Westernizations Impact On Indian Culture Essay

Indian culture has been changing over the past few years due to the threat of western culture. Westernization is effecting one of the oldest and richest cultures and taking away the traditions, customs, and family values that were once predominant in traditional Indian culture. Modernization involves a transformation in beliefs about the way the material world functions; westernization requires an alteration in cosmological viewpoints about how one should live their life. Developed by Muslim invasion and European colonization, India’s history begins with the Indus Valley Civilization. Their culture is formed by all different countries and backgrounds. Changes are being made in all areas including religion, dance, and music mostly found in the Bollywood films. Through movies watched in class and the books The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri and A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, I have found these represent most the disintegration of close familial bonds in Indian culture today.

Traditional Indian culture can be expressed in five major categories. Starting with humanity, people of India are thought of for their humanness and calm sense of being without harshness in their ways of thinking. Tolerance also plays a big part in a traditional Indian. One understands the different races, beliefs, and practices brought into their country and doesn’t step back and judge. Although there are caste systems in India, unity of citizens helps create a strong bond between all people of the country. Despite their religious backgrounds, India is a secular country meaning they are openly willing to share their thoughts and opinions about their religious beliefs. Finally all families are closely knit. Grandfathers, fathers, and their sons all are said to have the same spirit, tradition, and possessions.

A strict social hierarchy system has been set in place for many years and is part of the traditional Indian culture. A joint family system is an important part of the way people live. Parents, children, their spouses, and other family members all live in the same house. This is said to help develop a close bond among all members of the family. The rules of the house are set up by the oldest adult male. The males bring in the food and money for the family in order to survive. The females or wives of these males do non educational work and are thought of as being housewives. Supposedly, Indian men and women are thought of as being equals. However, these laws are weakly enforced because women are not allowed to own their names let alone a piece of land. Leading into a more westernized setting within the city, women are allowed to be a prominent figure in society and hold jobs and the rights to their own name.

In Ancient India, women had the same status as men. They had the same educational opportunities in the Vedic period and were married at a normal age to a husband of their choosing. Venturing into the medieval period, women were given fewer rights. They started performing child marriages and women whose husbands died were not allowed to remarry. Instead of living alone or with another husband, a widowed woman has to live in a house with other widows in poor conditions. They are allowed to leave during certain hours but do not have much freedom. In parts of India, women were taken advantage of. However, even under these conditions, women were extremely well in politics, literature, education, and religion. Even in parts of South India, women were said to be in charge of villages, towns, and institutions.

Sati, jauhar, and devadasi have been banned from modern India. Sati is where the widow had to commit suicide by fire on the day of her husband’s funeral. It was said to be a voluntary performance but sometimes it was forced upon the woman. The next tradition, jauhar, is when all the wives and daughters of defeated warriors committed suicide. Purdah is he practice of making women cover their skin so you can’t see their body figure. It makes women not able to interact freely.

Indian families have arranged marriages in which their parents and other members of the family pick the spouse with some input from the couple themselves. Compared to the United States, India’s divorce rate is very low and marriage is thought to be life. India currently has the lowest divorce rate at 1.1% compared to the top two countries Sweden and the United States in the 50% range. Most people here usually marry in their 20s or 30s, but in India more than half of the women marry before the age of 18.

Arranged marriages play a big part in the roles of children in India. The parents and other family members get to decide who their child marries based on different traits. Divorce is not found often in India and is looked down upon by the Hindu religion. The caste system plays a big part in the pickings of a spouse. It is said that you are put into a caste system based on your previous life. You have the ability to move up in the social chair when you are reincarnated, only if you do above and beyond what was expected for you. An example of this would be a group called the “untouchables”, where they were looked down upon for doing petty work and earning little money. The caste system was important during the rule of the British Empire but is now abolished.

The westernization of India has greatly affected the traditions, customs, and family values. Today, the respect for others has greatly decreased throwing away the traditional humanity Indian people. The idea of joint families is decreasing and families want to remain separate from each other. In a traditional Indian culture, one would care for the others around him and not only for himself. Also in today’s situation, both husband and wife are working so there is no one at home to look after the children. Many of times a child is being watched by someone outside of the family and are not getting the rich, cultural childhood their parents have had. Slowly all customary Indian values are fading and everyone is moving onto a more western culture.

