essay on indian civilization and culture

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Understanding Indian Culture: A Journey Through Time
World Cultures

Welcome to a journey through the rich and diverse culture of India. From its ancient traditions to modern influences , this article will take you on an exploration of the customs, beliefs, and practices that have shaped Indian society over thousands of years. Situated in the heart of Asia, India is a land of vibrant colors, exotic flavors, and deep-rooted traditions. With its many religions, languages, and cultures, India is a melting pot of diversity and has a unique identity that sets it apart from the rest of the world.

In this article, we will delve into the history, customs, and values that make up the fabric of Indian culture. So, join us as we embark on a journey through time to understand the essence of Indian culture, its evolution, and its significance in today's world. Welcome to the vibrant and diverse world of Indian culture. In this article, we will take you on a journey through time to understand the rich heritage and significance of Indian culture. From ancient civilizations to modern-day practices, we will cover everything you need to know about this fascinating culture. India has a long and complex history, with evidence of human settlements dating back to 75,000 years ago.

The first major civilization in India was the Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE. This advanced society had well-planned cities, a sophisticated drainage system, and a writing system that is yet to be deciphered. The legacy of this civilization can still be seen in modern-day India, particularly in the northwestern region. In the centuries that followed, India saw the rise and fall of many dynasties, each leaving their mark on the country's culture. The Mauryan Empire (322 BCE-185 BCE) was one of the first major empires in India, established by Chandragupta Maurya.

Under the rule of Emperor Ashoka, it became one of the largest empires in the world at that time and played a crucial role in spreading Buddhism across Asia. The Gupta Empire (320 CE-550 CE) is considered the Golden Age of India, known for its advancements in science, mathematics, art, and literature. It was during this time that Hinduism became the dominant religion in India. The Mughal Empire (1526 CE-1857 CE) was another significant period in Indian history, with its capital in Delhi. Under the rule of Emperor Akbar, it saw a fusion of Indian and Persian cultures, resulting in magnificent architecture and art forms like the Taj Mahal and miniature paintings. Religion plays a significant role in Indian culture, with a diverse population practicing various faiths. Hinduism is the predominant religion, with over 80% of the population identifying as Hindus.

Buddhism, founded in India by Siddhartha Gautama, also has a significant following, particularly in the northern and eastern regions. Islam, brought to India by traders and Sufi saints, is the second-largest religion, followed by Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. Indian society is deeply rooted in customs and traditions that have been passed down for generations. Festivals are an integral part of Indian culture, with each region and religion having its own unique celebrations. Diwali, Holi, Eid, and Christmas are some of the major festivals celebrated throughout the country. Food is another essential aspect of Indian culture, with each region having its own distinct cuisine.

Spices play a crucial role in Indian cuisine, adding flavor and aroma to dishes. Staple foods include rice, wheat, lentils, and vegetables, with a variety of meat and seafood dishes also available. Clothing in India is diverse and varies based on region, climate, and occasion. Traditional clothing for women includes sarees, salwar kameez, and lehengas, while men typically wear dhotis, kurta-pajamas, or sherwanis. Modern fashion trends have also influenced Indian clothing styles. The art and architecture of India are known for their intricate designs and vibrant colors.

Traditions and Customs

These traditions are deeply rooted in the country's history, religion, and social structures, and they play a significant role in shaping the lives of its people. From daily rituals to festive celebrations, every aspect of Indian culture is infused with a unique set of customs and traditions. One of the most prominent customs in Indian culture is the emphasis on family and community. Family ties are highly valued, and extended families often live together in the same household. This close-knit structure is reflected in various customs and traditions, such as joint family meals and celebrations. Religion also plays a crucial role in shaping Indian customs and traditions.

With a diverse population practicing various religions, India is a melting pot of customs and beliefs. From the colorful festivals of Hinduism to the serene rituals of Buddhism, each religion brings its unique set of customs to the table. The concept of hospitality is another essential aspect of Indian culture. Guests are treated with utmost respect and are considered a part of the family. This tradition is deeply ingrained in the culture, and it is not uncommon for strangers to be invited into homes for a meal or celebration. The concept of karma and reincarnation is also a significant influence on Indian customs and traditions.

Modern Influences

With the rise of social media, the spread of Western fashion and music, and the increasing popularity of English as a language, the traditional values and customs of Indian culture are gradually being replaced by more modern and westernized influences. One of the most noticeable changes in Indian culture is the shift towards a more individualistic society. With the increase in education and job opportunities, young Indians are becoming more independent and are breaking away from traditional family structures. This has led to a change in social dynamics, with a focus on personal growth and success. Modernization has also impacted Indian cuisine, with the introduction of fast food chains and processed foods. Traditional dishes are being replaced by more convenient and accessible options, leading to changes in eating habits and health concerns. Another aspect of Indian culture that has been influenced by modernization is religion.

Religion and Spirituality

With over 1.3 billion people, India is home to multiple religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam, and Christianity. Each religion has its unique set of beliefs, rituals, and practices that contribute to the rich tapestry of Indian culture. Hinduism is the predominant religion in India, with around 80% of the population identifying as Hindus. It is a complex and diverse religion that encompasses a wide range of beliefs and practices. The key principles of Hinduism are dharma (duty), karma (action), samsara (reincarnation), and moksha (liberation).Buddhism, which originated in India, is another major religion followed by millions of people in the country.

It emphasizes the importance of achieving enlightenment through meditation and living a moral life. Jainism, one of the oldest religions in the world, promotes non-violence and compassion towards all living beings. Its followers believe in the concept of ahimsa (non-harming) and follow a strict vegetarian diet. Sikhism, founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak, is a monotheistic religion that emphasizes equality and service to others. Its followers believe in the concept of one God and reject the caste system. Islam is the second-largest religion in India, with around 200 million followers. It was brought to India by Arab traders and flourished under the Mughal Empire.

The religion follows the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and emphasizes the importance of prayer, charity, and submission to God. Christianity was introduced to India by Saint Thomas in the 1st century and has since spread across the country. It is the third-largest religion in India, with over 28 million followers. Christians in India come from a variety of backgrounds and belong to different denominations, including Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox. Religion in India is not just a set of beliefs and practices; it is a way of life. It influences every aspect of society, from festivals and rituals to food and dress.

A Glimpse Into History

It was founded by Chandragupta Maurya and became one of the largest empires in ancient India. The Mauryan rulers were known for their religious tolerance and administrative efficiency. The Gupta Empire, which ruled from 320 CE to 550 CE, is considered the golden age of Indian culture. It was a time of great prosperity, advancements in science and mathematics, and flourishing art and literature. The Mughal Empire, which reigned from the 16th to 19th centuries, had a significant impact on Indian culture. The Mughals brought with them their own customs and traditions, which blended with the existing Indian culture to create a unique fusion.

They also left behind some of the most magnificent architectural marvels, such as the Taj Mahal. Today, India is a diverse mix of various cultures, religions, and traditions, all of which have been shaped by its rich history. From the vibrant festivals to the mouth-watering cuisine, every aspect of Indian culture has a story to tell. By exploring the different dynasties and empires that have ruled India, we can gain a deeper understanding of the country's cultural heritage and its significance in the modern world. As we come to the end of our journey, we hope that you have gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for Indian culture. It is a land of rich heritage, diverse beliefs, and vibrant traditions. Whether you are interested in history , religion , or modern-day influences, India has something to offer for everyone.

Grace Thompson

Grace Thompson is a dedicated historian and writer, contributing extensively to the field of world history. Her work covers a wide range of topics, including ancient civilizations, cultural histories, and significant global events like the World Wars. Known for her meticulous research and clear, engaging writing style, Grace makes complex historical subjects accessible to readers. Her articles are a valuable resource for both students and educators, providing deep insights into how historical events shape the modern world.

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Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition 1000+ Words

Indian culture and tradition, akin to a captivating mosaic, are comprised of myriad vibrant components that constitute the nation’s multifaceted heritage. With deep historical roots, they are commemorated through various avenues such as festivals, art forms, and daily customs. As we embark on this essay, we will delve into the profound essence and importance of Indian culture and tradition. This exploration will encompass their distinctive attributes, their societal significance, and their enduring pertinence.

Diversity in Unity

Indian culture and tradition are renowned for their diversity. India is home to a multitude of languages, religions, cuisines, and customs. Despite this diversity, there is a strong sense of unity that binds the nation together.

Historical Significance

India’s culture and traditions have evolved over thousands of years. The Indus Valley Civilization, the Vedas, and the teachings of ancient sages have all played a role in shaping the culture we see today.

Festivals and Celebrations

India is known for its vibrant festivals, such as Diwali, Holi, Eid, Christmas, and more. These celebrations bring people together, fostering a sense of unity and joy.

Cultural Art Forms

Indian culture finds expression in various art forms such as classical dance, including Bharatanatyam and Kathak, as well as music, encompassing Carnatic and Hindustani traditions, and theater. Furthermore, these art forms boast a rich historical heritage and persistently flourish in contemporary times.

Traditional Clothing

Indian clothing is a reflection of culture and tradition. Attire like the saree, dhoti, and kurta are not just clothing items but symbols of identity.

Expert Opinions

Cultural scholars like Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan emphasize the role of culture in shaping society and providing a sense of identity. They believe that culture is a dynamic force that evolves with time.

Spiritual Practices

Religion and spirituality play a significant role in Indian culture. Practices like meditation, yoga, and visiting temples or mosques are common ways for individuals to connect with their spirituality.

Traditional Medicine

Ayurveda, India’s traditional system of medicine, has been practiced for centuries. It emphasizes holistic well-being and natural healing methods.

Family Values

Indian culture places a strong emphasis on family values. Respect for elders, strong family bonds, and the concept of joint families are integral to Indian society.

Conclusion of Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition

In conclusion, Indian culture and tradition, as a testament to the country’s rich history, diversity, and unity, provide a sense of identity and belonging to millions of people. Moreover, as India continues to evolve in the modern world, it is crucial to preserve and celebrate these cultural treasures. By valuing diversity, promoting cultural exchange, and passing on traditions to future generations, we can ensure that Indian culture and tradition continue to thrive and enrich the lives of all who embrace them. Consequently, India’s cultural heritage is a source of pride and inspiration, forming a tapestry of traditions that we must cherish and protect for generations to come.

Also Check: Simple Guide on How To Write An Essay

Indian Culture and Tradition Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on indian culture and tradition.

India has a rich culture and that has become our identity. Be it in religion, art, intellectual achievements, or performing arts, it has made us a colorful, rich, and diverse nation. The Indian culture and tradition essay is a guideline to the vibrant cultures and traditions followed in India.

India was home to many invasions and thus it only added to the present variety. Today, India stands as a powerful and multi-cultured society as it has absorbed many cultures and moved on. People here have followed various religion , traditions, and customs.

Although people are turning modern today, hold on to the moral values and celebrates the festivals according to customs. So, we are still living and learning epic lessons from Ramayana and Mahabharata. Also, people still throng Gurudwaras, temples, churches, and mosques.

The culture in India is everything from people’s living, rituals, values, beliefs, habits, care, knowledge, etc. Also, India is considered as the oldest civilization where people still follows their old habits of care and humanity.

Additionally, culture is a way through which we behave with others, how softly we react to different things, our understanding of ethics, values, and beliefs.

People from the old generation pass their beliefs and cultures to the upcoming generation. Thus, every child that behaves well with others has already learned about their culture from grandparents and parents.

Also, here we can see culture in everything like fashion , music , dance , social norms, foods, etc. Thus, India is one big melting pot for having behaviors and beliefs which gave birth to different cultures.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Indian Culture and Religion

There are many religions that have found their origin in age-old methods that are five thousand years old. Also, it is considered because Hinduism was originated from Vedas.

Thus, all the Hindu scriptures that are considered holy have been scripted in the Sanskrit language. Also, it is believed that Jainism has ancient origin and existence in the Indus valley. Buddhism is the other religion that was originated in the country through the teachings of Gautam Buddha.

There are many different eras that have come and gone but no era was very powerful to change the influence of the real culture. So, the culture of younger generations is still connected to the older generations. Also, our ethnic culture always teaches us to respect elders, behave well, care for helpless people, and help needy and poor people.

Additionally, there is a great culture in our country that we should always welcome guest like gods. That is why we have a famous saying like ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. So, the basic roots in our culture are spiritual practices and humanity.

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History of India

India is a land of ancient civilization. India's social, economic, and cultural configurations are the products of a long process of regional expansion. Indian history begins with the birth of the Indus Valley Civilization and the coming of the Aryans. These two phases are usually described as the pre-Vedic and Vedic age. Hinduism arose in the Vedic period.

The fifth century saw the unification of India under Ashoka, who had converted to Buddhism, and it is in his reign that Buddhism spread in many parts of Asia. In the eighth century Islam came to India for the first time and by the eleventh century had firmly established itself in India as a political force. It resulted into the formation of the Delhi Sultanate, which was finally succeeded by the Mughal Empire, under which India once again achieved a large measure of political unity.

It was in the 17th century that the Europeans came to India. This coincided with the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, paving the way for regional states. In the contest for supremacy, the English emerged 'victors'. The Rebellion of 1857-58, which sought to restore Indian supremacy, was crushed; and with the subsequent crowning of Victoria as Empress of India, the incorporation of India into the empire was complete. It was followed by India's struggle for independence, which we got in the year 1947.

India Timeline

Indian timeline takes us on a journey of the history of the subcontinent. Right from the ancient India, which included Bangladesh and Pakistan, to the free and divided India, this time line covers each and every aspect related to the past as well as present of the country. Read on further to explore the timeline of India.

Economic History of India

Indus valley civilization, which flourished between 2800 BC and 1800 BC, had an advanced and flourishing economic system. The Indus valley people practiced agriculture, domesticated animals, made tools and weapons from copper, bronze and tin and even traded with some Middle East countries.

Medieval Indian History

After the death of Harsha the Rajputs came into prominence on the political horizons of North India. The Rajputs were known for their bravery and chivalry but family feuds and strong notions of personal pride often resulted into conflicts. The Rajputs weakened each other by constant wrangling.

Emperor Akbar, also known as Akbar the Great or Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, was the third emperor of the Mughal Empire, after Babur and Humayun. He was the son of Nasiruddin Humayun and succeeded him as the emperor in the year 1556, when he was only 13 years old.

Shah Jahan, also known as Shahbuddin Mohammed Shah Jahan, was a Mughal Emperor who ruled in the Indian Subcontinent from 1628 to 1658. He was the fifth Mughal ruler, after Babur, Humayun, Akbar and Jahangir. Shah Jahan succeeded the throne after revolting against his father, Jahangir.

Chhatrapati Shivaji

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the founder of the Maratha Empire in western India. He is considered to be one of the greatest warriors of his time and even today, stories of his exploits are narrated as a part of the folklore. King Shivaji used the guerrilla tactics to capture a part of, the then, dominant Mughal empire.

Ancient India

The History of India begins with the Indus Valley Civilization and the coming of the Aryans. These two phases are generally described as the pre-Vedic and Vedic periods. The earliest literary source that sheds light on India's past is the Rig Veda. It is difficult to date this work with any accuracy on the basis of tradition and ambiguous astronomical information contained in the hymns.

Modern Indian History

During the late 16th and the 17th Centuries, the European trading companies in India competed with each other ferociously. By the last quarter of the 18th Century the English had outdone all others and established themselves as the dominant power in India. The British administered India for a period of about two centuries and brought about revolutionary changes in the social, political and the economic life of the country.

Ancient History of India Indus Valley Civilization: Overview

The Ancient History of India, particularly the Indus Valley Civilization, is one of the world’s oldest urban civilizations, dating back to 3300 BCE.

It was a sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture, evident from their impressive city planning and social organization.

The Indus Valley Civilization, also known as Harappan Civilization, thrived along the basins of the Indus River. This civilization is known for its advanced city planning, trade systems, and various forms of art.

The people of Indus Valley were excellent architects who built planned cities with well-organized drainage and sanitation systems, which are a marker of their advancement.

The significance of the Indus Valley Civilization lies in its contribution to the rich tapestry of India’s ancient history.

Despite the mystery that shrouds the civilization, its organized city planning, advanced technology for the era, and unique script make it a standout feature of the ancient world.

3 Time Periods: Ancient History of India Indus Valley Civilization

Period	Civilization	Notable Aspects
3300 BC – 1300 BC	Indus Valley Civilization	Known for its planned cities and sophisticated plumbing, and the undeciphered Indus script
2600 BC – 1900 BC	Mature Harappan Period	Notable for its urban planning, house drainage systems, and water supply systems
1900 BC – 1300 BC	Late Harappan Period	Characterized by de-urbanization, regional cultures, and the introduction of the horse and new religions

Table of Contents

Key Characteristics of Ancient India Indus Valley Civilization

Ancient History of India Indus Valley Civilization

Historical Background of: Ancient India Indus Valley Civilization

Achievements and contributions ancient india indus valley civilization, five facts about ancient india indus valley civilization, the indus valley civilization: an introduction.

The ancient history of india is incredibly rich and diverse, with one of the earliest and most remarkable civilizations being the indus valley civilization. This thriving civilization existed around 2500 bce to 1900 bce, making it one of the world’s oldest urban settlements.

Understanding the indus valley civilization is of utmost importance, as it provides invaluable insights into the origins of indian culture and civilization. Let’s delve into the overview and significance of this fascinating period.

Overview Of The Indus Valley Civilization

Advanced urban planning: The indus valley civilization boasted well-planned cities with advanced infrastructure, including well-organized grids, sophisticated drainage systems, and private and public bathing facilities.

This level of urban planning showcases the civilization’s remarkable engineering skills.

Trade and commerce: The indus valley civilization was a flourishing trading hub, engaged in extensive commercial activities with neighboring regions like mesopotamia.

They thrived in trade, evidenced by the discovery of seals and artifacts from distant lands found within their cities.

Extensive agricultural practices: The inhabitants of the indus valley civilization were adept farmers, utilizing advanced farming techniques to cultivate various crops such as wheat, barley, peas, and cotton. This agricultural prosperity was crucial to their survival and growth.

Importance Of Studying Ancient History

Uncovering origins: By studying ancient civilizations like the indus valley, we gain crucial insights into the origins of human society, culture, and civilization. It enables us to understand the foundations upon which our modern world is built.
Cultural heritage: Ancient history unveils the rich cultural heritage of societies that have long vanished. By delving into the indus valley civilization, we develop a deeper appreciation for the traditions, art, and practices that shaped ancient india.
Lessons from the past: The rise and fall of civilizations provide valuable lessons for the present and future. By studying ancient history, we can learn from the successes and failures of past societies, helping us make informed decisions and avoid repeating past mistakes.

Understanding the indus valley civilization offers a window into ancient indian history, shedding light on the remarkable achievements of our ancestors.

By exploring its advanced urban planning, trade networks, agricultural practices, and more, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the foundations upon which our modern lives are built.

So, let’s embark on this journey of discovery and unravel the mysteries of this extraordinary ancient civilization.

Harappan Civilization: Origins And Features

Geographic location and extent of the indus valley civilization.

The indus valley civilization, also known as the harappan civilization, was one of the most ancient urban civilizations in the world.
It flourished in the indus river valley, which is now part of modern-day pakistan and northwestern india.
The civilization extended over a vast area of about 1.6 million square kilometers.
Its boundaries stretched from the himalayas in the north to the arabian sea in the south, and from the yamuna river in the east to the balochistan region in the west.

Archaeological Discoveries And Evidence Of Harappan Culture

Archaeological excavations have yielded significant evidence of the harappan civilization.
Cities like harappa and mohenjo-daro provide key insights into the culture and lifestyle of harappan people.
The discovery of well-planned cities, advanced drainage systems, and intricate craftsmanship showcases the ingenuity and sophistication of this ancient civilization.
Artifacts such as seals, pottery, jewelry, and tools have been unearthed, shedding light on their trade, social structure, and religious practices.

