culture of india
TRANSCRIPT
Speaking Assignment
Culture of India
Group 7
Lia Suparni ( 11321157 )
Niken Nabella ( 11321158 )
Siti Purwaningsih ( 11321159)
Class 2E
Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris
Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni
IKIP PGRI Madiun
2012
Culture of India
The culture of India refers to the religions, beliefs, customs, traditions, languages, ceremonies, arts, values and the way of life in India and its people.
I. Religions and Spirituality
India is the birth place of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, collectively known as Indian religions. Indian religions, also known as Dharmic religions are a major form of world religions along with Abrahamic ones.
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 many of its people.
According to a 2001 census of India, the religion of 80% of the people is Hinduism. Islam is practiced by around 13% of all Indians. The country had over 23 million Christians, over 19 million Sikhs, about 8 million Buddhists and about 4 million Jains. The Hindu religion also has many schools, each with their own unique views.
Picture. Close-up of a statue depicting Maitreya at
the Thikse Monastery in Ladakh, India. Dharmic
religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism, are
indigenous to India.
II. Indian Greetings and Language
Namaste, Namaskar or Namaskara or Namaskaram , Vanakkam, Nomoshkaar, Nomoskar is a common spoken greeting or salutation, though becoming considered old-fashioned by some. Namaskar is considered a slightly more formal version than Namaste but both express deep respect. It is commonly used in India and Nepal by Hindus, Jains and Buddhists, and many continue to use this outside the Indian subcontinent. In Indian and Nepali culture, the word is spoken at the beginning of written or verbal communication. However, the same hands folded gesture is made usually wordlessly upon departure. Taken literally, it means "I bow to you".
In most Indian families, younger men and women are taught to seek the blessing of their elders by reverentially bowing to their elders. This custom is known as Pranāma.
Picture. Folding hands together with a smile to
greet Namaste - a common cultural practice in
India.
Indian names are based on a variety of systems and naming conventions, which vary from region to region. Names are also influenced by religion and caste and may come from the Indian epics. India's population speaks a wide variety of languages such as: Angika · Assamese · Beary bashe · Bengali · Bodo · Chhattisgarhi · Dogri · Garo · Gujarati · Standard Hindi · Kannada · Kashmiri · Khasi · Kokborok · Konkani · Maithili · Malayalam · Manipuri · Marathi · Mizo · Nepali · Oriya · Punjabi · Sanskrit · Santali · Sindhi · Tamil · Telugu · Tulu · Urdu ·
III. Indian Wedding
A. Arranged Marriage
For centuries, arranged marriages have been the tradition in Indian society though men and women have always had the choice of who they want to marry. Even today, the majority of Indians have their marriages planned by their parents and other respected family-members, with the consent of the bride and groom.
Picture. A bride in India
Picture. A bride during a traditional Hindu
wedding ceremony in Punjab
B. Wedding Traditions
In the Indian society a wedding is not just the coming together of two people rather two souls. In fact, a wedding also brings two families closer, which thereafter share a bond of respect and affection. As a result, there are a number of traditions and customs associated with the Indian Hindu wedding ceremony. These
traditions are the essence of the marital institution, thereby strengthening the significance, chastity and faith in the same.
picture. wedding tradition
a) Kanyadaan
Kanyadaan is a ritual, which apart from being vital to the ceremony, tugs at the emotional cord of the bride's parents.
b) Mangalsutra In Hindu weddings, one of the most sacred customs is of tying mangalsutra. It is basically a black and gold beaded necklace with a gold or diamond pendant. Mangalsutra carries immense importance in Hindu weddings as well as in the lives of Hindu married women.
c) Seven Vows An Indian marriage is one of the most serious and scared affair in the society. This is visible from the austerity with which it is performed. A Hindu marriage in particular is all about rituals and customs. There are a number of them which are followed before and after wedding, making it an elaborate ceremony.
d) Solah Shringar Solah shringar are the sixteen adornments of an Indian Hindu bride, which contribute to her complete beautification. Wedding has always been a fantasy for every girl. It is a dream, she is born with and wishes to realize with utmost care and precision.
e) Wedding Barat Barat is one of the most fun filled traditions in the entire wedding ceremony. It is basically the procession, which proceeds from the house of the groom, towards the wedding venue. The procession is attended by the all the relatives and friends from the groom's side.
