ANALYSING THE EFFECTS OF GLOBALISTION ON INDIAN CULTURE AND ECONOMIES
Introduction
In very simple terms globalisation can be
depicted as increasing global interconnectedness. It is a process rather than
an outcome, which refers to the trend toward the growing interconnectedness of
different parts of the world, not to their being interconnected. It primarily
is an interchange of economic, social, cultural, political, technological
attributes that takes place between societies when different societies come
into contact with each other. Though this interchange is going on for times
immemorial, this process was termed as “globalisation” for the first time around
the second half of 20th century while much of the literature on this
has appeared since the late 1970’s and 1980’s.
Globalization really affects people with
respect to their way of life, culture, taste, fashion, preferences, etc. It has
led to good and bad effects on the lives of the people. With the dream of great
opportunities, people used to move from east to west and vice-versa. But, the
global financial crisis all over the world resulted in reverse migration.
Researches had proved that many foreign-born workers; mainly from China and
India, have considered returning home to better job opportunities.
Indian culture is no bar to this
transformation process. Culture and traditions of any geographic region hold a
special significance with respect to its uniqueness. This uniqueness has been
disturbed to the varying degrees in lieu of globalization. Due to the advent of
the western culture in the country our precious culture and religion is getting
diminished. It is visible and achievable if the people unite themselves to
encounter the forces of modernization and globalization.
Globalization
Globalization may be defined as the
process of going global. The word globe refers to earth, so when something has
gone global it means that its reach is far and wide. There is no denying that
globalization has certainly been a blessing for the modern world. Globalization
is very important to our world today. For India the impact of the policy
globalization is both good and bad. Right from the environmental challenges
from the climatic influence, the air, water soil pollution etc., to the
cyber-crime; globalization has a huge contribution to all the ill-effects of
scientific advancements. May it be business, trade, and work exposure or the economic
and financial status of the country; no field is left behind the reach of
globalization.
Globalization is an international platform
for maintaining evenness in the living mode of the people all over the world.
Globalization is the resultant of the interchange of worldly views, opinions
and the various aspects of the culture everywhere around the world.
Development, Displacement and Social Movements
Globalisation as an idea of modernisation
within the global market was mentioned in the writings of Marx and Saint-Simon
also (Cable 1999). Certain scholars even argue that this process of globalisation
has been going on since the beginning of mankind and it has affected all
cultures, even remote and isolated, though in varying degrees (Griffin 2004).
The contemporary globalisation differs from the process that could be observed
in the past primarily in terms of the quantum of interchange and inter connectedness.
Everything happens much faster today than it did in previous eras. The current
process of globalisation, which is popularly described as gradual removal of
barriers to trade and investment between nations, was started towards the end
of the 20th century. It is said to aim to achieve economic
efficiency through
competitiveness, while seeking the broader
objectives of economic and social development. It touches all spheres of human
life; economic, social, cultural, political and environmental. The most common
definition of present day globalisation refers to the growing integration of
various countries to the world economy. It results mostly from a freer movement
of capital, products and information, which affects not just the economy, but
also, as we said earlier, the political, cultural, social and environmental
arenas. Different disciplines such as Economics, History, Political Science,
Sociology, etc. employ different criteria for elaborating and defining
the concept of globalisation. Antony
Giddens, a sociologist, defined globalisation as an intensification of
worldwide social relations, via which far away places are linked together in
such a way that events in one place are affected by a process taking place many
miles away and vice versa (Giddens 2000). David Henderson (1999), an economist,
views globalisation as a model of fully internationally integrated markets
meeting the two conditions of i) the free
movement of goods, services, labour and
capital resulting in a single market in inputs and outputs, and ii) full
national treatment for foreign investors as well as nationals working oversees,
so that economically speaking there are no foreigners. For Meghnad Desai (2004)
globalisation is the growing reciprocal interdependence and integration of
various economies around the globe.
Indian
Culture
The culture of any country does not only
portray the region and language of the region; it starts with the mind-set and
mentally of the residing citizens. Indian culture which in effect means Hindu
culture, Hindu religion, Hindu society, Hindu civilization, and Hindu way of
life are under the lethal threat of the ruthless forces of Globalization today.
