WE HAVE EXCHANGED OUR GOLDEN HERITAGE FOR A PAIR OF BLUE JEANS (Westernization of Indian Culture) Dictionary defines culture

as the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in art, architecture, religion, belief, conduct, scholarly pursuits, etc.
Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet, Till Earth and Sky stand presently at Gods great Judgment Seat; But there is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth, When two strong men stand face to face, Tho they come from the ends of the earth! - Rudyard Kipling

India prides itself in having a culture that is vast, varied and beautiful. India showcases 28 states, with over 800 languages and nearly 5000 different awe-inspiring traditions. Mark Twain, once said In religion, India is the only
millionaire, the One land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined . Today, with

the advent of the concept of modernization, some claim that we are losing the essence of those traditions and values. They say, with the arrival of the age of technology, we are running behind the western traditions, technologies and beliefs, that we are not doing enough to preserve our golden culture. But today, we are aware of all that is happening around us in a way like never before. Today, we stand at the threshold of knowledge and the knowledge we possess is greater than rest of the world. Connecting and gaining information from anywhere across the globe is as easy as snapping a finger. Today, we are informed about the culture, religious, linguistic, philosophical and ethnic diversity of India, now, more than any time in our history. In this scenario, the anti-western feeling that crops up in the minds of many seems obsolete, because the changes that we make in our traditions are to suit our conveniences. These might not have necessarily come from the west or east. Secondly, as dictionary defines culture, it is the quality that is regarded as excellent in that era and might not necessarily suit the next. Therefore, modifications in culture, traditions, values and beliefs with respect to time, are inevitable. Many denote the liberal way of life and thinking as the domain of the west but I believe, these are the necessary adjustments in the modern way of advancing life. We claim that the countries of the west have us influenced by their cultures. Tell me, which are the countries of west? The Great Britain, which ruled us for two centuries and ended up learning techniques of production from us or maybe, America, where the religion of the majority is Christianity, which has its roots buried deep in our land. Talk of Greece and well realize

the culture and philosophy varies from that of the United States on a large scale. In fact, as history states, when Greece was excelling in its culture it was interacting with countries of the middle east and south east like India, China, Istanbul etc. So, how can a culture that is vastly influenced by interactions of the sort be termed as western? India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the
grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of traditions. Our most valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only !

Today, I am more optimistic about modern India. With increase in awareness, Indians have a proper knowledge of their ancestral way of living. They have started indulging themselves in practices like yoga and pranayam for health benefits and the use of age-old herbal remedies as cure for minor ailments as cold and cough has significantly increased in the last few years. We have begun to discover the logic behind the rituals of the past, accepting those which still prove useful to mankind and discarding the ones that are fatal, for instance sati-pratha and child marriage. Our infrastructure is steadily improving and with the strong willed public, corrupt practices like bribery and exploitation have begun to decrease. In India, we possess extraordinary brains. And though, we are faced with day-to-day problems of life, we have always managed to come to surface with the best of solutions. Max Mueller has rightly pondered, If I were asked
under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India.

Of course, we are influenced by the west and why shouldnt we be, after all, there are always things that can be learnt and absorbed from other cultures. Efficient methods of working and the power of organizing are just a few things that can be inherited from countries like the Great Britain and Singapore. In a country, that is governed by the parliamentary form of democracy under the law, which was established by the British in 1860s, which we now call the Indian Penal Code (IPC), we can hardly claim that we are not influenced by the west. On a linguistic basis, English is the language of the so called west but we follow English as one of our official languages. It is also the medium of teaching in the greatest schools of the land and is also used for day-to-day conversations among the middle and upper classes of the society. Thus, any Indian claiming to be not influenced by the west would prove to be futile. These changes in our country have proven to be useful in its systematic growth and organization of the modern way of life. So, why not accept a few modifications in the way of living if it ends up making our lives better. By learning to be efficient in working, to organize the system, to be a bit more systematic in our countries dealings, shall never ruin or hinder our heritage and values, rather it will show us a new and a better way of life.

Thus, even though, we are influenced by the west, it is all for a good cause. Our culture, tradition, heritage values and beliefs are not deteriorating. They are just undergoing the process of the inevitable change that is necessary for us to adjust to the new age of advancement, technologies and communication. So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India
the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked. -Mark Twain

--

KETKI KULKARNI