Anyone that is from India or knows quite a bit about the Indian culture?

[Kelsey]

In my speech class we're doing a project. Each group gets a country and makes a presentation about intercultural communication. Our group got India.

Can anyone tell me a bit about the India culture and how it works with interpersonal relationships? Such as how they deal with conflict and resolution, or how family life is, friendship, intimacy, self-disclosre...

What's accepted and what's not accepted regarding daily acts?

[Anant Chandra]

i am an indian and i hope this helps. indian culture has changed quite a lot in the recent years.
inter personel relationships are our own personel matter .but we do not racialy discriminate someone.actually we only became united after the independence from british rule.
the social evils which were banned are still followed in small villages as a large amount of our population are uneducated.there is still corruption along with poverty.
regarding daily acts we are now free but bounded by obeience ,laws and custom.

[Atajus]

India is a secular country, meaning all religions live together harmoniously.
People had the joint family system but this concept has disappeared sometime ago as more and more women went to work and wanted privacy and independence. There are very few extended families living together these days. It used to be fun when each member of the household had a household chore to perform. The young used to do more laborious tasks; the men worked on the farms, the elderly women cooked and guided the children, and the very old women rested and were consulted for family problems.
Life in the villages used to be relaxed and carefree. People ate whatever was grown in the farms and sold the extra produce for cash.
But nowadays, there are very few people living in the villages. There has been a massive migration towards towns and cities in search of jobs. The younger people are more educated than before and so are confident about getting good employment.
Family ties however continue and are considered important. No matter the distance, the city folk travel a lot to be with their families during festivals and important family occasions like weddings and birthdays.
Conflict was earlier dealt with by the village chiefs...but now each one to himself. People no longer discuss problems openly and they try to sort them out themselves.
India has changed a lot in the last fifty years and even in terms of relationships has become more 'Westernised".

[Tulujevu]

I am Indian. I'll try and answer your question.

Indian culture is defined by where you are in India, geographically. It has about 20 official languages and a hundred other unrecognized dialects. There are also many Gods that are worshiped, so you can imagine the differences in customs and traditions.

Interpersonal relationships - Common culture for a nation is to have a family where parents live with either of grown up children(only sons) and their children. Working women are more on the rise, while employing housemaids are a common tradition and is sometimes seen as a show of wealth going by the number. Grandparents take care of grandchildren and people usually take care of their old parents, but these days it is common to fight about who takes care of a sick parent, especially since older people live longer these days. This is also an area for conflict in the last 10 years.

Conflict happens usually over inherited property. Even today, despite the law, very few parents leave anything back for the daughter as compared to equal property rights for sons. In most cases, in fact, parents do not write a will and this leads to property disputes after their death.

Friendship is regarded well and usually lasts strongly until marriages. However in the age of Facebook and twitter, these friendships promise futures, even if they can be only online.

Intimacy - Public Displays of Affection are not common, it is frowned upon. Hugging a close relative within the family is seen at gatherings, kissing is not common.

Family and friends usually gather on festive occasions filled with rituals and lots of food. Hospitality is great for visitors in Indian homes.

Self disclosure happens within family and friends at the level of comfort. Sometimes, for fear of non acceptance, secrets are kept until the right time...a human trait common, the world over.

[Suresh]

Please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_India

This article focuses on culture of India and details about:
- Society
- Cuisine
- Clothing
- Languages