Urban Planning And Infrastructure Of Harappan Cities

The harappan cities were meticulously planned and laid out on a grid-like pattern.
They featured well-designed city streets, built at right angles, indicating an advanced level of urban planning for that time period.
The cities had well-constructed houses with private bathrooms and an efficient sewage system, indicating their focus on hygiene and sanitation.
The sophisticated canal systems, used for irrigation and water management, facilitated agricultural productivity and supported the growth of a thriving civilization.
The presence of public buildings, like granaries and citadels, suggests the existence of a centralized authority and administrative system.

The indus valley civilization, also known as the harappan civilization, thrived in the indus river valley, covering a vast area from the himalayas to the arabian sea.

Archaeological discoveries have provided evidence of the harappan culture, showcasing their craftsmanship and revealing insights into their trade and society.

The well-planned cities and advanced infrastructure of the harappan civilization display their ingenuity and organized urban planning.

Social Structure And Daily Life In The Indus Valley

Class structure and occupations in harappan society:.

In the ancient indus valley civilization, also known as the harappan society, there was a clear social structure with distinct classes and occupations.

Let’s take a closer look at how this society was structured:

Upper class: The upper class consisted of rulers, priests, and wealthy merchants. They held significant power and influence in society.
Middle class: The middle class mainly included artisans, craftspeople, and traders. They played a crucial role in the economy and were skilled in various crafts such as pottery, metalworking, and weaving.
Lower class: The lower class comprised laborers and farmers who worked the land and labor-intensive tasks. They formed the backbone of the agricultural sector, cultivating crops like wheat, barley, and cotton.
Slavery: Slavery was also present in the indus valley civilization, with slaves serving their owners in various capacities.

Occupations in harappan society were diverse and played a vital role in sustaining the civilization’s economy. The well-developed trade networks allowed for the exchange of goods within and beyond the indus valley.

Artisans produced exquisite pottery, jewelry, and textiles, which were highly valued commodities. This social structure and division of labor helped create a thriving and prosperous society.

Role Of Women In The Indus Valley Civilization:

In the indus valley civilization, women held significant roles and enjoyed a certain degree of freedom and respect.

Here are some aspects related to the role of women in this ancient civilization:

Equality: Women in the indus valley civilization had relative equality compared to other contemporary societies. They had the right to own and inherit property, engage in business, and participate in public life.
Occupations: Women were not limited to domestic roles alone. They participated in a variety of occupations, such as artisans, merchants, and farmers. This shows that they had economic independence and were active contributors to the society’s development.
Representation: Artifacts excavated from the indus valley have depicted women engaging in various activities, including dancing, playing musical instruments, and wearing elaborate jewelry. This suggests that they had significant social and cultural importance.

The presence of goddess figurines and female deities in religious practices further highlights the reverence and importance given to women.

It is evident that women in the indus valley civilization played crucial roles in all aspects of society, breaking away from the stereotypes and restrictions seen in some other ancient civilizations.

Religion, Beliefs, And Rituals Of The Ancient Indus People:

The ancient indus people had a complex system of religious beliefs and rituals that were an integral part of their daily life.

Here are some key aspects of their religious practices:

Polytheism: The indus valley civilization was predominantly polytheistic, worshiping multiple gods and goddesses. They honored various deities associated with nature, fertility, and cosmic forces.
Symbolism: The religious beliefs of the ancient indus people are reflected in the numerous artifacts discovered during archaeological excavations. These artifacts include seals with carvings of deities, sacred animals, and religious rituals.
Water worship: Water played a significant role in their religious practices, as evidenced by the presence of water reservoirs, wells, and drainage systems. It is believed that they revered water as a life-giving force and conducted rituals near rivers and water bodies.
Burial practices: The way the ancient indus people buried their dead suggests a belief in an afterlife. Grave goods, such as pottery, jewelry, and food, were placed in burial sites, indicating a belief in the spirit’s journey to the next realm.

While many aspects of the ancient indus people’s religious beliefs and practices remain enigmatic, the artifacts and structures discovered provide glimpses into their sophisticated religious worldview.

These religious practices were deeply ingrained in their daily lives and played an essential role in shaping their civilization.

Remember, the above information should be presented in either a ‘plain paragraph’ or ‘bullet points’ format.

Trade And Economy Of The Indus Valley Civilization

Trade routes and networks of the harappan civilization.

The indus valley civilization, also known as the harappan civilization, had a well-developed trade network that spanned across different regions.
The city of harappa was strategically located on the banks of the ravi river, allowing it to serve as a hub for trade and commerce.
Trade routes connected harappa to regions such as mesopotamia (present-day iraq), afghanistan, and the persian gulf, facilitating the exchange of goods and ideas.
The indus valley people used both land and maritime trade routes, making use of rivers like the indus, as well as the arabian sea.
Archaeological evidence, such as seals and pottery found in harappan sites, suggests trade links with regions as far as central asia and the persian gulf.
The extensive trade network of the harappan civilization contributed to its economic prosperity and cultural exchange.

Economic System And Agricultural Practices In Ancient India

The economy of the indus valley civilization was mainly based on agriculture. The fertile soil of the floodplains along the indus river allowed for successful cultivation of crops.
Wheat, barley, peas, cotton, and sesame were some of the main crops grown by the harappan people.
Advanced irrigation systems, such as canals and reservoirs, were developed to ensure sufficient water supply for agriculture.
Animal husbandry also played a crucial role in the economy. Domesticated animals like cattle, sheep, and goats were raised for their meat, milk, and hides.
The harappans were skilled in metallurgy and traded in various metals, including copper, lead, and bronze. This indicates a level of industrialization and specialization in craft production.
The use of standardized weights and measures suggests the existence of a complex economic system and trade practices within the civilization.

Craftsmanship And Artifacts Found In Harappan Sites

The harappan civilization was known for its exceptional craftsmanship, as evidenced by the artifacts discovered at harappan sites.
Intricate pottery with unique shapes and designs, including red and black pottery, showcases the artistic skills of the people.
Jewelry made from gold, silver, and semi-precious stones, such as carnelian and jasper, highlights their expertise in metalworking.
Terracotta figurines, depicting animals, deities, and everyday life, provide insights into the religious and cultural beliefs of the civilization.
The use of seals made of steatite, engraved with various animal motifs, suggests a well-developed administrative system and possibly a form of writing.
The harappan people were skilled in building and urban planning, as seen in the well-structured cities with sophisticated drainage systems.

The indus valley civilization flourished due to its robust trade networks, advanced economic system, and skilled craftsmanship. The trade routes of the harappan civilization connected various regions, facilitating the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultures.

Agriculture formed the backbone of the economy, with the cultivation of crops and the domestication of animals playing a vital role.

The craftsmanship of the harappans can be seen in the intricate pottery, jewelry, figurines, and seals found at their sites, showcasing their artistic and technical capabilities.

Decline And Collapse Of The Indus Valley Civilization

Theories and possible reasons for the decline of the indus valley civilization:

Climate change: Theories suggest that a shift in weather patterns may have affected the agriculture-based society of the indus valley. Changing monsoon patterns and a drying climate could have led to crop failures and scarcity of resources.
Natural disasters: Evidence indicates that the indus valley civilization experienced multiple floods and earthquakes, potentially causing significant damage to infrastructure and disrupting economic activities.
Decline in trade: The decline of long-distance trade routes may have impacted the prosperity of the civilization. As trade connections weakened, the flow of resources and ideas could have dwindled, leading to economic decline.

Evidence of environmental changes and impact on harappan society:

Decreased water availability: Studies show that drying rivers, reduced rainfall, and declining groundwater levels likely contributed to water scarcity in the region. The reliance on irrigation farming made the civilization vulnerable to these environmental changes.
Shifting river courses: The indus river, on which the civilization heavily relied for agriculture and transport, changed its course over time. This alteration could have disrupted the efficient utilization of water resources, causing further difficulties for the harappan people.
Soil degradation: Overuse of land for agriculture, combined with climate change, may have resulted in soil erosion and fertility loss. This degradation could have affected the productivity of farmland and influenced the civilization’s decline.

Migration and assimilation of the indus people into other cultures:

Movement towards the gangetic plains: Some scholars propose that a migration of the indus people towards the gangetic plains took place following the decline of their civilization.

They suggest that the harappan culture merged with the emerging vedic culture, forming the basis of subsequent ancient indian civilizations.

Influence on regional cultures: Despite the decline, remnants of the indus valley civilization’s culture and technology likely persisted and influenced neighboring regions.

The spread of certain pottery styles, writing systems, and urban planning principles indicates possible assimilation into other cultures.

Understanding the decline and collapse of the indus valley civilization is complex and multifaceted.

While climatic factors, natural disasters, and trade-related challenges played significant roles, it is also essential to consider the interplay of social, economic, and cultural factors.

The migration and assimilation of the indus people into other cultures further highlight the complexity of their history.

By analyzing the available evidence, researchers continue to uncover new insights into this ancient civilization’s fate.

Legacy And Significance Of The Indus Valley Civilization

The indus valley civilization, also known as the harappan civilization, holds a significant place in the ancient history of india. This advanced urban culture thrived in the vast indus river valley from approximately 3300 bce to 1300 bce.

From ingenious urban planning to remarkable craftsmanship, the legacy of the indus valley civilization continues to fascinate historians, archaeologists, and enthusiasts worldwide.

In this section, we will explore the influence of this ancient civilization on later indian cultures, the enigmatic indus script and decipherment attempts, as well as current research and ongoing archaeological excavations in the region.

Influence Of The Indus Valley Civilization On Later Indian Cultures:

Town planning: The well-planned, grid-based layout of the indus valley cities served as a blueprint for future urban settlements in the indian subcontinent.
Sanitation systems: The sophisticated underground drainage systems and public baths developed by the harappans set a precedent for subsequent civilizations.
Craftsmanship: The mastery of pottery, metalworking, and stone carving techniques demonstrated by the harappans influenced artistic traditions that endured for centuries.
Trade networks: The indus valley civilization’s extensive trade networks connected it to mesopotamia and other regions, facilitating the spread of goods, ideas, and cultural exchanges throughout the subcontinent.

Indus Script And Decipherment Attempts:

Enigmatic script: The indus script, consisting of intricate symbols and pictographs, remains undeciphered despite numerous attempts to unlock its meaning.
Multiple theories: Scholars have proposed various theories about the script’s purpose, ranging from a writing system to a symbolic representation of religious or administrative concepts.
Decipherment challenges: The lack of a bilingual script or rosetta stone equivalent has posed significant hurdles in deciphering the indus script definitively.
Ongoing research: Current efforts employ computational methods, comparative linguistics, and advancements in archaeological discoveries to shed light on the script’s meaning.

Current Research And Ongoing Archaeological Excavations In The Region:

Rediscovering lost cities: Archaeological excavations continue in the indus valley region, unearthing new insights into the civilization’s history and urban landscape.
Mohenjo-daro and harappa: These iconic cities of the indus valley civilization have been subject to extensive excavation and conservation efforts.
Indus valley script database: The creation of comprehensive databases cataloging the indus script symbols has aided researchers in further analyses and potential breakthroughs.
Interdisciplinary collaboration: Archaeologists, linguists, anthropologists, and other experts collaborate to combine findings from diverse fields of study, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of this ancient civilization.

The indus valley civilization’s legacy encompasses a range of remarkable achievements that influenced later indian cultures, the enduring mystery of the indus script, and ongoing research that continues to unravel the secrets of this ancient civilization.

Through the exploration and preservation of its rich heritage, we gain valuable insights into the roots of indian civilization.

FAQ About Ancient History Of India Indus Valley Civilization

What is the indus valley civilization.

The indus valley civilization was an ancient civilization that flourished in the indus river valley in present-day pakistan and northwest india.

How Old Is The Indus Valley Civilization?

The indus valley civilization existed approximately from 3300 bce to 1300 bce, making it around 5000 years old.

What Were The Major Cities Of The Indus Valley Civilization?

The major cities of the indus valley civilization included harappa and mohenjo-daro, both of which were well-planned urban centers.

What Were The Main Achievements Of The Indus Valley Civilization?

The indus valley civilization had advanced urban planning, a sophisticated sewage system, and a script that has not yet been fully deciphered.

The ancient indus valley civilization holds a significant place in the history of india, showcasing its rich cultural and technological advancements. From its beginnings around 2600 bce to its mysterious decline, this civilization left behind an incredible legacy.

The cities of mohenjo-daro and harappa stood as testaments to their architectural expertise, with advanced systems for sanitation and town planning.

The discovery of intricate pottery, seals, and jewelry provided insights into their skilled craftsmanship and extensive trade networks. Furthermore, the indus script, though largely undeciphered, hints at a sophisticated writing system.

Despite the challenges faced in decoding their language and understanding their religious beliefs, the indus valley civilization continues to fascinate researchers and historians alike.

By unraveling the mysteries of this ancient culture, we gain a deeper understanding of early human civilization and the enduring influence of the indus valley on indian heritage. (151 words)

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Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition

Students are often asked to write an essay on Indian Culture and Tradition in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition

Introduction.

Indian culture and tradition, one of the oldest in the world, is rich and diverse. It is a unique blend of various customs, beliefs, and rituals.

India is known for its spiritual diversity with Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, and Jainism. Each religion contributes to India’s cultural richness.

Art and Architecture

Indian art and architecture represent the country’s history. Monuments like Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, and paintings like Tanjore, Madhubani depict India’s artistic heritage.

Indian festivals like Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Pongal, and Holi showcase the country’s vibrant traditions and unity in diversity.

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250 Words Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition

Indian culture and tradition, one of the oldest and richest in the world, is a beautiful amalgamation of customs, beliefs, and values. It is a unique blend of various customs that have been passed down through generations.

Unity in Diversity

The phrase “Unity in Diversity” aptly describes India. Despite the vast geographical expanse, language variations, and diverse customs, there exists an underlying thread of unity. This unity is reflected in the shared festivals, art, music, and dance forms that are celebrated across the country.

Religion and Spirituality

Indian culture is deeply rooted in spirituality and religion. With Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism originating here, and the widespread practice of Islam, Christianity, and other religions, India exemplifies religious tolerance and coexistence.

Art and Literature

Art and literature form the backbone of Indian culture. From the Vedas and Upanishads to modern literature, Indian authors have contributed significantly to the world. The diverse art forms like Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, and others, along with the rich tapestry of Indian Cinema, showcase the cultural depth of India.

500 Words Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition

Introduction: the mosaic of indian culture.

India, often referred to as a ‘subcontinent’, is a fascinating mosaic of cultures and traditions. This vast nation is characterized by its diversity, yet there is a deep-rooted sense of unity that binds its people together. The Indian culture and tradition are a rich amalgamation of the past and the present, reflecting a civilization that is ancient yet vibrant.

The Cultural Fabric: Religion and Philosophy

At the heart of Indian culture lies its profound religious and philosophical ideologies. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism originated here, while Islam and Christianity also significantly influence the cultural fabric. Each religion has its unique rituals, festivals, and philosophies, contributing to the country’s cultural richness. The Indian philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, meaning ‘the world is one family’, underpins the nation’s outlook towards diversity and pluralism.

Art and Architecture: Aesthetic Manifestations

Language and literature: the voice of a nation.

India’s linguistic diversity is astounding, with over 2000 dialects and 22 officially recognized languages. This linguistic multitude has given birth to a rich literary tradition, with ancient scriptures like Vedas, Upanishads, and epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana setting the foundation. Modern Indian literature, written in various regional languages and English, continues this legacy, exploring contemporary themes and narratives.

Social Structure: The Caste System and Beyond

The caste system, although much criticized, has significantly influenced Indian society and culture. It has shaped social relations, occupations, and even culinary habits. However, with modernization, the rigidities of the caste system are slowly dissolving, leading to a more egalitarian society.

Food and Clothing: A Diverse Palette

Conclusion: preserving the cultural heritage.

Indian culture and tradition, while deeply rooted in history, are not static. They have evolved and adapted, absorbing influences from invaders, colonizers, and immigrants. As we move forward, it is crucial to preserve this rich cultural heritage while allowing it to grow and adapt in the globalized world. The culture and tradition of India, with their extraordinary diversity and unity, are a testament to the country’s resilience and adaptability, offering valuable lessons for humanity.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

106 Indian Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Indian culture is one of the oldest and richest cultures in the world. It is known for its diversity, traditions, customs, festivals, and values. Writing an essay on Indian culture can be a fascinating journey into the vast and colorful tapestry of this ancient civilization. To help you get started, here are 106 Indian culture essay topic ideas and examples that you can explore:

The significance of Diwali in Indian culture
The evolution of Indian classical music
The role of Bollywood in shaping Indian culture
Exploring the concept of karma in Hindu philosophy
The importance of yoga and meditation in Indian culture
The tradition of arranged marriages in India
The symbolism of henna in Indian weddings
The impact of colonization on Indian culture
The art of Indian miniature painting
The cultural significance of Indian spices
The history and customs of Indian weddings
The role of women in Indian society
The influence of Indian mythology on popular culture
The tradition of storytelling in Indian culture
Exploring the concept of dharma in Indian philosophy
The art of Indian classical dance forms
The history and customs of Indian festivals
The philosophy of non-violence in Indian culture
The evolution of Indian fashion and textiles
The tradition of hospitality in Indian culture
The impact of globalization on Indian culture
The role of religion in Indian society
The art of Indian street food
The cultural significance of Indian jewelry
The tradition of Ayurveda in Indian medicine
The influence of Indian literature on world literature
The art of Indian pottery and ceramics
The tradition of Indian folk music
The history and customs of Indian art forms
The philosophy of unity in diversity in Indian culture
The significance of the Taj Mahal in Indian culture
The evolution of Indian cinema
The tradition of Indian street art
The role of education in Indian society
The impact of technology on Indian culture
The art of Indian calligraphy
The tradition of Indian puppetry
The history and customs of Indian cuisine
The philosophy of time in Indian culture
The significance of the lotus flower in Indian culture
The evolution of Indian architecture
The tradition of Indian handicrafts
The role of sports in Indian society
The impact of climate change on Indian culture
The art of Indian jewelry making
The tradition of Indian storytelling
The history and customs of Indian textiles
The philosophy of karma in Indian culture
The significance of the peacock in Indian culture
The evolution of Indian sculpture
The tradition of Indian street food vendors
The role of music in Indian society
The impact of social media on Indian culture
The art of Indian embroidery
The tradition of Indian street performances
The history and customs of Indian dance
The philosophy of dharma in Indian culture
The significance of the cow in Indian culture
The evolution of Indian painting
The tradition of Indian street festivals
The role of art in Indian society
The impact of urbanization on Indian culture
The art of Indian textile printing
The tradition of Indian street musicians
The history and customs of Indian theater
The philosophy of ahimsa in Indian culture
The significance of the peepal tree in Indian culture
The evolution of Indian photography
The tradition of Indian street performers
The role of dance in Indian society
The impact of social movements on Indian culture
The art of Indian pottery making
The tradition of Indian street vendors
The history and customs of Indian music
The philosophy of seva in Indian culture
The significance of the mango in Indian culture
The evolution of Indian textiles
The tradition of Indian street art festivals
The role of theater in Indian society
The impact of climate change on Indian agriculture
The art of Indian textile weaving
The tradition of Indian street food carts
The history and customs of Indian literature
The significance of the lotus flower in Indian art
The evolution of Indian street fashion
The role of music in Indian religious ceremonies
The impact of urbanization on Indian architecture
The art of Indian street photography
The tradition of Indian street vendors selling flowers
The history and customs of Indian street food
The philosophy of karma in Indian street culture
The significance of the cow in Indian street art
The evolution of Indian street theater
The tradition of Indian street musicians playing traditional instruments
The role of dance in Indian street festivals
The impact of social movements on Indian street culture
The art of Indian street food vendors cooking traditional dishes
The tradition of Indian street art festivals celebrating local artists
The history and customs of Indian street music
The philosophy of seva in Indian street culture
The significance of the peepal tree in Indian street art
The evolution of Indian street photography
The tradition of Indian street performers entertaining crowds
The role of music in Indian street celebrations

These essay topic ideas and examples are just a starting point for exploring the rich and diverse culture of India. Whether you choose to delve into the history, customs, traditions, art forms, philosophies, or social aspects of Indian culture, there is a wealth of topics waiting to be explored. So grab your pen and paper, and embark on a journey of discovery into the vibrant world of Indian culture.

