THEME
CULTURE consists of customs, arts, social norms and achievements followed by a group of people who share common society. According to the definition provided above, We can understand that culture is shared by many people and there are various kinds of culture around the globe, different places have different food, they share different languages, they practice distinct customs, they dress differently, they have different set of values and they have their role in shaping a person's personality. Similarly, now I am going to share how Culture Impacted my personality.
MY BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCES
1. Delhi
I was born and raised in New Delhi which is a metropolitan city and the Capital of India. It is the second smallest state of India. Also, Delhi is home to 18.98 million people according to the recent Census and Demographics, people from different part of the country migrate to Delhi because of better opportunities and standard of living. My family follows Hinduism as our major religion but I follow some rituals, share some values and beliefs of Sikhism as my mother belongs to Sikh family. In Delhi, my family owns jewelry showrooms and our own jewelry manufacturing unit in the city, which provides my family with financial stability and growth. Delhi has a great marketing and business opportunities. In Delhi, we can witness different kinds of weather throughout the year. Moreover, Delhi has great historical importance, Delhi has been witness to the political turmoil for over five centuries. It was ruled by Mughals in succession to Khiljis and Tughlaqs. In the year 1803, the city came under British rule, In 1911 British shifted their capital from Calcutta to Delhi. After independence in 1947, New Delhi was declared as the Capital of India. Delhi has great geographical importance, Delhi stands in a triangle formed by river Yamuna in the east and spurs from the Aravalli range in the west and south, Delhi is bounded by four states Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab. These states have a great impact on the lifestyle of Delhi. All the major festivals of India are celebrated, people from distinct religions come together and celebrate all festivals in the same vigor and bliss. Delhi is home to many tourist attractions like Red Fort built by Mughals, India Gate- India's Largest War Memorial, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Qutub Minar, Jantar Mantar - World's Largest Sundial, Humayun's Tomb and many more. And almost every part of Delhi is accessible by metro and bus services.
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| Humayun's Tomb |
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| India Gate |
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| Jantar Mantar- World's Largest Sundial |
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| Red Fort |
2. Vancouver
After graduating from high school in Delhi, I planned to go abroad for higher studies, and I chose Canada because it is one of the core region with high standard of living and better opportunities. Canada is considered to be one of the top ten safest and peaceful countries in the world. Also, with lowest crime rates, and people here are very friendly. I found SFU (Simon Fraser University) which is located in Vancouver as a suitable option for me to complete my education and I chose FIC ( Fraser International College ) as a pathway to SFU.
SFU is a place which structures people's daily routine, provides them with knowledge, they can know about the social norms in the society and provides them with better opportunities.Vancouver is considered one of the best top ten live-able cities in the world, it is an urban city and part of a core region and has a population of 610,000 people in the city. It has several tourist attractions like Gastown, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Stanley Park, and Vancouver is situated coast side so there are several beaches to visit. After coming to Vancouver I rented a house in Burquitlam which was near to SFU and a part of Greater Vancouver. It was accessible for me as the relative distance that I travel from my house to FIC was around 18 mins which was very convenient for me. My previous apartment had great utility as it was just 2 mins walk away from the Skytrain station. But recently I shifted to Coquitlam which is also a part of Greater Vancouver. Now the relative distance that I have to travel increased, now it takes me 30 mins to reach to college from my apartment. However, SFU has great accessibility, it is connected it has four bus routes all connected are connected by Skytrain services therefore, it is easily accessible for the majority of the students.
