Indian Culture vs Western Culture
There has been a lot of talk going on about the difference between Indian culture and Western culture. It is for sure that these two cultures differ to a great extent. Indian culture is said to be one of the oldest cultures in the world. On the other hand, Western culture is almost a kind of modern culture. The differences between these two cultures can be emphasized when studying the religion, family, clothing, food, language, music and other aspects which contribute to the formation of the culture of the country. Through this article, we will comprehend the differences that contribute to the contrasting features of these two cultures, while gaining an understanding of the uniqueness of each culture.
What is Indian Culture?
The Indian culture consists of various rituals, customs, values, lifestyles, and even caste systems. With a single country, the diversity that exists is gigantic. The Indian culture consist of a number of religions, namely, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism, Sikhism, and Christianity. There are a number of languages in different parts of the country such as Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu, etc. Indian cuisine is also very much different to Western cuisine, especially with the emphasis on spices. Indians pay more attention to the lunch part of the day. They have a heavier meal during the day followed by a light dinner. Etiquette in terms of manners and the way of dressing too differ between the two cultures. Indians do not wear revealing dresses. Most women prefer to wear saris or kurta tops. Since India has a collective culture, family life is given prime importance. There were big joint families in the past and are in present times too. When paying attention to the marital life, Indian culture does not encourage the concepts of multiple partners and nudity. Most marriages are arranged marriages; however this trend is now changing where Indian youth have more freedom to choose the partner that they prefer. The involvement of the family and their approval is given a high position even today. When it comes to modern trends along with globalization such as night clubs and social gatherings of the sort, Indian culture does not approve social mixing and night club entertainment. In India, there are various dance forms that highlight not only the diversity but also the artistic capacity and exoticism. Some of the dances are Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Yakshagana and other dances.
What is Western Culture?
Western culture is characterized by new philosophies and methodologies. In fact, Western culture has an altogether new approach to problems of life. Western culture differs from the Indian culture in several aspects such as food habits, etiquette, code of conduct, family, marital life, social life, and religious life to mention a few areas. In the Western culture, the main religion that is being practiced is Christianity. Languages such as English, French, German, Spanish are some of the languages spoken in West. When speaking of clothing, the denims, dresses, blazers, trousers and skirts are some of the clothes are being clad by the people. Even in terms of food, the West differs greatly from the Indian culture as the usage of spices is limited. The Western way gives more importance to the dinner aspect unlike in the Indian culture. They have a heavy dinner and a light lunch. Western culture does not boast joint family life as they encourage an individualistic approach. Western culture also does not say anything against multiple partners and nudity and social mixing and night club entertainment is quite common in the Western culture. These highlight that between the Indian and Western culture there are a number of differences. Let us summarize the differences in the following manner.
What is the Difference Between Indian Culture and Western Culture?
- Indian culture is a collective one whereas the Western culture is individualistic.
- The Indian culture consist of a number of religions, namely, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism, Sikhism and Christianity whereas, in the western culture, it is mostly Christianity.
- In the Indian culture, there is a range of languages such as Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu, etc. whereas, in the Western culture, the languages are English, French, German, Spanish, etc.
- Indians pays more attention to the lunch part of the day have a heavier meal during the day followed by a light dinner whereas the Western way gives more importance to the dinner aspect unlike in the Indian culture. They have a heavy dinner and a light lunch.
- When paying attention to the marital life, Indian culture does not encourage the concepts of multiple partners and nudity. Western culture also does not say anything against multiple partners and nudity.
Image Courtesy:
1. “HinduMarriageIndia” by ricardo.martins[CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
2. “Aerobarmiami” by Pod talk [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons