Understanding the culture of India

1. THE CULTURE OF INDIA
By:
Janet Hanson
Jessica Fields
Marcuis Carter
Molly Haddow
Robert McQueen
Tia Bouska
November 18th 2011

2. INTRODUCTION
India is a country full of diverse
languages, customs, ethnicity, and
religious groups. Throughout this
presentation, the culture of India
will be analyzed to better achieve
understanding in communication
toward the unfamiliar. Within this
presentation we will be touching (Infoplease, 2005)
on verbal (Molly H) and nonverbal
(Marcuis C) rituals, formal (Robert
M) and non formal (Janet H)
clothing, and gender roles (Male:
Jessica F; Female: Tia B).
(Infoplease, 2005)

3. (Wolf, 2009)
MALE AND FEMALE GENDER ROLES
Male roles by Jessica Fields
Female roles by Tia Bouska

4. TRADITIONAL ROLE OF WOMEN
• India is a very male dominated society, looking to woman as only
wives and mothers (World Trade, P, pg.1)
• In his Manusmriti (Law of Menu), Mendu, a Hindu spiritual law
giver says, “Her father protects (her) in her childhood, her
husband protects (her) in marriage, and her sons protect (her) in
old age; a woman is never fit for independence.” Although this
comes from an ancient texts, these practices are still used (World
Trade, pg. 1).
• Women are treated with unequal measures, statistically showing
that one and every five married women are subjected to domestic
abuse (World Trade, P, pg. 1).
• An extreme example of abuse is in the form of “dowry deaths,”
where newlywed women are murdered or pushed to suicide then
masked as a accidents to profit more dowry (money, goods, land)
(World Trade P, pg. 1).
• Women from lower classes, where traditional views are still
abundant are forced to be dependent to their husbands and
freedom is limited (World Trade, P, pg. 1).

5. CONTEMPORARY ROLE OF WOMEN
• In all aspects of society, Indian women have taken on more
independent roles as the economy liberated (World Trade, P, pg.
1).
• A growing rate of woman are taking on head of household in the
absence of men (World Trade, P, pg. 2).
• Even after taking their husband’s name after marriage, woman
have the right to hold their assets separately World Trade, P, pg.
2).
• By India law, women have access to all educational facilities to
seek higher education and follow careers goals (World
Trade, p, pg. 2)..
• Government has passed various laws to protect women’s rights
along with encouraging the hopes of woman to have more activity
in the public (World Trade, P, pg. 1).
• Traditional practices such as child marriage, temple
prostitution, and Sati (the burning of a widow alive on her
husbands burial) have been completely outlawed (World
Trade, P, pg. 1).

6. URBAN VS RURAL WOMEN
India’s economic and social classes
have a lot to do with the roles
women play in their families and
workforce. Women from urban
territories tend to practice the
more “modern” side of women’s
roles, whereas women from rural
regions have a more traditional
view on how they distinguish
between independence (World delhiwithavinash.blogspot.com
Trade, P, pg. 2). Rural women work
in the fields and are a huge portion
of the agriculture sector, where
Urban women make up the diverse
part of the industrialized sectors
(World Trade, P, pg. 2).
photography.nationalgeographic.com

7. TRADITIONAL ROLE OF MEN
• Men are dominant while women
are more submissive, taking a
back seat approach.
• Men are the only ones to join the
workforce.
• Along with providing the financial
income to the household, men
traditionally decide how the
money is spent.
• Men traditionally do not do
http://www.missionary-blogs.com/images/men-of-india.jpg
housework. Instead, they go out
to socialize with other men and
worship at the temple everyday
after working. (Aruna, Personal
Communication. October
21st, 2011)

