Running head: INDIAN CULTURE1

INDIAN CULTURE2

Indian CultureVinay Krishna MedishettyWilmington University

Indian CultureIntroductionIndia 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 tradition. Our most valuable and most artistic materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only (Mark Twain, n.d.). India is a kaleidoscope of rich culture and heritage; most of it dates back to thousands of years. Diversification is most the common feature of Indian culture; its physical, religious, and ethnicity plays crucial role in building the culture. Physical FeaturesIndia is a peninsula, covered three sides by water and the other side with land. The north Himalayan ranges act as a barrier in between the remaining continent and India. Himalayas are one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world which prevented India from becoming a cold desert (The Himalayas, 2011.). The Chinese were unable to invade India due to the presence of Himalayas in between them and India. The Arabian Sea on the West, The Bay of Bengal on the East and The Indian Ocean on the South are the three water bodies which cover rest of the directions of India. Europeans came to India through a sea route, with the help of monsoons for trading. This showed a great impact on the history as well as culture of India. One after the other came and annexed different territories of India and ruled for couple of hundreds of years, which made the Indian culture more blended (Chris Butler, 2007.).Climate changes turned the entire course of history; one of the greatest civilizations on earth, The Indus Valley Civilization, is believed to be wiped out due to climate changes. This civilization flourished 4,500 to 5,000 years back, contemporary with Mesopotamian and Egyptian Civilizations (Vinay Lal, n.d.). They were very well advanced; many cities were build which had underground drainage systems. A grid pattern was followed to build cities; today only couple of cities follow grid pattern in India. Women were given equal right of share; they were involved in decision making. The script used by the people of Indus valley civilization remained un-deciphered to the present day. This civilization marked a transition of rural community to the urban community. Many seals were found in which women were wearing extensive jewelry. This shows their interest in crafts.ReligionsIndia is the birthplace of some of the greatest religions on the globe. In my opinion, religion is the crucial factor which made Indian culture diversified. Majority follow Hinduism, followed by Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism. Although presence of multiple religions is felt, Indians are known for their unity in diversity; festivals mark the specialty of this feature. All people come together irrespective of their religion to celebrate festivals and show their brotherhood. Even Hinduism is the major religion, India is known for its tolerance towards minorities. The oldest religion of the world, Hinduism, originated in India. More than a religion, I call it as a way of living; it embedded so many traditions and beliefs into it. It is the worlds third largest religious group in number, after Christianity and Islam. Many vast texts like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vedas and Upanishads are associated with it. Hinduism associates itself with in the Indian soil. Its influence can also be seen on various Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Java. It has been continually absorbing many new traditions and cultures for many thousands of years.EthnicityEthnicity of India is so complex that the present day Indians can be traced back to very few first humans on the earth. Negroids first migrated to India from Africa; they can be now seen in parts of Andaman and Nicobar Island (People of India, n.d). They still practice primitive culture and live in tribes. Some people can even be traced to some parts of Southern India, like tribes in Seshachalam Hills. Their culture has been intact for the past hundreds of years; they do not come into contact with the outside world. It is a great opportunity to study the culture how people practiced cultures many hundreds of years back by studying these tribes.Next, Dravidians are said to be migrated from Mediterranean region (People of India, n.d.). They are short and brown skinned with curly hair. These people are said to build the Indus Valley Civilization. They were mostly agriculture based society and sources indicate that they gave equal importance to pottery and designing handicrafts. They were also involved in trading, evidences show that they traded to other parts of the continent. These people are found today in South of India, believing that after the invasion of another ethnic group, they were send towards south from the Northern part of India. Finally, Aryans migrated to India; many believe that they came from the Central Asia (people of India, n.d.). But, some people claim that they migrated from Europe or Arctic region. Aryans came to India in between 2000 B.C to 1500 B.C, making the last ethnic group which migrated to India. They were much efficient than the Dravidians in case of warfare; they had the technology of metallurgy. Hinduism was taken to new heights with the advent of the Aryans. Adolf Hitler believes that they are the true Aryans, and he even used the Swastika symbol for his party. ConclusionIn conclusion, Indian people come from different backgrounds which enrich their culture. Diversification is most the common feature of Indian culture, its physical features, religions, and ethnicity plays crucial role in building the culture. At the end of the day, all that matters is how people live in harmony even though they belong to different religions, castes, and creeds. For the cause of nation, all the Indians get united irrespective of the cultural background, and this can be observed for the entire course of history.

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