Indiain Culture at a Glance
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Indian Culture: Additional Resources
- This website provides a lot of information of the Indian culture. It has many tabs like music, festivals, science, etc. that you can look into. Once choosing a topic to learn more about it will provide paragraphs and or more sites to find out more. http://www.indiaculture.nic.in/
- This website site has a similar look and similar infroamation to the website above. It provides different topics like dance, music, theatre, etc. Within each topic you can discover more about it and what role it plays in the Indian culture. It also provides addtional links to websites withm more information on culture. http://india.gov.in/topics/art-culture
Caption: This map shows the many different foods that there are in India. Of course there are many more plates but, these are a few that are well known in each region. Food plays a big role in Indian culture because, many times food is connected to ritual and spiritual events. Food is almost like an identity to the people of India. Even when some foods may look similar they are made with different ingredients; which will depend on what the person has access to near by.
APA Citation: Indian Cuisine Map. Map/Still. Crossing the Borders. 05 Oct. 2015. https://joanneabbymanal.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/indian-cuisine-map.jpg
Number of Child Deaths in India 1950 vs. 2015
In 1950 child deaths were extremely high in the Eastern hemisphere. India has always had a high number of child deaths as you can see in the map above. In 1950 there were about 5.05 million child deaths in India. This lead India to have the highest child deaths in the world.
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In 2015 child deaths have lowered almost everywhere in the world, but we still see high number of child deaths in the Eastern hemisphere. India once again even in 2015 has the highest number of child deaths with 1.31 million.
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India has always had one of the highest numbers of child deaths in the world. It has come a long way since the 1950's and earlier times when even more children were dying, but the numbers still remain high for such a populated country. India's child deaths can be traced to many factors. Things like poor education, malnutrition during and after pregnancy, poverty, poor sanitation, disease and so much more. The country has been trying to lower the number of child deaths, but it is a tremendous responsibility for someone to take with so many people in one place. There is just not enough resources or support to help so many in need. Although the country has brought the number down it hopes to reach single digits in the near future.
Resource: Shah Singh, H. (2015, September 1). Why are so many children dying in India? Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/31/asia/india-child-deaths/
Resource: Shah Singh, H. (2015, September 1). Why are so many children dying in India? Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/31/asia/india-child-deaths/
Age at first marriage for women in India 1950 vs. 2005
In the 1950's and earlier times it was very common for women to marry very young. Some married voluntarily and others were forced. In India in 1950 the marriage age for women was 15.
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As times have changed women now marry later in life, but there are still some places were women marry very young. In India in 2005 the age for women to marry their first time had risen to 20.
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All around the world we can see that it was quite common for women (and men) to marry at a very young age. It was socially acceptable and many times women married for advantage, religious purposes and other things of that sort. In India it was very common for women to marry around age 15 in the 1950's. Many times they married older men to have children or have a better life. However as time has gone by many people have thought it not be fair for women to marry so young and so the Hindu Marriage Act was presented in 1955. Since then there has been an increase of the age at which women marry. Not as great of a difference as other countries, but still significant. In 2005 the age had risen to 20. Although today you can still find some girls who are married before the age of 18 it is not as high of a population as before.
Religion in India
Indian culture is very closely tied to religion. India the second most populated country in the world and has people of many different religions. The most common religion in India being Hinduism, followed by other religions such as Islam, Christianity and more. A majority of India’s population, about 80%, are Hindus. This isn’t very strange since the religion of Hinduism originated from India. Hinduism evolved over thousands of years from the culture of ancient India. The early civilizations merged with other cultures nearby and as time went by Hinduism came out. Looking at a map the early origins of Hinduism can be found around the Indus River and northern parts of India; being where the early civilizations of India were settled. The second most common religion in India is Islam. Islam originated in the Middle East around the Arabian Peninsula. As people immigrated they brought along with them their beliefs and it is no wonder Islam spread so quickly to nearby countries. Other religions found in India like Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism all originated from India and make up a small percent of religions in India.