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Indian Culture and Tradition Essay

Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition

As students grow older, it is important for them to improve their understanding and hold over the language. This can be done only through consistent reading and writing. Writing an essay is a task that involves cooperation and coordination of both the mind and body. Students must be able to think as well reproduce their thoughts effectively without any confusion. This is important when it comes to writing answers and other important documents as ones go to higher classes. The art of writing effectively and efficiently can be improved by students through writing essays. To help students in this domain, Vedantu provides students with numerous essays. Students can go through the same and learn the correct manner of writing the essay.

Indian Culture and Tradition

India enjoys a wide variety of cultural and traditional presence amongst the 28 states. Indian origin religions Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism are all based on dharma and karma. Even, India is a blessed holy place which is also a native place for most of the religions. Recently, Muslim and Christianity also practised working amongst the whole India population. The pledge also added the line, ‘India is my country, and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.’

Indians are great with cooking; their spices are special for medicinal purposes, so visitors are difficult to adjust to with such heavy spices. The cricketers touring Indian pitches are out due to such food. Frequently, it's been observed that the sportsperson arrived in India either with cooking skills or with a cook. Spices such as cumin, turmeric and cardamom have been used for a long period, to make the dishes more delicious and nutritional. Wheat, rice and pulses help to complete the meal. The majority of the population is a vegetarian one due to their religious aspects.

Talking about the language, India is blessed with a wide range of languages used. Each state has its own language. A major part of the state is unable to speak other languages than the native one. Gujrathi, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Punjabi, Telugu and many more are the representative languages of the respective state. It's easy to recognize the person with the language he spoke. There are 15 regional languages but almost all of them Hindi is the national language of the country. Sanskrit is considered an ancient and respected language. And most of the legendary holy texts are found in Sanskrit only. Along with these, most of the people are aware of plenty of foreign languages.

Indian clothing is adorable to most of the foreigners. Woman wearing a sari is the pride of a nation. These create a pleasant effect and she looks so beautiful that a majority of foreign country’s female want to be like her. The origin of the sari is from the temple dancers in ancient times. Sari allows them to maintain modesty and freedom of movement. On the other hand, men traditionally wear a dhoti and kurta. Actually, Dhoti is a type of cloth without any further attached work done on it. The great Mahatma Gandhi was very fond of it and in their dignity, most of the people used to wear the same.

Apart from all the above facts, Indians are legends with arts and studious material. Shah-rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Dhirubhai Ambani, Amitabh Bachchan Rajnikant, Sundar Pichai are many more faces of India who are shining and representing India on a global scale. There are 20-30 grand festivals celebrated every year in which every festival pops up with history and respect to the respective religion. Even in terms of business, India is not behind. Agriculture is the best occupation of 70% of people in India. It’s our duty to protect the wonderful culture that we have.

Indian culture is one of the oldest and most unique cultures known across the globe. It has various kinds of traditional values, religion, dance, festivals, music, and cloth, which varies from each state or town even. Indian art, cuisine, religion, Literature, Education, Heritage, Clothes etc has a huge impact on the whole world where everyone admires and follows it. It is known as the land of cultural diversity. India thrives on a variety of languages, religions, and cultures due to the diverse race of people living in the country. It can be referred to as one of the world’s most culturally enriched countries. When one thinks of India, they picture colors, smiling faces of children running in the streets, bangle vendors, street food, music, religious festivals etc.

Religion

India is a land where different religious beliefs are followed. It is the land of many religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. Four Indian religions namely Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism were born in India while others are not of Indian origin but have people following those faiths. The people of India keep a solid belief in religion as they believe that following a faith adds meaning and purpose to their lives as it is the way of life. The religions here are not only confined to beliefs but also include ethics, rituals, ceremonies, life philosophies and many more.

Families

Family plays a vital role in every Indian household. Indians are known to live together as a joint family with their grandparents, uncles and aunts, and the next generation of offspring as well. The house gets passed down from family to family throughout the generations. But with the new modern age, nuclear families are starting to become more common as children go out of town into cities for work or studies and get settled there, also everyone now prefers to have their own private life without any interference. But still, the concept of family get together and family gatherings are not lost as everyone does come together frequently.

Indian Festivals

India is well known for its traditional festivals all over the world. As it is a secular country with diversity in religions, every month some festival celebration happens. These festivals can be religious, seasonal or are of national importance. Every festival is celebrated uniquely in different ways according to their ritual as each of them has its unique importance. National festivals such as Gandhi Jayanti, Independence Day and Republic Day are celebrated by the people of India across the entire nation. Religious festivals include Diwali, Dussehra, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Zuha, Christmas, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. All the seasonal festivals such as Baisakhi, Onam, Pongal, Bihu etc are celebrated to mark the season of harvest during two harvesting seasons, Rabi and Kharif.

Festivals bring love, bond, cross-cultural exchange and moments of happiness among people.

Indian cuisine is known for a variety of spicy dishes, curry, rice items, sweets etc. Each cuisine includes a wide range of dishes and cooking techniques as it varies from region to region. Each region of India cooks different types of dishes using different ingredients, also food varies from every festival and culture as well. Hindus eat mostly vegetarian food items such as pulao, vegetables, daal, rajma etc whereas people from Islamic cultural backgrounds eat meat, kebabs, haleem etc. In the southernmost part of India, you will find people use a lot of coconut oil for cooking purposes, they eat a lot of rice items such as Dosa, Idli, Appam etc with Coconut chutney, sambhar.

Indian Clothing is considered to be the epitome of modesty and every style is very different in each region and state. But the two pieces of clothing that represent Indian culture are dhoti for men and saree for women. Women adorn themselves with a lot of bangles and Payal that goes around their ankles. Even clothing styles varied from different religions to regions to cultures. Muslim women preferred to wear salwar kameez whereas Christian women preferred gowns. Men mostly stuck to dhoti, lungi, shalwar and kurta.In modern days, people have changed their sense of style, men and women now wear more modern western clothes. Indian clothes are still valued but are now in more trendy and fashionable styles.

There is no single language that is spoken all over India; however , Hindi is one common language most Indians know and can speak or understand. Every region has a different language or dialect. As per the official language act, Hindi and English are the official languages in India. Other regions or state wise languages include- Gujarati, Marathi, Bangla, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Kashmiri, Punjabi etc.

FAQs on Indian Culture and Tradition Essay

1. What are the Popular Spices in India?

Popular spices in India include - Haldi(Turmeric), Chakri Phool(Star Anise), Til (Sesame seeds/ Gingili seeds), Saunf(Fennel Seeds), Kesar(Saffron), Laal Mirch(Red chilli), Khas(Poppy seeds), Jayphal(Nutmeg), Kalonji(Nigella Seeds), Rai/Sarson(Mustard Seeds), Pudina(Mint), Javitri(Mace), Patthar ke Phool(Kalpasi), Kala Namak/ Sanchal/ Sanchar powder(Black salt/ Himalayan rock salt/ Pink salt), Sonth(Dry ginger powder), Methi dana(Fenugreek seeds), Suva Bhaji/ Sua Saag(Dill)

Kadi Patta(Curry Leaves), Sukha dhania(Coriander seeds), Laung(Cloves), Dalchini(Cinnamon), Sabza(Chia seeds), Chironji(Charoli), Ajwain(Carom seeds, thymol or celery seeds), Elaichi(Cardamom), Kali Mirch(Black Pepper (or White Pepper), Tej Patta(Bay Leaf), Hing(Asafoetida), Anardana(Pomegranate seeds), Amchoor(Dry mango powder)

2. What is the Language Diversity Available in India?

The Indian constitution has 22 officially recognized languages. Apart from it, there are around 60 languages that are recognized as smother tongue with more than one million speakers. India also has around 28 minor languages spoken by over one hundred thousand and one million people. Apart from these, there are numerous dialects spoken by a various sect of people based on their region of origin.

3. Who are Some of the Most Famous Indian Celebrities Popular Across the Globe?

India has people excelling in all aspects of art and activities. Few prominent celebrities to garner global fame include - Sudha Murthy, Amitabh Bacchan, Virat Kohli, Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, Priyanka Chopra, MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohanlal, A R Rehman, Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Narayana Murthy, Kiran Majumdar Shah, Narendra Modi, Amith Shah. all these people have received great accolades in their respective area of expertise globally and getting recognition to India on a global level.

4. How to Improve Writing and Reading Skills for Producing Good Essays?

Writing an essay becomes a tedious task when the mind and hand do not coordinate. It is important for you to be able to harness your mental ability to think clearly and reproduce the same on paper for a good essay. Always remember the first few thoughts that you get as soon as you see an essay topic is your best and purest thoughts. Ensure to note them down. Later you can develop your essay around these points. Make sure your essay has an introduction, body and the final conclusion. This will make the reader understand the topic clearly along with your ability to convey the any information without any hesitation or mistake.

5. How many religions are there in India?

As of now, there are a total of 9 major religions in India with Hinduism being the majority. The remaining religion includes- Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Baha'i Faith.

6. Which is the oldest language in India?

Indian classical oldest language is Sanskrit, it belongs to the Indo- Aryan branch of Indo- European languages.

7. What are the few famous folk dances of India?

Folk dances are the representation of a particular culture from where they are known to originate. Eight famous classical dances are- Bharatnatyam from Tamil Nadu, Kathakali from Kerala, Kathak from North, West and Central India, Mohiniyattam from Kerala, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh, Odissi from Odisha, Manipuri from Manipur, Sattriya from Assam.

8. How many languages are spoken in India?

Other than Hindi and English there are 22 languages recognised by the constitution of India. However, more than 400 languages and dialects in India are still not known as they change after every town. Over the years, about 190 languages have become endangered due to very few surviving speakers.

9. Describe the Indian Culture.

Indian culture is very diverse and the people of India are very warm and welcoming. They have a strong sense of family and firmly believe in unity in diversity. In India, there's a saying saying 'Atithi Devo Bhava' means 'the guest is equivalent to god'. So if one visits India, they will never feel unwanted.

essay on indian civilization and culture

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Essay on Indian Culture in 500 Words

Updated on
Dec 5, 2023

Did you know that Indian culture is one of the oldest and richest cultures in the world? Mark Twain once said, ‘India is the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.’ Indian culture is known for its rich beauty, traditional values, ethics, and social norms.

Paragraph on Indian Culture

Indian culture is one of the oldest, most diverse, and richest cultures in the world because of several factors. Our welcoming attitude towards everyone is encouraged all over the world. There is diversity in every aspect of our culture, from religious practices to festivals, foods, and traditional art forms. Popular leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhash Chandra Bose, and several others led mass movements in the pre-independence era to revive the Indian culture and belief practices. Our culture is our identity, as it connects us to our ancestors and gives us an identity. Today, India is a secular country, meaning people have free will to practice their religion and cultural practices. Indian culture is our way of life, as it sets us apart from the rest of the world.

Ans: Indian culture is one of the most oldest and popular cultures in the world. Our culture is known for its rich diversity, traditional values, ethics, and social norms. We should proudly follow our cultural and traditional values, as they connect us to our age-old customs and what our culture means to us. India’s ethno-linguistically diverse culture has always been successful in catching global attention. Popular festivals like Diwali, Holi, Navratri, etc. are not only celebrated in India but also in other parts of the world.

Ans: Indian culture is one of the oldest cultures in the world; Zero (0) and decimal systems were first used in Indian culture; Indian culture was the first one to follow the practice of Ayurveda, one of the oldest healing systems; world’s oldest legends, the Ramayana and Mahabharata, were recorded in India; and the name India is derived from a Greek word ‘Indica.’

Ans: India was ruled by various Muslim dynasties during the Medival period. They gave this land the name Hindustan, which is derived from the Persian word Hindu from the Sanskrit word Sindhu.

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Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

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Indian Society and Ways of Living

Organization of social life in india.

Student of an English school in Rajasthan, India. (since1969/flickr)

India offers astounding variety in virtually every aspect of social life. Diversities of ethnic, linguistic, regional, economic, religious, class, and caste groups crosscut Indian society, which is also permeated with immense urban-rural differences and gender distinctions. Differences between north India and south India are particularly significant, especially in systems of kinship and marriage. Indian society is multifaceted to an extent perhaps unknown in any other of the world’s great civilizations—it is more like an area as varied as Europe than any other single nation-state. Adding further variety to contemporary Indian culture are rapidly occurring changes affecting various regions and socioeconomic groups in disparate ways. Yet, amid the complexities of Indian life, widely accepted cultural themes enhance social harmony and order.

Themes In Indian Society

India is a hierarchical society. Whether in north India or south India, Hindu or Muslim, urban or village, virtually all things, people, and social groups are ranked according to various essential qualities. Although India is a political democracy, notions of complete equality are seldom evident in daily life.

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India offers astounding variety in virtually every aspect of social life.

Societal hierarchy is evident in caste groups, amongst individuals, and in family and kinship groups. Castes are primarily associated with Hinduism, but caste-like groups also exist among Muslims, Indian, Christians, and other religious communities. Within most villages or towns, everyone knows the relative rankings of each locally represented caste, and behavior is constantly shaped by this knowledge.

Individuals are also ranked according to their wealth and power. For example, some powerful people, or “big men,” sit confidently on chairs, while “little men” come before them to make requests, either standing or squatting not presuming to sit beside a man of high status as an equal.

Hierarchy plays an important role within families and kinship groupings also, where men outrank women of similar age, and senior relatives outrank junior relatives. Formal respect is accorded family members—for example, in northern India, a daughter-in-law shows deference to her husband, to all senior in-laws, and to all daughters of the household. Siblings, too, recognize age differences, with younger siblings addressing older siblings by respectful terms rather than by name.

Purity and Pollution

Many status differences in Indian society are expressed in terms of ritual purity and pollution, complex notions that vary greatly among different castes, religious groups, and regions. Generally, high status is associated with purity and low status with pollution. Some kinds of purity are inherent; for example, a member of a high-ranking Brahmin, or priestly, caste is born with more inherent purity than someone born into a low-ranking sweeper, or scavenger, caste. Other kinds of purity are more transitory—for example, a Brahmin who has just taken a bath is more ritually pure than a Brahmin who has not bathed for a day.

Purity is associated with ritual cleanliness—daily bathing in flowing water, dressing in freshly laundered clothes, eating only the foods appropriate for one’s caste, and avoiding physical contact with people of significantly lower rank or with impure substances, such as the bodily wastes of another adult. Involvement with the products of death or violence is usually ritually polluting.

Social Interdependence

One of the great themes pervading Indian life is social interdependence. People are born into groups—families, clans, subcastes, castes , and religious communities—and feel a deep sense of inseparability from these groups. People are deeply involved with others, and for many, the greatest fear is the possibility of being left alone, without social support. Psychologically, family members typically experience intense emotional interdependence. Economic activities, too, are deeply imbedded in a social nexus. Through a multitude of kinship ties, each person is linked with kin in villages and towns near and far. Almost everywhere a person goes, he can find a relative from whom he can expect moral and practical support.

In every activity, social ties can help a person and the absence of them can bring failure. Seldom do people carry out even the simplest tasks on their own. When a small child eats, his mother puts the food into his mouth with her own hand. When a girl brings water home from the well in pots on her head, someone helps her unload the pots. A student hopes that an influential relative or friend can facilitate his college admission. A young person anticipates that parents will arrange his or her marriage. Finally, a person facing death expects that relatives will conduct the proper funeral rites ensuring his own smooth passage to the next stage of existence and reaffirming social ties among mourners.

This sense of interdependence extends into the theological realm. From birth onward, a child learns that his “fate” has been “written” by divine forces and that his life is shaped by powerful deities with whom an ongoing relationship must be maintained.

Family and Kinship

Family ideals.

The essential themes of Indian cultural life are learned within the bosom of a family. The joint family is highly valued, ideally consisting of several generations residing, working, eating, and worshiping together. Such families include men related through the male line, along with their wives, children, and unmarried daughters. A wife usually lives with her husband’s relatives, although she retains important bonds with her natal family. Even in rapidly modernizing India, the traditional joint household remains for most Indians the primary social force, in both ideal and practice.

Large families tend to be flexible and well suited to modern Indian life, especially for the more than two-thirds of Indians who are involved in agriculture. As in most primarily agricultural societies, cooperating kin help provide mutual economic security. The joint family is also common in cities, where kinship ties are often crucial to obtaining employment or financial assistance. Many prominent families, such as the Tatas, Birlas, and Sarabhais, retain joint family arrangements as they cooperate in controlling major financial empires.

The ancient ideal of the joint family retains its power, but today actual living arrangements vary widely. Many Indians live in nuclear families—-a couple with their unmarried children—-but belong to strong networks of beneficial kinship ties. Often, clusters of relatives live as neighbors, responding readily to their kinship obligations.

As they expand, joint families typically divide into smaller units, which gradually grow into new joint families, continuing a perpetual cycle. Today, some family members may move about to take advantage of job opportunities, typically sending money home to the larger family.

Family Authority and Harmony

In the Indian household, lines of hierarchy and authority are clearly drawn, and ideals of conduct help maintain family harmony. [i] All family members are socialized to accept the authority of those above them in the hierarchy. The eldest male acts as family head, and his wife supervises her daughters-in-law, among whom the youngest has the least authority. Reciprocally, those in authority accept responsibility for meeting the needs of other family members.

Family loyalty is a deeply held ideal, and family unity is emphasized, especially in distinction to those outside the kinship circle. Inside the household, ties between spouses and between parents and their own children are de-emphasized to enhance a wider sense of family harmony. For example, open displays of affection between husbands and wives are considered highly improper.

Traditionally, males have controlled key family resources, such as land or businesses, especially in high-status groups. Following traditional Hindu law, women did not inherit real estate and were thus beholden to their male kin who controlled land and buildings. Under Muslim customary law, women can—and do—inherit real estate, but their shares have typically been smaller than those of males. Modern legislation allows all Indian women to inherit real estate. Traditionally, for those families who could afford it, women have controlled some wealth in the form of precious jewelry.

Veiling and the Seclusion of Women

A significant aspect of Indian family life is purdah (from Hindi parda, or “curtain”), or the veiling and seclusion of women. In much of northern and central India, particularly in rural areas, Hindu and Muslim women follow complex rules of veiling the body and avoidance of public appearance, especially before relatives linked by marriage and before strange men. Purdah practices are linked to patterns of authority and harmony within the family. Hindu and Muslim purdah observances differ in certain key ways, but female modesty and decorum as well as concepts of family honor and prestige are essential to the various forms of purdah. Purdah restrictions are generally stronger for women of conservative high-status families. [ii] Restriction and restraint for women in virtually every aspect of life are essential to purdah, limiting women’s access to power and to the control of vital resources in a male-dominated society. Sequestered women should conceal their bodies and even their faces with modest clothing and veils before certain categories of people, avoid extramarital relations, and move about in public only with a male escort. Poor and low-status women often practice attenuated versions of veiling as they work in the fields and on construction gangs.

Hindu women of conservative families veil their faces and remain silent in the presence of older male in-laws, both at home and in the community. A young daughter-in-law even veils from her mother-inlaw. These practices emphasize respect relationships, limit unapproved encounters, and enhance family lines of authority.

For Muslims, veiling is especially stressed outside the home, where a conservative woman may wear an all-enveloping black burka. Such purdah shelters women—-and the sexual inviolability of the family-— from unrelated unknown men.

