Culture of India and its many facets

All about culture of India…read on to understand…

Friday, 16th April 2021

Indian civilization is of global repute due to its evolving nature. The civilization of India dates back to over 5000 years and the culture associated with that civilization is exceptionally living and dynamic. The culture of India contributes to the country’s unique heritage and is also emblematic of the national identity of the country.

The word ‘culture’ comes with varying interpretations and encompasses multiple manifestations of the human intellect and of expressions, relating to beliefs, ideas, customs and the social behavior too. At the granular level the given conception includes myriad languages, art forms, religious norms, values and traditions and even literature. In certain cases, urbane lifestyles and also material subjects and the tastes and values associated with them are believed to an archetype of the Indian culture.

However, the true nature of Indian culture is still not very clear to many. Which ‘culture’ can be called quintessentially Indian isn’t very clear until date. Furthermore, these doubts give birth to a series of other queries like ‘What is meant by civilization’, ‘What is the Indian Culture’s wider domain’, ‘How has culture evolved in India’, ‘What is the relation between Indian culture and our religious practices and thoughts’, and most significantly and ‘What is nationhood’.

As an answer to all these queries and doubts it may be said that ‘Indian Culture’ can never be defined through a singular definition as its connotation is indeed vast. Experts, in their attempt to simplify the understanding of the Indian culture has stated that the culture of India comprises of certain specific aspects of the collective institutions like religion, morality, law, spirituality, art, custom etc which aren’t limited to any specific individual and which are passed down the ages across the many generations to come. Evidently, the Indian culture’s institutional elements are remarkably dynamic and evolutionary.

Culture also consists of knowledge and intellectual elements related to human learning, literature, languages, customs, social norms, behavior and customs. Social and human aesthetics are a chief aspect of the culture, including within it, the several expressions of intangible as well as tangible art forms, viz dance, music, painting, architecture and sculpture etc. The cinema and theatre of the new age are as much a portrayal of the Indian culture of the modern times  as are the pre-historic cave paintings about which we have very limited knowledge.

The Sufi and Bhakti movements are the reflections of medieval culture’s spiritual elements whereas the grand palaces and extravagant forts of the present age reflect the corporeal and societal elements of the Indian culture. The Sangam literature of the country is symbolic of the socio-ethical and intellectual elements of the culture. Furthermore, traditional lifestyles, folk art, transient tastes and urbane lifestyle are all reflections of the Indian society’s culture as a whole. Therefore, our costumes, our habitat, our cuisine, the architecture, physical objects and even the performing arts are all collectively symbolic of the tangible as well as the material aspects of the Indian culture. On the other hand, customs, festivals, religion, traditions, philosophy, ethics, law and social practices are symbolic of the intangible as well as non-material aspects of the culture.

But culture singularly isn’t something ‘static’ or isn’t an isolated cluster of the homogenous traits. It is uniquely pervious and highly dynamic and is subject to brand, new waves of the socio-cultural impacts, giving way to untainted cultural milieus. Evolution and inclusivity are the integral and inherent attributes of culture. To define this particular indispensable attribute of Culture, it is worthwhile to quote Mahatma Gandhi… “No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive.”

The News Talkie Bureau

Source:

Hindustantimes