Hindu society is based on the principles of “Achaaraa paramo dharmaH”. It respects social norms of every community it embraces. First it accommodates them and allows it to assimilate into the main stream society. It can be called as Social culture. This system is in contrast to the system of Acculturation.
Hindu Spirit of Accommodation
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This spirit of accommodation lead to the so called Tolerance to other religions by Hindus. Indian Society survived about 5,000 years without a strong State or a Church. Indian Society is built upon rich Social Systems contrary to the Christian West which is based on Political State and Theocratic Church. That is why I call our society’s Culture as Social Culture.
Traditionally An Indian Village is a Socio-Economic organisation based on the principles of Humanity.
A Village consists of endogamous groups, called – Kulas, Varnas, Jatis, etc,.Each Kula/Varna/Jati is a Cluster of Families. Economic, Social, and Political activities are conducted by dominant Families of the Village based on Equitable distribution of Wealth, that is produced/acquired by the Village community .
To a superficial observer it may appear that the Wealth is not distributed equitably. But it happens so, because, the people of that Village are not of same Seniority in the Scale of habitation. That is some families may be living there for Centuries, some may be recent immigrants to that village! Naturally, Material wealth cannot be snatched by the new immigrants in the name of Equitable distribution of Wealth!
Kulas or Jaatis form into a village community for good. This Village community , some times broadly called a Kula , consist of various groups called Jaatis .
Traditionally , a full fledged Village community consists of Agriculturists / farmers, Artisans, Service Jaatis like Brahmans – Priest, Astrologist, Vaastu Expert, Barber, Washerman, Butcher, Drummer, Carpenter, Potter, Gold Smith, Iron Smith, Brass smith ,etc.,
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Traditionally, all castes command some kind of respect in the village affairs irrespective of their scriptural Hierarchy in Varna division of the Society.
Profession of Farming was open to all. But, Village tank which was dug and maintained by a Kula or Jaati would not allow others to take water from that tank which owned by them, eventually. In that case that Kula which is keen in changing their profession to Agriculture have freedom to migrate to other area and do so.
Coming to our Concept of Greatness of Indian Society – These new families/groups/jaatis are Assimilated in a slow and cautious manner.
This is carried out through a Spirit of Accommodation. That is other or alien people are accommodated irrespective of their Religious affiliation or economic and cultural statuses. Westerners call it as Tolerance. I call this Spirit of Accommodation.
This was possible only because of Indian tradition of Assimilation of New flocks of peoples through the process of Accommodation and not based on Acculturation. Integration of other peoples was left to the test of time. Hence, because of this process of Accommodation cultural give and take took place in course of time and culture got refined within the confines of Humanity.
Hail Hindu community Norms
Because of the hindu traditional family norms of Family, Clan, Caste, Locale, etc., in India we meet well our needs – emotional and material within a community. What a State does in the West is done by these social institutions, which the West does not have. My dear ‘Eye Opener’, open your eyes that only 16 for One lakh population in India are incarcerated ( Jailed ) where as in the US 700 persons for One lakh people are incarcerated. Not to speak of 5 times of this figure are under regular Police watch in the US.
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Gender bias or Equality of sexs
Women are well protected in India in every way. When we visited a Central Jail, Rajahmundry, as students in 2009, we found that out of 1550 convicts placed in that jail only 10 were women convicts for criminal acts. And another 40 women were convicted for making illegal arrack/liquor. (Arrack making illegally is also a family enterprise in India). Even if we take combined figure 50 as women inmates, percentage of women convicts in the Jail is 3.
Whereas in the US 45 % jail population are Women ! No Gender bias in the US ! women with their needs and children are left to their fate in the US. This kind of leaving their family women as destitute is seen as unmanly on the part of men in India.
Coming to the economic front at least 15 percent of population in the US cannot have accommodation to live and cannot have second meal a day.
Is it not true ? In India with all its bhogus ration cards the people under poverty is shown as 23 % Only ….
( incarceration means apprehension by the Police and placement of a person in Prisons, Jails and also under lock up in a Police station )
This comment is written by me in Times of India in response to a comment by some one with the following remarks on Indian society’s indifference to Political issues in the news item tittled, ‘BJP under Sangh Parivar pressure on Modi as PM candidate dt 3.2.13
Indian women are a happy lot
Why people are worried about figures of employment of Women out side their houses ? When women’s Husbands, children, parents are happy to feed them and keep them happy why one should be worried about their working out side their houses status ?
Men – Husbands, parents, Grand parents, even brothers – in India work restlessly to keep women happy.
You know 1000 tonnes of Gold is being imported into India every year to please Women !
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Only 8% of Delhi’s women work”, dt. 16.3.13. What do Delhi’s working women do? While the image of a working Delhi woman that comes to mind for many is usually that of a BPO or IT worker, the real employment growth story for Delhi’s women could be a far less glamorous one – paid domestic work.