8. CONTEMPORARY ROLE OF MEN
• Men and women are able to
converse in more of an equal
sense. Women play major
roles in the household also.
• Men take part in helping in the
household and help women
with the cooking.
• Men are not the only ones
allowed to work in the
household; women are also
allowed to work and bring in
money.
• Men take part in helping raise http://cdn4.gbot.me/photos/Ur/IO/1299010011/The_Three_Wise
the children and don’t leave all _Men_in_Lit-India-20000000001560446-500x375.jpg
of the work to the men
(Trivedi, 2008)

9. ROLE OF MEN IN MARRIAGE
• Men do not chose their wives, their parents
do, and men do not meet the wives they are to
marry until 3 months prior to the wedding.
• Men can divorce their wives if their wife does not
give him sons, causing a high divorce rate.
• If a married male in the family dies, the eldest
male in the family will then assume responsibility
for the wife and children by taking care of them.
• Once married the father-in-law and males that
are older than the bride are not allowed to look
at the bride face to face. The bride must wear a
veil when speaking to these men.
• Most middle aged men do not remarry if they a
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_VteNgA8CAp4
/TS4whGmYqKI/AAAAAAAAAX0/uRttmN5 widowed. The young men are normally the only
c4tM/s640/4.jpg
people who get remarried. (Aruna, Personal
Communication. October 21st, 2011)

10. (“Kahaani Ghar,” 2008)
CLOTHING IN INDIA
Informal clothing by Janet Hanson
Formal clothing by Robert McQueen

11. INFORMAL INDIAN DRESS
• India is a country that has a magical and mystifying
allure, with bright colored clothing, bangles and bells.
It is diverse in culture and religion. It is through their
choice of clothing that they communicate their social
status or caste, religion, region, age and educational
background. (Shukla. P, 2008).
• The scarf or dupatta, is worn mostly by women, and
can vary in style or print. It is draped over the
breast, then hangs vertically down the back and over
one shoulder to the front part of the body. Since it is
usually flimsy, sheer cloth, it can also be used to cover
her head and face for modesty purposes.(Shukla,P.
2008).

12. SALWAR SUIT
The most common piece of informal clothing
that is worn by men and women of India, is
the Salwar suit, that consists of a three
piece outfit. The pant, the most common
choice is the Churider pyjama, it has a
tightfitting drawstring waist, then the
material blousons to the ankles and is
fastened with tight fitting snaps. The tunic
or Kurta, is varied in cut, it can be tight or
loosely fitted to the body, and have either
short or long sleeves. The most common
feature of the Kurta is its length, it will
always fall between the upper thigh or well
below the knee. The men will wear these
pants with a jacket to complete their http://www.greatspectrum.com
everyday ensemble. (Shukla,P. 2008).

13. THE SARI
• The sari is another form of clothing that
communicates the age and the status of women.
The styles of cloth ultimately are chosen by the
men, since they are the buyers of the cloth and the
weavers. Women may posses several sari’s, some
for everyday wear and others for special occasions.
The sari is one piece of unstitched cloth, giving a
statement of being pure, this is why they are
usually purchased by brides to be or married
women of India. They are worn with a blouse and
petticoats. They are usually chosen for their
weave, color and texture (Shukla,P. pg 68).
• The younger brides usually choose the
bright, bolder colors of red, orange or yellow, to
communicate their youth in their Sari. These
colors will also be chosen for their ghunfat, the veil
that young brides wear to cover their faces from
the men in the household. The more mature
http://www.ehow.com/how_7782408_dr
married women will choose the lighter colors of
ape-indian-sari.html blues and pale yellows to communicate their
presence in the family. When a women becomes a
widow, she will only wear the colors of white, black
or brown to signify mourning. (Aruna, personal
communication, October 21st,2011).

14. SHERWANI
The sherwani is a long coat
that buttons up the front and
hangs down usually below the
knee. Men spend lavish
amounts of money for these
formal wears in preparation for
their wedding night or special
occasions. The sherwani is an
expression of ones wealth and
style (Johnson 1996). The
sherwani contains a nehru
collar which stands up. The
clothing gets its origin from
Pakistan, but has been www.culturalindia.net/indian-clothing/sherwani.html
adopted by the Indian culture.

