1. General Characteristics of Culture
1.1. Culture is shared by a group of people
1.1.1. A thought or action may be called culture if it is shared and believed or practiced by a group of people.
1.2. Culture is cumulative
1.2.1. Different knowledge embodied in culture can be passed from one generation to another generation.
1.3. Culture changes
1.3.1. There is knowledge, thoughts or traditions that are lost as new cultural traits are added.
1.4. Culture is dynamic
1.4.1. No culture remains on the permanent state. Culture is changing constantly as new ideas and new techniques are added as time passes modifying or changing the old ways.
1.5. Culture gives us a range of permissible behaviour patterns
1.5.1. It involves how an activity should be conducted, how an individual should act appropriately.
1.6. Culture is diverse
1.6.1. It is a system that has several mutually interdependent parts. Although these parts are separate, they are interdependent with one another forming culture as whole.
1.7. Culture is learned and acquired
1.7.1. Culture is acquired in the sense that there are certain behaviours which are acquired through heredity.
2. Importance of Culture in Human Life
2.1. Culture is closely linked with life. It is not an add-on, an ornament that we as human beings can use it is not merely a touch of colour it is what makes us human. Without culture, there would be no humans.
3. Characteristics of Indian culture
3.1. Traditional Indian culture, in its overall thrust towards the spiritual, promotes moral values and the attitudes of generosity, simplicity and frugality.
3.1.1. A Cosmic Vision
3.1.1.1. The framework of Indian culture places human beings within a conception of the universe as a divine creation.
3.1.2. Sense of Harmony
3.1.2.1. Indian philosophy and culture tries to achieve an innate harmony and order and this is extended to the entire cosmos.
3.1.3. Tolerance
3.1.3.1. An important characteristic of Indian culture is tolerance. In India, tolerance and liberalism is found for all religions, castes, communities, etc.
3.1.4. Continuity and Stability
3.1.4.1. The principles of Indian culture are today also that much in practice, as they were initially.
3.1.5. Adaptability
3.1.5.1. Adaptability has a great contribution in making Indian culture immortal. Adaptability is the process of changing according to time, place and period.
3.1.6. Receptivity
3.1.6.1. Receptivity is an important characteristic of Indian culture. Indian culture has always accepted the good of the invading cultures.
3.1.7. Spirituality
3.1.7.1. Spirituality is the soul of Indian culture. Here the existence of soul is accepted.
3.1.8. Religious Dominance
3.1.8.1. Religion has a central place in Indian culture. Vedas, Upanishads, Purana, Mahabharata, Gita, Agama, Tripitak, Quran and Bible affect the people of Indian culture.
3.1.9. Thoughts about Karma and Reincarnation
3.1.9.1. The concept of Karma (action) and Reincarnation have special importance in Indian culture.
3.1.10. Emphasis on Duty
3.1.10.1. As against rights, Indian culture emphasises dharma or moral duty.
3.1.11. The Ideal of Joint Family
3.1.11.1. At the level of marriage, there is a lot of plurality in India. At the level of family, however, there is striking similarity.
3.1.12. Caste System
3.1.12.1. Another characteristic of Indian culture is social stratification. In every region of India, there are about 200 castes.
3.1.13. Unity in Diversity
3.1.13.1. An important characteristic of Indian culture is Unity in Diversity.
3.1.13.2. An important characteristic of Indian culture is Unity in Diversity.
3.1.14. Four Duties
3.1.14.1. By fulfilling duties, a person can follow his religion while living in physical comforts and thus can gain salvation.
4. The factors of unity in diversity
4.1. We can discuss the following five factors of unity in diversity of India
4.1.1. Geographical and Demographic Factors
4.1.1.1. The first striking feature about India is its diversity because of India‘s geographical environment and huge populations.
4.1.2. Religious Factors
4.1.2.1. India is a multi-religious country. There are seven major religious groups in India. The Hindus constitute the majority of Indian population.
4.1.3. Cultural Factors
4.1.3.1. The story of Indian culture is one of continuity, synthesis and enrichment. Culture is also a source of unity as well as diversity like religion.
4.1.4. Political Factors
4.1.4.1. It is generally believed that India‘s continuity as a civilisation was social and cultural rather than political. Order and stability were maintained not by means of the state but through culture and society.
4.1.5. Linguistic Factors
4.1.5.1. India is a multilingual country. Language is another source of cultural diversity as well as unity. It contributes to collective identities and even to conflicts.
5. Elements of Unity in India in different period of her history
5.1. Due to cultural and economic interaction and geographical mobility there has emerged an all-India style, a series of inter-linkages and much commonality between different regions of India. The following few paragraphs will elaborate the elements which act as binding factors inspite of numerous diversity in India.
6. Concept of Culture
6.1. Culture is a way of life. The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the language you speak in and the God you worship all are aspects of culture. In very simple terms, we can say that culture is the embodiment of the way in which we think and do things. It is also the things that we have inherited as members of society.
7. Culture and Heritage
7.1. Cultural development is a historical process. Our ancestors learnt many things from their predecessors. With the passage of time they also added to it from their own experience and gave up those which they did not consider useful. We in turn have learnt many things from our ancestors.
8. Indian Culture during the Contemporary Period
8.1. The social structural affiliation of the classical in the traditional Indian culture had been broadly linked with princes, priests, monks, munis, sadhus, scholars, guild masters and other prosperous groups.
9. Unity in Diversity
9.1. One feature that is most often noticed about India is its unity in diversity. This overworkedcliché has become a part of India‘s self-identity. India is a country of sub-continental proportions. From north to south, east to west, people from diverse backgrounds have mixed and cultures haveintermingled over centuries. Nevertheless, there has been an underlying continuity in identity
10. Aspects of Indian culture
10.1. Art and Architecture
10.1.1. Indian art is inspired by religion and centre around sacred themes. However, there is nothing ascetic or self-denying about it.
10.2. Music
10.2.1. The popular term for music throughout India is Sangit, which included dance as well as vocal instrumental music. The rhymes of the Rigveda and the Samveda are the earliest examples of words set to music.
10.3. Dance
10.3.1. Classical Indian dance is a beautiful and significant symbol of the spiritual and artistic approach of the Indian mind. Traditional Indian scriptures contain many references to nritta (music) and nata (drama). Dance and music are present at every stage of domestic life in India.
10.4. Theatre
10.4.1. While classical dance in India is linked to its ‗divine origins‘, the origin of Indian theatre lies with the people. Bharat‘s Natyashastra is still the most complete guide to traditional Indian theatre. ‗Modern Indian theatre‘ of recent times originated in three colonial cities.