Why cultural sensitivities should always be respected
India is a land of several cultures and many languages. Even within one State, the main language that is spoken, is totally different in different parts of the State.
Take Tamil, one of the most ancient languages. This language in Chennai, has a mix of Telugu, thanks to the huge numbers of people of Telugu origin, who live in the city, having settled in the city for generations. Go to Coimbatore, the dialect is totally different, and Tamil has a different meaning altogether. For example, people in Coimbatore very often say, "manda kayuthu" , literally meaning, " am very tense'. In Chennai, any person will say, " ore tensionaga irruku" , literally meaning the same thing. In Chennai, people use a generous mix of English words and combine that with Tamil.
So, it is a matter of cultural usage. The way they dress, they way they express themselves also change, not only in Chennai or Coimbatore, but elsewhere too. For example, ninety percent of all women in New Delhi, would wear jeans, and even those who are seventy years old, prefer only the churidar dress. However, in Chennai and Bangalore, such a dress is not so common, and most married women still prefer the sari only. The women are rather shy, but their counter parts in New Delhi are more expressive, they tend to be more outspoken. The percentage of those employed, will also be very high. While it is perfectly normal to wear sleeveless blouses with saris in New Delhi and Mumbai and Kolkatta,. it is quite rare in Chennai, though it is somewhat common in Bangalore, even among the native Bangalore people.
In the Tamil Brahmin culture, the women in orthodox families still wear the nine yard sari at home, and when they worship. Some men like me, like to wear the earrings in both ears, as this is an important part of Brahmin culture, in Tamil Nadu. It is also true that the ears have some acupuncture points, when pierced and maintained as such, will give the individual a huge peace of mind, and will also keep the mind very calm, even in very tense situations. These lessons have been handed to us over years by elders.
While it is a matter of personal preference, any culture can be meaningful only if at least some people follow some aspects of it. The Tamil Brahmin culture, has several good points about it, and acupuncture is one of them. Any child, whether boy or girl, has to compulsorily get his or her ears, when the child is just one. The pain is purely temporary. Men in those days, used to never never the ear rings. However, of late, men who are above forty five years of age, having taken to wearing ear rings in both ears, and to worship of God, in traditional style and devotion, than ever before.
Similarly, when any lady is pregnant, in the eighth month, there is a big bangle ceremony, in which the girl is decorated with a huge amount of bangles, most of which is glass. This is a common culture --- and a very meaningful one at that ---in all parts of Tamil Nadu and the neighboring States of Seemandhara and Telangana. The child in the womb, it is believed, hears the continuous sounds of these glass bangles and grows up very happily.
Recently, the Supreme court has banned "Jalli kattu", a very famous sport of taming the wild bulls, normally conducted in Southern districts of Tamil Nadu. In my opinion, the Central Government has to step in and enable this sport to go on, with some conditions. Banning the sport has hurt a huge number of people, who have now approached the courts again, to present their point of view.
Similarly, Onam, a festival of Kerala, is now famous throughout the world. Onam has a big significance. It has brought people together, and thousands of foreigners visit Kerala during this time, when the famous boat races are also conducted. In Chennai and Coimbatore, the world-famous Sathya meal ( a full vegetarian meal, containing a good amount of vegetables and a huge variety of dishes). is served.
In North India, too, there are many festivals, and we need to respect each one of them. The food habits are totally different with that of the South. The people out there, do not take rice in good quantities. They feast on any item made of wheat and, in particular, chappathis.
It is a fact of life that cultural differences exist. Yet, India is one. When the cricket team plays abroad, every single Indian is proud of the team and each of its players. No one really bothers to even ask where the player comes from. This is exactly how it should be.
In Mumbai, the Ganesh Chaturthi festival, that is done with some much of religious fervour, is a treat to watch. During Navarathri, the festival that is celebrated for nine days in September, the houses in South India, are decorated and the "doll show" has to be seen to be believed. In fact, this culture has spread to other parts of India, and this has in turn, made people appreciate the cultural sensitivities even much more than what has been done in the past, or thus far.
No attempt should be made change or to do away with any aspect of any culture. There are several castes and communities in each State, and each has a different culture. The main idea of unity is to appreciate and applaud the good points about each culture, and allow the sensitivities to be respected.
People do not respect others on the basis of caste, but on the basis of how good the person is, be it a man or a woman. Such being the reality, when one is broad minded to appreciate the finer points about other cultures, and allow such cultures to go on, the world will be a nice place to live in.
In inter-caste or even inter-State marriages, there is a huge amount of cultural sensitivity that is given equal importance. I happened to see a Tamil-Bengali love marriage, done in both the cultural ways. While the boy involved was a Tamil, the girl was a Bengali. It was great to see people from two States meeting and joking with each other, as if they knew each other for generations! Even the food that was served had two different types -- the typical Tamil vegetarian fare along with the vegetarian food of Bengal. Such was the friendship and atmosphere, that this wedding was talked about for a very long time in the offices of the man and the woman.
When we become alive to cultural sensitivities, we become more mature, more understanding and more tolerant. We also learn the new points of different cultures, both from within our own States, and even from the new States.
Cultural unity will lead to social unity. I would hence advocate deeper understanding of the roots of each culture and learn to respect sensitivities, as it were, for all times to come.
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