15. LEHENGA CHOLI
The lehenga choli is also a
formal dress that is more
modern. The lehenga choli
are dresses that are
embroidered with
stones, zari, crystals, cori,
mirrors, and sequins. This
dress is more form fitting
and meant to accent the
curves of the body (Johnson
1996).
www.fashiontipsforall.com/lehenga-choli/

16. (About, n.d.)
RELIGION IN INDIA
Verbal rituals by Molly Haddow

17. HINDUISM
• Hinduism began around 1500 BCE and is the third largest religion in the
world. It accounts for about 80% of people in India.
• While lacking a unified system of beliefs and ideas, it combines very
diverse traditions and beliefs. The dharma controls ones ethics and
duties, it acts as the law or natural law. The samsara controls the
rebirth, or reincarnation. Karma is controlled by performing the right
action. The Moksha is liberation from the samsara cycle. (Das, n.d.)
• Hinduism is an all inclusive way of life. The purpose of life is to attain
freedom from the reincarnation cycle. To do this one must live life
following the dharma. If successful and ones karma is resolved, they
will attain moksha. If ones karma is unsuccessful, their soul will enter
the samsara cycle and be born into a new body. (Das, n.d.)
• Worship can occur at home or at temples so that one can think of
divinity during every day life. Shrines are created at home with icons to
celebrate their chosen god.
• Devout Hindus worship daily after bathing at dawn. Worship includes
chanting mantras, reciting scriptures, singing hymns or meditating.
• Special occasions like birth, marriage and death, involve elaborate sets
of religious customs. These rituals are called samskaras.

18. SAMSKARAS RITUALS
• There are 16 main samskaras. They are rituals and
sacrifices that cover every aspect of the Hindu life, from
conception to death (Ayer, n.d).
• There are two categories of samskaras. One is to
encourage kindness from the gods. The other is to keep
away or get rid of hostile and evil powers.
• Ceremonies can be used to influence many things
including health, wealth, intelligence, fertility and social
status. It brings man or woman to their highest
potential physically, psychically and spiritually to achieve
the highest level of all-round human welfare.
• Max Muller explained the ceremonies as “the deep-
rooted tendency in the heart of man to bring the chief
events to human life into contact with a higher
power, and to give to our joys and sufferings a deeper
significance and a religious sanctification.” (Ayer, n.d.)

19. EXAMPLE OF A SAMSKARAS
• Namakarana is a ceremony for
naming the child normally
performed on the 10th or 12th day
after birth. The father of the child
and the priest invite guests over to
start the ceremony.
• The child is bathed and dressed in
nice clothes. Several mantras are
said as the parents provide
offerings to the gods and feel the
breath of their child to symbolize
the awakening of its consciousness.
They then speak into the child’s ear (Sudhi, 2010)
three times to say “Your name is…”
Once they are done, the elders of
the group will also tell the child its
name. (Ayer, n.d.)

20. (“Moving and Relocation, 2007)
NON-VERBAL CUSTOMS
Non-verbal rituals by Macuis Carter

21. GREETINGS
When greeting an
elder, there is also a
touching of the feet of the
elder, with the right
hand, then touching your
chest. After this, is the
palms pressed together.
(Caper, n.d)

22. GESTURES
• Out of respect, it is common
to remove ones shoes at
places of worship, when
visiting homes, and even in
certain shops and businesses.
• People beckon one another by
extending an arm and making
a scratching motion with their
fingers, palm facing down.
• The head wobble can mean
(Culture Crossing, n.d.)
various things depending on
angle, expression and speed.
• One usually eats with their
right hand, as the left is
considered unclean.