C. Wedding Rituals
Indian people are stern believers of religion and ancient practices. As a result, Hindu marriages in India include a number of rituals and customs. These are age old practices, which form the foundation of our society and are therefore followed by generation over generation, owing to the deep faith. Wedding is undoubtedly the most important event in one's lifetime and is thus solemnized with utmost sanctity.
Hindus believe that once married the couple is bound with each other for seven birth cycles. Such is the depth and intensity of their faith in the institution of marriage. This is attributed by the various rituals they observe.
picture. wedding ritual
a. Tilak Ceremony One of initial wedding ceremonies in India is the Tilak ceremony. It was initially
held one month before the actual wedding day, but with changing times people have become quite flexible.
b. Engagement Ceremony Indian weddings are known for their elaborate ceremonies and opulent
celebrations. Besides, they are held in a very traditional manner, commemorating numerous rituals as per the ancient Vedic era.
c. Sangeet Ceremony Sangeet ceremony as the name suggests is all about dance and music. It is one of
the most enjoyable ceremonies before the wedding and is exclusively for women.
d. Mehndi Ceremony Mehndi is yet another traditional yet exciting pre wedding ceremony. In India, a
lot of emphasis is given on customs and rituals. Indian people are ardent lovers of beauty and elegance.
e. Var Mala Ceremony Var Mala ceremony is an important main wedding day ceremony. It is also
known as Jaimala and basically involves exchange of garlands between the bride and the groom.
f. Mandap Ceremony Mandap ceremony holds utmost importance on the day of the wedding. This is
because all the significant rituals are performed during the mandap ceremony.
g. Vidai Ceremony Practically everyone dreams of getting married someday to someone. After an
individual attains maturity the wait for that perfect individual starts. Some people are lucky to be blessed by the feeling of love.
h. Reception Ceremony
Indian weddings have a charm of their own. As per the tradition the wedding is primarily organized by the bride's family, however, the reception might be an exception.
IV. Festivals
India, being a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, celebrates holidays and festivals of various religions. The four national holidays in India, the Independence Day, the Republic Day, the Gandhi Jayanti, and May Day are celebrated with zeal and enthusiasm across India. In addition, many Indian states and regions have local festivals depending on prevalent religious and linguistic demographics. Popular religious festivals include the Hindu festivals of Navratri, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga puja, Holi, Rakshabandhan, and Dussehra. Several harvest festivals such as Sankranthi, Pongal, Raja sankaranti swinging festival, and Onam, "Nuakhai" are also fairly popular.
Picture. Radha and gopikas celebrating Holi,
known as the "festival of colors".
Certain festivals in India are celebrated by multiple religions. Notable examples include Diwali, which is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. Buddh Purnima, celebrated by Buddhists. Sikh Festivals, such as Guru Nanak Jayanti, Baisakhi are celebrated with full fanfare by Sikhs and Hindu. Adding colors to the culture of India, the Dree Festival is one of the tribal festivals of India celebrated by the Apatanis of the Ziro valley of Arunachal Pradesh, which is the easternmost state of India.
Islam is part of Indian cultural fabric, over 135 million Muslims call India home, and a number of Indian public holidays honor Islamic traditions. Milad-Un-Nabi, Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Adha (Bakr Eid), Muharram, Mawlid, and Shab-e-Barat, are some Islamic holidays observed in India.
Christianity is India's third largest religion. With over 23 million Christians, of which 17 million are Roman Catholics, India is home to many Christian festivals. The country celebrates Christmas and Good Friday as public holidays.
Regional fairs are also common and festive in India. For example, Pushkar fair is one of the world's largest camel markets and Sonepur mela is the largest livestock fair in Asia
Picture. A tug of war, at Pushkar Fair in Rajasthan.
V. Indian Cuisine
Indian food is as diverse as India. Indian cuisines use numerous ingredients, deploy a wide range of food preparation styles, cooking techniques and culinary presentation. From salads to sauces, from vegetarian to meat, from spices to sensuous, from breads to desserts, Indian cuisine is invariably complex.
