Culture is one of the most misunderstood terms.  Even within India, there are so many cultures and sub-cultures.  Each and every State has its own culture.  And within each State there are customs, norms of behavior, language dialect, etc., which are very unique.

Unique, such cultures should always be.  It is rather dangerous to attempt to change any culture.  In fact, it should always be appreciated that the uniqueness of each culture is important and should be preserved.

There can never be an excuse to change any culture.  Let the culture always be unique, in terms of whatever it is, at the moment.  Only if the people themselves want to change their culture, any attempt to change their culture should be made.

Uniqueness in everything

Let us understand what we mean by uniqueness.  For instance, there are definite ways in which people dress, live and interact with each other.  This is very unique.

For example, in Kerala, the Indian State with the highest percentage of literate people, the ladies always apply a good amount of coconut oil to their hair.  Not only this, each and every family in Kerala believes in natural care for minor ailments, and coconut oil is even used for cooking.  The people are very neat and this can be seen in the way the men wear their dhoti ( a traditional dress of Kerala), or women wear their saris. A sari is a very elaborate dress, and is common to most parts of India.  Yet, the way people in Kerala wear them is very unique.  For example, most of them wear the white color sari. Men often prefer to wear only dhotis.  In fact, only when they go to the formal organizations or are highly educated, men like to wear formal dress, and get dressed up the way others in other big cities would.

Food is largely non-vegetarian, as most of Kerala people like to feast on such food.  In fact, except for a few areas in every city, where it is common to find pure vegetarian restaurants, it is not at possible to find a single restaurant where both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is served in the same place.

Except for big cities like Kochi, Trivandrum and Kozhikode, the apartment culture is yet to catch on.  People prefer to live in only very big houses.  Only those in the lower middle class or poor classes live in smaller houses.  The service sector is a huge contributor to the economy, and tourism related service sector is even more pronounced.  Huge industries in Kerala find it very difficult to handle militant trade unionism, and hence do not find a place in Kerala.

In the neighboring State of Tamil Nadu, people believe in the power of the Almighty more than anyone else in India.  Even in the capital city of Chennai, which is India's fourth largest city, there are any number of temples, and each temple has its own unique festival at some time of the year, when the religious offerings to God will go on for even three full days.  In fact, there is a tremendous amount of harmony between people of all castes and communities, during this period.

Of late, people of all castes and communities have started to study very well,  and those in the IT industry do not hesitate to go abroad, and acquire very good qualifications, particularly from the United States of America.  In fact, Tamil Nadu is one State with the largest pool of highly qualified and experienced people in most professions.  This is the reason why many multinationals prefer to come to the State to set up their own industries.

Cut to the North of India.  The people here are more risk taking, they borrow heavily from banks, and businesses are very wide spread.  For example the people from Punjab have set up many industries and are highly enterprising in terms of their attitudes and risk taking ability.

Unity in diversity 

In India, there is always unity in diversity.  This is the way it should always be.  However, if people of a particular culture want to assimilate some cultural aspects of another culture, those belonging to the particular caste or community should not stand in the way.  

The best example of this is to note the Tamil community in New Delhi.  Irrespective of caste or community, those from Tamil Nadu, who have stayed in the Capital of India for over ten years, behave like the Punjabis, dress like them, and speak Hindi, in exactly the same way the Punjabis would.  

For example, the ladies do not hesitate to wear the sleeveless blouses with saris, in exactly the same way the local ladies would.  They prepare the same kind of vegetarian dishes at home, and are fully assimilated into the local culture, even in terms of observing the local festivals.

However, there are still some families who prefer to stay aloof.  They are not so much bothered about assimilating themselves.  This is as it should be, as no attempt should ever be made to impose any culture on any one.

Only when people appreciate the uniqueness of different cultures, there can be unity.  This even applies to festivals, ways of praying to God and the like.  

In fact, there are some books in various languages that speak about the uniqueness of different cultures.  These books should be made to get circulated in a big way, and translated into different languages, including English.

