What we understand by the term ‘Culture’
Without going into a much broader context let us just understand the term ‘culture’ as simply the amalgamation of various patterns of thinking and attitudes among the people, trends, ways of lifestyles, ways of behaviour, repeated actions, mores and folkways prevalent among the people of the community. When the people of a particular place repeatedly follow some of the popular trends being developed within or let’s say it in more simple terms that the way people of the society think, act, follow and behave; those ways/patterns/trends in a composite form are known as the culture of that society. Indian culture is indeed a beautiful composition of old established traditional and ethnic trends and patterns since India is a secular country and it possesses the people belonging to varied backgrounds hence this diversity makes our India a culturally diversified nation and also symbolize a vast heritage of ancient culture. We have different cultures followed in different states of our country, total 28 states and their numerous of cultures which make our nation completely peculiar and distinguished from the other nations of the world.
Changing shades of our Indian Culture
With so much of westernization and modernization our culture has undergone slight changes, although, our culture is so old and so deeply rooted that no other foreign culture can disturb its integrity but still we also cannot deny that the young generation who has been born in the modern times are rather much more influenced by the western culture. They in fact find our Indian culture more of complex and too much traditionalized. The lifestyles, dialect, attitudes, behaviour, ideologies of the youth of today are found to be highly altered by the western culture of other countries. Culture gives us an Identity, what we do that makes us what we are. Switching over to other cultures apart from our own is like condemning one’s own culture.
Knowledge of our Cultural diversity and Heritage should be imparted to the Youth
Reason being why the Indian youth of today are overwhelmed by the western culture because somewhere they are ignorant of the vast cultural diversity and heritage of their own country. In fact the young generation should be imparted the whole knowledge about the great Indian culture during the early periods of their childhood. At schools and particularly at the elementary stage children should be given knowledge of different traditions, customs, patterns, and folk ways, complied in our culture. This can be done through medium of showing them pictures, story-telling, out-door cultural group activities and etc. Even at the homes and surroundings especially the parents and elders should teach their children about the significance and versatility of our culture. Ignorance is the main cause of why the young people are diverting towards the western culture once, they would know that our own culture is so amazing they would prefer to explore the greatness of it.
Indian Youth should become the Representatives of our Indian Culture
While we are talking about developing our culture then this process should be delegated to those hands which may bring newness, innovation into it and yet can maintain its grace and dignity. And no one else other than the young generation can do this thing at best, but first of all, they should attain the knowledge of their culture; its importance, unique features and the possibilities for any further modification. And once they know this all they are ready to represent the culture in front of others and this is also a way to make our culture advanced and developed. Youth has the potential to embrace the grace of its culture and also have the intelligence to implement alterations without harming it and without encouraging orthodoxy and conservatism. The aim should be to increase their participation in the process of cultural development.
Encouragement to Protect the Cultural Heritage
Indian civilization possesses a huge cultural heritage that includes various cultural objects, commodities, cultural monuments which symbolize the multiplicity of our culture. May it was the Indo-Aryan civilization, the Mughals empire, Maurayas, and the Pre & Post Independence era each phase has left our country with the impressions of having a great cultural heritage of traditions and trends. And this is what that makes a country completely outstanding; the imprints of ancient civilizations and the kind of cultures which prevailed in those civilizations are certainly the symbol of immensity of our culture. Thus, youth should be encouraged to protect such an ancient cultural heritage they should show keenness in exploring and researching upon the cultural changes that had taken place so far.
Refreshing the traditional and ethnic values
Values composite an important part of any culture and our Indian culture does have many great traditional and ethnic values which raise the brotherhood among the human races. Being a citizen of India the youth have the duty to refresh the traditional values of our culture so that they do not get faded with the passage of time. But they will not be able to pursue this very task by themselves but rather it is the duty of the families and educators to introduce the youth with their values. Values would add up to the brilliant personalities of the youth and would make them better human beings and in this way also our culture will get acknowledged and appreciated.
Cultural development is not a process of day one or two rather this process needs a sufficient time to; evolve. The culture that we all have been following so far have a scope of some modifications and changes according to the demand of the modern time and only the young generation of our country can do this task with ease. All they need is the knowledge of culture, encouragement, participation and respect for their culture. They should understand that culture is our own reflection thus this reflection should be maintained with purity and dignity.
