Culture Refers to the Accumulated

¶ … Culture refers to the accumulated knowledge, social and personal behavior, values, language, customs, and the religious beliefs of one ethnic group which are usually learned and passed from one generation of people to the next one. Looking at culture from an anthropological viewpoint, culture determines what people belief in their folk remedies, indigenous systems of medicine and other aspects of life such as food, etc.

Indians have their own unique religion, language, music, dance, food and architecture which differ from one place to another within the country. The Indian culture is an amalgamation of several diverse sub-cultures which spread all over the subcontinent of India and traditions which are more than a millennium old White, 2009()

The Indian culture is regarded by many historians around the world as the civilization that is the oldest in the world. They suggest that the traditions which are still present in the Indian culture date back to the year 8000 BC. The Indian culture has a history that is continuous regarded since the time of the Vedas which is believed to have been there about 3,000-5,500 years ago Mandair, 2007.

Some of the elements which are in the Indian culture have a huge impact all over the world. These include yoga, Indian religions and the Indian cuisine.

Methodology

Qualitative research was in the past restricted to research linked with social sciences. However, it is now more widely used in other fields to provide an in-depth understanding of how human beings behave and the reasons to justify that behavior. Qualitative research answers questions in the form of 'how' and 'why?' while quantitative research aims to answer questions in the form of 'who?', 'what?', 'when?' and, 'where?.' Quantitative research is interested in finding percentages, measures of central tendencies and other numerical measurements to analyze and gives a detailed description of how the independent and dependent variables relate while qualitative research deals with individual cases and provides greater depths and understanding of each case while looking only at the practical and pertinent information.

Quantitative research is widely used in psychology and other social sciences. In quantitative studies, the research is done to prove a hypothesis that was developed by the researcher. A hypothesis is a tentative explanation for an observation or phenomenon that is subjected to further testing. The similar of a hypothesis in a qualitative study is a theory. A theory is an attempt made to satisfy the 'why' question.

There are five most common approaches used in qualitative research. These are ethnography, grounded theory, case study, discourse analysis, or phenomenology. The method that is to be used in this qualitative study is ethnography. Ethnography helps to get an in-depth understanding on the aspects of culture which influence the phenomenon under study Hammersley & Atkinson, 2007.

It is often used to gather data that is derived from experiments and observation rather than from theory. Ethnography is particularly done with the end purpose of enabling the researcher to describe the people targeted by the study Murchison, 2010()

How ethnography is used

Majorly, two types of data will be collected for this study. These are primary and secondary data. The former will be collected through structured interviews with key respondents such as cultural officials and other personnel in the culture museums, elders, community leaders, and key people in the country. Focus group discussion (FGDs) may also be held to get insight on what are the various aspects of the culture. FGDs involve having the researcher as the facilitator or moderator as the group discusses the culture and their cultural activities. Data will also be collected through observation and taking part in three cultural activities such as a religious ceremony, a meal and a cultural activity that is unique to this group. Secondary data will be collected from reflexive journals, analysis of published and unpublished documents and reports also other data that will be relevant to this study.

Literature review

Religion and spirituality

India as a country is the birth place of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism which are collectively referred to as the Indian religions. Indian religions are also known as Dharmic religions and they are a major form of religions of the world alongside the Abrahamic religions. In the current world, Hinduism and Buddhism are the third and fourth largest religions in the world respectively. They have about 2 billion followers altogether and could have 2.5 to 2.6 billion followers Yurni, 2012.

The country of India is also the birthplace for the faiths of Ahmadiyya and Lingayat Garroutte et al., 2009()

India is also one of the countries in the world that is religiously diverse. It also has some of the most deeply religious cultures and societies in the world. Religion is a huge element of the people who are of the Indian culture thus it plays a definitive central role in the lives of these people. According to a census that was conducted in India in the year 2001, the religion of 80% of the people in India is Hinduism. Islam is practiced by about 13% of all the Indians in the country Andrews, 2010()

There are also other religions that have huge numbers of followers in India. The other religions in the country are Christians who are about 23 million, Sikhs who total about 19 million and Buddhists who total about 8 million. There are also about 4 million Jains Novetzke, 2006.

Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism are influential in also other parts of the world and not just in India. Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism and the Baha'i Faith are also influential in India though they have smaller numbers of followers. Other religions are agnostics and atheism also has a visible influence in the country and along with other self-ascribed tolerance to others Ernst, 2011()

The Hindu religion also has many schools which present their own unique views. A good example is that according to Yogavasistha which is a spiritual text of the Advaita School of the Hindu religion. This school of Hindu religion has liberated values and teaches about self-actualized human beings Nemec, 2009.

There is also a significant discussion in India regarding the notion, existence and non-existence and relevance of God.

Family structure

The Indian cultural traditions regarding family structure have been a subject of various studies in India. In the history of India and particularly in certain regions of the country, joint families have played a significant role in shaping the Indian culture. For many generations, India has had the joint family system prevailing. The joint family system is whereby the members of the extended family live together. These include parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, spouses, etc.

Usually, the eldest male member of the family is regarded as the head of the family in the joint Indian family system. He is thus involved in making all the decisions and rules that are important for that particular family and all other members of the family are required to abide by these rules.

