India Culture

India's rich and multi-layered cultures are dominated by religious and spiritual themes.
While it is a mistake to assume that there is a single unified Indian culture, there certainly
are unifying themes that link the various cultures. India's cultural heritage is expressed
through its myriad of languages in which much great literature and poetry has been
written. It can be seen in its music - both in its classical (Carnatic and Hindustani) forms
and in modern Bollywood music. India also has a vast tradition of classical and folk
dances. Art and theatre flourish amongst the bustling cities of the country, against the
backdrop of the ever expanding western influences.

Vibrant processions are seen going on everywhere, especially during festivals. Ganesh
Chatutrthi processions in Mumbai, Dusshera in Mysore etc. are some important
processions which have to be seen. Along with these, marriage and religious processions
are also seen on the roads. You can see people dance, play music and drums, play with
colors etc.

Indians value their family system a lot. Typically, an Indian's family encompasses what
would be called the extended family in the West. It is routine for Indians to live as part of
the paternal family unit throughout their lives - i.e. sons live together with their parents
all their lives, and daughters live with their parents till they get married. The relationship
is mutually self-supporting. Parents may support their children for longer than is common
in the West, brothers and sisters may support each other, and sons are expected to take
care of their parents in their old age. "Living with parents" does not carry the same stigma
as it does in the US. Nowadays, most indian families are becoming more nuclear.
Naturally, the arrangements are not perfect and there are strains and breakups, especially
by the time the third generation grows up. Also, it has now become common for children
to move away from the parental house for education and employment. Nonetheless, it is
fair to say that the joint family is still seen as the norm and an ideal to aspire to, and
Indians continue to care about their family's honour, achievements and failures even
while they are not living together.
Despite the weakening of the caste system, India remains a fairly stratified society.
Indians care about a person's background and position in society as is the case elsewhere
in the world. This attitude, when combined with the legacy of colonial rule, results in
some rather interesting, if unfortunate consequences. Paler skin is deemed desirable but
there is no discrimination on the basis of color.