23. SYMBOLS
• A tilak is a ritual mark
made on the forehead
between the eyebrows
representing
greeting, blessing or
auspiciousness.
• A bindi is an auspicious
mark on a married
Indian woman’s
forehead, symbolizing
Goddess Pavarti and
female energy.
(Caper Travel Company LTD, n.d)

24. CONCLUSION
We have seen how the culture of India communicates
through all sources of verbal and nonverbal use. From the
Sari and Bindi of the married India women, to their religion
of Hinduism, where the people pray to their Dharma, in the
hopes of attaining Karma. We have seen how the society
has moved forward in allowing women to work and receive
an education. These are all positive ways that
communication has helped bring India that much closer into
the twentieth century. By each of us understanding more
about the gender roles, age, religion, appearance and the
culture of India in general we can learn to be more tolerant
and adapt our communication techniques to build stronger
relationships.

25. OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS
• 1. What was one thing your were surprised to learn about
the culture in India? How would this affect your
communication with someone from India, if you met them?
• 2. After listening to this presentation, if you were going to
India tomorrow, would you feel you would be able to adjust
to the new culture better and be more prepared? Why
• 3. What other information would you have wanted to learn
about India other than what was in the presentation?
• 4. Does India practice a masculine or feminine culture?
What component from the presentation lead you to this
conclusion?

26. REFERENCES CITED
• Aruna, Personal Communication, Oct 21 2011.
• Ayer, Sri VAK (n.d.). Sacraments – Samskaras. Retrieved November 5, 2011
from http://www.hinduism.co.za/sacramen.htm
• Caper Travel Company LTD (n.d.). Customs in India. Caper. Retrieved from
http://www.capertravelindia.com/india/customs-in-india.html
• Das, Subhamoy (n.d.). Major Hindu Symbols. Retrieved November 17, 2011
from http://hinduism.about.com/od/artculture/a/major_hindu_symbols.htm
• Das, Subhamoy (n.d.). Hinduism for Beginners. Retrieved November 3, 2011
from http://hinduism.about.com/od/basics/p/hinduismbasics.htm
• Hebbar, Jishnu (2010, March). Jishnu’s Namakarana photos. Yelagodumane
Hebbars’ Spicysudhi. Retrieved November 6, 2011 from
http://www.sudhi.com/add-on/slog/template_permalink.asp?id=364#
• India (2005). Countries of the World. Retrieved on November 17, 2011 from
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107629.html
• India Gestures (n.d.). Culture Crossing. Retrieved from
http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student_details.php?Id=13&
CID=96
• India’s rural job portals covering new grounds (2009, October). Oneworld.net.
Retrieved November 11 2011 from
http://southasia.oneworld.net/ictsfordevelopment/indias-rural-job-portals-
covering-new-grounds

27. REFERENCES CITED (CONTINUED)
• Johnson, G. (1996). Cultural Atlas of India. Oxfordshire, England.
• Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii bids adieu… (2008, October). India-Forums. Retrieved
November 17, 2011 from http://www.india-forums.com/tellybuzz/news-
releases/3318-kahaani-ghar-ghar-kii-bids-adieu.htm
• The Importance of Nonverbal Communication (2007). Expats Moving and
Relocation Guide. Retrieved on November 17, 2011 from http://www.expats-
moving-and-relocation-guide.com/nonverbal-communication.html#index
• Shukla, P. (2008). The Grace of Four Moons. Bloomington. IN: Indiana
University Press.
• Trivedi, G. (2008, April). India's views on gender roles. Retrieved from
http://www.helium.com/items/1005430-indias-views-on-gender-roles
• Wolf, N. (2009, June). Feminism and the ‘Male Brain.’ Welt. Retrieved
November 17, 2011 from
http://www.welt.de/international/article3874549/Feminism-and-the-Male-
Brain.html
• Workers Planting Rice, India (2003, June). National Geographic. Retrieved
November 11, 2011
from http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/enlarge/worke
rs-planting-rice-india_pod_image.html
• World Trade Press (2010). India Women in Culture, Business and Travel.
Petaluma, CA: World Trade Press.