Indian Culture and Foreign influences

Of late the political parties and religious bodies in India have been raising a hue and cry about the increase in the influence of the 'western' culture on our present generations. The points that need to be pondered are: a) Are these influences of a recent nature? b) How beneficial these influences have been for our country?

On turning the pages of history it becomes evident that the outside influences have played a major role in shaping up the culture of present day India. Prior to Alexander's invasion attempt, India had sporadic contact with the west and the influence was also limited. With the entry of Alexander, western influence became more pronounced. In the centuries that followed, many more invaders lay siege to the country but soon surrendered to the beauty and charm of the land. Many a tradition got amalgamated in the thread of daily life of the people ranging from some evils as Sati, Purdah to the good ones included better educational reach for all strata, attempt at removal of caste system.

Coming back to the original line of thought... it s not only West that has influenced the Indian culture, there are many an influence which has affected the nations worldwide ranging from our food (which is quite akin to Mexican food!!), our dresses & accessories (Sari, bindis and many more are now a part of red carpet attire) are just a few.

Our most important influencing factor has been in the form of the migrating populace which has led to our ideas and ways of living being more acceptable now as compared to few decades back. NRIs have played and can play an important role in making our culture more accessible for the lands where they have settled.

To sum up, negating the western influences with the sweep of a hand is not advised but a more judicious choice of positive western influences needs to be made by the masses. What is more important is that we as a nation stop giving in to bullying by religious or political bodies who do so to promote their own personal agendas.

Lost

When was the last time you took a break and looked at the stars?

I recall as a child sleeping outside under the open skies. Often spent many a night watching the twinkling stars way way past the sleeping time. Way past everyone had slept, trying to count all the stars not just in my view but an ambition of counting in the whole sky!

My logic was earth rotates and so I could count all of them, just had to make sure I stayed up that long for the whole sky to pass my view. Every night I tried to keep my eyes open long enough, rarely ever crossed 500 before stars lulled me into sleep. But did I give up. No. I tried and succeeded at making my elder sibling to join me in the noble cause of solving the question of how many stars in sky. Alas! He was never as motivated as me and often slept leaving me counting all by myself.

With age the ambition of counting the stars was left behind. More important matters such as classes, heartaches and heartbreaks took over but whenever I could not sleep I often would spend the night gazing at the twinkling stars till the time stars gave up their fight to light up the skies and submitted to the warm embrace of the rising sun.

Sorely miss the days of star gazing coz now when I look up at the skies for the reassuring twinkling all I see is the lonely moon trying to dispel all the darkness, but fails since it shines with borrowed life.

I wish I could give my son the joy of gazing at the night sky with all the stars twinkling as if only for you. The urban lights have engulfed the night sky and the only time we get to see the stars is when we visit a planetarium. Hope that in the madness of growing our cities and fulfilling our dreams we don't loose out on the small joys forever.

You learn something every day if you pay attention.

The statement set the wheels in my mind churning. Till I had ‘read’ it, it was just another statement out of the many I had read throughout the day. It made me sit up and think what I had learnt from all the things I had done the whole day.

In today’s age of short attention spans, becoming shorter everyday with the new gadgets and new methodologies of media to grab attention, it becomes important for me as a teacher to ensure that students remain interested in the content being taught.

The thirty-five minutes of the class sometimes become so difficult since the children these days ask questions ranging from ‘Why the sky is blue’ to ‘why the trees do not fall in hill stations?’ I know you must be wondering what is wrong with the question, perfectly legit question.

Wait! I still have to give you the back-ground to the questions. The topic being done in the class Plant Adaptations in Desert plants....

The statement/question being told/asked by the cutest/brilliant student is

‘Teacher, teacher... (Infinity times)...

(When the instructions are to raise your hand, wait for being asked to speak, but no Teacher... he has to ask, so he has to ask. I relent and tell him to speak & believe me he does speak...)

The plants growing in water do not have stomata at the underside.”

Controlling that crick in my neck... I very politely ask him...

Is that a query or are you telling me.

The head bobs up and down, up and down, ‘Teacher I knew this.’

I re-confirm ‘So, you are telling me about it.’

‘Yes Teacher’

But, we are doing desert plants.

Yes Teacher

So how is it related (trying in vain to make him realise that he should have waited for the topic to be discussed...)

The head bobs up & down more furiously.... ‘But, then you would have told....’

I patiently ask him, ‘Any more things you want to ask.’ I re-direct the question to include the rest of the class. No hands go up.

I continue (try & continue is more like it) with describing plants in deserts. The hand shoots up again...

‘Teacher, teacher... teacher, teacher... teacher, teacher...’ giving up on attempts to ignore him, I ask, ‘Yes’.

Teacher, you had told Mesophytes are plants that can survive in plains.

I wait, nodding my head in acknowledgment, for the question to come... finally, I ask him, ‘and... .’

Teacher I just wanted to tell you.

I could go on with the recount of the whole class, but I would prefer to give only a snippet.

But, how is this related to the quote in the beginning of the blog. The relation lies in the fact, that today I learnt that there are always going to be eager beavers in the class who want to be the first to answer and also the first to ‘inform’ and also be the most naughtiest of the lot.

Teaching has been made a fun and a challenge because of the ‘eager beavers’ in the class, who not only keep me on my toes but also keep the class lively with their lovely antics.