Tradition, Culture and Issues Facing India Today Essay Example for Free

Tradition, Culture and Issues Facing India Today Essay India is known for their traditions and hospitality. Indian culture is very traditional and is still surviving in the modern era. They greet outsiders and elders buy placing both palms together raised below the face. This is how they show their respect. According to Maps of India, a day in India starts with Surya Namaskar. People offer water to the sun and chant prayers. Trees and animals are worshipped. The morning’s first meal is to the cow and the last meal is to the dog. During prayers they offer flower garlands to gods and goddesses. This ritual is embedded at an early age and is an important part of the education system in India. Three of the world’s major faith, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism originated from India. India is a secular state and the citizens have the right to choose their own religion. (India. 2009) (Cultural India. net)The culture in India is very old and unique with diverse cultures and ancient civilization. The oldest pilgrimage tradition and practice is found in India. Pilgrimage is deeply embedded in their cultural psyche and some of the pilgrimage sites are so large that the entire subcontinent may be regarded as a sacred place. The majority of Indian people do not believe in killing animals to eat so many of them are vegetarians. Cows are considered to be scared and are not to be eaten. A typical meal is flavored with many spices such as turmeric, coriander, chili, cumin and cardamom. (India. 2009)India is the world’s seventh largest country. It is also the second most populated country in the world. In India, more than 200 languages are spoken and forty percent speak Hindi. The official language is Hindi and English. Over the past 20 years, agriculture and industry have largely expanded. India is one of the world’s top industrialized nations and world’s largest democracy. In India, 600 million people are eligible to vote. The adult literacy rate is 61 percent. Even though it is a fast growing electronics and telecommunications industry, India is still very underdeveloped and many live under the poverty line. According to the Indian Mirror, there is almost an equal number about of men and women. Half of these women are not educated. Because of westernization and approval of education women are now able to start getting their education. Despite its high illiteracy rate, their educational system is one of the best in the world. Physical education is also of high importance in India. They are noted for their skills in science and math. (India. 2009)In India, most marriages are arranged by the parents. Marriage is placed among members of the same social group. The bride’s family has to pay a dowry to the groom and his family. The Hindu weddings are very elaborate and the ceremonies and feastings can last for several days. According to Cultural India. net, The wedding is strictly observed according to ancient culture. A wedding in India is the coming together of two souls and bringing two families together. One of the most sacred customs is the tying of mangalsutra. It is a black and gold beaded necklace with a gold or diamond pendant. It carries great importance in Hindu weddings and in the lives of the married women. There are seven vows known as Saptadi which is performed along Mangalpheras. Magalpheras is the walking around the sacred fire. The vows and Manglapheras must be done in order for a wedding to be complete. According to Indian Mirror, in arranged marriages, the couple will acquaint themselves physically and then discover each other’s personality. They will develop strong bonds of companionship that will last until death. The bride will live with her husband’s family. Rarely do they get a room all for themselves. The bride will sleep with the women, and the groom will sleep with the men of the house. Several generations may share the same house. According to Indian mirror, their social system is based on the Joint Family System. â€Å"The families are closely knit with Grandfathers, fathers, sons and grandsons sharing the same spirit, tradition and property. † Because of this, India has the lowest rate of divorces in the world. India. 2009)An Indian woman wears a sari. It is a bright colored silk or cotton that is very long and it is wrapped around the body and draped over the shoulder. The end of the sari is used to cover the head. The man wears a dhoti which is a cotton cloth that is wrapped around the waist and between the legs. (Azadindia. 2010) According to the Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI), there are eight Indian states that have poorer people than the 26 poorest African nations combined. The MPI is an assessment that is based upon critical factors such as education, health, ad deprivations. An alarming statistic and contemporary issue is that 1/3rd of the world’s poorest is in India. Over 75 percent of the population is living on less than $2 a day. (Azadindia. 2010) Men are the bread winners and women are to take care of the house hold and bear children. In India, a woman who works has to take care of the family and household duties as well. She will have to hand over her salary to her father, husband or her in-laws. Because of limited education and with technological advancements, this has resulted in retrenchment of women employees. Most women cannot or don’t even consider upgrading their skills. It is easier to terminate a woman’s employment and rehire, so maternity leave is out of the question. The working women are subjected to sexual harassment especially in the public transport system. Men will take advantage of these circumstances to physically harass the women. It is especially difficult for the women if their boss made sexual advances towards them. If the woman refuses these advances, life can be made very difficult for her. If the woman is promoted, others will attribute it to her giving sexual favors. These psychological pressures can lead to the woman quitting her job. (Azadindia. 2010) Women do not get equal treatment from infant stage to their old age when it comes to health. Since their health is of low priority, many women do not seek for help. The women in India are discriminated when it comes to treatment. For example, a man with the same condition would get first attention and treated first. It doesn’t matter if the woman came from a rich family or not. Whether the family is poor or rich, parents are more concerned about the health of the boys than the girls. Because of this attitude, the woman of India’s health is ignored and in turn caused the women to ignore their health. (Azadindia. 2010) A very disturbing issue is the female feticide in India. According to the 2001 census of India, there has been a decline in the child sex ratio for the age group from 0-6 years from 1991 to 2001. Reasons have varied from higher female mortality at a younger age due to neglect. The dismal numbers are a telling comment on the educated society that refuses to rid itself of its regressive male bias. † Many families, rich or poor do not want a girl. They do not want to be burdened with having to pay a dowry to the groom. Although the government has stepped in to advocate a girl’s right to live, many families are still aborting if sex is found out to be a girl. This is an ongoing social and contemporary issue that exists in India. Because many Indian women have been unfairly treated, they can be categorized as a subordinate group. In the past they have belonged to a lower class and subjected to the authority of another. Today even with democracy, many Indian women are still treated this way. Even though they themselves were treated unequally, most still favor the boys over the girls. Gender inequality can be attributed to its socio-economic and religious practices that have resulted in a wide gap between the men and women in society. According to azadinida. org, the idea of how an Indian woman should behave can be traced back to rules laid down by Manu in 200 B. C. : â€Å"by a young girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house. In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead to her sons; a woman must never be independent. Even though India is known for their hospitality, there is a silent social issue that has been brought to the rest of the world. India is a very traditional country, but India has displayed gender inequality in education, employment, health and life itself. This blessing, â€Å"May you be the mother of a hundred sons. † during Hindu weddings speaks volumes. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has stated, Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.