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Elementary Module - Culture
- 1. This slide presentation has been created by Mona Vijaykar for India in Classrooms. The contents of this presentation may be shared strictly for the purpose of non-commercial, educational use. Illustrations have been borrowed from the internet and may be subject to copyright. Culture Module www.indiainclassrooms.org© Mona Vijaykar 2003
- 3. Bharat mataMother India UNCLE SAM www.indiainclassrooms.org
- 4. RAM! ALLAH! God is one… God’s forms and names are many! KRISHNA WAHEGURU! JESUS! www.indiainclassrooms.org
- 6. GODDESS SARASWATI Nothing is more sacred than Knowledge…. For the Ocean of Knowledge brings waves Of understanding And upon the waves, rides the solid shell of Respect Which holds within it…. A precious Pearl of Peace Without knowledge is ignorance which leads to conflict
- 13. WEDDING VOWS IN THE PRESENCE OF ‘AGNI’ AS WITNESS
- 14. Hindu widows sometimes wear white and discard the bindi, make up and all jewellery Fire is used to cremate as it is a natural purifier
- 16. Ganesh
- 19. Garba Dancers at Navratri Ravan’s Effigy at Dussera Goddess Durga at Durga Puja VIJAYDASH MI Triumph of Good over Evil
- 20. For the Hindu God exists in plants and animals and every thing around it It sleeps in a stone and awakens in a mouse…that is why we are connected with everything in our universe
- 21. Good vs Evil Hitler’s Wheels of destruction and hatred
Editor's Notes
- Namaste, Welcome to India in Classrooms’ Culture Module for Elementary schools. This module is titled ‘Indian Customs and Traditions’. This presentation does not hope to preach any religion. The sole purpose of this presentation is to provide general knowledge about India and its culture. Many of the Hindu concepts have been greatly simplified for very young school age children.
- To learn about Indian culture, it is important for you to understand the ancient Hindu symbols, which are used in India even today. A symbol is a picture or object or anything, that tells you or reminds you of something without using words. It can be in many forms such as painting on the wall, or a sculpture made of metal, stone, wood or clay. A symbol could be a hand gesture as we have in dance or it could be a sound like when we ring a bell in the temple. They all mean something special.
- This is a symbolic picture of Mother India. It is an imaginary form that personifies India as a strong , fearless woman. India is often referred to as a ‘mother’ who protects her children. Just as America is referred to as Uncle Sam, India is called ‘Mother India’. The original Sanskrit name for India was Bhaarat. So she is known as ‘Bhaarat Mata’ (we get the English word Mother from ‘mata’ in Sanskrit, which is the oldest language in the world). The reason India is known as Mother India is because she has protected and nurtured so many immigrants that came to her for refuge. There were millions of immigrants who have came to India from all over the world, over thousands of years. People from countries where they were not allowed to practice their own religion, like Jews, Tibetans and Zoroashtrians took refuge in India. Since the Hindus, the natives of India, were peaceful people, they welcomed everyone and allowed them to safely practice their own religions without being punished. So India became a multicultural, multi-religious nation.
- In ancient times, that is thousands of years before Christ was born; before Islam or Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism or Jainism were born, all Indians were Hindus. That means people who believe in ONE God that does not have a face or a shape. People who believe that God exists within things, all living and non living. That is why Hindus greet everyone with ‘Namah-aste’ which, in Sanskrit means, “The God in me salutes the God in you!” Namaste is a greeting as well as a farewell. This universal culture made India powerful and rich. Then some of the Hindu teachers and priests began to cheat the people. They changed the way Hindu culture was taught and as a result wrong customs crept into the original Hindu culture. All the rules and regulations that these powerful priests made up to suit their own interests, caused the people to become restless and Hindu culture was misunderstood. Then Hindus like Buddha, Guru Nanak and Mahavir began to teach Hindu culture the way they believed it should be taught and added their own rules and regulations. Gradually each of them drew some followers whom we know as Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains. Yet they all have a lot in common with the majority Hindu culture. When the Islamic people invaded India many Hindus and Buddhists were forced to become Muslims. Later, many Europeans came to trade with India and they converted many Hindus to Christianity. Sometimes they paid the poor to convert to become Christians. The Islamic invaders did not understand the meaning of the Hindu symbols and believed that the Hindus worshipped many Gods. They destroyed the temples and symbolic images which they feared because of their ignorance.
