Understanding Indian values/personality
Overview
There is so much diversity in customs, languages, food habits, rituals, lifestyles etc…
What comes to mind when one thinks of India? Very ancient spiritual land, religion dominating everyday life, meditation, and yoga, melodramatic Bollywood movies, poverty, heat and dust, weak law-enforcement, feudal systems still prevailing in parts of it, poor sanitation, family-oriented people who look after their elderly relatives, vegetarians, a non-drinking society, extraordinarily rich and diverse cultural heritage.
What comes to mind when one thinks of India?
Very ancient spiritual land, religion dominating everyday life, meditation, and yoga, melodramatic Bollywood movies, poverty, heat and dust, weak law-enforcement, feudal systems still prevailing in parts of it, poor sanitation, family-oriented people who look after their elderly relatives, vegetarians, a non-drinking society, extraordinarily rich and diverse cultural heritage.
Values have been defined as the accepted standards of right or wrong in society or with a given individual. It is difficult to make a list of Indian values without making some inappropriate generalizations.
India is a country of hundred nations. There is so much diversity in customs, languages, food habits, rituals, lifestyles et cetera. it is never an easy task to find a unified thread that runs through this extreme diversity. However, still, some observations can be made.
Informality, family values, segregation of sexes, and hierarchical social structure.
Informality:
As opposed to the British stiff upper lip attitude, the Indian attitude is a bit more informal, not like American informality but its own brand of informality. American informality is like a casual and egalitarian attitude, less of rituals, protocols, and social mores. This is perhaps related to America being a country of immigrants and not having its own brand of values. They are all borrowed from people from all over the world who migrated there, and their values are thrown into a melting pot. It may also be because British people who went and settled in America were already rebels against the establishment in the United Kingdom.
Indian informality is like being flexible and bending the rules and regulations and not being disciplined. The attitude “Sub Kutch Chalta Hai (everything goes),” and finding a “Jugad (getting things done through out-of-the-box thinking)” are the hallmarks of Indian thinking. What is right and what is wrong is decided not just by the rule of law but also by one’s perception of the universal ethical principles that individuals decide for themselves. One does not feel guilty when cheating the government, and not fulfilling one’s responsibility towards the government. It may be a remnant of India’s colonial past.
Family values:
Indian families have been described as strong, stable, close, resilient, and enduring (Mullatti 1995, Shangle, 1995). Indians are mainly family-orientated; as opposed to being individualistic, one may call them collectivists. In that respect, they are like Japanese, Chinese, Italians, Spanish, and some other cultures. Parents are overinvolved in the affairs of their children to the point of their children becoming resentful. If you are in your late twenties or early thirties and still living with your parents, it is no issue in India but considered odd in the Western world.
Indian adolescents, when they think of attempting suicide, want to end their life not because nobody cares about them or loves them, but because they have not been able to live up to the expectations of their parents and have brought a disgrace to the family. To some extent, closer family ties in India are also because of the absence of a welfare state, which in the West can come to one’s rescue in times of crisis, whereas in India one must fall back on one’s family and relatives for help, so they value relationships more.
Living in harmony with nature – seeing animals as their younger sibs, feeding ants and pigeons even snakes, not killing even sick and disabled animals who are of no use, planting trees, etc.
Endurance of suffering or tolerance: there are several different explanations for that. To begin with, poverty makes people more tolerant. Rigid hierarchies and the social structure also make people more tolerant of their bosses, but angrier with their subordinates. India has a large underclass, and they constantly receive abuse and ill-treatment from their employers and the well-to-do members of society.
In addition to the above, there are several other reasons why Indians are more tolerant. They think if they are poor or suffering it is ordained by God, or a result of their bad karma in past lives and it is an opportunity for them to expiate for their sins. The past bad karmas are being consumed when they suffer, so it is good news.
You will not find many court cases in India like the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard court cases. If you have married somebody, and unhappiness comes to you from your spouse or ex-partner you take it as your destiny and do not try to seek justice in the courts of the nation. However, accepting assaultive behavior cannot be seen as a positive attribute.
