Indian Culture

Indian Culture "India is the cradle of human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only! - Mark Twain” This quote is an exemplary example of Indian history that only scratches the surface of the actual history of India. India’s culture is an amalgamation of its own states and “subcultures.” Hierarchy, family status, and social status are an important part of their culture. India is regarded by many historians as the “Oldest living civilization of Earth” the Indian tradition dates back to 8000 BC. The first urban civilization of the region where India stands was the Indus Valley Civilization (3300-1300 BC). This Civilization contributed much humanity; it was one of the first to develop a system on uniform weights and measures. They also are the earliest to show evidence of dentistry with crowns in molars. From 1498-1857 AD India remained under heavy influence from European Traders, mostly the East India Trading Company. After the Indian rebellion of 1857 the East Indian Trading Company transferred power to the British Crown. The British ruled India until they became weakened in the aftermath of World War Two. Because of this reason in 1947 the British India Territories gained their independence. Today India is the seventh largest country by geographical area. It is the second most populated country with over 1.2 billion people. The Indian economy is also the tenth largest. India also currently has the 3rd largest standing Army. India is a federation with a parliamentary system. India is composed of 28 states and 7 union territories. The National game of India is hockey. The Indian national fruit is the Mango. The national land animal of India is of course the legendary royal Bengal tiger. India is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. For this reason they are known as Indian religions. Eighty percent of the people are Hinduism while thirteen are Islamic. The country also holds 23 million Christians. Hindi is India’s most spoken language. Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, and Tamil as well as English are all spoken in India. India Culture is very family oriented. Families are very close and act as a small group. It is common for three to four generations to live under one house, with the eldest of the house making all of the rules that the family lives by. Today a vast majority of Indians have arranged marriages made by their parents or other influential family members. Arranged marriages are made by comparing traits such as personal values, tastes, wealth, age, and social status. Although an arranged marriage consent is given by both husband and wife. The divorce rate in India is one percent compared to the fifty percent divorce rate in America. With the influence of Hinduism and the traditional caste system Indian’s emphasize hierarchical relationships. They are always conscious of social status and the relationship of their status to other people. For example in schools teachers are known as Guru’s and are seen as a source of all knowledge. They are widely respected. In conclusion Indian history shows a great deal on current Indian culture by explaining the heritage of the Indian people. Indian culture is a combination of a diverse field of old religions and languages. Also It is important to know how family oriented their culture is because it can explain a lot about an Indians perspective on life.