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Indian Culture and Globalization

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 Globalization and its Impact on Indian Culture and Technology
Harsha Chawla1* Hitesh Mohapatra2
Sanjivani College of Engineering, Kopargaon Department of Computer Science and Engineering,
Ahmednagar, India Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation,
harshagchawla@gmail.com* Vaddeswaram-522502, Guntur, AP, India

Abstract: Globalization has a wide role to play worldwide. It has left back its footprints in
every sphere of life. Not only in India, but the interchange of world views and ideas has
resulted in a major transformation of the lifestyle and living standard of people globally.
Indian culture is no bar to this transformation process. Our deep-rooted traditions and
customs have loosened up their hold with the emergence of globalization. India has a rich
cultural background and pride in its culture is famous throughout the world. Globalization
has not only inculcated the westernization in India, but conversely, the Indian culture has
also spread its impact globally. Culture and traditions of any geographic region hold a
special significance concerning its uniqueness and that is the differentiating factor for a
population within a geographic boundary from the other. This uniqueness has been disturbed
to varying degrees in place of globalization. Such an impact is very much pronounced when
they hit a developing country like India.

Keywords: globalization, Indian Culture, family Structure, marriage values, adultery, social
values and ethical structures, food, clothing, dialect, employment, economy.

Definitions:

The term globalization comes from English, as the base of the word “globalization” which
refers to the emerging of an international network, belonging to an economic and social
system1. One of the earliest uses of the term "globalization", as known, was in 1930 - in a
publication entitled Towards New Education - to designate an overview of the human
experience in education2. A near-term "giant corporations" was used in 18973 by Charles
Russell Tazel to describe the big national trusts and other large enterprises of the time. Since
1960 both terms began to be used interchangeably by economists and researchers in social
sciences and were used until about mid-1980. Since the invention of the concept,
globalization has inspired numerous interpretations definitions and has had a history going
back in time to the great commercial and imperialist movements throughout Asia and the
Indian Ocean since the fifteenth century4.

Vladislav Inosemtsev defines globalization as one of the most popular social studies of today,
but is at the same time an empty term. It was first mentioned in literature in the mid-1940s,
but up until the mid-1980s it was mentioned only occasionally. After the Cold War, the term
began to be used to describe the world becoming more interdependent in its economical and
informational dimension5. Because of the complexity of the concept, research projects,
articles, and debates have remained mostly focused on one aspect of globalization6. Roland
Robertson, a professor of sociology at the University of Aberdeen, was the first person who
defined globalization as "the understanding of the world and the increased perception of the
world as a whole."7. Martin Albrow and Elizabeth King, sociologists, define globalization as
"all those processes by which the peoples of the world are incorporated into a single world
society8.
In his paper "The Consequences of Modernity", Anthony Giddens uses the following
definition: "the globalization can be defined as the intensification of social relations
throughout the world, linking distant localities in such a way that local happenings are
formed as a result of events that occur many miles away and vice versa9. In his paper “Global
Transformations” David Held studies the definition of globalization and says, "although in a
simplistic sense globalization refers to a rapid global interconnection, deep and on a large
scale, such definition but requires now a more complex research". Globalization can be
linked to the local, the national and the regional. On the one hand, a connection is made
between social and economic relationships and networks, organized on a local and/or
national, on the other hand, it connects social and economic relationships and networks
crystallized on a wider scale the regional and global interactions.

Globalization can refer to those spatial-temporal processes of change, which constitutes the
fundament of the transformation of human concerns in an organization, linking together and
expanding human activity across regions and continents. Without referring to the expansion
in space of the connections, there can be no clear and coherent formulation of the term
globalization. A satisfactory definition of globalization must address each of these items:
extension, intensity, celerity, and impact10. The Swedish journalist Thomas Larsson, in his
book”The Race to the Top: The Real Story of Globalization”, says that globalization "is the
process of the shrinking of the world, the shortening of distances, and the closeness of things.
It allows the increased interaction of any person on one part of the world to someone found
on the other side of the world, to benefit"11. In 2000 the International Monetary Fund has
identified four basic aspects of globalization: trade and transactions, capital movements and
investment, migration and movement of people, and the spreading of knowledge12.

Culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics common to the
members of a particular group or society. Through culture, people and groups define
themselves, conform to society's shared values, and contribute to society. Thus, culture
includes many societal aspects: language, customs, values, norms, mores, rules, tools,
technologies, products, organizations, and institutions.