Picture. Indian thali (platter) with Naan bread,
Daal, Raita, Shahi paneer, and Salad.
Picture. Kheer is a traditional Indian sweet dish.
Picture. Some Indian desserts from hundreds of varieties. In certain parts of India, these are called mithai or sweets. Sugar and desserts have a long history in India: by about 500 BC, people in India had developed the technology to produce sugar crystals. In the local language, these crystals were called khanda, which is the source of the word candy.
India is known for its love for food and spices. Indian cuisine varies from region to region, reflecting the local produce, cultural diversity, and varied demographics of the country. The diversity of Indian cuisine is characterized by differing use of many spices and herbs, a wide assortment of recipes and cooking techniques.
a) Bengali Food Bengali cuisine is appreciated for its fabulous use of panchphoron, a term used to refer to the five essential spices, namely mustard, fenugreek seed, cumin seed, aniseed, and black cumin seed. The specialty of Bengali food lies in the perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavors.
b) Gujarati Food The traditional Gujarati food is primarily vegetarian and has a high nutritional value. The typical Gujarati thali consists of varied kinds of lip smacking dishes. Gujarati cuisine has so much to offer and each dish has an absolutely different cooking style.
c) Kashmiri Food Kashmiri food that we have today in the restaurants has evolved over the years. Highly influenced by the traditional food of the Kashmiri pundits, it has now taken some of the features of the cooking style adopted in Central Asia, Persia and Afghanistan.
d) Mughlai Cuisine Mughlai cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines, whose origin can be traced back to the times of Mughal Empire. Mughlai cuisine consists of the dishes that were prepared in the kitchens of the royal Mughal Emperors.
e) Punjabi Food The cuisine of Punjab has an enormous variety of mouth-watering vegetarian as well as non vegetarian dishes. The spice content ranges from minimal to pleasant to high. Punjabi food is usually relished by people of all communities. In Punjab, home cooking differs from the restaurant cooking style.
f) Rajasthani Food The cuisine of Rajasthan is primarily vegetarian and offers a fabulous variety of mouthwatering dishes. The spice content is quite high in comparison to other Indian cuisines, but the food is absolutely scrumptious. Rajasthanis use ghee for cooking most of the dishes. Rajasthani food is well known for its spicy curries and delicious sweets.
g) South Indian Cuisine The cuisine of South India is known for its light, low calorie appetizing dishes. The traditional food of South India is mainly rice based. The cuisine is famous for its wonderful mixing of rice and lentils to prepare yummy lip smacking dosas, vadas, idlis and uttapams.
VI. Clothing
Traditional clothing in India greatly varies across different parts of the country and is influenced by local culture, geography, climate and rural/urban settings. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari, dhoti, salwar-kameez, kurta, sherwani, and turban. But in urban centers, people can often be seen in jeans, trousers, shirts, suits, kurta and variety of other fashions. a. Sari is one of the most wonderful dresses worn by Indian women. Infact, when one
thinks of a typical Indian woman, the first thing that strikes the mind is a woman clad in sari, who is wearing the solah shringar including bindi, chudi, kajal and many more.
picture. Indian sari b. Dhoti is the traditional Indian clothing of men. Unlike other dresses, it is an
unstitched piece of cloth usually 5 yards long that is tied around the waist and legs. The knot is tied at the waist.
picture. Dhoti
c. Salwar kameez is the traditional Indian clothing for women. Salwar, refers to the loose fit pajama that is quite wide at the top and in comparison pretty narrow at the bottom. The term Kameez on the other hand is used to refer to the long tunic. For the complete look, salwar kameez is teamed with dupatta, a long scarf that is wrapped around the neck.
