We need development not westernization

I am from a country where elders are respected, idols are worshiped, and all decisions of children are made by their parents. I am from the world’s oldest civilization. It is the world’s largest democracy and the second most populous country in the world. I am from India. Cows are considered sacred. Dancing is one of India’s most highly developed arts and was an integral part of worship in the inner shrines of every temple. It is notable for its expressive hand and body movements. Parental and marital bond are strong; parents live with children till the end of their lives. Females don’t wear open clothes. Arranged marriages are more socially accepted as compared to love marriages. And about food, it’s delicious and spicy. Gambling and prostitution are considered evils against the society, so they are illegal. There are no strip clubs. This is what India is all about. But as India has become a part of globalization, it has lost its culture to a certain extent. I fear that in future it may lose its identity.

I came to America on September, 25^th 2010. It has been only three and a half months in this country, and I have noticed that those Indians immigrants whose children are born here are neither Indians nor Americans. This reflects that this generation of Indian Americans find themselves stuck in limbo between traditional parents and upbringing at home and the more liberal and open community outside. This "in-between-ness" leaves them with uncertainty about their own role in society - neither Indian nor American. Most of them don’t know how to converse in Hindi the mother language of their home country, they don’t eat Indian food, and they eat beef (cow’s meat). They call themselves as Americans. I know one thing that they are not, Americans, but they are no more Indians either. This is the picture of people born and brought up in America, but what about India? As for children who are born and brought up in India, are they Indians anymore? Or they are also trapped by westernization?

Now, the question is what is westernization or western culture? Western culture according to me, is more goal oriented whereas Indian culture is more people or family oriented. Indians may even forsake their individual wishes and also happiness for the sake of families. But in American culture, this trend cannot be seen. I think it is the people who make the society, and any change in the lifestyle, attitude, thinking and working pattern of people will ultimately bring a change in the society. There are two terms advancement and westernization. Advancement means betterment or moving forward in a positive sense, whereas westernization means adopting Western culture, patterns, processes, techniques, and lifestyle without looking towards the betterment of their own opportunities.  I think we are westernizing ourselves and not advancing. As we have adopted their clothes, their language, and the most important, their work culture. The positive effect of westernization will be that the young generation will be more energetic, have money of their own, and they will be self-made. The negative effects will be that nuclear families system will be more, the young generation will demand independence, and they will be addicted to alcohol, and smoking, which are considered bad by our society. So, we are westernizing not advancing.

            My father says, “Don’t follow anyone; make yourself capable enough that everyone follows you”. It goes with the country also. Every country should acknowledge its strengths and weaknesses, and should try to overcome weaknesses to make it an ideal nation for others. Today, India is not a developed country but India was a developed country a few years back. History repeats itself. India is a developing country, and the youth like us are the building blocks, so, it’s our duty towards the nation to safeguard its cultural heritage and work towards making it a developed country. The intention of making our own society better and advanced by our own efforts would make the society modern, and that is the need of Indian society in the present scenario. It is our choice; now what do us want, an advanced society or a society which is called a follower of westernization? Indian society needs to become more modern in terms of its own values, resources, and opportunities. 

If every country looses its identity, then what will happen to the world? It will just become a place where we all will work, eat everywhere the same food and at the end of the day will go to bed. Every country has its own identity, and it should not loose it, merely for the sake of so called “globalization”. We can see skyscrapers all over the world; whether it is Shanghai, New Delhi, Chicago or Melbourne. Why will we travel to another country, when we can see the same thing in our own country? People travel to know other country’s cultural diversity, and food. Every country should safeguard its culture, and the government should create more jobs for the locals. Like, India is good in manufacturing handicrafts. Indian Government should encourage the young generation to learn handicraft work and Government should provide them with jobs and sell their products in the international market. By promoting it, the government can save the culture, provide jobs to the young generation and make profits to run the government.

At the end, I would like to say that adoption of the western pattern is not wrong, but not at the cost of our own culture. It is more important for us to make society modern first than to move towards any new adoption.