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Overview
India's
process of development since 1947 has been
accompanied by significant social changes and
an increasing awareness about issues affecting
the poor, the women and the children in India.
This period has also seen the burgeoning of
the voluntary movement in India and the
establishment of several non governmental
organizations to protect and promote the
interests of women and children.
The
Government has made constant attempts to
promote values like democracy, freedom from
discrimination, self-reliance and independence
of thought. It has also tried to improve the
lot of the poor and weaker sections of
society. Women and children have figured
prominently in the government's agenda of
social reforms and initiatives.
Today, India is working towards a society
where the poor, marginalized and
underprivileged have equal opportunities in
all spheres of life. Partnership and
collective action by the voluntary agencies,
government and other like-minded institutions
and individuals have been the key to a
meaningful thrust in this direction.
National Anthem
The song, Jana-gana-mana,
composed by the great poet Rabindranath Tagore
was adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the
National Anthem of India on 24 January, 1950.
Hindi is the official language with English as
the associate and link language. Numerous
other languages and dialects are used in
various parts of the country of which 18
languages are recognised in the Constitution.
Cultural and Social Diversity
India's cultural and social
diversity is all-pervading and yet a
harmonious balance permeates throughout the
social fabric. Social attitudes are often
based on traditional beliefs, religious
adherence and through interaction with modern
social and political concepts
India is a secular country.
Hindus form the largest community followed by
the Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists,
Jains and Parsis. Seventy percent of the
Indian people live in villages with
agriculture or agro-based small industry
providing the major occupation. With the large
industrial cities and urban centres coming up,
a new middle class and a new working class
have emerged where the social and cultural
order is different and pluralistic.
Creative Arts
In creative arts, India's
sculpture, architecture and painting have had
a rich history. The cave architecture of
Ajanta and the cavewall paintings of Ajanta
and Ellora, the temples of Khajuraho, the
Mughal and Rajasthani paintings and the Taj
Mahal are but a few examples of India's
cultural heritage. The history of
accomplishments in dance, drama and music is
equally formidable and impressive. The
classical dances still thrive in India,
especially in its major forms-the
Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kathak and Manipuri.
Traditional crafts and
textiles have been equally famous from times
ancient. They also served to carry forward
myths, legends, motifs and other aspects of a
culture peculiar to a region. Some famous
examples of the craft and art are the
warp-weft type of dyeing as seen in textiles
from Orissa (Ikkat), embroidery from Bengal
(Baluchari), Banarasi silk-brocade from
Varanasi.
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Literature
The literary tradition of
India consists of the greet body of Sanskrit,
Prakrit and Pali literature. The Samhitas and
Upanishads represent great works of
literature, sociology, philosophy and
religion. The treatises on medicine, science,
mathematics etc. of this period are also
significant. Of the epic literature, the
Mahabharata and the Ramayana are the foremost
examples. Descendants of Sanskrit language
like Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi have
also produced great literary works during
mediaeval period.
The Dravidian group of
languages, like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and
Malayalam have had their share of outstanding
literary works of the past, like the Kurals,
the Kaviraja-marga, Ramacharitram and
Mahabharata of Nannaya.
Much of ancient Indian
fiction consists of folk tales, which have
been narrated from generation to generation.
These represent myths, legends, stories of
adventure, anecdotes and jokes and are often
intended for moral edification. There is a
rich reservoir of literature which grew up
during the Muslim period, mostly on royal
dynasties, history, travelogue, legal systems
and mystical philosophy.
With the introduction of
Western and English education in India, many
Indians started to write in English. Their
literary work covered wide areas, from fiction
to poetry, philosophy, sociology, history,
drama, biography and art.
Great works written in
different Indian languages, have been highly
acclaimed and have won laurels all over the
world, including award of the Nobel prize in
literature for the famous book of poems,
Geetanjali by Rabindranath Tagore.
Dress
There is no strict uniformity
in dress, the styles varying from province to
province and from community to community. In
the North, men wear a loose type of pyjama and
kurta or shirt, while in the South and the
East they use dhotis. Most women usually wear
the sari, but the way it is worn varies from
place to place.
In India as elsewhere,
certain customs are observed in social
matters. When people are introduced to each
other they usually say "Namaste," which is the
most common form of greeting. The same form is
used at parting as well. Both the hands are
joined and raised in greeting. Some people
also shake hands and use the English form of
greeting like "Good Morning," "Good Afternoon"
and "Good Evening." Women do not generally
shake hands. |