On the name of Modernization our country is turnin - Page 2

Posted: 12 years ago
Originally posted by zorrro


At last! But I compensated 😆
Exceptions are always there...😆
 
Coming to the topic...I think most Indians are STILL a blend of east and the west...let us not forget that 70% of India is not 'modernized' and holds on to the 'Indian Culture'...I don't think if u adapt to some good points of a different culture u loose ur recognition...it is always good to change with the changing times and life styles..but within limits..
Posted: 12 years ago
Originally posted by souro



I don't think the topic questioned the righteousness of western culture, rather it questions the need for Indians to discard everything Indian and become western.

Has someone got the right to emulate the values of another culture, especially if they are good? Certainly. However, is it right to discard everything, especially good values, that are indigenous just because of this drive to adopt the foreign? I don't think so, as in the long run you place yourself in an inferior and subservient position by losing your own identity.
Even if the good indigenous values are substituted by equally good foreign practices, it still comes across as lack of self-esteem.



"Good" values would be a relative concept. It just depends on what people are seeking. Emulation also does not mean lack of self-esteem or being subservient. There are many reasons why people emulate other cultures. That being said, I'd agree that blindly discarding one's culture to emulate something foreign is not desirable.

Ultimately any culture as we know today is the result of years of cultural influences and changes. Ten years from now, they all will have changed. Personally, I think instead of perceiving culture as Indian or Western, Traditional or Modern we need to adapt a more pragmatic outlook towards culture. Are the cultural changes we are going through going to benefit us in the long run or will it be detrimental. Trying to categorize culture and pit them against each other makes us blind sighted to the pros and cons out there.

Other than that I do feel that when people raise the concern about westernization, there is some rooted prejudice against western culture. Sometimes how we perceive culture is also completely flipped over. People simply assume they are westernizing, copying USA, Europe or other cultures. But they are copying what they assume to be reflections of other cultures. When you travel to these countries you see the deeper rooted indigenous cultures and see how the emulation was based on stereotypes and perception rather than reality.
Posted: 12 years ago

There is no other country in the world with as much diversity... In fact India is a world in itself...and we all know that India's culture is a very respectful culture respected by all over world ...bt if anyone like to adopt different ideas,thoughts and lifestyle nothing wrong in it , I think culture are the beliefs and it defines our relation, behaviour and attitude towards self, family society and place we are living..😊

Posted: 12 years ago
Westernization is a remote prospect, people have found Indo-Western tactics of nauseating the aloof and we-dun-care dimensions of the Indian society. ðŸ˜³

Perhaps, the Indian tradition is well fixed in people's heads and actions, they are only just fascinated by the west, always have been. Though, the Indian basics are too deep to get out of them. A man would 'let' his woman wear jeans and a 'decent' shirt to a 'party', okay he would - but when she needs to seek permission for choosing herself clothes, how does modernization stand a chance over here? 

There are more people than rational in India, but most possess similar good old thought processes, even though they depend upon modern technologies to get their chores done. The car for their daughter's dowry is expensive and faster than the one they'd been gifted, but since 'casual' responsibility of dowry still prevails, I'd rather say that modernization in India is scarce, even today. 
Posted: 12 years ago
Originally posted by return_to_hades



"Good" values would be a relative concept. It just depends on what people are seeking. Emulation also does not mean lack of self-esteem or being subservient. There are many reasons why people emulate other cultures. That being said, I'd agree that blindly discarding one's culture to emulate something foreign is not desirable.

Ultimately any culture as we know today is the result of years of cultural influences and changes. Ten years from now, they all will have changed. Personally, I think instead of perceiving culture as Indian or Western, Traditional or Modern we need to adapt a more pragmatic outlook towards culture. Are the cultural changes we are going through going to benefit us in the long run or will it be detrimental. Trying to categorize culture and pit them against each other makes us blind sighted to the pros and cons out there.

Other than that I do feel that when people raise the concern about westernization, there is some rooted prejudice against western culture. Sometimes how we perceive culture is also completely flipped over. People simply assume they are westernizing, copying USA, Europe or other cultures. But they are copying what they assume to be reflections of other cultures. When you travel to these countries you see the deeper rooted indigenous cultures and see how the emulation was based on stereotypes and perception rather than reality.

