INDIA "The Essential Guide to customs and culture"
Becky Stephen
"Private and Family Life"
This section of my culture guide book about India provided really interesting information about the way Indians view personal and family life. It mentions the fact that there is really no sense of space or privacy. It was interesting to note this because I would really expect that from Latin, Polynesian and African cultures; so it was interesting to read about the togetherness of the Indian culture.
The word "space" really does not have the same meaning that Westerners have. Often times, families live together in a two room apartment and there is no really open spaces for individuals to have their private time.
When it comes to family relations, according to the article, Indians are very open in regards to life, except for that which may bring shame or embarrassment to the family. This includes mental illness and physical or sexual abuse. This is due to the fact that this kind of information would put potential strain on finding a spouse or shame on the sisters and daughters of a certain family.
The last section of the article talked about parenting and how mothers are so close to their children. In the West, parents encourage their children to be independent and promote autonomy. This is the contrary in Indian culture. According to the article, mothers sleep with their children and feed them from their hands. Mothers and sons have a very close relationship-which only fosters responsibility in the offspring because they have to take care of their parents when they are old.
It was so interesting to read this and to learn a little bit more about the traditional culture of India. Although the article did mention that there was a culture shift and things were becoming more modernized, it is important to understand and know about the traditional and general culture.
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