In a study that was conducted in the year 1966 by Orenstein and Micklin, they found that the size of households in India have remained similar for the period of years from 1911 to 1951. The study was an analysis of the population data of India and the family structure. After 1951, the development of India in terms of urbanization and economic development led to India witnessing a breakup of the traditional joint family structure which was present to a more nuclear family structure which includes the father, mother and their children.

Over the last 60 years, it has also been noted that the cultural trend in most parts of India has been a change from the joint family structure to nuclear families. This trend has been quite accelerated as a result of urbanization and other economic factors. The traditional joint family structure in India which was made up of large families still persists in certain regions of the country and in certain conditions. This is because of the strong cultural traditions still in existence in many parts of the country as well as due to other factors of practicality. In the 1990s, the country had a small number of households and on average the country had a lower per capital income per household as compared to other countries. This was as a result of this traditional joint family structure.

Marriage

In the Indian culture, arranged marriages have been part of the tradition of the society for many centuries. This is where men and women have their marriages planned for them by their own parents who do so together with other respected members of the family with the consent of the groom and the bride. However, currently, this trend is decreasing and more men and women are being given the choice of who they want to marry.

In most Indian marriages, the family of the bride provides a dowry to the bride in order for it to act as a safeguard for herself and for her children in the unfortunate event that the husband does have a premature death. In history, in most of the Indian families, the inheritance of the estates of the family is left to the lineage of males in the family. Though since the year 1956, the law in India has always treated females and males as equals in matters of inheritance where there is no legal will written. Currently, Indians have become wiser and are using legal wills for the inheritance and succession of property. The usage of legal wills at of the year 2004 stands at about 20%.

The rate of divorce in India is extremely low. It stands at 1% as compared to 40% which is experienced in the U.S. These statistics of divorce do not, however, give a complete picture of the divorce situation in India. This is because many marriages that end up being split do so without a formal divorce. There is a research gap in the scientific studies or surveys that are conducted on marriages in India where the perspective of both the husbands and the wives are not solicited in-depth.

Surveys that have been conducted regarding Indian marriages suggest that the issues with marriages that take place under the Indian culture are the same trend wise to those which affect other marriages around the world. This is true for both arranged marriages and the others where the men and women choose their spouse to be. The studies also found that the rate of divorce is rising greatly in India with the divorce rates in urban areas being much higher than suburban and rural areas. The studies also found that about 80% of the divorces which occur in India are started by women.

Another recent study that has been conducted on arranged marriages showed that the trend in India is shifting away from arranged marriages. The survey was conducted in the year 2005 on over 41,500 households which are in 33 territories and states in India. They found that the trends of marriage in India were slowly becoming similar to those in other countries such as Japan and China about 40 years ago. There are fewer arranged marriages which are conducted without the consent of the bride and groom. The study also found that majority of the arranged marriages in India were conducted with the consent of the bride and the groom. The percentage of marriages that are self-arranged were also increasing in India and especially in the urban parts of the country. These self-arranged marriages are also known as love marriages. Another independent study conducted in the year 2006, found that between 10-20% of marriages which take place in urban areas of India are self-arranged.

Religious ceremonies

India is a multicultural and multi-religious society which has many holidays, festivities and ceremonies all-round the year. The religious festivals of the country which are popular include the festival of Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi, Diwali, Dussehra and Rakshabandhan.

Diwali is one the religious festivals that is celebrated by multiple religions such as the Jains, Sikhs and Hindus. Diwali is also known as Deepavali or Devali in some regions in India. It is the 'festival of lights' which is celebrated somewhere between mid-October and mid-December for various reasons. For the Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivities of the year and it is celebrated in families by people performing various traditional activities in their own homes while for the Jains, the marks the attainment of nirvana or moksha by Mahavira in 527 BCE Upadhye, 1982()

Diwali is a national holiday in India as well as other Asian countries and others around the world such as Nepal, Mauritias, Myanmar, Malaysia, Guyana, Mauritius, Fiji and Singapore. Diwali comes from the word Deepavali which when translated means 'a row of lamps' and this is why Diwali is known as the festival of lights. Diwali involves people lighting small clay lamps which are known as diyas or dipas in Sanskrit which are filled with oil. They are lit in order to signify that good triumphs over evil. The lamps are usually kept on the whole night and the people clean their houses in order to make the goddess Lakshmi to feel welcome. Firecrackers are also burst in order to keep away any evil spirits Bhagvat, 1968()

During the celebration of Diwali, the celebrants usually wear new clothes and they share their snacks and sweets with other family members and their friends. The festival usually starts with Dhanteras which is the day on which most of the Indian members of the business community begin their financial year. The second day of the Diwali festival is known as Naraka Chaturdasi and it marks the vanquishing of the demon known as Naraka by Lord Krishna together with his wife, Satyabhama. The third day of the Diwali festival is known as Amavasya and it marks the worship of the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi in her most benevolent mood fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. The day of Amavasya also tells the story of the dwarf incarnation of Lord Vishnu which vanquished the Bali and he was banished to Patala. On the fourth day of Diwali which is known as Kartika Shudda Padyami, Bali went to patala and took the reins of his new kingdom there. Yama Dvitiya is the fifth day of Diwali and is also known as Bhai Dooj and it is the day when the sisters invite their brothers to visit their homes Bhagvat, 1968()

Diwali begins in late Ashvin which is usually the days between the months of September and October and it ends in early Kartika which is between October and November. The days in Ashvin are in the dark fortnight or Krishna Paksha of the month while the days which are in Kartik are in the bright fortnight of the month which is referred to as Shukla Paksha Johnson, 2007.