Non-interference with others: India does not meddle in the affairs of another country unless there are specific reasons for that. It does not police the entire world the way America feels this responsibility. India believes in the entire world being a single family (vasudhev Kutumbkam) as mentioned in several Indian scriptures.
Sensorimotor stage: From age 0 to 2 years. Children perceive the world through movements and their senses only.
A belief that human beings are inherently good – It is linked with the concept of the soul in Indian thinking. According to Western philosophy and analytic traditions, one can never fully eliminate the negative element from one’s mind whereas the Indian approach is to see the divine element in each human being, not just in human beings but in animals and plants as well.
Utopian thinking – in India people are constantly preoccupied with the supernatural to the point of ignoring the tangible things in front of them, perhaps that is why India has not progressed in the field of science but has gained supremacy in the field of spirituality. We see utopian ideas even in Bollywood films where the hero is all good and the villain is all bad. They won’t show the main character of the film has some flaws.
Vairagya, renunciation, and celibacy – it is more of a Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist concept rather than Islamic. According to Hindu thought, God or spirituality is not something that you have to believe in, which Christians and Muslims do, but something that one can realize and experience. God is not seen as separate from oneself, hence the word self-realization is considered the same as God-realisation. For this to happen, one must dedicate oneself fully to a monastic life hence opting for monastic life is considered superior to leading the life of the householder. Perhaps for those reasons, many prominent Indians chose not to marry – such as India’s ex-president late APJ Abdul kalam, ex-prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lata Mangeshkar, Adityanth Yogi, Chief Minister of UP, current prime minister Modi who is married in the name’s sake. In my opinion, the percentage of people who choose not to marry, to begin with, or after losing one’s life partner is much greater in India compared to the rest of the world. Islam prohibits people from not marrying, and even the Maulana’s are supposed to marry and have families.
If an Indian adolescent has a boyfriend or a girlfriend, they try to hide it, whereas in Western society an adolescent does not have a boyfriend/girlfriend they try to hide this fact and pretend that they have one.
Sigmund Freud said that the first five years of life are very crucial as that is when personality is formed, and it can’t be changed later on. However, other psychologist has argued against this and said that later socio-cultural factors are also important in shaping one’s personality.
Segregation of sexes:
Things are changing in urban India but for most Indians, a handshake, a hug, or a peck on the cheek between genders is not fashionable. Even with strangers a namaste is scientifically more hygienic but it lacks the intimacy and the connection that one feels with a handshake.
Hierarchical social structure:
India is far from an egalitarian society which is a common sight in the West. During my training years in India there always was an usher staffing the entrance of the professor’s consulting room. Senior government officials do not carry their briefcase even if it is light, as they have people to do that job for them. Junior staff will not keep sitting or continue eating if a senior person walks into the room.
However, the relationship between the senior and the junior is special in India, the Juniors will do things beyond the call of duty for the seniors and the seniors will go out of their way to protect the juniors. However, the situation is different in the West, it is like two people doing their respective jobs and it is not very often that seniors and juniors will get involved in each other’s personal affairs.
Direct, open, and non-assertive:
The British perfected the art of politeness, and it feels like a friendly chat even when they are giving negative feedback. They will not harp on anybody’s mistakes if they know that the other person has now become aware of them.
Americans, on the other hand, can be very assertive, competitive, open, and direct. On the surface they appear to be serious, do not want to waste time, and adopt a gung-ho approach in trying to take control over their destiny and environment.
Indians are different – it is difficult for them to say no on the surface even when they mean to say so, but they will not do the things if they do not want to and can afford to, like being passive-aggressive. They may be very tolerant and polite at their workplace, but their family will see a different face of them, a bit angry and irritable. They are not polite the way British people are, but they speak directly from their heart, and the same attribute of warmth and emotions can be seen in African culture as. It may be fair to say that in the West people are more cognitively/linguistically sophisticated whereas Indians are more emotionally sophisticated. Indians speak from their heart. They can be warm and affectionate with people known to them but can be indifferent and insensitive to strangers
More into cerebral tasks: on the international stage, Indians are more focused on mental pursuits and vocations rather than being interested in sports or music. Hence so many CEOs in America are of Indian origin. Even in Britain, you will hardly find any Indians in the sports or music industry but plenty of doctors and software engineers.
