Indian Culture

An Overview
Rohit Agarwal
Some Facts
 Republic of India gained independence from Britain in 1947
 World’s most populous democracy.
 Has experienced rapid economic growth in recent years and
is fast becoming a major economic power.
 Extremes of poverty and wealth, with about 30% of the
population in poverty, and a wealthy upper class of 70
million.
 The increasingly wealthy upper class is expected to grow
rapidly in coming years.
 Substantial population of Indian origin living in Malaysia,
Singapore, west Indies, Senegal, Surinam, Mauritius, Reunion,
And Fiji.
Some Facts
 Country with largest number of ethnic, linguistic, and
cultural groups in the world, since the breakup of
Soviet Union.
 Area one-third the size of US but has more than 3
times the population
 Not a melting pot but rather has very diverse
communities from state to state.
 Most important factor being language
Cultural Values
 History of Indian Culture
 Values
 Family culture
 Attires
 Cuisines
 Dance forms
 Movies
Indians
North Indians South Indians
Indians
East Indian West indian
Languages and Cultural variety
 More like a continent (ทวีป) than an ordinary country.
 The different parts have different histories,
languages, customs and cuisine.
 Much of cultural variety within India as much as
there is in the whole Europe.
Languages and Cultural variety
 It is difficult to generalize about values and customs
because there are important differences between
the north and south, as well as significant differences
within each region, within each religion group, and
within each social class.
 Religion and language separate people far more
than do ethnic background or geography.
Religion in India
 Religious life forms the central theme of the nation.
 The majority of Indians are Hindus (85% of the
population),
 Muslims making up 10%, Christians and Sikhs 2% each
and Buddhists 1%.
 With such a large overall population, even small
percentage constitute large number of people.
The Influence of Hinduism
The minority groups actively resist losing their identity
and becoming part of the Hindu majority.

Nevertheless, Hindu philosophy and traditions are a

fundamental part of Indian society.
 Family
Family plays a significant role in the Indian culture. For
generations, India has had a prevailing tradition of the joint family
system. It is a system under which extended members of a family
– parents, children, the children’s spouses and their offspring, etc.

Marriage
For centuries, arranged marriages have been the tradition in
Indian society though men and women have always had the
choice of who they want to marry. Even today, the vast majority
of Indians have their marriages planned by their parents and
other respected family-members,
The divorce rate is extremely low compared with about 50% in
the United States .
The arranged marriages generally have a much lower divorce.
rate.
Namaste
Namaste, namaskar or Namaskara or Namaskaram,
VanakkamNomoshkaar is a common spoken greeting in Indian
subcontinent.
Namaskar is considered formal version than Namaste but both
express deep respect.Taken literally, it means "I bow to you“,word is
derived from Sanskrit (namah): to bowand (te): "to you".
Matrimonial ads in newspaper
Matrimonial ads in newspaper
Revenue generated from Indian
wedding in Thailand
In 2015, Indian visitors to Thailand totalled 1.07
million, a 15% increase year-on-year, according to
the Immigration Bureau. The value of the
international wedding and honeymoon market in
Thailand is estimated at 30 billion baht per year, or
about 3% of overall tourism revenue, according to
the TAT.
Indian wedding in Thailand
Indian wedding in Thailand
Indian wedding in Thailand
Indian wedding in Thailand
The Family
The migration of many people to the cities and town
in search of economic opportunities has helped
weaken many traditions, including that of extended
families.
Nevertheless, outside the big cities, the majority of
Indians still live in an extended families, in which
brother remain together after marriage and bring
their wives into the paternal household.
The Family
The concept of Dharma( which includes ideas of duty
and social harmony) is important as it’s a collectivist
society.
The identity and worth of an individual is closely
linked with his family’s reputation. In general,
Children are not encouraged to be self-reliant, and
the family makes decisions that affect an individual’s
future.
Arranged marriages are still the norms and divorce is
still considered a social disgrace.
A Collectivist Society
The strong sense of mutual interdependence in the
family is reflected in the collectivist nature of society
as a whole.
Most organizations have many overlapping ‘in groups’
which co-operates and make sacrifice for the common
good and often protect members of the group.
Relatives, caste members, and people sharing a
language or religion may form ‘in-group’.
Gender Role
By Tradition, Hindu women have not been treated
equal to men. However, more recently, women have
had access to education, and some have been
remarkably successful in a number of fields.
The status of women varies according to their class,
with middle-class women more liked to be treated
as equal by their husbands.
Language and
communication
Verbal Communication
Languages:
 At least 300 languages in India.