“It is acknowledged that modernity has various distinct aspects: the rise of a capitalist industrial economy, the growth of modern state institutions and resultant transformations in the nature of social power, the emergence of democracy, the decline of the community and the rise of strong individualistic social conduct, the decline of religion and the secularization of ethics” (Kaviraj). This statement basically states that if India continues to modernize, individuals will change in their culture and beliefs in trade for a better technological economy. In trade for losing some of the past culture India is becoming a more economically stable country.

However I do believe that the modernization of India is a good thing. Even though the Indian people have improved their way of life, their principles and beliefs have remained constant. A person can alter their clothing or the foods they eat, but their deep understanding and commitment to the culture will never be taken away.

A traditional Indian family treats the guests of their home as gods and serves them even in tough times. A guest never leaves the house hungry. The respect towards the elderly is a major factor in the culture. The elderly drill ideas and pass on their stories as their grandchildren get older. The biggest age group moving towards the westernization is teenagers. Indian culture is disappearing in their lives and no longer is feeling proud to be Hindi.

A Fine Balance portrays how strong family bonds were at one time. In the story, Dina’s brother Nusswan controls her because he is the dominant male figure of the house. Their father passed away when they were young and Nusswan developed into a traditional Indian man who is the “bread winner” for the two of them. His rules were very strict even to the point where he would abuse Dina in order for her to learn the traditional Indian culture.

What was so interesting about this story is that Dina had to move away from her brother and take on the challenges of working and living by herself. This would seem like a non-traditional way of living without a husband, but she made it work by hiring people to work for her and even taking in someone for extra money.

Dina lives by herself and works as a tailor. She is looked down upon by the traditional Indian culture. However since she lives in the city, they accept her for being not married and a working woman. These examples show how the modernization in India is affecting the way women live their lives. A woman in a traditional Indian culture would not work for money and would do household work while taking care of her husband and children.

Throughout the book Interpreter of Maladies, I noticed certain “modern” trends that were specifically placed in the stories to show how India is changing. The title of this book is meant to say how people interpret afflicting modern societies. The stories told in this book tell the lives of Indians separating from their traditional roots. The stories give multiple examples of people steering off course of the strict customs they have inherited through their ancestors.

In The Interpreter of Maladies, Mrs. Das for example sits in the taxi with her sunglasses and offers no one else her snacks while her family is outside touring. India is known for the sharing of food and communication within groups of people. This example shows us how Indians are growing away from the original roots. In another short story within the book, Mrs. Sen shows us the power that material objects have over people. In Indian culture, these intangible objects shouldn’t take over your life or have one obsessing over them. However, Mrs. Sen keeps talking about the things she once had and was accustomed to, even if it was her vegetable cutting blade. This story shows the power that material objects holds over people in the world today.

In American culture, I think that people always want more of what they do not have. In a traditional Indian culture, a person deals with what they have and focuses more on family values and beliefs rather than objects.

“Sexy” is the next short story telling the life of a young woman Miranda and her affair with a married man. Miranda knows little of this man’s Indian culture. This type of affair is not looked on upon as being right within India. Another example of culture within the story is when Miranda attempts to buy an Indian food mix from the grocery store only to be told by the worker it will be too spicy for her. This highlights the fact that she feels uncomfortable around Dev, the Indian man she is seeing.

In the final short story, The Third and Final Continent, a man is telling his life story starting in London right after he left India. The story leads on to discuss an arranged marriage by his Indian Family. The woman and him are wed and eventually end up in America not knowing anything about each other; they are complete strangers. An elderly woman brings them closer as they share their first laugh and have a real conversation as they get to know each other. This story was different than the rest for me because it told a story of a couple getting to know each other in a “normal” way. In a traditional Indian culture this is how a marriage would actually work. It is interesting to see that the couple eventually had a family because I would think it would be hard not knowing who your spouse is before you make a commitment.

Even though most people may say Indian culture is slowly being ignored in the present day, I feel like everyone grows away from their traditional roots. However, I think that everyone still possesses traits of their ancestors and is interested in their culture. Just because a young person today isn’t interested in the same type of things that their parents were, they will eventually want to learn things about the “olden days.” In a society where we live today, family is of much importance. They teach and shape us into the people we will become one day.

An Indian traditionalist would argue and say India citizens should learn about their culture at a young age and experience different traditions such as living with your whole family. Indian culture is one of the oldest and richest cultures in the world today. Modernization and westernization are changing the way people look the traditions, customs, and family values that were once predominant in traditional Indian culture. However, the people of India I think are still holding true to their traditional side by blending in a new more modern era.