Indian do not like doing DIY jobs around the house. Perhaps it is related to the availability of cheap labor in India.
You will not find many Indians into fitness pursuits i.e., attending gyms or jogging in the park in the morning, although things are changing in the urban areas.
Conclusion
Other values
Money minded and hardworking
Hospitable – food oriented, like to invite people home, they express their feelings not verbally but through their facial expressions and by offering food and gifts.
Believe in saving money for old age
Look after the elderly people
Emotional and melodramatic – Indian prime minister Modi’s recent visit to Nordic countries is a good example. A huge crowd gathered in the auditorium, and they were shouting out loudly – Modi, Modi, Modi. Mette Frederiksen, the Dutch prime minister said – I must say you really know how to welcome a politician, please teach the Danish population how to do it.
Believe in reincarnation and Karma theory – which fosters a greater acceptance of the unpleasant, as bad happening is seen as a result of one’s past karmas,
Individualistic in philosophy but collectivist in practice: Indian philosophy is individualistic but in practice, Indians are more collectivist. There are repeated references to the fact that no one will be with you, even your spouse and children will be left behind and you must think of your outcome after your death, prepare for it and not just try to look after your life on this earth.
Greater religious tolerance: There has been a recent surge in religious intolerance in India perhaps related to the ideology of the ruling BJP party, which is contrary to India’s history.
Religious tolerance in India historically comes from the spiritual traditions and the diversity within Indian civilization. There is so much diversity that one gets used to all sorts of lifestyles, ideologies, and belief systems.
You are still a Hindu if you
- – believe in God or not
- – believe in God or not
- – believe in one God or many
- – believe in idol worship or formless god
- – meditate or do yoga or not
- – vegetarian or non-vegetarian
- – profess celibacy or sexual freedom
- – use illicit drugs such as cannabis or take alcohol or stay away from them
- – want to be a nudist as there are many Naga sadhus
There are no prescribed guidelines for being a Hindu and there is room for all sorts of ideologies, lifestyles, and belief systems in India like in the United Kingdom and many other western countries.
Very ancient spiritual land, religion dominating everyday life, meditation, and yoga, melodramatic Bollywood movies, poverty, heat and dust, weak law-enforcement, feudal systems still prevailing in parts of it, poor sanitation, family-oriented people who look after their elderly relatives, vegetarians, a non-drinking society, extraordinarily rich and diverse cultural heritage.
Values have been defined as the accepted standards of right or wrong in society or with a given individual. It is difficult to make a list of Indian values without making some inappropriate generalizations.
India is a country of hundred nations. There is so much diversity in customs, languages, food habits, rituals, lifestyles et cetera. it is never an easy task to find a unified thread that runs through this extreme diversity. However, still, some observations can be made.
Informality, family values, segregation of sexes, and hierarchical social structure.
Informality:
As opposed to the British stiff upper lip attitude, the Indian attitude is a bit more informal, not like American informality but its own brand of informality. American informality is like a casual and egalitarian attitude, less of rituals, protocols, and social mores. This is perhaps related to America being a country of immigrants and not having its own brand of values. They are all borrowed from people from all over the world who migrated there, and their values are thrown into a melting pot. It may also be because British people who went and settled in America were already rebels against the establishment in the United Kingdom.
Indian informality is like being flexible and bending the rules and regulations and not being disciplined. The attitude “Sub Kutch Chalta Hai (everything goes),” and finding a “Jugad (getting things done through out-of-the-box thinking)” are the hallmarks of Indian thinking. What is right and what is wrong is decided not just by the rule of law but also by one’s perception of the universal ethical principles that individuals decide for themselves. One does not feel guilty when cheating the government, and not fulfilling one’s responsibility towards the government. It may be a remnant of India’s colonial past.
