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Indian Culture
Family Life
Families are very important in India. Parents usually have 3 or 4 children, but to curb population growth the government has tried to limit that number to 2. Fathers are usually the heads of the family. Corporal punishment is common. In fact, in Gujarati we have a saying that translates as, “Hit your children with a stick and then they will study.” This actually sounds a lot worse than it is; most Indian children just accept this kind of discipline as a part of life. It is also very important to respect our elders. They have a special place in the community because they are regarded as wise. We often live with members of our extended family. Because India has such a large population, 14 or 15 family members may live together in one house. Here in the U.S. it is strange to be without our large families. The house seems very quiet without aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.
Beliefs
India is a very religiously diverse country. The major religions are Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and Buddhism. Over 80% of Indians are Hindu. Indians actually call our country Bharat after a very important Hindu king. The most popular Hindu holidays include Diwali, Holi, and Onam. About 16% of the population is Muslim. Most people don’t realize that India has the third largest Muslim population in the world, after Indonesia and Pakistan. Sikhs make up about 2% of the population. Traditionally Sikhs do not cut their hair, since they believe people must not do anything to alter the natural state in which God created them. Sikhs cover their long hair with a turban.
Language
India has 122 languages, including 27 main languages. Hindi is the national language and it is the native language of 30% of the people. Other official languages include Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Sindhi. Hindi and Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, are so similar that speakers of one can easily understand and speak the other. However, the written forms of these two languages are very different. As a result of the long period of British colonization, English, which all students have to learn in school, is often used for political and business communication.
Dress
Since India is so large and diverse, traditional dress is different throughout the country. People in the warmer parts of India wear cooler clothing than those in the north. Khadi is a handspun fabric made of cotton, wool, or silk, and it keeps people warm during the winter and cool during the summer. Everyone is familiar with the sari for women and the dhoti for men. The sari is a very colorful wrap that can be worn in many different styles. Married Hindu women wear bindi, a dot of red color on their forehead between their eyes. Red symbolizes love, and often the husband will place the bindi on the wife’s forehead when the couple gets married. Although Indian children wear uniforms to school, in their free time they dress more casually. Both boys and girls wear jersey shirts and shorts or pants. If the family is more traditional, girls may wear dresses instead of pants.
Food
Food is an important part of Indian culture. The type of food that people eat depends on the region where they live. In the south, people eat a lot of fish and rice. They use a lot of spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg and fruit like coconut since these ingredients are readily available. In the north, people eat meat and roti, a kind of bread made from wheat flour. Indians eat spicy chutneys and curries, as well as dairy products like yogurt, milk, and ghee (clarified butter). Other popular dishes include dal (spicy chickpeas) and samosa (fried dough stuffed with potatoes, peas, and spices). Religion plays an important role in what people eat. Most Hindus are strictly vegetarian. Of course, they do not eat beef. Cows are regarded as sacred in India because they give sacrifice for humans by providing us with milk throughout our lives. In fact, the sale of beef is banned in some Indian cities. Muslims don’t eat pork and they must eat specially prepared halal meat. Muslims and most Hindus don’t drink alcohol. Tea and milk are the most popular beverages.
Recreation
Cricket is the most popular sport in India. In some states football, which Americans call soccer, is also a popular sport. Tennis is starting to become more popular in India too. Most people love to play showdo, or chess, which originated in India. Kabbadi is a team sport which is kind of like a combination of tag and wrestling. It could even be compared to a really intense version of the American game “Red Rover”, but kabaddi is definitely not just for children. Indian children love to fly kites, especially from their rooftops. Sometimes they create fighter kites designed to cut the string of their rivals’ kites. Each year a special kite festival called Utirayan is held on January 14, the day that Indians mark as the beginning of the end of winter. On this day people fly colorful kites all day long. Indians also like to watch movies. Bollywood, which is the center of India’s film industry in Mumbai, produces more than 10 times the number of films as Hollywood each year! Bollywood films include a lot of singing, dancing, and fighting.