Picture. Salwar Kameez
d. Kurta is a term used to refer to a long loose shirt, the length of which falls below or may be just above the knees of the wearer. In the olden times, it was primarily worn by men, but today, it has become a unisex dress that both men and women can wear.
picture. Kurta
e. Sherwani is a long coat resembling achkan in styling. It is buttoned upto the collar and lengthwise it is usually below the knee. It adds to the charm and grace of men, especially the taller ones. Indian men spend lavishly on buying the sherwani suit for the special occasion of their wedding.
picture. Sherwani
f. Turban is tied not for the sake of fashion, but because it has a lot of significance in the lives of Indians. The hair turban is a headdress that basically consists of a long piece of unstitched cloth, which is wrapped around the head. The hair turban used in India is usually 5 meters in length. Each time, the wrapping is unfolded and tied all over again.
picture. hair turban
In public and religious places, Indian dress etiquette discourages exposure of skin and wearing transparent or tight clothes. Most Indian clothes are made from cotton which is ideal for the region's hot weather. Since India's weather is mostly hot and rainy, majority of Indians wear sandals.
Indian women perfect their sense of charm and fashion with make up and ornaments. Bindi, mehendi, earrings, bangles and other jewelry are common. On special occasions, such as marriage ceremonies and festivals, women may wear cheerful colors with various ornaments made with gold, silver or other regional stones and gems.
Bindi is often an essential part of a Hindu woman's make up. Worn on their forehead, some consider the bindi as an auspicious mark. Traditionally, the red bindi was worn only by married Hindu women, and colored bindi was worn by single women, but now all colors and glitter has become a part of women's fashion. Some women wear sindoor - a traditional red or orange-red colored powder (vermilion) in the parting of their hair (locally called as mang). Sindoor is the traditional mark of a married woman for Hindus. Single Hindu women do not wear sindoor; neither do over 100 million Indian women from religions other than Hindu and agnostics/atheists who may be married.
Illustration of different styles of Sari & clothing worn by women in India.
VII. Dance of India
Dances are a form of coherent expression of human feelings. The Indian dances are broadly divided into classical dances and folk dances. There are numerous classical dance forms in India and innumerable folk dances. Each dance form can be traced to different parts of the country. Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people.
The classical dances of India are usually spiritual in content. Like the Indian culture, Indian classical dances are equally diverse in nature. Indian classical dance has a distinct character that reflects the great cultural and traditional endeavor. The Indian classical dance is often regarded as the form of worship and meditation. The performers of Indian classical dance, despite of the background and forms, have played a crucial role in presenting India to the forefront of the World stage.
The most popular classical dances style of India are bharatanatyam of the state of Tamil Nadu, kathak of Uttar Pradesh, kathakali and mohiniattam of Kerala, kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, yakshagana of Karnataka, manipuri of Manipur, odissi (orissi) of the state of Orissa and the sattriya of Assam.
Though the folk dances of India are also spiritual and religious in content but the main force behind the folk dances of India is the celebratory mood. Indian folk and tribal dances are product of different socio-economic set up and traditions. Indian folk and tribal dances are simple and are performed to express joy.
Some of the folk dances include the bhangra of Punjab, the bihu of Assam, the zeliang of Nagaland, the chhau of Jharkhand, the qauwwalis, birhas and charkulas of Uttar Pradesh, the jat-jatin and saturi of Bihar, the odissi of Orissa, the ghoomar of
Rajasthan, the dandiya and garba of Gujarat, the kolattam of Andhra Pradesh, the yakshagana of Karnataka and lavani of Maharashtra and Dekhnni of Goa.
picture. Odissi performer
picture. Bharatanatyam, one of eight designated
classical dance forms of India.
VIII. Music of India
Music is an integral part of India's culture. Natyasastra, a 2000 year old Sanskrit text, describes five systems of taxonomy to classify musical instruments. One of these ancient Indian systems classifies musical instruments into four groups according to four primary sources of vibration: strings, membranes, cymbals, and air. According to Reis Flora, this is similar to the Western theory of organology. Archeologists have also reported the discovery of a 3000 year old, 20 key, carefully shaped polished basalt lithophone in the highlands of Orissa.
Prominent contemporary Indian musical forms included filmi and Indipop. Filmi refers to the wide range of music written and performed for mainstream Indian cinema, primarily Bollywood, and accounts for more than 70 percent of all music sales in the country.[101] Indipop is one of the most popular contemporary styles of Indian music which is either a fusion of Indian folk, classical or Sufi music with Western musical traditions.
Images of musical instruments drawn by Pierre
Sonnerat, the French explorer, in 1782 during his
voyage through India
