Post 1: Introduction-What is India known for?

India, is a country of incredible fascination and physical charm. It is well known for its diversity, both culturally and geographically. The country is rich in natural beauty in every aspect and uniquely, it houses several ethnic groups, each with its own language and culture. The variety of culture and religion is clearly reflected in the vibrancy and colour of Indian dance, music, festivals and the beautiful architectural designs of its majestic palaces and temples.

Geographically, India is known to be the world’s seventh largest country that is home to more than a billion people. It boasts beautiful natural landscapes of high mountains, low river plains, deserts, tropical jungles, golden beaches and loud waterfalls that captures the heart of the locals as well as tourists.

The name ‘India’ was derived from the River Indus, where the Aryan worshippers referred to the River Indus as ‘Sindhu’. Following that, the Persian invaders converted it into Hindu, thus the name of India as ‘Hindustan’. This name is a fusion of the term ‘Hindu’ and ‘Sindhu’, and so the name of the land is called The Land of Hindus.



Taj Mahal

Another known factor about India is the famous Taj Mahal. It is a monument that is regarded as the eight wonders of the world and was built and erected by a Muslim Mughal Emperor named Shah Jahan. The monument was built in memory of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal in Agra. The Taj Mahal was built over a period of twenty-two years and has since became a must-visit site for tourists because of its beautiful Islamic architectural beauty.

A Bollywood film

Bollywood, also known as “The Film City”, is the largest and most glamorous film industry in the world that is located in Mumbai. The term Bollywood was derived by a combination of “Bombay”(now known as Mumbai) and “Hollywood”. The Indian population is heavily in love with Bollywood films for its dance, beautiful and handsome actors and actresses and the lineups of music and each movie usually lasts about three to four hours including intermissions. An estimated fourteen million Indians visit the movie theatre on a daily basis.

India, The Spiritual Kingdom by Radhika Srinivasan & Leslie Jermyn, 2001http://hubpages.com/hub/Tour-to-Bollywood-Film-City-India
http://www.islamicity.com/culture/taj/default.htm

Post 2 :Culture & Traditions of India

The scope of culture includes ideas, traditions, customs, influence, arts & literature, modes of life and beliefs that are followed by a society.

In India, there are many customs and traditions to abide by. Here are some of the few that I’ve chosen to share with that are predominantly known for as its culture.





·         Namaste

It is a popular form of greeting used in India. This is known to welcome people as well as to bid farewell. The way to greet others is by keeping your palms together and raise below the face. Namaste, by definition means, “I bow before God who is in you.”

Saptapadi ritual

•  Saptapadi (7 steps)

Typically, in a traditional Indian marriage, the couple has to take seven steps together around the sacred fire. The seven steps has its own meaning behind it. The first step, the groom vows to provide food for his household. Secondly, he vows to develop physical, mental and spiritual powers together. Third step is to promise to attain wealth through honest means. Fourthly, they promise to acquire knowledge, harmony and happiness by mutual love and trust. Fifth is to be blessed with strong and virtuous offsprings. Sixth is for self-restraint and longevity. Finally, it is the vow that they would be trustful in their life to each other.

·         Walking on Fire

It is a ritual ceremony where devotees walk over fire. It is a way of thanks giving for solving problems and sorrows of their life. This is mostly celebrated in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Nose ring

·         Nose-pin

It symbolizes purity and marriage. Before piercing of nose, the bride prays for her husband’s health, prosperity and longevity. Scientifically, it wards off infections.

·         Thilak

It is a ritual mark placed on the forehead which is a sign of blessing, greeting and auspiciousness. Thilak is made out of red vermillion paste and is applied on the spot located in between the two eyebrows, which is the seat of wisdom and mental concentration.

·         Garlanding

Flower garlands are usually made out of jasmine or marigold and are tied by a thread with a knot at the end. Garlanding is a mark of respect or honour. They are offered to welcome visitors or in honour of the gods and goddesses.

