Cultural
Diversity in India
India has a history of thousands of years . People have been living in India since the
Stone Age. People from
different regions of the world came to India. They became one with the Indian culture .From this has evolved the composite Indian Culture.
All of us living in different parts of the country are Indians. Though there is a variety in our languages, literature and art, as Indians, we all are one. It is this
diversity which has created a sense of unity among the Indians. This diversity has enriched our social life.
Indian Languages: Many languages are spoken in India. Hindi & English are the two languages used in our country. Marathi is the state language of Maharashtra.
Festival Celebrations: People such as Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, and Parsis etc belonging to different live in India. Different festivals are celebrated in India with lots of joys & happiness. Agriculture is the main occupation in our country . Many of our festivals are related to agriculture and environment. In Maharashtra, Dassera, Diwalil, Holi in Punjab Baisakhi, in Andhra Pradesh Eruvak Punnam, in Tamil nadu Pongal & in Kerala Onam are celebrated. Ramzaam – Id, Christmas, Buddha Pornima, Samvatsari, and Pateti are also important festivals. What ever religious festival all Indians happily participate in it. They greet one another, It increase the feeling of unity among them.
Costumes & food: We find diversity in the clothing and food habits of Indians. Clothing depends upon the climate, physical feature & traditions of the respective regions. There is diversity in our foods habits too, due to climatic conditions crops and other geographical factors. For e.g. the people of Punjab eat dal – roti whereas people living in the coastal areas eat rice and fish.
Shelter : In respective of constructions of houses also there is diversity . In the rural areas, many houses have wattle and daub walls. Some houses have tiled roofs. In areas of heavy rainfall, the houses have slopping roofs .In the places with scanty rains have houses with terraced roofs .In big cities, multi – storey buildings are seen.
Sports & games: Many kinds of games are played in India since ancient times. We play different games such as tip – cat, chess, wrestling, phugadi, malkhamb, lagori, kabadi & kho-kho .Modern games are such as hockey and cricket are the two popular games played in India. Sports & games have an important place in out life. They help values like co-operation & solidarity Sport spirit it is more important than winning or losing.
Art: Different arts such as dance, handicrafts, painting and sculpture have flourished in India. Since days of old , India had different styles of music. There are two main styles of Indian classical music. They are Hindustani music & Carnatic music. There are many folk music played in India .In India, the tradition of dances is very ancients. We have different variety of folk dances some ancient times; various types of handicrafts have developed in India. Artistic vases baskets and other decorative articles are prepared. The art of painting & sculpture has long tradition. It is originated from the Stone age period. For e.g. Ajanta Ellora caves
Our country have rich historical heritage. Historical monuments are the wealth of our country. Very few countries in the world have such history and ancients culture.