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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.
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