·         Table Manners

Generally, Indians rinse their hands, legs and face before a meal, at which they sit on a floor and eat using their hands. The Hindus believe that food is first offered to the Gods, followed by the family by the woman of the house who will only eat once everyone else has finished. Indians uses stainless steel or brass vessels and plates; the wealthy uses silver plates while the poor places their food on sections of banana leaves. It is sinful to waste food among Indians. In the villages, leftovers are given to animals and in the cities, to servants and beggars.

·         Karma

A belief among Indians, especially the Hindus and Buddhists. It means “action,” where good deeds fetch a reward for good life while bad acts affect not just this life, but the next as well. Thus, it is believed that a person’s birth in this life is determined by the accumulated good or bad acts of his or her previous life.

·         Henna

Henna ceremonial painting is considered as a sacred work and a form of worship in many diverse cultures such as India. Mehndi is the Indian name for plant and body art associated with its use. Intricate designs were painted on the bride’s hands and legs as part of their marriage ceremony in India

Indian Tourism Products by Robinet Jacob, Sindhu Joseph & Anoop Philip, 2007
India The Spiritual Kingdom by Radhika Srinivasan & Leslie Jermyn, 2001

POST 3: India’s Leisure Programmes

Fairs and festivals hold a unique position in the attractions and entertainment sector of the tourism industry in India. India is a land of festivals and is an integral part of their lives and culture. Festivals held in India are typically colourful and vibrant and loud music and dance makes the country alive.

The few prominent festivals in India:

·         Diwali/Deepavali

It is India’s most popular festival, “Festival of Lights”. Diwali is celebrated twenty days after Dussehra in honour of the goddess of wealth and prosperity, Lakshmi. On this day, oil lamps are lit and arranged in rows along walls and verandas and rooms. Fireworks are set off and people wish one another by distributing sweets.



Id prayers in India



·         Id

Known as the main Muslim festival. Id-ul-Fitar is celebrated after the month of Ramadan (fasting month), and on the first day of Shawal-month of Hijrah year. Fasting is supposed to end one’s sins. The term “Fitar” means donation, which is made on thankful conclusion of the fasting month.



Holi celebration



·         Holi

Marks the change of seasons and the beginning of summer. Holi is related to Lord Shiva. The drenching of clothes with coloured powder is to honour the diety. This is celebrated by singing and dancing and it falls on the full moon day in Febuary-March.

·         Karva Chauth

Celebrated in the North and it is to strengthen affection between married couples. The wife prays for husband’s well being and fasts for a day, at the end of which she will be blessed with a happy married life.

·         Storytelling

The tales of Ramayana and Mahabharatha which highlights the triumph of righteousness over the wicked are of eternal interest by the Indians. Through Modernization, the movie theatre has become the most popular form of entertainment, and television has invaded even the most remote villages. Famous Bollywood film heroes and heroines such as Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai has dominated the entertainment industry in India and some have even taken on new roles in politics.



Yoga in India



·         Yoga

·         Cricket

·         Hockey

·         Boat-racing

·         Kabaddi

Indian Tourism Products by Robinet Jacob, Sindhu Joseph & Anoop Philip, 2007
India The Spiritual Kingdom by Radhika Srinivasan & Leslie Jermyn, 2001

POST 4: The Indigenous Tribes

Adivasi, is a popular term used for the indigenous people. It is a Sanskrit word known as “The Original People”.



Onge Tribe



Great Andanamese

(Based on International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, 2001), 8.2% of India’s population is taken up by the indigenous tribes and 461 groups recognized as tribes. The largest group of tribes are primarily made up of The Gonds, Santals, Oraon, Bhils and Nagas, not forgetting those in the Andaman and Nicobar Island. These main tribes are mostly on the brink of extinction.



Jarawas



There are five  primitive tribal groups found in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. They are: Great Andanames, Onges, Jarawas, Sentinelese and Shompens.

The livelihood of the Adivasi are such that majority have been forest dwellers for centuries. The process of creating the forest into a source of revenue has led to deforestation, loss of lives and displacement of the tribes.

http://www.iwgia.org/sw18239.asp
http://tourism.andaman.nic.in/tribal.htm

POST 5: Languages & Mode of Education

Hindi and English is recognized as the country’s official languages. The education system of India includes the study of three languages in school; English, Hindi and the state language. This is to build multilingualism, while promoting two official languages.



