Hindu Vs Being Indian Analysis

I hail from a Hindu joint family in the South of India. My parents have inculcated the values of culture, religion, respect, love, humility and care for others ever since I was a child while my grandparents have coddled me with gifts and stories from their childhood in pre-independent India. I grew up in a multilingual

Every culture consists of different things and every person within the culture is influenced by them. While many people tend to change themselves due to other cultures, other people believe that nothing is wrong with their culture and they wont change themselves due to others beliefs. One thing that is acceptable in one culture might not be acceptable in another, hence the need to conform to other cultures. However, someone from a certain culture might believe so strongly in their traditions and beliefs that they wont want to change as displayed in “An Indian Father’s Plea” by Robert Lake. This story suggest that just because someone is different it doesn’t mean that they are wrong, which is expressed the father when he says “He is not culturally disadvantaged, but he is culturally different” (Lake 91). Every culture consists of many different aspects, where the views they place on others is one of them. Some people wont change due to the views placed on them, but many people will so that they wont be viewed as different. No one wants to stand out in a bad way so that is why they conform to the views other people have. Culture is responsible for these views and the affect they have on

In India there are six orthodox schools of philosophy which recognize the authority of the Vedas as divine revelation, and they generally function as pairs - Nyaya and Vaishesika, Mimamsa and Vedanta, and Samkhya and Yoga. Those who did not recognize this authority were the Jains, Buddhists, and materialists. Even in India where spiritual ideas dominate the culture there were some who were skeptical of those ideals and held to a materialist view of the world; they were called Carvaka, and their doctrine that this world is all that exists is called Lokayata.

Hinduism is almost like a lifestyle in India. Hinduism has had a great societal impact on Indian culture. One of the more interesting impacts Hinduism had on society was the position of women. They ultimately were given a slightly higher position in society than they previously had. Hinduism has also impacted India through the caste system. The caste system was originally created to form a society where all people took on important roles based on their abilities. However, in later years they became assigned based on status. Buddhism made a unique impact on India because it practiced complete equality and rejected the caste system.

Edward Burnett Tylor was born in 1832 and passed away in the year 1917. He was the founder of modern academic discipline of anthropology. Tylor belonged to a generation of academics and was raised in a religious family. He was a well-educated individual who began his own career in fieldwork in Mexico and ended up receiving and honorary doctorate from Oxford University where he was the keeper of the Museum. He eventually became the first Professor of Anthropology in Britain and later retired in 1909. Tylor had made different opinions on religion. He defined culture as a complex whole that consists of many attributes. Tylor also came up with an evolutionary view. This view was concerning culture and development and the fact that animism was

Prejudice, bigotry, and stereotypes are all learned behaviors. Children, especially in America, absorb these stereotypes from what they see and hear from the adults in their lives. In Mukherjee’s essay, American Dreamer, she discusses the negative stereotypes of Indians saying, “Indians idealize the cultural continuum, the inherent value system of India, and are properly incensed when foreigners see nothing but poverty, intolerance, strife, and injustice” (358). The stereotype that Indians are nothing but poverty stricken living in subpar conditions is nothing but

     The English word religion loosely translates into “rules” in Latin. Therefore, a religion teaches us how to think, how to act, and basically everything except what to eat in the morning. The Hindu and Christian religion agree on many things and our society follows some of the rules too because religion and laws are based on humanity. From holy literature many different ideas have been pawned but they are all supposed to lead you to the same things: a happy, healthy life, contribution to the world around us, and some kind of liberation after death. Concerning these ideals the Hindu religion has come up with three ways to make sure that everybody will get what they want out of life and those are the four

As an immigrant, growing up was always difficult for me. I was raised as an Indian child, yet at the same time I was trying to blend in as an American. I was bullied and viewed weirdly for having Indian food that looked and smelt differently, and unfortunately the prejudice never changed as I grew older. Even though the name calling, ridiculous questions, and living a double life was irritating, it was bearable. Because my parents chose to relocate, they also unknowingly chose to give up traditions that may be lost in future generations.

Religion was one of the leading forces behind the conquistadors traveling across waters to new lands. Most of the time these conquests were also journeyed by not just conquistadores, but also religious missionaries (Foner, Give Me Liberty, 21). When these explores first viewed the indians, they saw them as “lacking a genuine religion” and worshiping “false gods” (Foner, Give Me Liberty, 11). Indian’s belief in spirits in nature compared with Europeans view of nature as a commodity, created a line between both religious groups that then later created breaches of freedom (Foner, Give Me Liberty 11). Freedom in this time period was intertwined with religion. Freedom to the Europeans meant that instead of leading a life of sin, they embraced

What or who is considered an Indian is something that many people have asked. But is there one clear concise answer? No, there is not one answer that can define what an Indian is. This could range from person to person and how they define themselves or this could be a definition of what the acts define them as. The government prefers to go with the definitions of the acts. Not what people define them as. If you say your First Nations but according to the act your not defined as an Indian then you don 't get status. So what is the definition you ask? These are the definitions, the term Indian can be spilt into 3 different terms: First Nations, Metis, and Inuit.

Hinduism is a religion that is difficult to define. No one can say who the founder is, or connect it to a certain place or time. So in order to understand Hinduism, we follow a coherent set of assumptions upon which people base their lives; otherwise defined as the Indian Worldview.

In Indian society Hinduism plays a vital role in shaping Indian society. Hinduism plays a vital role in Indian society whether it be through Dharma, the caste system or Hindu rituals. To further explain how Hinduism plays a role in Indian society we need to explain what is Hinduism.

Indian-Americans ranging from ages 16-24 that are first generation Americans undergo the stages of minority identity development. They are commonly placed in environments which force them to question their own identity. As they communicate with peers, they question themselves and their personal beliefs and customs. Occasionally, they view the majority culture as better than their own and may develop negative feelings of their Indian household upbringing. One may feel the need to internalize the values of the dominant culture of the community and change to fit the status quo. This is especially difficult for Indian-Americans because so many things that they are taught within the home are not normal for the majority culture therefore presenting a major division and causing an uproar in the home. Parents tend to view “normal” majority culture attributes as

Family traditions and religion greatly impact the lives of many people in India. These elements of culture are reasons that form the way that Indians lead their lives. Both factors make up what type of person that individual will become. That is the reason why religion and family traditions are so valued in Indian society.

To begin, it’s important to know that almost nothing is entirely agreed upon in within the Hindu community ("Hinduism" 1). The few things all Hindus can agree on are the defining factors of the religion; meaning, if you don’t subscribe to these beliefs, you don’t technically identify as Hindu. The principles all Hindus can agree upon are: the Vedas are a very important scripture, karma is real, reincarnation is real, and all perspectives are welcome and ultimately better the religion (Darity, Jr. 477; "Hinduism" 4). Of the few core values that all Hindus share, tolerance is among the most important. You cannot discredit one’s religious preference or beliefs and still be considered Hindu. Almost every other principle and belief is ambiguous and not wholly agreed upon. This means that even people with conflicting beliefs are accepted as Hindus as long as they believe in karma, reincarnation and the Vedas, and their differences strengthen the religion.