ValuesIndia’s cultural heritage builds its foundation on non-violence, respect for elders, for the tools of their trade, family bondage, and the very Indian “athiti devo bhava”. The significance of prayer in India is widespread in all sections of society. The day starts off with a prayer or an Aarati, be it at home or at work. Aarati is a Hindu religious ritual of worship.
The age old adage “cleanliness is next to godliness” still holds good; children are taught from young the vitality of hygiene. Apart from that honesty and integrity are inculcated for we live in an age where corruption is on the rise. Respect for elders is a very Indian value and it stems from time immemorial. In keeping with changing times, it is necessary for parents to teach children to respect not only elders but all human beings. Do unto others what you want others to do unto you. Next on the list would be self-confidence. Self-confidence should be the key which rules their lives. Children are taught to believe in their capabilities and be tough and flexible and have the courage to bounce back after hardships. They will be given room to grow; to take failure in their stride and help them learn from their mistakes. Reading is a habit instilled in the children as well, reading helps them to become more refine in their behavior, more aware in their approach and allows them the privilege of armchair travel. They are also encouraged to pen down what they see, learn or feel.
However, with the rising influence of the west, it has become very tough for parents to try and keep these values intact, for the younger generation is always in a sense of conflict between the values that they have and the values that are.
Contrast between genders India is an exceptionally pronatalistic civilization, and the yearning to have a male child is very much emphasized. It is considered by some to be a man's utmost duty, a devout obligation, and a source of emotional and ancestral fulfillment. Male children are treated with more reverence and given special privileges because of their desiredness. Male children are taught to be aggressive, bigoted, self-governing, self-sufficient, demanding, and authoritarian. Females, on the other hand, are taught to be self-sacrificing, passive, accepting, nurturing, philanthropic, adaptive, forbearing, and religious, and to value family above. In a conventional Indian family, the wife is usually reliant, compliant, modest, and goes out of her way to please her husband. They are accountable to looking after the home and caring for the children and the elderly parents and relatives.
Even though social changes are steadily taking place, prearranged marriages are still the norm, and dating is usually not encouraged. Furthermore, sex and sexuality topics are not candidly discussed, sex education is not readily accessible, interrelationships with the opposite sex and premarital sex are discouraged.
Another one of India’s most controversial topic would be on ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender’ (LGBT) community. India has taken to censoring most of western movies but getting rid of bedroom scenes and the likes. However, same-gender relationship got passed the censorship and survives in India film industry such as ‘Bollywood’. One such example can be ‘Dunno Y . . . Na Jaane Kyun’, a film featuring Bollywood's first cinematic gay kiss. It illustrates the account of an aspiring model who travels to Mumbai to search for affluence and enters into a homosexual relationship, in part to further his career. (A poster for the Bollywood gay film Dunno Y . . . Na Jaane Kyun.)
With the film industry (Bollywood actors) showing camaraderie with the validation of gay relationships, this has undeniably proved influential. The LBGT sector has, as a result, seen an escalation in health and social services, the threatened backlash by extreme groups has failed to occur and last year’s Gay Pride festivals took place all over the country and even in the ultra-conservative city of Chennai. However, the figures would very much be different in rural areas.
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