Technology the term has been given various definitions by previous literatures. According to
Kumar et.al (1999) technology consists of two primary components: 1) a physical component
which comprises of items such as products, tooling, equipment's, blueprints, techniques, and
processes; and 2) the informational component which consists of know-how in management,
marketing, production, quality control, reliability, skilled labor, and functional areas.

CHARACTERISTICS OF INDIAN CULTURE

Many things can be included while describing the distinguishing characteristics of Indian
culture. But it is a fact that India is an amalgamation of various thoughts and ideologies. It is
a very vast and varied culture rich in knowledge, devotion deeds, emotions, and feelings. It is
the broad-mindedness of Indian culture that it assimilated all those characteristic features
without any hesitation to which it was exposed from various other cultures and molded them
in their way. India did not believe in invasion or war to propagate its culture, religion,
ideology, or any other thing. It treated all living creatures with the same equality and
compassion.

Features of Indian Culture:

1. Longevity and continuity
2. Unity in diversity
3. Tolerance
4. Amalgamation of Spirituality and Materialism

ERA OF INDIAN CULTURE

ANCIENT CULTURE:

The rich heritage of Indian culture can be traced back to ancient times. The practices, beliefs,
and customs that we follow today were established thousands of years back. In ancient India,
culture was the determining factor of the Indian society. Though different beliefs were
followed in different regions, the foundation base of ancient Indian culture remained the
same. From every day dressing to elaborate rituals, every minute and major detail was
decided centuries back. The root of Indian culture has existed since ancient times and that is
what makes it so strong.

After the initial set up of the foundation by the Indus Valley Civilization, the coming of the
Aryans further consolidated it. The Aryans had a particular social structure according to
which administration was carried on. There was a division of labor and each hierarchy had its
job to do. The merchants and the priestly class were considered very elite and were much
respected and feared. There were certain symbols of worship like cows, bulls, the sacrificial
fire, etc. The chanting of sacred hymns came into vogue with the Vedic age. Though
agriculture was the main occupation, there was the development of small scale industries and
handicrafts.

In ancient India, fine arts formed an integral part of the culture. Music and dance evolved
highly in ancient India and new forms of dances and music came into being. Music was
usually accompanied by instruments to provide bass and rhythm. Dances required elaborate
costumes, jewelry, and make-up and were usually performed in temples or royal courts.
Theatre also originated in ancient India and was an integral part of the daily culture. People
enacted scenes out of daily life like wild animals hunting for food. Some people became
small animals like cows, goats, etc. who were "preyed" upon by people playing the role of
carnivores like lions, tigers, etc. The culture of ancient India has been refined and modernized
over the ages.

WOMEN IN ANCIENT INDIA

Many historians claim that women enjoyed equal status with men in ancient India. It is said
that women were educated, had a say in family matters, took important decisions of life, and
were free to choose their husbands. The ancient system of "Swayamvara" is mentioned in
holy scripts and also in many epics. A woman in ancient India was respected and was given
due importance in the society. Child marriage was unheard of and many women were also
famous sages like Gargi, Maitreyi, etc. With time, women started to lose their importance and
their status began to wane. The freedom given to women was curtailed slowly and she was
not allowed to voice her opinions in political matters in a society. Polygamy began to
increase and child marriage came into vogue. Daughters were considered to be a burden and
they were reduced to doing the chores of the household. Sati, an ancient practice in which a
widow had to lie beside her husband's pyre, came into vogue. Women were tortured and
humiliated and their position and condition degraded. In ancient India, remarriage of widows
was not encouraged. They were seen as a disgrace to the family and had to give up all the
comforts of life. They wore plain clothes, tonsured their heads, had a separate place to stay,
and ate bland food. Reformers and emperors like Asoka, fought for the rights and welfare of
women. Due to the efforts of many such reformers and philosophers, the condition of women
improved and they were able to walk on the streets again with their heads held high.