The first day is usually referred to as Dhan Teras while the last day is known as Yama Dvitiya which signifies the second day of the bright half of Kartika. Each day of the Diwali festival marks a particular celebration of each of the six principles story of the festival Hansen, 2000()

There are several events that are associated with Diwali for the Hindus. First is the return of Rama 14 years after banishment (Vancas). To welcome him back, diyas or lamps of ghee were lit in rows of 20 Johnson, 2007.

The second event is the killing of Narakasura which is celebrated one day before Diwali as Naraka Chaturdashi and which commemorates the killing of the evil demon that is known as Narakasura who wrecked a lot of havoc. This is the same day when the wife of Krishna, Satyabhama killed Narakasura during the festival of Dwapara yuga. In another version of the Hindu stories, it is the demon that was killed by Krishna or that Krishna's wife was provoked by Krishna to kill Narshna thus defeating Indra Singh, 1958()

Another event is Govardhan Puja which is celebrated a day after the festival of Diwali. It is the day when Krishna defeated Indra who was the deity of rain and thunder. This story states that Krishna saw preparations for an offering which is done annually going on and asked his father, Nanda, about this. He had a heated debate with the villages concerning what their 'dharma' was. The people were farmers and they were to do their duty and concentrate on protecting their cattle and farming Hooja, 2004.

He then said that all members of the human race need to do their 'karma' to the best of their distinct abilities and not to pray for the occurrence of natural phenomenon. This led to the villages to become convinced by Krishna and they did not proceed with the special prayer (puja). Indra was then angered greatly and he flooded the village. However, Krishna lifted Mount Govardhan and held it up in order to protect the people and the cattle from rain. Indra accepted defeat and ended up recognizing Krishna as the supreme one Jaffrelot, 1993.

This is the basis of the philosophy of Karma.

Diwali has the spiritual meaning of creating an awareness of the inner light. This is central to the philosophy of the Hindus which asserts that there is something that exists beyond the physical mind and body of the individual which is pure, eternal and infinite. This is referred to as the Atman. The celebration of the festival of Diwali as the victory of good over all that is evil. It refers to the light of the higher knowledge that dispels all fear and ignorance in the individual. It is believed that ignorance is what masks the true nature of the individual and not the body of the person. This is the unchanging, immanent, infinite and transcendent reality. With this kind of awakening come compassion and an awareness of the individuals which brings about peace and joy that is referred to as anand. Just like the way we celebrate birth of the physical being, Diwali is the celebration of this inner light Kurien, 2006()

In Jainishm, Diwali has a very special significance. It is celebrated as Deva Divali around the time when there is the full moon known as Purnima of Kartik. This is the day when Lord Mahavira who was the last of the era of Jain Tirthankar attained Nirvana on Chaturdashi of Kartika which was on the 15th day of October in 527 BCE at a place which is known as Pavapuri. The Jain year starts with the day of Pratipada right after Diwali Aggarwal, 1969()

Sikhs also value Diwali greatly since it concides with the day of Bandi Chhor Divas which is a day that celebrates the release of Guru Hargobind, who was the sixth Sikh Guru, and other 52 Hindu kings in October of 1619. The return of the Guru was highly celebrated with many people lighting hundreds of lamps at the Golden Temple. Diwali is the second most important festival for the Sikhs after the festival of Baisakhi Nayar, 1968()

For Buddhists, Diwali is not such a large event. However, the Newar Buddhists celebrate it by chanting mantras and remembering the Emperor Ashoka who is thought to have converted to become a Buddhist on this particular day. The festival is also known as Ashok Vijayadashami for the Buddhists. They decorate their monasteries and temples during this festival and they Buddha is worshipped Bhagvat, 1976()

Indian cuisine

Human cultures have over the ages influenced the experimentation, innovation and development of cuisines. Indian cuisine is as diverse as India itself is. It has numerous ingredients, food preparation styles, culinary presentation and techniques of cooking. It varies from salads, sauces, vegetarian dishes, meat dishes, spices, breads, and desserts. Indian cuisine is quite complex and it is thought that no country in the whole wide world can match India D'Sylva & Beagan, 2011()

The Indian culture is also known for its love of spices in their foods and these spices play a huge role in their daily life as well as during their festivals. Indian cuisine varies between the various regions of India and it reflects the demographics of the country that are varied in nature. Indian cuisine is generally divided into five distinct categories. These are northern, eastern, southern, north-eastern and western. Despite this diversity in the Indian cuisine, there are several unifying threads that emerge. One is that vegetarianism is an important part of the Indian cuisine Jaitly, 2004()