Making judgments about globalization is now one of the most crucial techniques that any firm can use. Companies are relocating outside of their home nations in order to expand their operations and establish stronger market positions. One of the issues facing multinationals today is managing corporate expansions into international markets. Companies must look beyond their local markets in order to understand the behavior of the global markets into which they want to expand. The workforce's ability to adapt to many cultures, ideologies, and faiths without difficulty is the most important component. This is difficult and calls for spending on personnel development. This paper will delve into the Indian culture and religion, its interaction with globalization, and issues that a Canadian organization or any enterprise ought to be aware of before deploying its employees.
History, Beliefs, Traditions, Present-Day Geography, and Peoples of India
India is part of the largest sub-continental region of south Asia, sharing the land mass with countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The south Asia region has varied land forms that range from tropical islands, parched deserts, mountain ranges, and torrid plains. India is bordered by Pakistan on the Northwest side, Tibet, China, Nepal, and Bhutan on the north, Indian Ocean on the south east and west, and island of Sri Lanka and Maldives on the southern side (Sayeed, 2012). The Republic of China occupies an area of 1,222,237 square miles, excluding the small areas used by Pakistan and Chinese military forces.
The history of India dates back to the prehistoric era, thousands of years ago. During the time, there was a long period of Paleolithic activities and cultures that were parallel with the people of Europe and Asia. The period was followed by the development of settlements of agricultural communities in some parts of the country. The first urbanization occurred in Western India and the Indus valley. It, however, disappeared around the 1500 BC, and there was an emergence of states, kingdoms, and princely states that led to years of war and political conquests that attracted foreign invasions, and, consequently, the birth of various religions such as Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Hinduism (Sayeed, 2012). India was colonized by the British government and attained independence through the efforts of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1947.
India is inhabited by various ethnic groups, castes, tribes, and religions. The relations between castes and sub-castes are mainly through permanent hierarchical organizations, with every caste bearing its own name, occupation, rank, and characteristic subculture (Sayeed, 2012). There is no specific social order hierarchy within the tribes though they have their own internal organization. The foraging and pastoral groups are relatively democratic in their hierarchical organization.
Ethnic and religious conflicts are not strange in India. Nevertheless, most parts of the country have for long periods adopted intertribal and inter-caste economies that are based on exchange of goods and services. Since the system has enabled satisfaction of basic necessities, ethnic conflicts have also been dampened due to the mutual benefits provided by the local arrangements.
According to statistics adopted from the 1991 census, more than 82 percent of Indian populations were Hindu while Muslim made up 12 percent making the country one of the largest Islamic countries in the world. Christianity was the second largest religion making up 2 percent of the citizens closely followed by Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains (Joshi, 2006). There are thousands of ritual and holy places associated with the various religious groups. Hindus have temples, Muslims mosques, and saint tombs; Buddhists and all other minority religions also have worship places that they consider holy.
While the Jews Muslims and Christians pray for the souls of their loved ones to find rest in paradise after demise, the Hindu portray a different perspective. Jews, Muslims, and Christians bury their loved ones in cemeteries; however, the Zoroastrians are noted for their Towers of Silence located in Bombay and other cities where they expose the corpses of their people to air and to the vultures that assemble in the areas. The Hindu, on the other hand, believe in reincarnation where the soul of the dead come back in form of animal or human depending on the life they lived before. They also cremate the dead though the poor may result to burying their dead. Figures that are recognized as holy are buried in sitting positions and are mostly from the Lingayat Sect.
The Interrelationship between Indian Culture and the Hindu Religion
The Indian nationals have a very rich culture that can be identified all over the world, and is associated with them. The Indian culture is highly influenced by the Hinduism religion; it is observed in the mode of dressing, the architecture, their foods, language, celebration of holidays, and their interaction with each other (Joshi, 2006). For instance, there is the “Namaste,” a form of greeting among Indians that goes beyond just a normal greeting. The greeting originates from the Vedas, that is Hindu scriptures, and means let our minds meet, and is followed by the gesture of putting one’s palms together on their chest.
Instances of Harmony
Food is another indicator of the relationship between the Indian culture and the Hindu religion. Generally, the people eat foods very rich in herbs and spices. They are also known for their chutneys. The Indians are mostly vegetarian, and those that eat meat are choosy, avoiding some types of meat more than others. The Hindu religion limits the kinds of foods eaten by the Indians. For instance, their vegetarian tendencies may be linked to their high reverence for animals. Both religion and culture agree on avoidance of animal meat, as a way of protecting the animals. In Hindu religion, a cow, for instance, is revered and its products important for Worship, such as ghee used in worship of fire.