As one article stated, “It is impossible to know India without understanding its religious beliefs and practices”. (Religions of India: Religious Life). Indian culture in many ways is the Indian religions. The way people dress is based on a person’s religious beliefs. What a person eats is based on religious beliefs. Almost all aspects of life are impacted by religion in India. Women wear things like saris and head scarfs because to them it becomes more than just clothes. It give them pride and a religious connection. Religion also impacts business in India. As India has progressed in economics and have become more successful they want to express their religion and give gratitude for all they have been given. Religion impacts life in every country, but it is very visible in the daily life of the Indian people. Looking at India’s most popular religion, Hinduism, there are many sacred places in India itself for Hindus. Many temples, tirthras (places of pilgrimage) and dhamas (holy places) are within the country of India. It makes logical sense that many of the sacred places are in India seeing as this is where Hinduism was born. Natural places like the Ganges River also hold spiritual meaning to Hindus. For other religions found in India like Islam sacred places are further and in the original birth place of the religion. For Islam’s sacred places like the Kabba in the city of Mecca and the city of Medina are in Saudi Arabia. However for many of India’s religions you will find places where they can worship near their homes; for Hindus temples are near for Islam Mosques are near. India’s politics have always been connected to religion. India is a very diverse country when it comes to religions and so it has become tolerate of different beliefs. Although they have tried to separate religion and government it has never fully seemed to work. Religion as we know can be a very controversial topic and many political figures have used this for their careers. The mixture of religion and government in India can be traced back all the way back to before India was independent and the British ruled them. Many times higher power people would turn common people against each other through religion. Using the beliefs of one as leverage in a campaign. As a result government can be corrupt in some places and not work for the benefit of all, but just those who fall under a certain qualification. Along with the religious government India has something known as the caste system which many people outside of India do not understand. Simply put the caste system is where you stand in society; your social status. Both a religious government and the power of the caste system intertwine to create what India has today. In conclusion India is has a very rich culture that is related to the religions found in India. Religion in India is everywhere from architecture to clothing to food. And even though the majority of the country is Hindus they still are very tolerate of others religions like Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and so many more. As stated before you cannot understand India without understanding its religion(s). I personally think that India’s culture is very rich and fascinating and religion is part of that culture. Resources Religions in India. (2015, January 7). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/india/religionsinindia.htm Religion Library: Islam. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.patheos.com/Library/Islam Religion. (2001). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/religion.aspx Indian Religions. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-religions/ Hinduism Origins. (n.d.). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.arcworld.org/faiths.asp?pageID=146 The Role of Religion in Indian Business. (2013, January 30). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.bbc.com/news/business-21080421 Religions of India: Religious Life. (2003, August 8). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.photius.com/religion/india_religious_life.html Holy Places. (2004). Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://hinduism.iskcon.org/practice/503.htm Shifa, H. (n.d.). Holy Places in Islamic Religion. Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://people.opposingviews.com/holy-places-islamic-religion-4522.html Potts, R. (2008, August 22). Summary Article: India’s religion & politics: A troubled present. Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.ocrpl.org/2008/arora_religion_politics/ Saurav, J. (n.d.). Why is the Indian society/government so obsessed with religion/caste? Retrieved October 19, 2015, from https://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-Indian-society-government-so-obsessed-with-religion-caste |
Caption: This image shows a map of India showing where each of the religions can be found around the country. Hinduism being the biggest covers almost the entire country, but still areas with a high population of Islams or Christians or Sikhs.
Citation:http://iori-komei.deviantart.com/art/Religious-Demographics-of-India-325151045 Caption:This is a map showing what religions are most common throughout the globe. We see the big one being in red is Christianity. However if we look at India the entire country is in blue standing for Hinduism and around it we see Islam and Sikhism.
Citation:https://texasgeography.wordpress.com/geography-lessons/human-geography-unit-1-part-b/ Caption: This is an interesting picture because it is not often that you see religions shown next to each other like this. The symbols of three major religion in India are shown next to each other showing the religious tolerance this country has.
Citation:http://learningindia.in/indias-by-religion/ Caption: Finally this image once again demonstrates the religious tolerance India has as a religiously diverse country. In India many times people can learn about you through your name and they can associate your name was given to you due to your family's religious beliefs. However even with so much religious diversity India has been able to maintain unity and tolerance for each others beliefs.
Citation:http://topyaps.com/top-10-things-that-unite-indians |
Food in India
Popular India Cuisine: Beef Vindaloo
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