- What were these symbolic images? The Mc Donald’s symbol reminds you of the restaurant. Similarly the Statue of Liberty reminds you of Freedom and Liberty for all. Yet the Statue of Liberty is not a real woman. She is imaginary. If she is not real, would it be ok for us to abuse her or destroy her? Why not? Because she means something very special to us. She stands for some very important values. If we don’t respect her we would not respect Liberty and Freedom for all. Therefore Lady Liberty is sacred. She is a Goddess of Liberty and Freedom.
- One of the most important things that ancient Indians, the Hindus valued was knowledge and learning, which is as important to Indian today. The ancient Indians created a beautiful imaginary woman as a symbol of knowledge. She is called Saraswati the Goddess of Knowledge. She wears a pure white saree and sits on a white lotus, holding a book, a rosary and a musical instrument. Hindus pray to Saraswati to remind them of the importance of knowledge and to help focus their thoughts. Hindu culture taught the people to respect everything to do with knowledge. This included respecting their books, back packs and other objects that are a source of learning. Ancient Indians also valued nature. They believed that everything in nature was sacred because we depend so much on it. Rivers were sacred, because they provide water for crops and for drinking. Hindus refer to rivers as mothers since they provide so much. Saraswati was at one time a great river. The worlds oldest and greatest scientists lived along it banks. Therefore Saraswati is a PROVIDER OF WATER AND KNOLWEDGE, which makes her a very important and sacred symbol for Hindus.
- Similarly ancient Indians, the Hindus, made symbolic figures and images of everything that they valued. For example, we know they believed in One God that exists in everything. But since nobody has seen God, it does not have a face or shape or any form. So they would use imaginary symbols to create a picture of God. Since human beings have different minds every person has the right to their own imagination of God. Hindus accept different symbols and names for God. For example, we all have a mother who means many things to us, right? Let us try to draw imaginative pictures of her. As your Protector, she might look like a lioness. As your Teacher she could be drawn as a book worm. Both are different symbols of the same mother.
- Perhaps you want to show her as your Cheerleader with a head like a ball, bouncing on her neck; or as your Nourisher with a head of an apple and the body of a grocery cart. These are all different symbols of the same mother.
- You might even show all her qualities in one combined representation like this imaginative picture of your Mom: She is your devoted chauffeur, your loving cook, your firm teacher, Your strict disciplinarian, your cheerful gardener and your patient craft project helper.... She is everywhere.... at the grocery, at your soccer match, at the beach, at the office and out hiking with you. Mom wears the crown in the home as she juggles all her duties to keep you happy. Similarly ancient Indians created many different pictures of God depending on their imagination. They are all acceptable to Hindus because they know that although some appear strange the pictures have deeper meanings.
- Similarly ancient Indians created many different pictures of God depending on their imagination. They are all acceptable to Hindus because they know that although some appear strange the pictures have deeper meanings. Some think of God as a Mother; some imagine God as a Father; some think of God as their son and some see God as a gentle animal. Hindus respect all these symbols as sacred. Here God is imagined as a very powerful woman, Durga. She stands for the strength that exists in all human beings to be able to face any situation. Ganesh is the symbol of all living creatures, great and small. Krishna playing the flute is a symbolic image of Go as a cowherd and we are the cows that are drawn to the sound of his flute. Later Christianity has adopted a similar idea of God as the shepherd.
- Here is another symbol of what the ancient Indians valued. Ancient Indians were always awed by the sun because it provides light, energy and warmth. Even today the sun is worshipped by Hindus, sometimes as an imaginary figure, the Sun God, Surya. This picture shows the sun as a king riding a chariot that is driven by a hundred horses. The horses are a symbol of the many rays of the sun. He arrives in a glory of light every morning.
- So Fire became a symbol of the powerful Sun for Hindus and even Parsis. Since ancient times Hindus have made fire the most important part of their lives. All festivals and special occasions celebrate fire. Here is a birthday wish that a Hindu mother makes for her daughter as she holds an oil lamp before her. The girl will cup her palms over the flame to receive energy from the fire. She will not blow out this flame, like the way we blow out candles on the cake, but it will be kept burning till it goes out by itself. It is a symbol of long life.
- A Hindu wedding is incomplete without the fire. In most Indian weddings, the couple sits cross legged either on the ground or on a low seat in front of the fire. Then the couple will circle the fire several times while taking their wedding vows in Sanskrit.
- Most Indians cremate their dead. They do not bury them. During cremation, the body is placed upon logs of wood which are lit by family members. The ashes are then cast into a river. Orthodox widows generally wear white. Moderns widows do not necessarily follow the tradition.
