Is India Getting Westernized?

Lots have changed in india since 1947, especially after 1990. The way of dressing, our way of entertainment , our music, our food, our lifestyle etc.And perhaps it’s difficult for some of us at these crossroad of dynamic society to find that our traditions, customs and culture are getting replaced by western ones.

But it’s a misconception about our present and more likely of what our future be , For india in past has never been a society that has been isolated of outside inflences. India has always been subject to outside influences , whether it be influence of arab world on india , or british colonialism . We have always been happy to intermix with who so ever came here and ruled.And the reason why we are secular also reflects about our nature of being liberalists , rather than being fundamentalists.

And perhaps every society has changed , as its economics has changed. Be it Japan , one of Asia’s most isolated society before 1945 , whose imperials never liked the idea of wearing suits today thanks to great economic success post 1945 , doesn’t own those thoughts.Their president,businessmen,civilians all wear suits today without thinking of it as western infiltration of their culture.

So is the case with urban india today , because of growth, education it is imminent in the age of globalization to see some changes in culture or traditions , thought he basic morals of society are rigid enough to be replaced so easily. So what if indian today wear jeans, or girls wear jean- tops rather than salwar- kameez or sari (Now any male going to comment that girls look obscene in those , please hold back, because u don’t have anyright to say so).

What if urban youth listen to Michael Jackson or Eminem or Madonna more than they listen to Gurdas Maan or Kishore or Lata Mangeshkar or watch MTV.Perhaps if people say westernization is happening i found the most striking proof of it not in our youth but perhaps those who are responsible for preserving our culture, The ARTISTS(Musicians,Writers,Poets,Actors). Why do songs we hear today have to have girls in short clothes dancing , where’s the salwar kameez or sari now? Why Bollywood movies copy stories from Hollywood movies , or make movies on subjects of sex,affairs etc (Emran Hashmi or Mallika sherawat that isn’t indian culture , but why u love to see them)? Why Realty shows are increasing day by day ,Big Boss or Sach Ka Samna or Iss jungle se mujhe Bachao or Rakhi’s swaymvar.Perhaps all of them are being aired on hindi channels the channels which should have moral responsibilty to spread our culture are spreading western influences themselves.Bollywood is spreading it, singers are spreading it , writers ,actors/actresses are doing it , perhaps everyone .Are they all wrong , are they illiterate, have they forgotten their own culture,why are they being messenegers of western influences in india.The only one who seems to have problem with them all is either RSS or Shiv Sena.

I don’t think they are wrong or they have gone mad.Economics changes everything.The standard of living has always got to improve rather than remain stagnated. And in our case the standard of living remain stagnated for quite a long time.It’s only of recent times when we have started to get facilities , but still the fact is huge population of india still lacks facilities of proper sanitation,water supply,electricity,education,health services.Those who have grown rich have no problems in accepting every facility or luxury they can afford .They don’t think that it is western so i won’t use it, because if they start to think so perhaps they won’t get anything , from as small as colgate to as large as mercedes.Once those poor also become rich which , inclusive growth would help to, they will also demand the same things, they will also listen to english songs, they will also go to pubs and bars.Nobody can stop this , this is human nature, we always explore new things out of curiosity it’s just at present they can’t afford it.

But if somewere to say ban bars,pubs that will be cynical , whats the difference then between our liberal minds and fundamentalist taliban.Perhaps Gandhiji if he was living today i don’t know what conclusion had he drawn when he had seen youth wearing jeans.But i bet even the grandson-great granson of Gandhiji would have opposed him today if he were to say wear khadi .Oh change your outlook people ,broaden your minds , society , culture isn’t a closed book where u can’t change anything , but an open book where u can write anything, change anything.Culture is not a one man’s ideology like religion, but a traditions,customs followed for centuries and they are ever changing.So should be our culture in 21^st century , it has to change , it is changing.And because in 21^st century things can change faster than ever before , it is hard to digest for some.Don’t be afraid of what might happen, but be happy that we are also a part of changing cultural dynamics that are taking place, that we too are contributing to it, that we too are spreading it in some way or other.

If history of past remains followed until the present , what history would our future follow, when the present be the past, but present has added no history of its own.