Culture is the only binding force in India.  Let us learn to appreciate the differing aspects of every culture and let the same culture prevail for any length of time. 

As Indians we have a careless attitude towards fellow Indians. We simply do not care about offending or causing inconvenience to our neighbours, fellow travelers, and others. In our turn we also accept similar offensive behavior from them. In the process there is no improvement in our behavior and our civic atmosphere. Some the dirty habits that we openly practice are discussed below :

1 Spit Anywhere & Everywhere :

It is a common sight to see tobacco chewers, periodically eject mouthful of red spit on roads,walls and where ever they are. They are just not bothered about spoiling the target of their spit. For them the whole world is a big spitoon into which they contribute by right. 

In public buildings, all along the bottom portion of the staircase walls, one can see the revolting dark stains left by these tobacco chewers. They have a great liking for corners, which end up receiving liberal mouth fulls at regular intervals. Another favourite spot is the weather shades on the below floor windows. In public toilets there is no need to paint the walls, they do it for free. One of the most revolting sights therein,  is to see the water less white coloured wash basins full of their red spits.

The two wheeler drivers spit while driving, least bothered about the following drivers. There are many fights due to the spit spoiling the dress and face of the drivers behind. I have frequently seen car drivers slightly reduce speed and open the driver side door slightly and spit out towards the road. It is one of the most ugly sights to see blood red colored spit being ejected while you are on your way to office in the morning. Passengers spit freely out of buses and trains without any botheration.

In many buildings, god and goddess portraits are either painted or photos installed at places where people usually spit. It acts as a deterrent but an odd desperate person carefully spits between the photos.

2. The whole country is a open toilet :

This is one habit which makes India one of the very few countries in the world where people defecate in the open. It is estimated that a whooping 60% plus population defecates in open. It is a shame on our planners and the public that even sixty five years after independence such high proportion of our population defecate in open fields for all to see and stare. It is especially harsh on the womenfolk who have to go either in the early morning or in dark after sunset that too in groups. The menfolk can do at any time anywhere. It is reported that many women have to control the urge during daytime for obvious reasons and this leads to development of ailments in their bodies.

This practice is widespread throughout our country. The planners are busy sending missions to moon and mars million of miles away  but are not able to tackle this human dignity problem, a few miles away, in their own country. It shows the pathetic side of our priorities where we simply do not care! It is reported that such open defecation is also a cause of spread of many diseases, but who cares. it is also reported that many crimes against women occur when they go into open fields to defecate. In many cities, it is a common sight to see people defecating alongside the railway tracks. It is a tribute to the sense of modesty of Indian women that when a train passes by, all of them stand up to cover their modesty, but the menfolk continue sitting. 

Indian men of all classes and education levels do not think twice to urinate wherever they feel the urge to do so, even if ladies are passing by. One of the reasons for this open defecation is the absence of private and public toilets. Toilets require drainage connections. The civic authorities are not able to arrange for these and thus such large chunk is deprived of toilet facilities. In a limited number of cities drainage facilities are available. Otherwise private toilets have to have a sump made for which usually there is no space available. Also it involves expenditure which is not considered necessary. 

However there is some move in this direction to create awareness and advertisements are coming on media. The work done by Sulabh Sauchalaya in this direction by making functional and clean public toilets and baths is a very commendable effort. Surprisingly perhaps not it has not been undertaken by any other groups.

3. Dirt can be thrown everywhere:

It was perhaps Gandhiji who said matter out of place is dirt. I have often wondered at how Indians keep their houses neat from inside but dirty from outside. The road is considered to be made not for traffic but depositing the refuse of the house, hotel, shop etc. In disposing garbage on the road and its sides, all households and persons are equal in their contributions. There is no distinction of rich or poor. I have seen many times persons throwing a plastic bag containing their house garbage on an isolated road. There are many spots by the road side where the civic authorities designate for collection of garbage, which they promise to clean regularly. In practice the spot acts as a magnet for attracting persons from far and near to throw garbage, not in the big collection box, but around it. A large area is thus covered with stinking refuse and garbage, which attracts stray animals like cows,dogs, pigs etc, who in turn make their own contributions. 

