The Indian culture is one of the most talked-about topics today. Especially the young students who have started becoming more aware of the world’s historical and political affairs. But most people unfortunately still are not aware of the vast richness that their culture has.
Instead, they focus more on getting themselves acquainted with the cultures and traditions of other countries. Keep reading to know a little more about the value that Indian culture has and why it has been decreasing with time.
The External Influence
Most people today might already know the immense influence that the West has had on the country. Now, this is not to demean any country or its culture, but to talk about their approach to life and the impact they left on us.
Western cultures have always focused on richness, luxuries, comfort, convenience, and material well-being. It is a good thing to some extent because without it, we would not have the comfort and technological possibilities that we have today. But it has its limitations.
The Consequence
As the obsession with materialism grew, people become crazier about keeping more material objects with them. People have converted their homes into warehouses. And money has become more important than life itself!
We have given so much importance to money that we spend our entire precious lives in earning and stocking it with us. Hence, most of us do not focus on our own health and well-being. We forget that we cannot enjoy the luxuries we buy unless we are in good physical and mental condition.
The cases of mental and physical disorders in the world are rising today, and one of the many fundamental reasons for that is the lack of attention people pay to their health.
The Indian Approach
The culture in this country has always focused more on internal well being instead of outside well being. They became conscious of the fact that if they are pleasant inside, the outside world will automatically be pleasant for them.
Have you noticed that when you are happy, everything looks fantastic to you and you start having more understanding towards your life situations? On the other hand, when you are depressed, angry, or irritated, the same things that looked beautiful feel like your enemies.
This is what Indians became conscious of in ancient times. This led them to create technologies for inner well being, which we call yoga. They knew that being in tune with the nature that they were born in was the best way to live a great life, instead of moving material stuff from one place to the other and wasting your entire life on it.
This is why the west today has started noticing a bit the value of meditating. Because they have already suffered a lot.
The Distortions
Over time, the richness of Indian culture started being distorted. People started misinterpreting and misunderstanding the messages and teachings of the wise masters. Everything from the scriptures to the very history of the country has been altered and damaged drastically.
If someone asks you, who invented the zero, most of you will say Aryabhatta, right? But it was Brahmagupta who first came up with the concept and Aryabhatta created its digit and applied it in the decimal system.
You might have read about the Harappan civilization in your schools’ history books. All they mention is that the people there had excellent drainage systems. This is the only thing being talked about about the civilization there. No one mentions the elaborate architecture they had, their art, craftsmanship, design, and their intuitive intelligence.
Nobody knows who created the elaborate temples such as the Kailasa temple in Ellora, or who carved elaborate structures out of granite in southern India, at that time without the technology of today!
There are many such misinterpretations about the Indian culture in other countries and their books as well, which has led to Indians becoming ignorant of their own true value. India has gifted a lot to the world, from mathematics and science to true spirituality. It is time we start imbibing its greatness.