Our affinity or attachment to western culture began a long time ago, in the 19th Century, when India was a colony of Britain. At that time, British culture and civilization was considered to be the most sophisticated in the world. Our administrative, education, judicial etc systems were formed and built in the mould of their counterparts in the western world.
Though India can boast of one of the richest cultures, histories and civilizations in the world, the British rule had a profound effect on the minds of the citizens! Two hundred years of British rule not only ingrained a sense of subjugation but also inculcated a reverence for all things western.
Westernization has brought in some positive changes in the Indian society, such as, –
- Development of values such as egalitarianism and secularism
- Abolition of evil practices like Sati, untouchability, caste system, child marriage etc
- Formation of the pillars of society – administration, judiciary, education, press etc
- Education for women and abolition of purdah
Westernization has also affected our social and personal values. Western culture has directly affected our social structure. In today’s India, the joint family system is almost extinct while it used to be the only way of life once. Relationships between members of the same family have undergone changes. Tastes in food, clothing, type of entertainment etc is immensely affected by westernization.
In this age of globalization, it is highly debatable whether the changes brought about by westernization are good or bad in the long run. The bigger question is – are we forgetting our own roots and merely imitating the western world? If so, then our society is neck-deep in trouble! We should extract out only the good from other cultures along with being rooted the goods of our own culture.
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