There have been many arguments erupting over the past month or so on how the impact of Western Culture on India is eroding our values. A few counter arguments suggest it is India’s Culture which is flawed and needs a makeover. If both these sides were allowed to lock horns, it would probably be a stalemate.
This brings us to a question. Is Indian Culture a cusp of the Western and Eastern Cultures, slowly inclining more towards the western end of the balance scale? Why is it that we Indians find it easier to live in countries like United States, UK or Australia than living in a country like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia or UAE, even though the latter is much more similar to us than the Western nations? Language is one of the most important determinants of Culture. English is the Business Language in India, and the preferred form of communication for a majority of the urban population. Isn’t that another box ticked in the Western Culture checklist? So, what exactly is Indian Culture?
Let us try to break this down. When we hear Western Culture, USA and UK are the two countries which spring to mind. UK is different for it has always been an independent state. USA was a British state and it gained independence in 1776 from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Prior to the British Empire, which started roughly in the early 1600’s with the invasion of Bermuda, America was inhabited by Native Americans who were nomadic and not particularly “civilized”. So, with the British settlers coming in there was a sea change in America. It gained independence from the British Empire in 1776. That is a good 230 odd years ago. So, the current USA civilization, and even the UK is quite old and has had significant amount of time to adapt, develop and cultivate its own culture, i.e. the Western Culture.
If we talk about India, the Culture is a direct derivative of the Vedas, Hinduism’s oldest scriptures. These scriptures were written way back in around 1700-1100 BC. Since then, India has gone through the Persian and Greek invasions, Maurya dynasty, the Kushan Empire, the Gupta Empire etc in the medieval period. Moving on to the early modern era. In 1600s, Mughals and Marathas were ruling over the Indian subcontinent, followed by the British Raj from the 1800s till India’s independence in 1947. Hence, by the time India had gained Independence, it had gone through a multitude of cultures and the real Indian Culture was nonexistent. It was a new India now.
The new India is just 66 years old. In Country years, it is quite young. India’s civilization is still evolving and is just about reaching the stage when it has started adopting and developing its own Culture. If one goes through the American History, it wasn’t until the latter part of 1900s that USA truly started developing into the nation it is today. Secondly, India has had many a cultural influences on it over its history. Considering 1600 to be the baseline period for Modern History, USA had the Influence of only the British settlers. India had the Mughals, Marathas, the British Raj and many other small kingdoms south of the country. These varied influences gave varied cultures in different parts of India. There was no one single culture for India as a country. Even as of today, each and every state of India has its own language, cuisine, music, i.e. Culture.
There are also social and economic reasons for cultural cocktail in India. India opened its economy to the world in 1990, and that was also the time when the dotcom revolution was taking shape. By 2000, Internet was gaining social acceptance in India and was moving from a luxury to necessity. Young India was exposed to Western Culture and they embraced it because it was “cool”. The connect with the Rest of the World was quite literally a touch away. The same is not true with USA or UK. They were seldom exposed to the Rest of the World when they were developing as a nation. With the increased exposure, people in India were also willing to invest in foreign products and education, hence further broadening their awareness of foreign, i.e. Western Culture. All this whilst sticking to their roots, or at least trying to. Further confusions for us poor Indians.
India as of now is a confused nation caught between the “Let’s get back to our roots” and “Lets endorse Western Culture” frames of thought. Considering the various things going on in India, it isn’t necessarily a good place to be in. Going back to the roots and endorsing the “real” Indian Culture is not a practically viable option. Completely adopting the Western Culture will make India lose its real identity, and is again not the most viable option. Entering its 67th year as an independent nation, India is reaching a stage where it is beginning to adopt the best of both cultures. The New Indian Culture if one may.
It is high time India stops harping on the Western vs Eastern debate. A person going to a temple early in the morning, in a sari or dhoti and having Dosas or Dhoklas for breakfast, is as much cultured as a person going to a night club in jeans or gowns and having a drink or chowmein. The “esteemed” politician, higher authorities and a vast majority of the Indian Population who declare that India should shun Western Culture need to understand that Culture doesn’t commit crimes; it’s the individual’s mindset which does. Culture ain’t got anything to do with it. India with a mix of both cultures will do just about fine; it’s our minds which needs some cleansing. Jaago India Jaago.