An example of Sanskrit writing (credited to ellakavi.wordpress.com)



There are four linguistic families in India, namely Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Austric and Sino-Tibetan Aryan. Languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu and Marathi belongs to the Indo-Aryan group. Dravidian, however, flourished in Southern Peninsula and has 23 languages under this family, mainly Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. Tamil is known to be the oldest among these languages and is the richest in terms of vocabulary. The Primitive tribes of Central and North Eastern India speaks Austric languages. Sino-Tibetan languages are used by the tribes residing in North Bengal and Assam.

Altogether, Indian constituition has recognized 18 languages:

·         Assamese

·         Bengali

·         Gujarati

·         Hindi

·         Kannada

·         Kashmiri

·         Konkani

·         Malayalam

·         Marathi

·         Manipuri

·         Nepali

·         Oriya

·         Punjabi

·         Sankrit

·         Sindhi

·         Tamil

·         Telugu

·         Urdu



IIT of Mumbai





The education system in India comprises of pre-school, primary school, secondary school, higher secondary school and higher education (graduation and post graduation). The primary school students have eight years of education, while secondary and upper secondary education has two years.


IIM



Some prominent institutes of India that can compete with the best in the world are the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Management (IIM), National Law Schools and Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Indian Tourism Products by Robinet Jacob, Sindhu Joseph & Anoop Philip, 2007http://www.spainexchange.com/guide/IN-education.htm
http://www.indiaacademic.com/education.html

POST 6: Disneyization of India

           Theming – clothing institutions or objects in a narrative that is largely  

            unrelated to the institution or object to which it is applied, such as a
            casino or restaurant with a Wild West narrative;

For every city in India, there is a theme or label to it. Here, you are offered with a variety of tours ranging from adventure tour, temple tour, palaces tour beaches tour and so many more and each city is well-known for at least one of the specialized tour.

Among all the varieties of tour, Bollywood tour is deemed as one of the famous tour received by tourists. Visitors of the city wants to explore the glamourous film city of Mumbai. Mumbai is predominantly known as the city in which it is famous for its Bollywood movies; it is the largest film industry in the world that produces over 900 films per year.

With globalization, the trends and fashion of film industry has changed which converts black and white films into large screens with colour. The Bollywood tour in Mumbai allows tourists to get an opportunity to meet famours stars of the Indian film industry and also allowing visits for film studios and houses to explore the Indian film culture and history.



Shah Rukh Khan



Mumbai is already a theming city in itself whereby it is the first thing that comes to mind when one mentions Mumbai is, “Shah Rukh Khan” (famous actor in Bollywood film industry) or “Bollywood”!

Another example of theming in India is in Bangalore. It is labeled as “Garden City of India” and “The Silicon Valley of India”.

Bangalore, is known to be the centre of India’s software industry, namely aircraft, electronics and machine tools.

http://www.tourindia.com/htm/banglore.htm

http://hubpages.com/hub/Tour-to-Bollywood-Film-City-India

Hybrid consumption – a general trend whereby the forms of consumption associated  with different institutional spheres become interlocked with each other and increasingly difficult to distinguish;



Taj Mahal



Taj Mahal is one of the world’s recognizable landmarks and image associated to India. The history of Taj Mahal is such that the monument was built and erected as a sign of love for Mumtaz Mahal, the adoring wife of Shah Jahan.

The beauty of the monument was deemed as the eight wonders of the world and has since been overexposed by the influx of tourists arrival. Besides being a tourist destination in itself, most likely, people visit the site just for its name and because it’s a must-visit place when you’re in India. However, by the overpopulation of tourist in Agra, one fails to see and appreciate the meaning of the monument, the intricate architecture to the building and the site as an overall. Slowly the monument that was once a great beauty to the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, has lost its meaning and sole appreciation of it. It has lost its expression of the arts and culture to it.

With globalization, India has experienced a great industrial growth which leads to villagers relocating to the cities for jobs. Consequently, Agra has been identified as the “pollution intensive zone” by the World Health Organization. With this, the area around Taj Mahal contains five times the amount of sulphur dioxide that the monument could handle without sustaining everlasting damage.

