Cultural Analysis of India

India’s ancient civilization reveals marvelous facts about its heritage. It indicates as to how kingdoms ruled and how people went about life in a logical way. Dance and rituals were always a part of Indian culture and this was the chief mode of entertainment. It is a land of aspirations, achievements and self reliance. Since medieval times, their chief occupation was agriculture which shows how they rely on their own occupation to produce their means of living. Brief information of India’s Geographic setting India along with Pakistan and Bangladesh constitutes a geographical unit. This geographical unit has distinctly stood apart from the main continent of Asia – the reason being that Himalayan ranges are present in the North side while seas cover the other three sides. Thus it can be seen that the country was always isolated from the rest of the world but as a matter of fact it always tried to keep in touch with the outer part of the world. The vastness of India has resulted in a variety of conditions both geographical and sociological. All these vast and varied resources have been ultimately been utilized for economic self-sufficiency and independence. Social Institutions. In India, the family culture is all about love and patience. A girl weds into a family and adjusts herself seamlessly to the rituals, routine and cuisine. Association with religious beliefs is also followed by families. Families are also getting nuclear owing to independent lifestyle preference and also the concept where in both husband and wife is working and has demanding careers. However certain families observe a matriarchal concept – i. e. the groom resides in the house of the bride and follows a tradition as per the bride’s ancestors. Indian families are very accommodating and willing to accept change. Religion India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with some of the most deeply religious societies and cultures. Religion still plays a central and definitive role in the life of most of its people. India is the birth place of Dharmic religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism and more. These religions are a major form of world religions next to the Abrahamic ones. Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world’s third and fourth largest religions respectively. Clothing In some village parts of India, traditional clothing mostly will be worn. In southern India the men wear long, white sheets of cloth – over these men can wear what they like. Women wear a long sheet of colourful cloth with patterns. This is draped over a simple or fancy blouse. This is worn by young ladies and woman. Little girls wear a long skirt worn under a blouse. Significance of Indian Jewelry Indians have been using jewelry for adornment since centuries. The significance of jewelry in the country is evident from the fact that on many occasions, jewelry forms a part of gifts. In India, jewelry is considered auspicious for women and even the poorest will have some kind of jewelry with them. Jewelry design is so versatile in India that it varies from state to state. If some jewelry is so much popular in one state, it might not necessarily be popular in another state. However, some basic jewelry is common among all the women across India. Bridal jewelry like maangtika, earrings, nose rings, necklace, mangalsutra, bangles, etc make up basic jewelry which adorn women in India. Incidentally, even today, gold is the metal most widely used for bridal ornaments and over the last decade, these are increasingly being studded with diamonds.