Indian Culture vs Western Culture: Difference and Comparison

Culture plays an important role in everyone’s life. Be it any culture, it should be respected as our culture mirrors our behavior.  Culture not only differs from country to country but also from region to region. None of the cultures are the same.

When talking about Indian and Western cultures, it can be said that they differ in all aspects, such as food, religion, clothing, marital life, social life, family relations, language, dance forms, music, and so on.

Key Takeaways

1. Indian Culture places great importance on traditions, customs, and family values, whereas Western Culture values individuality, freedom, and self-expression.
2. In Indian Culture, religion plays a significant role in daily life, while in Western Culture, religion is considered a personal choice.
3. Indian Culture has a collectivist approach to social interaction, while Western Culture is more individualistic and emphasizes personal achievement.

Indian Culture vs. Western Culture

Indian culture is the old, more diverse culture. People of India follow Indian culture, which includes Hindi as the most spoken Language and various religions like Hinduism, Islam, etc. The culture followed in Western countries is modern, having English as the most spoken language. 

Comparison Table

Parameter of Comparison	Indian Culture	Western Culture
Meaning	The culture that is observed in India is known as Indian culture.	The culture observed in Western countries such as Canada, Spain, Europe, the USA, and so on is known as Western culture.
Language	The most common language in Indian culture is Hindi. Numerous languages exist, such as Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, Bihari, Marathi, Urdu, and so on.	The most common language in Western culture is English. Apart from this, Spanish and French are also common.
Food	Rice, paratha, idlis and dosas, curries, biryani, and pickles are the staple food of this culture.	Pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, salads, french fries, soup, wraps, and lasagnas are the staple food of this culture.
Religion	A few religions of the Indian culture include Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Jainism.	Christianity and Judaism are the common religions of Western culture.
Marriage	In the Indian culture, arranged marriages are more common than love marriages.	In Western culture, love marriages are preferred over arranged marriages.
Dance forms	Ghoomer, Odissi, Bharatnatyam, and Kuchipudi are the most popular dance forms in Indian culture.	Breakdance, Salsa, Hip hop, and Tap dance are the most popular dance forms of western culture.
Family	In the Indian culture, importance is given to joint families.	Joint families are not common in Western culture. People live in nuclear families.

What is Indian Culture?

Indian culture is one of the oldest, most ancient, and most famous worldwide. India is famous for its cultural heritage, which is quite rich.

The mixture of traditions, religions, customs, lifestyle, rituals, languages, cuisine, dressing style, etc., makes India a diverse country and its culture popular. The number of religions in the country is huge. Some are Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

The majority of these religions have their festivals. A few popular festivals include Holi, Diwali, Eid, Navratri, Dussehra, and Guruparv. People in India not only worship God but also trees, animals, stones, rivers, statues, children, etc. India has more than 120 languages spoken.

The variety of cuisines available is also huge. However, it can be said that Indian culture is slowly changing with the adoption of Western merits and values. Positively, it may help to overcome the shortcomings in the Indian culture.

What is Western Culture?

Western culture is the advanced and modern culture followed in Western countries. Individualism, ethical values, capitalism, and rights are the main pillars of this culture.

People in Western countries prioritize their needs, desires, happiness, and wants, not what others think about them. When talking about religions, it can be said there are not too many religions in this culture. The main ones are Christianity and Judaism.

Christmas, Halloween, and St. Patrick’s Day are a few festivals celebrated in these countries. People in Western counties prefer wearing revealing clothes. Western culture is also influenced by Indian culture in many aspects, such as Indian cuisine, yoga, etc.

Main Differences Between Indian Culture and Western Culture

1. The culture that prevails in India is the Indian culture, whereas Western culture is the culture that prevails in Western countries.
2. The Indian culture has numerous religions, such as Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, etc. The most common religion in Western culture is Christianity. 
3. The ways of greeting in both cultures differ. In India, Namaste, As-salam-Alaykum, Satsriakal, etc., are used to greet one another. People also join hands and touch feet to show respect and greet others.
   On the other hand, Hello, Bonjour, and Hola are used as greetings in Western culture. People also shake hands.
4. India is known as a land of festivals. Some famous festivals celebrated here are Holi, Diwali, Eid, Guruparv, Lohri, etc. In Western culture, there are few famous festivals. These include Christmas, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick’s Day, and Halloween. 
5. The dressing style is another major point of difference between the two cultures. Traditional sarees, kurta pajamas, dhoti, and salwar suits are preferred in Indian culture, whereas in Western culture, jeans, t-shirts,  skirts, tunics, gowns, and trousers are preferred.
6. When it comes to marriage, Indians believe that marriage is not only a joint venture of two people but of two different families. Indians prefer arranged marriages over love marriages. In Western culture, love marriages are a common affair, and the concept of remarriage is also common.

References

1. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09544780710730014/full/html
2. https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/15453/bulletin1591955smit.pdf