RELIGION

India has been a very religious country since time immemorial. The birth and growth of
civilization paved the way for different religions to spring up. In pre-historic times, there
were no religions as such but people worshipped various forces of nature like the Sun, Moon,
Thunder, etc. As the society grew, complex religious practices came into existence. With the
emergence of the priestly class, there was a multitude of changes in the religions in India
every region had its religious practice and belief. The Holy Scriptures like Vedas,
Upanishads, and epics talk about the ancient religious practices of India. They talk about
elaborate "Yagnas", sacrifices, the importance of fire in a ritual, etc. that were an integral part
of the religious practices. Hinduism was one of the earliest religions to be founded in India
and it is also considered to be one of the world's oldest religions. Even today, Hinduism has
the maximum number of followers in India and the beliefs and traditions have not changed
since ancient times. With time, Buddhism and Jainism came into being and new principles of
spiritual knowledge came into being. People started to believe in re-birth, re-incarnation, and
the philosophy of Karma. New beliefs and practices came into being and the meaning of
religion took an entirely new turn. Some customs went a bit far to implement themselves and
were opposed by people. Society became oppressive to certain religious practices and many
smaller religions and beliefs came into being. The ancient religions of India laid a strong
foundation of religious practices that are followed to date.

CUISINE

Early Indians ate food that was easily available from nature. Fruits, wild berries, meat, fish,
etc. were the main food items of the nomadic dwellers. With the advent of civilization, people
settled and started to do farming. This led to the discovery of food crops, pulses, etc. Food in
ancient India was cultivated in the fertile river valleys. Rice was their staple food that was
eaten with cooked lentils, vegetables, and meat. Wheat was used to make flatbreads known as
"Chapatti". The food habits of nearby countries also affected the food in ancient India. The
cooking of chicken came to India from Thailand and mutton came from West Asia. The food
pattern did not change with the arrival of the Aryans. With complex religious rituals taking
the centre stage, animal sacrifices peaked and more and more people turned vegetarians. Milk
and milk products came much into use during ancient times. Rice was eaten with curd and
yogurt. Cows were respected and worshipped hence people stopped eating beef. Most people
in India became vegetarians and meat was consumed very rarely. Many spices were
cultivated in India and were used in cooking for aroma and flavor. India flourished in the
cultivation of spices and many of them were later exported to foreign lands.

MEDIEVAL CULTURE

The Medieval period is considered as an age of great cultural synthesis in India. During this
period a new phase of cultural development was initiated. The Turks and Mughals introduced
fresh ideas and helped in giving rise to new features in the areas of religion, philosophy and
ideas, Language and Literature, Styles of architecture and use of building material, Painting
and Fine arts, Music, and performing arts. India already had a very rich cultural tradition in
all spheres. The synthesis between different cultures gave birth to new philosophical and
religious traditions, ideas, forms, and styles in almost all spheres„ of culture. New religious
movements like Sufism and Bhakti, the rise of Sikhism as a new religion, growth of Urdu and
Persian language and literature, growth of literature in various Indian languages, the
architecture of the Sultanate and Mughals with regional variations, new forms of music, the
Mughal painting and other new styles that emerged in India.

SUFISM

The Sufi movement as it emerged in India had the following features: The Sufis were
organized in several different orders. Most of these orders were led by some prominent Sufi
saint or Pir. It was named after them and was followed by his disciples. The Sufis believed
that for union with God one needs a spiritual guru or Pir.

THE BHAKTI MOVEMENT

The Bhakti movement in the north included socio-religious movements that were linked to
one of the acharyas from the south and is sometimes seen as a continuation of the movement
that originated in the south. Though there were similarities in the traditions of the two
regions, the notion of bhakti varied in the teachings of each of the saints. The Nirguna
Bhaktas like Kabir rejected the varnashrama and all conventions based on caste distinction
and championed new values, helping the emergence of new groups and new
unorthodox/protestant sects. The Saguna Bhaktas like Tulsidas on the other hand upheld the
caste system and the supremacy of the Brahmins. They preached the religion of surrender and
simple faith in a personal god and had a strong commitment to idol worship.

SIKHISM

The teachings and philosophy of Guru Nanak form an important part of Indian philosophical
thought. His philosophy consists of three basic elements: a leading charismatic personality
(the Guru), ideology (Shabad), and Organization (Sangat). Nanak evaluated and criticized the
prevailing religious beliefs and attempted to establish a true religion, which could lead to
salvation. He repudiated idol worship and did not favor pilgrimage nor accept the theory of
incarnation. He condemned formalism and ritualism. He emphasized having a true Guru for
revelation. He advised people to follow the principles of conduct and worship: Sach (truth),
Jalal (lawful earning), Khair (wishing well of others), Niyat (right intention), and service to
the lord. He denounced the caste system and the inequality it caused. He argued that the caste
and honor should be judged by the acts or the deeds of individuals. He laid stress on concepts
of justice, righteousness, and liberty. His verses mainly consist of two basic concepts, Sach
(truth) and Nam (name).