In south India, purdah has been little practiced, except in certain minority groups. In northern and central India today, purdah practices are diminishing, and among urbanites and even the rural elite, they are rapidly vanishing. Chastity and female modesty are still highly valued, but as education and employment opportunities for women increase, veiling has all but disappeared in progressive circles.

Life Passages

The birth of an infant is celebrated with rites of welcome and blessing, typically much more elaborate for a boy than for a girl. Although India boasts many eminent women and was once led by a powerful woman prime minister, Indira Gandhi, and while goddesses are extensively worshiped in Hindu rituals, statistics reveal that girls are, in fact, disadvantaged in India. The 2001 Census counted only 933 females per 1000 males, reflecting sex-selective abortion, poorer medical care and nutrition, and occasional infanticide targeting females. [iii] Parents favor boys because their value in agricultural activities tends to be higher, and after marriage a boy continues residing with his parents, supporting them as they age. In contrast, a girl drains family resources, especially when a large dowry goes with her to her husband’s home. In recent decades, demands for dowries have become quite exorbitant in certain groups.

Marriage is deemed essential for virtually everyone in India, marking the great watershed in life for the individual. For most of Hindu northern and central India, marriages are arranged within the caste between unrelated young people who may never have met. Among some south Indians communities and many Muslims, families seek to strengthen existing kin ties through marriages with cousins whenever possible. For every parent, finding the perfect partner for one’s child is a challenging task. People use their existing social networks, and increasingly, matrimonial newspaper advertisements. The advertisements usually announce religion, caste, educational qualifications, physical features, and earning capacity, and may hint at dowry size (even though giving or accepting dowries is actually illegal).

Among the highly educated, brides and grooms sometimes find each other in college or professional settings. So-called love marriages are becoming less scandalous than in previous years. Among Indian residents of North America, brides and grooms often meet through South Asian matrimonial websites. Many self-arranged marriages link couples of different castes but similar socioeconomic status.

Usually, a bride lives with her husband in his parental home, where she should accept the authority of his senior relatives, perform household duties, and produce children—especially sons—to enhance his family line. Ideally, she honors her husband, proudly wears the cosmetic adornments of a married woman, and cheerfully fulfills her new role. If she is fortunate, her husband will treat her with consideration, treasure her contributions to his household, and allow her continuing contact with her natal relatives. For many young wives, this is a difficult transition. While some negative stigma is still attached to women’s employment in many circles, an increasing number of women are working in a variety of occupations.

Death causes the restructuring of any family. The demise of a woman’s husband brings the dreaded status of inauspicious widowhood. Widows of low-status groups have always been allowed to remarry, but widows of high rank have been expected to remain chaste until death.

Caste and Class

Varna, caste, and other divisions.

Social inequality exists throughout the world, but perhaps nowhere has inequality been so elaborately constructed as in the Indian institution of caste . Caste has existed for many centuries, but in the modern period it has been severely criticized and is undergoing significant change.

Castes are ranked, named, endogamous (in-marrying) groups, membership in which is achieved by birth. There are thousands of castes and subcastes in India, involving hundreds of millions of people. These large kinship-based groups are fundamental to South Asian social structure. Caste membership provides a sense of belonging to a recognized group from whom support can be expected in a variety of situations.

The word caste derives from the Portuguese casta, meaning species, race, or kind. Among Indian terms sometimes translated as caste are varna, jati, jat, biradri, and samaj. Varna, or color, actually refers to four large categories that include numerous castes. The other terms refer to castes and subdivisions of castes often called subcastes.

Many castes are associated with traditional occupations, such as priests, potters, barbers, carpenters, leatherworkers, butchers, and launderers. Members of higher-ranking castes tend to be more prosperous than members of lower-ranking castes, who often endure poverty and social disadvantage. The so-called “Untouchables” were traditionally relegated to polluting tasks. Since 1935, “Untouchables” have been known as “Scheduled Castes,” and Mahatma Gandhi called them Harijans, or “Children of God.” Today, the politically correct term for these groups, who make up some 16% of the population, is Dalit, or “Oppressed.” Other groups, usually called tribes (often referred to as “Scheduled Tribes”) are also integrated into the caste system to varying degrees.

In past decades, Dalits in certain areas had to display extreme deference to high-status people and were barred from most temples and wells. Such degrading discrimination was outlawed under legislation passed during British rule and was repudiated by preindependence reform movements led by Mahatma Gandhi and Bhimrao Ramji (B.R.) Ambedkar, a Dalit leader. After independence in 1947, Dr. Ambedkar almost single-handedly wrote India’s constitution, including provisions barring caste-based discrimination. However, Dalits as a group still suffer significant disadvantages, especially in rural areas.

Within castes, explicit standards are maintained. Rules of marriage, diet, dress, occupation, and other behaviors are enforced, often by a caste council (panchayat). Infringements can be punished by fines and temporary or permanent outcasting. Individuals and caste groups can hope to rise slowly on the hierarchy through economic success and adoption of high-caste behaviors. However, it is virtually impossible for an individual to raise his own status by falsely claiming to belong to a higher caste; a deception of this kind is easily discovered.

In rural areas, many low-caste people still suffer from landlessness, unemployment, and discriminatory practices. In the growing cities, however, caste affiliations are often unknown to casual associates, and traditional restrictions on intercaste interactions are fading fast. In some urbane circles, intercaste marriages linking mates of similar class status have become acceptable. Correlations between caste and occupations are declining rapidly.

In recent years, key changes have occurred in caste observances. It is now legally and socially unacceptable to openly advocate any caste’s superiority or inferiority, and lower caste groups are flexing their political muscle. Even as traditional hierarchies weaken, caste identities are being reinforced, especially among disadvantaged groups with rights to special educational benefits and substantial quotas reserved for them of electoral offices and government jobs. In protest against Hinduism’s rigid rankings, thousands of Dalits have embraced Buddhism, following the example of the revered B.R. Ambedkar. [iv]

Most Indians reside in villages, where caste and class affiliations overlap. Large landholders are overwhelmingly upper caste, and smallscale farmers middle caste, while landless laborers typically belong to the lowest-ranking castes. These groups tend to form a three-level class system of stratification in rural areas, and members of the groups are drawing together within regions across caste lines in order to enhance their economic and political power. For example, since the late 1960s, some of the middle-ranking cultivating castes of northern India, spurred by competition with higher-caste landed elites, have cooperated politically in order to advance their common economic interests.v In cities, class lines adhere less obviously to caste affiliations, as vested interests strongly crosscut caste boundaries.

When looking at India as a whole, defining classes is a difficult task, rife with vague standards. According to various estimates, the upper classes include about one percent of the population, or some ten million people, encompassing wealthy property owners, industrialists, former royalty, top executives, and prosperous entrepreneurs. Slightly below them are the many millions of the upper middle class. At the other end of the scale is approximately half of India’s population, including low-level workers of many kinds, as well as hundreds of millions of extremely poor people, who endure grossly inadequate housing and education and many other economic hardships.

But the big development in India is the rapid expansion of a prosperous middle class increasingly dictating the country’s political and economic direction. [vi] Estimated at perhaps 300 million people—-more than the entire population of the United States-—this new vanguard, straddling town and countryside and all religious communities, is mobile, driven, consumer-oriented, and, to some extent, forward-looking. This group includes prosperous farmers, white-collar workers, business and professional people, military personnel, and a multitude of others, all enjoying decent homes, reasonable incomes, and educated and healthy children. Most own televisions and telephones, and many possess cars and computers. Large numbers have close ties with prosperous relatives living abroad.

Village Structure and Unity

About three-fourths of India’s people live in some 500,000 villages, where India’s most basic business—agriculture takes place. Most villages have fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, but some have as many as 5,000 people. Indian villages are often quite complex and are not isolated socially or economically. Most villages include a multiplicity of economic, caste, kinship, occupational, and even religious groups linked vertically within each settlement. Residents typically range from priests and cultivators to merchants, artisans, and laborers. Various crucial horizontal linkages connect each village with many others and with urban areas both near and far. In daily life and at colorful festivals and rituals, members of various groups provide essential goods and services for one another.

Traditionally, villages often recognized a headman and a panchayat, a council composed of important local men. Usually, disputes were adjudicated within the village, with infrequent recourse to the police or courts. Today, the government supports an elective panchayat and headman system, which is distinct from the traditional system, and, in many cases, mandates the inclusion of members who are women or very low caste. According to a schedule rotating every few years, the head of the council of a certain percentage of villages must be a woman or a Dalit. State and federal government regulations increasingly intrude into village life, diminishing traditional systems of authority. Further, dissent and competitiveness seem to have increased in many parts of rural India as a result of the expanding involvement of villagers with the wider world via travel, work, education, and television, and increased pressure on land and resources as village populations grow.

The acceleration of urbanization is profoundly affecting the transformation of Indian society. Slightly more than one-quarter of the country’s population is urban. Mumbai (Bombay) is currently the sixth largest urban area in the world at 18 million, and Kolkata (Calcutta) ranks fourteenth at 13 million. In recent years, India’s largest cities have grown at twice the rate of its small towns and villages, with many of the increases due to rural-urban migration.

The largest cities are densely populated, congested, noisy, polluted, and deficient in clean water, electricity, sanitation, and decent housing. Slums abound, often cheek-by-jowl with luxury apartment buildings, with the roads overrun with pedestrians, cattle, refuse, and vehicles spewing diesel fumes.

Traditional caste hierarchies are weak in cities, but caste ties remain important, as scarce jobs are often obtained through caste fellows, relatives, and friends. Ingenuity and tenacity characterize poor urban workers supporting themselves through a multitude of tasks as entrepreneurs, petty traders, and menial laborers.

The ranks of the growing middle class are increasingly evident in cities, where educational and employment opportunities benefit them. For them, as for all in the city, linkages are affirmed through neighborhood solidarity, voluntary associations, and festival celebrations.

Cities, of course, are the great hubs of commerce, education, science, politics, and government, upon which the functioning of the nation depends. India’s movie industry is the world’s largest, centered in Mumbai and Chennai, and popular television stations are proliferating. These bring vivid depictions of urban lifestyles to small-town dwellers and villagers all over the country, affecting the aspirations of millions.

Social revolutions, too, receive the support of urban visionaries, such as those shaping the growing women’s movement. Largely led by educated urban women, the movement seeks gender justice on a wide variety of issues, focusing particularly on the escalating issue of dowry-related murders of young wives, which number in the thousands annually. The overwhelming economic needs of poor female workers are being addressed by organizations such as the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) of Ahmedabad, led by Ela Bhatt.

Future Trends

Now numbering over one billion, India’s population grew by more than 18 million—the equivalent of an Australia—every year over the past decade. In ten years, the most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, expanded more than 25 percent to some 166 million, equal to 60 percent of the population of the United States. India supports a population more than three and a half times the size of the American population in an area about one-third the size. Family planning is gaining in popularity, so the rate of population increase is gradually declining, but it is estimated that by the year 2050, India’s people will number some 1.5 billion, and India will have surpassed China as the world’s most populous nation.

In India’s vociferous democracy, different groups are increasingly demanding their share of scarce resources and benefits. While new agricultural crops and techniques are expanding productivity, forests, rangeland, and water tables are diminishing. As competition grows, political, social, ecological, and economic issues are hotly contested. Justice in matters pertaining to class, gender, and access to desirable resources remains an elusive goal.

India is but one of many nations facing these crucial problems and is not alone in seeking solutions. For many centuries, the people of India have shown strength in creating manageable order from complexity, bringing together widely disparate groups in structured efforts to benefit the wider society, encouraging harmony among people with divergent interests, knowing that close relatives and friends can rely upon each other, allocating different tasks to those with different skills, and striving to do what is morally right in the eyes of the divine and the community. These are some of the great strengths upon which Indian society can rely as it seeks to meet the challenges of the future.

Discover More

Tarun J. Tejpal speaking at Asia Society New York on Oct. 4, 2012.

Crime, Caste, and Corruption

Caste, Color, and Gender

Bumiller, Elisabeth. May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons: A Journey among the Women of India . New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1990.

Das Gupta, Monica, and Li Shuzhuo. “Gender Bias in China, the Republic of Korea, and India 1920-90: Effects of War, Famine, and Fertility Decline.” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 2140. 1999. Forthcoming in Development and Change, Special Issue on Gendered Poverty and Wellbeing. Available from [email protected] or downloadable from www.worldbank.org .

Deliege, Robert. The Untouchables of India . Oxford: Berg Press, 1999.

Dubey, Suman. “The Middle Class.” India Briefing 1992 . Eds. Leonard A. Gordon and Philip Oldenburg. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, in cooperation with Asia Society. 137-64.

Dugger, Celia W. “Modern Asia’s Anomaly: The Girls Who Don’t Get Born.” The New York Times , 6 May 2001.

Fuller, C.J., ed. Caste Today. SOAS Studies on South Asia: Understandings and Perspectives . Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Gould, Harold A. “Political Economy and Emergence of a Modern Class System in India.” Boeings and Bullock-Carts: Studies in Change and Continuity in Indian Civilization: Essays in Honour of K. Ishwaran , 1: India: Culture and Society. Ed. Yogendra K. Malik. Delhi: Chanakya, 1990. 155-86.

Jacobson, Doranne. “The Veil of Virtue: Purdah and the Muslim Family in the Bhopal Region of Central India.” Family, Kinship, and Marriage among Muslims in India . Ed. Imtiaz Ahmad. New Delhi: Manohar Book Service, 1976. 169-215.

———. Purdah in India: Life Behind the Veil.” National Geographic Magazine August 1977: 152(2). 270-286.

———. “The Chaste Wife: Cultural Norm and Individual Experience.” American Studies in the Anthropology of India . Ed. Sylvia Vatuk. New Delhi: American Institute of Indian Studies and Manohar Publications, 1978. 95-138.

———. “Purdah and the Hindu Family in Central India.” Separate Worlds: Studies of Purdah in South Asia . Eds. H. Papanek and G. Minault. Columbia, MO: South Asia Books, 1982 and Delhi: Chanakya Publications, 1982.

———. India: Land of Dreams and Fantasy . London: W.H. Smith, 1992.

———. “Gender Relations: Changing Patterns in India.” Asia: Case Studies in the Social Sciences: A Guide for Teaching . Ed. Myron L. Cohen. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1992. 46-66.

———. “Women’s Work in a Central Indian Village.” Women and Work in South Asia: Regional Patterns and Perspectives . Eds. S. Raju and D. Bagchi London: Routledge, 1993. 158-179.

———. “A Reverence for Cows.” Natural History . June 1999. 58-63.

———. “Golden Handprints and Red-Painted Feet: Hindu Childbirth Rituals in Central India.” Unspoken Worlds: Women’s Religious Lives . Eds. N.E. Falk and R.M. Gross. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 2000. 83-102.

Jacobson, Doranne, and Susan S. Wadley. Women in India: Two Perspectives , 3rd enlarged edition. Columbia, MO: South Asia Books, 1999 and New Delhi: Manohar Publishers, 1999.

Lynch, Owen M. “Stratification, Inequality, Caste System: India.” Asia: Case Studies in the Social Sciences: A Guide for Teaching . Ed. Myron L. Cohen. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe, 1992. 67-80.

———. “Untouchables in India’s Civil/Uncivil Democracy: A Review Article.” Ethnos 66.2 (2001): 259-268.

Mandelbaum, David G. Society in India: Continuity and Change , 2 vols. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1970.

———. Women’s Seclusion and Men’s Honor: Sex Roles in North India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan . Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1988.

Mendelsohn, Oliver, and Marika Vicziany. The Untouchables: Subordination, Poverty, and the State in Modern India . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Miller, Barbara D. The Endangered Sex: Neglect of Female children in Rural North India . Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1981.

Papanek, Hanna, and Gail Minault, eds. Separate Worlds: Studies of Purdah in South Asia . Columbia, MO: South Asia Books, 1982 and New Delhi: Chanakya Publications, 1982.

Roland, Alan. In Search of Self in India and Japan: Toward a Cross-Cultural Psychology . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988.

Sharma, Miriam. The Politics of Inequality: Competition and Control in an Indian Village , 2nd ed. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1984.

Sharma, Ursula. Caste. Concepts in the Social Sciences . Buckingham & Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1999.

Zelliot, Eleanor. From Untouchable to Dalit . Delhi: Manohar Publishers, 1996.

i For many references, see Mandelbaum 1970, Roland 1988, and Jacobson and Wadley 1999.

ii Purdah is discussed in detail in Jacobson 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, and 1992; Papanek and Minault 1982; and Mandelbaum 1988.

iii According to demographers and economists, perhaps 50 to 80 million more girls and women might be alive today in India and China if they had received treatment equal to that of males (Dugger 2001). The disadvantages of being female have been amply researched; see, for example, Miller 1981, Das Gupta and Li 1999, and Bumiller 1990. In general, census figures show lower sex ratios in northern India than in the south, but in only one state—the southern state of Kerala—are there more females than males (1,058 females per 1,000 males).

iv Much has been written about caste, untouchability, and B.R. Ambedkar. For recent overviews on changes in caste, see Fuller 1996 and U. Sharma 1999. For a focus on untouchability, see Lynch 2001, Mendelsohn and Vicziany 1998, Deliege 1999, and Zelliot 1996. Especially helpful to teachers is Lynch’s 1992 outline of stratification in India.

v See M. Sharma 1984, Gould 1990.

vi See Dubey 1992.

Author: Doranne Jacobson.

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Indian Culture and Tradition Essay | Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition for Students and Children in English

February 14, 2024 by Prasanna

Indian Culture and Tradition Essay: Indian Culture and Traditions are unique across the world. The Indian Culture and Traditions Essay elaborated on the variety of traditions and cultures followed by people in India. India is a country of having many cultures, traditions, and religions that made people living in a peaceful, colorful, rich, and diverse nation. It is unbelievable that different directions of India like north, south, east, and west have their own cultures and traditions.

India is having 29 states and 7 union territories across all the directions. There are 22 languages and several religions like Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, etc. exist in India. Whereas Hindi is the official language of India. However, India is the oldest civilization where people still follow their old cultures of caring and humanity. Even though people became modern in today’s world, still they celebrate festivals as per the customs.

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Long and Short Essays on Indian Culture and Tradition for Students and Kids in English

Indian culture is famous across the world due to its diversity in music, art, dance, language, cuisine, costume, philosophy, and literature. The important characteristics of Indian Culture are civilized communication, beliefs, values, etiquette, and rituals. India is well known for its ‘Unity in Diversity’ across the world. That means India is a diverse nation where many religious people live together peacefully having their own different cultures. So, we can see people of different languages, dresses, food habits, and rituals living with unity in India.

Long Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition 500 Words in English

A Long Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition Essay will be helpful for students in classes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.

Indian Culture and Religion

Indian Religion has a great impact on shaping the culture and traditions of India. India has several religions that originated five thousand years ago. Hinduism originated from Vedas, so all Hindu scriptures have been scripted in the Sanskrit language. People believe that Jainism has an ancient origin and exists in the Indus valley. Whereas another religion, Buddhism originated through the teachings of Gautam Buddha in the country. There are various eras that came and gone but have not changed the influence of real culture. That is why the younger generations still follow the older generation’s culture.

However, Indian ethnic culture teaches people to care for the helpless, help poor people, and respect elders. The traditional aspect of India to greet anybody is by saying ‘Namaste’ and touching the elder’s feet. The traditional family structure in India is a joint family, where many generations stay together in one house. People in India still follow the traditional marriage concept of ‘Arranged Marriage’ where the life partner of a child will be chosen by their parents.

Art is also one of the special cultures of India. Each state of India has its own form of dancing and singing such as Kathakali, Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Mohiniyattam, Odissi, and so forth. Moreover, Indian people welcome their guests like God by following the great Indian culture. People believe in the popular saying that ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’. Therefore, humanity and spiritual practices are the roots of Indian culture.

