Indias Location, Its Culture Economic and Social Features - Essay Example

All about India and Section # of All about India This Paper discusses the research and interview findings from an Indian person about his country. The paper focuses on India's location, its culture and other economic and social features. It then marks out any differences between the research conducted and the personal experience. Introduction One of the key features of globalization is the interaction of people from different backgrounds having diverse cultures, beliefs, traditions and values. People differ in many aspects like age, gender, ethnic group, skills, ideas, religion etc. These differences influence the way they behave, make decisions, and organize work and how they communicate. The cultural differences can cause serious misunderstanding and hamper the way towards building healthy professional and business relationships. Thus it is highly important that before initiating any cross cultural relationship that the differences are understood and respected. Purpose and Methodology The purpose of this paper is to gain awareness and skills in dealing with global diversity. The objective was achieved by doing research about an international country and interviewing a person from that place. A lot of information was gained about the country's location, its people, culture, economy and lifestyle. The country chosen in this case is India. Research and Interview Findings Geographic Location India occupies a strategic position in Asia. It is the seventh largest country in the world by area and second largest by population. It lies in the Southern part of Asia with Arabian Sea on its West, Bay of Bengal to its East and Indian Ocean in South. The country shares borders with China (north-east), Pakistan (west), Bangladesh (in east), Nepal (north-east), and Sri Lanka (south). The Himalayas with highest mountain peak in the world also line the northern part of India. The two important rivers that originate from Himalayas and flow through India are River Indus and Ganges. The River Ganges is the largest in India and has an important cultural and religious value attached to it. (Kwintessential) Culture and Customs India has a rich and diverse culture which has been shaped by its interesting history. Starting from the Indus Valley Civilization to the British Rule, India has been a land to many ancient civilizations each with their unique culture and traditions. This history makes India diverse in terms of religions, languages, cultural practices and customs. The Indian culture consists of strict social hierarchy commonly known as caste system. This caste system which separates people into communities based on their family background, education and income, is deeply rooted in India. In India the family system carries great value with many living as extended families. The extended family system creates a hierarchy of relationships with the most elder member as the head of the family making all important decisions and requires deep respect of elders. That is why the when the young greets an elder person of the society, they touch their feet as a symbol of respect and blessing. (Kwintessential) Also when meeting each other, Indians greet by saying "Namaste" accompanied by slightly bowed gesture with hands pressed together vertically in front of chest. Moreover Arranged marriages are preferred in India with the parents and other family members planning the marriage. Mostly the marriages are planned among the same communities. Indians have great concern for their families and relatives and tend to adjust their plans and goals that would satisfy the people around them. They have strong family values and engage in long term relationships with true commitment. Weddings are a grand affair in India lasting for weeks and even months for some families. Birth and death ceremonies are also held with great fervor consisting of various rituals that last for many days. Diwali is the biggest festival celebrated in India to pay respect to their Gods. Other popular festivals include holi, rakshabandi, basant and several harvest festivals. The Muslim community in India celebrates two Eids and Ramazan (Holy month). Similarly the Sikh community also has their own festivals. Indians are reserved and indirect in communication. They find it difficult to say "No" and say "Yes" even if they are not sure that they can fulfill commitment. Indians think the refusing someone would create a negative impact so they tend to use words that would please others. Also Indians tend to pre assume things and avoid asking too many questions for clarification. They like to follow formal procedures and make decisions keeping in mind their culture and family values and thus are more dependent on their families. (kwintessentail) Indians are more relaxed in terms of time and meeting deadlines. Time is not very important with them and they do not mind delays in their work. Indians on the other hand are very formal and follow the correct procedures to do work efficiently. They are more people oriented so their work attitude and practices are planned around people and are such that will please everyone around them. Employment Scenario India is an agrarian economy with large number of people employed in this field. These workers consist mainly of people from low income families and are mostly illiterate and unskilled. About 90% of the labor force works as agricultural workers. Majority of these workers earn little wages barely enough to support their large families and are thus living below the poverty line. Looking at the brighter side there has been immense technological advancements in India. Many foreign firms are outsourcing their IT activities to India especially computer programming and call centers. This has created new employment opportunities in India and has created demand for educated and skilled workforce. The annual income for an average Indian household is about $400-500. Travel and Transportation There are two major forms of transport in India- public and private. The public transport includes buses, rail, cabs and auto rickshaws. These are used to move within or across cities. Air routes connect different cities in India. There are also international