MEDIEVAL INDIAN FOOD

Food habits in Medieval India changed with the advent of invaders from Central Asia. The
Muslims introduced the most popular Mughal cuisine which forms a major part of the Indian
menu even today. Along with this, they brought different kinds of dry fruits and flatbreads
among the Indians. The Mughals were great patrons of cuisine. Lavish dishes were prepared
during the rule of Jahangir and Shah Jahan. The Nizams of Hyderabad state, meanwhile,
developed and mastered their style of cooking with the most notable dish being the Biryani,
often considered by many enthusiasts to be the finest of main dishes in India. Next to this, the
Portuguese introduced Indian Vindaloo dishes and others. This was followed by the Chinese
influence on Indian food that traveled along with the mongoloid race from Central Asia.
Along with this food in medieval India was also influenced by the British and Anglo-Indian
cuisine. This continued in modern days as well. The British introduced the Western style of
food in India which was gratefully accepted by the Indians along with their traditional past.
The history of Indian food manifests before us that during the reign of the British Empire in
India (the British Raj), the home cuisine was considered by the Europeans closely to what
Gods taught of ambrosia: a delightful, heavenly and delicate dish.

MODERN CULTURE

Five important features which will perhaps give us some aid in understanding modern India:

1. Its diversity
2. The depth of culture
3. A land of minorities
4. Its future depends on the interaction between two worlds:
5. In the cities and rural India, poverty, spirituality and modernity mix and coexist

Many people in the Western world think of India as an inert and distant [grouping] of people
and poverty, a combination of the exotic and tragic. This misperception, popularized through
years of media stereotyping, conceals reality. India is a vibrant society with an increasingly
vigorous internal dynamic and an increasing influence, directly and indirectly, in the world.
Its significance lies not only in its size -- some 930 million Indians are 15 percent of the
planetary population -- but also in the questions raised by the path India has chosen in
domestic and foreign policy. This nation is the largest functioning democracy, with regular
and freely contested elections. Thus, it is the test of whether democracy is a suitable system
of government for large numbers of relatively poor people in a world where democracy, as
we understand it, is a much- endangered political species, especially in Third World
countries. Modern India is also a test of two middle-ground philosophies. As an early
proponent of non-alignment in international politics, India has attempted to establish a
[middle] position between Western and [communist] oriented states. Over the years, its
leadership in carving out a Third World posture demonstrated that there is a viable route for
nations who did not want to take sides in Cold War politics, an approach which many other
nations in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East have followed and hope to
sustain.

India's economic policies have also broken new ground. They were the first large-scale test of
the modern mixed economy: central government planning with a combination of both private
and public ownership of economic enterprises. It is perhaps still too early to evaluate the
results. On the one hand, poverty remains [widespread] and unemployment is high. On the
other, Indian agriculture has performed much better than either Soviet or Chinese agriculture.
(India now feeds her population and has imported hardly any grain in the past four years.)
Also, India now ranks as the ninth-largest industrial economy in the world. A further
significance of India today comes from the geopolitics of South Asia. Bordering the Indian
Ocean into which the Persian Gulf flows, it is a key location in an era of oil logistics. Add the
proximity of Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China, and India's situation becomes critical
to the tensions and interactions of current global politics. From this perspective alone, apart
from the many human, cultural and other reasons, it behooves thoughtful people around the
world to make efforts to understand this vast and vital nation. It is possible to say almost
anything about India and have it apply to some part of that subcontinent. India is a land of
[poverty] and, in some ways, of plenty. It is a nation powerful and weak, ancient and modern,
climatically dramatic in its contrasts.

The very term "India" implies a unity that exists more as a tentative political form than as a
human and socio-cultural reality. From the intertwining of its complex history with
contemporary society, one can distill five important features that will perhaps give us some
aids in understanding modern India. The first feature to remember when thinking of India is
its diversity. It is a country in which there are 15 official languages, over 300 minor
languages, and some 3,000 dialects. Twenty-four languages have more than one million
speakers each. The largest spoken language is Hindi, but this is the mother tongue of only
about 40 percent of the population. Often Indians cannot understand each other and
frequently use English as a link or administrative language. But language is not the only
diversity. There are four principal social groupings, what we sometimes call castes, and
several thousand subcategories of the castes. Although predominantly Hindu, all the world's
major religions are represented in India. Ethnic differences also [abound]. This mosaic is
culturally extraordinary. It is a source of divisiveness in a nation where particular loyalties
have a deep meaning, both spiritually and physically. Given this diversity, it is remarkable
that India has remained and grown, and continues to grow, as one nation.

