general overview of Indian culture

1. INDIA

2. India
• Country
• Area
:
:
• Population
:
• Capital
• Religions
:
:
• Languages
:
Republic of India
3,287,590 km2
It is the 7th largest country
by area
1.23 billion
2nd most populous country
New Delhi
Originated here are Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.
Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Islam
and Christianity are also followed
Hindi and English
22 official languages
415 living languages
• Composition
:
Hinduism (80.5%),Islam (13.4%),
Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.9%),
Buddhism (0.8%), Jainism (0.4%), Other (0.7%)
• Largest democratic country in the world
• The Indian economy is the world's tenth-largest by GDP

3. INDIAN CULTURE
• Indian culture is one of the most diversified
cultures in the world.
• India is the land known for UNITY IN DIVERSITY
• Culture can be studied under
– Religions
– Festivals
– Languages
– Dance
– Music
– Architecture
– Cuisine

4. Religions
• India is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism and Sikhism
• Today, Hinduism and Buddhism are the world's third
and fourth-largest religions respectively
Festivals
• India is called the land of festivals and fairs
• There are many different festivals because of the varied
religions
• The three national holidays in India, the Independence
Day, the Republic Dayand the Gandhi Jayanti, are
celebrated across India.
• Popular festivals include Dussehra, Diwali, Holi, Maha
Shivratri, Rakshabandhan, Christmas and Ramzan.

5. Languages
• The Indian census of 1961 recognised 1,652 different languages in
India (including languages not native to the subcontinent).
• The 1991 census recognizes 1,576 classified "mother tongues”
• The government of India has given 22 "languages of the 8th
Schedule" the status of official language
• Hindi is most spoken. It is followed by Bengali and Telugu
Dance
The Sangeet Natak Akademicurrently confers classical status on eight
Indian classical dance styles:
• Bharatanatyam(Tamil Nadu)
• Kathak (North India)
• Kathakali (Kerala)
• Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh)
• Manipuri(Manipur)
• Mohiniyattam (Kerala)
• Odissi (Odisha)
• Sattriya (Assam).

6. Music
• The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, pop and
classical
music.
India's
classical
music
tradition, including Hindustani music and Carnatic, has a
history spanning millennia and developed over several eras.
• The present form of Carnatic music is based on historical
developments that can be traced to the 15th - 16th centuries
AD
Architecture
• Indian architecture has evolved through various ages in
different regions of the country.
• Evolution of Indian architecture was also affected by the
emergence and decay of great empires and dynasties in the
sub-continent.
• Indus Valley Civilization (2700 BC-1700BC)
• Mughal Era (1526 AD-1857 AD)
• Colonial Era (1500 AD—1947 AD)

7. Cuisine
• Indian food is as
diverse as India.
Indian cuisines use
numerous
ingredients, deploy
a wide range of
food preparation
styles, cooking
techniques and
culinary
presentation

8. Greetings
• Westerners may shake hands, however, greeting with 'namaste‘ is
appreciated and shows respect for Indian customs.
• When addressing an Indian whom you know personally, always use the
appropriate formal title, whether Professor, Doctor, Mr, Mrs or if you
do not know their names then Sir or Madam will suffice.
• This is a hierarchical culture, so greet the eldest or most senior person
first.
• When doing business in India, business cards should be exchanged at
the first meeting. It is a good idea to have it translated on one side into
Hindi. Be sure to receive and give with your right hand. Make sure the
card is put away respectfully and not simply pushed into a trouser
pocket.
• Indian society has an aversion to saying "no" as it is considered rude
due to the possibility of causing disappointment or offense.
• When leaving a group, each person must be bid farewell individually.
• Shaking hands is common, especially in the large cities among the more
educated who are accustomed to dealing with westerners.

9. Etiquette of Indian dining
• Initial business entertainment is done in restaurants in prestigious
hotels. Business can be discussed during meals. Allow your host to
initiate business conversation.
• Irrespective of whether one takes food with cutlery or with hand
(typically right hand), one is expected to wash hands before and
after partaking food. You may be asked to wash your hands before
and after sitting down to a meal.
• Arrive 15-30 minutes later than the stated time for a dinner party
• It is rude for your host to not offer you food multiple times.
• It is expected that one should not leave the table before the host
or the eldest person have finished their food.
• It is not necessary to taste each and every dish prepared, but you
should finish everything on the plate as it is considered a respect
for served food, and food is sacred. For this reason, take only as
much food on the plate as you can finish.
• Eating at a medium pace is important as eating too slowly may
imply that you dislike the food, whereas eating too quickly is rude
• Take food from communal dish with a spoon; never your fingers.
• The host pays for guests in a restaurant.

10. Business Etiquette
• Meetings should be arranged well in advance.
• This should be done in writing (email) and confirmed by phone
closer to time – probably no earlier than one week beforehand.
• Avoid meetings near or on national and regional/state holidays.
• However expect meetings, particularly with the senior most people
to change at the last moment. If this happens, you need to decide
whether to still go ahead with a “substitute” that may be
offered, knowledge of hierarchy will be key to such a decision.
• Business over lunch is quite popular, breakfast meeting can often
happen without the breakfast.
• Indians prefer to do business with those they know.
• Relationships are built upon mutual trust and respect.
• In general, Indians prefer to have long-standing personal
relationships prior to doing business.
• It may be a good idea to go through a third party introduction. This
gives you immediate credibility.

11. • If your business dealings in India involve negotiations, always bear
in mind that they can be slow.
• If trust has not yet been established then concentrate efforts on
building a rapport.
• Decisions are always made at the highest level. If the owner or
Director of the company is not present, the chances are these are
early stage negotiations.
• Indians do not base their business decisions solely on
statistics, empirical data and exciting PowerPoint presentations.
They use intuition, feeling and faith to guide them, so patience is
required.
• India is overall a hot and humid country so the clothing has to be
casual and comfortable. As a result, suits are rarely worn. A light
jacket with shirt and pant is considered a formal outfit for
businessmen. Women wear blazers over their shirt and trousers or
suits or saris