CRITICAL THINKING ASSIGNMENT(2012)

COURSE CODE : PCR0025 COURSE TITLE : CRITICAL THINKING TOPIC GROUP GROUP NAME LIST OF GROUP MEMBERS : 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) LECTURE NAME: PN.NOR HASRINA BINTI MOHAMAD@SULAIMAN : CULTURE : FT03 : TENACIOUS SYNERGY

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Contents

Definition of culture Religions and spirituality Family structure and marriage Greetings Festivals Cuisine Clothing Languages Performing arts o Dance o Drama and theatre o Music Visual arts Martial arts

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DEFINITION OF CULTURE
Culture is the idea, value and beliefs of a particular civilization at a particular period. It is more than anything else, A State of Mind. Culture is the idea, value and beliefs of a particular civilization at a particular period. It is more than anything else, A State of Mind. Culture is the mixture of several things like fashion, music, artistry, behaviour, social norms, architecture and even food and dress sense. A living, vibrating and dynamic activity which engulfs the whole of living, in a certain period of time. This is what makes up the whole panorama of our social fabric filtering down from the upper strata to the basic roots, to the common man on the street. The Indian Culture as we know it today is an assimilation of several social behaviours. India has been a huge melting pot of various beliefs and behaviours which make up the different cultures.

RELIGIONS IN INDIA
India known as the land of spirituality and philosophy, was the birthplace of some religions, which even exist today in the world.The most dominant religion in India today is Hinduism. About 80% of Indians are Hindus. Hinduism is a colorful religion with a vast gallery of Gods and Goddesses. Hinduism is one of the ancient religions in the world. It is supposed to have developed about 5000 years ago. Later on in ancient period other religions developed in India.Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, are seen as the molders of the India philosophy. In 'modern' period new religions were also established in India.One comparatively new religion in India is Sikhism and it was established in the 15th century. About 2% of Indians are Sikhs. Along with the religions that developed in India, there are followers of non- Indian religions. The largest non-Indian religion is Islam. They are about 12% of India's population. Christians are more then 2% of India's population. There are also Zoroastrians who even though make less then 0.01% of India's population, are known around India. There are also a few thousand Jews in India. Judaism and Christianity might have arrived in India before they arrived in Europe.

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FESTIVALS IN INDIA
A festival is a celebration of life. Festivals bring peace and joy to the masses. They break the monotony of life. Indian festivals are numerous. They are of three types- national, religious and seasonal. The national festivals include Republic Day, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanit. The religious festivals of India include Guru Parav, Holi, Lohir, Buddhapurnima, Mahavir Jayanit, Dussehra, Diwali, Janmastami, Chath, Navaratri, Eid, Christmas, the festivals of the Parsees and Jews etc. The seasonal festivals include Bhi, Baisakhi, Onam, Pongal, Basant Panchanmi .Indian festivals are numerous. They are harmonious, rich, varied and colorful.Indian festivals are varied as the people themselves.

Diwali is the most prominent of Hindu festivals. It is the festival of lights. The Hindus celebrate this day to commemorate the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after the victory over Ravana. it is the victory of good over evil. The houses are cleaned and whitewashed. The people wear new clothes. On this day, people from all walks of life light up their homes. Crackers are burst and the children as well as the youth enjoy them. Holi is celebrated at the end of the winter season. This festival marks the beginning of spring. 'Raaslila' a cultural dance of Manipur is staged during this festival. The dance is dedicated to Lord Krishna and the gopis. Holi a festival of colors. People throw color on one another. It is celebrated in honor of Prahlad. It celebrates the victory of good over evil. Color is an essential part of Holi. But it must not be sprayed on people who do not want to play it. The bursting of crackers should be stopped. Festivals should be celebrated with simplicity. People belonging to other communities should be invited during religious festivals. This will help in promoting national integration and communal harmony.

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Family structure and marriage

Indian Arranged Marriage
Tamil marriages are not very showy and extravagant as Tamilians believe in simple living. Tamil people are very particular about their customs and traditions. However, Tamil weddings are attended by distant relatives and friends and hence are held on a large scale. There are many wedding rituals which are observed by them, without which the marriage is deemed incomplete. The important Tamil wedding rituals are given below.

Pre Wedding Rituals The wedding rituals begin with Panda Kaal Muhurtham. After this, the groom is welcomed with the traditional aarti. Next is Vratham, which is a small puja organized before marriage.The next ritual is Naandi, in which Brahmins are given gifts and sweets. Nicchiyadharatham is the formal engagement ceremony, wherein the bride and the groom exchange rings. Wedding Rituals On the day of the wedding, Mangala Snaanam takes place, as per which the bride and the groom take purifying bath.Then the exchange of garlands takes place between the bride and the groom. After this, Muhurtum ritual takes place wherein the groom ties mangalsutra and puts vermillion to the bride. Subsequently, they take seven rounds and seven vows around the sacred fire called Saptapadi. Post Wedding Rituals After the wedding, both the families exchange gifts with each other. This is called Sammandhi Mariyathai. After all the wedding ceremonies are over, the bride leaves with her husband for her marital home.