Indian Festivals

Festivals play an important role in Indian culture and tradition. People from different religions celebrate different festivals in India. Popular festivals like Diwali, Dussehra, Navratri, Janmashtami, Shivratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, etc. are celebrated by Hindu people in India. Whereas Eid-ul-Fitr, Bakrid, Muharram, etc. festivals are celebrated by Islamic people in India. Other than this, many harvest festivals like Makar Sankranti, Chapchar kut, Pongal, Sohrai, etc. are celebrated by farmers.

However, Christians also celebrate Christmas, Good Friday, etc. festivals in India. There also exist different regional festivals in each state of India like Teej, Onam, Ugadi, Saraswati Puja, Panna Sankranti, Chhath Pooja, Pongal, Lohri, and so forth.

Indian Cuisine

Indian Cuisine is also equally diverse in India like festivals and religions. Indian food and eating habits differ from place to place as each state has its own particular food and eating habits. In other words, people belonging to various parts of the country have their own cuisine, living style, environment, and availability of goods. Indian cuisine is most inspirational. Different states have different cuisines. Indian foods include so many ingredients and are more influential across the world. Indian food is mainly influenced by the diversity of people, so it has a variety of rich Cuisine. North Indian food includes vegetables, roti, dal, rice, fish curry, parathas, etc. South Indian food includes dosa, sambar, idli, vada, upma, uttapam, etc. In general, South Indian people cook food using coconut oil rather than mustard or sunflower oil.

Short Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition 300 Words in English

A Short Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition will be helpful for students in classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Indian Costume

Indian Costumes are different for the different states of India. It varies depending on the origin, climate, and heritage of the place. Indian culture still follows traditional costumes. In eastern states such as Odisha, West Bengal and southern states like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, women wear saree as the authentic clothing. It is a single and long fabric piece draped around the body.

In a similar way, men wear Dhoti-Kurta or Kurta-Pyjama as the authentic clothing in eastern states. In northern states like Punjab, women wear salwar kameez and Kurti as traditional clothing. Whereas men wear headgear or turban known as the Dastar as the traditional clothing. In India, all the married Women wear Sindoor, a vermilion powder in the parting of their hair. They also wear bindi, Mehendi, bangles, and earrings as part of their attire.

Indian Literature

In the 19th century, the first literature Rigveda was created in India. It was written in Sanskrit and became the foundation of many religious scriptures and literary works laterwards. Also, the Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda written by the Aryans followed by Indians. Other famous literary works are Ramayana written by Rishi Valmiki and Mahabharata written by Rishi Vyasa in India.

The Biographies of kings like the Mughal Empire, Baburnama, and Akbarnama are also precious literature by which we can know about the era. Other than this, foreign travelers have written some scriptures like Fa Hein and Hussein Tsung which provide knowledge about Indian people’s traditions and lifestyles.

Conclusion on Indian Culture and Tradition Essay

India is a land of rich culture and tradition which teaches people kindness, generosity, and tolerance. Indian culture differs from place to place as it is a multilingual, multicultural, and multi-ethnic society. Indian culture is a unique blend of modern western culture and historical traditions. India is a country of great legends where many great people were born and remembered forever due to their sacrifice for the nation. People across the world come to enjoy and feel the culture and tradition of India.

FAQ’s on Indian Culture and Tradition Essay

Question 1. What are Tradition and Culture?

Answer: Tradition is the customs and beliefs which are followed by people of one generation to another. Whereas culture is the customs, values, and social behavior within a group or society.

Question 2. What is the importance of Indian culture?

Answer: Indian Culture is unique across the world. India is well known for its ‘Unity in Diversity’ across the world. That means India is a diverse nation where many religious people live together peacefully having their own different cultures. So, we can see people of different languages, dresses, food habits, and rituals living with unity in India. Indian culture is famous across the world due to its diversity in music, art, dance, language, cuisine, costume, philosophy, and literature.

Question 3. What is Indian Tradition?

Answer: The traditional aspect of India is to greet anybody by saying ‘Namaste’ and touching the elder’s feet. The traditional family structure in India is a joint family, where many generations stay together in one house. People in India still follow the traditional marriage concept of ‘Arranged Marriage’ where the life partner of a child will be chosen by their parents.

Question 4. What is the food culture of India?

Answer: Indian food culture differs from place to place as each state has its own particular food and eating habits. Indian foods include so many ingredients and are more influential across the world. North Indian food includes vegetables, roti, dal, rice, fish curry, parathas, etc. South Indian food includes dosa, sambar, idli, vada, upma, uttapam, etc. In general, South Indian people cook food using coconut oil rather than mustard or sunflower oil.

Question 5. What are the important characteristics of Indian Culture?

Answer: The important characteristics of Indian Culture are civilized communication, beliefs, values, etiquette, and rituals.

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Introduction & Top Questions

The recovery and study of the Indus civilization

Society and political system.

Craft, technology, and artifacts
Language, scripts, weights, and measures
Trade and external contacts
Decline of the urban system and the end of the Indus civilization

How did the Indus civilization end?

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Indus civilization

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Live Science - What was the Indus Valley Civilization?
IndiaNetzone - Indus Valley Civilization
Ancient Origins - Timeline of the Harappan Civilization is Pushed Back 2,500 Years as Researchers Find New Reason for Its Fall
World History Encyclopedia - Indus Valley Civilization
Khan Academy - Indus River Valley civilizations
Cultural India - Indus Valley Civilisation
Frontiers - Of Revenue Without Rulers: Public Goods in the Egalitarian Cities of the Indus Civilization
Chemistry LibreTexts - The Indus River Valley Civilizations
GlobalSecurity.org - Indus Valley Civilization / Harappan Civilization - 2300-1700 BC
Indus Valley civilization - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
Indus valley civilization - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Table Of Contents

Principal sites of the Indus civilization

What is the Indus civilization?

The Indus civilization was the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent—one of the world’s three earliest civilizations, along with Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt .

Where did the Indus civilization begin?

The Indus civilization began in the Indus River valley, evolving from villages that used the Mesopotamian model of irrigated agriculture.

Where was the Harappan civilization located?

The Harappan civilization was located in the Indus River valley. Its two large cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro , were located in present-day Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh provinces, respectively. Its extent reached as far south as the Gulf of Khambhat and as far east as the Yamuna (Jumna) River .

It remains unclear how the Indus civilization came to an end, and its decline was probably not uniform. By the middle of the 2nd millennium BCE, the city of Mohenjo-daro was already dying and was dealt a final blow by invaders from the north. The civilization’s southernmost parts, by contrast, may have continued until Iron Age civilization developed in India about 1000 BCE.

When did the Indus civilization develop?

The Indus civilization developed in the 3rd millennium BCE, making it one of the earliest of the world’s civilizations, and it lasted into the 2nd millennium BCE.

Indus civilization , the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent . The nuclear dates of the civilization appear to be about 2500–1700 bce , though the southern sites may have lasted later into the 2nd millennium bce . Among the world’s three earliest civilizations—the other two are those of Mesopotamia and Egypt —the Indus civilization was the most extensive.

Explore the language, architecture, and culture of the Indus civilization, in the Indus River basin

The civilization was first identified in 1921 at Harappa in the Punjab region and then in 1922 at Mohenjo-daro (Mohenjodaro), near the Indus River in the Sindh (Sind) region. Both sites are in present-day Pakistan , in Punjab and Sindh provinces, respectively. The ruins of Mohenjo-daro were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1980.

Subsequently, vestiges of the civilization were found as far apart as Sutkagen Dor in southwestern Balochistan province, Pakistan, near the shore of the Arabian Sea , about 300 miles (480 km) west of Karachi ; and at Ropar (or Rupar), in eastern Punjab state, northwestern India , at the foot of the Shimla Hills some 1,000 miles (1,600 km) northeast of Sutkagen Dor. Later exploration established its existence southward down the west coast of India as far as the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay), 500 miles (800 km) southeast of Karachi, and as far east as the Yamuna (Jumna) River basin, 30 miles (50 km) north of Delhi . It is thus decidedly the most extensive of the world’s three earliest civilizations, even though Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations both began somewhat before it.

The Indus civilization is known to have consisted of two large cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, and more than 100 towns and villages, often of relatively small size. The two cities were each perhaps originally about 1 mile (1.6 km) square in overall dimensions, and their outstanding magnitude suggests political centralization, either in two large states or in a single great empire with alternative capitals, a practice having analogies in Indian history . It is also possible that Harappa succeeded Mohenjo-daro, which is known to have been devastated more than once by exceptional floods. The population was estimated to be 23,500–35,000 in Harappa and 35,000–41,250 in Mohenjo-daro. The southern region of the civilization, on the Kathiawar Peninsula and beyond, appears to be of later origin than the major Indus sites.

The caves of Qumran on the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea, in the West Bank. The site of the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered in 1947.

The Indus civilization apparently evolved from the villages of neighbours or predecessors, using the Mesopotamian model of irrigated agriculture with sufficient skill to reap the advantages of the spacious and fertile Indus River valley while controlling the formidable annual flood that simultaneously fertilizes and destroys. Having obtained a secure foothold on the plain and mastered its more immediate problems, the new civilization, doubtless with a well-nourished and increasing population, would find expansion along the flanks of the great waterways an inevitable sequel. The civilization subsisted primarily by farming, supplemented by an appreciable but often elusive commerce. Wheat and six-row barley were grown; field peas, mustard, sesame, and a few date stones have also been found, as well as some of the earliest known traces of cotton. Domesticated animals included dogs and cats, humped and shorthorn cattle, domestic fowl, and possibly pigs, camels, and buffalo. The Asian elephant probably was also domesticated, and its ivory tusks were freely used.

Despite a growing body of archaeological evidence, the social and political structures of the Indus “state” remain objects of conjecture. The apparent craft specialization and localized craft groupings at Mohenjo-daro, along with the great divergence in house types and size, point toward some degree of social stratification. Trade was extensive and apparently well-regulated, providing imported raw materials for use at internal production centres, distributing finished goods throughout the region, and arguably culminating in the establishment of Harappan “colonies” in both Mesopotamia and Badakhshan . The remarkable uniformity of weights and measures throughout the Indus lands, as well as the development of such presumably civic works as the great granaries, implies a strong degree of political and administrative control over a wide area. Further, the widespread occurrence of inscriptions in the Harappan script almost certainly indicates the use of a single lingua franca . Nevertheless, in the absence of inscriptions that can be read and interpreted, it is inevitable that far less is known of these aspects of the Indus civilization than those of contemporaneous Mesopotamia.

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Indian Culture Essay

Introduction, indian culture essay (100 words), indian culture essay (150 words), indian culture essay (200 words), indian culture essay (250 words), indian culture essay (300 words), indian culture essay (500+ words), religious diversity, linguistic diversity, art and architecture, cuisine and attire, preservation and evolution.

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Culture is What We are, Civilization is What We Have

24 Jan 2024

"Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit."

- Jawaharlal Nehr u

The concepts of culture and civilization are often used interchangeably , yet they represent distinct aspects of human existence . Culture embodies the essence of who we are as individuals and as communities, while civilization refers to the tangible achievements and structures we have created as a society.

Culture refers to the shared beliefs , values, customs , traditions, behaviors, language, art, and other elements that characterize a particular group of people, whether that group is defined by nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, or some other commonality. Culture encompasses the way individuals within a society or community perceive and interact with the world around them. It is a complex and multifaceted concept that influences people's worldviews , behaviors , and identities . It is the foundation upon which human identity is built. It encompasses the beliefs , values, customs, traditions, and shared knowledge that are transmitted from generation to generation . Culture is deeply rooted in the human experience , and it shapes our thoughts , behaviors , and interactions with others. It is a dynamic and ever-evolving force that reflects the diversity and complexity of human societies across the globe.

It provides individuals with a sense of identity and belonging . It connects people to their roots , helping them understand their heritage and where they come from. Cultural practices, languages, and rituals become powerful tools for expressing one's identity and affiliations. It serves as a moral compass , guiding individuals and communities in determining what is right and wrong . It establishes the ethical framework through which people make decisions and navigate the complexities of life.

Culture fosters creativity and self-expression. It is a source of inspiration for art, music, literature, and all forms of human creativity . Cultural expressions are vehicles for telling stories , sharing experiences , and connecting with others on a profound level. Cultural beliefs and values are the fundamental principles that guide how people within a culture understand the world and make moral or ethical judgments . These beliefs can include religious, philosophical, or ethical viewpoints. It is often expressed through various customs and traditions. These can include rituals, ceremonies, festivals, and everyday practices that are passed down from generation to generation. Language is a central element of culture, as it allows people to communicate and express their thoughts, emotions, and ideas . Each culture may have its own language or dialect , and language often carries cultural nuances and meanings . Its expressions through art, music, literature, dance, and other creative forms are essential to understanding a culture's aesthetics, values, and historical narratives.

Culture also sets social norms , which govern acceptable behavior within a society . These norms may include rules about etiquette, gender roles, and interpersonal interactions. Food is an integral part of culture , and culinary traditions vary widely across different cultures. Traditional dishes and cooking methods often carry significant cultural meaning. The clothing and fashion choices of a culture can be influenced by climate, history, religion, and social norms. These choices often reflect cultural identity. Religious beliefs and practices are a significant part of many cultures , influencing everything from daily rituals to major life events.

A culture's history, including its historical events, heroes, and symbols , plays a crucial role in shaping its identity and worldview. The structure of families and social hierarchies within a culture can greatly impact social interactions and relationships.

Civilization , on the other hand, is the external manifestation of human achievement. It refers to the material and structural advancements that societies have made throughout history. Civilization encompasses the development of technology, infrastructure, governance, and institutions that enable human progress and organization . It is a complex and multifaceted concept that refers to an advanced stage of human social and cultural development characterized by various distinctive features. It is marked by significant technological innovations that improve the quality of life. These innovations include agriculture, transportation, medicine, communication, and many others. They have transformed how we live, work, and interact with the world. It gives rise to organized societies with intricate social hierarchies and political systems. Institutions such as governments , legal frameworks, and educational systems are integral to the functioning of civilizations .

The growth of civilizations is often characterized by urbanization and the construction of infrastructure . Cities become hubs of culture, commerce , and innovation , while infrastructure such as roads, bridges , and buildings supports the needs of the population of the growing society. This process is a common feature in the historical development of many civilizations throughout human history.

While culture and civilization represent distinct aspects of human existence , they are interconnected and mutually influential . Culture provides the values, traditions, and shared narratives that underpin the development of civilization , shaping its trajectory and character . Conversely, civilization creates the conditions for the preservation and dissemination of culture , ensuring its continuity across generations.

Culture influences the choices and priorities of a society as it develops. Cultural values and norms play a pivotal role in shaping the direction of technological advancements, governance structures, and social institutions within a civilization. As civilization advances, it often leads to cultural exchanges and the blending of diverse traditions . For example, the Silk Road facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas, and cultural practices between East and West , enriching both civilizations.

Culture is the essence of who we are as individuals and communities , while civilization represents the tangible achievements and structures that we have created as a society . Both culture and civilization are intertwined , with culture serving as the foundation and civilization as the external manifestation of human progress. Recognizing and valuing this interplay between culture and civilization is essential for understanding the complex tapestry of human identity and history . It reminds us that our cultural heritage is not just a relic of the past but a living force that continues to shape our present and future.

"Civilization is not the multiplication of wants but the deliberate and voluntary renunciation of many of them."

- M K Gandhi

Indian Civilization and Culture Summary Class 12, Explanation Notes

by Meenu Saini | Sep 5, 2022 | General | 0 comments

BSEB Class 12 English Rainbow Book Chapter 1 Indian Civilization and Culture Summary, Explanation, Question Answers

Indian Civilization and Culture – BSEB Class 12 English Rainbow Book Chapter 1 Indian Civilization and Culture Summary and detailed explanation of the story along with meanings of difficult words. Also, the summary is followed by an explanation of the lesson. All the exercises and Question Answers given at the back of the lesson have also been solved.

Indian Civilization and Culture Summary

Video explanation of indian civilization and culture, indian civilization and culture lesson explanation.

Indian Civilization and Culture Question Answers

BSEB Class 12 English Rainbow book Chapter 1 – Indian Civilization And Culture

By mahatma gandhi, indian civilization and culture introduction.

In the extract “Indian Civilization and Culture”, Gandhiji elaborates how Indian civilization is far more superior than Western Civilization as it has withstood the passage of time with its strong roots. Indian civilization has witnessed many civilizations grow and end because they worship materialism. Indian civilization, on the other hand, believes in morality and spirituality.

The lesson revolves around how Indian civilization has withstood the passage of time. Despite our people being called ignorant and uncivilized, India stood still on the seeds of morality sown by our ancestors. The true meaning of civilization is “good conduct” which makes our nation capable of teaching others instead of learning from the West which is obsessed with material possessions and physical comfort. Their idea of happiness lies in fulfilling their innumerable wants whereas our ancestors believed that happiness is a mental condition. Being rich doesn’t guarantee happiness and being poor doesn’t mean sadness which is why, our ancestors refrained us from indulging ourselves in the worldly pleasures. From what they have taught us, we have learned to treat all professions equally. It is not that we did not have the means to invent machinery but our forefathers knew that real health lies in the usage of our own hands and feet. They were against large cities because of all the evil that resides in them. They knew that the sword of ethics is more powerful than the sword of any king or ruler. Gandhi further mentions how perfection can never be attained but Indian civilization tends to uplift moral beings as it believes in God whereas Western culture encourages immorality because it is Godless. The author thanks modern civilization for making him sure what he wants for India is not to fall on the journey of materialism. The trait that makes modern civilization different is that it leads humans to have innumerable wants that never end whereas ancient civilization teaches us to have control over our wants and in managing them so that they do not get excessive. The reason why modern civilization leads to never-ending human wants is because its people are always aspiring to live in the future and wanting to be in the state of being divine. He further says that European developments might suit their people undoubtedly but if India went on the same lines, it would mean destruction. We can integrate some of the good aspects of European civilization that we are capable of inhibiting but it does not mean that Europeans need not get rid of the ill-aspects that have gotten in it during advancement. In the end, he mentions that focusing on physical comfort upto a certain level is crucial but excess of it becomes an obstruction which is why having innumerable wants and running after satisfying them is misleading or rather, a trap. One must seek physical and intellectual fulfillment upto a certain limit because after that, it leads to physical and intellectual destruction. Hence, humans shall only indulge in these worldly pleasures to an extent where it does not disturb its actual motive which is, service of humanity. Top

Top

Word Meaning: Civilization – the stage of human social and cultural development and organization that is considered most advanced Evolved – caused to develop Beaten – having been defeated Fate – destiny Pharaohs – rulers of ancient Egypt Westernized – be in the process of adopting or being influenced by the systems of the West Glory – magnificence, beauty Pitiable condition- a sad or weak state that makes you feel pity for someone

Explanation of the Above Passage – Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi is of the opinion that the developments that took place in India over the period of time cannot be taken to have been defeated by the rest of the countries. He justifies his statement by explaining the importance of “seeds sown” or in other words, the teachings and morals of our ancestors that built the foundation of our civilization. He mentions that the nations like Rome, Greece, Japan and the rulers of ancient Egypt have all forgotten their age-old practices in the journey towards modernisation. Even though one can not surely say the same for China but India still continues to practice the old traditions.

The people of Europe are known to practice the teachings of Greece and Rome which c annot be seen in the behaviour of anyone . However, while following them, Europeans are hopeful of avoiding the mistake of Greece and Rome which according to the author is pitiful.

Passage –

In the midst of all this, India remains immovable and that is her glory. It is a charge against India that her people are so uncivilized, ignorant and stolid, that it is not possible to induce them to adopt any changes. It is a charge really against our merit. What we have tested and found true on the anvil of experience, we dare not change. Many thrust their advice upon India, and she remains steady. This is her beauty; it is the sheet anchor of our hope.

