Villarta, Maria Lourdes O.
BSA 2 – MGT 1
INDIA
Indian culture, therefore, is the Indians’ way of life.
Because of the population diversity, there is immense
variety in Indian culture. It is a blend of various cultures
belonging to belonging to diverse religion, castes,
regions follow their own tradition and culture.
TRADITIONS: TRADITIONAL CULTURAL VALUES
Gestures
Touching feet of elders: Indian tradition has rich cultural
values. In India, younger show great respect to their elders.
They tough the feet of their elders daily after waking up and
especially on the festive occasions or before starting an
important work.
Namaste: The gesture of the Namaste greeting is also part of
the Indian culture. People greet each other by saying
“Namaste” while joining their hands. “Namaste” means
“Hello”.
Most Indians have a habit of shaking their heads while talking.
Fasting: Many Hindus follow the custom of fasting during
any religious occasion like Maha-Shivratri,, Diwali,
Karvachauth, etc. Wives go on fasting for their Husband’s
long life in many occasions like “Karvachauth”, etc. Many
people belonging to Muslim faith go for fasting for around 30
days during the month of Ramazan.
Atithi Devo Bhava: In India, people feel great when any
guest comes to their home. They greet their guests with
respect and them with utmost care. Indian believes in the
concept of “Atithi Devo Bhava” which means “The Guest is
considered equal to God”
Religions
India is birth place of four major religions, such as,
Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism.
Hinduism: Hinduism is one of the oldest religions that
originated from India. The religion has preserved its culture
since ancient times.
Islam: Islam is one of the prominent religions of India. There
is huge impact of Islam in the Indian society.
Christianity: A large number of people in India belong to
Christian faith. St. Thomas is one of the people credited for
propagating Christianity in India.
Jainism: Jain religion was founded by Mahavira.
Buddhism: Buddhism was brought by Gautama Buddha.
Sikhism: Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak.
Languages
India is home to numerous languages, including Sanskrit
which is one of the oldest languages in the world. Other
languages such as Hindi are commonly spoken
throughout the Indian subcontinent, with regional
variations.
The prominent languages in India besides English and
Hindi are Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Urdu,
Gujarati, Punjabi and many more.
Festivals
There are different types of festivals celebrated in India
with joy and happiness. Different people celebrate
different festivals as per their religion, caste and culture.
People celebrate National festivals like Independence
Day, Republic Day as well as religion festivals like
Diwali, Holi, Eid, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Mahavir Jayanti,
Buddha Purnima, Christmas, New Year and many more.
UNESCO world heritage sites in India
It seems that wherever you turn in India you will come
across a site of historic, natural or cultural importance.
India is rich in heritage, and some of the main UNESCO
world heritage sites in India are listed below.
The Taj Mahal: Tourists flock from all over the world to see
this resplendent seventeenth century palace. An earlier
structure, housed on the same site known as Humayan’s Tomb
is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Great Himalayan National Park: This national park is
situated at the base of the world’s tallest mountain.
Agra Fort: The Yumana river flows serenely past this ancient
fort in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The Elephanta Caves: Deep inside these spooky caves you
will find elegant statues and designs carved by the human
hand.
The Western Ghats: These mountains are renowned for their
mysterious forests and their wildlife sancturies.
National Symbols
National Flag: A horizontal rectangular tricolour with
equally sized deep saffron at the top, white in the middle and
India green at the bottom. In the center is a navy blue wheel
with twenty-four spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra. The
flag is based on the Swaraj flag designed by Pingali Venkayya.
National anthem: Jana Gana Mana by Rabindranath
Tagore was officially adopted by the Constituent
Assembly as the Indian national anthem on 24 January
1950.