 Essay on Coronavirus Pandemic

From time to time, throughout history, the world has been tormented by newly emerging epidemics. Earlier it was believed that the intensity of destruction caused by such epidemics was largely due to the lack of better health facilities. But this current COVID-19 outbreak has proved that humans are still not fully capable of fighting the pandemics caused by the deadly virus.

The pandemic has happened even after high technological advances in healthcare infrastructure. The COVID-19 outbreak first occurred in late 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei province of China. Thereafter, it spread to other parts of the world. It was declared a pandemic by the WHO on 11 March 2020.

What is Coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common around the world and can cause respiratory illnesses in people and animals. There are several known Coronaviruses that infect humans and animals. Human coronavirus was first discovered in 1960. The Coronavirus that infect humans are:

•229E (Alpha Coronavirus)

•NL63 (Alpha Coronavirus)

•OC43 (Beta Coronavirus)

•HKU1 (Beta Coronavirus)

•MERS-CoV(Beta Coronavirus)

•SARS-CoV(Beta Coronavirus)

The new coronavirus, also known as the novel coronavirus or SARS CoV-2, is a newly emerging coronavirus that has never been identified before. This virus is responsible for outbreaks of the COVID-19 disease that causes respiratory illnesses in humans. The new coronavirus is zoonotic in nature, which means it can easily spread from animals to humans.

People infected with the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the new coronavirus experience mild to moderate respiratory illnesses and recover without any special treatment.

But the COVID-19 disease badly affects the elderly vulnerable people, and people with other medical problems. People who have heart disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illnesses.

How Coronavirus Spreads?

The COVID-19 pandemic is mainly spread through saliva or droplets released from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus can also be spread by aerosol particles coming out of the mouth while speaking in closed spaces.

People who are infected with the COVID-19 disease can have either very few infections or a lot of infections. People who have been infected with a low infection load may develop very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.

People infected with a high infection load develop severe symptoms that can be life-threatening. The virus seems to spread easily in the community and remains in the community for a long time as an asymptomatic infection is not easy to detect.

Common symptoms of COVID-19 disease include runny nose, fever, headache, cough, sore throat, red marks on the skin, loss of taste and smell, rashes, fatigue, diarrhea, etc. People with severe illness due to COVID-19 disease may not be able to breathe easily, feel chest pain and pressure, and may also have a loss of speech or movement.

Prevention of the Spread of Coronavirus. 

•The outbreak of this virus can be avoided only by following social distancing and hygiene.

•Try not to shake hands with anyone or go too close to anyone.

•Wear a good quality mask and hand gloves when you go out.

•Use sanitizer from time to time.

•Eat food items after cleaning them properly.

•Strictly follow the lockdown guidelines.

•Check your body temperature and respiratory symptoms regularly.

Effect of Covid-19 on India

Coronavirus Pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of the healthcare system. This virus has affected the primary health care provisions of the people. It has highlighted the lack of health infrastructure in terms of doctors, medical equipment, hospitals, and health workers, both in terms of availability and access.

The Covid-19 pandemic affected most of the workers in the unorganized sector who are daily wage laborers or those working in Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and left them unemployed, and sharply increased the unemployment rate.

with inter-state transport services closed due to the lockdown, farmers are unable to sell their crops in the market. they suffered heavy losses and were forced to throw away their crops. the tourism sector’s revenue has come down due to strict restrictions on both domestic and international flights.

the economic growth of the country has declined due to the closure of industries. india entered the era of a technical recession. most of schools and educational institutions have been closed due to the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic. 

learning has gone online which has exposed the digital divide in the country. also, institutions are not equipped with digital technology and teachers also lack training in terms of using these tool. 

coronavirus affected the supply chains and production or manufacturing facilities of defence companies. as these companies have to depend on various components from different sources located in the affected countries and this reduces the demand for defence equipments. 

Impact of covid-19 on the global economy 

amid the covid-19 pandemic, many countries around the world have adopted complete or partial lockdowns to reduce the infection curve. these lockdowns meant confining millions of citizens to their homes, shutting down businesses and almost all economic activity

according to the international monetary fund (imf), the global economy is expected to shrink by more than 3% in 2020, the sharpest recession since the great depression of the 1930s.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a profound impact on the Indian economy. A UN report estimated a trade impact of over USD 350 million on the Indian economy due to the Covid-19 outbreak, making India one of the worst-affected economies across the world.

