The term culture refers to a state of intellectual development or manners. The social and political forces that influence the growth of a human being is defined as culture.
The culture of India was moulded throughout various eras of history, all the while absorbing customs, traditions and ideas from both invaders and immigrants. Many cultural practices, languages, customs and monuments are examples of this co-mingling over centuries.
Indian culture is rich and diverse and as a result unique in its very own way. Our manners, way of communicating with one another, etc are one of the important components of our culture. Even though we have accepted modern means of living, improved our lifestyle, our values and beliefs still remain unchanged. A person can change his way of clothing, way of eating and living but the rich values in a person always remains unchanged because they are deeply rooted within our hearts, mind, body and soul which we receive from our culture.
In modern India there is cultural and religious diversity throughout the country. This has been influenced by the various regions of India, namely South, North, and North-East, have their own distinct identities and almost every state has carved out its own cultural niche. In spite of this unique cultural diversity, the whole country is bound as a civilization due to its common history, thereby preserving the national identity.
India was the birth place of religious systems such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism, which have a strong influence not only over India, but also the whole world. Following the Islamic invasions and the subsequent foreign domination from the tenth century onwards, the culture of India was heavily influenced by Persian, Arabic and Turkic cultures. In turn, the various religions and the multihued traditions of India have influenced South East Asia and other parts of the world.
Mark Twain wrote, India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only!
India is a mirror to mankind and oneness. It is a mixture of numerous religions and languages. India is a melting pot of religions. In this country the Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jews and many other religious sects live side by side in relative harmony. Yet it is surprising how many misconceptions abound. Indians love to celebrate, whether it's Diwali, Id, Pongal or Christmas. Every festival has its own special customs and rituals - pujas, lighting lamps, throwing colour, feasting or even fasting. Indian culture is as old as the hills and encompasses a wide range of ancient dances. Every region in India has a traditional dance that is an art handed dowm from generation to generation. India is very rich in its customs and traditions which keeps it people binding together.
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