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Essay Indian Culture Biography
In India, as in some other countries of the third world great civilizations and cultures have flourished from times immemorial. Elsewhere the link has been broken. Contemporary India reverberates with the echoes of the past and gives them new shape and form each day.
Indian culture is a composite culture. It develops a mixed culture which derives from the Indus Valley Civilization. Indian culture is called 'composite culture', because it comes through Hinduism on the one hand and Muslim and other cultures on the other hand.
Time to time it had accepted many ideas and influences from the various civilizations of the world and adopted its own culture. Now India is a secular country with different religions, faiths, ideas, belief systems etc.
Meaning of Culture
Before we go through composite culture of India we must understand the meaning of culture. The most general terms in which culture could be explained would be something like this "The sense of ultimate values which a certain society has and according to which it wants to shape its life."
This initial explanation given above refers to the ideal aspect of culture. Now the collective complexes (state, society, art, science) which are permanent results of the attempt to create ultimate values could be regarded as its objective mental aspect, the qualities and attitudes of individuals inspired by these values as its subjective aspect, and the physical objects in which these values are embodied, e.g. buildings, pictures, etc., would be its material aspect.
After the preliminary discussion, it is comparatively easy for us to give a definition of culture. We can now say "culture is a sense of ultimate values possessed by a particular society as expressed in its collective institutions, by its individual members in their dispositions, feelings, attitudes and manners as well as insignificant forms which they give to material objects."
Religion in its wider sense coincides with, and goes beyond culture; and in its narrower sense, forms an important part of it.
Civilization is sometimes used as just another word for culture but generally in the sense of a higher order of culture. As a matter of fact, civilization is that stage in the cultural development of a people when they begin to live in large habitations called cities, which represent a higher level of material life or a higher standard of living.
Indian national culture consists of two elements: the common temperament and outlook which constitute the Indian mind and the intellectual influences of various movements and cultures which have been incorporated harmoniously with the national mind.
Amongst these are included cultures which existed in I India in the pre-historic period, those with which the country had a temporary contact, those which came from outside and made India their home, and lastly the revolutionary intellectual movements which developed in the country itself from time to time.What is ‘Culture’? This question may bring forth several responses. ‘Culture is that which makes life worth living’.'Culture is not merely the sum of several activities but a way of life’.
‘Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of the society.’
‘Culture is that which being transmitted orally by tradition and objectively through writing and other means of ex-pression enhances the quality of life through meaning and value by making possible the formulation, progressive realization, appreciation and achievement of truth, beauty and moral worth.’
These explanations and several others in this genre are true individually, but none of them can be said to capture the meaning of ‘culture’ completely. In other words, it is obvious that the word ‘culture’ defies a simple definition.
A set of cultural traits adopted by a group ‘to meet its needs and ensure its survival’ constitutes its culture. In this sense, culture could be associated with a nation, town, village or tribe.
From this perspective, what is Indian Culture? Is it possible to identify the elements of Indian Culture which transcend the barriers of time and space? Are there unifying forces in Indian Culture in spite of apparent differences in race, language, religion, customs, and traditions in this vast and ancient country?
According to Mr. K. M. Panikar - ‘India has a life view of her own, a special outlook on essential problems, which has persisted throughout her history and would hardly be denied by anyone.’
Mr. Panikar also identifies the following as some of the outstanding factors of the Indian Culture:
1. The tradition of tolerance adding to the richness and variety of Indian life
2. The sense of synthesis as reflected in racial harmony, the primary institutions of the village and family, architecture, sculpture, music and painting, modes of worship, faith in democratic institutions etc.
3. The universal outlook reflected in views such as - the world is one family.
4. The philosophical outlook
5. Respect for the individual based on the philosophical equation of Atma and Brahma
Indian culture has survived because in every generation the best among us have lived by certain fundamental values. We see many examples of this in our history. Starting from the rishis in the Vedic period, we see several divine personalities like Mahavira, Buddha, Ashoka, Shankara, Madhvacharya, Krishnadevaraya, Akbar, Basava, Guru Govind Singh, Gandhi etc. who have spread these values through their preachings and examples.
The first value which underlies our culture is the faith in the Moral and Spiritual order. The Vedic sages called it Rita but later it was called Dharma. Age after age refinements were made in this concept but the faith has persisted in our people.
Rita is universal order, material, moral and spiritual which unfolds life. Satya or truth is its personal aspect, to live up to it through knowledge, devotion and action becomes a paramount demand on the sensitive individual who finds fulfillment by living up to it.
Satya in the sense of absolute sincerity, unity of thought, word and deed is not to be cultivated in a cave, or in a place of pilgrimage. It has to be lived in every action, in every occasion and every relationship.
The other value is dedication, surrender of the ego to God (Samyama). By living a dedicated life the individual recaptures the values for his own generation and passes it on as a legacy to the next one.
The third greatest value is consecration of life (Samarpana). Rigid asceticism is not consecration. Giving up life to find permanent salvation is not consecration. In order to realize consecration an individual needs to lead a full life in which every act comes to be consecrated as an offering to God.
In order to live up to these values in individual and collective life desire, greed, malice, anger, hatred have to be converted to noble aspirations.
Our religious tolerance and love for peace have been the natural outcomes of these values.
The legacies of Indian Culture based on these values upheld generation after generation in all aspects of human endeavors is so enormous that any attempt to list them all would certainly be futile.
Indian culture has always been dynamic and open. Its innate strength is evident in the outcomes of the interactions with various other tribes. Indian Culture has received, adapted and digested elements of different cultures like Indo-European, Mesopotamian, Iranian, Greek, Arabian, Roman and has changed little with each influence. But Indian Culture will retain its continuity. The Bhagwad Gita will never cease to inspire men of action and Upanishads the men of thought. The charm and the graciousness of the Indian way of life will continue. Be it religion, philosophy, maths, commerce, art, architecture, music, painting, or any other enterprise the impact of the Indian Culture is easily discernible even in the global content.
Essay Indian Culture
Essay Indian Culture Biography
In India, as in some other countries of the third world great civilizations and cultures have flourished from times immemorial. Elsewhere the link has been broken. Contemporary India reverberates with the echoes of the past and gives them new shape and form each day.
Indian culture is a composite culture. It develops a mixed culture which derives from the Indus Valley Civilization. Indian culture is called 'composite culture', because it comes through Hinduism on the one hand and Muslim and other cultures on the other hand.
Time to time it had accepted many ideas and influences from the various civilizations of the world and adopted its own culture. Now India is a secular country with different religions, faiths, ideas, belief systems etc.
Meaning of Culture
Before we go through composite culture of India we must understand the meaning of culture. The most general terms in which culture could be explained would be something like this "The sense of ultimate values which a certain society has and according to which it wants to shape its life."
This initial explanation given above refers to the ideal aspect of culture. Now the collective complexes (state, society, art, science) which are permanent results of the attempt to create ultimate values could be regarded as its objective mental aspect, the qualities and attitudes of individuals inspired by these values as its subjective aspect, and the physical objects in which these values are embodied, e.g. buildings, pictures, etc., would be its material aspect.
After the preliminary discussion, it is comparatively easy for us to give a definition of culture. We can now say "culture is a sense of ultimate values possessed by a particular society as expressed in its collective institutions, by its individual members in their dispositions, feelings, attitudes and manners as well as insignificant forms which they give to material objects."
Religion in its wider sense coincides with, and goes beyond culture; and in its narrower sense, forms an important part of it.
Civilization is sometimes used as just another word for culture but generally in the sense of a higher order of culture. As a matter of fact, civilization is that stage in the cultural development of a people when they begin to live in large habitations called cities, which represent a higher level of material life or a higher standard of living.
Indian national culture consists of two elements: the common temperament and outlook which constitute the Indian mind and the intellectual influences of various movements and cultures which have been incorporated harmoniously with the national mind.
Amongst these are included cultures which existed in I India in the pre-historic period, those with which the country had a temporary contact, those which came from outside and made India their home, and lastly the revolutionary intellectual movements which developed in the country itself from time to time.What is ‘Culture’? This question may bring forth several responses. ‘Culture is that which makes life worth living’.'Culture is not merely the sum of several activities but a way of life’.