These two factors have greatly contributed to the difficulty in recognizing Taj Mahal as a site to deeply appreciate.

http://www1.american.edu/ted/taj.htm

Merchandising – the promotion and sale of goods in the form of or bearing copyright images and/or logos, including such products made under licence;

India, rich in culture and the arts is creative in her own way. When purchasing from a store, one (especially tourists) must grasp the art of bargaining or get ripped off by their sales assistant.



Wedding sari of India



Popular and common forms of merchandise that are solely made in India are the beautiful designs and brightly coloured shawls and saris that will make you go crazy with every direction you face. They are known for their gorgeous saris because it is one of their traditional costumes especially when attending weddings.



Darjeeling tea plantation in India



Indian Tea is an essential part of Indian life. Famous teas in India is Darjeeling and Assam tea. Also, Indian ladies love to adorn themselves with Bangles of different colours. They come in different materials; glass or metal and they are very cheap.

Not forgetting, another form of authenticity that represents the Indian culture is their variety of spices that cooks exotic Indian dishes.

POST 7: Analysing the Changes in India

 With the increasing growth in tourist arrival in India, there are positive and negative    changes to the country.

Positive changes:

·         The growth of tourism has helped in generating a source of income and employment for the locals. It has contributed 6.23% to the national GDP and 8.27% of the total employment in India.

·         Tourism has become an important source of foreign exchange earnings in India. With the tourism industry, the country has generated about US$100 billion in 2008 and is expected to increase to US$275.5 billion in 2018.

·         With tourism and globalization, comes the development of infrastructure that both acts as an advantage to the local community, including various means of transportation, healthcare, sports centres, hotels and high-end restaurants

Negative changes:  

·         Tourism may create tension and hostility with the tourists and the locals due to misunderstanding and disrespecting each other’s culture and way of life. If it gets worse, it will lead to violence and increase in crime rates.

·         Through tourism, the country may face undesirable social and cultural change. With the inflow of tourists, there will be a tendency for the place to lose its identity. One example is in Goa where it was strong with its Hippy culture back in the 60s. Now, it has turned into a place filled with drugs and prostitution.

·         The adverse effects it has on the environment and ecology has a great impact in India. With the increase in tourist arrivals, there will be a greater potential for land pollution such as waste dumping. Tourist arrival will also disrupt the natural habitats of endangered species due to trampling, killing and disturbance. Also noise pollution will persist due to the increase in vehicles. These factors will destroy the ambience and image of India.

http://www.trcollege.net/articles/100-impact-of-tourism-in-india

POST 8: Is Tourism a Culprit?

Yes, I must say that the growth of tourism is indeed a culprit in commodifying cultures and traditions but to a certain extent.

India is one country that is rich in culture and traditions and the people are sure proud of it. However, with the increase in tourism, there has been some form of commodification of products and culture. This is because the influx of tourist arrival has been a great financial contribution to the economy especially because of the high exchange in currency rate and thus, in order to generate a source of income for the locals, they are willing to do anything even if it means losing the authenticity of the culture and product.



A replica of Taj Mahal sold as souvenirs



An example takes place in Agra. The city that is home to one of the eight wonders of the world, Taj Mahal, has attracted a high number of tourists in the country. With this, the locals have mass produced a replica of the mausoleum itself as a form of souvenir for tourists to take home. This form of commodification will ultimately cause a loss of appreciation and meaning behind Taj Mahal because tourists would buy the souvenir without appreciating the art and story of it and instead just purchase it for the sake of decorating their home to show that they have visited the site.



A hollywood celebrity wearing a bindi



Anoher example of commodification in India is the misuse of ‘bindi’ by tourists. The bindi that is used on the forehead of married Hindu women symbolizes female energy and is believed to protect women and their husbands. In addition to that, bindi is used where attention is focused during meditation. However, in recent times, bindi is primarily and widely used as a fashion accessory especially by tourists who are non-Hindu and is even worn by unmarried girls. This is an evidence that tourists where them because it looks nice but one does not know the meaning and significance of bindi.

http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/things/bindi.htm