- Hindus also value all living beings because they believe God exists everything. Most of all Hindus value and protect animals because they help us in many ways. The cow gives us milk. So she is also referred to as the mother who provides. In Sanskrit Hindus say ‘Gau mata’. The word Cow comes from the sanskrit word ‘Gau’. You might not know that the cow gives us much more than dairy. The urine of cows is used to make medicine. Cow dung is used as manure to fertilize the fields. Cow dung is also used to make fuel and after it is processed it can be used to line the cottages of the farmers to keep pests and insects away. The Farmers use bulls to pull the plough while tilling the land. This makes cattle very precious to the farmers. That is why people worship cows and allow them to share the road in India instead of shooing them away.
- The snake is not considered evil in India. It is sometimes worshipped by the farmers as it helps to keep the rats and mice away from the fields. On certain days, farmers will offer the snakes milk and if they are found inside the homes farmers will not kill them but place them back in the fields. Hindus believe that every animal helps to keep the ecological balance in nature, therefore all including the great Elephant and small mouse are sacred. That is why many Hindus imagine God to be an elephant who is also a symbol of wisdom. Elephants have great memory so they are regarded as wise creatures. This is a picture of Ganesh, with the elephant head, who reminds Hindus to be ideal human beings by listening more, with his large ears. He tells Hindus to speak less with his small mouth. His big stomach reminds Hindus to accept all the good and bad. Ganesh’ trunk can lift a pin as well as a log so he reminds Hindus to be willing to adapt to situations. His hatchet reminds Hindus not to be greedy and the lotus in his other hand reminds them to be like the lotus. That will be explained in the next slide.
- The lotus is a very unusual flower. It can grow in muddy, dirty water and yet look magnificent. It is not affected by its surroundings. No matter where it grows, the lotus spreads its fragrance and looks beautiful. So the lotus is a symbol of people who are good no matter how bad people around them may be. They are not affected by their surroundings. No matter where they live, they remain pure and spread joy. God is sometimes imagined as a beautiful woman, Lakshmi, who rises from a lotus, and brings plenty of good fortune.
- Many Hindus celebrate their New Year at Divali or Deepavali. It is called the Festival of lights because Diva-ali or Deepa –vali means Row of lights in Sanskrit. India is multicultural so the same festival is celebrated in many different ways by Indians around the world. Hindus believe the rows of lights would show Lakshmi, the Goddess of Good Fortune, the way into their homes. In ancient India farmers would prepare to harvest the winter crop at this time around November. But they would worry that the birds would get to it before they could harvest it. That would mean bad fortune as all their hard work would be wasted and there would be no food or money that year. So they devised a really smart plan to keep the birds away. They would light rows of oil lamps in the fields among the crops. They would also stay awake and rejoice knowing that the fresh crop would bring them good fortune soon. Sure enough the rows of lights would save their crop and bring Lakshmi, the symbol of Good Fortune into their home! Ever since, Indians have celebrated with lights outside their homes at Divali. Another reason why Hindus celebrate with lights and food and gifts is the return from the forest of Ram, a favorite king who ruled many years ago. He was considered to be an ideal person and therefore considered to be like God. For some people Divali is also the time when a terrorist is destroyed by Krishna and peace returns to earth. As always human beings celebrate when good wins over evil.
- The triumph of Good over Evil is celebrated in many ways all across India. These are all different symbols of good over evil.
- Hindus also value plants because our lives depend upon them. They yield fruits and vegetables. Plants hold the soil and some plants make good medicines. The holy basil is worshipped every morning by Hindus in their front patios. It is a mosquito repellent and helps to keep the atmosphere fresh and full of oxygen. Just as plants are sacred to Hindus, the earth is sacred for it is our home in the universe. Hindus decorate the ground with powders. You will find this kind of art outside many Hindu homes. This form of art is called Kolam (please repeat KO-LUM) or Rangoli (please rpeat...Rung-o-lee, which means a line of colour.
- One of the most popular patterns that you will find outside Hindu homes is the Swastik. This is the symbol of the beginning of all life. It is a wheel that rotates and life goes on and on forever. Hindus believe that we are reborn again and again in different forms. So the Swastik is a very good symbol. It is a combination of two Sanskrit words, ‘Su’ and ‘Astik’ meaning ‘All is well’. Hindus will create a Swastik pattern outside their homes or their stores on special occasions or even on a regular day. Unfortunately Hitler did not know what the Swastik meant and mistook it for a symbol of white people. He used a distorted form of the Swastik for his army and many Americans still confuse it with the real Hindu Swastik. Although the Swastik has been misused, its will survive as a sacred symbol for Hindus, as it has for centuries, for it represents eternity. Namaste!