A second feature is the depth of culture, which contrasts with the newness of the nation in its
present form. There have been over 4,000 years of philosophical and cultural development in
India, going back to early Aryan civilization. Since then, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Islamic,
Sikh, and other influences have left deep imprints on society. Every Indian, even the poorest
illiterate, can tell stories of myth and history, a consciousness of a great civilizational heritage
that is unusually widespread. Yet, there was no India as we know it until the achievement of
independence in 1947. Before that, there were various fragmented (some very large)
territories. Many of these were absorbed into the British Indian Empire which mixed direct
British rule with many areas ruled by traditional princes and local kings or maharajas. The
modern state of India is only 34 years old and its development must be understood in the
context of trying to impose a national framework on old cultural patterns. The consciousness
of the great past and the newness of the present sometimes produces an abrasive reaction. The
third feature is that India is a land of minorities. About 80 percent of the population are
Hindus. But Hinduism is an amalgam of pluralistic beliefs and forms, often containing
conflicting elements.

An additional 12 percent are Muslims, deeply aware of their Islamic faith. Hindu, Urdu,
Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telegu, Punjabi and other languages create minorities of their own.
Tribal and neo- aboriginal peoples number almost 40 million. No contestant for political
office can be successful without an awareness of these constituencies. And this, in turn,
conditions both domestic and foreign policy. A fourth feature of modern India is that, broadly
speaking, its future depends on the interaction between two worlds: the cities of India, where
20 percent of the population lives, and rural India, where about 600,000 villages contain the
rest of the population. Urban India is the India of modern industry, national politics and
foreign policy, government planning, the national media, the major universities, business, the
armed forces, science, and technology. Its best products are frequently as good as the best in
the world, its orientation is cosmopolitan. Rural India is the India of age-old patterns where
tradition is the principal dynamic of society, where outsiders come and go but life continues,
often without much change. When the two India’s mesh effectively, India is a success, as in
the expansion of education, the reduction of illiteracy, the extension of the average lifespan,
the introduction of some basic health care, the sustenance of a democratic political system.
When they do not connect effectively, India is in trouble, as with population control and
unemployment. For the nation to realize its considerable potential, the linkage between those
two India’s has to be expanded and strengthened. The fifth and final feature we must
remember is that poverty, spirituality, and modernity mix and coexist in India, without the
paradoxical implications which a Western perspective suggests. It is the essence of Indian
spirituality which enables even the most deprived to endure poverty and it is modernity which
provides the prospect of improvement. It is this spirit, a composite of many small individual
visions and inspirations, which characterizes modern India and offers the best hope for the
nation and its people.

GLOBALIZATION AND IT’S IMPACT ON INDIAN CULTURE.

Globalization has a wide role to play worldwide. It has left back its footprints in every sphere
of life. Not only in India, but the interchange of world views and ideas has resulted in a major
transformation of the lifestyle and living standard of people globally. Indian culture is no bar
to this transformation process. Our deep-rooted traditions and customs have loosened up their
hold with the emergence of globalization. India has a rich cultural background and pride in its
culture is famous throughout the world. Globalization has not only inculcated the
westernization in India, but conversely, the Indian culture has also spread its impact globally.
Culture and traditions of any geographic region hold a special significance to its uniqueness
and that is the differentiating factor for a population within a geographic boundary from the
other.

This uniqueness has been disturbed to varying degrees instead of globalization. Such an
impact is very much pronounced when they hit a developing country like India. The culture
of any country does not only portray the region and language of the region, but it starts with
the mindset and mentality of the residing citizens. Indian culture is quite rich concerning its
heritage and resources, and more importantly due to the welcoming approach of its citizens.
India is a bouquet varying religion, dialect, edibles, tradition, custom, music, art and
architecture, etc., bundled into a single unit of patriotism and unity. The common factor
within all these diversities is the Indian mindset of welcoming, greeting, celebrating in a
united way with immense affection and togetherness. This is the rich essence of the Indian
culture that has attracted many foreigners to stay back in India and mingle into its eternal
fragrance. When one analyses this rich culture with the globalization point of view, it can
find many punch holes of westernization and mixing of other traits and cultures into our
beautifully woven blanket.