Positive Impact on the Environment

Due to the nationwide lockdown, 1.3 billion people in the country stayed away from activities that pollute the environment. Due to this the environment was saved from getting polluted and the sky remained clear, pure air was obtained and river systems were also cleaned.

Ganga and Yamuna rivers whose cleanliness is always a concern, this pandemic has proved helpful in cleaning this system to a great extent. Not only this, according to the World Air Quality, the density of 2.5 Particulate Matter (PM-2.5) in the atmosphere has decreased by about 80 percent. In this way, it has proved helpful in cleaning the global environment.

WHO Report on Coronavirus

Declaring the Coronavirus a global pandemic, the WHO has warned the world that this pandemic is not going to end only with a lockdown, but only those who are suffering should be found and kept under observation, only then it is possible to stop it.

In view of the seriousness of this disease, WHO has also said that this virus may never end. WHO has also accepted the infection of this virus in the air.

With regard to the coronavirus, the WHO has expressed satisfaction with India’s position, saying that although cases are increasing in India, the death rate is lower than in other countries.

Important Term Related to Coronavirus

Asymptomatic:- This is a type of symptom, in which people are infected, but do not show any symptoms. ​In this, the ability to smell is found less in the patients.

Contact Tracing:- This is the process of identification of infected people and the people who came in contact with them. It is commonly used in infection containment zones.

Flattening the Curve:- In this, the curve shows the spread of the virus. If the curve is high, it shows how many people the infection can affect if allowed to spread unchecked and how many hospitals will be needed.

Viral Shedding:- When the virus is transmitted from an infected person to another person by coughing and sneezing, it is called viral shedding. In this, the virus comes out in droplets and spreads.

Ventilator:- This is a machine that helps a patient to breathe. It injects oxygen into the lungs and removes carbon dioxide. It is also called a life-saving machine.

Quarantine:- Isolating people from outside a particular area so that the virus infection can be prevented from growing. Therefore self-quarantine is resorted to.

Social Distancing:- There is a high risk of spreading corona in crowded places. Therefore people have been instructed to maintain a certain distance.

Conclusion

There are hundreds of coronaviruses, most of which circulate in animals. Only seven of these viruses infect humans and four of them cause symptoms of the common cold. But, three times in the last 20 years, a coronavirus has jumped from animals to humans to cause severe disease.

SARS, a beta coronavirus emerged in 2002 and was controlled mainly by aggressive public health measures. There have been no new cases since 2004. MERS emerged in 2012, still exists in camels, and can infect people who have close contact with them.

COVID-19, a new and sometimes deadly respiratory illness that is believed to have originated in a live animal market in China, has spread rapidly throughout that country and the world.

The new coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Tens of thousands of people were infected in China, with the virus spreading easily from person-to-person in many parts of that country.

The novel coronavirus infections were at first associated with travel from Wuhan, but the virus has now established itself in 177 countries and territories around the world in a rapidly expanding pandemic. Health officials in the United States and around the world are working to contain the spread of the virus through public health measures such as social distancing, contact tracing, testing, quarantines and travel restrictions. Scientists are working to find medications to treat the disease and to develop a vaccine.

The World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus outbreak “a public health emergency of international concern” on January 30. On March 11, 2020 after sustained spread of the disease outside of China, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 epidemic a pandemic. Public health measures like ones implemented in China and now around the world, will hopefully blunt the spread of the virus while treatments and a vaccine are developed to stop it.

ESSAY ON EARTHQUAKE

Essay on Earthquake For Students and Children in 1000 Words

 The planet Earth has gone through a number of changes throughout the course of its time. Most of these changes are a result of natural disasters that usually occur. Pollution, ozone layer depletion, and global warming have become major threats today. 

However, some natural calamities have been a threat to the planet for a really long time. Natural disasters occur in a number of forms, like earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, droughts, storms, cyclones, etc. 

One of these natural disasters that can do a lot of damage to the ecosystem is an earthquake.

What is an Earthquake?

The shaking of the surface of the Earth is known as an earthquake. It occurs as a sudden trembling of the surface and is a natural event. It is basically caused due to the release of energy from the interior portion of the Earth.