Family values:
Indian families have been described as strong, stable, close, resilient, and enduring (Mullatti 1995, Shangle, 1995). Indians are mainly family-orientated; as opposed to being individualistic, one may call them collectivists. In that respect, they are like Japanese, Chinese, Italians, Spanish, and some other cultures. Parents are overinvolved in the affairs of their children to the point of their children becoming resentful. If you are in your late twenties or early thirties and still living with your parents, it is no issue in India but considered odd in the Western world.
Indian adolescents, when they think of attempting suicide, want to end their life not because nobody cares about them or loves them, but because they have not been able to live up to the expectations of their parents and have brought a disgrace to the family. To some extent, closer family ties in India are also because of the absence of a welfare state, which in the West can come to one’s rescue in times of crisis, whereas in India one must fall back on one’s family and relatives for help, so they value relationships more.
Living in harmony with nature – seeing animals as their younger sibs, feeding ants and pigeons even snakes, not killing even sick and disabled animals who are of no use, planting trees, etc.
Endurance of suffering or tolerance: there are several different explanations for that. To begin with, poverty makes people more tolerant. Rigid hierarchies and the social structure also make people more tolerant of their bosses, but angrier with their subordinates. India has a large underclass, and they constantly receive abuse and ill-treatment from their employers and the well-to-do members of society.
In addition to the above, there are several other reasons why Indians are more tolerant. They think if they are poor or suffering it is ordained by God, or a result of their bad karma in past lives and it is an opportunity for them to expiate for their sins. The past bad karmas are being consumed when they suffer, so it is good news.
You will not find many court cases in India like the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard court cases. If you have married somebody, and unhappiness comes to you from your spouse or ex-partner you take it as your destiny and do not try to seek justice in the courts of the nation. However, accepting assaultive behavior cannot be seen as a positive attribute.
Non-interference with others: India does not meddle in the affairs of another country unless there are specific reasons for that. It does not police the entire world the way America feels this responsibility. India believes in the entire world being a single family (vasudhev Kutumbkam) as mentioned in several Indian scriptures.
Sensorimotor stage: From age 0 to 2 years. Children perceive the world through movements and their senses only.
A belief that human beings are inherently good – It is linked with the concept of the soul in Indian thinking. According to Western philosophy and analytic traditions, one can never fully eliminate the negative element from one’s mind whereas the Indian approach is to see the divine element in each human being, not just in human beings but in animals and plants as well.
Utopian thinking – in India people are constantly preoccupied with the supernatural to the point of ignoring the tangible things in front of them, perhaps that is why India has not progressed in the field of science but has gained supremacy in the field of spirituality. We see utopian ideas even in Bollywood films where the hero is all good and the villain is all bad. They won’t show the main character of the film has some flaws.
Vairagya, renunciation, and celibacy – it is more of a Hindu, Christian, and Buddhist concept rather than Islamic. According to Hindu thought, God or spirituality is not something that you have to believe in, which Christians and Muslims do, but something that one can realize and experience. God is not seen as separate from oneself, hence the word self-realization is considered the same as God-realisation. For this to happen, one must dedicate oneself fully to a monastic life hence opting for monastic life is considered superior to leading the life of the householder. Perhaps for those reasons, many prominent Indians chose not to marry – such as India’s ex-president late APJ Abdul kalam, ex-prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lata Mangeshkar, Adityanth Yogi, Chief Minister of UP, current prime minister Modi who is married in the name’s sake. In my opinion, the percentage of people who choose not to marry, to begin with, or after losing one’s life partner is much greater in India compared to the rest of the world. Islam prohibits people from not marrying, and even the Maulana’s are supposed to marry and have families.
If an Indian adolescent has a boyfriend or a girlfriend, they try to hide it, whereas in Western society an adolescent does not have a boyfriend/girlfriend they try to hide this fact and pretend that they have one.
Sigmund Freud said that the first five years of life are very crucial as that is when personality is formed, and it can’t be changed later on. However, other psychologist has argued against this and said that later socio-cultural factors are also important in shaping one’s personality.