Such dump sites are also created by citizens on an empty plot in a residential area or around city limits.The waste that is generated by households needs to be disposed, so the best disposal is the road side all across the country at regular intervals. Our tolerance levels being legendary, no one protests, because everyone contributes to these open waste dumps/sites.

However in few cities and towns now the civic authorities have started door to door collection of garbage and it is a good step.

4. Rivers are for dumping waste :

The rivers of our country have been converted into dirty nallas, full of filth. It is rare to see a clean river in inhabited areas. The waters are either black,brown or any other colour but transparent as they should be naturally. Even the most holy rivers like Ganga and Jamuna have become unholy due to the massive pollution they have been subjected to. Any type of refuse and waste, domestic or industrial can be directed into these and other rivers with impunity. I have seen large size foam clouds flowing in an unending numbers in black Jamuna waters near Delhi. No one seems to be bothered about the condition of our rivers. Their very high levels of BOD and COD ensures that no aquatic life can survive in it. In fact most of our rivers are dead rivers.

Industrial estates and many other industries are discharging their effluents into rivers and it is a well known fact. Yet thee is hardly any action on these river killers. After haridwar the Ganga is used as a waste carrier. In Varanasi every year 600 to 700 Tons of ash generated from burning dead bodies on its banks are dumped into it. The industrial towns like Kanpur discharge their sewage and industrial effluents into it. People who use its waters downstream suffer from skin and other diseases. But who cares.

Many industries collect liquid pollutants and discharge them during rains when rivers are in spate.

5. Aerial Pollution :

Most of our cities have polluted air which its citizens are forced to breathe, causing respiratory problems in many of them. The rapid increase in vehicles is a major contributor to aerial pollution. Industrial chimneys discharges have been regulated to a large extent. The burning of fossil fuels by a large section of our population also adds to the deterioration in the quality of air. Another cause of concern is the presence of high particulate matter and dust particles in the air. In many industries due to difficulty in disposing harmful liquid or solid effluents, these are incinerated. Thus liquid pollutants are converted into gaseous pollutants. The air pollution during Diwali is a matter of concern for many patients suffering from respiratory problems like asthma etc.

6. Sound pollution :

We area loud decibel society. Whether it is a marriage procession or a religious function or any other type of celebration, we have to announce it very loudly to the whole world.  It does not matter whether it is night or day, it is exam time or near by is a hospital. Crackers are burst along the way and the road becomes full of the resultant residues. The music has to be painfully loud, with the worst singer in town murdering songs. As soon as the marriage is solemnized it is time to burst the loudest of the crackers even if it happens to be middle of the night. The Supreme Court ruling that there should be no use of loudspeakers after 10 pm is hardly followed or implemented. It is not uncommon to hear vehicle drivers especially car drivers blow the horn for no rhyme or reason. It is reported that Indians love blowing car horns.

7. Encroachment :

This is another irritating and dirty habit of most of us. If we are living in a housing society we will grow plants outside our roadside wall and encroach on the common road. If we are shopkeepers then we will take out many items and put them on display for anywhere up to 10 feet or so in front of the shops, thus encroaching on the pavement or the road. If we are a roadside restaurant then in the evening we will occupy the pavement or part of the road with tables for our customers and in the process encroach on public space. The human and vehicular traffic has no option but to adjust because most of the time it is done with connivance of the civic and police authorities.

It is high time we became sensitive to fellow Indians and avoid above irritating and dirty habits. The Government also has a role to play in creating an enabling environment through public awareness programs and judicial laws to punish the culprits. But the real transformation will come only when individuals feel themselves responsible for their anti civic habits.

