average Indian, however. Parents are delighted when their tiny-tots recite English rhymes, dance, clap and gesticulate. It’s a common show-off item performed in front of guests.

Yet, many parents feel an uneasy concern too. There is fear that old values are fading away, western ideas are seeping in, cultural traditions are getting buried,… and so on.

The solution for many lies in Sanskrit.

Sanskrit, the ancient Indian language, the language of the gods, the language of their scriptures, their traditional knowledge systems of medicines and astronomy. It is the mother of all languages in the world (arguably) and all the languages in India, just as Hinduism is the mother of all contemporary religions that originated in India – Sikhism, Buddhism and the Jainism. If there is unity amidst diversity in India, it is attributable to Sanskrit.

Image via Wikipedia

Sanskrit, which many argued as a dead language, is poised for a renaissance in the coming decades. There is a resurging interest in learning Sanskrit in the West. Sanskrit is considered the most perfect medium for expressing spiritual and philosophical ideas. It is the language that has expressed all the profound ancient spiritual wisdom in Vedas, Upanishadas, Puranas, Shastras and the Bhagavad Gita. 

Many of you may know that St James Junior School chain of schools in London have been teaching Sanskrit since 1975. It is indeed heartening to note that an increasing number of children are keen on learning Sanskrit, despite the script and pronunciation being difficult for English speakers. The parents and the teachers say that learning Sanskrit broadens the linguistic skills of the children at an early stage and exposes them to widely differing world cultures.

Interestingly, many modern scientists in the high-tech field of computers have discovered that Sanskrit is the best language for the latest generation of Artificial Intelligence machine-systems.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has acknowledged the scientific importance of Sanskrit and is looking at it as a possible computer language, since the syntax is scientifically codified, with little room for error.

This is going to be the topic for my next article on Sanskrit.

Having arrived from India, the Indians of Singapore are a diverse group: coming from various places such as India, Pakistani, Sri Lanka, and even some parts of Africa. (Culture Shock! 193) The majority of Indians are Hindus, while the rest are Christians, Muslims and Buddhists.

Hindus celebrate Deepavali (also know as “Dewali” or festival of lights) as a sign of remembrance of the battle of light over darkness. During this time of celebration, most Hindus will decorate their houses with colored lights and also flower garlands. They wake up early in the morning and offer their prayers at the temples. Children pay ritual homage to their parents, and people pay visits to friends and family reaffirming their ties of solidarity. The festivities also include having ‘open house’ for friends and relatives alike.

Thaipusam is another celebration altogether. On this day, Hindus whose prayers have been answered by their gods have to fulfill their promise of penance. Devotees let their bodies be pierced and carry a ‘kavadi’, a metal contraption to evoke pain.

In addition, as the cow is revered in Hinduism, most Indians do not eat beef, and the rest are strict vegetarians due to their Buddhist beliefs. Similar to the Chinese, sombre colors such as white, black, grayish or pale colors are appropriate for funerals. Bright and cheerful colors are best avoided during this period of mournings.

Bibliography:

• Toynbee, Arnold J. A Study of History. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 1934.
• Craig, JoAnn Meriwether.Culture Shock! : A Guide to Customs and Etiquette. Singapore: Times Books International, 1997
• Stratton, Jerry. Forces of Acculturation.09 Apr. 1995. Culture Shock! . 09 Jul. 2002 Kwang, Mary. Chinese Culture ‘can play a role in Singapore’. 04 Nov.1999. The Straits Times.11 Jul.2002
• Tan, Tony Keng Yam. Racial Harmony Message 2002. 19 Jul.2002.Singapore.10 Jul. 2002
• Mattics, Sarah.6 Apr.2002.The University of South Alabama .10 Jul.2002
• Ow, Chin Hock. Friends of Singapore.1 Oct. 2000. Kowloon Club.10 Jul. 2002
• Singapore, Expat. 8 Jul.2002.Society and Culture.10 Jul.2002. Expat Singapore. 10 Jul.2002

So, let’s get back to the narration. As children, we would safe-keep our share of the apportioned lot; but then the excitement would get the better of us, and we would use off quite a chunk of the crackers before diwali itself.

Boy Playing with a Sparkler — Image by © Ken Seet/Corbis

Little girls would play with sparklers, ‘bhoomi chakras’ or the whorling disks of firework on the ground, or the colorful fire fountains. The boys would be, of course, more daring. They would devise their own rockets, using bottles, cans and what not — something like what the following video shows. Naturally, these sort of improvisations made it a lot more fun than buying the ready-to-use rockets.

In North India, people would light up crackers after the sunset, but in the South, Diwali starts before the crack of the dawn. As a South Indian, we would get up very early in the morning. Our mothers would massage our heads with warm herbal sesame oil and give us the traditional oil bath. After this, we would burst the crackers. We would always compete with the neighboring kids to see who would burst the crackers first in the morning. After the crackers, it  would be time for a very special breakfast with specially prepared sweets and savories. Oh no, before this we must have our ‘lehyam’, which is a jaggery and honey laden concoction of medicinal herbs that would fire up the digestion to take in all the sweets that would come throughout the day.
 