air routes that connect India with rest of the world. Buses constitute the major part of the public transport as they are cheap and convenient. In remote villages traditional bullock carts and horses are still used as a mean of transportation. High traffic population in India is a critical problem. Due to increasing population, the number of vehicles on the roads is also increasing causing massive traffic jams and pollution. Buildings The beauty of India lies in its buildings that reflect its glorious history. One of the most valuable pieces of history is the Taj Mahal in Agra which is also considered to be one the Seven Wonders of the World. This mausoleum was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife. The Taj Mahal is a masterpiece reflecting the rich Muslim art. Another famous building is the Red Fort in Delhi. This was also built to mark the shifting to India's capital to Delhi from Agra. As the name suggests, the building has been constructed with red sandstone bricks and mirror the true Mughal heritage. Apart from these there are other various monuments that reflect the Indian heritage and culture. Moreover the modern time has seen a rise in splendid skyscrapers mainly located in capital Mumbai. Religion The people in India are very religious. Religion forms an important part on India's culture. Although India is a blend of various religions but Hinduism is widely practiced. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. The concept of God in this religion is very complex. Hindus believe in rebirth that is the soul of dead moves to another body which may be born again in any form. Many Hindus worship daily at homes or temples. Buddhism is also commonly followed and is based on devoting oneself to God by long meditations. Sikhism, Christianity and Islam are also followed in India. (Gupte) Cuisine The importance of food in India's culture can be determined by the fact that popularity of Indian spices and herbs resulted in European seeking trade routes in India. Indian cuisine consists of variety of dishes made up of various herbs. Majority of Indians are vegetarians and do not eat beef as cow is a sacred animal in Hindu religion. The non vegetarians prefer chicken, fish or lamb meat. Many Indian festivals revolve around the wide assortment of dishes lavishly displayed. (kwintessential) Media The print media is widely popular in India making it the second largest market for newspaper. The popular newspaper published in India is "The Times of India". There are other various newspapers, gazettes, journals and magazines published in English, Hindi and other local languages. "All India Radio "is also popular media in India as many people are illiterate and cannot afford newspapers. The Indian Television channels are widely viewed across the world. Moreover the Indian Film Industry- Bollywood - is most popular industry in the world earning trillions of revenue each year. Role of Men and Women Women in India are not given the status that they deserve and often a discriminatory attitude is shown for them. The role of women in Indian society is to serve their husbands and take care of home and kids. Many Indians do not prefer women working outside home. Men on the other hand are authoritative over their spouses and make all important decisions in the family. (Gupte) Education India being a developing nation lacks educational infrastructure. More than half of the population lives below poverty line and have no access to education. However India is making a lot of efforts to increase primary education. It is also famous for producing outstanding professionals in IT field. Numerous IT institutes are providing world class education. Moreover the India has its own education boards but a lot of schools follow international standards like British O and A level system. The attitude of Indians towards learning is that they focus on memorizing stuff. Their idea is that hard work is the key to success unlike Americans who tend to do smart work. The students in Indian schools are not encouraged to express their ideas but to rather respect the opinions of their teachers and parents. Infrastructure India is a large country and therefore some of its parts have well developed infrastructure while other parts represent a bleak image. The Power situation is not very good and people suffer from outages several times. The power grids are overloaded to meet the increasing demand of large population. Roads also offer a poor image. Majority of India's population lack the access to clean water. Technology Although India is a developing country, it has been progressing tremendously in the field of technology. India's state Banglore is similar to Silicon Valley where IT professionals engage in research about latest technologies and their implementation. Indian software industry is one of the largest in the world earning billions of revenue. Most of the foreign IT jobs are outsourced to India. Personal Experience According to the research the family system in India is much extended with everyone living under one roof. However with changing times, nuclear families have emerged as in western culture. Moreover the role of women is no longer a deprived one. Many women in India are now educated and are fighting for their rights. Most of them also work to support themselves and their families. The Indian culture that did not allow mingling of men and women in public is now an old concept. People are free to meet each other in public. It was also assumed that Indians might face difficulty communicating due to language barriers but during the interview it was realized that Indians can speak English very well with some accent differences however. Conclusion Appreciating different cultures results in respect for others differences. It enriches one with different world views and philosophies. The study of differences can avoid conflicts and lead to healthy relationships in future. References Website Kamakshi Gupte.Culture of India. Retrieved July 4, 2009, from http://www.indianchild.com/culture%20_1.htm Kwintessentail. India - Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette. Retrieved July 4, 2009, from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/india-country-profile.html Read More