(Image from wikipedia.org)

The beautiful valley of Kashmir was in splendid isolation from the mainland due to the mighty mountains surrounding it. This led to the evolution of a number of practices which are different in nature and peculiar to the valley. One such area which is unique is the art of cooking a variety of exotic dishes and serving it during  marriages and important state functions, where a large number of guests are to be served. In the Kashmiri language it is called wazwan. Waza means a cook and wan means a shop. Thus literally wazwan means the cook's shop or the dishes the cook is going to put up for the guests to enjoy.

The wazas or the cooks, all males, are in high demand especially during the marriage season. It used to be a traditional function from father to son, but like all manual skills the wazas were not held in high esteem. With spread of education and availability of alternative jobs, there numbers are declining. Also as the demand is not throughout the year and earnings are not uniform is not attracting today's youth to become wazas.

Typically a wazwan can have twenty five to thirty or more number of dishes. It depends on the host's money purse and how much he is willing to spend. Kashmiris are voracious meat eaters and wazwan dishes are predominantly meat based. But there are many exotic vegetarian dishes also served in a typical wazwan.

The standard wazwan will consist of a variety of meat kababs, rista (minced meat balls), aab ghost (meat cooked in milk), tabak maaz ( sheep ribs cooked in ghee), ghostaba ( finely minced meat balls cooked in curd), roghan josh (meat cooked in spices), yakhni (meat cooked in yoghurt),  and mirchi korma. The vegetarian dishes are dum aloo (deep fries whole potatoes cooked under dum), nadroo yakhni (lotus stem cooked in curd), spicy and non spicy variety of paneer or cottage cheese, and the simple but tasty mujh chattni (chattni of raddish in curd). Addition to these standard dishes would depend on the host. Earlier on chicken dishes were not popular but today chicken and fish based dishes are also served.

What separates the wazwan dishes from the ordinary is the preparation of the main ingredients before cooking is staretd. This makes the whole process very time consuming and energy intensive. Minced meat dishes require lot of labour to achieve the desired fineness by manual pounding boneless meat for four or more hours, on stone slabs. A typical Kashmiri Muslim wedding may involve cooking of 350 - 400 kgs or more of meat and a Pandit wedding may involve cooking 200-250 kgs of meat as some dishes are traditionally not prepared by them. Depending on the type of dish, the meat has to be from a particular part of the sheep and it has also to be cut into pieces in a particular manner. Only Kashmiri butchers know this fine art of cutting pieces the best.. The style of cutting enhances the acquiring of taste by the pieces while cooking. Also, each piece has to be not less than a specified weight and all should be of similar weight so that they are cooked uniformly. The size of the pieces is also kept uniform so that all guests get same size pieces.

The preparation begins a day or two before the function. Traditional wazas will insist on cooking in large copper vessels and will burn wood to provide heat. However now gas cylinders are replacing the vanishing wood. Usually the waza will talk to the meat supplier for his requirements and will receive it at the place of cooking. Along with his helpers the meat and other ingredients will be prepared for eventual cooking.

Usually many hours before serving , say on the day of the wedding lunch or dinner, the various dishes are cooked on slow heat in the copper vessels. This slow cooking helps in the gradual absorption of various spices into the meat, potatoes or paneer and gives them the taste for which Kashmiri dishes are famous all over the world. The dishes are served with hot rice to the delight of the guests. The exotic taste of the wazwan dishes are much relished by both Kashmiris and non-Kashmiris alike.

However the wazas or cooks who create these finger licking dishes are now reducing in numbers. The low remunerations, long erratic hours and low social prestige are not attracting the sons into the hereditary trade. It is generally observed that the wazas are pampered  till the  dishes are cooked and thereafter are simply ignored. Many of the wazas take to drinking.

In the city of Srinagar, capital of J&K, there is a whole waza community, around 250-300 families staying in an area appropriately known as wazapora. Wazas have been staying here since more than three centuries now. But with increasing number of their children joining other respectable professions, the number of wazas is declining. It is not now common to see wazas who are mostly elder in age and have non Kashmiri young helpers from other States in their team.