CULTURES AFFECTED BY GLOBALIZATION

On Indian Culture: The culture of any country does not only portray the region and
language of the region, but it starts with the mindset and mentality of the residing citizens.
Indian culture is quite rich concerning its heritage and resources, and more importantly due to
the welcoming approach of its citizens. India is a bouquet varying religion, dialect, edibles,
tradition, custom, music, art and architecture, etc., bundled into a single unit of patriotism and
unity. The common factor within all these diversities is the Indian mindset of welcoming,
greeting, celebrating in a united way with immense affection and togetherness. This is the
rich essence of the Indian culture that has attracted many foreigners to stay back in India and
mingle into its eternal fragrance.
When we analyze this rich culture with the globalization point of view, we can find many
punch holes of westernization and mixing of other traits and cultures into our beautifully
woven blanket. Let us closely analyze the impacts of globalization on Indian culture.

Family Structure: The joint families have become a strange surprise to the Indians
especially to those residing in the metropolitan cities in the small flat culture with the nuclear
families blooming up like mushrooms in the rain. People have lost the patience to get
adjusted into the joint family, imbibing the values of the elders and getting the young ones
brought up under the shadow of their grandparents. Children have started treating
grandparents like guests or visitors, and such an upbringing is one of the main reasons for
increasing old age homes, as those children consider their parents as the burden in their state
of adulthood.

Marriage Values: Similarly, marriages have also lost their values. It is very much evident
from the increasing number of divorce cases and the extra-marital affairs reported now and
then. Marriage used to be considered as bonding of the souls which will be linked even after
the death, but today marriage is like a professional bond or a so-called commitment to share
life without compromising their self-interests. The ego factor into the Indian youth is again a
product of globalization.

Adultery: Both the genders were kept at a distance, with a lot many restrictions and
limitations to the approach for ages in our culture. With the emergence of globalization and
western culture, youth have started mixing up well with each other. The friendly approach
and the socializing feature is worth appreciable. But the total breakouts of restrictions have
adulterated the Indian mindset, playing up with the physical relationship. This has given birth
to new relationships in India like live-in relationships. Also, the increased cases of rape and
sexual abuse cases are a result of the perverted mind which again the imported values very
much alien to our mother culture.

Social Values: Elders have the incorporated values of treating the guests as God, warm-
hearted welcoming, greeting elders with due respect, and celebrating every small festival with
a great color of enjoyment and togetherness. Such a wide gathering with full hue and light
can hardly be seen today. People have highly restricted themselves in social interaction. The
interaction in the present generation is highly diplomatic considering the financial status and
wealth. People have lost social values and cheerful blessing of togetherness. The present
generations are happier celebrating Valentine’s Day rather than Holi and Diwali.

Food, Clothing, and Dialect: Indian food, clothing, and languages are varied concerning
different states. The food varies in its taste, but every food has its nutrient value and every
region is specified and rich in its medicinal preparations with the home remedies. Even the
clothing varies in different states which is very much particular in maintaining the dignity of
women. The various cuisines from all over the world though have different flavors to add,
still, the food ingredients that have inflicted with much popularity are the junk food items
which has increased the health disorders in the country. Again the dressing like the suiting’s
for the males is an inappropriate match for the Indian type of climate. The female dresses are
again a way of distraction to the perverted minds. Even the Indians are not very much in
favor of promoting their mother tongue or our national language. Instead, the youth today
consider it to be a shameful condition to speak in their national language Hindi. The way the
foreign languages are getting prevalent in India like the French, German and Spanish, right
from the school level, is the example of how much Indians provide importance to Indian
languages in comparison to the foreign ones.

Employment and the Agricultural Sector: India was predominantly an agricultural based
country. With the advanced globalization and cropping up of MNCs, the farming has lost its
prime value in India. Agricultural science has the least focus amongst the youngsters who
consider farming as a shameful profession and look down upon the same. Employments
through MNCs have lucrative deals attracting the bulk of manpower who are working for the
other countries as their customer care representatives. Indians are losing their health and their
status and slowly getting to the age of economic slavery due to these MNCs. This is what
globalization has provided Indians through their emergence.