This brings us to a question. Is Indian Culture a cusp of the Western and Eastern Cultures, slowly inclining more towards the western end of the balance scale? Why is it that we Indians find it easier to live in countries like United States, UK or Australia than living in a country like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia or UAE, even though the latter is much more similar to us than the Western nations? Language is one of the most important determinants of Culture. English is the Business Language in India, and the preferred form of communication for a majority of the urban population. Isn’t that another box ticked in the Western Culture checklist? So, what exactly is Indian Culture?
Let us try to break this down. When we hear Western Culture, USA and UK are the two countries which spring to mind. UK is different for it has always been an independent state. USA was a British state and it gained independence in 1776 from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Prior to the British Empire, which started roughly in the early 1600’s with the invasion of Bermuda, America was inhabited by Native Americans who were nomadic and not particularly “civilized”. So, with the British settlers coming in there was a sea change in America. It gained independence from the British Empire in 1776. That is a good 230 odd years ago. So, the current USA civilization, and even the UK is quite old and has had significant amount of time to adapt, develop and cultivate its own culture, i.e. the Western Culture.
If we talk about India, the Culture is a direct derivative of the Vedas, Hinduism’s oldest scriptures. These scriptures were written way back in around 1700-1100 BC. Since then, India has gone through the Persian and Greek invasions, Maurya dynasty, the Kushan Empire, the Gupta Empire etc in the medieval period. Moving on to the early modern era. In 1600s, Mughals and Marathas were ruling over the Indian subcontinent, followed by the British Raj from the 1800s till India’s independence in 1947. Hence, by the time India had gained Independence, it had gone through a multitude of cultures and the real Indian Culture was nonexistent. It was a new India now.
The new India is just 66 years old. In Country years, it is quite young. India’s civilization is still evolving and is just about reaching the stage when it has started adopting and developing its own Culture. If one goes through the American History, it wasn’t until the latter part of 1900s that USA truly started developing into the nation it is today. Secondly, India has had many a cultural influences on it over its history. Considering 1600 to be the baseline period for Modern History, USA had the Influence of only the British settlers. India had the Mughals, Marathas, the British Raj and many other small kingdoms south of the country. These varied influences gave varied cultures in different parts of India. There was no one single culture for India as a country. Even as of today, each and every state of India has its own language, cuisine, music, i.e. Culture.
There are also social and economic reasons for cultural cocktail in India. India opened its economy to the world in 1990, and that was also the time when the dotcom revolution was taking shape. By 2000, Internet was gaining social acceptance in India and was moving from a luxury to necessity. Young India was exposed to Western Culture and they embraced it because it was “cool”. The connect with the Rest of the World was quite literally a touch away. The same is not true with USA or UK. They were seldom exposed to the Rest of the World when they were developing as a nation. With the increased exposure, people in India were also willing to invest in foreign products and education, hence further broadening their awareness of foreign, i.e. Western Culture. All this whilst sticking to their roots, or at least trying to. Further confusions for us poor Indians.
India as of now is a confused nation caught between the “Let’s get back to our roots” and “Lets endorse Western Culture” frames of thought. Considering the various things going on in India, it isn’t necessarily a good place to be in. Going back to the roots and endorsing the “real” Indian Culture is not a practically viable option. Completely adopting the Western Culture will make India lose its real identity, and is again not the most viable option. Entering its 67th year as an independent nation, India is reaching a stage where it is beginning to adopt the best of both cultures. The New Indian Culture if one may.
It is high time India stops harping on the Western vs Eastern debate. A person going to a temple early in the morning, in a sari or dhoti and having Dosas or Dhoklas for breakfast, is as much cultured as a person going to a night club in jeans or gowns and having a drink or chowmein. The “esteemed” politician, higher authorities and a vast majority of the Indian Population who declare that India should shun Western Culture need to understand that Culture doesn’t commit crimes; it’s the individual’s mindset which does. Culture ain’t got anything to do with it. India with a mix of both cultures will do just about fine; it’s our minds which needs some cleansing. Jaago India Jaago.
Good point. More than we practicing or endorsing a culture, the problem is just about one tolerating the other.
ReplyDeleteWhat if you practice western-ness and I'm traditional? There is no problem. The problem starts when we start accusing each other's lifestyle and the intolerance aggrevates.
Very true. Once people learn the art of just accepting the others the way they are, half of the problem will be solved.
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