The main aim of the festivals is to bring the community together. That’s the time one renews ties with old friends, neighbors and acquaintances. So, later in the afternoon and the evening, people would visit each other and exchange gifts and sweets.

From picasa

Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated during the seventh month of the Hindu Lunar calendar. (This year, it is on 16-17 October). Rows of lamps or clay pots with oil-soaked wicks are lit to symbolize this triumph of inner light and virtue over the darkness of ignorance and vice.

People line windows and doorways with lamps (’deep’ – Deepawali thus means a row of lamps). Those in business worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. They close their fiscal year and open new account books.

This is how a typical street would look on the Diwali night.

Indians who have settled abroad celebrate with the same zest, but choose the nearest weekend to assemble and have a great cultural evening of music, dance and lights.

Kolams are geometric patterns containing lines, arcs and circles. They can also contain loops that circle dots drawn in patterns that have axial and lateral symmetry. They provide excellent exercise to the body when women bend over, drawing these dexterous designs. The activities stimulate the brain too, because small designs have to be replicated several times in different directions, maintaining simultaneously the symmetry in design.

I simply love dot kolams. Click the following hyperlink to see a dot kolam animation.

Here are some examples of dot kolams.

Source: Kamat’s Potpourri

Another simple dot kolam is illustrated in the following video. Note the loops around the dots and the symmetrical pattern.

The following is a simple kolam drawn with dots and lines connecting the dots.

Another simple, everyday kolam with lines over the dots is shown below.

Basically, there are two ways of drawing the dots. If the maximum number of dots is odd, then the next row of dots contains one dot less, and is drawn by inserting the dots midway between the previous row of dots. For example, the typical pattern of dots for a 7-dot kolam will be 7-6-5-4-3.

If the maximum number of dots is even, then the next row of dots contains two dots less; you draw the next row of dots by omitting the end dots and drawing other dots opposite to the previous row (instead of drawing it mid-way between the previous row of dots). A typical pattern could be 10-8-6-4-2.

Another pattern could be a square. It could be even or odd numbered. Here is 21×21 dots square.

Source

The following video shows kolams being drawn in the morning. As the mornings progress, people walk over them and the speeding vehicles stamp them, but the designs do remain reasonably glued to the ground because of the water on the tarred or the mud-caked roads.

In Kerala,  kolams are decorated with flowers, especially on the New Year day, called Onam festival.

Kolams are not equally prevalent in North India, but can be seen in Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal. They are called ‘rangoli’ and color powders are extensively used, especially on festive occasions like Diwali, the festival of lights, and  marriages.

In keeping up with notions of sharing food and space with other living beings, rice flour was used to make the designs, and ants would line up to feed on them. On special occasions, edibles like rice grains and coconut scrapings are also used. On marriage halls, it is customary to use rice flour paste, as they adhere to the concrete floors better. There are other easy-to-use tools that have made drawing huge designs a little less of a drudgery. Instead of dribbing rice flour through the fingers, you could use perforated rolling tubes and perforated design trays or stencils through which the powders stream out.

Here is an excellent site for collection of kolams. You may practice them on paper first.

Also Read

A Temple to Shiva in the Middle of The Sea

The Mysteries of Karma

Does Polyandry Exist in India?

There is no way to escape status in India. The last names of Indian people are in relation to what status they are in. They have the wealthy, commoners, and the very poor. When Indian people come to America it is very difficult for them to adjust to the way the United States functions. All people are capable to achieve a large amount of money in America and granted it does depend a lot on who you know however, in India you cannot move up in status or lower no matter what you do. I suppose it is sort of like royalty in England that once you are born into it there’s no escaping it.

When Indian people come to America they continue to treat fellow Indians the same as if they were in their own country. That is something they see as being right and probably their right as someone with money that can look down upon those that don’t have any or enough.

Since the Indian culture is focused on status they will not feed a child that is hungry and left alone in the streets if they are of another status. For instance, if the child was dropped off in the streets by a fancy car whether the child was kidnapped from a wealthy family or not, no one will try to help that child. They want nothing to do with the kid since they don’t belong to the same status and they fear getting in trouble by the law and being blamed by others. The child will roam the streets hungry and begin to beg at places that sell food and they will simply push them away. Their status situation will not allow them to be kind to innocent children of different levels of society. This is a very sad situation and is never talked about.

Status also leads these people to continue to stay the same. Only the wealthy can improve in their level of status. The poor stays poor no matter what. They choose to move away if they can afford to in order to be able to improve in other countries. India is filled with an incredible amount of people that are highly driven yet they only reap the awards of their work when they live in another country which is why many do come to America. They see it as a chance to live a brand new way of life and they see America as their opportunity to be among the wealthy.