Impact of westernization on Indian Society.

Not long back ago, the mere mention of the word India used to signify a nation with closed culture, dismal state of economic affair, patriarchal society, low standard of living and much more. It was looked upon as a poor state, which will always seek monetary and non-monetary aid from so called western countries. However during the course of past few decades, especially post economic independence era of 1991, India as a whole has undergone massive turnaround. And the major driving force behind this much required change is the opening up of the Indian economy, which led to the fusion of the diversified Indian culture with that of modern & dynamic western culture. The Indian society has become comparatively far more open, provides equal opportunity to all the sections and moreover now enjoys a better standard of living than their predecessors. It has been able to successfully blend the western norms with our traditions. With this, India has not only been able to bring about the changes in its culture that meet the requirement of fast moving modern world , it also has found various new avenues to spread its own culture across the border. Indians are now considered at par or even above par in majority of field be it business, education, entertainment, technology and what not. One would have never imagined a US president greeting with Namaste & Jai Hind, but these has made possible because of the growing influence of the Indian culture on the world map. This is just one such example. The various significant explicit indicators of Indian culture becoming globalized are: increasing number of foreign nationals flying down to attend the religious festivals like Kumbh Mela, popularization of Yoga in western countries, foreigners tying the knot of marriage as per our customs, adopting Indian religions, our festivals being celebrated across the globe :e.g. Diwali festivities at white house and more importantly spreading the word in their home country about the feeling of reincarnation & mental satisfaction attained after doing all these. Although these have a come at a cost, which has given rise to some issues which are adulterating the Indian culture and especially the youth segment of the society. As they are indulging into anti-social acts such as consuming

alcohol/drugs, trying to adopt themselves to the western world at the cost of the Indian culture, unawareness about the richness of the Indian culture and much more. However all these negativism of the western world can be minimized or even eradicated, if the parents taught their children the ethics & ethos of the Indian culture, rather than imposing the western culture. So considering all these benefits I do believe that westernization of Indian society has been a game changer for the Indian culture. Without this, we would never have been able to compete with the other nations and do away with our image of land of snake charmers. Thanks.