SFU is a place which structures people's daily routine, provides them with knowledge, they can know about the social norms in the society and provides them with better opportunities.Vancouver is considered one of the best top ten live-able cities in the world, it is an urban city and part of a core region and has a population of 610,000 people in the city. It has several tourist attractions like Gastown, Capilano Suspension Bridge, Stanley Park, and Vancouver is situated coast side so there are several beaches to visit. After coming to Vancouver I rented a house in Burquitlam which was near to SFU and a part of Greater Vancouver. It was accessible for me as the relative distance that I travel from my house to FIC was around 18 mins which was very convenient for me. My previous apartment had great utility as it was just 2 mins walk away from the Skytrain station. But recently I shifted to Coquitlam which is also a part of Greater Vancouver. Now the relative distance that I have to travel increased, now it takes me 30 mins to reach to college from my apartment. However, SFU has great accessibility, it is connected it has four bus routes all connected are connected by Skytrain services therefore, it is easily accessible for the majority of the students.
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| Stanley Park |
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| Gastown |
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| Capilano Suspension Bridge |
MAPS
1.Delhi
2.Vancouver
3.Route To FIC from Burquitlam
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| (Route from my Previous apartment) |
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| (Route from my current place) |
FOOD
In Delhi, there is no specific cultural food but mostly North Indian food can be found in the city and also cultural food from different parts of the country is available. The city has been impacted by globalization, so we can enjoy food from different parts of the country and world. Also, Delhi is famous for its street food and Indian snacks like Samosa, Jalebi and also there is a specific street only for paranthe ( which is a famous bread in the country ) in Delhi. The street is known as Paranthe wali Gali (nominal location) ,it is famous in entire country. When I came to Vancouver, I found that the food was completely different than what I use to eat back in India. I am accessible to Indian food by Indian restaurants but it is really expensive to eat out daily and I find the taste is also different than what we use to eat in India, Furthermore I cannot cook same homemade food because of lack of ingredients as Canadian supermarkets do not sell the ingredients needed for the food. Another difference I found was that in Vancouver people only have 2 meals a day whereas in India people have 3 meals a day. Vancouver follows a fast-food culture and in most of the restaurants or food courts, fast foods like hamburgers, fries and chips are served. This has a great impact on my life because it impacted my diet.
We can easily observe the Cultural difference from the meals, the first picture represents North Indian meal and the second meal represents South Indian meal. These two meals depict the cultural difference between one and another part of the country. They are different from each other whereas the third picture is of Poutine which is a breakfast meal in Canada. These three pictures depict the cultural difference.
CLOTHING
Clothing is a means expressing the uniqueness among the world. It is different in different parts of the world based on geography, weather conditions, culture and people. Delhi has different kinds of weather throughout the year, so different clothing is experienced throughout the year. From March-October the temperature ranges from 30 Celcius to 42 Celcius and it is extremely hot. Also in middle of the year around July and September the city experiences rain. At this period of the year, people usually wear half sleeves clothes and shorts. But from November-February the temperature ranges between 1 degree Celcius to 13 degrees Celcius so people wear winterwear in this period. Apart from that, there are different traditional dresses for both men and women.
In most of the parts of the country, men wear Kurta Pyjamas whereas women wear Salwar Kameez on festivals and cultural events but some states have their cultural dresses.
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| North Indian food |
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| South Indian food |
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| Poutine |
We can easily observe the Cultural difference from the meals, the first picture represents North Indian meal and the second meal represents South Indian meal. These two meals depict the cultural difference between one and another part of the country. They are different from each other whereas the third picture is of Poutine which is a breakfast meal in Canada. These three pictures depict the cultural difference.
CLOTHING
Clothing is a means expressing the uniqueness among the world. It is different in different parts of the world based on geography, weather conditions, culture and people. Delhi has different kinds of weather throughout the year, so different clothing is experienced throughout the year. From March-October the temperature ranges from 30 Celcius to 42 Celcius and it is extremely hot. Also in middle of the year around July and September the city experiences rain. At this period of the year, people usually wear half sleeves clothes and shorts. But from November-February the temperature ranges between 1 degree Celcius to 13 degrees Celcius so people wear winterwear in this period. Apart from that, there are different traditional dresses for both men and women.
In most of the parts of the country, men wear Kurta Pyjamas whereas women wear Salwar Kameez on festivals and cultural events but some states have their cultural dresses.
