Indian Lifestyle

India is a country of diversity and paradoxes. There are multiple religions, races, caste groups, class groups, rituals, customs, traditions, languages, food, behaviours, attitude of the people etc. Indian civilization is one of the oldest in the world, and their contribution towards the shaping of the world culture and civilization is well known and well documented. From the invention of numbers to breakthrough in science and technology, Indians have done it all. It has also been invaded, looted and plundered by manyforeign rulers who have either taken the wealth and went away or have stayed back to rule the Indians, thereby impacting their lifestyle and living conditions. These foreign rulers have also contributed to the development of the nation in many ways and set it on path of modernity. Different conflicting forces and their existence at the same place, in total harmony is what defines Indian and exerts important influence on Indian Lifestyle. Lifestyle in India is deeply influenced by the religion, caste and class one belongs to. It shapes their habits, manners, attitude to others, their social, political and sometimes even economic life. Hinduism, which is the oldest religion in the world, was born in India. Even though India is a secular country, it has a large number of Hindu populations and thus Hindu way of lifestyle sometimes becomes synonymous with Indian Lifestyle. However changes caused due to the existence of other religions can also be seen. Caste system which is a very important aspect of Hinduism impacts the life of majority of Indians in many ways. Their status in society is defined according to the caste they belong to. Usually the high caste like Brahmins enjoys greater facilities and privileges, whereas the lower castes like the untouchables live in very difficult social conditions. Caste which divided people into various groups based on their profession later took the rigid form and hierarchied the Indian society into high and low ranks. Even though the constitution of India abolished such discriminatory practices, it still remains a stark reality in the social life of many Indians.With the onset of modernity the country has not been immune to the forces of westernisation. It has had considerable impact on the lifestyle in India. Today many people have shed their superstitions and dogmas and have embraced modernity discarding many negative and detrimental aspects of Indian culture, like the practice of sati, child marriage etc. They have now opened their mind to more egalitarian practices like equality for women, widow remarriage, valuing the girl child etc. Indians have a very simple lifestyle where they live by their values. They have a strong sense of family bonding, respect for the elders, love for the younger ones, belief in god, sense of belonging to a community etc. All these values and virtues of Indians make them different from the rest of the world. Indians children live with their parents even after marriage in joint families. However due to westernization Indians have been losing a lot of such values which may not be good for the Indians in the long run.