India is a bouquet of flowers varying religion, dialect, tradition, custom,
music, art and architecture etc, Bundled into a single unit of patriotism and
unity. When we analyse this rich culture with the globalization point of view,
we can find many punch holes of westernization and mixing of other traits and
cultures into our beautifully woven blanket. The Indian culture has never been obsolete;
instead it has evolved with time. Our culture has the strength to combine the
good traits of foreign entities that has been in contact with us from the past
and been able to ignoreall the negative aspects.
In India, there is amazing cultural diversity
throughout the country. The South, North, and Northeast have their own distinct
cultures and almost every state has carved out its own cultural niche. There is
hardly any culture in the world that is as varied and unique as India. India is
a vast country, having variety of geographical features and climatic conditions.
India is home to some of the most ancient civilizations, including four major world
religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. "Unity in
diversity" - these are not just words, but something that are highly
applicable to a country like India that is incredibly rich in culture and
heritage.
Globalization
and its impact on Indian Culture
Let us closely analyze the impact of
globalization on Indian culture.
Family Structure
The key attraction of Indian culture is
joint family culture. .The joint families have become a strange surprise to the
Indians especially to those residing in the metropolitan cities in the small
flat culture with the nuclear families blooming up like mushrooms in the rain .People
have lost the patience to get adjusted into the joint family, Children have
started treating grandparents like guests or visitors, and such an upbringing
is one of the main reasons of increasing old age homes, as those children
consider their own parents as burden in their state of adulthood. The joint
families have been broken now and nuclear families are taking place.
Marriage
Values
Marriages have also lost their values. It
is very much evident from the increasing number of divorce cases and the
extra-marital affairs reported every now and then. Marriage used to be
considered as bonding of the souls which will be linked even after the death;
but today marriage is like a professional bond or a so-called commitment to
share life without compromising their self-interests. The ego factor into the
Indian youth is again a product of globalization. It is quite shocking to see
in our country where we have always upheld values, culture and tradition at
high esteem. We always were overconfident that no other power in the world
could ever eat away at our deep rooted virtues and that our culture would
remain supreme forever.
Social Values
Elders have the incorporated values of
treating the guests as God, warm-hearted welcoming, greeting elders with due
respect and a celebrating every small festival with great color of enjoyment
and togetherness. Such a wide gathering with full hue and light can hardly be
seen today. People have highly restricted themselves in social interaction. The
interaction in present generation is highly diplomatic considering the financial
status and wealth. People have lost social values and cheerful blessing of
togetherness. The present generations are happier celebrating Valentine‟s Day
rather than Holi and Diwali.
Adultery
Both the genders were kept at a distance,
with lot many restrictions and limitations to the approach for ages in our
culture. With the emergence of globalization and western culture, youth have
start mixing up well with each other. The friendly approach and the socializing
feature is worth appreciable. But the total breakouts of restrictions have
adulterated the Indian
mindset, playing up with the physical
relationship. This has given birth to new relationships in India like live-in
relationships. Also the increased cases of rape and sexual abuse cases are a result
of the perverted mind which again the imported values very much alien to our
mother culture.
Food, Clothing and Dialect
Indian food, clothing and languages are
varied with respect to different states. The food varies in its taste, but
every food has its own nutrient value and every region is specified and rich in
its medicinal preparations with the home remedies. Even the clothing varies in different
states which is very much particular in maintaining the dignity of woman. The varies
cuisines from all over the world though have different flavours to add, still
the food ingredients that have inflicted with much popularity are the junk food
items which has increased the health disorders in the country. Again the
dressings like the suitings for the males are an inappropriate match for the
Indian type of climate. The female dresses are again a way of distraction to
the perverted minds.
Even the Indians are not very much in
favour of promoting their mother tongue or our national language. Instead the
youth today consider it to be a shameful condition to speak in their national
language Hindi. The way the foreign languages are getting prevalent in India like
the French, German and Spanish, right from the school level, is the example of
how much we provide importance to Indian languages in comparison to the foreign
ones.
