INDIAN CULTURE

India is one of the ancient countries comparing to any other country in the world, which is very rich in its own culture. India has got the big phenomena of unity in multifarious diversities and multifarious diversity has got a unity. This means that though the external appearance of the people varies on different cultural forms, the 'Indian' spirit remains the same through out the country. 

The first and foremost thing to talk about culture is the civilization observed from the Old Stone Age to the present age. When we say somebody is civilized, that civilization either based on his or her literature or on his or her type of life. Individual regionalistic culture is depicted by the literature. The type of literatures first comes in the Tamil literature, then, Telegu and Malayalam followed by Kannada. These are the foremost languages in which they have existed without the aid of any other language. 

The type of dress adorn by the people of different parts of this country are as much colourful and varied to compromise with the climatic and the geographical conditions. The down South, where the temperature remains almost hot, the pattern of dressing is mainly divided into two parts, the ceremonial dresses and working dresses. In the ceremonial dresses, again the culture of the country based on weaving talents. 

From different weaving styles, one can promptly identify the place of origin of a particular dress in the country. The weaving at Kancheepuram is different from that of Banaras or Surat. In that way, it is worth knowing about the different weaving pattern of Kancheepuram, Banaras, Kashmir, Bengal, and Surat for the executive type of weaving in Zaris, Silks, pure cotton, wool and other materials. "Bidar" situated near Karnataka, predominantly occupied by Muslim community who weave superior quality clothing by hand. (The people at Dhaka in Bangladesh also do the same kind of weaving and there also most of the people belong to the Muslim community). 

To critically observe or get more knowledge about the culture, culture in persons, culture in individual behavior, culture in food habits and culture in day today work in India, one has to go to the remote parts of the country, i.e. the villages where the ancient culture is being observed as the entity of the varieties. In the semi-urban or urban states, it is impossible to find the true Indian culture of this country. So also, the jewels and ornaments adore by the people of this country varies from region to region. As much as the desire to adore them by jewels, the southern people have got a quenched thirst to adore with jewels to their gods and goddesses as deities than to themselves. 

The culture of this country has got strong belief in bestowing the most precious jewels in metals or that of a Navaratna to be adored on the deities. Such type of innumerable number of deities are even now available in remote villages where even the outskirt of the villages themselves do not know. There is a born instinct in differentiating the culture of regionalism and is only possible in the spirit of Indian culture alone which is not available in any other culture. However, the Keralite music can be perfectioned by a Tamil origin. The Tamil origins Bharatnatyam can be performed with more grace in Andhra Pradesh. Thyagabrahmams Keerthanas could be sung with more delicate taste by all these Southern Regional but the dressing culture, the food culture and any other culture remains individualistic and they are akin to that particular state to which they belong. The culture of Gurukulam.

 Though it has taken a pedigreeal concept all from guru to guru, it is restricted itself by imparting knowledge to high spiritual, vedic and ethical only. Some pedigree could not be established in day to day life. Therefore the Gummi, Kolattam and the street drama (Therukoothu), Ottamthullal of Kerala and the native dancing trends of Andhra Pradesh, the big drum festivals of Karnataka and the Veerasaiva sword twisting is restricted to the individual states only which has not spread to the other states. 

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.
 

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 culture of India is one of the oldest and unique. In India, there is amazing cultural diversity throughout the country. The South, North, and Northeast have their own distinct cultures and almost every state has carved out its own cultural niche. There is hardly any culture in the world that is as varied and unique as India. India is a vast country, having variety of geographical features and climatic conditions. India is home to some of the most ancient civilizations, including four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.

A combination of these factors has resulted into an exclusive culture- Indian culture. Indian culture is a composite mixture of varying styles and influences. In the matter of cuisine, for instance, the North and the South are totally different. Festivals in India are characterized by color, gaiety, enthusiasm, prayers and rituals. In the realm of music, there are varieties of folk, popular, pop, and classical music. The classical tradition of music in India includes the Carnatic and the Hindustani music.