CHANGING TRENDS IN INDIAN CULTURE

SOCIO-CULTURAL EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION

Unprecedented interaction and mobility have dented local cultures. Large scale immigration
and a transnational workforce - the product of globalization - is dispersing cultures across the
world, leading to a unified world culture. India is no exception. There was a time when
Indians used to greet each other with “Namaste” or something similar in regional dialects.
But now it’s "Hi" and "Hello" among a large section of the population. However, Dr. Kumar
Ashutosh, who has a Ph.D. in History, says, "It’s not a question of being good or bad. It’s an
issue of changing preferences". The joint family system of India, which has been appreciated
worldwide, is breaking up, paving the way for nuclear families everywhere. Most people now
like an independent life, a by-product of globalization. There are old-age homes and senior
communities everywhere, in the major cities at least. And what’s a real worry is that many of
these nuclear families are getting further divided because of strained relations between
partners. Traditionally, life partners were searched from local communities, usually within
the same caste. Inter-caste marriages are now common. Parents are turning to the web to
search for prospective brides and grooms, and often, they prefer NRIs (Non-Resident Indians)
for their westernized outlook, lifestyles, and higher disposable income. A fatter bank account
is more important than the happiness index.

GLOBALIZATION AND INDIA’S LANGUAGES

English is already the primary language in India because it connects everybody. Yet each
state in the country has a separate first language, and it can sometimes become very difficult
without English. For instance, Kannada is the first language in Karnataka, and Malayalam in
Kerala. Though these are neighboring states, a person from Kerala would still not understand
Kannada. Hindi and English are thus commonly used by almost everybody. English is slowly
taking over because of the effects of globalization. But are the local languages dying out?
Hardly! The internet is preserving them. Take for instance the efforts to preserve Bengali and
the works of Rabindranath Tagore. The Gigabit project is an online archive of all the songs,
stories, books, and poems of Tagore. The internet is not just preserving this, it’s taking
Tagore‟s work to the world and making it more popular.

A GLOBAL WORKPLACE AND THE FAMILY LIFE

Globalization is affecting the marital space too. Work is forcing a married couple to lead
separate lives, away from each other over a long time. This is typical for those in Information
Technology who are working overseas, in the UK, US, France, Australia, and elsewhere. The
husband or wife is away. Sometimes, both are working in different locations, because it’s not
always possible to find jobs in the same place, whether it’s the same firm or another. And
sometimes, in a career-driven society, the partners are not willing or able to give up this
employment. Either they don’t have kids till late in their married life, or the kids don’t enjoy
the full family. They just have to stay with the dad or mom, or with the grandparents because
of schooling compulsions. Many Indian schools are following an international curriculum to
meet the demands of increasingly globalized parents.

GLOBALIZATION AND INDIAN FESTIVALS

Thankfully, Indian festivals haven’t changed a lot as yet, though some influences can be
found. Many festivals have gone global though, as a lot of Dussehra‟s, Diwali‟s, and Ganesh
Chaturthi‟s are celebrated abroad by the diaspora. Many locals attend these festivals as well,
and get to learn about Indian religious events. But here’s a change within the country that’s
quite a surprise. We are celebrating many more international events now such as Friendship
Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and even Father’s Day and Mother’s Day. These events
hardly had any relevance in Indian society even a couple of decades back. India is changing
and integrating with the world. Many Indian traditions, festivals, performing arts, and ways
of life are centuries old, and while these run the risk of taking a backseat in an increasing
global space, the internet is also playing a big part in preserving traditions that may otherwise
have been forgotten.

GLOBALIZATION IMPACT ON TECHNOLOGY IN INDIA

Discounting the dark ages from about 1300 AD till our independence, in general, India has
maintained a very open and receptive attitude towards scientific discovery and new
technologies. Despite the distorted European view that Indians are oblivious to facts and
figures (Macaulay, done in class), immune to scientific development and that they look upon
the world as Maya and Illusion, it has been the primary aim of ancient as well as modern
India to explore, to find out more about the world we live in. Though there are references to
kings 100 ft tall and oceans of milk and honey, there is not a single Indian who believes in the
physical existence of these things. Whereas it took more than a century for Europeans to
believe that the earth is not the center of the universe, such an observation was made by
“Aryabhatta” more than a thousand years before Copernicus, without causing the “hula-bull”
that such a discovery faced in Europe. As an example, the following facts show how
advanced Vedic science and technology were:

