India

What is Indian Culture?

Indian Sports

• The most popular sport in India is cricket, India is the global leader when it comes to profits in the world of cricket.
• It has produced legendary cricketers like Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.
• India has won all of the ICC Tournaments including ODI’s World Cup 2 times (1983 & 2011), T20 World Cup 2007, ICC Champions Trophy 2013.

"Unity in diversity"

• These are not just words, but something that are highly applicable to a country like India that is incredibly rich in culture and heritage.
• The warmth in the relations and euphoria in celebrations make the country stand out distinctively in the world. The country's liveliness and generosity attract a number of tourists to its vibrant culture which is an amalgamation of religions, festivals, art, crafts, dance, music and especially food!

Some Facts about India:

Popular Indian Dishes:

• India is the seventh largest country in the world
• India has the second highest population with over 1.2 billion people
• Many different languages are spoken in India. The main ones are Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, and Urdu.
• The national symbol of India is the endangered Bengal Tiger.
• The Taj Mahal is also located in India, in the region of Agra.

• Biryani: An aromatic rice dish cooked with several spices, notably saffron, and a protein (typically chicken or mutton) that's been marinated, which is perfect for a huge family dinner.
• Samosas: Fried or baked triangular snack food made of a potato stuffing, usually also containing onions and peas, served with a mint chutney.
• Naan: A leavened Indian flat bread Naan is a staple in the Indian kitchen and can go with everything you make, including many popular dishes like tandoori chicken or all kinds of kebabs.
• Chicken Tikka Masala: A delicious grilled chicken dish that is unforgettable after the first bite. The thick, creamy gravy of spiced tomato works perfectly with the chili, garlic, and ginger marinated chicken.

Indian Celebrations:

• India being a culturally diverse society celebrates a variety of different holidays and festivals.
• There are four national holidays in India: Republic Day on 26 January, International Workers' Day on 1 May, Independence Day on 15 August and Mahatma Gandhi's birthday on 2 October.
• States have local festivals depending on prevalent religious and linguistic demographics. Popular religious festivals include:
• Sikh festivals: Like Guru Nanak Jayanti and Vaisakhi
• Hindu festivals: of Makar Sankranti, Maha Shivratri, Onam, Janmashtami, Saraswati Puja, Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Raksha Bandhan, Holi, Durga Puja, Dussehra;
• Muslim festivals: of Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Mawlid, Muharram
• Buddhist festivals: like Ambedkar Jayanti, Buddha Jayanti, Dhammachakra Pravartan Day and Losar.
• Christian festivals: of Christmas and days of observances such as Good Friday are observed throughout India.

Indian Arts: Dances

• According to the National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama, the 8 classical dances are bharatanatyam (State of Tamil Nadu), kathak (Uttar Pradesh), kathakali and mohiniattam (Kerala). Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), yakshagana (karnataka), manipuri (Manipur), Odissi (orissi) (Odisha), and sattriya (Assam).
• In formal arts of dance, Indian regions have a free form, folksy dance that includes bhangra (Punjab), bihu (Assam), zeilang (Nagaland), chhau (Jharkhand and Bengal), Ghumura Dance, Gotipua, Mahari dance, and Dalkhai of Odisha.
• Recent developments include adoption of international dance forms in the urban centers of India.

Indian Cuisine

• Indian Culture has a variety of salads and sauces (vegetarian and meat), spices, breads and desserts (milk).
• Diversity of Indian Cuisine is based on its differing use of spices and herbs.
• Though a significant portion of Indian food is vegetarian, many Indian dishes also include meats like chicken, mutton, beef (both cow and buffalo), pork and fish, egg and other seafood. Fish-based cuisines are common in eastern states of India, particularly West Bengal and the western state of Kerala.

Culture at Chenango: Indian Edition

Sponsored by:

Multicultural Resource Center

IISU

Hindu Student Council

Delta Phi Omega Sorority Inc.