Religion
Language
Food
Culture & Crafts
Education

Structure of Indian society is woven with countless threads. The consequence is multi-textured, many layered and though this assortment has fuelled some dissension, it continues to be India’s strength.

India is mainly Hindu and it also has the world’s largest population of Muslims. Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Christians (Roman Catholic, Protestant and Syrian Christian), Jews and Zoroastrians people this vast Indian land. There is exceptional ethnic variety too. While the people of the north are mainly Indo-Aryan, in the south they are mostly Dravidian. The tribal inhabitants in the northeast is of Tibeto-Burmese extort, while the ‘adivasis’ of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat are almost certainly proto Australoid. The Indian language varies approximately every ten miles and India’s billion-strong population has a total of 1535 documented dialects.

One of the most noticeable things about Indian society is the great diversity. This applies to religion, ethnicity and language as much as to the economic circumstances. The yawning gap between the rich and the poor is bridged by a outsized middle class of small businessmen, professionals, bureaucrats etc.

Most Indians vigorously practice their religion, and in spite of the creeping westernisation, most of India is communally orthodox. That means that indians caste distinctions have not been elapsed, man-woman interaction may be frowned upon, and the public display of affection is strictly no-no. The cow is sacred and ‘all ye who forget that-be doomed’. The left hand, which is a crucial tool for Indian ablutions, is measured tainted and isn’t used in passing things around.

On the whole the Indians are a affectionate, warm welcoming people. The guests is next only to God and crooks and touts despite, and inquisitive looks and inquiring questions notwithstanding, you’ll find that they are great hosts. Their idiosyncrasies just make it all the more appealing; be tolerant and you will learn to love the complete Indian package.

Religion
India almost certainly has the most religious diversity in any country. It’s the origin of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. It’s amid the few places to have a resident Zoroastrian population. The Syrian Christian Church is well recognized and established in Kerala; the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa, old churches in Calcutta and Delhi, synagogues in Kerala, temples from the minute to the marvelous, ‘stupas’, ‘gompas’ and the Bodhi tree, the Ajmer Sharif and Kaliya Sharif in Bombay, all echo the astonishing multiplicity of religious practice in India. Tribal people in the northeast, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat practice forms of nature worship.

Language
The national language of India is Hindi, which in one form or another is spoken all over the north. In the Deccan (south India), the languages are entirely different. The states were created on the basis of language so each has its own. On the whole although, indias dialects, accents, idioms and linguistic flourishes change every few miles. There are 18 official languages but over a thousand recognised dialects. English is widely spoken  in india.

Food
From DC to Dakota, Warwick to what-have-you, Indian spices are letting off steam everywhere in the entire wide world. And you come to India and realise......hey, there’s nothing authentic about it! Every kitchen, every man, woman, cook, chef does it different.

A meal in the north would classically constitute chapattis or rice with dal (lentil curry) and a dish of vegetables or meat. Pappads (wafers fried or toasted to a crisp), yoghurt and pickle are standard accompaniments. The chapatti is a round flat unleavened bread of which you tear bits to scoop the curry. Variations of the chapatti are paratha, poorie, bhatoora, and Tandoori naans.

Idli, dosa, vada, sambar, uppama! In the south, too, a meal centres on a base of rice, or as in the South -Indian case, semolina preparation. The idli is a steamed rice cake and the crisp salty pancake often stuffed with potatoes is the dosa. Eaten alongside is the South-Indian dal - sambhar, sour, hot, souped -up with vegetables. The Brahmins are vegetarian, but the rest devour sour-hot fish, mutton, and chicken with gusto. In Kerala seafood is simmered in coconut milk and carefully flavoured with curry leaves. Most Indians eat three meals, each one full-fledged and hearty.

Savoury snacks like pakoras pep the evening cuppa. Anything covered in batter (of chickpea, flour et al) and deep-fried will pass for pakora. As well, readily available on the roadside are snacks huts that serve bhel puri (spiced up puffed rice) and paapri chaat (wafers and boiled potato doused in curd and sauces). Vegetarians will feel like they’ve come home, specially in the south. But no issues of where you are, in a plush restaurant or a roadside ‘dhaba’, in Kunnur or Kullu, you can be certain of splendid vegetarian meals.

