Introduction
Globalisation has spread its wings in all spheres of life all across the world and is going to play a major role worldwide. The interchange of views and ideas have transformed the living standard and life style not only in India but the entire world. Indian culture is no exception to this change and its deep-rooted culture and traditions have loosened up their grip with the emergence of globalisation. Indian culture with its ingrained cultural values and pride is quite renowned world over. Globalisation has resulted in exchange of culture between India and the world, thus, inculcating the western values in India and vice versa. Culture and traditions of any geographic region are unique to that particular region and differentiate the population living in that geographic entity from the other. This uniqueness has been neutralised to some extent in varying levels because of globalisation. In a developing country like India, such impacts are very much noticeable.
Globalisation: A Bird’s Eye View
Globalisation provides an international platform to maintain uniformity in the life style of people across the globe, as the term ‘Globalisation’ is itself self-explanatory. The interchange of views, opinions and the various cultural aspects all around the world results in globalisation. It acts as a medium for people of various sectors, culture and dialect all over the international community to intermingle with each other and move forward in coordination with mutual respect for each other’s dignity.
Globalisation began with the movement of masses in other geographical entities for exploration and further spread initially for travel and personal enjoyment and later in search of employment opportunities anywhere on the globe justifying the ‘survival of the fittest’ concept. Every human advancement helped globalisation in spreading its reach all over the world. In present times, the role of Internet along with different modes of telecommunication and social media is significant in the spread of globalisation.
Globalisation has both advantages and disadvantages associated with it across the world. Globalisation is also responsible in playing a negative role across the world in the exploitation of scientific advancements, raising their ill-effects with environmental challenges such as the air, water, soil pollution etc. and technological challenges such as cybercrime. Globalisation has its outreach on the economic and financial position of a country including its business, trade and work exposure or any other field.
Indian Culture
In any country, culture is representative of not only its region and language but also the mindset and mentality of its inhabitants. Due to cordial approach of its citizens and abundant with various heritages and resources, Indian culture is quite affluent. It may be compared with a bouquet of flowers containing various flowers such as varying religion, dialect, tradition, edibles, custom, art, music and architecture, etc., all bundled into a single unit of patriotism and unity. The common thread connecting all these diversities is the Indian mindset of cordiality, greeting and celebrating in a united way with immense affection and togetherness. The rich character of Indian culture is appealing to many foreigners who prefer to stay in India and mingle into its eternal fragrance.
Analysing this affluent culture in the globalisation scenario, we find that this beautifully woven blanket is incorporating many punch holes of westernisation and other traits and cultures mixed into it. A close analysis of the impacts of globalisation on Indian culture provides the following outcomes
Family Structure
A significant effect of globalisation has been on the falling apart of the attractive Indian tradition of joint family culture. The joint family culture has become a shock to the Indians especially to those metropolitan city residents living in small flats as nuclear families and are spreading in the city just like mushrooms in the rain. Living in the nuclear family, the virtue of patience and adjustment to surroundings have been lost which existed in joint families where imbibing the values of the elders and getting the young ones brought up under the shadow of their grandparents was inherent in culture. The spread of nuclear family culture has caused a distortion in the ethical values where children treat grandparents like guests or visitors, and such kind of upbringing is mainly responsible in increasing old age homes, as those children on reaching adulthood begin to consider their own parents burden on them.
Marriage Values
There has been a rise in incidents of divorces and extra-marital affairs that indicate that marriages have also lost their values. Gone are the days when marriage was considered as bonding of two souls meant to be linked even after death, but today marriage is considered as a professional bond or a so-called commitment to live the life together without intruding upon their self-interests. The ego factor trapping the Indian youth is also an outcome of globalisation.
Adultery
For a long time in our culture, too many restrictions and limitations were imposed on both the genders to come in contact with each other. The globalisation and western culture along with it have made it possible for the youth to mix up well with each other. Although the friendly approach and the socialising feature are well appreciated, the overindulgence without any restriction has adulterated the Indian mindset leading to physical relationship. This has led to rise of new relationships in India like live-in relationships. Moreover, the incidents of rapes and sexual abuses have increased due to perverted minds, which are a result of values imbibed from a culture very much alien to the ancient Indian culture.
Social Values
The Indian culture has the inherent values of treating the guests as God, maintaining cordiality, respecting elders and festival celebrations with great enthusiasm, enjoyment and togetherness. Such a vast gathering with great exuberance is hardly witnessed nowadays. People today have self-imposed restrictions for social interaction. The interaction nowadays is highly diplomatic in present generation based on financial status and wealth. Our social values and affection for each other no longer exist. In comparison to Holi and Diwali, the present generation are more happy in celebrating Valentine’s Day.
Food, Clothing and Dialect
Food, clothing and languages in India vary with respect to different states. Every food has nutrient value unique to it and it varies in taste across the region. Moreover, every region has its own specified method of preparation rich in its medicinal values with home remedies. The clothing also varies in different states with focus on maintaining the dignity of woman. The cuisines across the world vary with different flavours to add, yet the food ingredients that are most popular among the present generations are the junk food items which in turn have resulted in increased health disorders in the country. The dressing like the suitings for the males are an unsuitable match for the Indian climate. Moreover, the perverted minds find the female dresses quite distracting.
Even the Indians today are shy in promoting their mother tongue or our national language. They consider it quite shameful to speak in Hindi, their national language. The growing prevalence of foreign languages in India such as the French, German and Spanish, from the school level itself, is an example of the level of importance we provide to the Indian languages in comparison to the foreign ones.
Employment and the Agricultural Sector
India was especially an agriculture-based economy. However, with the spread of globalisation and appearance of MNCs, the farming has lost its significance in India. The youngsters nowadays not the least interested towards agricultural science and find it as an unworthy profession. MNCs are luring most of the manpower with lucrative perks and employing them for other countries working as their customer care. Gradually, we are entering into the age of economic slavery, losing our health and status because of MNC culture emerged as a result of globalisation.
Conclusion
In summary, globalisation is a gradually spreading risk agent that has enveloped almost the entire country with its graveness. Although it impart some positivity of having a generalised knowledge of the culture, the happening and incidences across the world, yet the major negative impacts it causes are quite alarming for the country. Hence, we need to be more cautious in our approach to the globalisation process preserving the pride of the nation and keeping our cultural prestige intact.