Multicultural Project
By Sagnik Mukherjee and Kishan Desai
Dear Reader
When my partner and I first heard about this project, we automatically said that we would research the Indian culture. The decision wasn't random, as our connections to the culture was that both of us were of Indian heritage, and we wanted to discover more about our heritage. As we researched, we saw many aspects of Indian culture and how diverse it really was. While researching about Indian culture, we learned different aspects of the culture and we discovered the diversity and its amazing heritage.
We found three texts on Indian culture and we noticed how diversity was emphasized in each of the texts. India is proud of having different ethnic groups and this shows that they can unite with such differences. On the texts, we felt that the author did a pretty nice job on explaining us about the culture. Manasi Gupta’s Indian Culture and Heritage is a poem about what India is most known for. Foods such as Basmati Rice and Dal-Roti are known to most people. But then, in the later half of the poem, she talks about the diversity of India,something I did not know about until this project. Overall, her poem was a great mix of what people know and do not know,
The poem by Swami Yoganada describes an Indian’s patriotism and view on India. The poem shows the reader that India is a great country with doors open for anyone. This poem amazed me even more because it showed me that Indians have lots of patriotism and are open to anyone coming in from another country, just like America. I am very fond of this poem and I think the author did a great job of writing this poem.
My partner and I’s perception of Indian culture changed because of this project. We learned that Indian culture has a tremendous amount of diversity. Most Indians are dedicated to their family life which impacts their everyday routines. Our perception of this culture changed and now we have a vast knowledge of our culture.
Cultural Overview
Cricket-
"The cricket mania in India would leave an onlooker amazed and wonderstruck."(Cricket in India) If a foreigner visits any part of India, he or she will see a couple of people playing cricket at any time of day. Like any other culture, India find their form of entertainment in cricket. But for most Indians, cricket is more than entertainment. Cricket unifies India, in which there are multiples religions, languages, and cultures all within one big country. There is no such thing as an offseason in cricket, because cricket is year round. Cricket cannot be measured in India, because the amount of joy the sport brings to various Indians are off the charts.
Food of India-
Indian cuisine is," known for its large assortment of dishes."(livescience) Bhasmati rice and wheat are just some of the many foods popular in India. The perception do other cultures Indian food is known to be rich and spicy with lots of meat. However, Indian food is more than just rich and spicy, various foods represent various parts of India. In India, people take great pride in their food. In east India, Bengalis have a different food than north India. In India, you are what you eat.
Bollywood
"India is a diverse country full of colours, ethnicity and variety in attire and cuisine. Hindi cinema also represents the same. Bollywood too is full of colourful people who want to explore cultures and represent them but the authenticity of it remains with the people of the place who can decide it". Many different cultures are represented through movies in the Bollywood industry. There are many movies made in India to represent a specific culture. In India, movies are a big part of their culture. You can find posters of movies, actors, or actresses on walls of building or even on the back of their rickshaw. People do this because it shows their pride and it represents themselves
Analysis
Indian Culture is one of the most well-known cultures in the world. With its festivals and rituals, many people envision Indian Culture as a hardworking, traditional culture. However, there’s more to Indian culture than that. Shalini Gupta’s “My Pride,My India” expresses the diversity and dedication to others of Indian culture through the message of her poem that Indians respect others and are dedicated to their family.
Over a billion people live in India. There are hundreds of languages, thousands of different rituals, and lots of different religions including Hinduism,Christianity,Jainism, and Islam. With all this diversity, many countries would have some rifts, but in India, they embrace the culture. As Shalini Gupta said in her poem,“Where we have variety”, there’s “unity in diversity”.(Gupta 23) The diversity in India is unique. The only country that has a higher population is China. The vast population is filled with people having different customs, Due to these stats, the author obviously identifies that India is a diverse country. But she also adds that there’s unity in diversity. As Hindus, Muslims, and Christians united to gain independence, the author uses this historical content to prove that even with all the diversity, India is united.
In Indian culture, family is the top most priority. The divorce rate in India is one of the most lowest divorce rates in the world. Everyday life “is dedicated for family”.(Gupta 15) The tradition of marriage in India goes back hundreds of years. In India, marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. The word lifelong is what Indians pay attention to the most. Most married couples have known each other since childhood, which explains the low divorce rates since both obviously know each other very well. It’s these facts the author identifies to show that everyday life in India is dedicated to family.
Indian culture is more than just hardworking, traditional citizens. In the culture, all show respect and unity is the most diverse country in the world. All are dedicated to their family and this affects their everyday life and how they act. India has one of the most fascinating cultures and others should dive more into it and study the culture.
Works Cited
"Ethnic Effect: Diverse Culture of India Taking Bollywood by Storm." : Bollywood, News. Shivani Merkermi, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
"Indian Culture and Heritage by Manasi Gupta." Indian Culture and Heritage, a Poem by Manasi Gupta. All Poetry Poets. Mansani Gupta, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
"My Pride, My India." Shalini Gupta, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
"Poems on India." - My India, My Pride. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
Zimmermann, By Kim Ann. "Indian Culture: Traditions and Customs of India." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 30 Jan. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.