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| salwar kameez for women |
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kurta pyjama for men |
LANGUAGE
Language is such a powerful concept, it can shape one's identity. Language is not just about words and talking it also include gestures. It can also help us to understand one cultural uniqueness and feelings. I am exposed to many languages like Hindi which is our national language and is spoken by majority people in Delhi similarly I speak Hindi as my major language and also I speak Punjabi because it is my mother tongue. I also speak English as I studied in an English medium school and also French because in my school it was mandatory to learn an additional language. Furthermore, In Delhi, the languages which are majorly spoken are Hindi and English, But since Delhi is a neighboring state to Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Punjabi, English, Urdu, Haryanvi, Marwari (a language spoken by people of Rajasthan) are also spoken. As India has huge cultural diversity, therefore, we have numerous distinct languages spoken in the subcontinent. There are 122 major languages and 1599 other languages according to the previous survey and research. Back in India, I used to use Hindi more to talk to my colleagues as compared to English, I only spoke English in school. So when I was planning to come to Canada for studies I practiced English speaking and tried improve my skills so that I could get better bands in IELTS examinations.
RELIGION
Religion is a belief that there is a higher supernatural power that exists. Religion consists of beliefs, customs and values, and social norms, It is also a major part of a Culture. In India, 78.6% of the population follows Hinduism as their religion but there are other major religions like Sikhism, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism, and Christianity are also followed by a huge proportion of the population. People from different religions and cultures live together in peace and harmony together. As India has diverse religions also there are various places like Church, Temples, Mosques, and Gurudwaras for religious practices. |
| (This picture depicts the unity and harmony among the distinct cultures and religions in India) |
In Delhi, Hinduism is the major religion followed by people. According to a Census held in the year 2011, In Delhi 81.68% of the population is following Hinduism, the data below represents the proportion of people following religion in Delhi.
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Delhi Religion Census 2011
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ECOLOGY
India has highly diverse range of Flora and Fauna, different kinds of Ecosystems which are a result of varied temperature and climate conditions. Ecosystems like Wetlands, Deserts, Forests, Marine ecosystems, Grasslands and Coastal ecosystems could be found here. But India's ecosystem has been affected by factors like natural disasters and also by the Industrialization . Government is taking measures to protect and preserve these ecosystems and living life in it. Very recently, Indian government launched an initiatives like Green skill development, Compensatory Afforestation Act, Nanami Ganga Program, minimize the use of plastic and banned plastic bags. There are several awareness campaigns going on and citizens of the country are also taking part in them.RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGION AND POLITICS, RELIGION and ECOLOGY IN INDIA
As Hinduism is majorly followed by the population of India, Hinduism has inherent values for sustaining ecology and nature. Hinduism views Earth as Mother, and hence, advocates that it should not be exploited. Centuries before movements like Greenpeace and World Environment Day, the Shruti(ancient Hindu text) like Upanishads, Vedas and Smriti(Hindu texts) like Ramayana and Mahabharata guides us that the animals and plants found in the year of God and Goddesses are sacred, that like humans, our fellow creatures and plants have consciousness and therefore all aspects of nature are to be revered. Similarly, All religions guide people to be thankful for nature and instruct us to preserve and sustain it.
As I shared above the majority of the population in India follows Hinduism as there religion. And how ecology is important to people because of their religious beliefs. Politicians highly use the religious factors for elections in India. They meet people from different religions and discuss their problems and interests, and work accordingly to that. For instance, according to Hinduism, river Ganges is a holy river that has been polluted and Hindu's wanted to preserve it, therefore now the government took initiative and started Mission Clean Ganga. Another example is Project Tiger, an initiative taken by the Indian government to save Tigers, the national animal of India and also which really turned out to be positive and the number of Tigers increased gradually. The very recent example for this is Ayodhya temple in Uttar Pradesh, it was disputed issue among people who follow Hinduism and people who follow Islam as there culture. Both the group respected the decision of supreme court and accepted the decision peacefully . These initiatives also work as a vote factor for the political parties.