India, a place of infinite variety, is fascinating with its ancient and complex culture, dazzling contrasts and breathtaking physical beauty. Among the most remarkable features of India, is the arts and culture in particular. The Indian culture has persisted through the ages precisely for the reasons of antiquity, unity, continuity and the universality of its nature. Thus within the ambience of Indian culture one can identify 'Indian Music', 'Indian Dance', 'Indian Cinema', 'Indian Literature', Indian Cuisine' 'Indian Fairs and Festivals' and so on.

Indian culture treats guests as god and serves them and takes care of them as if they are a part and parcel of the family itself. Even though we don't have anything to eat, the guests are never left hungry and are always looked after by the members of the family. "Respect one another" is another lesson that is taught from the books of Indian culture. Helpful nature is another striking feature in our Indian culture. Indian culture tells us 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.

Nowadays the Indian Culture has crossed the geographic boundaries and has extended globally. Whoever May it be an Indian or a person from any other country, attracted from the exuberant Indian Culture and traditions.

Culture is a symbolic, continuous, cumulative and progressive process. In the words of Green, culture means "the socially transmitted system of idealized ways of knowledge, practice and beliefs along with the artifacts that knowledge and practices produce and maintain as they change times."

Culture is the short-hand version of the rules that guide the way of life of people. It is the common learned way of life shared by members of a society. In a word, culture is the expression of finer aspects of the life style of a group. As Johann Von Herder says, "the culture of a people is the blood of its being."

In the famous words of Arnold J.Toynbee, "civilization is a movement - not a condition, a voyage and not a harbour." This is true especially in the context of India. Though one of the oldest of ancient civilizations, India is the only example of a continuous process of the growth and evolution of its ancient civilization. In a word, Indian civilization is a continuum and, therefore, unique. As such, the culture of India has always been integral in its approach. ^'

It has never been one-sided. One of the greatest scholars on the culture of India, Basham has this to say on the subject,".... in no other part of the ancient world were the relations of man and man, and of man and the state, so fair and humane. In no other early civilization were slaves so few in number, and in no other ancient lawbook are their rights so well protected as in the Arthasastra. India was a cheerful land, whose people, each finding a niche in a complex and slowly evolving social system, reached a higher level of kindliness and gentleness in their mutual relationships than any other nation of antiquity."

In view of the diversity certain people have formed the impression that India was never a united country. But this view is not fully correct because under the facade of diversity India has always enjoyed a deep note of fundamental unity.

Dr. Radha Kumud Mukherjee says that a superficial observer fails to discover this unity. To quote him, "He fails to discover the one in many, the individual in the aggregate, and the simple in the composite."

Sir Herbert Risley also observed, "Beneath the manifold diversity of physical and social type, language, custom and religion which strike the observer in India there can still be discerned a certain underlying uniformity of life from the Himalayas to Cape Clamoring.”

Certain scholars have tried to project the image that the ideal of unity is of recent growth in India and it was to a large extent the result of the efforts of the British Government. This view is not fully correct because India has enjoyed unity right from the earliest times and the founders of the Indian civilization were fully aware of this factor.

This shall be fully substantiated by the following discussion.

Geographical Unity:

Geographically India may not be a united by itself but from times immemorial India has been considered as one country. The single name “Bharata Varsha” given to this country emphasis this unity.

According to the authors of 'Advance History of India,' this name and the sense of unity which it denotes, was ever present before the minds of the theologians, political philosophers and poets who spoke of the thousand Yojans (leagues) of land that stretches from Himalayas to the sea as the proper domain of a single universal emperor."

During the medieval times the Muslim rulers also considered it as one country and made efforts to capture all parts. The nature has also bestowed a geographical unity by providing Himalayas in the North and Ocean in the other three sides of the country and thereby completely separating India from other countries.