Undoubtedly, earthquakes do not occur frequently, but they are terrible natural disasters and can cause huge damage to life and property. One can come across many kinds of earthquakes; some of them are weak and go unnoticed, while others are strong and severe. 

The most dangerous thing about an earthquake is that it is usually unpredictable and comes without any indication. Earthquakes usually occur due to the movement of the tectonic plates, and their intensity is measured on the Richter scale.

Types of Earthquake

There are mainly four different types of earthquakes, namely, tectonic, volcanic, collapse, and explosive.

Tectonic Earthquake:-

The crust of the Earth is made up of slabs of rocks of uneven shapes and sizes; these are known as tectonic plates. Energy is stored in these tectonic plates, making them push or pull towards each other. 

This pressure builds up between the adjacent plates, thereby producing a fault line. This acts as an epicentre or focus, from which energy is sent in the form of waves towards the surface. This causes an earthquake on the surface. 

Collapse Earthquake:-

This is a type of earthquake that has a weak natural magnitude. These types of earthquakes usually occur in the caverns and the mines. Any underground blast in the mines causes seismic waves that can cause a small earthquake.

Volcanic Earthquake:-

As per the name, the volcanic earthquake is caused by volcanic activity. Just like the collapse earthquake, these are also of weaker magnitude. A light magnitude earthquake due to the explosion of magma from the volcanoes.

Causes of Earthquake

Earthquakes are usually caused by the movement of the tectonic plates under the surface of the Earth. The breaking of a tectonic plate or sliding of the adjacent tectonic plates releases energy that produces seismic waves. The tectonic plates are never static, and they always keep on moving. 

Whenever two tectonic plates touch each other, it becomes a hotspot for earthquakes. These tectonic plates start sliding against each other, and they never slide smoothly. Friction occurs between the plates, and a tremendous amount of energy is released.

This energy gets converted into seismic waves. The seismic waves then travel to the surface, causing earthquakes.

Depending on the depth of the epicenter, location, and magnitude, the seismic waves have the potential to tear the surface of the Earth, thus damaging buildings and other natural ecosystems. The areas where this activity occurs are usually known as geological faults. 

The portion of the intersection of two tectonic plates is known as a fault line, which may vary from a few metres to hundreds of kilometers. These are the most common points in an earthquake.

Effects of Earthquake

Earthquakes do not cause any direct harm to human civilizations most of the time. But they can do a lot of damage to different parts of the ecosystem and can also hurt property.

The displacement of the Earth’s surface or the ground is one of the most dangerous impacts of an earthquake. It can even collapse buildings, damage all forms of property, and can also lead to the loss of lives. 

The damage can block roads and bridges and can cause catastrophic problems for a few months. Earthquakes can also affect electric power and gas lines and also have a chance to cause fire breakouts.

An earthquake is also responsible for an event known as liquefaction. It is a process when the sand and soil beneath any infrastructure become very soft and mix with the groundwater. 

This loosens the underground area and can cause the overall structure to topple over several feet beneath the ground. It can even lead to a fall off of the structure.

A typical earthquake can cause significant damage or ruptures to dams, embankments, and riverbanks.This leads to the release of water into the nearby area. This water would then flood the area, damaging agricultural land and other properties as well.

When an earthquake occurs beneath the ocean, it can possibly cause a tsunami. The waves of the tsunami bring a lot of water and are strong enough to destroy anything in their path. 

Disaster Management in Earthquake

While earthquakes are an inevitable phenomenon, they cannot be avoided. However, precautions and necessary steps can be taken.

•People just stay indoors until the shaking stops. Moreover, if you have an open space, one should be there as such places have a reduced risk.

•For a light magnitude earthquake, one must stay away from furniture, shelves, heavy appliances, objects, and other items as well.

•Take shelter under a firm object like a table or bed, and hold on to something strong and fixed.

•Check for proper electricity and gas connections. You must ensure that there are no leaks in the system. The main power switch and the main gas valves should be checked properly.

•To be well prepared for the issues, the residents of the regularly affected areas should have first aid kits on hand to treat minor injuries. Medical staff should always be prepared for such events.

Disaster Management in Earthquake 

Conclusion

An earthquake is a devastating natural phenomenon that can cause terrible damage. It cannot be avoided by any means, but measures can be taken to prepare for it.

The good thing about earthquakes is that they only last a few seconds. I hope you liked this essay on earthquake.