All along the coast and expansively in the northeast fish is consumed almost as a staple. Both fresh water and sea fish are popular. Indians love their sweets. There is huge regional variety and among the most popular types is the Bengali mishti. India also has a huge variety in drinks. Besides ‘chai’ (tea) and coffee, sweetened/salty churned yoghurt called lassi, the ever-present ‘neemboo-pani’ or lemon-water, fruit juice in tetra packs and aerated drinks are readily available in India. IMFL expands into Indian made Foreign Liquor and spans the entire range from beer to whiskey. Some examples of local brews are ‘chaang’ in Arunachal, toddy in the South and Goa’s.


Culture & Crafts Music: Much of India’s classical music is devotional and a lot of that, dedicated to the flute playing god, Krishna. The North Indian Hindustani and South Indian Carnatic streams are dissimilar and both have a complex ‘raga’ framework. Ghazals in Urdu reflect on life and are light on the ear. Every region has a distinguishing folk tradition too. Instruments that would naturally accompany Indian music are the stringed veena, sitar, and the Indian drum: tabla or mridangam in the south.

Dance: The legacy of dance in India is marvelous. Its displayed on temple walls, on an urban stage, in impromptu bursts by a smooth evening fire, men and women twinkle their toes in expression of joy.
The classical dances of India are many. Characterised by stylised movements and complex costumes, these dances communicate age-old tales of love, longing and rage. Kathakali of Kerala, Bharatnatyam of Tamil Nadu, Kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, Manipuri and Odissi from Orissa are the well-known dance forms in this country that sways to an altogether novel beat. The robust bhangra of Punjabi men, the elegant whirling of Rajasthani women, the tender sway of northeastern dancers, energetic tribal dances, every corner has urbanized its own unique form.

Theatre: India has a robust theatrical tradition. The Yakshagana, nautanki and puppetry are ancient folk forms that live on till date. This tribe of itinerant performers is on the decline but there still are occasional performances on the rudimentary stages of the rural areas. Rustic and coarse the flavour might be, but the techniques are surprisingly ever so sophisticated. There is a growing body of contemporary work both in English and in the vernacular.

Art: The earliest specimens of Indian painting are the ones on the walls of the Ajanta Caves dating back to 2nd century BC. The classic ‘figures in profile’ art of India came to be when the Jain manuscripts were being illustrated. The Mughals had a enormous impact on Indian art. The miniature, which had been only on palm leaves in the northeast, came into prominence. The influence of Persian art brought placid garden scenes, illustrations from myths, legends and history into Indian art. Later on schools include the Bengal School of Tagore and the Company School of European influence. More recently the opulent paintings of Raja Ravi Varma, the paintings of M.F. Hussain, Jamini Roy and Ganesh Pyne amongst others rule the art scene.

Crafts: Word craft, handicrafts, architecture and sculpture all contribute to this rich and diverse domain. Indian literature, both in English and in the vernacular, is ever more popular around the world. Handicrafts are as wide-ranging as the country itself. The Mughal and colonial structures and the temple architecture across the length and breadth of the country are testaments to the lands exciting past. Sculptures adorn temple walls, stupas, street junctions and ancient caves. The oldest schools are the Gandhara and the Mathura.

Movies: The Hindi movie industry is the most prolific in the world. Based in Bombay, hence Bollywood, this spool-spitting machine takes on the onerous accountability of fuelling India’s most important passion. There is sheer delight in the easy stereotypes of muscle-flexing machismo, leering wrongdoing and leading ladies of Hindi filmdom, but not all Hindi films are a simmering brew of action, romance, and song and dance. There is a parallel stream of art cinema although it’s not nearly half as popular as the commercial stream.
Giving competition to the Bollywood masala film is the just as spicy south Indian fare. Regional cinema is fairly popular in its local context and with serious cinemagoers.

Cricket! Oh for the love of a six-er! India grinds to a stop when the country’s eleven don their colours. In cricket-crazy Calcutta, old folk assemble to trash the ‘new fangled’ limited-overs format; in front of a million TV sets, four million urge for victory (often knowing they’re praying for a miracle!) tirelessly. It’s a mad-mad-mad world and in India cricket stars adorn the doors of innumerable cupboards.Hockey, football and now the ATP tour too have a respectable following oh don’t forget the common wealth.


Education 59.5% of India is literate: 70.2% males and 48.3% females. Kerala is the model state as far as education levels are concerned boasting figures of almost 99% literacy. Higher education in India has a formidable status. Whether in engineering or medicine, business management or social science education, India universities are at similarity with the best in the world.