Segregation of sexes:
Things are changing in urban India but for most Indians, a handshake, a hug, or a peck on the cheek between genders is not fashionable. Even with strangers a namaste is scientifically more hygienic but it lacks the intimacy and the connection that one feels with a handshake.
Hierarchical social structure:
India is far from an egalitarian society which is a common sight in the West. During my training years in India there always was an usher staffing the entrance of the professor’s consulting room. Senior government officials do not carry their briefcase even if it is light, as they have people to do that job for them. Junior staff will not keep sitting or continue eating if a senior person walks into the room.
However, the relationship between the senior and the junior is special in India, the Juniors will do things beyond the call of duty for the seniors and the seniors will go out of their way to protect the juniors. However, the situation is different in the West, it is like two people doing their respective jobs and it is not very often that seniors and juniors will get involved in each other’s personal affairs.
Direct, open, and non-assertive:
The British perfected the art of politeness, and it feels like a friendly chat even when they are giving negative feedback. They will not harp on anybody’s mistakes if they know that the other person has now become aware of them.
Americans, on the other hand, can be very assertive, competitive, open, and direct. On the surface they appear to be serious, do not want to waste time, and adopt a gung-ho approach in trying to take control over their destiny and environment.
Indians are different – it is difficult for them to say no on the surface even when they mean to say so, but they will not do the things if they do not want to and can afford to, like being passive-aggressive. They may be very tolerant and polite at their workplace, but their family will see a different face of them, a bit angry and irritable. They are not polite the way British people are, but they speak directly from their heart, and the same attribute of warmth and emotions can be seen in African culture as. It may be fair to say that in the West people are more cognitively/linguistically sophisticated whereas Indians are more emotionally sophisticated. Indians speak from their heart. They can be warm and affectionate with people known to them but can be indifferent and insensitive to strangers
More into cerebral tasks: on the international stage, Indians are more focused on mental pursuits and vocations rather than being interested in sports or music. Hence so many CEOs in America are of Indian origin. Even in Britain, you will hardly find any Indians in the sports or music industry but plenty of doctors and software engineers.
Indian do not like doing DIY jobs around the house. Perhaps it is related to the availability of cheap labor in India.
You will not find many Indians into fitness pursuits i.e., attending gyms or jogging in the park in the morning, although things are changing in the urban areas.
Conclusion
Other values
Money minded and hardworking
Hospitable – food oriented, like to invite people home, they express their feelings not verbally but through their facial expressions and by offering food and gifts.
Believe in saving money for old age
Look after the elderly people
Emotional and melodramatic – Indian prime minister Modi’s recent visit to Nordic countries is a good example. A huge crowd gathered in the auditorium, and they were shouting out loudly – Modi, Modi, Modi. Mette Frederiksen, the Dutch prime minister said – I must say you really know how to welcome a politician, please teach the Danish population how to do it.
Believe in reincarnation and Karma theory – which fosters a greater acceptance of the unpleasant, as bad happening is seen as a result of one’s past karmas,
Individualistic in philosophy but collectivist in practice: Indian philosophy is individualistic but in practice, Indians are more collectivist. There are repeated references to the fact that no one will be with you, even your spouse and children will be left behind and you must think of your outcome after your death, prepare for it and not just try to look after your life on this earth.
Greater religious tolerance: There has been a recent surge in religious intolerance in India perhaps related to the ideology of the ruling BJP party, which is contrary to India’s history.
Religious tolerance in India historically comes from the spiritual traditions and the diversity within Indian civilization. There is so much diversity that one gets used to all sorts of lifestyles, ideologies, and belief systems.
You are still a Hindu if you
- – believe in God or not
- – believe in God or not
- – believe in one God or many
- – believe in idol worship or formless god
- – meditate or do yoga or not
- – vegetarian or non-vegetarian
- – profess celibacy or sexual freedom
- – use illicit drugs such as cannabis or take alcohol or stay away from them
- – want to be a nudist as there are many Naga sadhus
There are no prescribed guidelines for being a Hindu and there is room for all sorts of ideologies, lifestyles, and belief systems in India like in the United Kingdom and many other western countries.