The Indians have several holidays, and celebrate special days depending on the religion they follow. In fact, it is said that there is a festival for every day of the year in India.These holidays are an indication of the Indian culture, as they are unique to Indians.The most popular of these holidays is Diwali, also known as the festival of lights (Joshi, 2006). It is recognized as a national public holiday in most parts of India.It is celebrated to symbolize the victory of the light over darkness, that is, spiritual darkness. It also symbolizes a light from within that is believed to protect from spiritual darkness, as seen in ancient scriptures.It goes on for five days and is celebrated by people setting up various displays of fireworks, lighting candles, setting off firecrackers among other activities, the main thing being the physical light as a symbol of spiritual light (Sayeed, 2012).
The mode of dressing of Indians is another unique aspect, with the popular Saris being what most people wear. This kind of dressing by women is in line with Hindu religion that encourages the people to dress conservatively. The religion and culture thus both agree to the decent kind of dressing.
Instances of Tension between Religion and Culture
The caste system, an aspect of the Hindu religion, is derived from the Manusmriti, a book on Hindu law. It has played a major part in forming the culture of Indians as it divided the Hindus into four groups, which then dictated how one was to live, and their interactions with each other (Joshi, 2006). The caste system has however been seen as a biased system and the source of division and unjust, biased behavior. This creates tension between the culture today and the religion as people are against it. For this reason, the constitution of India banned the system, as a way of creating an equal field for opportunities. However, the system is still deep rooted among the Indians and is used as a guideline on interactions till date. This makes it hard to reconcile the religion and the current culture that supports equality.
The mode of dressing supported by the Hindu religion is a more conservative mode of dressing. Modern culture however has changed in favor of a kind of dressing that is considered to be less decent, with the introduction of clothes such as skinny jeans, short skirts and crop tops, which are trendier in the modern world.
Reaction of Religion and Culture to Forces of Globalism since Government of Indira Gandhi
Globalism refers to the putting of interests of the whole world before those of a specific nation. It has led to many changes among the Indians in a move to try and reconcile their culture and religion with the new era. Some of the culture has been eroded, with some cultural practices being replaced with other western practices (Sayeed, 2012). The Hindu religion has also been affected where there has been improvises on some of the religious practices due to globalism.
The Indians Used to live with their extended families, as a cultural practice. The grandparents would teach the children values and discipline. Globalism has led to the separation of families, as a nuclear family is embraced with people moving away from their homes and living on their own as is seen in most parts of the world, especially in cities such as Bombay (Joshi, 2006). The introduction of different cultures has also led to the relaxation and improvisation of some religious practices such as the greeting, Namaste is now not as frequently used as before, and people generally use universal greetings like ‘HI’. People also tend to not wear saris as frequently, and also eat meat. The Indians have also embraced the English language as a substitute for the other pre-existing languages such as Urdu, as a way of communication (Gudykunst, William &Kim, Young Yun, 2003). This is a way of embracing the international communication systems that are part of globalism.
Most nations are against any kind of segregation along the lines of race, origin or geographical location among other areas. Thus equality of all has been a force of globalism, and has led to the changes observed in the Indian culture of caste system. It has been done with and equality encouraged among the people despite their origin. It has however been difficult to unlearn the divisions and treat each other equally.
Reactions to the Global Community
The Indian community been affected by the pop culture in the modern world. We see that the young generation of Indians has adopted the mode of dressing similar to that of other youngsters in the world, putting behind the culture of Saris to the older generation. The entertainment industry has also embraced the pop culture, with more modern music coming up, genres that are globally known such as Indian pop (Joshi, 2006). The songs now contain English words even if not completely sung in English, as a way of connecting with listeners all around the world. Indian films have taken a more modern turn as well, using the English language, whether in the actual film or with subtitles. The movies are mainly drama, comedy or romance movies. The films have adopted the use of songs. Here films almost always consist of music where the actors break into song and dance. This style is quite popular in Bollywood films, and one will most likely come across such a film, similar to a musical film from other film industries such as Hollywood.