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GREETINGS
Namaskar/Namaskaram) is a common spoken valediction or salutation originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is a customary greeting when individuals meet, and a valediction upon their parting. A non-contact form of salutation is traditionally preferred in India and Namaste is the most common form of such a salutation. When spoken to another person, it is commonly accompanied by a slight bow made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards, in front of the chest. This gesture, called Ajali Mudr or Pranamasana, can also be performed wordlessly and carries the same meaning. MEANING As it is most commonly used, namaste is roughly equivalent to "greetings" or "good day," in English, implicitly with the connotation "to be well". As opposed to shaking hands, kissing or embracing each other in other cultures, Namaste is a non-contact form of respectful greeting and can be used universally while meeting a person of different gender, age or social status.

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CLOTHING IN INDIA
Clothing in India varies from region to region depending on the ethnicity, geography, climate and cultural traditions of the people of that region. Historically, men and women's clothing has evolved from simple Langotas and loincloths to cover the body to elaborate costumes not only used in daily wear but also on festive occasions as well as rituals and dance performances. In urban areas, western clothing is common and uniformly worn by people of all strata. India also has a great diversity in terms of weaves, fibers, colors and material of clothing. Color codes are followed in clothing based on the religion and ritual concerned. For instance, Hindus wear white clothes to indicate mourning while Parsis and Christians wear white to weddings. WOMENS TRADITIONAL CLOTHING Sari Ghagra Choli (lehenga choli) Salwar Kameez Churidaar Kurta Pattu Pavadai or Langa davani Mundum Neriyathum MENS TRADITIONA3.1.1 Dhoti Lungi Sherwani Headgear Dastar Pheta Mysore Peta Rajasthani pagari Gandhi cap

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CRITICAL THINKING ASSIGNMENT(2012) LANGUAGES

The languages of India belong to several language families, the major ones being the Indo-Aryan languages (spoken by 74% of Indians) and the Dravidian languages (spoken by 24% of Indians). Other languages spoken in India belong to the Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burman, and a few minor language families and isolates. Assamese/Axomiya Bengali Bodo Dogri Gujarati Hindi Kannada Kashmiri Konkani Maithili Malayalam Manipuri (alsoMeitei or Meithei) Marathi Nepali Oriya Punjabi Sanskrit Santhali Sindhi Tamil Telugu Urdu

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PERFORMING ARTS DANCE

Dance in India covers a wide range of dance and dance theatre forms, from the ancient classical or temple dance to folk and modern styles.

Classical Indian Dance

1. Bharatanatyam - Tamil Classical Dance. 2. Odissi - Orissa Classical Dance. 3. Kuchipudi - Telugu Classical Dance. 4. Manipuri - Manipur Classical Dance. 5. Mohiniaattam - Kerala Classical Dance. 6. Sattriya - Asamese Classical Dance. 7. Kathakali - Malayalam Classical Dance. 8. Kathak - North Indian Classical Dance. 9.Devarattam

Indian Folk Dance

1. Kummi 2.Poikal Kudirai Attam 3.Kamandi 4.Kaman Pandigai 5.Kolattam 6.Mayil Attam (Peacock dance) 7.Theru Koothu

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DRAMA AND THEATRE

Indian drama and theatre has a long history alongside its music and dance. Kalidasa's plays like Shakuntala and Meghadoota are some of the older dramas, following those of Bhasa. One of the oldest surviving theatre traditions of the world is the 2,000 year old Kutiyattam of Kerala.

MUSIC
Indian musical instruments can be broadly classified into four categories, mainly classical, western and folk. Baja (Harmonium) Bansuri (Flute) Chimta (Tong) Dhol (Bhangara Drum) Dholak (folk Drum) Dilruba (Bowed) Manjira Nadaswaram Nagaswaram Sitar Tabla Tanpura (Tambura, Tamboora)

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VISUAL ARTS
Indian Art is the visual art produced on the Indian subcontinent from about the 3rd millennium BC to modern times. To viewers schooled in the Western tradition, Indian art may seem overly ornate and sensuous; appreciation of its refinement comes only gradually, as a rule. Voluptuous feeling is given unusually free expression in Indian culture. A strong sense of design is also characteristic of Indian art and can be observed in its modern as well as in its traditional forms. EXAMPLE OF VISUAL ARTS: 1. Jewelry 2. Temple and Sculpture-art 3. Bronze Sculpture 4. Indian fresco 5. Miniature painting 6. Folk and tribal art 7. Art in the British period 8. Contemporary art

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MARTIAL ARTS
Martial arts is a part of Indias ancient culture and a traditional games.Originally a traditional form of martial art that started in South India, and now it has different names and different forms in the culture of the regions in India. Khusti The Indian Wrestling is also a part of Indian Martial arts found throughout the India. Indian martial arts has an important influence in the development of modern Asian martial arts. Nowadays a sense of self-defense and for fitness lots of people are opting for martial arts.As in other respects of Indian culture, Indian martial arts can be roughly divided into northern and southern styles. EXAMPLE OF MARTIAL ARTS: Kalarippayattu Silambam Gatka Musti yuddha Thang Ta Lathi Mardani Khel Pari-khanda

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