Tradition, Culture and Issues Facing India Today Essay Example for Free

Tradition, Culture and Issues Facing India Today EssayIndia is know for their traditions and hospitality. Indian culture is very traditional and is motionlessness surviving in the modern era. They greet outsiders and elders annoy placing both palms together raised below the face. This is how they show their respect. According to Maps of India, a day in India starts with Surya Namaskar. mass offer water to the sun and chant prayers. Trees and animals argon worshipped. The mornings first meal is to the affright and the net meal is to the dog. During prayers they offer flower garlands to gods and goddesses.This ritual is introduce at an early mount and is an primal part of the education system in India. Three of the worlds major faith, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism originated from India. India is a lay state and the citizens have the right to choose their own religion. (India. 2009) (Cultural India. net)The culture in India is very old and odd with diverse cultures and ancient civilization. The oldest pilgrimage tradition and practice is found in India. Pilgrimage is deeply embedded in their cultural psyche and some of the pilgrimage sites are so large that the entire subcontinent may be regarded as a sacred place.The majority of Indian people do non rely in killing animals to eat so galore(postnominal) of them are vegetarians. Cows are considered to be stimulate and are non to be eaten. A typical meal is flavored with galore(postnominal) spices such as turmeric, coriander, chili, cumin and cardamom. (India. 2009)India is the worlds seventh largest country. It is also the second most populated country in the world. In India, more than 200 languages are spoken and forty percent speak Hindoo. The official language is Hindi and English. oer the past 20 years, agriculture and industry have largely expanded.India is one of the worlds top industrialized nations and worlds largest democracy. In India, 600 million people are eligible to vote. The cock-a-hoop literacy rate is 61 percent. Even though it is a fast growing electronics and telecommunications industry, India is still very developing and many live under the poverty line. According to the Indian Mirror, there is almost an equal number about of men and women. Half of these women are not educate. Because of westernization and approval of education women are now able to start getting their education. Despite its high illiteracy rate, their educational system is one of the best in the world.Physical education is also of high importance in India. They are noted for their skills in apprehension and math. (India. 2009)In India, most marriages are arranged by the parents. Marriage is placed among members of the analogous social group. The brides family has to hand a constituent to the groom and his family. The Hindu wedding ceremonys are very elaborate and the ceremonies and feastings chamberpot last for several(prenominal) days. According to Cultural India. net , The wedding is strictly observed according to ancient culture. A wedding in India is the coming together of two souls and bringing two families together.One of the most sacred customs is the secure of mangalsutra. It is a black and gold beaded necklace with a gold or diamond pendant. It carries great importance in Hindu weddings and in the lives of the married women. There are seven vows known as Saptadi which is performed on Mangalpheras. Magalpheras is the walking around the sacred fire. The vows and Manglapheras must be presumee in order for a wedding to be complete. According to Indian Mirror, in arranged marriages, the couple will acquaint themselves physic every last(predicate)y and and so discover each others personality.They will develop strong bonds of companionship that will last until death. The bride will live with her husbands family. Rarely do they get a room all for themselves. The bride will sleep with the women, and the groom will sleep with the men of the hou se. Several generations may share the same house. According to Indian mirror, their social system is based on the Joint Family System. The families are closely plain stitch with Grandfathers, fathers, sons and grandsons sharing the same spirit, tradition and property. Because of this, India has the lowest rate of divorces in the world. India. 2009)An Indian fair sex wears a sari. It is a bright colored silk or cotton that is very long and it is wrapped around the body and captive over the shoulder. The end of the sari is used to cover the head. The man wears a dhoti which is a cotton cloth that is wrapped around the waist and between the legs. (Azadindia. 2010) According to the Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI), there are octonary Indian states that have unequaler people than the 26 poorest African nations combined. The MPI is an assessment that is based upon critical factors such as education, health, ad deprivations.An alarming statistic and contemporary issue is that 1/ 3rd of the worlds poorest is in India. Over 75 percent of the population is living on less than $2 a day. (Azadindia. 2010) Men are the bread winners and women are to take care of the house hold and bear children. In India, a charwoman who works has to take care of the family and household duties as well. She will have to hand over her remuneration to her father, husband or her in-laws. Because of limited education and with technological advancements, this has resulted in retrenchment of women employees.Most women cannot or dont even consider upgrading their skills. It is easier to terminate a womans employment and rehire, so motherhood leave is out of the question. The working women are subjected to sexual harassment especially in the public transpose system. Men will take advantage of these circumstances to physically harass the women. It is especially difficult for the women if their stamp made sexual advances towards them. If the woman refuses these advances, life can be ma de very difficult for her. If the woman is promoted, others will attribute it to her giving sexual respects.These psychological pressures can lead to the woman quitting her job. (Azadindia. 2010) Women do not get equal treatment from infant stage to their old age when it comes to health. Since their health is of low priority, many women do not seek for help. The women in India are discriminated when it comes to treatment. For example, a man with the same condition would get first attention and treated first. It doesnt matter if the woman came from a rich family or not. Whether the family is poor or rich, parents are more concerned about the health of the boys than the girls.Because of this attitude, the woman of Indias health is disregard and in turn caused the women to ignore their health. (Azadindia. 2010) A very disturbing issue is the female feticide in India. According to the 2001 census of India, there has been a decline in the child sex ratio for the age group from 0-6 year s from 1991 to 2001. Reasons have varied from higher female mortality at a junior age due to neglect. The dismal numbers are a telling comment on the educated society that refuses to rid itself of its regressive male bias. Many families, rich or poor do not want a girl.They do not want to be burdened with having to pay a dowry to the groom. Although the government has stepped in to advocate a girls right to live, many families are still aborting if sex is found out to be a girl. This is an ongoing social and contemporary issue that exists in India. Because many Indian women have been unfairly treated, they can be categorized as a mortify group. In the past they have belonged to a lower class and subjected to the authority of another. Today even with democracy, many Indian women are still treated this way. Even though they themselves were treated unequally, most still favor the boys over the girls.Gender inequality can be attributed to its socio-economic and religious practices th at have resulted in a widely gap between the men and women in society. According to azadinida. org, the idea of how an Indian woman should behave can be traced back to rules laid down by Manu in 200 B. C. by a teenage girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house. In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead to her sons a woman must never be independent. Even though India is known for their hospitality, there is a silent social issue that has been brought to the rest of the world. India is a very traditional country, but India has displayed gender inequality in education, employment, health and life itself. This blessing, May you be the mother of a hundred sons. during Hindu weddings speaks volumes. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has stated, Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and construct good governance.