The rivers of, India have also been responsible for giving a sense of unity in the country. Some of the rivers are ascribed divine origin and are considered sacred by every Indian. For example, Ganga is worshipped in all the four direction of the country.

Pilgrims from all over the country continue to visit the various holy places situated on its banks. Other rivers like Yamuna and Saraswati are also considered sacred by people all over the country. In short we can say that in spite of the geographical diversity the country has enjoyed a typical unity.

Racial Unity:

No doubt, the people of India belong to different races but they are so much absorbed in the Hindu fold that they have virtually lost their separate entity. It’s a well known fact that the people of India, to whichever race or region they might belong, are known as Indian of Hindustanis. This is a clear proof of the underlying recital unity of the people.

Linguistic Unity:

Although India possesses a variety of language, but she has enjoyed a linguistic unity from the earliest times. In the 3rd century B.C. the Prakrit served as the common language of the people.

According to Dr. Choudhury, Prakrit was the one single language sufficient to bring the message of a royal missionary to the doors of his humblest subject throughout this vast kingdom." After Prakrit, Sanskrit became the common language of the masses. The other local languages which subsequently gained prominence originated out of Sanskrit.

Some of the prominent Indian languages which owe their origin to Sanskrit include Hindi, Gujarati, Telgu and Tamil. In fact Sanskrit served as the lingua franca during the ancient times. During the Medieval times also though the Sanskrit language was not extended royal patronage by the Muslim rulers, the rulers in fete south continued to patronize it and it continued to flourish with the coming of British, English became lingua franca. After independence this role has been taken over by Hindi.

The script of the various languages used in India also possesses a certain amount of uniformity. In fact almost all the scripts are based on the Brahmin script. The literature produced in different Indian languages also possesses an element of unity. Most of the literature in Indian language drew inspiration from the Sanskrit literature and maintained the unity.

No doubt, certain local pieces of literature like Vedas, Puranas, Dharma Sastras and Upanishads were written in Sanskrit and are regarded as the common reissue by the people all over the country.

Religious and Social Unity:

In the religious sphere also despite the manifold diversity a sort of unity has prevailed amongst the various religious sects in the country. India was primarily a Hindu country and its culture was based on Varna Ashrama Dharma Vyavastha, i.e., caste.

People in all the four corners of the country followed these principles. The people also worshipped the same Hindu Gods all over the country, although they were assigned different names in different regions. The Hindu religious works Ramayana and the Mahabharata were also popular throughout the country and Indians both in the north and the south as well as east and west attach great importance to these works.

Similarly, the Vadas, Puranas and other religious scriptures are given due regarded by the people from all parts of the country. Again, every Indian irrespective of his caste, creed and race believes in the doctrine of transmigration of soul, monotheism, immortality of the soul, re­incarnation of Karma, deliverance or Moksha etc.

The people staying different parts of the country followed the same religious rites and rituals. Even the religious places of the Hindu like Ayodhya, Avantika, Mathura, Gaya, Kashi, Sanchi and Puri are located in the four directions of the country. Hindu festivals like Holi Diwali are also celebrated in the regions of the country. In fact, people from all religions participated in these festivals. Thus we find that in spite of the religious diversities there has been an undercurrent of cultural unity which to large extent nullified the peculiar effects of various religions.

The religious and cultural unity has also led to unity in the social sphere. The people belonging to various religions have been following common customs both with regard to the dress and eating habits.

Political Unity:

In the political sphere the unity of the country has been one of the greatest goals which most of the Indian rulers cherished. No doubt, India was divided into a number of small principalities but the powerful rulers were always keen to bring all these areas under their control. They were keen to assume the title of Chakravarti.

According to Kautilya, Chakravarti king domain extended from Himalayas to the seas. In other words according to Kautilya, the king was’ considered to be a Chakravarti only when he succeeded in extending his power or supremacy over the whole of the country. Usually such titles were assumed by the king after due performance of rites and sacrifices.