Emulation does not by default mean lack of self-esteem, what I said was, it comes across as such. Especially, large scale emulation. If someone is following another person in every little matter, the person who is being followed and his friends will view the follower as inferior who is trying hard to become like them.

That doesn't mean that we don't even adopt practices that are only prudent. Of course we shouldn't reinvent the wheel, we should simply pick up that knowledge. Similarly, other cultures will pick up from us what is helpful for them. Emulation of that sort is wise and mutually beneficial. But if we start emulating what material the other use to build their wheel, then we might have a problem. Cos their material may not be the best material that is available, their road condition may not match ours and their material may not be available at our place. We should use our own ingenuity to come up with solutions that are suitable for us. Adopting the whole caboodle doesn't help, as that way soon we end up having nothing worthwhile to offer in exchange and we become just a follower.

For example, adopting knowledge gained by Western scientists and philosophers was a prudent idea. Building permanent infrastructure to impart that knowledge to others was also a prudent idea.
But what was not prudent was to emulate their way of imparting knowledge. They brought in the education system where students compete for marks. The system was not perfect, yet we adopted it without even trying to find a better solution and we are now crying over that same system. Had we given it some thought, maybe we'd have foreseen the disadvantages and would've been able to find a better solution.
What was also not correct was to stop imparting knowledge that were developed by Indian scientists and philosophers. We had a first mover advantage in that. And yet we relinquished it just in the rush to adopt something where someone else already holds the first mover advantage. The prudent thing to do would have been, to impart both Western and Eastern knowledge, so that, we gain extra knowledge and at the same time we also retain our area of core expertise.

Posted: 12 years ago

Adopting knowledge and technology is fine but when it comes to application one needs to take stock of its practicability in the prevailing conditions. Blind emulation without foresight defeats the purpose. The following is a typical example of well intended plans gone wrong.

Motion sensitive doors have been gaining quite an acceptance in most of the modern buildings in India. Recently a well known hospital in the capital went in for renovation in one of its super speciality wing and replaced the traditional lock and key swinging doors with   swanky motion sensitive glass doors that open up automatically as a person approaches it. At the outset nothing seemed wrong with it. It made the area look more spacious, bright and modern. But the local culture and environment had been clearly  overlooked as was soon realized.  After the grand inaugurations  were over a peculiar  problem came to light.  Monkeys and dogs were seen to enter through those doors with equal ease as humans!
 
 The motion sensory mechanism of the door did not discriminate between human and animal motion. It responded with equal respect to both. The monkeys and dogs get attracted as the patients relatives offer food to them out of religious beliefs. I m sure the hospital authorities have a tough challenge ahead dealing with the new menace and justifying the expenses incurred. Incidentally 2 langoors (big black faced simians) had to be employed to drive the monkeys away. Instructions were put up not to feed the animals within the campus.
 
Before emulating something it would be worthwhile to take note of the prevailing differences.  One should not overlook the functionality of the existing differences. It may be in our interest to retain and promote some of our unique features.
Posted: 12 years ago
I am confused, what are we debating here...

Is modernization good or bad?
Is westernization good or bad?
Is Indian cultural good or bad?

Thus is
self-independent good or bad?


Posted: 12 years ago
Originally posted by night13


I am confused, what are we debating here...

Is modernization good or bad?
Is westernization good or bad?
Is Indian cultural good or bad?

Thus is
self-independent good or bad?


You can debate on any or all of the above. As long as you jump off the fence who is stopping you 😆
Posted: 12 years ago

Now coming to the topic of culture, basically protecting Indian culture, erosion of our culture, our cultural heritage, are all phrases much bandied now a days!. Is the meaning of Indian culture lost in a myth? Do we really understand what culture means, it consists of social behavior, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all of human work and thoughts or the the ways of living. It is simply how we life, and what we do in the course of this living and thus it's not static entity.  Everything around us changes, like seasons, technologies,  pattern of living, and so many other little factors changed our culture, because they changed our practices and the way we live. The change is adequate and necessary.  It is ever-changing and efforts to harness it at any point can only be futile. Why shouldn't we accept changes?

Edited by night13 - 12 years ago
Posted: 12 years ago
Originally posted by night13


I am confused, what are we debating here...

Is modernization good or bad?
Is westernization good or bad?
Is Indian cultural good or bad?

Thus is
self-independent good or bad?


What is Indian Culture??

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