VEDIC SCIENCE

“Srimad Bhagavatam” (part of the Upanishads) says: "The material manifestations' ultimate
particle, which is invisible and formed into a body, is called the atom. It exists always as an
invisible identity, even after the dissolution of all material forms. The material body is but a
combination of such atoms, but the common man misunderstands it. One can estimate time
by measuring the movement of the atomic combination of bodies. Atomic time is measured
according to its covering a particular atomic space."
Srimad Bhagavatam also gives a clear integration of time and space. Thus, according to the
Srimad Bhagavatam, in their unmanifest state, the atoms exist in the subtle form, much akin
to the wave-like description that modern physics gives for the atom. This explains how mass
(gross matter) and material energy (subtle matter) may be inter-related in a non-quantifiable
manner. The famous E=mc2 appears to be a special case of the Vedic description. The
Bhagavad-Gita describes earth (solid), water (liquid), fire (plasma), air (gas), and akasha
(space) as gross material elements. Mendeleev came up with the idea of elements found in
nature. Since the introduction of his periodic table, it has seen many revisions over the years.
The Sankhya Yoga system is given in the Srimad Bhagavatam also gives a classification of
material elements. However, this system is much more tenacious than its modern counterpart,
and has not been changed since time immemorial.

GLIMPSES OF TECHNOLOGY THROUGH THE AGES

The earliest traces of human existence in India, so far discovered, go back to the period
between 400,000 and 200,000 BC. This is suggested by the large number of primitive stone
tools found in the Soan Valley and South India. From 8000 BC, the Mesolithic age began
and continued up to 4000 BC in India. During this time, sharp and pointed tools were used
for killing fast-moving animals. The beginning of plant cultivation also appeared. So
technology had already made an appearance on the Indian scene. Indus Valley and Harappan
Culture Around the beginning of the third millennium BC, a culture appeared to the southeast
of Baluchistan, which evolved into what is now known as the Indus Valley or Harappan
civilization. The cities were
far more advanced than their counterparts in prehistoric Egypt, Mesopotamia, or anywhere
else in Western Asia. This civilization had developed technologies like the plow, and
smelting of metals like copper and bronze. Technology played an important part in their lives.
It sustained them.

THE POSTMODERN SCENARIO

THE CONSTRUCTION DECONSTRUCTION PARADOX IN TECHNOLOGY

In the foregoing discussion, we showed the position of technology in Indian culture and that
we are not alien to proper usage of science and technology. But is technology always good?
Or in other words, are there some criteria for using technology and how does the quality of
life depend on it? These are some of the nagging questions that haunt us in the postmodern
culture. Scientists even speculate about robot societies, and technology penetrating every
aspect of human life. Today these issues are of paramount importance, as the illusion of a
"technological utopia" is widespread and the masses are taking to it without any judgment on
their part and this may eventually lead to a major catastrophe in the long run.

The main reason that may lead to a technological breakdown is that the use of technology has
become an end in itself. No longer is technology thought of as an aid in performing one’s
duty. People use technology just for the sake of using it and to get a “technological high” and
a sense of pride. This attitude is the most prevalent one today and is increasing exponentially
by leaps and bounds and one day it may lead the human race to “A Technological Suicide”.

Some few points which immediately spring up due to this attitude are:

 Technological Dependence
  Alienation of Values
 Unemployment
 Makes people unnecessarily proud
 Leading to Comfort or Stress?

CONCLUSION

To conclude, there are different aspects of the Indian culture. Each aspect is practiced by
people but not everyone believes in the different aspects. As one can see it is a very
traditional culture, everyone has their opinion towards it, positive and negative. Therefore the
Indian Culture is very unique and has various practices. Although the youth do not believe in
the traditional aspects, the culture will vary with time and will not be traditional anymore
because of the modern world. All in all the aspects are frequently practiced but tomorrow’s
generation is going to change it. Indian culture is incredibly complex and resembles a chaos
of mind-boggling proportions. But beneath this seeming chaos is a scientific foundation that
is thousands of years old. The caste system in India, as it appears today, looks unnecessary,
unfair, and uncalled for. Why should we discriminate between people based on profession or
birth? But this was not always the case. Sadhguru looks at why the caste system was set up in
the first place and explores whether abolishing the caste system would solve any of the
problems associated with it nowadays. It has been a long-standing complaint that Indian
youth are highly influenced by American and European cultures. With India fast becoming a
truly global environment in terms of economy, food, and culture, what does it take to make
sure our youth do not forget the richness of being Indian?

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