India is one of the oldest countries in the world with diverse cultures, lifestyles, and beliefs. Everyone’s lifestyle is getting more modern, and Indian people are still maintaining their traditions and values. The main religions in the country are Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, and Jews. People in India speak different languages in different parts of the country. People wear different clothes and have different social beliefs, customs, and eating habits.
According to their religion, people follow beliefs, customs, and traditions. We celebrate our festivals according to our rituals. We observe a fast, take a bath in the holy Ganges, worship and pray to God, sing ritual songs, dance, eat delicious dishes, wear traditional clothes, and are involved in different activities according to our beliefs. We follow our religious rituals without any differences.
Along with various social events, we celebrate some national festivals together, like Republic Day, Independence Day, and various festivals. People of different religions celebrate their festivals in different parts of the country with great joy and enthusiasm without putting their noses into each other’s matters.
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People born into different families, castes, sub-castes, and religious communities live together peacefully in a group. Here, the social connection between the people has lasted for a long time, and people believe each other. They have a good sense of belonging and a sense of respect, which includes entitlement to each other. Indian people are highly devoted to their culture and know how to use their culture to maintain social relations.
Our culture is our identity. In terms of the identity of any nation, its culture is important, and we know the importance of that. For ages, India has been known on a global level for its culture and heritage. But I believe that, of late, we are not doing as well as we used to do a couple of decades ago. There is a clear sign that we have lost some values from our culture since the beginning of this century.
We have always known our culture to be "Atithi Devo Bhav," which means our guest is our god. Indian society, which has always held the spirit of "Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam" (the entire world is one family), considered the entire earth as a global village. In a country famous for "Unity in Diversity". India seems to have lost some of its religious harmonies. However, I believe it involved some internal and certain foreign hands in this, as they don’t want to see India becoming a superpower, which harms their self interests.
A recent example of several incidents in the recent past has left many questions unanswered and much work to be done on this topic. Some hypocrites, like fake saints, have shamed our culture of sages and monks. Today, Indians have gained recognition on the world stage because of our main contact language, Hindi, which we shy away from speaking. The epic books Ramayana and Gita have been left in very few homes, as most people have no time for religious rituals. So Sanskrit left in a few selected places and spoken and understood by a few people should get its proper place. Incidentally, the Germans took Sanskrit to their country and took full advantage of the secrets hidden in it.
Violence has no place in our culture, but we believe in the spirit of "Ahimsa paramo dharma," (non-violence is the highest religion). We have given the message of peace to the entire world, and this is the same country where a messenger of peace, Mahatma Gandhi, delivered the message of non-violence. We have also given the mantra of yoga to the world and proved that yoga can keep the world healthy without any expenses.
Indian culture has always been immortal because it encompasses the whole world around it. But now we see our identity is losing its values because some forces are out to destroy it. Some of our shortcomings and certain acts have left much to be done on this matter, but I am sure we shall overcome this flaw very soon. In this materialistic age, we should not get so lost that our culture spreads its identity.