Word Meaning: In the midst – in the middle of Immovable – unwavering; firm Uncivilized – (of a place or people) not socially, culturally, or morally advanced Stolid – slow-witted Induce – succeed in leading someone to do something (convince) Anvil – a metal block on which a blacksmith shapes metal objects with hammer Thrust – push suddenly in a specific direction Sheet anchor – security

Explanation of the Above Passage – While other nations were moving far away from their ancient teachings, India remained stuck to its ancestral teachings while maintaining the beauty of it. It is believed that Indian citizens are backward, unaware and lack intelligence which is why they are unable to take on change. Gandhi mentions that this belief is against our favor but with what has been seen with experience, we must not risk forgetting our morals and values in the name of civilization. Even though many force their opinions on India to convince it to modernize, we still stand firm and that is what Gandhi describes as “beauty” as it provides security and hope to succeed.

Passage – Civilization is that mode of conduct which points out to man the path of duty. Performance of duty and observance of morality are convertible terms. To observe morality is to attain mastery over our minds and our passions. So doing, we know ourselves. The Gujarati equivalent for civilization means “good conduct”.

Word Meaning: Mode of conduct – a manner or way of doing, acting or existing Morality – the standard of society used to decide what is right or wrong behavior Convertible – that can be converted; exchangeable Equivalent – equal in value, amount, function, meaning, etc.

Explanation of the Above Passage – Civilization is the guide that tells people what they are supposed to do. Gandhi calls performing one’s duty and upholding one’s morals to be the same thing. This is because one needs to have full control over their mind and desires in order to act with morality and in order to attain it, one becomes fully aware of oneself. This has been compared to the Gujarati meaning for civilization which is, good conduct.

Passage – If this definition be correct, then India, as so many writers have shown, has nothing to learn from anybody else, and this is as it should be.

Explanation of the Above Passage – He says that if civilization equals good conduct then, as already said by many other writers, India does not require change and even above that, it does not need to learn from the rest of the world.

Passage – We notice that the mind is a restless bird, the more it gets the more it wants, and still remains unsatisfied. The more we indulge in our passions, the more unbridled they become. Our ancestors, therefore, set a limit to our indulgences. They saw that happiness was largely a mental condition.

Word Meaning: Indulge – allow someone to enjoy something desired Unbridled – Unrestrained; uncontrolled

Explanation of the Above Passage – He compares the human mind to a “restless bird” because it never gets satisfied no matter how much it gets. The more one allows oneself to dive into luxury, the more one craves for it which is why our ancestors suggested everything in moderation and control. This is because happiness is seen as a mental condition that can never be attained by uncontrollably fulfilling one’s desires.

Passage – A man is not necessarily happy because he is rich, or unhappy because he is poor. The rich are often seen to be unhappy, the poor to be happy. Millions will always remain poor. Observing all this, our ancestors dissuaded us from luxuries and pleasures. We have managed with the same kind of plough as existed thousands of years ago. We have retained the same kind of cottages that we had in former times and our indigenous education remains the same as before. We have had no system of life-corroding competition. Each followed his own occupation or trade and charged a regular wage. It was not that we did not know how to invent machinery, but our forefathers knew that, if we set our hearts after such things. we would become slaves and lose our moral fibre. They, therefore, after due deliberation decided that we should only do what we could with our hands and feet. They saw that our real happiness and health consisted in a proper use of our hands and feet.

Word Meaning: Dissuaded – advised against, persuaded against Plough – a farm tool that breaks earth and soil; furrow Former times – preceding in time; prior or earlier Indigenous – native; home-grown Life – corroding – destroying life gradually Moral fibre – character Deliberation – reflection, consideration and discussion

Explanation of the Above Passage – It is not always true that happiness comes from being rich or sadness comes from being poor. However, it is the opposite, even though most of the population continues to live in poverty. This is the reason why our forefathers stopped us from involving ourselves in too much luxury. This is how the ancient farming styles like ploughing, the type of cottages and education system have stayed intact for thousands of years. Furthermore, this has helped in avoiding the culture of cut-throat competition because everyone followed their own business and concerned themselves with their own income.

Our ancestors were well aware of the fact that modernisation of technology would only make us slaves while compromising our moral values, otherwise even they had the knowledge and means to develop machinery. They always insisted on using our own hands and feet to accomplish everything instead of depending upon machinery and technology. It is because they were this far-sighted that they could see that real well-being of our body and mind can only be attained if we make use of our own hands and feet.

Passage – They further reasoned that large cities were a snare and a useless encumbrance and that people would not be happy in them, that there would be gangs of thieves and robbers, prostitution and vice flourishing in them and that poor men would be robbed by rich men. They were, therefore, satisfied with small villages.

Word Meaning: Reasoned – based on logic or good sense Snare – trap Encumbrance – burden Prostitution – the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment Vice – evil ; wickedness Flourishing – thriving, growing in a healthy manner

Explanation of the Above Passage – Our forefathers knew that big cities with westernization are a trap and would burden the people unnecessarily. People would be so involved in worldly pleasures that they would forget what real happiness is. Big cities are filled with gangs, thieves and robbers. Practices of engaging in sexual activity with someone for payment is very common in large cities and it is an acceptable trend for rich to steal from the poor. All the evil and wickedness made our ancestors more satisfied with the small villages in India.

Passage – They saw that kings and their swords were inferior to the sword of ethics, and they, therefore, held the sovereigns of the earth to be inferior to the Rishis and the Fakirs. A nation, with a constitution like this, is fitter to teach others than to learn from others. This nation had courts, lawyers and doctors, but they were all within bounds. Everybody knew that these professions were not particularly superior. Moreover, these Vakils and Vaids did not rob people; they were considered people’s dependents, not their masters. Justice was tolerably fair. The ordinary rule was to avoid courts. There were no touts to lure people into them. This evil too was noticeable only in and around capitals. The common people lived independently and followed their agricultural occupation. They enjoyed true Home Rule.

Word Meaning: Ethics – moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity Sovereigns – (here) a person who has supreme power or authority Inferior – lower in rank, status or quality Rishis – a Hindu sage or saint Fakirs – a Hindu holy man Superior – higher in rank, status or quality Tolerably – moderately good or agreeable Touts – persons employed in soliciting customers Lure – entice, tempt Home Rule – a political arrangement in which a part of a country governs itself independently of the central government of the country

Explanation of the Above Passage – Our ancestors were wise to know that morals and values possess the greatest power, more so than any king’s swords which is why they favored saints above the crowned rulers. Hence, they believed that instead of following the modernization trend from outside countries, India could rather teach the rest of the world. India is fitter than other nations because it is self-sufficient in terms of courts, lawyers and doctors and that all professions are regarded highly and equally. Unlike other nations, in India, lawyers and doctors do not befool people to steal from them – they are highly reliable and do not act superior. Here, we value fair play and focus on solving matters outside courts instead of having tricksters lure them into court. Even if there were any ill-practices, they only happened in and around the capital cities. Apart from that, the rest of the population lived freely while undertaking agricultural activities and enjoying being their own rulers.

Passage – The Indian civilization, as described by me, has been so described by its votaries. In no part of the world, and under no civilization, have all men attained perfection. The tendency of Indian civilizations is to elevate the moral being, that of the western civilization is to propagate immorality. The latter is godless; the former is based on a belief in God. So understanding and so believing, it behoves every lover of India to cling to the old Indian civilization even as a child clings to the mother’s breast.

Word Meaning: Votaries – devotees Attained – succeed in achieving something one has worked for Tendency – proneness to a particular kind of thought or action Elevate – raise; exalt Propagate – spread ideas, beliefs etc more widely Immorality – evil, sinful or wrong behavior Latter – denoting the second or second mentioned of two people or things Behoves – be right or necessary Cling – adhere; stick

Explanation of the Above Passage – Gandhi mentions that his definition of Indian civilization matches with those of the devotees. He throws light upon the fact that humans are imperfect in every part of the world despite which civilization they belong to. India, however, has a culture of uplifting men by making them aware about their morals and values whereas the West tends to encourage wrongful activities. In the West, they do not believe in the presence of divine power whereas Indian civilization is based on its belief in God – a belief so strong that it is compassionate and real. The believers have been compared to a child clinging to the mother’s breast because every believer wants to stay just as close to the ancient Indian civilization.

Passage – I am no hater of the West. I am thankful to the West for many a thing I have learnt from Western literature. But I am thankful to modern civilization for teaching me that if I want India to rise to its fullest height, I must tell my countrymen frankly that, after years and years of experience of modern civilization, I have learnt one lesson from it and that is that we must shun it at all costs.

Word Meaning: Frankly – in an open, honest or direct manner Shun – keep away from

Explanation of the Above Passage – Gandhi clarifies that he does not hate the systems or beliefs of the West. Instead, he is grateful to a lot of things he had learnt from Western literature. Above all, he is most thankful to modernization for teaching him that if he truly wants India to reach its highest potential, the only advice that he can give Indians is to stay away from Western practices at all costs. He mentioned that he is saying this after years of experience in the West.

Passage – What is that modern civilization? It is the worship of the material, it is the worship of the brute in us — it is unadulterated materialism, and modern civilization is nothing if it does not think at every step of the triumph of material civilization.

Word Meaning: Brute – one who lacks intelligence, sensitivity or compassion Unadulterated – complete Materialism – a tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values Triumph – achieve a victory; be successful

Explanation of the Above Passage – Gandhi asks the readers the actual meaning of the modern civilization that he is asking us to stay away from. He elaborates that it is the obsession with material things that makes us dumb and lack intelligence, sensitivity and passion. He again emphasizes that it is truly the practice of worshiping all material possessions and physical comfort but it is of no use if it does not make man think at every point of his life.

Passage – It is perhaps unnecessary, if not useless, to weigh the merits of the two civilizations. It is likely that the West has evolved a civilization suited to its climate and surroundings, and similarly, we have a civilization suited to our conditions, and both are good in their own respective spheres.

Explanation of the Above Passage – Gandhi mentions that comparing the two civilizations is not totally meaningless but it is not needed at all because Western civilization has developed out of the needs and wants of the people of the West, suiting their climate and surroundings. Similarly, Indian civilization seems rightful for its people, surroundings and atmosphere.

Passage – The distinguishing characteristic of modern civilization is an indefinite multiplicity of human wants. The characteristic of ancient civilization is an imperative restriction upon, and a strict regulating of, these wants. The modern or western insatiableness arises really from want of living faith in a future state and therefore also in Divinity. The restraint of ancient or Eastern civilization arises from a belief, often in spite of ourselves, in a future state and the existence of a Divine Power.

Word Meaning: Distinguishing – characteristic of one thing or person that tells the difference between them Indefinite – lasting for an unknown length of time Multiplicity – a large number of variety Imperative – of vital importance; crucial Restriction – an act of limiting someone’s actions or movement insatiableness (n): state of not being satisfied Divinity – the quality or nature of God’s being; the state of being divine

Explanation of the Above Passage – The trait that makes modern civilization different is that it leads humans to have innumerable wants that never end whereas ancient civilization teaches us to have control over our wants and in managing them so that they do not get excessive. The reason why modern civilization leads to never-ending human wants is because its people are always aspiring to live in the future and wanting to be in the state of being divine. On the other hand, ancient civilization comes from the belief of being futuristic but also in the presence of God.

Passage – Some of the immediate and brilliant results of modern inventions are too maddening to resist. But I have no manner of doubt that the victory of man lies in that resistance. We are in danger of bartering away the permanent good for a momentary pleasure.

Word Meaning: Maddening – extremely annoying Resist – withstand the action or effect of Bartering – exchanging goods, property etc Momentary – lasting for a very short time, brief

Explanation of the Above Passage – Gandhi mentions how the fast and unbelievable results of the modern inventions are difficult to refrain from but he tells the readers that he is a strong believer of how self-control is better than the feeling of having it all. This is because giving in to your wants only gives us happiness that lasts a very short time but it takes away long-term happiness.

Passage – Just as in the West they have made wonderful discoveries in things material, similarly Hinduism has made still more marvellous discoveries in things of religion, of the spirit, of the soul.

Word Meaning: Hinduism – A religion of India that emphasizes freedom from the material world through purification of desires and elimination of personal identity Marvelous – extremely good or pleasing; splendid

Explanation of the Above Passage – Undoubtedly, the West has made some amazing modern inventions when it comes to worldly things and physical comfort. However, Hinduism on the other hand, has made more terrific findings in matters of religion concerning the mind, body and the soul.

Passage – But we have no eye for these great and fine discoveries. We are dazzled by the material progress that Western science has made. I am not enamoured of that progress. In fact, it almost seems as though God in His wisdom has prevented India from progressing along those lines, so that it might fulfil its special mission of resisting the onrush of materialism.

Word Meaning: Dazzled – amaze or overwhelm someone with a particular impressive quality Enamoured – be in love with, delighted with Progressing – develop towards an improved or more advanced condition Onrush – surge, flow

Explanation of the Above Passage – Gandhi tells the readers that he is not fond of modern inventions despite their amazing discoveries. Even though some of the findings of modern science are impressive, he is not delighted with it. He feels that it is the blessings of the Divine Power that India so strongly believes in, which is stopping India from going in that direction. According to him, it is God who wants India to resist seeking comfort in material things.

Passage – After all, there is something in Hinduism that has kept it alive up till now. It has witnessed the fall of Babylonian, Syrian, Persian and Egyptian civilizations. Cast a look around you. Where is Rome and where is Greece? Can you find today anywhere the Italy of Gibbon, or rather the ancient Rome, for Rome was Italy?

Word Meaning: Witnessed – to see an event happen Babylonian – an inhabitant of Babylon or Babylonia Syrian – a native or inhabitant of Syria Persian – a native or inhabitant of ancient or modern Persia (or Iran) Cast a look – look quickly in the prescribed direction Gibbon – the English historian of the eighteenth century who authored the famous book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Explanation of the Above Passage – The writer highlights that if Hinduism has sustained all odds over the period of time, there must be something special about it. Other civilizations like that of Babylonians, Syrians, Persians and Egyptians, have all ended but our ancient civilization stands firm. He asks the readers to observe other nations and think where Rome and Greece went. There is no trace of the Italy of Gibbon or ancient Rome even though Rome was Italy.

Passage – Go to Greece. Where is the world-famous Attic civilization? Then coming to India, let one go through the most ancient records and then look around you and you would be constrained to say, “yes, I see here ancient India still living”.

Word Meaning: Attic – of, relating to, or having the characteristics of Athens or its ancient civilization Constrained – severely restrict in scope, extent or activity

Explanation of the Above Passage – He then compares India with Greece in terms of keeping their ancient teachings alive. Greece has no trace of its well-known attic civilization in the modern times whereas one can clearly find ancient India if they go through our ancient records – they would know that it is still alive in today’s India.

Passage – True, there were dungheaps, too, here and there, but there are rich treasures buried under them. And the reason why it has survived is that the end which Hinduism set before it was not development along material but spiritual lines.

Word Meaning: Dungheaps – a heap of dung or refuse, especially in a farmyard Buried – covered up

Explanation of the Above Passage – It is true that one can find hills of dung and garbage in India but there is no denial of the fact that if one digs deeper, there are also treasures that can be found. Gandhi points out that the reason why Hinduism has lasted while others have collapsed is because its end-goal was never obsessing over material things in the name of development but on becoming spiritual beings.

Passage – Our civilization, our culture, our Swaraj depend not upon multiplying our wants —self—indulgence, but upon restricting wants – self denial.

Word Meaning: Swaraj – self-government or independence for India Self-indulgence- the act of allowing yourself to have or do anything you enjoy excessively Self-denial – the denial of one’s own interests and needs; self-sacrifice

Explanation of the Above Passage – Our entire way of life, independence and advancement revolves not in fulfilling our wants and burying oneself in material pleasures but in having self-control over our wants so that we do not overindulge in them.

Passage – European civilization is, no doubt, suited for the Europeans but it will mean ruin for India if we endeavour to copy it. This is not to say that we may not adopt and assimilate whatever may be good and capable of assimilation by us, as it does not also mean that even the Europeans will not have to part with whatever evil might have crept into it.

Word Meaning: Ruin – destruction Endeavour – an attempt to achieve a goal? Assimilation – integration Crept – move slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed

Explanation of the Above Passage – He says that European developments might suit their people undoubtedly but if India went on the same lines, it would mean destruction. We can integrate some of the good aspects of European civilization that we are capable of inhibiting but it does not mean that Europeans need not get rid of the ill-aspects that have gotten in it during advancement.

Passage – The incessant search for material comforts and their multiplication is such an evil and I make bold to say that the Europeans themselves will have to remodel their outlook, if they are not to perish under the weight of the comforts to which they are becoming slaves. It may be that my reading is wrong, but I know that for India to run after the Golden Fleece is to court certain death. Let us engrave on our hearts the motto of a Western philosopher: “Plain living and high thinking”. Today it is certain that the millions cannot have high living and we the few, who profess to do the thinking for the masses, run the risk, in a vain search after high living, of missing high thinking.

Word Meaning: Incessant – continuing without pause or interruption Remodel – change the structure or form of something Perish – lose it’s normal qualities; rot or decay Golden Fleece – an object very difficult to attain. The Golden Fleece of Greek mythology was well protected by snakes and flames, and to secure it Jason had to employ the magic of Media Profess – claim

Explanation of the Above Passage – Gandhi calls the never-ending desire to fulfill one’s temporary wants and its continuous increase an ‘evil’ that even the Europeans would want to get rid of sooner or later if they realise that it is eating their roots up and making them act as slaves. He accepts that he may be wrong in saying that for European civilization but he is sure that if India went on the same lines, it would mean destruction. He compares attaining European civilization to running after the “Golden Fleece” because the Golden Fleece is something very hard to attain and comes with high chances of being unsuccessful. He wants his readers to follow the motto of a Western philosopher – “Plain living and high thinking” wholeheartedly because not everyone can afford a lavish lifestyle (high living). The few people who claim to think about the welfare of the entire nation are also at risk of seeking to look after high living unsuccessfully while missing out on high thinking.

Passage – Civilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the deliberate and voluntary restriction of wants. This alone increases and promotes contentment, real happiness and capacity for service.

Word Meaning: Deliberate – done consciously and intentionally Contentment – a state of happiness and satisfaction

Explanation of the Above Passage – Gandhi emphasizes how actual civilization rests in voluntary self-control and not in multiplicity of human wants. Having control over one’s desires is what brings true satisfaction and long lasting happiness along with increased human productivity.

Passage – A certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary but above a certain level it becomes a hindrance instead of help. Therefore, the ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a delusion and a snare. The satisfaction of one’s physical needs, even the intellectual needs of one’s narrow self, must meet at a certain point a dead stop, before it degenerates into physical and intellectual voluptuousness. A man must arrange his physical and cultural circumstances so that they do not hinder him in his service of humanity on which all his energies should be concentrated.

Word Meaning: Harmony – agreement of ideas, feelings or actions Hindrance – something or somebody that obstructs Delusion – misleading; misconception Degenerates – decline or deteriorate physically, mentally, or morally Voluptuousness – relating to or characterized by luxury or sensual pleasure

Explanation of the Above Passage – Focusing on physical comfort upto a certain level is important but excess of it becomes an obstruction instead of being useful which is why having innumerable wants and running after satisfying them is misleading or rather, a trap. One must seek physical and intellectual fulfillment upto a certain limit because after that, it leads to physical and intellectual destruction. Hence, humans shall only indulge in these worldly pleasures to an extent where it does not disturb its actual motive which is, service of humanity. Top

Indian Civilization and Culture Question and Answers

A. Answer the following questions orally:

What do you know about Gandhiji?

Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Bapu or the Father of the Nation, was more a spiritual leader than a politician. He is known as the father of our nation. He led the nationalist movement against the British rule of India. He is globally known for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (Satyagraha) to achieve political and social progress.

What did Gandhi do for the farmers in Bihar?

Gandhi came to Champaran in 1917. Here the farmers were forced to yield indigo on 15% of the land and had to surrender their entire yield as rent. Gandhi stood for the interest of the poor farmers but the administration ordered him to leave Champaran. He disobeyed their order and as a result, he was asked to appear in the court. When he appeared in court, the farmers surrounded the entire court in unison and demonstrated fearlessly. The officials failed to control the crowd and Gandhi was saved from being sentenced. The government conducted an inquiry into the case where Gandhi presented evidence of exploitation of the farmers. In the end, the decision was in the favor of the farmers. This was the first triumph of Civil Disobedience in modern India.

What do you understand by civilization and culture?

Civilization is that mode of conduct which points out to man the path of duty. The Gujarati equivalent for civilization means “good conduct”

The culture in its simplest form refers to the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society

Culture exists so that it could be embodied in civilization. The process of civilization brings a place and people to a phase where they can be developed socially and culturally to realize a more advanced stage of human existence.

Hence, culture is what we are and civilization is what we have.

What do our holy scriptures tell us about universal human values?

Our holy scriptures tell us the real meaning of life and existence. They explain to us how real accomplishment lies in spirituality and not materiality. They teach us self-control that makes us self-reliant.

B.2. Answer the following questions briefly

What, according to the author, is modern civilization?

According to the author, modern civilization is Godless. It is the worship of the material and the brute in us. It is unadulterated materialism, and modern civilization is nothing if it does not think at every step of the triumph of material civilization. The distinguishing characteristic of modern civilization is an indefinite multiplicity of human wants.

What did the author convey to the countrymen about dealing with modern civilization?

The author conveyed how thankful he is to modern civilization for teaching him that if he wants India to rise to its fullest height, he must tell his countrymen frankly that, after years and years of experience of modern civilization, he has learnt one lesson from it and that it must be shunned at all costs.

What is the distinguished characteristic of modern civilization?

The distinguishing characteristic of modern civilization is an indefinite multiplicity of human wants. The characteristic of ancient civilization, on the other hand, is an imperative restriction upon, and a strict regulating of, these wants. The modern or western insatiableness arises really from the want of living faith in a future state and therefore also in Divinity. The incessant search for material comforts and their multiplication is purely an evil.

The author perceived danger from modern inventions. How?

As per the author, some of the immediate and brilliant results of modern inventions are too maddening to resist. But he has no manner of doubt that the victory of man lies in that resistance and not in over-indulgence. He feels that we are in danger of bartering away the permanent good for a momentary pleasure arising out of the modern inventions.

What does the author prefer to materialism?

The author prefers spirituality over materialism. He feels there is no development above taking oneself on the spiritual path.

What does our civilization depend upon?

Our civilization, our culture, our Swaraj depends not upon multiplying our wants with self—indulgence, but upon restricting wants with self denial.

What is civilization in the real sense of the term?

Civilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the deliberate and voluntary restriction of wants. This alone increases and promotes contentment, real happiness and capacity for service.

B.1. 1.Complete the following sentences on the basis of what you have studied :

a) India’s glory is that it …………………………

b) The charge against India is that…………………………………….

c) We dare not change what…………………

d) Our ancestors set a limit to our indulgences because………………..

e) Our forefathers did not invent machinery because…………………

a) India’s glory is that it is immovable .
b) The charge against India is that her people are uncivilized, ignorant and stolid .
c) We dare not change what we have tested and found hue on the anvil of experience .
d) Our ancestors set a limit to our indulgences because the more we indulge in our passions, the more unbridled they become .
e) Our forefathers did not invent machinery because if we invented machinery, we would become slaves and lose our moral fibre .

B.1. 2. Answer the following questions briefly :

1) How is Indian civilization different from European civilization?

The people of Europe learnt their lessons from the writings of the men of Greece or Rome. In trying to learn from them, the Europeans imagined that they would avoid the mistakes of Greece and Rome. Such is their pitiable condition. On the other hand, Indian civilization is based on the strong foundation of seeds sown by its ancestors. Based on the Gujarati equivalent for civilization, which means “good conduct”, India has nothing to learn from anybody else. This is because our ancestors have tested and found this true on the anvil of experience.

2) Why does Gandhi say that ‘mind is a restless bird’? What makes the mind restless?

Gandhi calls the mind “a restless bird” because the more it gets the more it wants, and still remains unsatisfied. By saying this, he further meant that the more we indulge in our passions, the more unbridled they become.

3) Why did our ancestors dissuade us from luxuries and pleasures? Did they do the right thing?

Our ancestors saw that the more we indulge in our passions, the more unbridled they become. Therefore, they set a limit to our indulgences as they saw that happiness was largely a mental condition. Hence, they dissuaded us from luxuries and pleasures.

Yes, they were right in doing so because being rich does not guarantee happiness. In fact, the poor are seen to be happier.

4) Why, according to Gandhi, have we stuck with the same kind of plough as existed thousands of years ago? Should we do the same thing even today?

According to Gandhi, we used the same kind of plough as existed thousands of years ago because our ancestors saw that our real happiness and health consisted in proper use of our hands and feet. It was not that we did not know how to invent machinery, but our forefathers knew that, if we set our hearts after such things. we would become slaves and lose our moral fibre. They, therefore, after due deliberation decided that we should only do what we could with our hands and feet.

In my opinion, usage of plough widely even today would not guarantee agricultural produce enough to cater the entire population of our country. Hence, we should not do the same thing today.

5) How did our ancestors view large cities? Why were they satisfied with small villages?

Our ancestors viewed large cities as a snare and a useless encumbrance. They knew that people would not be happy in them as there would be gangs of thieves and robbers, prostitution and vice, where rich rob the poor. Hence, they were satisfied with small villages.

6) How did our ancestors enjoy true ‘Home Rule’?

India is self-sufficient in terms of courts, lawyers and doctors. Here, all professions are regarded highly and equally. Unlike other nations, in India, lawyers and doctors do not befool people to steal from them – they are highly reliable and do not act superior. Here, we value fair play and focus on solving matters outside courts instead of having tricksters lure them into court. Even if there were any ill-practices, they only happened in and around the capital cities. Apart from that, the rest of the population lived freely while undertaking agricultural activities and enjoying Home Rule.

C. 1. Long Answer Questions

‘I BELIEVE that the civilization India has evolved is not to be beaten in the world.’ What does Gandhi mean by this statement? Do you subscribe to his views?

Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi said, “I believe that the civilization India has evolved is not to be beaten in the world”. By saying this, he meant that nothing can equal the seeds sown by our ancestors. He is proud of the sound foundation of Indian Civilization which has successfully withstood the passage of time. The western civilization which has the tendency to privilege materiality cannot match the Indian civilization that elevates the moral being.

India remains immovable and that is her glory. It is a charge against India that her people are so uncivilized, ignorant and stolid, that it is not possible to induce them to adopt any changes. It is a charge really against our merit. What we have tested and found true on the anvil of experience, we dare not change. Many thrust their advice upon India, and she remains steady. This is her beauty; it is the sheet anchor of our hope.

However, Indian civilization is also flexible and we can integrate some of the good aspects of European civilization that we are capable of inhibiting for the benefit of our civilization.

‘We notice that the mind is a restless bird, the more it gets the more it wants, and still remains unsatisfied.’ Pick out other metaphors used in the lesson. How do these metaphors help Gandhiji in persuading the readers?

Gandhi has used the power of metaphors in his writing beautifully, to convince the readers. It has not only made the readers understand his idea better but also persuaded them to keep our ancestral morals alive.

He feels that the Western civilization revolves around continuously chasing materialism and physical comfort. Hence, he has compared the mind to “a restless bird” that is never satisfied no matter how much it gets. Thus, he wants the reader to have voluntary resistance and self-control to refrain them from overindulgence in the worldly pleasures.

Another example of a metaphor well-used is when he states that “what we have tested and found true on the anvil of experience, we dare not change”. Here, he compares the foundation of Indian civilization to be as strong as the block of metal being hammered by the blacksmith. It is a charge against India that her people are so uncivilized, ignorant and stolid, that it is not possible to induce them to adopt any changes. It is a charge really against our merit. Many thrust their advice upon India, and she remains steady.

He has also called India’s ability to stand firm “the sheet anchor of our hope” . Just like a large ship remains steady with its sheet anchor amidst a sea storm, India also remains immovable and that is her glory.

He further reasoned that large cities were a “snare”. Just like a snare is a trap for catching birds or mammals, big cities are a useless encumbrance that would not let people be happy in them as there would be gangs of thieves and robbers, prostitution and vice flourishing in them and that poor men would be robbed by rich men.

‘A man is not necessarily happy because he is rich, or unhappy because he is poor. The rich are often seen to be unhappy, the poor to be happy.’ What, according to Gandhi, holds key to real happiness? How does Gandhi define ‘happiness’?

“A man is not necessarily happy because he is rich, or unhappy because he is poor. The rich are often seen to be unhappy, the poor to be happy.”

Millions will always remain poor. Observing all this, our ancestors dissuaded us from luxuries and pleasures. We have managed with the same kind of plough as existed thousands of years ago. We have retained the same kind of cottages that we had in former times and our indigenous education remains the same as before. We have had no system of life-corroding competition. Each followed his own occupation or trade and charged a regular wage. It was not that we did not know how to invent machinery, but our forefathers knew that, if we set our hearts after such things. we would become slaves and lose our moral fibre. They, therefore, after due deliberation decided that we should only do what we could with our hands and feet. They saw that our real happiness and health consisted in a proper use of our hands and feet.

Why did our ancestors feel satisfied with small villages? Did they do the right thing? Will it be wise today to follow our ancestors in this connection? Give your own view.

Our ancestors felt that large cities are a snare and a useless encumbrance and that people would not be happy in them, that there would be gangs of thieves and robbers, prostitution and vice flourishing in them and that poor men would be robbed by rich men. They were, therefore, satisfied with small villages.

They were right in doing so but even if we want to follow the ancient civilization, India today is moving towards capitalism and development which is forcing people to move out of small villages and migrate to big cities in order to earn a living. The Western philosophy of “Plain living and high thinking” is hard to live by. Today it is certain that millions cannot have a high living. With the rapidly increasing population and the competition, traditional occupations are not feasible, making it difficult to follow the ways that our ancestors used to swear by.

Discuss the negative features of western civilization.

The western civilization propagates immorality. It is godless. It is the worship of the material and the brute in us — it is unadulterated materialism. Large cities are a snare and a useless encumbrance and that people can not be happy in them, as there are gangs of thieves and robbers, prostitution and vice flourishing in them and that poor men are robbed by rich men. Western civilization promotes incessant search for material comforts and their multiplication which is such an evil as it is putting the nations under the weight of the comforts to which they are becoming slaves.

The ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a delusion and a snare. The satisfaction of one’s physical needs, even the intellectual needs of one’s narrow self, must meet at a certain point a dead stop, before it degenerates into physical and intellectual voluptuousness. A man must arrange his physical and cultural circumstances so that they do not hinder him in his service of humanity on which all his energies should be concentrated.

What is the essential difference between the Indian civilization and the Western civilization? How is our civilization superior to the Western civilization?

The essential difference between Indian and Western civilization is the indefinite multiplicity of human wants in the West. The characteristic of ancient civilization is an imperative restriction upon, and a strict regulating of, these wants. The modern or western insatiableness arises really from the want of living faith in a future state and therefore also in Divinity. The restraint of ancient or Eastern civilization arises from a belief, often in spite of ourselves, in a future state and the existence of a Divine Power.

Indian civilization has nothing to learn, but to teach a lot to the modern civilization. It is based on the belief in God which is understanding and so believing that it behoves every lover of India to cling to the old Indian civilization even as a child clings to the mother’s breast. Our civilization does not depend upon multiplying our wants with self—indulgence, but upon restricting wants with self denial. The sound foundation of Indian Civilization has successfully withstood the passage of time. The western civilization which has the tendency to privilege materiality which cannot match the Indian civilization that elevates the moral being.

A certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary but above a certain level it becomes a hindrance instead of help.’ Elaborate.

It is true that a certain degree of physical harmony and comfort is necessary but above a certain level it becomes a hindrance instead of help. Therefore, the ideal of creating an unlimited number of wants and satisfying them seems to be a delusion and a snare. The satisfaction of one’s physical needs, even the intellectual needs of one’s narrow self, must meet at a certain point a dead stop, before it degenerates into physical and intellectual voluptuousness. Hence, humans shall only indulge in these worldly pleasures to an extent where it does not disturbs its actual motive which is, service of humanity.

C. 2. GROUP DISCUSSION

Discuss the following in groups or pairs:

Truth and non-violence have been the biggest weapons of mankind.

Truth and non-violence are known as the twin pillars of Gandhian thought. He believed that truth is the ultimate reality which is God and non-violence as the peak of selflessness. To him, non-violence is not a negative aspect but the highest form of pure love.

During the freedom struggle, Gandhi introduced the spirit of Satyagraha to the world. Satyagraha means devotion to truth, remaining firm on the truth and resisting untruth actively but non-violently. According to Gandhi, a satyagrahi must believe in truth and nonviolence as one’s creed and therefore have faith in the inherent goodness of human nature. Besides, a satyagrahi must live a chaste life and be ready and willing for the sake of one’s cause to give up his life and his possessions, he would assert.

He believed that truth and non-violence are the two sides of the same coin and considers ahimsa as the means,and truth as the end. He was a great supporter of peace and believed that these two elements together are the only means towards world peace.

Truth is the biggest weapon because it takes a lot of guts to face reality. Bitter truth is always better than a sweet lie.

Non-violence is also a powerful and just weapon as it cuts without wounding. This also makes it a weapon of the strong.

High thinking can not go alongside high living.

High thinking is the ability to reason properly. It is the ability to be able to see clearly the true meaning of life and everything that it constitutes. High living on the other hand, refers to a lavish lifestyle filled with luxuries and indulgences. It is based on fulfilling one’s material wants without refrain.

Someone capable of high thinking finds high living meaningless as he is able to detach himself from the material possessions. It comes with time, peace and spirituality whereas modern lifestyle is obsessed with materiality which leads to anxiety and the unnecessary urge to always seek for more.

High thinking does not entirely refrain from high living but instead, it teaches when to stop. It is more dependent on self -control and self-reliance. Since high thinking and high living hardly go hand in hand, the Western philosopher has rightly suggested everyone to follow – “Simple living, high thinking”.

C. 3. COMPOSITION

Write a paragraph in about 100 words on each of the following:

a. The real dignity of man lies not in what he has but in what he is.

The worship of materialism is temporary but that of spirituality is permanent as the former is only focused on fulfilling wants whereas the latter is concerned with the peaceful integration of mind, body and soul.

What a man has is his possessions that can be bought with money. Wants are never-ending and with a restless bird-like mind that humans have, it is difficult to get out of the loop of always longing for more.

What a man is, is the qualities that stay with him. It signifies his morals and values that form the basis of his very being. Hence, this is where the real dignity of man lies and not in the possession of worldly objects.

b. The crown and glory of life is character.

D.WORD STUDY

D.1. Dictionary Use

Ex. 1. Correct the spelling of the following words:

disuaded	ocupation	votries	imorality	unadultereted
matarialism	beleif	madning	engrev	harmoney

Disuaded – Dissuaded

ocupation – Occupation

Votries – Votaries

Imorality – Immorality

unadultereted – Unadulterated

matarialism – Materialism

Beleif – Belief

Madning – Maddening

engrev – Engrave

Harmoney – Harmony

Ex. 2. Look up a dictionary and write two meanings of the following words — the one in which it is used in the lesson and the other which is more common

reason

thinking

wants

ruin

copy

As per lesson- a cause, explanation, or justification for an action or event

As per common usage- a statement given to explain a belief or an act; a motive or cause

As per lesson- the process of considering or reasoning about something

As per common usage- to reflect on a matter

As per lesson- have a desire to possess or do (something); wish for

As per common usage- a desire for something

As per lesson- the physical destruction or disintegration of something or the state of disintegrating or being destroyed.

As per common usage- reduce (a building or place) to a state of decay, collapse

As per lesson- imitate the style or behavior of

As per common usage- a thing to be made similar or identical to another

D.2. Word-formation

Read carefully the following sentence taken from the lesson:

Each followed his own occupation.. .

In the above sentence the word ‘occupation’, which is an abstract noun, is derived from the verb ‘occupy’. Now, derive abstract nouns from the verbs given below and use them (abstract nouns) in sentences of your own:

convert

perform

define

please

educate

observe

Convert – Conversion – The process of conversion of water to ice requires water to be frozen.

Perform – Performance – The annual day is lined up with splendid performances by students.

Define – Definition – The Gujarati definition of civilization is good conduct.

Please – Pleasure – One must not give up long-term goals for momentary pleasures.

Educate – Education – In rural India, girls still have lesser access to education as compared to boys.

Observe – Observation – The patient is critical and has been kept under the observation of doctors.

D.3. Word-meaning

Ex 1. Find from the lesson words the meanings of which have been given in Column A. The last part of each word is given in Column B:


someone related who lived long time ago	…………. tor
of one’s homeland	…………nous
being a burden to	…………ance
to spread ideas, beliefs, etc	…………..ate
slow-witted	…………..lid
advise against	………….ade
exchange goods, property etc	…………..ter

A	B
someone related who lived long time ago	ancestor
of one’s homeland	indigenous
Being a burden to	hindrance
To spread ideas, beliefs, etc	propagate
slow-witted	stolid
Advice against	dissuade
Exchange goods, property, etc	barter

Ex. 2. Fill in the blanks with suitable words (gerunds) from the given list:

living

thinking

writing

bartering

maddening

(i) Pragya’s ………………. is not very legible.

(ii) The police could not control the……………..crowd.

(iii) We are in danger of…………….away the permanent good for a momentary pleasure.

(iv) Gandhi always believed in simple…………………

(v) Amandeep’s……………was quite logical.

(i) Pragya’s writing is not very legible.

(ii) The police could not control the maddening crowd.

(iii) We are in danger of bartering away the permanent good for a momentary pleasure.

(iv) Gandhi always believed in simple living .

(v) Amandeep’s thinking was quite logical.

D. 4. Phrases

Ex.1. Read the lesson carefully and find out the sentences in which the following phrases have been used. Then use these phrases in sentences of your own:

satisfy with

be suited to

believe in

cling to

in vain

Satisfy with – It is important to keep ourselves satisfied with what we have while we work hard for our dreams.

Be suited to – Western civilization is best suited to people of the West.

Believe in – A person who believes in God is considered spiritual.

Cling to – It is not advisable to cling to one’s mistakes

In vain – Losing a competition doesn’t signify that all the efforts went in vain.

Read the following sentence from the lesson carefully :

We are dazzled by the material progress that western science has made.

In the above sentence ‘dazzled’ and ‘made’ are past participles of the verbs ‘dazzle’ and ‘make’ respectively.

Ex. 1. Complete the sentences given below by using the appropriate forms of the verbs given in brackets:

Indian Civilization has…………..it alive till now. (keep)
I see here ancient India still…………..(live)
We have……………..many things from western literature. (borrow)
We have been……………..west since long. (copy)
Arya did………………so. (speak)
Nehru had………………….so many letters to his daughter from jail. (write)
Indian Civilization has kept it alive till now. (keep)
I see here ancient India still alive. (live)
We have borrowed many things from western literature. (borrow)
We have been copying west since long. (copy)
Arya did say so. (speak)
Nehru had written so many letters to his daughter from jail. (write)

Ex.2. Study the following sentence from the lesson

We notice that the mind is a restless bird, the more it gets the more it wants….

Mark the use of double comparative in the above sentence. Look at the examples given in the table:


The harder you work,	the better you achieve
The more she earns	The more she wants

Form ten sentences of your own choice on this pattern

The more you study, the more you learn.
The more, the merrier.
The more practice you do, the better you become.
The less you worry about others, the less they will bother you.
The less I worry, the more relaxed I feel.
The older we get, the wiser we become.
The faster you drive, the quicker you will get there.
There are more and more people coming to this vacation spot.
The hotter the weather, the more water we should drink.
The more you practice, the more you learn.

