India-the land where civilisation started, the land of a multitude of cultures and huge biodiversity, the country which resisted several foreign attacks in the past and fought each of them bravely…truly India is incredible.
The famous song “Yeh Mera India, I love my India” which is etched in everyone’s mind reflects the glory of our country. The ruins of Mohenjodaro and Harappa stand testimony to the fact regarding the greatness of Indian Culture. The uniqueness of our country lies in its huge cultural diversity. India is a potpourri of different ethnic groups and communities with their own set of culture and traditions. This has given rise to several varied forms of arts-music,dance,food which now have been given international recognition. The people of these various communities are bound by a set of values clearly seen in traditional Indian families. But in recent times a question has been raised several times: Has the Indian Culture diminished among today’s Indian youth? Has the Indian Culture become a myth today?
Well one must admit the impact of globalisation and the resulting modernisation on Indian society. With globalisation, there has been an exchange of cultures and ideas between various countries and this has had a profound impact on our society in both ways-good and bad. Modernisation has helped to eradicate our social evils on a large scale that were prevalent in the society like sati system, child marriage, polygamy etc..Had it not been the British with their modern ways, India would have still been an underdeveloped nation. But today modernisation has gone far beyond and is slowly crippling the traditional values of our society- that binds an Indian family.
The urban dwellers seem to be most affected by modernisation and westernisation and deviating from their traditions. In every aspect, one can clearly see the changes in the youth. Nowadays, the so called westernised youth prefer pizzas and hamburgers more to home cooked rice and chappatis. It has become a trend for everyone to hang out with their friends and visit pizza huts,KFCs. Many find home cooked food tasteless. Come to music and the situation is same: most of us would like to dance to the tunes of Western Rock or Pop or even westernised Indian Pop, but only a handful prefer Indian Classical music. The classical songs are “too boring” for the youth. Besides that with westernisation, many of the youngsters seem to have lost their ethics,the respect for their elders. They like to party,hang out with their friends, but least bothered about family relationships. The values parents like to imbibe on their children, the advices they give to their kids do not appeal to them. Many of the youth feel suffocated in their homes-spending time with their family,taking part in family functions as they feel these are too ‘old-fashioned’ for them.The traditions appear to be boring for them. Well this has even started in rural areas. But I think the youngsters are not to be blamed completely- the whole environment where they have been born and brought up has changed so much due to modernisation that has led to the declination of culture among Indian youth, that has led our culture into a myth. But there could always be a way…with the introduction of value education programmes in educational institutes, to prevent our culture from completely turning into a myth.