Employment and The Agriculture Sector
India was predominantly an agricultural based
country. With the advanced globalization and cropping up of MNCs, the farming
has lost its prime value in India. Agricultural science has the least focus
amongst the youngsters who consider farming as a shameful profession and look
down upon the same. Employments through MNCs have lucrative deals attracting
the bulk of manpower who are working for the other countries as their customer
care representatives. Indians are losing their health and their status and
slowly getting to the age of economic slavery due to these MNCs. This is what
the globalization has provided Indians through their emergence.
Changing
Trends in Indian Culture
Unprecedented interaction and mobility
have dented local cultures. Large scale immigration and a transnational
workforce - the product of globalization - is dispersing cultures across the
world, leading to a unified world culture. India is no exception. There was a
time when Indians used to greet each other with “Namaste” or something similar
in regional dialects. But now it‟s “Hi” and “Hello” among a large section of the
population. Most people now like an independent life, a by-product of
globalization. There are old-age homes and senior communities everywhere, in
the major cities at least. And what‟s a real worry is that, many of these
nuclear families are getting further divided because of strained relations between
partners. Traditionally, life partners were searched from local communities,
usually within the same caste. Inter-caste marriages are now common.
Indian Languages
English is already the primary language in
India because it connects everybody. Yet each state in the country has a
separate first language, and it can sometimes become very difficult without
English. For instance, Kannada is the first language in Karnataka, and Malayalam
in Kerala. Though these are neighboring states, a person from Kerala would
still not understand Kannada. Hindi and English are thus commonly used by
almost everybody. English is slowly taking over because of the effects of
globalization.
Employment and Agriculture
India was predominantly an agricultural based
country. With the advanced globalization and cropping up of MNCs, the farming
has lost its prime value in India. Agricultural science has the least focus
amongst the youngsters who consider farming as a shameful profession and look
down upon the same. Employments through MNCs have lucrative deals attracting
the bulk of manpower who are working for the other countries as their customer
care representatives. We are losing our health and our status and slowly
getting to the age of economic slavery due to these MNCs. This is what the
globalization has provided Indians through their emergence.
Indian
Festivals
Thankfully, Indian festivals haven‟t
changed a lot as yet, though some influences can be found. Many festivals have
gone global though, as a lot of Dussehra‟s, Diwali‟s, and Ganesh Chaturthi‟s
are celebrated abroad by the diaspora. Many locals attend these festivals as
well, and get to learn about Indian religious events. But here‟s a change
within the country that‟s quite a surprise. We are celebrating many more international
events now such as Friendship Day, Valentine‟s Day, Christmas, and even
Father‟s Day and Mother‟s Day.
These events hardly had any relevance in
Indian society even a couple of decades back. India is changing and integrating
with the world. Many Indian traditions, festivals, performing artsand ways of
life are centuries old, and while these run the risk of taking a backseat in an
increasing global space, the internet is also playing a big part in preserving
traditions which may otherwise have been forgotten.
Family
Life
Globalization is affecting the marital
space too. Work is forcing a married couple to lead separate lives, away from
each other over a long time. This is typical for those in Information
Technology who are working overseas, in the UK, US, France, Australia and elsewhere.
The husband or wife is away. Sometimes, both are working in different
locations, because it‟s not always possible to find jobs in the same place,
whether it’s the same firm or another. Either they dont have kids till late in
their married life, or the kids don’t enjoy the full family. They just have to
stay with the dad or mom, or with the grandparents because of schooling
compulsions.
Conclusion
Globalization affected India and the
Indian Culture. It has brought a tremendous impact upon human civilization. The
strategies to cope with the globalization are not sufficient to revolutionize
anti-globalization approach. Is globalization a boon or curse to our culture?
That is really a question of thought for all of us. Indian culture has
certainly done least in holding its own relative to the dominant cultures, as
the Indian economy has done relative to the dominant economies. India's
cultural identity is not about to be blown away by western influences even as
we become more active players in this increasingly borderless world. It has
been a long-standing complaint that Indian youth are highly influenced by American
and European cultures. With India fast becoming a truly global environment in terms
of economy, food and culture, what does it take to make sure our youth do not
forget the richness of being Indian? With some positivity of having a
generalised knowledge of the culture throughout the world and the happening and
incidences globally, still the major negative impacts are quite alarming for
our country. Hence, we need to more very cautiously with the globalization
process preserving our nation’s pride and maintain our cultural prestige.
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