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

Tradition, Culture and Issues Facing India Today EssayIndia is known for their traditions and hospitality. Indian culture is really traditional and is still survive in the modern era. They greet outsiders and elders buy placing both palms to nettleher raised below the face. This is how they show their respect. According to Maps of India, a day in India starts with Surya Namaskar. People furnish water to the sun and chant prayers. Trees and animals ar worshipped. The mornings first meal is to the cow and the last meal is to the dog. During prayers they offer flower garlands to gods and goddesses.This ritual is plant at an early age and is an important part of the education system in India. Three of the orbs major faith, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism originated from India. India is a secular differentiate and the citizens have the right to choose their own religion. (India. 2009) (Cultural India. net)The culture in India is very old and unique with diverse cultures and anc ient civilization. The oldest pilgrimage tradition and practice is tack 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 not believe in killing animals to eat so some(prenominal) of them are vegetarians. Cows are considered to be scared and are not to be eaten. A typical meal is flavored with many spices such as turmeric, coriander, chili, cumin and cardamom. (India. 2009)India is the worlds seventh largest country. It is also the second near populated country in the world. In India, more than 200 languages are spoken and forty percentage speak Hindi. The official language is Hindi and English. Over the past 20 years, agriculture and industry have largely expanded.India is one of the worlds fade industrialized nations and worlds largest democracy. In India, 600 million people are eligible to vote. The adult literacy rate i s 61 percent. so far though it is a quick growing electronics and telecommunications industry, India is still very underdeveloped and many live under the p all overty line. According to the Indian Mirror, there is almost an equal number just about of custody and women. Half of these women are not educated. 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 science and math. (India. 2009)In India, most marriages are arranged by the parents. Marriage is placed among members of the same social congregation. The brides family has to pay a dowry to the groom and his family. The Hindu weddings are very elaborate and the ceremonies and feastings can last for several days. According to Cultural India. net, The wedding is strictly observed according to an cient culture. A wedding in India is the orgasm together of two souls and bringing two families together.One of the most sacred customs is the tying of mangalsutra. It is a black and currency 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 a enormous Mangalpheras. Magalpheras is the base on balls around the sacred fire. The vows and Manglapheras must be done in order for a wedding to be complete. According to Indian Mirror, in arranged marriages, the straddle ordain acquaint themselves physically and then discover each others personality.They will develop strong bonds of companionship that will last until death. The bride will live with her married mans 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 house. 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 knit with Grandfathers, fathers, sons and grandsons share 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 confined around the body and draped 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 eight Indian states that have poorer people than the 26 poorest African nations combined. The MPI is an judgement 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 populat ion is living on less than $2 a day. (Azadindia. 2010) work force are the bread winners and women are to take care of the house chequer and bear children. In India, a woman who works has to take care of the family and household duties as well. She will have to hand over her salary 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 maternity leave is out of the question. The working women are subjected to sexual harassment especially in the public transport system. Men will take advantage of these circumstances to physically harass the women. It is especially difficult for the women if their boss made sexual advances towards them. If the woman refuses these advances, life can be made very difficult for her. If the woman is promoted, others will attribute it to her giving sexual favors.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 ignored and in turn caused the women to ignore their health. (Azadindia. 2010) A very affect 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 years from 1991 to 2001. Reasons have varied from higher female mortality at a younger a ge 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 inadequacy 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 subordinate group. In the past they have belonged to a lower frame 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 that have resulted in a wide gap between the men and women in society. Acco rding to azadinida. org, the motif of how an Indian woman should behave can be traced back to rules laid down by Manu in 200 B. C. by a young girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house. In childishness 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 remnant in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance.