Culture of India
The culture of India is one of the oldest cultures known to humanity.
Cultural policy
The cultural policy of the Government of India has three major objectives:
- Preserving the cultural heritage of India,
- inculcating Indian art consciousness amongst Indians and
- promoting high standards in creative and performing arts.
History
The most endearing aspects of Indian art and architecture prior to colonization has been the strong impact of folk idioms and folk art on courtly art. Although folk art received little encouragement during the period of colonization, independence brought forward a renewed interest in folk paintings.
Traditions
Indians join their hands (palms together) and bow down in front of the other person, and say Namaste, Namaskar, or Pranam. This signifies reverent salutations.
Festivals in India are characterized by colour, gaiety, enthusiasm, prayers and rituals. Diwali, the popular festival of Indians, celebrates the return of Lord Rama and Sita from exile.
Indian fashion
Indian fashion is rich in tradition, vibrant in colors and truly beautiful. Bold colors and metallics created by the inventive drapes of these textiles catches the imagination like no other contemporary clothing.
Indian dress designers combine Western trends with Indian touch, creating garments which are truly outstanding.
Drama and theatre
Indian drama and theatre is perhaps as old as its music and dance. The tradition of folk theatre is alive in nearly all the linguistic regions of the country. In addition, there is a rich tradition of puppet theatre in rural India.
Dance
India offers a number of classical dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people
There are many types of dance in India, from those which are deeply religious in content to those which are danced on more trivial happy occasions.
Painting
Indian painting is an old tradition, with ancient texts outlining theories of color and anecdotal accounts suggesting that it was common for households to paint their doorways or indoor rooms where guests resided.
Cave paintings from Ajanta, Bagh and Sittanvasal and temple paintings testify to a love of naturalism.
Recreation and sports
In the area of recreation and sports India had evolved a number of games. One would be surprised to know today that games like, Chess, Snakes and Ladders, Playing cards, Polo, the martial arts of Judo and Karate had originated as a sport in India and it was from here that these games were transmitted to foreign countries, where they were further modernized.
External links
Referenced By
Bharat | CulTure | Cultur | Cultural | ISO 3166-1:IN | India | IndianSeasons | Indian Seasons | Jain | Jainism | Jainist | Jains | List of India-related topics | List of India related topics | List of national culture articles | Ritu | Ruthu
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