India's Culture
India's cuisine is as rich and diverse as her people. The spectrum of
Indian cuisine can be said to lie between two dietary extremes:
vegetarianism and meat-eating.
India is well-known for its tradition of vegetarianism which has a
history spanning more than two millennia. However, this was not always
the case. During the Vedic period (1500-500 BC), the priestly castes
sacrificed animals to appease and gain boons from the gods, after
which the flesh was consumed. But the trend of meat-eating shifted
with the times. In fact, only the meat of a sacrificed animal was
considered food. But at the beginning of the Epic period (c.l000- 800
BC), this meat was said to be common food that added vigour not only
to the body but also to the mind.
However not all Brahmins are vegetarians. A classic example would be
the Kashmiri Brahminss who continue to pride themselves on their
mutton dishes. There are also the Brahmins of Bengal who eat fish.
Thus vegetarianism became more linked with the cuisines of southern
India rather than the north.
This general demarcation in food patterns persists in present-day
India and can be explained. As India has been the crossroads of many
peoples and cultures over centuries, foreign elements have regularly
seep into its cooking culture, sometin1es displacing or modifying
local cuisines. One such foreign influence was the Muslims from
western Asia whose culture swept across much of northern India in the
16th century. The invasion brought changes in many aspects of everyday
life in India, including the palates of the Indian people which became
tempered by a foreign taste.
Muslim infiltration into the subcontinent caused a gastronomic
revolution. In fact, it created a marriage between the non-vegetarian
fare of the Middle East and the rich gravies that were indigenous to
India, creating what is known as Mughlai cuisine. Spices were added to
cream and butter, rice was cooked with meat, and dishes were garnished
with almonds, pistachios, cashews and raisins. India was also
introduced to kebabs and pilafs (or pulaos).
There is also the Hindu tradition, where a meatless way of life has gone on for thousands of years (until the invasion by foreign rule,...
Indian cuisine encompasses a wide variety of foods from all over. Given the range of diversity in soil type and climate, these cuisines vary significantly from each other. They also try and use locally available spices, vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Indian food is also heavily influenced by religious and cultural choices and traditions. In Western India the climate is tropical wet and dry, and has a lot of deserts and coast lines. This region produces barley, wheat, corn, fish and coconut milk. In Northern India the climate is a temperate climate, though cool winters, hot summers and moderate monsoons are the general pattern. This region is a prime region for rice growing, although wheat production overshadows that of rice. East India is significantly influenced by the large amount water and waterways in the area. The climate is tropical and every summer brings monsoons. This area is known for having fish as a common ingredient as well as rice, and different root vegetables. Southern India has a tropical climate that dictates the food here, such as tropical fruits, vegetables, rice, and many spices. A vast majority of this population is highly religious, which also dictates what is eaten here. Many of the people in this area are devoutly Hindu, which in turn make them vegetarians.
When I was young, my parents introduced to me to the world using a very black and white approach. Everything was labelled as either right or wrong, good or bad with nothing in between. At the same time, I was exposed to two different cultures, two ways of life: One, my Indian culture and heritage handed down to me by parents, and the other, the American culture that embodied my peers and surroundings. My black and white approach to thinking led me to believe that I had to choose one culture, being a part of both was not an option in my mind.
Culture can be defined as customary beliefs or ways of an origin. Characteristics that can define culture are that culture is learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated and is dynamic (EarthLink). Culture is something that can be passed down from generation to generation, it is not inherited or in our genes. We are taught culture from everyone around us and being taught culture means we will share it as well. Starting from young ages, elders of family and friends share their experiences and knowledge of the culture. Symbols can be different from all other cultures. All symbols have meaning behind them such as their language, artistic pieces and in some cases, currency. Integration of culture is known as holism, or the various parts of culture being interconnected (EarthLink). Every aspect of culture must all be learned to understand the complete meaning within the culture. Not everything within a culture can stay the same, it can adapt to the new times and changes within the society.
The world is affected by culture, and in many countries if not all, base their ways of life around culture. For example, English culture influences kids in England to be proper, speak properly, and also eat properly. This is the case with many countries around the world. Many cultures teach young children to respect other’s way of life, to co-exist peacefully with different people, and also influence what we eat, the way we talk and pronounce things, and how we perceive things.
Huge population, pollution, peace, snakes, saris, dance, curry, and religion are probably the most popular words that come up when we think about India. India is a well-known country. Although it is a relatively poor country, it has a rich and diverse culture. India is populated by approximately 953 million people. It has been a home for many religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Islam and Christianity. The first four mentioned above originated in India (Finegan 151). Seventy percent of the populations are Hindus. In fact, Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion in the world. Hinduism has deeply influenced Indian society, for several reasons: it has a long history in this place, it is related to the social status of Indians, and it is integrated with the cultural aspects in India.
It is a traditional piece of ornament in Assam. This is a special pair of bangles usually made of silver but it is available in gold too and beautiful floral patterns are inscribed on it. In olden days, the silver gaamkharu was worn by men folk but with the passing of time, women started wearing them too. Today, we can only see women wear gaamkharu on occasions like marriage, bihu, etc.
India is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the world's largest/ populated democracy in the world. It is among the strongest ‘new nations’ of the world and its sustained democratic freedoms are the most unique in the world. But due to the development of the human mind in the modern 21st generation, lots of questions are being asked about the country. A few of them are to understand the development of the country, but the other questions are basically misconceptions or stereotypes about India.
The way someone is raised will be the way they view others and the different pieces of society.There are some key factors that change your view on society and that is Culture!
of Maladies Kiran Desai (Desai) and Jhumpa Lahiri (Lahiri) are of Indian descent. However, they
Vasco da Gama landed at Calicut, sailing via the Cape of Good Hope in 1498. This marked the beginning of
The mind and heart are common terms personifying intellectual and spiritual characteristics. The mind illustrates the current state of what it describes and the heart describes the undying features of which is portrayed. The mind may change depending on influence but the heart is fixed. These regards, the Indian mind and heart may take on many forms.
When in 1978 Edward W. Said published his book Orientalism, it presented a turning point in post-colonial criticism. He introduced the term Orientalism, and talked about 2 of its aspects: the way the West sees the Orient and the way the West controls the Orient. Said gave three definitions of Orientalism, and it is through these definitions that I will try to demonstrate how A Passage to India by E. M. Forster is an Orientalist text. First, Said defined Orientalism as an academic discipline, which flourished in 18th and 19th century.
There are over 1 billion residents in India, a country that is a little over one million two hundred thousand square miles. India first started out as several thousand different Indian tribes living within their own smaller societies. Britain took over India and made it into a unified empire. Britain had control of India all the way until 1930 when the Indian National Congress officially declared their independence. All of these characteristics lead India to have very specific religions, material and non-material cultures, as well as norms, folkways, values, and social structure.
The British invasion formed into a historical development of British colonialism in India. Despite India under the British rule, Mahatma Gandhi played an important role in gaining Independence. He not only changed India but also strongly fought for India's independence, using various strategies. The British Empire ruled as long as they could to reform India both politically and socially.