“Life in India and Life in USA” “Why are you going to live with your husband’s parents?” this was asked to me as I was about to enter the United States of America by an immigration officer at the airport. This day when I landed in USA I started to observe the difference between USA and India. If at the same time I would have been in India people would have frustrated me by asking a similar question but with a little difference “Why are you not going to live with your husband’s parents?” … would have been the probable question. In India, mostly families live in a joint environment that is all the children (especially the boys) stay with their parents when they grow-up or get married or have their own children. The thought behind this tradition is that once the son gets married he takes the responsibility of the house- hold finances and his wife takes the charge of the house-hold chores. Thus the parents retire giving up all their responsibilities. But this fact was not known by that officer because as soon as he was sixteen he probably would have moved out of his home to live an independent life and no one would have questioned him. The life here in USA is very independent. People even the family members do not interfere in someone’s personal life. One can dress as one wishes, eat whatever one want, live where ever one wants to. No one is held by social implications. This influences the family life. In Indian culture family is at the centre and an individual in a family can or may sacrifice one’s wishes for the sake of family. While in USA it is the individual’s wishes that are prominent. The other difference with which I probably would have to live with came across me with a breeze of chilly air. I arrived in US at the end of Jan... ... middle of paper ... ...ind of festivals and holidays, of-course one does not have weekend off in India. But as similar to here India also has the day to celebrate LORD KRISHNA’s birthday similar to CHRISTMAS which is JESUS CHRIST’s birthday. Moreover there is a New Year day which the next day of ‘DIWALI” the festival of lights. Indians also have an independence day that falls on August, 15 similar to American Independence day that is on July, 4. Also both these though being among the largest democracies of the world had housed various cultures, given home to different types of people but still maintained unity in diversity. It has been a year; I have been in United States. At first, I thought that were different from India considering the geographical climate, religion, culture, lifestyle, social-life. But still each of them is inter-dependent and preaches to the world the idea of unity.
Encountering struggles in life defines one’s character and speaks volumes about their strength, ambition, and flexibility. Through struggles, sacrifice, and tragedy, Junior in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, adapts to survive difficult situations and faces his problems head-on. As he makes life changing decisions, adapts to an unfamiliar culture, and finds himself amongst misery and heartbreak, Junior demonstrates resilience to overcome adversity and struggles.
A family is a group of people consisting of the parents and their children who live together and they are blood related. The family is always perceived as the basic social units whether they are living together in the same compound or at far distance but are closely related especially by blood. Therefore, the family unit has had a great influence on the growth and the character traits possessed by the children as they grow up and how they perceive the society they live in. the family also shapes the children to be able to relate well with other people that are not part of their family and with a good relationship it impacts to the peace achieved in country. This paper addresses the reasons as to why the family is considered the most important agent of socialization. It’s evident that families have changed over time and they have adopted different ways of living. This paper also tackles on the causes of the dramatic changes to the American family and what the changes are. Different people with different race, gender and preferences make the family unit and this makes the difference in marriages. This will also be discussed in this paper.
Mary Rowlandson’s “A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” and Benjamin Franklin’s “Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America” are two different perspectives based on unique experiences the narrators had with “savages.” Benjamin Franklin’s “Remarks Concerning the Savages…” is a comparison between the ways of the Indians and the ways of the Englishmen along with Franklin’s reason why the Indians should not be defined as savages. “A Narrative of the Captivity…” is a written test of faith about a brutally traumatic experience that a woman faced alone while being held captive by Indians. Mary Rowlandson views the Indians in a negative light due to the traumatizing and inhumane experiences she went through namely, their actions and the way in which they lived went against the religious code to which she is used; contrastingly, Benjamin Franklin sees the Indians as everything but savages-- he believes that they are perfect due to their educated ways and virtuous conduct.
In India, culture, tradition, and religion have an influence in every aspect of life from the food they eat, how they greet one another, and even how they marry. To Native Indians, there isn 't much that 's more important to them than their family and their culture, as shown by Mr. Kapasi 's surprise at the standoffish attitude of the Das parents(Lahiri, 450). The Das come from America where there is much less emphasis placed on family values and togetherness. The mother, Mrs. Das blatantly ignores her children, focusing instead on painting her fingernails(Lahiri, 451). The father is more concerned with talking to their driver, Mr. Kapasi, about the tour before his wife takes over the conversation clearly taking an interest in Kapasi and his work as a translator and interpreter(Lahiri, 452). The children are rowdy and talk back to their parents while allowing their attention to wander. In India, this sort of behavior, that of the parents and the children alike, would be frowned upon desperately and the entire family may be excommunicated from the community. India parents are taught to be strict, yet attentive to their children. If a child addresses their parent, the parent is obligated to reply to them, even if it is to scold them. Also, children are taught to be respectful of their parents at all times, even after they become parents themselves. A Native-born
Kumar. "Personal Life, Comfort, Enjoyment in America Vs. India." RedBus2US RSS. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. .
