Do Indian culture and personal values still exist in India?

I still think that India has a lot to offer. What this thread has been about is taking a realistic look at some of the things that people think it has to offer.

On another thread, people have reminded me of my sailing days. There were two or three of us that took a changing group along to crew for week or 2-week cruises. I use to like to give novices a book to read about how horrible the sea can be ... and see if they still wanted to come. Mostly they did, and, mostly, they enjoyed

This short thread has been one of my favorite ones. The attitude and responses of all have been excellent. Thanks Sho Ra Na* for starting the thread and have a happy life!
Aloha

My answer is: yes. Here is what I mean, though.

1) Someone I met recently calls me up, and I say I am am sick, and she spontaneously asks: should I get some food and bring it over for you? Never happened/happens in the West. You are expected to manage by yourself till you can, after that you call 911.

2) My neighbour goes toy shopping, buys two hockey sticks, one for her kid, one for my daughter, and they play together. Never happened in the West.

3) I buy 2 kilos wheat from a shop a 100 feet from where I live, and make it into atta at a mill next door, and have fresh chappatis for a week. Couldn't do that in the West.

4) I look for deformed vegetables with moth/pest bites, and buy those specifically, as they come from lots without pesticide use. Couldn't do that in the west.

5) I get clothes altered/fixed by a tailor, get my shoes/bags/footballs repaired by a cobbler etc. In the West, I had to throw away even lightly damaged things.

I could go on. I can also give you a list of negative incidents. But if you are thinking of raising a child, even those negative incidents are useful, because they let her understand the complexity of the world.

Every organism is a product of its environment. If possible, you should raise your children in a highly complex environment, as that will make them more adaptive and adaptable. India is as complex as an environment can get on this planet. This was my reasoning in choosing to return to India.

I do the same, no better way to get pesticides free, or with lesser quantity, then this one. Of course the flip side, although a minor one, is the excessive use of pesticide by farmers at a later stage, on seeing such a bad crop and so many pests.

Um, it's a nice sum-up, and I don't mean to argue; however I don't know where in "the West" you refer to, but all that stuff you can do, or run into, in the Netherlands and right in one of its main cities where I live, too. (Organic food probably easier found, and indeed officially stimulated -- Why? Because it just makes economic sense in the long run --, in much of this country than in much of India, btw. Witness recurring questions in the field on this forum. Though I guess in India, too, this is more up-and-coming; as of course in rural areas it might still be just the natural production mode.)

As others have argued that you can not eat meat etc., without even necessarily feeling very spiritual for it. I know I don't (eat meat, nor feel spiritual about it. I just like to not support the bioindustry any more than necessary. Or that was the original reason; these days, I simply don't pay it any thought.) Low level of materialism and such, yes, partly out of conviction, certainly partly out of necessity. Though I know even if far more affluent, surely I wouldn't be spending it on all sorts of crazy nonsense. Start a self-sustaining fund or so to help others maybe, rather. Maybe and on the personal level switch to organic veggies and other foodstuffs, indeed, which presently I just can't afford. Good food and drinks, certainly, they're important to me, and notably to serve and share it with others. I ain't complaining btw, we (usually) eat and drink well, no matter what our circumstances, and entertaining plenty a guest when we can, as do they us. Doesn't have to cost a lot, either.

Trying to be good to those around one and as best as one can, strangers included, and with one's quirks and limitations and mistakes made, sure, can be done anywhere. If I get someone on the phone and they're sick, I'll surely ask if they need anything. As I might a distressed stranger on the street. Etc. If among those meagre bucks I have one to crack, surely I'll see if I can help them out, or just share.

Nor surely am I alone in this. It could be a certain civic sense is still stronger in this country than in some other places. Beyond that, it's pretty much a what you give is what you get thing, I guess. Nor are any of these conscious attempts; it's just what I do. Arguably not all Dutchies are quite like that. But people will often look out for you, in gestures greater or small. Perhaps scarcely noticed, people here don't like to make a display of it.

I certainly don't think one has to be in India (or anywhere) for any of this. Village life here, yes, people will still look after one another, to the point of severely intruding on your privacy even if that's what you're after. Some traditional Amsterdam neighborhoods are like that still, even. They'll be yelling down to visitors, No, they're in bed still

SCMN would appear to know very little about "the West" since the statements are too silly to even attempt to prove wrong.

removed jituyadev's name from this post because his response to SCMN's post apparently was not a response to SCMN afterall.

Post cancelled as previous post edited to make better sense.

Here, SCMN: rewrote your post for you...

Isn't that better than the rubbish you posted, which was almost as bad as some of the stuff that I see "Westerners" writing about India!

have to admit - havent a clue what you're asking, shodashi !!
always thought " values " is what we're presented [?] within our homes, by our elders... moreoftenthanot our parents.

your child learns from you - you and your husband are the most important 'force' in the little one

sometimes we spend a lifetime unlearning some of them 'values'

surely - indians dont have the monopoly on compassion, wisdom, valour, loyalty etc ?
hence i'm a tad confused as to what your definition of 'culture' actually means.
the arts ? language ? food ? poverty ? healthcare ? dirt ? female infanticide ? honour killings ? casteism ? classism ? gender inequality ? communalism ?
it's ALL india - it's all culture... somewhere
please do not romanticise this land - you will do yourself a disservice.

living in india is different than in the developed countries - that's all it is.
not better. not worse. just different. very different.
heck, life in bangladesh is different from life in west bengal. ... and some of us share the same language and food habits


good for you - you're doing a rethink
all the best - wherever you do 'settle' down.

:brishti

I just made a statement of selecting a vegetable (even if it is stupid), without any connection to the OP's post, or the west or any other wild thing that you can think of.

so here is double for you , with an advice to understand the post first, before commenting!

keep walking jitu !!!! - and happy new year
:brishti

Thanks brishti, and wishes from my side too ..a good end to the day at IM

I took your name off my previous post since your response to SCMN's post apparently was not a response to his post afterall. Only a personal commentary on cheaper pesticide free vegetables. BTW, you can do this in the U.S.A (West), it depends on where you live though generally organic (pesticide free) are more expensive. We grow our own organic veggies so not problem for us until winter.

Coming from an Ag background I get a bit of a laugh from this. But, explicitly organic produce is available almost anywhere in my part of the "West" (west of the west)if you are not transportation challenged. Its charming that people assume that pesticides are 100% effective and that they aren't used in India. All of which is off the topic of values I suppose..

An old trick to spot an Ag person is to spot the worst lawn in the area (and mine certainly is)..

I live in a joint family. My dad has 4 brothers and one sister. My aunt has lived in the USA for most of the last 2 decades.

I have 11 cousins and a sister. 5 of them are married with kids. An assorted bunch of nieces and nephews of all ages...

Till a year or so back I used to like spending time with my nieces and nephews. My 6th cousin just got married on the 1st of Jan and the whole family was together. Also in attendance were my cousins from the US of A.

Comparing them (the cousins from the US of A) and their behavior over several visits in the last decade or so with how my resident cousins and their kids behave id have to say that the US of A has more culture and personal values and spiritualism than India can ever hope to muster...