Essay on modern indian society
Answers
At once a stable society, comfortably couched in time-worn traditions, and a chaotic crucible of new ideas, modern India is distinguished by diversity and united by patriotism.
There are countless issues that divide the country, including socioeconomic factors such as caste, class, and access to basic needs and education; regional variations like the dozens of official languages and various different cuisines; religious differences that divide communities and often result in distinct neighborhoods; and the deep gender inequality that transcends even the division between urban and rural populations. And yet many factors unite India. Even in terms of language, English and Hindi are common to most of urbanized India, at least at a basic level. And although major urban areas have been joined by roads (no matter the quality of these roads), the democratizing power of the Indian rail system is not to be underestimated. A shared history of colonialism, active media, a sprawling government bureaucracy, and an engaged political body help create a relatively cohesive Indian society. And, of course, there is the fact that Indian people are, by and large, incredibly warm and welcoming.
ASTROLOGY
Modern India may be known for technology, but this doesn't negate the prevalence of tradition. Many Indians won't make decisions about business, love, or family without consulting the stars. Marriages, if not made in heaven, should at least be consecrated on an auspicious date—on days deemed extra-auspicious for weddings, huge numbers of concurrent ceremonies occur.
Urban versus Rural Society
Possibly the biggest difference in India is one that tourists rarely experience: the division between rural and urban life. India's cities are fueled by labor and resources from India's villages—the majority of the country's population still subsists on an agrarian lifestyle and economy—yet city and small-town life is worlds apart from the fields and dirt roads of the rest of India. While in the cities, access to electricity is frustrated by unannounced power outages, only about half of rural Indian households have any access to power at all. Education and potable water are often elusive commodities outside of India's cities and towns. Idyllic glimpses of rural life are visible from the road or train—yellow-blossomed mustard fields in north India, coconut plantations along the coast, tractors loaded impossibly high with bales of cotton or other goods—but the realities of rural life are something a traveler will rarely get the chance to see. Interestingly, socioeconomic divisions of caste or occupation—though certainly still present—are sometimes less stark in rural areas than in urban ones.