In the ancient times Chandragupta Maurya, Asoka and Samudra Gupta carved out all India Empires. During the medieval times also kings like Ala-ud-din Khiliji and AJirangzeb made efforts and succeeded in establishing their control' over the entire country. These Muslim rulers have been provided similar system of administration, uniform laws and customs, common coinage etc. and thus imparted a type of political unity to the entire country. Thus we find that despite the variety of religion, cultures, languages, geographical diversity etc. India has enjoyed some sort of the unity.

Cultural Unity:

Cultural unity amidst various diversities is found in India. In spite of difference in language, religion, dress and manners, Indian culture is homogeneous. In ancient time, the rock-cut architecture to the Mauryan period found its expression throughout India. The Gandhara School of art and Mathura School of art also flourishe in this land. The Indo-Islamic art and architecture were alike in the and corner of India. Superscriptions found from different parts country bore uniformity in many respects though the events and narratives were different.

Similarly, many festivals like Holi, Diwali, Sahara, Rakshabandhan, Idd, Sobebarat, Christmas, and Good Friday are observed throughout the country with their colorful lustier. Further, the Kumbhamela at Allahabad, Hardwar and Ujjain are attended by people from different parts of the country. Similarly many rites like birth-rite, funeral-rite are observed throughout the country, the caste system, family sanctity, modes of offerings, several social ceremonies are celebrated almost in a similar manner in different parts of the country. Thus, the cultural unity in India amidst several diversities is a unique phenomenon.

Unity in Literature:

In different parts of India literature has been written in several languages. The ancient literature like the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Dharmasastras etc. were written in Sanskrit. Basing upon those, literature has been written in different languages. The theme and characters of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Raghuvansam etc. are same in different languages may be Oriya, Kannad, Bengali, Ahamiya and so on. Thus, the influence of Sanskrit is greatly felt over that literature and really it plays a cementing force to bind together the literary traditions of different parts of the country.

Philosophical Unity:

India is the birth place of many philosophical systems of the world. The Vedic Philosophy, the philosophy of the Sankhyas, Yogas, Advaita Vedantins, Buddhisas, Jainas, Saivas, Shaktas etc. vary in many respects from each other. Buddha, Mahavir, Shankaracharya, Ballavacharya, Nimbarka, Kabir, Nanak, Sri Chaitanya, Nizamuddin Auliya, Eknath, Tukaram and many other saints preached their philosophy. Monotheism and polytheism have been preached in this subcontinent.

However, the ultimate aim of every philosophy is to lead a life full of bliss and happiness, the concept of Nirvana, Nfoksha, Mukti etc. or the life in this world and the other are certain other aspects of each philosophical system. This unity in Indian philosophical system has allured the attention of the people of the world at large.

Promoter of this Unity:

There are several agencies which have promoted the unity amidst diversity.' The sages, saints, reformers and pilgrims who have visited throughout India sing the glory of several places like Kurukshetra, Allahabad, Hardwar, Rishikesh, Dwaraka, Mathura, Kanchipuram so and so forth. Their description makes Indians feel that they belong to a glorious land, their motherland, India.

In the past, the conquerors like Chandragupta Maurya, Asoka, Chandragupta and Akbar wanted unity of this land which inspired the leaders of the part and inspires the present leaders too to maintain the unity and integrity of our country Among other factors, uniform administration, language and religion modern means of transport and communication, common history and nationalism and the present democratic set up act as agencie for maintaining this fundamental unity of India amidst various diversities Unity in diversity is the basic postulate of Indian culture. It is a wander that in spite of several diversities Indian culture preserves unity. That is quite unique and unparalleled in the chequered annals of history.

That is why, perhaps Herbert Risley has rightly pointed out— "Beneath the many-fold diversity of physical and social type, language, custom and religion which strikes the observer in India, there can still be discerned a certain underlying uniformity of life from the Himalayas to Cape Clamoring.