Wazwan is a very old Kashmiri tradition which has made Kashmiri cooking and dishes famous all over the world. However like many other traditional arts it is also in danger of vanishing. If and when it happens will be a sad day for food gourmets in Kashmir  and outside. Hopefully that day is still far off. Till then let us visit as many wazwans as possible to relish the really exotic preparations made with expertise by hereditary wazwans from their secret recipes. 

The Government of any country plays a very important role in the development of a country. Irrespective of  the type of government style, it acts as a catalyst or a dampener in the progress a country and its people make. However the governments reflect the society from which they emerge. Many countries are ruled by dictators because there is imbalance in the society and might is right principle prevails. In many countries democracy prevails because the ethos of the society is  tolerant and every person contributes in government making.

Many years back, I was chiding an African that revolutions occur frequently in their countries leading to lot of bloodshed. His answer was both very revealing and humbling. He said that I was lucky to be in a country where governments could be changed by ballot. In many African countries the only choice people have to change the government is by bullet, because otherwise the one in power is never going to leave power. After that I have understood and appreciated the agony of people saying in dictatorial countries and the relative ecstasy of those staying in democratic countries.

However the grass is always greener on the other side. The citizens of a dictatorial country crave for democracy and those in democratic countries want strong leaders to be in charge. No doubt democracy is supposed to be the worst form of best government. The attraction of dictatorial countries is the relative fast rate of progress that takes place especially in countries like China. A handful of persons at the very top decide about projects and these are then ruthlessly implemented. Whereas in a democracy the whole process of decision making is generally lengthy involving endless discussions and opposition and even agitations leading to delays and cost overruns. 

One tends to associate efficiency with dictators and inefficiency with democracies. Yet nothing could be far from the truth. In the achievements of dictators there is rarely willing involvement of the population whereas in a democracy people feel involved. This is a basic difference between the two systems. However one can appreciate it better when one gets an opportunity to live in the 'other' system. 

In single party or person ruled countries there is no voice of the opposition. Even the most feeble voice is ruthlessly crushed as is witnessed from time to time in North Korea or China. In democratic countries like India one sees the voice of opposition become so strong that it can come to power by dislodging the ruling dispensation through elections. Yet it is often seen that in democratic countries generally there is a significant yearning for a leader who is strong in decision making. Societies in dictatorial countries are highly regimented and give an appearance of discipline and order to the outside world.

Is there anything like a benevolent dictator and a strict democracy? Was Lee the strongman of Singapore a benevolent dictator or a strict democracy leader who is held responsible for developing Singapore into what it is today. Is Fidel Castro a benevolent dictator of Cuba, isolated as it is from the world for most of the last four decades. Is America a strict democracy where the rule of law is strictly enforced howsoever mighty the guilty may be. Answers will depend on one's beliefs.

Where would one place Indian democracy? For all the yearning for a strong leader ,when Indira Gandhi imposed the emergency in 1975 and tried to demonstrate the traits of a strong leader, in the elections thereafter in 1977, she and her Congress party were wiped out in many states and lost power. So Indians do not like a strong leader.Yet the yearning continues. The Janata Government that came to power in 1977, had too much of democracy in it and was one of the main reasons for its downfall within less than two years. 

So what is that the people want from their governments. In dictatorial countries, they cannot express what they want. They have to cheerfully accept what they get. Some one else is deciding for them. In democratic countries, people do express what they want and get to chose the type of government they like. Yet they are also dissatisfied at the governance. 

In short it is very difficult to satisfy all people. Howsoever sincere may a dictator be or responsive a democratic government may be, there will always be significant sections of society who will always up the antenna as far as their satisfaction index is concerned. People do not generally care for ideologies till their expectations of food, clothing, shelter, job and security are reasonably met. It is only when these are not met that they start looking for alternatives even in dictatorial countries. If their demands are met they raise the bar as every human being basically likes to live a better than yesterday life.

So in dictator run countries they revolt and in democracies they go out and vote for change. The dissatisfaction cycle starts all over again.