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When France Takes Its Clothes Off

Photograph from the Lola Miesseroff family Collection

Marseille’s Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem) is a lattice-shrouded, shadow-throwing complex that juts over the waters of the city’s old port. Despite the seaside vibe, its code of conduct states that “perfect correctness, particularly in dress, is demanded of visitors; it is for example forbidden to walk around shirtless or barefoot.” Yet, on a recent afternoon, as a man strode across the entrance hall in nothing but a floral pareo and a lanyard—i.e., shirtless and barefoot—no one seemed bothered in the slightest. The museum, which was closed to the general public for the day, was offering a special tour of its big summer exhibition, “Paradis Naturistes” (“Naturist Paradises”). In keeping with the show’s theme, guests, such as the man in the lobby, would be allowed to shed their clothes, store them, and stroll through the galleries naked.

The museum was hosting the event in conjunction with the Fédération Française de Naturisme, which has represented the interests of naturists in France since 1950. Today, they number about 4.7 million—including the two and a half million who visit the country each year, making France Europe’s No. 1 destination for naturist tourism. A note about vocabulary: naturism, per the F.F.N., refers to “a manner of living in harmony with nature, characterized by the practice of communal nudity, and which consequently fosters self-respect, respect for others, and respect for the environment.” You can be a nudist without being a naturist, in other words, but you can’t be a naturist without being a nudist.

Why, one might ask, would a person be either? Naturists insist that public nudity—exposing oneself not only to others but to sun, air, sand, and sky—yields a range of benefits, from body acceptance to class erasure. “Behind it, there’s an ideology of equality that is very French,” Eric Stefanut, the man in the pareo and the F.F.N.’s communications director, told me, as he cooled himself with a white paper fan. “When someone is naked, you don’t know whether he’s a sales director or a mason. Nudity makes social difference invisible—it puts everyone on the same level.”

It’s also a way of experiencing familiar things in a novel manner. Recently, chapters of the F.F.N. have sponsored naked bike rides, naked camping trips, naked volleyball matches, naked pétanque, naked gardening, and a naked visit to a sewing-needle factory. Pretty much anything you can do dressed, naturists contend, you can do naked. (See the naked hikers of the Hautes-Alpes , trudging through passes of the Massif du Dévoluy in their snowshoes.) In July, the Association des Naturistes de Paris advertised a naked cocktail party, promising a spread of “charcuterie boards, cheese boards, whitefish rillettes with dill, candied cedar lemon hummus, peanut brownie, red fruit panna cotta, etc.” I couldn’t help being amused by their focus on the menu. In certain ways, it turns out, naked French people are a lot like clothed ones.

Traditionally, French naturists have been largely white, heterosexual, and left-leaning, “with teachers and professors particularly well represented,” as Stephen L. Harp observes in “ Au Naturel: Naturism, Nudism, and Tourism in Twentieth-Century France .” Picture a married couple, Thierry and Sandrine, retired school principals who protested in ’68 and haven’t had a tan line in half a century. Particularly since COVID , though, the practice has been attracting a different set. According to the F.F.N., forty-three per cent of French naturists are under thirty years old. “The movement is getting younger and surfing the organic wave,” Le Parisien reported recently, while Le Progrès declared naturism “all the rage” for its “de-stressing” qualities. Even among textiles , as naturists call the clothes-wearing population, nakedness is having a moment. France 5 is airing the twelfth season of “Nus et Culottés” (“Naked and Cheeky”), a popular show in which a pair of friends set out pantsless and penniless on various adventures. And who can forget Philippe Katerine in the opening ceremony of the Olympics, crooning “Nu” (“Naked”) while sprawled across a fruit platter in bright-blue body paint? “Would there be wars if we were all naked?” Katerine sang. “Where do you hide a gun when you’re naked?”

Stefanut led me to a folding table, where the F.F.N. was offering cups of water, potato chips, gummy bears, and informational literature. One brochure tackled prejudices surrounding naturism, such as the idea that it’s dirty. “The self-respecting naturist NEVER goes out without a pareo or a little towel” to protect his posterior from any surface he sits on, the brochure explained. “And if I get an erection?” it continued. “Zero risk! Permanent nudity desexualizes your thoughts. The real question for men is more often, ‘Is it going to work again?’ ” A corollary to the precept that naturism is not inherently sexual holds that naturism is a family-friendly activity. The gallery tour cost eleven euros, but visitors under the age of eighteen could attend for free.

About eighty people, nearly all adults, had shown up for the tour. Each one was given a numbered tag and a yellow plastic bag before being shown to a storage room where they could disrobe. In the visitors went. Out they came, in coverups that would shield their genitals from civilian eyes—or, rather, shield civilian eyes from their genitals—until they crossed the museum floor to enter the exhibit.

Paul Oltra Bâtiment nouveau avec piscine au centre Port Ambonne Centre hliomarin Oltra entre 1968 et 1971. Collection...

“Naturist Paradises” features more than six hundred photographs, films, magazines, paintings, sculptures, drawings, maps, and artifacts, many of which have been borrowed from personal archives and are being shown for the first time. The show arose not just because of the surging popularity of naturism but because of Mucem’s proximity to environments that facilitate it. “The southern coasts, particularly the shores of the Mediterranean, attract those who are looking for unspoiled natural spaces to free their bodies from all forms of constraint,” Amélie Lavin, one of the show’s four co-curators, explains in a handsome catalogue. The exhibition is divided into three sections: the origins of naturism, naturist communities, and the future of the movement. In a cheerful touch, some of the displays are set off with the kind of wooden barriers commonly used to protect sand dunes. The day I was there, visitors repurposed one as a rack for their last shreds of clothing, tossing underpants over the rails as though they’d just gone for a dip.

Naturism originated around the turn of the twentieth century, in northern Europe. Utopian movements such as Germany’s Lebensreform promoted such practices as vegetarianism, temperance, organic farming, sunbathing, and naked outdoor gymnastics as correctives to the ills of a rapidly industrializing society. During the First World War, collective nudity was said to strengthen morale among troops. One striking photograph, discovered in a family album, shows a group of German soldiers sitting in a semicircle, playing cards in the buff. “One can imagine that the hierarchy encouraged this genre of display, as these well-nourished bodies wouldn’t fail to reassure the soldiers’ parents of their dazzling health,” Gérard Amaudric writes in the catalogue. Going naked, he argues, offered a “small flame of hope, that of a new world without any uniform.”

In the aftermath of a war that ravaged millions of bodies, French medical authorities sought new methods of promoting health and healing. The naturist doctors Gaston and André Durville developed a finicky diet regime and organized nearly nude beauty contests, popularizing the idea of a female figure that adhered to classical ideals. (“Too fat, fat hips, oversized breasts, fat stomach, not muscular enough, skin too pale, legs and fat non-symmetrical buttocks,” Gaston noted, of one entrant.) According to the nudist writer Marcel Kienné de Mongeot, moral defects manifested in the body, and improving one’s physique was a means of uplifting the French nation. Some early proponents of naturism dabbled in eugenics and race science as their followers “played primitive,” Harp writes, without “suggest[ing] that indigenous peoples were equal or should be anything more than imperial subjects.”

In the nineteen-fifties and sixties, naturism came to be associated less with medicine than with pleasure. At fashionable beaches like Pampelonne, women went topless and culs nus (“naked butts”) staked claims on prime stretches of sand, sometimes provoking conflicts with officials such as the humorless cop played by Louis de Funès in “Le Gendarme de Saint-Tropez.” As nude sunbathing entered the mainstream, naturists became more assertive. One scandalized vacationer reported that clothed interlopers at a beach in the Var were greeted with shouts of “ À poil, les voyeurs! ” (“Get naked, voyeurs!”) Turf battles between naturists and textiles continue: this summer, near Marseille, a gay man reported that he was attacked and insulted with homophobic slurs after swimming at a nude beach and returning to a nearby village in a Speedo-type bathing suit. “Put your clothes back on!” his aggressor yelled. “There are kids here!”

The Mucem exhibit focusses on seven iconic sites of French naturism, including the Île du Levant, a quirky island enclave known for a loincloth-like garment called le minimum , and Cap d’Agde, a planned city built by the state as part of a program to develop the neglected economies of the southern coast. Cap d’Agde started out as a mosquito-ridden campsite. By the late nineteen-seventies, it boasted a brutalist apartment complex designed by Jean Le Couteur, a marina, and a shopping center with butchers, bakers, a cinema, a night club, and, somewhat puzzlingly, several clothing boutiques. One photo, part of a series by Laurent Sola, shows a naked woman sitting under a hair dryer, flicking through a magazine. In later decades, Cap d’Agde was largely taken over by sex tourists, offering an interesting test case for the tenet that naturism has nothing to do with sexuality. Tensions ran so high that in 2008, when three night clubs burned to the ground, investigators suggested that old-school naturists might be to blame.

The nostalgic, scrapbooky feel of “Naturist Paradises” is touching, and largely successful, but it leaves certain people and issues lurking outside the frame. I would have liked to learn more, for instance, about naturism’s opponents, from the priests who lobbied officials to ban naturist publications from kiosks to the prison inmate who reportedly threatened a terrorist attack on Cap d’Agde because he “didn’t like les culs nus .” The catalogue devotes some thought to the relationship between naturism and colonialism, but the show mostly neglects to examine it, nor does it grapple with the whiteness of the naturist milieu, especially in a city as racially diverse as Marseille. With all the focus on the joys of being naked, I would also have welcomed an acknowledgment of the ways that nudity can be used to degrade and humiliate, from Abu Ghraib to upskirting and A.I. porn fakes. What’s paradise without a few snakes?

Black and white photograph of people walking in a field at a festival. Three people on the right are nude.

You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to figure out what to wear to a nude museum tour. Eventually, I settled on black jeans and a tobacco-colored poplin blouse, which, as a journalist and a textile , I was not obliged to take off. It wasn’t that I didn’t get the appeal of naturism—who hasn’t wanted to rip off a wet bathing suit and lie on a warm rock, like a seal?—but what might be appealing on a sun-kissed beach seemed less so in an air-conditioned gallery.

Before the doors opened, I had got to talking to a couple in their twenties. They told me they’d started going naked with friends while living in Berlin. Rather than joining an organization, they preferred to operate in “a free, autonomous manner,” and they seemed slightly skeptical of the need to label and federate the perfectly obvious pleasure of liberating oneself from constricting collars and chafing bras. What their elders called naturism they called going to a summer picnic or attending a “queer-techno night,” where nobody needs a membership card to peel off their shirt. “Being naked makes us feel a little more free,” one of them said.

Being naked, she added, felt like “a way to recapture privacy.” Initially, I was surprised by this—what could be less private than dropping trou in a crowd? But it makes sense: naturist gatherings are one of the few remaining places where no one takes pictures without the express permission of their subjects. Even without a camera, checking people out is considered the height of bad manners. “We look each other in the eye,” Stefanut told me. “Nudity generates mutual vulnerability, and out of that is born a form of respect, where I take care of you and you take care of me. It’s the opposite of what people imagine.”

The lighting in the gallery was low. A guide was showing the visitors around, but they were free to roam at their own pace. Reading about naturism in advance of my trip, I had come across a debate about physical beauty between the Durville brothers and one of their friends. “From the aesthetic point of view, what is uglier than a man with sagging testicles?” the friend wrote. I wasn’t sure I wanted to find out.

Yet here I was, surrounded by convex bums, billowing bat wings, skin tags, stray hairs, third nipples, breasts melting like Dalí’s clocks. Everyone had kept their shoes on, and one woman was wearing a coral-colored pair of block heels, which I found fascinating. Another man had tossed a scarf around his neck, which, had pictures been allowed, might have gone viral as The Most French Thing Ever. As I stood there in my clothes, interviewing naked people, my prevailing sensation was not revulsion but regret. Amid all the trust and vulnerability, I felt like a narc.

À poil , then! Since I didn’t have a coverup, I undressed in the changing room and put on a borrowed F.F.N. volunteer vest, turning it around so that it covered the front side of my body, and shuffled back to the gallery, like a basketball player performing a lateral quickness drill, so as not to show my butt. Now that I, too, was naked, I was a little less agog at other people’s bodies and a little more conscious of my own. (Forget Pilates: there is no better way to improve your posture than stripping down in a room full of strangers.) Even so, I didn’t feel overly awkward, except when I tried to jot down a quote about how naturists are now as interested in mental health as they are in physical fitness, and, thanks to the unfortunate placement of my notebook, found myself staring directly at my interlocutor’s penis. Still, the team spirit was contagious. “I feel like a stain,” a clothed security guard told me, admitting that he might have joined in if he’d been allowed.

Later, at my hotel, I sorted my notes and read through the rest of the literature I’d picked up. Is it dangerous to expose your private parts to the sun? No. Just use sunscreen. Are tattoos O.K.? They used to be looked down upon, but naturism has evolved along with society. (Despite all the talk about body acceptance, naturists are cool on genital piercings, “which draw the eye to that part of the anatomy.”) What do women do during their periods? Those who use tampons “snip the string for style, or fold it up,” while those who use pads wear a bathing-suit bottom. Perhaps the wildest thing about getting as naked as the day you were born is that it has to be taught. ♦

Two people at a gas station standing outside of a small blue car. Both people are nude.

New Yorker Favorites

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What HBO’s “Chernobyl” got right, and what it got terribly wrong .

Why does the Bible end that way ?

A new era of strength competitions is testing the limits of the human body .

How an unemployed blogger confirmed that Syria had used chemical weapons.

An essay by Toni Morrison: “ The Work You Do, the Person You Are .”

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They suggest that the harappan culture merged with the emerging vedic culture, forming the basis of subsequent ancient indian civilizations. Influence on regional cultures: Despite the decline, remnants of the indus valley civilization's culture and technology likely persisted and influenced neighboring regions.
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India, often referred to as a 'subcontinent', is a fascinating mosaic of cultures and traditions. This vast nation is characterized by its diversity, yet there is a deep-rooted sense of unity that binds its people together. The Indian culture and tradition are a rich amalgamation of the past and the present, reflecting a civilization that ...
106 Indian Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples
Writing an essay on Indian culture can be a fascinating journey into the vast and colorful tapestry of this ancient civilization. To help you get started, here are 106 Indian culture essay topic ideas and examples that you can explore: The significance of Diwali in Indian culture. The evolution of Indian classical music.
Indian Culture and Tradition Essay for Students in English
Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition. As students grow older, it is important for them to improve their understanding and hold over the language. This can be done only through consistent reading and writing. Writing an essay is a task that involves cooperation and coordination of both the mind and body. Students must be able to think as well ...
Essay on Indian Culture in 500 Words
Paragraph on Indian Culture. Indian culture is one of the oldest, most diverse, and richest cultures in the world because of several factors. Our welcoming attitude towards everyone is encouraged all over the world. There is diversity in every aspect of our culture, from religious practices to festivals, foods, and traditional art forms.
Indian Society and Ways of Living
The essential themes of Indian cultural life are learned within the bosom of a family. The joint family is highly valued, ideally consisting of several generations residing, working, eating, and worshiping together. ... Studies in Change and Continuity in Indian Civilization: Essays in Honour of K. Ishwaran, 1: India: Culture and Society. Ed ...
Indian Culture and Tradition Essay
However, India is the oldest civilization where people still follow their old cultures of caring and humanity. Even though people became modern in today's world, still they celebrate festivals as per the customs. ... Short Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition 300 Words in English. A Short Essay on Indian Culture and Tradition will be helpful ...
Indus civilization
Indus civilization, the earliest known urban culture of the Indian subcontinent. The nuclear dates of the civilization appear to be about 2500-1700 bce, though the southern sites may have lasted later into the 2nd millennium bce. Among the world's three earliest civilizations—the other two are those of Mesopotamia and Egypt —the Indus ...
Ancient India
India is a country in South Asia whose name comes from the Indus River. The name 'Bharata' is used as a designation for the country in their constitution referencing the ancient mythological emperor, Bharata, whose story is told, in part, in the Indian epic Mahabharata.. According to the writings known as the Puranas (religious/historical texts written down in the 5th century CE), Bharata ...
Culture of India
Indian culture is the heritage of social norms and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse India, pertaining to the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and the Republic of India post-1947. The term also applies beyond India to countries and cultures whose histories are strongly connected to India by immigration, colonisation, or influence ...
Indian Civilization Essay
Introduction. India civilization begins from riverbanks which is the Indus river and the Ganges river. India derives its name from the Indus river. Knowledge of Indian civilization has come from two leading cities: Mohenjo - Daro and Harappa. These cities are carefully planned where they had wide, straight streets lined with brick houses.
Indian Culture Essay
Indian Culture Essay (100 words) ... With roots traced back to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization, India's cultural heritage is a treasure trove of fascinating practices and beliefs that continue to evolve yet retain their core essence. At the heart of Indian culture lies its spiritual diversity. Religions like Hinduism, Islam, Christianity ...
Culture is What We are, Civilization is What We Have
Culture is What We are, Civilization is What We Have. 24 Jan 2024; 8 min read "Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit." - Jawaharlal Nehru. The concepts of culture and civilization are often used interchangeably, yet they represent distinct aspects of human existence. Culture embodies the essence of who we are as individuals and as communities, while civilization refers to the ...
Indian Civilization and Culture Summary Class 12 ...
Civilization, in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the deliberate and voluntary restriction of wants. This alone increases and promotes contentment, real happiness and capacity for service. B.1. 1.Complete the following sentences on the basis of what you have studied :
Essay On 'Indian Civilization & Culture'
"Indian Civilization and Culture" is an essay by Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi describes the portance of Indian civilization. The Indian civilization, with its firm and sound foundation, has successfully withstood the passage of time. The western civilization with its tendency to privilege materialism could not match the Indian civilization ...
Hindi Diwas 2024: The Journey Of Hindi; From Ancient Times To Today
As it continues to grow, evolve, and reach new speakers around the world, Hindi remains a vital part of India's cultural and linguistic identity. Its rich history, shaped by religious movements, colonial rule, and globalization, reflects the dynamic and diverse nature of Indian civilization.
When France Takes Its Clothes Off
Marseille's Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem) is a lattice-shrouded, shadow-throwing complex that juts over the waters of the city's old port. Despite the seaside vibe ...

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History of India

Ancient History of India Indus Valley Civilization: Overview

3 Time Periods: Ancient History of India Indus Valley Civilization

Key Characteristics of Ancient India Indus Valley Civilization

Historical Background of: Ancient India Indus Valley Civilization

Overview Of The Indus Valley Civilization

Importance Of Studying Ancient History

Harappan Civilization: Origins And Features

Archaeological Discoveries And Evidence Of Harappan Culture

Urban Planning And Infrastructure Of Harappan Cities

Social Structure And Daily Life In The Indus Valley

Role Of Women In The Indus Valley Civilization:

Religion, Beliefs, And Rituals Of The Ancient Indus People:

Trade And Economy Of The Indus Valley Civilization

Economic System And Agricultural Practices In Ancient India

Craftsmanship And Artifacts Found In Harappan Sites

Decline And Collapse Of The Indus Valley Civilization

Evidence of environmental changes and impact on harappan society:

Migration and assimilation of the indus people into other cultures:

Legacy And Significance Of The Indus Valley Civilization

Influence Of The Indus Valley Civilization On Later Indian Cultures:

Indus Script And Decipherment Attempts:

Current Research And Ongoing Archaeological Excavations In The Region:

FAQ About Ancient History Of India Indus Valley Civilization

How Old Is The Indus Valley Civilization?

What Were The Major Cities Of The Indus Valley Civilization?

What Were The Main Achievements Of The Indus Valley Civilization?

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106 Indian Culture Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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