 Hindi - official language.

 19 official languages, including English, which is also

widely spoken.
 In fact, English is often the language of national
communication.
Names
 People’s names provide information about the caste
they belong to, and region of the country from their
family comes. There are different regional and
religious naming systems.
 Always to address people by a title such as ‘Mr.’ or
‘Mrs.’, followed by the last name.
Greetings
 The traditional greeting is ‘NAMASTE’ like
‘SAWADEE’. In larger cities, handshakes are
common for men, but not for women.
 Business cards are exchanged at the first meeting,
although not as the beginning.
Greetings
Some other points:
 It is customary to engage in small talk before getting
down to business.
 Punctuality is not usually as important as is the
building of relationships.
 Individuals do not generally take responsibilities. Only
the top person makes decisions in most situations.
 Older, less ‘Westernized’ Indian may avoid saying
‘NO’ directly, and prefer to avoid giving negative
news.
Relationship Building
 Business development depends largely upon
relationship building.
 Favorable deals given to those who are known n can
be trusted.

Therefore a good way to earn business is to earn the

trust.
Meetings
 Must be arranged well in advance

 Have to be fixed in writing and confirmed by phone

 Avoid fixing meetings near national holidays

Time
 Indians value punctuality in others but don’t
reciprocate.

 10 minutes late is acceptable

 Family responsibilities get preferences over business.

In a meeting room
 Must greet the senior most person first
 Meeting starts with a getting to know you process
first
 Favorite topics include business news, stock market,
or cricket.
 Avoid discussing personal matters or issues like
poverty or beggars.
Clothing and Personal Appearance
 Business culture demands formal attire.
 Suits and blazers are commonly worn often in winter.
 Women wear saris or suits
 On the last working day of the week, people may
wear casuals but decent ones.
Non Verbal Communication
Showing Emotions
 Most Indians smile less often than the people from
other Asian cultures, and tend to smile only when
they are happy or in pleasant situation.
 Emotions are shown rather than hidden. Ideally,
anger should not be overt, but it may be displaced
by a superior to an inferior. It is polite to be softly
spoken.
Touching
 Indian culture is similar to other Asian cultures in
that men and women do not usually touch one
another in public

 Public displays of affection are not considered

proper even between married couples.
Significance of certain parts of the body

 As with South Asian and South-East Asian cultures,

the feet are considered to be the dirtiest part of the
body
 Feet or soles of the shoes should not touch anyone,
be pointed at people, or be put on furniture.
 The head is considered a sacred part of the body
and should not be touched. Using the left hand is
avoided in many situations.
Other Gestures
Pointing and beckoning are done with the whole
hand, rather than with one finger. It is the custom
to snap the fingers and perhaps hiss.
Dining and Service
Preferences
Dining Preference
Eating Utensils:
Food is traditionally eaten with the fingers of the
right hand. The left hand is thought to be unclean
and is never used to pass or accept food.
Orthodox Hindus think spoons, forks and plates
which are used again and again are unhygienic.
Indian Cuisine
Common features of northern Indian cuisine are wheat
flour, yogurt and chicken.
In the south, rice replaces wheat and ingredients such
as coconut, mustard seeds and hot chilies are
common. Cream, milk and cheese are used as
ingredients in sweets, as well as curries.
Food Laws
Hindus generally do not eat beef and some may not
eat meat at all. Indians are generally vegetarians.
Some will not even eat eggs. Muslims don’t eat pork
or drink alcohol.
Drinks
Alcohol is not commonly served with meals. Cold
water has been traditional accompaniment to food,
but many Indians prefer sweet drinks such as sherbet
or lemonade. Men who drinks alcohol tend to prefer
hard drink (usually scotch and soda), although some
drink beer.
Service Preferences
Availability of Staff
 Most Indians who travel overseas are used to having
servants in their homes and to their being numerous
servants and waiters in any hotel or restaurant which
they frequent.
 They would therefore be used to having people
immediately available, and to meet their slightest
wish.
Tipping
Tipping is common in Indian. Most large hotels and
good restaurants add a 10% service charge, and
porters and taxi drivers expect a tip.
Dance

 Includes many varieties with classical, folk, and

modern styles
 chhau
Kathakali
Bharatnatyam
Manipuri
Glimpse of India

https://youtu.be/i_543AW1x-Q