‘Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of the society.’
‘Culture is that which being transmitted orally by tradition and objectively through writing and other means of ex-pression enhances the quality of life through meaning and value by making possible the formulation, progressive realization, appreciation and achievement of truth, beauty and moral worth.’
These explanations and several others in this genre are true individually, but none of them can be said to capture the meaning of ‘culture’ completely. In other words, it is obvious that the word ‘culture’ defies a simple definition.
A set of cultural traits adopted by a group ‘to meet its needs and ensure its survival’ constitutes its culture. In this sense, culture could be associated with a nation, town, village or tribe.
From this perspective, what is Indian Culture? Is it possible to identify the elements of Indian Culture which transcend the barriers of time and space? Are there unifying forces in Indian Culture in spite of apparent differences in race, language, religion, customs, and traditions in this vast and ancient country?
According to Mr. K. M. Panikar - ‘India has a life view of her own, a special outlook on essential problems, which has persisted throughout her history and would hardly be denied by anyone.’
Mr. Panikar also identifies the following as some of the outstanding factors of the Indian Culture:
1. The tradition of tolerance adding to the richness and variety of Indian life
2. The sense of synthesis as reflected in racial harmony, the primary institutions of the village and family, architecture, sculpture, music and painting, modes of worship, faith in democratic institutions etc.
3. The universal outlook reflected in views such as - the world is one family.
4. The philosophical outlook
5. Respect for the individual based on the philosophical equation of Atma and Brahma
Indian culture has survived because in every generation the best among us have lived by certain fundamental values. We see many examples of this in our history. Starting from the rishis in the Vedic period, we see several divine personalities like Mahavira, Buddha, Ashoka, Shankara, Madhvacharya, Krishnadevaraya, Akbar, Basava, Guru Govind Singh, Gandhi etc. who have spread these values through their preachings and examples.
The first value which underlies our culture is the faith in the Moral and Spiritual order. The Vedic sages called it Rita but later it was called Dharma. Age after age refinements were made in this concept but the faith has persisted in our people.
Rita is universal order, material, moral and spiritual which unfolds life. Satya or truth is its personal aspect, to live up to it through knowledge, devotion and action becomes a paramount demand on the sensitive individual who finds fulfillment by living up to it.
Satya in the sense of absolute sincerity, unity of thought, word and deed is not to be cultivated in a cave, or in a place of pilgrimage. It has to be lived in every action, in every occasion and every relationship.
The other value is dedication, surrender of the ego to God (Samyama). By living a dedicated life the individual recaptures the values for his own generation and passes it on as a legacy to the next one.
The third greatest value is consecration of life (Samarpana). Rigid asceticism is not consecration. Giving up life to find permanent salvation is not consecration. In order to realize consecration an individual needs to lead a full life in which every act comes to be consecrated as an offering to God.
In order to live up to these values in individual and collective life desire, greed, malice, anger, hatred have to be converted to noble aspirations.
Our religious tolerance and love for peace have been the natural outcomes of these values.
The legacies of Indian Culture based on these values upheld generation after generation in all aspects of human endeavors is so enormous that any attempt to list them all would certainly be futile.
Indian culture has always been dynamic and open. Its innate strength is evident in the outcomes of the interactions with various other tribes. Indian Culture has received, adapted and digested elements of different cultures like Indo-European, Mesopotamian, Iranian, Greek, Arabian, Roman and has changed little with each influence. But Indian Culture will retain its continuity. The Bhagwad Gita will never cease to inspire men of action and Upanishads the men of thought. The charm and the graciousness of the Indian way of life will continue. Be it religion, philosophy, maths, commerce, art, architecture, music, painting, or any other enterprise the impact of the Indian Culture is easily discernible even in the global content.
Essay Indian Culture
Essay Indian Culture
Essay Indian Culture
Essay Indian Culture
Essay Indian Culture
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Essay Indian Culture
Essay Indian Culture
Essay Indian Culture
Essay Indian Culture
Essay Indian Culture
Essay Indian Culture
Essay Indian Culture