...as a very important day. Diwali; the word itself meaning “row of lights,” is another prominent Hindu holiday and occurs on what we know as New Year Eve—December 31st. It is a festival lights in which last for a five days. The lighting of candles signifies the welcoming of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Gambling is a norm on Diwali as it is seen as a way of assuring good luck for the upcoming year. The fourth day of Diwali is especially significant as it is the beginning of the lunar month of Karttika. On this particular day many celebrate religious customs to signify the New Year according to the Vikrama calendar (“Religion Facts,”n.p).
How American culture is different from Indian culture and what are pros and cons of both cultures.
In the Indian culture, marriage is different from another culture's point of view. In the film Ravi decides to break a two year relationship from an American woman before he attended his family trip to India, which coincides with
The culture of India is very unique, beautiful, and one of the oldest ones. The culture of India is very diverse. Take the north and south regions of India, they are totally different. Indian festivals are put into categories by their color, gaiety, enthusiasm, prayers, an rituals. India’s culture is very beautiful, colorful, and magical. It is also very original. Indian’s culture is the true meaning of amazing and graceful. (“Indian Culture.” WhereInCity)
Additionally, Garcia Coll and Trawick Smith state, “Asian Indian parents are faced with the issue of rearing their children in a culture very dissimilar to their own, and with trying to help them retain their cultural identity while at the same time fitting into the larger society” (Coll, 1996; Smith 1997; 408). This signifies how many Indian parents are limiting their parenting style, so their children can fit within the society. Commonly, there is a saying about how Indian parents are always doing the best for their
India sits in the middle of the scale and can be considered both individualistic and collective. There is great need for belonging to a bigger social framework. In Indian culture family is highly stressed. They strive to increase and preserve their family’s riches, by working hard in order to maintain the family’s dignity and insure the longevity of their offspring.. On the other hand the individualistic aspects of Indian culture are influenced by the major religion in India, which is Hinduism. Hindus believe in reincarnation where past lives are seen as affecting and determining the present life, as a result of this individuals are responsible for how they live their lives and how that will impact their next lives. Since aspects of both individualism and collectivism are present, India scores intermediately in this dimension. (Cultural tools, n.d.)
Siva, Manu. Difference in Cultural Values. India Today (20) 3. 45-48 Retrieved April 03, 2006
In this short story the protagonist is a newly married Indian woman who is attending a party with her husband’s western friends. Throughout the short story the reader senses her anxiety of being introduced to people who are not as conservative as her. “She longed for the sanctuary of the walled home from which marriage had promised an adventurous escape. Each restricting rule became a guiding stone marking a safe path through unknown dangers” ("The First Party"). In this quote, the narrator explains how the Indian woman did not feel comfortable or at ease with this new world she had been introduced too. She fiend to be back home but because of her tie that she made to this man through marriage she is in her mind, stuck with him. In addition to her anxiety of being with non-conservative woman, who drank, smoked, dressed provocatively, and had painted nails, the protagonist grew angry in her own head. “She had been so sure of herself in her contempt and her anger, confident of the righteousness of her beliefs, deep-based on generations-old foundations” ("The First Party"). Is this the way that the Indian people reacted to British colonialism? The things that western people found normal, was this disrespectful to the Indian people. The protagonist surely thought it was and was certain that her anger was not misplaced. She felt as her anger was a sign of her strong faith. She came to the realization that her husband was someone who would challenge her beliefs but above all she knew that her beliefs state that her life must be one with his (“The First Party”). This realization must be heartbreaking, to realize that one 's comfort is not found in their life partner. The protagonist was raised to believe that her life must be one with her husband, that she is
As a secular country India enjoys a population of diverse cultures, languages and traditions. Due to this the country celebrates lots of festivals from different wings of the population.
India, before 1947, was a country divided by many regions, languages, religions and cultures. On August 14th, 1947, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan became independent. On August 15th, 1947, the jewel of the British Empire, India, was granted independence. India had been divided, primarily along a religious line, into two pieces.