As I shared above the majority of the population in India follows Hinduism as there religion. And how ecology is important to people because of their religious beliefs. Politicians highly use the religious factors for elections in India. They meet people from different religions and discuss their problems and interests, and work accordingly to that. For instance, according to Hinduism, river Ganges is a holy river that has been polluted and Hindu's wanted to preserve it, therefore now the government took initiative and started Mission Clean Ganga. Another example is Project Tiger, an initiative taken by the Indian government to save Tigers, the national animal of India and also which really turned out to be positive and the number of Tigers increased gradually. The very recent example for this is Ayodhya temple in Uttar Pradesh, it was disputed issue among people who follow Hinduism and people who follow Islam as there culture. Both the group respected the decision of supreme court and accepted the decision peacefully . These initiatives also work as a vote factor for the political parties.
Also, there is a community in India known as the Bishnoi community they are also known as Tree hugger community, they live in Rajasthan which comprises 61% of the desert of its landmass and it is a western state of India which shares border with Pakistan. They follow Lord Vishnu and they have 29 rules which every person of the community needs to follow. And out of those 29 rules, 8 rules are for protecting biodiversity.
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29 Rules
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HOW CULTURE IMPACTED ME & HOW I IMPACT THE WORLD
RELIGION and CULTURE
Hinduism teaches us to be a law-abiding person and virtues for a good way of living. Also as I mentioned above that according to Hinduism, the Flora and Fauna are the gifts given by mother Earth to us and we should preserve and sustain it as it does to us, so my religion, culture and my experience guide me to take care of the nature. Moreover, when I came to Vancouver, I made new friends and learned about their culture, social norms and traditions and I shared my culture, values, and beliefs with them.
I and my international friends celebrated festivals like Holi at UBC and SFU also very recently Diwali at SFU alumni together both of them are major Hindu festivals this is how I impacted them.
MUSIC and DANCE
I introduced my friends to Indian bollywood songs and punjabi folk dance known as Bhangra.
LANGUAGE
I have taught one of my friend greetings in Hindi and Punjabi. And he is teaching me to speak Bangla.
INTER-CONNECTIVITY
Both Delhi and Vancouver are metropolitan cities and are impacted by Globalization. Both cities share a similar history, both were ruled by British and tied by political ties. They provide better opportunities. They have a good system of education, health facilities, transportation system, and public services. Both cities contribute a lot to the economy of their country. Geographically also Delhi and Vancouver have some similarities, For example, Delhi is surrounded by Aravalli Range of mountains and Vancouver is surrounded by North shore mountains, both the cities have several lakes. River Yamuna passes from Delhi similarly Fraser river passes from Vancouver.
India and Canada are interconnected by means of trade and economy. India being a Semi-Peripheral region imports Gold, Copper Ores, Coal, Petroleum, Minerals or chemical fertilisers, diamonds, Iron Ores etc. from Canada which is a core region. Also India exports medicaments, rice, clothing, vegetable saps, products of iron, and non alloy steel.
REFERENCES
Delhi
http://www.delhitourism.gov.in/delhitourism/aboutus/culture_delhi.jsp
Red Fort
https://asiaholidays.biz/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/indian-red-fort.jpg
Humayun Tomb
https://images.mapsofindia.com/my-india/humayun-tomb-delhi.jpg
Jantar Mantar
http://images.mapsofindia.com/my-india/jantar-mantar-delhi-665x445.jpg
Rest of the images
Source: bing images
census data
https://www.census2011.co.in/data/religion/state/7-delhi.html
Bishnoi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bishnoi
Hinduism
https://www.reference.com/world-view/three-basic-teachings-hinduism-7378f8031e67e940
Languages
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_India
Initiative to protect environment
https://yourstory.com/2019/08/modi-government-initiatives-environment-schemes-green-india
Info about exports and imports between Canada and India
https://www.infodriveindia.com/india-trading-partners/canada-exports.aspx
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