Impact of Societal Cultural and Religious Values

Indian culture is more than five thousand years old and is one of the few ancient cultures that still survive today. Language, arts, spirituality, music, dance, literature all form a part of this culture. Indian culture has responded differently to influences of different cultures, especially those of invaders and it has preserved, absorbed and assimilated the different elements and this is the secret of the success of Indian culture and civilization. Inspire of its diversity, there is a ‘fundamental unity’ which makes it unique. Indian culture has many different parts and each is closely related with the other and has intricately woven values. Families are essential in preserving and transmitting culture. It is in the family that the child first experiences and absorbs the values of sharing, caring, unselfishness, tolerance. Unity, loyalty, integrity are key features of an Indian family with emphasis on interdependence and concern for others. In India, food is valued not only because it is nutritious but also for it is a gift from god. Clothes are associated with tradition, diversity of culture. The national symbols in India symbolize unity, truth and patriotism. National symbols are distinctive to the country. Teachers are to be aware of integrating values into the curriculum in all subjects.