The country has partnered with other countries in an effort to achieve a more level distribution of wealth. This is especially to India due to the divisions caused by the caste systems. India has been divided along the lines of castes, with some people being very wealthy at the expense of the other group of poor people. Even after the abolition of the system, the differences still remained, and it became a class division as those higher in the hierarchy had better opportunities to acquire wealth, get gainful employment and access better services than the lower ones (Sayeed, 2012). To end this, there has been implementation of programs to improve the lives of people living in extreme poverty, and to lessen the gap between the rich and the poor.
Tourism has been a major part of globalization, as the world slowly becomes more and more accessible to people from different geographic locations. India has worked tirelessly to welcome other people from around the world to their country especially for entertainment purposes. The country receives tourists with open hands; as a way of encouraging tourism, for instance, the country launched an ad campaign, ‘Incredible India’ that showcased some of the best tourist sites that it boasts of (Gudykunst, William &Kim, Young Yun, 2003). It has also invested more in its rich cultural background, as a way of enhancing tourism where people come to see the unique Indian culture, and take part in it.
Concerns of Integration
In light of the information provided concerning the Indian culture, it is clear that the way the Indians live is very different to that of other nations there will be a need to adjust oneself for all who visit the place so as to adapt to the culture and have a smooth transition of cultures. However, there are areas of concern that require to be addressed.
Insecurity
There has been recent news on gender based violence, with some shocking occurrences such as the recent raping of a university student in New Delhi in December 2012. This may be cause for alarm for the female workers who may be moved to the India branch of the company, as they face potential danger of being attacked. If not careful, similar cases may happen to them, thus creating problems for them as individuals as well as for the company as a whole.
Gender Inequality
India is a patriarchal society, where traditions tend to favor men over women. Culture constrains women in India from achieving their full potential, and they are viewed as less people, or liabilities, seen only as important as the amount of dowry they pay. Women are not trusted to make their own decisions, but should have a man make them for her. This would prove challenging where the company’s women are not taken seriously as they carry out their duties where the Indian nationals fail to respect decisions made by women.
Language Barriers
Where the company interacts with people from interior regions, there may be lack of understanding if the clientele does not speak English. In this case, transactions would prove to be challenging for those involved. The accent of the natives may be difficult to understand for the company employees, thus further hindering communication.
Culture Shock
The Indians have very many cultural practices and beliefs. What is normal and inconsequential to our country may have dire consequences in the Indian culture. There may also be misunderstandings between the two nationals. For instance, where in greeting some people, especially the women may prefer to simply fold their palms in front of their chests and not to shake hands; they may feel offended by one who shakes their hands (Gudykunst, William &Kim, Young Yun, 2003). It is almost impossible to learn all these little beliefs and values, or even to remember them all. One may still feel very out of their element in the new place.
Personal Values
People need to be comfortable with wherever they are, as comfort ability leads to effectiveness and productivity. I believe in equality for all, and that men and women especially should be treated equally. Thus, I am led to look out for the needs of both genders in whatever capacity I have. Lack of equality hinders development, and may close doors to many opportunities. This is why I am inclined to look at the implications of the current situation in India concerning gender. I also believe that security is vital for any human being. I would want that every person be safe to carry on their activities of the day without fear. It is for this reason that the violent acts witnessed in the country are a major cause of concern for me. Finally, I believe in fostering good relations among people, as it ensures peaceful living and increases effectiveness. Therefore, if the employees are unable to connect with the clientele, and if they are constantly involved in misunderstandings and communication barriers, it would be bad for the company as a whole.
Every area has a unique culture that sets it apart from other nations. People travel every other day, migrating from place to place, and they eventually get used to the new environment they find themselves in. The trick lies in the preparation; thus, it is important that the employees are prepared adequately through training sessions and information dissemination, before undertaking such an operation.
References
Sayeed, A. (2012). Indian art and culture (1st ed.). New Delhi: Har-Anand Publications. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.in/Indian-Art-Culture-Ausaf-Sayeed/dp/8124116474
Gudykunst, W. B. & Kim, Y. Y. (2003).Communicating with Strangers: An approach to Intercultural Communication. New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages. Retrieved from http://www.colorado.edu/conflict/peace/example/gudy6816.htm
Joshi, K. Y. (2006). New roots in America's sacred ground: Religion, race, and ethnicity in Indian America. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. Retrieved from https://muse.jhu.edu/book/15921
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