National traditions of India. Habits, mentality and the way of living

In India, people speak more than a hundred languages. Hindi is the most common language, followed by Bengali, Tamil, Urdu, and others. Many Indians know the English Language, which is mainly used in politics and business dealings. Indians are friendly, optimistic, love to talk and argue. They are mainly extroverts and prefer to be among people, love noisy holidays and parties. There is a downside here: the people of India do not have a clear idea about personal space and often poke their noses into other people’s business out of curiosity. Since Indians have more characteristics of collectivism rather than individualism, they are very dependent on the opinions of others and often respect others’ opinions as if it was their own, just because majority shares these opinions.

Friendship is of great importance for Indians. They make friends easily, but it takes time to become a true friend of an Indian. However, from first glance, it may seem that all Indians are friends because they are always friendly and polite to the people around them. Most people in India are ready to help a stranger, even foreigners. Here foreigners are loved and look forward to having a talk with them or even inviting them over sometimes. An irreplaceable Indian feature is hospitality; guests are treated like kings here and they do everything to please them. One of the favorite ways of amusement for Indians is having a conversation over a cup of tea. They are ready to discuss everything: from news, gossips, and weather, to politics and science.

Family is in the first place for every Indian. The families are usually patriarchal; fathers, husbands and even sons are waiting for obedience from women. Women take care of children and do the housework. Often, four generations of relatives live in the same house, and sometimes family members live on the same street. Women go to the families of their husbands but continue to communicate with their own relatives. Older members of the family are surrounded by honor. Such a phenomenon, as marriages organized by parents not based on love, is still common, though such cases are becoming less in cities. The Indians who leave for other places to earn money do not forget to send some of the money to their relatives back home. In large families, husbands and wives, parents and children do not display warm affections in front of everyone: it is customary to love everyone in a family equally. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

In many Indian families, the birth of a son is still considered one of the main goals of a man. Therefore, in such families, sons are respected more than daughters, and they are more entitled. This becomes a problem when such a child grows into a completely selfish and arrogant man, and girls grow into submissive women who are prone to self-sacrifice. A woman is expected to play the role of a parent and the custodian of the hearth, even if she lives in the city and works. Therefore, the social and psychological burden on women in India is very strong. Sexual abuse accompanied by injury or ended with the murder of the victim is one of the main problems in India. One of the main reasons for this occurrence is the idea of ​​the women as things that men own. In modern India, many activists and organizations have emerged that are actively fighting against gender stereotypes, discrimination, and violence.

It is not common to walk fast in India as most of the locals are known to take strolls. One of the important Indian ideas is the caste system. Indian society is hierarchical; everyone has his/her own place at all social events. People can treat their fellow countryman from the lower social stratum arrogantly, and suck up to those who surpass them. The idea of karma allows people without a pang of conscience to take a position in society, not deserved by them personally but given in connection with the caste system. Similarly, people from low social stratum simply reconcile themselves with their position. Most Indians are religious and take faith seriously. However, they can look at the representatives of other faiths with conviction. They believe in astrology so much that they often make serious decisions with its help.

Some Indians are so superstitious that they, for instance, will never cut their hair and nails on certain days of the week. Before going to a doctor, a typical Indian will try all possible natural remedies. Indians are often ready to blame anyone or anything for their failures and problems except themselves: government, weather, teachers, policemen, drivers, and so on. Indian parents have an unpleasant habit of comparing their children with those of others, not in favor of the former. This is one of the reasons for Indians’ dependence on the opinions of others. This dependency can seriously affect a person’s life; for example, forcing him to choose a more prestigious profession instead of the one that he really likes, to get married not based on love, but so that their neighbors and relatives approve their choice.